I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 60

TLN : No chapter tomorrow, maybe Monday.

Episode 60: The Path of Carnage

Time passed, and Lucius became a second-year student at the Padokia Magic Academy.

With the arrival of the new first-years, many eager challengers stepped forward to test their strength against him, but he effortlessly defeated them all.

During the long break between school years, Lucius and Mof made a significant discovery—a Lizardman settlement.

Being able to personally verify the stories they had heard and turning that knowledge into experience was exhilarating. This newfound thrill awakened their passion for learning.

The possibility that something they learned in class might be useful or that they might get the chance to confirm the contents of a book they read made studying an exciting endeavor.

Previously, Lucius had struggled with theoretical studies like magic theory, dismissing them as nothing more than abstract concepts. However, once he started paying closer attention, he realized how fascinating they could be.

Moreover, Holy Magic proved to be incredibly versatile. When he practiced it at home, applying its theories to his training, he found his efficiency improving significantly.

Mof’s magic had also grown more refined, leaving almost no openings in his defenses. Against a small group of enemies, there were no monsters around Padokia that could pose a threat.

However, the combination of Lucius and Mof had one critical weakness—they lacked effective mid-to-long-range and area-of-effect attacks. Lucius’ offensive magic would only reach its full potential later on, and Mof’s spells struggled with range and wide-area attacks.

They were trying to find a way to cover each other’s weaknesses, but no solution had presented itself yet.

Since they both had many secrets, recruiting additional members wasn’t an option either.

Sometime after becoming a second-year student, Lucius heard about a mountain path known as the “Path of Carnage.”

About a three-day carriage ride from Padokia lay a city called Arankna. Two days further on foot would bring one to Mount Arania, a mountain where the types of monsters changed as one climbed higher. It was renowned as a prime training ground.

It was said that adventurers of Bronze to Silver rank who ascended the Path of Carnage and completed it alone would inevitably reach Gold rank. However, while many attempted the challenge, just as many perished in the process.

Feeling stuck in his current training, Lucius decided to take on the Path of Carnage and began making plans.

The path would be grueling for those who pushed themselves too hard, but since turning back wasn’t impossible, he believed it would make for excellent training as long as he took the proper precautions.

Since he happened to know a female student from Arankna, he asked her for details about the path. Unfortunately, rumors quickly spread throughout the academy that Lucius intended to conquer the Path of Carnage.

Finding it too troublesome to deny the rumors, he ignored them. However, before long, he was summoned by the headmaster.

When Lucius entered the headmaster’s office, he decided to put on a slightly apologetic expression and get through the situation as painlessly as possible.

The stern, ex-military headmaster clapped Lucius heartily on the shoulder and spoke to him in a reassuring tone.

“Lucius, it’s fine. I understand completely.”

Lucius had no idea what he was talking about but decided to listen for now.

“You’re an excellent student, after all. If you want, you can even take Mof with you.”

“? What are you talking about?”

Lucius asked, unable to grasp the situation.

“I heard you’re planning to conquer the Path of Carnage despite still being a student. That ambition is admirable. As a special exception, I’m granting you permission to take on the challenge during the semester!”

“Wait, wait, wait! I was only planning to check it out during the long break! I never said I was going to conquer it, and I wasn’t planning to go right away!”

“I knew you’d say that. You’re someone who values discipline and harmony—I even heard as much from Zabit. But in reality, that’s not how you truly feel, is it? Your friends told me how much you want to help those who are struggling. Our academy respects students like you!”

At that moment, Lucius realized he had been set up.

Zabit was one of the people who saw Lucius as an enemy. Ever since his childhood friend had fallen for Lucius, Zabit had constantly antagonized him.

At first, Zabit had challenged Lucius to duels in an attempt to settle things with brute force. However, after realizing he couldn’t win, he had resorted to trickery instead.

The headmaster was a good person, but he occasionally became stubborn. It was said that if one continued to argue with him, he would throw out some bizarre logic and insist on settling things with a duel. So, it was best to comply quietly.

Lucius listened to the headmaster’s speech just enough to be polite while solidifying his resolve to take on the Path of Carnage.

However, Zabit’s latest stunt had gone too far. To make sure he learned his lesson, Lucius planned to have Mof restrain him with Cotton Magic and then perform practice swings with a greatsword right in front of him. If Zabit still refused to back down, Lucius would gradually shorten the distance of his swings until he got the message.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Lucius decided to view this as a great opportunity—after all, now he could openly challenge the Path of Carnage.

His studies would be set back, but as long as he worked hard, he believed he could catch up.

When he asked Mof what he wanted to do, Mof replied that it sounded fun and immediately began making plans in his head. Since Mof was taking care of the details, Lucius left the finer preparations to him.

After a few days of preparation, Lucius and Mof received official permission from the headmaster and set off for Arankna.

Lucius intended to climb as high as possible. He planned to spend about a month there, using that time to ascend as far as he could. His determination was unwavering.

For Mof, however, the mountain was not a favorable environment, so he wasn’t aiming for a full ascent. Instead, he planned to take his time fighting monsters to confront his weaknesses.

Upon arriving in Arankna, the two began searching for an inn. Since they had already gathered recommendations from school, they were confident they wouldn’t end up in a bad one.

They planned to stay in Arankna for two days to prepare for the Path of Carnage.

As they wandered through the city, they noticed an abundance of fruit being sold. The Kemenez Empire was known for its fruit production, and even in their kingdom, Kemenez-grown fruit was commonly found.

Pomegranates and apricots were particularly popular. Lucius, who loved pomegranates, couldn’t hide his excitement.

Drawn by the sweet and sour aroma, he walked toward a street stall selling fresh fruit juice. The fruits were glistening with freshness, and despite the low prices, they looked incredibly high-quality.

