Chapter: 394
The day I received the message that my understanding and proficiency of the divine had increased, I could feel the effectiveness in my body, and immediately set to apply it in practice.
To me, becoming better at handling the divine means an increase not just in the performance of sacred magic, but a significant enhancement of my overall combat power.
I thought that if I managed this well, I might be able to deal a blow to Benedict. So, I used my friends and the knights of Alrn as my test subjects to adapt to the changes.
Despite my efforts, I still couldn’t quite breach the wall that was Benedict.
Ah, it’s so frustrating when I think back on it.
Isn’t that guy just a bit too childish?
Here I am, struggling to reach out to him, and he never once cut me any slack?
You’d think, at least out of pride for his daughter trying her hardest, he’d give me one chance to swing.
Putting aside the fact that Benedict acts immature, battling him has really helped me adapt to my newfound divinity.
When you’re doing your utmost just to survive, you naturally get used to it.
While I couldn’t feel it much during our sparring sessions, facing regular monsters instead of a monster like Benedict made me appreciate just how strong I’d become.
Blargh! Seeing the moment a monster burst open after being hit by my mace couldn’t help but make me chuckle.
The monsters coming out of this dungeon aren’t particularly strong, that’s true. This place relies more on overwhelming numbers rather than individual specs.
But don’t mistaken them for utterly pathetic. This place used to be a mid-level grinding spot, so they at least have some minimum strength.
In simpler terms, the reason these guys are getting so wrecked is that I’m just too powerful.
Blargh! After smashing one that was about to topple over behind me, I sent another one flying with my shield while I watched the others. The most noticeable was, of course, Frey.
She’s always loved a solo rush, but now it was amusing to see her diving into the mob of monsters with my permission and stirring things up.
Frey’s sword, now imbued with color, sliced through the air and took the head off one monster with every swing, which significantly reduced the number of monsters approaching me.
Arthur’s growth was pretty noticeable too.
Having been through rigorous training in the knight order, he now wielded his aura freely and could use magic naturally during close combat.
As I watched the refined version of the sword mage I had yearned for, Arthur suddenly yelled.
“Lucy Alrn! Is this really the time to be standing back and watching?!”
“Why? Are you having trouble on your own? Then, pleeease, do help me…”
“Damn it! Forget it! Just handle it yourself!”
…What a buzzkill. So annoying.
Fine. If you want to do it solo, then hold your own. I’m not helping out here.
Having silenced the taunts I usually threw around, I ignored Arthur’s complaints and turned my gaze towards Joy.
Her practical magic, having grasped the nuances from our sparring and structured during her training with the Alrn Knights, was clean enough to remind me of mages I saw on monitors.
Dealing efficiently with nearby enemies, keeping defensive magic ready for any sudden attacks, and stacking large spells to handle the swarms of monsters… Is that what the praise from the academy professors is about?
“Ahh!?”
Joy, handling an approaching monster, accidentally got hit by the leftover debris, which I tried hard to ignore. I turned my head toward the warm divinity one last time.
Having taken in the divine essence from the Lord, Phoebe had perfectly embodied it during our separation.
Thanks to the teachings from Johan, an authority in sacred magic, her skill compared favorably even to many renowned clerics of the time, aligning well with the word saintess.
Everyone has grown so much that they could really stand shoulder to shoulder with characters from the screens.
Normally, gathering this number of people at this stage wouldn’t be possible, but since I trained them all in a user-style manner, it’s not surprising.
What a troublesome situation. With all this, it looks like I’m the only one who falls short compared to my monitor counterparts.
“Everyone! Step back!”
Feeling either pride or a sense of futility, I was chuckling when Joy urgently raised her voice.
My friends immediately withdrew from the mass of monsters without a second thought, and Joy confirmed the opening before inserting her prepared spell into the horde.
Lightning, once considered a sign of the divine’s wrath, struck down within the dungeon and wiped out the monsters.
Hmmm. It took about an hour to break through one trap. Seeing the state of the kids now, they could probably push through one more trap, but that would be the limit.
After that, it’s time for a break.
Considering how Agra might attempt some nonsense shenanigans, that becomes even more important.
“Is that it…?”
As I pondered how I’d handle the next grind phase, Joy’s voice pulled up the corners of my mouth.
“…Young lady? Why do you look at me like that?”
“What’s wrong with my cute face? You brat?”
“Right now, you look so mischievous…”
Did I give it away that much? As I fiddled with my lips, I shrugged, letting Joy know my ominous feeling was spot on.
Originally, I had planned to take a short breather before heading on, but after hearing “Is that it?”, the urge for mischief surged up, and I couldn’t help it.
