Chapter 12 : The Witch (3)
“The leader is a guy named Barnald. He rescued four of his companions in advance and was working on saving the remaining five. This was their first time coming here.”
According to what Jackson found in the records, the group recruiting the 10-person party we were joining consisted of Barnald and his gang of five.
The remaining five spots were filled by small climbing teams of two, one, and two individuals.
We were one of those two.
“Still, it bothers me that Jackson has never seen them before and that this is their first time here.”
“Why is that?”
Eden’s murmuring prompted me to ask, even though I already knew the answer.
It was only natural to feel uneasy.
“There are plenty of people who cause trouble and wander from place to place. Some even make a career out of such antics.”
In this field, trust is inherently low.
Add to that a party from somewhere else with no established credibility?
No matter how you look at it, it’s a concerning setup.
‘Their chosen advanced trial is also a dungeon-type, where you can’t tell what’s happening inside.’
Crimes like suddenly turning on companions in a dungeon, killing them, stealing their belongings, and reporting it as an accidental death are disturbingly common.
Of course, repeating such acts in the same area is bound to expose the perpetrators.
These people tend to change identities and roam from floor to floor.
‘If there are prey to exploit, it’s all good.’
Despite knowing all this, I didn’t stop Eden purely because I wanted prey.
Clearing trials properly and earning rewards is the standard way to grow, but I’m a dark sorcerer.
I seek power through unconventional means.
If an opportunity arises to devour prey and absorb their strength, there’s no reason to pass it up.
“Well, the chances of nothing happening are still high, so don’t worry too much. They might turn out to be nice people when we meet them.”
Perhaps mistaking my reaction for worry or fear, Eden tried to reassure me, waving his hands.
It was amusing to watch him misunderstand on his own, so I didn’t bother correcting him.
Besides, there’s indeed a good chance nothing will happen.
If, like in the past, I had nothing to my name, I might have struck preemptively and wiped them out.
But my circumstances aren’t dire enough to take such risks yet.
“There they are.”
When we arrived at the meeting point, Eden pointed to a group already waiting for us.
They would already know about us.
“Hey there. Jackson told me about you. That makes ten of us now. As you may already know, my name is Barnald.”
A large, copper-skinned warrior sitting on an old crate introduced himself as Barnald, the man who had assembled this party.
He and his group greeted us more warmly than expected, even knowing we were dark sorcerers.
“Is this my first time seeing a female dark sorcerer?”
Of course, some, including Barnald, gave me strange looks, but I’d gotten used to it since taking on this body.
Even Eden, who had been traveling with me for days, occasionally sneaked glances at me.
“Wait, a dark sorcerer?”
“Are we really okay with this?”
In contrast, the ones showing outright hostility were a male-and-female climbing couple.
Ella and Ron introduced themselves, showing a typical prejudice against dark sorcerers, not bothering to hide their discomfort or unease.
“They haven’t even been wronged or anything, those jerks…”
Eden grumbled irritably at their attitude.
To be fair, even I could tell that those two probably hadn’t experienced any harm directly caused by a dark sorcerer.
Their prejudice seemed more rooted in rumors or misunderstandings.
If they had truly been wronged, fear and terror would have outweighed their disgust.
“Calm down. If you nitpick every little thing like that, how can you gather people? Besides, this is a 10-person party. Even if someone causes trouble, it’ll be quickly subdued.”
Barnald laughed heartily, brushing off the complaints without a care.
“Are you okay with having a dark sorcerer in the group?”
Barnald turned his gaze to the last person, a lone climber who had joined the party independently.
“I don’t mind. Whoever joins makes no difference to me.”
The reply came from a tall woman carrying a bow.
She wore a hood pulled down low, completely obscuring her face.
She introduced herself as Norha.
I instinctively realized she was an elf.
“As you know, the trial we’re taking on is The Garden of Feasts. We’ll need to complete three conditions and defend the central facility in the garden from a horde of enemies during the final stage.”
Barnald naturally took on the role of leader, guiding the team and briefing us on the plan.
‘He’s experienced.’
His mannerisms and speech betrayed the fact that he was a seasoned veteran.
It was clear that Barnald and his group had completed several trials before.
It felt odd, though.
No matter how mediocre their skills might be, it didn’t make sense for such veterans to be idling on the second floor—unless they were deliberately taking newbies under their wing.
While Barnald appeared to be an easygoing, boisterous man on the surface, it wasn’t unreasonable to suspect he had some hidden motives.
“Once we enter the trial, we’ll start from the south side of the garden. We’ll need to break through the obstacles and activate the three defensive stones in the north, east, and west.”
“Then for team composition…”
“To stay on schedule, we’ll obviously need to split up. We’ll divide into three groups from now.”
The trial’s nature made it inevitable that we’d split into smaller teams.
Everyone would come together only during the final defensive battle.
“We’d prefer to move separately from those two.”
“Dark sorcerers are actually pretty helpful, you know. But if that’s what you want, there’s nothing I can do.”
Although Barnald and his group were the main organizers and accepted us into the party, Ella and Ron still made their disdain for us obvious.
They naturally gravitated away from Eden and me, trying to keep their distance.
Each member’s abilities and assigned roles made it inevitable for Barnald’s group to split up.
Three members of Barnald’s party headed to the eastern defense stone.
Ella, Ron, and one of Barnald’s companions were assigned to the northern defense stone.
Meanwhile, Barnald himself chose to join Norha, Eden, and me at the western defense stone, volunteering to lead from the front.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly and go grab a drink,” Barnald said, approaching us with an air of confidence and a grin.
“At least the leader seems to be competent. That’s a relief,” Eden muttered, watching Barnald walk ahead, letting out a small sigh of relief.
While Eden had been quick to bristle at those wary of us due to our dark sorcerer status, he seemed grateful for how Barnald handled things diplomatically.
But it wasn’t just Ella and Ron who were wary of us.
There was someone else who, while more subtle, had been keeping a close watch on us—and not just us.
That person seemed to be wary of everyone except themselves, including Barnald.
“Thank you for trusting us. If even you had rejected us, I’m not sure what would have happened.”
I smiled faintly, donning the mask of an innocent novice as I addressed her first.
She flinched slightly, as if caught off guard by my words.
“Looking forward to working with you,” I added.
“…I heard this is your first trial. Don’t let your guard down too soon. No one knows what might happen inside. Lives are at stake,” she replied coldly, her tone reminding me of people I had dealt with in the past.
Still, unlike before, there was a trace of interest in her voice this time.
What kind of story did this elf have to end up here?
With the knowledge I’d gained over time, I couldn’t help but notice things I might have overlooked before.
“There it is, the advanced trial, The Garden of Feasts!”
The conversation ended as we reached our destination.
A specific location, commonly called a ruin, came into view.
As we approached, a system message appeared, asking if we wanted to challenge the trial.
If we accepted, we’d be immediately transported into the dungeon.
“Wow, look at all those fancy people. Let’s take the back way,” Barnald said, clicking his tongue at the crowd of well-dressed individuals gathered near the main entrance.
Unlike those basking in the spotlight, people like us were used to slipping through the back route to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
「The Garden of Feasts: Entry Available」
A message appeared before me, signaling the trial’s start.
Accepting it would whisk us away to an entirely different space.
“Are we really doing this?”
Just before stepping in, Eden turned to me, his voice trembling with anxiety.
“Don’t hesitate. Let’s go together. Now,” I said, stifling a laugh as I grabbed his shoulder firmly.
If he’s already this scared, how does he plan to handle what’s ahead?