C Rank

***

We weren't in too much of a hurry. There was always a possibility that it was just a stray beast that happened to enter the hospital.

Not having the time nor the energy to barricade the door, it was decided that we just left it open. No amount of planks could stop a monster if it forced its way through, anyway.

"Keep your guard up. It might be something dangerous."

"My guard's always up. Just like my di–"

"Quiet."

I raised my finger to shut him up. We were nearing the lobby.

Hugging the wall tightly, I poked my head out just a tiny bit so as to get a small view of the front door.

Hmm. Nothing yet. I slowly let more of my head out of my hiding spot until my vision was no longer obstructed.

Two figures. One was large, the other somewhat small.

They seem oddly familiar, too. Where have I seen them before?

"W-we should be safe here, Percivale. Let us head to the next floor and set up camp."

"Okay. I will head out to look for potential spots."

It was Rokas and Percivale! What a surprise.

I didn't expect to see them this early. We were planning on meeting up later on, but now that I spotted them, it was better to just join back up.

From the looks of it, they seemed to just have come back from a brutal battle. Their clothes were torn, and small bruises along with cuts scarred their face.

"Yo. It's you two." I raised my voice so that they could hear me.

They expressed alarm at the sound of someone else being inside the hospital but calmed down after realizing it was me.

"Leader Dignitas. How have you and Mistress Eri been?" Rokas approached me.

"Good, good. Better than you two, at least." I scanned them up and down.

"Where is sister?" Percivale questioned. He wasn't hiding behind another person like he used to.

"Alter? I don't know, actually. We set up camp in the storage room at the other end of the building and went to sleep. I was awoken by you two and came here."

Percivale made a look of understanding. Looks like he's not blaming me for losing his sister.

"And who is this beside you, Leader?" Rokas pointed to the person to my left, who hadn't been speaking the moment I talked to my teammates.

"This? Wang Jin. I found him on the second floor beating up some monsters. He said he got separated from his team, so I allowed him to join as a temporary member."

"I see. Then will he be with us for the remainder of our exam?"

"I dunno. Maybe. Anyway, come with us. You two must be hungry, right? What you guys need right now is some food and a good place to sleep."

***

After sending Percivale and Rokas to the storage room, I left with Wang Jin to scout the area for Alter.

There were absolutely no hints as to where she went. No footprints or open doors. It was like she left, but didn't at the same time.

"Where'd ya think she went? Couldn't have been a bathroom break, no?"

"No, unless a bathroom break lasts an hour. Let's hasten our pace and split up. I'll look for her on the second and third floor, while you head for the fourth floor and the rooftop."

"Ah, alright." In an instant Wang Jin left, his body propelled by the winds behind him.

I wonder where she went?

It seemed like it had been half an hour since I finished checking the rooms. No sign of Alter no matter where I looked.

The second floor held nothing besides a few stragglers (monsters) which I promptly dealt with using Dainsleif.

It wasn't too difficult and the monsters weren't all that strong, but I was a bit perplexed as to how they got there without us noticing.

I even noticed an increase in the Imps I found.

In this world, Imps were basically the weakest of the weakest when it came to the demon hierarchy. Just like monsters and beasts, they were also compared using a ranking system.

Imps were in the D- rank. No, rather, they were even lower than that. It would be better to say they were in the E+ rank, although that didn't exist.

Monsters and demons that were E-rank were basically extinct, having no way to defend themselves against their predators.

And yet, these Imps managed to persist even in Hell's deadly environment through their cooperation with demons of the same race.

Imps were small, quick, and looked like cockroaches that stood on hind legs, with claws.

I was seeing them more and more.

Still, I didn't recall putting them in the first exam. Demons, even low-ranking ones like these guys were a force to be reckoned with when they were with their companions.

It was simply too much to handle even for students of the World Academy.

After finally exterminating the Imp population on the second and third floors, I headed up to the fourth floor.

There seemed to have been Imps here as well. Tiny corpses littered the hospital floors, dyeing them black from the blood.

Seems like Wang Jin can hold his own. I should head to the rooftop.

After confirming that there were no more demons hiding on the floor, I headed for the stairs.

I hadn't even climbed the stairs to the top when I felt an extreme pressure pushing down on me.

It was like I was forced to carry a weight that was double my mass. I could barely keep myself upright.

"There must be something on the top. I have to hurry."

I pushed through the pressure and carried myself to the top.

The door… I rammed my body against it with all my strength, causing it to fling open.

There I saw… Wang Jin engaged in a duel with what seemed to be a somewhat humanoid-looking demon.

It had the same body structure a human had, except it had a pair of wings behind it. Its skin was as dark as the night.

If it weren't for the killing intent emanating from its body, I would've thought it was a normal demon.

But this power… it's most likely in the C rank.

Shit, it's too early for me to be fighting someone of that caliber.

C ranks may seem like nothing when compared to the top brass Heroes of the world, but for me who was still D rank, it was like an ant against a human.

"Mmph!"

I noticed Alter's body tied up on one of the poles. Was she here this whole time?

I instinctively locked my gaze on Dainsleif. This sword… could it defeat the demon?

There was only one way to find out. I took out Dainsleif from its sheath and prepared for battle.

***

How did this happen?

I had fallen asleep after I realized that Dignitas had left. Not wanting to tire myself any longer by trying to figure out what he said, I decided to just give up.

It was only a few hours later that I woke up. I looked to where Dignitas had set up his bed and saw that he was asleep.

Beside him, a man who I did not recognize was asleep as well, his back lying against the hard wall.

After seeing that no one could stop me from leaving, I decided I would head to the rooftop.

It was a habit of mine to gaze at the night sky whenever I could. It was a great way for me to cool off.

Watching the stars in the sky shimmer slightly helped to stabilize my mental state every time.

The complete silence of the hospital hallways was scary but also relaxing in its own way.

I strolled the entire hospital for half an hour before I finally headed to the rooftop.

The moment I opened the door, my throat was seized in a tight grip. Claws dug into my neck, making me unable to breathe.

"Th..ere was an ene-my?"

"Well, would you look at that? A beauty of unprecedented caliber has offered herself to me. Are my charms really that irresistible?"

It was a demon! I could recognize their signature dark skin anywhere. The horns on their head, the claws on their hands…

"Don't mind if I do, then. I haven't tasted a human in a long time. Perhaps you'll be able to satisfy me. That is, if you don't turn into a lifeless corpse by then!"

This fucker! He's planning to assault me!

I was powerless before his iron grip. I tried my best to cast my spells but to no avail. Without my only way to take in mana from the air, I couldn't do anything.

Before I realized it, the demon had tied me up to a pole. I struggled with all my might to try to escape, but I couldn't do it no matter how hard I tried.

"There's no use resisting. Everything will feel good soon."

The demon was about to touch me, but the door to the rooftop suddenly opened.

It was that man. The one who was sleeping beside Dignitas.

"Hey! As long as I'm here, there will be no women violated! As a firm believer of consent, I will stop you, foul demon!"

Where did Dignitas pick this guy up? In the street?

"I was just about to have my fun time, but you had to ruin it! A mere D rank wishes to fight against a C rank like me!?"

The demon finally released his hand from my face. I could finally breathe again.

But there was another problem. I couldn't untie the rope he wrapped around me.

If it was any normal rope, I could've broken it apart with my strength.

What was this made of?

As I did my best to free myself from my shackles, the fight between the man and the demon started.