Please read this
Episode 31
Screening Test (6)
30 minutes.
30 minutes have passed since I first deployed Pathfinding.
There have been no significant incidents during this time.
If I had to pick one, it would be that Olivia was intimidated by Becky’s constant bullying.
Well, it’s not a big deal, so let’s just move on.
anyway.
After our encounter with the stone giant, no other threat was visible.
‘It’s peaceful.’
[… … .]
okay.
It was peaceful.
It’s hard to believe that this is the site where a screening test is being conducted.
[Um… … .]
Did I feel a sense of alienation in this strange peace?
Riley spoke to me in a wary voice.
‘The test was surprisingly easy considering the manager scared me so much.’
[……therefore.]
As Riley said, the test was too gentle. There was no threat, and the initial tense, chilling atmosphere was gone.
But we couldn’t just like this fact.
That would be the case, because it made no sense for the selection test to be this peaceful.
[… … .]
If we think about the stone giant we encountered 30 minutes ago, or the “magic blockages” inside the ruins…
well.
Everyone knows that this is by no means a ‘peaceful place’.
In this high-risk dungeon, which was already overflowing with all sorts of dangers, there were additional monsters and traps that were intentionally placed to put test takers in danger.
But can a historic site like this be peaceful?
[That’s ridiculous.]
There will definitely be other tricks.
[ah.]
at that time.
Suddenly, a hypothesis crossed my mind.
This is just my guess, though… … .
Could it be that the current strangely peaceful situation is a device intentionally created by the Five Towers?
This is a ‘device’ that is designed to instantly take the lives of complacent test takers.
‘That makes sense.’
[huh.]
Surely, if they were the perverts from the 5th Tower, they would have prepared such a vicious move.
Because their favorite tactic was to catch the unwary test takers off guard.
‘I can’t let my guard down until the very end.’
[Okay. Let’s focus.]
And, as expected,
My prediction was not wrong.
The ‘malicious method’ I was worried about soon found us.
“Ms. Becky, stop.”
“What? What the heck, all of a sudden…!”
Riley grabbed Becky by the scruff of her neck in a panic.
Boom!
Becky lost her balance momentarily and fell backwards unceremoniously. She grabbed the back of her neck, which was sprained, and began rolling around on the floor.
“Kuaaaah! My neck!”
“… … .”
“Hey! Riley! What the heck are you doing… …!”
Becky was about to ask us something with an annoyed expression on her face.
Boo-woong─.
“……uh?”
At that very moment.
A thorny slab of stone fell before her eyes at a frightening speed.
Kwajik─!
“… … .”
Debris from the shattered floor flew in all directions.
If Riley hadn’t grabbed Becky by the scruff of her neck, she would have been crushed to pieces by the slab.
“Uh, um… … .”
Of course, Becky, being a skilled magician, may have had her own way of defending herself, but there was another important fact here.
The thing is, Becky was completely unaware of the trap.
Highly modified traps.
It was a trap set to test the high-ranking magicians who took the selection exam.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
It’s that much more brutal.
More secretive.
It was much more lethal.
It means that it is a trap that you will never notice with a casual search.
“… … .”
What if we fail to recognize these pitfalls in the future?
What if you make a mistake and fail to defend?
So what if you get fatally injured?
Gulp─.
Becky swallowed dryly, as if realizing that fact.
“You owe me your life.”
“Uh, uh… … .”
“You don’t have to thank me, Becky. We’re on the same team.”
Riley continued speaking slowly.
“Everyone, focus. Becky and Olivia. This is just the beginning.”
And just like she said.
That was really the starting point of a full-blown disaster.
[Wow… … . This is terrible, this is terrible… … .]
From then on, threats began pouring in nonstop towards the group, as if to say that this was truly a screening test.
“Hold on a second. It’s the same trap as before.”
Boohoo, bang!
“There are arrow traps ahead. Throw rocks at them and then cross.”
“Uh, uh… … .”
Shh, a wedge──!
Pavababak!
No exaggeration, there was a trap every 50 steps.
Traps that could cost you your life if you passed by them without paying attention.
These seemed more like traps designed to kill than devices to evaluate someone.
[Oh, right… … .]
This place was a historic site.
This is not a place created to evaluate someone’s skills. It is a place filled with malice that seeks to kill those who try to conquer the dungeon.
The five great magic towers that used this place as a testing ground are crazy.
[Many people have already lost their lives… … .]
I turned my gaze to the side with that thought.
“This can’t be destroyed. No, it can be, but it takes too long. Let’s just go back.”
“Huh? Oh, uh… … .”
Riley, who had taken control of the party, was now leading everyone as a leader.
I wasn’t particularly worried.
As long as Riley was there, at least it didn’t seem like anyone would be in danger because of the trap.
[It’s trustworthy.]
* * *
Wedge─!
Pavabak!
Thirty times.
This was already the thirtieth time.
It was easy to lose concentration.
However, Riley recognized all the traps without a single mistake and presented a method to destroy each trap.
“Ugh… … .”
Becky couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed by Riley’s continued antics.
