EP.31 Old relationship (3)
A dark and dull underground waterway.
Belnoir was kneeling on the wet floor. Of course, someone didn’t order it. I just knelt down because I felt like I had to.
“Why are you shooting magic all of a sudden?”
“No, that’s it…”
Belnoir broke into a cold sweat.
To be honest, Belnoir was a little scared of that professor. Bel Noah remembers when he entered the realm of the Fountain of Mana.
Everything shook and became distorted.
Meanwhile, the professor was alone and doing fine.
‘Just like any other being.’
This was the fear that came from that sense of heterogeneity.
‘···You’re not going to throw it into the Mana Well again, are you?’
I guess so.
Belnoa slightly raised his head and glanced at Rania. Dressed the same as always. Gray hair flowing down the spine, neat robes.
‘It really doesn’t suit me.’
I didn’t really appreciate it in Aplia, but it felt very awkward to encounter it in an underground waterway like this. She is like a noble lady.
A woman who seems to have absolutely nothing to do with this dull and dark underground waterway.
“hmm.”
As Belnoa was thinking that, Rania opened her mouth. Extending her finger, she pointed to Bel Noah.
“But why are you kneeling?”
“···yes?”
“I didn’t even say a word to kneel. Your clothes get dirty. wake up.”
“Ah, yes…”
Belnoir slowly stood up.
Then he looked at Rania’s eyes and asked a question.
“Well, Professor, why are you in an underground waterway like this?”
“I was asked by an old friend to do some cleaning with underground water.”
‘Old friend? ask?’
Belnoa tilted his head.
Other than that eccentric old man, is there anyone else interested in this underground waterway?
“By any chance, your friend’s name is…”
“You know, right?”
“yes?”
“I heard that he is your adoptive father?”
Belnoa had only one person whom he could call his adoptive father. An old man who actually hates being called that.
“Are you talking about Old Man Cardi from the potion shop?”
“Cardi is correct, but old man? “Is he?”
“yes?”
“hmm···. Well, first of all, I got it from Cardi.”
Did that old man have any friends?
Belnoa looked at Rania.
‘No matter how you look at it, you don’t look old enough to speak informally…’
Besides, wasn’t she said to be Professor Rossell’s adopted daughter? If she was going to call that old lady by her name, she would have to be at least the same age as Professor Rossell.
Belnoa asked a question carefully.
“Well, how old is the professor…?”
“Twenty days… Twenty-one.”
Something doesn’t seem right.
Belnoa slowly opened his eyes. His intuition, trained in the slums, had determined that the age of ‘twenty-one’ was a lie.
“what.”
“······.”
“Well, dude. speak up “Do you have anything to say?”
“···it’s nothing.”
How old are you? It was impossible to ask. Belnoir remained silent.
‘I don’t want to experience the Well of Mana again.’
He was a wizard who knew how to risk his life.
“So, how much did you organize?”
“First of all, I have cleared the way I came.”
Belnoa pointed behind himself.
“I cleaned it up when I came too.”
She also pointed to the road she had passed. She didn’t need to check the path.
Green blood.
Just by looking at the blood at her feet, I could guess how many undead she had killed.
“Then I guess this is what’s left.”
Rania stretched out her hand.
Where her finger pointed, there was a fork in the road leading to an intersection.
“Let’s go together, okay?”
“···yes.”
Belnoa walked after Rania, who was leading the way.
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Every time she took a step, the clang and clank sounds were very ominous.
“Hey, those shoes…”
“Oh, this?”
She lifted her heel slightly.
“There are a lot of undead crawling around. Is there really a need to kill him with his own hands? Just step on it and kill it.”
Tap, lightly touch the ground with your toes.
However, the resounding sound is not light at all.
Kang, Kang!
‘···iron plate?’
The shoes are lined with iron plates.
It definitely resembles military boots.
“This is very efficient. Even if you step on it with just a little bit of force, your neck bone will snap and break? “These are my favorite shoes because they are of just the right weight.”
Rania lets out a satisfied smile.
Belnoir felt an eerie feeling for some reason from that smile.
* * *
Snap.
Every time I take a step, there is a squishing sound. Is it because water flows nearby and becomes humid? It won’t be just that.
“·····.”
Belnoa looked at Rania’s feet.
Military boots are stained green. It is the blood shed by the undead. I looked back. The green line was straight.
gulp.
Belnoa swallowed dry saliva.
30 minutes of walking with Rania.
Belnoa did not use a single spell during that time. He was just walking along with Rania leading the way.
No monsters appeared?
No, that’s not it.
‘It came out, and it was huge.’
From here, zombies crawled out like crazy as if it were real. At this level, I feel like breaking a finger or two isn’t enough.
-I will take charge of the side, Professor…
-Move.
-yes?
-Get out of the way because I’m in the way.
However, there was nothing for Belnoa to do.
Belnoa glanced back.
“·····.”
The corpses of undead who lost their heads are piled up.
“Here it comes again. “Why is there no end?”
and.
-Kwasik!
It continues to increase.
Rania lightly extends her hand.
Reach out and grab the zombie’s head. Give strength to your grip.
Kwasik.
The undead’s head exploded. The fragments do not splash loudly. She lightly waved her hand and bits of her flesh, mixed with bone fragments, fell into her patter and channels.
It is a disciplined move.
It doesn’t seem like it takes much effort.
‘···Are you accumulating it by exploding it?’
I don’t know the trick. What’s certain is that I don’t think I’ve done something like that once or twice.
