Volume 5 Chapter 10 First, Work Before Unraveling The Mystery Of The Church...
In a quiet forest stands a church. Inside the box-shaped church, a vast space opens up, with a large stone statue of a woman right in front. It's as big as the statue of Athena from the ancient Greek Parthenon. The sunlight streaming through the windows sparkles on the stone woman, making you want to believe in the presence of a god.
It's so quiet that the surreal atmosphere gives off a chill, almost crossing into the divine. Even the students gulped nervously in this godly presence.
If a research team had come to investigate, it might have been a bit livelier, but they wouldn't come during training. The faint light coming through the entrance and windows makes the church look like time has stopped.
"This church is──."
As Instructor Burk begins his explanation, he mentions that it's a mysterious church with both a ground floor and a basement, but recent studies have revealed that the main part is actually underground. It seems the above-ground section was built later to hide the basement.
At the feet of the goddess statue, guided by the two instructors, there was a gaping hole. The marks from dragging the pedestal confirm that this hole was once hidden.
"How did they even move this thing?"
Even Randy, who's usually confident, doubts he could move the massive goddess statue and its pedestal. As he gazes up at the statue, Liz tells him, "It seems there was a mechanism."
Apparently, when this mechanism was discovered and the entrance to the underground appeared, there was quite a buzz. They were talking about it being a relic of a lost ancient civilization, but what came out from below were just empty coffins and abstract murals.
Because of the empty coffins, it's called a mausoleum. Due to the abstract murals, it's said to depict the mysteries and births of royalty.
"Not only is this training, but it's also a chance to see a historical building!"
Gardo's voice echoes in the church, causing everyone to frown slightly, but it's definitely a rare opportunity.
Everyone secured light with lanterns and light magic as they reached the underground, which was a massive space.
A wide space made of a mysterious wall that glows brightly, blowing away the darkness of the stairs. Lined up throughout the room are several coffins, but they are all empty.
In front of the coffins, there's a huge door. The relief of the moon and sun on the door can barely be seen even from the opposite side of the room. That's how big the door is.
The walls surrounding the room are covered in strange murals.
A man sitting on something like a throne.
A giant circular figure visible behind him.
Swirling black flames.
Some kind of letters floating in the flames.
A huge black moon and a church.
And...
"Two mysterious holes in the door."
The abstract mural ends with the giant door seen from the edge and the two holes in the center.
"This door leads to the dungeon. Departure is in 30 minutes. Don't forget to prepare."
At Burk's voice, everyone took off their backpacks and magic bags, grabbing the necessary equipment from inside.
While the students made their final checks, Randy was looking at the mural with Liz.
"Do you think you can figure anything out?"
"No... but Ellie says she can see runes and some ancient language, maybe ancient magic language."
"Wow, she's like a living dictionary."
Randy was impressed, but indeed, there were some letters that looked familiar (japanese).
For example, characters like "king," "time," "heaven," "light," "darkness," and "door" were readable even by Randy. They seemed to be incorporated into parts of the murals, definitely understandable only to those who knew them.
"Let's take some pictures for now."
Even though it's an important historical site for the country, taking advantage of the instructors being focused on the students, Randy and Liz split up to take photos of the murals.
By the time they finished photographing all the murals, it seemed the students were ready, and finally, the dungeon exploration training was about to begin.
Though Randy and the others were curious about the mural's content, they decided to prioritize their work and hurried to follow the second team.
"After passing through the door, the first team will take the left passage. The second team will go down the right passage."
At Burk's voice, the students nodded silently.
"Alright, let's go!"
With Gardo leading, the first team pushed the door open... "Oh. It opens even if there's nothing," Randy's voice trailed off as the first team disappeared into the door.
"We'll go too."
Led by Instructor Burk, the second team continued towards the door.
Beyond the door was a stone corridor that could easily be called a 'dungeon.' It was much darker compared to the previous room, but thanks to the faintly glowing walls, they could see nearby.
The light was dim, but at Catherine's signal, a few members of the second team raised sticks with magical lanterns attached. They had to decide whether to use the light or rely on the dungeon's glow for visibility. In the end, the second team chose to turn on the lights for safety.
(They mentioned there are traps, so thinking logically, this is a solid move...)
Randy's thoughts stemmed from the difference in numbers between the second and first teams. Even with Luke and Leon, they were still 2 members short, and the guards, including Randy, were also 2. The small number of reserve members for Liza made their cautious approach seem reasonable, but Catherine and the others knew it was a double-edged sword.
Turning on the lights could reveal their presence to distant beasts. With fewer reserve members, the second team should ideally aim to reduce encounters.
Still, choosing to light up meant that having visibility was more efficient for them than increasing the chances of combat.
(A compact team with fewer members and secured light... Ah, I see now──)
Randy realized the main reason for lighting up when he saw the hand signal from the student leading the way. By illuminating their compact formation, it helped prevent any missed signals or cues.
