Healing Life After Leaving the Hero’s Party – Episode 5
Meteor Strike
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
I watched the scene before me with a satisfied face.
I hadn’t said a word, yet they were yielding on their own.
For someone like me, who wanted to quickly get a trait here and leave, it was something to be immensely grateful for.
“What do you think, Sir Rian?”
Ryudo asked me with an extremely kind gaze.
Setting aside the fact that I was grateful for the concession.
His unpleasantness was unavoidable.
It was all a polite act.
The Tower of Challenge, where records on each floor are updated in real time.
Usually, it was normal to hope that the party ahead would fail.
The reason was simple.
Because if they did well afterward, they could stand out relative to those waiting, not to mention the records.
Ryudo was hoping I would shit myself and be ruined.
Only then would his own party stand out, and he could appeal to Seria and Mint.
“Of course, I’m grateful.”
Even though Ryudo’s inner thoughts were plainly obvious.
I nodded brightly, pretending not to know.
“Khk.”
As Finan behind them laughed, Seria and Mint covered their mouths too.
Laugh all you want.
To me, who had gained freedom just yesterday, such mockery couldn’t deal any damage whatsoever.
Inside my head, there was only a string of places I planned to go after the Tower of Challenge.
“Oh…?”
Had he wanted to see me flustered?
Ryudo, wearing an expression of surprise, turned around.
“Everyone! Sir Rian here says he’ll climb the Tower of Challenge alone with a single rusty iron sword! How about we all yield to him?”
At Ryudo’s loud shout.
The parties in front all turned their heads at once.
Their faces seemed to ask what in the world a rusty iron sword and going solo meant.
“Really?! Who is it?”
“No way…? Pfft!”
The people who looked puzzled, then found me, burst into laughter.
“You’ll die like that! Even if the demonic beasts on the 1st floor are weak, it won’t be easy.”
I won’t die, bastards.
I wasn’t recklessly going in just trusting Meteor Strike.
Because this was the Tower of Challenge I had climbed countless times before turning back time.
I knew perfectly what appeared on each floor and how to catch them.
I had already decided exactly how high I would climb before coming back down.
“That sounds fun, sure!”
“We’ll yield too!”
“If Sir Ryudo says so, we will too!”
The waiting parties rose one by one.
They were names I had never heard before.
At least in this place, Ryudo and Finan seemed to be quite famous.
So that’s why they were clinging to them.
Seria and Mint were giggling incessantly with eyes that seemed to say, “Go ahead and die trying.”
“Now, Sir Rian! You’re first in line now!”
As the people in front all cleared the way.
[As people’s gazes gather, Olympus also begins to watch you.]
A message floated before my eyes.
Usually, they wouldn’t pay attention to the Tower of Challenge.
But as gazes gathered, it seemed even the Constellations felt interested.
“Sir Rian? You’re not saying you won’t climb now, are you?”
I turned my gaze, momentarily captivated by the message, toward Ryudo.
“Oh my, how could I not climb when you’ve gone to such trouble? Thank you so much.”
Bowing my head to Ryudo, pretending to be polite.
“Then I’ll go up first.”
I moved my steps toward the Tower of Challenge’s entrance.
* * *
[You have entered the Tower of Challenge, 1st Floor!]
[The Constellations look at you with surprised eyes!]
[The Constellation of Greed, Saturn, says, ‘He came in alone with that rusty iron sword? He’s gonna die!’]
How dare he…?
I had heard there were various Constellations in Olympus—evil and good, greed and selflessness, among others.
The one who just spoke was Saturn, the Constellation of Greed.
He seemed like a truly evil bastard just from the name.
[The Constellations say, ‘It’s too dangerous! Go back!’]
[‘Leave him! He wants to die,’ Saturn giggles.]
Leaving behind the Constellations chattering and laughing among themselves.
I took out the iron sword I had hurriedly bought.
With just this, I could probably reach the 3rd floor.
Up to the 3rd floor was easy as long as you knew the strategy.
Even if Meteor Strike was weaker than expected due to my low stats, I planned to quickly climb to the 3rd floor and try to acquire at least a low-grade trait.
Well then, first of all.
With a pounding heart, I cast the spell.
[Meteor Strike]
Whoooom…!
A complex magic formula began to be drawn before my eyes.
Oh shit.
Just looking at it made my eyes go wide; purely in terms of spectacle, it was the most excellent formula I had ever seen.
Though thanks to my pathetic magic stats, it was being drawn extremely slowly.
[Casting Meteor Strike.]
[Due to low Intelligence and Mana Perception, it will take time to complete the spell and secure the necessary mana.]
*
[Strength: CC]
[Agility: CC]
[Intelligence: C]
[Mana Perception: C]
*
I looked at the simplified status window after changing class to Magic Swordsman.
Intelligence, which amplifies magic casting speed and power.
And Mana Perception, which lets you feel mana and gather the required amount.
Right now, both of these were low, so it was taking time to complete the magic.
I wondered what would come out.
The drawn magic circle was flashy, but its size itself wasn’t large.
At best, it seemed like a rock about the size of my head would fall.
The range was small, but since it was Mythic grade, it was gotta be insanely strong, right?
I planned to roughly gauge its power and then use it in actual combat.
