Chapter 56: Beyond the Gate (2)

KABOOM-

Along with a violent explosion, black smoke billowed from where Chloe had been standing.

I reacted faster than her. I pulled Chloe into my arms from behind, saving her from the explosion. Fortunately, she was unharmed.

Startled by the sudden impact, Chloe exclaimed,

“Wh-What was that just now?”

Chloe had been near a metal sewer grate. The explosion had erupted from beneath the grate.

“It seems flammable material accumulated and exploded. It’s not surprising, considering this is a dungeon we’ve never seen before. Be more careful, Chloe. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes… Count Julian.”

Chloe, barely recovered from the shock, replied dejectedly.

Her self-esteem, boosted by my praise, had led her to confidently take the lead. But she had almost been caught in a trap right at the start of the mission.

If I hadn’t saved her, she could have been seriously injured. Far from looking like an experienced combat mission participant, she had almost become a burden, so it was natural for her to be discouraged.

To make matters worse, the dungeon was unfamiliar to her, a resident of a medieval fantasy world. Chloe’s expression became even more tense.

‘Actually, I know this place well.’

Not only was I familiar with the modern cityscape, but I also knew exactly where traps like this were located thanks to Demon Survival.

I had intended to proceed cautiously through the dungeon, but Chloe had triggered a trap much sooner than I expected.

‘But this actually worked out well for me.’

I reacted immediately and saved her. And now that I had created this debt, I could control Chloe more easily in this dungeon.

“I’ll take the lead from now on.”
“Count Julian! But as the senior squad member with more experience, I should…”
“Weren’t you the one who almost got caught in the trap just now?”
“Th-That’s…”

Hitting a nerve, Chloe couldn’t say anything.

“I am the successor of Reinhardt. But I am also Saint Agnes’s son. My senses will be sharper in this place filled with demonic power. So, I will find the way.”

She obediently nodded.

And my words weren’t a bluff. As we started walking again, holy power glowed around our bodies.

Chloe, a priest of the Alchemy Order, used Istia’s holy power. I infused a minuscule amount of Jedin’s holy power, which I had obtained as a reward, into the rosary.

Of course, even that small amount far surpassed Chloe’s holy power. So, as I said, my senses were heightened.

Flashing-

As such, Agnes’s rosary was also reacting strongly to the surrounding demonic power. I continued,

“But your alchemy skills are superior to mine, Chloe. So, support me from behind.”
“Yes! Count Julian!”

I didn’t forget to offer her a carrot. Chloe nodded vigorously.

We continued on our way. The dark clouds in the sky grew denser. As expected, the inside of the dungeon, like the ominous gate, was filled with curses.

If it were territorial soldiers without holy power, they might have collapsed from the curses alone before even encountering a monster.

‘I definitely made the right choice in selecting this dungeon.’

The fifth Chaos Gate, located in the Old Imperial City. Something must be happening to that super-large gate sealed by Saint Agnes.

The unusual, ominous gate that appeared in the Niver territory, and the appearance of this dungeon within the gate, were proof that the seal was weakening.

‘The prophecy mentioned in Demon Survival. Things are proceeding exactly as it foretold.’

Saint Agnes’s prophecy. According to it, the seal created by Agnes at the cost of her life wouldn’t last long.

‘If I quickly report this to the squad headquarters, it will increase the success rate of the future nest raid.’

Chloe and I quickly left the area with the skyscrapers and buildings. The dungeon was complex like a maze, but I already knew the way.

This meant I could choose the most efficient route.

“Let’s avoid other monsters as much as possible. It’ll only drain our stamina.”
“Understood, Count Julian.”

Chloe, unaware of the dungeon’s secrets, looked puzzled.

“Generally, a Type 3 monster’s dungeon doesn’t have this many subordinate monsters. This place is definitely different from a normal dungeon…”
“It seems so. Let’s quickly deal with the magical beasts and the gate’s core and leave this place.”

Monster cries echoed from all directions. Unless it was a large-scale gate, it couldn’t produce magical beasts on its own.

So, magical beasts devoured everything in Iceland, including humans, monsters, and animals, without discrimination.

‘And they turned the creatures they devoured into subordinate monsters.’

Three villages in the Niver territory were said to have been annihilated. In addition, nearby goblin nests and orc nests, monster settlements, were also said to have been attacked.

So, this dungeon wasn’t a simple place with just four magical beasts, one Type 3 and three Type 4. Subordinate monsters were swarming throughout the dungeon.

Chloe, appalled by the sight, seemed to want to use the Return Stone immediately. But seeing my calm expression in such a hellish landscape, she silently followed behind me.

Soon, we entered a grotesque area resembling the abandoned Harlem district of New York.

Traps filled the path we took.

Exploding manhole covers. Asphalt roads suddenly collapsing like sinkholes. Streetlights collapsing into giant, deadly weapons.

But I had cleared this dungeon countless times in Demon Survival. I avoided all the traps with near-perfect foresight, anticipating and evading danger.

Chloe stared at me as if I were a ghost, clinging close to my side.

And finally, we confronted a group of subordinate monsters.

Humans turned into ghouls. And goblins and orcs, transformed into even more ferocious forms due to the influence of demonic power.

About 20 subordinate monsters stood before us. They roared.

Groaaaaar-

And judging by the rosary’s reaction, a Type 4 magical beast was nearby. There was no way to bypass them. So, we couldn’t avoid these monsters and had to confront them directly.

