Episode 39

As the status window updated, the bushes rustled violently. A nearby tree bent significantly, revealing the cause: a B-grade inspector had just crash-landed among us.

And he was right next to us.

“Can this really happen? Are you okay?”

Ceti rushed to help the fallen man to his feet. He let out a pained groan, bright red blood slowly dripping from his mouth.

“S-save me…”

The man, his words broken and weak, soon slumped down.

Ceti checked his pulse, her expression grave.

“Ah, damn.”

She bowed her head in sorrow.

“…He’s dead.”

I found myself at a loss for words.

Ceti hung her head, the weight of the moment bearing down on her.

Witnessing someone die so suddenly, especially on a battlefield, was a harsh reality for a sixteen-year-old girl to face.

The monster didn’t allow my little sister any respite.

It thrashed its front paws, kicking up a ferocious dust storm. Weeds were uprooted, and a whirlwind formed over the freshly dug pit.

The sky darkened ominously.

While Ceti gazed up at it, bewildered, I quickly scooped her up.

“Have you lost your mind? What are you doing?!”

“Do you want to die? We need to find safety, now!”

Rumble!

The whirlwind surged towards us. I sprinted with all my strength, desperate to outrun it.

Panting, my feet pounded the ground relentlessly. The dust storm seemed to follow a relentless curve, chasing me.

My stamina was laughably poor. My efforts to outrun the storm felt futile.

“Damn it. Am I going to die here?”

With a whoosh, a streak of starlight carved a path through the air.

“Student!”

Two A-grade inspectors charged forward, their swords slicing through the storm, dissipating its force. I watched, transfixed, as they calmed the chaos, my hair whipping around my face.

“Are you okay, student?”

They guided us to the shelter of a bush. Just in time—Renanial had shifted its deadly focus to another inspector.

I swallowed, trying to moisten my parched throat, before replying.

“Yes, I’m fine. But I’m worried about my little sister.”

“Is she injured?”

“No, not physically, but she just witnessed someone’s death.”

“…Oh no.”

The female inspector crossed herself and knelt, the sunlight revealing azure shoulder pads beneath her cloak.

“Are you A-grade?”

“Yes. So, you can rest easy. We’ll handle this monster.”

“I’m not so sure. Even with your skills, sir knight, it might not be enough.”

“We’re not alone in this fight. All the A-grade knights here will confront it.”

“Still, it seems a formidable challenge.”

“What makes you say that?”

As we spoke, I kept my gaze fixed on the monster, noticing details I’d missed before from a closer vantage point.

Its body was encased in scales, reminiscent of a serpent, with forelimbs that bore a striking resemblance to a lizard’s.

The tail, raised high, split into three distinct parts: two resembled scorpion stingers, while the third mimicked a tentacle.

Moreover, from its head sprouted spores that oddly shaped into the semblance of arms and legs, adding to its grotesque form.

Is it human, snake, scorpion, or something else?

“Do you know what that is?”

“I don’t.”

“Can you defeat it?”

“We cannot win without fighting.”

“If you think you cannot win, you shouldn’t fight.”

“…”

The female inspector gripped her sword tightly.

In truth, she knew it too.

The monster was strong.

But.

“I am a swordsman. It is our duty to catch such creatures.”

She was reckless, yet devoted to her task. If a soldier runs away, who will protect the students here? It seemed as if the constellation she harbored was saying so.

My Outer God sure is a friend with a lot of requests.

The female inspector advanced, and once I had finished preparing, I took out the Calipers. Assessing the situation, I realized that if I could just make it touch the creature’s body, our chances of victory would significantly increase.

Just as I was about to get up, I felt resistance at the hem of my pants.

“Brother, where are you going?”

Ceti, who was in a daze, asked.

I pointed straight ahead.

“To save our friends.”

“Do you think that’s possible with your strength?”

“It’ll be easier than having to carry you.”

Honestly speaking, I have a better sense of combat than Ceti. Having fought against a dozen B-Grade golems, I just need to make good use of that experience.

“Stop talking nonsense and stay with me.”

“It’s fine. I won’t die.”

“Don’t jinx yourself by raising a death flag; just stay here with me.”

Ceti grabbed my collar as if trying to pull me down. The shock from earlier had clearly taken its toll on her.

Shaking her off wasn’t hard.

“If you go, you will die. Don’t.”

“You know Rustila is out there too.”

“Uh…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll both come back alive.”

After catching Ceti, who was about to collapse weakly, I picked up the Calipers given to me by the Outer God.

The monster, initially heading east, shifted its direction toward the northwest. Upon closer inspection, two branches of lightning from the northwest were scorching the monster’s scorpion-like exoskeleton.

Yet, it only let out a weak roar, not a scream indicative of facing its end.

Such beast-like monsters typically increase their volume when dying, which suggested it hadn’t yet received a fatal blow.

I whispered to Cartesia.

“Hey. The Ether is…”

A cold smile seemed to echo in my mind.

Was it the laughter of an Outer God? My spine turned ice cold.

Still, it was worth a try.

At least, I was beginning to understand the nature of the creature we were dealing with.

“Kuak…!”

Christine felt a tingling in her hand, the result of a scorpion stinger lodged firmly in the rod-shaped sword she wielded.

“I can’t use this anymore…”

She clenched her teeth in frustration.

Her sword, already riddled with cracks, would likely break after two or three more swings. The charging amplifier, essential for holding Ether, was irreparable.

“Combat really isn’t my forte!”

“Is now really the time to be discussing your preferences?”

Her childhood friend, Merlin, exclaimed, yanking at Christine’s collar in desperation.

