Chapter 58: The Second Trial #1

Chapter 58: The Second Trial #1

The first trial has ended.

At this point, a total of thirty-six adventurers have obtained feathers and qualified for the second trial.

Compared to the beginning, the number has decreased to less than a tenth.

‘And five of those were saved by me.’

I smiled with satisfaction, stroking my now-fatter wallet.

I don’t know about the other adventurers, but I was very satisfied with this trial.

I gained a lot of magic stones and materials from the field boss raid, and most importantly, I obtained the Giant Worm’s corpse to use as my trump card.

And that’s not all? I also made a tidy sum of pocket money selling feathers.

It couldn’t have been more satisfying.

“Ugh…”

On the other hand, the examiner Maria seemed displeased.

She had been glaring at our party with her hands on her hips since earlier.

‘No matter what she does, what can she do?’

The goal of this trial is simply to pass, no matter the method.

I simply used my abilities efficiently to solve the trial. I have nothing to feel guilty about.

I was only worried that Maria might try to find fault with me out of spite, but it seemed I didn’t need to worry.

‘She’s been eating my food for more than a day or two, after all.’

It wasn’t for no reason that I fed Maria every day because she was cute.

She vehemently denies it, but in the grand scheme of things, Maria is an accomplice to me.

Even if there are some minor issues with the regulations, Maria is in a position where she has no choice but to overlook them.

She knows this well herself, which is why she’s so displeased right now.

“You boasted so much… Maria, quite an interesting result, wouldn’t you say?”

Examiner Jack said, trying to suppress his laughter and subtly teasing Maria.

“I-it’s fine, okay? There are no problems! I’m going to make everyone fail the second trial anyway!”

Maria put on a forced smile, pretending to be unfazed.

But anyone could see she was clearly flustered inside.

“Well, alright. Congratulations on passing the first trial, adventurers!”

Jack shouted in his usual booming voice.

“⋯Do we really need to speak so loudly now? The number of people has decreased, so we should be able to hear each other without raising our voices.”

Jack seemed embarrassed and fiddled with his mustache, then looked around at the crowd.

“You’ve all worked hard. However, the trial is not over yet. As much as I’d like to accept all thirty-six of you adventurers as guild members, a final verification remains.”

The adventurers were not greatly surprised.

They had all expected that the trial wouldn’t end so easily.

“Six.”

Jack held up his fingers on both hands.

“Ultimately, I will select six people. Perhaps even fewer, but that’s how it’ll be. The selection method is simple. Maria!”

“I’ve disliked you from the start. Why do I always have to do all the grunt work like an assistant?”

Maria grumbled and took out a small paper box.

Inside were several star-shaped badges.

“I will give each of you one of these badges. Collect six badges. How will you collect them? You already know how, don’t you?”

Several adventurers sighed.

Adventurers who ask about the content of the next trial at this point are not qualified to pass.

‘It’s a survival game.’

After hunting birds, is it now human hunting?

The badges won’t sprout from the ground, nor will they fall from the sky.

You have to take them by force.

“The deadline is sunrise tomorrow. As you’ll see, this trial won’t take long. Based on my experience of watching it many times, most of it is decided within three hours of starting.”

Jack flicked his finger towards a hill in the wilderness.

Then, a pillar of fire erupted, centered on our current location.

The circular survival arena, slightly smaller than a local mountain, was defined by these outer pillars of fire.

“Naturally, you are not allowed to leave the test area with the badges. And please try not to kill other adventurers. If it’s unavoidable, we’ll take it into consideration, but if you go on a rampage thinking this is your chance, we’ll have no choice but to take appropriate measures.”

“Please, just one bastard like that. Huh? I’m in a really bad mood right now. Just let one person get caught. I swear I’ll make them regret being born.”

Maria clenched her teeth and thrust her fists towards the adventurers.

Although her personality is unpleasant, Maria’s skills are genuine.

It would be difficult for most Garden adventurers to defeat Maria.

The adventurers lined up and received their badges.

“You managed to pass the first trial. But this is as far as you go, you half-wit.”

Maria sneered as she handed me a badge.

“You look nervous?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you starting to get scared, Maria?”

Maria smiled dismissively.

However, the corners of her mouth were twitching slightly.

“Wh-why would I be?”

“If you say so.”

“No, I’m not! You’re going to fail anyway!”

I just smiled without replying.

“Survival, huh…”

Wagner frowned as he attached the badge to his armor.

“What’s wrong, Wagner? Are you not confident?”

“It’s not that, but I have a feeling it won’t be easy.”

Wagner looked around.

“Since they passed the first trial, it means they all have skills. Having to defeat five more adventurers like that-“

“Wagner, but this trial is absolutely advantageous for us.”

“Why is that?”

“Because all four of our party members made it through intact. No matter how skilled other adventurers are, if we fight four against one, it’s bound to-“

It’s simple logic.

In a game where you have to survive until the end, everyone else is playing solo, but we are playing as a squad.

