NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
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Chapter 30
Selection Test (5)
Half a year ago.
When Riley first succeeded at “Pathfinding,” I said something to her.
– You did really well… but it’s not going to be as easy in dungeons or magic-infested areas like this. Keep that in mind.
– Why?
– Usually, those places have magical distortions. The mana won’t flow as smoothly as it does now.
‘…So that’s what you meant.’
Riley murmured, her expression stiff as she gazed around.
Ruins.
A dangerous dungeon where one slip-up could cost a life.
This colossal palace, resembling a labyrinth, was indeed imbued with a powerful magical distortion.
To the extent that the density felt tens of times thicker than the disruptions around the Lich’s lair.
‘Is every dungeon like this? It’s really difficult to spread my mana here.’
[This place is exceptional.]
The ruins belong to the top-tier hazard category among numerous dungeons.
Consequently, the difficulty of conquering it is also high.
[…But even so, this is a bit extreme.]
I slowly surveyed my surroundings.
There were all kinds of magical disruptions and perception hindrances laid out.
As the name “ruins” suggests, since its age is ancient, many long-forgotten spells for modern magicians are intertwined here.
All traps designed to obstruct seekers from finding their way.
And each of them proved quite cumbersome to dismantle.
Naturally, under such circumstances, effortlessly deploying Pathfinding was nearly impossible.
[……]
Of course.
That was only true in general circumstances.
And as I’ve repeatedly stated, Riley and I had long since stepped beyond that “general” category.
[So, how much longer do you think it will take to deploy Pathfinding?]
‘At least five minutes, if I’m lucky, three minutes.’
At least five minutes.
Or maybe three if I acted quickly.
[……That’s impressive.]
I smiled inwardly.
Magical disruptions? Perception hindrances? Ancient spells?
Not a problem. We could break through them all.
[Alright.]
Then while Riley dismantled the disruptive magic in the ruins, should I just watch the others?
Thinking that, I shifted my gaze to the other party members.
“Ugh, seriously! Why isn’t this working…!”
At that moment, I heard Becky’s frustrated voice next to me. She was wildly messing up her hair.
“Ugh! Why is mana expansion not working? It’s so frustrating!”
[……]
She must be really fed up.
Well, it makes sense.
Having restricted mana expansion for a magician is akin to losing a sense.
To put it simply, it’s like blindfolding a perfectly healthy person.
So, it’s understandable she’d be irritable.
“Grrr, stress levels are through the roof!”
[……]
It’s not just Becky acting like this. Other magicians would behave the same way under restricted mana expansion.
Though they might not curse so openly, wouldn’t they be more on edge than usual?
At the very least, that’s how my trainees always acted.
Except for Riley.
“Hey.”
“…What?”
Suddenly, Becky called out to Olivia in a subdued voice.
“Don’t you have any good ideas? We need to find the Golden Golem, but we can’t use Pathfinding. What do we do?”
“Uh, um…”
After pondering for a moment, Olivia answered in a downtrodden voice.
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know any ancient magic that could help…”
“What? Can’t you at least use basic pathfinding magic? You can’t use Pathfinding at all?”
“…No.”
Olivia nodded weakly.
“You said you’ve had zero combat experience before, right? Then shouldn’t you at least be useful in this utility aspect?”
“Sorry…”
“Sigh, what can you even do?”
“I-I’m pretty good at ancient magic.”
“But you said there’s no magic for finding paths in the ancient magic you’re good at.”
“……”
With Becky’s relentless questioning, Olivia looked like she might burst into tears, but Becky glared at her without a shred of pity.
“So right now, you’re saying you’re utterly useless, right?”
“Um, well…”
Olivia’s shoulders drooped.
“…Yes.”
Becky glared at her with a contemptuous expression.
“Hey. Raise one hand for me.”
“…?”
Olivia hesitantly raised her hand.
“Good job. At least you listen well.”
“Th-thank you. But why suddenly?”
“Because now, I want you to smack your head with that hand.”
Olivia looked like she was about to cry even more.
In a slow motion, she gently thumped her head.
[…She really is making her do that.]
Watching the two, my vision was turning dark.
Since the beginning, things have been creaking, and I was already worried about the future of this team.
Still, well…
Considering the endless banter means they somewhat complement each other, I guess it’s not all bad.
I’m just relieved we avoided the worst. Anything is better than that murderous lunatic going berserk.
“Ah! Wait, Becky.”
Did Olivia suddenly come up with a brilliant idea?
She called out to Becky with a noticeably brighter voice.
“What now? What is it?”
“C-couldn’t we use clones?”
“…What?”
“Just like you did in the first test, you could spread clones throughout the ruins. By using the clones to search for the Golden Golem, we wouldn’t even need Pathfinding!”
Becky passed the first test in four hours.
This was a rumor that had already spread among the candidates. We heard it from Garon Theobalt last night.
Creating twenty clones and recklessly stirring up Wilhelm’s area?
That sounded just like something Becky would do.
Who else would engage in such absurd acts besides her?
I’d bet no one had passed the first test in a weirder way than her.
“Uh, how about it? If we use clones, we can find the Golden Golem, right?”
“……”
Well.
Back to Olivia’s comment…
Yeah.
That was actually a plausible idea.
If we explored the ruins using a multitude of clones, finding the Golden Golem would surely just be a matter of time.
In a space where Pathfinding was limited, we could conduct a wide search again.
