Chapter 151: I Don't Usually Notice, But...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 151: I Don't Usually Notice, But...
A flat refusal. Looking as if he’d expected as much, Mr. Gadel nodded and continued the conversation with a quite serious tone.
“How long has it been? Have you picked up any decent skills?”
It was the standard question asked by explorers meeting for the first time. He added that I didn't have to mention any curse skills, but fortunately, I didn't recall receiving any of those yet.
“Whoa, two good skills! And if you started in February... that means it hasn't even been half a year! I’m so jealous!”
“Going solo, though... you’ll find yourself lacking the strength to go deep.”
“I do have one companion I promised to enter the Labyrinth with. But since making that promise, the timing has been awkward. I haven't been able to go in properly prepared yet.”
The conversation followed the typical flow of explorer small talk.
“Is that so?! How far down have you gone?!”
“I remember reaching the 18th floor as part of a temporary four-man party.”
“Hey! That’s not a bad record at all!”
“Is it?”
In my opinion, that was a very shallow floor, but I suppose it looked different to veterans.
“The 2nd Stratum of Calax is notorious! It’s probably the hardest section for anyone below Silver Grade to clear!”
That was certainly true. It wasn't that the enemies possessed overwhelming martial power; it was the dreary, unpleasant environment. Monsters that caused wounds to fester and rot with the slightest scratch. Traps installed everywhere.
Because of that, you had to keep your nerves on edge all day, and it required thorough preparation.
“Exactly! The 3rd Stratum is actually more comfortable. Stay in the 2nd Stratum too long and you’ll go crazy!”
Father chimed in from the side. Come to think of it, Father and his companions must have reached at least the 5th Stratum.
“What is the 3rd Stratum like?”
“Think of it as a mix of marshland and jungle. It’s mostly filled with beast-type or insect-type monsters. The variety of species is too large to memorize them all, so it’s a place where you just keep your head down, stay hidden, and pass through.”
Ancient beasts roaming between giant trees tall enough to block out the sun... It could be considered an enhanced version of the 1st Stratum.
The giant stomach I was currently using came from a toad monster called a Titan Toad, and my powerful jaws came from a large crocodile monster called a Colossal Croco.
In the occasional caves, you’d find Cave Drakes. As is often the case with forests, it’s impossible to know every species living there. Overall, it had a Paleozoic feel to it.
Inside, you could occasionally find High Orc villages—an enhanced version of orcs—though they weren't common.
The 4th Stratum felt like the ruins of a collapsed ancient city. They said it was just a matter of avoiding the occasional giant Guardian Stone Golems or the automated defense systems created by unknown magic.
“I heard there’s a monster called an Umbra Valkyrie in the 5th Stratum.”
“Ah! Right, those things that look like charred black eagles. I know them well.”
A scorching desert region. Not a sandy desert, but... what do you call it? A savanna-style desert where buffalo roam in herds. The Umbra Valkyries, looking like flaming vultures, fly through the sky, and the area is dominated by giant beast monsters that wander around half-dead and perpetually on fire.
“What is the 5th Stratum Boss entity?”
Roanmarie’s 5th Stratum had been a twisted forest filled with withered trees, a dark sky where the sun never rose, and countless giant spiders. The boss entity was Queen Arachne, but since Aurora killed her in an instant, I didn't really know how strong she was.
“The 5th Stratum Boss... that fellow is truly terrifying.”
“Is it that scary?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Gerick spoke, his brow furrowed so deeply it was visible even behind his sunglasses. The Ruler of the Stratum, located on the 50th floor—the final floor of the 5th Stratum.
“Its name is Horus.”
“Horus...”
“Have you ever heard of a Griffin?”
“A Griffin? I think I’ve heard the name.”
“A creature with the body of a lion and the face and wings of a hawk. It flies through the sky at such incredible speeds that most warriors wouldn't even dream of touching it.”
