As there were no rules in the realm, there were cases where stronger monsters appeared in places where much weaker monsters would normally appear at other times.

But a poison predator in Area 2.

It meant that not only the appearance of that thing but the entire Area 2 was so dangerous that it was brutal.

"Lower your voice and quietly slip away. It doesn't seem to have noticed us yet."

"Ah. I see it's not the type of monster that usually appears."

"...Of course not!"

Direth almost raised her voice for a moment.

If it was an area where such things appeared frequently, how could she have brought a junior?

If that were the case, the students wouldn't have entered either.

-■■■■■…-

The poison predator mumbled, turned its head, and spat something into the bone tomb.

Then it grabbed another squishy lump and put it back in its mouth and started mumbling again.

"...?"

Direth was puzzled.

What was it doing now?

"Senior. As far as I know, predators eat and swallow other beings to increase their size and strengthen themselves. If such a thing spits it out like that without swallowing, we should see it as an intention to offer it to a stronger being than itself."

"T-that's..."

Direth, who was surprised by those words, suddenly felt curious.

But how did this junior know that...?

"How do you know that?"

"I learned it from the professor."

"You learn such things in your first year?"

"No. During additional lectures."

"..."

Direth had to hold back to avoid suddenly feeling sad in the midst of this.

"Ugh."

"Why are you turning your head...?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, if what you say is true, junior..."

If the poison predator was regurgitating food to offer it to a stronger being than itself, that was a creepy thing in its own way.

Because it meant there were many more dangerous monsters in this area.

"Let's go back quickly and report."

"Yes."

Yi-Han and Direth quietly lowered their postures and turned around.

However, new undead were already wandering on the way back. It was a group of Colossal Hungry Ghosts.

Direth frowned.

"We have no choice."

"Yes. Prepare to fight..."

"What!? No! I'm saying let's go back!"

"Ah, is that so."

Yi-Han lowered his staff with an embarrassed expression.

He had automatically prepared to fight out of habit.

"Senior! You're back!"

"Did you encounter them too?"

Direth, who had returned to Professor Mortum's staff marker, was surprised that the juniors had arrived first.

"What do you mean?"

"Predators. We encountered a poison predator on our side. And Colossal Hungry Ghost too..."

"A poison predator?! That must have been really serious."

The junior's reaction was not the reaction of someone who was frightened by the appearance of a strong monster.

It was the reaction of someone whose mind was distracted.

Yi-Han whispered in amazement.

"Seeing that you're not afraid of a poison predator, you must all be confident in combat..."

"How could that be! What's going on with everyone? Why is everyone excited as if they're drunk?"

"Senior. The professor discovered ruins!"

"!!!"

Direth was startled.

Ruins.

Finding intact ruins on the outside was already difficult and rare, but discovering ruins in another realm was truly a rare occurrence.

So many mages went their entire lives without discovering ruins in a realm even once, so there was no need to mention its rarity further.

"R-r-really?"

"Yes!!!"

"...Senior. Didn't you say it was dangerous when you came earlier..."

Yi-Han was puzzled.

Direth's eyes were suddenly flickering with a strange light.

Specifically, it was a bit like the eyes of Professor Boladi or Professor Beavle.

"But other realms are usually dangerous."

"..."

Yi-Han lamented inwardly.

Even the normal Direth had become strange.

'Is the foundation of Einroguard bad? Does it corrupt even pure people?'

"Senior. You clearly said earlier that we should prepare to leave quickly when we arrive..."

Direth had said this on the way.

-There's no benefit in wandering around here now that Colossal Hungry Ghost and even predators have appeared. We've gathered enough in Area 1, so it's okay to leave Area 2 alone. It's sufficiently profitable.-

-But won't the other seniors who couldn't find what they wanted be dissatisfied?-

-I'll make them listen even if I have to hit them, so don't worry. Junior.-

But to change like this.

"That's when there were no ruins. Ruins are worth taking the risk."

Not only Direth but the other seniors also whispered in an enchanted voice.

"Think about it, junior. What kind of artifacts might be inside the ruins."

"It's certainly intriguing if it's a dark magic artifact, but..."

"Ah. Dark magic artifacts are no good."

The students reacted firmly.

"Dark magic artifacts aren't expensive and are difficult to sell, so the professor will use them for research. It has to be other magic artifacts. That way, they're good to sell."

"..."

"Soon the professor will return and tell us what kind of ruins they are..."

Just then, Professor Mortum came riding a skeletal pony from afar. The professor coughed and coughed even after being gone for a short while.

"How is it, Professor!?"

"How is it?!"

"Cough. Everyone... can rejoice. It's proper ruins."

"O-oh my...!"

"To have such luck in life!"

"Do I even need to return for the second semester? Can I throw my withdrawal letter in the principal's face!?"

"Let's throw it together!"

Professor Mortum grinned at the sight of his happy disciples.

Even Yi-Han, who didn't have much expectation for the ruins, started to feel slightly excited seeing the seniors like that.

Joining the seniors and throwing a withdrawal letter in the skull principal's face.

Just thinking about it made him happy...

"Junior. What did you like about what was just said?"

Direth was puzzled by Yi-Han's changed reaction.

He had been worried until just now, but why suddenly?

"I admired how cool it was when you said you'd throw the withdrawal letter. The professor is really generous too."

