For I Am A Side Character - Zetro Translation

From the moment Soril seperated himself from the rest of the group, Jessica was left to turn on the chain artifact by herself.

‘Soril already instructed me on how to use this…but it’s harder than I thought.’

Just like the acrylic elf core that Soril had received from the principal, the chains required a strong mindset and view of one’s own thoughts when activating the artifact.

For Soril, it was easy for him to use the artifact because he was used to conjuring strong thoughts with the use of God’s Will. But for Jessica, it took her a moment before she could finally start using the artifact.

During that time, her classmates started wondering why this entire event was going in such a different direction.

“Jess, Do you think it was okay to let Soril go on his own?” asked Marilyn as she looked worried.

“…I don’t know, but he gave us a task. We should go through with it.” said Jessica as she tried acting strong.

“Right, but don’t you think he was looking somewhat worried? I’ve never seen him like that before.” said Kenji.

This was true to everyone. Soril had always shown a confident face against any sort of challenge in his way, especially to things that involved a battle…but just recently, he showed a look that was similar to a sort of weakness.

And that kind of expression was never missed by Jessica.

She’s had already seen a weak side to him before.

The side where he revealed his true self to her…

That kind of expression would only ever appear in times when he was uncertain of some things.

And right now, Soril left on his own…leaving a face filled with uncertainty.

But Jessica could not do anything. She knows the weight of what kind of mission Soril undergoes from time to time…to do something that goes against his will would surely lead to something wrong.

So for what she had right now, she could only follow through it and have faith for Soril.

She gripped her hand tight over the chain, and she showed her resolve.

She won’t let Soril down. No matter what, she would follow through all for the sake of Soril.

In her resolve, she finally activated the artifact and created a portal that lead to Class-A’s group.

In the sight before her and the rest of the class, all they saw was darkness and the same foul stench as the rotted wyvern.

“Marilyn, cast a light spell.” said Jessica.

Once Marilyn casted her spell, it showed the sight of a watery floor.

Being hesitant, Jessica stepped in first to check what was the situation in this part of the forest.

After her, the rest followed.

With the light casted by Marilyn leading the front, Jessica had her sword out in case if an enemy arrives.

As they walked, all that they could see was the dark and the still water under their foot. The place that they landed resembled something of a swamp. The water was lukewarm, mossy, and more than enough, it stank like rotten eggs.

From changing from one place to another, the theme of a horrible stench never left.

Yet soon enough, their attention to the environment was changed to that of the sight of a bluish light that came from a distance.

Sparking in and out like a flickering flame, Jessican and the others became curious. So they ran to where this light was showing.

But as they went there, the closer they got, the warmer it became for them to notice. It became so hot that soon enough the swamp water that they were stepping on was starting to rise in temperature. They haven’t even got that close yet, but the feeling of something powerful up ahead was simply surging their attention.

Soon as they got closer, the temperature could only continue to rise…so much so that the water was starting to boil.

“Ack! Fuck…it’s so hot!” said Kenji as his foot was burnt by the water.

“Jessica, what do we do? It doesn’t seem like we can go anywhere near that place!” said Zelisha.

“…I’m not sure what to do. But it’s clear that someone from Class-A must be fighting there.” said Jessica.

“It must be Jessabelle. She’s the only one who has the capable skills to use this kind of skill.” said Zelisha.

“We still need to warn them though…” said Thors.

“Fine, you and others stay here, I’ll go alone and approach whatever it is that’s ahead of us.” said Jessica.

“Okay, but just to be sure, We’ll cast a few reinforcement buffs on you. Tony, can I ask you to cast a heat resistant spell?” asked Marilyn.

Tony nodded on Marilyn’s request.

And soon, they left the scene to somewhere more bearable.

It was Jessica’s responsibility left to tend to the situation.

From the buffs and other reinforcement spells put on by her classmates, she started running to the blue light that was flickering.

Even without Marilyn’s light, it was already bright enough in her place that she didn’t need any torch to light her way.

‘God, even with Tony’s heat resistance buff, the heat is still too much for me.’

But even to her complaints, she persevered and continued nearing the blue flickering light.

As she ran, she got closer an closer all up to a point that the light had swallowed the surroundings.

And for some weird reason, the heat disappeared at a certain point on her nearing and so did the swamp waters on the ground. The waters had dried up so, that the ground was filled with cracks. Each step she took was like stepping on a fragile clay.

Finally she arrived, but on her arrivel, all she could see was the sight of Jason holding on to the head of a monster that somehow had the head of an alien-like creature.

“J-Jason?” Jessica called out to him and Jason simply responded by turning his head to her.

He looked different. Some parts of his body had a weird bluish flame sticking out.

And his gaze…it reminded her of Soril’s.

The kind of gaze that showed a quiet anger.

“Jason…is that you?” asked Jessica.

