SRS 86

“…….”

Yohan clutched his throbbing head after hearing the spirit’s explanation. It was all facts he desperately wanted to believe were pure lies, but the spirit had no reason to deceive him.

That meant everything he’d just heard was the truth.

“So, Professor Phantom Sword Master went around the school collecting mysterious waters from other dimensions leaking through dimensional rifts, gathered them here, and when the powers of these different waters combined to form a lake, he captured you and ordered you to guard this place?”

Just to be sure, he asked once more for confirmation, and the spirit nodded enthusiastically.

Yohan sighed and staggered.

How could something like this happen?

“Are you alright?”

“…Thanks, Mikael. But… I don’t think my mind is alright.”

“I understand.”

“Wow, what is this school even doing? Now professors are kidnapping spirits too?”

Suhyeok’s exasperated words only made the situation more disheartening. Yohan sadly gazed at the water spirit, who was looking at him with innocent eyes.

The spirit hadn’t been violent for no reason.

It had been kidnapped and put to slave labor without any contract or anything… Even a kind-natured spirit would naturally be enraged.

Moreover, the Phantom Sword Master had not only tasked the spirit before him with guarding the lake but also with hindering students who entered the Closed Training Hall.

Now that he understood why the spirit had tried to trip them up, Yohan rubbed his face and softly apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

The spirit tilted its head at the bittersweet words, seemingly wondering why he was apologizing. But as a member of the school, Yohan couldn’t bear the discomfort unless he did at least this much.

“I’ll mention this to the headmaster. Of course… telling the headmaster doesn’t guarantee it’ll be resolved, but…”

His words trailed off due to lack of certainty, but the spirit just giggled happily and nodded, as if saying it was fine.

Yohan gently stroked the poor laborer… no, the spirit with his fingertip, then turned back to the problematic lake.

“So, you don’t know exactly what that lake is?”

The spirit affirmed with a gesture.

“…Anyway, I should inform the headmaster about the lake at least. A lake that causes dimensional travel is too dangerous.”

“Dimensional travel?”

“Yohan, did you go to another dimension?”

“Huh?”

His friends looked at Yohan in surprise. Seeing their varied expressions, Yohan awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“…It seems like it. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure, but after hearing from the spirit that it’s a lake mixed with waters from other dimensions, it is more likely that it was real dimensional travel rather than a hallucination.”

“You should’ve said something like that earlier, you safety-insensitive idiot!”

Suhyeok shouted angrily and lightly bonked Yohan’s head with the side of his hand.

Mikael narrowed his eyes and stared at the lake, while Kylus pulled everyone back at least three steps from the lake.

“If you experienced something like that, we should report it as you said, Yohan.”

“Yes. I’ll go tell him right after we get out.”

“We’ll go with you.”

“Thanks.”

“How heartwarming, so heartwarming. I’m the only one who’s frustrated here. Hey.”

Suhyeok grumbled and called out to the spirit.

“Is there no way out of here? We’re looking for the exit.”

-Knnng?

“I said we’re looking for the exit! The way out of here!”

-…….

In response to Suhyeok’s question, the spirit thoughtfully touched its small, translucent chin with its hand, then suddenly clenched its fist and slapped it into the other palm.

Soon after, the spirit signaled them to follow, and moved quickly.

“W-wait!”

“Let’s go together!”

At the speed as quick as when it had fled, Yohan’s group had to engage in another breathless chase that wasn’t really a chase.

“Slow down a bit!”

When Yohan pleaded, feeling a pain in his side, the spirit looked back and gradually slowed down.

“Wow, it wouldn’t listen when we talked, but…!”

“Give it up, Suhyeok. You just don’t have spirit affinity.”

“Shut up.”

“More importantly, Yohan, is it alright to follow the spirit?”

“Hmm… I think it’s fine. Its original nature seems kind. And it doesn’t have any ill will toward us now.”

Yohan and his friends closely followed the spirit. How much time had passed?

When a dead-end cliff came into view, the spirit climbed up the cliff and entered a small cave that required craning one’s neck fully to see.

“We have to climb up there?”

“I’ll use flight magic.”

As Suhyeok muttered despairingly at the dizzying height, Mikael immediately cast the spell, lifting all four of them into the air.

That’s when it happened.

The ground vibrated, and a massive cylindrical monster emerged from the earth.

“Im Suhyeok!”

“Ugh…!”

It charged at Suhyeok, gaping its mouth lined with sharp teeth. Suhyeok dodged the attack by jumping to the side using the creature’s body as leverage, then pulled a small sachet from his pocket and threw it.

