Chapter 51

"Let's start! Gravity!"

With the call, Nuke cast a spell at the subordinate knight.

The subordinate knight nullifies all ranged attacks.

Of course, this includes offensive magic, but some spells with interference effects can still have an impact.

The <Gravity> spell Nuke used is a magic learned by the fourth-class <Arch Mage> of the Mage profession.

It is a rare spell that reduces the target's movement speed and imposes the <Weight> status abnormality, which seals movement-related skills.

The subordinate knight, now weighed down, clearly moved more slowly. However, the target of the subordinate knight, which had been the decoy, shifted to Nuke, as it judged that it had been attacked.

"Leave it to me!"

At that moment, Rad stepped forward, holding a large shield he had prepared for this purpose.

At that instant,

"Shield Up!"

From behind, Mana cast an enhancement spell on Rad.

As a phosphorescent glow enveloped Rad, the subordinate knight, now in front of him, swung its massive sword down.

"Here!"

But Rad did not flinch.

With a shout, he blocked the slash with the shield in his left hand, using <Guard>.

<Guard> is a special action, like <Parry>, that involves channeling magic into the non-dominant hand's equipment.

In game terms, both are activated by pressing a special action button, but holding the button while holding a shield results in <Guard>, while tapping the button and moving the shield results in <Parry>.

<Parry> is a high-risk, high-reward action with a strict timing requirement, while <Guard> is more stable but has a lower effect.

However, even with <Guard>, if the timing is perfect, it can cause the opponent to stagger slightly.

The subordinate knight, caught off guard by the well-timed attack, stumbled, and a blonde girl rushed in.

"Huff!"

Prana, breathing heavily, thrust her spear. Prana had discarded her bow and taken up a spear, as ranged attacks were ineffective against the subordinate knight.

Weapon damage is generally adjusted by "Strength," but some weapon types are influenced by other stats.

Among these, the spear, like the bow, is strongly influenced by "Dexterity," or "Concentration."

Prana's impeccable one-shot, honed as a sniper, pierced the gap in the subordinate knight's armor.

"――!!"

The armored knight twisted in silent agony, and Rad and the others did not miss this opportunity.

"――<Red Lotus Barrage>!"

Rad followed up with a flurry of attacks, and Prana, not to be outdone, thrust her spear.

Just as the subordinate knight raised its sword in a final show of pride,

"――"

"Her" preparations were complete.

"――<Stinger>"

With a quiet voice, a blade pierced the subordinate knight's back.

The armored knight, looking curiously at the blade that had pierced its chest, collapsed and disappeared.

Standing behind it was Reesia.

She gazed at the fallen subordinate knight with no emotion and then seemed to blend into the air, disappearing.

(For a boss's subordinate knight, it was surprisingly easy.)

The number of subordinate knights had increased dramatically over the week, but they were once again cleared by Rad and the others.

However, as long as the main body, the <Knight of Sorrow>, and the decoy remained, the subordinate knights would continue to spawn infinitely.

After defeating over a hundred subordinate knights and becoming groggy, Rad and the others quickly recovered after a night's rest.

They decided to keep grinding until they reached level thirty, and now they were doing an "encore" of infinite grinding.

At first, the battles against the subordinate knights were tough, and the line almost broke, but now that their stats had improved and they had established a pattern, the subordinate knights were easy prey.

They processed them at a rate of one every few dozen seconds, and finally...

"We did it! Level up!"

When Mana, the last of them, said this, everyone reached level thirty.

The group erupted in cheers.

"Old man, we did it! Now we're real adventurers!"

Seeing Rad and the others, who were genuinely overjoyed, I was trembling.

This trembling, of course, was not from the excitement of seeing the fruits of my guidance...

---

Rad

LV 30

HP 684 MP 150

Strength 284 Vitality 297

Magic 105 Spirit 227

Agility 218 Concentration 183

---

(These guys are way too strong!)

Their rapid growth was so fast that I couldn't stop trembling.

The scariest part is that Rad and the others are still only at level thirty.

They are four levels below the level thirty-four Veteran.

