Chapter 42
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: 5th Floor - Lv. 200 Quetzalcoatl (4)
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With the card secured, there was one more thing to do.
Deliver the finishing blow.
The second phase of the Quetzalcoatl boss fight originally begins when the beast finally breaks free from its seal.
Which means it flies around all twisted up with chunks of stone embedded in its body.
The smaller snakes all respawn, but since the boss's position isn't fixed anymore, using pyramid fragments for attacks becomes much harder.
Instead, the barrier centered around the tower still remains, so it circles the five towers by slamming its body into them.
That thing has to die.
If you really just want to head to the next floor, there's an easier way.
You don't even need to tackle it from atop the tower—just hide somewhere.
Then Quetzalcoatl will eventually shatter the barrier and flee.
You can descend the stairs in complete safety.
Back in my low-run days when I didn't have the skills to handle it alone, that happened a lot.
Doing so increases the Quetzalcoatl encounter rate after the kingdom.
It's not necessarily bad. It's a choice with pros and cons.
That's for the future.
Right now, it's just a straight loss—you're throwing away a ton of rewards.
And considering the snowball effect, it could be an even bigger loss.
Ever since I learned the method and gained the ability to pull it off, I've never let the boss escape even once.
This time is no different.
The snake's heart is pretty close to its head.
Not far from the stomach either.
Its gut, rocking horizontally as it flies, is basically flat terrain now—as long as you watch out for the stomach acid.
I climb back up through the writhing innards.
I take position in the sweet spot and unleash a barrage of arrows.
A bomb fruit would be nice, but I fed them all to Barbaroy.
Explosive arrows are a precious ranged AoE, but now's not the time to hold back.
As the innards start tearing apart, the snake writhes in agony.
I dodge the pouring acid and keep firing.
Once I rip through the flesh and break out, the heart isn't far.
A massive heart, bigger than my body, throbs away.
Sensing its death, the snake begins trembling all over.
Times like this, I feel a little sorry for it.
A human burrowing inside it all the way to the heart and ripping it out.
How terrifying must that be?
Ugh, imagining it happening to me is nightmare fuel.
I slice through the major blood vessels extending from the heart.
They don't cut easily, but a bit of mana manipulation does the trick.
Quetzalcoatl is dead.
I nailed everything perfectly, but nearly died at the end there.
With all that blood gushing through its massive body, being inside as it plummeted to its death meant I was at risk of being crushed or drowned.
Usually, I enter with my healing potion intact, so I hadn't considered it.
The Girl and the Youngest hacked away and pulled me out.
By the time I crawled free, everyone outside was already busy stripping scales, carving off meat, collecting feathers—full-on looting.
The body of a mythical beast like this is all premium material.
The griffon was the same.
We had to bail back then with so much left behind—such a shame.
Without a [Forge] to process it into proper gear, even roughly patching those feathers onto clothes would make excellent armor.
Regret's regret, but I'm glad we could take our time this round.
"Blanche left?"
"Yeah, she just yanked one big feather from its head and bounced."
"Took the best piece, huh."
Naturally, different parts have different properties and rarity.
Beasts of this caliber always have one symbolic part, and unique-grade items or higher are usually made from those.
"Greedy as hell. Should've left that one for me."
Blanche probably had no clue about the species card.
It's not something a 17th-run vet would know, and countless Blanches consistently overlooked it.
Count our blessings no one with enough runs to know has gone after it.
On floor 5, there are threats even I struggle against that might covet it.
If victory would just leave you wounded anyway, better to cut your losses.
With the Blanche typhoon safely past, this turned out to be a remarkably peaceful 5th floor.
The Hunter takes the Youngest and starts handling the Quetzalcoatl corpse on their own.
I team up with the Girl for another task.
Check if the ones I blasted off are dead or alive.
Holding grudges in the Labyrinth does no one any good.
Of course, we were all gunning for each other's throats as part of survival strategy.
But that doesn't mean feelings won't linger afterward.
Making sure they're finished is key.
First, back to the spring for another respawned healing potion vial.
If you return without it—either tossed or shattered— you'll get your share again.
Any vials you didn't pick up vanish instantly, wherever they are.
Strict one-per-person artifact.
Mix spring water with blood from the Quetzalcoatl corpse.
Prep for any surprise attacks or threats.
"Last time I didn't explain, but adjust the ratio to tweak duration and power."
"More blood makes it stronger but shorter, right?"
"Yep. But go too extreme and it's useless, so remember: half-and-half usually."
Fine-tuning comes later. Stick to basics for now.
The Girl and I down the 'Quetzalcoatl Blood' mix.
Among the many perks from killing this thing, there's a powerful doping agent.
As a monster leagues above a mere griffon, the dope hits way harder.
Specifically, it boosts your base stats enough to cast magic freely.
All-stats dope, so lower numbers than intelligence-only blood, but still insane.
Absorb surrounding mana rapidly, convert it to mana in your body.
Gather the max your current state can handle, shift it into probing waves.
The moment I snap my fingers, the little mage reacts.
"Whoa..."
The only survivor among the Exiles who's familiar with mana. Amazed by the scale spreading out.
"Whoa? Ooh? What's this?"
Surprisingly, the Girl felt it too.
Talent, huh?
