Chapter 27: Formation of an Alliance (2)
‘So… that actually worked?’
Elwin watched the scene below with an intrigued expression.
Still hanging upside down from the stalactite on the ceiling, he had reduced his presence to its absolute minimum.
“…Fine. You make a valid point.”
Below, the three men Elwin observed were Calix Zahardt, Zares Helthurio, and Duran.
All three were swordsmen.
Which was, frankly, surprising.
“Well, it’s a shame we couldn’t finish things between us… but that can wait. I’m serious about this Hunter business. Dropping out like this would be a real problem.”
Swordsmen obsessed with their craft, upon meeting others of similar caliber, often skipped the formalities—
Choosing instead to draw blades first and talk later.
To them, the sword was their voice, and sparring was conversation.
“Oh! Then…”
“From this moment until the end of the third test, let’s form a temporary alliance.”
“Agreed~”
Surprisingly, these three swordsmen were prioritizing communication over combat.
‘At this age, all three of them are still in their hot-blooded youth. I was worried, but… this is a relief.’
Again, the youngest person here was Elwin.
He chuckled softly to himself.
‘Thanks to Sercia, I got to witness an unexpected combination.’
The massive explosion Sercia Edelweiss had triggered earlier had, inadvertently, been the key reason these three had come together.
The butterfly effect of her explosive magic.
They had unfortunately been positioned near the coordinates she had marked, and unlike Gale’s group who had only faintly sensed the blast, they had felt the full brunt of it.
—“Hyaaaagh! What the hell! Is it collapsing?! We’re gonna get crushed to death!”
Duran had flailed in a panic, jumping around wildly.
The relentless booms made it feel like the entire labyrinth would come crashing down at any second.
Yet from this, the three swordsmen had come to several important realizations.
—“Tch, explosions?”
—“…A mage? Zeraphe Gnaude, maybe?”
First, they realized that there was a mage—or someone just as powerful—capable of generating explosions on such a massive scale.
—“That’s a monster?”
—“Damn. One wrong move and we’re done for.”
—“Physical attacks pass right through it. We’ll need to imbue our strikes with magic. …Hm, though even then, the damage seems minimal.”
Second, they understood how dangerous the monsters in the labyrinth were.
—“To fight things like that, we’ll need food and water.”
Third, they realized that the plan to go without food and water for three days was out the window.
And thus, the slapdash alliance of the three swordsmen was formed.
They were all single-mindedly devoted to the sword—but they weren’t fools.
With skilled individuals gathered like this, why refuse?
“Calix, it’s unpleasant being on the same team as you, but I’ve no choice. I’ll have to endure the nausea for now.”
“Likewise.”
“You bastard…!”
“Hahaha! Come on, guys. Don’t fight, okay? Let’s not fight~”
Duran, trying to pull Zares away from grabbing Calix by the collar, was internally weeping.
‘Is this really the right call…?’
He’d just happened to come across the two mid-fight.
And their swordplay had been so sharp, so beautiful, that it gave him chills of admiration… and sparked a sudden thought.
—“Wouldn’t it be fun to team up with these two?”
But now, a sense of doom was creeping in.
It felt like he’d be stuck babysitting them, playing mediator every time they clashed.
“My stomach’s already starting to hurt. Haaa… Oh well.”
But the non-returnable airship had already set sail. What’s spilled cannot be unspilled.
He decided to be optimistic.
“I’m Duran! You might’ve guessed it, but I’m a dual-blade user. Even if we’re just temporary allies… let’s get along!”
“Zares Helthurio. Likewise. It’s an honor to fight alongside a skilled swordsman like you.”
The two sociable men hit it off quickly, engaging in a smooth conversation.
“…”
Calix, devoid of social graces, stood silently like an isolated rock.
“So what should we do first? Food and water?”
“Hmm. Securing a safe base seems important too. At least until we find a way to deal with those monsters.”
“True. No telling when another one might attack…”
That was when Calix, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
“No. No, that’s not it. What nonsense are you spouting?”
Though not a man of many words, when Calix did speak, it drew attention with an inexplicable force.
The other two looked at him, puzzled—and annoyed.
“As an alliance, our first objective should be obvious, shouldn’t it?”
In the gloom, Calix’s eyes gleamed murderously.
“We need to kill the mage.”
Elwin, seeing that, smiled and turned his head. He didn’t need to keep watching them any longer.
‘Let’s see how the others are doing.’
Click. Creak, creak.
Elwin turned the bracelet on his wrist.
And then—astonishingly—his perspective shifted!
‘Oh, looks like things are going well here too.’
Now, Elwin’s viewpoint had moved to where Gale’s group was.
