Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Fixer Exam, Is This Really Okay? (5)
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Reverse Mountain was an artificially created mountain range.
A masterpiece of humanity, crafted over more than a decade by hundreds of brilliant mages and thousands of scholars.
The mountainous region, spanning several kilometers, was filled with flora and fauna from another world.
It was no exaggeration to say that a part of a destroyed otherworld had been transplanted here.
In fact, most of the rare ingredients used in the first assignment had been sourced from this very place.
Whether for research or species preservation, Reverse Mountain's value was immense.
There was a reason the Fixer Association strictly prohibited any outside access.
If they let people in freely, all sorts of poachers would make an absolute mess of the place.
It was a necessary measure to protect its value from human greed.
‘That’s why nights on Reverse Mountain are quite dangerous. It’s when the ferocious otherworldly carnivores roam. They’re on a completely different level from mundane animals like wolves or bears that don’t even have mana.’
And perhaps to exclude civilians and replicate the otherworldly environment as much as possible, all sorts of dangerous carnivores were not uncommon throughout Reverse Mountain.
Animals imbued with mana were far more powerful and vicious than those from Earth.
For that reason, Reverse Mountain was considered one of the more dangerous places on the planet.
Of course, if a real crisis arose and someone was about to be eaten, the staff would intervene.
But that meant forfeiting one’s status as a candidate and withdrawing from the exam.
There were even occasional cases of candidates losing their lives after stubbornly insisting they didn’t need help.
‘In short, it’s supposed to be something like the most dangerous mountain in the world. But looking at this… I’m starting to have my doubts.’
A dangerous wilderness where even an active Fixer could end up in a hospital bed if they weren't careful.
But what unfolded before my eyes was a gruesome scene that completely dispelled such thoughts.
A giant eagle, over three meters tall, rolled lifelessly on the ground, its head torn off.
An emerald tiger, its waist split open, vomited blood that shimmered like jewels.
A flame monkey, its heart pierced by a tree branch, died on the spot.
It was a horrific scene that could have made someone with a weak stomach faint instantly.
Grotesque, in a way that might haunt one's dreams.
The sight of scattered blood and viscera was reminiscent of a sadistic crime scene.
Yet the one responsible for it all seemed unfazed, merely blinking at me nonchalantly as she spoke.
“My, you startled me, so I ended up using magic. Are you hurt anywhere, sweetie?”
“…”
I nodded in response to Vespera’s question.
She had unleashed her magic the moment the beasts appeared.
Physically, there was no way I could have been hurt even if I wanted to.
In a way, you could say she had helped me.
Those mana-infused beasts were somewhat more dangerous than ordinary animals.
It wasn't that I had no chance with a blade, but it would have been quite risky.
However, I couldn't help but feel a cold sweat trickling down my back as my tension rose.
She had no hesitation, no emotion, in taking a life so cruelly.
That awareness emanated from her actions with chilling clarity.
‘Her sensibilities are definitely twisted. Just because someone is nice to you doesn’t mean they’re a good person…’
It was like this, for example. Say a rat suddenly fell from the ceiling.
The filthy, unclean rat is an unpleasant intruder in one's space.
Therefore, taking its life isn't a major issue.
But even when killing a rat, one would typically use indirect methods like poison.
Or an electric trap, to get it over with.
No matter how unpleasant the intruder, killing it gruesomely is also unpleasant.
You’d want to end its life in a way that causes the least amount of discomfort.
But what if someone went out of their way to stomp on the immobilized rat’s head until it burst?
Or burned it alive to make its death as horrific as possible? Or stabbed it repeatedly with a knife?
If that were their habit, it would be impossible not to feel a sense of unease, even revulsion.
Especially if you were in a position akin to a pet hamster.
‘One wrong move, and the other candidates could end up just like that…’
Vespera was a True Ancestor who regarded humans as mere food.
If her opponents had been human instead of beasts, she would have killed them with similar brutality.
She had always done so, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and she would continue to do so.
