Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Miro's Spacetime (5)
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The mage returned with a serious expression. She then created a sphere of fire between her palms.
Unlike Amy's, it was a single sphere, which would make it much easier to increase its density.
*'So she's going to focus her firepower? She's really desperate to win.'*
As Amy expected, the mage was tense. Of course, she had never calculated the power of her magic numerically, so she had no idea what score she would get.
But no matter how she thought about it, it seemed unlikely she could score three times that of Electric Arrow.
"Taha!"
The mage thrust her hands forward violently.
In the Spirit Zone, under a mage's control, inertia is negated, so there's no need for special motions when casting spells.
The fact that she took a firing stance was a sign of her desperate struggle to increase her concentration, even by a little.
Amy followed the fireball with her eyes. As Miro's Spacetime engulfed the fire, a vortex of flames raged.
The mage watched the orb with eyes full of expectation. But a moment later, her face crumpled.
The score was 1,330. It was only 310 points higher than Electric Arrow.
To a swordsman, who was evaluated purely on physical ability, this was a huge difference, but in the realm of magic, which manipulates phenomena, it was more or less the same.
"N-No way. No! It's because the firepower was dispersed. I can score at least 2,000."
No one responded to the mage's voice.
The gap was just too large. No matter what she did, she couldn't surpass Amy's score.
The archer thought it was already impossible to pass this place. The red-haired girl who had scored over 3,000 was likely the most skilled person here.
Even the mage, called a prodigy in the mercenary world, scored 1,330. For someone to display more than twice her magical power meant she possessed the greatest talent among her peers, at the very least.
Rian and Tess were thinking along the same lines.
It wasn't that they underestimated Shirone's skill, but Amy was his senior at the academy. Since she, a graduating student, had failed, they predicted it would be difficult for Shirone to do any better.
The only person who didn't think this was the end was Amy.
"Shirone, you have to be serious. Maybe I failed by just a small margin."
"Okay. I'll do my best."
The leader sneered, his lips twisting.
"Hah! What's the point of doing your best? It's the results that matter. It's already over. Let's just pack up and go back."
Shirone realized something from the leader's attitude, giving up without even trying. Miro's Spacetime, called the Angel's Eye. For what purpose could she have created such an altar?
But for now, he had to set aside that fleeting insight. His priority was to focus on the matter of the altar.
Shirone closed his eyes and executed the sequence. A faint point of light was born in front of him. Then, countless photons rushed toward the center, increasing its size.
"W-What is that? Photon output? How is he going to create any impact with that?"
The mage said, dumbfounded. Nevertheless, the reason she couldn't take her eyes off Shirone was because of a power not seen in ordinary photon output.
The moment Shirone finished the sequence and snapped his eyes open, a fist-sized white sphere began to vibrate as if it were about to burst with rage.
Shirone gritted his teeth and fired the Photon Cannon. The beam of light, traveling at sub-light speed, struck Miro's Spacetime as if to shatter it.
Even the mercenaries, who hadn't expected much at first, were captivated by the beauty of the flash and waited for the score with trembling hearts.
4,783.
When the unexpected number appeared, everyone's eyes widened.
The mage and the archer, who had some knowledge of magic, were especially astonished. This was because the spell Shirone had cast was none other than photon output.
Light has no special firepower. There is only impulse, defined by the product of speed and mass.
And yet, he had scored 4,783. To put it in perspective with their comrades, it was equivalent to the impact of 20 warriors who had chosen a strength-enhancing build striking with all their might.
"W-What in the world are they?"
The mercenaries were starting to feel uneasy. They didn't know the principle behind Shirone's magic, but they had to assume that none of their comrades could withstand a direct hit.
But they had no time for other thoughts. Despite the incredible power of the strike, Miro's Spacetime defiantly glowed red, signaling a failure.
Shirone felt his strength drain away. What on earth was this orb made of?
Perhaps 5,000 was the passing threshold. But it seemed impossible to increase the power of the Photon Cannon any further.
"I wish I could try just one more time."
Amy covered her mouth and laughed as if she had been waiting for him to say that.
"Ho ho! Now you know how I feel, right? I felt the same way. But really, what score do we need to pass?"
"I don't know. I think it might work if I try with a laser."
"Ah, that's right! A laser can accumulate energy."
Shirone's laser vibrated molecules to generate greater destructive power over time. In theory, there was nothing it couldn't destroy, making it perfect for this kind of evaluation.
"But there are others waiting. I'll have to try after everyone's had a turn. What are you doing? Aren't you going?"
Shirone said to the leader. But he just stood there with a sour look on his face.
Seeing the scores skyrocket with each turn, he couldn't bring himself to step forward. As a swordsman, the best score he could manage would be around 200 points.
"Tch! Forget it. It's already over! There's nothing left but to go back."
The leader walked hastily toward the entrance. But no matter how much he turned the handle, the iron door wouldn't budge.
As the puzzled group turned around, the man with the white tattoos spoke.
"You are one. If one person has been evaluated, all must be evaluated. You cannot return before then."
After hearing the archer's translation, the group finally understood. It was a rule that required not just unified will, but also unified action.
"Ah! This is so annoying! Why do they keep making us do something that's obviously pointless?"
