Chapter 111: Hurting My Feelings
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Hurting My Feelings
9:50 AM. Having finished her brief preparations for the labyrinth, Theodora entered the lobby of the Southwest Guild.
“I-I’m telling you, I really saw it! It was like this…! Its whole body was twisted all weirdly…!”
“Yes, well… we’re currently investigating what exactly happened, so…”
In front of the desk where the guild receptionists were stationed, a party was gasping for breath, shouting at the top of their lungs about something they had seen.
What’s their problem?
The four-man explorer party was using their entire bodies to describe whatever they had discovered, as if they’d stumbled upon something that shouldn't exist in the labyrinth.
“A Flesh Golem! It looked just like the Flesh Golem I saw in Breeze Valley!”
“A Flesh Golem…?”
They introduced themselves as wandering explorers who had experienced various labyrinths in other cities. Apparently, they had encountered a Flesh Golem on the 1st Floor of this labyrinth.
“Y-you said Flesh Golems don’t appear in Calax!!”
“Yes… monsters of the Flesh Golem variety do not typically appear in the Great Labyrinth of Calax. We do have similar monsters like Ghouls, but even those only appear from the 2nd Stratum onwards…”
Since a monster completely different from their prior research had appeared, it was understandable that the wandering explorers were quite flustered.
“Theodora, you’re here?”
“Oh, Aven. Welcome.”
Yoo Eon walked over with a heavy, sluggish gait, looking somewhat depressed.
He’s in a bad mood! He’s totally moping!
To Theodora, it was clear that his mood was currently in the gutter.
“Did something happen?”
“I was practicing a skill on the 1st Floor.”
“I guess whatever you were trying didn't go well?”
Despite having broad, manly shoulders and a large frame, his handsome face looked almost cute when he was pouting like this. The way he got depressed because his hard work wasn't paying off felt surprisingly delicate for someone his size.
Theodora suppressed a smile as she watched the moping Yoo Eon.
“No, it’s not that. Some people showed up and called me a Flesh Golem.”
“Huh…?”
Theodora’s mind raced for a moment. A Flesh Golem was a type of monster found in certain labyrinths. When a large number of corpses imbued with trace amounts of mana accumulated, a magical lifeform called a Flesh Core would appear, stitching together useful bits of meat and bone to create a grotesque undead monster.
Since they didn't exist in the Great Labyrinth of Calax, it wasn't a name one usually heard around here.
“Wait, they called you a Flesh Golem?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Yoo Eon slumped onto the round table across from her and mumbled. Theodora tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward the people at the desk.
“Isn't that them?”
“Oh, you’re right.”
It was the four-man party of wandering explorers claiming they had seen a Flesh Golem.
“Go clear up the misunderstanding.”
“Do I really have to?”
“If you don’t say something now, the guild staff will have to scour the 1st Floor. They might even issue a ban or a mobilization order.”
“I guess so.”
Persuaded by Theodora’s words, Yoo Eon approached the desk and spoke up.
“Excuse me.”
“W-who are you?! Did you see that disgusting Flesh Golem too?!”
“That was me.”
“Exactly!”
The man slapped his knee. Now that they had another witness, they could prove they weren't all suffering from a collective hallucination.
“Wait, what?”
“The Flesh Golem on the 1st Floor. That was me.”
“U-um, excuse me, mister. You have such a handsome face, why are you saying such…”
“Are you talking about this?”
Yoo Eon unbuttoned his shirt slightly to reveal his back, then manifested the Improvised Wings he had been testing on the 1st Floor. Tendons and muscle fibers were messily attached to a bizarrely twisted skeletal structure. It looked filthy and unpleasant, covered in patches of blood, and the stench of gore immediately began to waft through the air.
Every time it moved, it twitched and writhed in a way that was just…
“Ugh!!”
“Eek!!”
The other explorers nearby fell into a total panic. Watching the scene, Theodora squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
He’s handsome, but he’s a bit of an idiot…
* * *
“I-I understand for now. So, the Flesh Golem you all discovered was actually just Explorer Aven practicing a skill…”
“Good grief, I can’t believe it. What kind of curse skill looks like that?”