"Ah."

Direth understood what he meant.

"He doesn't care much whether the disciples he doesn't cherish withdraw or not, and he prevents the disciples he cherishes from withdrawing."

"...I-I see."

Yi-Han nodded and suddenly became curious.

'...I wonder if I'm included among the cherished disciples? Probably not yet?'

Even among ruins, there was bound to be a difference in their grade.

The ruins that mages liked were 'intact' ruins.

Regardless of the type of ruins, there were usually many things to salvage in ruins that had no external intrusion, looting, or weathering.

In comparison, ruins that were half-destroyed and devastated were mostly difficult to expect much from. Such ruins made sighs naturally escape from the mouths of mages.

In that regard, the ruins of the realm discovered by Professor Mortum were amazing.

Surprisingly, the palace-shaped ruins remained intact as a whole!

The palace, built in an unknown complex style, stood silently in the realm.

"Cough. From now on, you can use any magic you want. If you think it's dangerous, use it unconditionally."

Professor Mortum spoke to the students.

Although there was a risk of stimulating the beings of this realm, considering the danger around here, they had to be prepared for that much.

"Mana, lose your power. Walls. Widen... Let's go in."

Professor Mortum cast a great magic to prevent the remnants of the magic used by the students from leaking out and took the lead.

Then the students also began to prepare for their own exploration.

"Come out, doggy!"

"Ulkas, protect me."

"Fog of poison, engulf."

"Curse, detect hostility..."

From those who summoned undead to those who prepared curse magic or poison magic.

Direth even took out a small crossbow.

"It has a surprisingly good compatibility with poison element magic... Wait, junior."

"Yes?"

Direth, who hadn't seen Yi-Han for a moment while preparing poison magic, was shocked.

From a leopard monster with a body made of malachite solution to over ten skeleton warriors.

She couldn't believe he had increased them to that extent.

"Is this enough?"

"Ah. Of course not."

"Yeah. If you think it's too much, you can reduce the number..."

"I need to cast enhancement magic on the weapons of the undead. Enhancement magic is essential because their movements are slow."

"...That's not what I meant. Junior."

The combat styles of dark mages who controlled undead were diverse, but they basically followed the principle of sending undead forward to lure the enemy.

In the meantime, the dark mage in the rear would strike or confuse the enemy in various ways.

Thud-!

-■■■, ■■■, ■■■…-

"They're here. Sentinels."

"Everyone be careful."

As soon as they passed through the entrance of the palace, human-sized golems walking out from both walls attacked.

Despite being surprised, the students used the summoned undead as shields and slowly caught their breath and prepared magic.

A third-year student spoke to Yi-Han.

"Look. Even when enemies appear, never panic and calmly from the back..."

Many mages failed their magic due to the tension when they found themselves in a combat situation, but it was a bit different for dark mages.

They could complete their magic while the summoned undead bought time.

However, there were exceptions.

Someone who had undergone rigorous combat mage training from the beginning and could quickly cast magic even in this situation!

Thwack!

Yi-Han fiercely sent out spinning water orbs, knocking down golems and pounding their torsos. The golems that were constantly hit collapsed, revealing their cores.

"Thank you for the advice. Senior."

"...Y-yeah. My advice was very helpful, right?"

Direth inwardly thought the third-year junior was a really shameless guy.

-■■■.-

-■■■■■!-

A summoned skeleton great warrior clashed with a golem in strength and crushed it.

As Professor Mortum lightly waved his staff, dark elements permeated the skeleton's body, and its power was further amplified.

Grateful for the professor's help, the disciples immediately chanted spells. Then, a corrosion curse was cast on the body of the golem next to them, and its balance collapsed.

"Bones, shoot forth. Bones, explode!"

Another dark mage student managed to drive bones into the solid body of a golem and made them explode.

At the loud noise, Professor Mortum admonished.

"Cough. Attacking is good, but refrain from noisy magic."

"I apologize."

It was very powerful when bone element magic, poison element magic, and curse magic were combined and burst out.

Moreover, the undead summons that the mages had summoned in advance left no gaps.

Thud thud thud thud-

"..."

"..."

And Yi-Han was alone, taking care of the right side and knocking down the charging golems.

There was no need for others to help him.

Yi-Han's skeletons shot bone arrows, inflicting frostbite and poisoning on the approaching golems.

It didn't matter if their movements were slow. The over ten skeleton warriors were threatening in their own right.

"Bones. Shoot forth!"

Yi-Han used bone element magic like the other mages.

'Certainly, the power of magic...'

He seemed to understand the reason for the undead realm. Even though it was the same bone element magic, the power was much more brutal.

"Q-quickly defeat them. The junior is taking them all."

"I know. Don't rush me!"

It was just Yi-Han doing his thing, but it was a different story for the seniors.

The seniors, who were desperately catching up while muttering under pressure, managed to finish slightly ahead of Yi-Han.

When Yi-Han finished and turned his gaze, the seniors nonchalantly pretended as if nothing had happened.

"Finished catching them all?"

"Yes."

"We finished catching them all a while ago... Well, it's still impressive."

"Is that so? You're amazing!"

When Yi-Han genuinely admired them, the seniors felt a bit guilty.

...Do we have to go this far to maintain the dignity of a senior?!