The receptionist returned to explain the Advanced Zone to us, but his face was a bit pale. It seemed my earlier intimidation had been a little too effective.
Feeling a bit hesitant, I decided to take the initiative and speak to him.
"Um..."
"Y-Yes! W-What is it!?"
Seriously? Even if I was the cause, that reaction actually hurts a little...
Watching the receptionist recoil with a frightened gaze, I felt my own expression twitch. Beside me, Yuji was letting out a wry smile.
"Is there only one course in this zone? The Beginner and Intermediate Zones had several."
"Yes. Um, well... due to the nature of the facilities, only one course has been set up for the Advanced Zone."
"I see. I’m sorry for interrupting your explanation. Please, go ahead."
"Y-Yes!"
When I requested him to continue in a polite, gentle, and calm tone, the receptionist realized I was no longer angry. The unnecessary tension finally left his stiffened body.
It seemed to have worked. He continued his explanation of the zone in a notably more relaxed voice.
"Therefore, the risk of injury in this zone is higher than in the others. As a rule, those challenging the course must sign this consent form."
Saying that, the receptionist held out a sheet of paper toward us along with a ballpoint pen.
"To summarize the contents, it states: 'The challenger bears full responsibility for any injuries sustained at this facility, and shall not file any claims or lawsuits against this facility regarding such injuries.'"
It was a standard waiver to make us forfeit our right to claim damages. Well, if you're operating a facility with a high risk of injury, this kind of paperwork is indispensable.
"What would you like to do? If you don't sign the consent form, we have to refuse your entry to the Advanced Zone..."
"Oh, it's fine. We'll sign it."
"I see... In that case, please fill in the necessary information and provide a thumbprint here."
The receptionist then handed over another copy of the form and a vermilion ink pad.
Yuji and I quickly filled in the required details and pressed our right thumbs onto the ink pad to leave our prints.
"There, all done."
"Thank you. Please, use this."
"Thanks."
We took the wet wipes he offered to clean our fingers and handed the completed forms back.
"...Yes, this is fine. Everything is filled out correctly, so these will suffice."
The receptionist looked over the forms to confirm there were no issues, then excused himself and made a call on an internal phone.
After a brief exchange, he returned to us.
"We are currently preparing the course, so please wait a moment."
"Preparation...?"
"Yes. Some of the gimmicks in the Advanced Zone course involve training equipment that requires setup. Please wait until everything is ready."
The receptionist gave us a small bow and told us to stand by. We weren't in a particular hurry, so I didn't mind waiting.
"About how long will it take?"
"It shouldn't take very long. Probably five minutes or so. I'll be notified as soon as the preparations are complete."
"I see, understood. Please let us know when you hear back."
"Understood."
Yuji and I stepped away from the desk while we waited. It would probably be suffocating for the poor guy if we just stood right in front of him the whole time.
Five minutes later, the preparations were finished, and the receptionist called out to us.
We moved back to the desk to hear the final instructions.
"Thank you for waiting. The equipment is ready, so please head to the entrance gate. The clear conditions for the course and other details will be explained by the staff member stationed there. Please ask them if you have any questions."
"Understood."
As we were about to leave, the receptionist stopped us with a hint of hesitation.
"I apologize for my rude behavior earlier."
"No, same here. Even though I was frustrated, I shouldn't have been so disrespectful. I'm sorry."
The receptionist and I bowed to each other, offering mutual apologies for our behavior.
When we looked up, we caught each other's eyes and shared a sudden, wry laugh.
"Good luck out there."
"Thank you. We'll do our best."
With the air cleared, we left the reception desk and headed for the entrance gate. A staff member was waiting there next to a wagon with a cardboard box on it.
"Are you the challengers?"
"Yes, that's us."
"I see... Just to confirm, you have cleared the Intermediate Zone, right?"
"Of course. Here."
I showed him our clear certificate.
The staff member looked at it for a few seconds, then gave a shallow bow in apology.
"Sorry for doubting you. If you haven't cleared the Intermediate Zone, the risk of injury during training here is quite high. I just thought... students your age..."
"No, don't worry about it. It’s a perfectly reasonable concern."
In fact, when we were in line for the Intermediate Zone, almost all the other challengers were working adults, with only a few groups of university students. As high schoolers, we definitely stood out. Though we probably stood out even more after clearing the course in record time.
So, it made sense that the staff member was skeptical. It was likely rare for high schoolers to clear the Intermediate Zone and move straight to the Advanced Zone.
"Sorry about that. Well then, let me explain the area. First, take a look at this."
The staff member pulled a tablet out of the box and played a video. The screen showed footage of what looked like a dense forest in the middle of a mountain.
...What is this?
"What you're seeing is the Advanced Zone course. These are the types of obstacles you'll face."
