Chapter 24: Second boss

　I ended up returning to the city of Ribrum just in time.

　The reason being, well, that I had persisted in trying to raise Lumina to the limit.

Of course, as long as the gate was closed, I could not challenge the boss as it was.

　Therefore, I logged out for the day and made up my mind to attack the boss the next day.

　The next day, I logged in and found myself at the north gate of Riblum, waiting for Kurage.

“But …… tame monsters are so interesting.”

“—-?”

　Lumina, sitting on my shoulder, tilts her head at my words.

　Smiling at her, I thought back to yesterday when I was about to log out.

　I was slightly worried about what would happen to Lumina while I was logged out.

　Lumina, however, landed on my hand as if to say that there was no problem, and her body was transformed into a whitish crystal ball.

　Apparently, tamed monsters can be moved in and out that way.

　Well, large tamed monsters cannot be taken everywhere, and such a measure is probably necessary.

“Although there are still some concerns about taking on the bosses,……, there should be no problem if Lumina is used as a back-up.”

　Lumina’s level is still low. To begin with, her physical strength itself is poor because she is a fairy.

　If she is attacked even once, she could die at that point.

　Well, she may have some resistance to magic, but her low physical strength does not allow her to be careless.

　In short, it would be safer for her to be in a position where she would not be attacked by the enemy.

　I raise my voice with a wry smile at the sight of Lumina, who presses her cheek with the palm of her hand while riding on my shoulder.

“Well, you can sit on Azami’s hat. I feel safer that way.”

“….Shouldn’t she be on your head where she belongs, Quon-san?”

“With her, I’m afraid Lumina will slow me down too much.”

In response to a voice coming from the side of the room, I shrugged my shoulders.

I looked at Reno, who was staring at me with a somewhat resentful expression on her face.

Well, I can understand her feelings, but I don’t want her to worry only about the top of her head during the boss fight.

“Well, are we all here now?”

“Sorry, I’m a little late.”

“You’ re right on time, no problem. It will take time to get ready since there are four of us.”

　After confirming that all four are present, I leave the gate to which I had entrusted my back.

I had already bought my own amulet yesterday, and there were no items in short supply.

　I am well prepared to take on the boss.

“Then let’s get going.”

“Yes, pleasure to work with you.”

We exchange a few words of thanks to each other and set off for the territory where the boss awaits.

　The distance is not so far, but it would be boring to be worn out before the fight.

　We proceeded onward, being careful not to let our guard down with the excited Lumina.

　A few minutes after we began to advance, a change had already occurred.

“The sky is ……”

“The staging here is eerie.”

　The sky was clear in the city of Ribrum.

　Within just a few minutes of starting to move north, it began to be covered by black clouds.

　But there was no sign of rain, only thick clouds blocking out the sunlight.

　It was a scene that did not seem like a natural phenomenon.

　Was this just a staged event, or was it part of the devil’s ability?

　I suddenly sensed a presence approaching and turned my gaze in that direction.

“Fumu, an enemy?　I don’t think we’re in demon territory yet.”

“…… Onii-chan, how can you spot the enemy before I do?”

“I’m sensitive to any sign of hostility. But this is another very frightening sign.”

　It’s not directed at me personally, it’s a hostility that says I hate everything and everyone.

　It’s a feeling I honestly haven’t felt very often. I have rarely encountered a being that radiates such indiscriminate hostility.

　Well, I can’t help but feel the depth of human karma in the fact that not all of them are like this.

　As I muttered this to myself, I looked in the direction of the hostility and saw three or so figures approaching me unsteadily from that direction.

　No, that was…

“…… zombies, huh?”

” Yeah, there’s some undead around here too.”

　■Zombies

　　Type：Demon/Undead

　　Level: 10

　　Condition: Normal

　　Attributes: Darkness

　　Combat Location: On the ground

From the results of the ” identify,” it appears that the enemy is exactly what it appears to be.

　Its movements as it wandered up to us were quite sluggish, and to be honest, it did not pose much of a threat.

　However, the hostility in the depths of its cloudy eyes was different from that of previous enemies.

　It was a feeling of hatred, as if it regarded all living things as enemies.

　I don’t feel dangerous as an enemy, but this is like dealing with vermin. Tightening my resolve, I drew my sword and—

“—-!”

Before I could slash at them, Lumina was firing a series of arrows of light.

　The arrows of light, which can be used by leveling up, have excellent speed and penetrating power.

　The arrows of light that split the air were shot one after another, coupled with good MP fuel efficiency, and pierced the chests and heads of zombies.

　By doing so, the HP of the zombies were instantly reduced.

“As expected of light magic, its weak point attribute is effective.”

“Haa. ……I guess I’m out of the game.”

