Adventure of SSS Rank Idiot

The Road Out of Hell

Chapter 2

Morning in the Demon Continent never truly arrived. The sky above the black mountains stayed the color of old bruises, thick clouds refusing to let sunlight through. The five of them stood at the edge of the broken outer wall, looking down at the long path that led toward the southern border.

Raizu adjusted the strap of his sword across his back. "We really doing this?"

Miko did not answer immediately. He checked the small spatial pouch at his waist, making sure the basic supplies were there. They never carried much. There was no need.

"We're going to Prolin," he said at last. "Military city. High traffic. Easy to disappear after we get what we need."

Killy flicked the last of her cigarette over the edge of the wall. "I want proper spices. And a real mattress. I'm tired of waking up with stone marks on my back."

Kordil stretched his arms high above his head until his joints popped. "I want new knives. And maybe someone interesting to chase. The residual demons here stopped being fun months ago."

Jusmiyo looked back once toward the dark entrance that led down to the underground chamber. "What about the dummy?"

"It'll still be there when we return," Miko said. "The seal will hold for at least two weeks."

No one argued. They had left it alone before. The creature always waited, broken and quiet, until they came back to start the cycle again.

They started walking.

The journey out of the Demon Continent took three days. The land itself fought them in small ways. Residual corruption clung to the ground like invisible fog, trying to sink into their mana circuits. Ordinary adventurers would have gone mad or hollow after a single day. For them it was only an annoyance, something they brushed off the same way other people brushed off rain.

On the second night they camped inside the skeleton of a fallen demon fortress. The bones of the structure still hummed with old power. Killy used a controlled flame to cook the meat of a corrupted beast they had killed earlier. The meat tasted wrong, metallic and bitter, but no one complained.

Raizu sat with his back against a broken pillar, eyes half-closed.

"You ever think about how long we've been doing this?" he asked the dark.

Kordil, lying on the ground with his hands behind his head, answered first. "Doing what? Living in a graveyard and beating the same monster every day?"

"Yeah."

Killy snorted. "I stopped counting after the first year. Thinking about it too much makes my head hurt."

Jusmiyo was quiet for a while. When he spoke, his voice was lower than usual. "We said we would become the strongest. That was the only promise we made in that shelter."

Miko sat a short distance away, sharpening a plain knife that did not need sharpening. The sound of metal on stone was steady and calm.

"We are not there yet," he said.

Raizu opened one eye. "Most of the continent would disagree."

"Most of the continent has never seen a Reseter," Miko replied. "Or anything that comes after."

No one asked what he meant. They had all felt the shift in the air weeks ago, a pressure that did not belong to demons or humans. They simply had not spoken about it yet.

On the third day the blackened land began to change. The soil grew lighter. Sparse grass appeared. By late afternoon they reached the border markers, tall iron posts driven into the earth by the old alliance of cities after the Incursion. Beyond those posts lay the first human roads.

Prolin's outer walls became visible before sunset.

The city was built for war. Thick gray stone, layered defenses, watchtowers every two hundred meters. Smoke rose from dozens of forges. The gates were open but heavily guarded. Lines of merchants, mercenaries, and lower-rank adventurers waited for inspection.

The five of them joined the line without ceremony.

A gate officer in polished half-plate armor stepped forward when their turn came. He looked at their clothes first, the old bloodstains, the lack of any guild insignia, the way they carried themselves. His eyes narrowed.

"Names and ranks," he said.

Raizu smiled with too many teeth. "Raizu. S-rank."

"Killy. S-rank."

"Jusmiyo. S-rank."

"Kordil. S-rank."

The officer's pen paused. Four S-ranks arriving together was already unusual. Then his gaze landed on Miko.

Miko met his eyes without expression. "Miko. SSS."

The silence that followed was short but heavy. The officer's face went through several changes in less than three seconds. Disbelief. Calculation. Then careful neutrality.

