[※Caution!]
[This mission requires five parties. If there aren't enough party members, use summoning to fill in the ranks!]
[The parties will be divided into vanguard and rearguard roles. If certain conditions are met or a certain amount of time has passed, the rearguard can join the battle!]
[Master can choose when each party will attack. Your choice will have a lot of impact, so think wisely!]
Five parties.
I had expected the twentieth floor would not be a single-party mission like the fifteenth.
Even so…
[Choosing 'Party 36' as the vanguard.]
[Proceed with your choice?]
[Yes (selected)/ No]
Upon the confirmation of Master's decision, the fairy flew over to a small group of scouts.
[Alright! You five, get ready to enter!]
"J-just us?! What about the twenty others you called here?!"
One of the scouts anxiously shouted to the winged creature.
[It's only your group for now. The others will go after you.]
"B-but—"
[Argh, shut up! Just do what you're told!]
The scouts turned white as the fairy flew over to the rift and performed her usual exaggerated pose.
[Open the rift of space and time!]
The rift shined with its overwhelming glow and the fairy returned to the five scouts.
[There you go! Hurry up and enter the rift!]
The five scouts shrieked upon the fairy's order.
But they knew there was no use disobeying her.
So the five of them entered the rift with pale faces and trembling limbs, leaving the remaining twenty scouts that were just as terrified as them.
[Main Dungeon, the current challenge floor is the 20th Floor.]
[The doors will open after ten seconds. Get ready!]
The 4-star heroes that had come down to the square now turned to me.
"Southlander, was this how Master deployed their army back when you were challenging the tenth floor? I ask this because I assume the twentieth floor also requires multiple parties like back then."
Ulrica asked.
I shook my head.
"The twentieth floor does require multiple parties like the tenth. But for the second Quintal Trial, all three parties were deployed simultaneously."
"Since there are twenty-five scouts, then the twentieth floor must require five parties, yes? But now the parties have to enter the trial one at a time."
Djhotti commented.
"As Master's right hand, you claimed you can see things others can't, daywalker. Have you perceived something that tells us why the twentieth floor is different from the tenth?"
Graihan asked.
"Based on the notification windows, apparently the Raid Team would be divided into two groups in the twentieth floor. A vanguard and a rearguard."
I told them.
Upon the mention of the two self-explanatory terms, the raiders immediately put on mulling faces.
I continued anyway.
"Apparently, one party will be chosen as vanguard and sent ahead of the others into the mission. Once certain conditions are fulfilled or enough time has passed in the trial, the other parties will be allowed to--"
['Johnlan (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Refall (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Emilya (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Kharis (★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Shegia (★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Party 36 has been annihilated!]
The notifications cut my explanation short.
The raiders noticed my sudden distraction.
"What just happened, Fina?"
Jonah asked.
"The previous scouts were all wiped out. Instantly."
I told him.
Were they killed by the enemies in the mission? Or perhaps they failed the mission's objective, resulting in the mission's termination and subsequently ended their lives?
I wondered which.
More notification windows soon appeared above the square.
[Reforming 'Scout Squad'.]
[Party Configuration – Party 37, Party 38, Party 39, Party 40, Party 41]
[Total Heroes – 25]
[Raid Leader – 'Harfold (★★)']
The fairy reappeared and shouted over to the Evaluation Center.
[Vinnie, Sambon, Dria, Quaid, Terans! Come to the first floor square!]
More scouts were called. The exact number that was lost earlier.
"What's happening? Will the rearguard now be entering the trial?"
Shanny asked.
I shook my head again.
"No. The vanguard was eliminated. I doubt they were able to fulfill the conditions necessary to send the reinforcements in. Otherwise, Master would not call for more scouts."
Zecht nodded to my statements.
"The first attempt was a failure. Now, Master is simply reattempting the mission."
The rift shined again and the fairy ushered the next scouting party to enter.
[Main Dungeon, the current challenge floor is the 20th Floor.]
[The doors will open after ten seconds. Get ready!]
The other raiders and I observed the scouts with troubled eyes.
"If the first party was immediately wiped out, why should the second party be any different?"
Yuxia stated.
I nodded to him.
"They won't be."
[Party 37 has been annihilated!]
Another vanguard party lost.
Like before, Master summoned more scouts from the Evaluation Center to replenish the lost heroes and sent forth another vanguard into the twentieth floor.
[Party 38 has been annihilated!]
And again.
[Party 39 has been annihilated!]
And again.
[Party 40 has been annihilated!]
"This is madness!"
Jonah suddenly shouted as the fifth vanguard was eliminated.
"Twenty-five scouts wiped out in a single floor! Master has to stop sacrificing these people!"
"We haven't even managed to send the rearguard parties into the mission, Jonah. I doubt Master will cease the scouting now."
I told him.
"But this is a Quintal Trial, not a regular floor! The scouts would only get slaughtered without being able to do anything! Master should not be sending the scouts to a certain-death like that. They cannot do that!"
"That is where you are wrong, Jonah."
I told him again, firmly.
My words caught Jonah's and the other raiders' attention.
I continued.
"Master can send those scouts to a certain-death, no matter the reason.
"Even if it was only to observe the mission, though Master knew for certain they would die in the end.
"Or Master wanted to punish those scouts for their misdeeds.
"Or simply because Master wanted to.
"We all must remember that Master could do whatever they wanted with us."
My words caused the raiders to stiffen.
Only the other 4-stars whom had already known why they were called here that maintained normal expressions.
It was a hard truth. But the heroes must swallow it.
I went on as I recalled all my time spent with Sigyn in the Tactical Post.
"We are all Master's pawns.
"That is what we are the moment we step into the forged land.
"And just like no pawn can speak against the hand that wields it, no hero can disobey the master that rules them."
[Party 41 has been annihilated!]
[Reforming 'Scout Squad'.]
[….]