The Trial
It was a kind of test imposed by Transcendents or the labyrinth itself on mortals.
If a mortal passed such a trial, the Transcendents or the labyrinth were obligated to grant an appropriate reward. And since the price of failure was death, the rewards often surpassed a mortal’s wildest imagination.
After all, they were imbued with the power of a Transcendent.
However…
“A trial? A trial, you say? But we’re only on the fifth floor!”
Trials typically did not occur within the first twenty floors of the labyrinth. This was a region known as the upper floors.
The gods did not want young, still-growing adventurers to die in droves due to trials, so they had driven the Transcendents capable of bestowing trials to the lower-mid and lower floors of the labyrinth. Furthermore, the gods had restricted their movement and made sure they could not easily escape from those regions.
Similarly, trials set up by the labyrinth itself were rare outside the lower floors. For such a thing to occur on the upper floors… let alone on the tenth floor, the lowest of the upper floors, was virtually unheard of.
And yet, here was a trial?
The blue screen glowing before their eyes was undeniable proof that a trial had been issued.
In other words, the orc standing before them truly was possessed by a demon.
“What the hell is going on…?”
“Hey, Hugo. What do we do now?”
While Hugo wrestled with confusion, Krom gripped his axe tightly and kept his eyes fixed on the orc, ready for anything.
A Transcendent of the labyrinth could not interfere with mortals unless a trial had been issued. This rule applied even if the Transcendent possessed a monster like an orc.
If they refused the trial and fled, the demon would have no proper way to harm them.
Hugo finally spoke.
“For now, given how unusual this situation is… we should refuse the trial and retreat—”
[Ah, yes. Mortals, are you aware there’s a horde of orcs not far from here?]
At that moment, the demon Encheos spoke. He smiled cruelly as he continued.
[Of course, it’s true that a Transcendent trapped in this labyrinth cannot interfere with mortals without issuing a trial. But surely, bringing an orc horde to your doorstep is not beyond my means.]
“What…?”
[Oh, you could still refuse the trial, of course. Those damned gods have granted you their blessings, after all. But tell me….are you planning to waste those blessings to run away?]
“……”
Hugo fell silent and was lost in thought. If what the demon said was true, and there really was an orc horde nearby…
It was an utterly absurd notion that a horde of orcs, who were intermediate-level monsters, would be roaming around the fifth floor of the labyrinth. However, considering that even a demon had made its way here, why wouldn’t there also be a horde of orcs?
More importantly, for a demon, creating an orc horde at will would hardly be a difficult task. After all, the monsters in the labyrinth were originally formed by the residual energy of the Transcendents trapped within this place.
In other words, there was a big possibility that what the demon said was true. Even if it wasn’t true, that demon would surely make it so.
This meant that rejecting the trial would force them to confront a horde of orcs. But that was impossible. With their current strength, they had no way of dealing with a swarm of intermediate-level monsters like orcs.
Fleeing was the only logical choice… but escaping the orc horde would require using the Emergency Escape Blessing.
However…
“…Failing this request would be a major blow.”
“……”
It was a mission to escort students from the academy.
The moment they used the Emergency Escape Blessing, the mission would inevitably fail.
It was a high-reward mission with a relatively low level of difficulty. Precisely because of that, failure would have serious consequences.
Their party would be branded as one that couldn’t even guide students past the fifth floor. Their reputation would plummet, and it was likely they would stop receiving requests altogether.
Hugo closed his eyes and wrestled with his thoughts for a moment.
Then, he turned to his original party members, Krom and Mirien.
“……”
“……”
Krom gave a sly grin, while Mirien hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
Seeing this, Hugo nodded his head in return. Then, he called out four names.
“Miss Elly, Miss Shia, Hans, and Mr. Yujin, please step back.”
“H-Huh?”
“Are you planning to accept the trial?”
The ones he called wore bewildered expressions, and Yujin asked calmly.
Hugo smiled faintly.
“I have no choice. I’m the leader of this party, and failing this mission would deal a big blow to us. In that case, the only option left is to take a risk as an adventurer.”
“Are you not going to ask for our help?”
