“Kraaa... aaah...!”
The Steel-Eating Gargoyle was flagging. Ren realized he could win this through simple attrition.
He wasn't overconfident, nor was he letting his guard down. He was simply, honestly pleased that he could hold the upper hand in such a high-stakes fight.
“Grrrrraaaaaah!”
The gargoyle’s eyes shifted toward the werewolf, who had descended to assist the last of the adventurers. Sensing an opening, the monster lunged toward the rescuer.
Ren intercepted it instantly.
“I’m not letting you go!”
“Gaaaaah!”
The Iron Magic Sword shattered the creature's armored hide, the blade biting deep. Ren’s swordsmanship had become so fierce that he no longer needed the elemental support of his Wooden Magic Sword to suppress the beast.
The gargoyle’s claws, swift as the wind, grazed his cheek several times, but Ren didn't give an inch. Even a monster would have felt a chill at the sight of the boy’s unwavering resolve.
While they clashed, the rescue effort continued. One by one, the survivors were hauled to safety. To the hyper-focused Ren, it felt like only moments had passed before the werewolf called out from the cliffside.
“This is the last one! Don’t push yourself too hard, Lord Hero!”
With the rescue complete, Ren weighed his options. He could finish the beast here or make a tactical retreat. But just as he hesitated, a sound pierced the air—the high-pitched whistle of something diving through the wind.
What was that?
A sudden weight of pressure descended from above, accompanied by a deafening roar. Ren thought the gargoyle was still right in front of him, but then—
“Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”
A second one.
This new arrival was even larger than the first, its charcoal-iron body shimmering with an ominous, metallic luster. Dazed for only a fraction of a second, Ren raised his sword to block the diving impact. The force was incredible; not just from the momentum of the glide, but from a raw physical strength that far surpassed the first gargoyle.
“A mate?!” the werewolf shouted, paused halfway up the wall. “The Guild didn’t say anything about a pair... wait, is this a recent development?!”
Ren remembered the brief. The reports only mentioned a single Steel-Eating Gargoyle. If this new one was the male, then they must have paired up very recently.
Ren parried the heavy strike and stepped back. That roar earlier... she wasn't just screaming in pain. She was calling for her husband.
This changed everything. Ren had faced two Mana Eaters at once before, and they were D-rank equivalents too, so the math should have been the same. But back then, he had Licia. Now, he was in a cramped, lightless fissure without the White Saint’s buffs. In this restricted space, he was at an overwhelming disadvantage.
“Ka-ka... aaah...”
“Gruuu, ka-ka-ka.”
The male gargoyle gently licked the wounds of its mate. The air between the two monsters and the boy grew thick with a burning, murderous tension.
“H-Hang on!” the werewolf called down, his voice trembling. “I’ll get the others to safety and come right back!”
Ren knew he couldn't count on that. He had to figure out how to break the stalemate—or how to get out alive.
If I try to run, they’ll just go after the wounded adventurers. I have to finish this here.
He didn't want to kill them, but he didn't want to die either. His best bet was to eliminate the wounded female first and force a one-on-one duel.
I really wanted to test the Thief's Magic Sword if I had the chance, he thought with a dry, self-deprecating smile as he leveled his Iron Magic Sword.
The two gargoyles lunged simultaneously. With terrifying coordination, they bounced off the walls, floor, and ceiling, striking from Ren’s blind spots with their iron-hard limbs.
Swish! Shing!
“They’re fast... but not fast enough!”
Purely in terms of speed, the Thief Wolfen had been superior. Compared to that nightmare, these gargoyles were manageable. He could track them. He could dodge. After witnessing the sheer terror Jelququ had unleashed at the end of their encounter, Ren found he no longer felt the paralyzing grip of fear.
“Sorry,” he whispered to the pair.
Both sides were fighting for survival, but Ren had no intention of being the one who fell.
“I’m ending this.”
He had already memorized their patterns. As the first gargoyle blurred past him, Ren’s Iron Magic Sword lashed out, repeatedly slicing across its chest. Each strike peeled away the iron hide, exposing the raw flesh beneath. Ren danced through their combined assault, waiting for the perfect opening until—
“Haaaaaaaaaaa!”
The tip of his blade plunged into the female’s chest. He felt the resistance of muscle give way, followed by the distinct crack of a Mana Stone shattering.
Suddenly, Ren’s bracelet pulsed, drawing in a surge of mana.
Shield Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/2) Deploys a Mana Barrier. Effectiveness and area of effect increase with level.