Compared to me, they are twenty levels lower.

Yet, their stats...

---

Reks

LV 50

HP 530 MP 265

Strength 200 Vitality 200

Magic 200 Spirit 200

Agility 200 Concentration 200

---

I hardly have any stats that are better!

(Not just 'real adventurers'!)

I still have an edge in "Magic" and "Concentration," which Rad is intentionally suppressing, but "Agility" and "Spirit" are slightly higher, and the important "Strength" and "Vitality" for a warrior are nearly a hundred points higher.

In simple terms, this means a difference of nearly 1.5 times in physical attack and defense.

If we were to fight, I would lose for sure, and it would not even be a fair fight; the difference is so desperate.

Moreover, Rad, who is aiming to be a tank and attacker, has a balanced stat distribution, making his attack power relatively modest, which adds to the despair.

---

Nuke

LV 30

HP 456 MP 393

Strength 96 Vitality 183

Magic 348 Spirit 186

Agility 199 Concentration 225

---

---

Prana

LV 30

HP 390 MP 169

Strength 248 Vitality 150

Magic 124 Spirit 124

Agility 248 Concentration 388

---

---

Mana

LV 30

HP 408 MP 347

Strength 96 Vitality 159

Magic 302 Spirit 406

Agility 153 Concentration 223

---

The backline members, who can focus more on attack stats, have stats that are off the charts.

Nuke and Prana have stats well over three hundred in their specialties, and Mana's "Spirit" has finally reached four hundred.

(Damn, the difference is too extreme!)

Apparently, Mana spends so much time in the guild's prayer room that she has been given the nickname "Little Saint of Prayer," which is full of otaku flair.

In the game, the protagonist is called by a nickname based on their combat style, and the residents of this world's fondness for nicknames might be a recreation of the original work.

---

The "Lonely Adventurer Reks" is the strongest in the early game.

I never thought that someone who could break this established fact would appear so soon.

It has only been two months since the <Beginning Words> of the savior goddess.

Even by game standards, reaching Reks's level in two months is too fast.

(No, it's definitely my fault...)

I was so focused on infinite grinding that I didn't think about the consequences.

"Old man?"

Seeing Rad, who had run over to me with a puzzled look, I quickly tried to maintain my composure.

(It's okay, it's okay.)

The secret to Rad and the others' strength lies in "growth bonus equipment that boosts their potential" and "advanced class selection based on superior abilities."

The biggest drawback is that they need to wear growth bonus equipment, which means their equipment strength does not keep up with their character strength.

On the other hand, my growth is hopeless, so I don't need to worry about equipment growth bonuses, and there is plenty of room to make up for the stat difference in actual combat.

Besides, I still have one transformation left from the <Trial>.

It's not time to panic yet.

"Good job."

I forced a smile and greeted Rad and the others, suppressing the turmoil in my heart.

Finally, they relaxed and their smiles returned.

"Right? Well, you know... I wouldn't have gotten this strong without you. Thanks."

Rad, unusually sincere,

"Me too! I wouldn't have gotten this strong without you! Thank you!"

Mana bowed with sparkling eyes.

When someone thanks you so directly, it's hard to be too bitter.

(I need to calm down.)

Training Rad and the others, and as a result, temporarily, just temporarily, becoming much stronger than me, was already part of the plan.

I was caught off guard by their stats, but even knowing this would happen, I would have done the same.

--- Rather, this is what I wanted to do.

The reason I decided to train Rad and the others was to access dungeons and obtain rare items that the current Reks couldn't.

In that sense, the preparations are finally in place.

"Let's get serious and use your strength."

This time, I said it with a genuine smile, and Rad and the others, far from making a sour face, were eagerly waiting for my words.

(You guys are just too good for me.)

I feel a bit guilty about taking advantage of Rad and the others' kindness, but I won't hold back.

I have prepared a suitable reward, and I am confident that it will contribute to saving the world.

"--- Starting tomorrow, we will delve into the <Twelve Ruins of Darkness>."

Now, the real challenge begins!

The Knight of Sorrow