Chapter 128: Better Than an Elevator
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 128: Better Than an Elevator
“It looks perfectly seamless…”
“Does it?”
Fortunately, it seemed the unlicensed organ transplant surgery had been completed successfully, without any misplaced parts or side effects.
—Whoa! Something feels different!
“Hmm… I feel a bit bad for our little friend here.”
Even though I was the one who performed the surgery, and it was young Brixi who had stepped forward and offered to give up its mana core, I still didn't feel entirely comfortable. I didn't know exactly what Wisps did with their lives, but this one surely had a bright future ahead of it.
—Do not worry about that. Once my power gradually returns, I shall personally bestow a reward upon this grateful young Brixi.
“A reward? Like what?”
“Anything from a lifespan double that of a normal Brixi to enough mana to create an even more powerful Wigana. I can give it anything. After all, Rumi is the Monarch of the Brixi.”
“Oh, so it’s not like the little guy was making some heroic, tragic sacrifice then.”
And here I was, worried that my successful surgery had caused a young Wisp to die an early death. It seemed that once Rumianabrixi recovered her strength with the shiny new mana core, she could grant the baby Wisp the power to live a long life.
“I think you’re misunderstanding. What we were originally planning wasn't a ‘replacement,’ but a ‘transplant.’ It should have ended with taking the young Brixi’s mana core and giving it to Rumi, but you brilliantly re-transplanted Rumi’s old mana core back into the young Brixi, allowing both of them to live. It was something so difficult we hadn't even dared to hope for it.”
“I see.”
So, while they would have been grateful if just one survived, it was my victory for saving both.
“How on earth did you do it? What kind of magic was that? No, it must be a skill, right?”
“Yes, something like that. Anyway, the surgery was a success. I trust you’ll make sure the reward is worth it.”
“Of course. It’s all thanks to you.”
—Thank you once again. To think a stranger would so readily offer a helping hand. I did not know there was another among the Human Species with such a kind heart besides Aurora.
“Haha, it was nothing.”
Aurora smiled brightly as she looked down at Rumianabrixi, whom she was cradling happily in her arms. Aside from her exhibitionist tendencies and the fact that her areolas were wider than average, she looked like a perfectly normal person.
“Right, the reward… You said you wanted a monster from deep within the Labyrinth?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How deep are we talking?”
“Actually, rather than it being about depth, I just need a strong monster. And the sooner I can get it, the better.”
“A strong monster… and the sooner the better, huh?”
Aurora closed her eyes as if contemplating, letting out a soft hum while slowly tilting her head from side to side. Is she really over 300 years old? Honestly, she looks like she’s in her early twenties. Her skin is firmer and she looks younger than most people my age.
“What’s the deadline?”
“It’s not incredibly urgent, but I’m just visiting Roanmarie from Calax for a bit. I’m heading back in two weeks, so I’d like to receive it before then.”
“I have something I can give you right now. What do you think?”
“Right now?”
Right now? Is it what I think it is? Is she suddenly going to plunge a knife into Rumianabrixi’s back and hand her over to me?
Well, probably not.
“Fine. Where is it?”
“Is this one thing enough for a reward?”
“Is there something else you can give me?”
“If you promise not to reveal the source, there is one more thing I can give you.”
“Deal. I don’t have any friends around here anyway.”
Aurora kissed Rumianabrixi on the forehead, whispered, “I’ll be back in a bit, Rumi,” and gripped her staff. Soon, a magic formation of a unique color swept over her body from top to bottom, and before I knew it, she was wearing an elaborately designed dress.
So she can even dress and undress with magic. I suppose she wasn't actually naked the whole time she was coming to this place.
“Are we leaving now? How long will it take?”
“Hmm, about three seconds?”
“Three seconds?”
Aurora held her staff in her right hand. She reached out with her left, and the moment the tip of her index finger touched the bridge of my nose—
“Teleport.”
