Extra in a Romance Fantasy

159 – Inside (2)

Krrr—

Listening to the unsettling cries that began to resonate in the surroundings, I slowly gathered my magical energy.

And just as I finished my preparations.

Kruk!

Something burst forth from the underbrush.

Swish!

Without the slightest hint of panic, I swung my sword and cleaved ‘it’ that charged toward me.

Then, I took a closer look at ‘it.’

A beastly form of a monster, covered in black fur, that had been split precisely at the waist by my swing.

Its appearance and size were similar to that of an ordinary beast, but there was one significant difference.

—

The creature’s face.

It had six eyes, and its mouth, which should have been horizontal, was positioned vertically, splitting its face in half.

It was a bizarre appearance that made anyone who looked at it instinctively furrow their brows.

However.

Rustle!

“Not much compared to how it looks.”

As Ethan calmly muttered, the creature’s combat power was not particularly high, despite its grotesque appearance.

It was something that could be easily taken down by our party, excluding me and Ethan.

“Well, this is just about right.”

At Ethan’s words, I nodded silently.

The appearance of such a creature at this moment was not a bad thing for us.

Since nothing had happened after entering the curtain, the tension among our party had been gradually easing.

At such a time, these monsters appeared.

Thanks to that, the party tightened the knot of tension once again.

A moment of carelessness can often cost a life.

In situations like this, in spaces like these, it was always necessary to maintain a sense of alertness.

“Let’s move forward.”

Before long, the cleanup of the monsters was complete, and we began to advance with more cautious steps.

*

“There’s a hell of a lot of them.”

Ethan muttered with a slight frown.

“Indeed.”

I agreed with his words.

Since our first battle with the monsters, we had been frequently ambushed by them.

After clearing one group of monsters, it wasn’t long before another group would appear, and this situation had repeated itself several times.

“…The level of the monsters is also gradually increasing.”

Alexis added with a heavy expression.

It was as he said.

The level of the monsters we encountered was steadily rising over time.

The first ones we faced were at a level that even a new student at the academy could handle, but now they had escalated to a level that was overwhelming for an ordinary academy student.

—

The group, including Rachel, were skilled individuals who stood out even within the Academy, so they were not yet at a level of struggling. However, signs of fatigue were now beginning to show on their faces.

Perhaps, the further we advanced, the stronger the monsters would become.

Whether they sensed this fact or not, the expressions of the group were not particularly bright.

On the other hand, my perspective was slightly different from theirs.

‘This is manageable.’

At this level.

Even if the monsters grew stronger, if they maintained this pace, it would be fine.

I could handle it well enough, and I could protect the group safely.

That was my judgment.

In the end, I was not wrong in my assessment.

The monster attacks continued, and their strength did indeed increase, but it never exceeded the range of my expectations.

As we moved forward, I hoped.

I wished that this flow would be maintained until we reached the end.

But.

Unfortunately, that wish did not come true.

I was the one to signal the beginning of the anomaly.

“…Wait a moment.”

At the heavy sound of my voice, the group immediately halted in their tracks.

It was a natural movement, as if responding to a command from a superior.

Except for Chris and Wilhelm, the group had never shown much resistance to my orders, but now even Chris and Wilhelm were following my instructions without hesitation.

It was likely due to the battles we had fought up to this point, which had given them some understanding of my capabilities.

“Right. I was wondering when it would show up.”

Before long, Ethan began to stare intently ahead.

His gaze, his demeanor, was sharply different from what it had been until now.

“Everyone, step back.”

Ethan issued a brief command, and the group retreated without expressing any doubts.

And then.

Thud—

A vibration was felt.

A heavy tremor that made me unconsciously swallow dryly.

Thud—

As time passed, the vibrations grew closer, and eventually, the source of those vibrations revealed itself before us.

“Ugh…!!”

Rachel let out a scream.

She seemed to be trying her best to suppress it, but it appeared she hadn’t fully succeeded.

I understood her reaction.

The creature that had appeared before us was grotesque beyond belief.

Its form resembled the monstrous beings that had horrified us until now.

However, aside from its shape, there were many other differences.

Unlike the four-legged creatures we had encountered, this one walked on two legs, and its size was greater than that of fifty of those beasts combined.

And above all, its eyes and mouth.

Unlike the typical creature that had only six eyes on its face, this one had hundreds of eyes scattered all over its body.

As for its mouth, it stretched vertically from its forehead down to its belly.

Truly, it was a bizarre sight that seemed to belong in the depths of hell as imagined by people.

If an ordinary person were to face it, merely seeing its appearance would likely sap their will to fight; it was a horrific sight.

Of course, it wasn’t just its appearance that was grotesque.

“…It’s a disaster-level creature.”

It possessed a power commensurate with its size.

After all, it was a disaster-level monster.

This was the first disaster-level creature we had encountered since entering the barrier.

Naturally, the atmosphere among our group grew heavy, and tension radiated from their faces.

The term “disaster-level” wasn’t attached to these creatures for no reason.

A single entity capable of shaking an entire nation. That’s what a disaster-level monster was.