A shield? Even though it’s a sword?
The notification flashed in his mind, but Ren didn't stop to ponder it. The first gargoyle collapsed, dead before it hit the ground. Seeing its mate fall, the male went berserk.
“Koaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The male gargoyle tore into the walls and floor, whipping up a blinding cloud of dust. Under the cover of the artificial fog, it began hurling massive chunks of stone at Ren, trying to crush or impale him from the shadows.
“Lord Hero?! What’s happening?!” the werewolf yelled. From his position, the bottom of the pit was nothing but a churning cloud of debris.
This was the moment. Ren decided to put his new power to the test. With his visibility gone and the gargoyle’s heavy strikes coming from the darkness, he didn't hesitate.
“Giiiiiiiiii!”
The monster struck. Having circled around Ren’s back, its massive iron arm swung toward his spine. In a fraction of a second, he would have been skewered. The gargoyle was already certain of its victory.
But the blow never landed.
Ren raised his gauntleted hand. A wall of shimmering golden light erupted from his palm, forming a barrier between him and the monster’s claws.
“...?!”
The barrier was the size of a large kite shield, resembling a pane of glowing golden glass. The surprised gargoyle hammered at it with both arms, but the robust wall only developed a few faint cracks.
Above the pit, the werewolf froze. The sudden silence from the depths was more terrifying than the noise.
Ren, however, was calm. He was focused entirely on the Shield Magic Sword and finishing the fight. This thing is incredible.
He felt a surge of confidence. Even if the shield broke, he knew he had the presence of mind to counterattack. He deactivated the skill, and the barrier shattered into a thousand sparkling fragments that caught the dim light like diamond dust.
Ren spun around, facing the exhausted male. He hammered the Iron Magic Sword against the monster’s hide again and again.
“I know we’re the ones who intruded on your home,” he said softly, aiming for the creature’s chest.
He felt a pang of guilt because they were a pair, but he had people to protect and a life he wasn't ready to lose. In the end, there was no other choice but to fight.
“Ga—Grua... Kah!”
He dodged a desperate swipe and found the opening. Just as he had with the first, Ren drove his blade through the exposed flesh and into the heart of the beast.
“Gh... ah...”
The male gargoyle slumped over. The ground groaned under the weight of its massive body as it finally went still.
Ren let out a long, heavy sigh. “It’s... finally over.”
The unexpected second round had drained him. While these monsters were technically easier to read than the Thief Wolfen, they were still incredibly dangerous. One mistake, one clean hit from those iron arms, and it would have been Ren lying dead on the floor.
“I-Impossible... Lord Hero, did you really...?”
The dust finally settled as the werewolf scrambled down to the bottom. He found Ren sitting on the dirt, looking utterly spent. The Magic Swords were gone—Ren had dispelled them the moment the threat passed, leaving only the mundane Iron Magic Sword visible.
Ren flopped onto his back, staring up at the sliver of sky. “I’m exhausted,” he muttered.
“Of course you are! But this is legendary! A boy your age taking down two Steel-Eating Gargoyles solo? That’s unheard of!”
“I just got lucky, I think.”
Ren was too tired to give a better answer. He had so much to do—handle the materials, get the survivors to town, explain himself to the Baron. His mind was racing, but his body refused to move.
The Shield Magic Sword took more out of me than I thought.
The barrier had been incredibly tough, but the mana drain was significant. Still, it had been the right call. In that dust cloud, it had likely saved his life.
“I’m going to rest here for a minute. Go check on the others,” Ren said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Everything’s handled down here.”
“...Alright. I’ll come back for you soon.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make my own way up once I catch my breath.” Ren gave a weak wave as the werewolf climbed back up.
Left alone in the quiet of the fissure, Ren looked at his hand. “I guess I’m making progress.” He smiled faintly at the sky.
At the city gates of Clausel, the two gargoyle corpses were drawing a massive crowd. Their sheer size and metallic luster were impossible to ignore.
“Hey, look at those...” “No way... are those really Steel-Eating Gargoyles?”
Ren stood nearby, trying to endure the intense gaze of the crowd while talking to the gate guards.
“Lord Ren!” One of the knights grabbed his shoulders. “Did you truly accomplish this alone?!”
“N-No... I feel like I just got the killing blows,” Ren replied hurriedly.
“So there were others?”
“Well, it’s complicated...” Ren trailed off. He couldn't exactly take full credit for the first one since the other adventurers had softened it up, but the second one had been entirely his.
