In the Land of Leadale - Volume 5 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - A Beatdown, an Invasion, a Quiz, and a Resolution

Several hours earlier…

Cayna teleported just outside Felskeilo’s east gate. Kuu still clung to her shoulder but hid under her cloak to avoid a repeat of the commotion in the village. The capital was on high alert, but the gates remained open. Soldiers were swiftly urging travelers and carriages to take refuge in the city, but the process seemed to be going poorly.

This was mostly because everyone was staring up at the membraned reptiles flying overhead.

“A ptera…?”

Part of the Dinosaur Series, these monsters were commonly used in events back in the Game Era. Pteras were usually born from the mana-dense fossils excavated in mines and dungeons, and the strength of a single specimen could range between level 300 and level 500. The story behind its reappearance and subsequent attack on a town would always begin with some rich fossil enthusiast whose mansion was destroyed from the inside out by dinosaur monsters. It was an incredibly annoying setup.

Pteras were modeled after the Pteranodon, a genus of the pterosaur. However, unlike the ones in the movies, it was about the size of a horse. There were five here, which was more than enough to pose a serious threat to people. The average soldier was no match for them, either. As the soldiers led travelers into the city, they unsuccessfully jabbed their spears at the pteras attacking from above.

After carefully reviewing the situation, Cayna cast magic on the assailants.

Magic Skill: Wind Cutter Zanza Shot: Ready Set

Circular saw disks emanated from the hand above her head. Twenty, to be exact.

“Slice!”

On her signal, the four wind saucers converged on one ptera each and instantly chopped them to bits. Leaving no time for even a shriek, the gale storm tossed the monsters like leaves on the wind. Pieces of flesh falling to the ground dissolved in midair.

“Oh, thank you! Are you an adventurer? We really owe you one,” the soldiers, who could only wave the dinosaurs off with their spears, exclaimed gratefully. There were a few injuries among them, but none were life-threatening. Some travelers and merchants unable to escape into the city had fallen victim to the monsters, and the thick scent of blood wafted by. Even those who did find shelter in the town walls undoubtedly had trouble avoiding an attack from above unless they ran into a building.

Cayna had bigger priorities, though, so she asked the soldiers which direction the pteras came from.

“You’re asking where those things came from?”

“Yes. Do you know?”

“We need to hold a service for the victims first. Help us bring them inside the gate, if you would.”

“There’s no time! Where did they come from?”

“R-right.”

“You seem to be in a rush. Might I ask why?”

Cayna’s intensity left the head gatekeeper at a loss for words. The soldiers who arrived from the city as backup tore her away from him.

“The pteras… Those flying monsters just now were a vanguard. While you’re busy hanging out, their main forces are headed this way—including dinosaurs!”

“““What?!”””

Tension raced through the soldiers, who had failed to defend against the monsters the first time. By main forces, it was obvious more powerful foes were on the horizon. They didn’t stand a chance.

In the Dinosaur Series, the pteras acted as the vanguard while tyrannos and triceras made up the main offense. Cayna wasn’t sure where they all came from, but the Abandoned Capital was a good guess based on what Cohral told her earlier. As former game enemies, any average soldier would be trampled by the level difference.

“I don’t know the details, but they came from the south. Will that suffice?”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

“What will you do with that information?”

“Beat the livin’ daylights out of their main unit.”

The soldiers’ faces twisted in shock as Cayna smashed her fists together and cracked her knuckles. She was terribly violent for such a sweet-looking girl.

“I wish we could help you, but a horde of monsters is heading for Felskeilo’s western gate. We can’t leave this post. I’m sorry…”

“I see. From the west, huh? And who’s handling that?”

The commander bowed his head and roughly informed Cayna about the request for Shining Saber’s reinforcements. Once he arrived, the dragoid would be able to clean things up quickly as long as the monsters weren’t too high level. If he didn’t arrive, it meant he either got weighed down by the knight system or was surprisingly dedicated to his position.

“We have the knights in addition to adventurers still in the city. Many others are also fighting alongside us… Oh, yes, I hear the High Priest Skargo has also joined the front lines.”

“What?!”

The commander didn’t criticize her cry of disbelief. He must have mistakenly assumed her heart hurt at the thought of the High Priest participating in battle.

In truth, Cayna simply hadn’t expected to hear her son’s name and instinctively tensed.

If Shining Saber has Skargo, maybe he won’t need me?

“If the knights are on the scene, won’t Mai-Mai be assisting as well?”

With two level-300 combatants and a level 427 at the ready, any half-baked enemy would be a breeze. Certain of this, Cayna decided to focus on the group (supposedly) coming from the south instead of sticking around to defend the west gate.

“I’ll be back in a bit. Please close the gate as soon as possible.”

“Ah! Hey!”

Cayna bowed to the soldiers before dashing south past the main road and into the forest. She felt a presence try to pull her back but pressed on regardless. Protruding from Cayna’s cloak, Kuu grabbed her shoulder to avoid being blown away.

“I’ve been running around since this morning. Maybe it’s just not my day…”

“I wonder whose day will be worse.”

“Shut it, Kee!”

For better or worse, one could call Cayna an asset to Felskeilo.

To prepare for the fight ahead, she cast multiple Active Skills. Fixing her eyes on the path ahead, she took the Rune Blade from her Item Box and released the magic staff from her earring. Weapons in hand, Cayna sensed a growing hostile energy as she wove through the forest.

She had unlocked the map around Felskeilo, so it wasn’t long before a red enemy dot appeared. It seemed to be charging toward the east gate, and Cayna switched directions to face the horde head-on.

Having perhaps run too far ahead, she was followed by some deinos from the Dinosaur Series. The Deinonychus-like monster was small, and its single claw on each hand was as sharp as a sickle. These scythes were big enough to slice a person in half but blocked the deino’s vision while walking. They were about the size of an adult human and incredibly bloodthirsty. Once it spotted prey, the deino would hop after it until it went for the kill. They were usually around level 200.

Two had appeared and hopped furiously after her, but Cayna knew exactly how to deal with them and kept her cool. Aiming for a weak spot that opened up as soon as the monsters jumped, she sliced off both their heads.

“Hmph. You think you’re any match for me?”

She directed this question at the single humanoid monster standing before her with its army. The high-level goblin was known as the Night Sorcerer. It wore ornate robes and carried a twisted staff. The goblin was around level 400 and commonly found in the Underworld. From what Cayna remembered, it merely hid in the shadows of stronger monsters before launching an ambush attack. However, one was now commanding an entire horde of enemies. Even ones from the Dinosaur Series.

There were only two types of dinosaurs left. One was the five-horned, four-legged tricera. They were about the size of dump trucks, and there were four level-300 specimens.

Behind these were four level-380 tyrannos. The two-legged monsters rivaled an excavator when stretched to arm’s length, and they had sharp fangs with gaping, massive jaws.

Next to the dinosaurs were four level-250 stone-covered gorilla monsters known as rockhides.

Lastly, two level-500 viruscorpios, each the size of a house, awaited her in the back. The rat-headed scorpions were ready to spread poison and pestilence.

Frankly, this group was more than capable of annihilating every nation on the continent. To anyone who didn’t know better, Cayna was a poor little lamb standing alone in front of a crowd of carnivores.

Of course, that “anyone” was the monster’s leader, the Night Sorcerer. Laughing eerily, it swayed with a gleeful smile. The goblin then sneered at the elf girl as if it had discovered something truly unpleasant.

“Hyo-hyo-hyo. How unfortunate that we meet under such circumstances. Your luck has run out. Had this been anywhere else, I would have entertained you with a more elaborate scheme.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. Actually, I’d say you’re the one who’s out of luck, running into me here.”

The Night Sorcerer frowned when she didn’t show the slightest concern for the adversaries around her. Any normal girl would grow pale with terror and either beg for her life or wail with madness. However, this child seemed perfectly at ease.

As the Night Sorcerer cautiously raised its staff, a surprise came from above.

A disk of wind whooshed down and sliced one rockhide clean in half. The second was scorched to a crisp after a bolt of lightning from the heavens blasted its dense stone body.

The Night Sorcerer gaped in incredulous shock at the disastrous scene.

“You, little girl! What did you do?!”

“I thought it was pretty obvious.”

Cayna puffed out her chest as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Little girl was the last thing she wanted to hear from some goblin tinier than her. Still clinging on to her shoulder, Kuu pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the monster leader tauntingly.

“Tch. I was trying to go easy on you, little one. But if you’re going to act cocky…”

“You keep callin’ me that, but you’re the pip-squeak!”

Her Rune Blade grew red hot, and Cayna opened fire with an angry yell. The Night Sorcerer quickly ducked as the attack sailed over its head, and it struck the torso of a tyranno waiting patiently behind its master. The Rune Blade was a sorcery item and could therefore shoot additional magic. Like the fiery bullets that just whizzed by, for instance.

