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"Guegh?!"

"Kugh-?!"

Golems and demon wors.h.i.+pers, the two groups clashed. A fierce battle of destroying and killing broke out throughout the great temple. It was meaningless to hope for mercy and forgiveness from the heartless golems, but the demon wors.h.i.+pers didn't have the words peace and retreat in their dictionary.

The graduates embroiled into the mess didn't go unharmed either; after all, the disparity in standard was much too great. The watchmen guarding the deepest regions of the festival were ridiculously powerful, but the heroes that were imprisoned in those depths were even more monstrous than them. It wasn't a place for the likes of the graduates to fit in—they were swept away like dust.

"Wh-what on earth is-… Uargh?!"

"Big Bro?! Kyagh-?!"

While I did feel like I heard the voices of Virgin A and his girlfriend, it was all just a trick of the mind.

I didn't stand around idling during this time either.

Ting!

I had attempted to drink some potions like Boss K, reaching out a hand towards one of the gla.s.s bottles, but I failed. My hand failed to make contact, blocked by something formless.

"… A crime prevention system, is it."

It seemed there was a certain restriction placed on those not natives of this world. Since it was said that everything would be retrieved after the festival, aside from event rewards, it wasn't a situation I couldn't completely understand.

Then what about Saintess H?

"Rice Cake, do you think you can collect the event rewards?"

"I'll try, Master."

There was no longer any need to hide or hesitate, and so we reverted to using the t.i.tle and manner of speech that we had in that pitch-dark garden.

Ludicrous: Calling the festival mascot as Rice Cake…

'Why? I think it suits her.'

But as Miss Trainee Teacher was highly against it, the address of Rice Cake was abandoned.

In any case…

"I don't think I can do it either."

Saintess H had reached out towards an item on display nearby, and like how it was with me, she failed to touch it as a repelling phenomenon occurred.

Only the K father and daughter could freely touch the rewards.

"Can't be helped if it's not possible."

I ordered the K pair to go shopping in the treasure storehouse. What would be the point of just leaving them there?

"Gulp."

"Gulp."

The myriad kinds of Skill increasing potions that were prepared by the teaching staff for the festival's progress disappeared into the bellies of Boss K and Elf K. With this, hundreds of events would be sc.r.a.pped due to the absence of rewards.

Lament: Looks like the festival this year is completely over.

'Miss Trainee Teacher, there's something I'm curious about.'

Ears Perked: About what?

'Where are all the teachers?'

While it wasn't my place to say this, the Hero Festival looked on the brink of a break down. Wouldn't it be normal for them, the teachers, to show themselves to get things under control or punish me whatever the method? Yet not even a glimpse of them could be seen.

It's the education policy. While it is possible to make adjustments at the starting stage, like how another student was paired with Student Kang Han Soo, it's strictly forbidden for the teaching staff to interfere in the middle of things, and that goes the same for the festival.

In short, the teaching staff had to suck on their thumbs watching no matter what kind of emergency occurred.

This was, at the same time, good and regrettable news for me.

"Pity. I was thinking of sticking a pole into Professor Morals if I saw him."

But this wasn't bad either; if the teachers who possessed absolute authority didn't meddle in, then there would be as less unexpected variables. It would be safe to interpret that the strongest force the teaching staff had prepared was the 3,141 units of golems.

If so, there was nothing to fear.

The demon wors.h.i.+pers under me drove forward like a tidal wave.

Crash, Crunch!

The st.u.r.dy golems were destroy row after row. While they undoubtedly possessed superior performance, their Skill sets and combat style were fixed like ma.s.s produced models. On the other hand, the demon wors.h.i.+pers had clear unique characteristics, and had abundant battle experience that lived up to their past as heroes. As long as they got the hang of defeating them, the golems were nothing at all.

"Kugh?!"

"Kyauh?!"

But even so, the losses among the demon wors.h.i.+pers wasn't small. There were clear signs that this battle would end in mutual destruction should it continue at this rate, but I still had an ultimate card yet to be played.

"Resurrect them all."

"Yes, Master. Ahh~?"

Saintess H put her hands together and began to sing a wordless song.

