Chapter 145
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145
“W-Why are you here?”
Hildegard was completely flustered by my sudden appearance. I simply shrugged at her.
“Is there a reason I can’t be here? Helping you form your team was one thing, but this exam is another.”
I confidently stepped onto the palisade and scanned the area. The team I’d chosen for tonight’s raid was Hildegard’s, which had set up its base camp near our position.
Gathered here were Hildegard, her group of followers, and a few other familiar faces. There was that punk Karon, who’d taken the practical exam with me before. And…
“Long time no see.”
“Ugh.”
…even Dandol, the guy whose jaw I’d clocked, was here. I thought he’d been avoiding me ever since he learned his lesson the hard way, but to think we’d meet again like this.
In any case, the group gathered here wasn’t half bad. They seemed like they’d be a decent addition to our forces. They were only easy opponents for me; objectively speaking, they were a capable fighting force.
Shing—.
First, I drew my Azoth Sword, parrying the attacks from the wooden vines that had been assaulting the students. Then, I offered Hildegard a chance to surrender.
“I don't want to waste energy in the middle of the night. Surrender now if you don't want things to get ugly.”
“…”
Fwap—.
Instead of answering, Hildegard snapped her fan open to hide her face. Even with her expression obscured, I knew exactly what she was thinking. From behind her fan, her eyes darted around, scanning the surroundings for any other enemies besides Ciel and me.
After a brief search, she confirmed that only the two of us had invaded and finally spoke.
“…Are you saying the two of you intend to face all of us? All ten of us here are combatants, you know.”
“Hmm.”
Hildegard’s team members tensed up, dropping into combat stances. Indeed, all of them were Companions, not Retainers, meaning they were all combat-ready. This was partly because their individual stats weren’t very high, making the Cost required to hire them low, but…
‘Looks like they did a fair bit of monster hunting along the way.’
I assessed the situation as I glanced at the pile of monster remains off to the side. You could use monster mana stones to replenish lacking Cost, after all. It seemed Hildegard had found her own formula for victory: hunt as many monsters as possible to secure Cost, then use that Cost to maximize the number of combatants.
But that wasn't a very good strategy. It’s far more efficient to secure talented individuals with unique abilities early on than to blindly recruit a bunch of mediocre ones.
“Numbers don’t matter. You’re aware of our competitive rankings, aren’t you?”
My current competitive rank is 66th. Ciel is in the top 100, but her skills are considered to be on par with the top 10. On the other hand, the only person on Hildegard’s team within the top 100 is Hildegard herself. Karon and Dandol are in the mid-to-late 100s and around the 300s, respectively, while the rest of the students are ranked far lower.
Sure, those ranks are impressive among 30,000 students, but it’s not enough to challenge Ciel and me.
I continued, “Even with ten of you, only five or six can put up a decent fight. Ciel can handle that many by herself.”
As I casually placed a hand on Ciel’s shoulder, she closed her eyes and gave a quiet nod. Then she subtly pulled her shoulder away, avoiding my touch.
“…”
I shrugged and said, “Anyway, you’re no match for us.”
At my words, Hildegard frowned and shouted, “How arrogant! No matter how strong you are, you can’t know the outcome without a fight! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Like a true high noble, she chose to resist with spirit. Of course, it didn’t matter much to me either way. It was a bit of a hassle, but it wouldn’t take long.
“If you choose to fight, there’s no need to waste any more time.”
Shing—.
As I raised the Azoth Sword again, Hildegard tensed and took several steps back.
“Urk.”
It seemed that even if she’d decided to fight back, facing me on the front line was too much for her. After all, Hildegard’s abilities specialized in buffing others and reading the battlefield rather than direct combat.
Just then, a male student who had been listening to our conversation stepped forward.
“Hey, Roen. Let’s settle this like men. One-on-one.”
It was Karon, stepping forward confidently to propose a duel. Was it because he held a grudge from our last encounter? I looked at him and smirked.
“Looking for revenge? I hope you’ve gotten better since you tore up your own hand punching an automated golem.”
“…You bastard.”
Karon’s eyes widened as he infused his sword with mana.
Gwoooo—.
A blue aura bloomed from Karon’s blade.
“Oh? Have you reached the level of an Expert?”
“That’s right. After receiving help from Lady Freya, I’ve undergone grueling training. I’m glad I get to show you this power.”
Shing—.
In response, I also raised my Azoth Sword and aimed it at Karon. When I pointed the blade at him, Karon spoke as if he found it absurd.
“Hah, don’t tell me you’re planning to fight me with a sword?”
