Chapter 63: Practical Training (6)

The fact that ancient ruins lay dormant in the Erendal Forest was a well-known story recorded even in old texts.

Several sites had already been discovered, and their historical significance had been confirmed.

The academic world speculated that, excluding the ruins already found, at least five more remained hidden.

Among them, there was a widely supported theory that some of these were connected to ancient heroes.

…And the fact that ruins belonging not to a hero, but to someone else, lay dormant here—was known to only a handful of people.

Step.

In the forest at night, when all else slept.

Someone stepped into the place shrouded in deep darkness.

It was a man, clad from head to toe in pure white.

Brushing back his long, flowing hair, he gazed with his refined features toward the depths of the dark forest.

“There are quite a lot scattered about.”

He could sense presences here and there.

Those who had entered the forest for the subjugation mission had each settled in place, curling up for the night—it was almost laughable.

If he wished, he could sweep away every person here.

But the man merely exhaled a short breath before stepping lightly forward.

Swish. Swish.

With each step, the scenery around him shifted in an instant.

Just seconds ago, he had been at the forest’s edge—yet now, he was already in the central area he had been looking at from outside.

“They said it should be somewhere around here…”

The man furrowed his brow, scanning the area.

Following the shifting needle of the compass in his hand, he moved again and soon reached his destination.

“Ah, here we are.”

He stopped before an unremarkable boulder.

When he stretched out his hand and infused it with mana, several metaphysical symbols floated up on the rock’s surface.

Vmmm─.

It was a process to judge whether he was worthy of entering.

After a short wait, the boulder split apart with a crack, revealing stairs descending below.

“Hm, hmhm, hmm.”

Humming, the man descended underground.

The familiar energy wafting from within put him in a naturally pleasant mood.

Running his fingers along the wall, he walked slowly forward.

Though the door must have been opened hundreds of years ago, not a speck of dust had gathered.

Just how deep did the grace of that one reside here?

“There was a reason Serena stressed this so strongly.”

At the end of the stairs stood a massive door blocking the way.

When he reached out with force, the tightly shut door began to open, revealing the outline within.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Blue flames flared from the lamps along the walls, illuminating the interior.

The man kissed the cross hanging from his neck before stepping inside.

The interior was a spacious chamber.

Along the edges stood statues, each around five meters tall, spaced evenly apart, while in the center sat an altar clearly meant for rituals.

“Hm, hmhm, hmm.”

Still humming, the man walked up to the altar.

With reverence, he stepped onto it, tracing the sign of the cross as he looked down.

“How regrettable. Such a shame. If I were a saint, I would gladly have given my life.”

With this unholy body, having attained only the rank of apostle, he could not offer himself as a sacrifice.

With a look of regret, he reached into his breast and pulled out a small wooden box.

“Instead, I offer a pure heart.”

Click.

When he opened it, there lay a small heart.

Though it sat alone, it throbbed as if alive, brimming with vitality.

He pressed a finger into it, letting the blood within flow out and soak the altar.

“Have mercy on this little lamb.”

With a short murmur, unknown prayers spilled from his lips.

Unlike his earlier frivolity, his demeanor was now deeply solemn.

When the heart finally stopped bleeding, the groove on the altar was filled to the brim with shimmering red light.

Thud.

Casting aside the now-empty heart, the man lightly made the sign of the cross.

At once, blue flames surged atop the altar, devouring all the blood offered.

“Whoo.”

Letting out a brief sigh of admiration, he took a handkerchief from his breast to wipe the blood from his fingers—then tossed it into the blue fire as well.

“Well, that’s all the business here…”

There was no need to linger now.

Normally, he would have left and returned at once—but this place was crawling with beings that grated on his nerves.

“Ah.”

As he emerged back to the surface, a rather amusing idea caught his eye.

“Why not let a wolf loose among the flock?”

The second day of the subjugation mission.

As the darkness slowly shifted to violet, everyone rose from their sleeping spots.

Another day of tight scheduling lay ahead.

No—not just today. The remaining five days would all be the same.

Knowing they would be moving for quite some time, everyone ate a hearty meal, warmed up, and finished preparing for the hunt.

“Alright, let’s all do our best again today.”

Of the party, only Brother Darius looked even more energetic than the day before, encouraging the group.

The cadets spoke far less than at the start—whether from lingering fatigue or simple exhaustion—but they now moved through the forest with a practiced ease.

The party split into groups, each heading to pioneer new areas.

– Grrr.

Beastmen, the size of orcs, were moving along the path.

Their bodies were covered entirely in blue—their name, Kashakak.

These were a variant monster that could only be observed in Erendal, nowhere else.

They were known to be far tougher and stronger than normal orcs.

However, because their leader commanded them with absolute authority, once that one was taken down, the rest would scatter into a disorganized rabble.

Swoosh.

Perched in the branches above, Carl waited until the Kashakak leader passed beneath him—then dropped down at just the right moment.

He had lost the draw and thus been assigned the task of assassinating the boss.

