The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 114

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 114. Final Evaluation (4)
“This is….”
Party members gathered around the door revealed among the scattered remains of the repelled golems.
“Is this the door leading to that Secret Space?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded, gazing at the door with its intricately carved patterns etched across its surface.
‘This is actually my first time seeing it in person.’
In my previous life, I’d wandered around searching for the Secret Space with my party members, but we’d encountered the guardian golems and been utterly crushed—never even discovering the door to the Secret Space itself.
“Do we just open it?”
Yuren examined the door and turned back to me.
“Well… I don’t see any obvious trap mechanisms around here.”
The traps—or whatever else awaited us—were likely prepared inside once we opened it.
“I’ll open the door….”
“No.”
I grabbed Yuren’s shoulder as he reached for the handle and pulled him back.
“I’ll open it. Everyone else, step back.”
“But….”
“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”
I chuckled softly, patting Yuren’s shoulder as he looked at me with concern in his eyes.
‘This has always been my specialty, after all.’
With the blessing of Resurrection, entering places that practically screamed “I’m dangerous” was second nature to me.
Even in the worst-case scenario, the only thing I’d lose was my own life.
‘Though I did get thoroughly scolded by Iris for saying things like that.’
As I recalled old memories and suppressed a bitter smile, Iris approached me.
“Then let me cast a protective spell on you first.”
“There’s really no need….”
“Tsk. No matter how confident you are in your abilities, that doesn’t mean we should go unprepared for danger.”
And.
“We’ve finally become a party with a ‘Saint’—it would be wasteful not to use that, wouldn’t it?”
Iris winked with one eye and placed her hand over her heart.
The way she straightened her posture and lifted her chin made it seem like she was promoting herself.
I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at the sight of her.
The image of her from before and her now seemed to overlap mysteriously, and my heart ached.
“Alright.”
I nodded and approached Iris.
I grasped the holy relic hanging around her neck and closed my eyes.
“Seven Gods, I beseech thee. Protect thy children as they walk the thorny path ahead.”
Pure white light flowed from Iris and enveloped my body.
With all preparations complete, I approached the door with its intricate patterns.
“Opening it.”
Behind me, the tense breathing of my Party members.
I slowly grasped the doorknob leading to the Secret Space.
Creak.
As the door swung open, a surprisingly spacious interior revealed itself.
What emerged from within was….
[Intruder detected. Intruder detected.]
[Candidate Program identification confirmed.]
[Suppression protocol activated.]
Guardian golems standing in a line as if waiting for us.
Six in total.
Their bodies, composed of intricate mechanical components, gleamed with an eerie crimson light in their eyes.
‘These seem to be a different model from the golems outside.’
Since the ones outside had been so thoroughly destroyed, I couldn’t examine them properly, but these appeared different in both form and size.
“H-huh?! Those are ‘Aegis’ Model 3 golems!”
Albert cried out in shock.
“Those golems were built to even handle Six-Eyed Demon Beasts!”
A golem capable of facing Six-Eyed Demon Beasts would possess strength nearly equivalent to an active-duty hero.
The fact that there were six of them, not just one or two, meant….
‘This must be the room that awards Diamond Marks.’
I watched as the golems drew their swords and shields, a grin spreading across my face.
“D-Dale! Let’s retreat first! And come up with another strategy…!”
Ignoring Albert’s frantic shouts, Yuren and I stepped forward.
“I’ll take the three on the right.”
“Then Camilla and I will handle the three on the left.”
Boom!
Yuren and I kicked off the ground simultaneously, as if we’d coordinated beforehand.
[Target behavior pattern analysis.]
[Defense module activated.]
The golems’ red eyes flickered as they raised shields as large as human bodies.
‘I could use Ash Flame to shatter the shields themselves.’
But Ash Flame had the drawback of consuming significant mana despite its power.
‘So instead.’
Crack!
I kicked off the shield and launched myself high into the air.
The guardian golem’s blade shot forward, aiming for my airborne form.
‘Wind Step.’
Whoosh!
I kicked against empty air, sharply changing direction mid-flight.
My target: the guardian golem’s nape—the seam between body and head, smaller than a fingertip.
“Hah!”
I spin through the air and thrust my blade forward.
Crack!
My sword pierces through the golem’s neck and slides free.
‘Perfect.’
I channel my entire body’s weight into the blade and cleave straight through the golem’s chest!
Crash!
With the sound of rigid metal warping, the golem splits from its nape to its chest.
[Critical damage detected on allied unit.]
[Cooperative response protocol activated.]
The two remaining golems simultaneously swing their blades at me.
‘One targeting my legs, one targeting my shoulder.’
Indeed, a high-grade model worthy of Albert’s fuss.
The sword strikes swinging simultaneously from above and below interlocked with flawless precision, like perfectly meshed gears.
‘But.’
After all, these are just mechanical golems.
‘In my past life, I’ve destroyed tens of thousands of golems.’
The golems guarding the Ancient Ruins were incomparably more powerful than these pathetic things used for Candidate Program evaluations.
“Berald Combat Arts.”
Earth Tremor.
Boom!
I stomp on the blade swinging at my legs and twist my body.
From below to above.
I thrust my sword upward in a rising strike.
Ring!
The golem’s blade bounces away with a clear metallic chime.
