Chapter 61

"Wh-Why are you here!?" I asked, and it seemed that Aizawa-san was in the middle of a promotion exam. She intended to clear this E-rank dungeon and graduate from F-rank.

"I never thought it would turn out like this..."

"Yeah, that's right. Well, good work. Nnnn!!"

I released a shockwave while consoling her. With each strike, dozens of skeletons shattered into particles and scattered.

Honestly, I felt a bit more at ease after joining up with them. If it was just skeletons, I could handle it on my own, and the other explorers were being treated with the first aid kit that Kanae brought.

By the way, the male leader was the only E-rank explorer, and the rest were all F-rank. It's impressive that they managed to hold out... a gathering of talent, huh.

"Haahaaa!!"

"Th-That's amazing..."

"So strong..."

They didn't take their eyes off me as I continued to defeat the skeletons one by one. I was dealing with the very enemies that had been giving them a hard time and putting them in a dire situation, using an incredible method and with a devastating speed. They watched me with a feverish gaze.

I wish they would stop. I'm really bad at being the center of attention!

"K-Kohyaku-san... You've only been an explorer for a month...? No way..."

I'm even getting a cold shoulder from Aizawa-san. This is tough.

Anyway, I had something that was bothering me. The fact that I couldn't see the lich and the absence of the sixth explorer.

The lich aside, I could sense the presence of the sixth person. They were hiding among the skeletons. However, there was no sign of them fighting, and they weren't dead, as I could still sense their presence.

The party leader had just told me that there was no sixth person. So, who or what was leading this group?

I had a bad feeling. I swung my hand like a blade.

"...Show yourself, whoever you are! Deaaaaah!!"

A horizontal slash. The skeletons were obliterated by the radiating light of the slash. The group was now down to a few.

—And then, a human figure, a presence, became visible. Not being pushed by the skeletons, but rather controlling them. The person appeared before us.

"......"

"What? Who are you...?"

A woman with disheveled blond hair, looking like a ghost. Her face was pale, and she had a lifeless expression. Her tattered clothes were covered in wounds, and she was in a terrible state—

Yet, she exuded an abnormal, eerie presence.

"Ms. Mochizuki?"

Aizawa-san's voice, filled with shock, reached me. Mochizuki was her teacher, right?

She's alive? No, that's not right. Her condition is far too strange. Why is she with the skeletons?

Questions arose one after another. As if to answer them—

Suddenly, Ms. Mochizuki lunged at me!

"......Gaaaaah!!"

"What!? K-Kuh, ugh!?"

"Kohyaku-kun!? K-Keep away!"

"This...! No, Kanae-san! If my skill runs out, we'll really be overwhelmed!"

"! K-Kuh!"

I held her back with my arms. Her strength was incredible!

Kanae-san showed signs of wanting to move, but I quickly stopped her. With "I Walk Through a Wilderness Where Not Even the Wind Blows" active, I was already at my limit. If someone else joined the fight, I would be overpowered.

Kanae-san was a bit further away from me—losing here would be fatal!

"Ms. Mochizuki!? Why, Ms. Mochizuki!!"

I could hear Aizawa-san and Kanae-san's shouts from behind, but they sounded distant. I grappled with Ms. Mochizuki, trying to get a closer look at her.

...What is this person?

Not just lifeless. Not just pale.

It's as if... as if she were dead.

"......Shite"

"K-Kuh...! W-What?"

"Koro...shite...shite..."

I heard a plea, a groan that seemed to come from the depths of the earth. The woman in front of me was asking me to... kill her?

Then, she let out a mad, insane laugh.

"Kgyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah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