Chapter 14: The Labyrinth is Always the Worst
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: The Labyrinth is Always the Worst
“There are more monsters here than on the third floor.”
“As expected, their numbers have increased.”
Just as Rohan and Hachi said, the fourth floor was far more chaotic than the third.
The skittering of Killer Bugs echoed from every direction, and there seemed to be a higher concentration of Ratmen and Slimes as well.
“The fourth floor is going to be a race against time. We need to rescue them and escape as quickly as possible before the monsters swarm us.”
“Kieeeek!!”
“Damn, they’re already here!”
A pack of Ratmen came rushing at us.
There were at least ten of them.
The commotion would only draw more monsters in. We had to finish this quickly and move on.
“Hyaaah!”
Rohan swung his sword, cleaving through the charging vermin, while Hachi grabbed the surviving rats and crushed them.
The area was cleared in an instant, but there was no time to rest.
More were coming. The path ahead was blocked.
We had to hold our ground until Rohan could break through.
“Porter...!”
“Agh!”
Monsters lunged at us as well.
There were too many for Rohan and Hachi to handle alone. The moment I had to fight arrived sooner than I expected.
“Rien! Save your magic!”
“Right...!”
In a narrow passage, a Short Sword with a short blade was the most suitable weapon. If you weren't as skilled as Rohan, it was better to pick a weapon you could just swing wildly without issue.
Slash!
I slit the throat of a Ratman lunging at me and immediately hurled the Short Sword, striking a Killer Bug that was aiming for Hachi’s back.
“Much obliged!”
Accepting Hachi’s thanks, I pulled a hand axe from my Inventory and split the head of a charging Ratman in two.
Filthy rat blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere.
I didn't have time to pull the axe out, so I let go of it and pulled a javelin from my Inventory, throwing it at the Ratmen sprinting down the right hallway.
Thwack!
Two of them were skewered and died instantly. There was no time to recover the javelin.
Having bought a brief moment, I yanked the axe out of the Ratman’s head and used it to keep the Killer Bugs at bay.
“Eek, stay back! Get away!”
Behind me, Rien was swinging her Club with all her might, crushing the heads of two Ratmen.
I was trying my best to keep the monsters away from her, but I couldn't catch them all.
“Let’s move!”
“Yes!”
Rohan finally broke through the blockade.
We ran.
“To the right!”
“They’re swarming! Run faster!”
We ran in the direction Rien pointed, sprinting until we finally reached our destination.
As if to prove we were close, a scream rang out.
—Aaaaah!!!
It was the scream of someone still alive.
And I recognized that voice.
The Priestess was alive.
“Erika!”
Rien shouted.
It seemed monsters had broken into the room where Rika and Erika were hiding. Monsters were pouring out from both sides of the hallway.
“Damn it! I’ll clear the entrance! You two get in there and save them!”
Rohan pushed through the monsters filling the corridor.
He was making sure no more monsters could enter the room where Erika and Rika were.
Hachi, also realizing the urgency of the situation, dove into the fray.
While those two held off the monsters coming from both ends of the hallway, we had to get inside and rescue them.
“Rien!”
“Yeah!”
Rien and I dodged the monsters' attacks and burst into the room where Erika’s screams were coming from.
“Aaaaah!!”
“Erika!!!”
The Ratmen that had made it inside were lunging at a convulsing Erika and the fallen Rika.
Erika was already at her mental breaking point.
She didn't even recognize us when we entered the room.
Furthermore, Rika looked like she was already dead.
In that case, I had to at least save Erika.
If left alone, those filthy rats would tear her throat out.
“You rotten bastards!”
If Erika dies, my reward gets cut in half.
I can’t let that happen.
I threw myself forward and buried my axe into a Ratman’s back.
Once wasn't enough, so I yanked it out and smashed its head.
A fountain of blood erupted as the Ratman died.
I didn't even have time to pull the axe out of its skull, so I left it there and pulled a kitchen knife from my Inventory.
I never thought I’d have to use this.
I’d bought it just to peel apples.
“Pant, pant, pant. Fuck...!”
I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion.
My hands were losing their strength, but I couldn't stop.
My muscles were screaming.
Even so, I had to keep stabbing.
The kitchen knife was the only weapon I had left.
I drove the knife into the back of a Ratman attacking Erika.
Stabbing blindly could injure my own hand, so I held the knife in a reverse grip and braced the end of the handle with my thumb to keep my hand from sliding onto the blade.
I couldn't afford a hand injury in a situation like this.
“Kieeeek!”
The Ratmen scratched and bit at my body.
Every time they did, I drove the knife deeper into them or picked up the axe to strike their vitals.
Just as the poison from the Ratmen’s claws and teeth began to spread through my system, I pulled a syringe from my Inventory and jammed it into my thigh.
“Urgh...!”
It was the same Antidote I had used on Rohan.