The tyranno collapsed as the direct hit punched a hole straight through its guts.

“Wh-what?!”

“Oh, you’ve never seen an Insta-Spell? It was totally common two hundred years ago.”

“Damn, you don’t mean you’re… Go! Destroy that little girl!!”

The giant monsters followed Night Sorcerer’s order and attacked as one. Cayna held out her magic staff in her left hand. In her right, she wielded the Rune Blade that sparkled with replenished MP. Cayna wound her arms as if limbering up and smiled brazenly.

A tricera tore up the ground as it charged at her, and she used Weapon Skill: Rabbit Stream to lop off its head. Cayna then gathered up the wind with Leap to avoid the rockhide sandwich coming for her on both sides.

Viruscorpio tails and tyranno jaws swooped down from four meters up. Cayna was a minuscule target, so the giants had trouble keeping track of her long enough to attack. Although the Night Sorcerer commanded them, these were still clumsy creatures who relied on instinct. Cayna just had to remain calm and take down one or two at a time.

After a viruscorpio sent the rockhides flying and had sufficient room to attack, the monster extended its massive, needled tail. However, a tyranno charged in from the side and chomped down on it. The startled viruscorpio swung its tail wildly and shook off the tyranno. The dinosaur crashed into the pair of rockhides waiting their turn and knocked them down like bowling pins.

Still airborne, red sparkles converged around Cayna and transformed into several heavy spears. The fiery steel stakes of her Iyah Lanzas attack blasted the unfortunate rockhides to oblivion and left behind a huge crater.

One tricera stumbled after the tyranno crossed in front of it. Once Cayna was back on the ground, she produced a spiky ball of light from her staff and swung it straight at the dinosaur. The dinosaur’s thick, bony skull instantly shattered into a million pieces, and it moved no more.

The defeated monsters didn’t even leave behind a skeleton. Only two tyrannos, two triceras, and two viruscorpios remained.

Eyes bloodshot, the Night Sorcerer snapped after losing half of its underlings in the blink of an eye. Practically foaming at the mouth, the goblin screamed, “Kill that little girl no matter what!!”

In a fight against an opponent you can’t beat, despite your best efforts, rage only hurts your chances of victory even more. If the monster’s leader had at least been wise enough to cooperate with the others, it might have had better luck.

Wielding her staff, Cayna cast Zolo Laga and took down the two tyrannos who had teamed up to snack on her. Lightning struck at random from the cloudless sky and charred them both bit by bit before spreading the ashes in all directions.

Dodging the viruscorpios’ tails, Cayna briefly flew behind the surviving horde to create distance, then cast Might and Evil Eye. Struck by a force more powerful than their master, the monsters froze in their tracks and trembled.

Of course, the Night Sorcerer was affected as well, but the scowling goblin raised its wand and prepared to cast a spell.

“Dammit! Are you the Guardian the goddess foretold?!”

“How should I know?! I’ve got places to be, so let’s just get this over with!”

Cayna’s magic staff glowed a yellow ocher as she deployed a Weapon Skill. The staff brimmed with power, and she gave it a broad swing. The goblin’s wand, on the other hand, created the skeletal frame of a folding fan from a thick concentration of darkness.

Magic Skill: Hazardous Blast

The fan’s skeletal frame transformed into black spears that shot straight at Cayna. It was a limited-range dark magic that scattered attacks in a fan formation from the caster. The goblin planned to block off escape to the right or left and prevent Cayna from moving forward.

She remained passive despite the oncoming danger and swung her Rune Blade upward.

Flying Slash

This was a special effect of the Rune Blade. It accumulated magic, transformed that power into a crescent-moon shock wave, and hurtled it at the enemy in a slicer attack. Cayna could only repel the black spears within her trajectory, but unfortunately for the enemy, their own attack could only shoot in one direction. As long as she knew where the spears were coming from, they were easy enough to avoid.

In truth, the flustered Night Sorcerer had escaped to the sidelines. A viruscorpio, seeing an opportunity to strike, was sliced vertically down the middle instead. This did nothing to weaken the attack’s destructive force, and it continued to slash trees lengthwise before disappearing farther into the forest.

Beads of sweat broke out along Cayna’s forehead. The plants’ screams were roaring in her ears. Unfortunately, there was no time for prudence in the heat of battle, and she had to ignore them.

Even the goblin had broken into a sweat. The earth trembled behind the Night Sorcerer, and it turned to look back at the mangled bodies of its most powerful subordinates. The monster leader finally seemed to realize Cayna was in a completely different league.

Cracking Earth Hammer!

Just as the goblin felt an intense magical aura and whipped its head around, Cayna struck her staff into the ground. One viruscorpio and tricera charged forward, but the ground beneath them crumbled. The monsters were swallowed up by a giant sinkhole.

“What?!”

Cayna used the leader’s momentary hesitation to cast her next spell.

Magic Skill: Maxi Zan Laga: Ready Set

“Destroy!”

A thick bolt of lightning formed a massive crater, and everything flashed white. Unsatisfied, it continued to tear across the earth right and left, and the remaining tricera and viruscorpio were instantaneously swallowed up. The Night Sorcerer’s face twitched, and it raced to get out of the lightning’s strike zone.

The magic dissipated shortly afterward, and disaster surrounded them by the time the stars left their eyes. Not content with a basic S shape, the lightning recreated the winding trails of the Irohazaka highway. The trees that managed to avoid being burned to a crisp looked like the remains of a mountain fire.

Realizing she’d gone too far, Cayna’s cheek twitched as she looked around at her mistake and listened to the cacophony of screaming plants. She had intended to teach the goblin a good lesson, but calling down her most powerful lightning attack wasn’t the right answer.

The Night Sorcerer fell on its backside and stared at the carnage in utter disbelief.

“Guess it’s just you and me now.”

Cayna remained alert as she addressed the monster. The goblin returned to itself and wobbled to its feet.

“Keh-keh-keh-keh. Never thought I’d end up fightin’ a mage like you…,” the Night Sorcerer remarked offhandedly.

The goblin sluggishly readied its wand. It looked ready to give up, but cornered enemies often became desperate. Cayna cautiously pointed her magic staff at her foe.

“I may have failed, but I’ve got some nasty pawns who are on their way to take down your human capital. They should be able to handle it…”

“What did you send?”

“As if I’d tell a little girl like you!” the monster shouted angrily. It threw a stone-sized lump of darkness at her, but Kee’s defensive wall blocked it.

“?!”

Shifting her focus from the wide-eyed Night Sorcerer to Felskeilo’s western gate, Cayna cast her next spell.

Summoning Magic: Load: Crimson Pig (Small)

“Keh, you dare summon something now?!”

“Sorry, this isn’t for you.”

“What?!”

Cayna planned to take care of the Night Sorcerer herself.

As for the summoned beast’s task…

“I’ll leave that zone to you, Li’l P.”

“Piiiiii!!”

A (level-500) wild boar piglet standing five meters long and three meters high popped out of a magic circle.

It answered Cayna with an adorable squeal that obviously meant Leave it to me! and scurried off on tiny legs. A trail of smoke followed the boar.

“What the heck was thaaaat?!”

Li’l P used Weapon Skill: Charge to pulverize trees and anything else in the forest as it headed for the western gate.

The battle had started as fifteen-on-one with the odds in her opponents’ favor but turned one-on-one in a heartbeat. The Night Sorcerer glared at the root of its failure in twisted rage.

It wasn’t like she didn’t understand its frustration. Nevertheless, making an enemy of her was a bad move in this era. The goblin was only reaping what it sowed.

“Extend!”

“?!”

Suddenly, her magic staff extended and surprised the monster by flicking the wand from its hand. Startled and far less threatening, the goblin slowly backed away. Perhaps cowed by Cayna’s overwhelming magic, the monster seemed to have lost its nerve. Sensing an opportunity, Cayna withdrew her staff and poured magic into the Rune Blade in her right hand instead.

The Night Sorcerer glanced at the flickering red blade and had an excellent idea while the spell was still warming up.

It turned and tried to run away.

As if mocking the attempt, Cayna swung the Rune Blade and cast her magic.

Magic Skill: Iyah Corpur Stream: Ready Set

The magic emanating from the sword transformed into a crimson firefly. It danced in a circle, and particles converged to create rows of fiery beads that surrounded the Night Sorcerer like a wicker basket. The flaming, upside-down tornado was like a wide tagine lid, and the monster froze when it noticed a pale blue flame gathering below the peak. The ball grew bigger and bigger.

Five meters. Ten meters. Twenty meters. When it exceeded twenty meters, Cayna gave a thumbs-up. Then she turned it down.

