NOVEL NEXT Chapter 138
138. Pretty Amazing, Right?
Luca, wielding a longsword, stood facing a massive lizard monster.
Two King Lizards had already fallen—only one remained.
“From the little movement I’ve seen so far, I can tell. This King Lizard’s power and speed are on a whole other level.”
The atmosphere around Luca was different.
Just looking at her back filled me with a profound sense of reassurance.
With Luca here, we’d win this fight—that much I was sure of.
“Haruto, you all step back. I’ll handle this.”
There was no need to ask if she’d be okay alone.
If Luca said she’d do it, that meant she had the confidence to pull it off.
“Got it.”
Trusting her, I focused intensely, ready to use my skills at any moment to back her up if needed.
“Light Twin Annihilation Form—[Lightning Form].”
Luca shed her armor, leaving only her undergarments, as her longsword shifted into twin swords.
At the same time, her body became light itself.
By channeling Force Greed, her speed surged explosively, bringing her movements close to sub-light speed.
Luca turned into a flash of light and charged the King Lizard.
Breath attacks, claws, and its tail all lashed out at her in rapid succession.
“[Blazing Form].”
Luca quickly morphed the twin swords into a greatsword, deflecting the attacks with glowing red slashes.
This time, she seemed to be prioritizing sheer power to match the King Lizard’s brute strength.
From then on, Luca continued to shift her [Force Greed] between twin-sword and greatsword modes, completely overwhelming the King Lizard.
Grrrrruuuuaaaaaarrrrgh!
Luca left streaks of light in her wake, her strikes glowing red. The monster let out a frustrated roar.
It raised a giant axe high into the air.
“In battle, letting anger take over and losing your composure is the worst move. You’re wide open.”
The voice echoed.
From the King Lizard’s neck—
as if she had melted out of thin air—stood a tan-skinned dancer.
“──Elze-Style Assassination Technique, [Stealth Step: Dragon Flash Breath].”
It was Sarome who spoke calmly.
The wind rustled her long purple hair.
“No one can catch me when I’ve erased my presence. Goodbye, lizard.”
With a cold voice, Sarome brought her knife down.
A spray of blue blood erupted as the King Lizard collapsed.
With a light, graceful movement, Sarome touched down on the ground.
It was as if she had wings, moving so effortlessly.
“Sorry for stealing your kill, Luca. I just wanted to test the results of my training, too.”
She, too, seemed different from before.
Had she learned some new techniques?
The move she used earlier resembled the one she showed against Demon General Gyrasvrim—
a technique to erase her presence before attacking.
“You’re both getting stronger.”
“We trained hard for this.”
Luca blushed as she spoke.
“To fight… by your side.”
Wait, was she embarrassed?
“Me too, me too. Hehe, pretty amazing, right?”
Sarome, back to her usual tone, grinned and clung to my arm.
Her soft chest pressed firmly against me.
“Ah! Don’t cling to Haruto just because of the commotion!”
“Then why don’t you cling to him too, Lilith?”
Sarome laughed smugly as Lilith shouted.
“Ugh… t-then I will!”
Wait, there’s no need for competition here, is there?
Before I could say anything, Lilith gave a small “Hmph!” and clung to my other arm, opposite Sarome.
Now this side was also being pressed by something soft and springy.
W-well… this is nice…!
Being squished between the chests of two beautiful girls, I felt like I might melt completely.
“…You’re acting so mushy.”
For some reason, Luca furrowed her brows.
“…So, so mushy.”
Alice, too, furrowed her brows for some reason.
Together with Lilith, Alice, Luca, and Sarome, I arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters.
As expected of the headquarters that oversees all other guilds, the building was far grander than any of the branches.
Even the royal capital’s guild branch was impressive, but this was on another level.
It was likely far more majestic, massive, and expensive than some country’s royal castle.
“What a building…”
“This is my first time seeing it.”
“Mine too~.”
Lilith, Alice, and I were all equally overwhelmed.
“I’ve been here a few times! The food in the cafeteria on the first floor is super delicious!”
Sarome explained excitedly.
“We have to eat there later.”
“You’re drooling, Sarome.”
“Ehehe… oops… slurp.”
At Luca’s remark, Sarome wiped her mouth.
──The vast hall was already filled with dozens of adventurers.
“I’ve heard this is the largest-scale quest they’ve ever done.”
“Yeah, I heard nearly twenty Rank-S adventurers are coming.”
“Apparently, even the legendary Rank-S ‘Top Three’ are here…”
The adventurers murmured among themselves.
“If Rank-A adventurers were invited too… does that mean Ivy or Dalton might show up?”
Ivy was a feisty female warrior who was like a younger sister to Luca.
Dalton was the examiner during my guild admission test.
Both of them were strong Rank-A adventurers.
“Ivy declined since she’s on a quest in a distant country. Dalton is also too busy with admissions and quests in Adonis, so he turned it down.”
Luca explained.
“So neither of them will be here.”
“With this many strong people around, any quest will be fine.”
Sarome said nonchalantly.
“Strong people… huh.”
True, the adventurers around us all looked incredibly capable.
And more were still arriving.
This was my first time being part of such a massive group—for such a large-scale quest.
I felt the tension rising in my chest.
Then—
“Hey, isn’t that…”
“I recognize him. He’s one of the Top Three…”
The adventurers ahead of us started buzzing.
When I looked forward, I saw a single man.
His towering frame stood over two meters tall.
He was clad in a full suit of crimson armor, blazing like fire.
“That man is—”
Just seeing him sent chills down my spine.
“Rudolf Raiga, known as ‘The Heavenly Spear.’”
Luca declared.
“He’s one of the Top Three Rank-S adventurers.”