There was a rule that intentionally causing a candidate’s death would lead to disqualification, but still.
If a candidate were to get on her bad side… it was all too obvious what would happen.
I really couldn’t let my guard down.
Having organized my thoughts, I quietly followed Vespera as she strolled leisurely down the path.
A path now littered with blood and guts, from which even the beasts that had been wary of me had fled.
Following her, I felt as if I, too, were becoming some kind of monster.
“I smell something around here… Ah, found it.”
“?”
How far had we ventured into Reverse Mountain on that chilly, late night?
Vespera, who was starting to look bored, spoke up as she gazed at something.
I quickly turned my head in the direction of her gaze.
Sure enough, a faint light flickered in that direction.
Starting a fire in a dark mountain like this… it was common sense that the light would be visible for kilometers at night.
I was momentarily taken aback by the other party's complete lack of tension.
‘Don't tell me… it’s Alice or David, is it?’
Thinking about it, the possibility wasn't that low.
If they were confident in their skills, there would be no reason to hide.
I could only pray that the owners of that light were not Alice or David.
And as if my prayers had reached the heavens…
As I followed Vespera and closed the distance to the light, I was relieved to see that it was a group of male candidates.
“How carefree. They don't look very strong either… Sweetie, wait here, okay? I’ll be right back… Huh?”
“!”
I urgently grabbed the hem of Vespera's clothes as she was about to move away to take care of them.
I had no idea what would happen if I let this person go alone.
Could she suddenly go on a massacre just because she was in a bad mood? I couldn't rule out that possibility.
And what if someone I knew got caught up in it by bad luck?
Staying close would give me a better chance to influence the situation, one way or another.
In other words, this was a conclusion reached after serious consideration of the circumstances.
It was not a childish whim or an impulsive act, but a highly calculated move.
But did she interpret my actions differently?
Vespera looked down at me with the same gaze one might give an anxious puppy.
Then, with an air of great affection, she gently stroked the top of my head and said.
“Right, you don’t want to be away from me, do you? Then stay by my side and watch me do my cool work. Got it?”
“…”
This is strange. Isn't her favorability toward me increasing noticeably?
Slightly bewildered by Vespera’s almost completely disarmed demeanor, I nodded as if to say I understood.
I was nothing but wary, terrified of what she might do.
It seemed that by meddling in one thing or another, I had unknowingly raised her affection for me.
Perhaps because she could see through my disguise, she felt a sense of familiarity just by looking at my face.
A face that could charm even the world's worst criminal. Hiding it was definitely the right choice.
“Ah… a bust. Those are red. I need two blue ones… Tsk, still, it's a hassle, so I might as well get rid of them.”
“What the, who is this chick…”
“Hey, look. The white mark on her chest. They’re from the White Team!”
“Phew! Two pieces of prey just waltzing right up to us. Lucky!”
As we got closer, it turned out the candidates around the fire were from the enemy team. There were seven of them.
I didn't recognize any of their faces, so they were probably all just extras.
Vespera was a walking disaster on Reverse Mountain right now.
These guys probably wouldn't have passed the final stage anyway. They were just unlucky, I thought.
“Sweetie seems a little sensitive to gory stuff. Should I go a little easy this time? Like this?”
“Huh? What do you mean—Kegh!”
“Ma-magic! It’s non-incantation magic! Get that woman first—Gyaaaah!”
“A m-monster…!”
What followed was nothing short of a one-sided beatdown.
Even without her signature blood magic, she was an exceptionally skilled mage.
She sent the candidates flying with wordless blasts of wind.
They were knocked unconscious, unable to even put up a proper fight as their heads slammed against the ground and trees.
Was she at least conscious of the rule not to kill?
Vespera seemed to be exercising some self-control, adjusting her power.
But their arms were bent in unnatural directions, and they landed headfirst on the ground.
She was still inflicting critical injuries that would take at least half a year to heal, if they ever healed at all.
A vampire without a human heart, indeed.
The candidates writhing on the ground, screaming and crying, were truly pitiful.
