Chapter 26: Those Who Chase the Light, Those Who Dwell in the Darkness

This is a story from the past.

On sunny summer days, my dad often took me and Mitsuru outside. It was mid-July, the time when high school baseball tournaments were held nationwide.

To be honest, I didn’t particularly enjoy that season. Being dragged out in the scorching sun to watch people I didn’t know compete in a sport I didn’t understand felt like a confusing event.

“Back in the day, I was in the baseball club too…”

Dad would say, with a towel around his neck and wearing a beige cap that didn’t suit him.

“How do you think you can win when your opponent is stronger than you?”

Mitsuru seemed not to grasp the question’s meaning, looking puzzled. So, it was me who answered.

“If they’re stronger, you can’t win.”
“No, you’re wrong. That’s not it, Itsuki.”

Dad placed his hands on my and Mitsuru’s heads, then gazed towards the field.

The slightly raised mound area of the dirt field, where the pitcher threw. Strike. Out. Cheers spread through the venue.

“In a match, the one who doesn’t lose wins.”

I wonder how much of that scene Mitsuru remembers.

I’ve never asked him, as it feels awkward to talk about old times. Among me, Nina, and Mitsuru, there’s a tacit understanding to avoid the topic of our parents.

Yet, somehow, I had a feeling.

“Big bro, I want to play baseball.”
“Then, why don’t we go buy some equipment together after my next job? A glove, a bat, and do you need shoes too?”

“They’re called spikes. A senior who’s retiring said he’d give me practice clothes, and a friend’s parent offered to drive us to practice games.”
“Got it. Then there’s no problem.”

I placed a reassuring hand on Mitsuru’s head and smiled confidently.

“You thought it through yourself and talked to everyone properly. That’s commendable.”
“Then don’t treat me like a kid.”

“I’m treating you like my brother. Mitsuru, you’ll always be my little brother.”

Under my right hand, Mitsuru pursed his lips in slight annoyance before letting out a small laugh.

“Big Bro, don’t overdo it.”
“Thanks.”

◇

Night enveloped the city.

At the park in front of the station, Haruka and Yuko sat down on a bench under the clock. The season made the chill of the canned drink they held in their hands feel pleasant. Popping the pull tab, they took a sip, feeling the slight carbonation go down.

The electronic billboard on the station building, people in suits heading towards the ticket gates, the bars filling up.

“Hey, Haruka. Since you were at the reception, why is the reward for defeating the Undead King so low?”
“You really want to know?”

“It doesn’t matter, but isn’t 6 million yen a bit insufficient for defeating such a troublesome monster?”
“That’s exactly why.”

Haruka replied with a composed expression.

“One reason is that the collected items aren’t very valuable. Another is that once the Undead King is defeated, the third layer becomes significantly safer.”
“Making things safer is a good thing, right?”

“From the organization’s perspective, they’re worried that fewer adventurers will venture below after that. The materials they really need collected are below the fourth layer.”

An adventurer’s income skyrockets once they pass the “Polar Night Spirit Path.” They can earn over a million in one exploration, leading to a more affluent lifestyle than regular employment. That’s the level adventurers aim for, which the organization prefers too.

But if the “Polar Night Spirit Path” becomes safe… Adventurers who are content with a modest lifestyle might choose to stay there. That’s the concern.

“What a ridiculous reason. Prioritizing money over lives.”

Yuko sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. Though frustrated, she also understood.
No matter how idealistic one might seem, society doesn’t prioritize each individual life.

Restaurants, convenience stores, small office businesses… Countless people toil away, earning meager sums that seem disproportionate to the life they exhaust. There’s no way adventurers can escape that logic either.

“The world is crap, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. But that’s just how it is. It’s been 20 years since adventuring became a profession. It stands to reason the era of adventurer favoritism would end.”

“…You’re quite mature, Haruka.”
“Hey, Yuko. Instead of that kind of stuff, let’s think about what we have to do from tomorrow on.”

“You’re right.”

Yuko shrugged, regretting bringing up such a heavy topic.

Placing her can beside her, Haruka stretched her arms wide.

“Nnn— I’m so nervous!”

In the last exploration, they finalized the strategy to take down the Undead King.
With the condition to retreat immediately if the situation seemed unfavorable, they decided to go for the kill in the next exploration.

Yuko watched the passing train enter the platform while rocking the can between her knees.

“I can’t believe we’re moving this quickly. I didn’t expect progress to be so fast.”
“It was just the two of us at the start, after all.”

“If Haruka hadn’t joined us, we might have been looking for more members now.”

As Itsuki had pointed out, the absence of a long-range specialist was a significant handicap.

They debated whether to search for additional members or wait for Itsuki’s growth. Given the progress, waiting for growth seemed a viable option.

In three months, or at least within half a year, he would likely reach a level capable of completing Area 5. At that point, defeating the Undead King solo would also be plausible.

However, his talent was not limited to magic alone.
Now Yuko understood what Haruka meant when she said, “It’s beyond what I can measure.”

“Do you think we can win?”
“Who knows. But apparently, he has a goal of ‘not getting injured beyond a week’s recovery.'”

“A specific goal, huh? Hehe… a week of recovery, what kind of injury would that be?”
“Just a scratch, right?”

“Then we have to be careful when fighting.”
“Yeah.”

Thinking about being careful wasn’t something Yuko would have done a little while ago.
Back then, she seriously considered sacrificing herself if it meant defeating the Undead King.

Yuko stood up from the bench, and Haruka followed suit.
To get through the night, the two of them began to walk.

◇

After two days of final adjustments, we set off to subjugate the Undead King.
Leaving the large backpacks behind, we carried only essential treatment tools, food, and water in our pouches.