Slash─!

To think someone had hired an assassin to carry out a killing.

‘I can’t afford to disappoint.’

Without making a sound, Carl landed beside the Kashakak leader and gave his sword a light flick.

There was no need to swing with all his might to add force.

Using only the speed and momentum from his fall, he cleanly severed the creature’s neck.

– Krrk?!

– Krrrk!

Only then did the Kashakak realize their leader had been killed.

Deprived of their commander, they went berserk, all charging straight toward Carl.

At that moment, Laysis and Luna burst out from their hiding spots in front and behind, blocking the horde’s rampage.

Swoooosh─!

Rain poured from the sky.

A sudden downpour from a cloudless, bone-dry sky.

Immediately after, lightning crashed down, scorching everything soaked by the rain.

Rumble!

The spot where the Kashakak were most densely gathered erupted.

The direct hit area was completely obliterated, and the others, drenched by rain, were electrocuted—either paralyzed or severely slowed.

Screeeech!

The rest were an easy hunt.

In less than thirty minutes, they had taken down over fifty Kashakak and immediately checked their score.

“0.7 points per kill. Not bad at all.”

“Right? Maybe it’s because they’re unique beasts found only in Erendal.”

“Focusing only on these might not be a bad idea.”

It seemed the unique beasts of Erendal indeed gave more generous points.

Rather than hunting various monsters, it was far more efficient to target only the ones native to Erendal.

– Hey, can you hear me?

Just as they were finishing up, Brother Darius’s voice came through.

“Yes, I hear you.”

– How’s it going over there?

“We’ve already finished and were just wrapping up.”

– Then join us immediately. We’ve found a Guibl nest ahead. It’s a big one—we’ll need everyone together.

“Guibl, understood.”

Carl nodded.

Guibl was the monster that gave the highest score among those they had hunted so far.

It resembled a lizardman—in simpler terms, a lizard beastman.

And just like the high points it gave, it was considerably challenging, requiring the full party to be present.

Soon, Carl’s party joined with the others, and they began the Guibl hunting operation.

Fwoooosh!

Guibl habitats were usually swamp zones or shallow stream banks.

First, Pozers and Yuria conjured a wall of fire to block their escape route.

Since the terrain had a cliff at their backs, it wasn’t hard to herd the Guibl to one side.

– Kyaaaak!

– Cursed humans!

The problem was that their resistance was fiercer than expected.

The Guibl they had taken down before hadn’t been this difficult, but this seemed to be a nest several tiers stronger.

Clang! Clang!

The cadets’ swords were occasionally blocked, leading to a rather intense battle.

The sheer number of enemies also played a role.

Even with the fire wall blocking their way, the creatures kept forcing their way out, forcing the party to split their forces.

Yet even so, the cadets fought their hardest, and, fueled by Brother Darius’s lead, they eventually annihilated the enemy.

Crunch!

The face of a Guibl, cornered with its armor shattered, twisted in despair.

It had realized it was the last survivor of its kind.

“Cursed humans! Always the butchers who defile the forest!”

“…We know that already, so stop flapping your tongue and come quietly.”

“You too will meet a miserable end! For the master of this forest has begun to move!”

“The master of the forest?”

Darius tilted his head in confusion, then swung his greatsword without hesitation, splitting the Guibl’s head.

“What nonsense.”

The master of this forest was human.

For prey destined to be hunted, speaking of a “master” was laughable.

Thud.

Pulling his greatsword free and shaking off the blood and flesh, Darius turned to the cadets behind him.

“How’s everyone holding up?”

“I’m fine.”

“Just a few scratches here.”

“Same for me.”

This had been the most intense battle since entering the forest.

As a result, many of the cadets had sustained injuries here and there.

Drip.

Carl poured a potion over the wound on his forearm to heal it.

Even so, he kept glancing toward the depths of the forest, tilting his head.

“Carl, what’s wrong?”

“…Doesn’t the forest feel a bit strange to you?”

“Strange? How so?”

“It feels a little different from when we first came in.”

It wasn’t because of the faint presence he’d sensed deeper in the forest.

That being still remained far away from here, staying within its own territory.

‘It’s more like the nature of the forest itself has changed.’

But Carl wasn’t well-versed enough in such matters to explain clearly.

“If everyone’s done tidying up, we’ll return for a rest. Then we’ll head back out again.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood!”

Checking on the cadets’ condition, Darius ordered a temporary retreat.

Even light wounds were still wounds.

It was better to tend to them before returning to the field.

“…?”

Leading the way back, Darius frowned.

The mapping function had suddenly glitched.

“…Was it like this before?”

The mapping wasn’t working.

He still remembered the path and terrain they had taken, so cross-checking would have been fine—but the scenery was now entirely unfamiliar, as if the terrain itself had changed.

“Tch.”

Realizing the situation, Darius frowned deeper and addressed the cadets.

“It seems the forest’s space has been scrambled—coordinates and terrain have changed.”

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