Chapter 69

As I ventured deeper into the dungeon, the number of undead monsters increased.

There were zombies, skeletons made of bones alone, mummies wrapped in bandages, and ghosts that existed only as spirits.

"Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray"

I purified each one with light.

Ordinary monsters leave corpses when they die, so the more you defeat, the more gruesome the scene becomes. However, the undead purified by light turn to ash, so except for the ash, the aftermath is quite clean.

So it feels like I'm cleaning, and it's enjoyable. It's similar to the pleasure of seeing dirt become clean.

I continued deeper, seeking more filth.

"Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray"

"Mr. Aruru!"

"Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray"

"Mr. Aruru! Mr. Aruru! Mr. Aruru!"

"Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray, Holy Ray... Huh?"

I suddenly realized someone was calling my name and turned around.

The examiner, Kaede, was catching her breath as she caught up.

It seemed my pace was too fast, and we had drifted apart a bit.

"Um... you're really a beginner, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"...I think even a professional would find it difficult to cast Holy Ray so quickly and repeatedly..."

"Is that so?"

"...Don't you think your mana will run out?"

"I still have plenty left."

She might be worried about the return trip, but I haven't even used up a tenth of my mana. We can go deeper.

Just as I was about to start walking again,

"That's enough already!"

For some reason, she stopped me.

"Your skills are more than sufficient. Let's head back."

"Hmm. Is that so? I've only purified low-level undead so far."

"...No, you did take out a few mid-level undead along the way... like ghouls and mummies..."

"Is that so? I didn't notice."

"In any case, being able to purify low-level undead is enough to pass the test..."

Kaede looked around and said,

"We've come quite deep... I've never been this far before... There might be troublesome undead, so be careful."

Then she asked, a bit anxiously,

"By the way, do you remember the way back...?"

"No problem. This way."

"I'm relieved. I can sense my surroundings even without sight, but distinguishing directions is difficult, so I often lose track of where I am."

We retraced our steps.

Thanks to the purification, we hardly encountered any undead.

"A skeleton."

But then a skeleton blocked our path.

"Why is a skeleton wearing clothes?"

This skeleton was draped in a tattered cloak and held a staff.

Unlike the skeletons we had encountered before, which attacked immediately upon seeing us, this one stood still, as if observing us (though it had no eyes).

It didn't seem to be an ordinary skeleton.

"! This strong, ominous magic... c, could it be... a high-level undead, a Wraith—"

Kaede started to say something, but before she could finish, the skeleton rattled its jaw,

"Hmm, living humans are rare to see."

Huh? Did I just hear a voice? It didn't come from my ears but seemed to resonate in my mind... Maybe I'm imagining things.

I'll purify it quickly.

"I am—"

"Holy Ray"

"—Aaah!?"

Huh? Did I hear a scream this time?

"What! Attacking before I can introduce myself! You should wait properly! Don't you know that, you young whelp!"

This skeleton is indeed different from ordinary ones.

The light of purification only melted a small part of its bones.

Let's see how this works.

"Hmph. But a spell of that level won't defeat me—"

"Holy Cross"

"—Gyaaah!?"

A cross of light attacked the skeleton.

"N, nonsense, this wretch..."

This time, it turned to ash and disappeared.

"Um... Mr. Aruru?"

Kaede called out hesitantly.

I turned around,

"What is it?"

"From the mana, I think that was a high-level undead, a Wraith..."

"High-level? It didn't seem more than mid-level to me."

"...Is that so?"

Kaede nodded ambiguously.

"By the way, do you know that Holy Cross is a high-level light magic that only talented and well-trained exorcists can use?"

"Cut the jokes. It's not much harder than Holy Ray, right?"

"...If that's how you see it, that's fine... I won't worry about what you do anymore..."

She muttered something, looking resigned.

After that, we returned safely to the surface.

A few days later, I received notification of my passing.

This allowed me to advance to the Second Grade in all the academies.