RATH 17

TL: Eevee

Mildly urgent assistance needed: See bottom TL notes for details.

3. And so the story begins. (1)

#1 Their story: The future hero’s struggles.

Hell returned at the tenth trial.

“Uwahahaha, is this the limits of your strength! If you’re my juniors you should get stronger!”

“Fufu, to think you could only amount to this much at just 50% of our power.”

“To think that there’s such a pathetic brat like you among the instructor’s disciples, shame on you!”

“That’s right, look at this No.1000. A perfect specimen of the instructor’s disciples! A great example of the biological truth that bitches beget bitches!”

Because of the instructor’s ex-disciple rushing in all of a sudden I heard and understood that these are a fusion of doppelgangers and homunculi, and were more or less golems that imitated our previous generation’s seniors.

Even that their strength was at least 50% weaker than the originals, and that only the memories were copied so that we couldn’t suddenly expect a jump in skills.

But. They were still strong. And the most important thing was.

“Do you have no shame fighting three on seven?!”

“Hahaha, if future villains would be ashamed of just that, then that would be something to be ashamed about!”

“Did you not hear from the instructor? The first strike is crucial. Tunnels are truth. If you’d been learning for at least two years in then you’d understand this.”

“If you are angry, resent your cohorts’ talents that only three of you passed.”

We’re too short on numbers.

We are three. Compared to us, they have seven. Their skills are tough enough to begin with, but we’re short on numbers as well.

The archdevil that No.17 summoned was sealed and left crying in a corner in just two seconds.

That giant body was nothing more than a sandbag that breathed fire and got beaten.

I always wondered why those evil and strong devils couldn’t conquer the world that humans like us were the main strength of, but he was an bodily example of just why that was.

“We wouldn’t know since we haven’t even been a year!”

Signature move, Sky Slash!

The single strike that came with focusing all my mana onto a single point, the instructor told me that when complete, although he didn’t know about the sky, it could definitely split clouds.

Although I don’t really know if it’s true, it’s currently my strongest move that could even dice an archdevil.

“Sky Slash? He really is a just first year.”

“It is if he doesn’t know there’s a counter for that. Heaven’s Return(回天)”

And it was returned so easily.

“H, how?!”

“Moron. Did you think that that instructor would teach someone a technique without a counter?”

“Plus your sword path is too linear, too upright. Did you actually expect us to get hit by that?”

“He’s still a first year. We took us two years to learn this. Idiot. Ah, now that I think about it these kids are dangerous. We weren’t even here in our first year.”

“That’s true. They are dangerous.”

“”””So let’s step on them here.””””

“Damnnn.. iiit!”

“No.1, you blabbermouth!”

With two people’s shouts the intensity of the attacks rose.

Is this really just 50% power? I feel like it’s a lie but considering the power of the two seniors we’ve seen in person the conclusion is that it’s not a lie.

Although one used a weird weapon, she made me unable to even resist, and the other took down the three of us handily. And before that they all have issues with their personalities.

If they were normal, they should help teach their juniors to help them grow, not crush them because they were better!

“What, you’re just trying to kill us now, aren’t you?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You won’t die. Hm.. probably.”

“What the heck’s the probably!”

The swords, spears, magic, all followed different paths than they did previously.

Meaning each and every one of their strikes were being aimed at my critical points. Especially.

“Do you have no shame as a woman!”

“The instructor told me that this place was the most critical so it doesn’t matter!”

That Intelligence vice-director! This person was a devil even in the old days!

Unlike the others she only aims at one place. And only! Me!

“Why are you only targeting me!”

“Ha, what an obvious question? It’s because only men have those bits!”

“S, stop! Kuk?”

The moment I blocked the twelve magic shots aimed at my genitals, someone else struck my side.

“Hm, until you give up on that area, your defeat is certain.”

“You crazy bastard, Sia that lunatic bitch is aiming for only that area, do you think you could?”

“I can’t. Mm. To be honest aiming for that place even though the instructor is a man, same as us, is he even human?”

“Ha, this little shit. You’re asking for common sense. Does he look like a person to you? Not even devils could stand up to the instructor?”

Really, it looks like these assholes have truly absorbed the instructor’s teachings.

How is it that like master like disciple, neither stop to talk when they’re beating someone up?