“Don’t listen to him. Both of those are the Lord Hero’s kills,” the werewolf said, joining them. The knight gasped in awe. “We barely scratched the first one. Lord Ren did all the heavy lifting for both.”
The werewolf turned to Ren. “I’ve already notified the Guild. I brought the other monsters you hunted earlier too. Make sure you collect the full reward.”
“Wait, I can’t take it all—”
“We only helped carry them. The rookies you saved said they wouldn't take a single copper after you risked your life for them.” He even mentioned that the survivors wanted Ren to have the proceeds from the resources found in the fissure. Ren tried to decline, but the werewolf insisted and walked away before Ren could argue further.
“Lord Ren,” the gate guard said gently. “Adventurers live by a code of gratitude. If you don't accept, it reflects poorly on them. Besides, you can use that money to buy new magic tools for your village.”
That was Ren’s weakness. Mentioning the village was the one thing that could make him cave. He eventually nodded, deciding to put every coin toward Ashton.
“It’s getting crowded,” Ren noted, hearing the growing roar of the onlookers.
The knight laughed. “Can you blame them? You’ve done something incredible. Word will spread even faster since there were two of them. You’re going to be the center of attention for a while, Lord Ren.”
“I’m more worried about what’s waiting for me back at the mansion,” Ren sighed.
“The mansion? Why?”
“...I fought them without telling Lord Lezard or Lady Licia.”
“Ah... I see. You are an Ashton, after all.”
Ren knew that, given his position, he’d likely be scolded for reckless behavior. He had planned to consult the Baron before hunting anything as dangerous as a gargoyle, but this had been an emergency. If he had stood by and watched adventurers die while on a mission for the Clausel family, it would have been a stain on the Baron’s reputation.
As he was thinking, a Guild official arrived, nearly tripping over his own feet at the sight of the carcasses. He informed Ren that the appraisal for such rare monsters would take time and that the final sum would be sent directly to the mansion.
Ren took that as his cue to leave. He slipped away from the crowd, though he was stopped several times by well-wishers and cheering citizens. As he reached the quieter streets near the estate, the adrenaline finally faded, replaced by a deep, bone-weary lethargy.
The Shield Magic Sword, huh.
It was a powerful tool, but the mana consumption was brutal. He pulled up his status to check his progress.
Ren Ashton Job: Ashton Family Eldest Son
Skills: * Magic Sword Summoning (Level 1: 0/0) * Magic Sword Summoning Arts (Level 3: 1055/2000) * Level 1: Can summon one Magic Sword. * Level 2: Gains Physical Ability Boost (Small) while summoning. * Level 3: Can summon two Magic Swords simultaneously. * Level 4: Gains Physical Ability Boost (Medium) while summoning.
Acquired Magic Swords: * Wooden Magic Sword (Level 2: 1000/1000) [MAX] * Enables attacks equivalent to Nature Magic (Small). * Iron Magic Sword (Level 2: 814/2500) * Sharpness increases with level. * Thief's Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/3) * Low chance to steal a random item from the target. * Shield Magic Sword (Level 1: 1/2) * Deploys a Mana Barrier.
He had amassed a staggering amount of proficiency. It was almost absurd; the gargoyles had provided far more than the Mana Eater or Jelququ combined. They were known for being high-experience targets, but the jump was still incredible.
He also confirmed a suspicion: Magic Swords from Unique Monsters only gain proficiency from Mana Stones of the same species. The Thief’s Magic Sword was still at zero, meaning the gargoyle stones hadn't helped it.
He also noted that his Wooden Magic Sword was still capped. He’d have to wait until his Summoning Arts hit Level 5 to see if it unlocked anything new.
“Now, the only problem is how to explain this to Lady Licia...”
“Explain what to me?”
Ren froze. He slowly turned his head toward the voice. Standing on the sidewalk just a few yards from the mansion gates were Licia and Weiss.
Right. I’m already home.
Ren’s face twitched as he instinctively took a step back.
“Well? What was that about an explanation?” Licia asked, her eyes narrowing.
“...Uh, well, the thing is...”
Licia closed the distance, stepping right into his personal space. Behind her, Weiss gave a sympathetic shrug and mouthed the words: Just give up.
“Let’s get inside first,” Licia said, her voice softening slightly. “I have a lot of questions, but first, I’m going to use Holy Magic to heal you.”
Ren realized there was no escaping this. He followed her toward the mansion. Licia looked annoyed, but beneath the stern expression, she couldn't quite hide the look of relief on her face.