Chapter 81: I Should Filter Them Out
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: I Should Filter Them Out
“Rubica?”
“Huh? You know my sister?”
She had bright blonde hair that was almost white and pale blue eyes. I thought her features looked familiar, and it turned out she was a blood relative of the explorer I’d met before, Rubica.
Rubica was the older sister, and this girl was the younger one.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Rubia Spanya. I am an explorer belonging to ‘Night Order,’ one of the five full parties that the famous Mayerbridge Union is so proud of!”
“Wow.”
Belinda clapped her hands together lightly with a look of surprise. I had assumed that a full party from the Mayerbridge Union would consist only of extremely high-ranked individuals. After all, Raya Delbaheim, the vice-captain of the second party, Scarlet Lotus, was Palladium Grade.
But Platinum Grade? How should I put it… it was a bit underwhelming to call it top-tier, yet it certainly wasn't a low rank either.
“That’s very reassuring. A Platinum-grade explorer, and from the Mayerbridge Union, one of the four great clans, no less.”
“Right?! Hmph. Just leave everything to me!”
Rubia slammed a giant hammer—nearly as big as her own body—onto the floor before pulling out a chair and sitting down. She definitely resembled Rubica, but how should I describe the difference?
Man, she’s tiny.
Rubica was quite tall, even for a woman. She ate a staggering amount due to her Combustion Acceleration skill, though that wasn't a skill she was born with. Since all the food she ate was burned off as energy through her skill, her height must have been genetic. In contrast, Rubia was exceptionally short for an adult woman.
She looked to be barely over 150 centimeters; at that height, she’d probably struggle to beat Ravi. On the other hand, the handle of the hammer on her back was longer than she was tall, and the head of the hammer was the size of a large aging barrel.
It was big enough that Rubia could probably fit inside it if she curled up. For a Platinum-grade explorer, her outward physical appearance made it hard to imagine her strength.
“Right! Glad you all could make it. We were going to… where was it? The 15th floor?”
“It’s an 18th-floor hunting party.”
“Ah, right. To be honest, I’m not a fan of the 19th floor and up because of those massive skeletons wandering around. Of course, if this were the ‘Night Order’ party, we could handle the 28th floor, let alone the 18th. But you guys aren't Night Order.”
Her chin and shoulders were practically reaching for the sky. Come to think of it, didn't Delbaheim mention a recent recruit who started as a Lead Grade and shot up to Platinum in no time?
Well, regardless of her past, she was a Platinum-grade explorer now. She surely possessed the skills to match.
I had already heard the gist of it, but since the party leader—who was very proud of her rank—had arrived a bit late, we started the introductions from the beginning.
“Shall we start by talking about what we can do? I’m Belinda. I’m currently a Silver-grade explorer. I can act as a sniper from the rear and also perform ranger duties. I recently acquired a good skill.”
“Hmm, I see. Having a ranger is always good.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Next was the brother, the mage.
“I am Benjamin. I’m a caster who graduated from the Academy. I can use 3rd-class healing magic about seven times a day. I can also use offensive magic and various utility spells… but I’ve been told to be frugal with them, as using them reduces the number of times I can cast healing magic. I am currently a Gold-grade explorer.”
“Oh! A healer? Nice! You can never have too many healers.”
“Haha, I’m glad you’re pleased.”
A Gold Grade mage. He was undoubtedly a precious asset. While it was true that explorers could use magic-like abilities through skills, there was a clear difference between being able to use the right magic for the situation and relying on a single skill obtained by luck.
“I’m Aven. I handle front-line tanking and dealing. I’m sturdy and don't die easily, even if I get hurt. I can also do some pathfinding.”
I always wondered how I should explain myself. Perhaps because the scope of my skills was so broad, it was hard to pin down my abilities. Calling myself "versatile" felt a bit much—that was the typical introduction for people who were mediocre at everything.
“Hmm, anything else? The ranger can handle the pathfinding. And since I’m a Platinum Grade, I’ll be holding the front line nice and steady.”
“I see. I can also use a bit of offensive magic.”
Unfairly enough, her evaluation of me was a bit stingy. It was probably because I wasn't great at explaining myself, but what could I do? If push came to shove, I could just use the Skeleton Mage’s magic. That performed quite well.
“Really? That’s a bit disappointing. But it’s fine! You have me, right? Having two on the front line will certainly be sturdy.”
“Lady Rubia, what exactly is your role?”
At Benjamin’s question, Rubia stood up with immense confidence. She swung up the hammer leaning beside her and spoke.
“See this? This is a hammer made of Etheraite, a rare metal that amplifies magical power! It’s engraved with an explosion magic formula, so it triggers an explosion when I infuse it with mana!”
“That’s incredible.”
“Of course it is! That’s all I need to do. Smash everything to pieces and move forward. What else do you need? In the Labyrinth, as long as you kill the monsters, you’re golden!”
