The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 134: The Legacy of the Iron Fist (3)

A wide cavern.

At its center, a pair of gauntlets floated, emitting a mysterious blue light.

Even someone unfamiliar with artifacts could sense that the gauntlets were no ordinary objects—they exuded an unmistakable aura.

“Brother, are those…?”

“No way…”

As soon as we saw the gauntlets, a name flashed in all our minds.

“The, the Legacy of the Iron Fist, isn’t it?”

One of the "Five Great Heroes" who sealed the demon god and saved humanity 500 years ago.

The name of Iron Fist Ryujin Seong crossed my mind.

“But… why is it here?”

I looked at the floating gauntlets with a confused expression.

‘What’s going on?’

In my past life, I had cleared this ruin together with Yuren, Berald, Iris, and Senior Sophia.

It was the first dungeon we challenged as a party, so we thoroughly explored every corner of it, and it was Berald who found a hidden path.

‘But there was nothing there back then.’

Of course, ten years have passed between then and now, so someone could have taken the gauntlets in that time.

But…

‘We were supposed to be the first ones to find this ruin, right?’

We were the first to gather the seal stones scattered throughout the canyon and unlock the ruins that had been hidden for 500 years.

‘And we fought the Guardian, too.’

Guardians naturally formed in ruins do not regenerate once they are destroyed.

If someone had entered the ruin before us and taken the Legacy of the Iron Fist, it wouldn’t make sense that the Guardians were still intact 10 years later.

‘Has the future changed…?’

No.

I shook my head quietly.

If something that was there had disappeared, I could understand.

But what does the change in the future have to do with something that wasn’t there suddenly appearing?

“Bro-brother… Can I touch those gauntlets?”

“Wait a minute. If anyone’s going to touch it, it’ll be me.”

I pulled Berald back, who was about to approach the gauntlets, and stepped forward myself.

‘I wish Professor Elisha were here at times like this.’

But I couldn’t call her here now.

“Iris, just in case, cast a protective spell.”

“But if I do, Dale, you…”

Standing alone outside the range of the spell, I would be the only one not protected if she cast it now.

Suppressing a smile, I turned to Iris.

“I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t bother adding, “You know that, right?”

“…Alright.”

Iris stepped back with a dissatisfied expression and began chanting the spell.

“Phew.”

With a short sigh, I approached the floating gauntlets in the center of the cavern.

The gauntlets were made of dark blue metal.

Each joint was crafted with such precision that every finger seemed to move naturally, and blue lightning crackled around the gauntlets.

‘That lightning… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.’

Pushing aside the thought, I reached out for the gauntlets.

Crackle!

Blue sparks flew violently, and the cavern shook like an earthquake had struck.

“D-Dale!”

“It’s alright.”

I waved to Yuren as I inspected the gauntlets again.

‘These gauntlets seem to be the core of the ruin.’

The fact that the cavern reacted as soon as the gauntlets responded was proof of that.

Crackle! Crackle!

I reached out once more toward the gauntlets, which were sparking with blue lightning.

Boom!

As I got closer, a thunderous roar echoed, and a powerful magic field burst forth.

For most people, the moment they touched it, their body would have been consumed by the blue lightning.

“Well, you’re putting up a fight, huh.”

I burned away the magic field protecting the gauntlets with a burst of flames.

“Hup.”

As soon as I pulled out the gauntlets, the trembling of the cavern ceased, as if the power had been turned off.

“…It’s over?”

“Are you alright, Dale?”

“Is there any place you’re hurt?”

The party members who had been standing back rushed over.

I nodded and lightly shook the gauntlets in my hand.

“Is that really the Legacy of the Iron Fist?”

Camilla, who always preached that a true warrior shouldn’t be picky about weapons, was now looking at the gauntlets with an intrigued expression, unable to resist the allure of the "Legacy of the Iron Fist."

“I think so.”

To think that I would obtain the Legacy of the Iron Fist, something countless heroes had sought over the last 500 years.

“The Legacy of the Iron Fist… This is truly incredible!”

Berald puffed out his chest with excitement.

‘Come to think of it, in my past life, Berald was the one who was the most passionate about exploring this ruin.’

Well, it made sense.

For a martial artist who fought with his fists, the very idea of the "Legacy of the Iron Fist" would be enough to stir excitement.

After all, Ryujin Seong, the legendary martial artist, had taken down tens of thousands of the Demon God’s army with his bare hands.

“Here. It’s yours, Berald.”

I handed the gauntlets to Berald.

Berald stared at me with wide eyes.

“Mine…? You mean me?”

“Who else here is suited to use the gauntlets but you?”

“But you also use martial arts, don’t you, Brother?”

Berald, still in shock, could barely form a coherent sentence.

“I do, but my main weapon is the sword. Wearing gauntlets would just get in the way of swinging my sword.”

Besides, with the overwhelming power of "Ashen Flames," I had no real need to rely on the abilities of an artifact.

‘Forcing myself to use it might even make me weaker.’

