Chapter 26: Formation of an Alliance (1)
"…Well, let’s just consider this a prelude for what’s to come. You all just sit tight and watch quietly like moles hiding underground."
Splash, splash!
Sercia spun around and began walking toward the lakeside.
Each step she took splashed noisily in the puddles beneath her.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going? It’s dangerous!"
"Shh! She sounded confident. She must have a plan. Let’s just enjoy the show from here."
"Timur, I’m getting excited. That woman… she reeks of strength."
Leaving the whispering trio behind, Sercia took a deep breath.
“Whew. Now then… shall we have some fun?”
Then she bared her teeth at the horde of monsters rushing in.
<Human?>
The grotesque swarm of long, pale, unnatural creatures charged en masse—enough to provoke terror.
“Target coordinates confirmed. Setting range.”
Yet Sercia’s expression remained calm, just as it had been from the start.
Violet magic surged around her as she continuously chanted under her breath.
“─Initiating transmission!”
With that, Sercia clapped her hands together, enchanting her spell in an instant.
A burst of wind pressure exploded outward from her. The result was immediate.
<…Huh?>
Shwik! Shwoosh!
The first to vanish was the monster closest to Sercia.
Then followed the one lunging toward her, the one swinging its arms wildly, the one crawling across the floor…
The horde that had filled the cavern vanished without a trace!
"Heh."
Gale, who had been watching everything unfold, let out a low sigh. As expected, mages were nothing short of human weapons.
“Spatial magic. Normally, that kind of spell takes a long time to enchant… She's clearly very skilled.”
“Fighting a mage always gets my heart racing!”
“…Timur, can you try not to make everything about fighting?”
Though their banter resembled yet another comedy skit, the two still seemed genuinely impressed.
Sercia glanced sideways at them and said,
“Of course, this isn’t the end. I took care of the ones in sight, but there might be more…”
Clack.
She stretched both arms out to the sides.
“I’m the type who double-checks even stone bridges before crossing. I eliminate any uncertainty.”
Wooooong—!
At the same time, multiple magic circles, large and small, appeared above her hands.
Three overlapping magic circles.
“Double—no, triple enchant…? Stacked spells?”
Abito gasped at the sight.
Among the three, he was the only one who truly understood.
Just how advanced one’s understanding of magic had to be to cast multiple spells simultaneously…
“Even old mages who’ve locked themselves in labs for decades to study magic can’t achieve that.”
This was a level only attainable through perfect innate talent!
Yet here she was—Sercia Edelweiss—performing it effortlessly, without even breaking a sweat.
“Even Zeraphe Gnaude, the so-called genius mage, was only known for double enchantments.”
Zeraphe, despite his youthful appearance, was a mage well over fifty. Meanwhile, she was just a twenty-two-year-old rookie.
“We’ve snagged a big one.”
Abito’s lips curled in satisfaction.
Suddenly, it struck him—perhaps this stroke of luck was thanks to Gale, or more precisely, the top-class hunter standing behind Gale.
At that moment, Sercia, having finished preparing her next spell, shouted,
“Allow me to show you what I’m truly capable of!”
Fwoosh!
She made a sweeping motion, as if grasping something from the air—as though pulling magic out of illusion and into reality.
KABOOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the air.
Though there was no damage here, it was clear the blast had occurred some distance away…
But they could easily guess who the culprit was.
“No way… That was you, miss?”
“That’s the reason I could enchant the spatial magic so easily earlier. I already marked the coordinates.”
When Gale looked at her with wide eyes, she flashed a confident smile.
“Knowing the location makes it easy to shift targets there—or unleash a spell like that. With an explosion that loud, all the monsters would’ve swarmed to that spot. …If we’re unlucky, there might be some collateral damage.”
Sercia raised the lake’s water into the air with her magic.
“There. Water source and base secured. What do you think?”
She turned toward the three who stood dumbfounded behind her.
“This should be enough to qualify me, don’t you think?”
“Uuh…”
More than enough—overflowing, even.
“Well, now that we’re here, let’s get along! Temporary teammates?”
“I am Timur of the Eltar tribe, Maldor.”
“Fufu.”
“…Ha, well, whatever. Whether it’s soup or bread, let’s just get this done.”
And with that, the four of them formed an alliance.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the labyrinth.
Clang, clang-clang—!
Two figures clashed furiously, swords colliding.
Calix Tutatio Zahardt and Zares Helthurio—locked in a standoff ever since drawing blades back at the arena above ground.
“Haha… Even though we’re lost in a labyrinth, the fact that you and I ran into each other so quickly… must be Felix’s guidance, don’t you think?”
“…”
Though the space was dim, the flashes from clashing steel lit up the surroundings.
Chaaang—! Krrk-krrk-kraakk!
Their blades met in a tense struggle of strength.
Across the edge of the sword, sparks flickered like flames in Zares’ eyes.
“How does it feel? Becoming a murderer… killing the brother you trusted and followed so much.”
“…”
“Speechless? Don’t tell me you’ve become a coward while I wasn’t looking.”
Zares taunted him with a sneer, but couldn’t finish his words.
“Urgh!”
Calix had switched his sword to one hand and landed a brutal blow to Zares’ abdomen.
