In the Land of Leadale Vol. 5 Page 7

  But although the foliage was sturdy and large, even the highest point failed to reach the outer rim of the tortoise’s shell. From there, one had to scramble up with a rope somehow.

  BWAAAAAHM!

  The sound echoed at one-second intervals from about eighty meters away, and moments later, faint vibrations rolled from its feet. The repetitive tremors would prove frustrating if the challengers started at the bottom, so most elected to climb trees. These were also home to various monsters, so several tumbled back down in the process.

  Incidentally, this wasn’t Exis and Quolkeh’s first time witnessing the tortoise. They had checked it out in the past after hearing rumors but never imagined they’d try to climb it someday.

  “We goin’ or what?”

  This time, they had a last-minute addition.

  A dwarf member of a do-or-die special-attack unit had randomly asked if he could join them.

  His logic was apparently “You two might make it more interestin’.” Exis and Quolkeh warned him they were on a different level from the locals and tried to turn the dwarf away. Nonetheless, he talked the pair down, and they started traveling as a trio.

  “My name’s a mouthful, so just call me Gramps,” he’d said, but neither Exis nor Quolkeh were naive enough to swallow his story without question. The two agreed to collaborate under the assumption he had circumstances they couldn’t begin to imagine.

  “We’ve got our own way of getting up there, but what about you? You got this, Gramps?” Exis asked.

  “Don’t take me for some fool. You pick up more than a few tips and tricks by my age, so just watch and learn.”

  “Guess you’ll be fine, then. Let’s get goin’.”

  Their starting point was not the trees but instead the ground. Quolkeh and Exis could easily scale colossal heights thanks to their Active Skills designed for aid in battle, and the three headed for the shell rising high over the treetops.

  Exis used Active Skill: Ground Runner to dash up the tortoise’s feet to its shell in a heartbeat. This skill allowed the user to temporarily run up anything their feet touched from the walls to the ceiling. He just barely made it within the time limit and was perspiring heavily.

  Quolkeh climbed the tortoise by wrapping her whips around various protrusions. She used this in tandem with Float and didn’t appear to be in the least bit of danger.

  “I should’ve let Quolkeh go first and wrap those around me just in case,” Exis grumbled. Better safe than sorry.

  “How long are you going to keep grumbling, Exis? Let’s go.”

  “Ah, right. Hey, what about the old man?”

  “What are you talking about? He’s right behind you.”

  “Huh?!”

  Dumbfounded, Exis turned around to find the dwarf hefting a large, long-handled ax over his shoulder. As the dragoid cocked his head and tried to figure out the how and when, Gramps prodded his back with the ax handle.

  “Let’s get a move on,” he goaded.

  Exis started to walk ahead, and Quolkeh approached him with a whisper.

  “I just got a message from Cayna.”

  “What’d she say?”

  “‘Good luck on the quiz.’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “The heck’s a quiz got to do with a tortoise? What’s goin’ on?”

  As the group continued over the rim and crested the hill-like shell, they spotted a square building. A conspicuous red radio tower rose up from the roof and passed through a levitating ring. Over the building entrance, 3D letters spelled out KUJO TV. Unsure if this was all some joke, Exis’s and Quolkeh’s faces soured.

  Suddenly, something stirred behind them. The three turned around and saw several knights in fluttering cloaks approach them.

  Did they climb up the shell with nothing but ropes? One had to admire the fully armored knights for climbing a giant tortoise out of patriotic loyalty. The three halted, and a grim, middle-aged knight leading the new arrivals glared at them.

  “This task is of vital importance to the nation, so one must stay focused. You adventurers have no doubt heard there is also a handsome reward for those who resolve this issue.”

  Without even waiting for an answer, the knight and his three subordinates entered the building. As soon as they did, the previously open door clacked shut and locked from the inside with a ka-chak.

  Exis raced over and yanked the doorknob, but even he wasn’t strong enough to get the door to budge.

  “Huh? What?!”

  “Relax. Only a certain number of people can enter at a time. Just wait.”