“How are you so good at avoiding traps? You look like some thieves’ guild guy.”
“… …Thieves’ Guild guys?”
Riley asked back.
“Have you ever actually seen them?”
“No, that’s just what I’m saying.”
Becky shrugged and answered.
“How could I possibly come into contact with those who are lurking in the shadows? I was just complimenting the Thieves Guild guys for avoiding traps so well.”
“Oh, yes.”
In fact, Becky was still in contact with that ‘hidden thieves’ guild member’.
She just doesn’t notice.
Ah, well… … . In this case, I guess it doesn’t matter since I’m a former member of the Thieves’ Guild?
anyway.
by the way.
Back on topic, the group was able to avoid the traps easily thanks to Riley.
It was all thanks to her high mana affinity, her pathfinding skills, and her experience as a member of the Thieves’ Guild all being harmoniously intertwined.
How did other wizards respond to these traps?
well.
I think most people would have just deployed defensive magic and moved forward.
Maybe he has a mana shield around him that’s always active.
[hmm…….]
In fact, neither of the two is the best method.
If you deal with traps like that, you won’t have any magic left.
What if you run out of magic power dealing with traps? And what if you happen to encounter monsters in that state?
[Oh… … .]
I hate even thinking about it.
It will surely lead to a terrible end.
Like those corpses lying right in front of us.
“Whoa, whoa… … !”
Just then, Olivia screamed and stumbled back.
Three corpses were seen.
A familiar face.
They were all the same candidates I had met in the hall a few hours ago.
“Hey, hey… … !”
“Don’t be so excited, you ancient magician. We’re all watching.”
The test takers were found dead with their eyes wide open.
There was dirty mucus all over the place, and there were also traces of animal bites, so it seemed like it had been attacked by a monster.
“Tsk… … .”
Becky clicked her tongue, glancing at the body.
“Looking at the wound, it looks like it was attacked by a hound-type monster.”
“… … .”
“They ran out of magic power a long time ago, so they couldn’t even properly resist. From the looks of it, it looks like they ran out of magic power while passing through the trap field like us.”
After speaking, Becky glanced at Riley.
“Well, we might have been in a similar situation if Riley hadn’t been there.”
“… … .”
“Thanks to you, I didn’t waste any magic power while passing through the trap field. Well… …. You did your part as a party member. Yes. I will acknowledge your skills.”
Becky said coolly.
By the way, what is one serving?
Isn’t that basically all Riley did?
“Would it be better if I just said thank you? Do you really have to beat around the bush and show off your pride?”
“… … Yes, thank you! Thank you! I’m so embarrassed I could die! Do you really have to be like that while I’m talking?”
Riley nodded after hearing that.
“Yes. I would like to have a chat.”
“why!”
“It seems like Ms. Becky has already forgotten what she did to me.”
“What did I do to you!”
“When we first met, he was rude and blatantly mean to me, offered to buy me food but instead took me to a free restaurant, and when I asked him to recommend a good inn, he recommended a place like ‘Sky Whale’s Resting Place’… … .”
Becky was evil.
“You were the one who treated me like shit first! You called me a worthless wizard!”
“Yes, that was the case.”
“Hey! You’re really arrogant because you destroyed a few traps? Yeah! Great! Then show me what you’re capable of! Come at me! Come at me!”
Riley shook her head in response.
“I don’t like it.”
“Why again!”
“If one of our team members dies, we’ll all fail the test. But if the two of us fight, Becky will die without even being able to say anything.”
“……what?”
“I don’t want to be unfairly rejected.”
“Kyaaaaak! Don’t make me laugh! It’s you who’s going to die, not me!”
Becky grabbed Riley by the collar and started shaking it violently while screaming.
“Come on! Come on! Come on quickly!”
“Hehehe.”
Riley just smiled stupidly, enjoying the dangling state of her head.
“Hey! Aren’t you going to attack? Then I’ll attack first? I clearly warned you.”
“Yes, yes. Attack as much as you want. If you want to fail the test.”
“Kuaaaah! This kid, for real! Ah, I’m stressed! My blood pressure, ugh, my blood pressure, ah… … .”
Here we go again.
Yeah, well.
I wondered why the kids were so quiet.
[… … .]
Suddenly, I remembered what Riley had said before the screening began.
-Do you really have to nag Becky like that?
-I told you. At the very least, I’ll make you pay for deceiving me.
[… … They are making you pay a very high price.]
Riley seems to be very thorough in carrying out her revenge plan.
“Mom, mom, everyone, please stop.”
That was when.
Olivia, who had been watching the situation, stopped the fight.
“What are you all doing in front of the dead? Well, at least you should have at least the bare minimum of manners.”
“Uh, um… … .”
A stubborn attitude that is not typical of her.
Is it because Olivia showed her strong side for the first time?
Becky slowly let go of Riley’s collar, her expression shaking.
“Phew… … .”
As the air settled further, Olivia took a deep breath. She slowly reached out to the body.
“If you could just close your eyes and let me go in peace… … .”
widely!
