The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 91: A Common Occurrence (3)

"Sigh."

Gray smoke mixed with the exhalation.

The surge of explosive mana had heated my blood and energy intensely.

I looked at the severed tail of the monster and twisted my lips into a grin.

A chill ran down my spine.

Was this how it felt for someone who had been on a lifelong diet to binge eat without restraint for the first time?

A sense of elation and a thrilling pleasure spread throughout my body.

‘So this is what it felt like.’

For the first time, I stopped conserving mana out of habit and swung my sword with full force, displaying destructive power far beyond what I had imagined.

‘Mana does drain like crazy, though.’

If my body hadn’t recently been reconstructed into a "furnace" and my mana capacity hadn't increased explosively, I would’ve found it hard to handle.

‘But the power is undeniable.’

Even without using ‘Ignition,’ this was the level of power.

If I had used Ignition, the force would’ve been more than twice as strong as it was now.

‘And in Ignition mode, mana recovers quickly, so there’d be less burden.’

In many ways, this was a swordsmanship style that fit me well.

“Hah.”

A quiet laugh escaped from between my lips.

It wasn’t until I swung my sword without thinking about conserving mana that I understood what Yurina had been talking about.

‘How could I have trained with the sword for thousands of years and not realized something like this on my own?’

No, to be precise, it was because I had trained for thousands of years that I hadn’t been able to realize it.

‘A new swordsmanship that suits me now.’

I didn’t think calling this style the same name, ‘Sun Sword,’ as before was appropriate.

The form of swordsmanship I used had changed completely, and if I kept the same name, it would unconsciously remind me of old habits.

‘Then…’

I looked down at the sword in my hand.

Among the flickering gray aura, embers burned.

It wasn’t difficult to come up with a new name for the swordsmanship, one that fit this unique aura, which couldn’t be seen in any hero across either my past or current life.

“Graaaah!!!”

The crocodile demonic beast, which had been stunned while staring at its severed tail, roared ferociously and charged forward, pounding the ground.

Its massive body, covered entirely in steel-like scales, shot forward at terrifying speed.

Toward the incarnation of destruction that could crush a person just by grazing them—

I pointed my sword.

“Ss…”

I spread the mana embedded in the Stigma throughout my body.

As I stomped my foot roughly, I surged my mana explosively.

Unlike the ‘Sun Sword,’ which had precisely controlled the mana flow only to use it in the necessary moments, this was an all-out strike, burning even the last drop of remaining mana.

Gray Ashen Sword.

First Form, Annihiliation.

A swordsmanship created solely for ‘Dale Han,’ and no one else, cleaved through the crocodile demonic beast’s body.

Thoom!

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With a heavy crash, the 5-meter demonic beast’s body split in two from the crown of its head, dividing into two halves.

The scent of scorched flesh and gray smoke oozed from the exposed, charred flesh.

“Phew.”

As I exhaled and withdrew the mana, my body swayed slightly.

‘Did I use too much mana too quickly?’

Using the sword as a cane to support myself, I looked at the corpse of the crocodile demonic beast, split in half.

‘No magic stone?’

Well, it was rare for demonic beasts above the 8-eyed level to drop magic stones, so my luck during the transfer had simply been extraordinary.

As I suppressed my disappointment and turned my head—

“…What is this?”

A voice filled with astonishment came from Professor Elisha.

“Cadet Dale… how in the world…?”

She looked at me with trembling eyes, as if finding it hard to believe what she had just seen. Understandably so.

She had been the only witness when I fought this very crocodile demonic beast during the midterm evaluation.

It hadn’t been long since then, and yet, to see me slice through a demonic beast I had barely defeated with great effort, in just two sword strikes—it would be shocking to anyone.

“Well, don’t cadets grow quickly?”

I shrugged and joked, but Professor Elisha’s face tightened.

“Are you seriously saying that’s an excuse?”

It’s true that heroes grow fastest during their cadet days, but there are limits.

Taking down a 8-eyed demonic beast—one that even most professors would hesitate to face—like it was a stray dog?

That wasn’t just like a snake turning into a dragon overnight, but more like a miracle.

“Ha… I knew Cadet Dale had some hidden power, but…”

Professor Elisha sighed deeply and shook her head.

‘When I talked with Professor Lucas, he mentioned that Cadet Dale could become an even greater hero than the Five Great Heroes one day…’

She began to wonder if that "someday" might be closer than she had initially thought.

“By the way, how are the survivors?”

“…Fortunately, they seem to be fine.”

Thanks to my preemptive efforts to protect them from the aftereffects of the battle, and also because the battle had ended so quickly that there hadn’t even been time for collateral damage.

“They’re weak, though. We should get them back to the village quickly.”

“Yes.”

And so, Professor Elisha and I took the survivors to the village.

“L-Lumi! Lumi-ah!!!”