Boom!

The sachet exploded on impact.

“Mikael!”

Mikael swung his staff, lifting Suhyeok’s body even higher.

“Let’s head into the cave!”

“What the hell is that thing?”

“I don’t know, probably a trap left by the Phantom Sword Master!”

Before the monster could charge through the explosion again, Yohan’s group hurriedly flew into the cave where the spirit had disappeared. They landed on the cave floor, calmed their startled hearts, and peeked out to check the situation.

The cylindrical monster was twisting its body around, searching for the four of them.

“…Looks like we shook it off for now.”

“Will it follow us in here? What should we do? Fight it, or just go?”

Suhyeok’s suggestion presented a crossroads. Yohan glared at the ground where the creature had emerged, then shook his head.

“There might be more of them underground. If we make a commotion and others join in, it’ll be a headache.”

“Then?”

“Let’s put up a barrier at the entrance and go. If the barrier is attacked, I’ll get a signal. It’ll buy us time to prepare while they try to break through.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll set it up then.”

After getting everyone’s agreement, Yohan deployed the barrier and tapped it with the back of his hand to check its sturdiness before turning around.

Now it was time to find the spirit that had completely vanished.

“Mikael. Can you track it?”

“Yes.”

The student snapped his fingers and cast the tracking magic.

Then, as the cave interior grew noisy, dozens of bats suddenly swarmed out.

“No…!”

Suhyeok and Kylus drew their swords and dealt with the incoming monster bats. With each swing taking down three or four, it was fortunate they weren’t particularly strong enemies.

After the short battle, the two shook off their swords and examined the severed bats.

“I learned about these in class. Vampire bats, Kortus.”

“From that monster earlier to Kortus now. …Is the Closed Training Hall normally this full of monsters?”

“I don’t know… I’ve never heard of it.”

“Is that spirit leading us to a weird place? Should we turn back now?”

“…It’s too early to judge. Let’s keep looking for now.”

Suhyeok’s suspicion was valid, but Yohan wanted to trust the pitiful spirit that had seemed innocent. Besides, they’d come this far, so he felt they should at least check what was at the end of this cave. He looked at Mikael again, and the student recast the interrupted tracking spell.

Whoosh!

A thin, bright line of light extended deep into the cave.

“Done.”

As before, they moved to follow the thread, but this time, four massive beasts emerged from deeper in the cave.

“……!”

Suhyeok and Kylus, who still had their swords drawn, reacted quickly and engaged the beasts, with Yohan and Mikael joining belatedly to help dispatch the enemies. Fortunately, these beasts were only at the level of wild animals, so they weren’t dangerous, but…

“…Isn’t this a bit strange?”

By now, everyone couldn’t help but sense something was wrong.

Why did this keep happening right after Mikael used magic?

Three times in a row, no less.

They all exchanged glances. Then Kylus flinched and looked at Yohan with a reluctant expression.

“Yohan.”

“Yes?”

“Can you try using divine power again right now?”

“Hm? It’s not hard.”

At his friend’s request, Yohan readily used his divine power.

The next moment, the cave interior shook, and a massive swarm of spiders appeared, attacking Yohan’s group.

As if he had anticipated this, Kylus, who had his sword drawn and energy gathered, dispatched them in one strike and straightened his posture.

“…Tch.”

The student clicked his tongue, turned to his friends with a complicated expression, then spoke with a face full of irritation.

“It seems like in this area we’re in now, using any supernatural ability like magic or divine power… other than physical abilities triggers monsters to appear.”

“Ah, definitely…!”

If that was the principle, it explained why monsters appeared after using divine power as well as magic.

Yohan suddenly recalled the name of the place they were trapped in.

‘Closed Chamber’

Also known as the Closed Training Hall, its administrator was the Phantom Sword Master, renowned as a master of swordsmanship.

“…Is it to train only with the sword?”

Since he’s a swordsmanship professor, it makes sense.

He could accept the purpose of the closed chamber a hundred times over… but there was a problem.

“…I can’t use a sword?”

As Yohan spoke anxiously, his friends turned to look at him and one by one placed their hands on his shoulders.

“It’s fine, Yohan. We’ll handle it, so don’t use a sword.”

“Yes. The three of us can manage somehow. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yohan. You have a natural talent for divine power.”

“…….”

Yohan narrowed his eyes at the successive consolations that were essentially pleas.

Now Yohan could distinguish what was genuine consolation and what was rejection laced with concern.