An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Granzite is essentially a rough gemstone. While it possesses no special properties, its clear, brilliant luster is beloved by wealthy women and young ladies. Gifts like rings, earrings, and pendants delight those who choose it. It's even ranked among the top three gemstones chosen for marriage proposals.

"So beautiful..."

After listening to Captain Meld's brief explanation, Kaori's cheeks flushed, and her expression became even more intoxicated. Then, she glanced at Hajime without anyone noticing. However, only Shizuku and one other person noticed...

"Then let's recycle it!"

Having said this, Hiyama suddenly took action, quickly climbing up the collapsed wall with the Granz Ore as his target. Captain Meld was greatly alarmed by this.

"Hey! Don't act rashly! We haven't confirmed it's safe yet!"

However, Hiyama ignored it and eventually arrived at the location of the ore.

Captain Meld chased after Hiyama and tried to stop him. Meanwhile, one of the Knights was examining the area around the ore with a Fil detector, and his face suddenly lost all color.

"Captain! It's a trap!"

“Wu!?”

However, the warnings from Captain Meld and the Knights were a step too late.

The moment Hiyama touched the Granz Ore, a magic circle expanded from the ore's center. This was a trap set for anyone who, bewildered by the Granz Ore's brilliance, accidentally touched it. "There's no such thing as a free lunch"—this is an unchanging truth in the world.

The magic circle expanded to cover the entire room in the blink of an eye, and became brighter and brighter, as if the day when it was summoned was replaying itself.

"Ugh, retreat! Everyone, get out of this room!"

After hearing what Captain Meld said, the students hurriedly moved out of the room... but it was too late.

The room was filled with light, tinting the vision of Hajime and the others with white. At the same time, a momentary feeling of floating swept over them.

They had just felt the change in the air when they were thrown heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

Although Hajime couldn't help but whine in pain, he still looked around. Almost all of his classmates had fallen flat on their backs like Hajime, but Captain Meld, the Knights, and some of the vanguard students, including Glory, had already stood up and were on high alert.

It seems the magic circle just now had a teleporting effect. The magic of the Age of Gods was truly extraordinary, effortlessly achieving things that modern magicians couldn't.

Hajime and the others moved onto a massive stone bridge. It was about a hundred meters long, with a ceiling perhaps twenty meters high. Beneath the bridge lay not a river, but a deep, abyssal darkness. Falling off felt like it would lead directly to the depths of hell.

The bridge was about ten meters wide, but there were no handrails, not even a curb. If you slipped, there would be nothing to grab onto, and you'd fall headfirst. They were initially in the center of the bridge. At either end, there were passages leading to the lower levels and stairs leading to the upper levels.

After confirming the situation, Captain Meld gave instructions with a serious expression:

"Get up right now and head for that staircase. Hurry!"

Hearing the thunderous command, the students began to move in a hurry.

But the traps in the maze were not limited to this, and they could not retreat as they wished.

Amidst the turbulent red and black magical energy, magic circles suddenly appeared at both ends of the bridge. Although the magic circle on the passage side was only about ten meters in size, and the magic circle on the staircase side was only about one meter in size, their number was astonishing.

The terrifying red and black magic circle, which also looked like blood, pulsed for a moment, and then spit out a large number of monsters.

From the countless small magic circles flanking the staircase, sword-wielding skeletal monsters—Nightmare Warriors—emerged. Their hollow eye sockets shone with the same red and black glow as the magic circles, and they darted around with a gleaming gaze. In a matter of seconds, the number of Nightmare Warriors reached nearly a hundred, and the number continued to grow.

However, compared to the hundreds of skeleton warriors, Hajime felt that the other side of the passage was more difficult to deal with.

Because within the ten-meter magic circle, a distinctly different four-legged monster appeared. Not only was its body ten meters long, it also wore something that looked like a helmet.

If I were to use the most familiar creature as a metaphor, it would probably be the Triceratops. But this creature has other elements added to it. For example, its eyes glow red and black, its claws and teeth grind, and its helmet has flaming horns...

Just as everyone stood there in confusion, Captain Meld's moan-like murmurs could be heard clearly.

"Could it be... Behemoth...?"

Normally, Meld always seemed at ease, like a big tree that gave students a sense of security. But at this moment, he was sweating profusely and looked anxious.

"Is that guy really difficult to deal with?" Guanghui saw this and planned to ask Captain Meld for further clarification.

However, the monster that had inflicted the trembling fear on even the kingdom's finest knights—Behemoth—seemed unwilling to give them such a long wait. It took a deep, slow breath, then unleashed a fierce roar as if declaring war.

“Gua ...

「!?」

I don’t know if it was the roar that woke Captain Meld up, but he kept giving orders.

"Alan! Lead the students to break through the Nightmare Warriors! Kyle, Ivan, and Weir, deploy your full strength barrier! You must stop that guy! Kouki, get to the stairs quickly!"

"Please wait, Mr. Meld! We have to fight too! That dinosaur-like thing is the most difficult to deal with! Then we should also..."

