406 Bear-san, Challenges The Gate Of Trials

I was allowed to try out the Gate of Trials before the other partic.i.p.ants and the guild staff arrived. Since we didn’t have much time, I drank the tea that Guildmaster had made for me in one gulp and left my seat. Fina and Ruimin followed suit and stood up from their chairs. But Guildmaster called out to Fina and Ruimin.

[I’m sorry girls, but you can’t go inside with her, so you’ll have to wait here.] Guildmaster

Well, of course. In the first place, only the partic.i.p.ants are allowed in there.

[U~u, I see. I would have liked to see Yuna-san challenge the Gate of Trials though.] Ruimin

[Fina and Ruimin, wait for me here, I’ll be back in a bit.] Yuna

[U~u, understood.] Ruimin

[Yuna-oneesan, good luck.] Fina

The two of them look disappointed, but they didn’t say anything selfish.

I asked Fina and Ruimin to stay in the room, then I left with Rojina-san and Guildmaster. We walked to the opposite of the entrance of the building towards the double doors in the back.

I knew it was the one behind that door.

Guildmaster opens the door. From there on, the surface of the earth is bare, not artificially created. It felt like the inside of a cave. There was a light inside, making it a bit brighter. The light leads to a pa.s.sage that goes on.

[Are we inside the Gate of Trials?] Yuna

[Oh right. Speaking of inside, from here on out, only the blacksmiths and those who handle the weapons are allowed in here.] Guildmaster

What that means was, the Gate of Trials was built to test weapons in this area. In the first place, the entrance was inside another gate. And since they have to go through the gate, they called it the Gate of Trials. Afterwards, the guild came to manage the so-called Gate of Trials. And that leads us to the current event.

[Etto, was it okay for Guildmaster to go inside the Gate of Trials?] Yuna

[No problem. Technically, anyone can enter. The only rules are for the blacksmiths who made the weapons and those who handle the weapons. Besides, it would be a mess if we let everyone in, so we didn’t make the trials into a spectacle.] Guildmaster

I agree with that. The weapons that they have worked so hard to create and those who handle them. n.o.body wants to be looked at coldly.

We talked while walking down a corridor, which turned into a staircase. It looks like we’re going down from here. Guildmaster tells me to watch my step, but as I’m wearing bear shoes, I’m fine. Lead by the Guildmaster, we went down the stairs.

[So, what does the Gate of Trials do after all?] Yuna

[It knows how to measure the skill of the smith and the one wielding the weapon.] Guildmaster

[Yeah, but I don’t know what I’m going to do.] Yuna

[Simply put, you’re going to deal with something made up of magical power.] Rojina

[Something made of magical power?] Yuna

I can’t quite put my finger on it. What is something made of magical power?

[It can be a monster or an object. It depends on the weapon and it depends on the weapon’s performance. That’s why I don’t know how your trials will turn out, Missy. With a sword made by an apprentice, you might find yourself dealing with many weak monsters.] Guildmaster

[Like Wolves, perhaps.] Rojina

Rojina-san added a few words to Guildmaster’s words.

Surely Wolves would make a good start for beginners.

[And as you defeat them, they become stronger and more difficult, so they can only be defeated if the performance of the weapon is matched by the ability of the person handling it.] Guildmaster

[How many times do we have to fight then?] Yuna

[Maximum of five times. The first one is not so difficult, as long as the weapon has a minimum performance and the person handling it has a minimum level of skill. It gets progressively harder the second time and beyond.] Guildmaster

Well, even Wolf cannot be defeated if someone who cannot handle weapons properly uses them. For example, even if Fina and Noa had Mithril swords, I can’t imagine them defeating a Wolf. In the first place, they don’t look like they can wield swords.

[I understand what a monster is, but what about the objects?] Yuna

[It’s something hardened by magic. If you use a hammer, you’ll get a boulder hardened with magic, and with a spear, you’ll get a wall similarly hardened with magic. Even so, it’s different every time, so it doesn’t always show up as the same shape.] Guildmaster

That’s the kind of trials that comes up?

Stories like that make me want to try my hand at using a hammer or a spear. But I never really used hammers and spears in my gaming days. But I should be able to use them at least a little.

[This time, I’m going to use a knife. By the way, what kind of things (monsters) will appear against a knife user?] Yuna

[Basically, no one wants to partic.i.p.ate with a knife. In the first place, if you can’t make a sword, your master won’t let you partic.i.p.ate and n.o.body would want to partic.i.p.ate wielding that either.] Guildmaster

[Because if you can create a sword, you’re on your way to becoming full-fledged.] Rojina

[And so, no competent blacksmith would partic.i.p.ate with a knife.] Guildmaster

Guildmaster and Rojina-san told me the minimum standards for blacksmiths to partic.i.p.ate.

As the skill of the blacksmith increases, the more swords, spears, and other weapons he has to make. By doing so, he can make stronger and better weapons. Although, it seems that there are no blacksmiths who would want to make the strongest knife.

But even if knives are terrible, they are still proper weapons. However, even in games, knives are not the main weapon, they are sometimes the beginner’s weapon or the initial equipment. I’ve never seen a swordsman fight the last boss with a knife as his main weapon. Only thieves and a.s.sa.s.sins use knives. In games, swords are often used to defeat the last boss. Although, I never used a knife either.

Even so, few people use it as their main weapon. Like Senia-san, who is a skilled knife user.

Well, there have been a few in the past, but a knife shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

I don’t want to say anything that would raise such a flag. But I guess, in this case, a big challenge is more fun than a trivial one.

[But if it’s a mithril knife made by Ghazal, so you’d better expect a worthy opponent.] Guildmaster

Of course, it is. I don’t mean to underestimate the trial. But everything is boring if you don’t take it seriously and enjoy every second of it.

