The paths that began at ten separate entrances converged upon a single Final Stage.
The race toward its end had just begun.
Each team waited near the core of the Opening Stage they had occupied.
STEP, STEP.
Joo Arin’s Team 4 was also making its way there through Entrance No. 9.
Perhaps because they were about to enter actual combat, the atmosphere was noticeably tense.
“We still haven’t received any information, right?”
“No. They’re keeping it under extremely tight control.”
The occasional exchange between Kang Cheolmin and Lee Minha was the only sound.
Joo Arin did not dislike this silence.
A moderate amount of tension reduced mistakes and allowed people to immerse themselves more deeply in the situation.
She, too, was slowly tempering herself in preparation to preserve their ranking from the Opening Stage Conquest Battle.
“Yaaawn.”
Even when something irritating caught her attention, she endured it…….
“Yaaaaawn.”
And endured it again…….
“Ah, I’m exhausted.”
This man, seriously……
He kept grating on her nerves until she finally lost patience and glared at him.
“Sorry. I went to bed a little late yesterday.”
Park Hayul raised a hand awkwardly.
Was that something to brag about? Was it?
She could not tell whether that man was simply relaxed or utterly insensitive.
She wanted to snap at him, but compared to what she truly felt, her tone came out relatively mild.
Their relationship had become somewhat uncomfortable because of what happened in the Opening Stage.
“Try to stay alert. We’ll be in actual combat soon.”
“You want me to be even more nervous? My hands and feet are already trembling. Look.”
“……Get that away from me.”
Joo Arin brushed past the hand Park Hayul held out.
And once again, a question arose in her mind.
How had a man like that managed to use a Sorcery Art powerful enough to rival her Ice?
It was something of a mystery.
After asking around, she had come to suspect that it might have been the Origin Sorcerer Family’s distinctive Attribute Combination, but…….
“How could someone ranked 700th use Attribute Combination? Does that make any sense? So here’s what I think. It was probably the Armament doing the work. That wooden bracelet of his is seriously suspicious.”
Kang Cheolmin’s claim, which he had rushed over to chatter about that morning, was not entirely unreasonable.
Was it really because of an Armament?
Then again, unless Park Hayul held some grudge against her, his targeting had been far too crude for someone who had invoked the technique himself, assuming he had not actually intended to injure her.
“A bracelet-shaped Armament…….”
Without realizing it, Joo Arin glanced at Park Hayul’s bracelet.
It bore no unusual pattern, and it looked so worn that it might snap at any moment.
But perhaps because her perspective had changed?
Now that she considered the possibility that it was an Armament containing Sorcery Arts, it somehow looked refined and antique.
……It also seemed as though there might be one more bracelet than before.
“Arin!”
“…….”
“Joo Arin!”
Meanwhile, Lee Minha suddenly approached and poked her in the side.
“Ah.”
“What are you thinking about? We’re here!”
“Hm? ……Oh.”
Joo Arin quickly smiled awkwardly, her face flushing bright red.
She was always telling everyone else to stay focused, yet she had failed to do so herself.
“…I was thinking about our strategy. It isn’t easy when we have no information.”
But she soon recovered and casually covered for herself as though nothing had happened.
At least it was fortunate that the person who noticed had been Lee Minha.
“Ah, our team leader really is different.”
“I have to do my best. We don’t know what might happen.”
“You really are amazing. I’m so glad we’re on the same team!”
Rather than doubting her, Lee Minha looked at her with admiration.
Whew—
Joo Arin let out a breath containing equal parts guilt and relief.
Team 4 waited in place for a while.
Roughly an hour later, Lee Taekjin’s voice came through the earpiece in her ear.
-Team 4. Are you ready?
Following Seol Yungi’s team and Baek Sayoung’s team, Team 4’s turn had arrived.
-We are standing by.
-Understood. What about the recording equipment?
-No issues.
-The Final Stage has severe mana interference and signal disruption, so real-time monitoring may be difficult. Keep that in mind.
-Yes, understood.
-Then proceed inside. Good luck.
Now that authorization had been granted, opening the way was the team leader’s responsibility.