Lucius ordered a cup of pomegranate juice.

The vendor swiftly sliced two pomegranates open, revealing the jewel-like seeds inside, then placed them into a press-style juicer.

As pressure was applied from above, the deep-red juice trickled down into a cup.

Lucius watched the process intently.

After receiving the cup from the vendor, he took a single breath and downed it in one go.

A wave of tartness spread across his mouth. He loved sour flavors—this was pure bliss.

“Am I actually… a pretty lucky guy?”

That thought surfaced naturally in his mind.

It wasn’t that he was completely satisfied with his current situation.

He still wanted to become stronger. He still wanted to reunite with his childhood friends.

But at the same time, there were moments of happiness.

Finding delicious food at an affordable price. Feeling his sword move exactly as he intended. Chatting with his friends.

All of these things were precious to him.

Even if hardships lay ahead, even if he got hurt, even if he felt lonely—perhaps just one cup of pomegranate juice would be enough to remind him of happiness.

If that were the case, then no matter how many times he fell, he would always stand back up.

Lucius didn’t dislike this version of himself—the one who could think that way.

Thus, Lucius’ Path of Carnage journey began.

The Path of Carnage was said to be divided into five layers.

At the end of the five layers, a magic circle would appear, summoning a monster most suited to the challenger.

This phenomenon was called “Phantasmal Resonance*“, a now-lost skill from ancient times.

(TLN: The original is something like Manifested Gas, I changed it for a more suitable name, if a lot of you didn’t like it, just inform me in the comment.)

Lucius first headed to the First Layer.

The monsters on each layer seemed almost custom-tailored to share similar traits. The First Layer was characterized by “Strength,” and was filled with dangerous creatures that became a greater threat the more attacks they endured.

For this challenge, Lucius was prioritizing training over simply clearing the layers. That’s why he relied mainly on his swordsmanship.

That didn’t mean he would avoid using magic altogether—if it could enhance his sword skills, he would use it freely, adopting a magic swordsman style of combat.

Lucius cleared the First Layer in about three days without much difficulty. He retreated when he risked getting surrounded, but every time he faced an enemy one-on-one, he fought without fail.

Having sparred against adults since he was a child, Lucius was used to battling physically powerful opponents. He had always been skilled at redirecting and deflecting attacks, but this challenge refined that ability even further.

However, the Second Layer proved troublesome.

The Second Layer was characterized by “Defense” and was filled with slow but incredibly tough monsters.

While it was easy to run away from these creatures, those who avoided fighting entirely would find the final magic circle’s enemy impossibly durable, making it nearly impossible to proceed.

Regardless, Lucius had always planned to fight his way through, so this didn’t change his approach.

Up until now, he had handled tough enemies by targeting their joints or eyes—vulnerable spots. However, the monsters in this layer had no such weaknesses—their entire bodies were hardened.

One of the most formidable foes was the Iron Duck.

Its feathers were as tough as steel, and engaging it normally would risk breaking his sword.

In response, Lucius coated his sword with Holy Magic to enhance its cutting power, but he soon realized that inconsistent control over his magic weakened its effectiveness.

Fortunately, the Iron Duck wasn’t a particularly powerful attacker, so Lucius deliberately allowed himself to take some hits in order to refine his technique.

After ten days of focused training, he had honed his magic control to the point where he could effortlessly cut through any monster in this layer. With that, he advanced to the next level.

The Third Layer emphasized “Agility,” while the Fourth Layer focused on “Magic.”

Lucius was assaulted by hordes of fast-moving monsters and magic-wielding creatures, but thanks to his Second Layer training, his magic control had greatly improved.

As long as he didn’t get surrounded, he was able to defeat his enemies without much difficulty.

His mastery of Holy Magic-based body reinforcement had become smooth and efficient, and his ability to create footholds with magic had greatly improved.

Monsters that relied only on speed or only on magic were no longer a threat unless they attacked in large groups.

Having reached the Fourth Layer, Lucius decided to return to Arankna for a few days of rest.

The Fifth Layer was known as “Mutation.”

This layer housed variant species of the previous monsters, meaning that these creatures combined two or three of the previous traits.

Some were both fast and highly aggressive, while others had immense defense and could cast spells continuously.

To make things worse, these monsters also specialized in status-effect attacks, making this layer far more challenging than the previous four.

While Lucius could heal himself with magic, status effects weren’t his main concern—the real challenge was fighting monsters that surpassed him in raw power.

Realizing he needed a strategic reset, he temporarily halted his Fifth Layer challenge.

Lucius returned to Arankna with Mof.

Apparently, Mof was still struggling in the Second Layer.

His Cotton Magic had extremely low lethality, making it ineffective against high-defense monsters.

After much trial and error, Mof had hit a wall.

So, in an attempt to clear his head, he decided to return to town with Lucius for a break.

The Path of Carnage was always bustling with adventurers, so a large base camp had formed at the mountain’s foot.

Every few days, food vendors and peddlers would set up shop, making it possible to survive for about a month without too much trouble.

However, when it came to true rest, nothing compared to a proper inn in the city.

Right now, the area was in a quiet season, so only a few vendors were around.

But before the “New Moon” the weather would become ideal, attracting a surge of adventurers and constant street vendors, greatly improving the quality of life in the area.

During their training, Lucius and Mof had been living off hunted beasts and monsters, supplementing their diet with wild herbs, dried meat, dried fruit, and hardtack.

The food was nutritious, but returning to the city made them crave more elaborate dishes.

For some reason, soft bread felt especially nostalgic.

After returning to Arankna, the two spent their earnings from slaying monsters at a local tavern, indulging in a hearty feast.

Once they had eaten their fill, they returned to their inn and allowed themselves a well-earned rest.