Chapter 10 — E-Rank Labyrinth: Fire Ant Nest (2)
Chapter 10 — E-Rank Labyrinth: Fire Ant Nest (2)
The Fire Ant Nest was like a maze.
A structure as complex as a piece of modern art.
If one simply discovered the path connecting the entrance and exit, escape was possible. But the massive three-dimensional labyrinth was far too complicated and long.
Combined with the fact that the rewards were mediocre, almost no one bothered to visit this labyrinth.
“And yet Kar insisted that we should clear this labyrinth.”
“I didn’t insist that strongly.”
“We just escaped from a labyrinth yesterday after struggling so much, and now we’ve come back again. Even the Labyrinth Management Corps probably doesn’t enter this often…”
While complaining nonstop, Marlin threw something behind her.
Thud!
—Grrr…
A long white spike pierced the head of a Fire Ant approaching from behind.
It was a spear I had made using Web That Binds All Things.
Glossary - The Evil God, Your M…
A throwing weapon crafted with maximum thickness and durability.
I had prepared a generous number while Marlin fought the first group of ants.
“Wow, I didn’t expect it to die in one hit.”
Marlin’s tail swayed happily as she extracted a Fire Gland and Magic Stone from the fallen monster.
“The Mysteries you gave me, Kar—they’re much better than I thought.”
Basic Dagger Technique and Basic Throwing Technique.
Both were bread-and-butter Mysteries for low-level thieves.
Marlin couldn’t fully utilize them due to her poor agility and dexterity, but they would help for the time being.
At the very least, she would display better combat ability than a cultist.
I patted the proud novice thief on the back.
“I’m glad you like them. I was worried since you complained so much about cheap Mysteries.”
“Are you seeing things?”
“Let’s go this way.”
We carefully walked down a steep slope.
My tiger beastman assistant wrapped her tail around my waist to keep me from falling.
At the bottom was a large cavern.
“This way.”
Now it was an uphill path.
Marlin pushed my back as she spoke.
“Do you already know all the paths? It seems like we didn’t even need the map.”
“It’s still necessary.”
Even though I had played the game long enough to consider myself a veteran, I didn’t memorize the geography of every E-Rank labyrinth.
My brain capacity was already occupied remembering the mechanics of S-Rank and A-Rank labyrinths.
Still, thanks to multiple playthroughs, I knew the layout roughly. With a map, I could function as a half-elf navigation system.
“Hyah.”
Occasionally an ant would appear, but Marlin would kill it with a thrown spike.
The exploration continued comfortably.
“…Labyrinths aren’t that impressive.”
At first she had been stiff with fear, but now she was relaxed.
A commendable growth.
“That’s right. Labyrinths aren’t something to fear. They’re joyful paradises full of laughter.”
Honestly, it was fun.
Even exploring an E-Rank labyrinth felt this enjoyable. How much dopamine would flood the brain while conquering Nightmare Dungeon itself?
“Kar, there are monsters nearby.”
Marlin’s ears perked up.
“Two… maybe three. They’re standing still.”
“Then we’re almost there.”
I unfolded the map.
The Garbage Dump was located in the lower right corner of the Fire Ant Nest.
“We should be here.”
Near a sharp corner.
Beyond that corner was the entrance to the dump.
The corridor leading there contained a trap.
“Ants set traps?”
“It’s instinctive behavior. It’s not sophisticated—just a device that blows up whoever steps on it.”
“That sounds extremely dangerous….”
Trap removal normally belonged to the thief class.
But I didn’t expect much from a Thief who was still learning to walk.
“I’ll handle it. Wait here.”
I formed a ball of spider thread from my right index finger.
A crude trap-removal tool.
Since the trap lacked advanced detection mechanisms, this trick was sufficient.
I tossed the thread ball into the corridor.
Tap.
The ball landed on the ground.
BOOM!
A violent explosion echoed through the corridor.
My half-elf barrier shielded Marlin from the heat blast.
Soon the corridor became quiet again.
—Grrr!
The Fire Ants guarding the dump rushed forward.
Marlin dashed out and sliced all three ants into head, thorax, and abdomen.
“Well done.”
I wiped the blood from her face again.
“Your swordwork is getting cleaner.”
“Maybe I really do have talent as an explorer.”
I placed a hand on my assistant’s proud shoulder and turned the corner.
At the end of the straight corridor stood a wooden door.
Calling it a “door” was generous.
It was closer to a crude plank of wood.
Still, it had a primitive locking mechanism.
“Time for the professional burglar.”
“Hmm.”
Marlin inspected it and shook her head.
“There’s no lock and no handle. How am I supposed to open it?”
“I’ll show you.”
I grabbed her right arm and pulled it back.
Then twisted her waist slightly.
“Now just throw a punch like this.”
“….”
CRACK!
Using the Smash Unlock Method, the door opened instantly.
Inside was a large cavern.
《Garbage Dump of the Fire Ant Nest. A place where the unintelligent insects discard things they consider ‘trash’.》
What would it look like in reality?
I entered eagerly.
Broken and worn objects were piled everywhere.
“Ugh, it smells.”
Marlin covered her nose, unimpressed.
But I couldn’t stand still.
