Chapter 51: Fodder Demon Beasts! Drop Dead!

‘Hot, humid, gross…’

About ten minutes into the jungle, complaints kept leaking out.

Felt like I’d been tossed into a rainforest. A dungeon reflecting reality, of all things…

But I couldn’t say that out loud. I was the one who insisted on pushing through, after all.

Honestly, I could’ve just used my magic to carve a path or burn this whole jungle down without even going inside.

But that would defeat the purpose.

If I’d wanted to sweep the dungeon that way, I would’ve just rested like I’d planned.

The reason I came into this dungeon with Deneb today is to teach her as her master.

If she can’t handle even this much on her own, she doesn’t deserve to be my disciple!

…Not that I’d actually refuse to teach her, especially after she got sulky last time.

Anyway…

“…!”

Unlike me, grumbling inside, Deneb walked silently beside me. Her eyes had a strange look to them. Should I say they were blazing? Or was it just the heat?

At first she was chattering away, so I thought she’d complain the whole way, but she’s surprisingly holding up well.

After a moment’s thought, I think I know why.

The dragon egg. That must be it. What was its name again?

‘If it’s male, Kan, if female, Candice?’

I wonder if it’s a name worth remembering, but right now Deneb is clearly dead set on getting back the dragon egg that Demon Beast stole.

I’m worried she’ll overdo it and collapse.

Just as I was thinking that, something perfect for the situation caught my eye.

“Let’s take a break.”

“But if we do that, Kanna will…”

“Think about yourself first. Look over there.”

Ignoring Deneb, who spoke with a worried face, I pointed at what I’d seen.

“Water!”

A lake.

Deneb rushed toward the lake. She must’ve been really thirsty, because without a moment’s hesitation, she dunked her head straight into the water.

Meanwhile, I quietly leaned against a tree in the shade by the lake.

A crisp breeze flowed by, cool and refreshing.

I felt a little drowsy. Maybe I could just take a nap here.

Just as I was having that relaxed thought—

“Whaaaaugh!!”

…Deneb’s sudden scream rang out.

I looked toward the sound and saw Deneb surrounded by crocodile-like Demon Beasts that had appeared from who knows where.

“O radiantly shining saint, deliver your humble servant from these unworthy ones!”

Deneb chanted the spell urgently. Light burst from the staff in her hand and engulfed the crocodile pack. They must not have been very strong Demon Beasts, because the crocodiles started getting pushed back by Deneb’s magic.

“M-Ms. Verdi!”

But the number of crocodiles wasn’t small, and Deneb was alone. She couldn’t handle it by herself, and the sight of her finally asking me for help was pitiful.

“Honestly…”

I reached my hand toward the crocodile pack.

[ Vacuum Element — Wind Press Lv.2 ]

A green magic circle formed in my palm.

Normally I’d need at least a light incantation, but Deneb didn’t seem to mind me using Incantationless Casting anymore, so I just activated it.

Fwoooosh!

A powerful wind surged from the magic circle and slammed the crocodile pack back into the lake. Whether they were scared by my overwhelming magic or not, the crocodiles never came back up.

“As expected of Ms. Verdi!”

“Just this once.”

Deneb admired me. I answered flatly.

The only reason I helped this time was because I was annoyed that my rest got interrupted.

After taking about ten minutes to rest, we started walking through the jungle again.

“Hey, Ms. Verdi. I’ve been wondering about something…”

At Deneb’s call, I turned my head and answered with a look.

“You said it’s easier to use magic since the dungeon is wide, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But today, it feels like you’re holding back on using magic, somehow…”

“That’s because—”

I stopped walking. Then I pointed at the wide expanse of vegetation.

“If I used magic, it wouldn’t be hard to blow all this vegetation away.”

At my words, Deneb let out an impressed “Oh…”

“But what if I’m not here? Deneb, can you blow all this vegetation away with your magic?”

“That’s… impossible.”

“Then, without my help, can you break through this place on your own?”

“It might be possible, but wouldn’t it take a while…?”

“Probably. If the day comes when I’m absent and you have to go into a dungeon alone, what will you do then?”

“Uh…”

“It’s better not to assume I’ll always be by your side. I want to see you conquer dungeons brilliantly without me.”

I’m never honest, but this time I spoke frankly.

It’s true that I’ve grown fond of Deneb and Marcel. I won’t deny it.

From the moment we first met, to taking down the Earth Dragon, and right up to now.

It was a short time, but in that time, I’ve come to see those two as comrades.

The more you care for someone, the more you want them to succeed. That’s the same for me.

I hope Deneb grows and becomes an outstanding High-Rank Hunter.

