Less than an hour's walk. Suddenly the view widened. The road became wider and the ceiling higher.

Luda wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand, and slowly looked around.

Aside from the height of the ceiling, the width alone is wide enough for several Wolf Knights to stand side by side.

Tino's breathing was calm. His expression was almost the same as it had been immediately after he had entered the treasure house, and his clothes were intact.

'The King's Chamber should be there by now. Before it became the Treasure Hall, it was the room of the herd boss.'

'The boss's room, or ...... do you need a break?'

Greg frowned at Tino's words.

The boss's room is a hunter's term. It refers to the innermost part of a treasure house - a place where a particularly powerful phantom is likely to appear.

The phantoms that appear in the Treasure House are not random.

Basically, the deeper in the treasure hall where mana and materials are more likely to accumulate, the more powerful phantoms are likely to appear, but especially in historical treasure halls, the places where powerful phantoms appear are usually fixed.

In the case of the castle type, it is the Throne Room. The top floor of a tower. The captain's cabin if it's a ship.

In this case, it was the room of the boss of the pack.
Of course, there's no guarantee that the boss will be there, but it's a good idea to be on the lookout.

At Greg's words, Tino checked on his friends.

Gilbert, Luda. And Greg.

They are all mid-level hunters.
At level 3, their strength has been strengthened by the mana material.

The fight after they entered the Treasure Hall was tricky.
However, even though Gilbert and Luda's faces showed signs of fatigue, they did not look like they could not move.

Gilberto understood the meaning of their gazes and clenched his fists tightly.

'I'm still good,' he said.

'I'm also ...... well, I think I can handle a few more fights.'

There is no such thing as a safe place in the Temple of Treasures.

In the event that you have a member who can put up wards, you can guarantee a certain degree of safety, but there are no such useful members in the current party, and even if you stay in one place, there is a good chance that a roaming Wolf Knight will find you.

Taking a break in such a dangerous area won't make you feel at ease.

Finish your decision in a moment.
Find life in death. You should rest when you can, but the condition of the party right now is not bad. You should check the boss room while you're still in a good mood.

'I'll decide after I check the boss room. The rescue target should be near here. We'd better help them and leave.'

'Okay, leader. Let's do this.'

Greg caught his breath and looked toward the boss's office.

He walked along the edge of the road, careful not to make a sound as he headed towards the room.

The visibility wasn't great, but the glowing stones placed at intervals of a few meters, probably by the hunters who had come before, provided a minimum of light.

About ten meters from the boss's room, Tino stopped in his tracks.

He closed his eyes and placed his palms against the earthen walls. Concentrate on your sense of hearing and smell. He searches for the slightest hint of a distant presence.

A cool stream of air caresses your cheek. The sound of your heart beating against the breath of your companion.
After a while of searching in this way, he sighed deeply.

'...... There's something here.

'Ugh. Could it be a rescue target?'

'Most likely the boss. I mean, missions from the Master usually have a big fish.'

'Really? ......'

Too surprised and too unreliable to know how to react, Greg made an indescribable expression.

The phantoms in the boss room are often one or two ranks stronger than the small fry.

Considering the strength of the Wolf Knight in the way, it's not absolutely impossible to beat, but it's a reckless opponent.

Normally, there should be a larger, stronger version of Red Moon, but I doubt it will appear this time.

The Treasure Hall is a place where powerful illusions appear, where treasure cannot be obtained. Normally, this is a place I would never want to visit.

'Shouldn't we run?

Greg suggested. At these words, Tino's well-formed eyebrows twisted slightly.

'That's what I said the first time.

'......'

'But we've managed to get this far almost unscathed. The boss can handle it.''

Tino's words were met with a frown and a silent bite from Greg.

That's true.

The Wolf Knight's strength is even stronger than the phantoms that appear in the treasure house where Greg always dives.
Safety comes first for hunters. The rank of the phantoms you fight should be such that you can defeat them on your own.

If Greg had known from the start that the White Wolf's Lair was in such a state, he would not have joined this party.

After all, he was a true volunteer, with little reward and little chance of getting any treasure.
He joined the party out of curiosity because it was a request led by a member of a large clan called First Step, but if it hadn't been for that, there's a good chance he would have just laughed it off.

He stroked the hilt of the long sword on his waist. It was not of the best quality, but it was his favorite sword, and he had been using it for several years without neglecting its care.

'Greg is too careful for his face.

'!

Greg was taken aback by this outrageous statement. Luda and Gilbert also widened their eyes in surprise and watched the two of them.

In front of them, Tino continued quietly.

'People don't grow up with a safe request. Greg is a good enough hunter. It's good that he's careful, and he's good enough as it is to survive, but sometimes he needs to be reckless.

'No, but .........'

Greg stammered at the words of Tino, who was a year younger than him. He thought that Tino's words were not entirely wrong.

The casualty rate of treasure hunters is quite high, but the highest number of deaths occur in new hunters, and the longer they have been hunters, the lower the casualty rate becomes.
One reason is that they have become more skilled, but the most important reason is that they have improved their crisis management skills and are no longer reckless.