“Miss Elly and Miss Shia are students we’re supposed to be guiding, Hans is a porter, and Mr. Yujin is just someone who got caught up in this by chance. I can’t ask any of you for help.”
“…I see.”
With those words, Yujin stepped back. Soon after, the others hesitantly followed, retreating with uncertain expressions. Hugo gave a firm nod.
“I will accept the trial.”
“I accept it.”
“I accept.”
[Kahahaha! Good!]
<The Trial begins.>
The first to act was not the orcs, but Encheos himself.
He swung the large wooden club in his hand and aimed it at Hugo.
Whoosh!!!
The club hurtled toward Hugo with a vicious force, tearing through the air.
Hugo quickly darted backward to evade it.
“Mirien!”
At Hugo’s shout, Mirien immediately drew her bow and fired an arrow at Encheos.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
[Kahahaha!]
The arrows struck Encheos’s orc body, but he didn’t so much as flinch.
It was no surprise. After all, it wasn’t his true body. However, the party confirmed one thing for certain.
This demon is only slightly stronger than a typical orc right now!
Their assumption was correct.
The reason lay in several constraints. The cost of ascending to the fifth floor, the state of possession where he had forcibly inhabited the body of an orc, and the trial. This was a trial that had been unnaturally triggered on the upper floors.
When all of those things came together, Encheos who had been a low-ranked demon to begin with couldn’t properly display his strength. The most he could do with his demonic power was slightly enhance the physical strength of his current vessel.
Still, Encheos didn’t seem to mind.
Pluck!
Encheos yanked out the arrows embedded in his body.
As he did, the wounds where the arrows had pierced began to ripple and heal themselves.
The party’s expressions hardened at the sight.
Regeneration?!
It was an extremely rare form of advanced regeneration. Even trolls who were famous for their incredible healing abilities didn’t display this level of rapid recovery.
The tension among the party members deepened.
[Kahahaha! Come at me, mortals!]
Boooooom!
Demonic power began to pour from the orc’s body. As the suffocating energy filled the air, the party’s expressions grew uneasy.
“This damned demon!”
Krom charged toward Encheos. In response, Encheos smirked and swung his club.
Whoooosh!
But Krom pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the swing. While in the air, he raised the twin axes in his hands…
Thwack!
…and brought them crashing down toward the orc’s head!
[Ugh… Ahhh…!]
As the two axes embedded themselves into the orc’s skull, its body shuddered violently before going limp.
“Huff…”
No matter how strong its regenerative powers were, the head was still a fatal weak point. Even a troll leader couldn’t survive once its head was destroyed.
But in that moment of carelessness, Krom—
Snap!
“Gah!”
—was suddenly grabbed by the orc’s outstretched hand.
“Wh-What is this?!”
[Khehehe… What a delightful sight. That stunned expression of yours, thinking you had won, only to be caught off guard…it’s priceless.]
Even with the axes still embedded in its head, the orc laughed as it squeezed Krom in its powerful grip and lifted him into the air.
Craaaaack…!
“Urghhh!”
“Krom!”
Seeing this, Hugo immediately began sprinting toward him. Encheos grinned again and swung his club at Hugo.
Whoooosh!
“Tch!”
Clang!
Hugo deflected the incoming club with his shield as he dashed toward the orc. At the same time, he swung the sword in his other hand—
Slash!
—and severed the wrist of the orc holding Krom!
With the orc’s severed hand still clutching him, Krom fell to the ground. Hugo quickly scooped Krom into his arms and retreated.
“Krom! Are you all right?”
“Ugh… Sorry, Hugo. I let my guard down.”
Coughing up blood, it was clear his internal organs had taken a hit. Seeing Krom’s condition, Hugo’s face twisted in dismay.
“Hugo.”
“…Mirien.”
Before anyone realized it, Mirien had moved to his side and called out to him. When Hugo turned to look at her, she briefly displayed a resolute expression before speaking.
“Buy me some time. Ten… no, six seconds.”
“What?”
“If crushing its head won’t kill it, then we’ll have to take it down with firepower. So…”
“Wait, what are you talking about right now…”
“There’s no time. Trust me and step forward.”
