The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

50. Trial and Reward (1)

Rebecca opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of a ruin.

The ceiling had collapsed, and the pillars that supported the weight were barely holding on, with most of them destroyed. The sword marks etched onto the pillars hinted at the fierce battle that had taken place here.

Rebecca got up from the ground. Since it was a mock dungeon, there were no visible external injuries. Her shoulder was hurt, but considering the height she had fallen from, it was relatively minor.

Suddenly, a pungent smell assaulted her nostrils.

There was no specific source of the smell, but it was spreading widely throughout the area.

At the same time, she felt a chilling, eerie energy that sent shivers down her spine.

Rebecca knew the identity of this ominous energy.

Maki (魔氣).

It was something she had experienced before and didn’t want to encounter again.

“……!”

As the eerie feeling intensified, Rebecca removed the glove on her right hand. At the same time, her red eyes flashed.

Her right hand, now darkened, was transforming into something that didn’t belong to her.

It’s reacting to magic. The corrosion that had been quietly progressing through the veins had restarted, and now it was visible to the naked eye, spreading rapidly.

I lift my right hand. I undo the buttons and roughly roll up my sleeve.

The corrosion that started from my fingertips had spread to my forearm, passing my elbow, and was now reaching my shoulder. It had happened in an instant.

I’m out of breath. Rebecca’s pupils were trembling violently, as if they had seen something unbearable.

I scratch my arm with my fingernails, but the corrosion, which was spreading like a dark tide, only accelerated its pace, spreading further throughout my body.

If this continues, no one knows what kind of consequences it will bring. One thing is certain, though – I will lose myself.

A new, unprecedented fear of death.

The black energy that was spreading from my fingertips was about to reach my neck when…

“…Rebecca-nim.”

A hand grasped my trembling shoulders.

“It’s okay. Calm down, take deep breaths, and try to relax.”

A voice I never thought I’d hear in a place like this.

Sion El’heart – Sion Esperanza appeared out of nowhere, standing before me.

However, the strange sensation in my right arm remained unchanged.

As I looked down, Sion’s hand touched my chin, and my face was gently lifted up.

The blackened arm that had spread throughout my body vanished from sight, and now only Sion’s green eyes filled my vision.

My rapid breathing slowed down, returning to its normal pace. Sion waited patiently, then gestured to my arm with a nod.

“Look.”

“…?”

Only then did I look at my own arm.

The corrosion that had spread throughout my body had gradually subsided, stopping completely around my shoulder.

It was a strange phenomenon. I took a deep breath and asked Sion.

“What do you know… when did you find out?”

I was genuinely curious.

Sion’s attitude, which remained calm despite witnessing an unbelievable phenomenon, and their ability to handle a situation that could put their own life at risk, seemed to come from somewhere…

-You’d rather die than marry someone like that.

-I’m speaking logically, brother. It’s for our own good, and it seems like the best option.

The Sion Esperanza I saw that day was vastly different from the one I had seen before, and it felt unfamiliar, yet somehow…

“I’ve known for a very long time.”

…it was a fact that gave me an inexplicable sense of comfort.

“Let’s get out of here first. You must have felt it too, Rebecca-nim, but this area—”

“This area has strong magic. It’s likely that Arsen’s intentions didn’t reach this far.”

However, even after I carefully considered my words, Sion only smiled faintly. I narrowed my eyes. I showed them a watch that wasn’t working.

“The watches don’t work properly in this area either. It’s likely that the Arsen headquarters can’t observe this place, or the situation here is distorted.”

“I had a rough idea.”

“…What?”

From noble mtl dot com

“I’ve felt a strange energy since I entered the dungeon.”

Sion Esperanza muttered incomprehensible words.

They manipulated the watch, and a simple map they had drawn appeared in mid-air.

“This is the local geography I’ve been aware of since I entered the dungeon. Strangely, there are no magical creatures in this area. Do you have any ideas?”

“Perhaps…….”

Rebecca gritted her teeth. To be exact, she tried to grit them. She slowly lifted her head, her gaze fixed on something.

“Demons and magic have different tiers, but their hierarchical relationship is clear. It’s like an ecosystem.”

“If you say ecosystem…….”

“It’s like how a cheetah, no matter how fast it runs, won’t confront a lion or an elephant. The context is the same.”

There is an ecosystem among demons as well. The food chain is divided according to their ranks.

Fundamentally, low-ranking demons avoid middle-ranking demons, and middle-ranking demons avoid high-ranking demons.

Demons are born with a certain degree of ‘agic’. Most demons on this continent have been transformed by magic. All demons fear those with stronger magic than themselves and instinctively avoid them.

There are also interdimensional beings that have crossed over from beyond the gate, but they are simply existing creatures that have evolved after being possessed by magic.

Some people call them monsters, but demons and monsters are essentially the same thing. They’re just used interchangeably.

However, demons don’t emit magic externally. That’s the same even for high-ranking demons.

