Sharon Arachde, a researcher specializing in insect-type monsters, described mantis-type monsters as “ambush insects” in her Great Encyclopedia of Giant Insects.
The mantis-type monster’s greatest weapon is its massive forelegs. Its primary attack pattern involves ambushing enemies and capturing them with those limbs.
“Contrary to popular belief, the mantis-type monster’s forelegs have limited ways of attacking.”
Swinging the forelegs like blades is practically impossible.
All it can really do is thrust them forward and pin down its prey.
“It’s just that the speed of its thrust and the strength of its grip are overwhelmingly powerful.”
If you get hit by a mantis-type monster’s opening strike, it’s extremely difficult to escape.
Not only is its grip absurdly strong, but the forelegs themselves are saw-like—getting caught often leads to fatal wounds.
That’s why getting hit first by one of them is basically a death sentence.
But looked at another way…
“As long as you prevent the initial strike, you can totally take them down.”
Crackle! Boom!
Helios’s lightning magic and my fire magic exploded straight into the front of the Deadly Mantis.
If we didn’t have enough firepower, the Deadly Mantis would’ve bulldozed through and come charging anyway.
But since Helios and I—ranked first and second in the rookie tournament—were working together, our combined magic was enough to stop its charge.
“Hsssh?!”
“Move!”
Seeing the Deadly Mantis falter and cover its face with its forelegs, Helios darted left.
I was already moving to the right.
“Hsssh!”
Letting out an eerie screech, the Deadly Mantis raised its head.
It seemed to hesitate, unsure which of us to chase.
And we didn’t waste that moment.
“…!”
Crackle! Boom, boom!
Helios fired a powerful lightning strike, and I launched multiple fireballs.
“These Protective Gloves really make casting easier!”
The magic came from both sides.
The lightning was blocked by the mantis’s thick forelegs, but the fireballs—guided by homing magic—hit its abdomen and hind legs directly.
“Hssshhh…!”
It wasn’t a lethal blow, though.
The Deadly Mantis lunged toward me in one last desperate attempt—but before it could reach me, Helios’s lightning slammed into the back of its head.
“…?!”
Its head was half-destroyed.
But insect-type monsters can still move instinctively even with their heads damaged, and it kept flailing its deadly limbs.
“Eriol!”
At that moment—
My giant fireball hit the Deadly Mantis dead-on.
With a thunderous roar, the monster went up in flames… and finally fell silent.
“How was that, Helios?”
I opened my mouth as I looked at the burning remains.
“Told you I was right.”
“Shut up, you punk.”
Despite our clear win, Helios scowled.
He didn’t seem thrilled that he had to work with me to pull it off.
“First and second place from the rookie tournament teaming up? That kind of mantis is easy prey.”
“I literally said that earlier.”
“Ugh, seriously…”
Helios sighed in frustration and pulled out a multipurpose ranger knife from his belt.
“Enough talk. Get your tools out—we need to harvest the materials.”
“Got it.”
Even after being scorched, the mantis’s forelegs remained mostly intact.
After extinguishing the flames, we began separating the limbs by driving our knives into the joints.
“This isn’t easy…”
Even the joint areas weren’t exactly soft, so it took real effort.
“Hah, good at magic but useless at this kind of thing, huh.”
“Then help me out.”
“Each person handles one.”
Seeing me struggle seemed to put Helios in a slightly better mood.
“By the way, that glove—what is it?”
“This?”
“Looks top-tier. Must insulate heat really well.”
He was eyeing the Protective Gloves I got from Professor Hephaestus.
Honestly, thanks to these gloves, I’d been able to cast magic much more safely.
“It was a gift.”
“Don’t tell me you got it from Professor Kaisel?”
His expression darkened.
“No, not from him…”
“Hmm. Then fine.”
Seriously, this guy… he must seriously worship Kaisel Valencia.
“Hey, Helios.”
“What?”
“Why are you so obsessed with Uncle Kaisel?”
“…”
I wasn’t expecting a real answer, but after a moment’s thought, Helios spoke.
“Like I said earlier, I come from a family of Rangers.”
“And?”
“Rangers specialize in dungeon exploration. But these days, the main players in dungeon conquest are mages.”
“…”
“I believed that old-school Rangers who didn’t learn magic were doomed to fall behind. But none of the adults around me seemed worried.”
His voice was serious.
“I was really disappointed in them… and then I read a column by Professor Kaisel.”
“A column?”
“An article in Ars Magazine. It was about Labyrinthos exploration.”
“I think I’ve seen that one.”
“His words had more depth than anything I’d ever heard from any Ranger. And… it got my heart racing.”
“…”
“After that, I started looking up to him.”
I could start to see why Helios was so fixated on Kaisel.
