The party began their journey across the desert, draped in lightweight yet sun-blocking robes.
“Step back. It’s a Claw-Tooth Ant swarm.”
At Jun’s warning, the group immediately halted and retreated.
The first monsters they encountered were insect-type creatures. They were ant monsters that traveled in swarms of thousands.
Each one was about the size of a thumb and their claw-shaped teeth were capable of crushing an opponent’s bones.
One careless moment could result in being torn apart alive. Without a mage, the best course of action was simply to avoid them.
[Flame Rage]
However, that was not a concern for Jun’s group.
The summoned spiral fireball spewed flames like a mad thing, reducing the ants that erupted from the ground to ashes.
“Wow… that’s definitely convenient.”
“Come to think of it, Eleanor, haven’t you also been in other parties before?”
“Yes. And while rare, there were similar monsters in other fields too.”
As someone who had once taken assignments under the Church’s orders, Eleanor wasn’t facing such monsters for the first time.
“How did you deal with them back then?”
“Usually, we just avoided them. If that wasn’t possible, we used poison.”
“I see… Wait, then what about the loot?”
“What loot? You just leave it.”
For a party without a mage, fighting such monsters was more often a loss than a gain.
“Summon.”
But that didn’t apply to Jun.
Over the scorched remains left by the spiral fireball, a golem summoned from “Tear of” Teia took shape, formed from the monsters’ remains.
“Golem, sort out the remains and put them in here.”
Vrrrm!
Grumbling as if annoyed to be summoned for such a trivial task, the golem nevertheless obediently gathered the remains that had become part of its body and placed them into a leather pouch.
“…The more I see it, the more I respect you, Senior.”
“For this?”
Of course, Jun’s original plan had been to earn his place in the party by handling such chores while contributing minimally in battle…
But it feels like I’ve hardly ever had the chance to coast.
Instead, he was often the one doing all the hard work both in chores and in combat which was far from the “freeloader” role he’d once envisioned.
Not that Jun was the only one putting in effort.
“Hold on. I sense an energy of evil spirits over there.”
With her eyes covered by a black blindfold, Eleanor pointed toward a spot where a small hill had formed.
Jun immediately fired a spell in that direction.
[Fire Ball]
A fireball brimming with mana struck the hill dead-on, and from within it, mummy-like monsters burst out with a shriek.
– Nayde du matar!
It was Ancient Elvish for “Face your death.”
“Maya, back me up!”
The first to charge ahead was Aiden.
Roughly twenty desert wraiths emerged from the pit.
Half of them drew rotting wooden bows, preparing for ranged attacks.
[Beast’s Roar]
But Aiden was faster. With his skill unleashed, he diverted their attention away from the party, then dashed forward like the wind and cut down two wraiths in an instant.
– …Verdu ganshar!
“Maya, target the one in the back with the decorated hood!”
“Got it!”
Jun who was able to understand the ancient tongue quickly identified the wraith leader.
Some of the wraiths, startled by Aiden’s [Beast’s Roar], refocused their attention after hearing the leader’s shout.
At that moment, Jun’s eyes lit up.
From his dimensional bracelet, he pulled out a mana-infused book, tore out a page, and let it float in the air as he cast a spell.
[Shield]
[Enchantment Type: Enchant Supporter]
[Enchantment Attribute: Density Focus]
This was a modified version of a spell Jun had adapted after observing Shylock’s enchantments.
The [Shield] pattern was overlaid with the magic pattern inscribed on the page, doubling its defensive strength.
Sweeep! Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Five arrows whistled toward them but were stopped cold by Jun’s fortified [Shield].
Realizing his attack was useless, the leader tried to issue another command—
[Spirit Dash]
The spirit form of Maya surged up from beneath the sand right at the wraith leader’s feet.
Normally, moving through solid matter consumed a great deal of mana, but thanks to an insight she’d gained in their previous battle, she had refined and improved her technique.
Catching the leader completely off guard, Maya’s Acanthus’s Fang sliced through his neck, sending his head rolling across the ground.
The leader’s death triggered an immediate collapse in their formation.
– Drudemes! Drudemes! Du badaha!
Calling out the fallen leader’s name, the desert wraiths fell into disarray and were swiftly routed.
About ten minutes later—
Aiden left the defeated wraiths behind and panted heavily.
“Haah… haah… They were… stronger than I expected.”
“They’re fifth-level field monsters. And when these things die, the death wail they release can hit your mental strength pretty hard.”
“I see…”
For Maya, who boasted considerable resistance to such effects, it wasn’t much of an issue. But for Aiden, it seemed to have been a rather grueling fight.
“Still, this is impressive. We fought all day and didn’t sustain any real injuries.”
Aside from the fact that the harsh environment was sapping their stamina more than usual, the party was adapting to the field remarkably quickly.
“At this rate, we could probably stay here a bit longer…”
In reality, Jun had another reason for coming here besides the Ancient Tower.
It was to obtain the ‘World Tree Leaf’ needed for the ‘World Tree Root’.
A hidden piece that was normally available only in higher fields where one could acquire the World Tree Leaf.
If his companions had struggled to adapt to this place, he had planned to acquire it later through Chloe through an auction.
But if they’re adapting this well, I might as well look for it now.
With that thought, Jun pulled out a map and a specially crafted compass-shaped artifact.
