The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

The worries filling my mind remained utterly unorganized.

If it were up to me, I would love to remain stuck in bed, procrastinating on the decisions I had to make, wasting time aimlessly. But against my will, I had to get up.

I hadn’t decided on what to do, but I had to take action.

Because I needed to kill a demon.

– The Dungeon Exploration practice is the most crucial turning point. I can’t abandon this.

My companion insisted that we had to stop the fanatics of the Demon Church lurking in the dungeon exploration exercise.

They warned that if a demon appeared in a place filled with students, it would hit us hard, undoing any chance of retreat.

– A Great Demon will appear. We must stop it.

Once again… if I don’t do something… people will die.

However, the grand narratives about the beginning of the empire’s fall or a Great Demon simply didn’t feel real to me.

“… Atlas might be inside too…?”

The mere thought of Atlas being there was what bothered me the most.

My companion believed that the fallen human Atlas would pose the greatest threat.

– He’ll be there. But this time, I am prepared, so I won’t be caught off guard like before.

“Got it.”

– Don’t blame me… what happened has already happened. There was no way to avoid it.

I prepared to fight, but when faced with him, my heart wasn’t ready.

I knew that he wasn’t the same Atlas I once knew now that he had fallen, but every time I saw his face, I hesitated.

It was so different from when someone I didn’t even know became a demon.

Students were entering through the main gate.

I entered the dungeon through the back door, just as my companion instructed.

Although the Academy had completely taken over the dungeon, there was a secret passage created before the dungeon’s boss took full control.

They claimed that even the Academy didn’t know about this passage yet.

While the main gate was reinforced with concrete and illuminated, I pushed through the dark, cave-like back door, and suddenly, light caught my eye.

I found a room with only concrete flooring.

Seeing the corpses of monsters strewn about, it looked like a place the students had passed through before.

– The ritual takes place in a hidden room. Move to the instructed location.

Following my companion’s directions, I soon reached the front of the hidden room.

At first glance, it seemed like just a wall, but if you operated it in a special way, it would turn into a door.

As I pressed a few stones embedded in the wall, the door opened smoothly.

At that moment, I sensed a presence behind me.

“Amy?”

It was River.

She was also wearing combat gear for the dungeon exploration exercise.

‘Of all the times?!’

I was fully equipped to deal with demons, yet I hadn’t mentioned my pain before meeting her, and now I was at a loss for words.

“How’s your body? When did you come in? And what’s with that outfit?”

“Well… uh…”

River approached, beaming with a smile.

Like a child who got caught sneaking cookies from the pantry, I froze, unsure how to explain myself.

As River neared, my companion shouted urgently.

– Hurry and get out! The door is closing..!!

“No..!! I’m leaving!”

Just then, I realized the situation and tried to push River away, but it was too late.

–Kugugugung…

The stone wall that had been open closed again, and River and I found ourselves trapped in the dark cave.

River swept her gaze around and looked straight at me.

“… Amy, can you explain what’s going on?”

———————————————

We were walking through the dark cave.

A light spell in River’s hand illuminated the space as we walked towards the exit on the opposite side, since the blocked entrance was no longer an option.

“So… the reason you didn’t come out of the Academy was that you got body-slammed by Atlas?”

“Well, I skipped a lot, but that’s the gist of it.”

River held her head, apparently feeling overwhelmed as she listened to my story.

Since she wouldn’t believe me if I mentioned my companion, I skipped that part. I explained that I had been confronting the Demon Church since childhood… and that I lost to Atlas, who had become a demon just yesterday.

And this place was a hidden space created by the Demon Church…

‘… I should’ve mentioned it earlier.’

Saying it out loud felt relieving.

I couldn’t even tell my parents that I was fighting against the Demon Church.

They would undoubtedly worry because they had come close to having their lives entirely taken away by the Church… They had repeatedly warned me not to mention it.

But this time, I felt like it was better to tell them.

Wouldn’t lying to River just make it difficult for me to move on?

River was rubbing her temples and then spoke up.

“There’s one thing I need to correct. Atlas isn’t a demon.”

“No… he is a demon. I clearly saw it that day… Atlas was exuding so much magic energy that I could barely breathe…”

River didn’t believe that Atlas had become a demon either.

Anyone who had seen Atlas’s usual self would find it hard to believe.

“Atlas’s sword isn’t that weak. There’s no way he would succumb to the temptations of a demon…”

“What if a demon promised to make Atlas taller?”

