Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: 10th Floor - Lv. 335 Emperor's Guard (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The 10th floor definitely required a time attack approach, but with the 9th floor already under our control, there was no reason to rush.
No matter when we descended the stairs, we'd drop into the same moment in time.
So instead, we launched a human hunt.
The server had been open long enough that few new arrivals were crossing over.
But every single one was guaranteed to be level 1.
No reason to complain there.
In the process, the Girl showed clear signs that she'd sorted out her feelings.
There's a different weight to taking a human life.
She wasn't slashing as casually as she had at first, but she also wasn't agonizing over it anymore.
That's what's great about kids her age.
They worry a lot and can get overly serious on their own, but if someone guides them, they can shake it off just as easily.
The older you get, the harder it is to be honest with yourself like that.
The harder it is to lean on someone without reservation.
Maybe that's what growing up is.
I wasn't sure if the Girl was becoming an adult on her own terms.
But she had become one more Exile.
"Oh! Ooooh!"
The Girl exclaimed in awe at the mark she'd just carved into the pillar.
It was noticeably higher than the previous one. She was thrilled by the fact.
And I felt a twinge of guilt.
Yeah, people need rest.
Was it my fault she hadn't grown much until now?
Had we ever really lounged around properly after the 5th floor?
I'd paid attention to meals, but they were still pretty basic—nothing truly nutritious.
Preserved rations gonna preserve.
The Girl had shot up visibly in just ten days.
She was the most amazed by it herself. Kids outside don't grow that fast. Of course it was fascinating.
"No growing pains either!"
"You ever felt them?"
"Nope!"
Fine-tuning for her longer limbs came right away.
She adapted without much trouble.
At the same time, I could feel she'd fully grasped the advantages of her extended reach.
Her dagger reached my body more easily now, and her movements were a timing quicker each time.
Normally, longer limbs come at the cost of stamina issues.
But superhumans blessed by the Labyrinth don't have that problem.
She'd been one from the start, after all.
Still shorter than the little mage, though. Once surpassed, her height wouldn't catch up—and the gap was widening.
The little mage was a [Child] too, growing just as fast. Even her generously sized robe no longer fit; I'd had to patch on extra fabric.
Now she was taller than the female archer.
Exile NPCs tagged as [Children] in the Labyrinth grow physically at an insane rate and get stat bonuses.
The Girl's stats were already so high it was less noticeable, but not for the little mage.
"Your magic handling's getting steadier by the day."
"My growth bonus is mostly skewed toward Intelligence..."
A plain but refined beauty.
Already quite tall for a woman, the "little" mage nickname didn't fit anymore.
I considered just calling her "mage," but she shook her head.
She must like the title.
It kinda pissed off the Girl for some reason.
Only the female archer had witnessed the Gatling gun in action up close.
No need for the others to see it.
It was grotesque to some, downright terrifying to others.
The female archer always tended to the cat with a grave expression.
The cat adored her regardless.
Her serious face was softening bit by bit, so it seemed fine.
To everyone else, it was an instant hit, of course.
This wasn't a place where you could leisurely keep a cute critter around.
Even if you had a fluffy bunny, you'd hunt it—you couldn't raise it.
The [Gatling Gun] would've caused issues if you tried eating it, and it doesn't even leave a corpse upon death.
It could be a pure companion pet.
The Hunter was pretending not to care while secretly slipping it snacks.
We all pretended not to notice, so she didn't realize she'd been caught.
The youngest prayed to the cat at the goddess's request.
Thanks to that, no chaos descended to lay eyes on it.
"Hmph. Can't fathom why it loves that furry sausage so much. Can't even ride it."
Only the old orc, brimming with orc sensibilities, was puzzled. To Greenskins, anything furry was food or a mount.
"A tiger might be worth taming."
"Nah, Gramps. That's just how it is. What do you think when you see the saintess?"
"Hmph. Poor kid, been through so much—makes me pity her."
"Pretty much the same."
"...With that thing?"
"Umm, you never found anything cute?"
"This hammer's awfully cute."
"A lightning hammer?"
The Girl gave it her objective best shot. But no convincing an orc of a cat's cuteness.
"Doesn't even look tasty. Barely any meat."
"Fine. I learned tastes should be respected."
Once more: the Girl tried her best.
Five more days passed. Two weeks total on the 9th floor.