It’s a bit out of the way, but the location lines up with the Tower of Ancients anyway. If we just head straight there, we should be fine. And since this is an unpopular field, we won’t run into other people…and that means fewer chances of trouble. Perfect.
If Eleanor and Maya had heard what he was thinking, they’d probably have been disgusted. Jun, however, smiled in satisfaction.
***
Last year, the discovery of the Great Temple of Deidas on the fifth level by the Altas Adventurer Party had been cause for celebration at the Adventurers’ Guild.
The Mentrus Party, a subordinate team under the Altas Party, was now in the midst of carrying out an important mission.
“It’s astonishing. To think there would be a World Tree Sapling in a desert like this.”
“Shh. Quiet. Why are you being so careless?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
After scolding the member, Mentrus unfolded a map, making sure to keep it hidden from prying eyes.
“We must keep our true objective secret from the treasure hunters traveling with us. If they find out, they might turn on us.”
“…I suppose I got carried away. I’m sorry.”
Even after the repeated apologies, Mentrus’s expression did not soften.
The Mentrus Party had been roaming the fifth level for quite some time.
They had the talent to reach this level, but for years they’d been blocked by the wall that was the sixth level.
To break through that wall, they needed special items like skill books or growth elixirs…. but such things weren’t easy to come by, no matter how much one desired them.
If we succeed in this mission, Sir Ron Kyler will surely reward us handsomely.
If there was one silver lining, it was that the chances of completing this mission were still high.
His gaze shifted to the scholars keeping their distance from the treasure hunters.
They were scholars dispatched from the Issus Society. These were people Mentrus had personally invited for this mission.
The Issus Society had a notorious reputation, but when it came to uncovering unknown ancient relics, there were few as reliable as them.
The problem was that their relationship with the treasure hunters he had hired was abysmal…
Maybe I should’ve brought mercenaries instead, even if they were of lower caliber.
He had chosen them because of the information that the place where the World Tree Sapling slept was riddled with traps…but their mutual hostility was worse than he’d anticipated.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
How could there possibly be good blood between scholars who collected relics and uncovered ancient secrets and treasure hunters who smashed apart ancient structures and looted graves?
“Captain Mentrus. Looks like a sandstorm is brewing. We should probably start preparing.”
“These idiot scholars. Didn’t they say there were signs of Seven-Poison Scorpions around here? If we set up camp here, a sandstorm could drive a whole swarm of them right at us.”
“Don’t spout nonsense! If we scatter spores from the Blackcap mushrooms harvested from the Black Forest, those things won’t even come near!”
“You think a bit of mushroom dust will scare off thousands of scorpions?! Even if just one slips in during the night, everyone here could end up dead!”
“And what, you want to head outside like this and get swept away by the sandstorm? That’s no different from walking off a cliff when there’s a perfectly safe path right in front of you!”
And so, every time they had to make a decision, each group would stubbornly present a completely different course of action, making Mentrus’s head pound.
This time, however, Mentrus had no choice but to side with the Issus scholars.
“We don’t know exactly when the sandstorm will hit, so it’s best to prepare for that first. With the Blackcap mushroom spores the scholars brought and the enchantments I’ve prepared, we should be able to keep the scorpions out.”
“You should’ve told us about that sooner!”
“This time, the scholar’s right! If I’d known, I would’ve prepared earlier.”
Grit.
His teeth gritted together, but the miserable reality forced him to swallow his frustration.
If only out of sheer spite, he had to make it to the sixth level as soon as possible!
***
In the end, Mentrus’s decision proved wrong.
Buried beneath the sand, he suddenly understood why he had been stuck on the fifth level for five long years.
Was it because he lacked skill?
Because he couldn’t trust his companions?
Neither.
It was because this cursed Blackout world was insane!
Who in the world could’ve predicted that sand rabbits would burrow their way in?!
The sand rabbits were among the few gentle creatures that lived in the Sandstorm Hills.
Normally, they were extremely wary of people and would go out of their way to avoid them… but the problem was that they were herbivores. And to any plant-eating creature in this desert, the scent of Blackcap mushroom spores was nothing short of heavenly.
Drawn mad by the smell, the sand rabbits devoured every last spore that had been scattered around.
Mentrus’s prepared enchantments did their part, but even so, they weren’t nearly enough to stop all the Seven-Poison Scorpions that had come down to escape the sandstorm.
In the end, the party was thrown into chaos and had no choice but to flee the underground tunnels.
They tried to endure the storm by tying ropes to each other’s bodies, but in the end, the ropes snapped… and Mentrus was swept away by the storm, losing consciousness.
And now—
Though he had barely escaped with his life, his body was in such excruciating pain that he couldn’t move an inch. He was lying half-buried in a sand dune.
No supplies, no water, and his stamina utterly spent….and now these injuries on top of it all!
So this is how my life ends.
It was infuriating. It was hollow.
He had once heard tales of the White Whale Mercenary Group that had made waves last season, and he had admired them so much.
He had entered the new season with dreams of gaining fame like they had… only for it all to end so pathetically.
As Mentrus cursed the world—
“Isn’t that him?”
“Looks like it, senior.”
“So that’s what was triggering the detection spell earlier.”
Unfamiliar voices reached his ears.
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