Belinda let out an "Oh!" and gave a small round of applause. It might be partly due to her skills, but the specs of her equipment looked amazing. She didn't seem to be wearing any armor, so maybe she brought the weapon just to show it off? It was a very childish thought process.
“Then it’s time to check our curse skills. Does anyone have a curse skill that might cause problems?”
Belinda felt more like the party leader than Rubia did. Usually, the leader handled these things. Looking at Rubia sitting there arrogantly with her legs crossed, she didn't seem to have any complaints.
Benjamin spoke first.
“I have the Goblin Fear skill. My body freezes up whenever I see a goblin… They aren't difficult opponents, so it’s not a huge problem, but we’ll likely encounter them at least once on our way up. Other than that, I don't have any curse skills that would significantly hinder the exploration.”
Goblin Fear, huh? Fortunately, they weren't the main monsters we’d be hunting in the 2nd Stratum. We might see them a few times while heading down, but Benjamin wasn't a combatant anyway.
What about Belinda?
“Actually, my Sound Detection skill… um… it only activates when my tongue is pressed against the terrain… So it’s hard to use just anywhere… But I can use it whenever the party needs it!”
“Ah… that sounds really tough. Well, as long as you can do it, it’s fine.”
A skill that only worked when her tongue was touching the ground or walls? What kind of shitty condition was that? Was the ability effective enough to justify such a risk? She must have brought it up because it was useful, though.
Come to think of it, wasn't my own skill something that only triggered when I ate raw meat? Of course, I could trigger it by eating cooked meat, but there was no merit in attaching damaged tissue to my body.
What use would burnt muscle be? Belinda had it rough too.
“Aven, what kind of curse skills do you have?”
“I don't particularly have any curse skills.”
“I see. Do you delete them as soon as you get them?”
“No, it’s not that. I just haven't acquired many skills yet. Luckily, the first two skills I got were both very effective.”
“I’m truly envious. Both Belinda and I have already had the experience of deleting skills twice.”
“Is that so?”
That meant they had acquired at least three skills in the past. I suppose that made sense; I had just ranked up quickly. Normally, reaching Silver Grade required years of exploring the Labyrinth. Naturally, they would have had more opportunities to gain skills.
“Rubia, do you have any curse skills?”
“Me? None! I deleted everything that got in my way. For someone as perfect as me, a curse skill is unthinkable, don't you agree?”
“Ah… yes, well. I suppose so. The Mayerbridge Union has plenty of money.”
“Exactly! If I ask them to delete something, they do it right away.”
That must be convenient.
“But is it alright for someone from Mayerbridge to form a regular party and enter the Labyrinth like this?”
“It’s fine. Besides the regular expeditions sent by the clan, I can enter the Labyrinth whenever I want. Not any time, but I do have my free hours. Consider yourselves lucky!”
Rubia seemed to be someone who truly loved herself. Her shoulders bounced with every word, and her chin was constantly tilted toward the sky. Rubica ate a lot because of her skill, but she didn't have this kind of vibe. How could sisters be so different?
“Alright, well. It’s not amazing, but it’s not bad. Shall we meet at the Guild tomorrow morning at 10:00?”
“Ah… yes. Then, regarding the food and utensils…”
When Belinda asked Rubia, Rubia tilted her head with a look that said, What are you talking about?
“Whaaat? Aren't you guys supposed to handle that? Whenever our Night Order party goes into the Labyrinth, the Mayerbridge Union handles all the supplies and annoying stuff for us. Isn't that what the party leader does?”
“Ah…”
This was a chronic problem with explorers who joined large agencies right away and grew up being pampered without ever forming a proper party. You only realize how thankful and convenient it is to be taken care of after you've handled all the supplies yourself.
Because she started with everything pre-processed for her, this was the result. In the past, I used to be incredibly busy before entering the Labyrinth—prepping oil for the lanterns, managing my own weapons and bedding, and packing preserved rations.
I couldn't do anything that would make me stand out because of the Antonio Brotherhood, but I could at least handle the utensils and food.
“I think I can take care of that.”
“The food and utensils?”
“I have a storage artifact. It should fit enough utensils for four people. As for food, I might be able to do something with my skill.”
“Wow… is it a skill that creates food?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s more like… you can just assume I can carry a whole wild boar around with me.”
“Even that is an incredible skill. That helps a lot, Aven.”
“Haha, we’re a party, after all.”
Rubia, who had been watching from the side, reached out and patted my back.
“R-right! I’m going to do everything on the front line anyway. You should at least be that helpful! Good job, Aven!”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then, tomorrow morning at 10:00! Come prepared! I’m going to win everything for us, but still!”
Rubia grabbed her hammer and immediately jumped down from the second floor.
“Wait, we still have a lot to discuss, like the distribution of spoils…”
From now on, I should definitely filter out explorers from large clans.