There was a large, unrefined, sturdy-looking, rectangular entrance that looked as if it was made of steel. Next to it was a wooden sign that looked like a door plate, reading: 'The Trial of Zakkart.'
"… The sign is quite out of place, isn't it," Vandalieu remarked.
"According to Gizan-dono, it is something that was added later," said Sam.
This was the entrance to the Trial of Zakkart that had appeared in an area of the Dark Elf nation. Vandalieu felt a considerable amount of emotion as he looked up at it.
In the depths of this Dungeon was a relic of Zakkart that would help resurrect his mother.
"But it's apparently really dangerous, so don't push yourself. The thought of you and everyone else pushing yourselves too hard is worse for me than the thought of not being resurrected," said Darcia's spirit.
This was what she truly felt. It wasn't that she didn't want to come back to life, but she didn't want her son or the others that she considered to be family to be injured or killed in the process.
"It's alright, Mom. In the southern region of the continent, people don't die in the Dungeon except in exceptional cases," Vandalieu said, reassuring her.
"I know that, but… Vandalieu, you seem like you would do reckless things without even batting an eye," said Darcia.
Zadiris and the others nodded in agreement with her words.
"A year ago, his heart and lungs were stopped and he ended up forcibly moving his own heart and breathing by puncturing holes in his own lungs with metal pipes, didn't he?" said Tarea, the leader of the Ghoul craftsman team.
"It was only recently that your head was cut off, Your Majesty," said the Succubus Iris.
Vandalieu's gaze wandered off in response to these words.
But the Living Armor sisters Saria and Rita, as well as Eleanora, encouraged him.
"There are other incidents… there are a lot of cases where it can't be helped," said Saria.
"Now that I think back, I do think they were often the right choices to make," said Rita.
"So, Vandalieu-sama, it's nothing to worry about, but please be as careful as possible," said Eleanora.
"Yes, I'll do my best," Vandalieu said.
"By the way, are we going to clear the Dungeon right now?" Borkus asked.
The women raised their voices.
"What are we going to do about the tournament? We were still deciding who gets Vandalieu."
"That's right, I haven't lost yet!"
"I don't have any hope, even though I tried quite hard."
"It is true that we had the emperor sit in a seat with the word 'prize' written on it, but that was not the objective of this tournament…" said the Dark Elf king Gizan, who had led everyone here.
He had a stiff smile on his face. He had only intended for those who won to be able to face the Trial of Zakkart with Vandalieu.
But it seemed that before he knew it, all kinds of other things had been added on.
"Collars…"
"I want… a transformation staff."
"I heard that there were rights to experiencing a new massage?"
Perhaps they were just jokes that had gone too far, but there was cold sweat on Gizan's forehead.
"I'll make those for you even if you don't win. I haven't thought of a new massage yet and I can't make the collars and transformation staff right away, though," said Vandalieu, seeming to not be bothered by this as he calmed the contestants down. "But please call them chokers, not collars."
"Yaay~♪"
Gizan breathed a sigh of relief as well. He swore to himself that he would not make any more careless jokes from now on.
"I believe we can simply cancel the tournament. It was not a tournament with victory as the goal in the first place, and although there are more contestants remaining than other years… this year, we have His Majesty the emperor and his abnormal ability to transport people," said Gizan, announcing the cancellation of the tournament.
During other years, the tournament usually only selected several challengers or perhaps a little over ten people at most.
That was because it would be too dangerous if those challenging the trial were too weak, and the people on the inside of the Boundary Mountain Range thought that the meaning of the trial would be diminished if the challengers formed large groups to face it.
The Trial of Zakkart was a Dungeon that searched for the successor to the champion Zakkart; it was a ceremonial trial. There would be no point to it if the strength of numbers was used to push through and conquer it. In fact, doing so might anger the Dungeon's creator, Gufadgarn, the evil god of labyrinths, who was likely waiting in its deepest chamber.
And the Trial of Zakkart contained several floors that were too narrow for groups of several dozen individuals to move about properly. For these reasons, Gizan and the others had restricted the size of the groups challenging the Dungeon to several people to around a dozen at most.
But this was not true for the human societies on the outside of the Boundary Mountain Range that believed that one would become recognized as a successor to the champion Bellwood if they cleared the Trial of Zakkart.
In the past, there had been numerous royals and nobles who had tried to clear the Dungeon by sending over a hundred knights and adventurers inside, and some nations who had continuously sent slaves inside the Dungeon, not to clear the Dungeon but to stop it and keep it within their own borders.
The results of these attempts were clear, as the Trial of Zakkart was still roaming the world today.
But Vandalieu was able to equip large numbers of Undead, insects and plant-type monsters with Group Binding Technique. And Vandalieu was the most likely candidate to be the successor to Zakkart that Gufadgarn was searching for.
He possessed a soul that had been created from the soul fragments of the champions; he wasn't a successor in the ordinary sense of the word. But considering the time at which Gufadgarn had suddenly awoken and created the Trial of Zakkart, it was clear that he had nominated Vandalieu.
Thus, Gizan and the others had decided that Vandalieu would be allowed to use some extreme methods.
"Therefore, this year, it will be fine for all contestants who possess a certain amount of strength… those who can survive a B-class Dungeon with ease, to participate," Gizan said, making a decision that had never been made in previous years.
"That's disappointing… If I just had another year… If I just had more muscular strength," said Oniwaka, Kijin king Tenma's daughter, in frustration.
She had trained herself even further after her contest of strength against Vandalieu in the Kijin nation, but it seemed that she hadn't had enough time.
But Oniwaka already had plenty of physical strength – the strength needed for her to swing her weapons and run around while wearing her armor.
"No, I think you have plenty of muscular strength," said Gizan, having watched her during the tournament. "In fact, I believe the problem lies in your technique and experience…"
"Oniwaka-san, there will be more opportunities to fight. If you continue your steady training until then, you will have enough physical strength," said Vandalieu.
"You're right. Vandalieu, I'm going to show you what I'm worth in next year's bodybuilding tournament and the next opportunity to fight!"
Gizan's words seemed to have been drowned out by Vandalieu's, not reaching Oniwaka's brain despite entering her ears.
"Also, if you polish your technique as well as your muscles, you'll be perfect," said Vandalieu, not forgetting to tell her to improve herself in areas other than muscular strength.
"You're right! Those who call themselves warriors must strive for greater heights!" said Oniwaka.
With enough diligent training, the experience needed to make decisions in an instant would develop naturally.
"Kachia, Bilde, please look after Talosheim with Mikhail and the others," said Vandalieu.
Kachia, the Ghoul woman who had once been an adventurer, and Bilde, the young Ghoul from the same settlement as Zadiris, didn't have enough strength to face the trial. Thus, they were left with the responsibility of protecting Talosheim.