"Assholes! If that's really Behemoth, there's no way you can defeat it with your current strength! It's a monster from the 65th level, and even the adventurers who used to be considered the 'strongest' couldn't stand a chance against it! Go! I can't let you die!"

Seeing Captain Meld's menacing expression, Guanghui flinched slightly, but he remained adamant that he wouldn't stand by and watch. Just as Captain Meld was about to persuade Guanghui to retreat again, Behemoth roared and charged. If this continued, the retreating students would be crushed to death by its massive bulk and impact.

However, the strongest forces of the Heilig Kingdom put all their efforts into deploying multiple barriers to prevent Behemoth from succeeding.

“Please grant absolute protection to the Son of God and reject all hostility and malice. This is a holy area, and no enemy of God may pass through. ‘Holy Severance’!!””

The magic circle was drawn on a two-meter square of high-quality paper, the chant consisting of four measures, and the three of them simultaneously activated it. Although the defense was limited to one shot and lasted only a minute, it demonstrated an absolute defense that no one could break. The gleaming hemispherical barrier blocked Behemoth's charge!

The moment the two collided, a violent shockwave shattered the ground beneath Behemoth's feet. Despite being made entirely of stone, the bridge shook violently. The retreating students screamed and fell one after another.

Nightmare Warriors, monsters that appeared on the 38th floor, possessed combat abilities completely different from those of previous monsters. Faced with the terrifying skeleton monsters blocking their way and the terrifying aura approaching from behind, the students fell into a state of semi-panic.

Everyone ignored their formation and rushed towards the stairs. Alan, one of the Knights, tried desperately to control the situation, but because of the fear that was looming before them, no one listened to him.

Amidst all this, a female student was knocked down from behind. When she raised her head with a groan, she saw a nightmare warrior holding a sword high before her.

"ah."

As the female student uttered this cry, the sword came down towards her head.

Will die - the next moment when the female student felt the crisis of death, the ground under the Nightmare Warrior's feet suddenly bulged.

The Nightmare Warrior lost its balance, and the sword in its hand strayed from its target and fell to the ground with a clanging sound. Then the ground bulged, and several more Nightmare Warriors were affected, moving them towards the bridge like a wave, and finally succeeded in throwing them into the abyss.

Two meters away from the bridge, Hajime was sitting slumped, breathing heavily.

He continued to refine the ground, using it like a slide to guide the monsters off the bridge. This was all thanks to his unnoticed improvement in refinement, allowing him to continue refining. The range of his refinement seemed to have expanded slightly as well.

However, since the transformation could only be effective within a certain range outside the point of contact, Shi had no choice but to squat on the ground within the reach of the Nightmare Warrior, filled with tension and fear.

While drinking the magic potion, Hajime ran over to the girl who was still lying on her back, then grabbed her hand through the gloves with the magic circle built into them and pulled her up. Looking at her, who was dumbfounded and letting him do whatever he wanted, Hajime smiled and said:

"Hurry up and get to the front. Don't be afraid, as long as you stay calm, those dead bones are nothing. After all, everyone in my class except me is using cheats!"

The female student watched helplessly as Hajime confidently patted her on the back. The next moment, she replied with an energetic "Yeah! Thank you!" and broke into a run.

Hajime disintegrated the ground nearby and solidified it, using it to trip up the Nightmare Warriors, while looking around.

Everyone waved their weapons around in panic, casting spells without any clear plan. If this continued, there was a high probability of casualties soon. Knight Allen desperately tried to guide everyone, but his efforts were ineffective. Furthermore, during this period, the magic circle continued to send in reinforcements of Nightmare Warriors.

"We have to think of a way... We need a strong leader... enough firepower to pave the way... Amanogawa-kun!"

He started running, his target being where Kouki and the others and Behemoth were.

The Behemoth continued its advance towards the barrier. Each time it struck, a powerful shockwave spread throughout the surrounding area, causing the stone bridge to wail. The barrier was already cracked, and its shattering was only a matter of time. Although Captain Meld had already joined the effort to deploy the barrier, it was only a drop in the bucket.

"Damn it! We can't hold on any longer! Kouki, retreat now! You guys, leave too!"

"No! I can't leave without you, Mr. Meld! Everyone must survive!"

"Ugh, you're still being willful even at this time..."

Captain Meld scowled. Space was limited here, making it difficult to avoid Behemoth's advance. Therefore, the best way to escape was to deploy a barrier and be squeezed out. However, only a skilled warrior could make such a clever move; expecting the current Lucky Ones to perform at the same level was simply too much to ask.

Although Captain Meld briefly explained the situation and urged them to retreat, Kouki seemed unable to bring himself to abandon his comrades. Furthermore, perhaps believing he had a way to defeat Behemoth, a gleam of aggression shone in his eyes.

After all, Kouki was still young, so there was nothing to be done about it, but he seemed to be a bit overconfident in his own strength. In order to instill confidence in Kouki and the others, who had no combat experience, the policy of encouraging growth through praise was initially adopted, but now it seems to have backfired.

"Kuiki! Follow the Captain's orders and retreat!"

Shizuku seemed to understand the situation and she grabbed Kouki's hand and tried to persuade him.