“…What are you doing here?” asked jason ominously as he turned his head to her.

“We came to help you and rest…B-by the way, where are the others?” asked Jessica as she looked around. All she could see before her was the present sight of Jason by his own.

“They left…they all went back to the base camp.” he said.

“W-what?”

“Something was wrong…the moment we stepped into the dungeon, I felt enraged. The others also felt something wrong, so we decided to take a vote…and in the end, we voted that we should leave, but I decided to stay.” he said.

It was there that Jessica remembered something that Soril once told her.

If Jason were to ever come near the presence of a demon or anything similar to that, there was a chance that his entire soul would be over-ridden with the desire to kill that demon.

That memory alone served Jessica to understand why Jason felt oddly dangerous as of that moment.

He must have killed the beast before him in the nature of his true power.

But now that his conquering over the demon was over, his eyes still reflected a dangerous glint.

“By the way, where is he?” asked Jason as he turned to Jessica.

“…He’s not with me right now. He’s out there saving Class-D from the boss monsters.” said Jessica.

She knew for a fact that Jason had a grudge towards Soril since their fight in the first event. So it was only logical to think that his anger and curiosity for Soril was present in a moment like this.

“Hmm, I see. Go back with the others, I’ll find my own way back…” said Jason as he looked to the sky.

“…” Jessica wanted to go against him, but seeing the show of his strength right now after defeating the boss monster by himself. It was enough of an assurance to see that he could handle himself in a place like this.

“Fine, meet us at the base camp, we’ll be waiting there.” she said.

As of now, she could not do anything except continue on with the mission sent by Soril.

Meanwhile, at the basecamp.

Trouble was brewing in the air.

A total of a dozen adults were found lying unconscious on the floor.

While a few others were found barely standing by as they had their swords raised up against a single man. A man that was dressed in nothing but a simple brown robe. His face was hidden, but they all could feel a sinister aura resonating around his body.

“…Hmm, it’s impressive that you could still stand as you are despite the predicament that you are in right now.”

“W-who are you?” asked Ms. Sera as she was looking rather pale. With her legs barely strong enough to stand on their own, she had to rely on her staff to fully support herself standing up.

“…We are the way…we are the truth…we are what is pure…lead on to a path…a path of truth…our organization will set the world into a path that is true and well.”

“…Oh god, the way they’re talking right now. This is really giving off a cultish vibe.”

To whatever power was holding the entire adults at bay, the man in the robe was surely responsible.

And out from the thick forest came the sight of a large lizard walking on all eight legs.

As it approached the camp, all its eyes were pointed to the man in robe.

A soft gaze filled with affection, the large lizard humbled itself towards the man in the robe.

It was as if the lizard was a pet to the man…

And judging by the man’s soft simple gaze, he didn’t seem to mind the affection given by the lizard.

“What are you after?” asked Cedric Oakshield, the old man who was the guide leader for Class E.

“We simply came here for one thing…and one thing only.” and from the man’s gaze, he looked to Miles Miller, the guide leader for Class-D.

“!!?” all but in a moment, Miles felt cautious of the man’s gaze.

Although the man was vague about his wants, Miles was certain of one thing…

His family’s blood…

And then it finally hits him, if the man were here for the Miller brothers, then it surely does make sense that they would be after his little brother.

“…!” he gritted his teeth in anger and in the realization of the moment.

But he kept his mouth shut…

Their identities were kept a secret to everything and everyone…and all he could ever give up was a guilty look.

“Whatever it is that you’re after, you won’t get it!” said Thoran Stonefist. The guide leader for Class-B.

With his menacing gaze, he walked up to the man in the robe and simply raised his fist. Ready to fight the man.

“Fool…” but with single swipe of the man’s hand, Thoran was quickly inflicted with a damage so vile that he lost all strength in his legs.

“GaaahHH!!!!” the feeling of his entire strength leaving his body was a mystery.

Yet the pain was real.

From the pain, he was experiencing a plethora of all sorts of anguish.

It was curse that binded his physical strength down on the ground, making him unable to move.

Looking into the man’s eyes, Ms. Sera was sure that they could not escape the situation that they were in. Despite the fact that they had not lost their abilities whatsoever, something was tying them down from ever makign a move.

“What have you done to the students?” asked Ms. Sera.

But to her question, the man simply smiled in a rather creepy manner. That alone was an answer enough that made all of them worried.

‘We need to fight back.” Whispered Miles as he was next to Ms. Sera.

‘I’d like to…but the children are at stake here. We can’t act recklessly without any sort of evidence that they’re okay.” whispered Ms. Sera.

“They’ll be fine…” said Sgt. O’riley as he was the most calm of them all.

‘Are you talking about Soril?”

‘Trust me, all we have to do for now is wait for a perfect opportunity to act. if for even a single moment we do figure out that the children are fine, only then can we act.”