Complaints poured endlessly from the leader's mouth. But to get out of this place, he had no choice but to prove his skill.
*'I see. This is a truly cruel rule.'*
A chill ran down Shirone's spine.
How could he not have realized it until now? All the rules the man with the white tattoos had explained were based on a single premise.
Trust between comrades.
When he thought about it, it was a truly strange method of evaluation. In terms of firepower alone, mages had a much greater advantage than swordsmen.
But that absolutely did not mean swordsmen were weaker than mages. Even if a mage could shatter rocks and split the earth, swordsmen were specialists in biological combat who could cut down that mage with a single stroke.
Moreover, measuring the power of magic was also a problem. If Amy, who specialized in long-range magic, had tried her sniper mode, she would have scored much higher. But this place didn't account for such variables.
A narrow octagonal altar where one couldn't use any special means, and eight orbs.
*'Why eight? Just to balance the appearance? But in reality, the eight of us were evaluated using only one orb, weren't we?'*
The strangest thing of all was the divine language. Miro's Spacetime measures impact and displays the value as a number.
But why? What meaning could that have?
If it was to distinguish those who could go to Kergo, wouldn't a simple pass or fail suffice?
The scores vary wildly depending on one's specialty. And in that situation, a system where everyone must be evaluated.
The emotion that arises from that is singular.
*'An obsession with scores. When a comrade gets a higher score, you become anxious. When they get a lower score, you look down on them. Without a perfect understanding of each other's roles, discord is inevitable. And what awaits at the end of that rule is...'*
One person can be sent through by the sacrifice of one person.
Shirone took a sharp breath. What in the world was Miro thinking? This was an evaluation designed to make them kill each other.
"Shirone, let's just leave after that guy is done."
Amy whispered. As if she had the same thought, tension was visible in her eyes.
Rian and Tess also wore serious expressions, as if they sensed something was wrong.
As people who emphasized camaraderie, it was natural for them to be sensitive to this atmosphere, and since the evaluation was clearly disadvantageous to swordsmen, they would have quickly grasped the intention behind the rules.
As expected, the leader didn't know what to do. He could feel that the way his mercenary comrades looked at him was different than before.
"Hoo, hoo, uwaaaaah!"
The leader charged without even a moment to catch his breath. He was rushing forward, but to Shirone's eyes, it looked as if he were running away from something.
Was his Schema properly open? Where was his sword positioned? How far was the target? Running without knowing any of this, his steps became tangled.
He took a short, sharp breath and swung his sword as if he were falling, and the inaccurate blade struck the side of the orb and bounced off.
"Kuh! Damn it!"
The leader, who was about to step off the altar past Miro's Spacetime, hurriedly regained his balance and turned around.
The number 32 was displayed.
But no one laughed. His comrades' faces were stiff, as if they had suffered a great humiliation.
"W-What does it matter! It's not like we were going to pass anyway! I did it, so that's enough, right? Let's just go!"
The leader threw a pointless tantrum and left the altar. But his steps took him to a spot away from his comrades.
*'That party is finished. They'll probably disband after they leave this place.'*
Shirone thought it was time to call it quits. It was a shame he couldn't try again, but he couldn't do anything more with the mercenaries whose trust had been broken.
"Excuse me... could you translate for me?"
Shirone asked the archer. Even if they were leaving, there was one thing he wanted to confirm.
The archer, perhaps feeling dejected by the current situation, readily agreed.
"Sure. What should I ask?"
"Has anyone ever passed through this gate before?"
The man with the white tattoos nodded firmly.
"It is a gate meant to be passed. It is not a trap."
"What score do we need on Miro's Spacetime to pass?"
"The eight eyes of the angel will judge you."
The man repeated what he had said at the beginning. In the end, it meant Miro's Spacetime decided everything.
Shirone thought for a moment before asking his final question.
"Among the people who have come here, what is the pass rate?"
"I do not know precisely. Sometimes many come, sometimes one comes. From what I have observed, it seems one in ten attempts succeed. The success rate tends to be higher when they come alone."
Shirone was startled. The rate was much higher than he had expected.
At first, he thought there might be no one who passed. That was because he had assumed Miro's purpose in designing this place wasn't simply to evaluate skill.
Of course, that thought hadn't changed. But the man with the white tattoos had clearly said there were people who passed. And at an incredible rate of ten percent.
A smile formed on Shirone's face, but the corners of his lips trembled. A shiver of thrill ran up his spine.
"Shirone, what's wrong all of a sudden?"
"The Headmaster... is a real rascal."
"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Amy asked back, puzzled, but Shirone was not in a state to answer. It was as if he could hear Alpheas's voice like an auditory hallucination.
-You should be able to get a rough idea of the kind of world Miro lives in.
He didn't have a rough idea; he knew for sure. It meant that if he couldn't pass a trial of this level, he shouldn't even try to learn about Miro.
*'I'm sorry, Headmaster. But I've figured it out.'*
Shirone did not give up. He was determined to pass through this place within the duration of his journey.
Amy looked at the silent Shirone and guessed.
*'You haven't given up, Shirone.'*
In that case, she wouldn't give up either. At first, she had come along just to help Shirone, but now, she genuinely wanted to know about this woman named Miro.