Chapter 29
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Floor 4 - Lv. 55 Straggler Clan (1)
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Layer 3 wrapped up quickly.
The outlaws had charged in without even considering the possibility of defeat.
And even if they were outlaws, the ones lingering on just the third layer without descending weren't exactly seasoned Exiles for the most part.
A short tenure meant they still harbored a strong fear of the veterans.
Once their second-year-middle-school-syndrome leader and the other high-year officers started dropping, they scattered.
The few stragglers left all surrendered.
I showed no mercy.
I rounded them up one by one, tied them loosely, and shoved them toward layer 4.
I kicked every last one who resisted going down the stairs.
Entering simultaneously was a bit ambiguous, but Labyrinth parties formed that way by default anyway.
If I herded them in with proper spacing, they'd naturally end up on the same layer 4.
Whether they survived wasn't my concern.
If they'd come to kill, they should've been prepared to die.
If we crossed paths again on layer 5, I'd give them props, at least.
Thanks to our party's stellar performance, the refugees took almost no damage.
The female archer glanced at the still-terrified refugees, then at my face, and expressed her gratitude.
"Thanks to you, we can move on to the next layer cleanly, without any lingering regrets."
"Wasn't killing them all clean enough?"
"No loose ends means no regrets, right?"
She'd adapted a bit too well for a businesswoman.
She was right, though. Among Exiles who just respawned in another world upon death, there wasn't much reason to leave awkward ties behind.
If you had to leave something, make it a favor.
Cut out any seeds of grudges early.
That was one of the sayings that had trickled in over time.
"I did you a favor. Remember that?"
"Of course."
With that, I hoisted the still-unconscious Provence over my shoulder.
His status showed almost no investment in strength.
In game days, that build wouldn't have been bad.
He probably hadn't caught on to how things had changed since becoming reality.
That was fair.
Not everyone was as adept as me.
I waved to the female archer and headed down.
The goddess grumbled.
"Can't you just give that one to me too? Even in the pantheon, no one picks me."
'Come to think of it, Goddess. How exactly did you manage your followers that they all left?'
「What do you think? I just went with the flow of the Chaos Throne.」
'Not much resistance to divine will, huh.'
「I'm not a god because I like it. Bring lots of candy later.」
'I sacrificed all those outlaw corpses as offerings, and you're still hungry?'
「I'd been starving for nearly ten years.」
The world faded to black. We'd entered together, so we counted as a party.
The 5-to-9-man difficulty was a concern, but with the Girl as a difficulty adjuster, it shouldn't be much different.
When it's hell anyway, whether it's fire or ice doesn't matter.
Putrid, long-rotted swamps are extremely dangerous. Countless undead might be lurking beneath the muck, waiting for the living.
Seeing the loading tip made me want to curse.
The moment my foot hit layer 4, I let out a sigh.
"Why the hell lump swamps in with forests?"
"If it wasn't a forest, where else would they put it?"
"Fair point."
Mosquitoes everywhere, and undead too.
Full-on rotten skeletons were one thing, but the half-rotted ones with flesh hanging off were worse.
The Girl shuddered first.
"Like, melting ghouls and stuff? For real? Please say no."
"They're coming."
"Eek. Urk."
The biggest issue with swamp undead was the poison and diseases they carried.
Fighting them up close would leave you poisoned to hell.
The youngest asked obliviously.
"What's an undead?"
The Girl felt like she'd played plenty of games, but this kid apparently hadn't had the chance.
The Hunter grabbed her ear and told her to ask him instead of me.
That uncle had taken to it well. Perfect grunt position.
I spoke up first.
"You've all gotten a ton of EXP, right? Pull up your current stats and skills quick."
No way was I discussing this where non-party Exiles could hear.
Mind Map consulting.
This was one reason rookies dropped dead at the sight of veterans.
Not everyone started the Labyrinth knowing it as a game, like me or that guy still passed out over there.
Ordinary Exiles got dragged in clueless.
The only way they learned skill interactions, structures, and applications was trial and error.
How many deaths before mastery?
Death wasn't pleasant for Exiles. It was horrific, sticky agony.
Clinging to a corner of your mind, slowly corroding you.
Madness was an Exile's oldest companion.
So rookies revered, feared, and followed veterans.
Me? A 97-year vet, former rank 1.
I prided myself on no one designing more rational, efficient Mind Maps in any Labyrinth.
And after tweaking theirs thoroughly...
Our party's average level neared 30, with beautifully streamlined Mind Maps.
The Hunter remarked.
"In my life, I've never seen a bow ranger Mind Map this efficient."
"That's where extreme specialization shines in party play."
"Leader's dual-class, right?"
"Nah, triple. I'll pick up magic too."
The Hunter didn't even flinch anymore. Just shook his head in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the youngest looked baffled, not getting it.
The Girl swung her dagger at the air, getting used to her new skill.
Heavy Strike was straightforward and powerful, and she already had decent attack power.
So it hadn't stood out much originally.
But Mind Map basics all had derivatives.