Hmm, then should I hunt a few in advance while waiting for the spell to finish?
Thud.
“Grr…?”
As I took a few steps.
The demonic beasts huddled together turned their heads.
Their eyes seemed to ask if this was their first time seeing someone enter alone, or what that thing was.
Aged Werewolf.
That was the name of the demonic beast glaring at me now.
It was a demonic beast with slow movements and dull claws befitting its name.
Unless I tripped and fell, there was no way I’d get hurt.
Alright then, time to hunt.
Ding.
The moment I tried to leap in with the rusty iron sword.
[Unable to gather the mana required for the spell due to low Mana Perception.]
[Complete completion of Meteor Strike is impossible.]
[You can cast Meteor Strike in an incomplete state. Will you cast it?]
Was I too shameless?
A Mythic magic with C-rank Mana Perception.
I thought that maybe I had gone too far.
Well, I had no choice but to use this much at least.
“Cast it.”
[Mythic magic requires the caster to shout the magic name.]
Ah.
I swept my gaze around the empty tower.
Even though there was no one watching, for some reason my face felt hot.
Hoo.
After taking a deep breath.
Looking at the werewolves who were still puzzled.
“Meteor Strike!!”
I shouted in a loud voice.
“…….”
“…….”
A heavy silence befell the 1st floor of the Tower of Challenge.
Both me, who had shouted the magic name, and the werewolves in front.
It felt like question marks were floating above all of our heads.
What the fuck.
There was no change at all.
Even though it was incomplete, I had thought something would come out of the drawn magic circle.
I wondered if I had looked down on my trash-like low stats too much.
Did I become a Magic Swordsman for nothing!
I had thought I could get by with the Transcendent’s Box.
I was bewildered by the magic that showed no reaction at all.
Should I have just gone with Fireball instead!?
It was a situation where Fireball, which could be completed even with low stats, might have been better.
“Grrr!”
As the werewolves began to approach, seemingly saying they wouldn’t wait any longer.
I raised the iron sword I was holding.
I might be bewildered, but what could I do?
I had to reach the 3rd floor first.
Rumble…!
Huh?
The moment I tried to charge at the werewolves.
A booming sound reached my ears.
It was a sound like the sky was splitting.
Whoosh.
I turned my head toward the open tower window.
What.
When I entered the tower, it had definitely been bright daytime.
But outside visible through the window was extremely dark.
[The Constellations wonder, ‘Why is it dark? Is it night already?’]
[They are curious if a night-creating skill was used.]
The Constellations’ field of view wasn’t infinite either.
Looking down from diagonally above the head of the person they wanted to watch—
That was the entirety of a Constellation’s field of view.
I-I don’t know either.
Meteor Strike.
Just from the name, I had felt like a fireball would come crashing down.
Why was it becoming night?
“G-grr…?”
The werewolves also seemed to sense an ominous aura.
They had stopped approaching and were looking around.
I needed to see.
To see why it had suddenly gotten dark.
Rumble rumble!!
I moved my steps to the window to find the cause of the sound.
“Just what…”
I stuck my head out the haphazardly open window and looked up at the sky.
“Where is that sound coming fr… Hoooo?!”
My mouth instinctively opened.
The sky had become as dark as if night had fallen, just like the surroundings.
Something was falling from one side of that sky.
…?
When I focused, an outline began to appear.
A round stone blazing red, surrounded by intense flames.
…Scratch that, not a stone.
It wasn’t that huge.
But a meteorite about the size used for a war catapult was falling at tremendous speed.
And where the meteorite was heading, there was no need to even guess.
It was here.
F-fuck.
A stream of cold sweat trickled down.
It was only natural.
Because it was the result of the magic I had used.
A real meteorite?
I swallowed dryly.
I had thought it would be strong because it was Mythic magic.
But my Intelligence and Mana Perception were at rock bottom.
Yet a meteorite was falling from the sky.
It was something that far exceeded my initial expectation.
Staggering.
As I slowly backed away.
Hwaaaaah…!
At the scorching heat felt on my face.
“Kiyaaaaaaack!!”
I began running toward the entrance, screaming.
Patapatapapapap!!
* * *
Olympus, where the Constellations gather.
# KWA-AAAAAAA!
Watching the meteorite falling from the darkened sky.
All the Constellations had their mouths open.
—Kihkih! He’s going to climb the tower with just that kind of sword? Puhahaha!!
It was Saturn, who had been gleefully mocking him just moments ago.
“…….”
Now, he couldn’t say a word.
It was natural, in a way.
Because the scene unfolding before their eyes now was surreal even from the standpoint of countless Constellations.
“I-is a meteorite falling right now…?”
Saturn said, stuttering.
A magic that drops a meteorite from the sky.
They had never heard of or seen such a thing.
“What… what grade of magic is that…?”
A Constellation on the other side opened his mouth, but.
There was no one who could answer that question.
From the beginning, the highest grade the Constellations knew was Legendary.
The highest grade they could bestow upon the Hero they had chosen was also Legendary.
Drip.
A stream of cold sweat trickled down Iliya’s forehead, full of bewilderment.
‘Why…’
Filling Iliya’s head was a different question.
Even before the question of what grade of magic that was.
‘He’s not a Priest……?’