Chapter 57: Beyond the Gate (3)

“Why isn’t it working?”

Chloe’s visible frustration was apparent. She had confidently imbued her fan with mana, but it was all for naught.

She waved her fan several more times, but the ground remained stubbornly unchanged.

“Even if this dungeon is unfamiliar, this is strange. The ground feels solid underfoot, so it should be made of earth attribute material…”

Chloe muttered to herself, trying to figure out the reason for her failure. I quickly understood why.

‘In Iceland, roads are typically made of dirt or stone, not asphalt.’

So, she must have tried to transmute the ground by transforming her mana into earth attribute as usual.

However, this place, resembling the dilapidated Harlem district of New York, where we were standing, was right in the middle of an asphalt road.

‘Asphalt. It’s made from the residue left after fractional distillation of petroleum, right?’

I knew this well from my major in my previous life. Well, actually, I learned that even before college.

The basis of asphalt is petroleum. So, it seemed that transmutation wouldn’t be induced with earth attribute mana.

An idea came to mind. According to the Common Alchemist trait, the alchemic attribute of petroleum was a mixture of fire and water.

I lightly touched the ground. At the same time, I channeled mana into my hand, attempting a slight mana attribute transformation.

It was impossible to immediately implement a complex alchemic circuit like Chloe’s. But I could transmute a small area, like the one under my fingertip.

I transformed the mana at my fingertip to a point between fire and water attributes. As expected, a bit of the asphalt on the ground stuck to it. It was just as I thought.

“Chloe, don’t panic!”

Chloe was still staring intently at the unyielding ground with a serious expression.

I spoke calmly,

“This surface seems to be made of a substance similar to bitumen, or coal tar. If you use alchemy considering that, you should be able to do what you intended. Think of the surface as a material of fire and water attributes.”

Bitumen, also known as coal tar, is a black, viscous resin obtained from naturally exposed petroleum or coal.

On Earth, it was a material used even in ancient and medieval times. It was used as an adhesive and for waterproofing ships.

So, it was entirely possible that it existed in Iceland as well.

‘Considering that bitumen is also mentioned in the Alchemist trait, it’s certain.’

As expected, Chloe understood what I meant.

“Count Julian? Bitumen, you say? And a material of fire and water attributes… Wait! I see!”

She was indeed intelligent. True to her rational nature, she didn’t ask further questions and immediately took action.

The tip of her fan glowed. I could see fire and water attribute mana mixing at the tip. The mana, released from the fan, quickly reached the ground.

Rumble-

A sound like an earthquake echoed.

In an instant, a path was created from the asphalt road to the two-story building ahead. It was like a small pedestrian bridge had appeared.

The two-story building connected to the bridge was about the size of a small supermarket. Its walls and roof were destroyed, making the second floor essentially a rooftop, where a group of monsters were gathered.

And through the rosary, the presence of the magical beasts was clearly conveyed.

‘Two Type 4 magical beasts on the first floor. And two on the second floor.’

If we entered the first floor first, we would be surrounded from both above and below by the monsters on the second floor. So, naturally, we had to deal with the second floor first.

“Let’s charge to the second floor!”

With those words, we stepped onto the asphalt bridge.

As we approached, a goblin archer fired warning shots. Projectile attacks from other ranged monsters also rained down on us.

“Don’t mind them and charge!”

My senses were heightened from the continuous battles. Arrows from goblins, who weren’t even magical beasts, were like slow motion to me.

I easily deflected all the arrows with a swing of my Imperial Sword.

We quickly reached the highest point of the bridge. This peak was positioned higher than the group of magical beasts on the second floor.

From the peak, the bridge sloped down to the second floor like a slide. It was Chloe’s clever design, negating the enemy’s terrain advantage.

At the highest point of the alchemic bridge, Chloe swung her fan downwards with all her might.

Numerous needles shot out from the tip of the fan, flying towards the group of monsters on the second floor.

‘She’s hiding projectiles all over her body. She’s a scary woman indeed.’

