The one who discovered the Chasm; in other words, the mafia. Who could it be?

This question has haunted me since I entered the Glacier Cave.

For me, the mafia was variable. It was necessary to find out whether it was positive or negative.

So assuming that Mr. Bear wasn't a mafia, I opened up all the possibilities and collected clues.

So that's who it was.

As a result, I discovered a man whom I believed to be a mafia.

However, that was all for now. I had no idea what he wanted.

I can't just kill him.

Since I couldn't guess his intentions, the discomfort only increased. And rightly so, because if this person was indeed a mafia, then there was a good chance that he would become a negative variable.

I'll have to keep an eye on him for now.

The mafia had one man, and that man had not yet made a single move. If he was simply killed, it would be a problem.

*Ears!*

Unless I planned to silence the other two.

***

"Michel, how are you feeling?"

—... I? I am well!

Mike answered at ease, but in fact, yesterday's fatigue was probably raging in her body. Unlike the Jensons and Mr. Bear, we slept only 3 hours while on watch.

"Don't worry. It's still better than the Witchwood.

"This... faithfully.

I grinned and brushed off my worries. A girl who has experienced such a thing will not stumble from this.

"Why don't we just stop loitering around and start acting?"

Shortly after Mr. Bear's words, Mike ran back to her starting position, to the very end of the line. From this point of view, one could immediately notice if someone had done something stupid. If it weren't for it, tank or not, I would have been uncomfortable in front.

*Top*

As soon as I made the first move, the team followed me at my speed.

So this is how it looks in reality.

It was a dark cave. The frost on the ground was slippery, and the overall terrain was more three-dimensional than in the Crystal Cave. There were steep sections, as well as places where the road broke off in the middle and you had to climb over a rope.

"Still, it is fortunate that there seems to be only one road.

Even without a scout, it was impossible to get lost. Not that there were no side roads, but the dead end appeared almost immediately. All that remained was to follow the main path, smashing the monsters that appeared from behind the ice wall.

*Blow!*

Monsters such as Rock Worms, Sabertooth Tigers, Frost Wolves, Ice Golems, and Owl Bears appeared here. Unlike the Blood Citadel, where the rank 7 monster Bone Knight appeared, most of them were rank 8.

But the real difficulty here is higher.

Anomalous State [Hypothermia] is a debuff effect that reduced agility by -30 and doubled cold damage taken if you don't have Cold Resistance.

"Miss Nephrin, be careful. Maybe it's because my body is stiff, but their attacks are more painful than before.

"Oh, I see!

As the journey continued, the Jensons, walking in the second row on either side of me, began to moan in pain. Of course, I didn't hesitate for them. Anyway, the two of them were almost useless.

*Top!*

In fact, while Mr. Bear, Misha (who protected me), and I were paving the way, we slowly made it to the end of the chapter. The road took about 4 hours. As we walked up and down the winding passage, a wide depression appeared.

"Wow, what a sight.

The three monsters were trapped in a pillar of crystal clear ice.

"They must be the Ice Orcs. The skin is white.

— ... Ice Orcs?

"They're only rank 7, so don't worry.

Each Orc had his own weapon. One held an axe, another a hammer, and a third a rod.

— ... Will we have to fight them too?

"They wouldn't be here for no reason," Mr. Bear replied cynically to Jencia's muttering.

*Crackle!*

At this moment, the ice pillars that the Ice Orcs were encased in began to crack and collapse all at once.

"Didn't you even have time to look around?"

Ignoring Mr. Bear's calm reaction, I hurriedly shouted to the alarmed Jensons:

"Don't panic and stand in line!"

This was because it would make it easier for Mike to keep track of them.

"Oh, good! "Presently the Jensons were on my left and right, and Mr. Bear stepped away and took up a sniper position.

*Crackle, tu-doo-doo-doo*

The shards of ice fell and the three Ice Orcs woke up, exhaling a ferocious roar to prove that they were intermediate bosses.

"Chhhhhhh!"

One Sorcerer and two Warriors; it was a fairly balanced lineup, and with [Hypothermia], they were quite difficult enemies if you didn't know the strategy.

I exhaled and raised my shield. It was quite unnerving. Not because of the Orcs, whom I could capture at any moment, but because of something else.

If they're going to pull something off, now is the right time.

There was a mafia in the team. Of course, I didn't know what his purpose was. Perhaps he just wanted to clean up the Chasm, with no intention of harming anyone. However, I had to be prepared for a different scenario.

*Klang!*

I needed to focus on defense, not offense. Just in case, it was better to hide his combat power. Based on this, I gave Misha instructions just to observe and not to go forward.

"Haven't you run to your lover yet?"

"You never know what will come out of the back. And he is not my lover.

— Well, yes, probably.

Mr. Bear expressed his doubts about Misha's position, but apparently her arguments were acceptable.

"Tsok, these guys are useless, so I guess I'll have to put in some strength this time.

He revealed an ability that he had never shown before.

[Abman Urikfrid summoned the Iron Bear, Iradun.]

A huge bear jumped out of the portal created in front of Mr. Bear. It was a Spirit Creature.

. .. Iradun?

