Unholy Player

Chapter 80: A story

"Commander Siris," Adyr called out as the dark, ponytailed commander stepped forward and saluted.

"Yes, Lord Adyr." Her silver full-body armor gleamed under the sun, dazzling to look at.

Adyr retrieved a box filled with explosives from the Dawn Land and set it on the ground.

Although the box had appeared out of nowhere, neither Siris nor the other soldiers seemed too surprised. After all, it was common knowledge that all practitioners had core abilities like this. Still, seeing it with their own eyes left them visibly awestruck.

Ignoring their admiring looks, Adyr opened the box, pulled out one of the plastic explosives, and spoke. "These are explosives. I want you to distribute them to the soldiers and use them to kill the water slimes." He gave a brief demonstration of how to arm and use them.

The moment he issued the order, even Siris looked taken aback. They were ready to support him in any battle, of course—but the idea of using these small, unfamiliar devices to kill slimes clearly unsettled them.

Sensing their hesitation, Adyr asked, "Do you have gunpowder? Or anything explosive like that?"

Siris thought for a moment before replying. "In the Velari Kingdom, we don’t have such advanced materials. But we’ve heard of similar explosives being used in some of the more developed kingdoms."

Adyr frowned at that. It confirmed what he had already suspected—each kingdom and region had its own level of technological advancement. Considering what he’d learned earlier from Eren, Velari seemed stuck in a medieval era by comparison.

"I’ll give you a demonstration," Adyr said, taking one of the explosives and approaching a nearby water slime.

He drew a single blade from his back. Since this was meant as a demonstration, he made a point not to move too quickly, but the slash was still clean and effective, cutting a deep gash into the slime’s liquid body. As the wound began to close, he quickly pulled the pin and tossed the explosive into the opening before stepping back.

The soldiers watched with silent anticipation. A second later, the slime’s body erupted in a powerful blast, scattering liquid remains across the field.

"This..." Siris murmured, stunned by what she had just witnessed. It was the first time she had seen a weapon with such destructive power.

Unlike the others’ stunned expressions, Adyr frowned as he stared at the slime’s remains. Killing them with explosives was undeniably effective, but there was a problem. "Where the fuck did the energy crystal fly to?" Even with his heightened perception, he hadn’t seen the direction it went.

Fortunately, there were plenty of soldiers around—he had no need to search for it himself.

"Now take these and do as I demonstrated. I also expect you to find and collect the crystals. I’m counting on you," Adyr said, stepping back and waiting for Siris to take over.

He had already given them the tools they needed. With these explosives, killing slimes would be straightforward, and there was no reason for him to waste stamina. All he needed to do now was watch.

After all, the massive Spark still lay silently in the distance. He had to conserve his strength for that.

"Yes, Lord Adyr," Siris replied, her voice filled with an unusual intensity.

The blast had clearly excited her. She was one of those who found beauty in destruction, who admired the aesthetic of an explosion. And the idea of fighting—and actually killing—creatures that had previously only been within a practitioner’s reach was more than enough to set her blood racing.

Siris began preparing her squad, giving instructions and organizing them into formation. Then, with discipline and coordination, the entire unit advanced toward the slime army.

Though they didn’t have stat points to enhance their physical abilities like Adyr did, they were still trained soldiers. Their sword techniques, in particular, were sharp and deliberate, refined enough to even impress him.

I should ask her for a few pointers, he thought, watching Siris.

Adyr could be egoistic and self-assured at times, but his pride had never stood in the way of self-improvement. Learning from Siris and her striking swordplay could only benefit his growth.

Since arriving in this world, he had never once thought he was the best—he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that. But there was one thing he knew and believed with certainty: he could become the best. It was always a matter of effort, and he had far more than enough of that.

As the soldiers began their assault, the first explosion echoed across the battlefield.

It came from Siris. She had already blown apart one slime and was moving to the next without hesitation. A second blast followed, then a third, then a fourth. One after another, the squad moved with ruthless precision, each strike deliberate, each withdrawal perfectly timed.

With every detonation, as the slimes burst into liquid and rained down across the cracked earth, a wave of confidence surged through the ranks. The fear they had carried only moments ago was now replaced with something else—conviction.

If they didn’t know Adyr was watching them, they would’ve already been shouting war cries and celebrating their victory.

"It’s rare to see them this fired up," Vesha said softly, stepping beside him. These were knights from her own household. She knew many of them well, and as a lively girl, she had often trained alongside them.

She could see it clearly. To them, this wasn’t just a fight against monsters. It was sacred. Sparks were demons, and their minions were seen as the devil’s soldiers. By confronting them here, they believed they were fighting a holy war as soldiers of the divine.

Adyr didn’t speak, but he could see it. The emotions behind every swing of their blades, behind every step forward, were clear.

Some fought for revenge, carrying the weight of loved ones lost. Others fought to protect those still living within the kingdom’s walls. And a few fought simply because they believed in something greater, because they still held on to the idea of doing what was right.

Each of them carried a story that had brought them to this moment—wearing polished armor and fighting with honor in a battle they would one day recount to their children and their children after them.

It was a story they could claim as their own. A story where they stood not as faceless soldiers but as heroes who fought beside a practitioner in defense of the innocent.