Forming a single team, Ciel and I crossed our student IDs—her ID into my Cube, my ID into her Cube—and were registered as allies.Right after that.Shaaa—.Light filled my vision in a pure white flood.The halo of light wrapped around the two of us, and, just like when we boarded the floating ship, a guiding beam transported us to another island.A moment later.As my sight recovered, the surrounding scenery came into view.Dense broadleaf forest, typical of a subtropical region, and razor-sharp undergrowth that looked like it could stab straight into your body.Clammy swamps and roots tangled together in a threatening mess.On top of that, the humid rainforest climate wrapping around our entire bodies.The place where Ciel and I had landed was a jungle, clear as day.I scratched my cheek as I looked around.'Good thing I prepared in advance.'The [Faction War] selected as this summer training exam was something I had played many times in the game.I knew the basic rules and exactly how to proceed to clear it with a high score, so there was nothing major to worry about.But game elements aside, ending up on one of the islands that was a jungle environment was not exactly a welcome development.Still, I had prepared for this kind of situation just in case, so it was perfectly manageable.Chchhk—.“Ciel, catch.”I took an insect repellent spray out of my subspace pouch, sprayed it, and handed it to Ciel.“Thank you.”In a jungle region, insect countermeasures are crucial.Mosquitoes and bloodsucking flies that latch on at all hours of the day drastically reduce your quality of life and can harm your health.“Wear this around your neck too.”I also took out a blue necklace from the subspace pouch and handed it to Ciel.“This is…”I kindly explained to Ciel, who tilted her head.“Simply put, it’s an artifact for controlling temperature and humidity. It lets you maintain a pleasant environment even under bad conditions like this.”In a tropical region where sweat pours down your body just from standing still, it could be considered an essential artifact.When it’s hot and sticky, people become lethargic and irritable, but wearing this means you don’t have to worry about that.I was wearing a similar one myself.Ciel thanked me and put the necklace around her neck.Only then did I notice she was already wearing a black necklace I hadn’t given her.“What’s that necklace?”“…There’s no particular need for you to know.”If she didn’t explain it, she probably had a reason. I decided not to pry.“Fine, then. Anyway, hand me your Cube.”Even though Ciel and I had formed a team, the host was registered as me, Loen.I received Ciel’s Cube and set my own Cube down on flat ground.If you place your finger on the Cube and channel mana into it—Click—.Chrararak—.Through magical processing, the mechanisms built into the Cube unfolded and transformed into a building.A one-room-sized structure, just big enough for a single person to go inside and rest.You could call it a temporary lodging with ancient magi-engineering applied.The reason they didn’t supply camping gear separately was because you could survive on the island using the facilities built into this Cube.As soon as I activated the Cube, a guidance voice sounded from inside.[You are the first among the test participants to activate a Cube. Base Level increases by 1.][Current Base Level : 2]Space is expanded.Cost recovery rate increases.Maximum Cost increases.10 → 20You can use a restroom.Clank—.Chrrr—.As soon as the guidance voice ended, the Cube, which had been about one pyeong in size, expanded by itself.It grew to a size where two people could comfortably sleep, and even a separate restroom appeared.It was a traditional-style toilet, but the fact that we didn’t have to dig a hole to do our business was something worth celebrating with both hands in the air.If we kept raising the Base Level, the facilities would gradually upgrade as well.Ciel’s eyes sparkled, fascinated by the Cube’s transformation, which she had never even imagined.“So the Cube had a function like this…”“If you combine the Cubes of teammates, you can raise the Base Level faster. But the required amount doubles every time you go up a level.”Two Cubes for Level 2. Four Cubes for Level 3. Eight for Level 4, sixteen for Level 5. And so on.Right now, combining Ciel’s and mine gave us Level 2.But with the first-activation bonus, which raised it by one, it was effectively Level 3.“Anyway, the idea is to keep stealing other students’ Cubes to raise the level. If someone’s useful, you recruit them as allies; if they’re just so-so, setting them as subordinates is simpler.”And if someone was utterly useless, we could eliminate that person from the exam.Ciel asked:“What’s the difference between allies and subordinates?”