Chapter 33: Let's Get Moving
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Let's Get Moving
In exchange for a Mystic Eye I never even wanted, I’ve ended up buried under a mountain of debt. To pay it off, I have a few options: pay in cash, run errands, assist with human experimentation, or let her pluck my eyeball back out.
There’s certainly a variety of methods, but I’d rather pass on that last one. My only real choice is to head into the Labyrinth, earn money at a steady pace, run a few errands, dodge the human experiments as best I can, and rake in the gold as quickly as possible.
Of course, it wasn't like I came away with nothing.
First, there’s the artifact. I thought it was just something that summoned a shield, but it turned out to be a storage-type magic tool that can hold items. Rubica probably gave it to me without realizing that, right? Well, it’s in my hands now, so I might as well put it to good use.
Second is the eye of an Umbra Valkyrie—a national-level monster that appears as high as the 44th floor of the Labyrinth. I tried using it a few more times after leaving the shop, but no matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't seem to last more than three minutes.
The searing pain I felt the first time I used it was gone. The problem now was the sheer volume of information the eye shoved directly into my brain. It was so overwhelming that it gave me a splitting headache.
"Ugh, does anyone have a Tylenol?"
Fortunately, it was just sudden fatigue from the information overload, not a headache caused by a disease. If I switched back to the eye of a common Direwolf, the pain gradually subsided. It usually took about five minutes to return to normal.
There were plenty of issues, but I think the biggest one was this:
"Yeah, Yoo Eon, you’ve really turned into a total monster."
There was no white in the eye. Against a pitch-black background, a crimson, cross-shaped pupil was sharply embedded. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't an eyeball that belonged in a human socket.
To make matters worse, when the pupil dilated to adjust to the dark, the center would split open with a cr-crack—and it looked absolutely revolting.
"Why the hell does it look like this?"
Still, there was no denying its incredible performance. Aside from the minor biological error of having dozens of focal points despite being a single eye, it possessed the amazing ability to see through an opponent's weaknesses.
The 9th floor of the Labyrinth is where Orc colonies begin to multiply. It’s a difficult floor that the Scholars who study the Labyrinth have officially designated as 'impossible to clear without skills.'
From this point on, you can say an explorer has shed the label of a third-rate hack. You generally need to be at least Silver Grade to be granted the right to pass the 10th floor and move on to the 11th.
From the 1st to the 10th floor, there are no obstacles blocking the path except for high cliffs. If luck is on your side, you can skip encounters with strong monsters and head straight to the next floor.
The real problem starts at the 11th floor. The Labyrinth changes into something like an underground dungeon where sunlight never reaches, making it impossible to skip combat. And an even bigger problem than that is, of course, navigation.
Since it is literally a labyrinth, you have to find your way toward the portal.
"Yoo Eon? Are you in there?"
"Ah, Sera. Come in."
I was sitting in my room, rummaging through my gear and preparing for the dive, when I heard Sera calling from outside.
Creeeeak—
"What's up?"
"Are you going to the Labyrinth?"
"Yeah, I need to make some money. I have to pay Tresha’s wages, and... well, some other expenses came up."
"Mm, I see."
Sera stood by the threshold for a long time with her hands behind her back. Thinking she had something to say, I took her by the shoulders and sat her down on the bed.
"Is something wrong?"
"Just... I was wondering if you like the Labyrinth that much."
"Haha, what? I don't go because I like it. I go for the money."
"But you could earn money doing other things, couldn't you...?"
"Hmm..."
That was true, but... what else is there to do in a Labyrinth City?
"Isn't it dangerous? You get hurt every day."
"It might look painful, but I haven't really been seriously injured."
"You told me you were badly hurt last time."
"That was... well, yeah. But I haven't been hurt since then."
"Mm..."
Sera is a kind soul. But what can I do? Once you start making money, there’s no place easier to earn it than the Labyrinth.
If Sera had come to me like this around my fifth trip and said these things, I might have agreed and looked for another job.
I might have become an apprentice to that scammer of a tanner, or worked under that crazy Dwarf and spent my days hammering iron.
But how much would I even make doing that? If I go into the Labyrinth once and catch a single Blue-Horned Deer, the price of the horn alone is almost equal to Tresha’s monthly salary. You earn according to your ability.
"Sera, are you worried about me?"
"Yes... of course I'm worried."
"I have Tresha with me now. Oh, wait—I'm the one paying her salary, though. Is the inn work too hard for you?"
"N-No way! It's not because of the help!"
"Then what is it?"
Sera looked down and fidgeted with her fingers without saying a word. Wait, could it be?
"Haha, what is it, Sera? Do you like me or something?"
"What?"
"I didn't think so. Why are you acting so..."
There’s no way. I’m just being full of myself. But the look on Sera’s face...?
"Uh... Sera?"
"I! I-I just remembered I have something to do! Goodbye!"
With that, Sera practically hopped out of the room, her light footsteps tapping against the floor.
"Uh, wait."
* * *
"Man, this is..."
I teased her a bit and ended up getting on her bad side. Maybe asking if she liked me was going too far. With a face and body like Sera’s, she could give a top-tier celebrity a run for their money; there’s no way she’d like someone like me. Now that I think about it, that was a pretty obnoxious thing to say.
