Chapter 39 – What Courage Is

They said this was a low-risk gate, only low-level monsters spawned here.

They said even second-year students with no real combat experience could clear it without a hitch.

‘Then, what in the world is *this*?’

Deus couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he watched flames erupt from all sides.

It hadn’t been a mess from the very beginning. For about twenty minutes, everything was perfectly normal.

They entered the enclosure and soon encountered monsters.

As initially planned, he left it to Yrisia and stepped back slightly.

―*Kee-ruk!*

Goblins. Small in stature, low in intelligence, their weapons crude and clumsy.

They lived in groups, but didn’t display any overwhelming organization.

Five at best. Nine at most, clustered together.

In other words, textbook beginner monsters. Or low-level experience fodder.

A good opponent for Yrisia, who lacked practical experience.

It would help her overcome any tension or fear she might have.

The goblins themselves were weak, and, above all, Deus himself was right behind her.

―*Kyaaak!*

A goblin chose to charge instead of calling for backup.

Its hideously ugly face and yellowed teeth were utterly repulsive.

Yrisia, startled by its appearance, threw a punch without hesitation.

―*Crack! Crunch!*

The goblin became a fleshy smear that skidded across the floor.

One strike. She struck a vital point in a single blow, killing it instantly.

But what was more astonishing was that it wasn’t all.

“Yrisia?”

“Haa, haa…”

“You…just threw that punch with your eyes closed?”

It wasn’t like she was hitting a stationary punching bag.

Nor was she performing a familiar exercise, even if it moved.

She was facing a living, breathing monster for the first time today.

And she threw a punch while depriving herself of her most crucial sense?

And it wasn’t just hitting any old spot, but precisely the vital point?

“S-sorry. It just…it just happened.”

The instructors at the Cradle would have absolutely forbidden it.

They would have advised her to keep her eyes open, no matter how scared or terrified she was.

“No! That’s amazing!”

But Deus. A man with a certain romanticism for the ‘blind warrior’ trope, was filled with awe instead.

“A-amazing…?”

“Yeah! You accurately timed the attack without seeing, instinctively striking. And you even found the vital point flawlessly. That’s no ordinary talent. That’s not a skill you can just acquire with a bit of training. Wow. This is a little astounding.”

They’d figured only Nefertina and Luciel were worth a second glance from the cradle.

So if this were truly a story for a heroine, one or both of them would be it, they’d assumed.

It seemed, though, that they’d have to add someone to that prediction.

The trajectory, the sheer speed, and the power Yurisia just displayed.

Deus himself was moved to vocalize his admiration, it was so clean.

Even the romantic trope of ‘attacking with eyes closed!’ was present!

Yurisia flushed at Deus’s praise.

She offered her thanks, but her expression didn’t improve in the slightest.

Rather, she fell silent, staring at the twitching corpse of the monster.

‘What is it? Seeing her so down after all that, there must be something to it.’

Their concern didn’t last long.

Another swarm of goblins descended before they could even catch their breath.

—Kreaaak!

But something was off about their appearance.

They were different from the one Yurisia had just dispatched.

—Kyahhhak!!

—Kreaak!

It wasn’t just a display of their ferocity.

Nor did it seem to be the expression of intense anger toward an intruder.

Those eyes… they lacked all life. Dull and vacant.

Clumsily, colliding with each other and stumbling.

Yet their focus was solely on the target before them. The way they charged only at Yurisia.

Even a capable Awakened One would feel momentarily unnerved by such a sight.

It looked for all the world as if they were being controlled by someone.

“Ah, aaah!!”

In that moment. Realizing that something had changed, Yurisi reflexively opened her eyes.

Seeing the spectacle before her, she screamed and hid behind Deus.

“Heee, heeee….”

“…”

There’s definitely something going on. We’ll ask later.

Gently shielding the trembling Yurisia, they stepped forward.

And proceeded to cave in the goblins’ heads with their fists.

The sound of something being crushed, the splatter of fluids everywhere.

Interspersed with the occasional screams of the goblins.

Before long, the surroundings were filled with the mangled corpses of monsters.

“Hmm.”

They felt neither fear nor tension. Just a lingering unpleasantness.

These stinking things, they’d gotten it on their hands, their brow furrowed instinctively.

And so, after this small massacre had concluded.

“Yurisia.”

“N-no. I don’t want to. It’s scary…!”

—Shivering

It’s not a lack of strength. Nor a deficiency in skill.

But still, she is so consumed by terror, the reason for it all.

“Okay. Let’s rest for a moment.”

He sits Yurisia down beside him. He pats her back until her breathing returns to normal.

What happened? What terrible past has such a hold on her?

To display a panic attack of this magnitude.

It’s pitiable. It worries him. More than anything, he feels sympathy.

