The Trial of Tarosque (2)
Ruuuumble!
The entire imperial palace shook violently, as if a massive earthquake had struck.
Pillars groaned and warped, and dust accumulated over thousands of years began to rain down from the ceiling.
“Look at the wall...!”
Natalia Koshat shouted, shining her flashlight toward the wall.
The section that had been a plain wall just moments ago was slowly splitting open.
Soon, the thick stone slabs slid to the left and right, revealing a new space in the gap.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Two corridors.
Branching out from the central hall where we stood, a long, dark corridor stretched deep into the shadows on both the left and right.
A chilling aura seeped from their entrances, like the gaping maws of monsters waiting to swallow us whole.
"I shall announce the rules of the trial."
Just then, the low, heavy voice of Emperor Tarosque echoed throughout the imperial palace.
"You will stand before two paths. Divide into two groups and choose your respective paths."
“...”
"Countless threats lurk within each corridor. Traps, monsters, and trials that will test your will and solidarity."
After a brief pause, the Emperor declared in an imposing voice:
"Should even one group fail, the other will also be trapped here for eternity. This means the survival of one is directly linked to the fate of all."
“...”
"Distribute your numbers as you see fit. However, bear in mind that a choice once made can never be undone."
As the Emperor's declaration ended, a brief silence settled over the palace.
Everyone seemed to be processing the details of the trial they had just heard.
Two corridors. Two teams.
Different trials awaited each, and if even one team failed, everyone would die.
It was an interdependent trial that could only be cleared if both sides survived.
Having reached that conclusion, I looked around.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Slowly, everyone turned their eyes toward me in unison.
It was only natural.
After all, I was the one who had led them through every situation up to this point.
The critical decision of team distribution was, of course, my responsibility as well.
'Well, I've already laid out the entire plan anyway...'
I had already devised the most efficient combination, taking into account each person's traits, abilities, and the nature of the trials.
“Targon.”
When I called his name, Strawberry Latte nodded as if he had been waiting.
I proceeded to call out the other names.
“Selena Servich, Natalia Koshat, and Pean.”
“...”
“...”
Those who had been called looked at me quietly.
I pointed toward the right corridor and gave a brief instruction.
“You four take the path on the right.”
They nodded. With the offense and defense properly balanced, the four raised no questions or complaints.
They simply accepted my words in silence and took their positions in front of the right corridor.
At their display of absolute trust, a faint smile played on my lips.
“The rest of you, follow me.”
Biorf, Isaac Berilov, Marcos Koshat, and Adelia. Naturally, the five of us stood together.
“Then, good luck. Let us meet again at the end of the trial.”
“...Yes.”
The team on the right took their first steps.
I watched in silence as they vanished into the darkness. The backs of the four grew increasingly faint.
Once they had completely disappeared from sight, we also began moving toward the opposite corridor.
You have entered Rashutku's Imperial Palace: 'Two Forked Paths - Left'.
Step, step.
The footsteps of the five of us echoed through the empty corridor.
Just a day ago, light conversation would have flowed as we walked, but now, even breathing felt like something to be done with caution.
The corridor was quite wide.
It was a passage large enough for five people to walk abreast without feeling cramped.
Yet, as open as the space was, a heavy silence and a chilling energy emanated from it.
“...”
Marcos looked up at the ceiling, and I followed his gaze.
A faded, ancient ceiling mural came into view.
A cloudless, brilliant blue sky. It must have been a dazzlingly beautiful sight once.
But now, it was different.
Purple flames flickered from the torches lined along the corridor.
As the light cast upon the ceiling, the faded sky was dyed a ghastly violet. It was as if even the sky had succumbed to the silence and madness dwelling in this space.
“...?”
We paused. It was after we had walked for quite some time.
Adelia, who was leading the way, suddenly came to a halt.
“...It's a dead end.”
At the end of the corridor, a single door stood in isolation.
But what caught our attention first was the marble sculpture placed before the door.
It was a circular disc.
An ominous face was carved onto its surface.
It seemed to mimic someone's face, but its features were blurred, worn down by time.
Strangely, however, its expression remained vivid.
A twisted, mocking smirk, as if sneering at whoever stood before it.
“Hmm?”
Biorf tilted his head.
“There seems to be some writing beneath that face...”
“I'll take a look.”
Marcos stepped forward.
Adjusting his glasses, he began to meticulously read the ancient characters engraved beneath the disc.
Having relied on me all this time, it seemed he wanted to pull his own weight for once.
This, too, felt very much like the game.
“The sentences are straightforward, so I can translate them right away.”
In the lore of Lost Elder, ancient languages were broadly divided into two categories.
One was a highly encrypted, complex format that took an immense amount of time to decipher.
The other was a simple format where each character could be directly substituted with modern common tongue for intuitive translation.
'The riddles on Rashutku's map and stone gates belonged to the former.'
And...
The text beneath the disc we faced now naturally belonged to the latter.
I could easily translate it myself. It was thanks to spending twelve years digging into the game and mastering the so-called 'Simple Ancient Language.'
