Chapter 71: In Search of the Demon Sword (3)

Whether affiliated with a national institution or a major guild or working independently of such organizations, every hero fundamentally operated within a party. And across the three nations, the most preferred party size was that of five. Some said this was due to the legacy of the Great Five Heroes who sealed the Demon God five hundred years ago. Others claimed it was based on the principle of the five elements.

In truth, the reason was simple: five was the most efficient number when it came to balance, synergy, and overall party management. The ideal hero party composition was generally three warriors, one mage, and one support hero. Sometimes, instead of a third warrior, a wild card, an “irregular” who didn’t quite fit into any standard role, could take the slot. But the typical three-one-one structure remained standard.

The biggest advantage of forming a party wasn’t simply a matter of multiplying individual strength by five. When the team worked well together, their combined combat power could increase tenfold or even twentyfold. Veteran parties that had long fought side-by-side often moved as one, achieving victories against seemingly impossible odds.

Naturally, the opposite could also be true. A newly formed team, or one made up of inexperienced members, could end up weaker than the sum of its parts. Just like it happened now.

After the skirmish ended, I looked at everyone and said, “Iris, your response wasn’t bad. But considering our party’s overall strength, focusing on defense wasn’t ideal. Casting blessings instead would’ve been more helpful.”

Iris nodded, taking the feedback in stride. “Ah! I see.”

“Berald and Camilla, your awareness of the field is too narrow. You’re not fighting alone. You need to keep tracking the boss monster’s movements at all times,” I added.

Both of them had been caught off guard when the bat-monster boss charged through their line. They lowered their heads with embarrassed expressions and acknowledged the advice.

“Urgh!”

“Y-yes, I’ll keep that in mind, Brother.”

I then looked at Yuren. “And lastly, Yuren.”

As if expecting harsh criticism, Yuren stood silent, head down, like a child awaiting scolding.

I continued, “You’re trying to carry too much on your own. A party isn’t something you protect all by yourself. It’s a team, you fight together.”

His rash charge had placed the entire team in danger.

Yuren, still clearly upset with himself, mumbled an apology without raising his eyes. “Sorry!”

I chuckled lightly, patting his back. “Well, everyone makes mistakes in the beginning.”

I had never thought I would be giving Yuren this kind of lecture. It was almost ironic. In our past lives, when we had just started partying together, the situation had been the exact opposite. Back then, I used to rely too heavily on my immortal body, recklessly charging ahead and putting the party at risk.

Yuren let out a frustrated sigh, clearly scolding himself. “I knew from class that we weren’t supposed to break formation.”

I gave a small shrug with a wry smile. “Classroom lessons and real combat are two different things.”

“Still, I can’t believe I made such a rookie mistake… against monsters this weak,” he said.

I could understand how he felt. The bat-monsters we had just fought weren’t that dangerous. Yuren could’ve easily handled them alone. This was a classic case of being too strong for one’s own good.

Since he thought he could handle the monsters solo, he acted without thinking to coordinate with his teammates. He had assumed he could clean them all up by himself and that there was no need for teamwork.

“Anyway, shall we keep moving?” I asked.

Yuren tightened his grip on his sword, determination burning in his eyes. “Yeah. I won’t mess up this time.”

And so, the dungeon expedition resumed. Soon, we encountered more monsters.

Yuren shouted, “I’ll take the right flank, Berald! You take the left!”

“Understood!”

“One’s circling back around!” Camilla said, notifying the party of the field situation.

“Need backup?”

“No! I’ve got it!”

“I’ll cast a blessing on you first!” Iris said firmly.

Maybe it was because they all had decent fundamentals, but after every encounter, the party’s coordination noticeably improved. The clunky, mismatched gears were finally starting to turn in unison.

Yeah, this is it, I thought.

From the rear, I watched my teammates fight the monsters while providing support as needed. The one standing out the most was none other than Berald. His strength was kind of a surprise.

Berald had started learning hand-to-hand combat from me just a month ago. Before that, his idea of fighting was more like random brawling than any real technique. But within that single month, he had improved at a remarkable pace.

Nevertheless, it was somewhat expected. After all, the guy was more naturally gifted in hand-to-hand combat than even Yuren. In our past lives, after graduating from the hero academy, Berald had gone on to master hand-to-hand combat to the point that he created a unique style. That alone was proof of just how overwhelming his talent was. Of course, he still had a bit of a tendency to rely on “magic” for now.

Berald ripped a stalactite from the cave floor. He hurled like a spear and, as if he were chanting a spell, said, “Stone Arrooooow!”

The jagged spike skewered a bat-monster clean through and sent its corpse flying like it were a ballista shot, embedding it deep into the cave wall.

Now that’s magic, damn it! If this isn’t magic, what is? I thought.

As Berald once put it in our past life: When your physical strength reaches the extreme, even fists become spells.

