[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
A seasoned and cunning adventurer.
That was how he evaluated Tesila Windroar.
‘Maybe because she’s an adventurer, her judgment is quick. And she’s not bad at setting up the board either.’
But precisely because of that, there were parts he simply could not understand.
“I have two questions.”
“Ask as many as you want. What are you curious about?”
“How can you trust me enough to make a proposal like this?”
In his view, barging into someone else’s theme required at least a minimum amount of trust.
And naturally, that trust was based on skill.
The kind of skill that made you think, This person probably won’t fail the dungeon~.
Oscar’s gaze turned toward the still boisterous crowd.
‘That marketplace formed for the same reason.’
They were buying strength they deemed trustworthy with money.
Of course, in that regard, his own ability was already somewhat guaranteed.
Tesila, who had seen him at the Night of Mages, would know that best.
After all, in the span of just one year, he had risen from a level 4 intermediate mage to a level 7 high-ranking mage.
‘Naturally, she could’ve learned about me through the news or articles.’
Still, that was a different matter from staking one’s life on certainty.
People frequently exposed to life-and-death situations.
The stronger they were, the more firmly they trusted what they had personally seen and felt.
“Hm? I told you already. I’ve had good instincts since I was little.”
“...That’s your entire reason?”
“Yep.”
“And if those instincts are wrong, and I fail the dungeon and we both end up trapped?”
“Then that’d be unfortunate, I guess. Besides, do you really think talent like yours would rot away forever? Even if it took a while, you’d get out in one or two years at most.”
Tesila replied while innocently blinking her eyes.
“...I see. My next question is about compensation.”
“Compensation? I already said I’d give you the Windless Zone.”
“But if I succeed in the dungeon, I might end up obtaining the Windless Zone myself.”
“Uh....”
Apparently she hadn’t considered that part, because Tesila scratched her head.
“Mmm~ true. I really didn’t think about that. I just assumed I’d definitely take first place....”
The rewards in this dungeon were not based on relative ranking, but on an absolute score system.
Naturally, whichever side reached 100 points first would obtain the Windless Zone.
Which meant there was a possibility that he could acquire the Windless Zone before her.
Tesila nodded and opened her mouth.
“Alright. If you get the Windless Zone before I do, I’ll give you something else. What do you want? Money? An artifact?”
“Hmm.”
Oscar folded his arms.
Money?
He already had more than enough.
Artifacts?
Certainly, as a top-class adventurer, she must possess a wide variety of them.
‘But is there really any point?’
It had already been a long time since he relied on the power of tools.
Just as Oscar failed to find a reason to trade with her, Tesila read the atmosphere and smiled brightly.
“Doesn’t seem very tempting?”
“Yes. To be honest, I don’t really need money or artifacts.”
“Mmm~ got it. Then how about I make this deal a little more appealing?”
Then she turned her head and looked toward the people in the middle of trading.
“You know those deals over there. Don’t you think problems might arise?”
“Problems?”
From what he could see, both buyers and sellers were satisfied.
If so, there shouldn’t really be any reason for problems to occur....
“...!”
Soon realizing something, Oscar frowned.
“I see. So that’s why you’re barging in.”
“You catch on fast. That’s right.”
Tesila continued speaking with a grin.
“As you probably noticed, people barging in don’t actually need the other person’s permission. They can just enter. Nobody’s going to intentionally stop progressing their dungeon just because someone they dislike entered.”
That was true.
The owner of a theme had no right to reject intruders.
They could simply force their way in.
“Then here’s the question. Do those transactions really have no meaning? If you think about it, even after paying money to buy a theme, a third party could just barge in first.”
“The seller will probably choose buyers while taking that possibility into account.”
The moment he finished speaking, Mason of the Dragon Sword Clan raised his voice loudly.
More than a dozen people had gathered in front of him.
“Those gathered before us are individuals who purchased themes from our Dragon Sword Clan! Should anyone intrude upon their doors without permission, know that you will become an enemy of the Dragon Sword Clan!”
It was a somewhat aggressive declaration.
But its effect was undeniable.
Very few people would want to make enemies of the Dragon Sword Clan.
Watching that scene, Tesila shrugged.
“As you can see, nobody’s going to barge into a door while making enemies of a powerful buyer. In other words, it prevents random riffraff from swarming your theme.”
After all, nobody wanted useless people barging in and becoming dead weight.
“Alright then, second question. If I decide I’m going to barge into your door, who exactly could stop me?”
“...Is that a threat?”
“Come on, what threat~? I said it’s just a question.”
Oscar stared at the brightly smiling Tesila.
Certainly, if she truly decided to do it, he had no means of stopping her.
In other words, she was saying that since she was going in anyway, he might as well receive compensation for it.
“Haa. Fine. We have a deal.”
“Thanks~ You won’t regret it. But since you said you don’t need money or artifacts, hmm....”
After pondering what to give him, she opened her mouth.
“How about this? Someday, just once, I’ll let you request the help of our adventuring party.”
“...Are you really okay with that?”
Compared to the money or artifacts she mentioned earlier, this was incomparably better.
To be honest, it almost felt like she was the one taking the loss.
“Yep. If it’s your theme of all people’s, I think it’s worth that much.”
No reason to refuse something freely offered.
“Very well. Then we have a deal under those conditions.”
“Okay. So are you heading in right away to save your friends?”