And for that, Deneb needs to develop the ability to handle things alone without my help.

“Such a deep meaning…! I failed to grasp your intentions, Ms. Verdi. I’m sorry!”

“Alright then, Deneb. Before I teach you magic, there’s something you need to do.”

“What is it?”

“You didn’t just become a D-Rank Hunter for nothing, right?”

“That’s right! I legitimately conquered Gates and passed the Rank Advancement Exam.”

It seemed to be his only point of pride, puffing out his chest as he spoke — it was kind of cute… no, not that.

“Then it shouldn’t be hard for you to conquer a D-Rank Gate on your own, right?”

“Huh? Uh, well…”

Deneb’s voice immediately lost its strength.

“Time inside a dungeon flows three times slower than outside.”

If a day outside is 24 hours, then in the dungeon it’s 72 hours.

Which means—

“It’s a very suitable place for training.”

“That’s right!”

Of course, that doesn’t mean I plan to spend that much time on training.

“Two days in dungeon time. If you defeat the boss within that time, I’ll teach you magic for the remaining time.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll leave right now!”

“…”

Before I could say anything, Deneb plunged into the vegetation. It wasn’t long before the sound of her pushing through the bushes faded away.

Anyway, so impatient.

“Alright, then I’ll…”

I told Deneb I’d be resting, but I have something to do.

I need to get back the egg that monstrous bird stole. It’s a hassle, but I don’t want to see the disappointed face of the kid who’ll become my disciple.

* * *

After pushing through the vegetation for a while, Deneb belatedly remembered something she’d forgotten.

‘Kanna!’

The Demon Beast’s egg. He’d briefly forgotten about the existence of Kanna — Kan if male, Kanna if female.

At that thought, he turned his head back, but he’d already come a long way.

Besides, the thick vegetation made it impossible to even find the path he’d come from.

That was when—

“Kuuur!”

“Hic!”

At the sudden roar, Deneb quickly ducked into a nearby bush to hide.

Now wasn’t the time to think about the egg. If he wasn’t careful, he could get attacked by a Demon Beast before even finding it.

This was a D-Rank dungeon. Until now, he’d been able to handle things easily thanks to Verdi and Marcel’s help.

But this time, she was alone. Ms. Verdi also wanted her to conquer the dungeon on her own.

So for now, he had to focus all his attention on conquering the dungeon.

‘Ms. Verdi wouldn’t have told me to defeat the boss without thinking.’

This was Ms. Verdi, who made cool-headed judgments and meticulously calculated profits in everything.

There’s no way she’d forgotten about the egg’s immense value.

She probably said she was resting and went to look for the egg instead.

At that thought, Deneb nodded to herself. That was just like Ms. Verdi.

*Tat!*

The ground rumbled. Probably because a massive Demon Beast was passing by.

‘I can’t hide forever.’

His grip on the staff unconsciously tightened.

“Hoo…”

He took a deep breath to swallow his fear.

And then—

*THUD!*

Deneb pushed off the ground and ran.

His target was the source of the sound.

From now on, he wouldn’t hide. He couldn’t keep turning his back on fear forever.

It was time to graduate.

‘Ms. Verdi said it.’

What would he do when she wasn’t around?

“This is my answer…!”

With a small shout, he poured mana into his staff.

*KIIING!*

Deneb hadn’t neglected learning other types of magic, but she had put extra effort into training in divine magic.

The reason was that the Demon Beasts that had attacked him during the Dungeon Break were living skeletons — undead.

“O radiant saint, lend your power to this unworthy one who offers you a prayer!”

As he finished the incantation, a golden magic circle formed on his staff.

When the magic circle was finally fully drawn, Deneb stomped hard on the ground and leaped.

As she rose above the vegetation, a massive form came into Deneb’s view.

A Demon Beast reminiscent of a giant elephant. Deneb was almost overwhelmed by its size for a moment, but she gritted her teeth and held on.

‘Ah, I can’t use magic like that.’

At the thought that popped into her head, Deneb let out a small snort and spoke up.

“Holy Light!”

A golden beam shot out in a straight line from the center of the magic circle, enveloping the elephant Demon Beast.

“GUOOOOOH!”

The mammoth’s huge body staggered. Compared to its size, the creature wasn’t that strong a Demon Beast.

‘After all, this dungeon is D-Rank.’

At that thought, Deneb recalled a very small muttering Ms. Verdi had made.

It was… well, a very vulgar word. But for some reason, he wanted to say it too.

To Deneb, Verdi was an ideal and amazing person.

So he did it.

“Die, you weak-ass Demon Beast!”