"It can't be helped. I finally increased my Rank and became a Ghoul Amazoness Warrior, but it's still tough for me to take on a Rank 8 monster by myself," said Kachia. "I'll help Bilde and play with Varbie and Jadal."
"Yeah, I'm counting on you," said Basdia, who often left her daughter Jadal with Kachia and Bilde. "I feel bad, always relying on you, but…"
"Don't worry about it," said Bilde. "By the way, how long do you think it will take?"
"I think it will take at least one month. We don't know how many floors there are, after all," said Vandalieu.
The Trial of Zakkart was confirmed to have at least fifty floors. The group of challengers led by Kijin king Tenma had progressed past the fiftieth floor, but even then, they had apparently been unable to see the end of the trial.
Thus, Vandalieu thought that it would take about a month even if they were to progress through two floors a day.
"So, let's go back to Talosheim and make preparations first," said Vandalieu, turning around.
"Indeed, we must pack our things," said Sam.
"We need to make adjustments if we're leaving Talosheim for over a month," said Eleanora.
"I can't stand having to go back with a Dungeon right in front of us, but I suppose it can't be helped," said Borkus.
Being in a Dungeon for over a month meant that they would need to prepare all kinds of equipment and things like food. It seemed that they would be able to procure a certain amount of food from inside the Trial of Zakkart itself, but there were also places where there were several floors of icy fields in a row and floors with stone labyrinths containing nothing but inedible monsters.
The Trial of Zakkart would remain in the same place for a month, and it would not Teleport as long as challengers were still inside. Thus, there was no need to rush.
Previous challengers had also faced it after making sufficient preparations rather than entering as soon as it appeared.
"Also, there's the issue of Jobs. Is everyone alright in that regard? If anyone is almost at Level 100, we can wait about half a month," said Vandalieu.
Queen Donaneris had asked Vandalieu this question before. Rank increases were automatic as long as the conditions were fulfilled, but Job changes required one to touch the crystal at the center of a designated Job-changing room.
"Come to think of it, can't we take a Job-changing room with us? It would be simple if we could just carry that crystal with us," said Baba Yaga, one of Legion's personalities.
It seemed that there were still many things that she was curious about, as it had only been about a year since she was reincarnated from Origin, a world without Jobs and Skills.
"You can't do that. To be more precise, it's possible, but not realistic," said Isla, twirling the chain on her collar around her fingers.
She was around thirty-thousand years old if one included the time she had lived before becoming an Undead several years ago.
Carrying the crystal of a Job-changing room on its own didn't allow one to change Jobs anywhere. The entire room, including the crystal, was a ceremonious place for the purpose of carrying out a Job-change. Thus, there would be no point in having just the crystal.
And the Job-changing room needed properly-built walls and a ceiling. Something like a tent that could be put up and taken down easily wouldn't work as a substitute.
"Every few thousand years, there are strange humans that try all kinds of things, like building a Job-changing room in a Dungeon chamber and armies that bring craftsmen and materials with them on an expedition to build one. But they're destroyed by monsters and enemies so they can't be used for long, and in the end, they always decide that it wasn't worth the cost and effort," said Isla.
Thus, the most that could be done was building Job-changing rooms at permanent defensive positions such as forts, outside Dungeon entrances and on the edges of Devil's Nests.
"I see. So, it's not for game-like reasons, then," said Baba Yaga.
"Wait! If that is the case, this can all be solved by taking the entire room with us!" said Valkyrie.
"Valkyrie, that's impossible… even if he were to turn the whole room into Golems, Vandalieu-sama can't equip Golems inside himself," said Eleanora.
"I could have it move while still retaining its shape as a room, but it would take a lot of effort in carrying it around in the narrow areas of the Trial of Zakkart. It might be destroyed by monsters or traps, too," said Vandalieu.
Valkyrie pointed her countless fingers towards Sam. "There will be no problems if it is placed in a part of Sam's carriage!" she said.
"In my carriage? I do have spare space, but is it possible?" Sam asked, looking back at his carriage.
The carriage, which was Sam's main body, was a three-horse carriage with a canopy; it was unthinkable that it could carry a properly-constructed room. But with the Space Expansion Skill, the interior volume of the carriage was easily over ten times its exterior appearance.
It would even fit a small house inside, never mind a small room.
Vandalieu gave it some thought. "It's possible," he said, surprised by this realization. "Honestly, the thought never occurred to me… Valkyrie, that's an amazing idea."
As Sam was an Undead, Vandalieu could equip him with Group Binding Technique. There would be no problem with this, even if there was a Job-changing room installed inside his carriage.
"A moving Job-changing room. The thought never occurred to us, either," said Gizan.
"Amazing. With one sentence, you solved a problem that humans have failed to solve for thousands of years!" said Borkus.
Valkyrie gave a loud laugh, her upper body protruding from Legion's surface proudly. "You can praise me more if you want! Well, the idea only came to me because we have Sam and Vandalieu."
"But they say that without the 1% inspiration, the 99% hard work goes to waste*," said Vandalieu, patting Valkyrie's head as he remembered the words of a wise man. "Let's build it as quickly as possible when we get back."
TLN*: This is a Japanese saying.
Indeed, Vandalieu had a fixed idea of what a Job-changing room was; he wouldn't have come up with this idea no matter how long he thought about it.
With this, even if anyone reached Level 100 inside the Dungeon, they would be able to change Jobs. Even Vandalieu would be able to acquire a new Job, like the Bestower Job that had appeared at his last Job-change.
"So, Father will be renovated. He's becoming less and less like an ordinary carriage, isn't he," said Rita.
"Rita, just say that I am becoming more convenient!" said Sam.
"Ooohn?" Knochen groaned, as if to ask, "What about me?" as it was made of a countless number of bones that could rearrange themselves in any form.
"Knochen, your bones come apart when you're moving, and your physical size doesn't change as you don't have the Space Expansion Skill, so it's difficult for you," said Vandalieu.
"Oooohn…"
"Knochen, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, so do not lose spirit," said Sam. "You are a fortress, not a storehouse, after all."
"OHHHHN!" Knochen, who had seemed sad a moment ago, regained its spirit.
"We have to install the Job-changing room in Sam, but there are a lot of other things we need to bring. We don't know what kind of state we'll get Zakkart's relics in after we clear the Dungeon, after all," said Vandalieu. "I've kept materials that could be used for Mom's new body preserved in the workshop, too."
He was carrying around the blood crystal that he had received from Vida as well as Darcia's remains, but the Orichalcum skeletons that he had made, the artificial body parts made from the Demon King's fragments and materials from high-Rank monsters were inside his underground workshop.
He had to go and get them.
"Umm, Vandalieu? I get the feeling that the goddess's blood alone will be enough… I'm not sure what I'll become if you were to use all of those things," said Darcia, seeming uncertain as to whether she would be a Dark Elf when she was resurrected.