I thinned out the Ratmen’s numbers while injecting the Antidote in real-time to resist the poison.
“Pant, pant, pant...”
I finished off all the Ratmen that had been swarming Erika.
I was so covered in blood and bodily fluids that it was hard to even keep my eyes open.
I pulled out a towel and wiped my face to clear my vision.
That was when my arm trembled, and I dropped the kitchen knife.
My legs wouldn't listen to me.
I must have pushed every muscle to its absolute limit.
I slumped down, gasping for air.
“Ri-Rien... how is it on your end...?”
“Mmph...!!!”
“Huh? Rien!”
While I was saving Erika, Rien had dropped her Club and was convulsing.
A Slime was latched onto her head.
I had been so focused on Erika that I hadn't looked out for Rien.
‘Shit.’
It seemed Rien hadn't noticed the Slime on the ceiling while she was trying to recover Rika’s body.
It must have dropped onto her head, leading to this.
“Rien!!! You have to pull out the Core!!!”
I didn't know if my voice was reaching her, but I shouted anyway.
I wanted to rush over and help immediately, but it took time for my trembling legs to stand up.
“Mmph...!!!”
“Oh, for heaven's sake.”
This wasn't working.
Rien couldn't grab the Slime’s Core.
She was just flailing her arms uselessly in the air.
A curse escaped my lips.
I forced my creaking legs to move and threw myself toward Rien.
Squelch!
I climbed on top of her, grabbed the Slime’s Core, and ripped it out.
“Gag... blegh...”
Rien vomited up mucus.
I smashed the Slime’s Core onto the ground, and the writhing slime immediately dissolved into a puddle on the floor.
“Heave... cough.”
She stayed on all fours, dry heaving repeatedly.
The traumatized Erika had crawled into a corner of the room, trembling with her head in her hands.
And the deceased Rika had been stripped half-naked, her clothes torn away by the Ratmen.
Everyone was a mess.
“In there!! Did you get them!?”
“Yes...!”
Hachi’s urgent voice drifted in from the hallway.
We had to leave. If we lingered any longer, the monsters would gather in uncontrollable numbers.
“Erika. Erika!”
“Hyaa... hee...!”
“Erika, pull yourself together. Erika.”
“No, no! No! Don't kill me... please...”
“I’m not going to kill you! We’re here to save you. Look at me! Open your eyes and look!! Snap out of it!”
“Gasp...!”
I grabbed Erika’s face firmly as she tried to shake her head and look away, forcing her to look at me.
Only then did her eyes widen as she finally recognized my face.
“P-Porter...?”
“Yes. I’m here to save you. We have to move right now.”
“I-Is this... real? I’m not dead, am I?”
“You’re not dead yet, so get up! We have to go! You’ll die if you stay here!”
“Ah... yes. Yes!!”
Thank goodness.
Perhaps because she was a Priestess with high mental fortitude, Erika regained her senses quickly.
I stowed Rika’s body in my Inventory and helped the panting Rien to her feet.
“Rien! The location of the Transfer Stone!”
“A-Ah. Just a second...!”
Rien pulled out the postcard she had received from the Young Lady and tore it.
Clue Tracking activated.
Actually, this was why I told the Young Lady to stay on the Surface.
Rien’s Ability, Clue Tracking, would now track the Young Lady’s location. Since the Young Lady was on the Surface, the tracking would naturally point toward the Transfer Stone.
We could now find the Transfer Stone for the 4th floor.
“Rohan! Hachi! Let’s go!”
Rohan jammed the Antidote I gave him into his leg while pushing back the remaining monsters, and Hachi used a Holy Incantation that acted like a flashbang to paralyze one side of the hallway.
“It’s this way...! Left at the fork!”
“Run! They’re coming!!! Run!! Damn it!! Why are these women so slow!!!”
“I’ll carry them! You lead the way!!!”
Hachi scooped up the lagging Erika and Rien in his arms and ran like a madman.
Rohan’s face had turned yellow from an overdose of Antidotes as he cleared the path ahead, and I followed behind them, checking the map as I ran.
“There! We have to go down those stairs!”
“Curse this Layer Division!!!”
Rohan cursed the Labyrinth, his voice full of irritation.
The Transfer Stone was likely at the bottom of those stairs.
And ‘that thing’ would be there too.
“Shit...!”
“Ah. As expected.”
Baek-ak.
A pure white crocodile monster.
The creature was waiting in front of the Transfer Stone with its maw wide open.
It was as if it had been waiting for us to come down.
Yeah, the Labyrinth wasn't going to let us leave that easily.
To add the worst on top of the worst... what a load of absolute bullshit.
“Rohan!! Can you break through!?”
“Dammit...! No time to hesitate!! You guys block the stairs!”
Rohan seemed to have made up his mind.
He pulled a small glass bottle from his tunic and swallowed the contents.
“Haaaaah...”
Steam began to rise from his body.
