The results of Simon’s training—having unintentionally spent his entire vacation building houses—were finally on full display.
Simon remained silent.
Closing his eyes and gathering his focus, Simon moved his fingertips like an orchestra conductor. In perfect time with his movements, the skeletons detached and reassembled, efficiently organizing themselves for each task.
They chopped and fetched wood, gathering the logs and weaving them sturdily together with twine.
When heavy lifting was required, multiple skeletal arms linked together for added strength. Bone Armors roamed the site supplying tools, ensuring the work progressed seamlessly.
Just how many times had he built cabins in Leshill by now? Constructing a makeshift shelter was child’s play.
"You built all this already?"
Meirin stared in astonishment. In the short time she had been away washing ingredients in the river, a grass-woven floor had been laid out and log pillars evenly set, forming the shape of a sturdy cabin.
"Simon! Let’s attach these planks to the sides to block out the wind and rain!"
"Good idea," Simon agreed.
Dick’s assistance had been crucial. Quickly figuring out what Simon intended to build, he promptly pulled out and supplied the necessary materials.
They slathered clay over the woven wooden walls and attached planks to the ceiling without a single gap, ensuring the rainwater would run off the slanted roof.
"One, two!"
"Heave!"
With the assembled roof hoisted into place, their small cabin in the grassland was complete.
Meirin and Kamibarez cheered, rushing inside to take a look.
Meanwhile, Simon wove more wood to create an overhang. Dick, catching on to his plan, dug a fire pit just outside the door and piled up firewood.
By connecting the overhang to the front of the cabin and wrapping it with a tarp, they created a makeshift patio.
"That should do it," Simon said, letting out a long breath.
Dick, who had lit the fire and reinforced the pillars so they wouldn’t shake, wiped the sweat from his brow.
"It might be roughing it, but let’s camp here tonight and head up tomorrow. Hope you girls don’t mind."
"Sorry for making you sleep in a place like this," Simon added, scratching the back of his head.
Sitting inside with her knees pulled to her chest, Meirin smiled brightly.
"No way. Things like this aren’t so bad once in a while, you know?"
Kamibarez clapped her hands.
"Great work, both of you!"
The girls had already finished prepping the food. The patio blocked the rain, but the campfire struggled to catch due to the humidity. Stepping in, Meirin unfolded a magic circle, igniting and maintaining the blaze with pure magic rather than Jet-Black flame magic.
Fires fueled by pure mana were perfectly safe for cooking.
They secured skewers neatly stacked with lamb and vegetables over the campfire, and savory juices soon began to sizzle into the flames.
A makeshift pot sat nearby, bubbling with a mouthwatering tomato soup.
A steady drizzle fell outside, but the shelter was toasty and warm.
"This is the best day of the vacation," Meirin declared, pulling a well-cooked skewer from the fire.
Simon smiled and sat down with a contented sigh.
"Today was crazy right from the crack of dawn."
"Seriously. Starting with those Combat Magic kids picking a fight, it was no joke," Dick chimed in, massaging his shoulder.
Kamibarez fluttered her wings.
"I wonder what’s waiting for us at Professor Hongfeng’s house tomorrow."
"Yeah. I can’t believe today is only day one," Simon replied.
"Come on, we might not have alcohol, but we still need to make a toast!" Dick cheered. "To burning up our youth and what little is left of our vacation!"
Everyone raised their skewers high, clinking the wooden sticks together.
"Cheers!"
’You want to take me as your direct disciple? Thank you! It’s an honor!’
’Professor, I did it! I succeeded with the Jet-Black Aura! Look!’
To be honest...
’If I defeat Simon Polentia, will you look at me then?’
He had always thought his feelings went beyond mere respect and reverence for a teacher.
He let out a heavy breath.
Kinter shook his head to clear his thoughts and gripped the wooden pillar tightly.
Why had he been so anxious and impatient?
He shouldn’t have gotten so worked up and rushed in just because he found their boat.