“Wha—”
In an instant, the light around us stretched as if the screen were transitioning, and before I knew it, I was out of Rumianabrixi’s domain and standing somewhere entirely different. The surroundings felt like something out of a myth. Buildings styled like ancient temples I’d only seen in photos were scattered everywhere.
However, most were half-destroyed, with pillars and ceilings collapsed and cracks running through the floor. Puddles of water were gathered here and there, making it look as if a tsunami had swept through an ancient city.
“Where… are we?”
“Roanmarie’s Great Labyrinth. The 51st Floor.”
“Wait, the 51st floor…?”
“Yes. I used my magic to teleport you here with me.”
So this was the place known as the 6th Stratum of Roanmarie. This is insane. I haven't even reached the 3rd Stratum in Calax yet, and suddenly I’ve dropped into the 6th Stratum of Roanmarie.
“How is this even possible…?”
“Well? Do you feel like looking up to me a bit more now?”
“It’s impressive.”
Fortunately, there weren't any monsters nearby. It wasn't that Aurora had just blindly used a teleportation spell to the 51st floor; she had reached the 51st floor before and had set up a teleportation magic formation in a suitable spot.
It wasn't some god-tier magic that could take us straight down to the 99th floor if she wanted. It was only possible to go as far as her own martial prowess allowed.
“I’ll give you a choice. If you think you can handle the 6th Stratum of Roanmarie, we can go down to the 60th floor and hunt a Mystic Leviathan.”
“Or we can go straight down to the 50th floor and take out the 50th-floor boss.”
“Exactly.”
The 6th Stratum? My combat power might be high, but I’m still no match for someone like the Palladium Grade Delbaheim or my father-in-law, who is Cobalt Grade. If those two came at me with everything they had, I’d probably…
Well, I’m not sure what would happen if the Dragon Heart came out. Regardless, going to the 60th floor while maintaining my sanity was practically impossible.
“Let’s go down to the 50th floor. I want to ask one thing, though—what is the 50th-floor boss monster?”
Before I could even finish my question, Aurora grabbed my hand and teleported us to the 51st-floor portal.
“Hmm? What was that? What did you ask?”
“I asked what the 50th-floor boss is.”
But this woman did it again. Just as I was about to ask, she stepped into the portal leading upward. Consequently, her face disappeared into the portal before my question could even reach her ears.
“What was the question?”
“Ugh.”
We arrived at the 50th floor, the final level of Roanmarie’s 5th Stratum.
“The atmosphere is completely different.”
The sky was high and blue with fluffy clouds floating by—it was nothing like the 51st floor, where the weather had been quite pleasant.
This place was pitch black, as if covered by thick storm clouds, and not even moonlight shone through. Shriveled, withered trees shook their skeletal branches in the faint wind, creating an ominous clack-clack sound.
“Would the 50th-floor boss monster be a sufficient reward for you?”
“It’s not that it wouldn't be. But what exactly is that boss—”
I felt it instantly.
“Holy crap.”
In the distance stood a World Tree towering high into the sky. Unlike the surrounding rotten, skeletal trees, I thought it was covered in lush, pure white leaves that contrasted with its gloomy, purple-tinted trunk.
“Is that… by any chance, a spider web…?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was a massive World Tree, as grand and tall as the Lotte Tower. Though it was now withered and dead, its enormous frame still boasted a magnificent presence. However, what looked like pure white leaves were actually dense layers of spider webs.
“The name of the 5th Stratum is the Forest of the Twisted World Tree. ‘Queen Arachne,’ who has made her nest in that withered World Tree, is the boss of this stratum.”
“Wow… that’s, uh, quite something…”
So the explorers of Roanmarie have to rock-climb a Lotte Tower-sized World Tree while fighting off disgusting, crazy spiders just to catch the 5th Stratum boss? It’s enough to make my head spin. I wonder what’s in Calax’s 5th Stratum?
“It certainly didn't take long to get here, but it looks like it’ll take quite a while to drag Queen Arachne out of there.”
“You really underestimate me, don’t you?”
“Then are you going to take care of Queen Arachne quickly too?”
“Are you going to help? Or just watch?”