To be honest, I was surprised. Since he was a rank 5 Beastman researcher, I wondered if he had already made a contract with a Spirit Beast, but I never thought that he would be a type of summoner. Now I understood how he could play alone, even as a crossbowman. With the beast summoned as a tank, there was no need to insist on a command.

"Gaaa

The summoned bear quickly ran on all fours, then growled and lifted his upper body next to me. Then he began to skillfully aim at one of the Warriors.

It seems that you will have to resort to plan B.

I acted thoroughly, guided by reason. It didn't change anything. It was because we were hiding our full strength that Mr. Bear revealed his Spirit Creature.

"Chhhhh!"

For this reason, I allowed the Orc to strike with his hammer. As it would have been obvious if I had pretended to be in pain, I had just driven my head into him like a headbutt in a football match.

*Buch!*

In addition to wearing a helmet, I had significant Bone Strength stats, so the blow didn't shatter my skull. It only shook my brain a little and made me feel a little dizzy. But even that was restored thanks to my Natural Regeneration stats.

*Bam!*

However, I collapsed to the ground because if I caught the Orc trio too easily, I would not be able to investigate the true intentions of the Mafia.

"God, are you okay...?!"

Karlsson ran up to me in surprise and ended up with aggression.

At that moment, an arrow pierced the head of the Orc with the hammer.

[You killed the Ice Orc Warrior. Experience +3]

As a result, the Orc Wizard's aggression shifted to Mr. Bear, but the rank 5 researcher was experienced.

*Jerk*

Moving nimbly with his height of 190 cm to avoid spells, Mr. Bear loaded his crossbow and fired accurately.

[The Ice Orc Wizard cast the spell [Ice Wall]].

The Sorcerer's defense was pointless in front of this merciless arrow. How could a rank 7 monster stop this?

*Boom!*

The arrow shattered the ice wall, then pierced the Wizard's head and exploded.

[Killed the Ice Orc Wizard. Experience +3].

Now there was only one Orc left.

At this rate, he will finish off all three of them with this crossbow.

Disappointment crept into my soul. If the battle is too easy, it will overshadow my plan to complicate it and turn it into a one-sided performance.

Could this be the strength of a rank 5 crossbowman? Well, the ground is cold. Maybe I should pretend that I had just woken up?

As I was thinking about it, someone muttered:

"So that's what a Spirit Beast is.

It was a cold voice.

"Then I can proceed according to my plan.

Mr. Bear, who was loading the next arrow, fell and vomited blood.

*Spray*

The mafia has finally begun to act.

***

To be identified as a mafia, several conditions had to be met: to be knowledgeable enough to know how to open the Chasm; to be able to return from the 2nd floor in 19 hours; and be able to single-handedly clear the Chasm. This can reveal their personality somewhat. A scout with combat power at the level of a rank 5 researcher was the true identity of the mafia. The problem, however, was that all three had such potential.

1. Mr. Bear: Rank 5 researcher, a mindset somewhat similar to that of a player, and so on. There is nothing more to say.

2. Carlson. He was the only one who revealed only his name when they met. He didn't even mention the essences he possessed.

In addition, his equipment was suitable for the lower floors and was well-maintained, as if unused. I kept my eyes on him in case it might be a disguise, but he also refused to absorb the Frost Wolf essence. It was suspicious enough, but no more so than this girl.

3. Gencia. She said that she was trained as an intelligence officer and is well versed in it, even that surveillance is her specialty. For me, all this was a cover, a disguise so that the next words would sound natural.

When we met the Yeti blocking the entrance to the cave:

"M-Do we have to defeat him to come down?"

In Chapter 2:

"Oh! I touched him, and he lit up."

When an Intermediate Boss has inflicted [Suppression]:

"It looks like my body can't move normally...!"

Even before the last wave, when everyone was caught off guard.

"By the way... Is it all over now?"

She kept pointing out key points while pretending she didn't understand anything.

Of course, all this would be nothing compared to Mr. Bear or Carlson if it weren't for the dirt on her shoes.

The first thing I checked when I entered the Chasm was shoes. To open the Glacier Cave, you had to get to the Beast Lair on the 2nd floor. Only Jencia's shoes were dirty.

Well, if she hadn't wiped it back in town, it would have made sense, but...

"Now, if you think about it, there was one strange thing. Jencia's smell changed after she fell into the water."

Misha's report convinced me. Although she wasn't as good as Rothmiller, her sense of smell was at a high level for a beastman.

"It used to be more smelly."

"How's the Beast Den?"

"Oh! Now that you've talked about it. No wonder the smell was familiar!"

Jensia was a mafia, and a malefic variable that had many opportunities to become negative. Thanks to this, I was able to prepare in advance.

*Blow!*

The moment Jancia's sword plunged into Mr. Bear's stomach, Mike, who seemed to be waiting for it, threw the vial directly at her.

"Thank you for the 30 million kam-gh...!"

*Crackle!*

The glass shattered and its contents spilled out.

While she was slowly muttering something, liquid poured on her, and she stepped back in shock.

"Wh-what the hell!" What did you throw at me?...

I got up quickly. I think the timing of her sudden attack was partly caused by my fainting.

"Wh-what...?"

Jencia looked even more puzzled.

Instead of answering, I let out a scream.

'Behella

What did you think? From now on, it is called self-defense.