Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Trial's Rewards
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(3)
4.
Three chests appeared out of nowhere.
Ullan's group stared at them blankly.
"What are those?"
"Uh, could they be traps?"
Unlike Ivela, whose curiosity was piqued, Silpi eyed the chests with clear wariness.
This reaction wasn't overkill.
Every now and then, while exploring ancient ruins, you'd run into monsters disguised as chests.
'But...'
These weren't monsters.
No hostility, no telltale monster stench.
Just plain old chests.
He was about to point that out when...
"Huh? Something's written on the floor?"
Ivela pointed right in front of the chests.
Desert Kingdom script.
Silpi got right to translating.
"The teamwork of the three heroes shone bright—congratulations on passing the final trial. You are worthy of receiving the rewards."
The chests were the trial's prizes.
Silpi's expression softened in relief. No trap after all.
"So that means..."
"We each pick one?"
Three in the group. Three chests. Perfect match.
As Ullan's eyes lit up...
"Huh? There's writing here too."
Silpi pointed to the edge of the crumbled wall. Unlike before, this was a fairly long passage, like something important had been inscribed there.
"Can you read it?"
"Of course! Translating now!"
She nodded with gusto, then continued.
"To the heroes who have reached the end of the trial, I reveal the way to defeat the Blood Golem. Huh?"
The way to defeat the Blood Golem?
But they'd already taken it down...
Silpi blinked her round eyes. But she pressed on with the translation.
"First, right after the golem awakens, return the accompanying wraiths to the earth. Doing so will weaken the Blood Golem, allowing you to damage it even without a monster bloodstone."
"Hey, weaken it?"
Ivela sounded flustered as she asked.
Silpi looked just as baffled.
"...Only those who possess the bravery to face the Blood Golem, the might to contend with its army of wraiths, and the observation to find this advice can truly overcome the final trial."
She swallowed dryly, then read the final paragraph.
"I hope you discover this advice. The Blood Golem is the ultimate tactical weapon, equivalent to a thousand warriors. Defeating it by any other means is next to impossible..."
That was where the wall inscription ended.
Once Silpi finished translating, a heavy silence fell over the chamber, like cold water had been dumped on them.
This advice was essentially a strategy guide.
A hint for taking down the Blood Golem.
Who'd have thought they'd find it after the battle was already over?
Suddenly, Ivela's eyes widened like a startled rabbit.
"W-wait a sec! So that means..."
Back when they first spotted the Blood Golem...
There was a good chance Silpi had been right.
The advice made it clear: unweakened, it was as strong as a thousand warriors.
The realization hit them both at once.
Ivela and Silpi whipped their heads around.
"How the heck did you beat it?"
"H-how did you beat it?!"
Their gazes locked onto Ullan.
It meant he'd soloed the ultimate tactical weapon at full strength.
Their eyes gleamed, demanding an answer.
Ullan quietly hefted his axe.
"This axe."
"That's..."
"An axe forged from monster bloodstone."
"R-really?!"
Silpi jumped in shock.
"Where did you even get something like..."
"My master gave it to me when I left the tribe. She's an exceptional shaman—probably foresaw something like this."
Ajuh was a mighty shaman.
Just look at her disciple Noa, gifted with precognition. It wasn't a far-fetched guess.
That was Ullan's take.
Once the full story was out...
Ivela and Silpi looked half-convinced.
They'd fulfilled one of the two methods for beating the Blood Golem, after all.
The group turned back to the chests.
Now that they knew these were rewards, all that was left was deciding who picked which.
"From the left: Warrior's Chest, Growth Chest, Scholar's Chest."
"Good thing we get to choose."
Ullan let out a chuckle.
That's when the two girls fixed him with stares.
The message was simple: first pick was his. They wouldn't have made it this far without him.
Ullan caught on and silently accepted their concession.
"I'll take this one."
The red chest—the Warrior's Chest.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he'd felt inexplicably drawn to it the moment he saw it.
Ivela's turn next.
"Then can I have this one?"
"Growth Chest?"
"Yeah. I really felt it this time."
That her skills were still lacking.
Ivela desperately craved growth in her swordsmanship. That's why she chose the Growth Chest.
"Now the last one's..."
"Silpi's share."
The purple chest—the Scholar's Chest.
The smallest of the bunch. Silpi startled at their words and frantically waved her hands.
"Ah! I don't need one. I didn't help at all, so no reward is fine..."
"You helped plenty. You're qualified."
"B-but..."
Silpi hesitated.
Ivela grabbed her hand.
"Just take it. Without you, we couldn't have even read the Desert Kingdom script."
It was the plain truth.
Ullan nodded in agreement.
Silpi blinked her big eyes and asked once more.
"D-did I really help that much?"
"A ton."
The immediate reply left no room for doubt.
Silpi bowed her head.
Her eyes wavered for some reason.
A moment later, she clenched her fist, released it, and broke into a radiant smile.
"Thank you. I'll gladly accept it!"