“Hey, Kouki’s mischief didn’t start today, did it? I’ll keep you company, Kouki!”

"Ryutaro...thank you."

However, after hearing what Ryuutarou said, Kouki seemed even more motivated. Shizuku couldn't help but click her tongue.

"You idiots! Stop getting lost in your own world!"

"Shizuku-chan..."

Kaori looked at the anxious Shizuku with concern. At this moment, a boy jumped in front of Kouki.

"Amanokawa-kun!"

“Nan, Nanyun!?”

"Nagumo-kun!?"

Facing the surprised group of people, Hajime spoke excitedly and non-stop.

"Retreat quickly! Everyone needs you! Hurry!"

“What are you saying all of a sudden? Anyway, why are you here? This isn’t the place for you! Leave this to us, and Nagumo will…”

"Is now the time to say something like that!?"

Kouki implied that Hajime was no match for him and urged him to retreat. However, Hajime interrupted Kouki and shouted back with unprecedented rudeness. Hajime usually wore a wry smile, giving the impression of being easygoing and docile, so seeing this disparity in attitude, Kouki froze.

“Didn’t you see?! Because there’s no one leading the charge, everyone’s in a panic!”

Hajime grabbed Kouki's collar and pointed in a certain direction.

Surrounded by Nightmare Warriors, their classmates were frantically fleeing. Each fought in their own unique way, having long forgotten their training. Their inability to effectively defeat the enemy, coupled with the constant influx of enemy reinforcements, meant they were currently unable to successfully break through. While their formidable abilities had saved them, it was only a matter of time before they were able to escape.

"Everyone needs the power to break through the encirclement with a single blow and sweep away all fear! Only Amanokawa-san, as the captain, can do that! Don't just look ahead, look behind you too!"

Kouki looked blankly at his classmates, who were caught in the chaos and shouting in anger. Then he shook his head vigorously and nodded to Hajime.

"Ah, I see. I'll be right there! Mr. Meld! Excuse me—"

“Back off—!”

"Sorry, we're retreating first." Just as Guanghui turned around and was about to say this, Captain Meld issued a warning in a wailing voice, and at the same time, the barrier finally shattered.

A raging shockwave swept toward Hajime and the others. Hajime immediately stepped forward, using his alchemy to build a stone wall, but it was easily shattered and swept away. Though its power had been somewhat diminished... Behemoth's roar still blew away the dust.

Captain Meld and the other three knights were paralyzed by the shockwave, groaning as they lay there. Kouki and the others also fell, but they quickly got up. This was because they were right behind Captain Meld and his group, and Hajime's stone wall seemed to have worked.

"Uh... Ryuutarou, Shizuku, can you buy some time?"

Guanghui asked. Despite looking painful, the two of them continued to advance at a steady pace. Now that Captain Meld and the others had fallen, they could only rely on themselves.

"I have no choice but to go!"

“…I’ll find a way to fix it!”

The two rushed towards Behemoth at once.

"Kaori, take care of Mr. Meld and the others!"

"Um!"

Following Kouki's instructions, Kaori took off running. Hajime had already built a stone wall around Captain Meld and the others to protect them from the fighting. It was just a precaution, but it was better than nothing.

Guanghui began to chant, preparing to unleash the strongest move he could currently perform.

"O Divine Will! Please bring the light that destroys all evil! O Divine Breath! Please sweep away all darkness and fill this world with holiness! O Divine Mercy! Please forgive all sins with this one strike! 'Divine Power'!"

The holy sword thrust upright, aurora erupting in response to the chant. This move was derived from the same source as the previous "Sky Flash," but the power was vastly different. The aurora shook the bridge, gouged the stone floor, and flew in a straight line towards Behemoth.

As the chant ended, Ryuutarou and Shizuku had already retreated. Both were battered and bruised, looking nearly at their limit. It seemed they had sustained significant damage in that brief period.

Amidst a resounding roar, the light-attributed bombardment unleashed by the Radiance struck Behemoth directly. The radiant light smeared the surroundings in a white hue. The violent tremors of the bridge created a massive crack.

"Now... huhu."

"Hoohoo, we can finally take that guy down, right?"

“That would be nice…”

Ryuutarou and Shizuku returned to Kouki's side. Kouki's shoulders rose and fell with each breath, as if she had expended a considerable amount of magic power. As the name suggests, the attack just now was Kouki's trump card. The remaining magic power had been almost completely depleted. Perhaps the treatment was over, as Captain Meld behind him was trying to stand.

In the meantime, the light gradually faded and the flying dust dissipated with the wind.

In front of me...

It was Behemoth who was unharmed.

It radiated the red and black magic unique to monsters, snarling and glaring as if to slash at the light. The next moment, Behemoth raised its head. With a sharp creak, its horns gradually heated up, until the entire helmet erupted in flames like magma.

"Don't be in a daze! Run away!"

Hearing Captain Meld's cry, Kouki and the others finally recovered from the enemy's unscathed blow. Just as they were about to take their stance, Behemoth charged forward. Then, leaping from a great distance away, it plummeted, its fiery head facing downward, like a meteorite.