"SSS," he repeated. "You carry proof?"

Miko reached into his pouch and took out a small black crystal, the official resonance record issued years ago by the central guild. He held it up. The crystal flared once with deep violet light, the color reserved only for SSS.

The officer swallowed. "Purpose of visit?"

"Supplies," Miko said. "We will not stay long."

The man stepped aside faster than necessary. "Welcome to Prolin."

They walked through the gates. Behind them, the officer was already speaking quietly into a communication crystal.

The streets of Prolin were wide and clean, built for the movement of soldiers and supply wagons. People moved with purpose. Most wore armor or practical travel clothes. The smell of metal, oil, and cooked grain filled the air.

Killy looked around with mild interest. "Still ugly. But at least it's not made of black stone."

Kordil's eyes tracked every young woman who passed. Jusmiyo noticed and quietly stepped closer to him, a silent warning. Kordil only grinned wider.

They found a mid-tier inn near the central market. The owner, a thick-armed woman with a scar across her jaw, raised an eyebrow at the group but took their coins without comment. She gave them two adjoining rooms on the second floor.

Once the door closed, Raizu dropped onto one of the beds hard enough to make the frame creak.

"First proper mattress in months. I might cry."

Killy threw her bag into a corner. "I'm taking a real bath. If any of you knock, I will burn the door."

She disappeared into the attached washroom. The sound of running water followed soon after.

Kordil leaned against the window, looking down at the street. "Guild branch is three streets east. We should register our presence before someone decides we are a threat."

Miko sat on the edge of the second bed and began unlacing his boots. "We will go in the morning. Tonight we rest and eat something that is not corrupted."

Jusmiyo nodded. "I will check the local boards later. See if there is any information worth buying."

They ate downstairs in the common room. The food was simple but real. Roasted meat, thick bread, and a stew that actually had flavor. For a while none of them spoke. The contrast with their usual meals was sharp enough to make conversation unnecessary.

A group of B-rank adventurers at a nearby table kept glancing over. One of them, a young man with a fresh guild badge, finally stood and walked toward them with the confidence of someone who had not yet learned better.

"Excuse me," he said. "Are you the ones who came through the south gate earlier? The group with an SSS?"

Raizu looked up from his plate, chewing slowly. "Depends. Who's asking?"

The young man puffed his chest a little. "Name's Deren. Party leader of the Iron Wolves. We heard an SSS-rank using Bond Skill entered the city. Is that true?"

Killy, who had returned from her bath with wet hair and a clean shirt, smiled without warmth. "And if it is?"

Deren shrugged, trying to look casual. "Just curious. Bond Skill users are rare at high ranks. Most of them stay support. Never seen one above A-rank before, much less SSS. Some people say it has to be a mistake in the records."

Miko continued eating as if the conversation did not involve him.

Kordil leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "You want to test that theory?"

The young man's confidence faltered for half a second. "I didn't mean any disrespect. Just talk."

"Talk is free," Raizu said. "Demonstrations are not."

Deren raised both hands and stepped back. "No need for that. Enjoy your meal."

He returned to his table. Low voices and glances continued for the rest of the evening.

Later, when they were back in the rooms, Jusmiyo spoke quietly.

"Word will spread before morning. Prolin's guild is disciplined. They will want a formal meeting."

Miko lay on the bed with one arm over his eyes. "Let them. We are not here to hide."

Raizu was already half-asleep. "If someone tries something stupid, wake me. I need the exercise."

Kordil laughed under his breath. "I hope they do. It's been too long since I saw a guild building collapse."

Outside the window, the city of Prolin continued its night. Torches burned along the walls. Soldiers changed shifts. Somewhere in the eastern districts, a communication crystal lit up with a priority message bound for the capital.

And far above the clouds, where no human eyes could reach, something with white wings and empty eyes turned its head toward the south.

It had felt the movement of five linked souls leaving the black land.

It smiled without lips.