C139
Shirone realized the situation. The rule was more restrictive and dangerous than expected. It was because it was much more difficult than he thought to unite the majority of opinions.
He didn't know what was in Kerugo, but if there was something worth risking his life for, there was a possibility of infighting.
"What? Was it that simple? How about this? We'll take care of the four brat and we'll go in. I never knew there was such an easy way.”
The leader looked back at Shirone and pursed his lips. It was a look expecting a fearful expression, but to Shirone, it was pitiful.
Once the rule was heard, it was the right way to cooperate even if they disliked it.
A leader who led with emotion from the start could not only ruin the organization but also endanger the lives of his comrades.
'This person is not qualified to be a leader. The other people seem to be doing at least halfway decent.'
As expected, his comrades stepped in to dissuade him. If they gained achievement, they can pass unconditionally, so considering sacrifice was a later issue.
"Let's get started. How long are we going to stay here?"
"Tch! You're one lucky brat."
The man with the white tattoo headed towards the side of the altar. He folded his arms in a place where he could see all eight spheres.
"My explanation ends here. Come out one by one and prove your abilities.”
Shirone's party and the mercenaries exchanged glances. They were calculating who would benefit from going first.
The leader unsheathed his sword and pointed at Shirone.
"Hey, you go first. Of course, I don't expect much, but do your best so we can get a sense of it. Then you never know. Maybe I'll take you to Kerugo."
"I don't want to. Why are you unilaterally deciding that?"
"What's wrong with it? I really don't like you! Shall I kill you right now! Shall I kill you and go in?"
"You keep causing trouble. From now on, we need to integrate opinions. Didn't you hear that if even one person refuses, we can't go out? Although there is no limit to the number of attempts, handicaps can be applied to those who have tried, and traps like anti-magic might be triggered. As we are all first-timers, we need to make careful decisions and determine the order."
“This, this cheeky little brat…!”
The leader was about to lose his temper. He probably hated the brat talking back to him, but the fact that he couldn't refute was the most annoying.
But the mage had a different idea. Of course, there might be no particular constraints, but unless one could seen to the future, it was good to consider all conceivable variables.
"The kid is right. Let's decide the order. How shall we do it?"
Shirone looked back at the Labyrinth of Time and Space of the at the altar. Having experienced the phenomenon called 'spot', he could roughly predict the current situation.
“That sphere could probably absorb near-infinite energy. It's standard to push the powerful mages back and let the warriors go first."
"Does it have to be so violent? Why the conclusion?"
"It's the best skill for the descendants of warriors to prove. Moreover, looking at the altar, it has a structural feature that something is implemented on a given target. Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that the device was made with the aim of striking." (“전사의 후예가 입증할 수 있는 가장 좋은 장기니까요.)
"I'm convinced. Then let's decide the order. Shall we start with the swordsman first?"
The mage said and looked back at the leader. But he shook his head as if he was upset.
"No, I'll do it later. What does that brat know to talk about? It's a simple game. Just go out and smash it."
"Huh, our leader is like this, what should we do?"
"Never mind. Then we'll send a swordsman from our side."
Shirone looked back at the swordsman on his side. Both Rian and Tess were sword warrior. . But it was foreseeable who would go out without looking.
Once the first attempt was over, a lot of information could be obtained. It was such a heavy mission and a dangerous role, so there was no way Rian would send Tess first.
"I'll do it first. Of course, it could end on my turn. Hahaha!"
"Well, baseless confidence is... Anyway, be careful. Don't be complacent."
Supported by Tess, Rian looked around in the center of the altar.
The feeling was definitely different than when viewed from outside. It felt like the spheres in all directions were staring at him.
"Hey! Hurry up! Are you scared already?"
Rian couldn't even hear the leader's words. He had been figuring out what to do since Shirone designated him.
'In a way, I am the vanguard. I must obtain all the information I can in my turn. Right, Shirone?'
Rian walked to the northern sphere. It was not as transparent as it seemed from afar. Shoule he say that it is filled with a hazy fog?
“Hmm, you said there is no limit to the number of tries, right?”
Rian leaned into the sphere and tapped it with the back of his hand. When there was no particular response, he gradually increased the strength and repeated it.
At some point, the mist inside the sphere vanished, and the transparent sphere displayed the number 1.
"Huh? It's a number?"
Shirone recalled the explanation he had heard from the man with the white tattoo.
"Ah, so God's language means numbers. Rian, just in case, let's step back."
Rian calmly took a couple of steps back. Shortly after, the sphere emitted a red light, illuminating the room.
That meant failure.
Everyone wondered what would happen, but that was all there was to it. They watched for about three more seconds, but nothing particularly threatening happened.
"Aha, so if a white light rises, that means a pass, right?"
After understanding the rules, Rian returned to the center of the altar and finally pulled out the straight sword.
When the size of the actual sword hidden by the giant Rian was revealed, the mercenaries were startled. If that was all iron, it was a weight that could not be lifted unless with Schema.
"Rian! Hit it with all your might!"
Tess, somewhat relaxed, swung his arm and cheered. Just knowing that the attempt did not harm the person was a big success.
"Don't worry. I'll smash it in one hit."
Rian lowered his stance while holding the sword with both hands. Embarrassingly, his heart was pounding.
