I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

92

Meanwhile.

Inside a cave somewhere shrouded in darkness.

Daisy von Schkross opened her eyes and looked around.

“H-here….”

She didn’t know anything.

Vaguely, she could see the outlines of rocks. It seemed to be a cave.

When she tried to recall, all she could remember was being chased by a swamp monster that suddenly appeared, then fainting after something happened.

“…I don’t sense anyone else’s presence.”

Only she was there.

She was the only one lying in this cave, waking up.

First, she needed to check her surroundings. But…

“Ow.”

She tried to get up, but staggered and fell back to the ground.

“……It hurts, I think I twisted my ankle.”

Her body was covered with scars. Scratched wounds, cut wounds, and even bruised wounds.

Traces of a desperate battle.

“I have to go back…”

She couldn’t stay here like this. Even if she had to postpone paying the tuition for another semester, she had to survive and go back.

She had been diligent without delay until now, so they would cut her some slack this once.

If it’s really hard, she could use her noble status or the dowry she brought as collateral to get a loan.

Her body hurt, but she felt that there was still magic left.

If only there was magic left, she could return to Salenium.

With that determination, as she tried to get up from her seat…

“…?”

Strange.

There seemed to be something ‘peculiar’ around here.

The flow of magic was distorted and twisted, causing a repulsive feeling.

That something was sitting at the entrance of the cave, blocking the way.

She would definitely not have a good encounter with it.

Thinking that, she went deeper into the cave instead of trying to escape.

If she used ‘minerals’, she could confirm the identity without exposing her location.

What on earth was the identity of that dense magic, and what kind of monster was blocking the entrance of the cave?

And at that moment.

“…Ugh.”

She saw it as she went deeper into the cave.

Things strewn on the ground, to be precise, they were originally ‘people’, but they had transformed into something so terrible that they could no longer be called ‘people’.

They looked like they had failed in some kind of ‘experiment’, wearing Salenium’s uniforms and ties, along with broken insignias.

Around them, there were things that looked like the repulsive markings of ‘demons’ engraved on parchment, as if from ancient history books.

She immediately hid her body in a crevice between the rocks.

It was incomprehensible.

Why, would something like that be here?

Hiding her body behind a large rock, she tried to use a spell that could lightly illuminate the surroundings.

Since she couldn’t use basic elemental magic, she planned to reflect the light from the cave’s crystals.

She casually summoned a fluorite ore into her hand.

And then, she reflected the light of the crystal to confirm the location of the ‘distorted’ something that was at the entrance of the cave.

And.

“…That, what on earth. Ugh”

The moment she confirmed its identity with her eyes, Daisy Von Schkross felt a surge of nausea and gagged.

Sitting at the entrance, it was a giant.

Not just any giant.

“Ugh….”

Veins protrude here and there on the round body, hands and feet tangled haphazardly as they grow.

What appears to be a human face is tightly attached to the flesh.

There was also a sense of twisted magic… Yes, it felt like the magic of the ‘living beings’ had merged recklessly and become distorted.

“This, can’t be….”

That is not a typical living organism.

It is undoubtedly a fusion creature created by ‘curses’.

It was something that only appeared in ‘history books’… It was rumored to be created by the ‘demon race’…

“Chimera.”

Why would such a monster be here?

A dreadful thought crossed the mind.

What on earth had happened in this cave, and what had been born here.

Since earlier, the flow of magic from the three people who set out for ‘exploration’ together a day ago could be felt at a steady pace from within that chimera.

“Ah, aah….”

She prayed that she could safely escape from here.

Please.

Anyone, please, pull her out of this cursed place.

* * *

After that.

We, joined by the search team, continued to move forward.

“Senior, I really appreciate it, just like last time and this time.”

“Hmm. However, now is not the time to properly receive thanks, do so later.”

Even the black-haired guy with a greatsword on his back.

As expected, this guy also joined, probably persuaded by Lien, the leader of the search team who I usually keep an eye on for the story.

Their schedule would probably involve a total of 1 night and 2 days, exploring the jungle area for a day and then returning.

Eastern Jungle Area.

This map is quite troublesome in various ways.

Sinking swamps are a given, thick with bushes and always full of moisture.

And the miscellaneous monsters appearing here are mostly in the form of insects.

So, just like earlier, mosquitoes much larger than human bodies buzz around, and swarms of ants with incredibly many legs rush at you.

Dreadful.

It’s said that once you pass the center, bears, tigers, crocodiles, and monkeys with spears come out, but at the ‘extreme entrance’, monsters that do not attack humans appear. This is the place where the unwritten rule of the field, breaking the unwritten rule, is the eastern jungle area.

The search team of eight, including me and Reyna, pushed through such marshy areas.

To not lose our way, we either cut the branches with daggers or left marks, heading deeper and deeper inside.