There was a massive mountain located in the northern part of the 50th floor’s gentle, vast desert region, and they said the Griffin named Horus lived there. It was a monster that ruled the high heavens with a speed that belied its massive frame.
I’d heard of the mythical species called Griffins often, but honestly, I wondered if it was really that strong. In most games, they usually felt like mounts with mediocre stats.
“The scariest thing isn't that it flies.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s smart. It studies its opponent and always finds a way to win. Unless you overwhelm it with speed so fast its wings can't react, you can't kill it using the same trick twice.”
“It’s that sophisticated?”
I wondered how it compared to Queen Arachne. Given the nature of a flying boss, it would certainly have the advantage if their combat power was equal.
“Well, Horus is a story for much later. Anyway, young man, do you have work tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah. If you don't have plans, let’s head into the Labyrinth for a bit. Or are you in a rest period after a recent dive?”
“No, it’s not that. I was visiting Roanmarie until a few days ago. I’ve been looking for the right time to go back in.”
I had been thinking about entering the Labyrinth again myself. Still, going with these people was a bit...
‘No. It’s not often a Cobalt-grade explorer approaches me with such goodwill. I’ve seen Father fight, but the lessons one can learn inside the Labyrinth are different.’
“Then it’s settled! We’ll be here tomorrow morning at 10:00! The festival is in two weeks, so let’s just take it easy and dive down to the 30th floor.”
“Uh... the 30th floor—”
“Roland! Thanks for the meal! We’ll be heading out now.”
“Leaving already? That’s a shame!”
“Don't be like that. Here, take this.”
“Huh?”
Mr. Gadel pulled a sword out of thin air using magic and handed it to Father. A single-edged sword with a slight curve, housed in a red-painted scabbard. That shape was definitely...
‘Isn't that a katana?’
Father reached out both arms and took the sword with his tiny hands, then stared blankly at Mr. Gadel.
“What are you doing? Open it.”
“Ah, right.”
—Click.
The scabbard opened, revealing a portion of the blade. Even a glance from the side showed it was a high-quality sword with excellent craftsmanship...
Clatter—
The total length looked to be about 150cm, making it taller than Father himself. But the shape of the blade...
“It’s a Reverse Blade Mail. How is it? Brings back memories, doesn't it?”
“Ohhh...! Where did you get this?! It couldn't have been easy to make!”
“I had it made by a very reliable blacksmith!”
Father narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the edge of the blade before nodding with satisfaction.
“13 degrees... you’ve brought me a real monster, haven't you?!”
“Khahaha! Well? Do you feel the fire in your blood?!”
With a beaming smile, Father sheathed the sword and nodded vigorously.
“Excellent! I’m looking forward to tomorrow!”
Clutching the sword, he dashed toward the kitchen, only to return about three minutes later. He trudged back with an expression that looked like he’d lost the whole world.
“Marta says I can't go...”
“Gwaaah!”
At Father’s words, the three grown men rushed toward the kitchen.
—Sister-in-law! Please!
—We’ll make sure he comes back without a scratch!
—I’ll stake the name of the Tyrannosaurus that he’ll be safe!!!
—Your name is Bontes!
—Whaaaat!!! My name was Bontes all along!!!
Similarly, three minutes later, the companions returned to the dining area with solemn expressions.
—Nod.
Mr. Gerick gave a reliable nod. Tears of emotion streamed down Father’s cheeks.
“Just make sure you guard the inn well, you little bean.”
“Ah.”
* * *
“Young man! Get yourself ready! We’ll have to run hard to reach the 30th floor!”
“Yes, I understand.”
They might not look reliable on the outside, but they were a veteran party of Cobalt-grade explorers. I’d heard that Delbaheim’s full 12-person party included a Palladium-grade member, yet only went down to the 68th floor. For four people to reach the 47th floor showed just how experienced they were.
As you go deeper into the lower floors, the points that affect an explorer’s grade increase exponentially. No matter how many monsters you kill in the 1st or 2nd Stratum, someone who goes down to the 6th Stratum and kills monsters will ultimately earn a much higher score.
