"Let's g-g-go already! Any complaints? Hey, open this iron door!"
The leader pounded on the iron door. His pride was shattered, and he couldn't bear the cold stares from his comrades.
"Is everyone in agreement?"
The man asked, but there was no need for translation. The mercenaries nodded without a word and headed toward the door.
Their spirits were low. Coming here had been a serious mistake. They had hoped for gains from Loop, but their loyalty was wounded, and their money wasted.
"Guys, let's get out of here quickly. Come this way."
The attitudes of the mercenaries were different from before. Though they were disheartened, they knew it would be prudent to be on guard while dealing with the kids.
However, Shirone's group remained impassive, carefully watching the mercenaries.
The magician grew silent and uneasy. The ominous feeling seemed to ring true when Amy spoke coldly.
"Don't we want to leave yet?"
The heads of the mercenaries turned in unison. A variety of emotions crossed their eyes, including anger, confusion, and fear.
At least, the resourceful mage swallowed her anger and spoke in a reassuring tone.
"Why don't you want to leave? It's over, isn't it? We're too tired and don't want to continue."
"That might be your opinion, but once we entered here, we became one. Don't you know? If we leave without considering everyone's opinion, it would be problematic."
The mage was annoyed but had no choice but to humor Amy's wishes for now.
"Fine. I didn't pay attention to that part. Then, let's go."
"Sorry, but that won't work. We have to pass through here and go to Kerugo."
"But there's no way to go! Ah...!"
The woman's face went pale. There was a way.
This was the Chamber of Achievements and Sacrifices. It didn't necessarily require just achievements to prove oneself.
The man with the white tattoo spoke quietly.
"Will you leave or leave someone behind? If you want to prove your skills, pass through the Labyrinth of Time and Space. If you want to prove your sacrifice, send four people as sacrifices to save four."
"Eh? What are you saying?"
As soon as Rian asked, the archer translated. Of course, it was a completely distorted and transformed language.
"Oh, that's strange? I definitely heard this. You can send 4 people at the expense of 4 people."
The archer's eyes were filled with surprise.
"You... knew the native language?"
"What are you talking about? That's what I heard when I first came. Why are you taking us for fools? Can't you even remember what you heard once?"
The archer's mouth hung open. Oh, was that so? Did I not actually...? Wasn't it strange to remember something you heard for the first time?
"Anyway, sacrifice four people. One, two, three, four. Exactly four."
The blood drained from the mercenaries' faces. That girl really intended to sacrifice someone.
Rian and Tess also felt the tension as if they were in a real battle. In particular, Tess trembled in fear when the cute Amy suddenly changed.
"Shirone, is it okay? Hng, Amy is very scary."
"It's okay. She's just doing it on purpose."
"Does that mean on purpose? It doesn't seem like it."
"Just wait and see. Amy will handle it."
The mercenaries looked at each other. If they fought, they would lose. Rian and the warrior were equal, and Tess was stronger than the leader.
Furthermore, they were overwhelmed in the battle of the wizards, and even the presence of an archer was useless against Shirone's photon magic.
"Come on, let's go. These are faces that don't want to sacrifice themselves. Anyway, we have to do our best."
"What the hell is wrong with you? Is it because of what we did at the tavern?"
Amy tilted her head as if rubbing salt into the wound.
"Hm?"
The archer realized that he couldn't ease the situation with an unenthusiastic response. He walked up to where Shirone and the others were and courteously bowed as he spoke.
"I'm sorry! We underestimated you and made a mistake. Please forgive us just this once. Hey, you should come and apologize."
As the archer bowed and turned around, the remaining three also reluctantly approached. However, as it was a matter of life or death, their attitudes during the apology were respectful.
"We're sorry! We were too arrogant. Please forgive us."
"We won't do that anymore. We've learned a lot from this incident. So, can we forget about the mistakes we made at the tavern?"
Amy said, frowning.
"Hmm, I really don't understand. What mistakes are you talking about? Wait, tavern? Do you mean, the tavern we were at? That's strange. Why didn't I see them?"
The mercenaries' faces turned as red as beets. It felt like they were being trampled on the ground, unable to move due to their wounded pride.
This time, even Shirone couldn't help but tremble at Amy's stubbornness.
"If you anger Amy, you'll end up like this."
Among the insults they received at the tavern, Amy and Tess suffered the most.
The time when they were subjected to various humiliations and embarrassed simply for being women. Amy would never forget it, even if decades passed before seeking revenge.
However, in a certain sense, this tenacity to seek efficiency could be called the essence of a wizard.
Even if it wasn't necessary to go that far, the mage was irritated by the fact that she couldn't utilize the advantages granted to her 100 percent.
That's why it's often said that wizards are eccentric. Indeed, many wizards lack human empathy.
But it was precisely because of that tenacity in seeking efficiency that magic had advanced so far and would continue to progress in the future.
"What do you want us to do? Damn it."
The mercenaries didn't know what to do and simply kept their heads down. The sound of grinding teeth seemed to be heard from where they stood.
Only then did Amy get to the main point.
"I have a proposal. If you accept it, we might leave together."
"What...?"
"To enter this place, you need to know a password, right? What is the password?"
