The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me
Chapter 25

— Kaah!

It was a lively swing that instinctively felt like a home run the moment it connected.

Even though Ian had never played baseball, it felt that way.

The body of the skeleton that had lost its head crumbled down.

“Ahaha. Ian, you’re amazing! Your reaction speed is incredible, isn’t it? I’d like to learn a thing or two from you.”

“Keep quiet and get ready. There seem to be a few more.”

Ian casually brushed off Yurran’s praise.

It was an old dungeon.

Dungeons tended to attract adventurers, and as a result, bodies piled up, which could easily turn into the undead.

Just now, a soldier had risen from the floor.

It would have been hard to notice if it weren’t for Danya.

In the darkness of their surroundings, focus was necessary.

“Lux.”

Everidge reinforced his light magic at the right moment.

Danya’s sniffing increased in frequency.

Ian extracted and transformed a part of Lunar.

Lunar enveloped from the fist to the shoulder.

The adult-sized magic staff in his hand had shrunk to about two-thirds of its size.

“There are three in front!”

Danya shouted.

About twenty steps ahead, skeletons clad in tattered leather came into view.

“I’ll take the tank position. Let’s initiate the attack.”

At Ian’s order, Danya’s magic arrow precisely pierced one of them.

The approaching figures ran straight toward them.

Everidge’s crossbow sniped the remaining one.

“We missed one!”

Yurran had let an undead slip past him.

Damn it.

This was supposed to be a test of Lunar’s performance.

A skeleton soldier, no higher than rank 7.

As he prepared for a punch as usual, he sensed something strange.

‘Something strange?’

A strange energy emanated from the approaching skeleton.

‘…Sulfur?’

Everything on the ground was Ian’s domain.

It felt dangerous instinctively. He drew his shorter and lighter staff with a sense of foreboding.

And then he swung it towards the skeleton’s head.

— Kaah!

Once again, a cheerful impact resounded.

The soldier’s head flew off.

But this time, it felt different.

A bit more substantial and as if he had ignited a fuse.

“Plug your ears, everyone!”

Ian shouted.

And right after…

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The sound of an explosion filled the space.

-Rumble.

Fragments of stone scattered in the vibration.

It was an explosion of considerable scale, even though Lunar briefly shielded around his ears, they still rang.

“Is everyone okay? Ian!”

Everidge, who was a bit behind, regained his composure and checked on the team’s condition. Yurran, who had recovered from the initial shock, looked a bit grim but managed a smile. As for Danya and Ian…

“Phew.”

Ian exhaled and lifted his lowered upper body.

At the same time, he removed his hands from the furry ears.

“… I can block them on my own, you know.”

Danya, taken aback by the sudden closeness, mumbled.

“Sorry, it was urgent.”

“No need to apologize for that… Thanks?”

Danya returned to her position with a snort.

Looking at that scene, Average shouted.

“Ian, are your ears okay? I should have shielded you…!”

Thud. Ian tapped his own ear.

The silvery metal that had been blocking his ears slid back into place on his staff.

“…Impressive. Most mages are slower to react. It’s as if you’re accustomed to close combat… Ah.”

Everidge glanced at the magic staff and shrugged it off.

There was no need to point it out, so let’s leave it at that.

“By the way, how did you know about that explosion just now?”

Everidge asked while looking at the now-pulverized skulls of skeletons in the distance.

“Just a feeling.”

To be more precise, he felt a sensation akin to the presence of gunpowder.

It was a completely different kind of sense, an extra-sensory perception of sorts.

It was another sense that allowed him to detect things emerging from the earth.

“Is everyone all right?”

Ian inquired while checking his team members’ status.

He walked over to the pile of finely powdered bones left by the explosion.

Amidst the remains, he sensed sulfur.

‘Someone planned this, as expected.’

Ian narrowed his eyes.

Regardless of the type of dungeon, it was reasonable for skeleton soldiers to appear. They could be created anywhere as long as there were corpses and spiritual energy.

However, the fact that a soldier’s skull exploded like a bomb was a different story.

If it had been a regular tank, he wouldn’t have been concerned about the soldiers’ weapons, and he certainly wouldn’t have expected their heads to explode.

If he had been caught off guard, he would have suffered at least serious injuries.

Professors wouldn’t engage in such reckless acts. It was too dangerous and not a suitable approach.

‘Just as I suspected.’

The scenario was unfolding as planned.

Ian refrained from looking over in Yurran’s direction, who might have sensed his prior knowledge.

There was no reason to reveal what he knew to him.

Rather, he was more interested in their side.

He wondered how they managed to avoid the explosion.

“It seems your reactions are quicker than I expected.”

As expected, Yurran was the first to ask.

He approached with a playful smile.

“Are you saying that as if it’s regrettable?”