The sword will not deliver but will lower its tip and sigh.

　Zombies, who can only walk on the ground and are slow-moving, are sitting ducks for Lumina.

　She could annihilate them all without me having to do anything.

Well, the undead that appear at the boss’s place will not be like this. …… Still, it would be convenient if she could exploit its weak point.

　While I was thinking about this, the zombies that were writhing around as if dancing after being shot by the arrows of light were falling on the spot, their HP having been cut down to nothing.

“—-!”

“Ah, well done, Lumina.”

I poke her with my fingertips, and Lumina seems to be in a good mood as she cuddles with me.

Reno’s face, watching next to me, was a little too much for other people to see, but I decided not to worry about that—-I’m just going to do what I have to do.

“But Lumina, keep an eye on your MP levels, okay?　No matter how much you recover, if you don’t pace yourself, you’ll run out.”

“—-!”

“Yeah, just be careful next time.”

　Satisfied with Lumina’s nodding of her chest, she collects the zombie drop items.

　The ladies didn’t seem to want to go near them in any way, but it would be a nuisance to leave the rotting corpses around.

　Well, it would eventually disappear even if we left it there, but it was not a very pleasant feeling.

However, I did not recover any significant items. It seemed to be a demon without much merit other than being easy to defeat.

“Why don’t we just ignore the zombies?　You could probably avoid them by running away.”

“Well, that’s true too, it’s not worth using …… Lumina’s MP.’

I nodded my head, shrugging my shoulders at the suggestion of Kurage.

　If the only purpose was to raise Lumina’s level, she might be a good partner, but there is no advantage for the four of us.

As long as we are working as a party, I have to be considerate of them as well.

The objective of this event is the devil, after all. There is no reason to deal with enemies in this area.

　If that is the case, there should be no problem to proceed quickly. So, we decided to move quickly to the north.

　The further we go, the darker the sky becomes and the heavier the air becomes.

　In an atmosphere that felt somewhat suffocating, my vision spotted stone pillars standing in a row ahead of us.

　But–

“…… what is it?”

“Quon-san?　Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no, …… it’s not that there’s anything in particular going on.”

　As I tilted my head, Kurage running next to me asked me a question.

　But I couldn’t give an answer to that, and I raised my eyebrows.

　Looking at that stone pillar, I felt something strange. Something feels different from when I fought the wolves before.

　But I cannot explain what exactly it is.

　At least, nothing has changed in terms of appearance.

“I’m sorry, I can’t explain it. It feels different, but I don’t know what’s wrong with me, if you ask me.”

“Is that so? Yes…… I don’t really it.”

“….Me neither”

Apparently, the four of them did not feel anything in particular.

　My intuition whispers to me too strongly to say it’s just my imagination, but if I can’t …… explain it, there’s nothing I can do about it.

　I decided not to worry about it for now, and I quickly paced my way to the stone pillar.

” Now …… are you ready?”

“Yes, anytime.”

“I’ve come this far Let’s be the first to take down the boss and make it through.”

“Whoa!　We’re the first!”

“……The odds are in our favor. Fufu, let’s do it”

　They are enthusiastic and fully motivated. It is only natural that they would be fired up to achieve a goal that no one has yet reached.

　Satisfied with the four of them maintaining a good sense of tension, I pick Lumina up off the top of my head and place it on Azami’s hat.

She still looks as cautious as ever, but the moment Lumina is placed on her head, she looks a little happy.

　She may be saying what she is, but she is still a girl. With a small chuckle so that she doesn’t notice, I turn my head forward again.

“Then we’re going in.”

“Roger that!”

Laughing at their reply, which made me want to ask if they were having a meeting, I took the girls and stepped over to the other side of the stone pillar.

　At that moment, several figures appeared in our line of vision.

　Five figures in armor, and on the other side of them, a man in white.

　The armored figures are wearing the same design of armor, and four of them are even wearing helmets.

However, only one of the remaining figures, the one standing in the center of the room, was revealing his true face – with cloudy eyes, he was directing the same hostility toward us that I felt earlier.

　And on the other side, at the far end, the man in white recognizes us and smiles.

“Oya, Oya, Oya. I thought I hadn’t seen you around much lately,……, but I guess you’re a Foreigner visitor.”

“…… the devil.”

“How very. I am Baron rank 114, Geryon. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

　The demon Geryon bowed reverently as he said this.

　However, the harmful intent in his gaze is directed at us without a trace of doubt.

　I see, indeed. The demon is an enemy of humans.

“I am thankful that we were able to have a conversation with him. Thanks to him, I have a pretty good idea what’s going on.”

“Well, what exactly did you find out?”