But what could be done? They should consider themselves lucky not to be dead. I just hoped they would make a swift recovery.
“Seven red marks… and three white ones. Still no blue… This means I have to keep wandering around. What a pain.”
“!”
I started jumping up and down on the spot next to Vespera, who had a look of annoyance on her face.
If her mood soured, she might use more force and accidentally kill a candidate.
It was a very calculated cheer for the sake of Vespera’s mental well-being.
And it seemed to be enough of a comfort.
Vespera, who had been leaning toward displeasure, seemed to regain her motivation to search some more.
Hey, Fixer Association, are you watching?
I’m protecting the lives of the candidates right now.
So how about a special pass? Just kidding, of course.
“N-no way! I’m wearing ten anti-magic rings! There’s no way magic should… Gyaaaah!”
“Ah, what a nuisance you’re wearing. I should just cut off your hands so you can’t pull this crap again…”
“!”
The second candidate we found while roaming Reverse Mountain was, surprisingly, from the Blue Team.
A swordsman with a Japanese sword who introduced himself as a so-called "mage hunter."
His secret was none other than anti-magic rings that resisted magic. Ten of them.
But as if those would work on Vespera.
Slowly escalating the power of her magic, she slammed him down with a powerful gust of wind.
The swordsman’s arms and legs were broken, and he could do nothing but collapse on the spot.
Perhaps because the anti-magic rings were extremely unpleasant for a mage like Vespera…
She summoned blades of wind, ready to sever the hands of the already fallen candidate.
But when I clung to her, pleading for her not to, she hesitated for a moment before dispelling the blades.
She must have chosen to maintain my favorability over a moment of angry retribution.
“Oh my. This man is carrying two Blue Team marks? Did he betray someone? Well, not bad.”
For some reason, the swordsman was carrying two Blue Team marks.
Did he backstab his own teammate? I had no way of knowing the circumstances.
But the good thing was that we had met our quota without needing to search for another target.
Now all that was left was to wait until 5 PM tomorrow.
Relieved that nothing major had happened, I let out a silent sigh of relief.
After that, nothing else happened.
By the time we returned to the shelter we had found earlier, it was already 2 AM.
My eyes felt heavy, and I was getting drowsy.
‘I could stay awake if I had to… For now, I’ll pretend to sleep.’
I let myself fall onto the blanket I had laid out in the shelter.
Then Vespera, who was sitting on a nearby stump quietly gazing at the moonlight, spoke.
“Trying to sleep, sweetie? Hehe… I’ll watch over you, so get some deep sleep. I’ll protect you.”
“…”
I let my body go limp as if I were dozing off, then gave a weak nod to thank her.
Then I lay down comfortably again and slowly closed my eyes.
One minute, two minutes… soon, ten minutes passed.
As I feigned sleep, breathing regularly…
Vespera, who had been watching me quietly in the darkness, rustled as she got to her feet.
“Well then… I think I’ll go out for a bit…”
Go out where?
My ears perked up, and I focused my consciousness on her as she left the shelter.
One step, two steps, three steps…
When Vespera was far enough away that I could no longer hear her footsteps…
And when I thought she was far enough not to notice my movements…
I shifted my body as if tossing and turning in a dream, naturally sliding one hand into my pocket.
‘Echo. You there? I have a favor to ask.’
[ Yes, just say the word. ]
‘Hack Vespera’s watch—the one who just went outside. It’ll make a sound, so they’ll find out… If she has any conversations, I want you to filter them and relay them to me.’
[ I will do as you command. ]
Echo was an Invader's device in the form of a terminal.
It could function perfectly well even when its power was off.
Meaning, it could hack other devices without being detected, just like it was doing now with the watch on my wrist.
Well… using it like this would inevitably consume more energy than usual.
But considering the advantage of not being detected by outsiders, it was a price worth paying.
And before long, as if Echo had succeeded in its hacking…
Vespera's words, converted into Echo's voice, reached my ears.