Perhaps, if what happened next hadn’t occurred…

He might have continued to do so until she calmed down.

—Rumble!

Beyond the sky. Or rather, from inside the gate, a crimson fire falls.

The sight was akin to gazing upon a river made of flames.

‘What is that?’

Red. The entire world is stained crimson.

If it were merely the sunset, that would be wonderful. Regrettably, it is not.

“Yurisia. It seems we might… have a bit of a complication here.”

“C-complication…?”

He considers briefly whether he should use the communicator the instructor gave him.

‘…No.’

Forget it. Their side might be even worse off than this.

Besides, thinking about the pact, this is probably easier, right?

Thinking that, Deus returns the communicator to his pocket.

—Kyahhh!

—Kwek! Kheeeck!!

“D-Deus! Th-there!”

Did they all collectively smoke something? Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?

Goblins appear again. And again, abnormal symptoms are visible on those guys.

They operate in groups that barely exceed single digits.

Deus distinctly remembers learning that in Cradle’s theory classes.

But the number visible now easily surpasses forty.

The monster’s behavior patterns are anything but normal.

It contradicts all research results up until now.

Above all. That river of fire etched into the sky, too.

“Hngh…”

Smoke gradually rises from all around, and a faint heat can be felt.

Did that shatter what little remained of Yurisia’s endurance?

Holding his hand, she trembles, looking incredibly pitiful.

‘Hmm.’

Deus, after a moment’s hesitation, didn’t release Yurisias hand.

If anything, he feared she would slip away first. He tightened his grip, squeezing it firmly.

“Yurisia. Just a moment, close your eyes.”

One hand for Yurisia. The other for the goblins.

The Avatar rises to his feet. Slowly, awakening the senses within his body.

This was a man who had beaten a demon to death with his bare hands. These paltry monsters? One hand would suffice.

Even the goblins, clearly gripped by some sort of spell, dared not charge rashly.

They shrieked and howled, but only watched, measuring the distance.

Then, their gazes shifted, drawn to Yurisia trembling behind him.

—Kyaaak!

—Kiyak!

Detecting vulnerable prey was the same whether low-risk or high-risk.

The goblins, in an instant, decided Yurisia behind Deus was the greater prize.

“…”

Deus shielded Yurisia completely with his body, a wall at her back.

If they desired to reach her. They would have to pass him first.

What are you doing? This isn’t why you came to the Cradle.

Don’t be afraid. Forget the past, and think only of your duty.

You can’t live in fear like this forever.

“Go. Quickly. Yuri.”

I want to forget. I have to forget. But it keeps coming back.

The monsters, and my mother, fighting to protect me from them.

Even as we fled, the savage cries echoed from all directions.

“Don’t look back. Run.”

Scared. Afraid. I want to run away. As far as possible from them.

Even if I possess abilities. Even if I’m enrolled in the Cradle.

In the end, I’m just a coward. Timid. I can’t, I can’t anymore….

—Kwa-jik!

—Kyaaak!

—Eujik!

—Keuek!

The sounds of something being crushed and bursting. And interspersed, the death throes of dying screams.

Tentatively, she opens her eyes. And looks ahead.

There, she sees a broad back. A back that gave an aura of being sturdier than anything in the world.

Each time the muscles etched upon that back flex, a monster falls.

Only the sounds reach her. Nothing is visible. The owner of this back has completely blocked her view.

As if telling her she doesn’t need to see what’s beyond.

“Yuri. Mom will protect you. Trust Mom.”

The nightmare of the past. From there, a fading memory suddenly resurfaces.

Yes. Even then. He was behind me, just like now. I was being protected.

*Close your eyes*. *It’ll be over soon*. *Just… wait*.

“De… Deus…”

The owner of that broad back slightly turns his head at my barely audible voice.

“Sorry… I’m sorry. I’m such a coward…”

“…”

“I… I don’t want to be afraid. I shouldn’t be afraid. Then, and now. I’m always just a burden…”

“Being scared. Feeling fear. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

*—KWA-JIK!*

“Eurasia. Do you know what courage is?”

He crushes another goblin’s head with his bare hand.

Deus raises a corner of his lip, ever so slightly.

“Is it being fearless? Or… not carrying any fear at all in your heart?”

“Isn’t… isn’t that… courage? Being brave…?”

No. He casually wipes his fist. The Avatar continues.

“It’s overcoming your fear. It’s moving forward even when you’re afraid. *That* is what we call courage.”

Incidentally, these weren’t lines the protagonist he knew would say.

These were words that came from the gym manager, coach, and trainer, all rolled into one, as he mercilessly beat you senseless.

*’Damn old geezer.’*

He could have at least said something that touching while sharing a bottle of soju.

Wasn’t it Asho who almost died back then? Deus grumbled inwardly.