“I know, right? And he’s so handsome, too…”
“Haha…”
The four explorers looked at him with pure pity. It wasn't exactly a curse skill, but as Yoo Eon scratched his head awkwardly, Theodora and Rubica approached him.
“Aven, what’s going on?”
“Ah, Rubica, you’ve arrived.”
“Just got here.”
“There was a minor misunderstanding. It’s all settled now. But what are you eating this time?”
“A tomato. It’s good for the health.”
Rubica had walked over with Theodora, munching on a tomato. Theodora, standing beside her, was pinching her nose.
“Theodora, do you hate tomatoes?”
“I’m not fond of raw ones… I don’t mind them if they’re grilled, boiled, or mashed.”
“My, the Lymain lady dislikes tomatoes.”
Since Theodora said she disliked them, Rubica finished the rest in one gulp. In any case, despite the little incident, it seemed their preparations for entering the labyrinth were complete. It was a party consisting of two Gold Grades and one Silver Grade, a trial run just to reach the 10th Floor.
“Are we ready?”
“I’m all set.”
“Nothing missing. We should be good to go.”
Looking at their attire, it felt more like they were going for a stroll in the neighborhood. Rubica, as usual, wore thin gambeson, gauntlets, and pauldrons over tight brown trousers.
Theodora was dressed in baggy short pants and a large, casual short-sleeved shirt. Aside from the greatsword strapped to her back, she looked no different from someone in everyday clothes. She did, however, have a brown hooded cape pulled over her head to hide her face.
“You may enter now.”
Following the guild employee’s guidance, they stepped into the portal and emerged onto the wide-open plains of the labyrinth’s 1st Floor. Rubica had her Combustion Acceleration skill, and I, well, I could run regardless. The question was whether Theodora could keep up with our pace.
“Ah, how refreshing.”
Theodora was using the pseudonym ‘Sio’ for the guild. She took off her hood and let out a refreshed sigh, while Rubica stretched her limbs beside her.
“It’s about 10:10 AM. I’m thinking of reaching the 10th Floor by 6:00 PM at the latest. How does that sound?”
“Seems doable,” Theodora nodded.
The problem was Rubica.
“Hmm, I take a long time to eat… but I’ll try to make it work.”
“Rubica, is there a minimum amount you have to eat?”
The Combustion Acceleration skill increased physical strength in proportion to the amount of food consumed. True to its name, the food didn't just vanish instantly to provide a sudden burst of power.
She digested it like a normal living being, just much faster. The mechanism seemed to be that it generated mana that increased physical strength rather than just creating physical calories.
“Actually, eating as much as a normal person is enough for survival. If I did that, my strength would just drop to a normal level.”
“I see.”
It seemed her strength increased by the amount she consumed beyond the average person’s intake. Apparently, her stomach wasn't a bottomless pit, either.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Well, I had a hearty breakfast. I should be fine until 4:00 PM…”
“What about you, Theodora?”
“I ate breakfast. And you?”
“I didn't eat.”
“Then what are you going to do? Do you even have any energy?”
To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how it worked for me either. Since I’d had a big dinner last night, I didn't feel like I particularly needed breakfast. Although my appetite had increased since gaining my skills, I didn't recall ever lacking strength from not eating.
“I’m fine. We’ll just catch a Wild Boar on the 7th or 8th Floor and have a meal then.”
“Understood.”
Since Rubica could store her heavy great bow, she could move at an incredibly fast speed with her enhanced strength. Theodora hadn't seemed to lag behind when we went to the labyrinth together before, either.
“Theodora, how fast can you run?”
“It’s hard to explain. Just start. I’ll keep up.”
“Got it. Rubica, let’s head out.”
“Mm, understood.”
And so, they departed from the 1st Floor around 10:10 AM. To reach the 10th Floor by 6:00 PM, they needed to spend roughly 50 minutes per floor. If they were dropped off nearby, they could cross a floor in 20 minutes of running. Even if it was far, it wouldn't take an hour, so the only variable was mealtime.
