The Academy’s Barbarian
Chapter 30: Isolation (2)

Finding the path wasn't too difficult. Excluding the area where the water was rising, there was only one passage. Ulan continued walking steadily, using the torch to dispel the darkness.

After a while—

"Huh?"

—Sylphie let out a surprised gasp.

She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes scanning the floor and walls.

"The path is different now."

"Different?"

"Just a while ago, the path was uneven, but from here on, it's well-paved, almost as if someone deliberately paved it."

Sylphie was right.

The path ahead was much smoother and easier to walk on compared to the path they had taken so far; the surface of the walls also gradually became smoother as they walked.

As they continued walking while observing the changing path, the group stopped again.

"It's blocked."

There was no path ahead anymore.

What looked like a lump of iron was blocking the way. That's when Ibella, who was examining the surroundings, spotted something and shouted, "It looks like there's something written here."

Ulan and Sylphie stepped closer.

Indeed, there were strange-looking characters written there. The problem was that these were unfamiliar characters they had never seen before.

"Can you read it?"

"Sorry, I've never seen these characters before."

While Ibella awkwardly chuckled, Sylphie's eyes widened suddenly, "Ah! This is the language of the ancient desert kingdom."

"The desert kingdom? Does that mean it's the language of the Heretics?"

"From a modern point of view, yes."

"How can you read the language of the Heretics?"

Did you recognize it at first glance?

Just as he was about to ask, Sylphie's response, which she had anticipated, came ahead of his question, "When I was young, I had the opportunity to travel with my parents and learn many different languages. So, I can read it to some extent."

"What does it say?"

"Ahem! Let me read it."

After a light cough, Sylphie slowly started interpreting the characters.

"Hark, thou unchosen Hero. Thy spirit is far too stout to falter in the face of dismay. Confront this trial and unveil thy true worth. Shouldst thou succeed, thou shalt be bestowed the strength and wisdom to fight the Abyss."

It was a perfect interpretation, even for Ulan.

"It sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

"Ahaha, that’s true."

Ibella's chuckle was met with Sylphie's agreement, as she smiled. However, Ulan didn't join in. He recognized a word that caught his attention.

"Trial."

He had initially felt that this place was similar to the Trial of a Warrior, and it seemed like that wasn't a misconception.

As Ulan's gaze deepened...

"Oh, there's something else written here."

…they found another set of characters.

"Can you read that too?"

"Of course."

Since it was the same language.

Sylphie began interpreting again.

"Behold, this is the Trial of a Hero. O thou who hath readied thyself. Open the door and confront the Trial. Yet, only those endowed with requisite qualifications may unbar the door."

The Trial of a Hero? Not the Trial of a Warrior?

Ulan scratched his head.

He had never heard of the Trial of a Hero in his previous life.

"Ah, so this is the door."

Ibella, meanwhile, tapped the iron blocking the path. She took a deep breath and, putting all her strength into it, tried to push the door open.

"Hmph!"

Shivering arms and legs; all her strength focused on her arms and palms, causing her face to turn red within moments.

Despite her efforts, the door didn't budge.

The iron gate refused to budge.

Ibella took a deep breath and wrinkled her forehead, trying her best.

"Ugh, it's not working. I can't even make it budge."

Let's take a break, and then we'll all do it together – Ibella was about to suggest that. But she didn't have to.

Clang! Squeak!

The iron door, which had shown no signs of moving earlier, suddenly made a loud noise and began to open. It was Ulan who did it. Ibella stared at him, dumbfounded.

".......How did you do it?"

"I just pushed it."

With a little more force than usual.

At the nonchalant answer, Sylphie smiled awkwardly and said, "The minimum qualifications probably refer to having at least the minimum strength."

With a mumbled comment, the group resumed moving.

The path beyond the iron door was much better maintained than the one they had walked so far; though it was still dusty due to long years of neglect.

"Wow, it looks just like an ancient ruin!"

"It seems like you're really excited."

"Yeah! I never imagined there would be ruins like this near the Fountain of Magic."

Her eyes glittered like stars. Given that she was studying ancient history, her excitement was probably due to seeing ruins.

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, Ulan blocked her path, "Stop."

"What? Why all of a sudden...?"

"There was a noise up ahead."

As soon as he finished answering….

…Ibella and Sylphie clamped their mouths shut. Then, after a few moments, they did indeed hear something.

Ssskk! Ssskk!

Like a snake slithering across the floor.

Or maybe it sounded like old clothes being dragged across the floor. A sense of tension filled the air, and Ulan's face turned serious.

Soon, the source of the sound became apparent.

"What, human?!"

Like Sylphie's astonished cry, the figure that emerged from the darkness was indeed a human. A dwarf dressed in tattered robes, resembling a beggar. However, Ulan's thoughts differed.

"Wrong. He's not human."

"Huh? But..."

Sylphie was about to say something when Ulan abruptly stomped on the ground. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and sent the opponent's head flying.