You will not be reckless. I don't challenge opponents that I know I can't beat. Hunters who have seen many of their fellow hunters die tend to do so.

Therefore, if you think there are a lot of level 3 hunters who have passed away, there are some like Gilbert who rise to level 4 in the blink of an eye.

It is true that the absorption of mana and materials makes hunters stronger, but it does not strengthen their spirit.

The largest number of hunters are mid-level hunters, level 3 and below. In order to raise your certification level, you need to gain achievement points, and achievement points are hard to accumulate unless you attack treasure halls that are appropriate for your level.



And the fact that a level 3 hunter can make a decent living just by conquering sub-optimal treasure halls adds to the skewed distribution of hunters.

Greg is a level 4 hunter. He is above level 3, which is called a mid-level hunter, but he hasn't advanced in a long time.
I'd be lying if I said that fact hadn't bothered me.

Tino stares at Greg with his clear black eyes.

'Greg, you've been a hunter for a long time, and you visited the First Step because you wanted to do something about it.

'It's .......'

Tino's words pierced my heart. Greg bit his lip, unsure of what to say.

The passion that should have been there right after he became a hunter had long since dissipated.
When was the last time he had visited a treasure house with such powerful illusions? He frowned and tried to remember, but could not.

Greg was silent, and Tino said something he couldn't believe.

'I'm sure that's why Master brought you to this party.

'What?

'This request was the best opportunity for Greg to break out of his current predicament. Otherwise, there's no need to bring you into the party, who you just met at the recruitment hall. The Master was trying to save everyone. So Master is a god.

'Yes, that's ......'.

Indeed.

Greg swallowed his spit at Tino's words.

Indeed, he couldn't help but wonder. Why had he caught the attention of so many different people?
There were only a few exchanges between Greg and Cry at the recruitment site. And it's probably not a good one. I can understand why Luda was called, but I don't think it's right for me to be called.

I even thought I had the wrong person when Tino came to call me.

Greg was astonished. He looked equally at the other two, who had the same expression on their faces, and Tino made a disgusted sound.

'Don't tell me you thought Master just randomly gathered people from the area? Master would never do something as random as a dark pot of people. Everything is based on his divine calculations. So Master is a god.

Tino affirmed. Greg looks at Gilbert in disbelief.

But God or not, what he says is certainly convincing.
The only problem is that Tino's description of the Master doesn't match up with Krei Andrich's actual encounter.

A thousand and one variations. Greg shuddered as the two names the young man had been given flashed through his mind.

Luda held up his hand fearfully.

'Well, ......, why did they call me?

Tino thought for a moment and looked at Luda's whole body with great disgust.

His gaze stopped at her chest, which was much larger and fuller than his own. She was wearing the same leather jacket, but it was designed as if it were something else.
The fact made Tino's expression more grim than when he was dealing with an illusion.

When Master had introduced Luda to Tino, he had said that there was someone who wanted to go to the White Wolf's Den, but it was obvious that he was bluffing.

There is no way that such a random motive can be allowed in deciding the members of a life-threatening party, and if that were true, then his later line, "The rest should be Gilbert and Master Greg, right? If that were true, then the line that I said afterwards, "The rest should be Gilbert and Greg, right?

There is no way my dearest Master would do such a thing.

Luda's eyes were stern and confused. Tino was silent for a while, and then, as if he could not stand the gaze, he replied in a whisper.

'............ I don't know. But I think it's because I have big breasts. I'll get bigger soon. It's different from your sister's.''

'What? Wait, wait, wait, wait! What did you just say?

'Come on. Don't play around, just kill the boss and finish the job. I'll take the first move.'

'Wait! What do you mean?

Changing his mind from the fussing Luda, Tino took a step closer to the boss room.

Wolf Knight is big. They are large, strong, sturdy, and quick to attack, but they are far inferior to Tino in terms of agility.

Tino's mentor, Liz Smart, is a Thief like Tino. That's why his training is more in line with hers.
Tino's kinetic vision, having been beaten by those much faster than him, caught every movement of the Wolf Knight perfectly, and his movements were much slower than what he had seen in training.

Even if his opponent was a rank or two higher, he would still be able to keep up with their movements.
So the question is, can you hurt their thick and strong body covered with hair? The role of a thief is not to defeat illusions.

'I think it's one of them. I'll take care of it before the other phantoms arrive.

At Tino's words, each of them got into a fighting stance. Greg drew his sword and Gilbert held up his Purgatory sword.

Luda also drew his dagger and stepped back. Rouda's role is to keep a watchful eye on her surroundings and to check her surroundings. If there are intruders, she must attract them and stop them in their tracks.
She must avoid a pincer attack when her individual strength is inferior. This is an important role.

'Since we don't know who they are, shouldn't I go first?

Gilbert suggested to Tino.
At these words, Tino took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

'No problem. Your sister told me. The first attack is Hua. I'll take it no matter what.'

'No, flower--it's only dangerous. It's not like there's anything to be gained from the first attack.

