Chapter 126
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: 12th Floor (2)
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Back when I'd just tripped into the labyrinth and was tumbling around.
At that time, goblins were still plenty threatening enemies.
Crack!
But looking back now, this didn't even count as danger.
Using Bunny from the first floor made stamina distribution tricky.
It was also a waste of firepower on trash like goblins.
I pressed on through the labyrinth, cleaving the goblin's neck with the hand axe at my waist.
"Whoa..."
It wasn't anything to get worked up over, but Ellie in the rear stared at me in dazed awe.
She probably didn't see sights like this every day, so it made sense.
We reached the edge of the floor at a brisk pace.
The descent portal glowing with blue light.
"Hold on a sec. I need to collect a mana sample from around the portal."
Ellie pulled an empty potion bottle from her belt.
"Got it. Let's take a short break, then."
"Finally, time to drop this load. Whew."
Reply speed would slow a bit, but no one in the party complained about Ellie's request.
Portal research was one reason she'd joined the party in the first place.
No one wanted to upset their precious mage.
The party members found spots to settle, keeping watch as they took a brief rest.
"Anything I can help with?"
"Oh, Oppa... um... just keep an eye on me from nearby."
Meaning I wouldn't be much help anyway.
Ellie carefully probed the mana around the portal.
Since my Wisdom stat ticked up in the Status Window, I could sense mana a touch more clearly.
Still, with zero magical knowledge, I had no clue what she was doing exactly.
"Mana changes state a little depending on where it is."
Maybe noticing my confusion, Ellie started explaining bit by bit.
"In desert areas, it carries heat. In cold regions, it holds chill."
"So it gets heavily influenced by the surroundings?"
"Yeah. That's why mages build up mana inside themselves and use that to cast spells."
Guided by Ellie, the blue grains of mana lingering near the portal trickled into the potion bottle.
"Mana you've cultivated yourself is pure, unaffected by the environment. Use it right, and you can interfere with ambient mana like this."
Ellie flashed a grin, like pretty impressive, right?
"True. Average mages can't handle advanced stuff like that. They just memorize grimoires, etch circuits, and spit out cookie-cutter spells."
Ramel, the harpy mage who'd been watching us, chimed in agreement.
So that was some high-level technique, huh.
I quietly stared at my palm.
My mana.
If I could grasp it clearly, maybe I could pull off something like sword aura.
I'd heard sword aura was fundamentally based on one's own mana.
Pop.
Ellie carefully corked the potion bottle.
"Done?"
"Nah. Gotta analyze it properly with lab gear outside. Collect samples from other floors too."
"Alright, time to move out."
Like soldiers taking a breather mid-march, the party members groaned as they shouldered their packs and stood.
Going deeper meant even minimized gear felt heavy.
Strapping on my feather-light subspatial backpack brought a smug sense of superiority.
"Balkan, you look oddly smug."
"Ahem. Come on, let's go."
I cleared my throat and headed straight to the next floor.
We spent three days in the labyrinth.
Past the 2nd, 3rd, and into the 4th floor.
The party reached the end of the 4th without hitting any real trouble.
"Coincidence? No mana-tainted beasts in sight."
"Yeah. Last labyrinth run, we saw at least three per floor."
Joy Hog and Ramel murmured quietly during their break.
The mana-shrouded beasts that had appeared sporadically after the omens were gone entirely.
Since the temple survey team arrived—more precisely, since Serif met with Edelbert.
The labyrinth's darkness, said to have faded over ten years...
Mana corruption was buzzing again among mid-to-low explorers.
The known traits boiled down to three.
Mana-shrouded beasts are stronger than normal.
They resist physical attacks and magic.
Holy power is their weakness.
"Eh. Better not to run into them."
"True enough."
They were a pain compared to regulars, so avoiding them up to the 4th was decent luck.
"Samples collected."
Ellie finished with the 4th floor's ascent and descent portals.
The party geared up for the 5th.
"Fuck. This is nerve-wracking..."
"...Yeah, a bit scary. Hm..."
Ramel and Hitollis held their breath quietly.
Last labyrinth run, the party nearly got wiped on the 5th.
Ramel lost a leg and ended up crippled; Hitollis nearly had her mind corrupted into idiocy but barely survived.
And that's why she got cursed too.
It was traumatic enough to freeze anyone in place.
But...
"Damn it! Ramel! Hitollis! I love you guys!"
Our party had a mental care machine for major spirit defense.
"Urgh! Uwooooh! Jujujujuhu!"
"Kyaaah! You crazy bitch! My staff's got breast milk on it!!"
"M-my one shrine maiden outfit from Serif-nim...!! Jewel!"
Jewel sprayed breast milk to lighten the mood.
The party regained its pep, at the cost of a milky stench.
"Need a hand?"
"...Ahem. S-sorry. Won't whip 'em out again."
Jewel suddenly behaved at Ellie's comment, covering up properly.
Ellie. Unexpectedly good at countering Jewel.
The party reformed ranks and crossed the descent portal, hands on each other's shoulders.
Whummm—
A touch of buoyancy, and we hit the 5th floor.
No need to scout; we tore a fountain waypoint scroll and warped to the end.
Multiples-of-five floors with fountains let us skip the tedium—handy.
Whiiiish—
As Ellie gathered samples, a weird wind sound came from behind.
The eerie wind after slaying Gluttony.
Back then, it sounded like the labyrinth weeping sadly.
Buuuuung—
Bunny on my back trembled against the wind, resonating.
Not shaken by the breeze—the axe itself was vibrating.
A humiliating quiver, like it didn't know what to do with the shame.
"...Overstepping... scum..."
