* * *

“I knew it!”

Cadel shouted coolly, and his face lit up. In his hand, he held the bag of luggage that had been taken from him, as well as the [Wings of Illusion].

‘I was right. Monsters that cannot be killed within the time limit will be moved to the other team’s space.’

If both teams couldn’t kill the monsters and it accumulated, the time limit would decrease and the number of monsters to be dealt with would increase, resulting in a terrible situation.

‘If we don’t catch the monsters in time, we’ll lose time to communicate. If we can’t communicate and we know that we don’t have to catch all of them to complete the trial, we’ll probably avoid fighting without realizing that we’re putting pressure on each other.’

But now both teams were aware of the true nature of the trial. Cadel could tell when the other team returned the bag and put something that he could recognize.

“Van! The assumption I told you about, I’m sure. No doubt.”

Van, who had been fending off the swarming monsters in front of him, turned his head.

“That’s great, we’ve got a good one for Lumen, so let’s give it to him as a gift.”

Cadel, who nodded lightly, dropped a fireball over the White Spider he had received as a gift.

They confirmed that the monsters that couldn’t be defeated were moved to the other team’s room. However, Cadel had no intention of beating all the monsters by force in order to lighten the other team’s burden.

The most efficient way to do this was to trade back and forth the monsters that were compatible with each team until the red sand dissipated and the trial ended.

‘We know each other’s strength best, and there’s no better way to conserve your stamina and make it to the end.’

So, it was time for the gift exchange.

Each team selected monsters that were difficult for them but easy for the other, and in order to hand over the selected monsters, they focused on defense instead of attack, minimizing physical strength consumption.

After the time limit was over, it was time to deal with the monsters the other team had gifted to them.

Naturally, Cadel and Van’s team would take care of a group of long-ranged monsters. Lumen and Lydon’s team would be responsible for monsters that needed swift attacks or restraints.

A total of six rounds of monster relay slaying took place. The breathless battle ended when the red sand of the hourglass was completely consumed.

「Congratulations. You have cleared the ‘Trial of Cooperation’!」

“Aish, it’s so damn hard”

Cadel grunted in pain as he clutched at his waist, the stone walls on all sides of him, which had never been scratched by any attack, dripping like a thick liquid. It was the end of the trial.

Van stood by Cadel’s side, wary of the surroundings. Beyond the creaking wall, a familiar figure appeared.

“……It’s her again.”

It was Stella. Clasping her hands with an overbearing expression, she moved in front of the two men, her long green hair flowing.

Without hesitation, Van pointed his greatsword at her. Stella’s pure white eyes made it impossible to tell where she was looking, but it was clear that she was at least oblivious to the presence of the greatsword aimed at her. The lack of hesitation in her steps proved it.

Cadel looked uneasily between Stella and the ever-closing distance between her and the greatsword. The well-honed blade would make her bleed at the slightest thrust.

Eventually, Cadel realized that Stella was within inches of the greatsword. Unable to hold back, he opened his mouth.

“Stop.”

Stella stood frozen in place. One more step and she would have been stabbed in the chest. Whether she realized it or not, the corners of her slender lips turned up in a pleasing arc.

Cadel put his hand on Van’s arm and pulled it down with gentle force. Their gazes met, and the distrust of Stella in Van’s eyes was palpable, but with a small shake of Cadel’s head, Van sheathed his greatsword as if he had no choice.

It was only then that the air, which had been stuffy, loosened due to the obvious decrease in killing intent. Stella bent her eyes lightly and said cheerfully.

“I have been watching. Your cooperation has been super fascinating? Stella is so happy you made it through the trial safely!”

“I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying our struggles. You said this was the first trial, so I’m sure there will be a second, right?”

“Are you trying to find out from Stella what the trial is about? That’s a problem, my Hesonia would never tolerate such cheating!”

“I wasn’t exactly trying to figure out the content of the trials, but…… Okay, so maybe you can tell me how many trials are left?”

At Cadel’s question, Stella immediately raised two fingers. A mischievous smile spread across her face.

‘So there are 3 trials in total, huh……. I think I’ve already exhausted myself on the first trial, and now I have to roll twice more?’

The extreme consumption of stamina was prevented through the exchange of monsters, but hard work was hard work. They had been traveling through the desert without sleep.

As Cadel gulped down his natural sigh and looked at Stella, her smile grew even wider.

She was a lovely woman whose every gesture was imbued with affection and cuteness, whether it was a slight tilt of her head or a twitch of her fingers, but her unblemished white eyes had an overly mysterious aura that seemed to see through everything, making Cadel feel vaguely distant.

Sensing the stare, she turned to face Cadel and moved slowly toward him. Van reflexively reached out an arm to grab her shoulder, but the rough touch didn’t touch Stella’s body.

His arm passed through the air. Van’s lips parted in surprise, and Stella stepped up to Cadel, unhindered.

“What are you doing…….”

Tiptoeing lightly, she whispered in Cadel’s hesitant ear.

“There are no fakes there. Remember, Cadel.”

He couldn’t understand the meaning of her words. At the end of the short advice, Stella, who had walked farther away, smiled brightly with her hands behind her back.

“This will be a secret from my Hesonia?”

Without any moment to clear up the question ‘What the hell are you talking about?’.

「The ‘Trial of Trust’ begins.」

Again, Cadel’s and Van’s vision flickered.