"I cannot imagine it, but things will work out. Even if you grew something… like new wings or a tail," said Iris.
"Iris, if that was supposed to be reassuring, I'm sure you could have chosen other words," said Kachia. "Eleanora, you mustn't look at Darcia-sama like a companion who is just like you."
Darcia felt a sense of companionship with those whose races had been changed by Vandalieu.
The Farzon Duchy was one of the Orbaume Kingdom's twelve duchies, the duchy that prospered on its maritime and fishing industries.
There was a valley that had become a Devil's Nest in an inland region of the Farzon Duchy, some distance away from the sea. There were a few men and women gathered here.
"So, this is the place. The place where the Trial of Zakkart will appear next," said the 'Blue-flamed Sword' Heinz, the leader of the S-class adventurer party known as the Five-colored Blades, with emotion in his voice.
He was already in his late twenties, but perhaps as one would expect from an S-class adventurer, he looked younger than his appearance; his skin did not show any signs that he was about to enter middle-age.
He was holding a map that he had borrowed using society's trust in his party and a Magic Item that resembled three compasses that had been joined together.
"So, we're finally challenging the Trial of Zakkart again… it's really been a long time," said the scout Edgar with a distant look in his eyes. He had already entered his thirties and had wrinkles on his face. "Jennifer and Diana joined us, we met Selen, and before we knew it, we became the leaders of Alda's peaceful faction and honorary nobles –"
"It really has been a long time," said the unarmed fighter Jennifer with a sigh. "I thought that I'd die of old age without ever seeing it."
She had joined the Five-colored Blades after Heinz's party moved to the Orbaume Kingdom and faced the Trial of Zakkart.
Her objective was to conquer the Trial of Zakkart, which was like a fairy-tale for adventurers, and become a living legend.
And yet… all kinds of things had happened since she joined the Five-colored Blades, but she had never managed to face the Trial of Zakkart.
"I'm sorry for dragging you through all kinds of things. But there's no mistake that this Trial Seeker is pointing to this location," said Heinz.
"It's not like I was complaining, blaming you or doubting you, Heinz," Jennifer said. "I just thought that it's been a long time. I've become stronger over the past few years and I got to meet Selen; I don't think of it as a waste of time."
"I think it was rather quick. The Trial of Zakkart is a wandering Dungeon that teleports around different places in the world about once every month. If it appears in distant places and places that are far from where humans live, the chances of reaching it before it moves somewhere else are not high. According to the records, it is not unusual for it to appear outside of the Bahn Gaia continent," said the Elf Diana, who was a priestess of Mill, the goddess of slumber. She had once been Jennifer's partner when they were an adventurer duo.
She was young for an Elf, but she seemed the calmest among the party.
"Well, since you're an Elf, I'm sure that's how it is for you, Diana," said Heinz.
"But the months and years since I joined the Five-colored Blades have been unbelievably eventful. Honestly speaking, it feels as if I have lived through a hundred years' worth of adventure in the past few years," Diana said.
"We fought a Pure-breed Vampire, and we sealed away a Demon King fragment recently, too. We've been through all kinds of things. It might be an exaggeration to say that it's a hundred years' worth, though," said Delizah, the female Dwarf shield-bearer. "But our objective isn't to stare at the entrance to the Trial of Zakkart. Everyone, prepare yourselves… or so I say, but even the Trial Seeker can't tell when the Dungeon will appear, can it?"
There was a renowned space-attribute mage who hadn't faced the Trial of Zakkart but had noticed its peculiar characteristics when it began appearing.
He had realized that the Dungeon's teleportation to a new location every month was either because of an advanced space-attribute spell, or because it had been created by a god who ruled over the space attribute or some other evil god. Thus, he devoted himself to researching it.
It was a heretical way of thinking, as he had been surrounded by those who thought of the Trial of Zakkart as a trial to find the successor of the champion Bellwood who had defeated the fallen Undead champion Zakkart.
Thus, his research had never stood out, but it produced results. He invented a Magic Item that, with a number of conditions met, identified the location where the Trial of Zakkart would next appear.
And then he had handed that Magic Item to Randolf 'the True,' an S-class adventurer whose name had already been well-known at the time.
But Randolf had simply kept the Trial Seeker in his possession, not facing the Trial of Zakkart even once. And then Heinz and his companions had received it.
"It's unfortunate, but we only know the next place it will appear. But even then, it's worth the effort we've made," said Heinz.
After he and his party sealed away the Demon King's nose, they had learned of the Trial Seeker's existence from the notes of the space-attribute mage who created it and learned that it was in Randolf's possession. Randolf was working under a false name now, but they had found him and asked him to lend this Magic Item to them.
Randolf had given a deep sigh but handed them the Trial Seeker with no sign of regret.
"If you want to risk your lives on a pointless effort, then I'll give it to you. But don't ever make contact with me again," he had told them, and then he had suddenly vanished right in front of their eyes, leaving no response to their questions of what his parting words meant.
"It was a lot of hard work, finding Randolf. I feel like it was even more work than finding Ternecia's hidden base. And we had to go around the Mages' Guilds to have them investigate how to use the Magic Item," said Edgar. "It couldn't have killed Randolf to give us some written instructions, right?"
"Edgar, I think we should be thankful that he gave us a Magic Item for free. It must have been bothersome that we found him and made contact with him, yet he gave it to us without asking for any money or anything… though it's true that he looked really displeased the whole time and his eyes looked like he was making fools of us," said Jennifer.
"Edgar isn't being serious, Jennifer. It's just that his pride as a scout was just hurt by the fact that he couldn't follow Randolf's presence when he disappeared," said Delizah.
"… He was still upset over that, huh. So petty," said Jennifer.
"It cannot be helped. Human men develop an inferiority complex once they are over thirty years old," said Diana.
Under the eyes of the women of the party, Edgar realized that things weren't looking good for him. "I'll look for a suitable place to set up camp," he said, and then he left.
"Good grief," Heinz muttered.
But they did indeed need a place to set up camp.
They had learned where the Trial of Zakkart would next appear thanks to the Trial Seeker. But as Heinz had told Delizah, there was no way of telling when the Trial of Zakkart would appear here.
"It was coincidence that we could quickly arrive at the next place the trial will appear after we went around visiting Mages' Guilds and alchemists to investigate how to use this thing, but… the Dungeon might appear tomorrow, or it might take over a month."
Even if a month passed, the Trial of Zakkart would not move to its next destination as long as there were still challengers inside.
"… I hope it's appeared in a secluded region so that there aren't any challengers. We'll clear the Trial of Zakkart, avenge Martina, take over the great tasks of the champion Bellwood and hear Alda's voice," said Heinz, his voice full of resolve. "If possible, I want us to serve that duty."