“You are nothing more than a pest, just like the rotting corpse that was walking outside. There is not one bit of good in keeping you alive. You must be dealt with quickly.”

　Geryon’s cheeks twitched at my words.

　Apparently, provoking works. Anyway, that’s enough analysis of the situation.

　With my consciousness sharpened, I slowly move forward, preparing to activate my magic.

“I’m the same …… as those idiots?　Don’t talk too much, human.”

‘Your condescension is crumbling, lowly demon. You’re exactly the same in the sense that you can only cause harm, so get the hell out of here.”

“Hahaha!　You unlearned fools!　It is you who will die …… and we will play with your bodies as well as with these tree-huggers!”

　Geryon shouts and spreads his hands.

　At that moment, a black magic circle appeared at his feet and spread around him in the blink of an eye.

　It went over my feet and swallowed up the whole area, even the places where Kurage was.

　There was no way to avoid it. Perhaps this was the debuff. If we take it, it will be tough to fight – but this will tell us if we meet the requirements.

　Just as I think this, my chest lights up. It is, of all things, the glow of the holy seal I had equipped.

“Wha, that’s—-!?”

Along with the shining of the holy seal, the amulet rings we all carried also began to shine.

　The dazzling light brightly illuminated the dimly lit surroundings, creating a golden emblem above our heads.

　It was the emblem of a religion like the Admina religion, the same as the Holy Seal.

　The shining emblem illuminated the ground we were standing on, and the black magic circle spreading out at our feet disappeared.

“I-impossible…… human!　The results of my research–“

“[Sharp Edge], [Hard Skin].”

　Geryon is ranting about something, but I have no obligation to listen to him.

　I activate my magic, and with a slight red and blue phosphorescence, I start running toward the undead blocking the way.

　■Undead Knight

　　Type：Demon/Undead

　　Level: 14

　　Condition: Normal

　　Attributes: Darkness

　　Combat Location: On the ground

　■Undead Knight Leader

　　Type：Demon/Undead

　　Level: 19

　　Condition: Normal

　　Attributes: ??

　　Combat position: ???

Apparently, all of my opponents seem to be higher-ranked than me.

　However, perhaps because of the light they were exposed to earlier, their movements seem to have slowed down considerably.

　Well, even if they weren’t, I’m confident that I could manage five or so – but my target right now is that demon. Let’s make quick work of it.

Way of decapitation —– Gentle form, Flowing Water, Finger cutting.

　The hilt of the sword is struck from the side against the sword of the undead knight that has swung down.

　My sword cuts off the undead knight’s wrist, running the blade inside the trajectory that was deflected by the impact.

This is normally the technique of slashing off an opponent’s thumb with a side sword or the like, but even this has no consequences.

　Continuing, I sunk my body deeper and kicked the ground to pass under the slashed off arm.

As it was, it severed the Achilles’ tendon of the other one as if passing by, and went further back.

“Quon-san!”

　From behind, I heard the voice of Kurage. It’s a warning voice, but it’s not enough.

　I had already sensed the opponent who was coming at me from the side, trying to penetrate me.

　Way of decapitation – Gentle form, flowing water・continual change

The sword tied around the dagger, and as it was drawn, the legs were removed.

　The undead knight spun around and was blown away in an interesting manner.

　The other undead knight was approaching in the same direction.

　As a result, the two undead knights collided with each other and fell down in a tangled mess.

　Only the leader remained. Swinging my blade at the opponent who has yet to make a move…

“—-!”

　I stopped my blade just before I could cleave its neck.

　Because I could sense the slightest bit of reason in his eyes as he looked at me.

　I glanced at his chest, and there was the same Administration’s holy seal swinging there as mine.

　Apparently, this power had kept him slightly conscious even after his death.

[“What are you doing!　Kill that man!”]

“G, Ga ……”

　The body of the man in front of me is shaking. Apparently, he is suppressing the movement of his body with all his might.

　If he is forcing himself to endure the demon’s commands, he probably won’t last long.

　Then–

“Do you have any last words……?”

‘–!　Daughter and Commander …… I’m sorry–“

“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

Way of Decapitation–Gentle form, Zero pain.

From a stationary posture with the sword at his throat, I swung the blade out with only the strength of my waist and upper body to complete the intervention of the proud knight.

　The decapitated head opens its eyes in astonishment – and in the next moment, calmly closes them.

While the rest of the body fell down, I readied my blade with my remaining mind and called out to those who were staring at me in stunned silence.

“Oi, you guys. I’ll leave you four to deal with the rest.”

“Ah…..I-I’m sorry!　Quon-san this—“

“Of course, I’ll take care of that dust.”

Ahead of me, I see a single demon glaring abhorrently at me.

Now —– let’s cut down that arrogance.