Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 34. The Trial of the Black Dream Forest (3)

“They’re coming.”

“The fourth one to be eliminated, is it?”

Thick gray fog surrounded them.

A thread containing the eliminated contestant drifted through the mist, pushing toward the place where the family heads awaited.

This time, it was the head of the Rainkroki family who stepped forward to confirm the eliminated contestant.

Having discovered his own son as the first to be eliminated, he was now helping spare the others the task, bearing his sorrow.

“This one’s a bit large, isn’t it?”

The Rainkroki head drove his dagger into the top of the thread.

The head of the Krokisson family, who had been quiet, reacted to the comment about the thread’s size.

Among the contestants, Kun was the tallest.

“Could it be already? No, that’s impossible.”

The Krokisson head didn’t doubt his son’s abilities.

He expected his victory and believed it was only natural. To be eliminated now would be more than disappointing—it would be disgraceful.

“Ah, well.”

The dagger drew a clean cut.

The Rainkroki head sighed as he identified the eliminated, while a smile appeared on the face of the Krokisson head observing beside him.

“There were two of them, not just one. That’s why it was so large.”

Contained within the thread were the contestants from the Stone and Bondog families.

The two eliminated contestants, their lips turned blue, were unconscious.

The heads of the Bondog and Stone families silently stepped forward to pull their sons from the thread, their faces unmistakably lined with disappointment.

Now that two contestants had been eliminated in this round, four remained: the children from the Ronan, Krokisson, Kunitli, and Krieger families.

And then, there was Seiren, standing quietly with her arms crossed.

“Rubin, what is your fear?”

She wanted to know.

She wanted to understand her son’s fears and whether he would be able to overcome them.

However, by the contract with the Dream Spider responsible for the trial, everything that occurred in the Black Pond was a secret shared solely among the contestants.

Even as heads of the Assassin Blade Family, they could not know their children’s fears or the form of the phantom beasts they faced.

“Young Master Rubin is still surviving, as expected.”

The one approaching with a flattering smile was the Krieger family head.

“Nes Krieger. Wasn’t his daughter’s name Blane?”

The head of the Krieger family was as ambitious as the Krokisson head.

Blane’s two older brothers were already building their reputations within the Assassin Blade Family, thanks to the strict training imposed by the Krieger head.

Seiren respected this kind of rigorous upbringing.

“Blane’s potential seems impressive as well.”

Seiren responded politely.

“Impressive as it may be, she’s still a child who hasn’t yet awakened her Dark Ripple. She’s far behind her brothers.”

“It seems the Krieger head has misjudged.”

“Pardon? What does that mean…?”

“From what I sense, Blane has already awakened her Dark Ripple.”

“Is that true?”

Even as he asked, the Krieger head didn’t doubt Seiren’s words.

Standing here was none other than the head of the main family—a person at a completely different level from the other family heads.

She would never speak carelessly.

“But.”

“…But?”

“It seems something is blocking her from wielding it properly. I hope this trial can serve as a turning point for her abilities.”

“…”

Seiren glanced at the contemplative expression on the Krieger head’s face.

“He’s suspicious.”

Behind his reverence for Seiren was clearly a seed of suspicion.

He was questioning why she would so readily share such information with him, a competitor.

“Even a minor figure like him is wary of me?”

Seiren genuinely desired that every member of the Assassin Blade Family elevate themselves to a higher level.

She was vigilant not of her internal rivals, but of external threats.

The numerous prestigious magic and swordsmanship families and key figures in the imperial army.

This mindset was possible because she believed there was no longer any threat within their own family.

“Blane Krieger. She could have grown more if she’d been under a better family head. What a waste.”

Of course, Nes Krieger, the head of the Krieger family, had once placed his hopes in his daughter’s potential.

But the day Blane had been eliminated in the first selection, those hopes had been shattered.

The memory of that disappointing result still haunted him.

“Even if she’s survived this trial up to now, it doesn’t mean a new possibility has emerged.”

In a world where even a single mistake was unacceptable, the competitors from other families were simply too strong.

Even if she achieved good results in this trial, he doubted it would unblock the path of growth that had been sealed.

Nes Krieger changed the topic.

“My daughter, Blane’s fear is likely predictable.”

“It seems you have a sense of it.”

“You may have noticed she has an unsightly burn scar.”

“Yes, I saw it. It wasn’t there during the first selection.”

“That scar was the result of her foolish ambitions. She tried to become stronger but couldn’t handle it. That day, the entire manor burned down because of her.”

“Oh. So that’s what happened.”

Seiren searched her memory.

About a year ago, she recalled receiving such a report from her direct vassal.

The Krieger family, based in the region of Frone, had experienced a massive fire at their manor.

Though a branch family, Nes Krieger was still a head of the Assassin Blade Family.

For his residence to be engulfed in flames was no trivial matter.

The fire had not only consumed a part but the entire manor.

“So it was Blane’s doing back then…”

As Seiren was recalling the report, Nes Krieger’s face twisted as he gritted his teeth, remembering the unpleasant incident.

“She’s a pitiful child who doesn’t know her place. Unlike the Krieger bloodline, she’s full of fear. If her turn comes, I can guarantee the trial grounds will be engulfed in flames.”

