Trial.

A trial is a type of test imposed by transcendent beings or the labyrinth itself on mortals.

Should the mortal succeed, the transcendent or the labyrinth must grant a fitting reward. As the price of failure is often death, the rewards are beyond mortal imagination—imbued with the power of transcendence itself.

However...

“A trial? A trial, here? This is only the fifth floor!”

Trials typically do not occur on the upper layers of the labyrinth, known as the first twenty floors.

The gods, not wanting adventurers in their formative years to perish en masse, had pushed transcendent beings capable of initiating trials to the mid and lower sections of the labyrinth, restricting their movement.

Even the trials issued by the labyrinth itself were usually confined to the lower layers. Trials appearing on the upper layers—let alone within the first ten floors—were virtually unheard of.

And yet, here was a trial.

The translucent blue window before them was undeniable proof of its presence.

Which meant... the creature before them was indeed an orc possessed by a demon.

“What is this…?”

“Hugo, what are we going to do?”

While Hugo grappled with confusion, Crom, gripping his axe tightly, kept his eyes trained on the orc before them.

A transcendent of the labyrinth cannot interfere with mortals without initiating a trial, even when possessing a creature like an orc.

If they rejected the trial and fled, the demon would be unable to harm them directly.

Hugo spoke, his voice resolute.

“…This is unprecedented. Let’s refuse the trial and fall ba—”

[Aah, but do you know, mortals, that there’s an orc horde not far from here?]

The demon Enkeos interrupted, a wicked grin spreading across his orcish face.

[It’s true that a transcendent trapped in the labyrinth cannot harm mortals without a trial. But leading an orc horde here? That’s well within my capabilities.]

“What…?”

[Of course, you could still refuse. The so-called blessing of those wretched gods might allow you to escape. Are you willing to use it?]

“......”

Hugo hesitated. If the demon was telling the truth and there really was an orc horde nearby…

It was already absurd for orcs, a mid-tier monster, to roam in groups on the fifth floor. But if a demon could make its way here, why not an orc horde?

What’s more, a demon of this caliber could easily summon such a horde. The labyrinth’s monsters were, after all, born from the excess energy of transcendent beings trapped within it.

In other words, the demon’s claim was likely true. And even if it wasn’t, a demon like this could make it true.

If they refused the trial, they’d have to face an orc horde.

Given their current strength, fighting a horde of mid-tier monsters was out of the question.

They could escape, of course, using the emergency blessing bestowed by the gods. But...

“…Failing this commission would be a significant blow to us.”

“......”

Their commission was to escort students from the academy.

Using the emergency blessing would mean failing the task outright.

It was a profitable yet relatively simple commission. However, failure would deal a heavy blow to their reputation.

Failing to escort the students even to the fifth floor would brand them as unreliable, likely cutting off future commissions.

Hugo closed his eyes, deep in thought.

Then, after a long moment, he turned to his original party members, Crom and Mirien.

“......”
“......”

Crom gave a sharp grin, and after a brief hesitation, Mirien nodded.

Hugo, too, nodded in return before turning to address four names.

“Eri, Shia, Hans, and Yujin. Please step back.”

“W-What?”
“Are you accepting the trial?”

The four wore bewildered expressions, while Yujin asked calmly.

Hugo gave a strained smile.

“There’s no other choice. As the leader of this party, it’s my duty to ensure we don’t fail. If that means taking a risk, then so be it.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to ask for help?”

“Eri and Shia are students under our protection, Hans is our porter, and you, Yujin, are an unfortunate bystander caught up in this. I cannot ask for your assistance.”

“…Understood.”

With that, Yujin stepped back. The others followed hesitantly. Hugo, seeing this, gave a firm nod.

“I accept the trial.”
“So do I.”
“I accept.”

[Hahaha! Excellent!]

 

The demon—no, the orc possessed by Enkeos—moved first.

The massive wooden club in its hand swung toward Hugo with terrifying force.

Whoosh!

The club hurtled through the air, its sheer power palpable.

Hugo leapt back just in time.

“Mirien!”

At Hugo’s command, Mirien fired an arrow directly at Enkeos.

Thwip-thwip-thwip!

[Hahaha!]

The arrows embedded themselves in the orc’s body, yet Enkeos remained unfazed.

It wasn’t his body, after all. However, the party quickly realized one thing.

‘This demon… it’s only slightly stronger than a regular orc!’

Their assessment was correct.

The price Enkeos paid to ascend to the fifth floor, the limits imposed by the descent ritual through which he possessed the orc, and the constraints of forcing a trial in the upper floors all significantly weakened him.

Even as a low-ranked demon, Enkeos could barely enhance the orc’s physical body with his magic.

Yet, Enkeos didn’t care.

Squelch!

Enkeos yanked the arrows from his body, the wounds writhing as they rapidly regenerated.

The party's expressions stiffened at the sight.

Regeneration?!

An extremely rare and formidable ability. Even trolls, famed for their resilience, couldn’t match the speed of this high-level regeneration.

The tension in the group deepened.

[Hahaha! Come, mortals!]

BOOM!

Demonic energy burst forth from the orc's body, filling the air with a suffocating miasma. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on the party.

“You damned demon!”