[By the way, just to confirm, can I use magic to defeat those things (monsters)?] Yuna

I have my bear magic and bear punch.

At my question, Guildmaster looked at me as if I were a foolish child.

[Of course not. We are here to test the weapons.] Guildmaster

I knew it, but the word makes me want to defeat it with magic. I feel like my body will react on its own and use magic by itself.

[Missy, can you use magic?] Guildmaster

[Yeah, I can.] Yuna

[Well, then, I guess I’ll have to teach you the rules about the Gate of Trials. First of all, magic is prohibited. The moment you hit an object with magic, the ordeal will be forced to end. However, attacks with magic power added to the weapon are allowed. Some swords have magic power added into the weapon to make it more powerful.] Guildmaster

[Can I use magic to create an earthen wall or something to block the attack?] Yuna

[No. It ends the same way the moment the object touches it. You can think of it as the end if any magical power other than the sword touches the object. It’s a test made solely for weapons and those who wield them.] Guildmaster

The rules of the Gate of Trials are summarized as follows:

No. 1. Neither magical attacks nor defenses are allowed. If the object gets touched by it, the trial will end.

No. 2. Adding magical power to a weapon to attack is allowed.

No. 3. The use of the protective gear is allowed.

No. 4. The trial will end when you take a certain amount of damage. You will not be seriously injured during the trials.

No. 5. The trials will be concluded after five sessions.

But here’s something that doesn’t apply to me in my means of attack.

[What about hitting it with your hand?] Yuna

I clenched the bear puppet to make a crunching sound.

It’s the Bear Punch. Bear punch is not magic. Well, I can add magic to it if I wanted to.

[……] Guildmaster

[……] Rojina

But they were disappointingly looking at my bear puppet.

[Missy. After all the things we discussed, you should know what kind of trial this is, right?] Guildmaster

I know, it’s about the weapons. You have to attack with a weapon, right?

[In the first place, no one will ever want to attack any of those with their hands.] Rojina

Yeah, that’s right. Trials for weapons don’t usually do bear punches, do they?

In the end, I couldn’t tell if the bear punch was out or safe. Well, I don’t want to end the trial with a bear punch, so I’ll seal the bear punch.

As I walked down the stairs, talking with Rojina-san and Guildmaster, I saw a circular pattern drawn at the bottom of the stairs. It looked like something out of a game or manga. There are various shapes drawn inside the circle. It’s a magic circle.

[Weapons will be tested down here.] Guildmaster

As I descended the stairs, a large s.p.a.ce opened up. It seemed to be in the center of a mountain, but it was as big as a schoolyard. It was surprising to see such a large s.p.a.ce inside the mountain.

Looking up, I saw that the ceiling was high and there’s light, so it wasn’t dark. I wonder if this is also due to magical power.

We come near the magic circle.

[Missy. Stick the knife into the center of the magic circle. If it’s a weapon that needs magical power to be added, you can pour the magical power into the weapon when you stick it in, then it will evaluate the weapon’s performance in terms of material, strength, sharpness, and magical power absorption rate. A suitable opponent will appear shortly.] Guildmaster

It really looks like a game.

I took out my Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear Knives from the bear box. That’s when I remember that I have two knives.

[Etto, I’m using two knives.] Yuna

I showed him the knives I’m holding in both hands.

[It doesn’t matter. Just stick both knives in, so you can start the trial.] Guildmaster

I walked to the center of the magic circle and stabbed my Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear Knives into the center of the magic circle as I was told. Then, as I clutched the knives and channeled magic power, the magic circle began to glow.

Oh, this is just like the game’s special effects. It’s like the scene where the last boss appears or the treasure unveils. I get excited when the magic circle lights up. I wish I could have shown Fina and Ruimin this scene. After a while, the light of the magic circle disappears. At the same time, Rojina-san shouted.

[Missy, look ahead!] Rojina

When I looked in front of me as I was told, the soil began to rise and form a shape.

[What the h.e.l.l? That’s…….] Guildmaster

[……Golem.] Rojina

[How could something like that show up on the first try?] Guildmaster

Rojina-san and Guildmaster both shouted in surprise. You don’t have to be so distressed about a mere golem.

But I think it’s bigger than the golem I killed in the mine. It’s about twice in height.

The golem hits the ground. The cave rumbles. What a destructive power.

[Missy, don’t be crazy! Run!] Rojina

They’re worried about me, but I’ll be fine. I pulled out my knives.

[I can take down that golem.] Yuna

[Missy, that thing should be hardened by magic. If you attack it thinking that it’s just a pile of dirt, it’ll bounce back at you!] Rojina

Still, it shouldn’t be any harder than an Iron Golem. But I’m not going to go easy on it from the start. Even though I have bear armor, if I take damage, it could be the end of me in one go.

I clenched on my Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear Knives and ran towards the golem. It moved slowly. As I approached it, its arms swung up. I channeled my magic power into the knives I hold on either side of me, I then sliced it several times, and cut off the golem’s arms and legs.

[Hmm, is it like this at the beginning?] Yuna

[Missy?] Rojina

[……] Guildmaster

The two old men looked at me dumbfoundedly. At any rate, I slashed the golem’s body and chopped off its head to put an end to it.

[How can you move that fast in that kind of outfit?] Guildmaster

It may look like that, but it’s a cheat armor.

[And to slay a golem so easily?] Rojina

I’ve already defeated them in the past and I’m not in a hurry. In addition, I’m using the mithril knives that Ghazal-san made for me, which I didn’t have the last time. Even though it was strengthened by magic, it didn’t seem to be any harder than the Iron Golem.