“Whew

! So, how was that one, Brother?” he asked me.

I gave him a solid thumbs-up. “Way better.”

The whole party visibly lit up in response, though Camilla did look like she was thinking: Why am I even happy about this guy getting praise?

It was a good thing we came here. Before the expedition started, I had been unsure whether this trip would help my comrades improve. But now, seeing how much they had grown in just one day, I couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing the time, I said, “Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s stop here for today and continue the exploration tomorrow.”

“Are we heading back to Valhalla City?” Iris asked.

“No, that will take too long,” I replied.

Even with the warp portal near the ruins, it wasn’t a trip we could casually make back and forth. Plus, we were already pretty deep into the ruins.

So, I said, “Let’s camp here.”

Patting his overstuffed backpack, Berald said proudly, “Heh heh! Don’t worry about that. I came fully prepared with camping gear!”

“Then let’s start by setting up the tents.”

Even though we were inside a cave, it was still essential to have tents. As the name Cave of Crimson Tears suggested, red droplets continuously dripped from the stalactites on the cave’s ceiling.

“Two tents should be enough, right? One for the guys, one for the girls,” I said.

Clearly flustered, Yuren asked, “W-wait, we’re all sleeping in the same tent?”

I looked at him like he had said something ridiculous. “Of course, we are. You want to waste time setting up one for each person?”

“W-well, I brought my own tent,” he said meekly.

“Ahem! What are you talking about? Camping’s true charm is squeezing into a cramped tent together, don’t you think?”

Yuren snapped. “I don’t need that kind of charm!”

He then turned his back to us and said, “Anyway, I’ll be using the tent I brought on my own!”

Even in our past lives, Yuren always hated sharing sleeping space with others.

Nobles and their weird habits!

I sighed inwardly and nodded. “Alright, fine. Then I’ll just bunk with Berald.”

Berald winked and said, “Let’s enjoy some cozy bonding time, Brother.”

“Get lost.”

And so, we ended up setting up three tents. Afterward, we had a quick meal with the lunchboxes we had packed before leaving. Then everyone headed into their tents to rest for the night.

“I’ll take first watch. You all get some sleep,” I said to the others.

“Okay, I’ll sleep first, Brother. Wake me up in a bit.”

“Sure.”

Soon after my comrades disappeared into their tents, I heard quiet, steady breathing from within. They were probably exhausted. It was understandable. After spending the entire day fighting monsters, they had every reason to be.

“Well then. Time for me to get to work,” I muttered.

I got up from my spot and set up a monster-repelling ward around the campsite. Once the protective enchantments were complete, I made my way alone into the ruins. Activating Wind Step, I sprinted to the deepest part of the cave. There, I approached one particular wall, right where a wide, shallow pool of red liquid had gathered beneath the constant dripping.

This should be it.

I dipped my hand into the pool and channeled my mana into it. The red surface began to boil as the mana spread. Grabbing the opportunity, I sent my mana deeper, weaving it into the barrier hidden beneath the floor. The moment the barrier activated and tried to repel the intrusion, red sparks flashed violently across the surface, but I wasn’t worried.

That was a nice try, but it was not enough to stop me. Thanks to the magic theory I had learned from Senior Sophia, locating the core of the barrier was easy. After all, even complex barriers were ultimately just magic grounded in theory.

The entire cave shook like an earthquake. As if a drain plug had been pulled from a giant bathtub, the red pool rapidly emptied downward, sucked away into the earth. What remained was a small, human-sized hole in the ground. This was the hidden passage that led to the sealed Demon Sword.

In my past life, I had stumbled upon this passage during my mercenary days. I had taken a scouting commission and arrived here with my crew. It took nearly a month of crawling through the ruins before I finally uncovered this hidden path.

“Back then, it was a nightmare just trying to find this place,” I muttered to myself.

That was why, at times like this, I was grateful for my past-life memories. Finding what had once taken me weeks now took only minutes. Remembering all the pain and effort made my lips twitch with a strange, nostalgic smirk.

“Now then… if I head inside…”

I squeezed through the narrow entrance and made my way down the dark, ominous tunnel. Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in my mind: “Turn back. This is the resting place of a beast maddened by blood.”

A door appeared in front of me, wreathed in a crimson mist. Slick with red as though drenched in blood, the eerie door pulsed with menace. As I stood before it, the voice rang out again.

“Those who open this door shall be met with grief.

“Those who open this door shall lose hope.

“Those who open this door shall be swallowed in despair.”

“Tch. What a chatterbox,” I said.

With a single kick, I smashed the blood-stained door open. From the other side, a faint voice rang out like a dying whisper.

“You who have crossed the barrier… will pay the price with death.”

“Yeah, yeah. Shut it.” I stepped over the shattered remains of the door and walked into the chamber, where thick crimson mist hung in the air.

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