Phantoms are not disorderly and invincible monsters.

Just as treasure tools are created based on "items that once existed" that are stored somewhere in the world, phantoms are also created based on "creatures" that have existed before.

This means that the towering hulks and swinging blades are also things that existed somewhere, sometime.

Gilbert catches the white blade swinging down from above his head with the great sword he holds in both hands. His arms creak from the tremendous physical effort, and his knees threaten to shatter, but he holds on just barely.

The wolf knights, or werewolves with weapons as we called them for the sake of convenience, had different weapons, but they all boasted incredible strength, endurance, and a lightness of touch that was unbelievable for their huge bodies.

Although we had only fought a few of them, their physical strength surpassed that of Gilbert, who boasted of his strength, and their speed rivaled that of Luda, who was confident of his lightness.

Their physical strength and endurance are far greater than that of Tino and the others who were human.

The attacks from the beast's arms would inevitably cause serious injuries if taken seriously, making it a much more formidable opponent for Gilberto and Luda, who, aside from Tino, usually only dwell in the treasure halls where they can fight with a certain degree of comfort.

It was a truly difficult opponent, but fortunately, there was only one thing that Tino and his team had over them.

That was teamwork.

While Gilbert was holding the blade, Greg stepped forward and took the long sword, piercing the joint of the arm where the sword was wielded - the gap between the wrist and armor.
The moment his strength slackened for a moment, Gilbert deflected the greatsword to the left, which was held from above with tremendous force.

The large blade, which seemed to be unsharp, fell right next to Gilbert. The Wolf Knight roared and looked down at Gilbert and Greg with eyes wet with murderous intent.

Then his huge body collapses with his eyes wide open.

Tino, creeping up from behind, jumped up to the ceiling and sliced into his neck from behind.

The reddish-black shortsword in his hands was a posthumous gift from the Wolf Knight he had defeated in the White Wolf's Den.

The blade, thrown as if it were weighted down, cut through the thick fur, muscle and bone, and halfway into the neck.
Although the neck could not be severed, the mortally wounded wolf knight did not even scream, but disappeared as if melting into the air.

Tino landed without making a sound.

Gilbert looked down at it for a while, but then he breathed on his shoulder as if relieved.
The look on his face was one of mild fatigue.

'Ha, ha, ...... did it,' he said.

'It's really not worth it.

Greg frowned at the feel of the thick fur on his hands.

It's better than metal armor, but the fur on the wolf knight's body is quite hard, and it would be difficult to inflict a fatal wound without using all your strength.

As Tino had predicted, the interior of the nest was not suited to the size of the wolf knight.

The ceiling in particular was barely the height of the wolf knight.
Although there was no danger of the Wolf Knight's head being taken off as it had been when it had first attacked, the tension of facing a large magical beast in a dimly lit, narrow space was slowly draining the party's energy.

Tino, who had just picked up a new weapon and had managed to pierce a vital spot with a single blow, said without changing his expression.

It's not difficult to defeat them if there are four of us. No matter how strong they are, they don't have the concept of cooperation.

This was the Wolf Knight's greatest weakness and opportunity to take advantage of.

Even if each individual is strong, there is no such thing as a combination.

For example, even if there are multiple Wolfknights, Tino, who has the most room, can draw all but one away from him, and the remaining three can attack the Wolfknight.

Of course, that would be dangerous, but it was an effective tactic in a situation where everything around them was surrounded by powerful enemies.

'I've got a weapon,' he said.

'I hope another one falls into place.'

Tino was good at attacking with his bare hands, but he was no match for the Wolf Knight.
He usually carries a dagger with him, but it is only a sub-weapon. It was not fortuitous that he had a weapon that could kill a Wolf Knight with a single blow if he thrust it well.

Luda breathed a sigh of relief, having spent the entire time being alert to his surroundings and looking for an opening.

Tension and fatigue aside, the search for the Treasure House was going well.

As there were two thieves (Thief), there was plenty of room to search for enemies. There was no need to worry about being preempted.

Wolf knights often seem to act alone, and it wasn't difficult to avoid them in the midst of their inexhaustible lair, and even when we had to fight them, we were able to get by with impromptu combinations.

Gilbert's strength was high, and Greg was very good at adjusting to others, because he had a lot of experience. If he stopped moving, Tino would let him finish him off.

On the other hand, if Tino caught their attention, Gilbert and the others would take advantage of it.

Luda's performance was not remarkable, but it was not because he was weak. If Tino hadn't been a thief, he would have needed Luda's superior spotting ability.

It would have been a problem if even one of them had been badly injured, but so far they have managed to survive.

Everything had been calculated thoroughly.

Perhaps even the weapon drop was expected. Such a thought that would be laughed at if anyone were to ask me came to mind.

'Master is right after all. Master is God.

'...... Oh, yeah. That's right.'

Tino muttered to himself as if to say to himself, and Greg gave him a strained look.

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

More importantly, from what Greg had seen, Kry didn't seem to have any charisma.

He has been a hunter for many years and has a good eye for detail, but he doesn't seem to have the kind of pull that a powerful hunter would have.

I thought it was a joke when I found out Krai's identity at the member recruitment event.
I still can't believe it even now that I know he's a thousand-fold, and even now that it's all been explained to me as calculated, I still think there's been a mistake.