If he had no proper role models around, and then discovered a genius like Kaisel… it’s only natural he’d start idolizing him.
“That’s why my goal is to study magic under Professor Kaisel. I’m going to get into his Principles Department no matter what.”
“…”
“To do that, I’ll get top grades—whatever it takes.”
After saying that, Helios looked straight at me.
“Eriol, you’re the same, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You’re obsessed with getting top grades too.”
“I wouldn’t say obsessed.”
“Don’t lie. If that’s not it, why are you even here?”
“What?”
“You even went and got a Ranger license to enter the dungeon. Isn’t this just practice for the upcoming conquest tournament?”
“What conquest tournament?”
It was clear now—there’d been a big misunderstanding.
“I only came into the dungeon because I was curious.”
“What?”
“I mean, what even is this conquest tournament you’re talking about?”
“…”
Helios gave me a look like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“You seriously don’t know there’s a dungeon conquest tournament coming up after midterms? First and second years can both enter. It counts toward your evaluation scores too.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“I skimmed through the first-year curriculum, but I’ve never seen anything about a joint evaluation between first and second years.”
“You really didn’t know?”
“Told you I didn’t.”
“…Sigh.”
Maybe he finally realized I was telling the truth, because Helios let out a sigh.
“It’s a voluntary event. A dungeon conquest tournament open to both first and second years. Since it’s held in a controlled section set up by the Academy, you don’t need a Ranger license to participate. First and second years get evaluated together.”
“Then second years have a huge advantage, don’t they?”
“Yeah, it’s basically meant for them. But if a first-year manages to outperform them, it gives you a massive edge in the overall rankings.”
“Hm…”
“I figured you were entering the tournament to lock in your first-place spot.”
Helios frowned as he looked at me.
“So, what are you gonna do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Now that you know, don’t tell me you’re planning to not enter?”
“Wouldn’t it be better for you if I didn’t?”
“Yeah, right.”
Helios scoffed.
“If I want to catch Professor Kaisel’s eye, the best way to do that is by beating you and taking first place.”
“…”
“If you don’t enter, it actually screws me over.”
It was like he was saying, I’m going to beat you no matter what.
“Well, I didn’t really care before, but since you put it that way, I guess I don’t have a choice.”
I smiled.
“I’ll enter the dungeon conquest tournament too.”
“Good.”
Helios smiled as well.
It was the kind of smile that welcomes a worthy rival—a competitive grin.
After that, we gathered the amethyst flowers and made our way out of the dungeon.
At the management office near the entrance, we turned in the Deadly Mantis’s forelegs and the ten amethyst flowers, and received our reward on the spot.
Apparently, the management office delivers the materials directly to the requester.
“The reward… Let’s just split it fifty-fifty.”
“You sure? I got a lot of help from you this time.”
“If I wanted to charge for escort duty, I would’ve brought that up beforehand. Just take your half and shut up.”
Helios handed me my share of the reward.
“Well, that’s everything done, right? I’m heading out.”
“Yeah. Thanks for today.”
“I don’t need your thanks, and don’t expect me to say it back either.”
“Do you have to nitpick everything?”
“Speak for yourself…”
We were just about to part ways when something crossed my mind.
“Helios, there’s something I want to ask.”
“What?”
“That dungeon conquest tournament you mentioned—do we have to enter in a party of two?”
According to Helios earlier, unless you’re someone with proven skill, you’re not allowed to enter a dungeon alone. Even in the Labyrinth, the management office will stop you if you try to go in solo.
“You need to register as a pair. So yeah, you’ll need a partner.”
“A partner, huh…”
“Oh, and just to be clear,” Helios added with a scowl, “I’m not partnering with you. Don’t even think about asking.”
“I wasn’t planning to. Don’t worry.”
Helios was gunning to beat me and take the number one spot in the overall rankings. There’s no way he’d team up with me for the conquest tournament.
Knowing that, I had no intention of asking him to be my partner anyway.
“Annoying bastard…”
Helios grumbled as he walked off.
Left alone, I rubbed my shoulder, suddenly feeling the fatigue set in.
Up until now, the thrill of dungeon exploration had kept me energized, but now that the excitement had worn off, the exhaustion hit me all at once.
Still… I got something out of this.
Today was my first real combat experience.
I used magic in a life-or-death situation—where even a moment of carelessness could’ve gotten me killed.
It was a valuable experience.
It would definitely help when the dungeon conquest tournament came around.
There was still plenty of time until then, since it wouldn’t be held until after midterms… but it couldn’t hurt to start preparing early.
“But still… a partner, huh.”
Since a Ranger license wasn’t required, that opened up my options.
No need to ask Helios for help—I just had to find someone I knew who’d be a good fit.
“Who should I ask?”
Thinking that over, I started walking back toward the dorms.