The movements are not loud.
Stretch out your arms, grab your head, and swing it. It just repeats a kind of formula-like process.
However, the results are clear.
Every time she took a step, the corpses of undead with their heads exploded scattered across the floor.
The mana consumed is extremely small.
It was a terribly efficient battle.
‘This is not a wizard…’
It’s like seeing a well-trained soldier.
“Professor Rania.”
“why.”
Belnoa asked a question.
“Well, what did you do before you became a professor…” “May I ask if you are here?”
Most professors are scholars. They build up theories over a long period of time and have skills based on the theories they have built up.
However, the professor in front of me is different.
Belnoir intuitively felt that way.
I felt like I gained experience in practice rather than theory. I have no hesitation in using my body. The movement is light, but efficient.
‘He is good at practical combat.’
Because Belnoa had grown up through practical combat in the slums, he was able to recognize its movements.
‘Break joints, grab necks, explode heads.’
Naturally neutralizes it.
It was a movement that could never just come out.
“Why are you asking that?”
“You seem to be good at practical combat…”
“hmm···.”
To that question, Rania was silent.
“well.”
She thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“I ended up rolling around in some dirty places.”
“…Dirty place, do you mean?”
“It’s dirty. “Probably the dirtiest?”
After those words, she didn’t add any more words. Belnoa also did not ask any more questions. Because there was one place I had a vague idea about.
‘The dirtiest place…’
Those words reminded Belnoa of a place.
When I asked my adoptive father, Cardi, who raised me, about his hometown, this is the place he told me about.
-You mean my hometown?
-It looks a little different now, but there is a place called a gray wasteland.
-It is a place where the ruins of the ashes of the kingdom lie. From what I heard, all kinds of underworld people have settled there.
Gray wasteland.
A lawless land filled with gigantic organizations that cannot be compared to the twilight that Belnoa destroyed.
Referring to that place, Cardi said:
-Actually, that is a demonic world.
-It’s not just the Demon World, it means there is no separate Demon World.
-They say it’s the dirtiest place in the human world.
Belnoir guessed.
‘Is he a related person there?’
Then it seemed like something made sense.
The fact that he knew the old man, and that he was good at fighting… it would be understandable if he was from that lawless area.
‘Because I would have had to get used to it in order to survive.’
Just like you did.
Belnoir suddenly remembered the past.
‘Habits for survival.’
Regardless of means or methods.
Write everything you can.
Pursue efficiency. The moment you hesitate, you die. So, he aims for the vital spot from the beginning.
A raw mindset.
The past when we had to cultivate that way of thinking.
“·····.”
Belnoa glanced at Rania, who was leading the way.
“hmm···.”
Just a little bit.
Belnoa felt familiar with the sight behind him.
2.
“·····.”
I stopped walking and glanced back.
“hmm···.”
Belnoir is nodding his head as if he understands something. She did a good job, but did it work?
‘You can’t say you rolled around on the battlefield.’
Whether it was a misunderstanding or something, I think I kind of understood it so it was okay.
I walked forward again, looking ahead. The undead pour out, clear away, and repeat.
How long did it take to walk like that?
Suddenly, Belnoa spoke up.
“…Wouldn’t it be wiped out with a wide-area spell?”
“what?”
“The thing you showed me in the main hall, if you release just one, you don’t have to deal with them all…”
What is the kid saying?
I snorted and answered.
“here?”
“yes?”
“If you use it wrong, it all goes away. “Would you mind destroying a ditch while trying to catch a rat?”
I don’t know how strong the underground waterway is, but even when I used Smash earlier, the bricks were shaking.
‘Pulverization is easy, but if you decide to use a wide-area machine…’
It’s just a burial.
It’s not difficult to get out, but what comes next is the problem. We’ll have to remove and check the debris one by one.
“You have to see what’s at the end of this. “It’s a hassle to check if you blow it up.”
“The end…?”
“Do you think this is normal?”
I pointed to the inside of the dark waterway.
“Monsters do occur in underground waterways. Well, you could say that the wizard threw away the circuit after experimenting. “I thought so too at first…”
After watching it, my thoughts changed a bit.
“It’s too much.”
This was a bit excessive.
“It’s too much.”
“·····.”
“Besides, the more you go, the more there are… If you look at this, won’t you find the answer?”
I kicked the body of the undead whose head I had just crushed with my toe.
“It was only recently made.”
“···surely.”
“The fact that there are more of them in there means that there must be something in there.”
I narrowed my eyes.
It is immersed in darkness, but it is not just darkness.
‘There is something.’
Something that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
“Look at that.”
I burst out laughing.
“With all that preparation, there’s no way something isn’t there.”
What is blocking the darkness ahead.
-Cruk, croak.
They are not just undead.
Something that looked like dozens of zombies gathered together was blocking the end of the passage.
“···Wook.”
Belnoa plugged his nose at the stench wafting out.
‘It definitely smells a bit strong.’
I was about to swing my fist, but stopped for a moment. The area is a bit large, so I was thinking of using pulverization…
‘It looks like fragments will be flying here and there.’
Seeing all the horrible and disgusting things on the battlefield made me feel better. Still, the sight of the zombie’s flesh bouncing around is a bit…
When I imagined it, I felt like something was churning inside me.
“Ugh.”
I released my clenched fist, spread my hand, and touched my index, middle, and thumb. The spell stocked on each finger causes friction.
“I guess I’ll just have to burn that.”
Ash.
Ignite.
Gray flames soar.