And from there, the teachers and guides could only wait.

***

The battlefield crackled with tension as Soril faced off against two powerful foes—Toru, the magical girl who held the 9th seat of the Fallen, and Casitrix, the Amazoness warrior who claimed the 11th seat. Both stood with a deadly aura, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of combat.

Toru smirked, twirling a glowing wand between her fingers. “You really think you can take on both of us? You might be strong, but you’re only one man, Soril.”

Beside her, Casitrix hefted her spear onto her shoulder, her muscles rippling beneath her bronze armor. “We’ll tear you apart,” she snarled, her voice deep and fierce. “Prepare yourself, Blasphemer!”

Soril’s grip tightened around his sword hilt, the familiar weight of the blade calming his mind. His expression was calm, almost bored, but inside, his heart beat steadily in anticipation. He knew they were strong—strong enough to push him—but the fear that was lingering in their hearts was present…and surely, Soril knew he had a chance.

“Come,” he said quietly, his voice carrying through the still air. “I’ll execute you both under the name of God!”

Toru was the first to move, her wand blazing with a radiant light as she cast a flurry of magical projectiles toward him.

[Arcane Blitz!] she cried, her voice brimming with confidence as glowing orbs of energy hurtled through the air.

Soril’s body reacted before his mind could even fully register the attack. He activated Phantom Rush, his form blurring as he dashed forward with inhuman speed, dodging each projectile with effortless precision. His blade gleamed as he swung it toward Toru, aiming for a quick, decisive strike.

But before his sword could reach her, Casitrix appeared in front of him, her spear crashing down with a brutal force. “Not so fast!” she roared, her muscles rippling as the air itself seemed to tremble under her strength.

Soril barely managed to pivot in time, his sword colliding with the spear, with it, sparks went flying as their weapons clashed. The impact forced him to skid back several feet, his feet digging into the ground to maintain his balance. Casitrix was stronger than he expected—her raw physical power was undeniable.

If anything, the raging show of her personality alone resonated with him. She was a true warrior…the same as him. A chance to fight a true warrior was rare in his case, for they were rare.

But Soril had more than just strength.

[Vortex Guardian] in his activation to this skill, his blade glowing with arcane energy as he twisted his sword in a sweeping motion, releasing a spiraling wave of magic that knocked Casitrix off balance. She staggered back, her eyes widening in shock.

“Impressive…” she growled, steadying herself, her eyes burning with fury. “But not enough!”

Before Soril could press the advantage, Toru reappeared above him, her wand now transformed into a glowing staff.

[Astral Barrage!] she shouted, summoning a storm of magic bolts that rained down from the sky.

Soril raised his shield.

[Ethereal Shield Crush] activating as a shimmering barrier of light appeared around him, deflecting the barrage. The ground beneath him cracked and shattered, but he remained unscathed, his eyes locking onto Toru with a steely focus.

“You’re persistent,” Soril remarked, his voice calm despite the chaos. “But you’re not the only one with tricks.”

In an instant, he vanished—using [Mirage Step] to blur from view. Toru’s eyes widened, panic flashing across her face as she looked around, unable to pinpoint his position.

Behind her, Soril reappeared, his sword already raised.

[Arcane Severance!]

His blade cut through the air with a flash of light, severing the threads of magic around Toru’s body. Her spells faltered, her power dissipating as she gasped in shock. Before she could react, Soril’s sword found its mark, a clean, precise strike that sent her crashing to the ground.

Casitrix roared in fury, seeing her comrade fall. With a primal scream, she lunged at Soril, swinging her spear with enough force to split the earth beneath her. But Soril was ready.

[Heavy Shield Counter!]

His shield clashed against her axe once more, but this time, Soril’s stance was immovable—his strength amplified through his mastery of the Aranean Sword and Shield Form. Casitrix’s eyes widened as she realized too late that she couldn’t overpower him.

Soril pushed forward, knocking her spear aside and delivering a powerful strike to her midsection. Casitrix grunted in pain, blood spilling from the wound, but even still, she refused to fall.

“You’ll… regret this!” she roared, swinging her axe wildly.

[Spear’s Falling Dynasty!]

A hundred spears fell from the skies, and as they started falling down at a force that could easily tear a body to pieces, Soril had to gamble. He raised his shield all for the efforts to protect himself. It rained down on him like it was a hailstorm. Even if he did manage to use his speed to dodge, the numbers of spears falling down all at the same time was infintely impossible ot dodge altogether.

So Soril simply sacrificed his shield.

*Ting!*

As the hail of spears fell, Soril was staggered by the heavy falls of each attack.

But soon as it ended, what was left of his shield was the handle…and so were a few injuries.

“!?” and seeing his effort to show his defense, Casitrix felt truly overwhelmed.