This was wasn't a hymn for the Fantasy G.o.d. Like a canary bird, she sang a beautiful melody towards the sky, and immediately following that…

Flash-!

A divine ring of light began to spread from Saintess H.

Having stopped singing her sweet melody, she then shouted, "Rise! My warriors!"

And a miracle took place.

"Kuohh!"

"Is this resurrection…!"

"Waah!"

The demon wors.h.i.+pers who had been laying on the cold earth shot to their feet as one. Their loss in Level varied according to the state their corpses had been in, but there was meaning in that they could fight again.

Boom! Crunch!

The last golem was destroyed.

There was no way to deal with the numerical superiority of the demon wors.h.i.+pers, who were endlessly recycled through Saintess H's special ability—the defeat of the great temple's side was decided from the start.

This was the moment the core facility of the Hero Festival, the great temple, fell within my grasp.

"My followers! Arm yourselves with the treasures of the great temple!"

The real game would start from here on.

"Yes, O King."

"Ohh! Thank you!"

The demon wors.h.i.+pers fell under the category of fantasy world natives, which was why they could freely take the great temple's treasures like the K father and daughter could. While the potions were already cleared out by the K pair, there still remained many of weapons and armors, accessories and so on.

Clink, Clank.

The rewards which were supposed to have been given the winners of the big event were provided to the demon wors.h.i.+pers, free of charge—their performance and quality had no room for doubts. It was like having given wings to the demon wors.h.i.+pers, who were already strong enough as they were. These former heroes had come to possess even greater power than before.

And this wasn't the end of it.

"Ahh~?"

Saintess H sang a hymn from behind them, and the Saintess' blessing was granted unto all the demon wors.h.i.+pers who followed me. As a blessing that only the Hero's party could receive, its effect was guaranteed to be good.

Even stronger! Even st.u.r.dier! Even faster!

The might of the demon wors.h.i.+pers multiplied by folds.

Pale-white: It's the birth of a really terrifying combination…

'Miss Trainee Teacher, just being strong is the best thing.'

The aura surrounding the demon wors.h.i.+pers was utterly fear-inspiring, having become fully armed and received Saintess H's blessing.

They marched towards the outside of the great temple—to kill all the Heroes that came into sight.

"Uargh?!"

"R-run away?!"

The demon wors.h.i.+pers weren't homicidal maniacs; they were former heroes. While not all of them were the same, the common root cause of them changing sides or converting to demon wors.h.i.+pers lay in 'disappointing Heroes'.

And Heroes there were, as far as the eye could see. The graduates' Job was no longer Hero, but their colorful and distinctive fas.h.i.+on, which contrasted with that of the natives, made it so they stood out wherever they went.

"Punishment to the hypocrites!"

"Die! You s.e.x-loving tras.h.!.+"

"Repent by my iron mace!"

The demon wors.h.i.+pers lit a fire in their eyes and proceeded to kill the graduates. They showed no mercy even if the other party looked virtuous or pretty.

A ma.s.sacre without exception!

They were all cleaned up without even having to step in myself.

"You wicked demon wors.h.i.+pers! Take my swor—Gueh?!"

"I won't forgive you by the power of love and justic—Kyagh?!"

Although there were some graduates who thought it some manner of event and attempted to bravely fight back, it was a futile struggle.

Of course, had they at least had Holy Sword 1 in their possession, the battle would have turned out largely different; its ultimate move which drew on the power of friends.h.i.+p was just that powerful. They didn't have that Holy Sword 1, however; right now it was a pure fight of Status.

▷Race: Arch-Human

▷Level: 845

▷Job: Warrior(Battle→Stamina↑)

▷Skills: Stamina(A) Interpretation(A) Military Arts(B) Endurance(C) Agility(C)…

▷Condition: Courage, Fighting Spirit

This was the Status of a fellow who was the master of some guild. Perhaps even such soybean-level individuals were considered strong on Earth? There were many henchmen and pretty things following him.

"The demon wors.h.i.+pers are coming!"

"Don't retreat, but fight!"

"Maintain the defensive formation!"

