Chapter 49: Nazarick and the Otherworld (11)
Tok, tok.
Arche lightly tapped her staff against the ground a few times while scratching her head. It didn't mean anything in particular—it was simply a habit of hers. She wiggled her fingers and toes. Feeling them move assured her she was still alive. When she took a deep breath, she felt the clean air fill her lungs and spread through her body. It was as if her mind had been cleared.
Like checking her equipment, she inspected her body for any issues. None. Quietly waiting for the other members to arrive, she recalled the mission briefing she heard yesterday.
A subterranean ruin discovered beneath the forest—believed to be ancient. The noble who first found it had sent Workers inside in hopes of securing riches, but all of them died. Considering that they had sent three mithril-class teams, the danger was undoubtedly severe. In the end, the noble decided to hire adventurers, even at a loss.
The request was simple: exterminate the monsters inside the ruins, map the area if possible, and retrieve any rare magic items or treasures found within. To be honest, it didn't offer much profit, but Arche didn't dislike exploring the unknown.
More importantly, what concerned her was the presence of another adamantite adventurer in their joint team—"Darkness" Nabe.
"8th tier… that's beyond the realm of humans."
But she couldn't say for certain that Nabe wasn't human.
After all, Arche personally knew a human who could cast 10th-tier spells—Kaiser. He was an exceptional case, of course, but having witnessed such a possibility, she couldn't dismiss the notion that Nabe might be similar. Or perhaps she carried the blood of a Player, as Kaiser once mentioned—a newly born God-kin.
But according to the rumors, Nabe could only use up to 3rd-tier magic. Meaning she must be suppressing her true power. Arche had no intention of prying into that.
"You were quick to arrive."
"Welcome, Miss Nabe."
She was stunning—so beautiful Arche wondered if someone like her could truly exist.
The only person she could compare her to was a woman she'd seen in the Roble Holy Kingdom, a woman named Rifa.
She had heard that Rifa's beauty was said to rival that of Princess Renner—the Golden Princess, famed as the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom. Although Arche had never seen Renner in person, the thought of someone as beautiful as Nabe piqued her interest.
Arche herself wasn't unattractive, but compared to Nabe, it was almost pitiful. How did she maintain such flawless skin while living as an adventurer?
"Miss Nabe, who taught you magic?"
"I've been able to use it since birth."
Self-taught?
If so, that was extraordinary.
Arche learned the basics from Fluder Paradyne, and afterward studied under Kaiser, allowing her to barely reach the inhuman realm of 5th-tier magic.
But Nabe, without learning from anyone, could cast magic from the mythical 8th tier. Unless she was far older than she appeared… or not human at all.
But that wasn't necessarily a problem. Kaiser's comrade, also not human, worked as an adventurer in the Kingdom without issue. Arche held no prejudice toward non-humans.
Or rather, Kaiser's teachings had shaped her views more than anything else.
"…I see. And who did you learn from?"
"I learned the basics at an academy in the Empire. After that, I grew stronger through adventuring and chance opportunities."
It wasn't a lie.
She did learn from books Kaiser gave her—but not directly from him. Kaiser once told her he wasn't raising magic casters, he was raising humans.
If her past self fought her current self, she was confident she would win easily. That was how much she had grown under his guidance.
"You had no master afterward?"
"At the academy, I learned from Fluder Paradyne. But after that… I learned no magic from anyone."
"I see."
Cold… or simply uninterested.
Arche wondered how she should continue the conversation, but surprisingly, Nabe seemed willing enough to talk. Perhaps she wasn't as silent as she appeared. Or maybe she had taken an interest in Arche because they were both adamantite adventurers.
Still, someone who could use 8th-tier magic stood on an entirely different level. She could probably overwhelm even Fluder, that madman who sought to surpass human limits.
"S-sorry for being late, everyone!"
"You're right on time. We just arrived early."
The sound of armor clanking echoed through the clearing.