“Not really. The sword is just its form.”
The Azoth Sword may have the shape of a blade, but its essence is closer to a magical artifact than a weapon.
“Well then, here I come!”
Thump—.
Karon kicked off the ground and lunged at me. Perhaps because he’d reached the level of [Intermediate Swordsmanship], his movements were more agile than before, but…
‘He’s still no match for me.’
Krrk—.
I stabbed the Azoth Sword into the ground, twisted it, and sent a magical current toward Karon.
Crackle—.
Blue lightning sparked as the Enchantment Magic was cast, and simultaneously, the ground in front of me rippled like a wave.
Gurgle—.
“…!”
Karon, who had been charging at me, lost his balance as the ground churned like the sea and fell over.
“Kuh.”
I continued to cast the Enchantment Magic, gathering the surrounding earth to envelop him.
Shwaaa—.
The mass of earth swirled around Karon like a vortex, clinging to him.
“Y-You bastard!”
In the blink of an eye, Karon ended up buried in the ground, looking like a doll made of clay. The sight of him with only his face sticking out of the mound of earth was quite amusing.
Having subdued Karon in an instant, I turned to Dandol, who was watching blankly from the side.
“You want to have a go, too?”
Dandol sighed and shook his head.
“…Forget it. I decided not to cross you again.”
“Good to see you haven’t forgotten your promise. Fine.”
With Karon subdued and Dandol having lost his will to fight, Hildegard herself stepped forward. She clicked her tongue and drew upon the power of the stars to cast [Blessing] on herself.
Woooong—.
“Tch, in that case, I’ll…!”
A brilliant blue flash shone around Hildegard. It was a different form of magic from typical body enhancement spells. Of course, Hildegard’s attack never reached me.
I sent a glance Ciel’s way.
Swoosh—.
In an instant, Ciel appeared behind Hildegard and lightly chopped the back of her neck.
Tap—.
“Ah.”
With a single cry, Hildegard lost consciousness and collapsed. Ciel caught her before she could hit the ground. The team’s strongest members had been taken down in a matter of minutes.
I extended a hand to Hildegard’s bewildered team members.
“Alright, the rest of you, surrender. Don’t make this a hassle.”
Clatter—.
Clank—.
In response, Hildegard’s team members dropped their weapons and raised their hands.
*
Less than an hour after the raid, we had completely absorbed Hildegard’s team.
Total Cubes acquired: 20.
Our base level rose to 6, and the total number of team members, including Retainers, increased to 15. Once the base reached level 6, the shelter we could create with the Cube transformed into a two-story structure. It was almost the size of a small dormitory building.
I liked the size, but the layout was awkward, so I used my [Enchantment] ability to reorganize the position and structure of the rooms within the Cube. The rooms for Ciel and me were made into large, private ones. The rest were separated by gender and appropriately arranged into single rooms.
Also, from base level 6, it became possible to install an additional feature: an ‘outpost’. I set up the outpost on the high ground above the waterfall and gave it to Hildegard and her followers so they could stay comfortably. It was small, but I re-enchanted it into a capsule-hotel style, allowing two or three people to stay comfortably.
After the Cube setup was complete, Ciel came to ask about the Companion formation.
“What will you do about our combat personnel? I believe it’s time we increased the number of Companions.”
“Right.”
Our numbers have grown quite a bit, so it’s inefficient for just Ciel and me to be active. It was time to increase our number of combatants.
‘The Cost I can currently use is 66.’
That’s 60 Cost from base level 6, plus an additional 6 from Ciel’s [Versatility] trait. First, Chepesi costs about 62, so I should hire her first. Then, after replenishing my Cost, it would be good to hire Hildegard or Karon.
‘Automatic Cost recovery is about 5.4 per hour.’
The base hourly Cost recovery is 3. On top of that, Ciel’s [Versatility] trait adds another 0.3. Plus, one of the students I made a Retainer has a Cost recovery bonus, increasing the rate by an additional 2.1. At this rate, it should be fully recovered after a night’s sleep. I’ll hire Hildegard tomorrow.
I called Chepesi over and made her a Companion.
“Chepesi, I’m making you a Companion. From now on, you will act as a combatant.”
She frowned and retorted, “…Are you sure about this? I could attack you.”
“I figured you’d say that. Wear this for now.”
As I handed her a bracelet, Chepesi tilted her head. “What’s this?”
“It’s an artifact that restricts your actions if you show hostility toward me. The electric shock might sting a bit, but it won’t activate unless you have impure intentions.”