Calix curled one corner of his mouth.
“Zares, you always talk too much. I don’t want to hear it. Shut that mouth.”
“…Heh, you’re insufferable. Call me your elder, will you? I’m older than you, you know! …Haah!”
Clang!
Once again, the two blades clashed fiercely.
And in a corner of the ceiling, unnoticed by the combatants—
Elwin hung upside down, comfortably wrapped around a stalactite.
"Tsk, tsk."
He clicked his tongue in a grumpy, elderly tone, completely immersed in his old-man act.
"So full of youthful energy, these lads."
For the record, Elwin was the youngest of them all.
Suddenly, he murmured with a troubled expression,
"Hmmm. It’d be troublesome if those two go all-out here…”
He knew all the tangled history between the two men. That’s why he wanted to resolve things as peacefully as possible.
“Stopping them won’t be easy. When is that guy supposed to show up? …Oh! There he is.”
?
Just as Elwin was rubbing his forehead in worry, a savior appeared.
A man burst in from somewhere, eyes tightly shut, and shouted boldly:
“Hey! You two over there, fighting like hell! Wanna form an alliance with me?!”
“…?”
“…Huh?”
The dumbfounded looks on their faces nearly made Elwin burst from trying to hold in his laughter.
“W-Was that too much? Ahaha…”
The one who’d caused all this chaos with his sudden appearance was none other than Duran, the famed dual-blade swordsman.
Meanwhile, on the surface—
Test proctor Arey Oswald was monitoring the labyrinth situation and scoring the participants.
Around him, assistant proctors busily worked to stream live footage of the labyrinth to the audience.
“Sigh… This is the hardest exam I’ve ever had to supervise.”
Arey suddenly let out a sigh, recalling an incident from earlier in the test.
“Hoh-hoh-hoh! An earthquake all of a sudden? That’s a bit much for this old man.”
There sat Elwin Krieger, collapsing to the floor as if he were worn out.
Knowing Elwin’s true identity, the proctor’s throat tightened.
‘T-The guilt…!’
As a hunter, his instincts screamed at him to help the noble one to his feet and fall to his knees in apology.
But as a proctor, his rational side barked at him to look away and stay out of it.
Thankfully, his internal struggle didn’t last long.
“Uuuuugh! I’m so sorry…!”
His proctor self had won. Thanks to that, he barely managed to avert his gaze.
He shook his head, still thinking that was the hardest second of his life.
“Hey, assistant proctor.”
After glancing sideways to check on the audience, who were completely engrossed in the broadcast, Arey returned to calmly scoring the test.
He spoke in a low voice.
“Is the operation proceeding smoothly?”
“No issues.”
The assistant proctor, eyes sharp, answered swiftly while directing the others.
“He’ll handle things well on his own… but just in case.”
Supreme Commander of the World Hunter Association Headquarters.
Protector of Mediale.
Top-ranked Hunter of Gold.
All those glorious titles pointed to one person—their young master, whom they were duty-bound to serve and protect.
“Ensure that Elwin-nim’s image, face, voice, even a single strand of hair… never makes it onto the broadcast. Not under any circumstances.”
“Understood. We’ll be extra careful.”
Arey Oswald—second son of a renowned mage family from the Queenzel Magic Kingdom.
Now a senior hunter under the World Hunter Association Headquarters.
He had lived a life without shame or regret… until five years ago, when he was completely captivated by one person.
—“Unbelievable, folks! An unprecedented event! The birth of a new top-ranked Hunter!”
And to have witnessed the birth of that living legend up close?
Someone so impossibly high above that jealousy didn’t even dare surface?
One could only admire such a person. In the presence of overwhelming brilliance, all others become insignificant.
That was exactly the case for Arey Oswald.
And not long ago, he received a call from Elwin through Nexion.
—“Hello, Mr. Arey. Do you remember me?”
—“O-o-o-of course I do!!”
—“Haha! Do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to ask of you…”
There was no way he could say no.
“Elwin-nim’s first personal request. Mistakes are not an option. …It must succeed.”
As if in reverence, Arey bowed toward Elwin, who was likely deep underground, then raised his staff to the sky.
“Attention!”
The proctors, previously working non-stop, all turned their eyes to Arey.
“First, let’s confirm. The beast sealed underground—is it still stable?”
“Yes! The seal is holding strong!”
“Good. Then onto the next. Prepare thoroughly so that the next phase can begin the moment we receive the signal!”
“Yes, sir!”
A thunderous reply echoed in return. As the proctors resumed their tasks, Arey murmured quietly,
“Elwin-nim… I don’t know what it is you expect of us…”
He didn’t know what Elwin was seeking or aiming for.
They had once been fellow trainee hunters, but that was the extent of their relationship.
“…”
Without anyone noticing, Arey quietly stepped back and opened the lid of a pocket watch he carried.
Pretending to check the time, he pressed a button hidden inside.
Click.
[Access granted via administrator privileges.]
[Releasing the seal on the labyrinth monster: ‘Manticore’.]
“Whatever it is you desire… may you claim it without hesitation.”
And yet, the years of admiration had not dulled. Arey Oswald had made up his mind—
To follow in the footsteps of the one he revered.
Even if that path led straight to hell.