Chapter 14: Outskirts of the Ruined Town (1)

The day of our first expedition.

Outside the Sanctuary Forest—

Ruined Town, outer perimeter—

Gulp…

Hiding behind a crumbling wooden wall, I swallowed hard and cautiously peeked out. Not far from me, crouched behind a withered bush, was Jols. Our eyes met—he gave me a subtle nod.

Are we going in?

‘The right weapon isn’t always the best one. Long-term, it’s better to become proficient with the weapon that actually suits you.’

I silently recited those words in my head as I drew the short blade from the sheath at my waist and gripped it tightly. A straight-backed steel dagger, one of the longer types in its class. For me, the weight was just right, the grip felt natural. Maybe that’s why, subconsciously, I’d chosen it as the weapon best suited to me.

Even though against a monster like the one in front of me, a spear or polearm would be far more effective.

I glanced over my shoulder. Jols and I were the vanguard. Felice stood a few paces behind us. The others were farther back, spaced out just enough to avoid crowding—and to be ready to respond quickly if something went wrong.

I gave them a hand signal: stay back, do not act rashly. If anything unexpected happens, fall back immediately.

And then—

Enough hesitation.

Now!

I drew in a deep breath and called to mind everything we’d trained for over the past ten days. With a burst of motion, I slipped out from behind the wooden wall. Directly ahead of me stood a lizardman, its back turned.

Perfect. It hadn’t noticed me. I crouched low and advanced swiftly and silently. Its grotesque form and the thin layer of scales covering its skin came into view with frightening clarity. I didn’t even dare breathe. My palms were slick with sweat. Its claws were razor-sharp, and its teeth were venomous. I couldn’t let it bite me.

Closer—

Closer—

Almost—

Stop.

Steady your nerves—

Then—

Kill!!

Like a compressed spring suddenly released, I lunged at it from behind. I could feel the rough texture of its scales even through my gloves. But I wasn’t aiming for those—attacking its scales would just waste time. I had to go for the weak spots.

“Ki ki ki!?”

The lizardman’s reaction was sluggish. My ambush caught it completely off guard. That split-second of confusion was all I needed.

Die!

Shhk!

Blade up.

Thrust.

Straight into the mouth.

Through to the skull.

For good measure, I gave it a twist.

Then pulled out!

“Ki—gakh… gluuurgh…”

It made a strange, gurgling sound, then its body sagged. Its claws hadn’t even had time to swing toward me before it collapsed to the ground.

Wary of a last-second death thrash, I sprang back several paces, putting distance between us.

Huff… huff… huff… Done.

My heart pounded like mad. I could finally breathe again. My hands were trembling so hard I almost dropped the knife. What if I’d misstepped? What if I’d made a sound and been noticed? What if I hadn’t landed a killing blow? The what-ifs came crashing down on me in waves.

I shook my head violently to banish the dread.

Then turned and gave a thumbs-up.

Jols, who had been watching with weapon at the ready, visibly relaxed. He was just starting to approach when his expression suddenly changed.

“—!?”

Above!

The moment I noticed the strange shadow on the ground, I dove to the side.

At the same time, a second lizardman came crashing down, right where I’d been standing a moment ago. From the rooftop—it had been hiding there. The building I’d been beside was a half-collapsed wooden shack. Even a sluggish lizardman could climb that roof and wait in ambush.

“Divine envoy!”

“I’m fine!”

“Yuhong!”

“Felice, don’t get too close!”

“Hssssssss!!”

Jols shouting, Felice shouting, me shouting—and the lizardman shrieking—merged into a chorus of chaos. 

Its anatomy made it slow to rise, so it flailed on the ground, claws swinging wildly. I backed away fast, but it gnashed its jaws and dragged itself toward me. Spear? No good—it was strapped across my back with a sling to keep it from falling. I couldn’t grab it fast enough—

Clang!

In that instant, the small round shield strapped to my left forearm saved me.

When selecting gear, I’d struggled between mobility and protection. In the end, I chose mobility. No heavy armor. No tower shields—not even a medium one. Just this tiny round buckler, barely bigger than a dinner plate.

The kind often mentioned in medieval melee combat accounts.

Wielded in hand—or strapped to the forearm.

Too small to block anything heavy. Not much coverage. It wasn’t meant to withstand, but to deflect.

“Tch—!”

The lizardman’s claw came down just as I raised my left arm. CLANG! The blow struck the shield at a sharp angle. Not a direct block—no, I used the shield’s curve and polished surface to redirect the strike at just the right moment and angle.