In that sense, Berald was the best fit to wield the Legacy of the Iron Fist.

“Are you sure… I can have it?”

Berald gazed at the gauntlets with trembling eyes.

I glanced around at the other party members.

Yuren, Camilla, and Iris all nodded in agreement, signaling that they were okay with Berald taking the Legacy of the Iron Fist.

“Well, even if Ryujin Seong isn’t your ancestor, there’s still some connection, right?”

After all, the current ancestor of the 'Ryu' family, Ryu Jinhyuk, was Ryujin Seong's younger brother, so there's some connection.

[TL/N: Ryujin Seong should be Ryu Jinseong, should I change the name or keep it Ryujin? Personally Ryujin sounds cooler but its not correct.]

"Of course, it's said the two were mortal enemies."

But what does it matter? They've been dead for hundreds of years anyway.

"Th-thank you! Thank you, Brother Dale! And Brother Yuren! Sister Iris! Sister Camilla!"

"No need. I also thought it was best for Berald to have it."

"Kh-khm. Sister, huh… call me senior instead."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Could I call you sister-in-law?"

The party members all chimed in one by one to congratulate Berald.

"I can't believe I got the legacy of the Iron Fist…."

Berald's eyes sparkled like a child receiving a birthday gift.

I watched Berald carefully receive the gauntlet, almost afraid he might drop it, and held back a chuckle.

'Seeing him so happy makes me feel good too.'

I think I can somewhat understand why parents go to great lengths to give their children good presents, even when times are tough.

"Can I try it on?"

"It's yours now, so of course."

Berald gulped as he nervously put the gauntlet on his hand.

Crackle! Crackle-crackle!

As soon as he wore the gauntlet, blue lightning sparked around it.

"Ooh… huh?"

Berald, who had been repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fist with the gauntlet on, tilted his head in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it just feels a bit creaky."

"Creaky…?"

"Hmm… how should I put it? It feels a bit rusty."

"……."

"Haha. Now that I think about it, this is a relic of the Iron Fist that's over 500 years old, right? It's only natural for it to rust."

No.

That's not natural at all.

'How could a relic of the Iron Fist, of all things, rust?'

That shouldn't be possible.

Sure, it could be damaged in battle, but for it to corrode over time? Impossible.

"…Wait."

In that moment.

The scattered pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in my mind.

How could the legacy of the Iron Fist, which wasn’t there 10 years ago, be found in these ruins?

How could the relic disappear without any trace of intrusion?

How could a relic as powerful as the Iron Fist's be corroded?

'Someone has been secretly siphoning the mana from the ruins.'

Like piercing a small hole into a tough fruit and sucking out the juice inside.

Someone who couldn't find a way to open the entrance to the ruins must have instead drilled a small hole into the core of the ruins and had been absorbing the mana.

Of course, this isn't something that just anyone could do.

There's only one 'blessing' I know of that can make this possible.

'The Blessing of Absorption.'

And the one who holds that blessing is….

Tap, tap.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the wide chamber.

"Oh my~ I was wondering who the little rats sneaking around the ruins were, and it turns out to be some adorable little kids~?"

A woman with violet hair and a dangerously revealing outfit, as if showing off her figure.

Despite her stunning beauty that made it hard to look away, the first thought that struck me wasn't 'she's beautiful,' but rather a sharp warning bell of 'danger.'

'The Archbishop of Desire, Lactasia.'

One of the six at the pinnacle of demonkind, she approached leisurely with a wicked smile on her face.

"Hmm~ Let's see, let's see, is there a handsome man to my taste… oh?"

Licking her lips and slowly scanning the group, Lactasia's gaze locked onto Yuren.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my! What is this?! You're exactly my type?!"

With an excited squeal, Lactasia's eyes sparkled as she stared at Yuren.

"Hey, little boy, what's your name?"

"…There's no name for you to know."

Yuren, sensing the thick, malevolent energy emanating from her, placed his hand stiffly on his sword hilt, his expression hardening.

"Ooh~ What is this? Your voice is also so delightful."

Lactasia hugged herself, trembling slightly, as she gazed at Yuren with eyes filled with greedy desire.

"I've decided. I'll keep you as my pet and pamper you for a long, long time."

"……."

As if the rest of us didn't even exist, her attitude was completely insolent.

'She's the same as always, that woman.'

In our past life, she acted the same way and ended up getting her head chopped off by Yuren.

"So, how about it? If you agree to become my pet, I'll spare the others."

Why is it…?

"Haha. It's not even a bad offer for you, you know? Become my pet, and you'll experience pleasures like heaven."

Even though I had already lived through this situation once before, seeing her trying to seduce Yuren made me seethe with uncontrollable anger.

"Come on, now. I'll fulfill all your desires if you just…."

"Hey."

I cut off Lactasia's words, stepping forward confidently.

"What the hell are you doing hitting on my man?"

Huh.

Now that I said it, that sounded kind of weird.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]