When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 87 Snow Flower Garden

After spending the night, the early morning of the next day arrived.

We started moving towards the Snow Flower Garden once again.

And once again, we encountered a monster, leading to a battle.

“Guoo!”

Instead of the white rabbit-like creature from before, this time it was a large white bear with fur as sharp as needles.

Far more ferocious than the rabbit, its formidable stature surpassed even seasoned adventurers.

Its claws were sharpened like knives, capable of causing serious harm if they struck.

So, carefully assessing the distance, we had to confront the bear.

… Normally, that is.

“Amethyst Lightning!”

But now, Amethyst was here.

Her lightning strike pierced through the bear’s massive body with incredible light and sound.

From a safe distance beyond the reach of its claws.

Though the bear had targeted Amethyst in its rage, it was struck by Amethyst’s lightning before it could get closer.

“Purple Lightning!”

A fierce bolt flashed again.

Purple lightning coursed through the bear’s entire body, temporarily freezing it like stone.

It was effective. Now was the perfect opportunity.

I thought Amethyst’s magic alone could defeat it, but I seized the chance and swung my sword as the bear was immobilized.

“Haa!”

Severing the immobilized bear with lightning was surprisingly easy.

After successfully subduing the monster, Amethyst, who had been behind me, let out a dissatisfied sound.

“I could have taken it down by myself, you know.”

“Today’s battles will probably go on like this all day, so it wouldn’t hurt to conserve your magic power.”

By saying something sensible, I somehow managed to escape Amethyst’s cold gaze.

Even after spending the night together, our relationship is still like this. It’s probably going to be tough to get along on this journey. It’s no wonder Dia is giving a wry smile from behind.

As we continued through the forest with such exchanges, the trees eventually cleared, leading us to an open area with a great view.

A vast expanse of ice spread out before us, covered in a layer of pure white snow.

It looked like a lake had been frozen solid, with snow falling atop it, creating a picturesque scene.

Large chunks of ice were formed in places, giving the sense of being in the middle of a snow-covered mountain range.

It was truly an area covered in ice and snow—the Snow Flower Garden.

“It’s such a beautiful place,” Dia said, letting out a breath of admiration as she gazed at the scenery before us.

I understood her feelings perfectly, so I nodded in agreement.

Just then, the purple-haired girl made a realistic comment, ignoring the atmosphere.

“It looks like we could slip and fall, though.”

“Yeah, it might be a bit dangerous for fighting.”

The snow made it somewhat safer, but there were still exposed patches of ice here and there.

If we had to fight on one of those spots, it could be very risky.

Because of this, exploration in this area hasn’t progressed much, which is why we came here.

“So, where exactly is the altar of the evil god?” Amethyst muttered as she looked around.

I shrugged my shoulders and replied, “I have no idea. The information I found in the library about the danger zone wasn’t very detailed, and I don’t think anyone has discovered it yet. We’re not even sure if the altar is in the Snow Flower Garden.”

“If there’s nothing here, it’ll be a complete waste of time. Although, I guess even knowing there’s nothing would be something of a result.”

Her positive attitude was something I wanted to take to heart.

If we find nothing, it would feel like a wasted trip, but at least we’d know that much. Though, I have a feeling that’s the more likely outcome.

It’s not like I came here convinced there was an altar; it’s just that exploration of the danger zone hasn’t advanced much yet, so I thought the altar might be buried somewhere.

“For now, let’s head toward the center of the danger zone. I see a large ice mountain there, and I’d like to get a view of the area from up there.”

When I suggested this, both Dia and Amethyst nodded in agreement.

So, we started walking toward the ice mountain in the center of the Snow Flower Garden.

Honestly, the information I got from the library was pretty vague, so I wanted to get a firsthand look at the danger zone.

It’s unlikely that we’ll find the altar or anything special just by doing that, but since I couldn’t think of a better plan, we decided to play it safe.

Naturally, since we’re in the danger zone, we proceeded cautiously as we moved forward…

“Hey, look at this.”

“…?”

Amethyst had found something.