The demon wors.h.i.+pers, fearless down to the last one, plunged towards the jam packed formation of all the guild members including their master—like frenzied, enraged wolves!

▷Race: Dark Human

▷Level: 999+

▷Job: Champion(Crisis→Fighting Skill↑)

▷Skills: Dark Energy(SS) Fighting Skill(S) Stamina(S) Martial Arts(S) Agility(A)…

▷Condition: Blessing, Divine Protection, Doping, Empowerment, Enhancement

The guild and its members were blown away in a refres.h.i.+ng manner, like dust before wind. A guild made up of dozens of members was ma.s.sacred within an instant—a fight wasn't even established in the first place.

"Their Status is outrageous! Run!"

"The enemy has guys as strong as top-level demons all over the place?!"

"We can win if we join streng—Gueh?!"

"I, I give up!"

This sort of situation was playing out here and there across Start City. According to Pa.s.serby 56's explanation, there were many famous guilds that had set up a guild office in this city, which was the most bustling location in the festival continent.

But it was futile even when these guilds joined their strength; a gathering of dust couldn't turn into a boulder. The disparity in fighting power was much too overwhelming.

"I give!"

"I wanna give up! I give!"

"I give up too!"

It wasn't the time to be twittering about love and friends.h.i.+p. The graduates, who didn't want to be horrifically murdered by the demon wors.h.i.+pers, shouted their surrender row after row and left the festival.

"Hah! And they call them Heroes."

A burst of wry laughter escaped my lips despite myself at the sight. So my graduation was put on hold because I fell behind the likes of those schmucks? The back of my neck began to ache.

Melancholy: I wonder where things had begun to go wrong?

'Huhu! Miss Trainee Teacher, lay back and enjoy it. A festival's just a festival, right?'

▷Fretful: Please enjoy a festival like one should! It is said that trying to satisfy your desire through possessions is like trying to put out flame with a straw! Student Kang Han Soo, it is not too late to stop this horrible slaughterfest now!

'Oh! It's been a while, Professor Morals.'

▷Skip: Save the greetings for later! One who covets everything is said to lose everything. This is not the right way. Ruin lies ahead of arrogance, and destruction lies ahead of a proud mind. There is no benefit to be had for you by wrecking everyone's festival.

'Your lecturing is very awesome like Saintess H's a.s.s!'

Just hearing it caused my stress to build up.

I couldn't agree with his claim of my wrecking the festival, however; I was merely enjoying it like the other graduates. The fault lay in that weak bunch.

"I can't play with them since they're not on the same level~?"

While I went on a leisurely stroll humming to myself, the demon wors.h.i.+pers who had dealt away with all the graduates present in Start City dispersed in every direction—to kill even more Heroes!

Of course, even they weren't invincible. The number of demon wors.h.i.+pers who were vanquished under the graduates' cowardly power of friends.h.i.+p wasn't few, and some of them had picked fights with powerful event heroes, ending up defeated.

Nevertheless, I wasn't concerned by this. The great temple's demon wors.h.i.+pers… my relations.h.i.+p with them was a trivial one where I called them by the numbers 1 to 514. It wouldn't matter to me even if they were to be entirely wiped out. I would only feel grat.i.tude if they took care of one more graduate to lessen my work.

▷Despair: The festival I poured my heart and soul into…

Professor Morals' preaching gradually died down; he seemed to have become exhausted by himself.

Had he gone away?

Peek: Yes, he's gone. Whew! Senior's always strict no matter when. Student Kang Han Soo, while it hasn't been confirmed yet, I think my a.s.signment as your teacher in charge will be extended. If that happens, then I hope for your cooperation in the 6th Playthrough as well!

6th Playthrough, huh…

I sighed first thing upon hearing Miss Trainee Teacher's words.

Encourage: Cheer up! You'll be able to easily complete your education if you steadily go through it all with me. I do feel uneasy due to the rumors saying the education process will be revised, but I'm sure I'm just imagining it!

'I really hope that's how it is!'

"Sir Hero! Sir Hero! Take a look at the sky!"

Having involuntarily looked upwards at Elf K making a fuss as she pulled at my sleeve, I was able to witness a rare scene.

