"[Though it may not mean much, congratulations on clearing the 2nd stage. In fact, you may have noticed. Yes, I am selecting those who are heroes from another world like me...] That's what it says."
Having cleared the 2nd stage, everyone arrived at a door identical to the previous one.
This time there were no puzzles; instead, when everyone walked in, text automatically appeared on the door as if responding to their presence.
"...Selection, as I thought."
Adam had suspected it earlier but wasn't confident enough to confirm. Now that the Dungeon master had explicitly stated it, his guess was proven correct.
"Then what's the purpose? Why does he want to select people who also come from another world?"
Urging Kazuma to continue translating, he was very curious about what came next.
"...Revenge." Kazuma paused before saying such a word. But he continued reading, "[For a certain reason, I want revenge against a powerful being who looked down on me. Unfortunately, my power is limited, making revenge impossible.
You who have read my autobiography should realize that all the hardships I faced were overcome through my own wisdom. Thanks to this, my wisdom and abilities were recognized by this country, and I was given the title of Sage.
But! The deeper I delved into advanced studies, the more I realized my hope for revenge was practically nonexistent! I profoundly understand... A sage has limits!
So, I won't be a sage anymore—!!!]"
Are you Dio?! Are you also rejecting your humanity?!
This 『 Sage 』 from another world is definitely a hardcore anime fan! Just by quoting such a famous meme, we can be certain of his otaku credentials!
"What else? Is there more?"
"Ah, it also says... The first two stages were simply to test the challenger's wisdom, as he didn't want to give his research results to someone without intelligence.
But in the final period of his life, he discovered that science alone couldn't defeat the object of his revenge.
So in the 3rd stage, he changed the content of the challenge. He transformed the wisdom test into a pure test of strength. The purpose was to select challengers who excelled in both intelligence and strength...
That's what it says."
What is this guy thinking? He's a Sage, right? A Sage, right?!
It's understandable wanting to find an intellectually agile successor, but why does he also need extraordinary combat ability?
Is this how all Sages think?
"What should we do, Adam-senpai?" Kazuma asked the party leader.
"No matter how you look at it, we can only keep moving forward." Adam said.
He had no intention of giving up. Whether it was the Sage's achievements or his enemies, he was extremely interested in both.
"But if the next challenge is purely about combat, and we all go together..."
"Hmm, I didn't consider that properly." Adam understood what Kazuma meant.
Their strength was weak; even at LV2, they couldn't be of much help. This Sage's dungeon would undoubtedly have an extremely difficult final stage.
"Beatrice and I will enter the next stage alone; the rest of you wait outside."
"No! I, I want to go too!" As soon as he finished speaking, Darkness strongly objected.
If you didn't see her flushed, expectant face, you might actually think she was a good teammate concerned about everyone's safety.
"Ha... ha... ha, I, I want to go too!"
"...You're excited, aren't you?"
"N-no!..."
"No, you can't go!" Adam firmly refused Darkness, giving her no chance to be willful. "Aqua, keep an eye on her."
"No problem, leave it to me!"
Under Darkness's resentful gaze, Adam and Beatrice held hands, pushed open the door before them, and walked together toward the next stage.
Click—
As the door closed behind them, the lights above turned on.
Only then did Adam realize he was in a spacious underground plaza — an area of about 100 meters, a small open space. The surroundings were constructed of special materials; his skill could only cover this space without extending outward.
The previously silent mechanical voice once again sounded in this space.
[Please note, challengers, the rules will now be explained]
[In the next 10 minutes, mechanical soldiers will appear in different numbers, one in the first minute, increasing by one each minute after]
[Your passing condition is to endure for 10 minutes or defeat all mechanical soldiers]
[You have 3 minutes to prepare]
[0:02:59]
[0:02:58]
[0:02:57]
…
"I see, I understand the rules." Adam wasn't nervous at all.
This stage wasn't difficult for him. Not only was he confident in his abilities, but he also understood the Sage's criteria for selecting a successor.
Although the Sage repeatedly emphasized that his successor shouldn't only possess wisdom, he was still a Sage after all, so his combat requirements likely wouldn't be too demanding.
In fact, it was exactly as Adam had predicted.
[Time's up]
[Please select a suitable weapon]
Click—
From the floor in front of Adam and Beatrice, a transparent cabinet rose up. Inside was an object resembling a flashlight.
Though they varied in size, the objects were identical in shape and style.
"This is..."
Unsure of what would happen next, Adam and Beatrice each selected a special object that fit their hand size.
[You have one minute to read the instructions; the challenge will begin automatically after one minute]
[0:0:59]
[0:0:58]
[0:0:57]
…
The floating light screen began counting down immediately, giving them no time to think. Adam raised an eyebrow.
He hurriedly examined the special object in his hand. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it — the wrapped object seemed to be made of some special material that felt comfortable to hold.
Searching carefully, he finally found a button at the back end. He pressed it lightly.
Hum—
A familiar sound effect accompanied a thin beam of light.
This thing — wasn't it a lightsaber?!
No, not a lightsaber, but an ordinary toy.
After his momentary shock, Adam noticed something unusual. The beam of light from the lightsaber in his hand had no temperature at all; it was purely a beam made of light.
"Oh?" Seeing what he did, Beatrice also pressed the button, activating the beam of light. Her big eyes were filled with curiosity.
Before they could joke around, the 3rd stage challenge began.
A humanoid mechanical soldier suddenly appeared before Adam, as if teleporting into existence.
Without hesitation, Adam swung the lightsaber at its neck.
As if governed by real physics, the mechanical soldier's head fell off. Though there was no actual collision, the head and body shattered into fragments and vanished before their eyes.
"It's a holographic projection!"
Adam had seen this technology a few years ago. Though it wasn't widely used, he was familiar with it.
He never expected the Sage could develop such advanced technology in another world.
Nor did he imagine that the 3rd stage's combat test would take this form.
Afterward, the two of them had a blast.
✧✧✧
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