Chapter 32

Hikaru set out from the capital in a carriage with Ravia.

"Where are we going now?"

"I want to complete a few requests for material delivery. I want to get to Rank E as soon as possible so we can enter the dungeon."

"Is Hikaru really that fond of dungeons?"

"I do have an interest, you know, an interest."

A dungeon, familiar from stories of swords and magic. There are even games and novels where the dungeon is the only setting.

Moreover, in a dungeon, one can use their abilities without worrying about the eyes of others.

"Doesn't Ravia want to go to the dungeon too?"

"Wh-what? W-well... yes, if Hikaru really wants to go, I can go too."

Ravia, who was fidgeting, pulling at the hair that had fallen over her ear and touching her nape, which was exposed due to her short hair, was clearly nervous.

Hikaru knew that most of the adventure novels Ravia had borrowed in the capital were about dungeons. She must have borrowed a lot of them, thinking she might get to go to a dungeon soon, and apparently read them all during their stay.

"Well... we're still novice adventurers. Let's start with monster hunting."

The first carriage of the morning took a wide route to Pound.

Hikaru's destination was the lake—behind it. The forest where he had met Pola and others and defeated the Goblin Leader.

He had a few things he wanted to try.

At the lakeside, Hikaru explained to Ravia.

"First, we'll sneak up and strike."

"Together?"

"I'll be the one attacking. You just need to hold my hand and follow."

"Got it."

Although Hikaru hadn't revealed the secret of his "Stealth" yet, Ravia, who seemed to trust its performance, agreed without hesitation.

Hikaru had a few things he wanted to test.

The first was the "Party Function."

He knew that adventurers formed parties, but it seemed that this was just a matter of registering with the Adventurer's Guild. It didn't come with any benefits from the guild card.

What Hikaru was concerned about was the soul rank. For example, a healer doesn't wield a sword on the front lines, yet some of them have high ranks. How do they raise their ranks?

The battle with Lawrence was intense, but Hikaru's soul rank didn't increase. It seemed that one had to take a life to raise their rank.

"Amazing..."

A Green Wolf was walking about 5 meters ahead. Even at that distance, they didn't notice Hikaru and Ravia.

Ravia couldn't help but murmur, but the Green Wolf, who only perked up its ears, continued to sniff the roots of the trees.

(...Try not to make a sound.)

(S-Sorry.)

Whispering in a very low voice, Hikaru approached the Green Wolf with Ravia.

One strike—stabbing the "Strength Dagger" into the neck, and the wolf's life was gone.

"!?"

At that moment, Ravia's body trembled.

Hikaru quickly peeled off the moss growing on the Green Wolf's back. It was a special moss called "Wolf Grass" that only grew on the back of Green Wolves, and there was a request to deliver it.

Leading the fidgeting Ravia away from the Green Wolf's corpse, as other Green Wolves might approach.

"—Did your rank go up?"

"Probably, that's what I think."

The phenomenon of the soul rank increasing is well known. In fact, when Hikaru checked Ravia's Soul Board,

【Soul Board】Ravia

Age 14, Rank 7

1

It was there.

(Ravia didn't do anything, yet her soul rank increased. This must be because of the party, right? The concept of a party seems to exist. But it's not clearly defined... why?)

Hikaru considered several possibilities.

1. The value of raising the soul rank hasn't been recognized, so research hasn't progressed.

2. The idea of scientific research and verification is weak in this world.

3. The party effect is only evident under extremely limited conditions, so there are few examples.

He felt that all of these might be the reasons.

The purpose of this experiment wasn't to clarify the reasons, so he would leave it at that.

For Hikaru, it was enough that if Ravia fought near him, they could both raise their soul ranks.

The key was to conserve points. He would use them if something happened.

"Next, about magic. What happens if you use magic to its limit?"

"You'll pass out and fall over."

"What about after you wake up?"

"You'll feel really sick, but it's rare for someone to die from it..."

"I see. You said you could cast about 30 'Fire Breath' spells without resting, but it's not exactly 30, right? You said 30 with some leeway."

"Yes, that's right."

"Then the next experiment is for you to find your magic limit."

This was a necessary experiment for entering the dungeon.

(My special skill is Stealth, and Ravia's is fire magic. These two don't really go well together.)

Using magic would attract enemies. If she ran out of magic and passed out, there would be no way to recover, and carrying Ravia would limit Hikaru's mobility.

"Still, there's no perfect target to test magic on... I guess we'll have to pick a suitable target and cast it?"

They walked through the forest. The sun's position was their marker. They had to be careful as it changed with time.

It was said that the deeper they went, the stronger the monsters would be, but they would see.

"Uh..."

At that moment, Hikaru found what he was looking for: "The perfect target for casting magic."

"Can you see that?"

"Wow, that's a Goblin village!? I've never seen one before!"

"...I think you're the only one who gets excited seeing a Goblin village, a noble lady."

"Ex-noble lady."

About 100 meters ahead of Hikaru and Ravia, there was an open area. It was open because the trees had been cut down. The culprits were the Goblins.