Wasn’t it agreed on that no one touched the hero or the demon king during a conversation? When you look at the stories not even when they have the world on the line they don’t hit each other when they’re talking, but these assholes hit people really damn well.

“That thingy. That thingy. That thingy.”

“Stop it you crazy bitch!”

“Oi kid, be grateful. Normally she charges in with peOOO, it took us a lot of struggles and hardship to get her to change it.”

“Yeah. She used to come running at us muttering that to the point where we had to wonder is this sexual harassment? Is this a mental attack? It was awful. To be honest it was shameful as hell.”

“The instructor probably taught her that knowing all this. To the point that even we were shocked despite the fact we went through all sorts of shit under the instructor. But it was effective, wasn’t it?”

“Shut up and stop hitting me!”

My whole body hurts. It hurts. But it’s even harder mentally.

Did they use ghosts that died because they couldn’t talk or something, they keep on chattering away.

It can’t end like this. I need to either retreat or see this through to the end. And I chose the latter.

“Take this for si.. kuuk!”

“that thiinngyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

“..God of hell Helena, many children are headed for your embrace, please send them to a better place.”

“Great goddess of light Sermir, may your brilliance give hope to these poor souls.”

In my whitening vision, I saw the male figures making a holy sign and praying, and that marked the end of my memories of the first attempt at the tenth trial.

And after we replayed this scene a few more times afterwards.

We improved.

“Thingy!”

“Th, this evil god’s apostle!”

“Kurk, as expected of the instructor’s disciple!”

Pathetic screames echoed.

In a month.

We learned a lot of things.

Like No.1000 who learned to target just the enemies genitals.

“Selfdestruct, Surtr.”

“This damn owwnneeeeeeerrr!”

No.17, who strapped all sorts of explosives to the archdevil who annihilated a world as a reusable suicide bomber.

“You crazy bitch, snap out of it!”

“You crazy bitch, where the hell are you aiming friendly fire at!”

“Die for me!”

Or me who sneaked into the instructor’s room and made a deal with the Intelligence vice-director with the instructor’s clothes that I snuck out and turned that 7:3 fight to a 6:4.

“You little shit!”

“What a splendid complement, thank you, senior.”

To be honest I deserved to be acknowledged for that.

I nearly died twice just trying to get clothes from his room.

The instructor’s room was filled with a similar number of traps as there were in here.

Open the drawers and a hidden dagger fired from the ceiling, poisoned tacks on the wardrobe handle, and you could hear something calling “open the door..” “I’m bored..” from the safe in the corner.

The instructor’s room was filled with so many traps to the extent that I wondered if I was actually in a trial room under illusion magic.

When a black notebook suddenly caught fire when I opened the drawer I wondered what would happen if the instructor found out, but to overcome the current trial I stole away a few of the instructor’s clothes.

“Kughh.. To think we would be defeated..”

“But we.. Are instructor Naruan’s worst disciples!”

“Even stronger disciples than us will be waiting..”

“Not, you morons. It’s embarrassing enough we got creamed by our juniors, what kind of retarded four heavenly king play are you acting out now.”

And just over a month we passed through the tenth gate, we came face to face with a new hardship.

“It’s dangerous.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, a rest stop.”

“””Like hell that would be a thing.”””

We imagined all sorts of different things.

Maybe that well that was apparently safe to drink was actually laced with poison, that soft bed was filled not with cotton but poisonous insects, that heater was actually made with dangerous materials to set the entire room on fire the moment it was turned on.

A week later, after checking everything we were certain.

“You fooled us, instructor!”

“..It was a trap.”

“He was trying to interfere with us resting peacefully.”

There was nothing. Like it said on the sigh, it was a room of rest.

Damn it! I can imagine the instructor’s face laughing at our preparations for anything that could happen, even as far as setting up night watches!

And so, after a short rest, we went and came across an absolutely ridiculous trial.

“Die for me! Surtr!”

-Issue a proper command for once you dumbass bitch owner!

“How the hell are we supposed to dodge this!”

“We might die?”

Starting from the magic bombing form the sky, the arrows and spears flying at us from all sides! And in front of us a rock that was even bigger than Surtr was rolling our way!

“Magic formation behind us!”

“Damn it, aren’t there any more slaves to be our shields?”