On a blizzard-swept day, I finalized how we'd proceed.
To that end, I'd expanded the party.
There were plenty of fairy heroes to awaken before the enemy, and even more orc heroes to deal with beforehand.
It wasn't a firepower issue. We needed bodies.
The 10th floor was a maze.
Specifically, it reminded me of the 1st floor. That unnecessarily grandiose, cosmic style was a hallmark of the ancient fairy empire.
More precisely, magical architecture.
The ancient fairy empire loved weaving magic into the environment itself.
In game terms, the field was laced with spells—beyond mere trap arrays, every structure was part of the magic.
The 2nd floor ruins lacked magical traps because they were a hasty late-empire construct.
The ruin guardians' levels said it all.
Level under 100 to guard hero unit seals?
Kakkrish always stayed till the end, leading Greenskins, only to be heroically sealed.
Fairy wars always ended with Kakkrish sealed in enemy territory.
That's where fairy ranger notoriety and their guerrilla mastery image came from—passed down through history.
This ruin was tailored for such hit-and-run tactics, naturally.
Greenskins never refused a straight fight, marching into traps knowingly and getting sealed alongside.
TL;DR: filthy complex, difficult, and dangerous ruin.
Hero units frozen in stopped time everywhere.
The key was securing more heroes faster.
Us being human or orc didn't matter. The gods would vouch for us as allies.
Just before descending, the old man looked somewhat bitter.
"Gonna fight Greenskins now—what's got you uneasy?"
"Fighting and strife are our essence. That's not it. But I've built connections over years as Great Shaman."
"Know some of 'em?"
"If I'd been a more orcish sort, I'd be in the Emperor's Guard myself. So yeah, faces I know. Ah, you probably get it."
"Nah. I see each world's you as different folks."
"Appreciated."
The female archer awkwardly waved with the cat in her arms, face uncomfortable.
We'd meet again. As a chaos devotee too, contact wasn't impossible.
I'd mapped out key interior spots for them.
The note from future kiddo efficiently packed future intel.
Major traps, enemy movements, a few symbols—enough to outline the whole maze.
But just an outline. No details.
Minutiae? Improvise.
Enemy paths would shift moment to moment.
Until Greenskins learned of us, though, minimal deviation.
"Priority: edge fairies first. Central plaza has the most, but Greenskins'll head there too."
Party nodded. Only the kiddo faintly frowned.
I'd given the little vampire no specific role.
Just stick close. Kid-sized vampire's still a vampire—can hustle if she runs hard.
Two weeks made us kinda close, I figured.
Crowds overwhelming her? She ducked behind me.
A slight tug on my clothes—she'd grabbed my parka with one hand. Cute.
Well, same bloodline vampire's basically family.
"Charge to your targets!"
The old man didn't bellow this time.
Instead, murmuring roles, we descended.
[TIP: The ancient fairy empire resisted the Greenskins to the very end. Even now, the fairy king and petal fairies watch over Greenskin heroes somewhere on the continent, frozen in time. In an eternal instant.]
I'd have bawled if I'd entered blind and seen this message.
Relief washed over me too.
Futures don't always align. Parallels and all. Not purely mine.
The nagging what-ifs eased my heart.
This was almost identical.
Party scattered fast.
I moved out with just the kiddo.
Others headed to awaken fairy [hero units] of this era.
"Awakening" was simple.
Just channel mana in front of them.
Ruins this ancient were getting unstable.
Unlike Kakkrish's still-intact late-era one.
Some seal ruins get abandoned if continental politics shift.
Then seals break from decay.
Fairies designed it that way—first ones out cull sleeping Greenskin heroes.
Triggers a second fairy war invasion.
Inevitable event either way.
The kiddo hustled but short legs had limits. I offered a piggyback; she refused.
Split into three-four bats and flew. Tiny body, tiny bats.
Still clumsy, bumping walls, but way faster than running.
Nature god live-relayed fairy [hero unit] positions. Gods see through time-stop.
Orc shaman pack in Nature god's view.
[The Nature God says one has fallen.]
'Fairy king couple in central plaza, right?'
Affirmative. They're priority.
Oberon—one of continent history's mightiest mages.
Game lore's myth mashups, after all.
Other partiers headed far from center.
To rouse powerful archers for backup.
Me and kiddo? Different play.
Excluding Girl, us two vampires fastest.
