This was, without a doubt, the biggest crisis in Klyus Argen's career as a Hunter.
The Treasure Hall was so far above his level that the sheer density of Mana Material alone was enough to make him nauseous. He'd lost his familiar staff (carrying two had been difficult, and frankly, he'd never expected things to turn out like this), and with the overwritten rules, he couldn't even properly channel magic. It was truly a dead end.
Klyus was a Mage. He wasn't helpless in physical combat, but without magic, he couldn't fight.
At this rate, he was dead weight. Even if an enemy appeared, he wouldn't be able to provide adequate escort. Though honestly, being surrounded by Treasure Halls on all sides already felt like checkmate— The Emperor's authority meant nothing inside a Treasure Hall. At this point, the only one he could rely on was Yowaningen, who apparently knew all about this place.
But he couldn't just keep being protected. He had his pride as a Spiritfolk.
No—it wasn't being protected that bothered him. What he couldn't stomach was being a burden.
He clenched his trembling fists. He didn't know what to do. There was nothing Klyus could accomplish without magic. He didn't even have a weapon. He could think, but even that fell far short of the brilliant strategizing this situation demanded.
Then, Klyus recalled Termu's movements from earlier.
When Termu couldn't cast offensive magic, he'd immediately switched to physical enhancement.
Hurriedly, he cast a spell. Not an offensive one—a body reinforcement spell. A basic incantation that converted mana into physical force.
Mana circulated through his body, and his core grew hot. The trembling subsided, and strength welled up within him.
So that was it. The Treasure Hall's rules didn't apply to the inside of one's body.
A proper Mage wouldn't sneak into a Treasure Hall where magic couldn't be used, but now that he thought about it, he'd heard something along those lines before.
The rules of a Treasure Hall rewritten by Mana Material could themselves be overwritten with Mana Material.
If that was the case—then he could fight. The unfamiliar magic manipulation sent a slight pain lancing through his body, but it was far better than the last time he'd performed magic manipulation while under the effects of Amuse Nuts. The training he'd been doing recently was paying off.
A Spiritfolk's magical aptitude was extraordinary. Their mana reserves were incomparable to a human's. He wouldn't last long, but Klyus's physical abilities should now rival those of a melee combat specialist.
Of course, he had no illusion that he could defeat the Phantoms of this Treasure Hall— Yowaningen, paying no heed whatsoever to the natural fear Klyus harbored, had already stepped outside the room—into the space that had been transformed and overwritten by the Treasure Hall.
Going alone was suicide. Klyus had won earlier, but he could clearly see the difference in caliber between Yowaningen and the Phantoms.
He didn't think that alone determined the outcome, but the gap in Mana Material was overwhelming. Dragon versus ant. To navigate this emergency, they should be cooperating.
"!"
Just as Klyus moved to follow, he noticed something and his eyes went wide.
At Yowaningen's feet, a golden-haired, fox-masked Phantom had appeared.
Moreover, the power emanating from it was far greater than the Phantom they'd encountered earlier. What appeared to be a slender frame concealed a staggering amount of Mana Material—so much that the Phantoms Klyus had fought until now looked like mere illusions by comparison. This meant that the previous Phantom—the one whose residual Mana Material upon death had made Franz vomit—was neither a boss nor an elite, but simply fodder.
Using "Round World" as a substitute for his staff, Klyus urged his trembling legs forward. If he stopped, he didn't think he'd be able to stand again. Rather than cut such a pathetic figure, it was better to keep moving.
There was no room to think about escorting the Emperor. At this point, it didn't matter whether Klyus was there or not. If so, following Yowaningen and working together to resolve the situation gave them a better chance.
The Phantom spoke.
"I want fried tofu. If you don't give me fried tofu, I'll attack."
The words were almost absurd. But the Treasure Weapon clutched in its hand made it clear that, unlike before, these words carried their literal meaning.
Fried tofu—Klyus had no idea why fried tofu of all things, but there was no way he had any.
But Klyus thought: it wouldn't be strange if Yowaningen did.
Yowaningen was the one who'd loaded the food supplies. If anyone knew this Treasure Hall inside and out, it was Yowaningen— Yowaningen stared silently at the Phantom at his feet for a moment, then soon put on a halfhearted grin.
"Sorry, I don't have any this time."
"!? Don't mess with me—"
*Whoosh!* By the time it tried to shout that, it was already over.
A gust of wind blew. Shock and pain radiated through his entire body, and he let out a groan. Only then did Klyus realize he'd been slammed into a wall.
But his body, reinforced by magic, hadn't taken major damage. Coughing, he planted his staff and desperately righted himself.
What Klyus had received was merely the "aftermath." The fox-masked Phantom's slender arm had, without question, been swung down at Yowaningen.
It wasn't magic. It was simply an arm brought down with force.
A Phantom born from high-density Mana Material could exhibit monstrous abilities—capable of tearing apart even a seasoned Hunter with a mere graze.
When Klyus raised his head, what he saw was Yowaningen, unchanged from before, and the fox-masked Phantom collapsed on the ground.