“You’re telling me to wear this piece of crap?”
“If you don’t want to, don’t. I can just hire Hildegard instead of you.”
“Then do that.”
Looking quite offended, Chepesi spun around and walked away. I continued, speaking to her retreating back.
“I won’t stop you if you want to keep doing grunt work. Do you want to spend your days digging holes and raising pillars like you did today? Isn’t fighting to your heart’s content better than manual labor? I bet you’re itching for a fight.”
“…”
Chepesi is a battle maniac at heart. Having been born and raised in Jerome, a place that reveres strength, she has a strong combative nature. Furthermore, her disposition isn’t submissive enough to just follow orders and do menial tasks.
No matter what, she’s the princess of a nation. If she has to take orders anyway, she’d choose to go out and fight rather than do chores.
After a moment of hesitation, Chepesi walked back to me and held out her hand.
“Give me the bracelet. It’s not some weird thing that’ll let you control me, is it…?”
“Not interested.”
“…Answering so bluntly is annoying in its own way. Fine.”
Click—.
Chepesi put on the bracelet without another word. Confirming this, I inserted her student ID into the Cube and registered her as a Companion.
Charrr—.
The Cube’s blessing settled upon Chepesi. With this, not only would her attacks now work on targets who possessed a Cube, but she could also steal Cubes from others—except for mine, the host’s.
I returned her student ID and said, “Good. Later, I’ll increase our number of combatants and assign them under your command. Lead them and subdue our enemies.”
“Fine.”
It wasn’t the most reassuring response, but with that, our faction’s first action squad was formed.
*
The center of the jungle island.
Through the dense thicket, many students were moving in a single direction. Their destination was a massive fortress made of Cubes. At the top of the fortress hung a flag emblazoned with a shining cross, symbolizing the Kingdom of Celestia and the Lu Cult.
Currently, Elena’s team was at base level 8.
Total Cubes acquired: 219.
The number of Companions under her was 20. The number of Retainers was well over 200 and was still growing. Although the faction war had only begun two days ago, Elena was already the undisputed number one on this jungle island.
Even now, students were flocking from all over the island, seeking to join Elena’s team. From the top floor of the Cube, Elena looked down at the procession of people that stretched on and on.
“Hmm, everything is proceeding quite smoothly.”
Without her having to lift a finger, students were flocking to join her team based on rumors alone. It seemed they had calculated that rather than fighting other teams and getting eliminated, it was better to join Elena’s team, survive for a long time, and at least earn some survival points.
After all, even as a Retainer, if you stuck with the number one faction for a long time, you could still earn points based on survival time. Rather than struggling to be the head of a snake, they chose to be the tail of a dragon and survive longer.
Elena looked down at them and slowly shook her head.
“Well, personally, I’m not too fond of people who surrender without even trying.”
While she was glad they were surrendering to her team on their own, she personally didn't respect it. It was only natural to feel more drawn to those who challenged themselves and fought to achieve something, rather than those who simply calculated the benefits and readily surrendered.
“Adler, what’s the status of the other teams?”
“Yes, ma’am. A report has come in from the scouts. Currently, the most powerful faction on this jungle island is, of course, our own. Besides us, there are about five or six minor factions that are gradually growing in strength.”
A team of elves and beastkin centered around Kiriel’s aide, Silphiette. A faction from the Eredor Noble Alliance. And an Ishtal faction gathered around one of Freya’s aides, Teon.
Elena nodded as she listened to the report.
“Well, those are all familiar names. Anything unusual?”
“Well, there is also a faction that has formed around Roen and his maid.”
“Oh? Roen is on this island, too?”
At the mention of Roen, Elena’s eyes sparkled with interest. Adler inwardly regretted bringing it up, but seeing Elena’s interest, he had no choice but to continue his explanation.
“Yes, ma’am. Their scale isn’t large, but they’re reportedly cutting down every team they come across. It seems they’re operating by dividing their team into multiple units.”
“Hmm, so he chose to operate with a small elite force rather than increasing his Retainers? That would be cost-effective.”
Retainers consume far less Cost than Companions, but they still consume a little. Elena finished her thought. She didn’t have much to do right now anyway.
Elena rose from her seat and spoke to Adler.
“I’ll go see for myself. Roen’s faction.”
“Ma’am? Then I’ll…”
“No, I’ll go alone. Adler, you stay here and manage things. Well then, I’ll be off.”
Elena smiled brightly, entrusting the base to him.
“…”
Adler watched Elena’s retreating back as she hummed a tune, and he let out a small sigh.