Nes Krieger’s words weren’t wrong.

Following Hamil’s round, where three Cruelty Orcs had appeared, it was Blane Krieger’s turn to face her fear.

As the new round began with a swoosh, a blinding light burst forth in front of the four remaining contestants.

Everyone shielded their faces as a thunderous roar shook the ground.

Boom, boom, boom!

“The manor is burning down.”

It wasn’t hard to guess whose manor it was.

There was someone who collapsed to the ground the moment the new round began.

“I can’t just let her fail like this.”

Rubin approached Blane, who had fallen forward, her face buried in her hands.

“Get a hold of yourself, Blane!”

If left like this, Blane’s mind would completely break.

She could also fall prey to Kun’s attack.

Rubin hoisted Blane onto his back and hurriedly moved away.

“We’re heading up that hill for now! Hurry!”

He shouted to Hamil and Kun. Hamil obediently followed Rubin, but Kun did not.

Kun ignored Rubin’s words and stayed before the burning manor.

After reaching the top of the hill, Rubin gently set Blane down in a safe spot.

Looking down, he saw the burning manor collapse entirely.

Boom.

The fire, originating from the manor, was steadily spreading.

It was only a matter of time before it devoured the garden in front of the manor as well. Then, this hill would no longer be safe.

“The trial ground has limited size—only a four-kilometer perimeter. Soon, everything will be on fire.”

“So what do we do?”

“We need to find the root of Blane’s fear.”

“…Maybe it’s that fire? She has burn marks on her face, so if we put it out…”

Just then, a tremendous roar echoed from the center of the manor.

Rooooaaar!

A terrifying scream that seemed to rip their eardrums apart.

Blane Krieger, clutching her head with both hands, shook violently.

She was already in a state of panic.

Hamil alternated his gaze between the manor and Blane, his expression turning awkward.

“It doesn’t seem like an ordinary fire, does it?”

At the center of the collapsed manor, a giant pillar of flames was rising, the very source of the fire consuming the manor.

Thud…

Thud…

The thing they had thought was merely a pillar of fire was now moving, shaking the ground with each step.

A massive body, surrounded by columns of flame.

“Young Master, that… looks like a golem, doesn’t it?”

Hamil was right.

A monstrous construct driven by a mana stone as its heart, a golem was not a natural creature but an artificially created monster.

If a mana stone, once mined from the earth, was completely drained of mana, its only use left was as a golem’s heart.

“Blane, who created that?”

“…”

When Blane didn’t respond to Rubin’s question, Hamil stepped forward this time, locking eyes with her.

“If we want all of us to proceed to the next stage without any eliminations, you need to tell us, Blane.”

“…It was me. I did it.”

“What? You?”

“…Two years ago, after the first selection, I commissioned a mage in Frone.”

“Did your family head allow this?”

Blane shook her head.

Her father, strict and bound by principle, would never have allowed the creation of a golem.

Instead, her two older brothers had helped her.

Living as assassins in other cities, her brothers had sourced the materials and provided the funds for Blane’s training golem.

It was the reason she had failed the first test so pitifully.

She wanted to grow stronger and believed that special training was necessary for that.

But the problem was…

“There must have been something wrong with the mana stone used as the golem’s heart. The golem went out of control and rampaged. That’s why the entire estate…”

Not only had her plan to secretly train in the underground storage failed, but the golem’s rampage had also erased a piece of her family’s history.

The legacy of the Krieger family, passed down through generations, was reduced to ashes in mere hours.

“I couldn’t do anything. All I did was run while Father dealt with the golem…”

Blane’s voice broke as she cried.

It was only after Nes Krieger shattered the mana stone in the golem’s chest that its rampage had ended.

Amid the chaos, the flames clung to Blane’s body, spreading to her neck and arms.

It was her father, the family head, who had rescued her from the agony.

“Father’s look… the way he looked at me like I was nothing but an insect… I just can’t…”

Blane would never forget the look of disdain in her father’s eyes.

Unlike her two brothers, who always exceeded expectations, she was the disappointing one, despising herself for it.

“I understand, Blane. I know how you feel, wanting to grow stronger and be acknowledged. I feel the same. You saw me mess things up too, trying to train with Cruelty Orcs.”

Hamil tried to console her, but Rubin didn’t think comforting Blane was the right answer right now.

If fear could be overcome with a few kind words, it wouldn’t be fear.

“This isn’t the time to wallow in emotions. We need to deal with the golem right now. Kun won’t be able to manage it alone.”

“Might as well just let me get eliminated…”

Rubin had heard her say these same words in his past life.

He could vividly remember Blane’s hesitation at a critical point in a mission.

It was the decisive reason she had stalled at six stars in the past.

All the resentment and pressure she’d endured beneath her two talented brothers had created a low self-esteem.

‘It was an unfulfilled talent because of that. But…’

This time would be different.

The scars she bore couldn’t be erased, but her future could be changed.

Rubin helped Blane to her feet.

“Blane, I told you I would help everyone grow. That golem will be the stepping stone for that growth. You need to face it.”