“But Father, how are those points actually measured?”
“Hmm? Points?”
It was around 11:00 PM. Father, whose eyes were red from crying his heart out, looked up at my question. He had been lying on the floor, flailing his limbs in a tantrum, but he must have gotten hungry because he was currently eating a meal he’d asked Sera for.
“They go into the Explorer’s Plate.”
“Well, I had a vague idea of that.”
“When you kill a monster inside the Labyrinth, the one who killed it absorbs a portion of that monster’s mana. Did you know that?”
Father stabbed a piece of steak with his fork and popped it into his mouth.
“That... is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Just being inside the Labyrinth means you’re fundamentally influenced by the Labyrinth’s mana. But that isn't very significant. If you could gain skills just by the fact that you’re ‘inside’ the Labyrinth, why would so many people bother hunting monsters at such risk?”
“True. I don't think I’ve ever considered that before.”
Come to think of it, he was right. If you could get good skills just by loitering, you could just camp out on the peaceful 1st floor until you got what you wanted. Why bother going deep?
The answer was that by killing monsters, people could accumulate more of the Labyrinth’s mana in their bodies.
According to the scholars... if your actions and the monster’s death are linked by ‘causality’ in any way, you absorb the monster’s mana.
“If a monster trips over a stone you kicked and gets injured, and then someone else kills that injured monster... the person who kicked the stone has played a part in the monster’s death.”
“You can absorb a monster’s mana with just that much?”
“Of course, but only in proportion to your share. The injury from the fall must have hindered the monster in its fight with the explorer, right? Then, after the monster dies, you absorb mana into your body only by that specific amount.”
This was the reason why all high-grade explorers displayed superhuman martial prowess even in their daily lives, even if they didn't have skills specifically related to physical strength.
“When the Labyrinth’s mana accumulates in the body and reaches a certain stage, the body undergoes a change. It might affect the Mana Circuits and grant a ‘skill,’ or it might just act on the physical frame to make it stronger. Haven't you felt anything like that?”
“Ah, well...”
I had felt that my original muscles—the ones I had when not using skills—had become stronger. Now that I thought about it, it was strange. I always used the muscles of other creatures during combat, so why were my own muscles growing?
To use a simple analogy, it was like choosing whether to put points into basic stats like strength and agility with the experience gained from killing monsters, or obtaining a new skill to utilize. Though, you couldn't consciously choose which one would happen.
“The Explorer’s Plate senses the mana entering the body of the explorer wearing it. Naturally, the amount of mana coming in differs based on your share of the monster’s death and the strength of the monster itself.”
“Aha...”
“Of course, there’s a reason why ‘point funneling’ exists. If you personally deliver the finishing blow to a weakened monster, you’re involved with a greater degree of causality... but it’s a reasonably fair system.”
The Explorer’s Plate also records every time you use a portal to move up or down the Labyrinth. It even has a function to verify the mana you gain from contributing to a monster’s death and assign a score.
“It’s quite a well-made object.”
“That’s also why it takes the form of a necklace, rather than a ring, earring, or just an ID card. Mana gathers in the heart, so shouldn't it be close to the heart?”
“That was very informative.”
Father was surprisingly smart.
“Burp... I’m full.”
Father’s feet didn't touch the ground when he sat in a chair. He hopped down, picked up the plate from the desk, and walked toward the kitchen to do the dishes. From behind, he looked like nothing more than a little kid.
Entering the kitchen, Father handed the plate to Auntie, who was finishing up the last of the washing.
“Marta! That was a great meal!”
Auntie glanced back at Father and let out a long sigh.
“Come back safely.”
“Huh...?”
Father stood there blankly for a long moment before finally understanding.
“Marta...!!”
“Give me the plate.”
“Khuuu...! I won't let you sleep tonight!!”
“As if you even have one attached.”
I don't usually notice it, but they really are a happily married couple.