Chapter 184: Why Don't We Go Watch Together?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184: Why Don't We Go Watch Together?
First of all, there were a lot of people.
It’s absolutely packed.
Watching from high above the 1st Stratum of the Labyrinth, the crowd was truly worthy of being called a festival. It wasn't just the explorers who had flocked to the Northeast; there were quite a few people in the West as well. If all of them had gathered here, the sheer number made sense.
Since people were constantly entering the portal, many were being summoned at the same location, and the rules—such as the ban on teaming—weren't being followed as well as I’d expected.
It wasn't like they were openly shouting, "Hey, everyone, join up!" It was more like they’d walk along pretending not to know each other, then fight together and pick up the pace whenever a monster suddenly jumped out.
After all, you couldn't exactly ignore a monster just because you weren't officially in a team, could you?
Flutter—
Looking down from this height, everything looked like a miniature set. Seeing the explorers converge toward the center of the Labyrinth gave it the feel of a tower defense game.
"Has the lead group already entered?"
It had been three minutes since I entered the Labyrinth. Since I’d started roughly in the middle, it had probably been about five minutes in real-time. Some explorers had already broken through the 1st Stratum at an incredible speed. They were likely high-grade explorers.
Time to head out.
* * *
"Doesn't it look like something is floating over there?"
"Huh? Where?"
"Over there, in the sky..."
Inside the 1st Stratum, a young girl raised a question to the girl accompanying her.
"Oh my, you're right. It's flickering with a slight purple glow... It doesn't look like a star."
The two, who had been walking slowly to manage their pace, stared at the point in the sky.
Flash!
"Huh...?"
"I-I guess it was an explorer."
"Wow... I didn't know there were explorers like that..."
A strange creature trailed purple flames across the sky, flying in the direction indicated by its Explorer’s Plate. The two girls looked at each other, let out a small chuckle, and increased their speed.
* * *
Two hours since the start of the race.
"8th floor. Not bad."
That averaged out to about fifteen minutes per floor. Since I’d luckily dropped close to the exit on the 5th floor, it felt like it would take about twenty minutes regardless of where I landed.
Since I was flying, there were almost no obstacles. I would soar into the air, confirm my location, and charge in a straight line. If the portal was below me, I’d just freefall toward it.
Boom!!!
"H-Hieek! What was that?!"
"Ah, don't worry. I'm an explorer."
"Phew, I see... You really are an explorer, right...?"
The guard protecting the 8th Floor Base looked a bit clumsy. I hadn't realized they used women as guards too. When I showed her the Explorer’s Plate hanging around my neck, her eyes sparkled, and she nodded.
"How many people have passed through?"
"I-I'm not entirely sure... but probably around twenty?"
"Fewer than I thought."
"It's probably because the participation rate of high-grade explorers is low this time. A lot of Cobalt Grades were supposed to participate but backed out."
"Is that so?"
"Even considering that, you're incredibly fast, sir..."
The guard scanned me from head to toe, then scratched her head with her gauntleted hand.
"M-May I ask your name? I'm a big fan of explorers, so I remember most of them. But you seem like someone I'm seeing for the first time. Did you come from outside the city?"
"I'm Aven. I operate out of Calax."
"Aven... Aven...?"
She pondered for a moment, then her eyes went wide as she spoke in shock.
"The—The Black Knight...!"
"Black Knight?"
"The one who supposedly fought Sir Dexter! It's an honor! I'm a huge fan!"
"Haha... Yes. I see."
The guard threw her spear to the ground and started jumping up and down. She seemed younger than the other guards.
"Could you show me that form just once?"
"That form?"
"Uh, um... your Demon King form...? Your monster form...?"
"Ah."
I didn't know when those names had been attached to me, but I could guess why. I’d have to find out who’d been talking later.
Crack, snap...
"H-Heeek...!!"
I showed her because she asked, but now she was covering her eyes. What was that about? Lately, I’d been stuffing all sorts of things into my combat body, so the problem was that I’d grown quite large.
"It's... it's incredible..."
I was probably about the same height as Mr. Bontes now. Around 230 centimeters. A larger body meant more available muscle fibers, so having some size was beneficial.
"Well, I'll be going now."
"Ah...! I'm sorry for taking up your time!"
The guard immediately opened the door and stepped aside. I wasn't that massive, though.
Is it because of the wings?
* * *
Zzzzzzt!!
"Krawrrk!!"
"Kerrrk!!"
As I passed over the 10th floor, I fired rays at every Orc tribe I saw, blowing them apart.
Boom! Kaboom!!!!
Later, in the 2nd Stratum, where it was hardest to gain speed:
Rumble...
I carved through the walls and advanced in a straight line. It was probably around 7:00 AM. By the time I reached the 20th floor portal, the number of people who had cleared the 2nd Stratum before me had dwindled to twelve.
Of course, I encountered a few monsters along the way.
"This brings back memories."
I wasn't sure if it was because I was wearing the Lich's Mana Core, but the movements of the undead-type monsters felt a bit strange. Creatures that would normally charge at a human on sight seemed confused, looking as if they were engaging in a fight they didn't really want.
The Lich wasn't there, likely still on its respawn cooldown, and no Evil Eyes were spotted. I ran into a Minotaur once, but since its heart is quite high-quality, I just devoured it.
And so, the 3rd Stratum.
"It's bright."
The sun was rising. Even though no fatigue had accumulated in my body after running all night, my mind felt a bit tired. My plan was to sleep for about four hours at the 26th Floor Base, then break through the 30th floor and keep going until the end of the day.
I hadn't exactly expected something bustling and exciting, but it felt much quieter than I’d anticipated. I suppose it made sense, given that everyone who had been inside the Labyrinth had cleared out for the festival.
