Location: The Continental Divide – Border of Vaeloria and Gallowmere
The towering stone archway marked the absolute end of the Vaeloria Kingdom's territory. Beyond the heavily fortified gate lay the sprawling, emerald plains and dense, ancient forests of the Gallowmere Nation.
Unlike the militarized borders of Earth, this checkpoint was not built to keep foreign armies at bay. In a world united by the International Church's mandate to eradicate the Demon Lord, human nations did not wage war against one another. The gates, the high stone walls, and the heavily armed garrisons existed for one sole purpose: to protect travelers from the relentless tides of monsters that roamed the wilderness.
Rina stood near the checkpoint’s main carriage registry, leaning against her polished silver staff. She observed the stark contrast between the two nations' militaries.
The Vaelorian border guards, whom they had traveled with for the last few miles, were hulking figures encased in heavy, interlocking steel plate armor. They wielded massive halberds and tower shields, relying on impenetrable defense and earth-based magic.
Across the threshold, the Gallowmere Nation’s guards presented an entirely different martial philosophy. They wore lightweight, enchanted leather vests layered over breathable, woven silk. Their weapons were elegantly curved, razor-sharp light swords, designed for rapid, slashing strikes. Rina could literally see the faint, swirling green currents of wind magic dancing around their boots and scabbards. Gallowmere relied entirely on blinding speed and evasion.
"Excuse me, Captain," Kaito Nakamura said, stepping up beside Rina to address the commanding Gallowmere guard. Kaito adjusted his glasses, his analytical eyes scanning a parchment map. "We are the Summoned Heroes assigned to the Eastern Vanguard. We are plotting our route to the capital. Are there any irregular monster migrations along the main highway we should be aware of?"
The Captain, a rugged man with a scar across his chin, smiled warmly and bowed slightly. "An honor, Heroes. The main highway is relatively secure. We've had a few stray Orcs near the Whispering Woods, but nothing your party cannot handle. Just ensure you stay on the paved stone. The deep woods are..."
"Wait," Rina suddenly interrupted, her brow furrowing. She looked over her shoulder, scanning the group of her classmates who were resting near a wooden supply cart. Saki was there, braiding her hair. The others were drinking water from canteens.
But a very specific, highly chaotic element was missing.
"Where is Tatsuya-kun?" Rina asked, a deep sense of dread instantly settling in her stomach.
Kaito blinked, looking around the checkpoint. "He was standing right behind us thirty seconds ago. He said he was going to look for a place to refill his waterskin."
Suddenly, a low, rhythmic rumbling echoed from the dense tree line of the Gallowmere forest. It started as a faint tremor, rattling the pebbles on the dirt road, but rapidly escalated into a thunderous, terrifying crescendo. A massive cloud of dust plumed into the air above the trees.
"What in the Goddess's name is that?" the Guard Captain shouted, his hand instantly flying to the hilt of his curved sword. The other Gallowmere guards snapped into formation, wind magic flaring to life around their blades.
Bursting from the dense underbrush, sprinting at an absolutely breakneck pace, was Tatsuya. His dark coat was flapping wildly in the wind, and he was yelling something completely unintelligible, waving his arms frantically.
"Is he... running away?" Saki gasped, stepping forward, her hands glowing with healing magic.
Then, the Vanguard and the border guards saw exactly what was chasing him.
Spilling out of the forest like a surging, fluffy white avalanche was a tidal wave of rabbits. But these were not ordinary woodland creatures. They were the size of large dogs, with oversized, muscular hind legs, matted white fur, and glowing, blood-red eyes. Their mouths were unhinged, revealing rows of razor-sharp, serrated teeth that gnashed violently in the air.
[System Analysis: Kaito Nakamura]
[Target:] Killer Rabbit
[Base Rank:] E-Tier (Low Threat)
[Current State:] Swarm Mentality Active. Quantity: 400+
[Adjusted Threat Level:] B-Tier (High Danger. Capable of devouring a small village in minutes.)
"Draw your weapons!" the Captain roared. "Wind barriers up! Do not let them breach the gate!"
"Tatsuya-kun! Run faster, you idiot!" Rina screamed, gripping her staff, preparing to cast a wide-area ice spell to freeze the vanguard of the swarm.
But Tatsuya didn't run faster.
Right as he crossed the threshold of the border, mere feet away from the safety of the guards, Tatsuya suddenly slammed his boots into the dirt. He skidded to a complete halt, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. He turned his back to the safety of the checkpoint and faced the oncoming avalanche of bloodthirsty rabbits.
A wide, arrogant smirk spread across his face.
"You furballs chased me for two miles," Tatsuya laughed darkly, raising his right hand toward the swarm. The air around him suddenly plummeted in temperature. An oppressive, terrifying aura of abyssal mana condensed in his palm.
"Wait, Tatsuya, the blast radius...!" Kaito warned, realizing exactly what spell the boy was channeling.
"[Abyssal Flare: Dark Prominence]!"
A colossal sphere of black-and-purple fire erupted from Tatsuya's hand. The dark flames roared forward like a roaring dragon, completely engulfing the dirt road and the first two hundred yards of the forest. The explosion was deafening, sending a violent shockwave through the air that forced the guards to raise their arms to shield their faces. The sheer heat was enough to instantly vaporize the moisture in the air.
For a moment, there was nothing but blinding dark light and the smell of ozone.
When the thick, black smoke finally cleared, the Gallowmere guards stood frozen in absolute shock. The charging swarm of terrifying Rank-B Killer Rabbits was gone.
In their place, scattered across the scorched earth for hundreds of yards, were perfectly roasted, steaming rabbit carcasses. The dark magic hadn't reduced them to ash; through some bizarre, terrifying application of temperature control, Tatsuya had essentially created an instant, massive barbecue.