But what was done was done. Now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.
The sequence of events went like this: Kinter’s Combat Magic group had eventually swum through the ocean and dragged themselves up the banks of the lower grassland.
By the time they reached the shore, night had fallen. Exhausted and dehydrated, the group simply collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air.
As they lay sprawled out, a slow drizzle began to fall over them as well. They quickly reached a consensus: they needed to build a shelter.
Which led to their current predicament.
"Lift on three!"
"One, two, three!"
Two Combat Magic students hauled on the rope, and the pillar—lashed together with wood and vines—rose straight up.
"We got it!"
No sooner had they cheered than the roof on the opposite side came crashing down.
"Argh!"
The students’ faces contorted with fatigue and irritation.
"Come on, why is it collapsing again?!" one yelled.
"You should’ve driven it into solid ground! What kind of idiot drives a pillar into soft dirt like this?!" another shot back.
The rain continued to fall with no sign of stopping, and the blame-shifting and irritation were only growing.
Kinter struggled to stand the pillar back up.
"Four guys here, and not a single one of us can build a proper shelter. Hah."
His body was slowly starting to shiver.
If they didn’t escape the rain and warm up by a fire soon, hypothermia would become a very real danger.
"Kinter!"
A Combat Magic student who had gone out to scout the surroundings came rushing back.
"A cave! I found a cave!"
"A cave?"
"Hahaha! See? I told you there was no need to build a shelter!"
The four of them ran over, their eyes gleaming with hope. Their bodies felt like lead, and their clothes and hair were completely soaked, but in this moment, a surge of adrenaline pushed them forward.
"Over here!"
The scout pushed aside the bushes and pointed ahead. A massive cave beneath the cliff revealed itself.
"Hey."
Kinter massaged his forehead.
"Did you check to make sure nothing’s in there?"
"I thought we were all going to check it together."
"Fuck..."
There was no need to check.
Two gleaming pupils appeared in the darkness.
A low, guttural growl echoed from the depths.
’THUMP! THUMP!’
The earth shook as a massive monster bear, covered in gruesome scars, lunged out of the cave. The students’ faces drained of color.
"It’s a Threat Level 6 ’Giant Bear’!"
"And there’s more than one! Run!"
Normally, they would have at least considered fighting back, but engaging monsters in their current, exhausted state was pure suicide.
Chased by the giant bears, they were forced to run blindly through the rain.
"Agh!" They gasped for air as they sprinted.
Only after they desperately threw themselves across the river did the bears finally turn back, glaring at them with fierce eyes. Everyone sprawled out on the muddy ground, gasping for breath.
"What kind of glory am I even chasing to be suffering like this?" one wheezed.
"I miss my mom."
Their morale was at rock bottom.
The rain showed no signs of stopping, and their physical condition was rapidly deteriorating.
Symptoms of hypothermia were slowly setting in, and they had no food or clean water.
They were in serious danger. An ordinary person would have died long ago.
"Kinter! Look over there!"
The student who had found the cave pointed into the distance. Kinter, who was lying on the ground like a corpse, glared at him.
"Don’t say a fucking word for the rest of this trip, you bastard."
"No, seriously! I see a light over there!"
The other students abruptly sat up.
"A light?"
"Out here?"
They squinted into the distance one by one, but Kinter just shook his head.
"Crazy bastards. Now you’re starting to hallucinate."
"No, it’s real! It’s an actual light!"
At that, Kinter sprang to his feet.
Sure enough, it was true.
It was faint, but a distinct light glowed through the fog.
"It’s a village!"
"We’re saved! It must be a local tribe living in the lower grassland!"
Kinter’s group squeezed out the last dregs of their strength and trudged toward the light. Their faces noticeably brighter, they began to chatter.
"Do you think they speak the Continental language?"
"There’s bound to be at least one person who does."
"If anything, we’ll just drop the professor’s name. Hongfeng Toon Soqum Marlat! They’ll bow down and treat us like kings."