Tino stretched out his arms and legs and relaxed his muscles. He nodded once to check his condition,

'Because I'm a hunter.

He started sprinting towards the boss's room.


§Boss room


The boss's room was a spacious room, more than ten meters long and wide. In addition to the path Tino had come in on, there were narrower paths on either side.

The ceiling was much higher than the passageway, and unlike the past, it was twice as high as the Wolf Knight's.
When had I descended so far underground? Such thoughts suddenly flashed through his mind.

However, even that large space seemed cramped from the huge shadow that was standing in the middle of the room.



It was a wolf.

A werewolf with a huge crimson battle axe the size of Tino's body.

It was about two times larger than the Wolf Knight he had been fighting, and its entire body, except for its head, was covered in black plate armor.
The wolf knight's armor was troublesome, but the wolf in front of me was equipped with armor that was almost flawless. The joints were also completely guarded.

The wolf's body was not only longer, but also wider than the Wolf Knight's, and its appearance could be called towering.

And above all, unlike the blood-red wolves I had encountered before, this wolf had a beautiful moon color that gave me the creeps. Silvery-white fur. The left half of its ferocious face was covered with a human skull.

It was an evil figure that showed resentment towards humans.

The two ears on the top of its head twitch and tremble as if in convulsions.
The eyes of the silvery-white wolf, reminiscent of the silver moon, caught Tino with ease, showing no signs of impatience with the sudden intruder.

A murderous intent pierced Tino's entire body. The wolf howled.
It was almost the same time as Tino ran right next to it.

A wolf in full body armor. It's the worst pattern I've ever seen.

Tino's boots had metal in the soles, but his kick wasn't strong enough to shatter the metal, and there was a chance he might hurt his foot. Injury to the foot here and now would mean death.

If it was this big, it was doubtful that he would be able to break his stance. My heart tightens with tension and, above all, elation.

An axe flies at me. A battle axe is a heavy weapon with its center of gravity at the tip, making it difficult to handle. But the wolf wielded it as easily as if it were a stick.

The blade was huge, almost a meter wide. He took a strong step forward to avoid the blow that would have torn him to pieces if he had hit it head-on. The tip of the battle axe shattered the ground and debris flew right past Tino.

Blood-red eyes, filled with a throbbing resentment, follow Tino.
The huge body turns around. Just as he stepped in to change direction, the cave vibrated slightly.

Despite its size, there was not a trace of sluggishness in its movements.

--Strong. I can run away from it. The problem is it's hard to kill.

Even Gilbert would find it difficult to take a heavy battleaxe blow head-on. And the Purgatory sword would be hard to cut through its armor.

As you pass each other, you slash at its armor - its legs - with your shortsword. The high-pitched sound of metal clashing against metal echoes, leaving a numbing impact in the palm of your hand.
The armor leaves a scuffed line, but it doesn't waver in its stance, as if it has grown roots.

And above all, the wolf had intelligence.
It's eyes were wet with resentment, but it was also alert to its surroundings. It wasn't like any wolfknight he'd fought before.

The rest of the team rushed to the entrance behind the boss, stopping at the sight of his majesty.

If it had been any other Wolf Knight, they would have attacked. But Gilbert and the others must have figured it out.
They knew that the wolf was fully aware of the attack from behind.

Gilbert and Greg readied their swords and quickly spread out to the left and right.

'What the hell is this thing?

'd*mn, I've never seen anything like this!

Gilbert's eyes widen as he sees the battle axe bobbing up and down. Greg is looking for a weakness with grim eyes.

Luda, as planned, stood a little farther away, observing its entire body with caution.

The silver wolf was surrounded by four opponents, but it did not seem to be in a hurry. It even has the dignity of a champion.

--The head.

Tino comes to a conclusion.
This boss is much stronger than the Wolf Knight, but he is the only one who doesn't wear armor like the Wolf Knight. Its weaknesses are probably the same as the Wolf Knight's.

The problem is that this boss is much larger than the Wolf Knight. You'll have to kick the ground very hard to reach it, and you'll be defenseless during that time.

If you attack it from behind as you have in the past, it will probably not be able to reach you. You'll just get reamed out.
His eyes were fixed on Gilbert, Greg, Luda, and Tino, and he always kept his eyes on Tino the most.

'...... What do we do?'

'Should we retreat?'

Fortunately, neither Gilbert, Greg, nor Luda were consumed by fear in the face of their boss.

When I first saw them, they looked like small men, but I knew their boldness before I got here.
If they didn't have the guts, they would have run away long before they entered the treasure house.

That's where we stand a chance.
This boss would be extremely difficult for Tino to defeat alone. It's not like the Wolf knight where you could do whatever you wanted.

This is a test. You'll understand when you see a wolf with a simmering will to fight.

Krei Andrich will test a promising member with his life.

It was called this because of what a member of the Strange Grief once said, and because of its two names.

--A thousand trials.

It's the first step to glory.

And Tino must overcome it.

'Stop a blow. I'll handle it.