It was a damaged ice chunk.

The damage wasn’t natural—it was clearly man-made.

Moreover, it was still very fresh.

Looking around, similar marks were visible on the surrounding ice chunks and on the ground.

“Could it have been a fight between monsters?”

“Or maybe some other adventurers fought here? Though it’s hard to believe there are other adventurers in a place like this besides us.”

There’s only one small village nearby.

Given that this is a remote and dangerous area, the likelihood of other adventurers being here is quite low.

However, the marks were too sharp to have been caused by monsters fighting. Such sharp wounds could only be made by a keen weapon.

Could there be demons lurking around? As I silently grew more suspicious…

“Come on, come on, you can do it!”

“…?”

A shrill male voice echoed from somewhere.

We exchanged glances, tilting our heads in confusion.

That was definitely a human voice.

It was shocking to think that there could be other people here besides us.

But at the same time, there was something sinister in that voice that made me frown.

I’m not exactly a seasoned adventurer, and I’ve only been one for a short time.

But I’ve already heard voices like this several times.

And then there are these battle-like marks…

Dia and Amethyst seemed to sense the same ominous presence, as their expressions turned serious.

We were drawn toward the direction of the voice.

As we moved closer, we saw a large ice chunk and decided to hide behind it to observe secretly…

“Come on, Hawkeye! Just put them out of their misery already!”

“Nah, let’s have a bit more fun! They’re still hanging in there, after all!”

As I feared, there were “demons.”

Two of them. A male demon with a tiger-like face and a female demon with a fox-like face.

Their outfits were quite eccentric, both of them wearing thin robes despite the extreme cold.

The earlier sinister voice probably belonged to the tiger demon.

While we had anticipated encountering demons in this high-level danger zone, what I saw next surprised me even more.

“What…?”

I couldn’t help but question my own eyes.

In front of the two demons were three humans.

All of them were men. Two of them were lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, while the remaining one stood protectively in front of them.

If that were all, it could be explained as an adventurer party being attacked by demons, but there was something more that shocked me.

Because the one standing there was…

“Helio… is that you?”

It was Helio Thor, my childhood friend, holding a pale blue spear.

Memories of the fierce battle in the Seven Forest flashed through my mind.

He had unilaterally decided that Citrine was an evil demon and had mercilessly turned his weapon against her.

We had clashed with our sacred treasures to stop him.

How did he end up here now? Dia, too, looked surprised.

After that incident, he had received a punishment of having his sacred treasure stripped away.

But wasn’t it arranged by Charm to be only for a week?

It’s been nearly two weeks since that day, so if he came here to the Snow Flower Garden after getting his sacred treasure back, it wouldn’t be unusual.

Still, encountering him like this so often seems improbable.

Coincidence is frightening.

No, right now, more than that…

“Fighting while protecting two friends seems tough, adventurer. How about I just kill those two for you, so you can focus on the fight?”

“…”

It was clear that Helio and the others were cornered by the demons.

It wasn’t certain why his two companions were still unconscious, but they didn’t seem to be waking up anytime soon.

Helio was protecting them, though he was covered in wounds and looked like he might collapse at any moment.

Normally, he could handle these demons without issue, but in this situation, he couldn’t even manage a counterattack.

“You don’t need those useless people anymore, do you? They’re just sleeping soundly in a danger zone. They’re nothing but a nuisance.”

The tiger demon laughed heartily as if he found it amusing.

He then shifted his gaze to the two sleeping figures and pointed at them with the tip of a short knife, presumably a sacred treasure.

“So, let me take them out first. That way, you can focus on escaping, and we can enjoy the hunt even more. Sounds good, right?”

He made a frightening suggestion with a casual tone as if inviting to play.

Against this tiger demon, Helio replied in a hoarse voice with quiet defiance.

“…Shut up.”

“Huh?”

“Why should I let you have fun at my expense? If you want to enjoy yourself, then deal with it yourself. And…”

Despite his suffering from numerous wounds, Helio managed to smirk mockingly at his opponent.