"Wait, what if that village is where Professor Hongfeng’s clan actually lives?"
"Whoa, that would be freaking awesome! We’d win the bet right away and deal a massive blow to Simon Polentia!"
Everyone arrived at the outskirts of the village, their faces full of hope.
The conversation among Kinter’s group died instantly.
Shrouded in fog and rain, the village entrance was incredibly eerie. Cobwebs clung to the wooden fences, and animal skulls hung from the posts. Despite the heavy downpour, a strange, metallic stench hung in the air.
An overwhelming sense of dread washed over them. Every cell in their bodies screamed in rejection. Logic and experience aside, pure biological instinct warned them to stay away.
"S-Should we just go back and build a shelter?" someone stammered.
Kinter shoved the student’s shoulder hard and stepped forward.
"Anyone who wants to leave can get lost. I’m going in."
"K-Kinter!"
"Wait a second!"
Having no other choice, the group hurried after him.
They walked in silence.
It didn’t look like a normal village.
Bizarre, unidentifiable structures loomed in the fog.
Overgrown with vines and brush, the buildings looked as though they hadn’t been touched in centuries, exuding a chilling atmosphere. Some structures were neatly built from bricks, stacked like stepped towers, though their purpose was completely indiscernible.
"I didn’t say anything earlier because I didn’t want to ruin the mood," one of the students whispered. "People don’t live in the lower grassland. The professor’s family and the local tribes all live in the upper region."
The other two whipped around with terrified expressions.
"You bastard! You should’ve said that earlier—"
"Bullshit," Kinter cut him off with a scowl. "Then what are these structures? Did aliens come down and build them?"
"No, well... It was in the guidebook. An ancient civilization used to flourish in this lower grassland. We didn’t stumble into a village, we’re—"
"Shut up and walk." Kinter jerked his chin forward. "Don’t run your mouth thinking the trivia you read in a book is the absolute truth. I need to see what that light is with my own eyes."
He had a point.
Deep within the ruins, the light was still shining brightly.
And now that they had come this far, they couldn’t turn back. Even if the place was abandoned, they at least needed to find shelter from the rain. Sticking close together, they pressed forward with stiff faces.
Only the sound of their splashing footsteps echoed in the silence. The deeper they went, the grander the architecture became. The muddy ground soon gave way to paved stone floors.
It was an ancient city, so old its age couldn’t even be guessed. Enormous, unidentifiable stone structures towered around them.
At the same time, the mysterious light grew closer and closer.
"Excuse us!" Kinter shouted. "We came from Kizen! We are the disciples of Hongfeng Toon Soqum Marlat!"
Silence answered him.
The source of the light was located in the center of a temple-like building. Just as Kinter was about to step inside—
’FWOOSH.’
Like a candle being snuffed out, the light vanished.
Plunging the city into absolute darkness.
The group let out startled yelps, frantically looking around.
"C-Come out!"
"Let’s just talk! We can talk this out!"
Just as everyone was hastily scanning the shadows, the student next to Kinter let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Everyone whipped their heads toward him as he pointed a trembling finger upward.
"U-Up there!"
At the very top of the tall tower structure, four figures stood with blank, vacant faces.
Wearing clothes woven from leaves and vines, their eyes were rolled back, exposing only the whites, and their necks were snapped at grotesque, unnatural angles.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Are they even alive?!"
Kinter’s group backed away in sheer terror. Kinter’s heart pounded, but he slowly gathered Jet-Black into his hand.
Right then.
He felt a tap on his back. Startled, Kinter spun around.
The hairs on his arms stood on end.
A man—who looked like a resident of this ancient city—had silently appeared right behind him. Terrified gasps and curses erupted from the other students.
’Cowards.’
Struggling to calm his racing heart, Kinter stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you. We are the disciples of Professor Hongfeng. Hongfeng Toon Soqum Marlat. You know her, right?"