"As leaders of Alda's peaceful faction and as Selen's caretakers, I hope we can take that role," said Diana.
"I want to at least bring back a lock of Martie's hair. We couldn't even do that last time," said Delizah.
"Still, I wonder where it is now?" Jennifer said, looking up at the sky.
They didn't know. They had no idea that the Trial of Zakkart was in the Dark Elf nation in the region contained within the Boundary Mountain Range, a place that was unexplored territory for them.
"It's possible that it's outside the continent, like Diana said," said Heinz.
He and his companions didn't know the true purpose of the Trial of Zakkart, or that the one who cleared it would become not the successor of Bellwood, but of Zakkart, the one they called the 'fallen champion.'
Most importantly, they didn't know that inside the Boundary Mountain Range, Vandalieu was about to face the Trial of Zakkart.
The Five-colored Blades would only be able to face the Trial of Zakkart if Vandalieu and his companions were defeated by the trial and ejected outside the Dungeon.
Several days later, Vandalieu and his companions assembled in front of the Trial of Zakkart once more, having made their preparations.
"We'll do our best to survive!" Tarea exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Pauvina shouted, raising her fist into the air.
"I wouldn't mind if you left me behind!" Luciliano said sorrowfully.
"It's fine, we'll protect you as well as we can. You can't let your guard down, but don't worry so much!" Pauvina said, reassuring him.
"Yes, Pauvina narrowly qualified for this," said Vandalieu.
Pauvina had been increasing her Level in Vandalieu's failed attempt at creating an A-class Dungeon that was still more difficult than an ordinary B-class Dungeon, alongside Privel and the others. Thus, both Vandalieu and Gizan had accepted that she was qualified to face the Trial of Zakkart.
And since she was qualified to face it, she would follow Vandalieu inside. But even though she raised her Orichalcum shield and Vandalieu spoke reassuring words, the fear on Luciliano's face didn't fade away in the slightest.
"As well as you can, you say. Narrowly qualified, you say. These aren't reassuring words at all!" Luciliano shouted.
Indeed, perhaps these weren't quite the correct choice of reassuring words.
"Have you forgotten your leveling with us in B-class Dungeons, Lucie? You were always laughing towards the end of it, weren't you?" said the 'Saint of Healing' Jeena.
"That's right, you'll be fine. And if you're about to die, the Dungeon will forcibly teleport you outside and the Dark Elf medical team will heal you back up," said the 'Tiny Genius' Zandia.
The two of them had forced Luciliano to accompany them into B-class Dungeons.
"So, believe in yourself," Zandia said.
But Luciliano was aware that he had been laughing during those leveling sessions because he had been a little mentally broken.
It was true that Luciliano's Level had increased considerably, and he had even changed Jobs. But he couldn't imagine that he had become strong enough to pass through the Trial of Zakkart, a place that countless B-class and A-class adventurers had failed to return from alive.
"I'm telling you, it's impossible! And I came here from outside the Boundary Mountain Range! There is no guarantee that Gufadgarn will recognize me as someone from inside the Boundary Mountain Range!" Luciliano protested.
"Hmm, that's true."
Gufadgarn was never even aware of where he and the Trial of Zakkart currently were. It was unclear as to how aware he was of the challengers inside the Dungeon.
And until now, there were none who had faced the Trial of Zakkart after crossing the Boundary Mountain Range. Luciliano's concerns were reasonable.
"But I want you to manage the materials that could be used for Mom's new body, so please work with me, Luciliano. And I want you to look at the corpses of previous challengers that we might find inside," said Vandalieu.
"N-now that you mention it, there are those!" Luciliano exclaimed.
Godwin, Budarion and the others who had faced the Trial of Zakkart before had seen preserved statues made of stone and metal, depicting people they had never seen before.
It was likely that this was what remained of Martina of the Five-colored Blades and the other challengers from the outside of the Boundary Mountain Range.
This was a valuable opportunity to touch the precious corpses of powerful adventurers that he normally wouldn't be able to touch.
Luciliano pondered this for a while. "Alright," he said finally with a nod. "But I will not participate in battle, so don't expect me to fight."
"It's alright. I was never expecting that to begin with," said Vandalieu.
"Yeah, nobody's expecting that!" said Pauvina.
"I see! That makes me more relieved!" said Luciliano, smiling broadly upon realizing that nobody had been counting on him to fight to begin with.
"I think you should be a little more concerned about it," said Vigaro.
But Luciliano showed no signs of concern at all.
"I am joining so that I can maintain the equipment; you're being too selfish," said Tarea.
She was planning to be on standby inside Sam's carriage as much as possible as well, however.
"Luciliano, Tarea, why don't the both of you have the boy make you new equipment like this transformation staff?" Zadiris suggested. "I have not used the finished product yet either, but the prototype that I tried has considerable defensive power."
"… I refuse. Master said that those take time to make as they are order-made for individual use," said Luciliano.
"The items can be used by others, as they still don't have a function to identify users. But it would be like me trying to wear clothes that fit you perfectly, wouldn't it? That would be terrible, so I will decline," said Tarea.
"Muh, that is true," Zadiris agreed, lowering her transformation staff. "The prototype was a simple item, but the boy did say that the finished product will have a lot of decorations."
"Now then, I suppose we should get going," said Vandalieu.
"Everyone! Vandalieu! Don't push yourselves," said Darcia.
Vandalieu, who had equipped everyone that he could, entered the Trial of Zakkart with Vigaro, Zadiris and Legion.
Gizan and the other Dark Elves, who were now in work-mode, watched them leave.
"… With this, our yearly suffering might finally come to an end," said Gizan, who was also acting as the leader of the medical squad.
.
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.
.
The true entrance to the Trial of Zakkart was a dome-shaped room right past the entrance with the sign outside it.
Written words and the holy symbols of the eleven great gods of the world were etched on its walls.
Offer your prayers to the god who chose the true champion.
Vandalieu looked up at the words. "… No doubt the outside people offered their prayers to Alda who chose Bellwood, not Vida who chose Zakkart," he muttered.
For the people inside the Boundary Mountain Range, who knew that this Dungeon had been built by Gufadgarn, the evil god of labyrinths who called himself Zakkart's first disciple, this was an obvious trap.
But in the human societies outside the Boundary Mountain Range, Zakkart was considered a 'fallen champion,' one of the parents of the evil Vampire race. He deserved fear more than respect.
None would think of him when they saw the words 'true champion.'
"In human societies, the first thing that should come to mind when hearing the words 'true champion' should be Bellwood and the others who defeated the Demon King," said Iris. "And since this Dungeon is known to the outside world as a trial to select Bellwood's successor, I think that most who face it offer their prayers to Alda even if they are not believers of Alda or Bellwood themselves."