“Chloe! Attack first with alchemy!”
“Yes!”

Chloe put a hidden weapon on her finger and threw it at the group of monsters.

Whoosh-

The wedge-shaped metal projectile flew through the air. Simultaneously, a huge explosion erupted from it.

KABOOM-

‘As expected, Chloe’s alchemy is impressive.’

I observed the attack Chloe launched using the Common Alchemist trait.

It happened right after the projectile reached the monsters.

Chloe’s mana, contained within the projectile, interacted with the air element’s physical force, instantly disintegrating the metal projectile into extremely fine powder.

And the remaining mana in the powder converted into fire attribute, igniting a small flame, which caused a massive explosion due to the increased reactivity of the finely powdered metal.

‘She implemented a highly sophisticated alchemic circuit in the projectile. As expected, being a student representative isn’t easy.’

After leaving her hand, the projectile had a casting delay before the alchemy was applied. That remote circuit alone wasn’t something that could be designed with ordinary skill.

Moreover, the multiple elemental attribute conversions of mana were implemented consecutively.

It was a technique impossible without considerable alchemy skill.

It wasn’t time for me to stand idly by either. A large number of monsters were weakened by the dust explosion. Some died instantly, but half of them survived.

I quickly jumped in among them. Then, the Lionheart Swordsmanship unfolded like flowing water. The Imperial Sword in my hand moved like a part of my body, enhanced by my trait.

Evolved Common Mana Swordsman. I couldn’t use Aura yet, but just imbuing the sword with mana increased its sharpness.

Furthermore, my strength and stamina stats had already increased due to training in the combat order and Lillia’s healing magic.

From the first to the fifth form of the Lionheart Swordsmanship, my sword thrust and swung at the subordinate monsters rushing towards me, hitting them precisely where it hurt.

I easily cut down all the subordinate monsters. I defeated more than ten, but it was over in an instant.

“Let’s keep moving, Chloe.”

I returned to Chloe’s side. Her eyes widened as she watched my swordsmanship.

“Count Julian… you actually knew how to use a sword?”
“Of course. A man of Essenmunt, and of the Reinhardt family at that, not knowing how to use a sword?”
“That’s true, but…”

Of course, Julian hadn’t been able to use a sword until last year. So, she must have thought I would just stand around like a wallflower during the mission.

But what I had just shown her was the skill of a proficient swordsman. It was enough to surprise Chloe.

“It was just a few subordinate monsters, not even magical beasts. A reserve member of the Golden Wing should be able to do this much. It’s only natural.”

I said nonchalantly and started walking. Chloe silently followed me as I took the lead again.

We arrived near where the Type 4 magical beasts were gathered. Judging by the rosary’s reaction, all four seemed to be together in one place.

We had cut down a considerable number of subordinate monsters along the way. So, Chloe was worried about my stamina.

“Count Julian, you’ve defeated monsters consecutively. It wasn’t just one or two… are you alright?”
“Of course. I’m fine. Don’t underestimate the blood of Reinhardt.”

In fact, it hadn’t been particularly difficult.

Most of the subordinate monster groups had been incapacitated by Chloe’s wide-area explosions. All I did was deliver the finishing blows with my improved Lionheart Swordsmanship.

Moreover, those finishing blows greatly increased the proficiency of my swordsman trait. I was simply reaping extreme benefits.

But to Chloe, it must have seemed like I was deliberately taking on the dirty work. I had prevented her from stepping in so I could take all the finishing blows.

I even pretended to be considerate of Chloe, telling her not to waste her energy.

I said,

“Alright. If you’re so worried, I’ll use holy power.”

I channeled some of my spare mana into Agnes’s rosary and used a minuscule amount of Jedin’s holy power. Soft green holy power enveloped my body.

Healing through holy power. A heal was applied to my body.

“I’ve used a heal, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Chloe was once again surprised by this. The amount of mana wasn’t infinite. Holy power was also drawn from one’s own mana pool.

But I used that mana generously in front of Chloe. I cast a protective holy spell to block the dungeon’s curse and simultaneously used mana to cut down monsters one after another.

And now I had used holy magic for healing again. I had essentially shown Chloe the image of a skilled paladin, surpassing an ordinary knight.

It was a stark contrast to Chloe, who was gradually becoming exhausted from the continuous use of alchemy and the effects of the curse.

“Indeed. You seem fine.”
“I can heal you too if needed.”
“It’s alright, Count Julian. There are Type 4 magical beasts over there. Let’s save it.”

Chloe, at a loss for words, changed the subject.

“Alright. As you say, it’s better to use mana to deal with them.”

At the center of the Harlem-like area we had entered, there was a collapsed two-story building.

The Type 4 magical beasts and subordinate monsters had used the collapsed building as cover, establishing a small fortress on the second floor. It seemed the magical beasts had observed our actions from afar. They were thoroughly prepared.

So, it seemed difficult to quickly deal with them with a simple barrage like before.

‘I don’t see an easy way to get to the second floor. It looks like they’ve destroyed the stairs.’

Among the subordinate monsters, there were also archers. So, a reckless charge seemed unwise.

This, however, made Chloe look confident. She unfolded her fan with a flourish.

“It’s time to show you the true power of alchemy. Terrain is meaningless against alchemy. I can change the terrain to our advantage with earth attribute alchemy!”

With those words, she confidently pointed her fan at the asphalt road. Mana gathered at the tip of her fan. Chloe used alchemy.

But nothing happened.