The Goblins were using the cut-down trees to build simple dwellings.

It wasn't clear if they were from the same family as the Goblin Leader Hikaru had defeated, but there were probably 50 to 100 Goblins.

The Goblin village spread out over an area about the size of a track field. They were roasting animal meat, playing flutes, and dancing. It looked peaceful—except for the pile of what appeared to be human carriage remains and torn clothing in one corner. They must have been killed.

"Can you wait here? I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Wh-what?"

"I just want to check if there are any humans captured in the village."

"..."

Ravia, looking uneasy. Indeed, being left in such a place would be unpleasant.

But if they went together, they might see something shocking. Goblins could use human women to increase their numbers.

Since humans had already been killed, it was possible that someone had been captured and was still alive.

"I can run back quickly if I go alone."

"...Okay."

Ravia moved away from Hikaru and crouched behind a large tree.

From there, she wouldn't be noticed at a glance.

(But she might still be noticed by the Green Wolves. I should get some kind of magic item to hide her, even a mild one. Does such a thing exist? Well, the Princess of Kujastria had one.)

Hikaru started running.

His "Strength" 1 and "Explosive Power" 2 were not for show. He could run 100 meters in about 10 seconds without even trying.

The Goblins didn't notice the rustling of the undergrowth.

(The Goblin Leader isn't in sight, but there are some fairly large individuals.)

The Goblin Leader was a giant over 2 meters tall. There were a few around 1.5 meters tall, a head taller than the other Goblins.

(No human figures so far—living ones, that is.)

Among the animal meat roasting on the fire, a human arm was also skewered and roasting.

Hikaru resisted the urge to vomit and looked away.

(I'll go in.)

It was daytime, but Hikaru pushed forward. He couldn't afford to waste time with Ravia waiting alone.

He dashed across the square, checking the huts with blindfolds.

(A sleeping Goblin. An empty hut. A storage shed—.)

(No one.)

There were no humans.

He felt a great sense of relief.

If he had found a woman impregnated by Goblins—what would he have done? Could he have killed her if she wished to die?

(I'm not ready for that yet.)

Once he confirmed, he would have to make a decision.

If he found the village and retreated, it would have been better. He could report the location to the Adventurer's Guild, and they would take care of it. He wouldn't have to dirty his hands.

But once he confirmed—

—kill them. Save them and take care of them afterward. Turn a blind eye and run away.

Feeling disgusted with his indecision, Hikaru returned to Ravia.

Ravia was crouched in the same position as before.

"...Welcome back."

Seeing the tears in the corners of her eyes, he realized she had been worried too.

Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, Hikaru...?"

"Sorry. You were worried, right?"

"...That's strange. You made me do it."

"Yeah, I'm an idiot."

He had been worried too and had hugged her to hide it.

Ravia, though surprised, accepted him.

For a moment, they stood still.

"Well... about the magic, then."

"Are you okay now, Hikaru?"

"...Well, about the magic, then."

Embarrassed by the confirmation of his own unease, Hikaru spoke more firmly.

"From here to the village, what's the range?"

"Fire magic? It's a bit out of range. We need to get about halfway closer."

"Got it. When we're at the right distance, pull my arm. There, cast your strongest spell."

"...Are you serious?"

"Also, change your Soul Card's 'Occupation' to 'Fire Elemental God: Flame Mage.'"

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. I need to know your maximum firepower to plan our dungeon strategy."

"...Okay."

Her dejected face worried Hikaru.

"Sorry. Don't you want to?"

"No... I did want to go on an adventure. If I'm scared here, I won't be able to go on an adventure. I'll do it."

"Thank you. Oh, and don't use your strongest spell if it will make you unable to move."

"I'll consider that. But a large magic circle will appear. Is that okay?"

"A large magic circle? I think it's fine. In exchange, hold my hand."

"Okay. That's not a problem."

"Alright, then let's go."

Hikaru thought that "Group Concealment" would make even the magic circle invisible.

If they were noticed, there were plenty of places to hide in the forest. He could use "Stealth" again.

Hikaru and Ravia walked forward.

The grip on their joined hands tightened. Ravia's lips were pursed.

When they were about 50 meters from the village, Ravia pulled Hikaru's hand.

"I'll do it here."

Ravia took a small breath.

"Answer my call, spirit. What I desire is a blaze that consumes all, living beings, and even reason—"

Hikaru flinched.

A circle of light about 3 meters in diameter appeared around Ravia.

He glanced at the Goblin village, but they didn't seem to notice. "Group Concealment" was working.

"—Dance, spirit, sing with my magic, to reclaim the pure heavens and earth, consume all—"

Hikaru stared in amazement.

Above them, about 10 meters up, a huge magic circle appeared—followed by a ball of flame rising from it.

The heat was intense on Hikaru's forehead and cheeks. Ravia was sweating profusely.

The size was incomparable to "Fire Breath." It came out in waves, like a snake.

Some of the Goblins noticed the abnormality. Some pointed at the flames, some dropped their skewers, and some tried to run.

"Blaze of the Inferno"