  “You sure know a lot, Gramps. Have you been here before?”

  “…Many a time, yeah.”

  The dwarf put a hand to his chin with an aura of deep emotion. Quolkeh sensed he was under truly difficult circumstances but didn’t question further.

  After about ten minutes, the ceiling opened with a loud boing! and spat out the four knights from earlier. Drawing a parabola, they gave screams of “Gyaaaah?!” and “Uwaaaagh?!” in a Doppler effect before disappearing into the forest below.

  Exis and Quolkeh broke into a sweat.

  ““They aren’t dead, right?”” they wondered quietly.

  “Nah, they’re fine. It’s supposed to do that,” the old man replied with confidence.

  The far-off look Quolkeh gave him said, This guy knows from experience.

  Meanwhile, the door unlocked and opened up again. Gramps tried to enter first, but Exis held him back.

  “Let the young people handle this.”

  He stepped inside, and Quolkeh followed after. The dwarf gave an amused snort and brought up the rear. The door shut behind them.

  “………”

  “What the heck is this…?”

  “Just what it looks like.”

  For Exis and Quolkeh, the room was a jaw-dropping nostalgia trip.

  The interior was a perfect reproduction of a staged variety show. There were giant ○ and X symbols in the middle of the floor and a row of small, individual seats for guest stars. The goddess of a certain country was depicted on one wall. Cameras were positioned in front of the set, and there was a large seat where the MC explained the rules and such.

  Something incongruent to all this also floated in midair.

  A shirtless, Buddha-like statue sat in the lotus position on a lotus-flower pedestal. The figure was covered entirely in gold leaf, and its closed eyes peeked open as Exis and his group cautiously approached the center of the set. The golden Buddha glared at the intruders.

  Exis and Quolkeh drew their weapons and prepared for battle. Only the old dwarf remained unfazed and merely looked up at the Buddha.

  “Salutations, new challengers. We are the caretaker of this Guardian Tower. You seek the prodigious wisdom and miracles of the gods, yes?”

  “Huh?”

  “…What?”

  The floating Buddha’s eloquent yet antiquated speech confused the youths, but the old dwarf hefted his ax and harrumphed contemptuously. The narrow-eyed Buddha glanced down at him, then shrugged with a cry of admiration.

  “Oh, we meet again! You have visited before, yes, distinguished gentleman? And there are three challengers this time… We see. Your odds of victory will indeed increase. If we are being honest, our last visitors were quite unenlightened. It was ever so dull.”

  According to the Buddha, the old dwarf was a regular.

  The slightly exasperated Buddha led the trio over to the ○ and X at the center of the studio. As soon as they arrived, a counter reading 00/00 appeared over each person’s head. The numbers on the left were blue, and the right side was red. The Buddha began to explain before Quolkeh or Exis could ask any questions.

  “There are one hundred questions, and you three must answer a total of eighty correctly to pass. Howeverrrr, if you answer twenty wrong beforehand, you are FINITOOOO! You shall immediately be deemed unqualified and thrown from the premises. Everyone is prepared, yes? Well, then! The Trial! Of the Guardian Tower! And Second Skill Master Kujo! Shall now begin!”

  From somewhere unseen, a flat trumpet call of Duh-duh-duh-duuuuuh! rang throughout the studio. The room dimmed, and a spotlight fell on the three.

  “What is this?”

  “What’s goin’ on?”

  Exis and Quolkeh were still clueless despite already being in the thick of it.

  First was the True/False Quiz. Rather than the androgynous Buddha statue, a woman’s soft voice asked the questions instead. The contestants had five seconds for the first question, so there was no time to waste.

  “Question one: There are a total of fourteen Skill Masters. True or false?”

  Quolkeh and Exis immediately raced to the X but were shocked to find the old dwarf still standing on ○. They frantically urged him over, but it was too late. A golden bell appeared over his head with a loud ding-dong, and the number above him changed to 01/00. Meanwhile, a giant red X popped over Quolkeh’s and Exis’s heads with a bzzzt!, and the numbers switched to 00/01.

