Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: 6th Floor (3)
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I swallowed hard, brimming with anticipation.
That soft touch and warmth were still fresh in my memory.
When I'd been mentally exhausted from one absurd stroke of bad luck after another, a single caress from [Her] had restored my spirits.
It had soothed me so deeply that memories flooded back—of my happy childhood with my little sister despite being orphans, and even of those grueling days scraping by on daily wages.
So how could I not look forward to it?
That touch was profoundly addictive. The kind you might never escape if you weren't careful.
And so, eyes squeezed shut, I gulped down my saliva and waited like Pavlov's dog for that gentle hand to descend upon my head.
"Mister. Get a grip. Why are you spacing out?"
"Let him be. Probably having a nice dream or something."
Ellie and Jewel's voices jolted my eyes open.
"...Why didn't it come?"
I muttered blankly, overcome with crushing disappointment.
I wasn't sure if it was a fitting analogy without much experience with women, but it felt like I'd booked a motel room, scrubbed myself clean top to bottom, only for my partner to bolt.
The tension that had coiled tight in my crotch and the eager anticipation filling my head deflated like a punctured balloon with a pathetic hiss.
"Come where? Portals only connect to designated spots in the first place."
Ellie spoke as if to snap me out of it.
But last time, it had come.
'Maybe there's some hidden condition, like a secret Easter egg?'
My brain, spinning at unprecedented speed, presented two hypotheses.
'First. I can only meet Her when I'm unconscious or in a similar state?'
The first time was when I passed out at Diana's inn after the trip. The second was right after my near-death fight with the hobgoblin, barely clinging to life as I crossed the fountain transfer portal.
So what if I bashed my own head in right now until my brains were scrambled mush?
Wouldn't I get to see Her again? Just imagining it was pure bliss—
...No. Calm down. Don't jump to conclusions. I slowly lowered the fist I'd unconsciously raised.
'Second hypothesis. Only on floors that are multiples of 5, and only during the first fountain transfer.'
Truth be told, this was less a grounded theory and more a gut feeling.
[Multiples of 5 are ■■ ■■■ dangerous■. Special to ■■.]
I recalled what She had said. I hadn't caught it perfectly, but I'd pondered those words ever since.
The latter half was still murky, but the front part? I was fairly certain.
'Floors that are multiples of 5 are dangerous.'
The reason healing water spewed from fountains on those uniquely perilous multiple-of-5 floors.
The reason fountain transfer scrolls existed only for those floors—and were handed out in abundance.
'What if all this is someone's ploy to steer people away from multiples-of-5 floors?'
I glanced down. My feet were soaked.
The healing water from the fountain had seeped into my greaves, wetting my feet through.
"Can't you take the healing water from the fountain to other floors?"
"No dice. It evaporates the instant you leave Floor 5."
"Plus, it's kinda gross chugging water other explorers were soaking in. Blech."
Joey Hogg and Jewel answered the student's curious question.
I'd been wondering the same thing myself. Got it.
I pulled my feet from the fountain.
For some reason, I didn't want to linger on Floor 5 any longer. A nagging unease clung to me. I just wanted out as fast as possible.
Thankfully, we had no reason to stay. Our party crossed straight into the 6th-floor portal.
A faint breeze blew in.
Mmm~ the stench of fresh blood.
"Fuck."
The curse slipped out instantly. Activating Sensory Awareness let me take in my surroundings at a glance, no need to turn my head.
No enemies or monsters nearby.
Just the mangled corpse of an explorer right in front of us.
Stumbling on bodies while delving the Labyrinth was par for the course. But.
"B-Body! There's a body!"
"Kyaaah!"
It was apparently too much for the students.
"Urp...!"
"Ellie. Take it slow."
"D-Don't pat my back... I'm fine... You're just making it worse... Urp..."
Hitollis and I tended to the shocked students.
"The God of Wisdom gazes upon you. Heart of the lion."
Whoosh—
Faint sparkles of light settled over the students' heads. Their panic only subsided after receiving the miracle of the mental barrier.
It seemed a step below the miracle Serif had cast on me, but for steadying nerves, it was more than enough.
I gave Ellie's back one last pat, then rejoined Joey Hogg, who was standing watch around the perimeter.
"Awfully quiet. Unnaturally so."
"...We made that much noise, and not a single monster showed. Even with that corpse right there."
"Tch."
Jewel approached, clicking her tongue after rifling through the explorers' bodies.
"Still warm. Barely any rot. They haven't been dead long—less than half a day, I'd say."
Meaning monsters had been nearby. But none had appeared yet.
"Could they be ambushing or watching from afar?"
"Nah. Skeletons, the main residents of Floor 6, aren't that clever. Undead gonna undead—they charge mindlessly at prey, death be damned."
"But that doesn't look like they lost to skeletons."
I eyed the explorers' corpses.
Ripped apart by overwhelming force, torsos severed from legs in gruesome fashion.