With that, their rewards were set.
The three opened their chests without a second thought.
Creaaaaak!
As if proving their age, the chests groaned open with a racket.
The instant they spotted the contents...
Ivela's eyes went wide.
"A longsword?"
A sword sheathed in a black scabbard.
At first glance, just your standard longsword.
Shing!
The blade was surprisingly pristine.
Untouched by time, it gleamed like new.
"Not bad."
She swung it experimentally a few times, and the way it molded to her grip was perfection.
A satisfied smile bloomed on her face.
A fine reward. Ivela had never owned a sword that was truly hers before. Just then, Silpi's voice piped up.
"I-I got a ring."
A purple ring matching the chest.
Slipping it onto her right middle finger, Silpi murmured in wonder.
"It fits my finger perfectly. That's wild."
She was right.
It was like it had always been hers.
Ullan's turn was all that remained. Ivela peered at him curiously.
"What'd you get, Ullan?"
"Nothing."
"...What?"
Ivela blurted in disbelief.
But it was true. Ullan's chest was empty. He'd checked every corner—still nothing.
Was it because they thought he hadn't earned a reward?
Silpi hurriedly yanked off her ring.
"Th-then take my ring at least?"
"No need. That's yours."
Ullan shook his head.
It probably wouldn't fit his fingers anyway. He brushed it off casually.
"I don't need a reward. Getting back safe without a scratch—that's the real prize."
He meant it.
Ivela was a hero who'd fight by his side one day, and Silpi was a friend he'd just made. With that, Ullan turned to leave without hesitation.
"Let's go. This path should lead straight..."
To the exit.
That's what he was about to say when...
Ivela's voice halted him in his tracks.
"Hold on, Ullan."
"Hm?"
"You always have a tattoo on your back?"
"Tattoo?"
"Yeah, one this big?"
She cupped her palms together.
About that size.
Ullan looked puzzled. He'd never gotten inked.
That's when Silpi chimed in.
"What if that's the reward?!"
"A tattoo's the reward?"
"Yeah! I read about something like it in a book."
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
The classic scholar's gleam of curiosity.
"It looks just like the 'engravings' that only the greatest warriors of the ancient Desert Kingdom received."
"Engravings..."
"They're patterns imbued with shamanistic magic. Has anything felt different compared to before?"
Different how?
He flexed and stretched, but nothing major.
If anything, the lingering fatigue was gone. But that was probably from absorbing the golem's power source.
Ullan shook his head.
"Nothing's changed."
"No, it has."
A firm contradiction came back.
Ivela's voice.
She strode up and prodded his back with a straight finger.
"Your lats are bigger than usual. And that's not all—your delts, even your triceps..."
"How do you know that?"
"'Cause I'm interested."
Her reflexive answer.
A beat later, she realized how it sounded and backpedaled frantically.
"N-no! I meant muscles! Like, I'm interested in your muscles!"
Her face flushed beet red.
Ullan, meanwhile, stayed baffled.
Why be interested in someone else's muscles? He almost asked, then thought better of it.
Something told him pushing it would make Ivela's crimson face pop like a balloon.
"Well, guess I got a reward after all."
He had no clue what it did exactly.
But no need to worry. He had a capable shaman close by.
'I'll ask Noa.'
She'd probably know what the engraving was. With that reassurance, the group headed down the drafty passage.
At long last, they emerged from the exit.
A familiar landscape unfolded before them.
"Th-this is...!"
"The Mana Spring! We're finally out!"
Ivela and Silpi's faces lit up.
And in the distance, people—likely the rescue team.
A short while later.
Eleven full hours after being swept away by the waves...
Ullan's group successfully escaped.
5.
With their safe return...
The bizarre Mana Spring disappearance incident wrapped up without further incident.
Of course, the three missing persons had to appear before the inspection team and give a full account of what happened inside the spring.
After all the testimonies were done...
As they stepped out of inspection headquarters, the sun was already dipping low.
"Ughhh, I'm gonna die of sleepiness."
"I just wanna crash."
Silpi and Ivela's eyes were sunken hollows.
It was understandable.
Breaking through the trial had been exhausting enough—then came the testimonies, draining what stamina they had left.
But there was good news too.
No classes until Monday, three days from now. The girls planned to head straight to the dorms and pass out.
They arrived at the dorm entrance...
When a familiar face caught their eye.
"Noa."
A girl sitting alone by the fountain.
Noa herself. She jumped up the moment she spotted Ullan. He asked, surprised.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Of course— I was worried. Everything okay?"
"Fought. Won."
Short and sweet.
Noa gave an awkward smile.
Classic Ullan, she thought. That's when Ivela and Silpi called out from behind.
"Ullan, we're heading in."
"M-me too. Great job out there."
The two shuffled off, looking beat.
Stumbling a bit—they must've been wiped. As Ullan waved them off, Noa blinked at their retreating figures.
One reason.
To check what rewards they'd gotten.
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