I examined everything.
《Ancient Silver Bracelet. Poor-quality scrap.》
《A filthy and hideous doll. It is recommended that you throw it far away immediately.》
《Remains of a dead puppy. This truly is trash!》
I picked up a small bone fragment.
“…It’s exactly the same.”
Every object matched the garbage dump in my memory.
It was a moving moment.
Was this a dream?
“Kar, why is this a treasure vault? It’s all trash.”
“Watch your words.”
Typical ignorance.
If she wanted to live as an explorer, she needed basic knowledge.
“Marlin. Do you know how labyrinths are created?”
“Uh… magically?”
“…Labyrinths form due to oversaturated mana condensation. Mana gathers in one place and recreates an isolated world modeled after a location from the past, present, or future. Understand?”
“Perfectly.”
Her eyes betrayed her confusion.
“To put it simply, labyrinths are fake worlds copied from reality.”
Now she understood.
“So this ant nest must have existed somewhere in reality… probably long ago.”
“Exactly.”
Her reasoning was sound.
I clenched my fist.
“This place shows the true value of the Fire Ant Nest.”
Every object here was a piece of world lore.
I wanted to take everything, but without spatial storage equipment it was impossible.
So I gathered only what I needed.
“Let’s start with this.”
I rubbed a Magic Stone against the puppy bone.
Ssssss.
After rubbing it several times, the Magic Stone turned gray as its mana flowed into the bone.
I lifted the bone to my nose.
It suddenly vaporized and entered my body through my breathing.
“…What was that?”
“A good question.”
I explained briefly.
“In ancient times, during the Lumes Kingdom that ruled the Western Continent, monster habitats were far more common. The creature whose remains I picked up looked exactly like an ordinary dog, except for one difference. When infused with mana, it could transform into gas. It was used to escape predators.”
Marlin’s eyes were glazing over.
“…In short, it slightly improves recovery.”
《Indeed… your body’s recovery ability has slightly increased….》
In game terms, my Health stat increased by 1.
Next I picked up the doll and bracelet.
“Come here. Hold out your hands.”
“Why?”
I placed the doll in her palms and put the bracelet around its neck.
“It fits perfectly.”
“Look into its eyes.”
Marlin did so and flinched.
“…Kar. It’s glaring at me.”
“That’s normal.”
“Don’t say that like it’s normal! What is it?”
“I was waiting for that question!”
“Ah, no—!”
I explained the origin of the Blessing Doll.
“How do you feel?”
“…My hands feel lighter.”
“Good.”
《Indeed… your assistant Marlin’s physical ability has increased…!》
Her Dexterity increased by 1.
Since it wasn’t useful for me, I used it for training instead.
“Did your evil god tell you about this too?”
“Of course.”
《How did you discover such knowledge?! The Wise One is confused!》
Next I picked up the most valuable artifact in the garbage dump.
A small rectangular black metal block.
Despite its size, it was heavy.
“Is that valuable too?”
“Of course.”
《Artifacts belonging to those who worship such filthy divinity should be discarded immediately! Throw it away!》
Eye That Perceives Truth urgently warned me.
But that was impossible.
This item could never be obtained outside the labyrinth.
I placed the artifact in Marlin’s bag and went deeper into the dump.
Unlike the entrance filled with ancient relics, the interior was truly garbage.
“…Ugh.”
Marlin frowned.
“Is that a goblin corpse? And… is that a human?”
“You’re correct.”
For monsters, explorer corpses were simply waste.
Until the labyrinth reset in six months, they would rot here.
“Do you feel sorry for them?”
“A little.”
“Then let’s show them respect.”
I approached the pile of corpses.
“Assistant. Prepare the offering ritual.”
“…You said respect.”
“Normally explorer corpses are retrieved later by companions or professionals. If these bodies are still here, what does that mean?”
Marlin nodded.
“So cultists are scavengers.”
“There’s a nicer term—labyrinth cleaners.”
Still, cultists commonly used dead explorers as offerings.
Unlike the barbaric practice of sacrificing innocent civilians.
Modern cultists used proper methods.
“Assistant, prepare the ritual like you saw before.”
“I’ll try.”
“Give me the dagger.”
Corpse preparation was too cruel for my young assistant.
I selected a suitable offering.
《Dead Warrior Mirgon (Human, 27). A fool who tried to sacrifice his companions to the Fire Ant swarm and was killed instead.》
A human.
And a terrible person.
Perfect.
I removed his head and poured Volcanic Troll Blood over the body.
Then added Fire Glands.
For flavor.
Finally I scattered Dog Beastman Teeth.
Now it looked complete.
Satisfied, I prayed.
“Lord Lidni, please eat.”
Nothing happened.
Marlin blinked.
“…Kar?”
“I actually haven’t performed the ritual yet.”
“Please stop joking!”
I smiled.
“No, it was performed correctly.”
“…Then why is nothing happening?”
I quickly realized the reason.
“Lord Lidni is complaining about the side dishes.”
“…The evil god?”
Fortunately, correcting a picky god wasn’t difficult.
I asked innocently:
“Lord Lidni… could it be that you can’t handle spicy food?”
Are you perhaps weak to spicy dishes?