Chapter 31: Facing the Beasts

It was a beautiful day. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and we…

“So, this is… a gate. It looks… different than I expected.”

“This is my first time seeing one in person, too.”

“I thought it would be dark and gloomy, since monsters come out of it, but it doesn’t look like that at all!”

“It’s actually quite beautiful, shimmering with a lovely purple light.”

…were on our way to see some ugly monsters.

Nell, Euru, Soine, and Miner accompanied me, standing on either side of me as we gazed at the gate, each offering their observations.

The gate, a perfect circle about three meters in diameter, hovered in mid-air, in the heart of a forest clearing. It shimmered with a pale purple light, its surface rippling like an amethyst, giving it an almost mystical quality. It was quite beautiful, despite the grotesque creatures that emerged from it.

Ahrin had seen me off as I headed to Class A.

The students gathered in their respective classrooms, then proceeded to the mountain adjacent to the academy. Our destination was a low-level gate located halfway up the mountain, nestled among the trees. It was said that the area had once been densely forested, but it had been cleared and leveled to facilitate the gate’s management, with a small outpost erected nearby.

According to established lore, outside of human-inhabited areas, in the monster-infested, miasma-rich regions, gates of varying levels appeared and disappeared by the dozens every day. They collided, consumed each other, expanded, and vanished, only to reappear elsewhere. Yet, the overall amount of miasma remained constant, keeping the number and level of gates relatively stable.

Occasionally, gates would also appear in miasma-poor, human-inhabited areas. These gates were usually of the lowest level, and the monsters that emerged from them were equally weak. Several decades ago, a gate had appeared near the academy. During the attempts to close it, someone proposed the idea of “gate management,” and since then, the Minorus Academy had been tasked with overseeing this particular gate, using it as a training ground for students to gain practical experience in combat and acclimate to the presence of magical beasts. It seemed like a convenient plot device, but… Sayoreinne wasn’t complaining.

“It’s… haah… bigger and more spacious… haah… than I expected.”

Having been told that the outpost was built on a leveled mountainside, Sayoreinne had envisioned a small, barrack-like structure, barely large enough to house the personnel responsible for managing the gate. The actual structure was far larger, easily capable of accommodating an entire grade level. ‘Why is it so big?’ There were no events in the game that involved staying overnight here. It seemed excessive for a facility managed by such a small staff.

“Alright, everyone, take a short break.”

The professors began conversing with the outpost staff, while the five of us settled down on a nearby bench. Euru, with her Reinforcement abilities, seemed unfazed by the climb. Nell, though not as robust as Euru, showed no signs of fatigue. Soine and Miner looked slightly winded but otherwise fine. …Sayoreinne, on the other hand, was dripping with sweat and struggling to catch her breath.

To be this exhausted after climbing a small mountain… Her lack of physical stamina was truly pathetic. People had always mocked her as a glass cannon, but she hadn’t realized just how fragile she was…

As she caught her breath,

“Sayoreinne, would you like some tea?”

“Ah! I brought some snacks. Here you go!”

Miner offered her tea, while Soine held out a plate of cookies.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

They offered the tea and cookies to Euru as well, then hesitantly extended them to Nell. Nell, after a moment’s hesitation, accepted with a bow. They were still a bit awkward around each other, but things were definitely improving. While Sayoreinne hoped they would become close friends soon, she knew it was best to take things slowly, for both Nell and the other two.

Munch

The slightly bitter tea and the plain, not-too-sweet cookies were surprisingly good.

Observing Sayoreinne as she finished her tea and let out a small sigh, Nell pulled out a handkerchief. She moved closer to Sayoreinne, placing a hand on her shoulder, her face close to Sayoreinne’s, and began gently wiping the sweat from Sayoreinne’s forehead.

“Nell? You’re… a little too close…”

As Sayoreinne looked up at Nell, flustered, she felt someone grab her leg and begin removing her shoe.

“Euru?! What are you doing?”

“You look exhausted. Just trying to help you relax.”

“No, it’s really not necessary…”

Ignoring Sayoreinne’s polite refusal, Euru removed her sock as well, her fingers pressing into the soft flesh of Sayoreinne’s sole.