“Yes. Things were delayed a little more than I expected.”
“Got it. Take your time~”
Leaving behind Tesila, who waved cheerfully at him, Oscar walked away through the countless doors.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“A free-use ticket for the adventuring party? Isn’t that way too generous?”
Morin, carrying a giant hammer on his back, complained in a sulky tone.
And understandably so.
The Tesila Adventuring Party normally did not take commissions.
To begin with, as adventurers rather than mercenaries, they preferred focusing on the adventures they personally desired.
Of course, even so, there were rare occasions when they accepted outside requests.
Naturally, the money they charged in those cases was astronomical.
“...If anything, that was cheap.”
Tesila smiled faintly as she watched Oscar’s departing figure.
“If I can reach level 8 for something like that, what wouldn’t I do?”
“Still... your problem is that you’re sometimes way too reckless, unni.”
“I told you to call me Captain when we’re outside.”
At those words, Morin blinked.
“But if you’re the leader of an adventuring party, shouldn’t it be commander instead of captain...?”
“Because captain sounds more romantic and cooler.”
He had already decided whose theme to barge into first among the three of them.
‘Veronica, obviously.’
The reason was simple.
Because this dungeon provided “personalized themes.”
‘If my guess is right, even if I enter Fran’s theme, there probably won’t be much I can help with.’
Given that guy’s traits, it would most likely involve the unusual-type ability Wind Lord and the Colorless Spirit he contracted with recently.
Neither was something he could really assist with.
‘He’ll have to handle it himself. And Killian’s will probably be martial arts-related.’
In fact, the later he entered that guy’s theme, the better.
No matter what kind of trial appeared, Killian would probably be undergoing some sort of physically beneficial training.
‘If they still haven’t cleared it by the time Veronica and Fran finish... then I can use “that,” I suppose.’
On the other hand, Veronica’s theme was likely the most difficult and convoluted one.
She was an innate ultra-high-speed chanter, and she had also learned Over Craft from him.
‘Over Craft is a concept Magiro founded and completed. I have absolutely no idea how this dungeon intends to present growth related to that.’
That was why he chose Veronica’s door as his first intrusion target.
“Ah, looks like I found it.”
Oscar moved toward the door the Wind Archive had located.
[Veronica Fricks, <1>, 53 Days 17:23:12]
So it was already nearing 54 days since she entered.
If she still hadn’t cleared it after all that time, then the conditions were definitely quite difficult.
Taking a short breath, Oscar clicked the handle and entered through the door.
“....”
The moment he crossed the threshold, a gigantic canyon filled his vision.
A crimson canyon that conveyed the grandeur of nature itself.
The hot, dry air unique to desert climates instantly flooded his lungs.
‘Veronica’s location... no need to even scan for it.’
Rumble—!
Oscar headed toward the source of the massive noise.
“Eek!”
Toward the towering canyon walls that seemed capable of reaching the heavens, furious winds surged violently.
Sssshhk!
The sharpened blades of wind carved long scars into the canyon before vanishing.
There were exactly thirty of them.
“Huff, huff. Perfect. If they don’t let me pass again this time, I’m seriously going to kill someone.”
Drenched in sweat as though caught in rain, Veronica leaned on her knees and glared at the canyon.
As if she had returned to the first time he met her, her eyes were filled with viciousness and venom.
Sssss—
But only for a moment.
The canyon walls that had been marked with lines became completely clean once more.
“AAAAAAAH! WHY THE HELL NOT?!”
At the same time, Veronica grabbed at her hair and screamed in frustration.
Watching her, Oscar let out a hollow chuckle and approached.
“Doesn’t seem like screaming alone is going to solve the problem.”
“....”
Veronica abruptly raised her head and looked through her disheveled hair.
She stared blankly at him before opening her mouth.
“I’m hallucinating again.... And why is it always him that shows up....”
“Hm?”
As Oscar approached her, he asked:
“What, do I usually show up that often?”
“Not often. Sometimes. But they never actually talk like this bef... fore?”
“Of course not. Those were hallucinations. I’m the real thing.”
The closer he came, the more Veronica stumbled backward.
“W-What?”
“I barged in. You know what that means, right?”
“....”
Had she finally realized the disgraceful scene she had just displayed?
Veronica’s face instantly turned bright red as she shouted:
“W-Who told you to come in without permission?! Get out right now!”
“....”
Was this how fathers with teenage daughters felt?
Oscar shrugged his shoulders.
“Even if I wanted to leave, I can’t. Not until you clear the theme.”
“Hah, no. Like I asked for your help....”
“I came because I was worried you’d rot in here forever, and listen to how you talk.”
“...I could clear something like this easily, you know?”
“The point where you can call it ‘easy’ has long passed. You’ve been in here almost 54 days.”
Struck down by the heavy truth, Veronica tightly shut her mouth.
Oscar glanced around and asked:
“So what is it? What condition does this theme demand?”
“....”
Her face full of dissatisfaction, Veronica pointed somewhere with the tip of her chin.
It was the exact opposite direction from where she had been busily carving lines.
“Hmm.”
There stood another canyon wall towering high enough to touch the sky.
Naturally, thirty lines had already been carved into it as well.
“...Reproduce the exact same result.”
Pouting, Veronica muttered in a sulky voice.
“That’s the condition for clearing my theme.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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