When someone says that phrase, I’m supposed to inform them it’s not over yet.
Right?
“I don’t wannaah!”
With Joy squealing, I loaded up the long grind plans and dashed toward the next trap.
*
After starting my grind in Leez territory for a week. Even while minimizing breaks, I hadn’t seen a single message from Agra.
He used to cause a ruckus every time I entered a dungeon, so why was he silent now?
Why doesn’t he show up when I’m ready to face all sorts of nonsense he throws at me? You cheat!
Why can’t he at least let me get some extra experience!?
Despite being a bit worked up and slandering Agra, he hadn’t once intervened in the dungeon.
That jerk. As an evil god, does he only pick fights when it’s to his advantage, no pride or honor at all?
Just wait. You’ll never win again in your life.
While it has been revealed that Agra is a petty and sneaky evil god with no guts, the leveling process went exceedingly smoothly.
Turns out, my friends had a surprisingly good stamina.
Maybe it was because they had been training with minimal sleep in the Alrn Knights, but despite all the grueling training, they didn’t seem to crumble.
Oh, Arthur did ask why we were doing this instead of just training at the Alrn Knights, saying it felt like we could have benefited more from that.
My reply was simple.
“Are you saying the poor prince is too dense to realize his own growth?”
Leveling isn’t something that’s outwardly visible, but this is one of the rules of this world.
So, by grinding to raise my levels sharply, I naturally get to realize my growth.
After hearing me out, Arthur realized he had grown stronger too, and after that, he didn’t voice any complaints about my methods.
Others felt the same way. Since improvements are visible with the pain they faced, where’s the reason to complain?
“Petty and sneaky little waste of space Agra. Just stay down there for eternity, whining away. Please.”
Slipping into the dungeon, I spat out my taunts right away, and when I met with silence, I clicked my tongue.
Seeing my antics, Grandpa remarked how I was probably the only one to treat an evil god like that, but he didn’t stop me.
*
Two weeks into grinding.
The eyes of the people in Leez territory towards us started becoming nuanced, but I didn’t care one bit.
The only thing on my mind was that the efficiency of my grind was deteriorating bit by bit. At this rate, I’d be lucky to hit level 90 before the second year starts!
Damn. If Agra had just dropped a few bonus stages along the way, my growth would’ve been much faster!
*
Three weeks and four days into grinding.
After spending twenty hours a day in the dungeon, I finally hit level 90 but hit a growth wall.
Despite grinding all day, my level didn’t budge.
While my friends were still finding it effective to grind in this location, stamina was becoming an issue.
After nearly a month of relentless efforts, everyone looked haggard, leaving even me, who usually swears by sheer willpower, worried they might collapse.
Maybe I should wrap up this grind. The second semester isn’t starting that soon, but it isn’t far off either.
As I contemplated, Alsetin arrived at the base next to the dungeon.
His face and voice perfectly altered, he chuckled at the sight of my friends’ conditions.
“I thought Burrow-sama had it tough, but this seems worse.”
“What’s the underachieving prince learning?”
“He’s being drilled on the basics of being an intel agent like I learned before. It seems the master is thinking of using him as an academy intel source?”
Hearing that they grow as they suffer, I couldn’t help but wish Jakal good luck.
Of all people, why did he have to land in Karia’s care? If he becomes a toy for that eccentric lady, he’ll be in for a tough time.
At this point, he might be wishing he’d stayed with the Alrn Knights instead.
“Seems he’s doing alright, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“I get that, but what are you doing here, Mr. Intel Seller?”
“I have information I must relay.”
The top of the paper Alsetin handed me was printed with the ominous words:
‘Plan to eradicate the evil god’s followers led by the Art Guild.’
Each word felt like a threat, making me blink hard, and Alsetin continued explaining.
“Last time we captured one of the evil god’s apostles, we obtained some information. Using it, the Art Guild has formed an eradicative plan, but due to the scope, they haven’t been able to implement it yet. They’re currently seeking support from various churches…”
As I regained my senses, I soaked in the written words.
So, the framework is to diminish the evil god’s forces across the continent based on the intel from Naklad.
While I read through the notes, I felt a sense of déjà vu and immediately re-read them from the top.
Then I was sure. This event was the same one I recognized.
“Mr. Intel Seller. Where’s the perverted apostle that jerk is up to?”
“He’s staying with the guild. There’s much to discuss.”
“What about the pathetic giant over there?”
“Same. I’ve heard Naklad is also locked underground by the guild.”
…
Aaaah! What the hell! I was dead set on avoiding the Art Guild at all costs!
That means I have to go there now!
I can’t just sit back and let those idiots walk right into a trap!
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