“We do!”

-Kuhahaha. I am hell’s devil Baron.. Uwuk!

No.1000 instantly grabbed the white-clothed devil that emerged from the magic formation behind us and tossed him above us.

-These, these puny humaaaaannnnnns

And the nameless devil baron that was sent flying was hit by countless magic shots and was desummoned.

-S, Sir Pekel?! Kuhuk!

“Nice No.1000!”

And I grabbed the devil that revealed the name of the baron devil as Sir Pekel, yet would be unable to reveal his own name, into the space where daggers were flying out of.

-Kuweeeek!

I think we’ve got the hang of this.

-You accursed assholes! Kuhuk!

-Oh demon god, on these creatures more stubborn than angels and more evil than devils, curse theeeeemmm!

-Shut up! At least you guys are done here, I still have moreaaaaeaeaaaa!

And faster than we expected, in slightly less than a month, thanks to the devils and archdevil(lol) we used as shields, we could safely pass the twelfth trial.

“..That’s the end.”

“Will it?”

“Knowing the instructor I said there were twelve doors but there’s actually a thirteenth. Would be something he could say.”

“””That’s more than possible.”””

At the final door which marked the end of the twelfth trial, we swallowed and stopped our hands that were about to push the door open.

No.1000 was right. He’d said this was the twelfth trial, he didn’t say that there would only be twelve trials.

“But still.. we can only go forward.”

“We can go back though?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

We hesitated for around an hour.

Finally, we opened the door and went out. And what greeted us was bright sunlight and.

“That was quick. Congratulations, my juniors.”

The senior that had greeted us with an incredible vigor, the human called Rein.

And unlike the easygoing laugh that I saw on him previously, the smile he wore now had a fearsome air emanating about it.

“And, bye bye.”

“Dodge!”

Golden hair scattered in the wind, and the brightly smiling face was one that was handsome even if a man looked at it. But with one hand he was waving at us and with the other he held the thing called the bat.

Pang!

“Kuhut?!”

At my sudden shout No.1000 dodged, but No.17 couldn’t exhibit the same reflexes as we could. No, before that she probably reflexively set up a magic barrier.

But the moment the bat hit the magic barrier, the magic barrier vanished as if it had never existed in that space.

“Haaht? Urk? Wai, wait! It hurts!”

And began the bat attack. The bat began to land everywhere on No.17’s body, and after she let the first strike through, all No.17 could do was whimper.

“Uht? Sa, save.. Hnnn?”

“Haha, you’re not going to die so rest assured!”

No.17 who was looking at me and No.1000 with desperate eyes and the ex-senpai who smirked down on No.17. Alright, in that case.

“Run!”

“Eh?”

“Hauuht? Kuk? Uut? He, help m..Aaah!”

Sorry. But you didn’t stop the instructor when he was hitting me either. No, on the contrary when the instructor was hitting me on autopilot you weren’t even looking at me as I fainted.

This is all your comeuppance! But I’ll remember your sacrifice!

“Did you really think you could run?”

I ran like hell towards the light of the cave entrance, but between me and No.1000 and the sparkling light, the ex-senior person appeared.

“This is already my realm!”

“Damn it, he predrew the magic formation!”

Kang!

“Uuht? Why. Why does it hurt!”

Even at my shouts all he did was lift the bat to attack again.

In response to the bat being swung her way No.1000 instantly brought out two daggers to counterattack but the moment the knives and bat met, No.1000’s condition began to deteriorate very quickly.

“Uuht? What? It hurth? Why?”

No.1000 who had barely managed to stay standing on shaking legs had no choice but to let her knees drop to the ground.

“It hurts? No! Urrk? S, stop!”

It was the first time I heard No.1000’s voice this weak and frail, not even when she failed to eat breakfast was her state this bad.

“Right, now you’re the last one.”

“Urk?!”

In the end I pulled out my sword and poured in as much mana as possible. But not even No.1000’s sharp sword ki could so much as scratch the bat. Could I actually win?

“Were you thinking you could actually win by any chance?”

“Urk?!”

“Hahaha, come at me, brat!”

In in exactly four strikes I started screaming on the ground, and like this, we could only scream and howl in pain with a feeling of utter helplessness that none of the twelve trials could inflict on us.