“I’ll just watch…”
To be honest, the atmosphere here was too gloomy and shitty. It felt so unpleasant that I had the illusion of bugs crawling over my skin, and since the surroundings were nothing but withered trees, the visual discomfort was significant as well.
Moreover, I didn't know if they were normal spiders or poisonous ones, but there were a hell of a lot of relatively normal-sized spider webs between some of the trees. It was basically a spider field. That World Tree was just a Spider Times Square.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yeah… don’t overdo it.”
The soles of Aurora’s feet began to glow, and she drifted up into the air. It looked like the flight magic often seen in downtown Roanmarie, but Aurora was much faster.
“Whoa, she’s actually doing it?”
If you asked if I doubted her… I didn't. She said she’d do it because she could. This was a woman who had just casually teleported us to the 51st floor. Even if she was an exhibitionist with inverted nipples and wide areolas, there was no denying she was an incredibly powerful mage.
“Whoa, what’s that?”
Just as Aurora became a tiny speck in my vision, a powerful light suddenly erupted from her position. After a cross-shaped flash of light burst in all directions, a laser beam—resembling the final strike of a hero in a manga—streaked toward the withered World Tree.
The part of the World Tree hit by the pale, rainbow-colored destruction ray began to burn, and Aurora, now barely visible in the darkness, drew closer to it.
After about three minutes of no noticeable change, something massive and pitch-black was dragged out from the web-covered World Tree.
“No way, is that…”
My suspicions were confirmed. Aurora was dragging Queen Arachne’s corpse, bound tightly in shimmering chain magic. Its size was roughly that of a five-story building. I did say I wanted a strong monster, but…
How am I supposed to eat something this big?
“Aven, is this enough?”
“Is this thing dead…?”
“Yes.”
Yeah, it certainly looked dead. She had crushed Arachne’s abdomen with the chains.
“Well, no important parts were lost or anything, right?”
“Important parts? What parts do you consider important?”
“The reason why a monster like Queen Arachne is strong?”
“Hmm, the venom sacs are there. The silk-producing organs are still intact. The limbs are a bit smashed, but isn't this good enough?”
“I suppose so.”
Venom sacs and silk were plenty. I’d seen a Slinger firing metal wires in Northwest Calax before, and now it looked like I could fulfill my dream of becoming Spider-Man.
“But could you possibly reduce the size of this thing?”
“You’re very demanding. What size do you want?”
“I did save Miss Rumi, after all. Just shrinking it to about the size of an Orc would be great.”
The all-powerful mage, Aurora. It seemed she knew how to use shrinking magic but couldn't make her own areolas smaller.
“Thank you.”
It was a miniature Queen Arachne, encased in a very hard exoskeleton. As usual, I pulled out my tail, opened my crocodile mouth, and gulped it down. Since I’d already shown her this when I swallowed Rumianabrixi, Aurora didn't seem particularly surprised.
“What happens when you eat that? Do you have some kind of mana absorption skill?”
“I can’t absorb mana, but I do absorb them physically.”
As expected, its size was massive, and the mana contained within was absurd. To be honest, Queen Arachne’s heart was slightly inferior to Tenebrax’s Dragon Heart, but it was still an exceptionally outstanding heart.
I split my back muscles to make room, and instead of the other arm I’d made before, I pulled out one of Queen Arachne’s arms.
—Squelch
A very long, hard spider leg thrust out. It felt much harder than I expected, and despite its light weight, the power generated by the muscles inside was superb.
—Crunch
Even though it was withered, it was strong enough to instantly turn a thick tree into powder.
“What…? That’s Queen Arachne’s arm?”
“Yes, it is. This is basically my ability. Please keep this a secret as well, Miss Aurora.”
“Hmm… fine.”
“How do we get back?”
“Do you want to walk up?”
“Please teleport us.”
“Keep my secrets. All of them.”
“You too. All of them.”
After nodding to each other, Aurora stepped closer and reached out her hand.
“Teleport.”
Talk about a personal elevator.