Chapter 15: Fortress of Alliances

It was when there were only four hours left that we finally reached the mountain.

The mountain we arrived at was towering and steep, greeting us with a fluttering flag at its peak.

It was a much later arrival than expected.

On the way here, we had passed through many obstacles.

The monkeys were just the beginning.

The monster attacks were relatively easy to handle.

Dealing with something so clearly malicious was actually easier.

The most bothersome obstacles, however, were those that might not even be traps.

The most malicious one was the mirror illusion.

We thought we were simply moving forward, but at some point, the path split into several directions.

As we realized what was happening, the mountain’s shape appeared all around us.

It was a bizarre illusion, meticulously replicating even the flow of magical energy.

We were trapped in it for nearly three hours.

Each of us tried various methods to escape.

I sent my doll far off to scout the area, but the dolls seemed trapped in a maze, endlessly circling the same place.

In the end, there was only one way out.

We had to break the unknown illusion.

That was when the team first worked together.

The large-scale curse triggered by a Shaking rope began to devour the illusion.

Then, a hidden mirror momentarily appeared.

It was the cause of the strange illusion.

Aileen and Hong Ryeong attacked it with their respective magic, and the mirror shattered, leaving a tiny crack.

I sent my doll through the crack to find a safe path.

Many of the dolls disappeared and never returned.

The path kept changing.

After using up numerous dolls under the tension, we finally managed to break free from the illusion.

After passing through such traps, the turtle was covered in wounds.

Its shell had cracked badly, and I was almost worried the damage would reach me through our bond.

Even though I had done my best to repair the turtle with every step, it always seemed to get worse.

By the time we reached the mountain, there seemed to be more damaged parts than intact ones.

It had been a real struggle.

The mountain path was too steep for the turtle to climb.

Secretly, I took it out of my pocket and put it inside.

The others had already started climbing, so it was possible to do this.

I too began to slowly climb after them.

We didn’t know what lay ahead on this mountain, so I kept my eyes open and moved forward.

Fortunately, when we reached the peak, there were no signs of danger.

What was impressive, however, was the immense magical power continuously rising from the mountain.

The flow of magic I had seen on the way here had all originated from here.

As soon as we arrived, the massive flag that had been waiting for us at the peak scattered into the air.

At that moment, everyone let out a deep sigh.

The second task was over.

Where the flag had been, a single object appeared.

It was a huge hourglass.

It seemed to have just begun flowing, as the sand slowly started to fall.

“Looks like we’re supposed to protect this,” Hong Ryeong said.

This was the important item we were supposed to guard in this task.

Looking at the amount of sand, it roughly matched the two-week time frame.

During the fourth task, we were clearly meant to guard this hourglass until all the sand had fallen.

It seemed like the third and fourth tasks were to be carried out simultaneously.

I looked around.

We had gotten to know a little about each other on the way here, but there was no camaraderie forming.

Instead, I felt a growing sense of unease, as if everyone else was getting to know me better.

‘Cooperation with these people for two weeks?’ Impossible.

The person who set this task probably didn’t expect any cooperation.

That’s why the third task was probably going to be an individual evaluation.

“Let’s divide the mountain into five areas and build our own forts,” Hong Ryeong said.

He was right.

A magician takes responsibility from start to finish, rather than sharing control of their fort with an unreliable other.

Since they were all magicians, they would all be experienced at setting up their own domains.

So, the five of us began exploring the mountain.

After a little discussion, we each selected our respective areas.

Some chose large areas, others small.

Hong Ryeong declared that he would take the southeast, a wide cliff area.

It was about a quarter of the entire terrain.

That was probably the best spot for his magic.

Then Aileen took the north, a valley with flowing water.

There was nothing particularly special about that place.

Sigyeo took the eastern rocky area.

It suited his magic perfectly.

The Shaking rope took the western forest, a gentle slope full of trees, where the mountain’s magic made the trees even more powerful than those in the forest.

I took the area between the Shaking rope and Hong Ryeong.

Honestly, it didn’t matter much which area I took.

What mattered more was who I would be next to.

I had considered taking the eastern area between Aileen and Hong Ryeong, but Sigyeo had already strongly claimed it.

And being caught between the strong ones wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing, so I chose this area instead.

It was a slightly steep terrain, with a good mix of trees and rocks.

After roughly deciding on our areas, we gathered again in front of the hourglass.

Everyone seemed pleased with their areas, their faces lighting up.