A blonde woman breathed heavily, apologizing to Arche and Nabe. Two members behind her gave her sympathetic looks.
They were the adamantite adventurer team "Fairy," composed entirely of women like Blue Rose. The blonde woman apologizing was their leader.
Her name was Dana.
Despite her slender figure, she wore heavy armor that looked far too burdensome for her build. She should have been wearing her helmet as well, but wasn't. She wielded a greatsword that matched her equipment perfectly.
The leader of the E-Rantel guild had said that Dana's strength was on par with adamantite-class adventurers.
"Dana, you're too slow… you must've put on weight."
"I—I overslept! I was nervous, okay?! We're working with adamantite adventurers!"
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-two!"
"…Hopeless."
Behind Dana stood a girl with reddish-brown hair—likely a ranger. Her sharp features reminded Arche of her friend Neia, though not as intense.
Her name was Kuru, Fairy's ranger, responsible for scouting and detection. She was often irritated, but she wasn't rude—her irritation was directed solely at her leader.
"Now, now. Calm yourselves, Dana, Kuru. You're being rude to Miss Arche and Miss Nabe."
"A-ah! I'm sorry!"
"Even though we're late… my apologies."
"It's fine. Shall we depart now?"
Nabe remained silent, so Arche answered.
Arche glanced at Nabe again. Earlier, Nabe had spoken with her, but now she showed no intention of engaging with the Fairy team.
Someone who could wield 8th-tier magic… perhaps she thought one should be adamantite at minimum before speaking with her. It was an arrogant attitude, but considering her strength, perhaps understandable.
Still, Arche suspected Nabe would be difficult to work with. She had a bad feeling something troublesome would happen inside the ruins.
"Once more, we apologize."
"Not at all, Miss Paindora."
The member of Fairy who arrived last was their cleric—a divine magic caster. With her awakened eyes, Arche could see that the woman was capable of using 2nd-tier divine magic, and despite her age, she was on the verge of barely reaching the 3rd tier.
For someone her age to still be pursuing advancement—Arche couldn't help but admire that dedication. Even if the woman was weaker than her, Arche respected anyone who continued striving.
"Then, we look forward to working with you today!"
Dana's bright, refreshing smile reminded Arche of Hekkeran.
Their personalities were different, yet that radiant, sunrise-like cheerfulness—and the way they served as the heart of their respective teams—felt similar. Their fighting styles, of course, were nothing alike.
"Then we'll depart immediately."
At Nabe's words, everyone began to move.
Having only one frontline fighter was far from ideal.
However, with two adamantite-tier arcane casters, one divine caster, and a ranger in the rear, the team's balance wasn't actually bad.
Their support and firepower from the backline were overwhelmingly strong. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say the support role was the real core of this group. Dana's role wasn't to kill enemies, but to stall them.
"Miss Dana, your talent is quite convenient for a warrior."
"Isn't it? I consider it a blessing!"
Dana's talent: she did not feel the weight of weapons or armor beyond a certain threshold.
In other words, no matter how heavy her full plate armor or greatsword was, once it exceeded a set amount of weight, she would not feel any heavier than that. Of course, there were conditions—it only applied to armaments.
She could not lift buildings or boulders with it. But for a warrior, it was an extraordinary ability.
"My dream is to one day stand on equal footing with Warrior-Captain Gazef Stronoff!"
"With you, I believe it's possible."
"You have the talent for it."
Kuru and Paindora responded positively.
She really was strong—her talent boosted her to near-adamantite levels. The only reason she remained in an orichalcum team was her loyalty to her companions.
Although she should have sought teammates matching her abilities, she chose to stay with Kuru and Paindora, whose strength did not reach her level.
"If you admire the Warrior-Captain, wouldn't becoming a soldier be the right path?"
"In the Kingdom, there are still many who oppose the idea of women becoming soldiers, Miss Arche.
And though I hate to say this…"
Paindora gave a wry smile.
