NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
Extra chapter thanks to Kodenir
Past 1
───A few years ago.
◇◇◇◇◇
“Ha, ha, ha───…”
“Hey, hey, Haise, are you okay?”
Reynold slapped Haise on the shoulder, and Haise responded with a wry smile.
It was the luggage for all the team members, packed for three nights. Haise, carrying it all alone, was drenched in sweat, his legs shaking, but he didn’t stop.
However, the team leader, Sasha, sighed as she looked at Haise.
“We’ll rest here. Departure in thirty minutes.”
“Sa-Sasha!! I’m still okay.”
“You don’t look like it. We’ve got a long way ahead, so rest.”
“But—”
“If you collapse, who will carry this luggage? Me? Reynold? Tycoon? Robin? Piasora? We, the combatants, can’t afford to carry the luggage and get fatigued.”
“…”
“Pfft. You can only carry luggage, so just listen to what I say.”
Piasora laughed mockingly. Pushing her aside, Robin stepped forward.
“Hey, I’ll carry some of the luggage too. Sasha, is that okay?”
“No. You, as a sniper, can’t be burdened. This extermination mission is important for our promotion.”
“But…”
“No.”
“…Thank you, Robin. I’ll be fine.”
“Haise…”
“…Just rest quickly.”
Sasha said, then sat down heavily.
Sasha, fourteen years old, had started adventuring about two years ago. After awakening her ability, she quickly became an S-rank adventurer and trained under the guild master, Geist, growing rapidly.
Individually, she was already an A-rank adventurer, and the team “Sacred” had been drawing attention in the royal capital as a B-rank team.
“Well, let’s take a proper rest. Come on, Haise, take off the luggage.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Reynold.
A B-rank adventurer and skilled Gardner. He was the vice-leader of “Sacred” and Haise’s older brother figure.
The team Sacred consisted of six members: Sasha, the leader; Reynold, the vice-leader; Tycoon, the mage; Robin, the sniper; Piasora, the healer; and Haise, the porter.
Haise spoke apologetically.
“…Sorry, Reynold. If only everyone could understand what my ‘ability’ is, I could be of more help.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t know the details either, but there’s no doubt your ‘ability’ is rare. Eventually, the time will come when we’ll figure it out.”
“…Yeah.”
“Reynold, you’re so kind. Well, as long as Haise is alive, anyway.”
“Oi, Piasora, there are things you shouldn’t say.”
Reynold glared at Piasora. Piasora stuck out her tongue and said, “Sorryyy.”
“…”
“Don’t worry about it. More importantly, just make sure you rest properly.”
“…Yeah.”
Reynold stepped away from Haise and approached Sasha.
“…Sasha.”
“Sasha. How’s Haise doing?”
“He’s pretty worn out. Well, he’s stubborn, so I think he’ll manage somehow.”
“…”
“…Have you really decided?”
“Yeah.”
Sasha looked at Haise, who was leaning against the luggage and fast asleep.
“Haise can’t keep up with us anymore. We’ll have to kick him out of the team.”
“…Are you sure? He’s your childhood friend.”
“I’m sure. I don’t want to see Haise die, even if he holds a grudge against me.”
Sasha turned her face away, blushing.
It was clear what she was thinking. Reynold, ignoring the pain in his chest, spoke up.
“What about Tycoon and the others?”
“…Piasora agrees, Tycoon agrees but isn’t fully convinced, and Robin…is against it.”
“…She’s really fond of Haise, after all.”
“…”
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Yeah. Once this mission’s over, we’ll expel Haise.”
◇◇◇◇◇
The next day.
Sasha and the others arrived at the nest of the A-ranked magical beast, “Quinnerga.”
The Quinnerga colony was led by a queen, with many males gathering around her. The strength of the males was around D-rank, but the queen was A-rank.
The mission was to eradicate the nest.
Reynold and the others gathered near the nest to discuss the plan.
“The plan is simple. I’ll charge in and kill the males and the queen. Tycoon and Robin, provide support, and Reynold, protect the rear. If there’s room, you can join the fight. Piasora, wait as a healer.”
“B-but I…”
“Wait. You can’t do anything, right?”
“…”
“Alright, let’s start the mission… Tycoon.”
“Understood.”
Tycoon pulled out his staff and cast support magic.
“[Uruk], [Megalga].’”
Support magic.
Tycoon’s ability was “Sage,” and he was skilled at both support and offensive magic.
“Alright, I’m going.”
Sasha kicked off the ground with a powerful thud and reached the nest in mere seconds.
She easily sliced through the two-legged lizard-like “Naga” guarding the entrance and leaped into the center of the nest.
“Gii!?” “Gii!? Gyaaah!!”
The Nagas screamed in unison, and the queen, who had been lying on a pedestal at the back, suddenly rose up.
“Sorry, but you’re all going to perish here.”
As Sasha brandished her sword, a faint silver “aura” enveloped her body.
Her ability, “Sword Master”—the strongest ability for swords—granted her overwhelming physical strength and swordsmanship. She had mastered the technique of cloaking herself in “aura.”
With Tycoon’s support magic and Robin’s cover, the Nagas were swiftly cut down one after another.
The hidden Nagas, trying to ambush Tycoon and the others, were blown away by Reynold, who had equipped shields of different sizes in each hand.
“[Shield Break]!!”
Reynold’s ability was [Shield Master], the ultimate shield ability, and he was expected to become an S-ranked adventurer in the future.
Two users of master-level abilities—this was why Sacred was so promising.
“…I…”
Haise’s ability.
There was no doubt it had awakened… but the details of the ability were still unknown.
Because of that, he didn’t know how to use it. He could only rely on others for protection.
It was frustrating—exasperating.
“Hey, you’re moving up too far!!”
“!!”
Haise had ended up too close to Reynold.
At that moment, a Naga wielding a spear lunged at him from the side.
“!!”
“Watch out… Haise!!”
The next moment, the Naga’s head was severed.
Sasha had cut it down and then shouted.
“Stay back, you useless idiot!!”
“…!”
Haise trembled as Sasha shouted at him like a demon, backing away.
◇◇◇◇◇
After defeating the Quinnerga, the team began collecting materials.
Blood, organs, the magical beast’s “core” located in the heart—there was more to recover than just basic materials.
“Hey, this is a human…”
“…Food, I suppose.”
There was a large amount of human bones.
Behind the pedestal where the Quinnerga had been, there were numerous human bones and belongings scattered about.
“Let’s take as much as we can carry and deliver it to the guild…”
“Eh, what about the materials?”
“The Quinnerga’s core is enough. That’ll serve as proof of the extermination. Piasora… I’m counting on you.”
“Got it.”
Piasora, who was also a nun, offered a prayer in front of the human bones.
Her prayers served as comfort for the deceased.
As she began to sort through the human belongings, Haise found an odd book.
“What’s this…?”
It appeared to be an ancient manuscript.
A handwritten book with strange symbols drawn inside.
Was this another relic? As he pondered,
“Hey!! Stop slacking off and pack up the gear!!”
“Ah, yeah. Sorry.”
Piasora scolded him, and Haise tucked the book into his bag.
Later, this book… would drastically change Haise’s life.