“…The frequency of insect monster appearances has definitely decreased a lot. Looks like we’re really going deep.”

“Hmm.”

Even as they walked, there were those who turned their gaze towards the side.

I silently received their gaze and then looked at Erhan walking beside me.

“Senior, do you happen to feel it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ah, it was nothing. I think it was just my mood.”

Erhan, as a fallen hero, has the ability to detect “magic”.

If he can say that, it seems like he has arrived accurately for now.

“Adrian, you were right. I have arrived as you said. What should I do now?”

“Choose a base and unpack our belongings, then search the surroundings.”

“You’re right, let’s do that.”

With the plan in place, they quickly moved.

They surveyed the surroundings and confirmed a place with almost no monsters.

They set up a base with four tents under a large tree stump and started a campfire.

“Now, let’s start the search. Divide into pairs and thoroughly investigate the area. Erhan and I will go this way…”

Like that.

Rien and Erhan.

Me and Reina.

And others.

The search party, organized into pairs, went in the directions they were assigned, and Reina and I also left the base to start the search.

We went until we reached a place where the faint light of the campfire could be seen.

“…Adrian, do you really think Shukurosu Youngae is here?”

“Usually, many people get injured or go missing at the point where they transition from the entrance to the middle.”

“Yes, that’s right. The entrance and the middle are completely different, from the appearance of the monsters to the terrain. …There’s definitely a good chance.”

Reina closed her eyes and reached out her hand as she spoke.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m detecting magic. I’m looking for magic similar to ‘ore’ in this area… Hmm, Adrian, go ahead.”

She grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.

What was there in that place was…

“…Is it a piece of clothing?”

“More precisely, it’s the end of a school uniform jacket. The fact that it’s only here… I think the place where Shukurosu Youngae went missing is probably nearby…”

She was strangely calm.

“Reina.”

“Yes? Adrian?”

“No, I was just surprised that you’re calmer than I expected.”

“Calm? Ah…”

After saying that, Reina lightly laughed.

“Daisy von Shukurosu may be weak in battle, but she’s not the type to die so easily.”

“…I see.”

“Yes, I couldn’t defeat her for over a year. So, she must be alive somewhere, right?”

Is it trust that can be given because she’s a competitor?

As Reina started to walk around the area.

I stood still and looked at the cliff and cave in the distance.

“You’re right, Reina.”

“Yes?”

“First, the sun has set. It’s time to go back.”

We returned to the campsite.

Of course, except for the pieces of clothing we found, no one brought anything else.

Well, it’s only natural that there was nothing else from the start.

The dense forest makes it hard to see the sky clearly, but it’s a dusky early evening.

There’s no way that guy would ‘show up’ at this hour.

Therefore, everyone entered their tents, anticipating tomorrow with serious faces, and the night continued to deepen.

The bugs chirped, the sound of the crackling fire, and the barely visible moon hanging in the sky behind the leaves.

It’s probably happening right now.

I stepped out of the tent and could see the guy coming out of the tent next to mine at the same time.

“Oh, Senior Adrian?”

“Erhan, follow me.”

He silently nodded and followed me, and I approached Lien, who was standing in front of the campfire.

She looked at the two of us with a slightly awkward expression, about to say something.

“Freitria, join us.”

“……Yes?”

“I won’t take any questions. And Reyna, I know you’re awake. Come this way.”

“Yes, understood.”

So, Erhan and I, Reyna, and Lien.

We walked towards the ‘cave’ about 10 minutes away from the campsite.

“Adrian, this is where we searched before, right? There was nothing here, right?”

Let’s see.

If it’s the ‘Eastern Jungle Zone,’ it should be around here.

And soon, we found it.

A huge cave below the cliff.

And sitting at the entrance of that cave… a monstrous creature.

Its form was so grotesque that it defied description.

Countless hands and feet attached to a large spherical body with pale white skin.

And likewise, numerous faces attached to its body.

Some gave up looking at it, some covered their mouths and gagged, and others simply clenched their necklaces and greatswords in silence.

“Senior.”

The voice of the trembling black-haired guy.

“Is that… a Chimera?”

“A Chimera.”

“A Chimera… you say?”

“It’s the byproduct of demons, a monster made by lumping together ‘living humans.'”

“Ah, Adrian? Y-You mean… lumping together ‘living humans’?”

“How can that, that be…?”

“Belanio.”

As the word was uttered, ‘eyes’ opened on the monster’s numerous faces and swiftly turned towards this direction.

…Indeed, was that a ‘Chimera’?

“Everyone, prepare for battle. They seem to have sensed our presence over there.”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

“…Are you out of your mind? Are you saying we should fight against such a monster?”

Well then.

[You are the boss of Act 3, Scene 1. You have encountered the ‘Imperfect Chimera’!]

[Caution! Formidable enemy!]

We have to fight.