"Even traces of organs being devoured. Skeletons don't have guts—why would they do that?"
Clearly not skeletons. So the remaining possibility was...
"...A new monster on Floor 6?"
"Likely, but could be outlaws too. Branded ones or whatever."
The former would be preferable. If we ran into outlaws, who knew what they'd do upon spotting academy students in a frenzy.
Plus, even an unfamiliar monster on Floor 6 was something we could handle.
"The other escort parties seem to have reached Floor 6 safely. We'll head to the center, wait for Professor Mangkostil to arrive, and once the students finish their field survey, this job's done. Hang in there a bit longer."
Assistant Gelsia spread out a map to get her bearings and offered some encouraging words. Luckily, we were in a good spot.
Dropped near the central area of Floor 6—we could reach it in half a day at most.
"Gonna need to stay extra vigilant."
"Can't drop the ball at the finish line. Eyes sharp, everyone."
We all drew weapons and formed up. The students' morale had recovered enough to move out.
I walked point with Joey Hogg.
First time on Floor 6, so I scanned around, committing it to memory.
Overall, similar to Floor 1.
Dark, damp cave vibes that made you uneasy just standing there. Eerie as hell.
Glowing stones embedded in the walls (minus ceiling and floor) provided blue light, solving visibility issues—but the blue hue mixed with the shadowy cavern for an unsettling chill.
"How long did we walk?"
"About five hours."
Skeletons packed the power of goblins but crumbled to a single holy spell—yet they came in droves.
Pure numbers exceeded even hobgoblins.
And after five hours of trekking? Not a single skeleton in sight.
Even Joey Hogg's party, seasoned on Floor 7 delves, sensed something off.
"This is creepy as fuck."
"...Yeah. But we gotta push to the center. Link up with the other escorts, and whatever monster shows, we'll have the edge."
"Oh. One escort party's reached the center. Students' vitals are stable too."
Welcome news amid the tension. A party already there?
More manpower could only help—unless they were outlaws, but the explorers on this trip were solid in skill and character. Reliable allies for sure.
We trekked another hour and arrived safely at the center. And then.
"...?"
"...What? Why are there only kids?"
We spotted five students huddled together, curled on the ground, trembling violently.
'Something's wrong.'
A sudden chill crawled up my spine the moment we entered the central area.
No sign of the escort explorers who should have been guarding them. And the students, clustered tight with heads bowed and shaking uncontrollably—off somehow.
"Ugh... Hnngh, hnn..."
"E-Eaten... They got eaten... Ripped apart..."
One student muttered nonsense, clutching something tightly to her chest.
A familiar item. The grandma doll Professor Mangkostil had left behind. Mid-tier magic user, she'd said.
The student hugged it like a lifeline.
"Students. Why are you all alone like—"
I approached cautiously, reaching out.
Thud—
My hand bounced off before touching them. Like hitting a solid wall.
"Looks like the professor's doll cast a barrier spell? Kids! Why are you here by yourselves? Where are your escort explorers?!"
"...Assistant...?"
At Assistant Gelsia's voice, the students trembling face-down lifted their heads slightly.
Recognizing us through terror-stricken eyes, one spoke in a mouse-like whisper.
"R-Run... Run away..."
"What? Run? Explain properly."
"Ue... Ue... Ue..."
Under Gelsia's prodding, the student babbled incoherently.
Ue? Up?
Plop...
We stared blankly at the Labyrinth ceiling.
Drip...
Our jaws dropped.
Drip, drip drip...
Something fell from the ceiling.
Crunch!
Stone dust, blood droplets. And.
Splat!
An escort explorer's... corpse.
As the thing half-killed its prey and tore into its throat, red rain poured down in the Labyrinth.
"Haha. What the fuck."
Looking up, a bull-headed monster clung to the ceiling like Spider-Man, limbs embedded in the rock, dangling. Its jaws glistened with mystery meat and blood.
Unlike their explosive musculature, these were cunning bastards.
No reason to lurk up there otherwise. Erasing evidence, slipping from sight for a ambush.
"H-How's a minotaur on Floor 6..."
"No. It's not a regular minotaur. That one's... something more..."
One captain minotaur in armor.
Nine more wearing shattered skeletons like armor. Total of ten.
Hearing the rattled voices from Joey Hogg's party confirmed it.
This wasn't normal. Anomalous situation, anomalous entities.
Even these top-tier junior explorers started backing away the instant they spotted them.
Instinct over experience screamed: these were especially deadly minotaurs.
But what we needed now wasn't panic—it was decisive action.
Thinking and acting in sync, I drew qi from my core and bellowed.
"Everyone!!! Battle stations!!"
"Frrrrrrrrr!!!!"
The captain minotaur and I roared together. Both sides raised weapons in unison.
Minotaurs began dropping from the ceiling. I swung my axe to meet them.
Clangclangclang!!!
My axe clashed with the captain minotaur's horn, sparks flying.
The signal for battle to begin.