Ch.192Hidden Secret

It took quite a long time to pass through the crystal cave where transparent bats were hiding.

Not only was it difficult to find the way because crystals scattered everywhere reflected each other like mirrors, but I couldn’t even map the area comfortably because I never knew when a transparent bat might fly in.

If a bat were to ambush me, my skill would certainly activate, so detecting them wasn’t difficult.

The problem was if the bat approached without charging, getting close enough to cling to my body and try to bite me.

I thought time had slowed down, but when I sensed killing intent from just one meter behind me, I was truly startled.

Perceiving an enemy’s attack in slowed time and being able to respond to it are completely different matters.

Like a professional boxer’s jab suddenly extending before your eyes, there are cases where even if you notice it, your body’s reaction speed isn’t fast enough to respond.

Of course, in such situations, I could reach for the revolver at my waist and fire a lightning-quick counter shot that transcends the flow of time itself…

But I wanted to avoid fully activating my skill and consuming a large amount of magical power when it was unclear how much of the test course remained ahead.

Fortunately, the internal structure of the crystal cave wasn’t that complex, but it still took over an hour and thirty minutes to break through.

After passing through the crystal cave, I stayed alert while filling my stomach with the bread I had brought, then continued through a ravine with an open top until I reached a wide clearing.

What greeted me there was a giant green slime.

That gelatinous mass, about 6-7 meters in diameter and 3-4 meters in height, had perhaps lost its mobility due to its bloated body, as it simply blocked the passage to the other side without making any attempt to move.

“Ah… this would certainly be quite a grueling trial for the Silver Wolf tribe.”

The slime’s core was faintly visible inside its translucent, gelatinous body.

For beastmen who don’t use guns, destroying that core would be impossible with ordinary means of attack.

Unless they knew in advance about the existence of such monsters, it’s unlikely they would have brought spears over three meters long.

Only those with skills that can protect their bodies while burrowing into the slime’s gel, or skills that can penetrate the gel and destroy the core from a distance, would be able to break through here and move on to the next area.

‘Tatatatatata-tang!’

Of course, it’s not even an issue before my titanium revolver.

“Oh, not a scratch on the magic stone attached to the core. I should definitely take this.”

After cleaning the first spoils I obtained and putting it in my bag, I headed into the passage that the slime had been blocking.

~ ~ ~ Above the Test Site ~ ~ ~

“How’s the situation?”

“Whoa!? Father!”

Mag, who had been watching Will take down the giant slime in an instant, was startled by Chief Cyrus’s voice right beside him and almost tumbled down into the ravine.

“You scared me! I thought I was going to fall.”

“Hehehe… Even though I concealed my presence, you didn’t notice me until I was right beside you. You still have a long way to go.”

“Tch. How many people in our village can detect the presence of ‘Thunder Claw’ Cyrus…”

While complaining about his father’s unreasonable expectations, Mag pointed at Will advancing through the ravine below and briefly reported on the situation so far.

“Just as you said, Father, the colonist’s way of passing the test is completely different from ours. The rock worm habitat might be like a welcome greeting, but he dealt with the Rolly Crawly by flipping it over with explosion magic and then shooting its belly.”

“You couldn’t see the Invisible Bat nest since the ceiling is closed… but judging by how he made it here without major injuries, he doesn’t seem to have struggled much.”

“Though it did take him quite some time. He made it through safely despite not being able to detect them by smell like we can.”

“And the giant slime didn’t even manage to slow him down.”

Cyrus and Mag watched Will enter the fifth zone while discussing these matters.

Will seemed to struggle briefly against butterflies that scattered poisonous powder as they flew, but after retreating momentarily to inhale some kind of medicine, he skillfully began eliminating the butterflies with the same magical bombs he had used in the Rolly Crawly’s nest.

“…If that adventurer returns with the Emperor’s Token, other colonists might flock here wanting to take the test too.”

“That’s highly likely, isn’t it? Adventurers are crazy about treasure, after all.”

Will, the colonist adventurer, was passing the Emperor’s Test with weapons and abilities completely different from those of Silver Wolf warriors.

Cyrus and Mag felt considerable unease watching Will’s progress.

Was it because they feared the Silver Wolf tribe’s treasure would become known as an aphrodisiac?

Or were they concerned that the women of the tribe would develop resentment if this fact became known?

To be clear, it was neither.

What they wished to keep secret was the Emperor’s Test itself.

More precisely, the means that made such an absurd phenomenon as the Emperor’s Test possible.

