390. Illusion Barrier Trial (2)

Gathering the rest of the party, excluding Ichika Sehee, I began to explain the Illusion Barrier Trial.

The party members’ faces tightened.

“We have to face the opponents we fought before, all by ourselves?”

*Gulp*

“T-then, does that mean… we have to take down the Spider Queen alone as well…?”

Especially Gaeul, the supporter, and Sophia, the healer, looked utterly dismayed.

“Yep. For me, the dealers Kang Dohee and Alice, and Master, it’s three times the difficulty. The monsters we fought before will appear three times stronger.”

At that, Kang Dohee actually smirked, as if she liked the sound of it, while Alice and Master nodded with serious faces.

“And for the tanks, Yoo Rilee and Ichika, it’s double. Gaeul and Sophia, it’s the same as before.”

“…Do you think we can do it? Junior, don’t misunderstand me. It’s not that I don’t *want* to. It’s just a matter of… feasibility…”

Gaeul muttered, her voice lacking confidence.

Well, their reaction was understandable enough.

We barely managed to defeat those monsters together, and now they have to take them down all alone? That must be daunting.

“Don’t worry, Gaeul.”

“…Huh?”

“Even if you die inside the trial, you can start over.”

“…Die and start over?”

“Yes, and time will flow slower within the barrier as well.”

That was thanks to Ichika’s ability being added to the mix.

In other words, it was a mental and temporal chamber of endless retries.

‘And Ichika having glimpsed the party’s memories not too long ago really hit the jackpot.’

Originally, it would have taken much more effort,

but Ichika, who’d watched all the party members’ memories in order to produce a comforting documentary for me, remembered things more vividly than expected, making the trial’s implementation easier, she said.

I could almost see Lina’s incredulous smirk as she looked at Ichika.

– …That one’s a monster too. Is there even a single normal person in your party?

“Hmm, ideally, the best thing would be to clear it before the final battle, before the Demon Realm Gate appears. But for now, let’s all try to clear as far as you can. If the final battle breaks out, then it’s just an automatic game over.”

Just then, Alice raised her hand high.

“Instructor.”

“Yeah?”

“If we clear the trial before the final battle erupts… I’d like to receive a reward for that.”

“A reward?”

“…Yes.”

“Alright. What do you want?”

“…I would like you to grant me a wish.”

“A wish? Well, fine. If you clear the trial before the demon gate explodes, I’ll grant you whatever you want. As long as it’s within my power.”

“Of course, only you, Instructor, are capable of granting it.”

At that, the gazes of all the party members turned to her.

“Ha.”

“Tch.”

“Heeh.”

The looks weren’t exactly friendly.

Eyes that seemed to regard her as a laughable competitor.

“Hey. Jin Yuha. We can get that too, right?”

Lee Yuri raised one corner of her mouth and spoke, facing me.

Well, if it motivates them, that’s all that matters.

“Yeah, sure. It’s the same for everyone. If you just pass the trial, I’ll do anything I can for you.”

* * *

A week later.

A space prepared in the basement of the Academy clock tower.

Originally a space where Lina researched magic, it had now been remodeled just for us.

There’s no need to worry about anyone intruding here.

Not even the most brazen of fools would dare to wander into Lina’s backyard.

And so, in the basement,

With all the party members gathered,

The artificial gate created by Lina and Ichika was complete.

Unlike ordinary gates, this one radiated a light that was a mix of deep blue silver and black. Ichika’s shadow was wrapped around the perimeter of the gate.

Ichika looked paler than usual. It seemed she had consumed a considerable amount of energy creating the Illusion Barrier with Lina over the past week.

Lina stepped forward and opened her mouth.

“First, I will explain the rules.”

All eyes were fixed on Lina.

“First, once you enter, you cannot come back out and retry.”

Lina’s voice was stern.

“Second, if you die inside the barrier, you can challenge again, but your physical growth will be reset. In other words, all the experience and growth you gained before dying will be reset to zero.”

At this, Senior Ga-eul frowned.

“Third, monsters will appear in order, starting with goblins. As Jin Yuha has already explained, the dealer position will face three times the number of monsters.”

Lina looked at me, Kang Dohee, Alice, and my mentor.

“Tanks and Specialists, twice the number. Supports and Healers will remain the same.”

Lee Yuri, Ichika, Senior Ga-eul, and Sophia each nodded from their respective positions.

“Fourth, this is not just a combat drill. You will become mentally exhausted, and it will be quite painful. Do not be careless just because it is an illusion. The pain and fear you feel there will be no different from reality.”

