"Yes, yes, Little Miss Royal," Vanessa replied playfully, turning back to business. "The mana here is getting more corrupted by the step. Don't use large-scale spells without focus, or they could backfire."
She pulled out the ancient battlefield map—inked onto enchanted parchment—and traced a line. "According to this, the heart of the ruins is up ahead. That's where we'll find those... insects. The ones that thrive on mana and devour magic beasts and humans alike."
"Insects?" Noelle shivered. "What kind of insects survive here?"
"Mutated mana insects. Some call them Devourer Worms. They feast on corpses, absorb residual mana, and breed in swarms. The worst part? They're fast. Too fast."
"I can sense my brother," Nivier said suddenly. "He's nearby. Still alive… but barely. He's deeper inside."
"Of course he is," Vanessa sighed, folding the map. "Right in the worst part of the ruins."
"Don't worry," Asta said, slinging his Demon-Slayer Sword onto his back. "Let's go rescue him."
They pressed forward, the narrow path littered with dry bones and fragments of shattered weapons. Noelle grimaced at the sight of a freshly fallen corpse—a rogue adventurer from the looks of it.
"Ugh… Asta, why are you making so much dust?" Noelle coughed.
"Normally, people sprinkle water to keep it down," he said cheekily. "So, I'll leave that to you, Princess."
Without thinking, Noelle nodded. "Okay—wait! You tricked me!"
Vanessa chuckled. "You two are always full of energy."
Nivier, watching the exchange, lowered her gaze. "You're all so close… I've never had anyone besides my brother. The village… they never accepted us."
Asta turned. "You've got us now, too."
Just then, a shrill screech split the air.
"Something's coming!" Noelle turned—and screamed.
A Devourer Worm the size of a boar burst from the ground, its bloated body pulsating with black magic. Its maw opened, revealing rows of fangs. It launched at her like a bullet.
"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar!" Noelle cried, firing a massive surge of water—but the creature plowed right through it.
"As—" Noelle opened her mouth to scream for help but stopped mid-syllable.
"Demon-Slayer Slash!" Asta flashed forward, his blade glowing red with anti-magic energy. In an instant, he bisected the maggot-like beast in midair. It exploded in a splash of foul-smelling black ichor.
Noelle blinked, stunned. "You... really came."
Asta grinned. "Told you. Just call me 'Brother Asta' and I'll keep you safe from all the creepy-crawlies."
"In your dreams!" she snapped—but her tone lacked heat.
"Don't let your guard down," Vanessa warned. "That thing was a scout. Where there's one, there's dozens. And the ones that come next will be faster—and bigger."
The group continued on, moving swiftly through the battlefield's ancient bones. Some of the corpses still had armor, riddled with holes. Others were more recent. Robbers. Adventurers. All dead.
The deeper they went, the more distorted the magic around them became—like a thick fog pressing against their minds.
Then—buzzing.
A sound like a thousand beating wings roared over the quiet, and the shadows shifted as massive bees emerged from the canopy.
Each one was the size of a grown man's head, with glassy eyes, serrated stingers, and legs sharp enough to slice through bone.
"They're here..." Vanessa said grimly. "Corpse-Picking Poison Bees. They eat the dead... and paralyze the living."
Asta gritted his teeth. "Get ready!"
****
This is a swarm of Poison Hornets—run!" Vanessa 's expression turned grim. These magical insects weren't individually powerful—any half-decent mage could wipe out one or two. But the sky was blotted out by the sheer number of them, creating a terrifying and inescapable wall of stingers.
"There's nowhere to run!" Noelle shouted as she watched the venomous cloud close in from all sides. Instinctively, she raised her grimoire and channeled her mana. "Water Magic: Sea Dragon's Cradle!"
But the expected barrier of cascading water never appeared.
"My magic—it's gone?!" she gasped.
Vanessa clenched her fists. "A Magic-Sealing Field… This must be part of the ancient ruins' defensive system. We've stepped into a Mana Dead Zone—no spellcasting is possible here!"
"Then I'll take care of it the old-fashioned way." Asta stepped forward, drawing his Demon Slayer Sword, but then—something unexpected.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Asta shouted, forming hand seals rapidly before exhaling a large sphere of flame.
The roaring fireball engulfed a portion of the Poison Hornets, incinerating dozens in a single burst.