Becky slapped Olivia’s hand away.
“Ouch!”
“Stop it. Why are you making such a fuss?”
“Oh, you little brat! Don’t you feel sorry for them, Miss Becky?”
Olivia looked at the body with pity in her eyes and asked.
“Ha, aren’t you feeling sorry for me?”
But there was not a shred of sympathy on Becky’s face.
“Yeah. I don’t feel bad for them at all. They just died because they didn’t have the skills.”
“……yes?”
Becky continued in a cold voice.
“Hey, you idiot, don’t get me wrong.”
“… … .”
“This is the selection test for the 5th Tower. Anyone who dies like this was not qualified to begin with. Why should I feel sorry for an idiot who came to take the test without even knowing his own subject?”
“Well, at least you can close your eyes… …!”
“ha.”
Becky let out an annoyed sigh.
“Anyway, this is why idiots without any practical experience are so frustrating.”
“Huh? What, what is that… … .”
“Look carefully. Do you think I told you not to touch those corpses for nothing?”
Becky said, pointing to the body.
“See? All that mucus all over that body? What do you think it is?”
“… … .”
“It’s the hound’s saliva. That glistening mucus is the monster’s saliva.”
Hound’s saliva.
“Even if you have no actual combat experience, do you know what kind of characteristics a hound has?”
“… … .”
“They have a keen sense of smell like wild dogs. They are incredibly good at finding even a single ‘trace’ they leave behind.”
Becky continued.
“You know what the most representative ‘traces’ of all these are? It’s their saliva.”
“… … .”
What if Olivia had made contact with the corpse to close its eyes?
It’s obvious.
The hounds that had been following our trail must have targeted us.
Of course, since the hound is a low-level monster, it won’t be that dangerous.
However, within these historic sites, risk factors must be reduced as much as possible.
No matter how trivial it may be.
“Do you understand now? Don’t bother me for no reason. Especially if you do something like that inside the ruins, you’ll be killed in one blow.”
“ah…….”
Olivia bowed her head.
“I’m sorry… … .”
“Okay. Ignorance is not a sin. Just don’t do it again.”
“……yes yes.”
* * *
Olivia became even more depressed. She was now walking with her eyes on the floor. Her gloomy mood was contagious to the rest of the group.
Thud thud thud─.
Silence fell.
A quiet atmosphere where only the sound of footsteps can be heard.
“By the way, that’s unexpected.”
Riley whispered to Becky next to her, quietly enough that Olivia couldn’t hear.
“what.”
“I thought you would let Miss Olivia touch the Hound’s tracks.”
“why?”
“Well, Ms. Becky loves fighting so much. I thought she’d lure some of the hounds into a fight.”
Becky gritted her teeth and answered nervously after hearing that.
“hey.”
“yes?”
“Even so, would I be crazy enough to do something like that in a ruined site? I know how to protect my own life, don’t I?”
It was a truly normal answer.
But it wasn’t convincing at all, perhaps because it was Becky who said it.
[… … That kind of person would probably want to fight a stone giant.]
Riley repeated to Becky exactly what I had said.
“under!”
Then Becky snorted and replied.
“Hey, that one and this one are different.”
“……yes?”
“You can tell at a glance that the stone giants are strong. Their appearances are also really cool. That’s why there’s a romance to fighting them. It’s said that a sense of accomplishment follows.”
[……what?]
Romantic?
A sense of accomplishment?
What the hell is this?
“But mobs like hounds… … . Well, they’re just annoying. In other words, they’re not worth dealing with at all.”
Becky smiled confidently.
“I only fight against opponents of my own level. That’s my belief. Yes. I’m just going to fight battles that make romance bloom in my heart. Do you understand?”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Silence fell.
Becky looked pleased with what she had said.
And Riley and I looked at Becky like she was crazy.
[… … crazy bitch.]
‘… … crazy bitch.’
Romance, my ass.
As I said before, romance is nothing more than a foolish guest in the face of death.
‘But, Master Magician.’
[why.]
‘If you think about it, I don’t think even Madoka has the right to criticize Becky.’
[……huh?]
Why me?
‘Of course, even the Madou-sama talked about romance at one point.’
[What are you talking about? When did I.]
‘At Richie’s hideout half a year ago.’
[… … ?]
When I was completely lost, Riley continued explaining.
‘The reason you want to enter the Tower of Lantes is because of romance.’
[uh…….]
‘You said that it’s more satisfying to destroy something slowly from the inside, with your own hands, that’s true romance.’
[… … .]
… … Did I do that?
‘If the magic book says it, it’s right, and if Becky says it, it’s wrong.’
[… … .]
I have nothing to say.
Completely refuted.
Why on earth did my past self say something like that?
In the end, I had no choice but to make a trite excuse.
[That, that and this are different.]
‘yes?’
[It’s different. It’s different anyway.]
‘Oh, yes.’
Riley nodded.
‘In my opinion, Becky and Madoka are both on the same level.’
[… … .]
It was the greatest insult I’ve ever heard in my life, but I was so sad that I couldn’t even refute it.