Thud! Splat!

The sound of tearing dry husk accompanied it

The head, having said goodbye to the body, rolled like a ball. The two girls looked bewildered at this sudden attack.

"Ul, Ulan?!

"What are you doing all of a sudden……."

"Calm down and look at him."

Ulan calmly pointed at his opponent.

And at that moment, the body that had fallen to the ground wriggled as if it were still alive.

Squelch! Squelch!

The body moved with eerie sounds.

Even the head, which had been blown into the corner, moved like a living creature. Ulan cast a cold glare and muttered, "If it were a human, it would have stopped moving when its head was severed."

".........."

You're confirming it like this?

Ibella and Sylphie closed their mouths; their mouths were sealed by the crude and ignorant method of distinction.

"In our tribe, we have a saying."

Whether they knew it or not—

—Ulan continued.

"If you're not sure whether it's a human or a monster, just destroy the head. Then your dilemma will be solved."

Perhaps it meant to say, ‘if you have a choice, make a decisive decision without hesitation’. However, the way Ulan said it made it sound different.

After an awkward moment…

…Ibella pointed to the floor.

"Rather than that, what's this?"

A body writhing on the ground, stepped on by Ulan. He immediately responded, "This is an Immortal."

"An Immortal?"

"They're called Undead. Zombies, skeletons, have you ever heard of them? They're common in deserts and jungles."

"Oh, I've never left the Imperial Territory."

Ibella laughed awkwardly.

Ulan, on the other hand, looked puzzled.

Because the one who informed Ulan about Undead creatures was none other than the past life's Ibella.

‘That means……’

It must have been after she graduated from the Academy. Ulan nodded in understanding.

And then…

A gasp came out of nowhere.

"That, that's Undead?!"

"Yeah. Do you know about the Undead?"

"Yes, I read about them in a book. It said that to kill an Undead you need a holy weapon, or a weapon coated with holy water, or a weapon with silver on it……."

Sylphie's voice trailed off.

Ssskk! Ssskk!

The sound she had heard earlier echoed again.

This time, the figures that appeared were identical to the Undead that Ulan had dispatched earlier.

This time, there were quite a few of them. There were more than twenty of them in the immediate area, and this time they were carrying rusty swords.

"What are we going to do?!" Sylphie shouted in panic.

Ibella, too, bit her lip tightly, "Is there any other way to deal with them?"

"I'm afraid not, as far as I know……."

"There is."

That's when Ulan interrupted.

He gripped his axe and his eyes flashed, "Carve them until they stop moving. Most of the Undead lose their combat ability that way.

"…..Huh?" Sylphie asked, dumbfounded.

Ulan lurched forward in a flash.

Then, like a wolf charging a flock of sheep, he swung his axe with ferocity.

Thud! Squelch! Crack!

Flesh tore and bones broke.

The head split in two, and the body crumpled like a deflated balloon. Ulan swung his axe with a crazed energy.

And the result?

The enemy was reduced to dust in an instant.

Poof!

The head of the last remaining Undead was crushed under Ulan's foot and turned into a mess. He nonchalantly gathered the remains on the ground and spoke in a casual tone.

"That is another way to get rid of the Undead."

"Well, that's..."

Sounds like a method only you could use – Sylphie stifled the urge to say so.

Meanwhile, when the battle was over, Ibella suddenly started rummaging through the remains of the Undead.

"Hey, Ibella, what are you doing?"

"Trying to find a sword."

"Ah, isn't that a bit of a stretch?"

"Yeah, but it's better than no weapon at all, right?"

Well, it is.

Besides, there was no guarantee that more of these monsters wouldn't appear. So, after grabbing whatever usable equipment they could find...

"Then let's keep moving forward."

Ulan and the others resumed walking.

Toward the depths of the ruins.

━━━◇◆◇━━━

Meanwhile, at that moment, Noah had barely stopped crying.

The situation was already like spilled water. She decided to regain her composure and accept reality like an adult.

As the gloomy feeling faded away, she recalled the information about the hidden event.

‘This event is called the Trial of a Hero.’

This event was a hidden quest for Named characters who couldn't challenge the Trial of a Warrior.

One could wonder why?

By completing this trial, they could gain significant power and rewards, even if they are not warriors;

Or they could even awaken their latent potential.

Regardless, it was a rewarding event.

‘The difficulty level is easier than the Trial of the Warrior.’

{How come the Trial of a Hero is easier than the Trial of a Warrior.}

To put it plainly, it was about one level lower.

Furthermore, Ulan, who had already passed the Trial of a Warrior, was with them, so it shouldn't pose too much of a challenge.

'And maybe…….'

Those who pass the trial might bring back rewards. If that were to happen, it would be a great situation for Noah.

However, there was one issue.

‘Three Ordeals.’

The Trial of the Hero had ‘Ordeals.’

In the game, these were mini-games of sorts that required three characters to complete.

