Chapter 129
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Layer 12 (5)
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A chilling gust brushed past his cheek.
It felt just like being nicked by a blade.
Having passed the autumnal 11th layer, they had reached the 12th.
This place, dominated by winter, was a vast snowfield.
Ellie stood there, utterly entranced by the majestic vista before her eyes, staring blankly at it.
Indeed... The Labyrinth is truly mysterious.
Undead hordes made of bone in the dank, humid swamps.
Green imps swarming in cool, eerie caves.
Mysterious portals beyond current human magical understanding, traps too intricate to seem man-made.
All of it felt utterly alien to Ellie.
And yet, it was incomparably fascinating.
Ellie cautiously touched the potion vial strapped to her belt.
She gazed at the portal mana filling it.
'Can I unravel this mystery?'
As she dazedly turned her head, her eyes fell on a figure braving the razor-sharp wind head-on.
A broad, massive back bearing a gigantic axe.
This sturdy, reliable man had asked her for a favor.
To uncover the Labyrinth's secrets and research the portals.
'It's not a question of "can I."'
Ellie shook her head vigorously.
'I must do it.'
No room for uncertainty.
No matter if it took months or years.
She would decipher and unravel the enigma of the portals.
All for the man who had smiled and patted her head that day.
Ellie's gaze naturally drifted toward him.
Having surpassed the 10th layer, his already towering height had grown even more imposing, forcing her to crane her neck just to look up at him.
Every time her eyes traced his form, her heart fluttered a little faster.
His near-perfect physique had evolved into something even more artistic.
Was there any female who wouldn't blush at the sight of that truly masculine body? Ellie couldn't be sure.
At the very least, her own chest was pounding wildly right now.
Zing.
Thanks to the aphrodisiac's side effects, just thinking of him heated her body, her nipples hardening into peaks.
But his gaze remained impassive.
Ever since passing the 10th layer, he seemed to be looking somewhere else entirely.
Whoooosh—
That thought was swiftly swept away by the biting cold of the snowfield.
As he took a step forward, the party members naturally followed behind.
Ellie clenched her fists tight and hurried after him.
Layer 12.
She'd heard stories from mid-level Explorers frequenting Diana's tavern, but the Labyrinth couldn't be judged by tales alone.
"So this is... the entrance to the mid-layers."
"It's... way bigger than I imagined."
The first thing they felt was the sheer grandeur of it all.
Layers 1 through 11... the upper layers were spacious, sure, but that was about total distance.
There were dangers like monsters and traps, but it mostly felt like trekking through a long cave.
Layer 12—the mid-layers—were different.
The surroundings opened up wide. No cave walls to limit vision or movement.
And above all, no ceiling.
"Is that... the sky?"
A blue sky filled with clouds stretched overhead.
Even the sun hung there.
A sight impossible in the upper layers, blocked by solid ceilings.
"How the hell is that even possible...?"
"If we knew that, we'd be Labyrinth scholars, not rolling around as Explorers."
"Damn, that's got some truth to it."
It was like switching from a side-scrolling game to a massive open-world one.
Which meant way more to watch out for.
Shrk!
Joey Hogg, doubling as their guide, pulled a map from his backpack to check.
It was huge. Carrying something that size was a chore in itself.
Artifact maps were convenient, but mid-layers were so vast per floor that custom maps were needed.
Like all "specialty" gear, they guzzled inventory space—and our party didn't have the funds for something that pricey.
"Found it. Tch. We're pretty far from the transfer portal. Total outskirts."
Disappointing, but not worth lamenting over.
They'd dive into the Labyrinth dozens of times, drop onto hundreds of floors.
Fretting over every little thing like this wouldn't make you an Explorer.
"First proper mid-layer run for all of us, so let's stay extra vigilant."
"Sounds good. Better safe than sorry."
The party nodded at the simple suggestion.
The environment had changed, but the job hadn't.
Stay alert for threats, survive, and conquer the Labyrinth unscathed.
"Since we're on the outskirts anyway, how about harvesting some winter saplings and winter flowers on the way?"
Joey Hogg grinned, pulling out a quest sheet.
Couldn't pass up profitable gigs.
Earning coin was priority one for most Explorers.
Second for me, after gearing up. I'd sunk a fortune into equipment and needed to recoup.
"Great idea! Winter saplings go for 30 silver per five bundles on the market."
"They're great for necromancy or raising undead with black magic. Winter flowers... uh, they chill your junk for special play—decent demand there."
"Kuhuhu! Nice haul that'll be!"
The 12th layer outskirts teemed with winter trees.
Native habitat meant top-quality saplings and flowers.
Rough exploration plan set.
Circumnavigate the outskirts, gathering saplings and flowers.
Plan made, no reason to stand around.
The party set off immediately.
Crunch. Crunch.
Their boots left prints in the pristine snow as they entered the winter tree outskirts.
Winter trees weren't like normal ones.
No green or brown—just clear, sky-blue like a winter heaven.
Towering well over head height, but barren like midwinter branches, they didn't block sight much.
"Even logged, we couldn't haul something that big. Smaller ones sell better anyway."