I’ve gotten used to crossing the gate with both hands tied.

I deployed “Marine Snow,” Kirishima-san determined our current location, and Shiraishi-san scouted the surroundings. With our roles divided, we prepared for departure.

“Let’s go.”

At Kirishima-san’s words, we started moving.

Our destination was the “Mausoleum Palace”—the Undead King’s habitat. To get there, we needed to locate a small gateway somewhere along the “Polar Night Spirit Path.”

Searching for a gate within the dim, monotonous landscape and memorizing the route there. Just the thought of it was enough to feel daunting.

Most adventurers who attempted to subjugate the Undead King failed to find the gateway and gave up. There’s a reason why the despised, shunned, and detested Undead King persists today.

After about an hour of walking, Kirishima-san slowed her pace. We were likely getting close.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything gate-like at first glance.”
“They’re hidden behind rocks and such.”

“Like river fish?”
“It’s the Undead King. Look, you see those rocks over there? Move them aside, and it’ll appear.”

“Not crayfish?”
“It’s the Undead King.”

“A gloomy creature, huh? I suppose that’s typical for a wraith.”

A cheerful one would feel out of place.

Kirishima-san wedged the handle of her naginata between the rock and the ground, using leverage to move the rock.

In the space where there should have been ground, a swirling darkness lay. Unlike the gates we usually used, it exuded an ominous aura that cast a heavy feeling just by looking at it.

I set aside the pouch, making myself as light as possible.

Kirishima-san activated the [Magical Armor – Kagutsuchi] and I expanded the range of [Marine Snow].

Once transported, combat would begin at that very moment.
A electrifying tension weighed heavily on our hearts.

“…Are you ready?”
“…Yeah.”

Kirishima-san gripped her naginata tightly, and Shiraishi-san did the same with her staff.

I… I had nothing to hold on to.

“Aren’t you two forgetting something important?”

Standing in the middle, I extended my right hand to Kirishima-san and my left hand to Shiraishi-san.

To ensure our transfer location wouldn’t shift even by accident.

“Right. I nearly forgot.”
“Thanks, Isshiki-kun.”

We stood before the gate, holding hands. Their hands felt cold in mine. Feeling each other’s tension steeled my courage.

“Let’s go.”

I took the first step.
The other two followed.

The scenery went pitch black.
Deep darkness. We were flung forward, sliding through the warm mud.

Blue flames, cold stone pavements, scattered debris. Under a starless night sky, an ominous structure—a vast space right in the middle—is where we landed.

From the stairs ahead, a massive figure slowly emerged.

A scythe, likely two meters long, held by a figure whose skull’s eye sockets were lit with black flames. The fabric wrapping its entire body radiated potent magic, unlike that of the wraiths.

Unique Entity: Undead King

The moment its full form came into view, a purple light shot forth.

“[Lightning Flash]!”

A strike signaling the start of the battle. The Undead King coolly deflected it with its scythe, then swung down in ready posture. Already in motion, Kirishima-san aimed directly at it.

The Undead King’s scythe has a similar nature to a curse. It separates the spirit from the body, a spell that causes instant death.

Being struck by that would mean the end. However, its movements weren’t that fast. Compared to the Red Walker, much slower. Therefore, visible. Manageable.

I aimed with my left hand. With its indistinct form, I targeted the base of the scythe…

“[Freeze]”

Ice crystals formed in the air, slowing the scythe’s swing. Kirishima-san leaped in and raised her naginata. The swirling flames sheathed it in flickering shadows, lifting a massive pillar of fire.

“[Mystic Fire Slash]!”

She brought it down in one fell swoop.
Striking the Undead King’s magical resistance from above, its massive frame staggered.

The Mystic Fire—a magic developed in China specifically to destroy the undead.

“I’ll be the one to kill you.”

Kirishima-san closed in. Her blade poised to reach the Undead King once more—

Her naginata sliced through empty air.

“Haruka!”

The Undead King instantly repositioned behind Shiraishi-san, raising its scythe.

Teleportation.

One of the magics wielded by the Undead King. Had we not known, it would have been over at this point.

But we had Kirishima-san.
Among the information she gathered, this was included.

And I stood between the two of them, prepared to respond to this scenario.

“Whom do you think you’re pointing that blade at?”

Surpassing Shiraishi-san, I grabbed the Undead King’s face.

Teleportation cannot be used consecutively.
Thus, this strike would assuredly land.

“[Frostbite]”

An icy blade sent the Undead King flying—no, the impact was light.
Deliberately blown away to nullify the damage, resisting with its magical defense. Little harm was dealt.

The Undead King raised its left arm. In its empty hand, a sinister flame ignited.

“[…Raza…to…ruga]”

The magic triggered behind the three of us was countered immediately upon activation. All that remained were snowflakes.
The effects of [Razatoruga] enforced instant curse activation. Evasion was impossible. After casting, the frequency of curse occurrence skyrocketed.

And that was all. It had no impact on us.

The black flames in its eyes locked onto me with intensified vigor.

Through mana, we discerned each other’s thoughts. Malice. Killing intent. An untainted flow of pure, absolute malice.

I suppose I must be odd.
This is a life-threatening crisis. The nemesis of my benefactors.
Yet, in this instant, I feel my heart quickening.

Hot enough to melt the magical ice, my heart throbbed.

“Both of you, get behind me.”

Locking eyes with the Undead King, I communicated through mana, brimming with lethal intent.

“[Ba…ru…go…dea]”

Debris levitated, swirling around the Undead King—a tornado that spelled instant death upon contact.

And I deprived it of firepower.
—70% of total mana. I commanded the mana I could influence.

No holding back.