It’s been a month since the summer festival, and life in Minerva has been going very well.
My power as an adventurer has been recognized in the form of a possible promotion to B rank. As before, I have to do a hunting quest before being promoted.
My task this time is to hunt cyclopes in the Earth Shrine to the north of Minerva.
Cyclopes are large, high rank monsters with a vicious temperament, and they attack any person they see.
They have very high defense, so their skin isn’t going to be damaged by just any weak attack.
When facing one, people have to keep their guard up and fight carefully.
After it’s decided this will be my test, I go back to town and go shopping.
The next day, I head to the adventurer guild, where Isolte is waiting.
“I will be your examiner this time. Thank you for having me.”
She says with her arms crossed.
“Thank you for coming with me. It’s an honor to have you conduct my exam.”
“Polite as always. We are friends. Don’t feel like you need to stand on ceremony with me just because it’s an exam. Just act like normal.”
“All right. I’ll do that. So… This exam really is about hunting cyclopes in the Earth Shrine?”
“Yes. All of them in the shrine.”
“Understood.”
“We will be going there now, but we can’t turn back once we are on our way, so make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.”
I checked everything before I went to sleep last night, but I do as she says and check the item box again.
Everything I need is in here, so when I tell her that, Isolte nods with a serious expression.
“So everything is ready. Let’s leave right away. Get in that wagon.”
She says while pointing to a wagon used only by the guild.
We get inside, and leave Minerva.
It takes half a day to get from Minerva to the Earth Shrine. The distance means it’s typically not possible to go and return on the same day, so we’ll be staying the night there.
The word shrine has been sticking out to me. Shrines are important buildings that exist in every country that has the Emeraude religion as its state religion.
There are four around Minerva, Wind Shrine, Earth Shrine, Fire Shrine, and Water Shrine.
These are deeply involved with the four great spirits, so many are named after them.
They have the effect to soften the effects of the curse of Area Zero, so their simple presence slows it down considerably.
But there is something else to consider. There are monsters in them too.
The curse magic energy and the holy power inside the shrines mix, cheating a chaotic condition that creates anomalies.
It’s simpler to call them shrine monsters. The cyclopes I’m hunting are a type of shrine monster, created by chaos energy.
Their ecosphere is everything inside the shrine. No one knows why they won’t come out. Maybe they can’t survive outside.
The Earth Shrine we’re visiting is to the north of Minerva, in the tunnels of the Lecht mine.
This mine was very active until it was closed and abandoned fifty years ago, but since people from the guild come here periodically, the ground is paved, and we have no problem getting there by wagon.
The Earth Shrine itself is carved into the rocky wall, and extends deeper into it like a cave.
The same magic light stones used in Minerva are placed in the shrine here and there, giving it a faint aqua glow.
We can see pretty far, so it doesn’t look like visibility will be a problem.
“You said you have been to the Wind Shrine, right?”
“Yes, I was there a few times when I first started doing quests.”
“The Wind Shrine is the easiest in Minerva. I assume you won’t get careless, but don’t think this is like the Wind Shrine.”
“Is there anything other than cyclopes here?”
“Golems, kobold warriors, and mid rank monsters called little devils appear frequently. This place is a little higher on the difficulty scale than the Wind Shrine, but that makes it a good place to get stronger.”
The threat level of shrine monsters varies greatly depending on the shrine.
There are shrines like the Wind Shrine with only low rank monsters, and then the Fire Shrine with many high rank monsters.
The Earth Shrine ranges from mid to high rank, so it requires a comprehensive approach to every monster.
I take out a map from my item box, and spread it with both hands, as I take the lead and we go around this floor.
The paths in here are very intricate with a lot of stairs and turns. I’d definitely get lost if I didn’t have a map.
As I walk carefully so as to not overlook anything, I happen across a little devil. It’s black, and has bat wings on its back.
It cackles when it sees me, and swoops in to attack. It’s really creepy how it approaches me on all fours, but I stay calm and hold up my staff.
I chant, and fire the mid rank lightning spell Spark.
A big electric attack is fired from my staff, and it hits the little devil right in the face.
“Gaaaah!”
It lets out its final yell as it stops moving.
“Good job taking out a little devil with one attack.”
“I’m confident in my magic.”
“Hou. That’s rare coming from you.”
“I’m trying to believe in myself a little more.”
The incident with Leviathan flashes in my mind.
That was a water dragon, something on a whole other scale compared to this little devil. And it was a fight with my life on the line, where I carried with me a lot of people’s feelings.
Ever since then, I’ve been trying to be more positive about my magic. I realized I have people who believe in me.
“You’ve grown. You’re shining a hundred times brighter than back then.”
“That’s because I used Spark.”
“And your jokes are still just as unfunny.”
“Ouch.”
“Believe in yourself. As long as you don’t forget that, you’re bound to become stronger.”
“Really?”
“Really. The strongest power in the world is born when you want to protect someone.”
She says with a clear tone.
Isolte is a former knight, so I think her words come from her own experiences.
Then we keep advancing through the shrine, until we finally find the cyclopes.
“Gaooooooooooh!”
They are three meters tall, have one eye, and one horn.
Their arms are really thick and muscular too.
I release magic energy from my body, and activate a technique around me. I’m purposefully not chanting.
I’m not good at doing magic without chanting, to the point where it only successfully activates about a third of the time.
But I’m sure there will be times in the future where I’m faced with enemies I can’t beat without it.
There are plenty of things in this world that are stronger than me, but I’ve made a decision. I will become the strongest guy in the world, so I can protect Iris no matter what.
And so, I can’t be scared of not being able to do magic without an incantation!
“Water Daedalus!”
I yell loudly, and a giant water dragon emerges from the ground, pulverizing the dark cyclopes in a straight line.
When I see my magic worked even without an incantation, my mouth naturally raises into a smile.
I didn’t change by myself, it’s having someone to protect that changed me.
I don’t want to forget that this success is one important step towards my goal.
And after taking out the cyclopes, my ascension to B rank is assured.
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