An instant later, the hanging white-hot fireball dropped and immediately engulfed the dumbfounded Night Sorcerer. Temperatures rose as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius, and the target burned to ash in the blink of an eye. Even the ash evaporated, and the fireball erupted into a great explosion. Flames rose into the sky with the wicker-like cage, and a great pillar of fire was undoubtedly visible from Felskeilo.

Apologizing to the forest, Cayna stowed her weapon and followed the boar piglet west. Just then, Kee delivered another urgent message.

“There is a message from your friend Quolkeh.”

“Thanks. What did she say?”

“It says, ‘Do you know about a tortoise Guardian Tower?’ I took the liberty of responding with an ‘away’ message since you were in the midst of battle. I hope you do not mind.”

“A tortoise? Uh, that’s Kujo’s place, right? I’ll answer now. Umm…”

Quolkeh was most likely with Exis. He used to be Tartarus, so they’d both be fine. Cayna wondered why the two were even dealing with a Guardian Tower, but she had other things to think about. She rushed to Felskeilo to take care of matters there first.

The attack on Felskeilo was caused by Event Monsters pouring in from the Abandoned Capital. Otaloquess normally kept a close eye on the barrier and informed the other two nations of any abnormalities so the situation could be handled in a timely manner. The knights would be dispatched, the roads temporarily blockaded, and the borders closed.

However, six goblins had leaked out shortly beforehand and incapacitated half their knights. The nations were in the middle of reorganizing.

One must not underestimate goblins. These in particular were powerful Event Monsters nicknamed the Favre Regional Garrison. Each was a level 200 whom the average level-30 knight didn’t stand a chance against. If passing adventurers hadn’t intervened, the knights would have been annihilated.

Moreover, Otaloquess was understaffed and unable to assist due to the giant threat approaching them. More specifically, it was a massive tortoise with a shell as large as Tokyo Dome.

Unlike types that crawled on their stomachs, this was more akin to a Galápagos tortoise that could carry itself and easily walked on four legs. It was also impossible to get the entire picture at once; the creature was so enormous that only the underside of its shell was visible from below.

This being was considered an ancient relic and served as a valuable tourist attraction for Otaloquess. For two hundred days each year, the tortoise made a slow circuit around the country’s vast borders. No one knew where the creature came from, but this time it had diverged from its usual trajectory and made a beeline for the capital.

Of course, the nation refused to stand by and watch. They tried a plethora of methods and strategies. However, their opponent was essentially a mountain. What could minuscule humans hope to accomplish?

Moreover, it had apparently scraped the barrier surrounding the Abandoned Capital and created a distortion. The monsters that escaped were now creating havoc in Felskeilo.

Let us review the desperate ways Otaloquess spent nearly a year attempting to stop their target.

First, they dug a simple pit. Their foe was sadly too big, and the pit failed to secure it properly. A failure.

They next tried destroying it, but the tortoise was impervious after centuries of magical attacks. It didn’t make a sound, and there wasn’t a single burn mark to be seen. Another failure.

Otaloquess floated around the idea of pushing or pulling it in the opposite direction but scrapped the idea after realizing they’d never find enough power to rival the tortoise.

They considered luring it away with bait, but no one knew what the tortoise ate or even if it ate. Also rejected.

By this point, they’d brainstormed almost every conceivable idea but failed to find results. The nation would spend its final moments running around like a headless chicken.

Then an outrageous report arrived. It came not from those wondering how to physically move the tortoise but from the scholars analyzing documents.

There was apparently a building on top of the tortoise’s shell.

And so, the nation grasped at one final straw. Disaster might be avoided if they visited whoever was living there and begged them to stop. Everyone speedily devised a plan to gather a group of volunteer knights and adventurers to tackle the mountainous tortoise.

Exis and Quolkeh were among these reckless challengers. They had arrived in Otaloquess on a guard mission, and the staff at the Adventurers Guild begged them to participate.

Exis looked up at the calamitous tortoise slowly but surely edging toward the capital.

“Hey, ain’t that one of those Guardian Towers Cayna is lookin’ for?”

“Yeah, I thought the same thing. I tried messaging her but got an away response.”

“Why the hell would a Limit Breaker be away?! What kinda mess is she wrapped up in now…?”

A gaggle of soldiers, knights, and adventurers were waiting in a distant forest outside the Otaloquess capital. Each had their own plans in mind and prepared to scale the tortoise. The first big hurdle was knowing how to climb it. Everyone lay in wait at the most suitable location—a lush, unique area full of enormous trees.

But although the foliage was sturdy and large, even the highest point failed to reach the outer rim of the tortoise’s shell. From there, one had to scramble up with a rope somehow.

BWAAAAAHM!

The sound echoed at one-second intervals from about eighty meters away, and moments later, faint vibrations rolled from its feet. The repetitive tremors would prove frustrating if the challengers started at the bottom, so most elected to climb trees. These were also home to various monsters, so several tumbled back down in the process.

Incidentally, this wasn’t Exis and Quolkeh’s first time witnessing the tortoise. They had checked it out in the past after hearing rumors but never imagined they’d try to climb it someday.

“We goin’ or what?”

This time, they had a last-minute addition.

A dwarf member of a do-or-die special-attack unit had randomly asked if he could join them.

His logic was apparently “You two might make it more interestin’.” Exis and Quolkeh warned him they were on a different level from the locals and tried to turn the dwarf away. Nonetheless, he talked the pair down, and they started traveling as a trio.

“My name’s a mouthful, so just call me Gramps,” he’d said, but neither Exis nor Quolkeh were naive enough to swallow his story without question. The two agreed to collaborate under the assumption he had circumstances they couldn’t begin to imagine.

“We’ve got our own way of getting up there, but what about you? You got this, Gramps?” Exis asked.

“Don’t take me for some fool. You pick up more than a few tips and tricks by my age, so just watch and learn.”

“Guess you’ll be fine, then. Let’s get goin’.”

Their starting point was not the trees but instead the ground. Quolkeh and Exis could easily scale colossal heights thanks to their Active Skills designed for aid in battle, and the three headed for the shell rising high over the treetops.

Exis used Active Skill: Ground Runner to dash up the tortoise’s feet to its shell in a heartbeat. This skill allowed the user to temporarily run up anything their feet touched from the walls to the ceiling. He just barely made it within the time limit and was perspiring heavily.

Quolkeh climbed the tortoise by wrapping her whips around various protrusions. She used this in tandem with Float and didn’t appear to be in the least bit of danger.

“I should’ve let Quolkeh go first and wrap those around me just in case,” Exis grumbled. Better safe than sorry.

“How long are you going to keep grumbling, Exis? Let’s go.”

“Ah, right. Hey, what about the old man?”

“What are you talking about? He’s right behind you.”

“Huh?!”

Dumbfounded, Exis turned around to find the dwarf hefting a large, long-handled ax over his shoulder. As the dragoid cocked his head and tried to figure out the how and when, Gramps prodded his back with the ax handle.

“Let’s get a move on,” he goaded.

Exis started to walk ahead, and Quolkeh approached him with a whisper.

“I just got a message from Cayna.”

“What’d she say?”

“‘Good luck on the quiz.’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The heck’s a quiz got to do with a tortoise? What’s goin’ on?”

As the group continued over the rim and crested the hill-like shell, they spotted a square building. A conspicuous red radio tower rose up from the roof and passed through a levitating ring. Over the building entrance, 3D letters spelled out KUJO TV. Unsure if this was all some joke, Exis’s and Quolkeh’s faces soured.

Suddenly, something stirred behind them. The three turned around and saw several knights in fluttering cloaks approach them.

Did they climb up the shell with nothing but ropes? One had to admire the fully armored knights for climbing a giant tortoise out of patriotic loyalty. The three halted, and a grim, middle-aged knight leading the new arrivals glared at them.

“This task is of vital importance to the nation, so one must stay focused. You adventurers have no doubt heard there is also a handsome reward for those who resolve this issue.”

Without even waiting for an answer, the knight and his three subordinates entered the building. As soon as they did, the previously open door clacked shut and locked from the inside with a ka-chak.

Exis raced over and yanked the doorknob, but even he wasn’t strong enough to get the door to budge.

“Huh? What?!”

“Relax. Only a certain number of people can enter at a time. Just wait.”

“You sure know a lot, Gramps. Have you been here before?”

“…Many a time, yeah.”

The dwarf put a hand to his chin with an aura of deep emotion. Quolkeh sensed he was under truly difficult circumstances but didn’t question further.

After about ten minutes, the ceiling opened with a loud boing! and spat out the four knights from earlier. Drawing a parabola, they gave screams of “Gyaaaah?!” and “Uwaaaagh?!” in a Doppler effect before disappearing into the forest below.

Exis and Quolkeh broke into a sweat.

““They aren’t dead, right?”” they wondered quietly.

