CH 80.3

“It’s over. How many are there?”

It was over, instantly. To Ryua, who was facing him, this would not even be a battle. Kama had grown pink hair on his body, becoming one with the whip, and his body swelled to many times his size and transformed.

She just glanced at him and took a swing of her right-hand sword. She brushed him off because he was in her way.

A group of monsters who could not compete even with the combined strength of more than a hundred of their fiercest members were turned into a pile of corpses. It was a girl who destroyed them in a few seconds without a care in the world.

“Don’t just stand there, Botham-san, help us out too!”

The girl waved her hand at me with a slightly sultry expression on her face, as if she were an everyday person. You have no idea the fear I felt. The innocent girl’s gesture made me forget that this was a battlefield.

Unreasonable.

If I had to describe her strength to someone, there would be no better answer. I wonder how many years of experience and ability I have cultivated over the decades of my life would be equivalent to hers. Maybe it is more than a few years.

-The Port of Rivière , Continent of Ballard, Port of Rivière Inn, Sea of Friends Pavilion-

“The new Demon King’s Army is still expanding its power. But I never thought they would invade a place like this…”

The Damage caused by the demon king’s army had reached a grave point. Groups of demons like the one they saw earlier were attacking towns and villages around the world, and although other countries were attempting to coordinate their countermeasures, so far, no notable results seem to have been achieved.

Another major problem was the flow of survivors from the destroyed towns to other countries. Of course, there were wild monsters along the way, so there was no way those who did not have the strength to fight could survive. It was obvious where people who were placed in a situation where they had nothing would end up.

There were even people in similar circumstances and peddlers being attacked, and the demon army was not the only problem at hand anymore. Some areas were still unaffected currently, but it would only be a matter of time.

“You just happened to come along and saved the day. I never thought I’d be saved twice.”

“If you had come earlier, maybe no one would have died…”

The girl who had just shown strength beyond common sense was now looking weak, and her eyes were moist. In this way, she looked like any ordinary girl one could find anywhere. Even though so many lives were lost, he wondered if it was also strength to be able to grieve for a person one didn’t know.

If one just looked at her, then they wouldn’t know what power this girl was hiding. Level 999, to put it bluntly, was an impossible number to reach. Many adventurers hit the level cap before they reach level 40. Some may retire, some may despair, and some may take the wrong path.

Conversely, only A Rank people exceed level 50. Natural qualities, a barrier that could not be breached. How many people have hit this wall? No matter how much they reached out, it could not be reached, and it would be followed by respect and jealousy.

Mugen, who was said to be the strongest of the current Five Top Rankers, would be a good match even against that herd. With his unmatchable skills, self-healing, strengthening skills, and one-hit-kill skills, Mugen was the envy of all adventurers. But even he had not reached Level 100. 

If it were not for Triferia, he would have been in the S Rank, undoubtedly. His level, however, was not known. There were rumors that he was over level 100 in A Rank, but no one had ever seen his adventurer’s card. I have seen him once before, but he was a mysterious man. He did not want to form a party with anyone when I asked him about it, so I was thinking that he probably did not want to get involved with others.

Unlike that man, Triferia was easy to talk to and would even show me his adventurer’s card if I asked him. Even when I saw the numbers on the card, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I’ll be honest: I was half skeptical when I saw Ryua and Roel’s adventurer’s cards. It couldn’t be, it was just impossible. My mind could only process within the limits of my common sense, so even when I saw the reality that she defeated Doridon, a commander of the Demon Lord’s army, I still couldn’t believe it.

“Botham-san, what’s wrong?”

The girl tilted her head, oblivious to my bewilderment. I don’t think I’ll ever know even a fraction of this girl’s unfathomable power just by sitting across the table from her like this. Because this girl is just an ordinary girl to anyone who sees her like this.

“So many people were killed, and the Demon King’s Army is really a dangerous opponent…”

“I really can’t forgive those guys, I…”

After all, the survivors were about 40% of the total. Many of the adventurers who participated in the battle, including the vigilantes, lost their lives. Most of the survivors were carried to the Healing Center, which was probably very busy right now. Some would be unable to fight due to aftereffects, while others would spend the rest of their lives with emotional scars.

The more I think about it, the more I didn’t want to acknowledge the unreal existence in front of me. I wanted to run away again, just as I did when I abandoned my passengers and fled. From that unreality, from my weakness, from everything.

“Thanks again for today. Now, I’m sorry, but I’m going to go rest first… Ah!”

“Whoa, are you okay?!”

I got up from my chair and started to walk, but I must have been tired because I stumbled. Ryua supported me just as I was about to walk away. It was the warmth of a human being, of course. Yes, even if we kicked out the demon king’s army, we would still be human. How can I not acknowledge the existence of this child, even if it is unrealistically strong?

“I apologize for everything…”

Can you walk to your room?

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

-The second floor of the Sea of Friendship Pavilion, Botham’s room.

I staggered miserably back to my room.

From what I’d heard, those kids were trying to get to Azuma. I know the story of the millennium grass, too, but I didn’t know if it was real. The only thing I could tell them was that the king of Avangard was going to thoroughly rub those kids the wrong way.

Thinking about it, there was no way the country would leave them alone if millennium grasses were real. It was unlikely that people from other countries will be able to enter the Mountain of the Great Gods, and if that is the case, they will have no choice but to use other means than the regular ones. Even so, the belief in the Great Gods in that country was out of the ordinary. If they did something, the worst-case scenario was that the Great Gods would make a move.

Of course, if those children take on the other side, they would not be defeated. But the problem would ripple from country to country. People from a foreign country would have broken Great Gods’s prohibition and even took away his cherished millennium grass. Depending on how the other side reacts, even an all-out war was inevitable.

I was even awed by the king, who was willing to make a request that encompasses so many conceivable problems. I have warned the children, but I wondered how well they understand my advice.

“Young shoots must be nurtured carefully, my king.”

It made me often think about what it means to be an adventurer.

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Demon’s Illustrated Book of Monsters

[Vampire Beast HP1120]

A quadrupedal bloodsucking creature with long fangs. It does not eat any flesh, but only the creature’s blood.

They use their fangs to extract. They often act in groups, and their ferociousness, which allows them to face even demons larger than themselves without fear, has made many adventurers afraid of them.

[Red Horn HP610]

A carnivorous bull with conspicuous red horns. The color of its horns is even dyed with the blood of its prey.

They were tougher than they look, and an ordinary vanguard won’t be able to take them head on.

[Soldier Leo HP805]

A lion that hunts its prey at high speed. Its agility is such that it even avoids magic.

It has been reported that it has jumped over the vanguard and devoured the magician in the rear guard first, and it is also highly intelligent.

It doesn’t have to wait for you.