  “Huh? What? Why?!” Quolkeh questioned.

  “Dammit, Gramps already knows these questions. Tell us sooner!”

  The dwarf gazed at the pair coolly as they yelled at him in frustration.

  “There were originally fourteen Skill Masters. That’s the truth.”

  “…Hold on. Does that mean you’re a player, Gramps?!”

  Catching vital clues in the dwarf’s casual remark, Exis used Search on him. Gramps was a higher level, so he could only see basic information.

  “You were with the Red Kingdom…and your real name is Hidden Ogre. Wait, you’re the Twelfth Skill Master?!”

  “Dammit. So you’re players, too… Well, I’ll explain later. For now, let’s just beat this trial.”

  “Just a secon
d. If you’re a Skill Master, can’t you change how this Guardian Tower operates?”

  “If I could, I would’ve done it long ago. We might be able to figure somethin’ out, but that means beatin’ it first.”

  Gramps, or rather, Hidden Ogre, gave a bitter look when Exis pressed him for answers. Quolkeh wanted to get out of here, too, and sided with Exis, but the dwarf’s mind was set.

  Each tower apparently had various rules. Realizing discussion could begin the sooner they completed the trial, Exis and Quolkeh followed Hidden Ogre’s lead and turned back to the Guardian. The statue had apparently been patiently waiting for them to finish. It chuckled and looked off stage, then nodded.

  “Next up…”

  A voice filled the room, and the three quieted so they could catch every word.

  “Question two: There is only one Guardian Tower that is an actual tower. True or false?”

  A timer appeared in the center of the floor.

  “Urgh, uh? Umm, ahhhh…”

  Already at her wit’s end, the confused Quolkeh chose False. Hidden Ogre remained on True, and Exis copied him.

  The timer on the floor hit zero, and a buzzer noise rang above Quolkeh’s head. A golden bell appeared above the dwarf and Exis and chimed a ding-dong of congratulations.

  Quolkeh was visibly disappointed, but Exis patted her shoulder.

  “Don’t sweat it. We’re just gettin’ started,” he said with a wry smile.

  Hidden Ogre sullenly crossed his arms and glared at the empty MC chair. He seemed irritated, and Exis called out to him.

  “Yo, Gramps. Somethin’ bothering you?”

  “Don’t worry ’bout it.”

  “No need to be rude. Besides, that means there is something.”

  “Hmph…”

  The crease on Hidden Ogre’s forehead deepened as if he were thinking, I’ve already said too much. Gramps glanced at Exis evenly for a moment before dropping his shoulders with reluctant resignation. Meanwhile, the dwarf’s gaze sent the dragoid into an internal panic. The glint in those eyes was terrifying.

  “It’s about this tower’s Skill Master.”

  “The Skill Master? Aren’t they watching us from somewhere since they’re running the show? The statue said so earlier.”

  “That would only be true if the Skill Master was actually in this world.”

  “…Huh?”

  Sensing the story had just taken a weird turn, Exis fell silent.

  “If the Skill Master was here…,” Hidden Ogre continued, pointing to the host’s chair, “they’d be sitting right there watching the challengers with a smirk on their face.”

  “So you’re saying the Skill Master isn’t here because that chair is empty?”

  “Right.”

  The Guardian Tower Buddha statue remained in the lotus position and gave no response. It could surely overhear their conversation but remained silent and simply stared at them through narrowed eyes. Nonetheless, the courteous way it stopped the clock to allow time for discussion was much appreciated.

  “Okay then, who’s running this tower?” Exis asked.

  “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here.”

  Hidden Ogre’s answers were as vague as ever. The room fell silent, and the Guardian resumed the quiz once more. The three strained their ears to catch every word.

  Then, twenty minutes later.

  “Uwagh… Aghh…”

  “What rotten luck. You hangin’ in there?” the dwarf asked.

  “You keep gettin’ ’em wrong. I told you to follow my lead.”

  Gramps finished the True/False game with 19/01, Exis with 17/03, and Quolkeh with 07/13. They’d move on to the buzzer-equipped hot seats next, where their final task would be knocking out the remaining eighty questions.

