C141
The mage returned with a serious expression. Then, between the palms of both hands, a sphere of fire was born.
Unlike Amy, it was a single sphere, so it would be much easier to increase the density.
'She's going to concentrate the firepower, isn't she? She's so eager to win.'
As Amy expected, the mage was tense. Of course, since she had never calculated the power of magic numerically, she did not know how many points she would get.
But it seemed difficult to think that it could explode three times the power of Electric Arrow.
“Taha!”
The mage held out both hands vigorously.
In the Spirit Zone under the control of the wizard, inertia is ignored, so there is no need to take a special motion to cast a spell.
Even so, taking a firing stance was the mage's struggle to increase her concentration even a little bit.
Amy followed the fireball with her gaze. As the Labyrinth of Time and Space held the Fireball, a whirlwind of flames raged.
The mage looked at the sphere with eyes full of expectation. But a moment later, her face changed to a gloomy expression.
The score is 1,330. It was only 310 points higher than Electric Arrow.
It was a huge difference for a swordsman who was purely evaluated for physical ability, but in the realm of magic that applied phenomena, it could be said that there was a difference there.
"Th- This can't be. No! This is because the firepower is distributed. I can pass at least 2,000.”
No one responded to the mage's voice.
The difference was too big. No matter what she did, she couldn't get over Amy's score.
The archer thought it was already too late to pass through this place. The girl who scored over 3,000 was expected to be the highest level here.
In the mercenary world, the mage called divine is also 1,330. And the fact that she showed more than twice her magical power meant that it was at least the greatest talent in her age group.
Rian and Tess were thinking the same thing.
They don't mean to disparage Shirone's skills, but Amy was Shirone's senior at school. If she, a senior, failed, they assumed it would be hard for evenShirone to show more.
Amy was the only one who didn't think this was the end.
“Shirone, you need to take this seriously. Maybe it's because it's so narrow that I couldn't cross it."
"Okay. I'll try my best.”
The leader sarcastically curled his lips.
"Hah! What's the use of doing your best? The results have to come out. It's already over. Let's fold and go back."
Shirone realized something from the sight of the leader who gave up without even trying. The Labyrinth of Time and Space was called the angel's eye. What on earth did she build such an altar for?
But it was time to put aside the fleeting insight for a while. Right now, the priority is to focus on the work of the altar.
Shirone closed his eyes and performed the sequence method. A faint point of light was born in the front. Subsequently, an innumerable number of photons flooded into the center and grew its size.
“Wha- What? Photon Output? What impact do you have with that?”
The mage said with an absurd expression. Despite this, the reason she couldn't take her eyes off Shirone was the force that could not be seen with a normal Photon Output.
The moment Shirone opened his eyes after completing the sequence method, a fist-sized white sphere began to vibrate as if it was about to die.
Shirone gritted his teeth and fired the Photon Cannon. A ray of light that stretched out at sub-light speed hit the Labyrinth of Time and Space as if to smash it.
The mercenaries, who were not expecting it at first, were fascinated by the beauty of the flash and trembled as they waited for the score.
4,783.
People's eyes widened when an unexpected number came up.
In particular, the mage and the archers who were well versed in magic were astonished. It was because the magic Shirone cast was none other than photon output.
Light has no special firepower. It was only defined by the product of speed and mass, the momentum.
Still, 4,783 points came out. Compared to his colleagues, it was said that the impact was equivalent to the shock of 20 warriors who chose a strength-enhancing build and struck with all their might.
"What, what on earth are those things?”
The mercenaries were starting to get anxious. They didn't know what the principle of Shirone's magic was, but they knew that no one among them could withstand it.
But everyone had no time to think of anything else. This is because even though it was hit with tremendous power, the Labyrinth of Time and Space emitted red light as if it were defiant, and he was judged to be unqualified.
Shirone felt drained. What on earth were these spheres?
Perhaps 5,000 points is the passing line. However, it seemed that the Photon Cannon could not increase its power more than this.
"I wish we could do it one more time."
Amy covered her mouth and laughed as if she had been waiting.
"Hoho! You understand my feelings, right? I felt the same way. But how many points do we need to pass?"
"I'm not sure. It might be okay to try it with a laser."
"Oh, right! Lasers can accumulate energy."
Shirone's laser causes molecules to vibrate, resulting in greater destructive power over time. In theory, there is nothing that cannot be destroyed, making it perfect for such an evaluation.
"But we have a next round. We'll have to try after we take a round. What do you think? Aren't you going to do it?"
Shirone said to the leader. But he just stood there with a shit-chewed expression on his face.
Seeing the scores soar as the order progressed, he didn't feel like stepping out. As a swordsman, the only score he could give was around 200 points.
"Tsk! That's it. It's already over! There's nothing left but to leave."
The leader hurriedly walked towards the entrance. However, no matter how much he turned the doorknob, the iron door did not budge.
When the group looked back in surprise, the man with the white tattoo spoke.
"You are one. If one person is evaluated, all must be evaluated. You can't go back before then."
After hearing the archer's interpretation, the party finally understood. The rule was not simply integrating their wills but actually aligning their actions.
"Ah! This is frustrating! Why do you keep asking me to do something that makes no difference?"
