Chapter 83: Let's Do This Right
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83: Let's Do This Right
"Hraaaagh!!"
Rubia’s massive hammer surged forward, turning an Orc’s thick belly into minced meat. As the Orc split in two, its innards spilling out like a burst dumpling before being sent flying, the other Orc warriors watching from the sidelines hesitated to advance.
—Krawrr...!
"Puhaha! Did you see that? Those ugly Orcs are so terrified they’re running away!"
"That was amazing, Rubia!"
"Aven is impressive as well. To move so nimbly despite such heavy equipment."
"Haha, is that so?"
Rubia possessed the Strength Stack Skill. It was a highly effective skill that allowed her to store physical strength in six-hour increments as energy, holding up to ten stacks to be unleashed during combat.
The downside was that the moment she stored a stack, she would be plagued by muscle aches for the following six hours, turning her into something of a sickly bird. However, "selection and focus" were the most important virtues for an explorer.
In exchange for enduring six hours of muscle pain, she could exert 1.5 times her normal strength for the next six hours of her choosing. If she stacked all ten and used them at once, she could triple or even quadruple her power.
Apparently, she had another skill that synergized with her physical strength as well. Her willingness to acquire such potent skills likely stemmed from her confidence that the Mayerbridge Union could easily delete any accompanying curse-type skills.
And above all, the clothing she wore—encrusted with high-grade magic—was extraordinary.
"The performance is incredible. Battle Attire, indeed."
"Right? They aren't a major clan for nothing!"
She could easily handle unexpected attacks through defensive magic, and her heavy hammer was kept in a storage artifact when not in use, so it wasn't a burden. Since she could glide through the Labyrinth using wind propulsion magic, she didn't even have to expend energy just to walk.
It seemed to be worth every penny spent on its creation.
"Whew, the 2nd Stratum is next."
We had started at 10:00 AM, and it seemed to take about an hour per floor on average. We descended through the early floors with ease, engaging in only a few battles. From the 7th Floor onward, we slowed our pace to manage our stamina.
We adjusted our speed to spend the night at the 10th Floor Base before reaching the 2nd Stratum, but it seemed many others had the same idea. The 10th Floor Base was unusually crowded.
"Ugh, why are there so many people?"
Rubia made a face as she entered the log-fenced perimeter of the base. It was certainly crowded and space was tight, but there still seemed to be plenty of room to lie down.
However, Rubia, possessing a massive sense of superiority, spoke as if she couldn't possibly share a meal with such low-level explorers.
"It must be a little past 10:00 PM now. Shall we head to the 11th Floor Base?"
"We should. My current stack still has two hours left, and I don't want it to go to waste."
Since Rubia’s Strength Stack duration was still active, we decided to head to the 11th Floor Base to sleep. 10:00 PM wasn't that late, anyway.
To be honest, Rubia’s combat power was even better than expected, which meant less work for the rest of us, myself included.
She might be a bit much in terms of her personality and behavior, but she certainly pulled her weight.
Thus, we agreed to sleep at the 11th Floor Base and decided to just grab a quick meal at the 10th Floor Base.
"Aven, show us your skill! I heard you carry whole Wild Boars around?"
"I can take them out whole, but there are too many eyes here. I'll just take out some properly butchered meat."
"Oh my, you can do that too?"
"If you apply the skill correctly."
I wondered how the Belven siblings and Rubia would react if they knew the truth behind my skill. Honestly, it wasn't an act I particularly enjoyed either, but that was purely an emotional sentiment.
In reality, the meat produced through the skill had its bones and blood perfectly removed, leaving no gamey smell. It was high-quality meat with a perfect balance of fat and muscle—and it was even fresh. I wasn't a fool who would volunteer information that would only cause trouble.
—Squelch.
Belinda, watching closely, commented as she saw the meat pouring out from my fingertips via the skill.
"It... comes out in a very unique way."
"I suppose it does."
It didn't just pop into existence like magic; it looked more like individual muscle fibers were growing out, which explained the appearance.
Last time, I had just thrown it into a pot and boiled it, which took a while, but this time I had prepared a slight improvement.
I had brought along long skewers in my storage artifact. It would be much better to roast the chunks of meat over the fire using these.
—Look over there.
—Whoa, I'm jealous. They're eating well.
—They look like high-grade explorers, don't they?
'The attention is a bit much.'
I knew that being in a crowded base would draw eyes. Even though we were roasting the meat a bit away from the center of the base, I could still feel the people nearby peeking at us.
"Haha, Aven, you must be popular. You're good at combat and capable in areas like this as well."
"Well... I usually enter the Labyrinth alone, so I wouldn't really know."
As we sat around the roasting meat, Belinda struck up a conversation.
"Really?! Why? Isn't it hard to explore the Labyrinth alone?"
"I don't know. Maybe I just haven't found people I click with. Or maybe it's because my methods are a bit unique."
"Do you pursue a different method, Aven?"
Benjamin, who had been listening, asked with interest.
"I don't really sleep at night. I'd say I actually make more progress during the night."
"Is that... an effect of a skill?"
"Strictly speaking, yes. Though it doesn't mean I'm perfectly fine without any sleep at all."
"I heard you haven't been an explorer for very long, but you seem to have quite a lot of skills."