“I can’t guarantee that…”

When we discussed height, River’s expression changed.

Those who strongly desire something can’t escape the temptations of demons.

Atlas was indeed a person of firm character, but his steadfastness had roots in his complex about his height.

His mental strength was based on not succumbing to the pressure regarding his own height.

The one who is most concerned about his short stature is definitely Atlas himself.

You’d realize that if you stood even slightly next to him.

Every morning during exercise, he’d insist on hanging upside down from a tree, wanting to stimulate his joints…

Pretending it wasn’t so, he’d only drink milk whenever he had a drink…

He insisted on consuming some horrible-smelling liquid and dark herbal remedy before exercising.

Even if you offered him a fortune, would he have the courage to refuse the thirst that can’t be resolved?

“That sounds plausible, but ultimately it’s just speculation. I won’t believe it; I want to see him again and judge then.”

River understands Atlas’s fundamental desires.

But she also knew that he was still fighting against that complex.

She believed he wouldn’t be tempted by a demon.

She had made up her mind to trust the Atlas she had always known.

“Right… I see.”

I was envious of the unwavering trust in her gaze regarding Atlas.

“Stay back since it’s dangerous inside. I’ll take the lead.”

My companion warned that there were traps ahead.

I’d let him guide the position and pulled River back.

River stepped back willingly, deciding it wasn’t her area of expertise.

“Okay… but Amy…”

River stood behind me, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

“Yes?”

“Is that weapon on your back really made of Mithril?”

She was staring intently at my great sword, which was made of high-purity Mithril.

“Yes, it’s made of Mithril…”

“Wow… I’ve never seen this much Mithril in my life… How much did it use? Was it all of it? Can I swing it once once the situation is resolved…?”

River seemed so taken aback by the sight of the massive chunk of rare metal that her eyes almost glazed over.

“Well, as long as it’s resolved well, feel free.”

————————–

– This too…? Whose work is this, anyway?

Something felt off about the dungeon.

My companion kept murmuring that this didn’t make sense.

“Wow… what on earth happened here…”

The hidden space of the dungeon was… utterly destroyed.

All the traps that had been laid out were smashed, and the monsters were slaughtered.

As we descended, traps became increasingly complex and dangerous, but they had all been wiped out.

It was clear that someone hadn’t just disarmed them; they’d completely obliterated them.

But thanks to that, it was incredibly easy to descend.

We soon reached the altar necessary for the ritual.

“The altar is also destroyed.”

The altar was smashed as well.

The magic circle for the ritual was in total disarray, looking like it had been scratched up by some beast, and the stone altar was shattered beyond recognition.

And around it lay the bodies of four decapitated corpses dressed in black robes.

“One swift strike and they lost their heads…”

River gasped at the sight of the fallen corpses.

I was shocked too.

The corpses that had been severed in one clean slice were identical to those I had found when Atlas had fallen.

‘Could it be… Atlas did this…?’

– Why would he turn this place upside down… Were there different factions involved…?

‘What does that mean?’

– The Demon Church has several factions. Each is formed based on the Great Demon being worshipped…

If the demon that contracted with Atlas is not part of the faction summoning the Great Demon through this ritual, they could have caused this destruction to hinder each other.

What a stroke of luck… They went to great lengths to obliterate it.

“So does that mean we don’t need to worry anymore?”

Nothing regarding Atlas was resolved, but it seemed we wouldn’t run into him, nor would it be easy to revive the magic circle anymore.

Could this mean we had successfully navigated this issue?

At that moment, a grotesque voice echoed from afar.

“I rushed over and found this… it’s a mess.”

The creepy voice sent chills down my spine, and I pulled the trigger on the handgun I held in my right hand.

–Bang!!

“Ouch, ouch… Isn’t it a bit much to shoot something so dangerous?”

The gunshot rang out, and the unsettling voice sounded a bit hurt as it approached.

This was different from before with Atlas.

This time I had definitely hit my target.

A crumpled silver bullet fell to the ground in front of the figure dressed in a pitch-black robe.

He seemed unharmed.

Unlike the other fallen fanatics, he wore a mask.

It was a grotesque mask with two big horns protruding.

Seeing that, my companion cried out in a hurry.

– The horned mask… it’s a Demon Evangelist!

The horned mask-wearing Demon Evangelist was a fallen human contracted with a demon to convey the teachings and doctrines of the Demon Church.

The core combatant of the Demon Church has appeared.

“So… might I ask who has made our ritual a mess?”