Recruitment
Eve and I had started what could only be described as a silent shouting match.
'You're telling me to back off? Are you serious?'
—Yeah, you idiot! I'm telling you to get out of this quest!
'Hey, I warned you already! That route of yours is only a half-clear!'
—Ha! Half-clear my ass! What do you even know?!
'What? Come on, you've got to admit I know this game better than you do!'
—Nope! Not admitting that!
'Oh yeah? Who was it that hitchhiked through the black market for free again?'
—...Don't get cocky! At least this quest, I've got a solid grip on it!
'You stubborn mule!'
—Shut it!
With that, Eve abruptly spun around and disappeared.
"...Hah."
I was left speechless.
"Shan? What was that just now?"
"Why were you moving like that? Looked like you were doing a weird dance."
Kals and Tyrbaen frowned.
They had no idea what just happened — half of my gestures had turned into impromptu body language.
Baruel and Shark looked equally confused.
"Ahem."
Having just performed an unintentional interpretive dance, I could only cough awkwardly.
But really, I was dumbfounded.
Seriously.
Was she always this impossible to talk to?
'Damn it, if only I had time to explain calmly.'
Then maybe I could've laid out the pros and cons of each route, point by point.
With a proper breakdown, anyone with a working brain would've understood the logic.
"..."
But the more I thought about it, the more I shook my head.
'No… that's not it.'
It wasn't that Eve lacked intelligence.
I just had a strange hunch — that there was something else behind her choice.
Compared to her black market dice trick, which was practically a cheat skill, this quest's strategies were well known among players.
Meaning, my approach wasn't some hidden secret.
'Yeah. There's no way she doesn't know about my route if she's going for the Detached Squad method.'
So it made sense to assume she knew my solution existed.
And yet, she was still determined to stick to her own strategy.
Why?
If she was a player, shouldn't she naturally choose the route with the bigger rewards?
As I puzzled over that contradiction, a sudden thought hit me.
"...Wait."
A realization flashed through my mind.
I quickly turned my head toward where she'd vanished —
but Eve Wyler was already gone, swallowed up by the crowd of girls.
Staring at the space she'd disappeared into, one simple hypothesis formed.
'Could it be… because my route's too dangerous?'
Maybe she wasn't choosing her method out of pride —
maybe she was avoiding mine because it could get the children hurt.
Or worse, killed.
So instead, she'd chosen the safer Detached Squad strategy, even if the reward was smaller.
'Yeah… my route is riskier.'
The plan to trigger the Ultra Wave and resolve it from within
was far more dangerous than preventing it in advance.
I frowned.
'Is that really her reason?'
I couldn't be sure.
It was all speculation at this point.
But...
'If not, then how do you explain her trying to get the Shield of Balance despite having no money?'
In this quest, whoever possessed that shield could almost perfectly protect the children.
I'd used it to escape the black market,
but its original purpose was defensive.
"Yeah… makes sense."
Maybe my guess wasn't so far off after all.
"Team leaders, step forward and report your members."
Under Erek Kaid's supervision, the children followed the formal procedures one by one.
When our turn came, I led my group to the front.
Erek Kaid glanced down at the roster in his hand.
"...Shan Aledro? That your name?"
"Yes, sir."
The Archmage's eyes, sharp as blades, swept over me from atop the black stone platform.
A chill ran down my spine.
'What was that? Some kind of magic?'
A faintly unpleasant sensation crawled over me, and I glanced back at Tyrbaen.
But the little witch merely shook her head — telling me it was nothing to worry about.
Even the Guardians' Blessing didn't react.
So…
'Doesn't seem harmful.'
It was probably just the natural flow of magic surrounding the Archmage himself.
After examining me briefly, Erek Kaid nodded and looked over our group.
"I see. Kals Aledro, En Aledro, Baruel Hejit, and Shark Lobren. Four in total."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Each of you will step forward and choose your prey."
Before us stood a large crystal orb.
'Once you touch it, it extracts a trace of your mana, records your traits, and assigns you a suitable prey.'
…Or at least, that's what the official line said.
But I knew the truth.
'It's pure random chance dressed up in fancy words.'
In the original game, I'd saved and reloaded this event countless times —
and the result had never followed any consistent logic.
No matter who touched the orb, the chosen prey was random:
Kobold Shieldbearer.
Mad Groll.
Goblin Scout.
Young Lizardman Archer.
Low-Rank Orc Warrior.
Just low-tier monsters rotating in and out of the pool.
The same held true for the other teams that had gone before us.
'There's a small chance for a special rare target, but… it's so low it's not worth worrying about.'
So I just watched calmly as our turn began.
"Baruel Hejit, step forward first."
Erek Kaid gestured, and the young mage nervously approached.