Tatsuya dusted off his hands, turning back to his dumbfounded classmates. He flashed a brilliant smile and gave a thumbs up. "Well, look at that. We got enough food for the entire trip to the Capital!"
The Guard Captain stared at the perfectly grilled meat, then up at the smiling teenager. Slowly, he began to clap. Within seconds, the entire border garrison erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.
"Incredible!" one guard shouted. "To dispatch a B-Rank Swarm with a single strike! And to preserve the meat! The Summoned Heroes are truly on another level!"
Tatsuya crossed his arms, puffing out his chest proudly, soaking in the praise like a sponge.
Rina let out a long, agonizing sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. The migraine was forming instantly. She walked over to the Captain, her face entirely deadpan.
"Please stop clapping," Rina told the guards, her voice flat. "You're just validating his terrible behavior. At least let us know before you run off into the woods to aggravate the local wildlife, Tatsuya-kun! You act completely on your own, and honestly, you making that smug face while holding dark fire is incredibly creepy!"
"Creepy? I just solved our ration problem!" Tatsuya protested indignantly.
"Rina-chan is being too harsh," Saki immediately interjected, stepping up to Tatsuya's side and glaring at Rina. "Tatsuya-kun acted bravely to draw the swarm away from innocent travelers and handled it perfectly! You're amazing, Tatsuya-kun."
Tatsuya nodded solemnly. "See? Saki appreciates my genius."
Standing in the back, Kaito Nakamura adjusted his glasses, his glowing system interface fading from his vision. He looked at the massive crater of perfectly cooked meat, then at Tatsuya.
His raw magical output and physical strength are completely off the charts, Kaito thought to himself, shaking his head. He can instantly calculate the exact thermal output needed to cook flesh without burning it to ash using high-tier dark magic. Yet, his base Intelligence and Wisdom stats remain frustratingly low. He’s an absolute powerhouse with the situational awareness of a brick. God help us if he ever fights a Commander.
Location: Frontierra Kingdom - The Cyanis Hollows, Floor 24
Far to the west, in an entirely different nation, the atmosphere was completely devoid of sunshine and roasted rabbit.
The air inside the Cyanis Hollows was thick, damp, and smelled of ancient moss and copper. The walls of the labyrinth were made of jagged, dark grey stone, illuminated only by the faint, eerie blue glow of luminescent mushrooms.
Clang!
A massive, rusted iron broadsword sparked against Kazura's heavy shield. The impact sent a shockwave up Kazura's arm, but he gritted his teeth and held the line, his boots grinding into the stone floor.
"He’s staggered! Now, Yoshi!" Kazura roared.
Darting from the shadows of Kazura's shield, Yoshi moved with clinical precision. His enchanted twin daggers flashed in the dim light, cleanly severing the tendons in the massive Undead Minotaur's knees. The beast bellowed in rage, dropping heavily to the ground.
"Leave the execution to me!" Shota yelled, leaping off a nearby rock outcropping. His broadsword, glowing fiercely with applied fire magic, cleaved downward in a massive, sweeping arc, decapitating the Minotaur in a single strike. The beast dissolved into black ash and a shower of glowing experience orbs.
A few yards away, Yua and Mei were perfectly coordinating their ranged attacks, pinning down a group of skeletal archers with a barrage of wind-blades and piercing light arrows.
Standing in the center of the formation, Saintess Evelyn held her staff high. "[Aegis of the Dawn]! [Minor Stamina Recovery]!" Warm, golden light washed over the teenagers, soothing their aching muscles and rapidly replenishing their depleted SP reserves.
Shiori stood slightly ahead of Evelyn, her cold, analytical eyes tracking every movement in the cavern. She didn't have her sword drawn; she was acting as the absolute nerve center of the party, calling out enemy positions and adjusting their formations on the fly.
[System Notification: Party Experience Distributed]
[Target: Kazura - Level Up!]
[Target: Yoshi - Level Up!]
[Target: Shota - Level Up!]
Shota pumped his fist in the air, panting heavily. "Yes! Level One hundred and forty two! My base strength just went up by another five points!"
"Don't get sloppy," Shiori commanded sharply, her voice cutting through the damp air. "Regroup. Drink a mana potion if you are below fifty percent. Evelyn, preserve your divine energy; do not over-heal minor scrapes."
"Understood, Shiori-san," Yoshi said, wiping sweat from his brow and seamlessly falling back into a defensive diamond formation around the Saintess.
Shiori opened her own status window, swiping through her party's collective data.
They had been grinding in the Cyanis Hollows for three days straight. They had completely bypassed the safe farming routes used by the native adventurers, pushing relentlessly down into the uncharted depths of Floor 24.
They were growing stronger. Their coordination was tightening into a lethal, well-oiled machine. Shota was learning to control his impulsive strikes, Kazura was mastering aggro-pulling, and Yoshi’s critical hit rate was climbing exponentially.
But as Shiori looked at the numbers, her expression remained cold and deeply dissatisfied.
It is not enough, Shiori thought, closing the interface with a sharp flick of her wrist. We are climbing the A-Rank tier, but the gap between A-Rank and S-Rank is an exponential curve. To fight a Demon Commander like Scarlet... to survive whatever monstrosity shattered Lucius's divine chains... we need overwhelming, absolute power.
She looked deeper into the dark, yawning tunnel that led down to Floor 25. The air radiating from the lower depths was significantly colder, thick with heavy, oppressive mana.
"Rest for exactly two minutes," Shiori ordered, finally drawing her own rapier, the silver blade humming with lethal intent. "Then, we push down to Floor 25. We do not stop until our bodies give out."
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