"!?"
Impossible. The last thing Klyus had seen was the fox-masked Phantom's attack. Even if it hadn't connected, for the Phantom itself to be the one falling—that was inconceivable.
A thin trickle of blood seeped from between the lips not covered by the mask. Vermilion spread across the white, loose-fitting kimono. A body composed of vast quantities of Mana Material convulsed slightly. An outstretched arm. Its fingertips trembled weakly.
"!? What did you do!?"
"No, I didn't do anything..."
Yowaningen answered in a bewildered tone. There wasn't a drop of blood on his hands.
The methods of the "Thousand Transformations" were said to be shrouded in mystery. But what had happened before his eyes was on an entirely different level.
It had happened right in front of him, yet he couldn't understand it.
"D-don't hide it!"
"Huh??? I'm not hiding anything..."
Yowaningen was genuine. There was no lie in his expression.
In that moment, Klyus Argen understood.
Yowaningen wasn't hiding anything. It was that even without hiding, no one could comprehend it. Just as a novice Mage couldn't begin to grasp the techniques of a master Mage.
He didn't know how serious Yowaningen was being. But he was strong. Strong enough that the difference was incomprehensible.
"Yowaningen, I have a lot of questions, but first—just one thing to confirm! Can you defeat the boss of this Treasure Hall!?"
"............No, I can't."
Yowaningen knelt down and touched the convulsing fox-masked Phantom. Then, wearing his usual wishy-washy expression, he spoke.
§ § § He had no idea what was going on. Klyus had been saying all sorts of things, but since I didn't understand either, I had no way to answer.
The Phantom had just collapsed on its own and started coughing up blood. That was what happened when I explained it. My Barrier Ring count hadn't decreased, either.
The Phantoms of this Treasure Hall were strong and clever. How strong, you ask? When I'd encountered them before, my childhood friends hadn't been able to lay a finger on them.
Even if I hit an unprotected spot dead-on, I probably couldn't even scratch them. Our very existence was on a different level.
I crouched down near the Phantom that had collapsed and was convulsing.
It seemed to be completely combat-disabled. Not dead yet, but unable to move a single finger.
The fox mask tilted slightly, and it looked up at me.
That was when I noticed something familiar about the Phantom before me.
This Phantom—it was one I'd met the last time I'd come here.
Back then, it had been a bit smaller, and its demand had been "Give me something delicious or I'll attack," but the hair color and style were unmistakable.
At the time, I'd happened to have fried tofu on me (well, more like an inari sushi bento)—something I'd bought at a town I'd stayed in just before. And it seemed... the Phantom had taken quite a liking to it.
I'd guessed as much when it kept asking for second and third helpings, but—ah, so that's how it was.
"Could it be... you forgot about our promise?"
Yes. That was it. Back then, I had definitely said that. I'd made a promise.
In exchange for giving it more, it would never attack me or my companions again.
And the Phantom had accepted. Phantoms of the "Wandering Inn" don't tell lies—I was certain it had said that.
The fingertips lying limply on the ground twitched in response to my words, as if stirring to life.
"............So this is what comes of my usual behavior."
So if you lie, you collapse? What a troublesome Phantom.
Still, it never hurts to do someone a favor.
At any rate, it wouldn't die. I had no way of defeating it, and besides, killing it might earn me the enmity of the others—it was better not to.
The arrogance and insolence born of divinity. Violent quid pro quo.
This Treasure Hall is a mirror, a Phantom I'd met here once had told me.
What you seek is granted, but in exchange, you must give what is demanded.
That was why I had survived.
"Fine then. Let me show you what I can do."
I'd grown too. My prostration skills now were incomparable to back then.
When it came to apologizing and earning forgiveness, there was no one who could match me.
As I wore a comfortable grin, Klyus cried out in a startled voice.
"Y-Yowaningen!!"
"Huh...?"
I came to my senses. At some point, we'd been surrounded by countless fox-masked Phantoms as far as the eye could see.
I stood up. Along the corridors, on the walls, clinging to the ceiling—fox masks without number. Their count was... not just a hundred or so.
Perhaps it was fortunate that they had no eye holes and couldn't make eye contact.
The door we'd come through had vanished. There was no escape.
Klyus, now pale as a sheet, swayed and pressed his back against mine as if to say he had nothing left to lean on.
I let out a small sigh, and despite everything, wryly smiled.
............We're done for. There were this many of them...?
The wave of Phantoms parted. Standing at the break was a tall Phantom wearing a blue-marked fox mask.
It was probably the representative. It seemed to be of a higher rank than the others, but when it came to reading power, no one surpassed me—I simply couldn't tell the difference.
The fox mask approached without a sound, gliding forward.
Klyus, who should have been leaning against my back, was now clinging to it. A calm voice addressed me. Its speech was fluent.
"Welcome to our inn. It's been a while since we've had a guest. There's no need to be afraid. Everyone is simply fascinated by a human they haven't seen in a long time. Your safety is guaranteed."
Then, its mouth curled into an ironic smile.
"In exchange, I'll be taking the thing you hold most dear."