With those words, Mirien pulled back her hood.
“…! Mirien, you’re…!”
Her golden hair spilled out, and her piercing blue eyes locked onto Hugo’s. But what caught his gaze even more than her beauty were the long ears peeking out from between her locks.
“Please.”
“………”
Hugo stared at her blankly for a moment, then steeled his expression and stepped forward.
“I trust you.”
“…Alright.”
Meanwhile, Encheos regenerated his severed wrist and yanked out the two axes embedded in his head. His skull had already healed, and he was advancing toward Hugo’s party.
[Kuhuhu, if your little chat is over, prepare to die.]
“…Come at me.”
[Whoooooooorgh!!!]
The orc charged, scattering demonic power as he swung his club. By now, demonic power coiled around the weapon like a blade.
Even though he showed no signs of using demonic power or even basic black magic, the sheer threat he radiated was overwhelming.
Hugo eyed the scene and, raising his shield, dashed to meet him.
[You’ve got a death wish!]
“Hngh!”
But at the last moment, Hugo ducked low and slid swiftly past the orc’s body.
[Cheap tricks!]
The orc turned to swing his club, but Hugo was quicker; his sword slashed at the orc’s ankle.
[Huh?!]
The orc lost his balance and toppled over. At that moment, Mirien’s voice rang out.
“Hugo! Fall back!”
Before he knew it, a bright crimson halo was shining around her.
Hugo retreated swiftly, and she shouted with determination.
“Spirits, heed my call!”
Fwoooosh!
With those words, the halo of light transformed into a huge inferno and it shot toward the fallen orc.
Whooooooooooooooosh!!!
[Kraaaaaaah!!!]
The orc’s body began to burn as flames erupted on impact.
Seeing this, Hugo let out a sigh of relief. At a glance, the orc was already being reduced to ashes… or so it seemed.
Whooooosh!
“Urgh!”
Suddenly, a burning club came hurtling through the air and struck Hugo’s body with immense force. His body was sent flying and tumbling across the ground.
“Hugo!”
[Kuhuhu… Were you surprised?]
The orc who was now standing again dragged its burning body slowly toward Mirien.
Even as flames consumed it, the orc’s twisted smile resembled that of a true demon.
“Ah, ah…”
[Aah… that expression. I love it. This is exactly what I desired from the mortal plane!]
The demon shouted with glee. Its laughter echoed with malice.
[Despair, fear, pain…! How utterly sweet! This is delightful, absolutely delightful!]
“How… how is this…”
[Aah, yes. You must be wondering how I’m still perfectly fine, aren’t you? I’ll tell you, just this once.]
The demon grinned wickedly, as if it was savoring its victory.
[You mortals probably assumed this body had some kind of regeneration ability, didn’t you? Wrong. What I granted this body during this trial was conditional immortality! Any attack that doesn’t fulfill the conditions will regenerate without fail.]
“That’s impossible…!”
[Haha, unfair, isn’t it? Especially since you don’t even know the conditions. Still, I’ll do you a favor and let you in on it.]
With a twisted smile, the demon traced a vertical line down his body from head to toe.
[The attack must either split this body in half or utterly erase me without leaving a trace. But let’s face it, there’s no way you mortals could pull off either. So it’s as good as…]
“I see. Thank you for explaining.”
[Hu—?!]
Thwack!
At that moment, a sudden, clear voice rang out between them, and the orc’s body was split vertically in two.
[Wh-What…?]
The demon’s bewildered voice echoed from the halved body of the orc. And then—
Thud! Thud!
The orc’s split halves collapsed to either side only to reveal a man behind. He stood with his arm extended and fingers pointed as though he had just traced a cutting motion.
[Uh, uh…]
“Ooh, you’re really kind! Or did you have some curse that made you act like a manga character? I can’t believe you’d actually reveal your weakness like that.”
The man, or rather Yujin, spoke with a refreshing smile on his face.
<Congratulations on passing the trial!>
At the same time, a blue screen and the message “Passed the trial” appeared.
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