As the blade flies free, both golems’ stances crumble momentarily.
I spread both arms wide and seize the heads of the two golems descending to my eye level.
And then.
“Hnngh!”
Crunch!
The two severed golem heads roll across the ground.
‘What about Yuren and Camilla?’
I turn my head to find Yuren and Camilla, who had charged to the left.
“Tch. We’re one step behind.”
Beneath Yuren’s feet lay two golems cut cleanly as if by a guillotine.
Camilla’s side had one golem grotesquely mangled, as if bludgeoned by a blunt weapon rather than a blade.
“Wow, w-what.”
Albert stares at us, his mouth agape as we dispatch the golems in an instant.
“Those golems are models that even active heroes struggle to defeat. How on earth did you….”
Albert trails off, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Fair point.
We didn’t coordinate as a Party to take them down—I just charged in and smashed six golems to pieces in an instant, so his shock was understandable.
“Is anyone hurt?”
Iris walked over to us, leaving Albert to his astonishment.
“Yuren and I are fine, but Camilla took some damage.”
“…This wound is nothing to worry about.”
Camilla flinched and averted her gaze.
Iris narrowed her eyes at her.
“I’ll be the judge of whether it’s worth worrying about. Show me the wound.”
“….”
Camilla removed her armor and lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her side to Iris.
A long gash with blood streaming freely from it.
Fortunately, her internal organs weren’t damaged, but it was absolutely not a wound to dismiss.
“This might hurt a little. Bear with it.”
“Ugh….”
As pure white light flowed from Iris’s hand and seeped into the wound, Camilla’s expression twisted slightly.
“There. No scarring, so don’t worry.”
“I’m not concerned about scars.”
“Come on. Don’t say things like that. Look at how smooth your skin is.”
“P-please don’t touch!”
Iris tickled her side, and Camilla yelped, twisting away.
Her shirt rode up, momentarily exposing her abdomen.
“Oh….”
Taut muscle packed her core.
Just as Iris said—quite smooth indeed….
“Dale.”
Yuren appeared beside me, his eyes cold and piercing.
“H-huh?”
“There seems to be another door over there leading to the next room….”
Smirk.
“Wouldn’t it be better to examine that door instead of ogling Camilla’s stomach?”
“….”
Faced with the inexplicable pressure radiating from Yuren, I had no time for excuses and bolted toward the door.
“Hm?”
As I approached, luminous letters materialized before the door.
[What is a place you cannot escape from?]
“What is this?”
I frowned at the mysterious text floating before the door.
‘A place you cannot escape from? What does that mean?’
A riddle appearing out of nowhere here.
I’d encountered riddles and puzzle mechanisms protecting certain actual Ruins before, but I never expected such obstacles to appear during the Academy’s final evaluation.
“What’s wrong, Dale?”
“Well, there’s something like a riddle written in front of this door.”
“A place you can’t escape from…? What could it mean?”
“I have no idea.”
I turned to Yuren and Camilla, but they simply shook their heads, equally stumped.
‘I can’t just smash through this and go in.’
If this were an ordinary Ruins, I could have simply chosen to break down the door and enter, riddle or not. But this was a “final evaluation,” after all.
Solving this riddle was undoubtedly part of the test itself.
“A place you can’t escape from… a swamp?”
Beep.
[Incorrect answer.]
[Remaining attempts: 2.]
The door flashed red, displaying the number 2.
“Looks like we have to get it right within the next two tries?”
“Ugh.”
Just as panic was setting in among all my Party members.
“Uh… I got it! Baldness!”
Albert raised his hand and shouted.
“What? Why would that be baldness?”
“Because… hair, you can’t have hair in a place…”
“There’s no way something that ridiculous could be the answer….”
Beep.
[Correct answer.]
“No way.”
This is actually the right answer?
[Second question.]
[What is the name of the beach where the witch lives?]
“…Albert. I think you might know this one too?”
“Y-yeah. I actually like these nonsense riddles.”
Albert nodded enthusiastically.
I grinned widely and patted Albert on the back.
“Perfect! Recruiting you for our Party was definitely the right call!”
“I got in through a lottery draw….”
“Anyway! I’m counting on you, Albert!”
“….”
Albert turned to look at me as I massaged my shoulders, nodding vigorously.
“Yeah! Leave this to me!”
Albert walked confidently toward the door.
[What is the name of the beach where the witch lives?]
“Sandwich!”
[Correct.]
Yes, that’s right!
[What curse is acceptable to say at the sea?]
“Sea bathing!”
That’s it! Well done, Albert! Exactly!
[What organ must never be looked at or touched?]
“The state organ!”
Huh?
[The old name for citizens of the Republic is ‘Korean.’ What is the name of the blue blood that Koreans shed?]
“KOSPI!”
What the hell is this bastard doing?
[All riddles have been solved.]
Thunk! Grrrrrrrrr!
With a heavy rumble, the tightly sealed door swung open.
A faint smell of tobacco smoke drifted through the gap, stinging my nostrils.
“This scent….”
I squinted and stepped through the doorway.
Beyond lay a vast cavern, its jagged rock formations jutting upward like sharpened stakes.
And at its center, seated motionless.
“So you’ve come, you little brats.”

It was Professor Elisha Baldwin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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