As soon as we arrived at the village, a middle-aged woman who had been waiting at the entrance ran toward us frantically.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at her daughter, Lumi, who was resting in Professor Elisha’s arms.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, heroes!”

“Thank us later. Some of the survivors are in critical condition, so lay them down quickly and feed them some porridge.”

“Yes, yes! I understand!”

Perhaps the villagers had heard the middle-aged woman’s cries, for they came rushing out of their homes and cheered.

“The heroes have defeated the monsters!”

“We’re saved!”

“Hurrah!”

“Thank you! Thank you, heroes!”

“The blessings of the Seven Gods be upon you!”

The villagers wept tears of joy.

Of course, some shed tears for a different reason.

“U-um… Hero, did you happen to see my husband?”

“Where’s my mother…?”

“N-no! Phillip! Philliiip!”

Of the seven taken by the demonic beast, only four survived.

In other words, some never returned alive.

"......"

Professor Elisha turned her head away from the villagers who were crying out in grief, her expression bitter.

"Are you all right?"

"...Hmph. Who's worrying about whom here?"

"Is there a rule that says a student can't worry about their professor?"

"Quiet."

Despite her cold retort, the darkness on Professor Elisha's face seemed to lighten just a bit.

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"We’ll continue the investigation tomorrow. Let’s rest for today."

"Yes, let’s do that."

Having used quite a bit of mana with the 'Ashen Sword,' I, too, was in need of a break.

Professor Elisha and I entered a nearby empty house to take a brief rest.

Knock, knock.

Just then, there came a cautious knock on the door.

"Are the heroes inside?"

The voice of Oliver, the village chief, came through the door.

Professor Elisha rose from her seat and opened the door.

"What is it?"

"In return for your help in subduing the demonic beast… though it is not much, the villagers have decided to hold a small festival this evening."

"A festival?"

"Yes. To celebrate those who returned alive and to console those who passed. We would be honored if you, the heroes, could attend and brighten the occasion with your presence."

"I'm not interested."

Professor Elisha shook her head firmly.

The village chief, looking troubled, continued his plea.

"The villagers are really hoping for your attendance. We'd love to offer you a taste of our village's specialty apple cider. Could you please join us?"

"Hmm."

At the chief's earnest request, Professor Elisha hesitated, as if uncomfortable with receiving such treatment from people whose lives had been disrupted.

‘She’s just too nice for her own good.’

I stifled a laugh and whispered to her in a low voice.

"I’ll ask the Helios family to send relief supplies later, so feel free to attend."

"...The Helios family?"

Her eyes asked, ‘How?’

"I have some connections with the head of the Helios family."

"Candidate Dale knows Rosanna Helios?"

Her eyes blinked in disbelief as I shrugged.

"Hah... The more I know about you, Candidate Dale, the more mysteries there are."

Professor Elisha sighed and shook her head.

"Fine. I’ll attend."

"Thank you, heroes!"

Oliver, the village chief, brightened up, bowing repeatedly.

"I’ll come get you once everything is ready!"

After the chief left, Professor Elisha and I took a short rest while waiting for a few hours.

Soon, sounds of excitement began to spill in from outside.

"The festival preparations are complete, heroes!"

At the village chief's call, Professor Elisha and I stepped outside.

A large bonfire greeted us.

The scent of savory meat and the sweet aroma of fruit cider filled the small village.

"Wow! It's the heroes!"

"Thank you for saving our village!"

"For the heroes! For the Seven Gods!"

Some of the villagers were already quite tipsy.

"U-um, heroes, I brought you some drinks."

A small girl approached us as we sat down.

"You are…?"

"Hehe, my name is Lumi!"

The girl, with her orange hair and freckles, smiled brightly.

"Already recovered, have you?"

"Yes! It’s all thanks to you, heroes!"

Perhaps because it hadn't been long since she was rescued from the demonic beast, she seemed to be in much better condition than I had feared.

"...That's a relief."

Professor Elisha smiled faintly as she accepted the sweet-smelling apple cider from the girl.

"Now that the heroes are here, let’s start the festival in earnest!"

The village chief, standing by the bonfire, raised his glass high.

"To the heroes who protected our village!"

"For the Seven Gods!"

The villagers cheered and tipped their apple cider glasses.

"They sure are lively."

"Well, to them, it’s like they narrowly escaped death."

I stifled a laugh and held out my glass to Professor Elisha.

Clink.

A clear sound rang out as our glasses touched.

"Apple cider, huh… The aroma is certainly pleasant."

Professor Elisha took a sip of the cider.

And then—

"Phu-huh!"

She spat the cider out.

"Professor?"

"Candidate Dale! Don’t drink it!"

Professor Elisha hastily knocked the glass out of my hand.

Crash.

The glass shattered, spilling the cider onto the ground.

"You..."

Rising from her seat, Professor Elisha, with a distorted expression, strode towards the village chief.

"What did you put in the drink?"

Her fierce eyes gleamed dangerously as she grabbed the chief by the collar.

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