Hssss—

Its claws skidded off, missing me completely. It was wide open. And it had no idea what had just happened.

No hesitation.

With a sharp exhale, I reversed my grip on the dagger and drove it down, hard, into its skull.

***

Huff… huff… huff… oh god…

Still rattled, I wiped the sweat from my face.

This time, I’d learned my lesson. I gave the entire area a thorough sweep before relaxing. No more lizardmen.

Only then did I finally slump to the ground, gasping for air.

My limbs had gone soft.

“Nice work… divine envoy!”

“Uh… thanks.”

Jols looked genuinely pleased, so I could only manage a wry smile in return.

A slight mistake, and I’d be toast.

I looked down at myself. I still wore the same clothes I’d come here in, but over them I had a layer of dark blue armor—lightweight, made of tough fabric with bits of hardened leather. Could I even call this armor? It was easy to move in, sure—but its defensive value was questionable at best.

The only significant piece of metal was the small round shield on my left arm. The rest was minimal—just a small metal plate over the chest, with the rest being leather or thick cloth. Like I said, I chose mobility over defense. Better to avoid getting hit in the first place than rely on your gear to soak it.

That was the theory, anyway.

But reality tends to punch holes in theory.

The sturdiness of your armor has a direct impact on your state of mind.

If I were going to focus on agility, I had to overcome this sense of insecurity.

Which meant real combat experience was absolutely necessary.

“You okay, Yuhong?” Felice asked with a hint of concern.

She, too, wore light gear. A deep gray skirt on the bottom, leather-reinforced cloth above. Her defense was likely even lower than mine. To stay mobile, she’d tied her long hair into a single ponytail. It suited her, honestly.

We’d tried many times to convince her to wear heavier gear—or at the very least, to stop going into battle with a skirt as her base layer—but it was one of the few things she insisted on.

For Felice, comfort came first when choosing equipment.

“No problem.”

“Really?”

“I said I’m fine—ah! Behind you!”

I sprang up from the ground, dagger already reversed in my grip. At the same time, another lizardman suddenly burst through the window of the house behind us. Its target was Felice, who had her back completely exposed.

In that instant, I tensed my legs like coiled springs, ready to pounce. It was dangerous to face a monster head-on with just a dagger, but if I was fast enough—

“I’m fine too.”

—but before the hissing reached my ears, I heard Felice’s voice.

Just like in our training days ago, she raised her rapier—this time, the real, sharpened one—and assumed her stance without moving a muscle. The lizardman was already within two meters.

“Its weak spot is the head,” she murmured softly, then struck like lightning. 

The blade flashed silver—stab out, retract—just like the rapid-fire motion of a sewing machine needle. Before the lizardman’s feet could hit the ground, a clean hole had been driven straight through its skull, from mouth to nape. It collapsed limply.

“Phew…”

She exhaled, lowering her weapon.

Clang!

“Huh?”

She gave a small gasp as I leapt past her shoulder, slamming my dagger down with full force. It cleaved into the lizardman’s skull, lodging deep in its brain. Now it was dead. The claws that had silently reached for Felice’s leg finally dropped to the ground.

Felice’s thrust had been fast, precise, and brutal—perfect for piercing—but the wound was too narrow. Even if it could kill, it didn’t guarantee instant death, especially against something with a strong vitality like a lizardman.

“Next time, be more careful. Either stab twice, or stir it up once it’s in.”

“Sorry, I let my guard down. Really. Thank you so much.”

“Uh…”

She bent at the waist in a deep, formal bow, making me feel a little undeserving of it.

As for the others…

“Hey! Ha! Hah!”

…they were ganging up on a lone lizardman.

“Die, you freak!”

That loud, vulgar shout hadn’t come from Booker or Mizan—it was Jelena. She was yelling just to psych herself up. Her grip on the spear was shaky, but with sheer momentum and the weapon’s weight, she still landed solid hits.

Especially since they were fighting together.

“Take this!”

Mizan stabbed the lizardman in the chest with his spear.

“Fuck you!”

Booker slashed upward at its jaw with a longsword.

“Internal organ crit!”

Jelena followed up with a stab to… wait, why the crotch? Lizardmen clearly don’t have that anatomy.

“Go team! Go team!”

And Rena flailed her arms excitedly in the back, cheering them on.

Under such a barrage, a single lizardman didn’t last long. Strength in numbers. It might not be heroic, but safety came first. This was only our first real battle. We weren’t expecting huge results, just to get a feel for actual combat.

And Rena—despite not contributing directly—was, in my eyes, the most crucial of all.