Surprisingly, Theodora was very fast, while Rubica was slightly below expectations. Back when I was Brass Grade, the Silver Grade Rubica I saw had movements that transcended human limits.
Does this mean I’m much faster now than Rubica was back then?
I can really feel my growth.
They ran for two hours, pacing themselves. By the time it was noon, they had reached the 5th Floor.
“We’re fast. This isn't bad at all.”
It was true that Rubica’s top speed was a bit lower. But in a dense forest, that didn't matter much. Since the trees prevented running in a straight line, everyone’s speed leveled out.
Despite her heavy equipment, her ability to navigate mountainous terrain was a huge merit. While she wasn't the type of archer who prioritized mobility like a ranger, positioning and maintaining distance were still essential for her profession.
Rubica’s labyrinth clearing speed was excellent. Theodora, perhaps due to her beastkin traits, didn't slow down at all in mountains or forests.
They encountered a few Direwolves along the way, but they weren't the type of creatures that could keep up with a party moving at such high speeds.
“Should we rest a bit around here? Let’s walk for a while.”
“Ah, should we?”
“Skills aren't omnipotent. An increase in strength doesn't necessarily relieve muscle fatigue.”
“I see.”
My skills did relieve muscle fatigue. Well, not really relieving it, but simply swapping to other muscles that weren't fatigued.
“I think there are other explorers nearby.”
“In which direction? I can’t tell yet.”
“I felt it. 10 o’clock, right?”
“Yeah. Looks like they’re below the cliff.”
It seemed to be a four-man party. Listening closely, they appeared to be fighting monsters. Based on the sounds, it was the cries of goblins.
Approaching the edge of the drop-off and looking down…
“That’s…”
A four-man explorer party was fighting goblins. It was a decent-sized horde of about twenty, with one elite individual that looked like a Goblin Shaman. Judging by their sizes, there were no Champions.
In the front line, one man held a large two-handed shield studded with spikes. Beside him, another man was thrusting a long spear to keep the goblins at bay.
In the rear, a small woman was firing a light crossbow. Another woman was circling the perimeter, throwing daggers to disrupt the goblins’ formation and prevent the Shaman from casting spells.
The two women gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. The small woman with the crossbow had striking, bright yellow hair tied in short pigtails.
The woman circling the area had long white hair tied back, and she felt very familiar.
Wait a minute, are those two…
I finally realized where I’d seen them.
“Theodora, Rubica. I’m going down for a moment.”
“Are you going to help them?”
“I think I know them.”
From the looks of it, the two on the front line were struggling. They had been pushed back toward the cliff face, and behind them were dozens of goblin corpses and a significant amount of blood.
It seemed they had been fighting a massive horde of over forty goblins from the start.
“Be careful.”
“You got it.”
As I warmed up and looked down, Rubica asked from beside me.
“Aven, are you planning to jump straight down from here?”
“Yes, why?”
“Goodness. You must look at the labyrinth in the long term. It’s not good to accumulate impact on your skeletal structure like that.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Rubica didn't know the details of my skills yet. I hadn't explained them to Rubia, and when I met Rubica before, I didn't know how to use them properly.
“This is perfect. You two rest and wait here.”
I took on my usual form. The powerful thighs and reverse-jointed legs of a Minotaur, and the flexible, smooth feet of a Lizardman. I topped it off by layering Cave Drake scales over them.
“Hup.”
I leaped and landed with a loud thud right in the center of the goblin horde below the cliff.
BOOM—!!
The ground shattered from the massive impact, sending goblins tumbling.
Instantly, I whipped the tail I’d sprouted from my lower back in a full circle.
—Slash!
In an instant, over a dozen goblins were turned into piles of meat.
“W-what?! Is it a monster?!”
“Ah, I’m not a monster. I’m an explorer.”
The two male explorers looked at me warily. And as expected, the two women were faces I knew.
“It’s been a while, Isolde. Lis.”
“Y-Yoo Eon…?!”
Lis dropped her crossbow in shock.
“You’ve… you’ve become a monster…!”
“Ah.”
Lately, my feelings have been getting hurt quite often.