The Academy's Barbarian-Chapter 281
61page. rally the warriors (1)
1.
A vast desert in the southern part of the continent.
Six men and women set foot on the land of heat death that has existed since long ago..
After saying goodbye to Istan, the Ulan party had just entered the desert..
“After all, it's hot because it's a desert.”
“I know. You can take off your clothes and move around, it will work.”
Although it had been less than an hour since entering the desert, the party felt the intense heat to the extreme..
Is that why? Ibella and Dillia took off their outer garments one by one. Then Syrpy, who saw this scene, hurriedly approached and spoke to him..
“that can't be!”
“what? why?”
“The sun is strong, so you have to wear at least a thin cloth. 'Cause if you don't, you'll get burned.”
It was definitely a valid opinion..
If you walk while basking in this amount of sunlight all day, your skin will turn red..
Fortunately, among the supplies Istan had prepared, there was a thin cloth, so each party covered their skin with a cloth..
“what? You don't have to cover Ulan?”
“i'm fine.”
His answer was not empty.
Because Ulan had the imprint of a hero. Even if you get burned, you will recover quickly..
Meanwhile, while the party was changing clothes, Noah looked around the desert landscape in silence..
‘right here…….’
Even if you look around, there is nothing but sand.
A hot, dry world with crumbly winds, dry air, and no moisture at all..
At the same time, it was also uncharted territory..
Because Noah had never visited this place in the original work. As he gazed blankly at the desert, he heard a familiar voice..
“what are you looking at?”
Ulan came close to me.
With the presence felt close by, Noah replied without looking back at Ulan..
“I'm just curious.”
“it's amazing?”
“Yes, it's the first time I've been there..”
I never had to come to the desert in the first place..
Of course, there was a sub-quest related to the Desert Church, but it was because the rewards were very insignificant compared to other hidden pieces..
In addition, the main quest of the original work, the subjugation of the Lord of the Abyss, had nothing to do with the desert at all..
“It's my first time in the Ulando Desert.?”
However, it is not only Noah who is unfamiliar with the desert. The seven warriors, including Ulan, have never visited the desert..
However, the answer that came back was different from what I expected..
“Strictly speaking it is not.”
“yes? Ha, but as far as I know, the warriors never visited the desert in the original work.…….”
“If it's in the heart of the desert.”
Ulan interrupted Noah.
Soon after, his eyes suddenly flashed sharply and he remembered someone in his memory..
“Giant King Largtan. The place you fell into the trap he dug was the border between the desert and the jungle..”
“……ah!”
When I thought about it, it was.
One of the six lords of the abyss, the giant king Largtan built a cave on the border between the desert and the eastern jungle and lured a party of warriors..
When Noah belatedly realized this, another forgotten fact flashed through his mind..
‘Wait a minute, I see…….’
The Cave of the King of Giants is also the place where Ulan's determined destiny was invoked. In other words, it is the place where Ulan always met his end in the original work..
As I recalled this, a somewhat ominous feeling crept over me. Is that why? Around the time when she rubbed her fingernails with a nervous face.
“don't worry.”
“……yes?”
“Because this time will be different.”
As if he had read Noah's anxiety, Ulan replied in a calm tone. And when I heard this, strangely, the feeling of anxiety went away a little..
‘That's right. As Ulan said.’
Ulan had already defeated Asteban, the first in the monarchy. The second-ranked giant, Largtan, would not be a very threatening opponent..
With these thoughts, Noah took a deep breath and calmed the ominous feeling..
“then don't go back.”
Then Ulan summoned the party..
It's about half a day from where we are now to where we promised to join Laurea..
If you walk diligently, you will be able to arrive before night comes. The moment I lifted up the backpack containing supplies,.
“Now wait a minute.”
A voice grabbed the group's feet..
It was none other than Sirfi Rudric..
“Before we depart, I have something to tell you..”
“what?”
“A note about the desert.”
Sirpi was born and raised in the desert and is currently the only guide for Ulan's party..