But wasn't this the best situation to kick off with the sword my grandfather passed on? Moreover, it was an attack that uses both hands to swing wholeheartedly.
"Alright! Here I go!"
Rian charged at full speed and struck down his greatsword. Instead of the powerful bang everyone expected, a low sound wave was heard.
Labyrinth of Time and Space did not shake, and there was no reaction. It would have been impossible without absorbing all the force.
"Ugh!"
Rian maintained the posture of striking down the Labyrinth of Time and Space. He could clearly feel the energy draining from his whole body.
But more than that, he was curious about the number that would appear in the sphere. Is it a pass or a fail?
The sphere became transparent, revealing the number 241. Considering the impact when the number 1 appeared, it seemed like he did pretty well.
Unfortunately, however, the sphere emitted a red light.
"Oh, it's a real pity! Shirone, can I try one more time?"
Rian got pumped up. At first, he thought it would be okay just to explore, but when he actually received a failing judgment, it felt like he was being ignored, and his insides churned.
"Are you okay? Your legs look shaky."
"Oh, this? It sucks out all the power. It's not dangerous because it doesn't put too much strain on my body. I'll recover in a little while."
Shirone nodded at the new information.
"Ah, I see. It's a handicap, but not a serious one. Hmm."
“Anyway, I’m really pissed off. If I had only been able to use Schema, I would have been able to pass.”
At Rian's words, the warrior of the mercenary group burst into a hearty laugh.
“Puhahaha! You've been complaining even though you can't use Schema? This is ridiculous. Move aside, I'll give it a try this time."
As the warrior stepped in, Rian had no choice but to leave the altar. But even as he was walking, he was muttering, 'Just one more time.'
"The kid got 241, right? Then, should I aim for around 2,000?"
The warrior rolled up his sleeves and swung his main weapon, a mace. He also had a hatchet at his waist, but seeing Rian's attempt, a mace seemed to be an easy way to deliver shock.
The warrior took a deep breath and tightened all the muscles in his body. Although the muscle fibers did not become significantly thicke, but when those changes took place throughout his body, his size swelled noticeably.
"Tess, that guy....."
"That's right. He’s a Schema user. He probably have strength-enhancing build. Well, it's a natural choice for a warrior.”
"Uaaaaaa! Here I go!"
The warrior let out a roar as big as his size and charged. At the same time, his hand was spinning the mace rapidly.
Although it's not a two-handed weapon, adding rotational power could yield comparable destructive power.
The warrior swung his mace down as if to kill the enemy of the world.
The action stopped with a low booming sound. Like Rian, the sense of deprivation of power paralyzed his whole body.
"Huu! Huu! It's over! I got it in properly!"
The warrior backed off, breathing heavily. Because the technique looked impressive, those watching were expectantly watching.
The number 248 popped up.
”Wha- What? Nonsense! 248? Only 7 points higher than that kid? Is this thing broken?"
Tess walked to the altar, assuming a stance.
"Do you think this is some cheap toy from a corner shop? Come down quickly! The red light is already on!"
"No, I can't accept this! Just once, I'll try it once more!"
"Alright, come out then! Whether you want to challenge it again or not, you need to recover your strength first!"
The warrior crumpled his face as if faced unjustice and turned his body. He couldn't understand it at all.
He had never lost in terms of strength ever since he was a child. It's 248 even with a strength-enhancing build.
"Huh? Wait a sec."
The warrior looked back at Rian as if it were absurd. Didn't that kid say he couldn't utilize Schema?
But 241 points? In other words, with his physical strength alone, he demonstrated the same power as the warrior did just now.
“Wha- What? This makes no sense! You can use Schema, can you? You lied, right?"
"Why would I lie about something to brag about? If you fail, just quietly wait for the next turn."
Rian didn't want to blather on about his disqualification. His current interest was in how far his friend Tess could go.
Tess stood in the center of the altar and drew her sword. There was a cool sound like sliding on ice. People were mesmerized by the graceful movement, textbook perfect.
"Hmm, I'll try, but wouldn't it be disadvantageous to my rapier?"
“No, not necessarily. It absorbs all the power. I didn't even feel a recoil when I swung it down. I doubt the sword will even bend."
"Really? Then should I stab it with all my strength?"
"If you're worried, do you want to use my sword? It's heavy, but you can handle it with Schema, right?”
Tess raised her sword and bent it with her fingers. The rapier bounced back with a ting, vibrating rapidly like the flapping of a hummingbird's wings.
"No, I want to try with my own swordsmanship. To be honest, this is quite interesting."
Tess walked to the end of the altar and stood at a point where she could view the Labyrinth of Time and Space diagonally.
Acceleration of concentration through Schema. There will be no vital points in the sphere, but the speed generated by compressing the body's movement is completely converted into power.
Tess charged in a silence scarier than a yell. As expected of her, who got full marks in the balance test, her angle made her nearly level with the ground.
The moment she reached the target, her body shook as if creating an afterimage, and the rapier that skimmed the ground rose in a flight.
The moment she stabbed the sphere with a perfect thrust motion, there was a flash of light explode at the tip of his sword.
While ordinary swordsmanship reaches maximum acceleration at the midpoint, Tess' swordsmanship, which focuses on stabbing, reaches its peak at the 'end speed' of the sword.
As these characteristics are maximized through Schema, the thrilling optical illusion occurs.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