We stuck together, hunting small saplings.
Spreading out might be efficient, but this was the Labyrinth.
Scattered and ambushed? Picked off one by one.
Crunch. Crunch.
Footprints marked the snow.
Even on layer 12, tracks lingered.
No one had reached Snowprint Eradication mastery, so perfect erasure was impossible.
Staying tight raised survival odds.
"Got one! Winter flower!"
"Saplings east too."
Jubel and I called out simultaneously.
More eyes covered more ground—finding stuff was easy.
"This little tree fetches 6 silver...?"
Carefully clearing snow around it, I dug with Bunny.
[Grk...! To think you'd use my body for digging...!]
I ignored Bunny's grumble and focused.
Anyone who's dug in freezing cold knows how rock-hard frozen ground gets.
Clang! Claaang!
"Fuck. Sword won't cut it."
Jubel, helping by stabbing the dirt with his blade, clicked his tongue.
It was practically ice sheet.
I silently swung the oversized axe.
Slash!
Bunny glided smoothly over the frozen earth.
Four swings, and the sapling was free.
"...What kind of monster strength is that?"
"Eh. Good weapon helps."
"If weapon quality did it all, everyone'd steal a legendary sword and live off it. Nah, you're just a freak. That hot, brutal build? Scary shit."
Jubel eyed my body casually, tongue out in awe.
Post-10th layer body reconfiguration had boosted my already elite physique even further.
Schwing.
Slinging Bunny one-handed onto my back. Now I could wield it single-handed easily.
"I'll stash the sapling in my bag."
"Thanks. Subspace packs are clutch!"
Everyone's packs were full, so saplings went in my subspace one.
Best for storage and preserving value.
"Oppa. Winter flower here."
Ellie brought me one—the kind that chills dicks.
"Yeah. Good work. Hand it over."
Taking the flower, I scanned her outfit.
School uniform under thick fur coat, heavy socks, long insulated boots.
'Bet she stinks of sweat under there.'
Nah, Ellie'd spent a week in the Labyrinth spotless, elven freshness like floral scent.
Still, her exposed elf ears and cheeks were rosy.
"Cold?"
Not just her—the whole party's faces and hands were red.
Layer 12 chill pierced winter gear unless it was artifact-tier.
Not an issue for me, though.
Whooo.
The cold wind hitting me just bounced off.
Serif's Warmth Miracle was doing its job—I felt no cold.
Sounded show-offy, but Ellie shook her head wildly.
"N-no!"
She hurriedly conjured a tiny flame in her palm.
"Mini fireball melts it fine..."
"...Insane. How's that even possible...?"
Harpie mage Lamel stared at Ellie in quiet shock.
Must be no ordinary trick.
The party spent the next four hours circling the outskirts, harvesting saplings and flowers.
"Seven saplings, three flowers?"
Saplings alone: 42 silver. Flowers cheaper at 2 silver each: total 48 silver.
Lucky run—half a gold in four hours.
"Crazy..."
"This why everyone grinds to climb ranks?"
"Pays different. Pays big."
Jaws dropped at the haul.
Suddenly recalled delving with Kakchi.
Second Labyrinth run, risked life for 5 silver.
Now, nearly ten times that easy.
'Wonder what she's up to now.'
High potential, vanished suddenly—pure curiosity.
Peeked at Kakchi's status window after ages.
"What the...?"
Full details visible.
Stat allocation nuts.
Before, distance hid everything but name and level.
"...No way?"
I scanned the surroundings urgently.
The window meant one thing.
'Kakchi's nearby.'
Super close!
Screeeeech!
The moment the thought hit, a metallic whistle tore the air.
Clang!
I whipped out Bunny, batting away the incoming arrow.
Heavy vibration hummed along the axe.
No ordinary arrow.
Activated Identification, locking on the shot's origin.
"Cherk. Cheh-chehk."
A monster like a hobgoblin, but pale white skin.
Clutching a snow-white arrow.
"Che~hk."
It perched on a winter tree, sneering down at me.
"That fucker?"
"Frost Kobold!!! Battle stations, everyone!!"
Joey Hogg barked once he clocked it.
Shing!
Party armed up fast.
I gripped my axe again.
No time to waste on trash when I'd pinpointed Kakchi.
'Party called me full Bunnyan seeing Bunny.'
Giant lumberjack.
No situation fitter for the nickname.
Kreeeek.
The Frost Kobold nocked an arrow.
Grip.
I readied Bunny and charged.
[Hyaah...?! Y-you...! H-hold it gentler, I said...!]
Ignoring Bunny's mental whining, I tightened my grip on the oversized axe.
Zoom—
Targeting locked: crosshairs like a sniper scope appeared.
The drifting reticle.
Click.
Snapped to a spot at the ice tree's base.
Weak Point Discernment magic effect.
That was the winter tree's vulnerability.
Screeeeech!
As the Frost Kobold loosed its arrow, I shot forward like one, swinging Bunny.
Craaaack!
A heavy metallic boom echoed.
The kobold atop the tree's face twisted in horror.
The massive ice tree tilted in an instant.