Because of that, whenever I went to player meetups, I would half-jokingly claim that I spoke eight languages, counting the ancient tongue of Lost Elder.
...For the record, the other seven were Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and Persian.
'Anyway.'
Just then, Marcos, who had been studying the disc closely, began reading the contents aloud to us.
1. Seal the hearing of a designated individual among those who chose the left path for 3 hours.
2. Seal the hearing of a random individual among those who chose the right path for 3 hours.
“...That's what it says.”
Everyone froze. The moment his words ended, their expressions stiffened.
A binary choice.
No matter which option was chosen, someone would suffer a penalty.
'This is the core of the Trial of Tarosque.'
Every time we entered a new room, a choice like this would repeat.
The first few times would be fine. Each team would try to avoid harming the other, even if it meant absorbing the penalty themselves.
But as the trials repeated, the situation would gradually change.
Penalties would pile up, and the team members' abilities would be restricted one by one. The burden would grow exponentially.
When that happened, a certain thought would inevitably creep in.
'Shouldn't the other team sacrifice themselves this time?'
The bigger issue was that the other team would be under the exact same psychological pressure.
What if we endured righteously until the end, only for the other side to throw a penalty at us first? What if that happened right during a critical, life-or-death battle?
'Just thinking about it is terrible.'
In the worst-case scenario, resentment and anger would build between the two teams, whose communication was completely severed, leading the trial itself to ruin.
'It's a subtle and cruel system.'
It was while I was lost in these thoughts.
“Lord Gaon.”
Adelia called out to me.
I snapped my head up, and once again, I saw the party looking at me, waiting for my decision.
“Choosing option one would be best, wouldn't it?”
Adelia cautiously offered her opinion and began to explain her reasoning.
“With option one, we can choose who receives the penalty ourselves. It means we can minimize the risk.”
“...”
“But option two... it's 'random,' not 'designated.' We can't predict who on the other team will lose their hearing, making it a much more dangerous choice.”
They nodded in agreement.
And I, too, shared the same thought.
'You've grown quite smart, Adelia.'
Of course, I had never thought she was foolish. I simply considered her a bit naive about the ways of the world.
But seeing her grasp the core of the matter without fail at every critical moment, her innate intuition was truly undeniable.
'Anyway.'
There was nothing wrong with Adelia's argument.
We could choose the target who would be least affected by the situation, whereas the other team would have to leave it entirely to luck.
What if, by some terrible chance, that random target was Pean?
What if his hearing was sealed?
'...From that moment on, the worst-case scenario begins.'
The other team's strongest asset would be instantly crippled.
Since he was already blind, if his hearing was sealed as well... he would have to rely solely on smell, touch, and the flow of mana to perceive the battlefield.
“We will go with option one.”
As I made the decision, the smirk carved onto the disc twisted even more grotesquely.
The stone face's eyes began to scan the party members one by one.
A gaze that seemed to ask whom we would choose.
I quietly looked at the door ahead.
A large double door.
Amidst the grandeur that resembled the entrance of a high-class banquet hall, a chilling and eerie energy lingered.
The door handle was sculpted in the shape of skeletal lovers holding hands.
“...”
Yes. I knew the trial of that room.
It was a stage where having one's hearing sealed would normally be fatal.
Therefore...
“I will take the penalty.”
Naturally, I had to be the one to shoulder the burden.
Flash!
In the next instant, the eyes of the stone face glowed crimson.
Simultaneously, a strange sensation washed over my ears.
I couldn't hear a thing. It was absolute silence. A deep, unfamiliar quiet, as if I had been cast alone into the middle of outer space.
“—!”
Adelia said something, but I couldn't hear her at all. Only her lips moved soundlessly.
I tapped my ear and moved my lips.
'My hearing is completely cut off.'
Yet, surprisingly, I couldn't even hear my own voice.
It was a bizarre feeling.
I knew I was speaking, but I couldn't verify the sound.
'If you're ready, let's head in.'
Confirming the party's nods, I approached the door.
I grabbed the handle of the skeletal lovers and pushed the door open.
Creeeeak.
As the heavy door slowly opened, the sight of a grand banquet hall was revealed beyond.
At that exact moment.
Piercing through my sealed hearing, a cheerful voice rang in my ears.
"It is good to lose oneself in dance, but one must rest occasionally for the banquet to last!"
Silence.
The moment those words ended, a dreadful silence fell once more.
Yes.
The biggest problem was this 'silence.'
In this cruel banquet hall, the presence or absence of sound decided life or death.
“...”
Even so, the reason I volunteered for the penalty was simple.
A noble heart for the team? A spirit of sacrifice?
'No.'
It was just the most rational choice.
Among the members here, I was the one with the highest probability of clearing this trial even without my hearing.
I understood the structure of this room better than anyone.
I had already faced this trial dozens of times.
And I was an experienced player who had cleared it just as many times.
'And above all...'
Ding!
Super Sensory (Residual)
[Status: Ready]
...Even if I lost my hearing, I had already prepared 'another means' to compensate for it.