The Unfettered Ice Princess [ EN ]

Chapter 20 [ Hidden Exam ]

"Conquerors can take as much Ruby as they want. But the rewards they will get in this exam will not change. Then what's the difference? Of course there is. The difficulty or level of the next 2nd floor exam is based on the number of Rubies brought. This includes whether the Ruby is carried in a 'living' or 'non-living' state."

There was something odd about Bere's explanation. Ophelia noticed it. She glanced at Naeva as if asking for her opinion. But her partner wasn't paying attention. Instead, she was busy observing Shota who was sleeping behind Bere.

"Naeva..."

"What can I do..."

Feeling that she could not rely on her partner in this situation, Ophelia intended to reveal it herself.
"Wait, Bere. Then your explanation is a contradiction to your actions."

"Hmm?" gasped Bere in confusion.

"What?"

Ophelia pointed at the four Rubies carried by Dom with a glance.
"Why are there only four of you gathering up to eight Rubies?"

"Ah, that?" said Bere.

"I'm just saying that collecting so many Rubies can increase the difficulty. But I never said that there were no hidden quests in this exam," Bere grinned, sticking out her tongue.

"💢"
Ophelia's feelings heated up. She rarely got angry, but somehow Bere always managed to ignite her emotions.

Hamer who noticed the change in Ophelia's expression at a glance got goosebumps.
"O-Oi, Bere! Stop messing around and get to the point!"

"What the heck, uncle! You so noisy."

"Now is not the time to joke!" Harmer snapped in fear of Ophelia.

"Tsk, yes, yes. What a nag," complained Bere.

Bere didn't realize that the reason Hamer had been urging her was because Ophelia had started to give off a creepy smile. It was even creepier because her face was not visible.

Not bothered, Bere squatted down and drew five balls on the ground with her nails. Ophelia, Hamer and Naeva all took a good look at what she was about to do. Meanwhile, Dom took care of the 6 little kids they left behind (5 Ruby + Ruka).

"You know what a pentagram is, right?" Bere asked Ophelia and Naeva.

Both of them nodded.

Bere again wrote some strange symbols on each side of the pentagram.
"Soul, body, space, time and nova. These five things are inviolable essential elements. Understanding these basic concepts is the real exam of the first floor."

Naeva, "The real exam, huh."

Ophelia understood the meaning of the essential elements and their explanation. She had learned them as a Calliope since she was 5 years old. What she didn't understand was what it had to do with the first floor exam. How could it be related?