“We’re all going to die here! We’ll end up with our spines contorted beyond recognition! Don’t you have a better plan than just creating a distraction?”

“I’m a student! If I had that kind of strategic insight, I would have been in the military long ago…!”

“Ahh, I’m at my wit’s end! It feels like my cerebral cortex is being devoured!”

That’s when it happened.

Kwang! A loud noise echoed.

Several swordsmen were hurled into the air by the monster’s tail strike. Among them, they recognized a familiar face.

“Isn’t that Yuseford?”

“And there’s Baitling too.”

Two boys who stood out in various ways among the elite class caught the attention of Christine and Merlin. Their faces, having been seen several times, were starting to become familiar.

They were not exactly close friends, but they had reached the point where they could be considered acquaintances.

What would it mean for such people to die?

It would likely be hundreds of times more painful than facing the death of a complete stranger.

The eyes of the two girls trembled.

“We have to save them…”

Yet, their feet remained rooted to the spot.

Gazing directly at the monster’s form proved to be the most draining endeavor of all. Merely observing it caused their stomach to churn, twist, and the world before their eyes to spin.

The realization that hasty actions could result in their demise made fear surpass courage.

Meanwhile,

“Ugh, shit.”

“…I’m in so much pain.”

Welton Yuseford and Matus Baitling.

The two boys, blown away by the wind and momentarily losing consciousness, dramatically raised their heads. Their bodies sprawled on the ground.

Drrr.

A shadow enveloped the sky above them.

A vast, sharp shadow.

“Ugh, damn it.”

“I can’t move…”

No amount of desperate flailing made any difference. They were overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness, an emptiness that filled them.

They weren’t completely immobilized, but flailing their limbs was the most they could manage.

Welton and Matus, as if by some unspoken agreement, sighed simultaneously.

“Damn it. I haven’t even had sex yet.”

“So true. Haven’t even made our parents proud yet… what the fuck!”

Swish!

Two tails fell slowly, like meteors trailing through the night sky.

Impact promised death.

A fear, akin to death itself, consumed their minds.

As Matus struggled to rise once more, Welton retrieved a green grape candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

Welton said, “Now that it’s come to this, there’s nothing we can do. Might as well enjoy some porn before we die.”

Matus’s thoughts ground to a halt.

“What the hell are you talking about…!”

“Yah. Wanna watch together?”

“Stop talking nonsense and throw in the watch-screen!”

[Now, look into the camera and tell us your name and age.]

“Kuaaaakk!!”

Matus was convinced that the death cry he had just released would be his final words, a tale that would never reach his family and relatives still on the Frontiers.

This realization filled his eyes with a new resolve, yet his body refused to cooperate. He found that reality was vastly different from the novels.

[M-my name, you ask? I am…]

“Aidel von Reinhardt.”

The voice came.

Suddenly, it shifted from a woman’s to a man’s, and Welton spat out a curse. Simultaneously, Matus quickly caught on.

Reinforcements had arrived.

The bodies of the two were hoisted up. Aidel had grabbed them by the napes of their necks, pulling them back.

“Ugh!”

“Kuaaak!”

[So, shall we take off our clothes now?]

Because of this, the backs of their uniform jackets were rubbed raw and cleanly torn off… but it was infinitely better than being crushed to death by a tail.

Aidel turned off Welton’s screen and seized his sword.

By that time, however, the monster had quickly vacated its spot and was vanishing into the distance.

“What? I am alive?”

“Yes, you’re alive, you fool!”

Matus struck Welton hard on the back. Their relationship was far from close, yet Matus found it incomprehensible how someone could prioritize watching porn in peace over surviving a life-threatening situation.

His fury was palpable, right to the very tips of his hair.

He whirled around, attempting to quell the rage boiling within him.

“Thank you. I was nearly killed… You’re Reinhardt, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct, it’s me.”

Matus gritted his teeth.

While he was thankful for the rescue, his pride prevented him from showing subservience to a well-known rich brat.

“Excuse me, is everyone alright here?”

“How’s your back holding up?”

Christine and Merlin, classmates of theirs, hurried over, concerned about their well-being. The two girls offered support to Welton and Matus, steadying them.

Before any more could be said, Aidel gestured towards the southeast and instructed, “Take refuge in that direction. My sibling should be there as well. We’ll regroup at that location, and once reinforcements arrive, we’ll follow their lead.”

“Who are you to give orders… Ahh! You little! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Does this hurt? It means your spine is in really bad shape.”

“Don’t touch someone else’s body without permission!”

Merlin tilted her head and pressed on his shoulder.

“How about here?”

“Ack! Ack! Ack!”

“Your scapula is severely misaligned. It could be dislocated. Wait, I’ll adjust it right away with the chiropractic method that has been passed down in our family for generations…”

“Don’t do that!”

Matus managed to push Merlin away. It was frustrating, but she was right. His waist was tingling, and his shoulders were so stiff he couldn’t move properly.

“There’s no other choice. I’ll have to take care of it myself.”

“What about you?” Christine asked Aidel with concern.

“Aren’t you coming with us to a safe place?”

“I still have things to do.”

“…What.”

Aidel shifted his gaze toward the northwest and nodded slightly.

“Two more are still captured by that monster.”

After saying that, he left the location of the four students without looking back.

Editor’s Note:

• “Conversion” appears to be the novel’s way to name skills that allows the user to convert energy into a specific form or attack.
• ‘Knight’ appears to be a rank among inspectors; it is not explained, but the term in the raws is different from inspectors. Also, it seems knights have blue|azure epaulets.