Chapter 7: Nighttime Condition
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 7: Nighttime Condition
“Aaaah!”
The scream came from the archer’s side first.
Since there was some distance between me and the party ahead, I was still far from the Direwolves.
Stay calm. No need to rush.
‘Should I hit the pack from the flank? Or join up with the party?’
The thought didn't last long; I immediately moved my feet.
The sensation of my legs pushing off the ground was entirely different from before. Had my physical abilities awakened? I could feel the soles of my boots crushing the ground as I lunged forward.
‘I’m fast...!’
Throwing my body forward, I drew my sword from its sheath.
A few Direwolves that had been watching me began to bark, splitting into two groups—one heading for me and the other continuing toward the party.
‘Four of them! I can do this!’
Lowering my upper body and using my momentum, I thrust my horizontal blade deep into a wolf’s gaping maw.
—Gack...!
Before I could even pull my sword out of the creature’s pierced esophagus, I delivered a heavy kick to the jaw of another wolf closing in, using my steel-plated leather boots. Then, I wrenched my sword free and buried it into the second one's neck.
‘Two down...!’
When the two leading wolves were taken out in an instant, the ones following behind flinched, visibly intimidated.
“You bastards! You really are just a bunch of mutts!”
Every time I shouted, I could see them flinch. It was definitely different from last time. Was there a change in my body? The wolves were far more terrified of me than before.
With my vision clear, their movements were easy to read. At best, they were just oversized stray dogs. As long as my feet were well-protected, they weren't a major threat.
“Huff...!”
I lunged with my sword toward a wolf that was trembling and drooling. My movement was a bit too large, allowing it to dodge, but I just had to swing again!
—Slash!
“Holy...!”
Did my sword get better? I had swung to the left before even fully recovering my thrust, and the Direwolf’s skull split top to bottom, its mushy brain spilling out.
There was a slight bit of resistance, but to slice through a skull with a sword... Watching this, the last remaining wolf began to bolt in the other direction.
“Yeah! Get lost!”
There was no need to chase the one running away. How was the party doing?
“Back up! I told you to get back!”
“I—I can’t fire my bow if I do!”
As expected, the archer was useless. They were the typical type you see among novice explorers—too scared for close combat, so they buy a cheap bow, practice on a nearby target a few times, and head out without any real combat experience.
—Thud! Crash!
‘They’re a total mess.’
The female warrior had fallen to the ground and was blindly flailing her arms and legs without even opening her eyes. Because of that, the male front-liner who was trying to help her was hesitant to get close, terrified of her randomly swinging sword.
Good grief.
“Stop flailing and open your eyes! Get your feet under you and stand up!!”
“Y-Yes, sir!!”
As I shouted and ran toward the rear of the wolf pack they were engaged with, three wolves turned their heads toward me.
Using the momentum of my sprint, I delivered a clean kick to the belly of one of them. I felt something snap; it wouldn't be recovering anytime soon.
I immediately turned my head toward a Direwolf approaching the female warrior as she tried to stand, aiming for its thigh.
—Clang!
As I swung my sword horizontally, a loud crack echoed, and a "Jamaican Drumstick" was served.
‘Was the cutting power always this good...?’
I grabbed the tail of the now-tri-pedal wolf with my left hand and slammed it into the head of another charging wolf. Then, seeing two wolves huddled close together, I leapt high into the air to stomp down on them with the soles of my boots.
Or rather, I tried to stomp.
“What the hell?!”
Contrary to my expectations, I soared more than three meters into the air. Like a WWE wrestler, I lost my center of balance and fell elbow-first toward the wolves lying below.
Crunch—!
The Direwolf’s spine, struck by my elbow, became a "dis-connected" spine. The creature spat out all the air in its lungs along with a spray of blood before collapsing.
—Whine, whimper...
Perhaps because of the loud crash I made falling from the sky, the remaining two wolves turned tail and fled like terrified puppies.
“Ow, my side.”
Fortunately, my ribs were intact. I had fallen from three meters up, but I landed on a soft pile of Direwolf meat.
“A-Are you okay?!”
“Ugh, yeah. I’m fine.”
Rubbing my right side, I walked over to the one I had kicked earlier. It was lying on its side, kicking its legs in the air as if it were running through a meadow in its dreams.
—Whimper, whine...
“What’s the rush? Take it slow so you don't trip.”
I slid my blade into the base of its neck, avoiding the spine. With a crunch, its kicking stopped.
The party, who had been watching blankly from the side, stood there with their mouths agape and stupid expressions on their faces.
They looked like they were barely seventeen. Just kids.
“Hey, what were you thinking, fighting so recklessly like that?”
“T-That... we’re sorry!”
“Shh. Don’t be so loud. You shouldn't be apologizing to me—what would you have done if you’d died?”
“We’re sorry... No, it’s just that this is our first time in the Labyrinth....”
So they really were rookies. If it was their first time, they must be Brass Grade.