Trajectory Replay
A slashing afterimage followed the original swing's path.
Normally, a level 30 lock kept it from appearing yet.
But her freakish base stats met the requirement effortlessly.
It looked like just hitting twice, no different from Heavy Strike at a glance.
But that subtle delay unlocked more.
No matter the level, without regen or rez, a neck slice was fatal.
The real Labyrinth allowed that.
That faint delay made the follow-up slash a lethal threat on vitals.
Especially from stealth.
Now, time to interrogate that Provence punk.
I trudged over, but he stayed tied up, eyes shut, pretending.
I said,
"Cut the fainting act."
"...You knew."
Glasses, plaid shirt, jeans.
Bowl cut.
What do you call this?
Right. That.
"Nerd?"
"Why the shade again, asshole?"
Nope, not it. Old age fuzzing my memory.
"Whatever, not important. Let's talk. What year are you from?"
"2021."
"I'm 2020."
The interrogation didn't yield much.
I'd expected as much. Once the adrenaline faded, rational thought kicked in.
I hadn't been pulled here knowing why either.
Provence didn't know how he'd ended up in the game.
Woke up on layer 1, just like that.
Die, respawn, suffer. Finally figured out how to use his game knowledge, so he bluffed.
"Dying scares me..."
He was still sane.
This run's luck had been insane, so he'd rolled the dice.
"If not for you, it'd have worked..."
One thing I had to ask.
"You an NPC?"
"What? NPCs are those things."
"No, dude. Think Easter eggs? Exiles pulled into the game."
Glasses tilted his head, puzzled.
Suspicious look.
"What, you think you might be an NPC?"
"Can you be sure?"
"No."
"Then?"
"Why suspect that crap?"
His counter-question stumped me.
I suspected because it felt off.
"You and I are human, idiot. Those are NPCs."
Pure conviction, no doubt.
"I decide what I am."
I went silent. Then nodded.
"Fine. Sorry. You're wise."
Sincere. Someone's deep worry could seem silly to others.
What 97 years had worn down might not just be my heart.
Mental fortitude rose with intelligence, but how much did it stick through death resets?
This endless restart I took for granted... maybe wasn't endless after all.
One more question.
"Remember patch notes?"
"Patch notes?"
"After I vanished, any on the 100-year cap?"
He furrowed his brow.
"Don't think so."
"'Don't think'? Need certainty."
"How am I supposed to memorize everything? A whole year."
"You... didn't?"
My face twisted openly now.
"Crazy bastard. You remember Chaos God update date?"
"July 23, year 14. Beta 1.27."
"You're insane. Forget it. Fuck."
Sloppy emotional control. Typical game-rat trash.
"Alright, got all my questions."
Time to force a choice.
"So, wanna join the party proper? Or die here?"
I could guess his answer.
"Kill me. Make it painless."
"No confidence descending, huh."
"...Mocking me?"
"Nah, I respect you. Nice meeting you."
"Heh, yeah. Might be more like us out there."
As I drew my dagger, he spoke up suddenly.
"Right, Blanche was on layer 3."
"...Fixed NPC Blanche?"
"Went down first. Might be stuck before layer 5."
Layer 5 was an odd boss layer. Massive co-op boss. Could be.
Blanche was infamous, top initial death cause since game days.
Meeting her here? Rotten luck.
"Thanks."
"No prob."
That was it.
Swish.
Head rolls.
No notice, so stealth kill.
Provence was gone.
"I'd rather this Labyrinth be a game."
'You've seen Exiles like him before.'
「Yeah. Now I get why you've only died 2,974 times to reach here.」
The swamp was dark and dismal. In a way, no different from the Abyss.
I naturally kept the Girl in mind and didn't treat this as just a bog.
Probably stacked random encounters, undead levels easily over 30.
Still, her presence was a net positive.
Her mechanics weren't a total mystery.
She upped the difficulty.
Seemed like a loss, but not really.
Labyrinth monsters—EXP sources—weren't infinite per layer.
Farming had limits.
Sudden Death layers even blocked thorough clears.
In that finite resource setup, spiking layer-comparable difficulty?
Huge gain.
Stronger foes.
More EXP.
Better gear drops.
Just Trdongt and the Saintess proved it.
Confirming key NPCs early snowballed options.
Normally, you'd meet them post-kingdom arrival, by chance.
If we could trigger Race Mainstream early...
"Leader, see that crumbling castle up ahead?"
The Hunter, scouting ahead, called out with a groan.
A bit further, I saw it too.
Worn spires. Walls ready to collapse.
Shift assumptions. Don't call this layer 4.
Treat it as late tutorial, run scenarios.
"Lich or vampire. Bad luck, demi-lich or vamp lord. Worst luck, angel or demon."
"Undead everywhere, so probably not angel."
I pondered briefly.
"Don't enter the castle. Scout the perimeter first. Might be vampire hunters or holy knights around."
Undead swamp keeps often had friendly NPC purge squads nearby.
Human native NPCs, incoming.