“Perhaps there’s something that can emit powerful magic on a large scale. If we can defeat it, the strange energy occurring in this dungeon should subside.”

“There’s only one entity that can emit magic.”

“Yes…….”

Rebecca gathered her sword collection. She put the scattered three swords back on her waist.

“There might be a ‘ine’ in this dungeon.”

The confused look in her eyes was gone. Rebecca had returned to her usual calm and majestic demeanor, facing Siyon.

“If there’s a mine, it’ll be a disaster. If it’s roaming around this dungeon like its own territory, there’ll be human casualties for sure. Considering the number of students who entered this dungeon, it’ll definitely lead to a massive accident.”

“We need to catch it before that.”

Like how the damage between students isn’t calculated, the attacks from the mine aren’t calculated either. They actually cause physical harm.

Even if the professors forcefully proceed with the reverse summoning, it’s uncertain whether the watch, which has become useless due to magic, will function properly. So, the best solution is to defeat the mine, the root of the problem.

Siyon, who had pulled out his gun, looked up at the upper levels. There were no demons, only an extremely dense magic that had settled in.

It was as if a thick, dark curtain had been drawn, and the magic was all that remained. The watch didn’t function properly either.

Siyon, who had been looking up, turned his head to face Rebecca.

“…Will you come with me?”

At those words, Rebecca’s pupils trembled. Her hand, which should have been holding the sword hilt, hesitated for a moment and wandered in mid-air.

Then, Rebecca nodded slightly. Her low, quiet voice followed a beat later.

“Of course.”

***

-Then, let’s go.

Leaving only those words behind, Siyon Illeonhart disappeared.

The remaining party members were only four.

Since two of the strongest and most reliable fighters had left, according to the manual taught by Arsen…

“Is our party considered wiped out…?”

Incapacitated or wiped out.

However, Siyon Illeonhart had clearly said so. It was a passing remark made in Etrian, but Siyon had anticipated this situation and prepared a response.

-Suppose, just in case, such a situation occurs.

-If one or two of our party members can’t fulfill their roles, let’s assume that.

-Or if someone gets severely injured and has to leave, or something like that.

– Especially if I were to fall into such a situation, I would have to appoint a leader at that time. We need to decide who will be the leader in advance so that there won’t be any confusion later.

Ire’s response to that was…

– ……Isn’t it obvious that Chairman Rebecca should take the lead?

– But what if Chairman Rebecca gets injured and I have to take care of her?

– Then it would be better for 3rd-year senior Edel to take the lead….

– That’s nonsense.

– Then what about Senior Rian…? No, that won’t work either….

Sion gazed straight ahead, her jaw clenched. Ire, who was sitting across from her, looked around at the people nearby, then eventually accepted the reality.

– You’re the only one left….

– You’re the only one, Ire.

– ……

– Then! But there’s a condition.

– What is it?

– When the request board opens later! Please just help me once. The details will be revealed later, but you have to accept it no matter what!

Gritting—

Her clenched fist was shaking violently.

Even until then, Sion had never thought that such a situation would really occur.

Sion had always done well, so Ire had a vague expectation that she would somehow overcome anything that came her way.

Yes, that’s why she was less worried.

Sion Illeyonhart, who had disappeared below, would definitely rescue Chairman Rebecca and return gloriously. You could tell just by looking at the party member list with Sion and Rebecca’s names on it.

“…….”

But.

[X Party] – Total Contribution Score: 68 points

Ire de Sugamond: Survived [Leader]

Sion Illeyonhart: Survived

Edel Di Bison: Survived

Yuuki Kazuha: Survived

Rian von Hildegarde: Survived

Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur: Survived

The fact that her own name was listed as the party leader was still hard to get used to, no matter how many times she looked at it.

“What do I do first?”

“Uh, just a minute?”

Ire put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. It was a simple plan written by Sion.

Among them, the part Ire needed to see was at the very bottom.

It was the part Sion had named “Plan B”.

“First, we’ll join up with A Party. If we’re executing Plan B, the situation must be very serious, so we’ll immediately join up with another party and charge into the dungeon’s lowest floor….”

“Charge in…?”

“Uh, it says to charge in, but….”

In the end, Kazuha, who couldn’t bear it anymore, stuck close to Ire’s side and directly checked the writing over her shoulder.

“…If it’s come to the point where we need to consider Plan B, the situation must be extremely severe. I think there might be party members who have already defected. The situation of other teams doesn’t look good either, so we need to find a team with remaining power, such as ‘Kyle Ivanstear’s’ A-team, and cooperate with them immediately.”

“…….”

“And…….”

Kazha suddenly tilted his head, puzzled, at the next part of the content.

“Charge into the lowest floor of the underground shopping mall, and capture the final boss ‘Fierce Salamander’ as quickly as possible……?”

A collective gasp of surprise erupted simultaneously.

“Yes……?”