There’s no defense against a mob. In the end, the longer it goes on, the more advantageous it becomes for our party.

“Hey! What are you whispering about!”

Maria yelled at us.

“See you later then. When it starts, gather at the big rocky hill as quickly as possible.”

I patted Wagner’s shoulder and headed to my starting position.

Unfortunately, we can’t start together with our party from the beginning.

The starting points are all random. Scattered throughout the test area, it’s hard to predict where anyone is.

Therefore, our key to the trial is to regroup as early as possible.

‘I’m not worried about Wagner and Mitchell. But Flora…’

Objectively, Flora’s combat ability is the lowest among us.

Not just her combat ability, but she also looks weak.

She’s like a single rabbit dropped into a savanna where lions, leopards, and hyenas roam.

Surely, there are already one or two people who have marked Flora as prey.

‘I need to hurry.’

I rubbed my fingertips together and waited impatiently for the start signal.

Thirty-six participants.

Out of these, how many will remain after tomorrow?

***

“Estel? Was there an adventurer like that?”

The Captain of the Guard said in a tone of disinterest.

Swish, swish.

The Captain of the Guard wiped his sword with an oiled cloth without even looking at Eden.

As if that was his only concern at the moment.

Even though his opponent was the Inquisitor Eden.

“I don’t know. Many adventurers come and go in Garden. Well, an adventurer named Estel might have come, but we don’t remember every little detail like that. Don’t you agree, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, sir.”

The Lieutenant standing beside him skillfully played along.

“But what did this adventurer named Estel do?”

“It’s a top-secret mission, so I can’t tell you the details. Let’s just say she’s an extremely dangerous criminal…”

“An extremely dangerous criminal?”

The Captain of the Guard’s pupils flickered for a moment. The Lieutenant openly frowned, as if he didn’t believe it.

“We haven’t heard anything about that.”

“That’s only natural. Few people know how dangerous she is. It’s likely that the news hasn’t reached Garden yet.”

Eden stood up from his seat.

Eden, who hadn’t touched the teacup on the table, bowed his head gracefully.

“Thank you for the tea. Thank you for your cooperation. Then, I’ll take it from here.”

“⋯Good luck.”

After Eden left, the Lieutenant went to the door and put his ear to it.

Tap, tap.

After confirming that Eden had truly left, the Lieutenant let out a deep sigh.

“Captain, what on earth is going on?”

The Captain of the Guard clutched his head.

“I don’t know either. Estel is a criminal? That’s impossible…”

“I absolutely cannot believe it. Estel is not that kind of person. You know that too, Captain?”

“You are right.”

The Captain of the Guard had lied just moments ago.

He had deceived Eden, the hero’s companion. If this sin were revealed, he would never be forgiven lightly.

‘But I don’t regret it.’

The Captain of the Guard vowed to protect Estel.

Perhaps that girl really is a criminal.

Everyone has multiple faces, and the Captain of the Guard hadn’t seen all of Estel’s facets.

However, even so, Estel was his benefactor.

‘Please be safe, Estel.’

Since there was nothing he could do right now, the Captain of the Guard could only pray earnestly.

Eden, who left the guard barracks, turned his head and glanced back at the Captain’s office.

“It’s a bit suspicious.”

Eden smiled meaningfully.

“If I had enough time, it wouldn’t be bad to interrogate them leisurely… But now is not the time, is it?”

Eden was smoothly gathering information on his own, without the guard’s assistance.

It was certain that Estel had visited Garden. There were testimonies of people seeing her everywhere.

However, it was still unknown whether she was still in Garden.

“Hmm. Mr. Lich, where are you now?”

Eden sat on a bench in Garden Square, blankly watching the passing crowd.

As if Estel might coincidentally appear among them.

Eden’s pristine white priest’s robe, unstained by a single speck of dust, attracted people’s attention.

Subtle glances of curiosity gathered around him, but Eden paid them no mind.

“The Adventurer’s Guild.”

A notice posted on the square’s bulletin board caught his eye.

It said that skilled adventurers were being gathered for a two-week trial in the Garden Wilderness.

Judging by the date, the trial seemed to be ongoing.

Suddenly, a memory of a fond past surfaced.

Back then, Michael, who wasn’t yet a famous hero, had found Eden and scouted him, and Anna and Akasha had also joined.

Taking the guild’s selection test, exploring dungeons, achieving heroic deeds…

Amidst the fragments of flowing memories, a clue for his pursuit suddenly flashed.

“⋯A trial. Yes. She might be undergoing a trial in the wilderness.”

Eden suddenly stood up from his seat.

It was still just one possibility, but his intuition strongly suggested that this guess was true.

“I need to go and confirm it myself.”

Eden licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.

Estel would soon find out.

No matter where she went in this world, she could never escape Eden.

If there were any obstacles blocking Eden’s path, he intended to remove them, even if it meant using somewhat drastic methods.