Chloe’s combat uniform had a skirt. I had seen her pull out projectiles from between the slits of her skirt earlier. But I didn’t expect her fan to also conceal projectiles.

The needles quickly reached the monsters. And explosions erupted simultaneously.

KABOOM-

More than 20 subordinate monsters, including two Type 4 magical beasts, were gathered on the second floor. The monsters’ formation crumbled instantly with the explosions. It was the same alchemic dust explosion as before.

I immediately jumped into the rising acrid smoke.

Even though my vision was temporarily obscured, my senses were sharp. I detected the unique demonic power of the magical beasts. However, because they were Type 4, they only felt like slightly stronger monsters.

Perhaps a powerful Orc leader, an Orc Lord. Magical beasts often mimicked the appearance of ordinary monsters, so it was likely the case.

But an Orc was just an Orc.

The Reinhardt’s subconscious, faster than conscious thought, moved the sword. The Imperial Sword’s flash drew a straight line.

Swish-

And when the smoke cleared, the heads of the two Type 4 magical beasts had already fallen to the ground.

“Next, to the first floor! The Type 4 magical beasts are nothing! Let’s quickly deal with them and head to the dungeon boss, Chloe!”
“Yes! Count Julian.”

We didn’t need the bridge to go down. We immediately jumped from the second floor to the ground.

Another dust explosion followed. The magical beasts on the first floor were also dealt with in an instant.

---

Now, all that remained was the boss, the Type 3 magical beast.

Chloe and I quickly climbed the outer wall of a suitably tall building using alchemy. In the distance, we spotted an area distinctly different from the rest of the dungeon.

“The boss must be there.”

Usually, the boss resided where the gate’s core was located. This meant that the vicinity was the boss area of the dungeon. We knew the way, so there was no problem heading there.

“Let’s move quickly. Once we catch the Type 3 magical beast, this dreadful place will be over.”

I spoke calmly. I felt Chloe’s gaze on me for a moment.

Chloe had been momentarily disheartened when she almost fell into a trap at the entrance of the dungeon. But her performance afterward was undeniable.

Not only the dust explosions, but also the asphalt bridge.

She was indeed the student representative of the Alchemy Order. Of course, it was me who was leading Chloe’s firepower to its maximum efficiency.

Suddenly, Chloe’s red lips parted.

“You said this was your first combat mission, Count Julian, right?”

She was right.

Usually, even first-year Pantheon students participated in missions to subjugate ordinary monsters, not magical beasts. But the good-for-nothing Julian hadn’t even awakened his mana, let alone learned the Lionheart Swordsmanship or even the Imperial Swordsmanship.

So, before I possessed him, he naturally had no combat experience.

‘I doubt that body even went on the animal hunts that nobles enjoy.’

And yet, Count Julian, who had been like that, fought on par with her, or even better. It was natural for Chloe to be puzzled.

I replied,

“You know well. This is my first time.”
“It really was. To be honest, when I saw you during the Golden Wing’s reserve squad formation, I couldn’t believe it. There are factions among the orders and social classes, but the Golden Wing is a place where at least skilled students who can be trusted to watch your back come to.”
“Is that so? Why are you bringing that up now?”
“No, it’s nothing. I just… I remembered the time you scolded me, so I mentioned it.”

And she continued in a slightly softer tone,

“Also… it doesn’t seem like we made the wrong decision at the Order Council. Well, I guess the High Priests have a good eye for people.”

It was her way of acknowledging me. After saying that, Chloe covered her face with her fan.

I replied,

“We can talk about such trivial things after we catch the Type 3. After the mission is over.”

We descended to the ground.

This time, Chloe took the lead. As expected of her excellence, she had become accustomed to the dungeon’s trap patterns. She avoided the traps with ease.

We proceeded through the heart of the ruined city, carefully recovering the stamina and mana consumed while dealing with the Type 4 magical beasts.

During the silence between us, I briefly thought about the Type 3 magical beast.

‘A Type 3 magical beast. It won’t be easy, according to Demon Survival.’