“Nah, they’re fine. It’s supposed to do that,” the old man replied with confidence.

The far-off look Quolkeh gave him said, This guy knows from experience.

Meanwhile, the door unlocked and opened up again. Gramps tried to enter first, but Exis held him back.

“Let the young people handle this.”

He stepped inside, and Quolkeh followed after. The dwarf gave an amused snort and brought up the rear. The door shut behind them.

“………”

“What the heck is this…?”

“Just what it looks like.”

For Exis and Quolkeh, the room was a jaw-dropping nostalgia trip.

The interior was a perfect reproduction of a staged variety show. There were giant ○ and X symbols in the middle of the floor and a row of small, individual seats for guest stars. The goddess of a certain country was depicted on one wall. Cameras were positioned in front of the set, and there was a large seat where the MC explained the rules and such.

Something incongruent to all this also floated in midair.

A shirtless, Buddha-like statue sat in the lotus position on a lotus-flower pedestal. The figure was covered entirely in gold leaf, and its closed eyes peeked open as Exis and his group cautiously approached the center of the set. The golden Buddha glared at the intruders.

Exis and Quolkeh drew their weapons and prepared for battle. Only the old dwarf remained unfazed and merely looked up at the Buddha.

“Salutations, new challengers. We are the caretaker of this Guardian Tower. You seek the prodigious wisdom and miracles of the gods, yes?”

“Huh?”

“…What?”

The floating Buddha’s eloquent yet antiquated speech confused the youths, but the old dwarf hefted his ax and harrumphed contemptuously. The narrow-eyed Buddha glanced down at him, then shrugged with a cry of admiration.

“Oh, we meet again! You have visited before, yes, distinguished gentleman? And there are three challengers this time… We see. Your odds of victory will indeed increase. If we are being honest, our last visitors were quite unenlightened. It was ever so dull.”

According to the Buddha, the old dwarf was a regular.

The slightly exasperated Buddha led the trio over to the ○ and X at the center of the studio. As soon as they arrived, a counter reading 00/00 appeared over each person’s head. The numbers on the left were blue, and the right side was red. The Buddha began to explain before Quolkeh or Exis could ask any questions.

“There are one hundred questions, and you three must answer a total of eighty correctly to pass. Howeverrrr, if you answer twenty wrong beforehand, you are FINITOOOO! You shall immediately be deemed unqualified and thrown from the premises. Everyone is prepared, yes? Well, then! The Trial! Of the Guardian Tower! And Second Skill Master Kujo! Shall now begin!”

From somewhere unseen, a flat trumpet call of Duh-duh-duh-duuuuuh! rang throughout the studio. The room dimmed, and a spotlight fell on the three.

“What is this?”

“What’s goin’ on?”

Exis and Quolkeh were still clueless despite already being in the thick of it.

First was the True/False Quiz. Rather than the androgynous Buddha statue, a woman’s soft voice asked the questions instead. The contestants had five seconds for the first question, so there was no time to waste.

“Question one: There are a total of fourteen Skill Masters. True or false?”

Quolkeh and Exis immediately raced to the X but were shocked to find the old dwarf still standing on ○. They frantically urged him over, but it was too late. A golden bell appeared over his head with a loud ding-dong , and the number above him changed to 01/00. Meanwhile, a giant red X popped over Quolkeh’s and Exis’s heads with a bzzzt!, and the numbers switched to 00/01.

“Huh? What? Why?!” Quolkeh questioned.

“Dammit, Gramps already knows these questions. Tell us sooner!”

The dwarf gazed at the pair coolly as they yelled at him in frustration.

“There were originally fourteen Skill Masters. That’s the truth.”

“…Hold on. Does that mean you’re a player, Gramps?!”

Catching vital clues in the dwarf’s casual remark, Exis used Search on him. Gramps was a higher level, so he could only see basic information.

“You were with the Red Kingdom…and your real name is Hidden Ogre. Wait, you’re the Twelfth Skill Master?!”

“Dammit. So you’re players, too… Well, I’ll explain later. For now, let’s just beat this trial.”

“Just a second. If you’re a Skill Master, can’t you change how this Guardian Tower operates?”

“If I could, I would’ve done it long ago. We might be able to figure somethin’ out, but that means beatin’ it first.”

Gramps, or rather, Hidden Ogre, gave a bitter look when Exis pressed him for answers. Quolkeh wanted to get out of here, too, and sided with Exis, but the dwarf’s mind was set.

Each tower apparently had various rules. Realizing discussion could begin the sooner they completed the trial, Exis and Quolkeh followed Hidden Ogre’s lead and turned back to the Guardian. The statue had apparently been patiently waiting for them to finish. It chuckled and looked off stage, then nodded.

“Next up…”

A voice filled the room, and the three quieted so they could catch every word.

“Question two: There is only one Guardian Tower that is an actual tower. True or false?”

A timer appeared in the center of the floor.

“Urgh, uh? Umm, ahhhh…”

Already at her wit’s end, the confused Quolkeh chose False. Hidden Ogre remained on True, and Exis copied him.

The timer on the floor hit zero, and a buzzer noise rang above Quolkeh’s head. A golden bell appeared above the dwarf and Exis and chimed a ding-dong  of congratulations.

Quolkeh was visibly disappointed, but Exis patted her shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it. We’re just gettin’ started,” he said with a wry smile.

Hidden Ogre sullenly crossed his arms and glared at the empty MC chair. He seemed irritated, and Exis called out to him.

“Yo, Gramps. Somethin’ bothering you?”

“Don’t worry ’bout it.”

“No need to be rude. Besides, that means there is something.”

“Hmph…”

The crease on Hidden Ogre’s forehead deepened as if he were thinking, I’ve already said too much. Gramps glanced at Exis evenly for a moment before dropping his shoulders with reluctant resignation. Meanwhile, the dwarf’s gaze sent the dragoid into an internal panic. The glint in those eyes was terrifying.

“It’s about this tower’s Skill Master.”

“The Skill Master? Aren’t they watching us from somewhere since they’re running the show? The statue said so earlier.”

“That would only be true if the Skill Master was actually in this world.”

“…Huh?”

Sensing the story had just taken a weird turn, Exis fell silent.

“If the Skill Master was here…,” Hidden Ogre continued, pointing to the host’s chair, “they’d be sitting right there watching the challengers with a smirk on their face.”

“So you’re saying the Skill Master isn’t here because that chair is empty?”

“Right.”

The Guardian Tower Buddha statue remained in the lotus position and gave no response. It could surely overhear their conversation but remained silent and simply stared at them through narrowed eyes. Nonetheless, the courteous way it stopped the clock to allow time for discussion was much appreciated.

“Okay then, who’s running this tower?” Exis asked.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here.”

Hidden Ogre’s answers were as vague as ever. The room fell silent, and the Guardian resumed the quiz once more. The three strained their ears to catch every word.

Then, twenty minutes later.

“Uwagh… Aghh…”

“What rotten luck. You hangin’ in there?” the dwarf asked.

“You keep gettin’ ’em wrong. I told you to follow my lead.”

Gramps finished the True/False game with 19/01, Exis with 17/03, and Quolkeh with 07/13. They’d move on to the buzzer-equipped hot seats next, where their final task would be knocking out the remaining eighty questions.

Quolkeh alone could only miss seven more questions before she was booted out. A wall of despair loomed before her, and she miserably stared off into the distance.

“Nnnnrgh. These are all questions about Leadale…”

“I’m pretty sure there were some real-world questions.”

“This quiz is freakin’ ridiculous. Is this what Cayna meant…?” Exis mumbled.

“Miss Cayna’s comin’ here, too?!”

Hidden Ogre quickly advanced on Exis, and his menacing look staggered the dragoid.

“Um, yeah,” he replied. Quolkeh nodded emphatically.

A complex look on his face, Hidden Ogre silently absorbed this news and looked at the pair in earnest.

“Do me a favor, will ya? Don’t tell Miss Cayna I was here.”

“Huh? Aren’t you both one of the few Skill Masters? Don’t you think she’ll want to see you?”

“Unfortunately, the title of Skill Master ain’t much more than scrap paper in this world.”

Hidden Ogre sounded sad, somehow. Almost like he was talking about someone else. Quolkeh said nothing further.

Exis nodded with a sigh. “You don’t wanna be found. Got it.”

“What?! H-hey, Exis!”

“I’m still gonna tell Cayna I saw you, though. If she asks why you’re avoiding her, I’ll just repeat what you said and tell her you don’t want to be found.”

“Right… Sorry.”

“Stoppin’ Cayna from stickin’ her nose where it don’t belong ain’t easy. We’ve been through a lot together as old guildmates, so I would know. Anyway, let’s finish the trial and stop this tortoise.”

Quolkeh’s expression said she didn’t quite agree.