“That adventurer has probably noticed by now. That this place and these monsters are ‘managed’ by us, the Silver Wolf tribe.”

It’s something one could realize with just a little thought.

That such diverse monsters are conveniently gathered in a place just a few hours away from the village,

That these monsters neither crawl out nor leave their positions, faithfully serving as trial gatekeepers,

That a certain number of them are always maintained for the few challengers who appear each year,

None of this could possibly occur naturally.

“What are you going to do, Father? If that adventurer passes the test, the existence of ‘Monster Taming’ might become known to the colonists.”

“We cannot interfere with an honorable warrior’s test. If that adventurer truly has the skill worthy of claiming the Emperor’s Token, then it’s only right that he receives glory befitting his ability.”

“Even if the price is our tribe’s women being targeted by colonists coveting monster taming? You know well what happened to the Cat Folk and White Rabbit women at the hands of those they call outlaws.”

Monster Taming.

It was a special skill that rarely awakened in Silver Wolf women.

The contribution of this ability—which, true to its name, allowed them to tame and control specific monsters—to the survival of the minority Silver Wolf tribe was immeasurable.

However, it was also clear that the ability to control monsters and the Silver Wolf women who possessed it would become objects of envy and jealousy.

The men of the Silver Wolf tribe, to protect their women, had been pretending to be an extremely patriarchal society, taking careful measures to prevent outsiders’ attention from focusing on the tribe’s women.

The Emperor’s Token and the test to obtain it were also devices to create such a male-centered atmosphere.

“Your concern is valid. But the fact is we don’t have many options. We can only hope that this adventurer has enough generosity to consider the circumstances of the Silver Wolf tribe.”

“…Should I just eliminate him?”

As Mag revealed his sharp claws and fangs while saying this, Cyrus reprimanded him in a dignified voice.

“Desist. Even if you were to defeat that man, it would only stimulate the curiosity of other adventurers. And if you were to lose to him or let him escape, how would you deal with the consequences?”

“Hmm… that’s true. I’m sorry, Father. My thinking was short-sighted.”

If Will were killed here, the four women waiting for his return would move to investigate the truth of his death, and others might appear wanting to uncover what kind of Silver Wolf test had led to his demise.

Moreover, rumor had it that colonists carried means to uncover the truth if they were murdered.

If the identity of the adventurer’s killer were revealed, relations between the colonists and the Silver Wolf tribe would head toward an irreversible catastrophe.

‘Ta-ta-tang! Ta-ta-tang!’

The cheerful sound of gunfire echoed from below the ravine.

While even Silver Wolf warriors with their powerful bodies couldn’t avoid struggling in the Emperor’s Test, that human adventurer was already fighting the monster guarding the sixth gate.

Only two gates remained before the shrine in the ravine where the werewolf waited.

If any kind of ‘decision’ was to be made, now was the last chance.

“It seems that adventurer will defeat the werewolf without issue.”

“Tch, why did we allow a human to challenge the Emperor’s Test in the first place…”

“It can’t be helped. As you age, it becomes difficult to ignore things like tradition, honor, and principles, even when you know they’re unreasonable.”

Anyone should be able to challenge the Emperor’s Test.

This rule was established for other beastmen who wished to form bonds with Silver Wolf women.

After all, it would be desirable if a child born between an excellent warrior and a Silver Wolf woman awakened superior skills, even if they weren’t pure-blooded Silver Wolves.

However, the chief who first established this rule never considered the possibility of other races taking Silver Wolf women as brides, much less the possibility that men of other races would need the Emperor’s Token for their night relations with women of other races.

In a way, it was a loophole created by insufficient foresight, which somehow transformed over time into a strange pride that “we Silver Wolves extend a helping hand to any man troubled with bedroom matters,” passed down along with the Emperor’s Token.

“…Ah, I have a good idea.”

“Hmm?”

“Father, since it’s come to this, why don’t we marry off one of our tribe’s girls to that fellow? It’s the rightful privilege of a man who obtains the Emperor’s Token, isn’t it?”

“Hmm… not a bad idea. Since this Will seems to like women regardless of race, he might take a liking to Sasha from the butcher shop or Selene from the guard.”

If that colonist adventurer formed close ties with the Silver Wolf tribe, even if he noticed the secret of Monster Taming, he wouldn’t make choices that would harm his bride’s homeland.

Chief Cyrus and Mag began drinking their celebratory soup without even asking for Will’s opinion.

This was truly an inconsiderate plan for Will, who had no furry preferences.