"Obstacles... Wait, is the course designed to simulate a mountain?"
"Yeah. Unlike the previous zones, the Advanced Zone is composed of forested terrain—plenty of obstacles that make it easy to hide traps. It's designed for high difficulty."
They went for a pretty bold design... Does that mean this building is actually a botanical garden, and they just built a training course inside it?
"So far, only one group—a professional explorer team—has managed to clear this course. So, even if you fail, don't let it get to you, okay?"
"...Thank you for the concern."
It was clear he didn't think we could do it. Given the track record of the Advanced Zone, his conclusion was probably logical.
"Well, it's all about the experience. Do your best and try not to get hurt."
"...Right."
"Now, let me go over the rental items."
The staff member started pulling various tools out of the box and handing them to us.
"First is this flashlight. The interior of the course mimics a dungeon, so the lighting has been dimmed to the level of a night-light. You might be able to see shapes if you strain your eyes, but it won't be enough light to find or disarm traps."
"I see..."
Yuji and I clicked the flashlights on and off, observing them with skeptical eyes. Since when does the side testing the challengers provide the equipment? I shot Yuji a look that asked, This is a trap, right? He gave a small nod in agreement. Figures...
The staff member continued handing us tools that seemed useful for the challenge.
"That’s everything we provide. Use them well and do your best to clear it."
"...Yes."
"What's with the half-hearted reply? Giving up already?"
"No, that's not it..."
He seemed to think I was losing confidence after seeing the equipment. In reality, I was unenthusiastic because I’d already noticed the tricks. There was a tiny, sharp nick in the rope, and the compass only moved within a specific arc. Every single tool had some kind of sabotage. Yuji and I silently stuffed the items into the bag he gave us. This was basically just a trash collection run.
Once we finished packing, the staff member explained the clear conditions.
"The clear conditions for the Advanced Zone are simple. Collect the items placed at the locations marked on this map and reach the goal within the time limit. That's it."
"So it's a treasure hunt?"
"Yeah, that's a good way to put it. There are seven items in total. Gather them all and reach the goal."
A treasure hunt, huh... The training we did at Genya-san's place was similar in a way.
"What's the time limit?"
"Thirty minutes. You have to gather all the items and reach the finish line within thirty minutes."
Thirty minutes... It sounded like a lot, but finding items inside a building this size wouldn't be easy. No wonder so few people cleared it.
"Naturally, the course is filled with traps. The number of triggers isn't part of the clear conditions, but be careful—if you trigger too many, we'll issue a command for a forced termination."
"Understood."
The fact that he was warning us meant someone had probably tried to brute-force the items while ignoring the traps.
"That's all for the explanation... Any questions?"
After giving us a few more precautions, the staff member opened the floor.
I raised my hand slightly.
"Um... I have a question. Can we return these tools?"
The staff member's face soured at the request.
"Return them? Why? You'll need them to get through the course. Are you saying you've given up on clearing it?"
"No, that's not what I mean..."
"Then what is it? I'm lending these to you out of kindness to help you finish..."
He seemed irritated that I wouldn't give a straight answer, and his tone grew sharp as he glared at us. It was a decent amount of pressure—probably enough to rattle an amateur or an inexperienced explorer. But compared to the intensity of Juzo-san during our training, this was nothing.
I met his gaze head-on and stated our reason clearly.
"This isn't a loan out of kindness. These tools are part of the challenge—they're traps, aren't they? We can't take these defective items with us. We're giving them back."
Yuji and I thrust the bag of tools back toward him. The staff member stared at the bag for a long moment, and then...
"Hahaha! Not bad! Well done—you saw right through it!"
He burst out laughing, looking at us with genuine admiration.
"I handed those over pretty quickly, so I didn't think you'd have time to inspect them... You've got sharp eyes."
"Oh, well..."
"Just out of curiosity, when did you start suspecting they were fakes?"
He seemed genuinely interested in our thought process.
"Well... if you want to know when it started, it was as soon as you handed me the flashlight."
"What? Right from the start!?"
"Yes. To begin with, it seemed suspicious that the side testing us would provide tools we didn't even ask for. I started looking at the gear with a skeptical eye, and the gimmicks became obvious."
"I see. If you're that cautious, you won't fall for a trap like this. Most people trust the equipment and go right in, only to fail because of it."
The staff member nodded, looking impressed, and took the bag from us.
"You're only the second group to see through that trap on the first try and return the tools."
"Wait, there was someone else?"
"Yeah. The professional explorer group I mentioned, the only ones who have cleared the Advanced Zone."
It sounded like that group was the real deal.
"You two might just be the second ones to clear it," the staff member muttered as he put the sabotaged gear back into the box.
It’s not a "might." We came here with every intention of clearing it.