‘The walkthrough said that each person has their own set of ordeals.’

It didn't say what those ordeals were, but it did say that a minimum strength was required, so it was probably combat-related.

‘At least Ulan and Ibella are fine.’

There was no need to worry about Ulan, and Ibella had a reasonable amount of strength as well.

The problem was the ashen-haired girl who was swept up with them.

'Since I don't recognize her, or remember her name, she's probably an insignificant extra.’

Please, let her be a Mage.

That would make things easier.

While she silently wished for that, a familiar voice tapped her ear, "Looks like you've finally calmed down."

Professor Miel had approached unnoticed.

Remembering her mistake from earlier, Noah bowed her head and apologized, "......I'm sorry for showing such a pathetic sight."

"It's alright. It's only natural to act in such a way when your friends disappear right before your eyes. Don't worry about it," Miel's gentle response came.

Then it dawned on her.

Professor Miel was the Instructor of Class-3. Surely he would know what course the ashen-haired girl was majoring in.

"Uh, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Um, what is it?"

"I was wondering which field of study the ash-haired girl was enrolled in among the three missing students."

"Hmm, if it's the ashen-haired one, her name is Sylphie. She enrolled in General Studies, in case you didn't know."

"What, General Studies?"

"Yep. She's aiming for Ancient History."

As soon as Professor Miel finished speaking.

Noah smiled, as if she'd been liberated.

‘Good luck. Hidden event.’

She felt a brief moment of anticipation and happiness. With clear dew forming at the corners of her eyes, Noah clasped her hands together.

Now that the rewards would be fine, she prayed for the safe return of Ulan and the group.

━━━◇◆◇━━━

After a considerable amount of time had passed, both Ibella and Sylphie showed signs of exhaustion on their faces and for good reason: they had walked endless corridors and fought five battles.

On the other hand, Ulan was still in good shape. Having gone through the Trial of a Warrior for ten days, this felt more like a leisurely stroll for him.

How long had they been walking? They reached yet another dead end.

"This is……."

A massive chamber that could accommodate hundreds of people.

The group surveyed their surroundings cautiously, searching for clues. And once again, there it was – text written in the language of the Desert Kingdom.

Sylphie deciphered the text, her face displaying a surprised expression as she read it.

"The three Heroes who challenge the trial."

After reading this far, Sylphie exclaimed with a bewildered expression, "How did they know there were three of us?"

"Isn't it just a coincidence?"

"But it's too…..much for coincidence."

"Anyway, let's read the rest and think about it."

At Ibella's suggestion, Sylphie nodded her head.

She continued deciphering the text.

"If you wish to face the final trial beyond this point, first overcome three Ordeals. Prove your knowledge, battle, and talent."

"Ordeals, huh..."

"Then we must prepare to fight."

Ulan grabbed his axe.

But Sylphie shook her head.

"No, I think this is a bit different this time."

"Different? In what way?"

"Look here, there are three words. When translated in order, they mean 'Knowledge,' 'Battle,' and 'Talent.'"

Knowledge. Battle. Talent.

The same number as the number of Ordeals; it was as if they were themes that symbolized each Ordeal.

"So we each choose one?"

"Well, I guess that's probably it."

"Then Sylphie should take Knowledge, and me and Ibella can take Battle and Talent, respectively," Ulan proposed a solution.

Ibella, meanwhile, was taken aback.

"Me, you want me to be in charge of talent?"

"Yes, because you are talented in swordsmanship."

Ulan’s expression was serious.

Facing that earnest gaze, Ibella closed her mouth. She wanted to protest, to say that it wasn't quite to that extent, but she couldn't bring herself to utter the words.

'...How can I say that when I see those eyes?'

Eyes full of conviction and faith.

Ulan was the only one who had shown such expectations for her. Not wanting to betray his expectations, Ibella put on a brave face and answered, "Okay, then I'll leave the Battle to you."

"Okay. Leave it to me," Ulan laughed ferociously.

It was a smile brimming with fighting spirit.

"Anyway, now that we've each chosen our Ordeals, let's figure out how to make our choices….."

As Sylphie calmly continued, her words suddenly stopped.

She didn't stop mid-sentence, but her voice was abruptly cut off.

And then another one.

The presence of the group disappeared. Not just Sylphie, but Ibella's presence as well. Only now did Ulan sense that something had changed.

"This is..."

This was not the room he had been in. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

He was now in a much narrower and darker space. It felt like he had been summoned to an entirely different location. Just as Ulan was about to survey his surroundings.

Swoosh!

An unearthly flame burst forth; a flame that gnawed at the darkness and burned. It seemed to come alive, carving some sort of character into the air.

'Those are definitely...'

The same characters he had just seen; the very same characters that Sylphie had pointed to and interpreted just before they came here.

So he jogged his memory.

And some time later—

—he realized what they meant.

【First Ordeal: Knowledge】

Ulan furrowed his brow.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .)

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