"Phew, how do I apologize?"
It would be nice to give her something as an apology, but is there anything in the Labyrinth that’s good for that?
"Why don't you try giving her some flowers?"
"Flowers, ma'am?"
"Yeah. The Labyrinth grows flowers that don't exist on the surface."
Katrina, who had been listening nearby, offered a solution. Giving flowers as an apology? That... was actually a pretty good idea. Especially since the person I needed to apologize to was a woman.
If I had given flowers to a man to apologize, he might have mistaken me for a lover and stuck a knife in my back.
"Are there any pretty flowers?"
"Hmm, around this time of year, Ether Hyacinths might be blooming on the 9th or 10th floor."
"What do they look like?"
"They're blue flowers with a slight purple tint. You'll recognize them the moment you see them."
"I see. The 9th floor, huh? I'll give it a shot."
"Oh, but—"
Before Katrina could add anything else, Yoo Eon had already burst through the lobby doors and headed for the portal.
"Orcs love those flowers, so it won't be easy to pick them alone."
Katrina scratched her head as she watched Yoo Eon’s receding back.
"Well, I'm sure he'll figure it out."
The Guild was still in a state of commotion. Or rather, it was even more crowded and bustling than it had been in the morning. While the Guild building itself sat on a massive plot of land, the 500-meter radius around the portal was kept as an open plaza. They said it was because they never knew what kind of things explorers might bring back from the Labyrinth.
"There are a lot of people just watching the portal."
To enter the portal located in the dead center of the wide plaza, I had to push through the surrounding crowd. But what else could I do? I needed to hurry up, pick that Ether Hyacinth or whatever it was, and give it to Sera. Of course, the main goal was earning money; the Ether Hyacinth was just a bonus.
"I'm heading in."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
After a brief exchange with the Guild employee guarding the portal, I quickly stepped into the Labyrinth. It was currently around 2:00 PM. Between waking up, getting paid, buying a sword at the blacksmith, and the whole ordeal at the magic tool shop, the time had just slipped away.
It was still a long way until nightfall, but that was actually better. It was best to breeze through the lower floors while the sun was up and reach the 7th floor just as night fell.
After all, I’m stronger at night.
"Phew...! Let's run."
I swapped parts of my leg muscles with those of the Ursus, replaced my lungs and heart, checked my bearings, and kicked off the ground.
Surprisingly, the majority of the muscles I possessed were from the Ursus. Unlike the Direwolves, which I had only taken a few bites of, I had spent a full seven hours sitting on the ground tearing through the Ursus's flesh.
Huff— huff—
My running speed was truly incredible. Even with a light, effortless jog, I could move at three times the speed of an average person. And that wasn't all—the moment my muscles began to feel fatigued from prolonged use, I could swap them out for fresh ones and start running all over again.
Running didn't put much of a strain on my brain. It was something I could do instinctively. Even during a forced march in the military, don't people sometimes sleep while walking when they're exhausted?
My brain was practically on standby.
"So fast."
In just a few minutes, I had cleared the 1st floor. The forest of the 2nd floor wasn't much different. Since I was using Ursus muscles, even creatures like Direwolves wouldn't come near me. I just had to slightly adjust my direction whenever it looked like I was about to slam into a tree.
I had been running on autopilot for three hours now. It was only about 5:00 PM, but I had already cleared the 6th floor—much faster than I expected.
I didn't have to engage in any real combat, my running speed was phenomenal, and I didn't take any breaks. It was only natural that my clearing speed was insane. In fact, I could hardly believe it myself, so I asked a guard at the 6th Floor Base.
"So, if I go through this portal, I'll be on the 7th floor?"
"Yeah. Is this your first time on the 7th?"
"Yeah, something like that."
The 7th floor. Honestly, it wasn't that different from the 6th, but it was the first floor where swamps appeared—albeit in very localized areas—and it was where Wild Boars first started to show up, though their numbers were few.
Also, giant raptors called Red-Feathered Eagle Owls occasionally appeared in the sky.
I’d heard you could even find Lizardmen in the swamps, though they were very rare.
"Here I go...!"
Naturally, the cliché of falling into a swamp and nearly dying upon my first entry to the 7th floor didn't happen.
"It's just a forest."
The 7th floor consisted of many mountains, zero plains, a few swamps, and a lot of forest.
It was a terrifying place where giant raptors were said to snatch up and fly away with creatures as large as Direwolves.
I didn't have much business on the 7th floor. If I wanted to hunt Wild Boars, I’d go to the 8th floor, and Katrina said Ether Hyacinth colonies could be found on the 9th or 10th.
To be honest, the 10th floor made me a bit nervous, but the truth is, you don't run into the Labyrinth's actual boss monsters that often.
Meeting the one creature that roams a vast floor is... not that easy.
"That Direwolf Alpha bastard. How the hell did I run into that thing?"
Well, anyway, that was a special case.
Regardless, my goal was the 10th floor. If possible, I’d find the Ether Hyacinth on the 9th, bag a Wild Boar, and head back.
"Let's get moving."