At least theoretically, it was a perfect plan.
If only it were just theoretical.
[She doesn’t seem to think things through that well.]
Unfortunately, there’s one aspect that Olivia seems to have overlooked.
Maybe it was a mistake because she didn’t understand the “Clone” magical system well.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Sigh, no. Just watch.”
Unable to stand it anymore, Becky proceeded with a simple demonstration for Olivia.
Wuwung─.
A dazzling flow of mana.
At the same moment, Becky split into two.
A clone.
A perfect clone identical to the original had been created.
“Alright, this is my clone.”
The Becky on the right pointed at the Becky on the left and continued.
“Let’s say you send them around the ruins like you suggested.”
“……”
“Sure, we would gain lots of information. They share the same vision and senses as me, so it’s practically like having my personal ‘watching crystal’ spread all throughout the ruins.”
After a brief pause to catch her breath, Becky resumed her explanation.
“But you know…”
Crack─!
What happened next was instantaneous.
Becky’s mana-infused fingertip jabbed into the neck of the nearby clone.
Boom!
As the blade struck the clone’s vital spot, it vanished without a trace.
“That’s only true as long as my clone is alive.”
“……”
“If they die, it’s all in vain. My mana just vanishes into thin air.”
Operating clones consumes an immense amount of mana.
And when a clone disappears, even more mana is lost.
In other words, each time a clone dies, Becky would incur a massive loss of mana.
“Now, let’s say all the clones die, and my mana runs out.”
“……”
“But what if we run into enemies in that situation? What if we face monsters? What if we encounter other candidates?”
Becky continued to elaborate.
“Besides, the only fighters on our team are Riley and me. But is there even a reason to operate the clones at such a risky time? Not even for the sake of finding the Golden Golem?”
“……”
“It’s a recipe for disaster.”
Indeed.
The first test was held in Wilhelm.
That place was safe enough for Becky to operate clones without any risks.
It wasn’t an area sprung with traps, nor were there monsters hunting for flesh, and guardians weren’t lurking around to protect the ruins.
Even if Becky’s twenty clones raced all over the place, there was no one to destroy them.
But the ruins here are different.
“There are traps laid everywhere. Do you think I can dismantle them all while managing dozens of clones? No. I can’t.”
“……”
“Some clones might run into monsters. Can I handle all of them? No. I can’t. The same goes for other dangers. Likewise, I cannot.”
“……”
A place filled with various risks. It’s much too risky to operate clones freely.
“Now you understand? Why I can’t use the clones for scouting?”
“…Y-yeah.”
Thus, Olivia’s idea was simply not executable.
“Sigh…”
Finishing her explanation, Becky let out a deep sigh of exhaustion.
She turned her gaze toward us.
“Hey Riley. Don’t you have a good idea? I can’t take this nonsense from that idiot anymore, so what are you doing over there…?”
“I’m done.”
Immediately upon hearing those words, Becky frowned.
“…What?”
“I said I’m done.”
“What does that mean…?”
Wuwung─.
“…Huh?”
Just as Riley finished speaking, a bright white mana exploded forth.
At the same time, Becky’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Whoosh─!
Riley’s mana surged forward into the ruins. Simultaneously, a detailed topographical map began to take shape in the air like a brushstroke of mana.
It felt as if we could see the overall blueprint of the ruins.
Detailed information about each terrain feature began to become visible, like a mini-map in a game.
[Oh…….]
‘Pretty impressive, right?’
[Yeah. How did your skills improve so much in just a few days?]
It was a significantly improved Pathfinding compared to before.
I couldn’t help but express my admiration at that astounding growth.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one surprised.
Becky next to me murmured with a stunned expression.
“W-What is this…?”
“It’s Pathfinding.”
Becky stared at Riley with incredulous eyes.
“That’s not the Pathfinding I knew.”
“Anyway, it’s still Pathfinding.”
“……”
Well.
That’s what it seems.
*
Becky, following the guidance of Pathfinding, let out a low exclamation of awe.
“…This is really broken.”
Yeah.
This spell isn’t just some simple Pathfinding.
This is the spell we’ve been continuously modifying over the past six months.
Having altered the formula for Pathfinding so many times that it was barely recognizable anymore.
At this point, shouldn’t it be called a different spell altogether?
Hmm.
Alright. Then it might be best to give this spell a new name.
[Hey, Riley.]
‘Yes?’
[Are you good at naming things?]
‘No doubt about it.’
Riley replied confidently.
‘When I was in the Thieves’ Guild, I named all the techniques myself. All the members liked them too.’
[Really?]
She seems to have quite a flair for naming.
Should I let her name the spell?
[Want to give it a try then?]
‘Sure.’
Riley’s expression turned serious.
‘This spell is essentially an upgraded version of Pathfinding, isn’t it?’
[Right.]
‘So, while preserving the name “Pathfinding,” we just need to make slight modifications.’
[Oh.]
That was somewhat professional.
[So, do you have a name in mind?]
‘Of course.’
[What is it?]
Riley took a deep breath, preparing for a long name.
‘Riley-Style Ultra Super Mega Arc Pathfind…’
[No. That’s definitely not it.]
I was taken aback, interrupting Riley.
She immediately protested.
‘What? Why? It’s a cool name!’
[Sigh…]
This was my fault for trusting her.
‘It’s strange. Everyone in the Thieves’ Guild loved these names.’
[…….]
Well, they must have been idiots too.