"Buzz—Buzz—!" The remaining hornets, undeterred by their kin's deaths, surged forward again in a relentless tide. Asta grit his teeth and launched another round of flames. Again and again, he repelled them with sheer will and stamina. After several intense minutes, the buzzing began to fade—the swarm had retreated.
"W-We're safe?" Nivier slumped to her knees, visibly trembling. Even as someone strong on the inside, the scene had shaken her. They hadn't even reached the heart of the battlefield, and the outskirts were already this deadly?
"If it wasn't for Asta…" she murmured.
"Stay close to me from now on," Asta said with rare seriousness. None of the others questioned how he was still able to 'cast magic' in a dead zone—after all, Asta had no magic to begin with. Whatever technique he used, it clearly didn't draw from mana.
"Sister Vanessa, how can magic suddenly be sealed off like that? Just a moment ago, the mana was incredibly dense!" Noelle asked, still unsettled.
"The ancient mages who fought in the war that left this battlefield in ruins had magic far beyond our understanding," Vanessa replied solemnly. "They left behind curses, seals, and spatial anomalies. Nothing here can be trusted. And since Asta has anti-magic, this situation is even more dangerous—for us."
Asta, meanwhile, was smiling on the inside.
Ding! 100,000 points earned from battle.
He clenched his fist in silent excitement. "That swarm was worth so many points! Each Poison Hornet is 500 points—more than your average dark mage!"
He looked at the scorched husks left on the ground, eyes gleaming with greed. "They may be monsters to everyone else, but for me, they're walking gold chests."
What Asta didn't realize was that, for any normal mage trapped in a zone like this—unable to use even the smallest spell—the Poison Hornets were a death sentence. In that light, the high point value was more than justified.
"If the mission wasn't so urgent…" Asta muttered, looking over his shoulder at the others, "...I'd clean this whole place out."
But priorities were priorities.
"Exchange: Flying Jade!" Asta called into his system interface mentally.
Ding! Exchange successful. Flying Jade acquired—100,000 points spent.
Item: Flying Jade
Normal Function: Summons 15 jade fragments that hover beneath the user's feet to allow high-speed flight. Capable of rapid acceleration and midair maneuvering.
Special Effect: None.
"Let's keep moving," Asta said, the jade pieces forming a glowing green platform beneath him. "This battlefield's only going to get weirder."
Vanessa and Noelle looked at him with a mix of awe and confusion—but for now, they followed without question.
"Cool!" Asta's eyes sparkled as he examined the Flying Jade beneath his feet, resisting the urge to zoom around like a maniac. Still, the possibilities of what lay ahead—more monsters, more battles, more points—had him grinning like a kid in a candy shop.
Noelle's sharp voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Asta! What's with that weird smile? You look like a pervy mutt that just got its paws on a honey jar!"
"Huh?! It's not like that!" Asta waved his hands in defense, clearly flustered—but the goofy grin on his face didn't help his case. "I was just thinking about... the mission! Yeah, the mission!"
But before Noelle could roll her eyes or scold him again, Asta's expression suddenly changed.
"Watch out!" he shouted.
A strange, flickering magic circle had appeared beneath Noelle's feet—crudely drawn, unstable, but pulsing with ominous energy. Whatever it was, it had activated without warning, and Noelle hadn't noticed.
The ground beneath her gave a slight shimmer, and in the blink of an eye—
Swoosh!
Asta lunged forward and scooped Noelle into a princess carry, his reflexes sharp from countless battles. Her boots were just inches away from triggering the trap.
The women behind them froze, momentarily stunned by the unexpected romantic pose—and the absolutely blinding confidence with which Asta held her.
"AHHH! Y-You idiot! Put me down!" Noelle shrieked, her face going bright red as she thumped her fists lightly against his chest. But even as she flailed, there was a subtle softness to her voice—a flicker of gratitude buried beneath the embarrassment.
"That magic circle... It looked like something from the Demon Palace," she muttered, steadying herself as Asta gently set her down. "Thanks... for the save."
"No problem!" Asta beamed, scratching his head. "I couldn't just let you fall into some creepy trap. Plus... you're kind of light, you know?"
"W-Who asked for your opinion on my weight, you moron?!" Noelle exploded again, though her ears were still glowing red.
Vanessa giggled from the side, while Nivier quietly sighed. "They really never change."
But even amidst the teasing and blushes, a sense of tension lingered in the air. If traps like these were already scattered around the area—then whatever lay deeper inside the ruins would only get worse.
And Asta knew one thing for sure: he'd need more than just reflexes and luck to protect his friends this time.