  Quolkeh alone could only miss seven more questions before she was booted out. A wall of despair loomed before her, and she miserably stared off into the distance.

  “Nnnnrgh. These are all questions about Leadale…”

  “I’m pretty sure there were some real-world questions.”

  “This quiz is freakin’ ridiculous. Is this what Cayna meant…?” Exis mumbled.

  “Miss Cayna’s comin’ here, too?!”

  Hidden Ogre quickly advanced on Exis, and his menacing look staggered the dragoid.

  “Um, yeah,” he replied. Quolkeh nodded emphatically.

  A complex look on his face, Hidden Ogre silently absorbed this news and looked at the pair in earnest.

  “Do me a favor, will ya? Don’t tell Miss Cayna I was here.”

  “Huh? Aren’t you both one of the few Skill Masters? Don’t you think she’ll want to see you?”

  “Unfortunately, the title of Skill Master ain’t much more than scrap paper in this world.”

  Hidden Ogre sounded sad, somehow. Almost like he was talking about someone else. Quolkeh said nothing further.

  Exis nodded with a sigh. “You don’t wanna be found. Got it.”

  “What?! H-hey, Exis!”

  “I’m still gonna tell Cayna I saw you, though. If she asks why you’re avoiding her, I’ll just repeat what you said and tell her you don’t want to be found.”

  “Right… Sorry.”

  “Stoppin’ Cayna from stickin’ her nose where it don’t belong ain’t easy. We’ve been through a lot together as old guildmates, so I would know. Anyway, let’s finish the trial and stop this tortoise.”

  Quolkeh’s expression said she didn’t quite agree.

  “This conversation is not over,” she mumbled, giving Exis the evil eye as she headed for the contestants’ chairs. Exis and Hidden Ogre shrugged and followed suit.

  The Buddha, who had been observing their exchange, looked up at the ceiling and encouraged the voice to proceed with the next question. As the human, dragoid, and dwarf took a battle-ready stance and glared at the ceiling, the statue observing them had a daring smirk on its face.

  “Well, now. It seems we have caught unexpected prey, my master.”

  This hushed comment was clearly directed at someone.

  Meanwhile, to the west of Felskeilo, knights, adventurers, and others battled an onslaught of monsters. Contrary to the initial plan to observe the enemy and await their arrival, the fight quickly devolved into a directionless melee.

  To start, the Big Three, Shining Saber included, hadn’t reached the war front yet. The knights and others already on the battlefield also cracked under pressure when the monsters arrived earlier than predicted. As the two sides clashed, the knights and adventurers sensed the horde’s unyielding determination to break through. Frightened, their plan to slow the enemy’s advance was already falling apart.

  The Flame Spear mercenaries who were staying in Felskeilo had also come to the city’s aid, and their renowned leader, Arbiter, was overseeing the adventurers. Unsurprisingly, even mercenaries led by a veteran like Arbiter had trouble dealing with an enemy that included nearly every species in existence.

  The monsters’ main forces comprised of three poisonous purple praying mantises known as death mantises. They were each about the size of a small house, and it would require five or six knights to defeat even one of them.

  There were also horned bears. It required at least two knights to handle one, and there were eight among the enemy’s numbers. The knights had their hands tied with these two types of monsters alone. The soldiers were also assisting the fight, but dealing with two species was too much to handle. In addition, the adventurers were scrambling to take care of the goretigers and gaur lizards, both of which had armor-like scales on their heads and backs. No one had time to deal with commonplace bears and wolves or the rabbits and monkeys that scurried beneath their feet. These were assigned to one group of soldiers commanded by a single knight, but even they were slowly outmatched.

  In truth, the capital’s soldiers weren’t particularly skilled. The region hardly ever went to war against other nations, and there had been no instances of monsters teaming up to attack a city since the nation’s founding. The defensive line of knights and adventurers was slowly but surely swallowed by the throng. The knights struggled against the main unit of death mantises and horned bears, but the swarm surged forward like an army of ants.