It was only natural for them to react this way.

However.

That didn’t apply to everyone.

“That thing looks disgustingly grotesque.”

Ethan, standing at the forefront facing the creature, appeared utterly unfazed.

It wasn’t an act of bravado.

He was genuinely in a state of complete relaxation.

It was leisure.

The monster before his eyes.

A creature so terrifying it could be called a disaster.

A sense of ease stemming from the confidence that it posed no threat to him.

Crrrk—

The monster let out a low growl.

And then, its eyes, all of them, turned toward Ethan.

Those eyes, that expression, seemed to say that Ethan, standing before it, was being arrogant for not showing fear.

To this, Ethan replied.

“Where are you glaring?”

He leaped directly at it.

With a speed that seemed to defy the very space around him, as if he had momentarily transcended the realm of perception, Ethan reached the creature in an instant.

And then, his sword swung like a flash of light.

Swish!

Kraaah!

He cleanly severed one of its arms.

A typical warrior would struggle to even inflict a wound on a disaster-class monster, yet he had effortlessly cut through its limb.

It was an act that could easily be called an achievement, but there was no joy to be found on Ethan’s face.

“Tch.”

Instead, he clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“Quick on the reaction, aren’t you?”

Originally, it had been an attack aimed at its head.

Ethan had intended to behead it in one strike.

However, at the last moment, the creature sensed Ethan’s intent and twisted its body, resulting in only its arm being severed.

Yet, that disappointment was fleeting.

“This time, I’ll finish you off.”

With a nonchalant expression, he readjusted his grip on the sword and charged forward once more.

This time, to cut off the monster’s breath for good.

However, to put it bluntly, Ethan’s intentions were once again thwarted.

Kaaang!

Suddenly, a shadow slipped between Ethan and the monster, blocking Ethan’s sword.

“…….”

With a furrowed brow, Ethan immediately stepped back to create distance.

Then, he turned to look at the shadow that had interrupted him.

“…What is this?”

Ethan narrowed his eyes, rarely showing such intensity, and glared at the unwelcome presence before him.

“Shadow…?”

Aira murmured softly.

As she said, the identity of the intruder was indeed a shadow.

A shadow in the shape of a person.

“Monster…?”

Someone whispered.

It was true that this place was strange and gloomy, but it wasn’t devoid of light.

There was enough light to see ahead.

Yet, despite the presence of such light, the shadow before them stood boldly.

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t unreasonable to suspect that the entity before them was a monster.

However.

That suspicion was immediately dismissed.

“You cannot pass any further.”

The shadow spoke.

“…….”

Under normal circumstances, Ethan would have charged forward, sword swinging, regardless of whether the opponent was a shadow or not. Yet, for some reason, he stood still, quietly observing the shadow.

I knew the reason.

The shadow had blocked Ethan’s attack.

Though it had intervened midway, it had undoubtedly stopped Ethan’s strike.

And it had done so with a level of sincerity behind the blow.

Moreover, it showed no signs of struggle.

This could only mean one thing.

The shadow before them was a martial artist of the caliber of a Ten Swordsman.

“…What a pity.”

Ethan, who had been staring through the shadows for a while, spoke.

“If it weren’t for this situation, I would have stayed put.”

Hearing his voice, I took a step forward.

Then, I slowly drew my sword.

Srrng—

Whatever the shadow was, its intent was clear.

It was to prevent us from moving forward.

Naturally, I had no intention of accommodating that.

“I’ll take care of that thing.”

I had to resolve this situation and move on as quickly as possible.

I had already completed my analysis.

It was certain that the shadow before me was a martial artist who had reached the realm of Ideation.

The realm of Ideation. Indeed, an impressive level.

However, that was just about it.

Even if it were a martial artist of the Ten Swords level, I was confident I could handle it without much difficulty.

It was then.

“…Wade Hebron.”

The shadow called my name.

At that fact, I unconsciously furrowed my brow.

“Yeah, at your current level, even I would find it hard to buy time.”

It acknowledged the gap between us.

The fact that it would struggle to buy time as well.

Yet, I frowned even more at its words.

Despite discussing its own defeat, its tone was disturbingly calm.

“Therefore, I have no intention of fighting you.”

A sense of foreboding washed over me.

Before my thoughts could settle, I charged at it.

But.

Snap—

I reached it just as its finger flicked.

—

And in the next moment, I was standing.

“…….”

In a space I had never seen before.

*

“Mr. Wade…!!”

Rachel shouted in surprise at the sudden disappearance of Wade from her sight.

The reactions of the others were not much different.

Each of them searched for Wade with wide eyes.

However, no matter how much they looked around, Wade was nowhere to be found.

Amidst that confusion, only one person’s expression remained stiff and unyielding.

“…This is becoming quite troublesome.”

Ethan muttered heavily, and at the same time.

Creak—

Creeeak—

Sounds of crying began to echo from all directions.

And towards the party, who were slowly coming to terms with the situation, the shadow declared.

“You cannot proceed any further.”

Calmly, and yet mercilessly.