“Now then, we will begin the second examination.”
The next day, Randia addressed the gathered candidates in the lobby on the tower’s first floor. Five people in total had cleared the first examination and advanced to the second round.
Besides the three—Fana, Anje, and Orion—the remaining two were both men.
One was a blond young man in his mid-twenties. He appeared to be a holy knight. With sword and shield, he could maintain a well-balanced offense and defense, and on top of that he was a highly capable user of healing magic.
The other was a veteran adventurer who looked to be in his thirties. He seemed to possess a rare ability: the power to instantaneously create countless swords and manipulate them at will. A proven powerhouse, he had dispatched even an evil unicorn with relative ease.
“We will now escort you to the examination site. Once we arrived, please do not flee and endure for just thirty minutes. If you manage that, you will pass the second examination and advance to the final test.”
The examinees all tilted their heads in unison.
“Huh? That’s all?”
“Yes, that is all. Quite simple, isn’t it? As previously stated, the examination site is located at the very center—the deepest region—of the Infinite Wasteland. Now then, is everyone prepared?”
Though clearly suspicious, everyone nodded as if steeling themselves. Randia then began to pour strength into her body.
“Haaaaaaaah!”
The next instant, a mysterious gate appeared in the empty air.
“…Whew.”
Randia wiped the sweat from her brow and explained,
“This is something called a Gate, created by my unique ability. By passing through it, one can instantly travel to any designated location. At the moment, it is connected to the deepest region at the center of the Infinite Wasteland.”
The surface of the gateway shimmered like a mirror, making it impossible to see what lay beyond. Without hesitation, Randia stepped forward and leapt straight into it.
“Mm, he disappeared.”
“He’s not behind us either.”
“Let’s go too.”
Following after him, the examinees passed through the gate one by one. At that very moment, the monitor abruptly went pitch black.
“Oh—looks like the connection got cut.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The gate caused them to slip outside the range of the spell. But it’s okay. I put a tracking mark on them. They should be at the deepest point now… ah, there they are.”
The image flickered back onto the monitor.
Beyond Fana and the others, a wall of rock filled the screen.
“A cliff, perhaps?”
“No… this isn’t just any cliff.”
The viewpoint adjusted, pulling back farther and farther. As the adventurers shrank until they looked like tiny specks, the full scope of the scene was finally revealed.
It was a single slab of rock of terrifying scale. It stood nearly two hundred meters tall, and its length likely exceeded three hundred meters.
“Oh? Don’t tell me… it’s that one.”
Lill, who had been watching the monitor alongside us, let out a low growl as if she had realized something.
“That one…?”
“Looks like you’ve figured out what it really is. As expected of a myth-class monster.”
『Anyone who lived in the age of myth would know it. After all, among all living beings, it would not be an exaggeration to call it the strongest of them all.』
Even the Lindwurm trembled in fear.
Then, without warning, the massive rock began to move.
Gogogogogogogogogogo!!
“An earthquake?”
“No—it’s not! That gigantic rock is starting to move!”
“Don’t tell me… this isn’t a rock at all—!?”
Randia nodded grimly.
“You’re right. This is no rock. It is a living creature. In the age of myth, when far more vicious monsters roamed the world than today, it was said to reign as the apex predator—the strongest monster of them all.”
The massive form rose up on four legs, then lifted its head, finally revealing its true nature. Its shape resembled that of a massive hippopotamus, a creature born of the water—yet magnified to an absurd, terrifying scale.
“—Behemoth.”
The Behemoth, newly awakened, opened its enormous jaws and let out a mighty yawn.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOH!!”
The deafening roar was so overwhelming that Fana and the others hurriedly clapped their hands over their ears.
“A normal human’s heart would probably stop just from that.”
“D-did this ship shake just now!?”
“Yeah, it did. It’s far away, but we can even see it from the window.”
“R-really!? What kind of monster is that!? It’s clearly beyond even the Eight-Headed Serpent! How are they supposed to defeat something like that!?”
“There’s no need to defeat it. That old man explained it earlier, remember? The second test is to endure for thirty minutes without running away. In other words, as long as they stay there and don’t die, they pass.”
Randia spoke,
“The examination has already begun. I wish you all the best of luck. I will take my leave for now and return in thirty minutes.”
And with that, he retreated through the gate, leaving them behind.
The gate remained where it was. Presumably, that meant it could be used to flee from this place at any time. Of course, doing so would mean immediate disqualification.
“So all we have to do is stay here for thirty minutes without running away, right? We might not be able to defeat it, but that much should be doable!”
“Mm. We can manage.”
It seemed the Behemoth had finally noticed the insect-like beings at its feet. Raising its right foreleg high into the air, it slammed it down against the ground with all its might.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
“““—!?!”””
A massive crater was carved into the earth, and an enormous wave of soil surged outward like a tsunami.
Before any of them could react, the entire group was swallowed up by the raging muddy current.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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