Chapter 15: Under the rift in the earth [below] (Part one)

“Kaaaaaa』　

The steel-eating gargoyle is getting worn out. This can be managed by just using time.

He wasn’t sure of victory. It’s not that he let his guard down.

But Ren was honestly pleased with his superiority in the battle.

“Krulluahhh! 』　

The steel-eating gargoyle turned his attention to the werewolf who had come to the rescue of the other adventurers.

But Ren intervenes.

“I won’t let you go!”

“Gaaaah! 』　

The iron sword shatters the Steel-Eating Gargoyle’s skin and the blade bites into it.

Ren’s sword fight had become so intense that it was no longer possible to suppress his opponent without using the natural magic of his wooden sword.

The steel-eating gargoyle’s arms, swift as the wind, repeatedly grazed his cheeks, but even monsters would be in awe of Ren’s refusal to step back.

—- In the meantime, another rescue was underway, and then another.

The wolfman’s work was over before he realized what was happening.

“This is the last one! Don’t push yourself too hard, hero-dono!”

The rescue was finally over, and Ren wondered what to do about the steel-eating gargoyle in front of him.

He could defeat it or retreat.

But then he heard a sound reaching his ears, the sound of the wind breaking through the sky.

(…… What was that sound?)

It was at that moment that hesitation arose.

From overhead, pressure approaches with the roar of a steel-eating gargoyle.

The steel-eating gargoyle should be right in front of him, or so he thought.

“Geeeeeee! 』　

It was a second one.

It was even larger than the steel-eating gargoyle he had been dealing with so far, and its black iron body was covered in a hideous sheen.

Ren blinked, stunned for a moment, and then intercepted the steel-eating gargoyle above his head.

Although there was some momentum from the glide, He felt that its physical strength was stronger than the first one.

“Two of them!?”

The wolfman said in the middle of climbing up the wall.

“The Adventurers’ Guild has no such information….. but don’t you think it’s a recent development?”

Ren remembers.

There was only one steel-eating gargoyle. That was all the information he had.

If the new one was a male, it would mean that it was only recently that the two of them had been together. 

Ren thought after blocking the attack.

(Was that roar earlier to call its partner?)

This changes the story.

Ren had indeed dealt with two maneaters at the same time. They were equivalent to D-rank, so taking on D-rank here might be the same.

But there’s no Licia.

No buffs used by the white saint, the worst battlefield.

In this rift, where you can’t move too exaggeratedly, Ren is at a huge disadvantage.

“Kakakkaka….. 』

“Kru, kakak』

The steel-eating gargoyle that seems to be the husband licks the wound of the wounded one.

The air is slowly burning the skin.

The werewolf climbing up the wall says in a slightly trembling voice. 

“Wait for me! I’ll come help you right away!”

But by the looks of it, he can’t count on it.

Ren thought about how he himself should break out of this situation and how he should escape.

(If he ran away, the people he rescued would be targeted. Then we have no choice but to do something about it.)

Sorry to the steel-eating gargoyles, but Ren didn’t want to die either.

He had to take out the injured one first and bring it to a one-on-one situation.

(If I could afford it, I’d have used the thief’s magic sword.)

Mocking himself, Ren readied his iron magic sword.

A moment later, the two steel-eating gargoyles jumped almost simultaneously.

With spectacular coordination, they leapt left, right, front, back, and above Ren’s head in all directions, and from the blind spot, they darted their black iron arms at him.

“Shoo! Shaa! 』

“It’s fast indeed….. but!”

The direct threat is clearly greater from Thief wolfen.

The steel-eating gargoyle’s swiftness is inferior to that of the thief wolffen.

That’s why I can dodge it and don’t have to intercept it.

If you think back to the power that Jerukku unleashed in his final moments, there’s no need to be afraid of this.

“—- sorry.”

I apologized in a small voice to the first one.

“I’m going to end this now.”

The steel-eating gargoyle has already seen enough.

The iron sword in Ren’s hand had slashed at the chest of the first steel-eating gargoyle several times as they passed each other.

The strong steel body was under its influence, exposing its soft flesh little by little.

Ren who had been lightly continuing the fight to that weak spot, finally —-.

“Haaaaaaah!”

The tip of the iron magic sword pierces the steel-eating gargoyle’s chest.

There was indeed the feeling of cutting flesh and the sound of shattering the magic stone that was behind it.

Then, Ren’s bracelet indirectly sucks in magic power and gains new strength.

Shield Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/2)　

A barrier of magical power is put up. Its effectiveness increases as its level increases, and the range of its effect can be extended.

A sword or a shield?

I had a thought, but after taking one look at the bracelet, Ren didn’t think too much about it.

While he was doing so, the first steel-eating gargoyle fell to the ground.

