#5: Solo Passage Raid — The Academy's Student Council President Wants to Drop Out

The passage’s difficulty was C.
If the contaminated liquid had not been fairly toxic, it probably would have been rated even lower.
According to the records, this passage had been filled with nothing but contaminated liquid, and in the central zone, where the contamination was the worst, there had been only a single item sitting there by itself.

“No residents of the otherworld appearing, and just one unidentified item. If it hadn’t been for some student falling into the water, it was a worthless passage the Association would never have bothered sending an investigation team to.”

And that someone who had fallen into the water just happened to be a poison-type ability user from our academy.
He was one of the delinquents outside.
Relaxing the frown the delinquents had put on his brow, he moved forward.
A sticky purple liquid was strewn everywhere, as if some monster had vomited up its gastric juices.

“‘It looked like something half-digested had been spat back out.’ Just like the report said.”

Even the smell seemed similar.
But to Ro-un, who had lived through three years even more chaotic than the before his regression, something like this didn’t faze him at all.
Ro-un stretched out his hand.

“[Purification]”

A Lv.5 Purification skill spread out.
Perhaps because it was imbued with EX-rank Holy Power, the Purification skill spread far wider than its level should have allowed.

“So all that time spent working as a human air purifier wasn’t for nothing.”

It was the kind of skill level one would only expect to see from people debuting professionally, but the slave labor it had taken to reach that level flashed before his eyes.
The days he had spent getting used to his upgraded Holy Power came back to him one after another.
Before entering the passage, Ro-un had considered everything, from his Purification skill level, Holy Power stat, and the passage’s difficulty to the rank and number of residents of the otherworld that appeared there, and concluded that he could clear it alone.

“At this level, it’s worth a try.”
Using Purification, Ro-un got his bearings and headed for his destination.

Flash!
Flaaash!
Flaaaash!

Ro-un’s Holy Power lit the way.
The space in front of Ro-un brightened as if he had turned on a flashlight.
Even putting in this much, the purification efficiency still drops.

“I need to raise my levels even faster than before the regression.”

If he was going to do everything alone, he needed skill to match.

‘This time, I got lucky.’

The item inside just happened to be one that might be able to make up for Ro-un’s lack of offensive means.
Its location was close to the academy, and the way to clear it suited Ro-un as well.
As Ro-un reviewed the method of clearing it and walked forward purifying the pools gathered like signposts guiding the way, his destination finally came into view.

“Found it.”

It was an enormous mass of liquid.
At first glance, it looked like a giant purple slime, but it was actually a tree covered in purple mucus.
The spirit egg is in there!
More precisely, a contaminated spirit egg was hidden inside that tree.

A dream item that could turn even an ordinary person with no talent for spirit mastery into a spirit master, so long as they safely hatched the spirit egg.
Because of that, it was a precious item coveted not only by Awakeners but also by wealthy people with money to spare.

“They’ll start being found one by one all over the world from now on, but for the moment, this is probably the first spirit egg.”

After this item was discovered, spirit eggs began appearing from gates on rare occasions.

“If I sat on this and sold it later, it’d probably help a lot with what’s ahead. But things are urgent right now, so it can’t be helped.”

I can make money some other way.
Since I have knowledge of the future.
When he drew a little closer, he could see the spirit egg tightly wrapped in the tree trunk.

‘There it is.’

After confirming the spirit egg bound inside the purple-stained trunk, Ro-un approached it.
At that moment, the trunk lashed out like a whip.

Shrrrrrk!

“[Purification]”

Pssssh!

The trunk turned to ash and scattered away.
It was so heavily contaminated that it couldn’t withstand Ro-un’s Purification skill.

‘If it were an otherworld noble with a title, that would be another matter, but for something like a contaminated tree, what I have now is more than enough.’

The ground rumbled.

Kugugugugugu!

“So it starts now?”

Ro-un wrapped his whole body in Holy Power and prepared himself to activate a skill at any moment.
Then, from the cracks splitting open like an earthquake, something black and thick surged upward.
It was a root.

“Well, look at that?”

No matter what it did, it was still just a contaminated thing.
How dare it stick contaminated roots in front of me?
Twisting his lips, Ro-un swung his Holy Power.
Holy Power like an endless sea moved according to Ro-un’s will.

【Purification Lv.5】

Flaaaash!

A dazzling light burst from Ro-un.
The root touched by the light turned to dust and vanished.

……!

It felt as though someone’s scream had come from somewhere.

“If you stay still, I’ll send you off with less pain.”

Using [Purification], Ro-un walked toward the tree.
The closer Ro-un got, the more violent the tree’s movements became.
As if it knew he was after the egg, the vines wrapping around it grew more numerous and thicker, and its attacks toward Ro-un grew sharper.
Leaves, branches, and roots all lunged at Ro-un.

Shrrrrrk!
Saaaaah!

A single massive tree lunged at a human smaller than one of its branches.
That tiny human body looked powerless before such a huge tree, but the human standing alone before it spoke with a calm face, as if merely annoyed.