Indeed, most challengers from human societies chose Alda at this point. Just like Heinz and the Five-colored Blades.
"What about Zantark, who chose Farmaun?" Vandalieu asked.
Farmaun, a heroic god like Bellwood, was the founder of the Adventurers' Guild. It occurred to Vandalieu that many of the challengers would be adventurers and choose to offer their prayers to him.
It was unlikely that Gufadgarn knew that Farmaun had left Alda's faction, but he knew that Zantark was on Vida's side. So then, wouldn't he think better of those who offered their prayers to Zantark than those who offered prayers to Shizarion and Alda?
"Zantark is thought to be a fallen god who fused with evil gods, even to believers of Vida in the outside world, so…" Iris explained.
"I see," said Vandalieu, nodding. "Well then, shall we offer our prayers to Vida?"
He prayed to Vida's holy symbol. He simply put his hands together, no different from how he always did it.
"I am a believer of Vida now, I am a believer of Vida now," said Iris.
"I have stopped believing in Hihiryushukaka. It's true, it's true," said Eleanora.
"I am like a piece of Vandalieu-sama's equipment, so please don't mind me," said Isla.
Iris was a former believer of Alda. Eleanora and Isla, who had emerged from within Vandalieu's body, were Vampires who had belonged to a Vampire faction that worshipped Hihiryushukaka. The three of them put their hands together and prayed earnestly.
Isla had even gone as far as abandoning her right to be called a person.
Gufadgarn was likely to treat remnants of the Demon King's army as enemies just like those of Alda's faction, so it wasn't difficult to understand her desperation.
"Well, I think it will be fine. Vida didn't say anything bad about you when I went to her Divine Realm," said Vandalieu, reassuring them that Vida and the other gods shouldn't view Eleanora and Isla as problems.
"I hope that's true, but…" Eleanora murmured.
"Boy, I have finished. Is it better to take a little more time?" asked Zadiris.
"Vandalieu, a door has appeared, so maybe that's enough praying?" said Darcia.
Vandalieu and his companions stopped praying and proceeded further inside through the enormous door that had appeared.
Gufadgarn, the evil god of labyrinths, was dreaming inside the Trial of Zakkart that he had created.
He dreamed of days bygone, the brightest and happiest days.
That dream was interrupted by a new presence in the Dungeon.
"New challengers."
The fact that they had offered prayers to Vida in the first selection chamber meant that they were likely those from the inside of the Boundary Mountain Range. For some reason, all challengers from the outside always prayed to the detestable Alda.
What had Alda, who fancied himself to be the leader of the gods, told his believers about this Dungeon? Had he sent Divine Messages to people who were incredibly incapable of interpreting them?
Of course, even members of Vida's races from outside the Boundary Mountain Range prayed to Alda.
The particularly deplorable thing was that the sign that Gufadgarn had placed outside the Dungeon had no effect whatsoever. He had placed a simple question to separate challengers at the entrance, but perhaps this was the cause?
"But in order to find my master, I cannot deny even the smallest possibility. And it would not be good for my true intentions to be revealed."
There was a miniscule, but non-negligible, chance that Gufadgarn's master would turn out to be a believer of Alda due to some kind of mistake. It would be problematic if Gufadgarn's true intentions were to become widely-known and people began facing the trial not to clear it, but to exterminate Gufadgarn.
Leaving that aside, Gufadgarn focused his consciousness on the new challengers. He could not carelessly allow Vampires that were the holy children of Zakkart – his noble master – to die, and the same went for the others who offered their prayers to Vida.
And among those that Gufadgarn could now 'see,' there was one individual that stood out.
"… These thoughts! I feel the presence of my master, Zakkart… and I feel the divine protection of Vida."
Astonished, Gufadgarn stared at an image of Vandalieu, who opened a door and proceeded deeper into the Dungeon.
As far as Gufadgarn could see, Vandalieu didn't resemble his master, the champion Zakkart, in the slightest. But his appearance wasn't the important thing.
The problem was whether this Dhampir boy was really the one in Ricklent's Divine Message, the one who had been reborn from the remains of Zakkart and the other champions that had shared his will.
That was not yet certain. But Gufadgarn could not stop his heart from pounding in his chest.
"Ah, the empty time that I thought would be an eternity will come to an end. Boy… I pray that you can fill this void within me."
Vandalieu and his companions passed through the door into a dim space that stretched on and on. As far as they could see, there were no walls or even a ceiling.
As they thought about what a strangely simple Dungeon it was, the door closed with a thud and vanished.
"Be careful! From what I've heard, a large number of monsters appear now!" Darcia warned them.
At that moment, a countless number of monsters appeared on this floor where there had been absolutely nothing a moment ago.
Enormous, human-shaped Iron Golems; Mad Salamanders that were spirits of flame that had been driven insane by corrupted Mana; Prism Stalkers that were gas-like clouds of light that used artificial light-attribute magic.
And there were dozens of monsters of other kinds, the weakest of which were Rank 6, attacking simultaneously.
This was the reason that sending large numbers of people into the Trial of Zakkart was futile. On the first floor, challengers were forced to fight a countless number of monsters with no exit available. Those who were not powerful enough to clear B-class Dungeons with ease would be killed immediately.
"Indeed, it is just as I heard from Father and the others," said Iris.
Nobody was shaken by this, as they had heard stories from those who had experienced the trial before.
"This means I can finally test my new equipment. Transform!" said Zadiris, raising her transformation staff, casting aside her robe and reciting the command words.
The Dark Copper decorations on her transformation staff turned into liquid, fell onto her body and crawled across her limbs.
Within seconds, the Dark Copper had fused with Zadiris's clothes and the main part of her transformation staff, the Death Iron handle was left behind.
"Fierce Shining Blades: Chaotic Dance!"
Zadiris's skirt-shaped clothes spun as her advanced light-attribute spell fired a barrage of projectiles that cut down the monsters that were flooding in.
And then she struck down the Iron Golems and other monsters that were still standing with an advanced wind-attribute spell.
"Take this! Thunderbolt!"
Zadiris unleashed spells in quick succession with the Chant Revocation Skill. Her attacks slaughtered almost all of the monsters that had appeared.
"Hmm! It feels wonderful to use. The assistance with casting spells and bonuses to the spells' power is greater than I expected, and the clothes are so light and easy to move in!" Zadiris remarked.
"Don't be in such high spirits… well, that's good, isn't it?" said Legion.
"Y-yeah, that's amazing," said Iris.
Legion and Iris buried the few remaining monsters with ease.
The moment they entered the Dungeon, the path of retreat had been cut off and in the next moment, a swarm of monsters that were Rank 6 or higher had attacked them. Adventurers of D-class and below, as well as ordinary knights and soldiers, would have been killed immediately. Even C-class adventurers wouldn't have survived if they were few in number to begin with. This onslaught would have killed groups that were not worthy of at least B-class.