Ulan turned around and looked at Syrpy. Then Syrpy let out an awkward cough and spread his three fingers..
“Big! hmm! First of all, there are three things to be careful about in the desert. Witchbeasts and the dead, it's a fetish.”
Beast, Dead, Fetish.
Among these three things, Shirpi explained that castings should be the most careful..
“Here, a fetish refers to an object with a curse, and if you touch it incorrectly, an unfortunate accident that is overturned with a curse may occur..”
Only high-ranking shamans of the Desert Church or those with pure divine power can lift the curse transferred through casting..
So, if you see something suspicious in the first place, it is wise not to touch it. Syrpy finished the point to be careful in that way..
“That's all you need to be careful about. Of course, there are a few other things to be aware of, but I'll explain them according to the situation..”
“good. do so.”
My head hurts even thinking about things that didn't even happen. Ulan put in his head only the three cautions Sirfi had mentioned and turned around..
some time after that.
While enduring the heat and walking for a not short time, a sudden change occurred..
do do do do do do!
It was around the time I was crossing the sand dunes, but the ground suddenly started to shake. All of the party stopped at their seats due to the sudden phenomenon..
“huh? what?”
“earthquake?”
The vibration got stronger and stronger..
Meanwhile, Syrpy, who was observing this phenomenon, shouted with a surprised face..
“Oh no! This……!”
And just before her cries stop.
Koo-goo-goo-goo! Faaaaaaa!
A huge object rose from the depths of the sand. It was a centipede-like monster with the characteristics of an arthropod and a polypod..
“Back off everyone! It's a sandworm!”
Sandworm, a beast that lives in the desert.
It usually builds a nest deep in the sand dune and lives there, and when a prey passes by, it pops out and bites the opponent and enters the nest..
At this, Shirpy hurriedly shouted..
“Be careful not to get bitten by him. If you don't, you'll be sucked into the ground in an instant.……!”
But she couldn't speak.
It was because the sandworm thrust its sharp teeth at the closest person before Syrpy could finish his words..
[Kyaaaaaaa!]
With an indescribable scream, his mouth fell open. Soon after, it tried to return to its nest, biting off the prey's torso..
But something was a little strange.
[Kirruk?]
I was sure I asked correctly, but strangely, my body didn't move. To put it bluntly, it felt like biting into a huge rock..
As if puzzled by this fact, Sandworm lowered his gaze to his prey. What was reflected in the bright yellow eyes was a savage with auburn hair.
It was Ulan.
“Ooh, Ulan!”
“wait! I'll save you soon!”
Ibella hurriedly drew her sword..
But I didn't have to go out.
It was because Ulan, who reached out abruptly, grabbed Sandworm's body and tore it apart..
Wood deok! oh oh oh!
A body that rips lightly like paper.
Seeing the sight of sticky bodily fluids pouring out immediately, Sylphy murmured in a daze..
“……ah?”
The Sandworm whose body was just torn apart is designated as a Dangerous Beast by the Desert Church..
To slay such a monster so easily with bare hands, without a weapon. Syrupy, who had a dazed expression, suddenly realized..
That the real monster was different.
“are you okay? no one hurt?”
“How about the bitten part??”
Meanwhile, Ybela and Dillia rushed to Ulan and examined his body here and there. Seeing the two making a fuss, Ulan shook his head..
“I'm fine.”
“……After all, the body is really strong..”
Sven quietly exclaims.
I felt it in the decisive battle with Asteban, but Ulan's body was abnormally hard..
After such a bland fight.
The party resumed their movement..
Eventually, as the sun was setting, a new incident came to the party again..
[Kkeuk! oh oh oh!]
[aaaaaa!]
Soldiers emerge from the depths of the sand one by one. Wearing old armor, they glared at the party with blue eyes..
“what is that again?”
“They are the dead roaming the desert.”
“If you're dead... … . undead?”
“yes that's right! There are more numbers than you think, so be careful not to get surrounded..”
Sven and Dillia tilted their heads as if they didn't understand at Syrpy's explanation..
“huh? That's a lot?”