“Tch. Hey. Move aside. While I’m asking nicely.”

It was no match for him.
Even though it was absolutely at a disadvantage in terms of affinity, the tree did not stop moving to protect what was precious to it.

“I said move.”

Skrrrk!

The tree branches came flying at Ro-un with a sharp sound.

“If you keep this up, I’ll fry that egg and eat it, you know? Still not moving are you? If you move now, I’ll let it go.”

Even after turning even the tree’s most precious roots to ash, Ro-un spoke as if he were being merciful.
Just as the contaminated tree, already half purified and greatly diminished in force, was about to lash out desperately with its vines and branches as if in outrage, Ro-un added one more thing.

“Your egg. I can purify it. Safely.”

Twitch!
Saaaaah!

The branches collided and made an eerie sound.
It was the sort of ghostly wail one would only hear in a horror film.
The branches and vines that had been aimed at Ro-un trembled.
A strange gleam passed through Ro-un’s eyes at the response, as though it understood his words.

‘As expected. So the report saying it seemed to be acting to protect the egg was true.’

Who would have thought that a tree covered in purple slime and whipping around its branches and roots would have intelligence!
Staring straight at the knot-hole of the contaminated tree that had stopped moving, Ro-un spoke again.

“I said I’ll save the egg. Right now, I can purify only the contaminated parts. If I do that, that egg should hatch safely.”

The tree, which had thoroughly experienced Ro-un’s purification ability through the contaminated branches and roots it had moved until now, shook its branches as if unsettled.

Saaaaaaaah….

The leaves brushed together, making the sound of waves.
The eerie sound might have sent a chill down the spine of someone fainthearted, but it did not work on Ro-un at all.

“I don’t know your circumstances, but I’m telling you I can purify this egg safely without destroying it. That’s what you want too, isn’t it?”

…Sssssss.

The branches withdrew.
Seeing the tree stop moving like an ordinary tree, Ro-un let out a disbelieving breath.

“This actually works.”

I can actually talk to it?
It had already been announced through academic circles that beings with intelligence inside passages were not limited to otherworld nobles.
And so humanity came to accept new races that had crossed over from passages, beyond Divine Beasts, Spiritual Creatures, and Spirits.
The nations that accepted those new beings discovered new technologies, and that soon led to the Dimensional Revolution.
This tree might have been one of those beings as well.

…Sssssss.

The tree shook its branches as if asking what he was doing.
It felt as though it were urging him to hurry up and purify the egg.

“Stop getting in the way and back off. Removing only the contamination is very delicate work.”

The roots that had been creeping around Ro-un’s feet as if to say they would not let him off if he destroyed the egg stopped moving and sank back into the ground.

“Tch.”

Even if they had retreated into the ground for now, they would come back up the moment it looked like the egg was about to be destroyed.
Even under the tree’s watchful threat, Ro-un calmly approached it.

At the very center of the tree.
The tree, which had hidden the egg like a nest by wrapping it round and round with its trunk, loosened its branches.
His skin prickled.
The tree was radiating killing intent as if warning him that it would not let him off if he tried anything funny.
Pretending to remain outwardly calm while not relaxing his inner tension for a moment, Ro-un stood before the tree and examined the egg’s condition.

‘Purifying the tree as well… is impossible. The contamination has progressed too far.’

By contrast, perhaps because the tree had tried so desperately to protect it, the spirit egg had purple stains here and there, but its condition looked fairly good.
Purifying only the contaminated parts was like unraveling a single thread from a tangled mass.

‘It’s okay. This much is nothing.’

I’m a regressor, after all.
I’m Lee Ro-un.
The who possesses an EX-rank trait and EX-rank Holy Power, the one who will surpass Europe’s Saintess!
To purify the egg the tree had struggled to protect even while contaminated, Ro-un used a skill.

“[Purification]”

Flaaaash!

When Ro-un, owner of EX-rank Holy Power and an EX-rank trait, used the skill, a blinding light burst out as though a star had fallen to the ground.

Kii… iiii…!

As the stains touched the light, the contaminated tree burned away, releasing smoke shaped like skulls.
The skull-shaped smoke was grotesque, but Ro-un did not so much as blink at anything else and kept his eyes fixed only on the stains clinging to the egg.
With skill honed over three additional years, he controlled his Holy Power and purified the stains as though searing them away with a laser.
As Ro-un continued the purification without wavering, the stains covering the egg began to gather at a single point as if making a last desperate struggle.

Kigigigik!

A sharp sound came from the egg.
It sounded as if whatever was inside the egg was trying to attack, refusing to be purified like this.

‘Oh? So it’s struggling now?’

Was it trying to endure by clumping together?
As if trying to avoid Ro-un’s light, the contaminated energy rolled the egg away.

‘And what do you think happens if you dodge?’

Each time the egg rolled, Ro-un moved with it.

Roll!
Roll!
Roll!