Everyone wore serious expressions at Lina’s warning.

“Fifth, if you absolutely can’t endure it, you can die once, and escape through the exit gate at the reset point.”

Rina paused, catching her breath, and continued.

“However, in that case, you can only take your combat experience with you. No real growth.”

In other words, you could leave whenever you wanted, but if you did, it would be considered a failure of the trial, and you could only leave with the experience you gained.

“There are only two ways to take your growth with you. One is to completely clear the trial. Defeat all the monsters and the final boss – the Spider Queen, Irine.”

Everyone looked at each other with tense expressions.

“The other is a forced termination of the trial. If a demon gate appears, the trial will automatically terminate. You can keep any growth you’ve achieved up until then.”

Rina looked around at everyone and asked,

“So far, any questions?”

Autumn-sunbae raised her hand.

“What’s the time ratio inside the trial versus reality?”

Rina looked at Ichika, who answered,

“Inside the illusion barrier, one day is one hour in reality. Meaning, even if you spend the entire day in the trial, only an hour will pass in reality.”

Wow. That’s way more generous than I thought.

To think I could spend twenty-four days in there, and only a single day would pass.

“Then, when does the demon gate appear?”

Alice asked. Rina replied,

“That… we don’t know. It could be tomorrow. It could be a month from now. Assume it could happen at any moment and do your best.”

Rina pointed to the gate and said,

“The preparations are complete. Enter the gate one by one, when you are ready.”

The party members looked at each other and exchanged greetings. No one said it aloud, but they all knew this would be the last time they saw each other for a while.

Ichika approached me. Her face was paler than usual, and I was concerned by how she was barely standing.

It was clear she had exhausted too much energy creating the illusion barrier.

“Ichika, how about you rest a little longer before going in? There’s no need to push yourself right now.”

But Ichika shook her head firmly.

“Eun-in. I heard about it too.”

“About what?”

“The reward.”

“Ah, that.”

Ichika’s gaze was more intense than usual.

“You can rest after you go in. I will enter right away.”

I couldn’t argue with her stubbornness any further. I shrugged and replied,

I pulled Ichika into a tight hug.

“Alright. Come back safe.”

“You too, Eun-in.”

Ichika smiled faintly and stepped into the gate.

As she stood before the gate, silver and black light enveloped Ichika’s body. In an instant, her form vanished into the gate.

Next, Autumn-sunbae stepped forward with a grin.

“Hehe, I’ll go first! Don’t worry! Your sunbae will clear it with dignity and return!”

Despite her cheerful voice, I felt her shoulder tremble slightly as I embraced her.

I could feel the senior’s resolve, strained though it was beneath a thin veneer of composure.

“I trust you.”

Next was Sophia.

“Jin Yuha-ssi… Not seeing you for so long will be absolute hell… But I promise, I’ll clear it and make it back.”

She, too, vanished into the gate after a long embrace.

Then, Yuri approached, squeezing my shoulder tight.

“Jin Yuha.”

“Yeah?”

“You believe in me, right?”

She looked up at me as she spoke.

“Of course. If I don’t trust Gukbap-i, who *would* I trust?”

“Heh, prepare yourself. Don’t be upset if I make it back faster than you.”

She strapped on her shield and headed for the gate.

Kang Dohee, Alice, and Teacher each stood before the gate in turn.

Kang Dohee entered the gate with a short hug and a resolute expression, without a word.

“I’ll be back.”

“Alright. I’ll be expecting it.”

“Yes.”

Alice, held tight in a final embrace, gazed intently at me with clear eyes as though etching my image into her memory.

“Disciple, I anticipate your growth.”

Finally, Teacher, too, disappeared into the gate.

With everyone inside, I shared a final moment with Shin Sehee.

“…You have to come back soon.”

“I know.”

“And… If I perfectly carry out everything you’ve asked of me, Jin Yuha-ssi… I’ll get a reward, right?”

What was it about this reward that had them so driven?

I’d give it to them anytime if they just asked.

“Yeah. Of course.”

I chuckled softly and pulled her into an embrace.

“Be careful, don’t get hurt. You have to come back safe.”

“I will.”

As I finished my farewell with Shin Sehee, Rina, arms crossed, spoke with a pout.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

A playful impulse struck me, and I said to her,

“Hmm, would the Chairwoman like a hug, too?”

“What…!? I don’t need any of that… stuff!”

“Heh. I’ll be back. Take care of things here while I’m gone.”

“…Just go.”

I chuckled and stepped into the gate.