Chapter 87
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: 9th Floor - Lv. 79 Not-Quite-Weak Foes (4)
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The blizzard had finally died down, and the sky was starting to clear bit by bit.
Truth be told, this barracks-like cabin wasn't exactly a cozy home. They'd hacked the wood in a hurry and slapped it together, so cold drafts seeped right through the walls.
It was better than getting pelted by the wind out in the open, but it sure wasn't warm.
This was a far cry from some comfy ski lodge in the mountains.
On top of that, since they'd chopped down fresh green wood and used it as-is, the whole place reeked of sap. Not that they'd picked the trees carefully—it was just whatever was handy.
A mishmash of scents from all sorts of green wood assaulted the nose. Phytocides or something like that, maybe.
Anyway, the 9th floor's terrain featured forests.
Not full-on tundra, but taiga.
If we're comparing to Earth, think Siberian woodlands.
Cold-climate forests like this are harsh for farming. Herding's limited to taming reindeer, pretty much.
You can scrape by somehow, but it's no picnic.
The Hunter and the old man had bagged a reindeer.
I whipped up some soup with it. I had ingredients from the previous floor.
Most came from the maknae's backpack.
Party members are essential just for hauling gear—personal inventory limits and all.
Weight's one thing, but volume? Unless you're a giant, it's impossible.
The little mage hovered around me, eager to help with whatever.
"You good at cooking?"
"Huh? Oh, no, not really."
"Then just stay out of the way—that's helping."
Still, she fidgeted restlessly. I reluctantly handed her some bowls and asked her to set the table.
Once she had a task, she seemed to relax.
Reminded me of when the Hunter first joined.
That guy had been just as antsy on the 2nd floor, worried he'd get ditched.
Now...
"Booze!"
"It's booze!"
...he and the old man were cheering as they rummaged through the gear from the captured exiles.
Almost no exile hates booze. And no orc hates booze, period.
The finished soup looked top-notch, even to me.
Once I get home, maybe I should become a chef.
The cheers were enthusiastic, as expected. Rich flavor without being salty, bold taste without overdoing it.
One of the most practical skills I'd picked up in the labyrinth.
And the one I'd use the most. In "food, clothing, shelter," clothing and shelter become less of a hassle once you superhuman up via the mind map.
But food? No shortcut there.
The little mage's temp party members, still dazed and unsure what to do after waking up, just took the food when offered.
I stepped in front of them, spread my arms wide, and closed my eyes.
The little mage was sharp despite her timid vibe—magic demands brains, after all. Her small hands started clapping first, and the others followed suit.
I bowed deeply, grateful for the fiery applause.
"Alright, fun's over. Got something to ask you guys. Oh, feel free to eat while you talk."
My interrogation focused on the enemy's numbers.
Against humans, we couldn't lose no matter how many they had.
As long as they weren't some hyper-holy angel types.
Just shaking hands with an angel would chunk my HP as an undead.
Of course, I didn't take their info at face value. Fleeing through a snowy forest doesn't give you the clearest view.
When survival's all you can think about, your field of vision narrows.
Still, I got a rough picture.
"That many? No big deal."
Where would they even run to? They'd already leveled here to some extent anyway.
No one was itching to head to the 10th floor boss blind.
Whatever, they'd want to squeeze every last scrap of benefit from this floor before moving on.
So no need to scare them off. Somehow, they were already heading our way on their own.
With my still-human party needing rest, sticking around made sense.
For the little mage's temp allies, we'd think about it if they were low on HP. Otherwise, I'd just let 'em go.
No special reason. If I had to pick one, they hadn't turned hostile toward our party. That's it.
Labyrinth life's easier when you keep it that simple.
"Alright, back to it then."
Gear would keep trickling in, no worries there.
Time to polish mid-tier skills—the ones where class specialization really kicks in—beyond basic low-tiers.
Once we leave the 9th, no more leisurely downtime.
The third theme, space, needs a sprint-through.
It's Girl-version Hell mode plus space.
Without the Temple of Time meddling with the past, it'd be an impassable clusterfuck from the 11th floor on.
Even I couldn't clear that normally.
But luck's fair to everyone.
Temples of Time don't pop up easy.
This run feels like every random element's teetering right on the edge of doable.
The exile coalition that seized the 9th floor moved with caution.
Even those unfamiliar with Barbaroy's infamy had no choice but to nod along after hearing from those who'd experienced it.
A powerhouse named vampire was bad enough, but his clan master authority dominated blood.
And it was potent—sucking blood from any wound, over a wide area.
Naturally, non-humans had to lead the assault.
A plan took shape, spearheaded by valiant orc warriors.
Someone questioned their own party leader.
"Do we really need to do this, Leader?"
"Do what?"
"We've leveled plenty. Why not just move to the next floor?"