Watching the energy desperately flee from the light of purification, a furrow deepened between Ro-un’s brows.

‘Stop being a nuisance and disappear!’

Ro-un began pouring out Holy Power like a sea.

Flaaaash!

After a flash of light bright enough to seem like a camera flash wrapped around the egg, grotesque skull-shaped smoke rose up.

Kiiiii…!

The contamination vanished as black smoke, the purple stains disappeared cleanly, and what remained on Ro-un’s palm was an egg shining with a clear, transparent five-colored light.

“Done.”

The purification had succeeded.

Crack! Craack!

The contaminated tree stretched out branches stained purple.
Though the branches did not touch the egg, the tree swept the air along the egg’s rounded edge as if stroking it.
The sight was strangely tender.
Watching those branches stretch out so desperately without even being able to touch the egg, Ro-un spoke in a gentle voice.

“I’ll safely take in this egg. So stop worrying and go in peace.”

As if entrusting the egg to Ro-un, the contaminated tree withdrew its branches and waited quietly.
Paying respect to the tree that had done everything it could to protect the egg, Ro-un drew up his Holy Power once more.
The contaminated tree quietly waited for Ro-un.

“Go in peace.”

After bidding a final farewell to the tree that had protected the spirit egg, Ro-un poured in an enormous amount of Holy Power and used 【Purification Lv.5】.
At the same time, ash blew before Ro-un’s eyes.

Crumble, crumble!

Ro-un quickly cupped the egg in both hands and stepped back.
The tree that had protected the contaminated spirit egg was turning to ash and disappearing.

……….

The moment the tree disappeared was silent.
But from the tree as it crumbled to dust, Ro-un thought he felt something like a gaze.
For whatever reason, Ro-un watched the tree to the very end, the tree that had tried to protect the spirit egg until its final moment while its whole body was contaminated.
Then another sound came from behind him.

Pssssh…!

Who is it?
Is there another being in this passage besides me?
There had been nothing like that in the report.

‘Maybe something was omitted from the Association report.’

Drawing up his Holy Power, Ro-un activated another skill.

【Protection Lv.1】

A milky-white hemisphere spread out centered on Ro-un.
Then something white and soft poked its head out from the brush.

“A snake?”

What emerged from the brush was a snake.
And not just any snake, but a white threadsnake, white as snow and still looking young.
Blinking, Ro-un looked down at the still-young snake.

“Why is there a snake here?”

It’s still just a young one, too.
Where are its parents?
Why is a baby snake here?

“But it looks perfectly fine?”

Did it come in only recently?
Or… could it have gotten caught up when I came in?
If not that, can this snake use [Purification] too?

Without hiding his wariness, Ro-un looked down at the snake.
The milky-white hemisphere was still spread around Ro-un.
Staying in that posture, Ro-un crouched down and spoke to the snake.

“You… can you understand what I’m saying?”

Nod, nod.

A Spiritual Creature.
And a young one at that, one still unable to properly communicate its intentions.
Sensing the situation was about to get complicated, Ro-un squeezed his eyes shut once and opened them again.

“Where are your parents?”

The snake turned toward the direction Ro-un had come from.
The entrance? Outside?
The snake’s black eyes, looking up at Ro-un, stared at him pleadingly.

“Did you end up inside the passage by accident?”

As if answering, the white snake flicked its tongue.
Then, as if to show it meant no harm, it lowered itself and flipped right over.
Showing its belly of all things.
When a wild animal shows its weakness, doesn’t that mean, ‘I have no intention of harming you’?

‘It’s quite smart. It really is the young of a Spiritual Creature.’

Looks like it got caught up in the passage by accident.
If that weren’t the case, there’s no way a young snake, especially a white one said to be the messenger of the gods, could be perfectly fine in a place flooded everywhere with corrosive liquid worthy of the name Melting.
Ro-un dispelled the skill and carefully placed the spirit egg he was holding into his inventory.
A Spiritual Creature with this much intelligence should have been discovered even before the regression, so why hadn’t it been reported back then?
Was it… omitted?

“Right… there’s no way students from our school would file a proper report.”

These bastards.
Should I beat the hell out of all of them once I get out?
Beneath his lowered hand, Ro-un’s eyes gleamed viciously.

“Forget it. Even if I wanted to pick a fight over the omitted report, the ones outside wouldn’t know anything about it anyway, so what would be the point?”

Still, hitting them once should be fine, right?
Ro-un’s hand trembled as he held back his anger again and again.
But that was not what mattered right now.

Rumbleee!

The passage, now cleared, was collapsing.

“Looks like the passage is about to close. I’ll think about why the Spiritual Creature is here after I get out. First, I need to escape.”

And so, with the item he had wanted and one lost Spiritual Creature, Ro-un escaped the passage.
Behind Ro-un, as he passed through the newly opened exit, the purified tree crumbled into ash all the way down to its roots.

…Thank you.

Somehow, it felt as though he had heard a voice whose gender he could not tell.