Hong Ryeong naturally took out a map.

The mountain’s layout was roughly sketched on it.

He marked the areas we had just chosen on the map.

“From now on, these are your individual territories. Let’s do our best for the next two weeks,” Hong Ryeong said.

He then drew a circle around the center of the map, where all our areas overlapped—the hourglass.

“You must defend your area properly. If even one of us dies, it will be a loss for everyone,” he added.

I nodded automatically.

I wasn’t too worried about other areas being breached.

What mattered in this task was defending the hourglass and ensuring that no one died.

I glanced subtly at Hong Ryeong and Aileen.

What if they decided to overpower everyone and just go through the exam by themselves? There was no clear way to stop them.

That was the real problem.

But they didn’t seem like they were planning that.

Perhaps because the existence of each of us was at stake.

That was a small relief.

“Hmm, you don’t need to worry about that!” Sigyeo said energetically.

This was probably something he was very familiar with.

Having spent so much time in border areas, building forts and defending them was just an extension of the battles he had been through.

“Even if we each complete our fortresses, we still need to protect the hourglass itself,” Hong Ryeong said, smiling.

Sigyeo folded his arms. “Hmm.”

“We’ll each build our fortresses in our own way, but we’ll also need to invest some of our power in protecting the hourglass. Think of it as a shared defense zone. If any one area is breached, we need to be able to hold out,” Hong Ryeong explained.

That made sense.

Of course, it would be great if we could stop everything, but there might be cases where ‘someone inevitably’ lets a monster slip through.

In that case, the hourglass would be in danger.

Hong Ryeong seemed to be planning ahead for such scenarios.

He clearly didn’t trust us at all.

I thought to myself as I considered his words.

But it made sense.

Even though our fortresses were for individual evaluation, if the hourglass was destroyed, we would all fail.

Hong Ryeong was already assuming that someone would fail.

Hmm, maybe he’s thinking it’s me.

I hadn’t fought at all on the way here, after all.

The others had each shown their abilities.

***

The fifth task might be a bit dangerous.

I scratched my chin thoughtfully.

“Alright, then let’s disperse and get to work. If there’s anything to discuss, we’ll meet here again,” Hong Ryeong said, disappearing like the wind.

“Such a talkative young master,” Aileen said, stretching her arms.

She too flew up into the air.

She winked at me as she looked my way.

“Feel free to drop by anytime if you want to hang out, Dollmaker.”

She hadn’t stopped chatting since we started this journey, so I guess I must have made a good impression on her.

I nodded with a smile.

The Shaking rope also nodded her head in greeting before leaving.

Sigyeo stood silently, staring at the hourglass.

“Hmm, two weeks, huh…” he murmured.

He stared at the falling sand for a while before heading toward his area.

I turned and began making my way down from the peak.

Unlike the others, I wasn’t heading straight to my area.

Instead, I headed southeast, toward Hong Ryeong’s area.

I arrived there quickly.

I didn’t really see the point in putting much effort into building a fortress based solely on personal strength.

Everyone has their own talents.

‘Why should I struggle alone?’ There was no reason to fight in an area that didn’t suit my abilities.

On the way up the mountain, I saw the full extent of Hong Ryeong’s power.

The worry I had earlier stemmed from the feeling that he had the strength to guard this mountain on his own.

For him, this task must be an easy one.

There was no need for me to get in his way and compete with him.

What was needed was thorough service and cooperation.

With that mindset, I approached him.

Hong Ryeong had claimed the highest point of the mountain and the cliffs as his domain.

The protruding parts of the land, like hills, and the deep ravines they created, generated strong winds.

Below, in the gentler areas, the wind had gathered with great force.

This was a zone that perfectly matched the wind magic Hong Ryeong had demonstrated so far.

I stood before the light barrier that spanned across his domain and quietly began to channel my mana.

It was to let him know I had arrived.

Hong Ryeong was carving a magic circle into the cliff.

He didn’t come to me until he had spent quite some time perfecting it.

When he finally looked up, he greeted me with a smile.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’ve come to propose a collaboration, Hong Ryeong.”

I bowed respectfully.

Hong Ryeong squinted his eyes and smiled even more broadly.

“A collaboration, you say? How interesting.”

“My domain borders yours, and I thought that if we connected, it would make this task easier for both of us.”

Hong Ryeong smiled faintly, intrigued by the idea.

He summoned the wind to create a chair and casually sat down on it.

I commanded my puppet to make a table.