“That far, it doesn't seem like a lot, but?”
“What you see is not everything. The dead have a habit of staying underground like sandworms and coming up when they sense their presence.!”
“……okay?”
That means the undead swarm beneath the ground the party is stepping on..
Aware of this fact, Dillia muttered with a cool smile..
“Then, all of it, blow it up, and you'll be fine.”
“yes? flying what does that mean…….”
Syrpy asked incredulously, but no answer came back. Dillia focused on raising her mana without speaking,.
saaaaaa!
Perhaps because it was close to evening, the magic of the stars showed a stronger reaction than usual..
After a while, Dillia used the top-level star cluster magic to go down to the ground..
『extreme nova)』
7star strategy magic.
It is an offensive magic that strongly condenses the mana of the stars and detonates them all at once, devastating the battlefield..
The polar nova that caused such an explosion of light soon died down and created a strong gust of wind..
quagga gaga gaga!
The power to tear apart even grains of sand.
There was no way the dead, made up of mere bones, could survive. After that, Sven and Ibella took care of the remaining party..
“It's too fresh than I thought.”
Sven, who finished the battle in the blink of an eye, muttered as he picked up the arrow..
“These guys are really dangerous?”
“I know. Compared to Asteban's followers who fought in Sulfern, they are no match.?”
Ibella also nodded in agreement..
It was because Asteban's followers, whom he dealt with in Sulfern, continued to rise even after cutting and destroying them unless they were divine weapons..
On the other hand, the dead that the party just dealt with were unable to move anymore after their bodies were broken. Noah smiled awkwardly at the reaction of the two..
‘no wonder.’
No matter how powerful the dead in the desert are, there's no way they're stronger than the undead under Asteban, the lord of the immortals..
‘If I had to compare the two, it would be like the difference between a rabbit and a lion..’
After thinking about it, Noah shrugged..
Afterwards, when the party resumed their movement after the battle with the dead, Ulan, who had been walking silently, muttered in a low tone..
“So far, I've encountered demons and dead people, so I guess I'll just have to find a casting next time..”
“……no, you don't have to look for it.”
Noah let out a deep sigh..
Of course, even if you find a fetish and get cursed, it will be solved if you join Laurea, but the best thing is not to be cursed..
To do so, it was better not to come into contact with the fetishes in the first place, so Noah prayed earnestly that nothing would happen to his destination..
Did this wish come true??
Until the day in the desert was over and they arrived at the place where they promised to join Laurea, the party did not face any special surprises..
“Roughly, it's like this, I guess?”
“Yeah, I think it's the same even compared to the map.”
Noah nodded..
Then Ibella looked around and muttered in a puzzled tone..
“what? This is the meeting place?”
“that's right. Compared to the map, it is clear.”
“but there is nothing…….”
“yeah we came too early.”
Noah shrugged..
As the saying goes, Ulan's party arrived much earlier than planned. So he had to wait three more days for the time he had made with Laurea..
“Now wait! So, I guess I'll just have to stay here all the time?”
“It should be. It would be better to join together than to move separately..”
When Noah's answer came back, Ibella frowned in boredom. She was with the idea that if she knew it would be like this, she was in a hurry..
“Let's grab the base first. And as we explore our surroundings, we must eliminate any dangers..”
“well i agree.”
Ulan nodded at Sven's words..
After that, the group moved briskly. To find a suitable place to make a base, and to prepare a place to spend the night..
“oh i'll help.”
Meanwhile, Noah, who joined late to look at the map, moved to the place where the other party was..
But that's only for a while.
“……uh?”
Suddenly, her steps stopped..
No, I had to stop.
It was because a special sight that only she could see unfolded before her eyes..
“this, this……!”
wide-open blue eyes.
The scenery in it was like this.
[alarm]
▶The Trial of the Hero - The Beginning of the Challenge
▶Challenger: [Noah Darshen]
[Time remaining until the ordeal is complete]:
*3923 hours 59 minutes a day
System message that appeared after a long time.
The content of the message was a notification that the eighth hero's trial had begun..
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