But Vandalieu's minimum conditions had been to be able to clear B-class Dungeons with ease. This challenge was nothing for him and his party.
In fact, it had been just perfect for Zadiris to test the effectiveness of her new clothes and transformation staff.
"It seems that I made the transformation staff well… It's dangerous to recite long command words and take poses during battle, so it was a good idea to make that part shorter," said Vandalieu.
The transformation staff had been modeled after an item from an anime targeted at girls on Earth, but it would have been a bad idea to use it exactly like that. It would have been counter-productive to expose the user to danger for the sake of being faithful to the original.
Thus, Vandalieu had made it so that the Dark Copper of the staff's decorative parts changed shape and became a part of the user's clothes.
"Boy, this is quite the product! If you make these for everyone, there is no doubt that we will become remarkably stronger!" Zadiris exclaimed, her eyes shining with happiness at how comfortable her new equipment was to use.
But voices immediately shouted, "Impossible!" from behind her.
"I think it is impossible for me… though I think it suits Zadiris," said Iris.
"You're right. I'll pass," said Vigaro as he shook his head, dumbfounded by Zadiris's transformation.
Legion's different personalities seemed to have different opinions.
"… Even if I could gain the same form that I had when I was alive in Origin one day, I wouldn't want to wear that."
"Same goes for me. Please, I'll do anything, so just spare me from that."
"Really? I think it would suit Baba Yaga and Enma, though. Valkyrie seems to hate frills."
"I'm not as good at magic as Mother. If I was, I wouldn't mind trying it, but… how about trying it with Zandia and Privel first?" said Basdia. It seemed that the only problem she had with it was her own skill with magic.
Zadiris, who had been in high spirits, calmed down and checked her own appearance. "Projection… Muh, mumumuh!" she groaned as she looked at the image of herself created by her light-attribute spell.
With the bikini-type clothes she had been wearing beneath her robe as a base, the Dark Copper had turned into extremely fine threads and formed frills and ribbons. Her arms and legs were covered in long-sleeve gloves and knee socks. And to top it all off, there was a cape fluttering at her back.
The color scheme was focused on the white color of the light attribute.
At a glance, it looked as if she were wearing a white dress. But looking closer, she was wearing a highly-revealing leotard with dress-like decorations.
Having realized this, Zadiris glared at Vandalieu. "Boy, I asked you to make it adult-like! There are too many ribbons and frills! This is something a child would wear!"
"No, I think it would be problematic even for children to wear," Iris pointed out calmly. But then she realized that her sense of what was ordinary had changed greatly lately. "… Perhaps not," she said, falling into silence.
"There is a technical reason for those clothes," Vandalieu protested. "Small inscriptions have been made in the Dark Copper body suit to improve physical and magical defenses, and they even provide all kinds of enchantments. A certain amount of surface area is required for that."
"S-surface area?" Zadiris repeated.
"Yes, because there's a limit on how small I can make the writing."
The ribbons, frills and skirt-like decorations were not just for cuteness and looks. When the super-fine liquid metal fibers took the form of clothes and a staff, they also formed inscriptions that contained several beneficial effects like a complex program.
"If I reduce those to a minimum, there would be a lot less decorations, but that would make it a lot less reliable; even the slightest damage would turn them into nothing more than Dark Copper clothes. That's why I ended up using the current design," Vandalieu explained, insisting that he hadn't chosen the current cute design to tease Zadiris and make it look like a magic girl costume.
He wouldn't deny that making the clothes look too adult-like wouldn't suit Zadiris, however.
Zadiris let out a groan as she listened to Vandalieu's explanation with her arms crossed. "If that is the case, then it cannot be helped. With the prototype that clung to my body below my neck, it was strangely difficult to move, after all," she said, accepting Vandalieu's reasons.
"You're fine with it?!" Iris and Vigaro exclaimed in surprise.
"Anyway, I don't think it's that childish," said Hitomi, the reincarnated individual who had become one of Legion's personalities.
"Really, Hitomi-chan?" asked Jack.
"That's right, Jack. There were even crazier ones on Earth and in Origin," she said, remembering the magic girl costumes from other worlds.
Bright, multi-colored frills, flared skirts with multiple layers, ribbons that were so large that they would clearly get in the way, shoes that looked painful to walk in.
Compared to those, Zadiris's current appearance was quite reserved.
"I see, I see. Well, even if I wore adult-like clothes, my face and figure will not change. And although I have been fussy lately, it is not that I dislike frills and ribbons altogether," said Zadiris, seeming to calm down. "I am sorry, boy. It seems that I behaved selfishly, quite unlike my age."
She patted Vandalieu's head. The two of them had become quite close recently.
"But if my Rank increases and I become more adult-like, I shall have you remake my clothes to be more adult-like. That is a promise," she said with glassy eyes. It seemed that she wasn't fully over it.
Vandalieu agreed to her promise. The fact was that he would need to remake her transformation staff if her appearance changed too drastically, so he couldn't say anything against it.
"But I think it's cute as it is," he said.
"Boy, do not make fun of the elderly. You should speak words like those to girls your own age or younger than yourself," said Zadiris.
"… Mother, I think that would limit the people Van could say those words to too much. Though I'd be more than happy if he were to be affectionate towards Jadal," said Basdia. "By the way, Van, I understand why a lot of decorations are needed in Mother's case, but what about people like me who have large bodies?"
Legion got excited as they began chatting among themselves.
"… Basdia seems like she would look like a female executive."
"Our memories are the same, so we know what you're calmly thinking, Hitomi-chan."
"By the way, there's something I want to check. Could we count on you, Jack?"
"Okay, Izanami."
Legion faded away… but then immediately returned.
"It's no good. We can't Teleport outside," said Jack.
It seemed that he had tried to teleport outside from within the Trial of Zakkart, but it had failed.
"What about you, Vandalieu? Can you go in and out of the Dungeon or create walls and rooms with Labyrinth Construction?"
"Hmm… It seems that I can't go outside either," said Vandalieu.
It seemed that he couldn't exit the Dungeon with the Labyrinth Construction Skill's Teleportation, either.
Among those who faced the Trial of Zakkart, there had previously been those trying to teleport in and out of the Dungeon or between its floors with the space-attribute spell, Teleportation. But all of these attempts had failed.
If they could enter and exit the Dungeon at will, they would be able to replace damaged equipment and restock on materials like food and Potions. If they had knowledgeable people and other party members that could be substituted in waiting outside, it would be easier to proceed through the Dungeon and solve its riddles.
Even if this wasn't the case, it was only natural for the challengers to test whether their spells were effective or not. But nobody had been able to enter and exit the Trial of Zakkart with space-attribute magic.