"Like we practiced. Slow."
No reply. But she'd taken to magic enough to master it quick.
Hell, better than the Girl already.
Peerless elemental mage talent. Not weak at setup spells either.
Master mana, dominate any school.
Greenskins beelined for central plaza.
Booming distant now.
No reason for them to fully navigate the maze.
Trolls up front smashing walls, pushing straight.
Predictable path.
Slow 'em down. Not shock troops—don't need frontal win.
But why frontal at all?
Ancient fairy magic arrays everywhere. Most dimmed.
Just resupply mana—easy, quick.
Couldn't guarantee all intel spot-on.
Uncle said future kiddo hailed from another world; futures don't match perfectly.
Party assigned with power levels in mind.
Excluding Uncle, strongest were Gramps and Girl.
Uncle rated Girl higher lately.
Even figured counters for Gramps-as-shaman.
Learning to slash magic was huge—mana mastery.
Teaching kiddo magic? Girl and little mage listened in.
Short days, but now they parried spells, not just dodged.
Gramps snorted, swinging axe warrior-style.
But without Mjolnir or shamanism? No match.
Girl beamed with pride.
Her mission crucial anyway.
Others to safer zones. Hers? Near invading Greenskin paths.
Emergencies? Instant peril.
Excited sprint, magic all-out chase—little mage gasped.
"Huff huff, sis! Slower!"
"[Haste] not on? What's up?"
"Too... fast."
"Can't help it."
Piggyback awkward—height gap.
Girl pondered, then scooped her up front.
"Wha—uhh. Kinda embarrassing."
Damn, jealous—herself the only one sprouting up. Wait.
Girl glared fiercely. Savage without knowing.
"Live or die—shut it."
"Y-yes, sis."
That "sis" title? Gold. Family baby wanted a lil sib.
Not this big, though.
Sibs should be smaller. Girl's petite build? Complex. Fam all lanky; her dainty.
Not just size—overall delicate vibe.
Tiny hands, feet.
Little mage's sleek legs irked her.
Wanna reach Uncle's cheek flat-footed.
Sudden craving for tiny kiddo. Pet, hug, stroke.
She's daughterling, yeah.
First objective hit.
Reckless full-throttle ride—no passenger comfort—little mage folded.
She hopped off, rubbing back.
One leaf fairy frozen grayscale, like old film. Grimacing, fleeing something.
Girl better conserve mana. Little mage stepped up.
"But how to—"
"Get ready, sis."
Mighty fairy empire fell not just to Greenskin strength.
Big nations crumble with inner foes.
Not petal fairies—proud royals.
Grove Fairies unlikely.
Leaf fairies? Traitor potential.
Girl drew sword. Single dagger right hand—not yet comfy dual-wield.
Little mage mana-blasted back.
Girl sensed it now. No free-cast magic, but gauged type/power.
Time magic: high-tier.
Ruin's time weave: indescribably complex.
Felt it real.
Gray fairy's colors returned.
Visual recolor, but flow's finesse terrifying.
Ruin built for time reflow.
Maintenance fading; restoration intact.
Leaf fairy: brown hair, wolf/dog ears?
Girl touched without dropping guard.
Goddess confirmed.
Fresh-awake fairy archer smoothed millennium-furrowed brow, blinked confused.
Sensed divine word, grasped sitch.
"Damn. Millennium passed? Humans and fairies allied?"
Awkward smile.
Girl didn't wait. Ambush.
Foe reacted.
Arrowhead parries Girl's blade.
Unbelievable, but follow-up roundhouse.
Fairy blocks—deflects—with arm.
Girl pursed lips at foe's mana flow. Too slick.
Another exchange. Parries three dagger strikes with arrowhead miracle, then leaps back for distance.
Simultaneous: arrows fly.
Five.
Girl focused hardest ever.
Two feints. Two at her. One at little mage.
Sliced three. Feints hit wall, ricocheted at little mage.
Half-beat slower; little mage shield up.
Hero unit indeed.
Fairy archer sneered.
"Not bad—or am I rusty? Body feels off. Damn Oberon and his weird ideas."
Normal odds: zero. But Kakkrish-like seal. Temporary weaken, same as then.
Two-on-one viable.
Least, Uncle judged so.
Labyrinth's insidiousness etched deep; Girl trusted herself less now.
Just Uncle.