"My body was all tingly."
What? Archmage material?
Had to ask, just in case.
"You said you were an exorcist, right? Anything beyond physical stuff?"
"Hm, my sister and mom did kinda weird things. Beyond just beating stuff. Hard to explain."
"Partial magic development. No need for more details."
Some worlds have that—magic exists, but no proper system.
So, primitive magic was real on her Earth.
"Your Korea must've been rough."
"Better than here, I think."
Fair enough.
When I blasted off from Quetzalcoatl's body, I track down the ones who went flying with me.
The fake archer mage and his assassin buddy panic-grabbed a fragment.
Obviously, couldn't grip through the impact.
Sloppy hold means they got catapulted like cannonballs.
Mana probe pinpoints them, so I close in fast.
Dope lets me fly across without tiring.
The Girl sees their splattered corpses and retches.
"Can't handle this?"
"Ugh, weak stomach."
She carves people up fine, but mangled bodies get her. Tricky constitution.
Human emotions vary wildly anyway.
Dropped from that height at that speed—gear's too wrecked to salvage.
Just scraps of 'decent equipment' left.
Confirmed grudge-holders sent to the next run. Good enough.
Further searches turn up some shock survivors.
Strength-stacking warriors, messing up Blanche's DPS math.
Practically dead, but healing potion revives them.
This time, no dumb resistance—they follow meekly.
Like lambs now.
Back at the Exile camp, everyone's grilling meat.
Snake meat's surprisingly good.
Mythical beasts taste even better.
Memorize this: Labyrinth monsters get tastier the stronger they are.
Some give permanent stat bonuses too—not dope, real ones.
Quetzalcoatl, dragon-kin, boosts all stats a bit.
No reason not to grill it.
I snag a few bites while introducing the four I dragged in.
"Party's down a few deaths, so some spots open. Anyone need?"
All awkward silence or headshakes.
Oh dear.
Few want uncontrolled variables in their group.
Even so, entering the next floor shorthanded after deaths is risky too.
Their call.
I've seen rare survivors from Blanche's crew before.
"That's the word."
"......"
The axe warrior and his pals say nothing.
Looks like first time seeing fixed named, real veterans, or even a 5th-floor boss.
First glimpse of a colossal beast overwhelms.
This ain't CG or a game.
It's raw, vivid reality up close.
Most get intimidated—some flee back to 3rd-floor refugee life.
Challenging it here already makes you elite.
Where'd that boundless confidence go? Axe warrior mutters quietly.
"We'll go on our own."
Technically, one of the few full-survival parties.
Down now, but splitting might spark more trouble.
I call the Youngest.
Thugs like him share punk vibes with the Youngest.
Youngest catches on, steps up with feigned dignity, glaring at the axe crew.
Not knowing it's his first run, they shrink from the scary face.
I signal.
Youngest misses it.
Hunter shakes his head, drags Youngest aside briefly, returns.
Then Youngest hauls axe crew to a secluded spot and comes back.
Hunter shadows for backup.
Taking good care of him.
Youngest approaches, whispers softly—mismatched with his bulk.
"Boss, I've seen plenty like them. Rotten to the core."
"Not you, huh?"
He says sheepishly.
Ew, creepy.
"I always prayed to the Lord. Who kills for fun?"
"Not them?"
"Nah, small fry reeking of vile evil. Never learned the line not to cross."
I ponder, then say.
"Hard to teach 'em?"
"Impossible."
Final question.
"You really different?"
Youngest looks uncharacteristically sad.
"Some places force survival of the fittest—no choice. I know I was wrong. Just got stronger, that's all."
Goddess chimes in.
「Keeps calling me 'Lord' whenever he sees me? Broke down crying about atoning now that he's met you for real. Seems to lump my faith with his.」
Forcing my standards everywhere is wrong.
Different Earths, different worlds—even same origin.
My and Hunter's Earth was peaceful.
Girl's and Youngest's? Not so much.
"Labyrinth feels livable to me. You don't have to kill if you don't want."
Earths that bad exist.
"Lord knows my sins. Let me pay. Use me as you see fit, Boss."
No life's without backstory.
Youngest's compliance has roots.
And no delusion needs fixing if it works.
His 'Lord' ain't the Goddess, but if it keeps him straight, fine.
No one here's innocent of killing anyway.
First-run sentiment, probably.
I just nod.
Settling Youngest somewhere decent—even if not the kingdom.
That much luck's fair in my reach.
Youngest's take becomes mine.
Axe warrior and crew—likely hating all survivors—sent to next run.
Rest reorganize parties among themselves.
Odd floors past 3 aren't safe.
Exile-vs-Exile fights pop up plenty.
This peaceful collab might be the last.
Female archer and little mage take the old man as frontliner.
He agreed—his whole party died, left solo.
Solid veteran squad now.
"Down to three?"
"Small groups win in some themes."
Themes shift now. Food-scarce ones favor low numbers.
"Yeah, let's make it work on 7."
Pre-form alliances for fights. Key strat.
Descending stairs, little mage keeps glancing my way.
Girl gets annoyed.
After waving off all Exiles, I start other prep.
No clue what hell 6th floor's theme brings—max out everything here first.
With the Girl around, even a space theme wouldn't shock me. Problem is...