“Allies can participate in battle directly. They can also seize opponents’ Cubes. But the host must spend Cost to register someone as an ally.”“Then subordinates can’t participate in battle?”“They can fight, but you can treat it as meaningless. They can’t take an opponent’s Cube, and all of their attacks are neutralized by the Cube’s barrier.”Within the Full Moon Archipelago, which was the test site, the Cube’s barrier was absolute. Unless you could unleash an attack that could shatter the ritual ward spread across the entire test field, it had no effect.“Ah.”“On the other hand, subordinates belong to the same team but are non-combat personnel. You can think of them as workers who handle chores or prepare food. Or you can use them as mana sources to keep the Cube in an active state. There’s no downside to having many. And each student has a unique special ability that’s helpful in some way.”My own special ability, as Loen, was [Transmutation].It was listed as allowing me to manipulate the facilities inside the Cube using mana.This ability functioned even in subordinate status.Ciel’s special ability was [All-Purpose].It increased the efficiency of all sorts of additional effects provided by the Cube.It seemed to enhance Cost recovery rate, expansion of available space, reduction in mana consumption, and so on across all areas.“These abilities are automatically applied as long as you’ve registered them as subordinates. That’s why having more subordinates is good.”Thanks to these special abilities, even non-combat personnel still had their own value.But maintaining subordinates also periodically consumed a small amount of Cost, so their numbers had to be managed.“Ah, I understand.”Tap tap—.I knocked on the Cube’s wall and returned it from its active building form to its palm-sized shape.“For now, let’s find a suitable place to use as our base and then expand the Cube again.”We needed a spot near a water source, with good visibility for keeping watch and easy to defend.As Ciel listened to my smooth explanation, a question seemed to occur to her, and she asked:“Lord Loen. How did you know all of this?”“Zimmer and I have an information-sharing pact. He gave me a heads-up about this exam beforehand. Thanks to that, I could prepare.”It was actually knowledge I’d picked up from playing the game, but I couldn’t say that outright, so I glossed over it.“I see…”Srrk—.Ciel nodded, then slowly drew a dagger attached to her thigh.A sharp blade that reflected the light with a menacing glint.I tensed up for no reason when she suddenly drew a weapon, but the dagger’s point was aimed not at me, but at the forest.Without a word, Ciel hurled the dagger into the woods.Fwoosh—.“Wah!”The dagger Ciel threw sliced through the air and shot straight toward students who had just been transported from the floating ship.More precisely, it targeted the Cube in the hands of a male student.Thud—.Ciel’s dagger pierced the male student’s Cube dead-on.Piiing—.As Ciel released mana to recall the dagger, the Cube stuck on the end of the blade also returned to her hand.“M-my Cube! Give it back!”“Go kill them!”The male student and teammate, who had been standing there blankly after having their Cube snatched the moment they arrived, only understood what was going on after a second and charged desperately at us.The two of them, who had rushed at us so bravely—“Uh!”“L-Loen? And Ciel?”As soon as they realized their opponents were Ciel and me, they dropped flat on the ground mid-charge.Then they rubbed their hands together frantically and begged for their lives.“Please just spare us.”“……”They were very quick at assessing the situation and giving up.I looked down at the two of them lying prone and shrugged.“I wasn’t planning to kill you in the first place. Hand over your student IDs and Cubes.”“We’ll give them to you.”“Jabia, and Langte, huh.”There was no real need to remember their names. I slotted my student ID into both of their Cubes.“You two are my subordinates from now on.”That was how I added two subordinates and obtained more Cubes, allowing me to raise my Base Level to 3.A smooth start.***“Hm, so this is roughly how you use it.”Elena withdrew her mana, returning the Cube to its original shape.“It’s really amazing. I wonder if it only works here in the Full Moon Archipelago?”“It probably does, I reckon. If high-performance shape-memory alloys and protective magic of this level had gone into commercial use, the entire continent would’ve gone nuts.”“Yeah, that’s true. They said this Full Moon Island has been modified for hundreds of years just to be used as a test site.”I’d heard that, like the floating ship, these Cubes had also been made during the golden age.These strange powers were purely the ability of these ancient relics, usable only within the special environment called the Full Moon Archipelago.Elena quietly stared at the Cube in her hand and asked:“Adler, how much Cost does it take to recruit you as an ally?”