“I feel a bit of sympathy for your carefree brain that finds amusement in this.”

“…I’ll kill you.”

Provoked by Helio’s words, the tiger demon drew his dagger and moved to attack him.

In response, Helio readied his spear, but it seemed to be a mere show of pretense as he let his arm hang limply.

It was clear he had no strength left to counterattack.

Realizing this, I drew my sword and rushed forward.

““—!?””

As I jumped between the tiger demon and Helio, both of them widened their eyes in surprise.

The demon then recoiled, wary of me.

As I readied the [Cursed Magic Sword] towards it, a faint voice came from behind.

“Rust…?”

“…”

The voice was filled with doubt.

Doubt about why I was here.

And doubt about why I came to help.

I myself wasn’t entirely sure why I did it.

There are certainly people who would say it would be better to abandon them.

But if I did that here, it would feel like I was doing the same thing Helio did to me.

Even if the opponent is the bully Helio, my sense of justice—well, more like my admiration for someone inside me—says that helping here is the right thing to do.

Above all, the two asleep behind Helio are innocent.

Even if I have to help Helio, I must save these two.

With all these reasons in mind, as I helped them, Dia and Amethyst arrived belatedly.

“Are you okay, Rust-san?”

“Seriously, why do you always rush in like that? You need to act more calmly.”

Her words stung.

Indeed, it might have been a rash action, and now I regret it.

I think there might have been a better way to handle the situation, but it’s too late to think about that now.

Seeing us emerge, the demons wore puzzled expressions.

“Oh, what’s this? Are you friends? We’re in the middle of enjoying a hunt, so we’d rather you not interrupt.”

“Yes, exactly!”

Helio also looked at us with a “why” expression.

To respond to them, I spoke up.

“We’re not friends. But we’re all ‘adventurers.’ That’s why I’m helping.”

“…”

Helio remained frozen with wide eyes.

On the other hand, the tiger demon, now annoyed at the interruption, furrowed his brow and charged at us with anger.

“Ah, I see. Well then, do your best to protect your fellow adventurers!”

The point of the dagger was now aimed at me.

As the demon approached, I quickly called out to the others behind me.

“Dia!”

“Yes!”

It seemed that my intent was conveyed with just that, as Dia raised her shield to protect the injured three.

With that, there was no longer any worry of further harm coming to them.

So, I focused on the enemy in front of me, holding the [Cursed Magic Sword] at the ready.

“Haha!”

The tiger demon, grinning savagely, quickly thrust his dagger.

I used the [Cursed Magic Sword] like a shield, catching the thrust on the belly of the blade.

This was the demon’s artifact, clearly a weapon.

It likely had some sort of imbued ability.

Whether it was an enchantment or a skill, it seemed unwise to close the distance.

And the fox demon behind also required caution.

Unlike the tiger demon, she was holding what looked like a crystal orb against her chest.

That too was probably an artifact, but its abilities weren’t clear from its appearance.

One thing was certain: it was a catalyst-type artifact, so it was best to be highly wary of magical ranged attacks.

After quickly assessing the situation, I pushed back the dagger I had blocked and, with the same momentum, slashed at the tiger demon.

“Ha!”

However, the attack was narrowly avoided.

Undeterred, I tried to step forward for another strike, but the icy ground almost caused me to lose my footing, making it difficult to advance effectively.

Meanwhile, the tiger demon moved around the ice with the lightness of running around his own backyard.

The dagger artifact seemed to grant him considerable agility.

Additionally, he appeared accustomed to the footing here.

In contrast, I was not used to the unstable ice surface and couldn’t move with agility.

If I charged in with my usual sense, I would undoubtedly fall.

Thus, even with the agility boost from the cursed sword, capturing him would be extremely difficult.

So, what to do…

“Ha, it can’t be helped.”

Amethyst, who had been waiting behind, joined me as she observed my struggle.

“I’ll use magic to stop his movements, and you can strike while he’s immobilized. Just like before.”

“…Alright.”

Just as we did when we hunted the giant bear, we would work together to defeat the demon.