A voice echoed in my head.
Not through my ears—straight hammered into my brain, a bizarre sensation.
Familiar yet alien.
It was Bunny's voice.
I instinctively drew Bunny.
"Wh-what is it, Balkan?!"
"Ambush?!"
The party scanned frantically at my sudden move, but no beasts or even explorers passed by.
"...No, not an attack... It's Bunny..."
I stared at Bunny.
The massive great axe shuddered, like expressing intent.
"I shall make you regret... turning me into this..."
Telepathy slamming into my skull.
"After keeping your mouth shut all this time, that's what you say?"
I thought it internally—and realized I could communicate back to Bunny.
"Kuh, you bastard! Address me with respect when calling me! Not that pathetic 'Bunny'!"
Bunny still hadn't grasped its place as a mere tool.
Then or now, nothing taught self-awareness like violence.
Time for some punishment.
Thwack!
"Grrooooh...?!"
I flicked the golden ornament in the axe's center; a wretched groan exploded in my head.
"Hoo... heeek..."
A short, sharp groan, then Bunny went silent.
What the—
Did it pass out? From one flick?
"Bunny? Bunnyan? Like the lumberjack from that fairy tale?"
"The giant woodcutter and his axe, right? Your naming sense is wild. Fits perfect."
"No, it's Bunny, not Bunnyan..."
"I-I think it suits too!"
"..."
Was "Bunny" too cute?
The party and Ellie were already calling it Bunnyan.
I sighed and slung Bunny back on.
Talking massive axe: Bunny.
Formerly known as the Demon of Gluttony.
Deeply tied to the labyrinth, but pride kept its mouth shut tight.
Don't rush—take it steady, one step at a time.
I cleared my head with a short breath and focused on the expedition.
Another week passed like that.
Shrieeeeeek!!!
A shrill tear through the air.
The labyrinth ceiling split open, unleashing a hail of arrows from above.
"Wind Cutter!"
Ramel, out of stocked spells, hurriedly chanted skyward.
"Deep Wind!!"
Ellie joined with a wind spell.
Blades of wind and dense air from below clashed with the arrow storm.
Ting! Ping! Whish!
A few arrows deflected, trajectories warped by the gusts.
But 9th floor traps weren't pushovers.
More arrows poured down than we'd neutralized.
"This way!!! Shields up!!"
Frontliner Joy Hog dashed to cover the rear, bellowing.
Ramel and Jewel clustered around him fast.
Joy Hog's shield glowed blue, expanding.
Defensive artifact. But too small.
Shrieeeeeek!
Arrows from the ceiling kept raining fiercely.
And three hadn't reached Joy Hog's shield yet.
Shrine maiden Hitollis and mage Ellie.
And me.
I'd be fine, but those two getting hurt spelled headaches.
"Ellie! Hitollis! Heads down!!"
I yelled, swinging Bunny full force.
Luckily, Ellie's spell cut their arrow count below average.
Rooted firm on my lower body, core engaged—like a batter swinging for the fences—torso and arms whipped around.
Every muscle exploded in unison.
My superhuman body whipped up gales just from the massive axe swing.
Fwoooooosh!
Harsh winds from the axe warped the arrows' paths.
Patter-patter-crash!
The volley meant for them slammed harmlessly into the floor.
Confirming their safety, I raised my pre-drawn artifact axe overhead.
"Enlarge."
A soft activation word, mana drained, and the blade grew to shield my body.
Thud! Boom!
Thunderous impacts on my back.
I hugged the blade tight to bear its weight, enduring the heavy vibrations.
Arrows scratched the blade and dropped.
The endurance test was brief.
Shrink—
Back to normal, I re-slung it at my waist and scanned around.
Arrow marks pocked the floor like rain on puddles after a shower.
"Everyone okay?!"
I shouted to check; Joy Hog, Ramel, and Jewel crawled out from under the turtle-shell shield.
"Shit. Close call. Traps are getting harder to spot the deeper we go."
"Tell me about it. Injuries...? Whew. None."
"I saw. Balkan swung that axe and blocked with wind—"
Chattering away, they seemed fine.
I checked Ellie and Hitollis next.
"Hoo... haa..."
"S-survived... Barrier chant was almost too late..."
They sighed in relief inside Hitollis's hasty, crude barrier.
Only then did I exhale.
This damn labyrinth never let you relax.
"Poison arrows... sniff-sniff. Oh. Aphrodisiac."
Joy Hog yanked an embedded arrow and sniffed.
He pulled a small vial, scraping the pink goo from the tip.
Drops fell into the bottle as I asked,
"...Why collect that?"
"Labyrinth stuff beats market crap by miles. Poisons, aphrodisiacs—doesn't matter."
Joy Hog grinned sleazily.
"For breeding livestock, or spicier nights. Hits like a truck."
"Oh..."
"Sell it collected, makes bank. Coat weapons with the poison too."
Labyrinth dives were for blessings or relics, sure—but mostly to pay bills.
Quests and risks all boiled down to money.
Threat cleared, the party gleaned like Ruth in the fields, yanking floor arrows.
"Eek!"
A startled yelp from behind.
All eyes turned as we picked arrows.
Ellie, who'd stepped up to help, hid her hand quick at the stares.
That awkward move.
...No way?
I rushed to her.
"Ellie. Let me see your hand."
"Eek. I-it's nothing..."
"Now!"
I snapped; she reluctantly showed the hidden hand.
A tiny cut on her fingertip.
A graze from the arrowhead, pink liquid smeared atop.
Labyrinth aphrodisiac.
I checked her face urgently.
"Wh-why stare like that...?"
Her breathing... was heating up.