There was no end to complaints from the leader's mouth. But in order to get out of here, he had no choice but to prove his skills.
'I see. These are really cruel rules.'
Shirone felt a chill.
Why hadn't they known until now? All the rules explained by the man with the white tattoo were predicated on one condition.
Trust between colleagues.
Upon reflection, it could not have been a stranger evaluation method. This is because, in terms of firepower alone, mages are much more advantageous than swordsmen.
However, that did not mean that the swordsman was weaker than the mage. Even if the mage could break rocks and split the ground, the swordsmen were specialized in biological combat who could cut the mage with a single strike.
Besides, measuring the power of magic was a problem. If Amy, who specialized in long-range magic, had tried Sniper Mode, her score would have been much higher. However, this place did not consider such a variable.
The narrow octagonal altar where no special means could be used, and the eight spheres.
'Why eight? Just to balance the appearance? But didn't we, the eight of us, evaluate only one sphere?'
Strangest of all was the language of God. Labyrinth of Time and Space measures the amount of impact and expresses the value as a number.
Why on earth? What does it mean?
If it is to distinguish those who go to Kerugo, isn't it enough to simply indicate pass and fail?
Depending on the length of the major, the deviation of scores increases enormously. A structure where everyone must necessarily be evaluated in such a state.
The emotion that arose from there was one thing.
'Obsession with scores. You get anxious when a colleague gets a higher score than you. If you get a lower score, you will be ignored. Without a perfect understanding of each other's roles, discord is inevitable. And what awaits at the end of that rule is...'
You can send one person through the sacrifice of one.
Shirone took a deep breath. What the hell is Miro thinking? This was an evaluation designed to kill each other.
"Shirone, let's just leave when that person's done."
Amy whispered. There was tension in her eyes as well, as if she had the same thought.
Rian and Tess were also making serious faces as if something was wrong.
Since they emphasized camaraderie, it was natural to be sensitive to this atmosphere, and since the evaluation was clearly unfavorable to the swordsman, they would have quickly understood the intent of the rules.
As expected, the leader did not know what to do. He felt that the gaze of his mercenary colleagues was different from before.
“Hu, hu, euaaaaa!”
The leader dashed without even a chance to catch his breath. He was charging, but to Shirone, it looked as if he was running away from something.
Is Schema used properly? Where is the location of the sword? What is the distance to the target? As he ran without knowing anything, his steps staggered.
As he took a short gasp and swung his sword as if collapsing, the accuracy fell and the sword hit the side of the sphere and bounced off.
“Keuk! Damn it!"
The leader, who was trying to get out of the Labyrinth of Time and Space and outside the altar, quickly regained his balance and looked back.
The number 32 was floating.
But no one laughed. The expressions of his colleagues were hardened as if they had suffered a great humiliation.
"What, what's the big deal! We can't even pass! We did it, so it's done, right? Let's get out of here!
The leader showed unnecessary bravado and left the altar. But his steps were headed towards a place away from his colleagues.
'That party is over. It'll probably disband once we leave here.'
Shirone thought it was time to wrap things up. It was a shame that he couldn't challenge again, but he couldn't do anything more with the mercenaries whose trust had been broken.
"Can you... translate for me?"
Shirone asked the archer. Even if he was leaving, there was one thing he wanted to confirm.
The archer also readily accepted, perhaps feeling a sense of emptiness in the current situation.
"Sure. What should I ask?"
"Has anyone passed through this gate so far?"
The man with the white tattoo nodded resolutely.
"It's a gate for passage, not some sort of trap."
"How many points should we get in the Labyrinth of Time and Space to pass?"
"The eight eyes of the angel will judge you."
The man repeated what he had said at the beginning. In the end, everything was determined by the Labyrinth of Time and Space.
Shirone thought for a moment before asking the last question.
"What is the approximate pass rate for those who have come here?
"I'm not sure exactly. Sometimes many people come, sometimes just one. From what I've observed, it seems like one out of ten times, people pass. Most often, the pass rate is higher when people come alone."
Shirone was startled. It was a much higher percentage than expected.
Initially, he thought there might be no passers at all. It was because of the assumption that Miro's purpose in designing this place was not simply to evaluate skills.
Of course, that opinion remains unchanged. However, the man with the white tattoos clearly stated that there were those who passed. That too, at a staggering rate of 10 percent.
The corner of Shirone's mouth trembled as he smiled. A shiver ran up his spine.
"Shirone, why are you suddenly like this?"
"The principal... He's a real trickster."
"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Amy asked with a puzzled look, but Shirone was not in a state to respond. Alpheas's voice seemed to echo in his head like an illusion.
- You should be able to get a rough idea of what the world Miro lives in is like.
It wasn't a rough idea, but a clear understanding. He was saying that if one couldn't overcome an obstacle of this level, it was a message that one should not try to learn about Miro.
'I'm sorry, Principal. But I've ended up knowing.'
Shirone did not give up. He was determined to pass through this place during the travel period.
Amy guessed as she looked at Shirone who didn't answer.
'You haven't given up, have you, Shirone?'
If so, she won't give up either. At first, she was just following to help Shirone, but now she really want to know about the girl named Miro.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