‘T-that was one of my strongest attacks…how could he still live through that?!’ she thought.

But that wasn’t yet the end…

Out from each and every direction of Soril’s position, 20 magical circles appeared, all showing a large gathering of magic power.

In Toru’s last attempt, she rained down one of her ultimate skills.

[Bouquet of Love – Twenty Flowers Worth!]

But Soril, not fearing the attack, simply raised his hand into the air and manifested another shield out of God’s Will.

“Shield!” he screamed.

And as the lights of each magical circle were about to fire, he showed the determination of a true warrior.

[Unyielding Bastion]

As the magic attack fired, Soril took it all…

Enduring the pain as he looked at Toru with no hesitation of fearing for the worst!

Lights appeared from all directions…taking down Soril as he showed a smirking expression.

But after it was done, Soril still smiled.

He survived.

And through this, Toru felt overwhelmed.

‘He’s being reckless…why is he being reckless?!’ she thought…

He could have the possibility of escaping that attack, but he took it all…

‘Why?’

Toru was simply bewildered…

She did not understand why Soril had done what he did in those moments of attack.

But Casitrix knew what it was.

It was the pride of a warrior.

A pride that simply shows his spirit towards any sort of foe willing to shower them with attacks. In return for such a favor, the warrior had ot simply take it all.

But despite her admiration for showing such a spirit, it was still a battle to the death. So Casitrix again appeared near his blindspot and struck him in an unexpected position as he stood after the attack from Toru. but Soril expected this dirty attack.

All but in his efforts, he countered Casitrix again with nothing but his hands.

*Ting!* both weapons ring as they collided… a hand that was harder than a daimond a spear from a warrior like Casitrix.

“!!?” Casitrix was surprised by his show of courage by using his hands…

And in that moment, Soril countered Casitrix’s attack, he followed it by with a wide kick down to her head.

*Thud!*

It was a direct hit.

He struck her so hard that she blacked out for a moment. The strike of his kick was so powerful that it pushed Casitrix down so hard that the ground she landed on broke into a crater.

Seeing his overwhelming power, Toru felt truly befuddled.

Even now, she can tell that Soril hasn’t yet gone all out. She knew because she could see that the energy he was presenting was simply in the same level as the two of them. Yet the one thing that was overwhelming both of them was his outstanding skill towards the battle.

Despite the chance that they too could overwhelm him, each attack that followed never truly connected because he was too stubborn as a warrior.

And even more to that, It seems like he was holding himself back from going all out.

Toru knew that Soril was holding himself back.

And that was true to a point. There was a reason why Soril refused to go all out in this sort of situation. Using [Dominion Overload] is nothing but a last resort…if he could, he would have already used it…but the drawback from using such a skill would inherently destroy his body little by little.

But either way, he still had to kill them and move on.

As Casitrix was found lying on the crater, a few thoughts went into her mind.

Those thoughts were doubts to the reason and the coincidence of his arrival.

‘We can’t beat him…not at this rate…not with the way we are now. If anything, one of us has to survive this battle and report back to the church…one of us has to survive.’ gritting her teeth in anger, Casitrix decided to bet on something.

As she slowly stood up from the crater, her head was oozing with blood from the kick that Soril was able to inflict just a moment ago.

‘If one of us survives…it will surely benefit the organization.’ as she thought this, little by little, she brought out a piece of string that was tied to a red coin.

And from this piece of object, she poured in her mana altogether.

“Toru…” as she was beginning her chant towards the object, she called out to her friend.

“!?” and to the sight of her actions, the magical girl was shocked.

“What are you doing?!” she screamed as she could feel the ritual for the artifact starting.

“Run…and report the situation to them. Tell the fifth…tell him everything.” as she said this, the red coin suddenly grew bright and it enveloped the entire body of Casitrix.

“…” seeing this, Sori was shocked…but his cautious view never wavered.

Instead, he turned his attention back to Toru.

“…!!” they both meet eyes, and from it, Toru was instantly filled with despair.

Soril quickly made his way to the magical girl in the attempt to kill her, but as he made his way, out from the glowing light, a spear was thrown.

At a speed that was faster than Soril’s reaction, it struck him from the back.

“Khk!!!” the force of the thrown spear was so powerful that it actually went pass Soril’s hard-like body. Causing him to fall from the skies and down to the ground.

Before he could even reach for Toru, the transformation from the amazoness was complete…and what showed in this transformation was the sight of a being that was no longer a person conscience of their own actions.

What was left was the sight of a warrior that has evolved simply for the ambition of power and battle.

A raging beast that reminded Soril of fictional green raging monster.

“..!?”

“Cas!!” Toru tried to scream towards the once-amazonian, but all she got in return was the still gaze of a beast.

Yet the beast’s attention was all on Soril…the current strongest person there was in this forest.