“Haaa…”

It was slightly painful, but also incredibly soothing, the tension draining from her legs. But the relief was short-lived. Euru’s hand was moving upwards, from her sole to her ankle, then to her calf. While Sayoreinne was distracted by Euru, Nell had finished wiping her face and was now standing behind her, her arm lightly encircling Sayoreinne’s waist. However, Sayoreinne, her face burning crimson, was too preoccupied to notice.

“E-Euru! That’s high enough…”

The removal of her socks had been slightly embarrassing, and now she was worried about how her feet might smell. The heat in her cheeks intensified.

While she had initially enjoyed the soothing massage, the feeling of her leg muscles relaxing, Euru’s steadily advancing hand was becoming increasingly unnerving. As Euru’s fingers reached her knee, Sayoreinne grabbed her hand, stopping her.

Euru took Sayoreinne’s hand in both of hers, looked up at her with a playful smile, and said, “Of course, I wouldn’t go any further than this with everyone watching.”

That was a relief, but… did that mean she would have continued if they had been alone? Sayoreinne couldn’t bring herself to ask. ‘Is this normal behavior for girls?’ It was all a bit too much for her.

Sayoreinne briefly wondered if this level of intimacy was normal, even among girls, but quickly dismissed the thought. Having never been particularly close to anyone, male or female, she knew nothing about the social dynamics of female friendships.
Nell discreetly moved away, and Euru, releasing Sayoreinne’s hand, returned to her seat.

“Wow…! That was… amazing…!”

“Indeed. As expected of those three…”

Miner and Soine, who had been slightly sidelined, had been observing the entire exchange, their faces flushed. It was a whole new world for the two sheltered noble girls.

“Everyone, gather around!”

Just then, the professors called for the students to assemble. The anticipation of finally facing the magical beasts, of engaging in combat, sent a ripple of nervous excitement through the group.

A short while later, the professors brought out a series of cages, placing them before the students. Inside the cages were a variety of magical beasts: wolf-like creatures, ostrich-like avian monsters, amorphous blobs of pulsating, viscous ooze, and even plant-like creatures with grotesque tentacles and pulsating petals. All of them were low-level, pre-subdued creatures, the weakest of the weak.

They were small and their miasma was weak, but… their grotesque, unnatural appearance was unsettling.

‘Even the 2D concept art for some of these creatures was disturbing. Seeing them in person is even more unsettling.’

Glancing around, she saw some students averting their gaze, unable to look directly at the monsters, while others looked queasy, on the verge of vomiting. Sayoreinne wasn’t exactly enjoying the sight either, but it was more akin to the disgust she felt when looking at a cockroach.

The developers had wanted to create a Lovecraftian, sanity-eroding aesthetic, and she hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but… now she wondered why they had bothered. While there were plenty of normal-looking monsters at higher levels, there were also far more grotesque, terrifying, and disturbing creatures. The thought filled her with a sense of dread.

Curious about her friends’ reactions, she turned to look at them. Euru, as expected, was unfazed.

Nell also seemed unconcerned, her expression unchanged.

Soine and Miner were frowning, but they seemed to be holding up.

Nell and Euru’s reactions were unsurprising. They would need to face far more powerful and terrifying monsters in the future. She had been worried about Soine and Miner, but they seemed to be coping, which was a relief.

Bang!

One of the professors created a loud noise with magic, silencing the murmuring students.

“Alright, everyone! As you can see, these are the magical beasts you’ll be facing today. These are all low-level, very weak creatures. Most of you should be able to defeat them easily. However, I understand that many of you might find their grotesque and unnatural appearance unsettling. Every year, there are students who can’t even bear to look at them.”

He paused, then continued, “But you must overcome this aversion. As magical beasts grow stronger, they tend to become even more grotesque and terrifying. If you’re struggling with these creatures, imagine what will happen when you face…”

What followed was a predictable and clichéd speech about the importance of facing these creatures without fear, of becoming accustomed to their appearance for the sake of protecting their country and their families.

So, the purpose of this first practical exercise wasn’t to defeat the magical beasts, but to become desensitized to their presence, to endure the sight of their unsettling forms while focusing on defense…

“Now, I’ll call out your names! Please step forward!”

Though still far off, the sight of the monsters brought a sobering thought to mind.

This was just the beginning.