Crom charged at Enkeos, gripping his axes tightly. The demon, wearing a wicked grin, swung his massive club.

Whoosh!

But Crom leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack. Mid-flight, he raised his dual axes and brought them down with tremendous force.

CRACK!

The axes buried themselves in the orc’s head.

[Uh... Urgh…!]

The orc’s body trembled violently before collapsing, motionless.

“Hah...”

No matter how powerful the regeneration, the head was still a critical weakness. Not even a troll chieftain could survive its head being obliterated.

Feeling the weight of relief, Crom lowered his guard.

CRUNCH!

“Guh!”

Suddenly, a massive hand grabbed him, squeezing tightly.

“What the—ugh! What is this?!”

[Heh heh... Such a delightful expression. The look of confusion and despair when you think you’ve won. Truly exquisite.]

The orc, still with axes embedded in its head, chuckled as it hoisted Crom into the air.

CRUSH!

“Urgh!”

“Crom!”

Hugo sprinted toward them, his face tense with urgency. Enkeos grinned and swung the club once more.

Whoosh!

“Tch!”

CLANG!

Hugo deflected the incoming club with his shield, slipping closer to the orc. With a swift strike of his sword, he severed the hand gripping Crom.

The detached hand fell, freeing Crom, and Hugo quickly pulled him to safety.

“Crom, are you alright?”

“Ugh… Sorry, Hugo. I let my guard down.”

Coughing up blood, Crom’s injuries appeared severe. Hugo frowned, his worry evident.

“Hugo.”

“…Mirien.”

Mirien approached him, her expression resolute. Meeting Hugo’s eyes, she spoke with determination.

“Buy me some time. Ten—no, six seconds.”

“What?”

“If it won’t die from its head being destroyed, then we’ll have to kill it with overwhelming force. So...”

“Wait, what are you—”

“There’s no time. Trust me and go.”

With that, Mirien pulled back her hood, revealing long golden hair and piercing blue eyes. But it wasn’t her beauty that caught Hugo’s attention.

Peeking from her hair were long, pointed ears.

“…Mirien, you’re...!”

“Please.”

“......”

After staring at her in surprise, Hugo’s expression shifted to one of determination.

“I trust you.”

“…Thank you.”

Meanwhile, Enkeos regenerated his severed hand and pulled the axes from his head. His body had already healed, and he advanced toward the party, radiating malevolence.

[Now that you’ve finished your little chat, prepare to die.]

“…Bring it on.”

[ROARRRR!!!]

Enkeos charged, his club glowing with demonic energy like a blade. Even without using the demon's full powers, it was still a terrifying sight.

Hugo dashed forward, raising his shield.

[Are you eager to die, mortal?!]

“Hah!”

At the last moment, Hugo slid beneath the orc’s swing, his sword slicing through the orc’s ankle.

[What?!]

The orc stumbled, losing balance. At that moment, Mirien shouted.

“Hugo! Move back!”

A vivid crimson light surrounded Mirien, glowing brightly.

Hugo retreated as Mirien chanted.

“Spirits, heed my call!”

FWOOSH!

The crimson aura erupted into a massive inferno, engulfing the fallen orc.

BOOM!

[ARRRGHHHH!!!]

The orc’s body burned fiercely, writhing in the flames. Seeing the creature rapidly turn to ash, Hugo let out a breath of relief.

But then—

BAM!

“Guh!”

A flaming club slammed into Hugo, sending him flying.

“Hugo!”

[Heh heh heh... Surprised?]

The orc, still ablaze, stood up and began advancing toward Mirien. Its charred face twisted into a wicked grin, truly embodying a demon.

“A... Ah...”

[Ah, that face... That’s exactly what I wanted to see on the upper floors! Fear, despair, anguish... How sweet! What joy!]

“H-How is this...?”

[Ah, are you wondering how I’m still alive? Allow me to enlighten you.]

Enkeos laughed maliciously, reveling in his apparent invincibility.

[You mortals think this body has regenerative abilities? You’re wrong. For this trial, I granted this body conditional immortality! Any attack that doesn’t fulfill specific conditions will inevitably regenerate.]

“What...?!”

[Hah! It’s absurd, isn’t it? And since you have no idea what those conditions are, it’s all meaningless.]

The demon laughed triumphantly, cutting through the suffocating air.

[But since I’m feeling generous, I’ll tell you.]

With an exaggerated motion, Enkeos drew a line from his head to his chest.

[The attack must bisect this body, or leave nothing behind. Of course, neither is within your reach, so this knowledge is useless to you—]

“Thank you for telling me.”

[Huh?]

SLASH!

A crisp voice rang out, followed by the sound of a clean cut. The orc’s body split neatly in two.

[Wha—what...?]

Enkeos’s shocked voice echoed from the collapsing body. Behind the split corpse stood Yujin, holding his sword in a casual stance, two fingers extended as if finishing a graceful stroke.

“A... Ah...”

“Wow, you’re such a helpful demon. Or were you under some strange compulsion to reveal your weakness? I didn’t expect you to just hand it over.”

Yujin smiled brightly, his tone lighthearted.

<Congratulations on completing the trial!>

The blue window appeared, accompanied by a message declaring their success.