Of course, he was still clinging to the ceiling…
‘Let’s see what they’re talking about.’
He peeked downward.
“What we need now is food. And…”
“Thinning the competition.”
“I say we handle the former first,” Gale said lazily.
“Everyone’s probably thinking about fighting anyway. If we stock up and wait until the others are worn down… we can just sweep them all at the end.”
“Ooh, as expected of Gale! That’s exactly what I was thinking!”
“Mm, sounds like a solid plan. I agree.”
“Hm. Timur just wants to fight.”
“…Just stay quiet, will you.”
“Understood.”
Abito lightly scolded Timur, then suddenly sprang to his feet.
“Also, I forgot to mention—but I think the food issue’s already solved!”
He ran off and returned with his arms full.
“These are moss mushrooms. They mostly grow in damp, dark places like this. I spotted a whole patch earlier when the monsters were swarming in.”
Gale’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, I know these. I used to eat them a lot. They’re awful raw, but if you boil them, they’re edible enough.”
“Really? That’s super helpful! I know the theory, but I’ve still got a lot to learn from real experience.”
With the food problem handled, the mood of the group lightened.
“Fufu, that just leaves the competition, then?”
“We’ve got nothing but strong folks here. Can’t we just knock 'em out, tie 'em up, and fire the shot?”
Gale preferred not to kill unless it was absolutely necessary—and he judged that, in this test, there was no need to stain their hands with blood.
If they could win without killing, wasn’t that the better option?
“Huh?”
But Sercia furrowed her brow in confusion.
“What are you saying? This is a perfect legal opportunity to eliminate competition…”
Then she smiled sweetly and said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world,
“We should kill them.”
There was something unnerving in her gentle smile.
‘…They’re alike?’
A chill ran down Gale’s spine.
That smile—it reminded him of Elwin’s.
“Well, even if not that, we should at least incapacitate them so they can’t move.”
Abito nodded in agreement.
“The other test-takers will be desperate for points. As aspiring Hunters, if we let our guard down, we’ll be the ones getting hit from behind.”
Gale seemed to be the only one getting that unsettling déjà vu from her smile. The others kept going without hesitation.
“Otherwise, how are we supposed to shoot this thing?”
Abito mimed firing a gun with his fingers.
“Mm. Timur agrees with Gale. A warrior does not kill those weaker than himself. Needless slaughter is wrong.”
“Alright, it’s decided then! One vote in favor, one neutral, two against. Let’s aim to neutralize without killing, but if they’re too much to handle, no holding back.”
When the consensus was reached, Sercia clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
“…Tch. Fine. Majority wins, so I’ll concede on that point.”
“Ahaha, great! Then let’s talk strategy from here!”
The four huddled together, discussing their next move.
Elwin, watching them, nodded.
‘They’re doing well too. Now, next…’
Elwin twisted his bracelet again—and his perspective changed once more.
He had left projections of himself in multiple parts of the labyrinth.
How was such a power possible, one might ask?
It was all thanks to a certain artifact.
‘As expected of a Tower Artifact. Top tier stuff.’
As a hidden examiner, Elwin needed to observe every test-taker’s actions in real time.
The proctors were watching and scoring from above through their fish familiars—but…
‘They said my score holds the most weight.’
According to Pan, Elwin’s personal assessments and scores were the most important in this exam.
—“It’s the first time in a hundred years that a top-ranked Hunter is personally involved in a Hunter exam! It has to be grand! You said it yourself, right? Your identity is to remain hidden, but we can make it public that you’re overseeing the exam.”
That was part of the deal Elwin and Pan had struck.
—“Just as you said… villain groups have been getting bolder lately. Based on intel from various countries, something major is bound to happen soon.”
Which made perfect sense.
‘A time of chaos, with villain groups rampaging and monsters flooding the land.’
That was the core backdrop of LAMPAS.
Within the next year, before the events of the original story began, countless incidents would erupt.
—“We need a new light. One that gives hope to all.”
That was why Pan wanted powerful, symbolic new talents.
The title “Rookies chosen by the top-ranked Hunter of Gold” was perfect.
As for Elwin…
‘There were some surprises, but overall, things are going the way I want.’
He too had his own goals for this exam.
‘Hm? Oh, now that’s good timing.’
A message had arrived from Arey Oswald—permission to begin the unsealing of that monster.
—The ancient beast of a forgotten civilization: Manticore.
A crucial player in what Elwin planned to achieve.
‘If it starts now… it’ll be perfectly timed to release just before the test ends.’
As Elwin smiled at how smoothly things were progressing—
He saw it.
‘…Who’s that?’
A suspicious shadow, lingering near the site of the monster’s sealing circle.