“This conversation is not over,” she mumbled, giving Exis the evil eye as she headed for the contestants’ chairs. Exis and Hidden Ogre shrugged and followed suit.

The Buddha, who had been observing their exchange, looked up at the ceiling and encouraged the voice to proceed with the next question. As the human, dragoid, and dwarf took a battle-ready stance and glared at the ceiling, the statue observing them had a daring smirk on its face.

“Well, now. It seems we have caught unexpected prey, my master.”

This hushed comment was clearly directed at someone.

Meanwhile, to the west of Felskeilo, knights, adventurers, and others battled an onslaught of monsters. Contrary to the initial plan to observe the enemy and await their arrival, the fight quickly devolved into a directionless melee.

To start, the Big Three, Shining Saber included, hadn’t reached the war front yet. The knights and others already on the battlefield also cracked under pressure when the monsters arrived earlier than predicted. As the two sides clashed, the knights and adventurers sensed the horde’s unyielding determination to break through. Frightened, their plan to slow the enemy’s advance was already falling apart.

The Flame Spear mercenaries who were staying in Felskeilo had also come to the city’s aid, and their renowned leader, Arbiter, was overseeing the adventurers. Unsurprisingly, even mercenaries led by a veteran like Arbiter had trouble dealing with an enemy that included nearly every species in existence.

The monsters’ main forces comprised of three poisonous purple praying mantises known as death mantises. They were each about the size of a small house, and it would require five or six knights to defeat even one of them.

There were also horned bears. It required at least two knights to handle one, and there were eight among the enemy’s numbers. The knights had their hands tied with these two types of monsters alone. The soldiers were also assisting the fight, but dealing with two species was too much to handle. In addition, the adventurers were scrambling to take care of the goretigers and gaur lizards, both of which had armor-like scales on their heads and backs. No one had time to deal with commonplace bears and wolves or the rabbits and monkeys that scurried beneath their feet. These were assigned to one group of soldiers commanded by a single knight, but even they were slowly outmatched.

In truth, the capital’s soldiers weren’t particularly skilled. The region hardly ever went to war against other nations, and there had been no instances of monsters teaming up to attack a city since the nation’s founding. The defensive line of knights and adventurers was slowly but surely swallowed by the throng. The knights struggled against the main unit of death mantises and horned bears, but the swarm surged forward like an army of ants.

Since monsters not locked in battle managed to evade the knights and press on, the adventurers in the rearguard blocked the way by using fallen foes as a barricade. They built the wall thicker and thicker, and the corpses piled up. However, the adventurers had to keep moving farther backward.

Unlike the monsters, whose only goal was plowing past the opposition, the defense couldn’t afford failure. The situation didn’t allow for a moment’s breath, and the stress accumulated. Everyone was at their wit’s end.

“Dammit! This is why I said show ’em a few dirty tricks first!”

“What do we do, boss? The vanguard will be overwhelmed at this rate,” the second-in-command asked.

Soon enough, the enemy would overwhelm and shatter their defenses. Although Arbiter had once been a knight himself, he and their commanders didn’t see eye to eye, and they struggled to cooperate efficiently. Assigning Arbiter as backup had backfired.

The knights who typically served inside the capital walls as the main line of defense were much less experienced than the adventurers who constantly engaged in battle. There was no one to lead them against an unexpected swarm of erratic, unpredictable monsters.

Just as Arbiter was contemplating whether to help or ditch them, the tide of battle shifted.

In the worst way.

There was a light fwump followed by a haze of pink smoke that covered monsters and knights alike. It hadn’t reached the adventurers in the rearguard yet, but everyone frowned in confusion over what was going on. They found out soon enough.

Everyone fighting in the vanguard froze. This, of course, included any other knights and soldiers within range. Struck by an ominous foreboding, the adventurers in the rear prepared themselves as a faint white light coiled around the knights and monsters.

Then their allies turned around in unison and stared blankly at the adventurers.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?”

“Careful! Something’s wrong with these guys!”

Eyes glazed and empty, each vanguard member stood ramrod straight and smiled faintly. They approached Arbiter’s group with swords drawn.

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

Apprehension filled the mercenaries and adventurers as they observed their comrades. The pink smoke and unnatural white light warned Arbiter this was some magical business, so he ordered his second-in-command and the adventurers to retreat.

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

With the knights now against them, he didn’t have much choice.

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP!

Putting distance between themselves, the monsters, and the knights as they slowly backed away from the defensive line, Arbiter finally exploded at the incoming rumble he’d been ignoring.

“What the hell is that?!”

“Boss! Over there!”

Both the mercenaries and adventurers looked in the direction the second-in-command had indicated and were dumbfounded to discover something trampling trees as it shot out of the southern forest by the main road like a bullet. The brown cannonball cut straight through the flank of the monster army and disappeared into the northern forest on the opposite side.

The massive swarm of monsters caught in the line of fire were haphazardly flung this way and that. A majority did elaborate tailspins high in the sky before plummeting to their deaths, but many died on impact as well.

“…What kinda monster was that?”

“I feel like I’ve seen it before.”

As everyone stood there and questioned what was going on, the culprit popped back out from the northern forest.

“Piiiii!!”

““Oh.””

“…Boss, ain’t that Cayna’s?” Kenison asked.

A round boar gave a gallant (?) war cry and puffed out its chest proudly (sort of). The familiar creature was summoned by a certain adventurer.

Arbiter and his second-in-command were both struck speechless, and Kenison pointed at the short, stout crimson pig known as Li’l P. The mercenaries, who all knew Li’l P, let out sighs of relief. The adventurers, on the other hand, saw the situation as internal discord among the enemy and proposed retreat. No one had explained anything, so they seemed to believe Li’l P was one of the monsters.

“Hey, Arbiter! We’ll get caught up in the friction if we don’t fall back soon.”

“Nah, we ain’t backin’ down now. Reinforcements came in the nick of time.”

“Hold on. If we get caught up in a fight between monsters, we’re the ones who are gonna pay!”

The so-called monster Li’l P was looking adorable as it snagged clumps of enemies with its snout and tossed them high in the air before trampling each underfoot. The boar was surprisingly versatile.

However, Arbiter realized those attacks were growing ever closer to the knights and that they had to do something before it was too late. The knights were part of his history; the mercenary couldn’t let them die in good conscience.

“We’ll get the knights and everyone else away from those monsters. If that thing is around, she ain’t far behind!”

The mercenaries followed Arbiter’s instructions and set about their various tasks. Some prepared rope for wrangling, others readied clubs they could use to gently (?) stun the knights, and magic wielders wove paralyzing and sleeping spells.

The adventurers were surprised at first but realized Arbiter and his men were earnestly trying to save the knights and soldiers from the surrounding monsters. Although they laughed at the absurdity of it all, each eventually joined the interesting gamble.

“Sounds pretty wild, Arbiter. We’ll give ya a hand!”

“Those stuck-up knights are gonna owe us big-time. Count me in!”

“We’re knockin’ everyone out so we can save ’em from the monsters, right? You can bet I’m not passin’ up a chance to hit a knight.”

“…Don’t kill anyone. Please.”

After encouraging a “less is more” approach for caution’s sake, Arbiter called out to Li’l P, who was still wreaking havoc among the monsters.

“Hey! Pi-wee!”

“Pipiiii?”

Just as a death mantis moved to slice the boar with its sharp sickle, Li’l P sent the enemy flying with a heavy whomp. The piglet heard Arbiter and turned all the way around to face him. Those pure eyes glimmered with an anticipation that made Arbiter and his second-in-command flinch. They shook their heads and got down to business.

“Where’s your master?”

“Pi! Pipiiiii!”

Li’l P pancaked a leaping goretiger and squealed happily. (That was the impression they got, anyway.)

“…Boss, I have an obvious question.”

“What’s that?”

“Can you communicate with it?”

“…Yeah, I thought about that after I called it. I have no clue what it’s sayin’.”

The mercenaries and adventurers watching the situation from behind collapsed in unison. Li’l P continued goring monsters and sent them flying with a resounding “Pipiiii!” It seemed to be saying something, but the effort was in vain since the recipients didn’t speak boar.

The commanders’ frustrations aside, the adventurer vanguard now faced the knights and demolished monster army. They mainly took care of the knights while the Flame Spears kept the monsters at bay. There were normally about one hundred knights in total, but only half were available to deal with the monster threat since the core unit was out of commission.

Nonetheless, the mercenaries were accustomed to fighting as a group and parried the monsters with ease. Li’l P acted as backup and attacked from the sidelines, but there was no need to fuss about finishing the job. The goal of every non-monster was to get the knights to safety, so as long as they injured all four legs and left the enemy helpless, the sharp fangs of the goretigers and gaur lizards posed no threat. Each mercenary warded off attack, launched strikes from the wings, and backed one another up. Such flawless teamwork paralyzed their foes.