She had to face it.

Even if her whole body burned again, she had to confront it head-on and crush it.

Only then could she overcome her fear.

But Blane averted her eyes from Rubin’s.

At that moment, the golem was swinging its massive arms, clashing with Kun.

Although Kun was moving swiftly, evading the golem’s attacks, the flames closing in on all sides were gradually shrinking his foothold.

Time was running out.

“Let’s go, Hamil!”

Rubin and Hamil dashed down the hill.

Left alone on the hill, Blane trembled, tears streaming down her face.

Through her tears, she could see Rubin and Hamil fearlessly entering the golem’s attack range.

They diverted the golem’s focus away from Kun.

Constantly changing their positions to draw its attention, they fought against the fear she had created.

“Damn it! It’d be quicker just to eliminate that wench!”

Kun shouted.

Kun had thought it would be easier to destroy the golem, Blane’s fear.

He had even wanted to test his own abilities against it.

But it was trickier than expected.

Since the golem was artificially created, it had no fixed standard.

The principle was simple: if the mana stone acting as its heart was removed, it would stop moving, but the issue was that the location of the mana stone varied.

Even if they cut off its mechanical arm or hacked it to pieces, unless the mana stone heart was removed, the golem would keep coming at them.

“This golem is a transformed version of Blane’s fear! Don’t think of it as a typical golem!”

Rubin shouted.

Indeed, the golem created by the Dream Forest was moving in a way that was impossible for a regular golem.

It was as if it were an assassin from the Assassin Blade Family. Menacing and erratic.

And on top of that…

‘The mana stone heart is nowhere to be seen.’

One of the golem’s enormous, flame-spewing arms swung down toward Rubin.

Boom!

Rubin twisted his body just in time to dodge the attack.

The steel arm smashed into the ground with a heavy thud.

“Does anyone have a brilliant idea for taking down this hunk of burning metal?”

Hamil shouted.

A brilliant idea.

“Just chop off all its joints!”

It was Kun who shouted that.

It was a typical Kun response, but not a bad one.

In fact, it was quite a good idea.

“Kun, could you think before you speak?”

“No, Hamil. Let’s try that. We’ll go all at once and dismantle the golem’s skeleton.”

“Young Master, but without removing the mana stone…”

“If we dismantle its whole body, the mana stone should eventually reveal itself. Let’s give it a shot.”

In complex situations with no visible solution, a straightforward assault could be the best strategy.

“…Understood!”

“When I give the signal, we go all at once.”

Rubin jumped into the air, signaling Kun with a glance.

Although Kun didn’t like following Rubin’s directions, there was no other option for now.

A temporary alliance was formed, and a joint attack began.

Rubin took the golem head-on, while Kun and Hamil took either side.

The golem’s steel body was glowing hot from the fire. To dismantle its joints, they had to approach the intensely hot structure.

But this was the Dream Forest.

Burns and injuries from fire didn’t matter.

Once they moved to the next stage, any physical damage would be restored.

Zap-zap-zap!

Crash!

‘As expected, the two of them are far beyond the average level.’

As Rubin slashed the golem’s neck, severing the connecting iron tube, he thought.

Both Kun and Hamil were successfully detaching its arms and tearing into its chest.

‘At this rate…’

Boom.

Once all the metal tubes at the joints had been severed, the golem crumbled instantly, like a beast stripped of its bones.

“…What?”

Hamil wiped his brow, his eyes widening in surprise.

“What is this? There’s no mana stone in this golem!”

“Idiots. Didn’t I say it’d be faster to take Blane down? Look, it’s regenerating again.”

Just as Kun said, the golem’s body parts were slowly pulling back together. Fortunately, the pace of its reassembly was slow.

“Should we try again? Since breaking it apart isn’t difficult, we can keep trying until we find the mana stone.”

Hamil’s idea made sense, but there was one critical oversight.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Look over there.”

Kun pointed, showing them the shrinking boundary of the Dream Forest.

“Do you think this place lasts forever? I’d say it’ll collapse in less than five minutes. This won’t stop unless we eliminate either that monster or Blane!”

The Dream Forest was shrinking. If they didn’t finish within the time limit, everyone would be eliminated.

That was the law of this world.

“What now? No one’s going to object if I cut down Blane, right?”

At Kun’s threat, Hamil couldn’t bring himself to object. He had been following Rubin’s instructions, but risking elimination was a different matter.

“Young Master Rubin, I’m sorry. It seems we’re out of options.”

Just as Hamil and Kun began to run toward the hill—

“Wait.”

Rubin spoke with a smile.

“I think I’ve figured out how to destroy this golem.”

“What?”

Kun could hardly believe his ears.

Destroy this strange golem with no mana stone? How?

“How? There’s no time, Young Master!”

Rubin responded with action.

He aimed his dagger at something right before him.

In the center of the disassembled golem, something unknown was writhing between the pooling molten metal, black and sticky, like a glob of melted jelly.

“The mana stone isn’t here. If we want to destroy the golem, we need to target that.”

“…What is that?”

What else could it be?

It was the power controlling the golem, and the answer to ending this trial.

“Fear. It’s Blane’s fear.”