The archer didn't have any major injuries. But what was with that outfit? Her legs were completely exposed. The guy was limping badly, likely bitten on his left leg. The female warrior looked a bit disheveled from rolling on the ground, but she seemed unhurt.
“U-Um... you’re heading to the Portal, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
There are three main reasons an explorer enters a Labyrinth.
A Hunting Party that reaches a specific floor to hunt. A Dive Party that descends as deep as possible. And a Quest Party whose goal is to resolve a specific request.
Nobody forms a Hunting Party just to hunt on the 3rd floor. The margins wouldn't make sense.
The female warrior sheathed her single-edged sword and stepped toward me.
“If it’s alright, could we go with... Eek?!”
“What? Is it a crime to look at someone’s face?”
“Y-Your eye...!”
Ah. It must be the left eye. That’s understandable.
“I just swapped it out. It looked nice.”
“Wh-What?!”
“I’m joking. I can’t go with you.”
They’d clearly be a burden. It would be much faster for me to sprint through the forest to the Portal alone. Since I wasn't carrying a lantern, the biggest merit was that I was less likely to run into Direwolves.
“Please! We’re still very inexperienced....”
The archer also stepped forward, leaning in with a tearful face. She was short, her head barely reaching my chest.
However, the guy seemed to dislike the idea of me joining. I didn't particularly want to linger on the 3rd floor either.
“I’ve already helped you out plenty. I saved your lives. Try to handle things on your own from here.”
“Let’s go, Rufina. Tresha.”
The male explorer, who had been wearing a sour expression, grabbed their shoulders and pulled them toward him. Right, you should take care of your own girlfriends.
The two girls looked like they didn't want to go, but what could they do? I have no interest in coveting other men's women. The real problem is that I don't have a woman of my own.
“Listen to your party leader.”
“B-But...”
“We can do it on our own.”
“There you have it.”
They were overflowing with confidence, likely due to their youth. It would be better if they weren't also overflowing with blood.
I swung my sword through the air to flick off the blood, wiped the remaining residue on the fur of a dead wolf, and slid it back into its sheath.
As I set off first, I heard the sound of them slowly following behind.
Wait, this defeats the purpose of traveling alone. If they were going to wander around with a bright torch like that, I’d end up getting spotted too.
I decided to increase my pace and move quickly.
‘What the hell.’
I heard the party’s footsteps quicken to match mine.
After about thirty minutes of awkward, silent trekking through the forest at a high speed...
‘There it is.’
In the distance, I could see a cluster of countless lights. I could make out human silhouettes, and I heard sighs of relief from the group behind me.
“Halt. Who goes there?”
“Brass-grade explorer.”
“Looks like it. Good work.”
Looks like it? That’s a bit harsh. But since it was true, I had nothing to say.
Shortly after I passed through the gate, the party following me entered the Portal base. It wasn't anything grand—just a wide area enclosed by a wooden palisade, filled with people lying around covered in robes or other cloths.
They were likely waiting for morning to head to the 4th floor.
‘I think I’m better off at night than during the day.’
I didn't know why. My body felt faster when I was taking down twelve wolves at night than when I was struggling to catch a single stray Direwolf during the day.
It was almost like...
‘Like I’ve become a wolf myself.’
Looking at the explorers huddled together and sleeping on the neatly laid stone floor, it felt a bit like a slum.
There were merchants here too. They sold jerky made from Direwolf meat, but it wasn't cheap, so I wasn't interested. It did taste good, though.
Still, I had just come from a battle. I should rest and recover properly before heading out. And more than anything, my body was clearly different from before.
‘What was with that high jump?’
I had intended to jump, but not three meters. Normally, a human can't jump three meters without some kind of assistance. The energy known as ‘Mana’ in this world has a positive effect on everything.
"Positive effect" is a very broad and abstract term, so it’s hard to feel it directly...
But for humans, it generally means becoming a bit stronger, having higher natural healing, slowing down aging, and becoming more agile.
Compared to people from Earth, their basic physical abilities are much higher.
Even so, people in this world can't just jump three meters. Of course, it’s a different story for those with high-tier skills.
‘Could it be a trait of the Direwolf?’
These wolves are nocturnal, but what does that have to do with me? The eye and the blood were a bit...
‘Is it the blood?’
That could be it. I wasn't sure.
I finished my maintenance while lost in thought. I wiped my sword clean and organized the contents of my pouch, which had become jumbled during the movement. Most of the Direwolves on the 3rd floor were sub-adults—meaning they were weak wolves that hadn't fully grown yet.
The combat style wasn't much different, but adult Direwolves were larger and much stronger.
“Time to go.”
“W-Wait a minute!”
Someone called out to me from behind.
“What now?”
It was the same party from before. The female warrior.
“A-Are you leaving now?!”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Y-You’re not waiting until morning...?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“But why...?”
“Because I’m stronger at night.”
The woman tilted her head as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
“So you received a skill like that....”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Th-Then... please be careful....”
What was that about?
For now... I’m heading to the 4th floor.
And once I’m there, I’m going to test my physical limits.