Meanwhile, the adventurers successfully immobilized the knights and brought them to the rear.

“Ha-ha-ha! The day I get to freely deck a knight has finally come!”

“That’s what they get for swaggerin’ around town. This just feels right.”

“Um, isn’t an iron club to the groin still kinda harsh?”

“Better than sparing the root of all evil.”

“Don’t sweat it. The castle needs eunuchs, right?”

Some adventurers hit the knights’ helmets hard enough to leave a dent, while others cast them under a sleeping spell. A few used water spells to submerge the knights’ faces long enough to knock them out without actually killing them. Others mercilessly struck vital organs. The adventurers couldn’t hold back their resentment over daily transgressions but were also skilled and took great care not to kill anyone. At the same time, one had to wonder how the knights earned such treatment in the first place. They were undoubtedly reaping the fruit of their arrogance.

Female knights had fought alongside the adventurers as well but could only shake their heads at such gratuitous violence.

“Honestly, is fighting all they’re good at?”

“No wonder the men are so excited to patrol the town.”

“I’m reporting this to the captain.”

The women’s assessment of the adventurers really couldn’t sink any lower.

The earlier pink smoke had been infused with a Bewitch spell, but it wasn’t like the effects were permanent. The unconscious knights eventually woke and returned to their senses, but they obviously lashed out upon realizing they’d been roped and gagged. The adventurers, assuming the knights were still under the smoke’s spell, tossed them into carriages to be sent back to camp. Such outrageous treatment only exacerbated the knights’ animosity toward the adventurers, but neither side noticed they were spinning in a vicious cycle.

“Hey, even if we can handle the knights, there aren’t any fewer monsters…”

“Where the hell are they comin’ from? It never ends!”

Although the adventurers continued to neutralize the enemy while Li’l P tore the rest to shreds, the line of monsters queuing down the road was endless. Arbiter, his mercenaries, and the adventurers were on their last legs.

Losing his temper, Arbiter thought to himself that Cayna would be able to take care of the problem in no time and shouted.

“Hey! Miss! If you’re here, feel free to jump in anytime!!”

“Gotcha.”

Magic Skill: March of Sleeping Sheep

The moment he heard that voice, the legion of monsters was suddenly overrun by a huge flock of sheep emerging from the sidelines. The semitranslucent beasts traversed past them from right to the left and disappeared upon reaching the opposite end.

In their wake was a trail of monsters, monsters, and more monsters sprawled out and snoring across the ground. Of course, the enchanted knights and soldiers waiting to be neutralized and collected by the adventurers were no exception and slept like logs as well.

The voice was surprisingly close, and Arbiter turned around to see Cayna pop out from the nearby forest.

“Sorry I’m late. I was dealing with a different group.”

“Nice timing. I hope you weren’t just waitin’ to make an entrance.”

“Ah-ha-ha… No, you and your men just make such a stellar team that I wasn’t sure when to jump in.”

Arbiter never thought she’d actually admit it and looked at her in exasperation. When Cayna bowed and offered a sincere apology, he could only scratch his head.

“Well, no one died. Don’t sweat it.”

Meanwhile, the group gathered up the remaining knights and soldiers. Their final task was vanquishing the throng of sleeping monsters while they had the chance, although the spell wouldn’t wear off for almost an entire day. For the time being, everyone retreated from the battlefield and tended to the injured. Li’l P stayed behind to take care of the monsters by crushing their heads one by one.

The second-in-command took this opportunity to explain events to Cayna.

“Ah. Yes, yes, I see. My guess is…they were controlled by Bewitch and Incite.”

“Can Bewitch work on so many monsters? Never heard of a spell like that,” Arbiter said.

“Lots of people used it two hundred years ago. Incite sends the target or targets toward an objective.”

“So you’re sayin’ we’ll find the root of this if we figure out where those monsters came from?”

“Um, well… Anything able to control an army that huge is a pretty big deal.”

“Pipiiii! Pipiiii!”

Li’l P, who had been cleaning up the monsters thus far, let out a high-pitched squeal. Frowning, Cayna drew the Rune Blade at her side and filled it with magic. The boar piglet came racing back, and she had it wait on the sidelines while she prepared for an imminent battle. Arbiter took note and immediately ordered both his subordinates and the adventurers to fall back before standing by her side.

“That our culprit?”

“Li’l P is on high alert, so they’re reasonably powerful. Stay behind me and act as a middle guard to prevent injuries, okay, Li’l P?”

“Pipipiii!”

The piglet trotted back at its owner’s behest and raised its snout in an intimidating pose. Arbiter smiled wryly and stood by Cayna’s side. Falling back without even a glance at the enemy commander went against his code.

“Don’t complain if something weird shows up.”

“Well, I don’t plan on gettin’ in your way at least. I’m a warrior, too, y’know.”

Sword and spear at the ready, the duo waited by the river of monsters snoring by the main road.

Its shoulders squared, the monster in question purposefully strode into view. Cayna prepared to confront the familiar figure, but Arbiter watched with wide-eyed cluelessness.

“…What the hell? Never seen a lycanthrope like that before.”

“I knew it. A leohead, huh…? Good thing I put those monsters to sleep.”

Arbiter was mystified by her relief.

Incidentally, lycanthrope was the general term for any animal-headed monster. This included kobolds, despite the race’s overall friendly nature. Most lycanthropes formed independent colonies and avoided outside contact, human or otherwise. Many were quite bloodthirsty, so they were treated as monsters that threatened humanity.

This lion-headed lycanthrope wore leather armor affixed with heavily riveted metal bars and cracked a long metal whip against the ground. Beast tamers called it a leohead. It was a level-430 monster found in a quest for level-400 players and above. Back in the game, the leohead could call monsters from all around with a single crack of its whip, and you needed at least three parties of eighteen to beat the Big Bad of this endless quest with any guarantee.

The leohead glared and growled at Cayna and Arbiter from a distance before giving its whip a solid crack. The whip came at Arbiter faster than he could react and nearly took his head, but Cayna’s Rune Blade rushed in at the last second. She sliced the tip and sent it flying in another direction.

Soon realizing he was no match for the situation, Arbiter slowly and cautiously moved back.

Seemingly determined to take out the weakest link first, the leohead swung at Arbiter again but was sent flying with a direct hit of Cayna’s Iyah Bomb.

The monster drew a parabola and crash-landed in the pile of sleeping monsters, the impact waking up those nearby. Cayna’s March of Sleeping Sheep spell lasted a full day as long as nothing interfered, but any attack or significant disturbance nullified the effect.

The leohead cracked its whip with a satisfied smile and woke the surrounding monsters. It then tried to rally the masses against Cayna, but everyone was still stiff and drowsy from their naps. Cayna used this extra time to cast Magic Skill: Maxi Iyah Graal.

She raised her hand, and a hunk of darkness forty meters in diameter floated above her. It was covered in semitransparent film, and an even darker shadow swirled at its center.

“Whoa there, miss. What’s that spell…?”

“Gravity Magic. It has a pretty wide range, so I’d watch out if I were you.”

“…Whaddaya mean, ‘Watch out’?”

The very sight of the unfathomable darkness made Arbiter involuntarily tremble, and he tried not to look up as he prepared for the mysterious impact to come.

Aiming for the slack-jawed leohead who had now taken a few steps back, Cayna wielded the darkness and tossed it with all her might. The Maxi Iyah Graal soared into the sky like a rubber ball before splatting to the ground and transforming into a semicircular pile of goop. Unsurprisingly, the leohead and any other monster caught in the drop zone were swallowed up.

The darkness soon swelled like an explosive, and a huge black dome stretched over one hundred meters in diameter. It locked every single monster inside and stopped just short of Cayna and the others.

No one could see inside or had any idea what misfortunes occurred in the hellish pit of dark gravity. The spell pulverized everything in its grasp.

However, everyone shuddered with fear when the dome began to rumble and crack as it sank beneath the earth’s surface. The Felskeilo adventurers were once again struck by Cayna’s extraordinary abilities, and although this was nothing new to Arbiter and his Flame Spears, they gawked at the absurd sight all the same. The awakened knights were no different.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s with that girl?!”

“Yeah, what kind of spell is that…?”

“Oh yeah, I guess you guys wouldn’t know.”

“She’s the High Priest Skargo’s mother.”

““…………””

One group fell into total silence. Those unaware of Cayna’s power until now stared in open-mouthed awe while the informants gave understanding nods. After all, none could forget the embarrassing time the High Priest came flying into a downtown inn. Most would assume Skargo was finally off his rocker, but his long-standing mother complex salvaged his position. In fact, many soon viewed the priest as a family man, which only further endeared him to the public.

