Episode 38 – The Name of Strongest III
The fated day arrived.
Seven days after that discussion, the seven of them stood at the entrance of Tohe’s dungeon in the morning. No, not just them. Many other adventurers had gathered at the entrance as well. Among them were, of course, members of Avelient, Ameisha’s party, and members of Deuza Demo Aural, Ouro’s party. But that wasn’t all. Countless academy adventurers came just to catch a glimpse of the seven. And there were adventurers from outside the academy, too—most of them graduates from Larva Academy.
Naturally, they were all interested in who would earn the academy’s title of strongest.
At this point, bets were already being placed among academy adventurers on who would win this “festival.” As far as Nada knew, the most popular pick was Iris. But Corvo and Koroa had almost the same amount of support.
Yet no one else tried to participate in this “festival.”
Only these seven.
The Knight that appears in Tohe was famous not only within the academy, but throughout the entire city of Inferno. Many parties had attempted the challenge, but not one had succeeded in defeating it. Some had lost their comrades, and others had precious equipment taken.
Even top–ranked adventurers in Inferno, battling in full parties, couldn’t win against that monster—yet these seven intended to challenge it alone. There were no other adventurers reckless enough to attempt such a thing. For most people, life outweighed fame or honor.
And besides, no adventurer thought to stand alongside Iris, Koroa, or Corvo in the first place.
Their names were considered some of the finest in Larva Academy’s history. Counting their stray-monster kills and the depths they had reached in various dungeons, many referred to their era as a golden age.
In fact, just a year ago, Iris and Koroa had been breaking records left and right in a fierce rivalry—records that might not be surpassed for decades.
Among them:
—Iris's slaying of two powerful dragons.
—Koroa’s high number of stray-monster kills in a short time.
—Corvo, unlike the other two, hadn’t broken any records outright, but he had matched several achievements of past masters with only three party members, the smallest team in history. His excellence had spread throughout the nation.
Following them in notoriety were Ameisha and Ouro, whose skill levels were such that even among elite graduates of Larva Academy, few could rival them. In truth, the only adventurers here more infamous—or famous—than they were the notoriously troublesome Nada and Reaon.
“Quite the crowd watching us. So—shall we go?”
Corvo stepped forward, leading the other six.
His appearance was fitting for someone considered one of Inferno’s top adventurers.
He wore no armor, but a coat.
A long blue coat.
It was made from the tanned hide of a blue dragon—the stray monster Corvo was said to have slain. Its defensive capability and durability were among the finest in the academy.
His boots and gauntlets were brown leather—a different material from the coat, but likely crafted from the hide of another powerful monster.
And at his waist hung a jade-colored sword.
The same blade he had used when he cut down the dragon. His equipment was the best he could possibly prepare.
No one responded to Corvo’s question.
The six were too focused.
On the adventure ahead, on this deadly festival, they would each face alone.
Corvo had already completed the registration for all seven. All that remained was to enter the dungeon.
Corvo went in first. Shortly after, the other six entered Tohe’s dungeon—and immediately split up.
The crowd of adventurers cheered as their backs disappeared into the depths.
Yet no one else attempted to enter Tohe.
In the first place, Corvo had used his influence—and pressure from the academy’s side—to ensure that no other adventurers would be allowed to enter today.
◆◆◆
Tohe’s structure was simple.
Each floor contained twelve rooms. If one defeated the monsters inside a room, the door leading downward would open—such was the system.
Also, one could not enter a room that already had an adventurer inside.
And for each floor and each room, the monsters that appeared tended to follow certain patterns; they were not completely random. That much was common knowledge among adventurers.
Because of this, the adventurers participating in this “festival” had gathered information in advance—studying which floors and which rooms would allow them to reach their target room the quickest.
Of course, Corvo was no exception.
To win this “festival,” he had thoroughly gone over every piece of information publicly available on Tohe and combined it with his own past experience in the dungeon. He had already decided which rooms he would challenge.
Corvo descended the sterile white stairs.
The light came from vines along the walls, made of the same material as the stairs. In this dungeon, the vines spreading across the walls and floor emitted a glow, providing illumination to adventurers.
He had already parted from the other six.
Each had gone toward the rooms they specialized in—rooms they believed gave them the best chance of victory.
Corvo chose a room he had explored before. All of them were rooms he had already cleared in the past; he picked one whose monsters he not only knew in his head, but understood with his body.
Eventually, Corvo reached a doorway.
The white door had no handle, and when Corvo stood before it, it slowly opened. He stepped into the spacious chamber beyond.
—First floor.
The space, lit by vines spreading not only along the walls and floor but also the ceiling, held a single monster.
The first enemy in the room Corvo chose was a beginner favorite, known as an Empty Swordsman.
Its defining features were its gray plate mail and a sword of the same color. Parts of the blade were chipped, giving it poor cutting ability. Corvo had seen this monster countless times.
Inside the armor, the Empty Swordsman had no body—only a small Calvaon lodged within the helmet.
Killing it was easy.
Just sever the head from the torso. That alone caused the swordsman to fall apart and collapse.
Corvo walked casually toward the Empty Swordsman.
His sword was already drawn, the jade-colored blade held in his right hand.
Corvo didn’t even bother running.
He knew that once it noticed him, the Empty Swordsman would start running toward him.
From the depths of the helmet’s eye slit, a faint blue glow flashed—only in the right eye. Corvo knew that light well: it was the shine of the Calvaon that served as the monster’s core.
Then the Empty Swordsman charged toward him.
—Here it comes.
Corvo murmured.
The metallic clatter echoed through the room—heavy and dull.
The sluggish swordsman slowly raised its sword, preparing to bring it down. But in that instant—Corvo’s blade gleamed. He hadn’t even used an Ability; it was a plain, unaugmented sword strike.
A horizontal slash, perfectly aligned, cleanly severed the Empty Swordsman’s head.
Just like the countless times Corvo had seen before, the armor collapsed into pieces. From the fallen helmet rolled a small Calvaon.
Corvo did not bother picking it up.
Even if he took it, it would sell for next to nothing, and he had no intention of burdening himself with unnecessary weight for the long exploration ahead.
What mattered far more was the door that opened after the monster’s defeat—the one leading deeper.
Corvo hurried through it and found yet another staircase.
For his goal, Corvo descended once more—one step deeper into the dungeon.
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