"Place your hand on the orb. No need to grip it tightly."
Baruel nodded, pressing his trembling hand against the crystal.
Zzzzt…
A faint light pulsed from within the orb —
and behind us, the campfire flared, shaping itself into an image.
The image of his prey.
'A Low-Rank Orc Scout.'
Twin tusks jutted from its mouth,
and its back was covered in thick grass and branches for camouflage.
Without question — it was a Low-Rank Orc Scout.
And among all possible targets for this ritual,
that was the most disliked one of all.
In other words — it was a top-tier difficulty target.
"Whoa, Baruel pulled an Orc Scout? No way, that's insane. Hahaha."
"Man, that guy's luck is the worst of the worst."
"Tsk, tsk. He's done for. Poor kid."
Snickers rippled around the campfire.
I simply nodded.
'So Baruel really is being seen as the weakest of the weak.'
For now, that was understandable.
While everyone else had been busy forming teams, he'd just sat there by the fire, digging at the ground.
Anyone watching that scene could guess what kind of reputation he had.
And honestly… I couldn't blame them.
'It's not that the kids are cruel. It's just realistic.'
Once the hunt began, every moment inside the hunting grounds would be life-or-death — a series of desperate struggles.
And a mute magician?
'Hard to trust someone like that.'
That's why Baruel probably had no hope for himself.
...At least, not until I showed up.
—I-I'm sorry.
The poor kid shuffled back toward me, guilt written all over his face.
After all, whatever prey he drew would become our team's task —
and that made him feel like a criminal.
—I'm really sorry…
Head hanging low, Baruel even begged me to put him in the last hunting order,
saying he just wanted the experience and wouldn't complain.
But I just smiled.
"Hey, no need to apologize. It's not your fault."
Baruel blinked in surprise, eyes trembling with honest confusion.
—B-but! I drew an Orc Scout!
"Yeah, I noticed. Guess you've got some unlucky hands there."
—Unlucky… hands?
"It's an expression. Anyway, don't worry too much about it. We'll help you."
—You'll… help me?
"Of course. You trusted me enough to join my team, right? So I'll back you up."
—But it's an Orc Scout…
"That's just bad luck, not your fault. And hey—facing stronger enemies means better rewards."
I looked him straight in the eyes.
"So don't talk like that. No apologizing, no giving up. Got it?"
Baruel's lips pressed tightly shut.
He clearly didn't believe my confident tone, his gaze flickering nervously.
'Cute kid.'
He had no way of knowing that even letting Kals loose on his own would wipe out every low-rank Orc in this forest.
Whether it was an Orc Scout or a warrior unit — there was nothing for me to worry about.
'Anyway, that's that.'
I turned my attention to the next draw.
"Shark Lobren, place your hand on the orb. Don't fight the flow of mana."
"Yes, Vice-Leader."
The fire behind us shimmered, and three Young Lizardman Archers appeared.
I nodded.
'Simple enough.'
Next, Kals received the target Inexperienced Kobold Squad Leader,
and Tyrbaen drew a Corrupted Groll Warrior.
Then, finally, it was my turn.
Slide.
As I placed my hand on the orb—
"Ow!"
A sharp shock jolted through my palm, like grabbing a live wire.
"Uh… is this thing supposed to do that?"
Startled, I glanced up at Erek Kaid, but the Archmage merely smiled kindly.
"Ah, static discharge. That can happen."
"..."
Static, huh? Felt more like a hundred thousand volts.
Still uneasy, I touched the orb again.
This time, nothing happened.
But something still felt… off.
"Now, let your mana flow naturally. If your reserves are low, you may feel light-headed," Erek Kaid said calmly.
The orb began to glow.
Mana surged from my palm, swirling violently inside the crystal sphere.
And then—
[Target Assigned!]
[You have drawn a Special Prey!]
A foreboding system message appeared.
'A special prey…?'
I turned toward the campfire — and my face immediately twisted.
The kids around the fire were already murmuring in shock.
"H-how did that come up?"
"I've never seen that before…"
"Can we even hunt something like that?"
The figure forming in the fire wasn't ordinary.
Like Baruel's Orc, it had long tusks — but this one…
'That beard… the hood… the staff…'
It was an Orc Shaman.
"...Guess I shouldn't have called Baruel unlucky."
It was one of the ultra-rare "special targets."
And, of course—
it was also the source of the Ultra Wave.
In other words, the very target Eve Wyler's Detached Squad Route was built around had just been handed to me.
I could feel eyes boring into me from somewhere.
"Hm."
I stared at the fire, lost in thought.
If that's how things were turning out…
"Then there's no way I'm letting this go."
One thing had become absolutely clear.
'Eve Wyler and I can't coexist in this hunting ground.'
That was my conclusion.