Comments from the peanut gallery aside, it was Cayna who was in trouble for a whole other reason.

“Oops…”

“Hey, miss, don’t ya think maybe this is a problem?”

“…This world really isn’t like the game…”

The problem now was the demolished main road in front of Cayna and Arbiter. In the game, Maxi Iyah Graal simply disappeared once the dome crushed all enemies. Despite now being in the real world, Cayna never expected the spell to pulverize the ground or anything else in range for that matter. She’d had the same issue with Maxi Zan Laga earlier—apparently less was more.

I should probably stop using top-tier magic around my usual haunts…

“It does appear you have chosen an inappropriate battlefield. In the future, might I suggest testing a spell’s range first?”

I’ll turn the place into Swiss cheese if I do that. How much Ranged Magic do I have again?

Aware such thoughts were mere escapism, Cayna stared at the disaster in front of her. With the dark dome’s impact point at its center, a giant bowl-shaped crater sat in the main road. Although foot traffic could probably manage, it was obvious no carriages would be able to pass from either direction.

As Cayna reflected upon her several questionable decisions and sank further into depression, the adventurers consoled her with encouraging words and pats on the shoulder.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up too much, miss.”

“This ain’t so bad. We thought things would be way worse.”

“We’d be in real trouble if you hadn’t annihilated those guys. I know I’m grateful.”

“Yeah, exactly. We also got our revenge on the knights, and none of us died. I’d call that a good day.”

“…Uh-huh,” Cayna said weakly.

The remaining monsters outside the spell’s range had apparently run off after breaking free of the leohead’s control since they were terrified of the mega-powerful crimson pig still wandering around. Realizing the threat was gone, Li’l P now waited by Cayna on standby mode. Anyone not accustomed to the giant boar was reluctant to approach her.

Kuu showed her face for a brief moment but went right back into hiding when she noticed the crowd of people. She could apparently use Stealth and Transparency.

Arbiter, on the other hand, remained vigilant and sent several of his men as well as adventurers to scout the surrounding area.

Cayna mentally conversed with Kee and searched for skills that could help restore the ground. However, from an outside perspective, she looked like a mumbling loon.

The knights’ main forces finally showed up and raced toward them. Shining Saber, Skargo, and Mai-Mai were on horseback at the forefront. They had spoken with the knights returning to the capital by carriage and had the general idea of the situation.

Cayna’s son and daughter were shocked to see their mother and rushed over to her while Shining Saber listened to the knights he had stationed in the area. Several exploded with frustration and lambasted the adventurers, but Shining Saber reprimanded them after the female knights talked the men back down. Arbiter gave him a quick rundown of events as well.

“Oh yeah, how do you get rid of that Bewitch spell anyway?”

“Any strong shock will cancel it out,” Cayna answered matter-of-factly.

“You could’ve told us that sooner!”

The adventurers scrambled to release the bound knights, who were unsurprisingly livid. However, it was true they’d been possessed at the time, so none could criticize the adventurers for helping as best they could. Perhaps realizing this as well, the adventurers decided to feign ignorance and bite their tongues.

Cayna resigned herself to Li’l P’s demand for scritches and flashed her concerned children a smile.

“Mother Dear!”

“Mother!”

“Sheesh, what are you two so up in arms about?”

“For goodness’ sake! It would have been perfectly acceptable to refuse Sir Shining Saber’s request. Your personal time matters above all else, Mother Dear…”

“Skargo and I can protect Felskeilo.”

“Well, I’m here now. What’s done is done. I kinda destroyed the main road, though…”

Her kids would have struggled to handle the leohead, so Cayna was glad Shining Saber called her.

More importantly, her current conundrum now was restoring the main road. Cayna could easily summon an Earth Spirit to fix it, but not even an army of spirits could restore lost mass.

“Looks like I’ll have to use golems to transport rocks and make concrete.”

“We must find a stone mountain first.”

“I’m the one who asked for your help. I’ll tell the higher-ups this is on me.”

“Huh? Really, Shining Saber?”

“We were able to defend the coastline without a single casualty thanks to you. I’m worried about the debt I’ll owe if I don’t start paying you back.”

“Why am I being treated like some bill collector…? Well, I’ll leave it to you, then.”

“Right. Sorry for askin’ for so much.”

Cayna patted Shining Saber’s shoulder and bowed her head in apology before leaving to find Arbiter. The mercenaries and adventurers had passed their patrol and search duties to the knights, so Cayna decided to return to Felskeilo with everyone. Mai-Mai and Skargo planned to stay behind, and she wished the two luck. Just as she was about to leave, Cayna remembered something and turned around.

“Skargo!”

“Oh? Yes, Mother Dear?”

“There’s something I want to ask you. I’ll stop by the church tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…? Uh, yes, I believe that should be fine.”

“Great, see you then.”

Cayna lightly waved good-bye, then rejoined the mercenaries and adventurers. Supremely puzzled to such receive a rare request from his mother, Skargo tilted his head.

“Lucky you,” Mai-Mai teased.

When Cayna returned to the capital, she finally spared a thought for poor Exis.

Let us once again peek in at Otaloquess.

Every concerned eye was on the giant tortoise invading (?) their capital. It halted just short of the wall behind the castle; one more step more, and the tortoise would have caused immense damage to both the city and the castle itself.

Although an evacuation warning had been issued, Queen Sahalashade, along with the citizens, cabinet ministers, knights, and adventurers who chose to remain behind, gave a deep sigh of relief.

They had all resigned themselves to the reality their castle would vanish in a single step, but the giant tortoise suddenly froze at the moment of truth. Instead of a round of cheers, there was a collective sigh. It wasn’t the warmest welcome, but the people had managed to avert disaster.

After they were certain the tortoise had indeed stopped, there was a pause. Then the capital erupted into cheers.

When their joyous cries reached the queen’s ears, her shoulders finally relaxed.

“My goodness. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what would become of us. We must reward our saviors.”

“Phew, that gave me quite a scare…”

The prime minister and queen nodded to each other. Obeying his liege’s command, the captain of the knights immediately sent subordinates to greet the distinguished heroes. After all, impostors seeking glory would crawl from the woodwork if they didn’t keep a close eye on the area around the tortoise.

Back in the tortoise’s inner sanctuary—or rather, TV studio…

Hidden Ogre and Exis were sprawled across the floor in total exhaustion.

Incidentally, it wasn’t long before Quolkeh got twenty questions wrong and was booted out. She climbed back up the tortoise and rejoined them after the quest was complete and the door reopened.

“Sniff, I’m sorry I was so useless.”

“Uh, hey, don’t sweat it.”

“Yeah. There ain’t no question you put a lot on the line today.”

The counter above Hidden Ogre’s head read 39/18, and the one above Exis read 41/19. It was an extremely close call. Their physical stamina wasn’t an issue, but the mental stress had eaten away at them. The two men were now completely wiped out. In the midst of their game, the Guardian displayed, of all things, a wall projection of the scene outside. With the Otaloquess capital growing ever closer, the tricky questions and time limit chipped away at their composure and made the two repeatedly slip up.

“Most excellent. Two of our challengers have answered a total of eighty questions correctly before reaching twenty mistakes. You have therefore cleared the quest, and we have stopped the tower as requested. However, you will also forfeit a new skill. Is that all right?” the golden Buddha asked the trio while it floated upon its lotus throne.

“D-damn that was close… One more wrong answer and we would have been in huge trouble.”

“No kidding. I thought I’d have had to save us all with just two chances left…”

They had used every last brain cell to remember everything they’d ever learned, and the men’s hearts were now as thin as flaked bonito. Nevertheless, each had a victorious smile on his face. As Quolkeh watched them enviously (and with some chagrin), Hidden Ogre and Exis wrapped an arm around each other’s shoulders and guffawed.

““Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!””

Visibly satisfied, Hidden Ogre cheerfully stepped away from Exis and Quolkeh after the three left the inner sanctum.

“Looks like you’ve got people waitin’ for ya, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Hold on. Can’t you at least tell us why you won’t meet Cayna?”

“Ngh. Right, that. How do I put this…?”

Hidden Ogre fiddled with his beard and mulled this over with a quiet “Hmm.”

Frustrated, the pair asked him if the reason was really so difficult to share.

“Long story short, I’ve got a household to run.”

The two pitched forward from his blunt response and nearly fell off the tortoise’s shell.

“Ain’t that a pretty heartless reason for not meetin’ an old friend?!”

“Think of the other person! How would you feel if someone said they couldn’t see you for even a few minutes?!”

“Just hold on. I know what ya mean, but I was already retired when I started this game…”

Both quickly protested, but Hidden Ogre tried to explain his circumstances. Quolkeh wasn’t so easily swayed, but Exis convinced her to at least hear him out.

