I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 11

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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It wasn’t just one.

Three golems were closing in at once.

‘Damn it.’

We had to run.

But my feet were rooted to the spot.

Just as I was about to resort to [Absolute Obedience]…

“Stay put.”

Leaving those words behind, Gwen dashed forward.

“Gwen?”

I couldn’t think of a single reason why Gwen would choose to fight instead of running. But then I noticed a man, running desperately towards us with the golems hot on his heels.

“Help me!”

Ignoring the man’s plea, Gwen plunged her sword into the leading golem.

‘That damn sense of justice…’

Judging from his ordinary clothes, the fleeing man was more likely a Pathfinder than a hero.

Thump.

As Gwen pulled her sword free, the first Ruin Golem collapsed.

Before it even hit the ground, Gwen was already upon the next one.

She moved with such speed that the red-hot glow emanating from her blade left a trail of afterimages.

Lightning fast. It was a fighting style born from Gwen’s stunted growth, a side effect of the [Precocious] trait. What she lacked in physical strength, she made up for with the penetrating power of her relic, Ignis, and sheer speed.

However, even this fighting style had its limits.

For one, it wouldn’t work against opponents resistant to the penetrating power of her 3-star relic.

While it would be effective if she struck the golem’s core directly, this one seemed to have learned from its comrade’s demise. It shielded its core with its long arms.

As a result, Gwen couldn’t take it down in one hit.

‘Only a matter of time, though.’

Having trained Gwen at least twenty times, I knew she wouldn’t lose to something like this.

Crash!

The golem swung its remaining arm.

Gwen dodged effortlessly, slipping closer and striking the back of its knee with her blade.

The golem’s balance faltered. It was the perfect opportunity to attack, but Gwen didn’t let her guard down.

She whirled around, evading an attack from another golem.

Her movements were too fast for my eyes to follow.

All that remained were streaks of crimson light, painting the air like scattered rose petals.

‘So this is the Rose Hero…’

As a player, I had always assumed her alias stemmed solely from her emblem.

Seeing her fight in person, though, I realized her swordsmanship itself resembled a blooming rose.

‘This is Swordsmanship [S]?’

If this was her level at [S], I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was capable of at [S+], the level my Gwen had eventually reached. It made sense why it took so long to get there.

And at [SS]… It was unfathomable. Though rare, I had seen a handful of players achieve [SS] with her.

“Haa.”

After swiftly dispatching the remaining two golems, Gwen finally sheathed her sword.

The red-hot blade returned to its normal color.

However, she made no move to put it away.

Instead, she gestured to the man who had been about to make his escape.

“You there.”

The man froze.

Gwen pointed in the direction he had been headed.

“And the rest of you. Come out.”

As if on cue, a group of men emerged from the seemingly empty space.

The largest of the group spoke.

“Impressive skills. And even more impressive perception.”

He gestured towards the man Gwen had saved.

“We’re grateful for you rescuing our comrade. Now, if you’ll excuse us…”

Just as they turned to leave…

“You’re not Pathfinders, are you?”

“What?”

“You’re bandits. And professionals, at that.”

Confusion spread across the large man’s face.

“What are you talking about? Bandits?”

“Pathfinders wouldn’t travel so poorly equipped. You’re likely stationed here, preying on heroes and Pathfinders who stumble into your territory.”

“What are you…! We’re not bandits…!”

Gwen pointed at one of the men.

“And that relic you’re carrying? I know its previous owner.”

Realization dawned on the bandits.

They had been completely exposed.

“Run!”

“Not so fast. Apprehending criminals and retrieving stolen relics is also a hero’s duty.”

Gwen’s sword remained drawn.

With her blade raised, she charged towards the bandits.

But it seemed they had been prepared to flee since the beginning.

Each of them threw a black mass they were carrying onto the ground.

The moment the masses hit the ground, dark particles erupted outwards, engulfing the area in a black cloud.

“Ugh!”

Blinded by the sudden smokescreen, I drew the sword Gwen had lent me, my nerves on high alert.

While I knew Gwen was strong, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down, especially considering their underhanded tactics.

Then, through the smoke, I heard Gwen’s voice.

“You’re not getting away!”

A faint flash of red cut through the darkness.

A man screamed.

“Aaaaagh!”

Silence fell.

I waited, my guard still up, as the black smoke slowly began to dissipate. Finally, my vision cleared, revealing the aftermath.

Sizzle.

The heat emanating from Gwen’s blade evaporated the blood staining its surface. She sheathed her now-clean sword.