It would have been more convincing if he had said that he had reached level 8 through connections, but the way Tino, who was such an excellent hunter, spoke about it showed genuine trust.

I have no intention of causing discord within the party during the hunt. I had a lot to say, but I'll say it later.

I'll have a chance to check it out when I get back alive. What we need to do now is to survive this unusual appearance of the treasure house at all costs.

Tino's shoulders shook once as Greg placed the long sword in its sheath at his waist, and he said in a serious voice.

'But there must be more to come. The Master's usual trials aren't like this. ......'

'...... What? What are you talking about, man?'

Gilbert spoke up for Greg in an exasperated voice.

In the current situation, an ordinary hunter would definitely choose to flee.

If it is a treasure house where there is no information, but an unexpected event occurs in a treasure house where the apparition that appears can be determined, it means that an emergency situation occurs.

You can't imagine a greater ordeal for Luda, Gregg, and Gilbert than the one they are facing now.

'...... At any rate, we proceeded carefully to the back. There was no sign of life near the entrance. There were no dead bodies. The rescue target should be in the back.'


§§


Despite his general exhaustion, Gilbert Busch's mind was sharp.

The sting of the battlefield. The stale smell. The powerful phantoms he had never seen before brought not fear, but elation.

'I can't do this with you anymore. I can't keep up with you. I'm out of the party.

He recalled the words of a young man who had spoken to him the day before Gilbert left the party.

He was about three years older than Gilberto. He had been in the party with Gilbert ever since Gilbert had arrived in town, but he was more than a year younger than Gilbert.

He knew that Gilbert had been working hard, but the gap between them had only widened.
I had resented Gilberto's words when he announced his decision to leave, but now that I was infiltrating a treasure house that was beyond my ability, I could understand his feelings.

But now that I've infiltrated a treasure house that is beyond my abilities, I can understand a little of how they feel. They are troubled, and I should have been more considerate of their feelings.

But more than that, Gilbert was elated to be fighting together with party members who were more powerful than he was.

He had been a member of one party ever since his visit to the Imperial City. Although he occasionally added extra members to his party, basically all of the people Gilbert fought with were no more powerful than Gilbert.



But not anymore.

I have friends who can fight with me.

Greg's sword was not as heavy as Gilbert's, but it was technical enough to make a gap in his armor, and he was able to make many strikes.
Luda's weapons were too weak to inflict fatal wounds on the Wolf Knight, but he was able to do everything from spotting to checking.

They fought as a team against the Wolf Knight, a powerful enemy that was difficult to face alone.

The feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time burned hotly in Gilbert's bloodstream, and as if new fuel had been added, he was able to swing his heavy, fatigued sword with ease.

It had been several hours since he had entered the Treasure Hall. A few hours have passed since we entered the Treasure House, and Gilbert's movements have not slowed down, and Greg says to me in disgust.

'Hey, you're looking good.

'Hmm. I'm finally starting to feel better.

The Wolf Knight's blade, which had barely been able to catch him at first, was slowly being pushed back.

It wasn't that he was slacking off at first. But whether it was mental or physical, it was a visible growth.

Again. Gilbert gasps for air as he hears the Wolf Knight fall.

If he had one complaint, it would be...

I'm not sure what to do with it.

I look down at the Purgatory Sword in my hand and sigh.

The Purgatory Sword had now lost its power as a treasure trove. It was too much of a burden for Gilbert's magical power to put magic into it. It was the same for the other members.

If he had been able to exert the power of the Purgatory Sword, he would have been able to defeat the Wolf Knight more easily. Even if it was impossible to do something like a thousand transformations, it would have been possible to burn the Wolf Knight's sword with flames.
The search would have gone smoothly.

Tino said to Gilberto, who sounded disappointed, as if in disgust.

'Gilberto is not ready for treasure. His arms will rust if he relies on treasure. So I don't have it yet either.

'...... You still don't have a treasure trove?

I've grown accustomed to the pompous words of our little leader.

Gilbert rolls his eyes at the unexpected words without getting angry.

I've never seen Tino use any of his treasures.
If he had been exploring the treasure house to the point of being certified level 4, he would have found a treasure or two. And since he was a member of a large clan, he would have been able to get one from his friends.

Gilbert looked at Tino with a curious expression, and Tino continued, clapping his arms.

'The treasure tool is only a trump card. It should not be used in ordinary battles, and it should not be used against enemies who cannot be defeated without it. I'm sure Master's request this time was intended to teach you that. I'm sure. It is. I didn't deplete the Purgatory Sword's magic power (mana) just to harass you.

'...... is a nuisance.

It's unbelievable. But the fact that Tino didn't use any treasure adds to the credibility of his words.
Indeed, Gilberto was no match for Tino in a test of skill without his treasure.

Tino added to Gilberto, who frowned and looked down at the Purgatory Sword again.

'So, the treasure I found in the treasure hall will be given to Master through your sister. Master will check the performance of the treasure and if it is good, he will take it to the ice cream. In other words, Master is a god.

'...... That's just a convenient exploit, isn't it?'

Greg looked at Tino, his eyelids twitching.

'No, it's not. Master doesn't like sweets, but he'll go along with it. So Master is a god.'

Gilbert rather agreed with Greg's opinion, but he couldn't bring himself to interrupt when he saw Tino's serious expression.