“At the time, I was married but spent all day on the Internet because it made me feel like a kid again. My spouse was never one to complain, so she let me do as I pleased. But I really regretted things once she passed. I wished we could have spent more time together. Anyway, can you just tell Miss Cayna I said, ‘Enjoy your new life’?”

“……………”

“……Yeah. We’ll tell her.”

The air somber, Quolkeh nodded and answered for the silent Exis. Hidden Ogre returned the gesture with an apologetic look and teleported away.

“…Sigh. I guess we shouldn’t go diggin’ into people’s pasts,” Exis said.

“Agreed. Well, no point in hanging around here all day. How about heading down to collect that reward?”

“Sure, sounds good. Then we gotta meet Cayna and pass on the message.”

Exis patted Quolkeh’s shoulder, and she grinned. They briefly hooked elbows and set off.

Once the tortoise’s back was deserted, the TV station’s Guardian shut the door with a solid clack. In the empty tower, the golden Buddha answered a call from somewhere.

“…The initial plan went quite awry, but we were able to confirm three players. Still, it is unfortunate the princess did not arrive… Yes, indeed. Very well. As you wish… Yes, we shall be momentarily relieved of our duties. Yes, I understand.”

The conversation ended, and the room returned to silence. The studio’s electricity was already turned off, and only the light of an emergency exit glowed faintly in the semidarkness. Not even the rumble of footsteps could be heard. The golden Buddha closed its narrow eyes and became nothing more than a mute Guardian sitting in the lotus position on a lotus pedestal.

Afterward, Exis was invited to take a simple suspension bridge directly from the tortoise’s back to the castle, where he was given a royal welcome as the hero of the nation. Exis tried to explain that he wasn’t the only one worthy of thanks but eventually agreed to accept the reward money since Hidden Ogre had run off. This wasn’t without a slight tinge of guilt.

“I thought for sure I was gonna die…”

“Not a scratch on ya, though, huh?”

“Some kind of fighter-plane ejection seat tossed me out without even a parachute. I was positive I was a goner, but a bubble wrapped around me just as I was about to hit the ground and saved the day.”

From there, Quolkeh had managed to climb up the tortoise again and nervously watch it advance.

Still, even bungee jumping without a bungee wouldn’t kill them from that height. Exis and Quolkeh were far too powerful, and the difference between life and death was just a matter of HP.

“I expected you guys to come flying out, too, when the tortoise was about to smash the castle.”

“I’m pretty sure it stopped ’cause Gramps answered the last question.”

But the old man had made his escape the second everything was over.

“Will you tell Cayna about Gramps?” Quolkeh asked.

“He told us to keep it a secret but forgot the hush money.”

“We do owe him one for the quiz, though.”

“Yeah, there’s that. What should we do?”

The two mulled this over for a moment before deciding to stick to the initial plan. They would tell Cayna what happened but would dodge talk of Hidden Ogre unless she specifically asked.

Next, they moved to a more pressing topic.

“We’re really having dinner with the queen? Like this?” Quolkeh asked.

Both had changed into outfits appropriate for nobility. After being drawn a bath and pushed into a room, they were given tailored clothes sewn by the castle’s legion of maids. Exis wore a relaxed blue jacket with gold embroidery and matching pants. Quolkeh wasn’t wearing a corset, but her mermaid dress widely exposed her back and shoulders.

If one were to ask whether it suited her or not, the answer was a resounding yes. Perhaps even too well. The maids dressing her sighed over her slender frame and perfect proportions, and even Exis blushed at her before momentarily freezing with a stunned look on his face. She later grumbled that she could have sworn he was falling for her if he didn’t already know the truth.

A chamberlain soon arrived and led them to a room of the castle. He informed them the dinner was a casual affair in the queen’s private quarters, so formality was not required. However, before the pair could mentally prepare themselves, Queen Sahalashade appeared. What surprised Exis and Quolkeh most about the meal was the commoner cuisine one could find in any tavern, even if the taste was on another level.

The only other attendees were the casually dressed knight captain and prime minister. The two had an amiable quality about them, and although their speech was polite, they were open with the queen.

“That won’t do, Your Majesty. Such food is rolled with both vegetables and meat.”

“Mm. I do like an unconventional wine every now and then. No use always worryin’ about little stuff like age or if so-and-so likes it.”

““…………””

“Oh dear, whatever is the matter, you two? It seems you have no appetite. Perhaps you would prefer ale to wine?”

“No, Your Majesty. The wine in the lower parts of the city is diluted with water, so even fruit wine is more flavorful.”

“Is that so? I was most unaware. In that case, let us bring out some ale.”

“I hear you’re sometimes better off drinking water than ale, but everyone has their preferences, yes?”

“I see. Let us later review the dietary conditions of the lower classes. Life is quite dull without excellent cuisine.”

The culture shock made Exis and Quolkeh question whether this was really was some tavern. Everyone was eating commoner food made from the finest ingredients, seriously discussing the townspeople’s nutrition, and drinking loads of alcohol. It wasn’t exactly like a tavern of rowdy adventurers relaxing after a hard day’s work, but it was pretty close. The atmosphere reminded the pair of the employee after-parties they used to have at the tavern. Exis and Quolkeh were soon flooded with memories, and the impatient queen insisted they eat their fill.

““Burp.””

“Ha-ha-ha. That’s what ya get for holdin’ back in front of Her Majesty. You gotta show gratitude for good meal!”

The two had reached their limits and managed to decline further demands to eat, but their pain doubled when the knight captain slapped their backs with a roar of laughter. Once dinner was finished, a cup of black tea was served to each person. Everyone remained in their seats, and the discussion turned to the reward for Exis’s deeds.

First, the captain and prime minister intentionally looked away as Queen Sahalashade stood and deeply bowed to their guests. They seemed to be feigning ignorance.

“Sir Exis, Lady Quolkeh, you have my most sincere gratitude. Thanks to you, Otaloquess has escaped disaster. Thank you very much.”

“…Whaaaaaaaat?!”

“Uh, wait, please don’t boooow!”

They had worked with nobles in the past, but never before had a nation’s leader bowed to them. The unorthodox gesture flustered their hearts so badly that the pair had no idea how to react. Watching them fidget, the queen raised her head and smiled. She gave a wink that said, Gotcha.

“Moreover, there is something I wish to ask.”

“Wh-what is it?”

Exis’s pounding heart couldn’t take much more, and he carefully returned her question with another as he tried to quiet it.

“You two are players, correct?”

““?!””

The air in the room instantly froze over. Exis and Quolkeh were left speechless, but that silence alone was affirmation. Now that their identities were revealed, both were noticeably wary of the queen and took a defensive stance. They couldn’t begin to figure out how she knew.

“Your caution is only natural, but please be at ease. We will not share such information.”

The captain crossed his arms, and the prime minister stroked his beard. Both nodded with approval at the queen’s words.

Was this a surprise revelation or a trap? Exis and Quolkeh were seized by suspicion, and the queen’s next words struck them hard.

“The three of us are connected to players.”

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

The two reacted in dumb shock as Sahalashade further revealed their origins.

The queen, captain, and prime minister were apparently Foster Children. However, it wasn’t like they only realized Exis and Quolkeh’s true nature in that very moment. Realization struck only after the pair cleared the Guardian Tower’s quest.

“Many legends have been passed down about the tortoise. However, the questions it asked were unintelligible to us. Therefore, in order to investigate the tower, we slowly sent people to each land.”

Otaloquess had been able to gather several clues up until that point and surmised the truth behind the tower after encountering the words Skill Master. However, even if the people of this world knew the term, the trio didn’t think anyone would have a decent answer.

“We made an all-or-nothing bet that a distinguished player would take notice and help us, but…”

The three realized their goal was far different than anything found in the archives of the Adventurers Guild. Enticing the public with a reward in the hopes that players might show up was a huge risk for Otaloquess. However, the arrival of Hidden Ogre, Exis, and Quolkeh indicated their plan had been a success.

Now that the truth had been revealed, Exis and Quolkeh naturally stared at the trio with tired eyes that said, Never involve me again. The queen read them like an open book and smiled wryly as she handed over their reward. The prime minister reiterated their vow not to tell a soul.

“I will give you those clothes as well. We are certain to meet again.”

““No, thank you!””

Well aware they would be summoned again if the queen knew they had formal attire, Exis and Quolkeh flatly declined. The captain of the knights looked disappointed, but they couldn’t be too careful.

Afterward, the pair changed back into their usual clothes and left the castle. Concerned they might be followed, they cautiously left the Otaloquess capital and only breathed a sigh of relief after taking refuge in the inn of a small village on the western trade route.

“W-we should be okay now…”

“Otaloquess is scary, very scary, very, very, very scary…”

“Hey, Quolkeh! Get back here!”

This new level of trauma left deep fractures in their psyches.