The puppet selected a rock and carefully transformed it into a round table.

Seeing this, I thought that I might need a spell to make tables like this as well.

A simple and convenient spell for such a wild area.

Maybe spells that could help decorate a nest could work too.

I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and began grinding the coffee I had brought.

It was a rare treat, just a small handful I had saved.

I hadn’t drunk much tea lately, so I had brought the coffee as a special indulgence.

Though it wasn’t as perfect as tea (my professor didn’t like it bitter), it still contained delicate magic.

After savoring a sip, Hong Ryeong spoke.

“Then, could you explain why I should cooperate with you?”

His question was fair.

For someone like him, who was confident in his ability to complete this task on his own, there was little need for cooperation.

“I’ll make you the primary contributor.”

I cut straight to the point, offering him the most valuable thing I had.

Being named the primary contributor would grant him an extra 10 points, which would surely tempt him.

Even though he likely thought he would pass, this would ensure his success.

Besides, he was from a noble family.

He may have been looking for more than just a passing grade.

Other mages would probably write their names as primary contributors.

But if I wrote Hong Ryeong’s name, his chances of becoming the primary contributor would increase significantly.

It must have been an intriguing offer for him.

Hong Ryeong blinked, clearly surprised.

“Interesting.”

He took another sip of coffee, considering the proposal.

***

After a moment, he nodded.

“Let’s do it. How will the collaboration proceed?”

“Thank you.”

I deeply bowed in gratitude.

I meant it sincerely.

All my strategies from now on would be based on Hong Ryeong.

It had been my plan since the moment I first saw this mountain.

Of course, I had thought of other options in case he refused, but relying on his power was the safest and most comfortable choice.

“This is the fortress I’ve designed.”

I revealed the structure of the fortress I had been planning to Hong Ryeong.

It was a kind of maze, a method I favored.

Creating lethal traps and leading the monsters into them was the core of this fortress.

“Quite an interesting fortress.”

Hong Ryeong chuckled.

“Is it a place to massacre weak monsters?”

That’s right.

That was the purpose of the fortress I had designed.

In fact, it was also my limit.

Since my magic attacks weren’t strong, I focused on using powerful physical traps to deal with the monsters.

It would be ineffective against more powerful creatures, but it was the best option for me.

“Yes, I’ll handle all the lower-level monsters in your area.”

The fortress had the advantage of being reusable.

We could keep pushing monsters in, killing them over and over again.

A monster slaughterhouse, that was the goal.

I had tailored it to fit Hong Ryeong’s personality.

He had never been one to step into troublesome situations easily.

He did what he could, but always with the least effort possible.

The reason I stayed by his side, despite my hesitation between him and Aileen, was because of this.

Aileen was still hard for me to read, while Hong Ryeong was easy to understand—he didn’t try to hide anything.

His magic so far reflected this trait.

He had erected a powerful wind barrier across his domain, forcing enemies to be blown away or tossed aside.

It reminded me of how he dealt with the monkeys earlier.

Anyone who forced their way through would be sliced to pieces by the wind at the bottom of the cliffs.

It was a clever design, using minimal mana to create maximum effect.

He could complete it quickly with simple methods.

I was sure there were even more things hidden beneath what I had already observed.

“We’ll divide the domain into two parts. I’ll handle the lower-level monsters, and you can take care of the ones that make it through.”

I carefully pulled out the map I had made of the mountain.

It showed my domain, Hong Ryeong’s, and the entire area, divided into sections.

I would take the flat areas below, while he would take the steep cliffs above.

It made sense since the upper part of my domain was already shaped like a cliff, just like his.

This way, Hong Ryeong would only need to deal with a few monsters breaking through.

“Heh, you deliberately chose that spot, didn’t you?”

Hong Ryeong laughed.

I simply nodded deeply, showing him the map.

I needed to be clear about my intentions, showing him that I wasn’t hiding anything.

Only then would he trust me more.

“Yes, let’s proceed as planned.”

Hong Ryeong nodded.

He waved his hand and altered the magic he had just been casting.

Instead of covering the entire cliff, he adjusted it to block only the cliffs themselves.

The power grew sharper and stronger.

I breathed a sigh of relief inside.

The cooperation was successfully established.

After bowing again in thanks, I quietly left.

With this cooperation in place, I would have control over nearly a third of the mountain.

Since I couldn’t predict what kind of assault would happen next, I needed to focus on building my fortress.

I had to modify the entire area.