This was thought to be because the Dungeon had been created by Gufadgarn, an evil god who was categorized as having the properties of the space attribute. It was likely that he prevented the Dungeon from being cleared in a way that went against its purpose.
Vandalieu had thought that Legion's limited death-attribute magic and his Labyrinth Construction Skill's Teleportation might work, but it seemed to be impossible.
"But I can make changes to the internal layout like this," said Vandalieu, extending a fingertip. "It uses more Mana than usual, though."
It seemed that Gufadgarn wasn't able to prevent everything. A rectangular wall silently grew from the ground where Vandalieu was pointing and extended upwards. He didn't know whether he would be able to create stairs in the same way, however, as they had only just cleared the first floor.
"It seems that I should be able to Teleport between floors that have already been cleared," Vandalieu concluded. "How are the Goblin communication devices?" he asked Iris, who had been testing the shrunken-Goblin-head communication devices.
Iris shook her head. "This is unfortunate," she said.
"… So, these don't work, either. Just like every other challenger who has tried this, we're blocked from communicating with the people on the outside," said Vandalieu.
"If they worked, I would have been able to talk to Jadal and the others," said Basdia. "There's no helping it. Let's clear the Dungeon and go home as quickly as we can."
"Yes," Vandalieu agreed.
Vandalieu's party had thought that it would be convenient if they could communicate with the outside world and Teleport in and out of the Dungeon, but also that it would probably be impossible. Thus, their spirits were not dampened as they began their clearing of the Dungeon once more.
… They had already brought a mountain of materials and people with them.
Incidentally, Zadiris recovered the robe that she had taken off.
From the second floor of the Trial of Zakkart, there were no monster encounters, but it was a complicated labyrinth.
"This labyrinth doesn't contain any monsters at first, but if you don't cover a certain distance every hour… what happens again?" Darcia asked.
"Walls appear to shut you in, and dozens of monsters appear!" said Pauvina.
"If I recall, you cannot go anywhere until you defeat those monsters. And the layout of the labyrinth apparently changes every time the Trial of Zakkart changes locations," added Zadiris.
In other words, this labyrinth could be safely cleared as long as the party continued moving, not stopping even if they lost their way. They couldn't stop to take rests, but that was the extent of it.
It was thought that it was based on the stories of the champion Zakkart's philosophy of "Always act, always think" and making immediate decisions that caused a great deal of trouble for Vida.
… Incidentally, it was said that the champion Bellwood had left behind the words, "It is important to stop from time to time and talk to your companions." Leaving aside the question of whether Bellwood had actually acted on those words, it was likely that this floor had caused a great deal of trouble for challengers from human societies who had followed his wisdom.
"Well, thanks to my Labyrinth Construction Skill, I know the floor's layout right away. It's this way," said Vandalieu.
The labyrinth was meaningless in front of Vandalieu. There weren't even any pitfalls or traps, so this floor was cleared swiftly.
"Couldn't we clear it even faster if you moved the walls and made a straight path to the goal?" said Enma.
"Gufadgarn might get angry if we cheat too much, so let's try to clear things normally as long as it's safe for us, Enma," said Vandalieu.
"I see. It wouldn't be good if he got the wrong impression of us."
Even if they cleared the trial, there would be no point unless Gufadgarn acknowledged them. Thus, Vandalieu took care as he proceeded through the labyrinth floor.
The riddles on the floors of the Trial of Zakkart created by Gufadgarn were filled with praise for Zakkart and the other creation-oriented champions, and malice and cynicism towards Bellwood and the other battle-oriented champions.
For example, on the fifth floor, the walls were made not of stone, but Undead Bone Walls.
At first, the only monsters on this bone labyrinth floor were the Bone Walls. Challengers would simply need to proceed through the labyrinth, find hidden doors that were simple to find with a little attention and then proceed to the stairs to the next floor. That was all.
But if the challengers were to apply any damage to the Bone Walls, all of the Bone Walls of the entire labyrinth would turn into Skeleton-type monsters that were between Rank 6 and 8, then flood in towards the challengers.
Believers of Alda treated Undead as enemies that should be eliminated unconditionally; this was especially true for those who wished to become the successor of Bellwood, who had defeated the Undead Zakkart. Thus, most of them attacked the Bone Walls or tried to purify them, and then they were forced to fight a swarm of several hundred or even up to a thousand high-Rank Skeletons.
If they continued defeating the Skeletons, the labyrinth would disappear so they would be able to clear the floor this way, but the difficulty of this task was equivalent to an A-class Dungeon.
But with Vandalieu present, the Bone Walls courteously moved aside for him and his party to proceed easily.
"Ah, thank you, thank you," Vandalieu said, thanking them.
"Ooooohn." Knochen was happy that there were other Undead like it.
By the time the party reached the stairs, Knochen had grown slightly larger. It seemed that the Bone Walls had given it parts of themselves.
After the bone labyrinth floor, the sixth floor and the next couple of floors after were filled with beautiful natural scenery, like bright, verdant forests, refreshing lakes and clear plateaus.
A short while after challengers entered these floors, this nature would be destroyed by Huge Gluttony Worms that devoured the trees of the forest, enormous Ugly Venom Frogs that contaminated the water with the venom they secreted from their entire bodies and Asher Big Moths that polluted the air with their venomous scales.
If the challengers followed the example of the champion Bellwood who had been obsessed with protecting nature and Nineroad who had agreed with his views at first, they would encounter monsters with venom and spores that would afflict status effects on them one after another. And then the stairs to the next floor would appear in the center of the forests and plateaus after they were laid to waste by the fighting.
"The correct answer is to either leave the monsters alone or assist in destroying nature, isn't it… I get the feeling that Zakkart didn't really like destroying nature, though," said Privel.
"I think so too, but I think this floor is a trap for those who want to become Bellwood's successor," said Gizania.
The two of them looked a little sad as they watched the trees of the forests being cut down, pulled apart and broken.
"Now's the time for my Deforestation Skill to shine!" Vigaro declared, hacking away at the trees with his axe.
Legion was rolling around the forests, having used Size Alteration to become larger. "FUHAHAHAHA! The trees are like bowling pins!"
"OOOOOOHN!" Knochen groaned, having taken a form resembling a bulldozer to dig out large chunks of earth.
"… Can everyone not calm down a little?" said Bellmond, who was making round slices out of the trees with her threads.
At this rate, the forests would become bare within minutes. Watching nature being destroyed like this was somehow a little sad.
The Huge Gluttony Worms, whose work had been stolen from them, looked lonely as they ate the leaves of the fallen trees.
"It is a waste of lumber, but it's impossible for Sam to carry all of it," said Vandalieu. "Ah, Privel and Gizania, would you like some mammoth soup?"
He had been using mammoth meat to create a dish similar to pork miso soup. Monsters didn't appear on this floor even if they took a rest, so it was the perfect point to take a breather and have a meal.