"…She is not suited for military discipline."
"She's stupid."
"Kuru! You keep calling me stupid! I have feelings too, you know?! Miss Arche, don't you think this is too much?!"
"Comrades tease each other like that. It's a good relationship."
"Huh? Me getting insulted counts as a good relationship?"
Dana tilted her head, confused, as they continued walking. Arche could see why Kuru called her foolish—she wasn't particularly sharp—but she was cheerful and likable.
"Hey! Kuru!"
"Shh. They're coming."
Kuru raised a finger to her lips. Everyone halted.
A low, rumbling growl swallowed the forest.
Ogres emerged from between the trees. Dana stepped to the front, smiling at Nabe and Arche as she prepared for battle.
"I can handle this alone!"
"What? …Those are ogres. There's even a tall ogre among them."
"Are you suicidal?"
"Nabe, you're colder than Kuru! But despite appearances, I'm actually quite strong! Leave it to me! Ogres are no problem!"
"Do as you like. If you look like you're about to die, I'll help."
Nabe accepted Dana's claim without resistance.
Arche glanced toward Kuru and Paindora. Neither objected—meaning they fully believed Dana could win alone.
So Arche stayed silent. If a frontliner could handle the enemy alone, that was the ideal situation.
For a magic caster to waste mana unnecessarily was the height of foolishness—something only amateurs would do.
"Huu… [Lesser Dexterity Enhancement], [Lesser Strength Enhancement], [Dexterity Enhancement]."
Dana muttered softly, taking a deep breath. Arche felt Dana's muscles activate beneath her armor.
Gripping her greatsword, Dana donned her helmet.
Thud.
It slid into place perfectly.
Inside the helm, Dana calmed her mind—then charged.
Arche couldn't suppress a soft gasp.
She's fast—far too fast for someone in full plate armor!
The only ones who came to mind were Hekkeran and Remedios.
She was faster than Hekkeran—perhaps equal to or slightly faster than Remedios. But Remedios only wore light armor. To move this quickly in full plate was astonishing.
"Hup!"
Slash!
Dana cut an ogre's arm, spun behind it, and severed its back in a single motion. Blood splattered her armor, and within the helmet, blue light gleamed.
She barreled forward like a cannonball.
The tall ogre swung its weapon. Dana blocked it head-on.
Clang!!
To block the strike of an ogre—whose species possessed immense raw strength—was incredible.
Thanks to her talent, she feels no weight from that armor or greatsword.
That's why she's so fast.
Haha… faster than a lightly armored fighter, even in full plate.
Her strength truly is worthy of adamantite.
Of course, comparing her to Kaiser would be cruel, but Dana was already brushing against the edges of the heroic realm.
Her armor and sword were also high-quality pieces.
As Arche asked about them, Paindora replied:
"That armor was found in some ancient ruins. It was excellent—but absurdly heavy. Only Dana's talent made it usable."
Dana cleaved the last tall ogre and removed her helmet, beaming proudly.
"See that? I told you—I can handle myself!"
"Hmph. Your personality, however, is unfortunate."
Nabe commented dryly. Arche couldn't help agreeing.
Following the map deeper into the forest, they encountered little resistance.
With two adamantite-tier arcane casters and a practically adamantite-tier warrior, nothing nearby posed a real threat.
Eventually, the entrance to the underground ruin came into view.
"I can't read these characters."
Paindora was the first to speak. Arche examined the text carved into the stone beside the entrance. She couldn't read it either.
But she had seen it before—somewhere.
It was a language found in the books Kaiser gave her.
She pulled out the small notebook and found a similar character—only one, but unmistakable.
"These symbols are—"
Nabe murmured quietly behind her.
Arche turned around suddenly.
Did Nabe also recognize it?
Touching her still-parched throat, she swallowed and thought quietly:
…Japanese?
She suddenly felt that this ruin was far from ordinary.
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