CH 60

Chapter 60.

With half of its head cut off by the Red Demon Sword, Gufu was completely out of it and fell backwards with a bang.

It seemed that Gufu did not turn into a demon ore but remained as a corpse. Tenji was a little disappointed about that.

"I'm glad that ...... Fukuyama-san gave us instructions on fighting Gufu. I might have gotten badly injured if I didn't know how to avoid tail attacks."

Tenji, who managed to defeat Gufu, muttered such a thing as he retrieved the Red Demon Sword, which was stuck in the wall with the Book of Enma.

In Japan Explorers High School, boss species fighting methods are within the scope of the second year of study. So it was no wonder that Tenji didn't know how to fight Gufu. But, to his favour, Fukuyama had just given them a lecture on fighting one.

You can study up through video resources in advance, but poor Tenji didn't have the time to do so. He had to work part-time as a house worker if he had free time. He had been working on getting two times food for a long time.

"Good night."

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Mizue and Rikka were approaching Tenji in a rush.

Tenji turned back to their side and said, "I managed to win."

"That's a hell of a sword, by the way."

Mizue was honestly surprised when he saw the power of the Red Demon Sword.

Even though Tenji was strong, the fact that he had cut off the head of a third-grade boss accurately indicated the weapon's performance.

"You know, I was surprised, too."

"What about?"

"I still know very little about my calling, and I'm still in a state of exploration. And I'm only a freshman, so I can't go into the dungeons as an assistant explorer. The school doesn't approve of it. So, I don't know much about my calling."

Tenji's words made both of them open their mouths with a gasp. It made sense to them that he had just recently awakened and spent half the time in hospital, and now he does not know anything about his calling.

They were surprised to hear Tenji's words, which they hoped they had misheard, but it was a surprise to them.

Seeing his expression, Tenji tilted his head.

"Hmm?"

"You ...... have only been here a year?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm only a freshman. I'm 16."

"Hey, why are you participating in this test? Or rather, how did you participate?"

"Uh, ......, did it just happen?"

Because of his participation in this examination, they took Tenji for granted and thought he was a sophomore or junior at Japan Explorer High School.

The fact that Tenji had a calling was also a big misunderstanding for them since, from the second year of Japan Explorer High School, more and more people were acquiring their calling.

A first-year student who has only been enrolled in the school for about half a year has acquired such a calling. He was an immature person who was overwhelmingly stronger than anyone, and his calling was just awakened.

This face stopped both of them from thinking for a moment.

"Really...... You are a ridiculous man."

"If it's true. What is it? Talent? You're trying to say that this is the difference in talent?"

For some reason, Tenji was given a dumbfounded look, and as if troubled, he recalled his lack of talent not long ago.

Instead, Tenji would have been a young man with less talent than them not long ago. However, with his awakening, he would be recognized for his talent.

-What in the world is talent?

Being a former talentless young man, he couldn't help but think that way.

They had decided to take a more extended break of about thirty minutes on the spot.

After the boss is gone, the boss area has been known to become a safe area where monsters are off-limits for at least half a day.

That's why it was the safest place to rest in the dungeon.

"Phew, how much further to the endgate?"

Rikka, slumped against the wall at the edge of the area, questioned in a distracted voice.

"At most, the sub-dungeon's structure is up to the fourth boss area. It could be over as soon as we take this next exit, or we could still only be halfway there." Tenji answered.

"I know that's not what I want to know. What I want to know is ...... was that a pointless question?"

"Oh, it's pointless."

After spending so much time together in the dead lands, the word "hesitation" completely disappeared between them.

Mizue's lack of discretion had initially caused the teamwork, but that had changed for the better.

Thirty minutes passed as they tried to recover their strength with occasional pointless conversations and poking around.

"We should get going. I think we've had enough rest for one day, don't you think?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah."

They stood up, battered and bruised.

Mizue, in particular, was left with a painful wound from the NeedleMouse.

Rikka, too, had been fighting until Tenji entered the fight, so her whole body was already sweating and physically exhausted.

"Mizue-Kun ...... about first aid ......"

"No, it's all right. Just tie the deep wounds tightly with cloth, and I'll be fine."

Tenji spoke to Mizue as if he was worried, but Mizue didn't apply first aid to the small scar at all. Tenji doesn't know the reason for this, but he can feel something of Mizue's determination there.

But both Rikka and Tenji were afraid of one thing, getting infected.

"Okay, let's go."

Mizue was trying to act normal.

The three of them got up from their break and stood in front of the exit of the boss area that had appeared before they knew it and looked up at the door.

Then Mizue pressed one hand against the hollow handprint. When they heard the sound of a lock opening with a clank, the three of them stepped back from the scene and readied their respective weapons.

"If we suddenly run into a monster, Tenji will charge in. I'll do exactly what we discussed beforehand."

"Yes!"

"I got it!"

They nodded vigorously at Mizue's final confirmation. Although not the strongest, he was still the leader of the team.

"Is the gate of the end waiting ahead?"

"Or is it the labyrinthine area of the dungeon that is still to come?"

All of them were thinking these thoughts as they gazed at their destiny.

And when the door opened so that they could see through it to the end of the road, their eyes widened in surprise.

The three of them were so surprised that their heads were all jumbled together, and they stood there numb until the door opened completely.

Their hands were already losing their strength and feeling somewhat relieved.

It appeared at the end of the second boss area, and it was--

"Hey, good job. You guys did great."

Fukuyama Yohito.

The professional explorer was their judge and was supposed to be separated from them.

Fukuyama said "Good job" from the bottom of his heart and turned his handsome, fresh smile to them. His charming aura was back. They were glad to see it.