His eyes became bloodshot, and the muscles across his entire body expanded.
Don't tell me...
‘A Berserker Potion!’
Having consumed a potion worth a staggering 10 gold per bottle, Rohan charged at the Baek-ak.
A crazy, doped-up warrior.
Does he have nerves of steel?
Hachi immediately followed after him.
No matter how much Berserker Potion he drank, taking down a Baek-ak alone was impossible.
“We have to block the stairs now.”
The remaining three of us—me, Rien, and Erika—had to stop the monsters coming down the stairs.
“Erika, grab your Club. From now on, you and I kill any monster that comes here. Rien, you take the stairs.”
“Got it...! Fireball.”
I had saved Rien’s magic for this very moment.
The Malice of the Labyrinth?
I had already assumed the worst-case scenario.
That’s why I could prepare. The result of saving Rien’s magic was now unfolding before our eyes.
“Burn to death.”
A Fireball streaked toward the stairs.
The rats coming down were set ablaze.
Furthermore, the stairs themselves erupted in flames.
That was because I had pre-emptively splashed oil on the stairs while following the group at the back.
“E-Eek...!”
“Erika! Swing properly!!! It’s not dead yet!”
“A-Ah...!”
While Rien blocked the stairs, Erika and I had to deal with the monsters rushing toward us.
“Cough! Cough...!”
No, I guess I have to deal with them alone.
Erika slumped down, clutching her chest.
Mana Poisoning.
Rien, who had undergone Mana Adaptation at least once, was forcing herself to endure, but Erika seemed to have reached her limit.
“Kuaaaaah—!!”
“Die!!!!”
Just then, a roar echoed from behind.
I quickly checked the situation behind us to see Rohan shoving his arm into the Baek-ak’s eye. How was that even possible?
Regardless, the Baek-ak was finished.
Rohan and Hachi had taken down the Baek-ak that was blocking the Transfer Stone.
“Holy shit!!! They actually did it!!! We’re good! Erika! Just a little longer! Rien, let’s go!”
The Baek-ak fell.
Rohan and Hachi had succeeded.
To think just the two of them could take down a 4th-floor boss.
Those guys are monsters.
Those two will probably undergo Mana Adaptation once they get out.
They are the ones with the true potential to become Gold Badge adventurers.
“Let’s go!”
“Out!!!”
We ran toward the Transfer Stone.
As the fire on the stairs began to die down, monsters started pouring down again.
“Jump into the blue!”
Rohan, who had already activated the Transfer Stone, was waiting for us.
Hachi must have already gone through to clear the other side.
“Kyaa! W-Wait!!”
“Uwaah!”
I shoved Rien and Erika through the blue gate first and then immediately jumped in after them.
Thud!
“Urgh...”
“Ouch. That hurts...”
“Cough. Cough...”
Rien and Erika were both safe.
It seemed Hachi, who had crossed over first, had cleared out the nearby monsters.
Vwoom!
Soon after, Rohan successfully crossed over to the 3rd floor as well.
“Phew... Fuck. I never want to experience that again...”
Rohan, whose armor had been reduced to rags, slumped to the ground and let out a long sigh.
“Fortunately, there are no monsters nearby.”
Hachi, having confirmed the area was safe through detection, also sat down.
“We’re alive...”
“Sob... hic... We’re alive... Goddess... I’m alive... Thank you... Thank you...”
Rien stared blankly into space like someone who had lost their soul.
Erika lay prostrate, clutching her Rosary, offering prayers of gratitude for a long time.
“Hey. Porter.”
“Yes?”
“You grabbed it, didn't you?”
“You saw?”
“Of course. How could I miss that?”
“Just pay me the transport fee.”
“Fine.”
Rohan smirked.
He had seen me collect the Baek-ak’s corpse before jumping into the blue gate.
An ordinary adventurer would have had to leave the Baek-ak’s body behind because it was too large and heavy, but thanks to my Subspace Pocket, I could bring the entire corpse up.
I wanted to keep it for myself, but I couldn't do that.
Knowing how hard Rohan and Hachi had fought, I intended to hand over the Baek-ak’s body to them.
The transport fee is usually between 5 to 10 percent of the sale price, so just getting that would be a profit.
Baek-ak hide sells for a high price.
Moreover, since I brought the entire corpse, every other part could be sold as well.
“Rien.”
“Yeah...?”
“You worked hard. Want some of this?”
“Hehe... it’s orange juice. Thanks... Porter.”
“Don't mention it. Everyone, let’s get some sugar in our systems.”
I handed out sweet fruit juices to the group.
Rohan and Hachi happily downed their juices in one go.
Erika, her face stained with tears, must have found it so sorrowful and difficult that when I handed her the juice, she buried herself in my arms and cried for a long while longer.
We were still in the Labyrinth, so we couldn't let our guard down completely, but at least we had a moment to breathe.