The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills - Chapter 33

Chapter: The Survey Team

Our party was investigating a temple located in the southern part of the underground city.
The temple was empty and cavernous, and in its center stood a statue over ten meters tall—of Bald, the God of War.

The God of War, Bald…
According to legend, he perished in a mutual kill with the evil god Dolls.
Whether that’s true or not, I’m not sure.

"Yakumo-kun."

Almine pointed down at the floor beneath her feet.

"There’s a mechanism in this floor, but I can’t figure out how to activate it. So I thought I’d ask for your help."
"Ask? What do you want me to do?"
"That."

Almine pointed to the upper part of the wall, where what looked like a door was visible.

"I think this floor is supposed to shift and form stairs leading up to that door."
"Ah, I see. Got it."

I conjured a sheet of paper in midair and transformed it into a staircase leading up to the door.

"How’s this?"
"Perfect."

Almine gave my shoulder a light pat.

We climbed the paper stairs and stood before the door embedded high up in the wall.
Almine used a magic tool known as the "Universal Key" to unlock it.

Beyond the door was a barren room about twenty meters wide and twenty meters long.
Inside, over twenty men and women sat on the floor.
Their ages varied, but all of them wore black collars around their necks.

These people must be…

"Looks like we’ve found them."

Almine approached a bespectacled man in his forties.

"You're with the survey team, right?"
"Y-Yes. I’m Sylas, the leader of the survey team."

Sylas’s gaunt cheeks twitched.

"Y-You came to rescue us?"
"Yes. We accepted a request from the Adventurers’ Guild to find and rescue the team."
"Th-Thank goodness… We’re saved…"

Tears streamed from Sylas’s eyes behind his glasses.
The others nearby also welled up with emotion as they approached us.

"W-Wait!"

A man with a black beard pointed at us.

"There’s only four of you?"
"Our party only has four members, but the rest of the Moonlight Guild is in the underground city too—twenty-eight people, I believe."

"That’s not enough! The ones who captured us are enhanced skeleton soldiers—over five hundred of them, strengthened by demons!"

"So it is the demons behind this after all…"
"Yeah. That demon… Daglud. He’s supposedly a direct subordinate of Zeldia, one of the Six Demon Stars. He’s the one who captured us and forced us to help him search for treasures of the Porta civilization."

At the mention of Zeldia, Kinako—standing beside me—visibly flinched.

Zeldia… the demon who destroyed Kinako’s village.

I heard the faint click of Kinako’s fangs gnashing.

The black-bearded man touched the collar around his neck and leaned closer to Almine.

"If we disobey him, these collars will sever our necks. That’s why we couldn’t escape. Even the adventurers who were guarding us—all of them were killed."
"So that means the only ones left are…?"
"These twenty-three here."
"…I see."

Almine brought her thumb to her lips, lost in thought.

"Yakumo-kun. Contact Sylphiel. I think we’ll need her help on this."
"Understood."

I reached into my pocket and took out a cube Sylphiel had given me.
Bringing it to my face, I pressed down on a blue metal plate with my finger, and Sylphiel’s voice came through.

『What? You already need backup?』

"No, not that—we found the survey team."

『…Huh? You found them?』

Her voice rose in disbelief.

"Yes. There was a hidden room inside the southern temple. Also, as we thought, the demons are involved, so I figured you should know."

『…Got it. I’m coming right away. Wait there.』

The transmission cut off from her end.

"Almine, Sylphiel-san said she’s on her way."
"Good. Then I’ll get started removing the collars."

Almine pulled a long, thin metal rod from her enchanted pouch.

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🗒️ Translator’s Notes:

• 戦いの神バルド (Tatakai no Kami Barudo / Bald, the God of War): Likely a mythological deity in this world, portrayed as a warrior god who died fighting the evil god Dolls. A motif of divine sacrifice.

• 万能鍵 (Bannō Kagi / Universal Key): A magical tool capable of unlocking most, if not all, locks—often found in high-fantasy settings.

• 六魔星 (Roku Masei / Six Demon Stars): An elite group of demons, suggesting a powerful hierarchy among the demon forces. Zeldia is presumably a major antagonist.

• ポルタ文明 (Porta Bunmei / Porta Civilization): A now-ruined ancient civilization whose relics appear to be central to the plot. The treasure hunt adds layers of mystery and conflict.

• ヤクモ, アルミーネ, キナコ, シルフィール: Names of key party members. Their personalities and backstories are subtly shown here (e.g., Kinako’s reaction to Zeldia).