"Could that possibly be…?"

It was a gigantic flying lizard of jet-black scales. There was something like a bridle and a silver leash being worn on its long neck, the end of which was being tightly held onto by dozens of angels.

The likes of angels didn't matter at all—the problem was the dragon they had dragged over.

"Chaoooo~!"

A yearning melody reverberated in the world, as the earth shook and sky fell silent at the supreme aura and majesty of a dragon.

I knew well the owner of this roar.

"Oblivion Dragon King Noebius…!"

It seemed that a Five Disaster was also mobilized for the festival.

▷Race: Chaos Dragon

▷Level: 999+

▷Job: Supreme Ruler(Conquest→Battle Spirit↑)

▷Skills: Chaos(SS) Destruction(SS) Oblivion(SS) Battle Spirit(S) Deadly Venom(S)…

▷Condition: Bridled

But it wasn't the 'bus driver' that I knew. The one before me was far smaller in size compared to the Oblivion Dragon King that was dying back then, and its Skill ranks were on the lower side overall. Perhaps it should be called a young Oblivion Dragon King? Nevertheless, there wasn't much difference between the time in the aspect of danger, as the young dragon king wasn't farsighted due to old age and had an extremely high accuracy.

"Noebius, let the iron hammer of punishment fall upon the filthy earth!"

Having received the order of the angel that looked haughty like a commander-in-chief, the Oblivion Dragon King opened its maw wide, and spewed out pitch-black air.

"Chaoooo…!"

The young dragon king's venomous breath descended upon the earth.

Pwwrfs.h.!.+

The venom didn't discriminate demon wors.h.i.+per, graduate nor native. After pouring down from the sky like a waterfall onto the ground, it became a great black flood and washed away everything in the area.

"Ku-kuugh…!"

"Deadly venom…!"

"I, I can't bre…!"

The entire place was turned into a land of death within an instant. Horrifying corpses that were either turned coal-black from being poisoned or melted down lay everywhere.

"Are the two of you alright?'

"Yes."

"I give you my thanks."

Saintess H was fine as she possessed Immortal(SSS), and the K father and daughter who were protected by her divine protection were also able to come out of it safe.

The rest, however, were completely eliminated.

"Guh…"

"How regrettable…"

The demon wors.h.i.+pers who I had gone to such lengths to reform were also wiped out. As the state of their poisoned corpses was too bad, they couldn't be recycled even with Saintess H's Resurrection. The early exit of the muppets who were supposed to help me in the ma.s.sacre event was a bone-aching loss.

"Really now…"

The timing was simply too marvelous. Was a teaching staff the one behind the angels who had lead over the young Oblivion Dragon King?

Firm: No.

'Uh, Miss Trainee Teacher? Don't you usually hear people saying that you can't take a hint?'

That sinister Professor Morals had to be the one behind this!

s.h.i.+ng-

I summoned forth Holy Sword 2.

But it was then that…

"Chaooo…?"

The movements of the Oblivion Dragon King, pitch-black venomous breath held in its wide-open maw, unbelievably came to a pause.

The dragon's eyes were fixed on Holy Sword 2.

"Noebius, what is the matter? Quickly serve them punishment!"

"Chaoo."

The jet-black dragon didn't budge even at the command of the angel tugging at its leash and making noise—its murky eyes only continued to gaze at Holy Sword 2.

"Hooh…?"

I abruptly recalled then the plot bait Demon King Pedonar had thrown at me. Show Holy Sword 2 to the Oblivion Dragon King, was it?

An unexpected event suddenly occurred.

Saint→(Chaos=↑)

Hunnyb.u.t.tachips: A huge thanks to the two folks(names omitted due to privacy) who donated. It was a great and happy surprise waking up to see that alert on gmail, truly, and encouraged me to keep at it with my all.

As an aside, I am very glad that quite a few readers at Kobato are showing favorable responses regarding this novel, as I also find the story enjoyable myself.

PR/N : There is an ill.u.s.tration page for some of the characters, be sure to take a look !

(Saintess H's picture was added)

Translator : Hunnyb.u.t.tachips

Editor : Fujimaru