At her feet lay the body of a bandit, a sword protruding from his chest. He had been killed instantly.

“You know, there was something I wanted to ask…”

Gwen picked up a spear that had fallen from the dead man’s grasp. Though plain and unadorned, a faint glow surrounded it, indicating it was a relic.

“At least we recovered a relic.”

She glanced around, then walked towards a secluded corner and propped the spear against the wall. Then, she bowed her head.

I watched silently as she paid her respects.

After a moment, she turned back to me.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

I followed Gwen, resuming our journey.

I didn’t need to ask about the spear.

Gwen had many acquaintances besides Ludmilla. Some, like Ludmilla and Gwen herself, were strong, while others were not so fortunate.

That spear, standing solemnly in the shadows, might as well be his grave marker.

“Little one, you seem curious about something.”

It was true. There were still some things I couldn’t shake off.

Since Gwen seemed to have noticed, I decided to voice my question.

“You said you had a duty to recover stolen relics, right? But is it alright to just leave the spear like that?”

“The spear is considered lost.”

I see.

“As long as you keep quiet, there won’t be any problems.”

After witnessing her ruthless display earlier, keeping quiet seemed like the best course of action.

However, I had one more question.

“You knew that man running from the golems was a bandit from the start, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you didn’t have to fight those golems, did you?”

That was before she saw the spear belonging to her old acquaintance. If she knew the man being chased was a bandit, we could’ve just ignored him. Yet, she didn’t hesitate.

“You were frozen stiff back there. Anyone could see you were in no condition to run.”

“Ah…”

She was right.

I could have used [Absolute Obedience] to force my body to move, but Gwen had no way of knowing that. From her perspective, I had completely frozen up.

She didn’t fight the golems to save the bandit. She fought to protect me.

‘She’s thorough, as always.’

I was genuinely impressed.

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‘Are we finally here?’

After traversing the ruins for what felt like ages, we finally arrived at what appeared to be the entrance to the Trial. It was located deep within the underground tunnels of the ruins.

“This must be the place.”

An expansive, dome-shaped chamber spread out before us.

A large lake occupied the center of the chamber, shrouded in a thick fog that clung to its surface.

One thing was certain: this place was different from anywhere we had been so far.

“It’s easier to breathe here.”

It felt as if a miniature barrier surrounded this space.

Though there was no way to know for sure.

“Hmm…”

Gwen, however, paid no attention to the surrounding scenery, her focus solely on the lake. It was impossible to gauge its depth at a glance.

“Seems like ordinary water.”

Gwen knelt by the lakeside, scooping a handful of water into her hands.

It was crystal clear, devoid of any impurities, like water purified through a filter. Aside from that, there was nothing unusual about it.

She poured the water back into the lake.

“You do know how to start the Trial, right?”

I shook my head.

“I don’t.”

I honestly didn’t.

I simply assumed Gwen would know.

Or that something would trigger naturally once we arrived at the Trial site.

However, there was no sign of the latter happening.

‘Don’t tell me we came all this way only to turn back because we don’t know how to start the Trial…’

As if sensing my unease, Gwen spoke.

“Well then, it seems we have no choice. Don’t look.”

Without warning, she removed her hero’s cloak and stored it in her inventory.

Then, she started to take off her top as well. I stared blankly for a moment before quickly turning away.

“Uh, Gwen? What are you…”

“I’m going into the lake. Honestly, I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s the only method I’ve heard of.”

The sound of rustling cloth echoed through the silent chamber.

After a moment, I heard a soft splash.

Plop.

‘She went in?’

I felt bad for doing this, but I had to see how she entered the lake.

I might have to do the same.

However, when I turned back… Gwen was gone.

Only a thick fog remained, swirling above the surface of the lake.

‘When did she…?’

I waited, but Gwen didn’t reappear.

Now, I was completely alone.

The fact that Gwen hadn’t returned after entering the lake seemed to confirm it was the correct way to initiate the Trial.

‘Looks like I have to go in too, then.’

Steeling my resolve, I took off Gwen’s robe and stored it in my inventory.

Since she wasn’t here, I could use the inventory freely.

As for my remaining clothes, they wouldn’t be a hindrance even if they got wet, so I decided to keep them on.

‘Here goes nothing.’

I slowly dipped my left foot into the water.

I felt the solid bottom of the lake beneath my foot.

Reassured, I shifted my weight, about to step in with my right foot…

…and the bottom disappeared.

‘What?’

In an instant, water engulfed my vision.

The next moment, an unbelievable sight unfolded before my eyes.

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