I suppose it could look that way to others. In reality, they were all effects derived from a single skill, but there was no need to waste my breath explaining that.
"Please, eat. The outside looks done. You can just slice off pieces and eat."
We began our meal, slicing off the cooked outer layers of the meat like a kebab. With so many people around, I was hesitant to take off my helmet.
"Hmm."
There were no explorers within the range of my Evil Eye who seemed suspicious. It should be fine.
—Clack.
I released the locking mechanism of the visor and took off the helmet. The relief was immense. Since it was night and the breeze was cool, I figured I could just shake out my sweat-soaked arming cap and toss it near the campfire.
"Heh, Aven. This is the first time I've seen you without your helmet."
"Is that so?"
Belinda, who had been diligently chewing on meat across from me, said as she looked my way. True, I had been wearing my helmet the entire time since meeting this party. Was this the first time they were seeing my face? Rubia chimed in as well.
"Aven, why do you always wear that helmet?"
"Huh? To protect my head, obviously. I can't afford to get hurt."
"No, I mean... that's true, but you were wearing it even in the Guild lobby and everywhere else."
"It's for a few reasons, but mostly I just prefer to keep my face covered."
"Aha."
"It must be difficult for you, Aven."
At Benjamin's words, Belinda nodded while tearing into a piece of meat. Do they understand just from that?
"R-right! You should definitely keep wearing it!"
What's with the 'definitely'?
* * *
"Fortunately, it seems we've landed close by. If we hurry for about ten minutes, we should reach the base."
"You can tell even that?"
Belinda said, rinsing her mouth with water. She had just spent a long time with her tongue pressed against a mossy stone wall; her brow was slightly furrowed as if a bitter taste remained.
"Roughly. The range is quite wide, so it's useful. I can't hear things in great detail, but if a lot of people are gathered, I can hear them from far away. It's like I can feel a cluster of people nearby."
The 2nd Stratum didn't follow a straight path; it twisted and turned, so the base was closer than it seemed. It was a ten-minute run, but the actual linear distance was only about 600 meters.
Still, being able to hear sounds from that distance, even vaguely, was an incredibly useful skill.
"Now that we've eaten, let's pick up the pace! My stack only has an hour left, so hurry!"
"Right, let's go!"
An hour was plenty of time, but one naturally gets drowsy after a meal. At Rubia’s urging, we pushed through to the 11th Floor Base. It was definitely better than the 10th Floor Base since there were fewer people. Personally, I preferred the 10th Floor Base with its cool breeze and better ventilation, even with the crowds.
Rubia didn't seem to care much about the environment. She just seemed to dislike crowds. She loved being surrounded by people when she was bragging, but I guess it was different when she wanted to sleep.
The four of us gathered in a corner and prepared for bed. Belinda and Benjamin used their thick cloaks as makeshift pillows, while I took off my helmet, pulled my hood low, and leaned against the wall. Having the gambeson on meant it wasn't too uncomfortable.
Rubia had a high-quality sleeping bag stored in her artifact. It was a petite thing, perfectly sized for her small frame. I made a mental note to increase the capacity of my own storage artifact soon.
"It's a bit noisy. I'll use a soundproofing magic, so could you all gather a bit closer?"
"Oh, sounds good."
Rubia wiggled over like a caterpillar and lay down on the floor. As everyone closed the distance, the four of us fit snugly inside a small hemispherical magic barrier.
"It's quiet now."
"Much better. Good job, Brother."
"Well then, see you in the morning."
And so, we spent our first night at the 11th Floor Base.
With my hood pulled down low, no one would be able to see my face. I wasn't exhausted, but closing my eyes for a bit felt right.
* * *
"Classic."
"I'm sorry... I woke up briefly in the middle of the night and used the stack out of habit..."
We had slept well until 8:00 AM, but Rubia showed no signs of getting up. When I checked to see what was wrong, it turned out she had woken up half-asleep and used her Strength Stack to recharge it, leaving her groaning with muscle pain for the next six hours.
Since the 12th Floor didn't have any particularly dangerous monsters, I stuffed Rubia into her sleeping bag, hoisted her over my shoulder, and set off through the Labyrinth.
"Next time this happens, you're getting a scolding. Seriously."
"I get it already..."
The 12th Floor was a place where the most you'd see were a few skeletons popping up. A single bolt from Belinda’s mechanical crossbow was enough to shatter three or four of them at once. Benjamin was also capable of melee combat in case he ran out of mana.
"Is it because there are so many people? There don't seem to be many skeletons."
"That's a relief. Since Lady Rubia’s penalty time is almost up, shall we move slowly?"
"Let's do that."
Since it was peak season for the Labyrinth, most of the entities we encountered were other people—at most, four-person parties of Silver Grade. Thanks to that, we reached the 12th Floor Base without issue, and Rubia’s stack penalty finally ended.
"Ahem! I've rested plenty, so I'll handle everything from here! You boneheads better be ready! Let's dash to the 18th Floor!"
"We can count on you, right?"
"O-of course!"
Well, she was a good fighter.
"Let's go. To the 13th Floor."
Finally, we were entering the 13th Floor, where the elite entities of the 2nd Stratum lurked.
"Let's do this right."
"I told you, I get it..."