Joo Arin stepped forward and reached toward the core of the Opening Stage, which pulsed as though it were alive.
ZZZT, ZZZT.
The core reacted to her mana and began to tremble.
It quivered rapidly before emitting a light so bright that it stung the eyes.
CRAAAAACK.
Once the light vanished, what remained was a blackened fissure in space.
The entrance to the Final Stage had opened.
“From this point on, stay completely focused. Follow directly behind me so the formation doesn’t break.”
Joo Arin steeled herself and walked toward the fissure.
The other team members, their expressions tense, stepped forward one after another.
***
The fissure leading to the Final Stage was quite different from a portal.
From the outside, it looked like a black hole trying to swallow everything around it.
STEP—
Yet after only a single step, my vision opened up and the entire environment changed as though by magic.
I suddenly heard the chirping of insects.
The stale air was gone, replaced by the fresh scent of a forest with every breath I took.
The dim light initially made me wonder whether time had passed, but that was not the case.
The trees were packed together like a forest of skyscrapers, blocking out the sun.
“It’s a jungle. Just like the cave, this environment puts us at a disadvantage.”
Joo Arin quickly lowered herself and murmured in a quiet voice.
The others followed suit, crouching down with sharp eyes.
…….
I simply remained standing.
“What are you doing, bastard? Get down.”
Kang Cheolmin glared at me and scolded me.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? Don’t you know the initial entry is the most dangerous part?”
“I do. But why are you crouching?”
“Because we need to conceal ourselves first. God, you really are an idiot.”
“We’re already concealed.”
I pointed around us demonstratively.
We were surrounded by dense, unidentified vegetation that stood easily two meters tall, leaving us completely hidden as it was.
“Wouldn’t crouching just make it harder to react?”
“…….”
Only then did Kang Cheolmin and the others awkwardly rise to their feet.
This was why there was no reasoning with people who had never served in the military.
What was the point of maintaining a defensive posture that did not suit the environment?
Joo Arin was probably the most embarrassed person among them, but I chose not to mention it.
She cared so much about appearances that she would probably become genuinely furious if I—
“Arin, why were you crouching?”
“…….”
“You must have noticed something different as the team leader, right? Right?”
“……Do you want to fight?”
“Huh?”
BUZZZZZ.
Fortunately, the information arrived at just the right moment.
───────────────
[Name: Sasikju]
[Threat Level: Grade 9 - Grade 6]
[Attributes: Earth (41%), Metal (44%)]
[Characteristics: Spider-type Magical Beasts that enjoy consuming human flesh. Their primary weapon is a powerful venom that paralyzes the nervous system. Their webs are so durable that mana must be used to cut through them. Some males are Grade 7. The queen is a Grade 6 entity with an enormous body and considerable strength.]
───────────────
“We’re screwed. No, seriously, are second-year students even supposed to be able to handle this?”
The reaction was similar to what it had been during the Opening Stage.
After checking the information, Kang Cheolmin burst out in complaint.
The expressions of the other team members darkened as well.
I already knew all of this, so I remained relatively calm, but I could not deny that Sasikju were troublesome opponents.
They were Magical Beasts possessing a fusion of the Earth and Metal Attributes.
Wood overcame Earth but was weak against Metal. Fire overcame Metal, but in turn strengthened Earth.
The compatibility was exceedingly complicated.
In short, there were very few Attributes that could give us a clear advantage.
After considering the situation, Joo Arin stepped forward and spoke.
“The queen won’t leave her own lair anyway. The main threats on the way there should be the male Sasikju. We’ll maintain the same formation as before, but I’ll handle the males. Minha, you—”
Now she finally seemed like the Joo Arin I knew.
Even though she had only just learned that our enemies were Sasikju, she had already devised a reasonably solid strategy.
The difference from before was that she called on each team member individually and asked for their opinions…….
“……You’re last. What do you think?”
Despite our awkward relationship, she did not treat me as though I were not there.
I found that commendable in its own way.
So I decided to share a little of what I knew.
“The strategy is fine. But I think we should add a few things.”
“……Such as?”
Despite her frown, Joo Arin visibly perked up her ears.
I continued.