Flutter—
According to my prior research, the air wasn't very safe from the 25th floor onward. They said things like Wyvern Caretakers appeared and devoured everything in the sky, but seeing as I hadn't seen any even when I went up to the 30th floor last time, they didn't seem to be common.
Eventually, after reaching the 26th floor, I intended to take a nap at the final base.
"You are the fifth participant to arrive. Remarkable."
No matter how much the Labyrinth teemed with monsters and how dangerous it was, in the end, if you stayed afloat in the air, you could finish without even a handful of proper battles. That wouldn't be the case from the 4th Stratum onward, but it held true up to the 3rd.
This was the easiest, most uneventful trip into the Labyrinth I’d ever had. Flight really was the best.
"Are there many places to rest in the 4th Stratum?"
"Generally, yes. There aren't many living creatures in the ancient ruins, and the ancient magic settled there is the main headache. If you find a blind spot, you can rest quite comfortably."
As I’d heard, ancient city ruins filled the entire 4th Stratum. Automated attack turrets and various guardian magic golems patrolled the area.
Still, in the end, they were just things following a program. For now, I should head into the 4th Stratum.
"Understood. Thank you for your hard work."
* * *
Clatter...
A man who had been oiling a black blade with a white cloth tossed the empty oil container onto the floor with indifference.
"Gatherway, pick up the container. Leaving traces could cause complications."
"You have no manners. Don't speak to me in a commanding tone when we're both Cobalt Grade."
When another explorer nearby snapped at Gatherway, he retorted irritably.
"Mr. Truel. Please, I ask that you retrieve the oil container."
"Understood. Of course I should."
A thin, high-pitched girl's voice contrasted with the calm tone. When Mystery Antoinette approached with a smile and spoke, Gatherway stood up and picked up the container he had discarded.
They were currently located on the 35th floor of the Calax Labyrinth. A total of seventeen explorers were gathered, including Mystery Antoinette and her two aides.
The two aides, whose records as explorers were unknown but belonged to the Antonio Brotherhood, and the other twelve explorers were all Cobalt Grade, excluding Mystery Antoinette.
Now that high-performance recording broadcast artifacts were spread widely throughout the Great Labyrinth up to the 50th floor, they were gathered here for one reason.
"Are we certain he'll make it to the 35th floor?"
"Didn't you see that guy fight? He has a record up to the 30th floor, so the 35th should be a breeze for him."
"A record was just captured showing he used the inter-floor portal on the 31st floor."
Through hijacking via skills, they were monitoring the feed from the broadcasting artifacts on the 31st floor.
"I never imagined the Page of Arcana would be behind the Antonio Brotherhood."
"Ahaha, you wound me. We are merely working on the same project for a short while for the sake of research."
A young man wearing a white robe and glasses perched on the bridge of his nose spoke playfully. Scratching his curly tawny hair, he watched the broadcast screen with a nonchalant attitude, unable to hide his amazement.
Of the seventeen people, twelve were explorers and three were from the Antonio Brotherhood. The remaining two were mages from the Page of Arcana.
"That aside, he really is magnificent. I only skimmed the reports, but... isn't his performance simply catastrophic?"
"Mad Popenes. The preparations are complete. Shall we begin?"
"Ah, Antoinette. Please."
Mad Popenes, one of the high mages of the Page of Arcana and one of the seven magic researchers managing the Calax branch, nodded at Mystery Antoinette's words.
Once Mad Popenes gave the confirmation, Mystery Antoinette looked at her aide and nodded.
"I'm counting on you, Aelmeri."
"Yes, leave it to me."
The woman called Aelmeri raised the staff in her right hand high, locked onto a specific coordinate, and cast an unidentified spell.
Wooooong...
"It's amazing every time I see it. A skill that creates Irregular entities. Isn't it just wonderful?"
"Silence, please."
"Haha, you're quite cold, Mr. Aide."
Shortly after Aelmeri cast the spell, the 'Anti-Magica Colossus'—a 4th Stratum mid-boss entity that had been sleeping quietly at the specified coordinates—began to be affected by the magic.
Rumble...!!
A massive vibration echoed through the ground. The stone golem, which possessed a sophisticated mana circuit that modern humans couldn't even begin to measure, began to transform under the influence of the skill.
"It was a success."
"Thank you, Aelmeri."
Static— Bzzzt...
"It really worked. All the video broadcast artifacts on the 35th floor have been shut down."
"Woo-hoo! I'm so looking forward to this. What about you, Siv? You too, right?"
"I'm not sure."
"Hmm, yes. I suppose you wouldn't be."
When Siv (XIV), an explorer from the Page of Arcana who had come as Mad Popenes's bodyguard, gave a lukewarm answer, Mad Popenes nodded.
Crack...
"In times like this, you're supposed to answer, 'Yes, I am.' Got it?"
Mad Popenes thrust a dagger he had hanging at his waist into Siv's solar plexus. Siv stared at her own chest with an expressionless face.
"Understood."
Satisfied with the answer, Mad Popenes pulled out the dagger, and the wound in Siv's solar plexus healed instantly.
"So, where is he now?"
"He... he's on the 32nd floor. He just passed the 31st."
"Urgh...! My heart is pounding!"
Because of his madman-like behavior, which contrasted with his decent appearance, tension hung among the explorers waiting on the 35th floor.
"Ah, speaking of which. The broadcast artifacts are off now."
Ting—
As Mad Popenes snapped his fingers, the invisibility magic surrounding everyone was dispelled.
"Everyone? Let's get ready. And, Mystery Antoinette..."
After a moment of thought, he looked at Mystery Antoinette and her two aides.
"Well, why don't we go watch together?"
"I'd love to."