“Ahaha! Is there any chance of that happening? My bad; I’m not used to using divine energy aggressively. I apologize.”

“No, there was a real possibility it could have happened. Don’t worry, and focus on attacking rather than assisting in tanking. My tanking should handle it without any issues.”

In reality, Ian intended to block Yurran’s feeble tricks.

Did he pick up on the underlying emotions?

Yurran’s eyes widened in a crescent shape.

“You seem a bit different from the Ian I know.”

He continued after a brief pause.

“Has something changed about you?”

Although he was laughing and seemed to be joking, his eyes were intensely serious.

A helpless guy.

“Stop the nonsense and focus.”

Ian took the lead.

Fortunately, there were no traps or surprises after the s*icide bomber skeleton. However, the deeper they went into the dungeon, the darker and more oppressive the surroundings became.

More minor enemies appeared, but Danya and Everidge fulfilled their roles well, leaving Ian with few opportunities to act.

“Divine Cleanse.”

As if Yurran’s earlier slip was indeed a mistake, and his divine power didn’t stray this time.

Instead, he rapidly dispatched the undead creatures.

After about thirty minutes of progress.

“The air is getting more humid.”

“I can feel the wind.”

“Is there an exit to the outside?”

The scenery inside the dungeon slowly started to change.

At some point, the surroundings gradually brightened.

The air felt as humid as nighttime air.

At that moment.

“Something’s approaching. Animals, predators. They’re in a group, and there are many.”

Danya briefed the team, and soon, something wriggling in the distance came into view.

Everidge, with keen eyesight, provided an explanation.

“They are Twilight Wolves. There are about 11 of them. Isn’t this going to be a problem?”

“Twilight Wolves?”

Danya’s eyes widened in surprise.

That’s understandable.

Twilight Wolves.

They were agile and organized in their combat, making it challenging for mages and ranged dealers to hit them.

Moreover, their leather was tough, and their fur possessed strong magical resistance.

For a team without a knight, they were formidable opponents. Ian’s team was at a disadvantage due to their affinity. Outwardly, at least.

‘Strength is magic resistance, weakness is physical damage from blunt weapons. Attacking is done in groups, but retreats are also done in groups.’

Of course, there are plenty of strategies.

“Everidge prepare the crossbow.”

“…What?”

Ian moved forward after completely extracting the Lunar from his back.

◆

Meanwhile.

Lina Rosewell and the members of Team 7, including Jacob, were not in good shape.

The situation on their side was not ideal because the team’s tank, Jacob from the Knight Department, had taken a significant hit from the s*icide skeleton soldiers.

They were delayed due to the need to heal Jacob.

“How could a Knight department guy like him not dodge that?”

Lina Rosewell mumbled to herself.

It was more of a mutter, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“But… This… Normally, skeleton soldiers don’t explode like this.”

“Ugh, never mind.”

Since they were already a team and couldn’t separate at this point, the situation wasn’t that bad. They had made good progress until now, so they had some time to spare.

“Haaa…”

Lina Rosewell let out a deep sigh.

Of course, Team 7’s members didn’t stay silent.

‘She’s really changed.’

‘She’s not the old Lina anymore.’

‘Even if grades are important, isn’t she ruining teamwork?’

Lina Rosewell had suddenly transformed.

Kindness and consideration had mysteriously disappeared, replaced by selfishness and aggression.

Simultaneously, her skills had improved somewhat, but—

This team had been formed with the expectation of Lina’s recognition and personality. The accumulated grievances from the past were continuing to pile up.

Meanwhile, Jacob’s mental state was noticeably deteriorating.

“…”

He received the priest’s healing magic and was forced to take a mandatory break.

Jacob’s sitting eyes shook fiercely.

He was a confident student of the Knight Department.

Yet, he had caused significant trouble for the team.

Moreover, the team he was with was none other than Lina Roswell, who he had been secretly interested in. When this team was formed, he had even tried to make an impression on her.

He had dreamed of a scenario where he would be the one who valiantly protected Lina by her side, rather than some inferior student.

‘This… This can’t be happening.’

He hadn’t wished for such a pathetic situation. He certainly didn’t want to fall just because of a crazy skeleton.

‘F*ck… F*ck…’

Self-loathing reared its head. Simultaneously, the negative emotions buried deep within his heart surged up.

He knew.

Despite his outward arrogance, he was aware of the contradictions within himself. Rather, ever since entering the academy, he had been filled with feelings of inferiority about his own talents and jealousy of the exceptional students.

Jacob discreetly searched his pockets.

[Pills for Peace of Mind]

These were the pills he had bought just in case, on his way to the Magitech Gate.

He swallowed one.

— Oh, my. You’ve been worrying a lot, haven’t you?

A sweet voice began to fill his mind.

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