(I see. In a dim dungeon, monsters likely detect more by sound than by light...)
They communicated not with voices, but through hand signals and the colors of raised flags.
The marching speed, which was incomparable to their drills in the old school building, was proof that everyone recognized their roles. The occasional hand signals and cues spread effectively throughout the team without needing to go through their leader, Catherine, minimizing any losses.
For example, traps.
At the signal from the person who discovered it, the whole team immediately stops, and a mark indicating the trap is drawn on the block. After that, they just need to avoid that block and keep moving. The advantage of this method is that it's also effective when retreating or when they mistakenly go back the way they came.
It's a system that communicates even without words. The one who has the final say is Catherine, but everyone uses their heads to make the most of the system. It might seem contradictory, but Randy can't help but be amazed by the members of the second team who made this possible.
"In just 2 weeks, they've gotten this far."
"They were trying various things during training at the academy too."
Burk, who has already stepped back from leading and is now following from behind like Randy and the others, nods in satisfaction, saying, "Remarkable growth."
"Is it thanks to you?"
"Not at all. All I did was give a little advice; it's their strength that brought it to this point."
Randy shrugs, and Burk nods in agreement. After that meeting, Catherine and the others must have had many discussions to find the best solution for themselves. The result is this systematic march.
While the decision at the crossroads is left to the leader, everything else is going smoothly with the exploration at a threatening marching speed.
Suddenly, a red flag goes up, and the march stops, sending a wave of tension through everyone. Just that alone lets Randy and the others know that a beast has appeared.
"Two enemy shadows."
"Rear is clear."
With the voice announcing the beast's encounter and the rear check, the tension in the unit rises even more.
"It's a Vorpal Bunny."
Emerging from the darkness where the light doesn't reach is a pure white rabbit, which is definitely not fitting for a dungeon. But of course, a regular rabbit wouldn't just show up in a place like this.
In front of the students, the two white rabbits reveal their fangs from their mouths, which are torn open and bright red, making a "Hisss" sound.
"Formation against the rabbits!"
Almost at the same time as Catherine's command, the Vorpal Bunnies dash forward at high speed.
As the Vorpal Bunnies close the distance rapidly, the two vanguards raise their shields in front of them.
They pull their limbs into the shield like turtles, even tucking in their necks.
The Vorpal Bunny lunged at the student, its barely visible face in sight──its body pierced by the swords and spears thrust out from behind the vanguard.
With a clean counter, the students who defeated the beast without any damage beamed with joy, saying, "We did it!"
"Don't let your guard down. Stay alert, report any damage, and check the weapon wear and tear."
At those words, the students hurriedly reported, "No damage," "Minimal wear and tear." Their checks were done in an instant, and after collecting the magic stones, they began marching again.
"Alright, everyone, let's go! Our goal is to conquer the uncharted fifth floor!"
At Catherine's command, everyone raised their weapons in response. Randy, watching the second team function as a single team, let out a sigh of relief, thinking, "[Catherine's Exploration Team] is amazing."
With each step the second team took, there was a reassuring strength that made Randy feel that way.
* * *
Meanwhile...
"Enemy sighted!"
"Enemies! Prepare for a full counter!"
At Edgar's signal, the first team halted their march and readied themselves for the beast that emerged from the shadows. Two Vorpal Bunnies appeared, just like the second team.
"Vanguard, defensive! Stop your feet and then attack!"
They must have judged that attacking with magic or arrows would be disadvantageous against the quick Vorpal Bunnies. Neither [Iron Falcon Steel] nor Instructor Gardo said anything about the decision. It was, after all, a textbook response.
Against the swift beasts, they restricted their movements with shields and then struck. Even without the Vorpal Bunnies, Edgar and the others easily took them down using standard strategies.
Unlike the second team, they didn't celebrate; they calmly checked their weapons and confirmed the wear and tear. To an outsider, their battle seemed like a walk in the park, but the faces of [Iron Falcon Steel] watching over them were far from pleased.
"It's by the book, but..."
"They're still students. It can't be helped."
Serena's mumble made Irios shrug. What they were saying was, "If we follow the theory, we shouldn't need instructions for everything, right?" If they need guidance for even simple actions like this, there's no way Edgar's commands will keep up when higher-level beasts show up later.
Of course, in an adventurer party, calling out during a fight is a must. But that's only after some basic tactics are already established.
──Hold back
──Leave the finishing blow to me
It's like that, with everyone understanding their roles before calling out. If the leader has to give instructions for everything, they'll definitely be slow to react when it really matters.
"Looks like it's our turn again this year."
As Leonard sighed, it was true that every time they were assigned to protect the students, he always ended up helping them out. This time, he heard that they were pretty organized under Edgar's banner, so it's no surprise he sighed at just being "organized."
"I wonder how they're doing over there."
"Who knows? They looked like warriors... they might actually be better than us."
In Leonard's line of sight, the first team of students was passing the message along like a game of telephone, saying "It's a trap" and "Watch out for the trap."
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