The archer realized their intention. These kids were planning to challenge again. After going through numerous investigations and checking enough possibilities, they intended to come back here.
"Keltia, Lo Hoima. Arkasia, Withmia Benzene. That's the password."
"What does it mean?"
"Call my door, and it will open."
Amy looked at the man with white tattoos. Then, she pronounced the ancient language that the archer had told her without a single mistake.
"Keltia, Lo Hoima. Arkasia, Withmia Benzene?"
The natives guarding the exit noticed Amy's intentions and nodded.
The archer was in a bad mood. No, in a way, he was amazed. He was filled with admiration for their meticulous side.
"Damn it! Trust people a little! Do you think I would lie even in this situation?"
"Who said that? There's nothing wrong with being sure. Anyway, I got it. Thanks."
Amy approached her friends with a happy face as if nothing had happened. Tess stuck out her tongue at how her emotions changed like a chameleon.
"So, you were trying to figure out the password? Do you know how tense we were, thinking we might have to fight for real?"
"Haha, anyway, if we're going back again, it's better to know. Anyway, let's get out of here."
When Shirone's group and the mercenaries expressed their intention to leave, the man with white tattoos brought the device to the iron door.
The entrance shook violently, opening the way out.
Just like when they entered, the mercenaries were the first to climb the stairs.
But the atmosphere itself was different from that moment. Everyone hung their heads like defeated soldiers, and no one exchanged words.
Shirone's group was no different; they remained silent.
They couldn't enter the autonomous zone, but that problem could be solved by devising a strategy from now on.
Instead, the idea of the Labyrinth of Time and Space they experienced today complicated their minds.
'Time and Space Labyrinth. Why on earth did Miro create such a device? And why establish such cruel rules? What's in Kerugo? What is the connection between Kerugo and Miro in the first place? I would like to know. Maybe Miro is...'
While Shirone was analyzing Miro, Amy, who followed him, was also immersed in her own thoughts.
There is no single way to investigate the ruins. Let's design all possible strategies. Shirone seems to have his own ideas, but I can't rule out the possibility of exploring the underground through the Spirit Zone. Even if we pass, there's an issue with translation. When we get out, we'll find someone who can translate. I should look for a local who can help.
Tess was deeply impressed by this place too. Particularly, being able to quantify and confirm one's skill was a significant achievement.
The impact of a rapier could be counted more than that of a blunt weapon. But in the end, it still doesn't match up to magic. Can the sword warrior break through that door? If possible, to what extent? Shirone's magic was close to 5000, which means my single strike is about ten times weaker than that. Could dad approximately double the acceptance criteria? Ugh, if only I knew the pass line, I could set a goal. Since Shirone said we would return, I'll have to go and investigate more.'
Rian, who followed behind them, also remained silent. He furrowed his brow, indicating he was lost in his thoughts.
'What should we eat when we get out?' (T/N: Lmao)
After walking for about 30 minutes, Shirone and the others reached the surface altar.
When they knocked on the door from inside, the native opened the door, but the group was still tense due to the problem they experienced underground.
As they exited, the refreshing air cleansed their lungs. Although only a few hours had passed since they started their journey, the sun in the sky seemed different, as if it didn't belong to today.
Shirone's group and the mercenary group split in opposite directions. However, they didn't vanish from each other's sight. Shirone's group wanted to savor the experience, while the mercenaries were on the brink of collapse.
Shirone organized the events.
"What should we do now? It was more successful than expected, so do we conclude today's exploration of the ruins with this?"
Amy also agreed.
"Let's do it. I've been working hard for a while and I'm tired. We should head back early and make a plan."
Rian spoke as if he had discovered something amazing.
"Before that, how about eating a bowl of noodles? That place earlier was good."
Tess gave Rian a threatening look.
"Do you eat noodles over and over? At least eat some cold noodles with me. That's why you're so simple."
"What's weird about that? I put a lot of thought into making that decision!"
"And so what? You just go in circles."
While Rian and Tess argued about the menu, the mercenaries approached. Shirone and the others stopped talking and looked at them.
There were warriors, mages, and archers, but the leader was missing, nowhere to be seen.
The mercenaries hesitated to speak and exchanged glances. Finally, the mage was reluctantly chosen as their spokesperson and stepped forward.
However, even she seemed uncomfortable, taking quite some time before speaking.
"Um... Would you be interested in joining our mercenary group?"
"A mercenary group?"
"Yes. You see, there are many good things about being a mercenary. You can earn a lot of money along with fame. Especially with your skills, you'll become a star immediately. As you can see, our leader has just left, so... Oh, of course, you can be the new leader if you want. If you give us orders, we'll follow them without hesitation, and if other people join, we'll treat them very well. How does that sound to you?"
Shirone looked into the mage's bright eyes. And he said it immediately, as if he hadn't even thought about it.
"No, thank you."
After saying that, he turned around and left, and his friends followed Shirone without regret.
"Let's go eat noodles. They were delicious, right?"
"No. You're just doing that because you want to fill your stomach first. If you hold on a bit, you can eat something much tastier."
The mercenaries stared at Shirone and the others.
The mage's face turned sad, and a sigh mixed with sorrow escaped her lips.
"Ahhh, my wretched life."