The dividing line between upper and lower magical beasts was the Type 3. This dungeon, strengthened by the influence of the Old Imperial City’s Chaos Gate…

So, even if it was a Type 3 magical beast, it would definitely be strengthened to a level close to an upper magical beast.

Moreover, unlike Type 4 magical beasts, which were essentially enhanced versions of existing monsters, Type 3 magical beasts and above had their own unique characteristics.

‘They also cast stronger curses using demonic power.’

But I wasn’t nervous or worried. Perhaps it was because I had sparred with Commander Michael, who could even cut down Type 1 magical beasts.

No, the Reinhardt bloodline had the potential to reach Grand Master, surpassing the Master level of Commander Michael.

Through the continuous battles, my personality seemed to be gradually assimilating with the Reinhardt bloodline.

I wanted to fight even more.

‘Now I understand why Margrave Wilhelm still stands on the front lines at his age.’

We hurried at a brisk pace and finally arrived at the boss area.

A magnificent building that seemed to be the city hall of the ruined city. A giant magical beast stood against the backdrop of the building.

---

Chloe’s expression tensed.

“That’s… a Type 3?”

It appeared to be over 5 meters tall. A giant, one-eyed cyclops was emitting a purple, ominous aura throughout its body.

“Anton said it was about 3 meters tall. It seems to have grown by devouring nearby creatures. It’s at least three times my height.”

I wasn’t short either. I was over 180cm tall, but I couldn’t compare to that giant.

“And it’s not just the size that’s dangerous. It looks much more ferocious than a typical Type 3 or giant magical beast.”

Groaaaaar-

The giant was enraged. It seemed to have noticed that all of its subordinate magical beasts were dead.

So, the curse-laden roar from earlier was definitely directed at us.

“How much mana do you have left, Chloe?”

Chloe had used alchemy continuously in the dungeon. She must have used a portion of her mana for the holy magic to block the curse.

Even if she had recovered some mana on the way to the boss area, she wouldn’t have much left.

“Probably… about a quarter of what I usually have.”

It would be nice if I could cast a mana recovery holy spell on her, but to be honest, what I said earlier about healing her was a bluff.

I needed to grow more to be able to use Jedin’s holy power with such precision.

“Then I’ll have to do the work.”

But I still had a perfectly good sword. An ordinary Imperial Sword. I was confident enough with just this sword.

‘In Demon Survival, it was a boss that could be defeated with control.’

Moreover, if my partner was Lillia or Rosette instead of Chloe, it would have been a much easier boss to defeat. Of course, that didn’t mean Chloe was less skilled than them.

It was because endurance was important against that one-eyed giant, the Cyclops.

‘Well, I have plenty of mana. Let’s take it slow.’

If endurance was a bit lacking, we could just go for burst damage. I knew well about Chloe’s hidden ultimate move.

I charged towards the Cyclops.

“Count Julian!”

Chloe shouted in surprise.

I ran quickly. The Cyclops’ siege weapon-like hammer slammed down above my head. Despite its size, it moved swiftly.

And it was destructive.

Crash-

The ground caved in with a loud noise like an earthquake. But despite its speed, the monster’s attack patterns were simple.

I dodged its attacks repeatedly. And I prepared to use alchemy with the remaining reward mana. I shouted to Chloe,

“Chloe! Prepare the poison!”

In this state, even if I attacked well, I would only graze its pillar-like legs. To land Chloe’s big hit, I had to create a wound with my sword as close to its heart as possible.

I manifested alchemy on the ground. The area in front of the city hall was a dry lawn, ordinary soil, not asphalt.

Whoosh-

Numerous earth pillars rose up, created with ample mana. Using these earth pillars of varying heights as footholds, a pseudo-aerial battle began. The giant, unable to hit me easily, roared in frustration.

Rooaar-

A persistent aerial battle ensued, aiming to inflict a deep wound on the giant’s back. I dodged the siege hammer and quickly swung my Lionheart Sword, aiming for its back.

Gradually, the number of sword wounds on the giant’s back increased. Finally, when the wounds widened enough to bleed,

Chloe unleashed a barrage of projectiles into the wounds all at once.