Vandalieu had equipped a large number of companions this time and needed to take in enough nutrients for all of them, so he couldn't let this chance to eat slip by.
"The miso cooking is superb!" said Myuze, beckoning Privel and Gizania over.
"Let's eat," said Privel.
"Indeed," said Gizania.
The two of them went over to join in and eat the mammoth soup.
The lake and plateau floors were cleared in the same way afterwards.
On top of that, the Huge Gluttony Worms and other monsters that were supposed to be in charge of destroying the natural scenery were tamed by Vandalieu.
There was a puzzle consisting of statues of the seven champions and stone tablets with their achievements illustrated on them. The task was to correctly match the tablets to the statues. A labyrinth floor modeled after the human body, one that Zakkart would likely have easily passed through as he had once wanted to become a forensic scientist. There was also a complicated labyrinth filled with dangerous monsters and traps, with instructions on how to pass through it written on the walls in languages resembling English and German.
Challengers of the trial from human societies that didn't have any accurate knowledge of the champions' achievements wouldn't be able to solve the puzzle correctly. As medical knowledge was still undeveloped, they wouldn't be able to reach the correct exit to the human-body-shaped labyrinth. And although the alphabet was known, foreign languages themselves weren't, so such challengers would need to clear the dangerous labyrinth on their own.
Vandalieu and his companions had already seen the champions' achievements in Vida's Resting Grounds and looked through the documents left behind by Zakkart and Ark. As for the human-body-shaped labyrinth, it was too simple for Vandalieu and Legion, who possessed the Surgery Skill.
Vandalieu and Legion had both learned several languages in Origin. In Vandalieu's case, they were the two languages spoken in the military nation's research laboratory. As for Legion, they spoke the numerous languages they had learned from when they worked all over the world as the Eighth Guidance.
Of course, Earth's languages and Origin's languages were similar, but they had their differences as well. However, the instructions written on the walls of the labyrinth were simple, short sentences, so the differences between the worlds' languages weren't enough to misunderstand them.
"This Gufadgarn has good taste," said Isla, sounding impressed.
"Indeed, it's built to be very tough on believers of Alda and Bellwood," Vandalieu agreed. There was a clinking sound coming from his hands.
"That isn't all," said Isla. "Vandalieu-sama, this Dungeon is not only harsh to challengers that misunderstand its purpose, but also causes them to believe that they are making the correct choices."
"… What is the meaning of this?" asked Eleanora.
"Do you not understand, little girl?" Isla said, her superiority complex clear in her tone. "Up until now, the riddles place challengers in danger when they answer incorrectly. But if they overcome that danger, the stairs appear and they can continue. That's why Alda and Bellwood's followers that face this Dungeon have no doubt that this is a trial to become Bellwood's successor and repeatedly choose the wrong answers to future riddles… and then they eventually die."
Such challengers would continue mistaking the penalties imposed on them by their incorrect answers to the riddles as part of the trial. The fact that they were fundamentally mistaken was not put before them in the form of an obstacle that had no other solution.
The stronger their belief and respect for Alda and Bellwood were, the more difficult it would be for them to realize that this wasn't a part of the trial but mere penalties.
Of course, there were many who thought something was strange as they progressed, but even then, they wouldn't be able to make a 180 degree turn on their way of thinking.
Even if they could, the correct information regarding Zakkart and the other creation-oriented champions wouldn't just suddenly appear in their minds.
And although this wasn't relevant for Vandalieu's party, monsters would appear and stop those who tried to give up on the Trial of Zakkart and leave.
This was how the challengers from the outside of the Boundary Mountain Range had fallen – by giving up out of fatigue.
"That's how it is. Do you understand?" Isla concluded.
But Eleanora didn't look convinced. "That's not what I wanted you to explain. I'm asking why Vandalieu is holding your chain!"
She pointed at Vandalieu, who was floating in the air with Flight with Isla's chain in both hands, doing something with it.
"I don't know why you are questioning this. As a servant, it is only natural for my master, Vandalieu-sama, to command me! If you are dissatisfied, perhaps you should ask him to hold your chain or leash, too. Ah, excuse me, you don't have a collar or chain, do you? Then it can't be helped. What a pity," said Isla with her chest puffed out as she showed off her collar and chain.
"Kuh!" Eleanora bit her finger in frustration.
"No, I'm just making alchemical changes to the chain. I'm not taking Isla for a walk. Also, the thing on Eleanora's neck is a choker," Vandalieu calmly pointed out as he made changes to the Death Iron chain.
Isla's chain was strangely short, which was why Vandalieu was flying next to her.
"You look like a balloon," Darcia remarked as she looked at him.
This was apparently a pleasant scene for her.
"I do not think that Isla's interpretation of this Dungeon is entirely wrong. However, it does raise some questions," said Zadiris in a serious tone, behind where sparks were flying between Isla and Eleanora.
"Questions?" repeated Iris.
"Yes. Among the riddles we have faced so far, there were some that would have been difficult to answer correctly even if one possessed the correct information regarding Zakkart and the others. I wonder how the first challengers from within the Boundary Mountain Range cleared them."
Vandalieu and his companions had information from those who had faced the trial previously, but the first ones to face it wouldn't have had any information at all. Even if they knew the purpose for which Gufadgarn had created the Dungeon, wouldn't it have been impossible for them to answer every riddle correctly?
"The first challengers were the Dark Elf king Gizan-dono and other knowledgeable individuals such as the Noble-born Vampires who are secluded in Vida's Resting Grounds," said Iris, remembering the words of her second father Godwin and the other Majin who had faced the trial before. "Thus, they were able to clear most of the riddles… Father boasted that when they were wrong, he and some others made their way through with their physical strength alone."
"I see. It was a golden team made of the Boundary Mountain Range's intelligent people, such as the specialists regarding the champions, and the most powerful fighters. That makes sense," said Zadiris.
As Isla said, even if the riddles were answered incorrectly, it was possible to proceed as long as the challengers could overcome the monsters and traps that appeared. Godwin and his companions would have gleefully slaughtered the monsters and destroyed the traps calmly.
And then they had passed on their information and experiences to the challengers who came after them.
"I am more interested in the Five-colored Blades, the ones who are said to be the only challengers from the outside to return from the trial alive," said Basdia, joining in on the conversation.
But even Iris didn't know anything about that. "It seemed that they did not release any details regarding the Trial of Zakkart, so… the only thing that I have heard is that they told everyone that those weaker than them would only die meaningless deaths in the trial," she said.
"I see," said Basdia. "Well, Van should be able to ask Gufadgarn or the spirits of those who have died in the Dungeon."
As she said that, the stairs leading to the next floor came into sight.
And so, the party cleared about thirty floors in ten days.