In this place where the Continental language clearly meant nothing, the only thing they could desperately rely on was Hongfeng’s name.
However, upon hearing those words, the man’s expression shifted slightly.
It was too dark to tell for sure, but it looked like he was smiling.
"See? I told you we could communicate somehow."
Kinter glanced back at his companions and shrugged before extending his hand for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you. We’re stranded out here. Could you let us stay for just one night?"
The man said nothing.
The man stared intently at Kinter’s hand. Tilting his head from side to side, he suddenly snatched Kinter’s wrist.
Startled, Kinter almost yanked his arm away, but not wanting to lose face in front of his friends, he forced himself to remain calm.
’No need to panic. This might just be their way of shaking hands.’
The man slowly began to stroke Kinter’s wrist, his fingers trailing up his forearm.
His movements, his unblinking gaze, his clammy touch...
No matter how Kinter tried to rationalize it, this was far from a friendly handshake.
It felt more like... he was appraising a piece of meat.
Kinter gasped in shock.
And then the man smiled.
He smiled deeply and widely, exposing bright, blood-red gums. A violent shudder wracked Kinter’s body as goosebumps erupted across his skin.
"K-Kinter!" one of his companions choked out, looking like he was about to faint. "Blood...!"
Kinter looked down.
A clear, bloody handprint was smeared across his forearm.
"What the fuck!"
Kinter violently yanked his arm back. At that exact moment, their surroundings were instantly bathed in a crimson hue.
The students froze in horror.
The darkness receded, revealing the true state of their surroundings.
Blood was flowing.
Severed human heads lined the tall tower, and blood poured down endlessly like a waterfall from the top of the building, cascading down the stone steps until it pooled on the floor.
The ancient city was littered with human corpses.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
The terrified screams of Kinter’s group echoed into the stormy night.
"Simon, Simon. Wake up."
At the soft voice, Simon rubbed his heavy eyes and blinked them open.
The steady, refreshing sound of rain filled the air. It was still pitch black out, and beside him, Meirin and Dick were dead to the world. Dick must have been exhausted, as his snoring was thunderous.
"Ah, Kami."
"You were sleeping so well, I’m sorry to wake you."
Kamibarez, who was sitting demurely beside him, fluttered her wings. Realizing it was his turn for the night watch, Simon sat up and stretched.
"No need to apologize when it’s my shift. Good work, Kami."
"Thanks!"
"Did anything unusual happen?"
"Sometimes the branches would shake, but I think it was just monkeys passing by."
"Got it."
Simon sluggishly climbed to his feet, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
The midnight air was surprisingly chilly now that he was awake. He threw his jacket over his shoulders and approached the campfire.
’CRACKLE, CRACKLE.’
As he sat in front of the fire, spacing out as he stared into the flames, Kamibarez padded over and took a seat next to him.
"Aren’t you tired? You should go inside and get some sleep."
Kamibarez smiled.
"Ahaha, I can’t sleep. I’ll stay with you for just a little bit before going to bed."
"Alright."
Saying she couldn’t sleep was definitely a lie.
Given the day they’d had, it would be strange if she wasn’t exhausted.
After staring into the fire for about ten minutes, Simon felt a gentle weight rest against his shoulder.
Kamibarez had fallen fast asleep, her soft breathing rhythmic and steady. In the end, she hadn’t even lasted a few minutes.
Simon smiled knowingly and carefully stood up.
He scooped her into his arms, laid her down next to Meirin, and tucked a blanket up to her chin.
Stretching his arms overhead, he returned to his spot by the fire.
He sat in quiet contemplation.
Simon tossed another log into the flames with a half-asleep expression. Suddenly, a sharp chill ran down his spine.
At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
But after a second glance into the dark jungle, he was certain.
’Someone.’
Someone was watching him.
Without changing his expression, Simon slowly drew Jet-Black to his fingertips, keeping his hand hidden behind his back.

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