“Truly impressive… Lady Rena,” Jols murmured.

“Mhm…” I nodded in agreement.

Rena was holding a short staff—a gift from the chieftain. It looked like a miniature version of the iron vine staff he always carried. A faint golden glow radiated from it, and from the weapons of the others too. That was the miracle Rena had learned during these ten days: Weapon Lightening—a spell that temporarily reduced the weight of a weapon for its wielder.

According to the chieftain, Rena was unquestionably a prodigy type. Unlike me—who’d only managed to learn Spirit Mend—and unlike the others, who hadn’t picked up anything at all, Rena had already mastered both Weapon Lightening and Distant Spirit Mend. She’d even begun to grasp Keen Senses, a miracle that enhances one’s five senses.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t envious.

But I also couldn’t afford to be greedy. Rushing only stunts growth. Steady progress is enough.

“Ah! Two more coming from over there!” Jelena shouted.

“Same plan as before!”

Mizan dashed forward first. He was the only one carrying a tower shield. The lizardman’s claw slammed into it with a loud bang, but Mizan only staggered slightly while the beast was thrown off balance, its claws deflected.

“Watch this!”

Jelena closed in from the side and drove her spear forward with force. Her aim wasn’t great—it missed the head—but it still landed a decent hit.

“The kill’s mine! Kiss my ass, you motherfucker!”

Finally, Booker leapt into action. With the lizardman pinned by the spear and unable to move, it had no way to block Booker’s assault. He raised his straight sword and brought it down with a roar, cleaving half its head off. The second lizardman lunged in right after, but Mizan raised his shield to cover Booker. Jelena struck again, and Booker followed up with the killing blow.

“And boom! Who’s awesome? I’m awesome!”

“Quit bragging! If we hadn’t locked it down, you wouldn’t have gotten the kill.”

“Alright, alright… don’t start bickering.”

“This shield’s sturdier than it looks. Not bad at all.”

“Anyone injured? Rena’s here to heal you!”

The four of them were starting to form solid teamwork. Coordination, rhythm—it was coming together. In combat, numbers do matter. Against a single lizardman, a four-on-one had virtually zero risk.

Yes—virtually no danger.

So long as the enemy is just an ordinary lizardman.

#####

Cast Steel Dagger
 • Type: Dagger
 • Weight: Light
 • Background: A dagger forged from high-quality cast steel. Slightly longer than a butcher’s knife but lighter and sharper, offering improved flexibility.
 • Acquisition: Found in the Ruin-Faced People’s Settlement in the Sanctuary Forest
 • Attack Methods: Thrust, Slash, Cut
 • Special Ability: None

Cast Steel Rapier
 • Type: Rapier
 • Weight: Light
 • Background: A slender, sharp-tipped rapier forged from high-quality cast steel, featuring a protective handguard. Designed for agile and elegant combat rather than chaotic battlefield brawls.
 • Acquisition: Found in the Ruin-Faced People’s Settlement in the Sanctuary Forest
 • Attack Methods: Thrust
 • Special Ability: None

Cast Steel Buckler
 • Type: Small Shield
 • Weight: Light
 • Background: A small round shield, either handheld or strapped to the forearm. Roughly the size of a plate with a curved surface. Its defensive capability is weak, but it can be used in melee skirmishes to block attacks and create counterattack openings.
 • Acquisition: Found in the Ruin-Faced People’s Settlement in the Sanctuary Forest
 • Special Ability: None

Crude Armor (Dark Blue)
 • Type: Cloth & Leather Armor
 • Weight: Light
 • Background: Made primarily of durable cloth, with hardened leather covering weak spots. Only critical areas like the chest have limited metal reinforcement. Due to local constraints, it is not as sturdy as military-grade layered cloth armor and more closely resembles the concept of cloth armor in games. Very lightweight, but offers poor protection—best suited for agile movement.
 • Acquisition: Found in the Ruin-Faced People’s Settlement in the Sanctuary Forest
 • Special Ability: None

Weightlight Weapon
 • Type: Miracle · Support
 • Spirit Cost: Very Low
 • Effect: Reduces the effective weight of equipment for the user
 • Background: A support-type miracle originating from Aisharoa, homeland of miracles. Often chosen by warriors with some magical aptitude. It does not reduce the actual weight of equipment, but makes it feel lighter and easier to wield. Very practical, though it comes with risks—some heavy weapons may become harder to control due to the altered balance, and the sudden return of weight when the effect ends may catch the user off guard.
 • Acquisition: Learn from any miracle user or study books related to miracles.