The wooden magic sword disappears from Ren’s one hand as the other angry steel-eating gargoyle closes in behind him.

“Coaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!! 』

The monster, which appeared to be a male, let its rage take over, gouging out the walls and floor in the rift and raising a cloud of dirt that resembled a thick fog.

It then threw the wall it had carved out with its black arm at Ren.

He attacked again and again, using the dust as a blindfold and attempted to pierce Ren’s body.

“Hero-dono!”

The werewolf, in the middle of evacuating the adventurers, couldn’t see what kind of battle was going on in the lowest level of the basement.

But on the contrary, this made Ren determined to use his newfound strength.

There was no hesitation in using it against the steel-eating gargoyle’s stiff arms, which had poor visibility, throwing and blind spots.

“Geeeeeeeee!!! 』

It closes in. The steel-eating gargoyle’s arm, was closing in on Ren’s back.

In another second, or perhaps much sooner, his body would be pierced. Even the steel-eating gargoyle was sure of victory.

—- But his stiff arm didn’t reach Ren’s body.

When Ren’s hand, covered by the cuirass, was held up, a wall of golden aura emerged from the end of it from Ren’s hand, separating the two rigid arms.

“……………….!?”

The wall was large enough to cover Ren’s upper body, like a piece of golden, glowing glass.

It was a solid wall that finally received a small crack as the surprised steel-eating gargoyle thrust its stiff arms repeatedly.

Above the crack, the werewolf was about to return to the rift, and he, too, was surprised that the sound had suddenly stopped in the basement.

But Ren was unconcerned.

All he could think about was the shield magic sword and how to settle this match.

(This is amazing.)

Ren was confident that he could counterattack even if the sword failed.

That’s why he behaved fearlessly in this way.

When he released his shield, it shattered, reflecting the sunlight and creating a beautiful scene like diamond dust.

Ren turned around and struck the steel-eating gargoyle, exhausted by repeated attacks, repeatedly with his iron magic sword.

Finally, he utters, “I’m sorry”.

“I know it was us who trashed your habitat.”

Since it was his opponent’s partner, he had a few thoughts on the matter.

But Ren also had something non-negotiable.

He wanted to save the people who were here, and he didn’t want to die either.

In other words, he had to fight.

“Gah —- gru …… kah! 』

Dodging the stiff arm of the steel-eating gargoyle that fought back, and furthermore aimed at its chest. Before long, the flesh of the was visible and Ren delivered his final thrust.

“Gyaaaaa!!!! 』

The steel-eating gargoyle dies without power.

A sound similar to that of the earth shaking rang out, and a huge body different from the first one lay on its side.

Seeing this, Ren let out a sigh.

Then, in a small voice.

“….. finally, it’s over.”

I was greatly exhausted from the unscheduled battle.

For one thing, I think it was easier to fight, unlike Thief Wolfen, but that doesn’t mean I can afford it.

If I let my guard down for even a second, it was me who would have fallen.

If I had been hit by the steel-eating gargoyle’s stiff arm even once, it was inevitable that my body would have been gouged out.

“Bah, crazy…. hero-dono, are you…!”

The dust settled, and the wolfman who had finally arrived let out a surprised cry.

The wolf man saw Ren sitting on the ground, tired, and could no longer see the wooden magic sword.

If he could see it, it would be an iron sword, so he wouldn’t be particularly suspicious.

Ren then collapsed onto his haunches and muttered, “I’m tired”.

“Of course you are! But what a feat! A boy as young as Hero-dono alone, has managed to kill two steel-eating gargoyles!”

“It was just luck, I’m sure.”

Due to fatigue, I can’t give a very proper reply.

What should I do with the materials from the steel-eating gargoyle I defeated? It’s a hassle to carry them. We had to hurry to get the rescued people back to the town.

There were many things to think about.

(The magic sword of the shield was the most worn out so far.)

The shield sword, which was shattered after being unable to withstand repeated attacks, was more robust than Ren thought it would be.

Instead, because of the intense drain of magic power, he fell down like this in a heap.

But I think I made the right decision in using it.

The dust made it difficult to see, and the combination of projectiles and attacks, coupled with the difficult location, made it a definite threat.

“I want to rest a little longer, so please go down to the people you rescued.”

“Are you sure?”

The werewolf, who had just landed at the lowest level of the rift, was surprised.

“Yes. I’ve already taken care of things over here.”

“Got it. Sorry about that. I’ll come back for you later.”

“No, I can get back on my own after a short rest, if you don’t mind.”

Ren said in a casual voice and waved his hand lightly to the werewolf as he walked away.

The werewolf smiled at him and went back the way he came.

Ren, alone, let out a breath and said.

“I guess I’m growing up a little, too.”

Ren, let out a breath and looked at his hand held up to the sky and smiled a little.

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