The leaf fairy woman, their party leader, sighed.
"Sure, some might think that. But we can't right now."
Why not?
That was the question on everyone's faces.
This guy was low seniority.
The 37th-run fairy leader glanced around.
Her party was one of the four core groups.
But plenty of others tagged along as useful minions.
Even excluding the two dead parties, that made over 60 heads.
The 9th was vast enough for each to claim hunting grounds for new arrivals.
But greed's universal, of course.
This run had been lucky. Time to play it safe.
That mindset belonged to greenhorns with under 20 runs.
Luck's good now, so it'll stay good. Or if bad luck hits, gear and levels will carry us.
That's the right attitude.
Getting weeded out as an exile? No biggie.
They're just penny-pinching over stuff they don't fully get yet.
Die, reset, chill solo on 2 for half a day to shake it off, then push on.
Of course, words alone didn't convince the party.
The fairy leader got it.
They were just starting to grasp the system beyond bare survival.
Taking their first wobbly steps.
What seems obvious from above isn't clear from below.
So she gave a simpler reason.
"We're boxed in already. You know those orcs?"
The strongest of the four core parties right now.
They held the artifact [Mjolnir], yet no one coveted it—they just hoped not to cross them.
All four had orc cards.
Not even from the 5th boss hidden dungeon like hers.
Pure luck.
Borderline excessive luck.
"They proposed it. Said we could take him together. And everyone's already bought in. What happens if we bail now?"
Easy to see. Lowbies see more looting and killing—survival's shakier.
"Think everyone's side-eyeing each other 'cause it's cute? Any party that flakes gets jumped on the spot."
To bail, you'd sneak off to the stairs without telling.
Orcs might block, but a surprise breakthrough wasn't impossible.
"We're all in the same boat now."
And the fairy leader had her own schemes.
She was the highest-run in the coalition.
Orcs had edged her out in the power game due to raw force, but deal with them and she'd reclaim control.
Worst case, reset.
Fairy cards weren't that great anyway. Could redraw on 5th.
"Even so..."
Now it was muttering to herself.
She looked around. Non-human exiles dotted the crowd.
Rare for 9th floor norms.
Then again, snow theme for 2nd was already nuts.
This run was off.
And...
"Some party's even jumped ahead to the future and come back..."
Another core party in the coalition.
They'd stocked guns aplenty, even rockets. Raided an ammo depot clean, apparently.
"Probabilities are all screwy."
Just the odd-level Barbaroy spawn was weird.
Difficulty-wise, kingdom journey's short, so late-game stuff popping early made sense-ish.
But what run explodes with this much weirdness?
Decisively, fairy card wasn't her favorite draw.
"Fuck, always me with the shit luck."
The female archer quit as party leader.
She'd joined another party as a subordinate.
The rock dwarf's group—32nd run exile leading it—was one of the four carving up the 9th.
The little mage vanished quick.
Fleeing with the old man and a fresh warrior acquaintance, the warrior betrayed them.
He cleaved the old man. Clean ambush ruling—no scream, just dead.
The archer was ranged. No good in sudden melee.
And the warrior, having lost an arm and unable to resist, offered her up to pursuers.
'Damn, this is why you don't recruit mid-run party members.'
No suicide prep meant a hassle.
No clinging to chastity now, but labyrinth has no laws.
So she thought.
Warrior died instead.
The deep-veteran 32nd-run dwarf senior smashed the warrior's skull with his mace, saying betrayal wasn't done like that.
The dwarf leader spoke, looking annoyed and tired.
"If you were leading that small party, you must've been decent. What run are you?"
Not bad outcome. She inquired about the little mage's fate.
"Not our turf, so can't say. Mages are rare specialists—shame."
Territory sensitivity ran high. No trust, no risks.
Reasonable. The archer accepted it.
But.
Barbaroy?
Didn't know. Heard the rundown. Dangerous vampire.
Even vets wondered if it was real. Only witnesses: her ex-leader dwarf and that fairy woman leader.
But scouts found corpses.
The party that first hit the mystery cabin.
Only core party with a human leader.
Mummified husks, blood drained dry.
Labyrinth demands verifying everything yourself.
Vets decided Barbaroy was legit.
Too instant for direct sucking.
What followed...
This was a full raid boss setup. Heard it happens post-kingdom, but she'd only heard tales.
Mages drew a massive encirclement.
No approaching the cabin.
No real spells—mana detection risk.
Even she was mobilized; archers and assassins rigged physical traps galore.
Parties loaded with modern loot—grenades, Claymores—distributed gear.
Solid as hell.
Even Barbaroy's grandpappy couldn't break this posse.
But the archer couldn't shake one unease.
Reactions suggested recruiting Barbaroy was bizarre.
She knew another senior who pulled off bizarre feats casually.
Hadn't seen him lately, though...