“First, Min Youngji’s guidance is important, but we also need to pay attention to sound.”
“Sound?”
“The insects stop chirping when those things are nearby.”
“……I see. That makes sense.”
Joo Arin looked rather surprised.
“Wow, as expected.”
“Tsk. Show-off…….”
Lee Minha was always favorable toward me, while that bastard Kang Cheolmin was always negative, so I simply ignored both reactions.
“Anything else?”
“Yes. Second—”
Since they seemed willing to accept most reasonable suggestions, I decided it was time to reveal what I really wanted.
“I think my position needs to be separated from the formation.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to serve as rear support. I won’t be able to use offensive Sorcery Arts for a while.”
“……Hmm.”
Joo Arin narrowed her eyes, apparently unable to understand.
I gestured toward the densely packed trees around us and continued.
“Unlike magic, each Sorcery Art packs a great deal of power. Its effective range is wide too. Now imagine what would happen if I invoked one here.”
“That would…….”
“It would probably backfire. The commotion would draw in even more of them from the surrounding area.”
I still had more to say, but Kang Cheolmin suddenly interrupted.
“Hey, what the hell? So you’re saying the four of us—no, the three of us—are supposed to fight? What are you going to do?”
This bastard only became perceptive when something disadvantaged him.
Pretending otherwise, I shook my head and pointed upward.
“I’m going to take control of that area instead.”
“What area? You mean the trees?”
“Yeah. I’ll restrict the Sasikju’s mobility. Most of them ambush their prey by traveling along their webs. They move vertically while attacking. But what happens if I cut those webs?”
“Then……?”
“They’ll be much easier to deal with. They’ll basically become oversized venomous ants.”
Had that worked?
Either way, I intended to remain passive until the quest became definite.
Just like before, I would conserve my mana and focus only on landing the finishing blows.
Their response came sooner than expected.
“That’s a good idea. If you aren’t skilled at controlling the range, then it might actually be better to……. No, never mind. In any case, someone needs to do it.”
Joo Arin was the first to agree, glancing briefly at my wrist.
“Acting impressive when it isn’t even your own ability…….”
Kang Cheolmin was forced to back down as well.
But I could not let him leave just yet.
I quickly called out to him.
“Kang Cheolmin.”
“What?”
“Lend me that sword. I’ll use it to cut the webs.”
I pointed at the dagger hanging decoratively from his waist.
I had not been deliberately targeting it. It had simply caught my eye.
I could hardly waste the First Sword I had gone to the trouble of Manifesting just to cut spiderwebs.
It was a Special-grade Armament, after all…….
“Do you even know what this is before asking for it?”
Apparently it was not an ordinary sword.
Kang Cheolmin immediately frowned and covered the dagger with his hand.
Was it an Armament?
Then I definitely could not let this opportunity pass.
“You use your fists anyway. It isn’t going to wear out just because I use it a few times. Don’t be so stingy.”
“What? S-stingy? You bastard…….”
“If you aren’t, then lend it to me. Not for me—for the team.”
At the word team, Kang Cheolmin hesitated.
And once Lee Minha, Joo Arin, and Min Youngji all turned to look at him, it seemed he could no longer resist.
“……T-take it.”
He handed over the dagger while trying to look unconcerned.
But did Kang Cheolmin know?
Once something entered my hands, I intended to strip it clean of everything it had to offer.
“Thanks. Giving me something like this for free.”
“I’m not giving it to you! I’m lending it!”
“Same thing to me.”
“You lunatic. What kind of nonsense is that? Anyway, if you lose it, you’re seriously dead.”
Kang Cheolmin growled and glared at me, genuinely furious.
“……Huh?”
I could not answer and merely blinked.
Because I was intimidated?
Of course not.
It was simply because the message I had been waiting for appeared at that exact moment.
───────────────
[Main Quest #3]
[Objective: Slay the Final Stage boss, the Sasikju Queen (Contribution: 50% or higher)]
[Reward: 15 days, 20 SP]
───────────────
If I succeeded, I would gain more than two weeks of time.
And I would move another step closer to 100 SP.
Obtaining the reward tied to causality……
Before I knew it, I had already come within striking distance.