“I’m 87.”“And your Competition Battle ranking?”“8th place.”“I think I roughly get what standard they’re using to set Cost.”Elena’s Cost was 100.The higher your combat ability or recorded stats in the Cube, the more Cost it took to recruit you as an ally.So blindly recruiting a powerful opponent as an ally was not a wise move.To recruit someone strong like Adler, the Base Level would have to be at least 9.You’d practically have to make about 500 Cubes your own.'Well, if I want to become the ruler of this island, I’ll have to subdue at least seven thousand people anyway.'From Elena’s perspective—who had already set her sights on first place—it wasn’t anything that grandiose.As she steadily increased her allies, hostile forces would be subdued even without her direct involvement, and then Cube acquisition would pick up speed.Fortunately, she had already formed a team with Adler before the exam, so it seemed no Cost was being consumed for him at the moment.Once she’d gotten a general sense of the situation, Elena rolled up the sleeves of her cumbersome priest’s robe and fanned herself with her hand.“Phew, it’s hot.”Even standing still, sweat poured down and her entire body felt like it was burning up.Adler spoke.“Looks like we got dropped smack in the middle of a jungle. I heard the other islands are made up of snowy fields, volcanic zones, and mountainous terrain.”None of the natural environments on the Full Moon Archipelago ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) were ordinary.Elena scratched her head.“…I guess you could say we’re lucky, in a way?”“Well, I think it depends on how you look at it. They all have their pros and cons.”“All right, let’s get moving then.”With a little grunt, Elena rose to her feet and started walking.As Elena and Adler were patrolling the nearby area for a while—“Huh? Lady Elena?”They soon ran into another team.Elena greeted them with a bright smile.“Oh my, nice to see you. How about it, would you like to move as one team?”“Y-yes! Of course!”The two male students eagerly accepted Elena’s offer to cooperate.“Good. Then, will you give me your Cubes?”When Elena held out her hand, the two hastily rummaged in their pockets and pulled out their Cubes.Where others subjugated opponents through battle, Elena turned them into allies with a smile.To win without fighting was the best strategy of all.***“Hm, this place looks good.”After wandering the jungle for quite some time in search of a suitable camp location, I soon found a decent spot near a waterfall.The water source was nearby, and if we placed an outpost above the waterfall, we’d have a full view of the area, making it good for keeping watch.And in an emergency, we could ride the river to escape, so it was an easy place from which to secure an escape route.I unfolded the Level 3 Cube at that spot and made it our base camp.Shhhh—.The Cube inflated, and in an instant, a building about ten pyeong in size was set up.It wasn’t huge, but it was quite a fine nest.“Jabia. Langte. Patrol the area.”“Y-yes!”After placing the Cube, I ordered the two subordinates to patrol the surroundings.While they were scouting the area, Ciel and I went inside the Cube and arranged the interior.We installed the air-conditioning unit I’d brought in advance to create a comfortable environment, and placed warding stones around the perimeter to guard against intruders.We also took out the bedding placed in the wardrobe and spread it out so we could rest at any time.Just as we were smoothly setting up the base camp—Beep beep beep—.The warding stones we’d set up in the area went off, warning of an intruder.“Let’s go.”“Yes.”I took Ciel with me outside the Cube to greet our uninvited guests.After a short wait, familiar faces emerged from the depths of the jungle.A burly man with a long scar running down his face.And a female student with a purple ponytail and an eyepatch over one eye.Tepes and Cuilinn.The two of them had come here from Jerome Academy along with four subordinates.And they’d tied up the two subordinates I’d sent on patrol with ropes, bringing them along.“Mmph, mmph!”The two were gagged as well and couldn’t move at all.Having subdued my two subordinates, Tepes strode up in front of me, looked over the surroundings, and smiled.“Heh, this place is perfect to use as a base camp. In that case…”Whoosh—.Tepes pulled a steel bat out from behind his back and spoke.“We’ll have to get rid of the stones that were here first, right?”

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