Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 178: The Crash-landed Slave

We sat huddled around a small campfire in the room Abram had purified.

Since we had plugged every single hole, there was no way for the snakes to slither in, and Ulysses was venting all the smoke from the campfire outside, so the ventilation was perfect.

Now, all that was left was to set up a barrier and decide on the night watch.

"We won't be needing a night watch. This fellow here will scream if there's any danger."

"What is this?"

"A mud golem. He’s a feeble little guy, useless for anything but sentry duty, but that’ll be more than enough."

"Oh...!"

Ulysses gathered some dirt from inside the Snake Nest, molded it into a small lump, and breathed life into it.

It wasn't a magnificent golem like the ones made at the Magic Tower, but it was more than sufficient to stand guard for the night.

"Well, now that the watch is set, let's all eat."

"It feels like we brought a chef along with us."

"This is quite delicious."

When I pulled piping hot food out of my inventory, everyone looked immensely satisfied.

In the Labyrinth, dry rations are the norm, so being able to eat a warm meal like this does a lot to relieve everyone's stress.

"You can just give me the dishes when you're done."

I could leave the dishwashing to the slaves.

After handing out bedding to the party, I took my seat.

I intended to use the Bracelet of Growth to undergo mana adaptation.

Thanks to Helena’s modifications, I could completely erase the Magic Source within a localized area. I planned to use this to level up quickly and obtain an Ability.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, just going to meditate for a bit."

"I see. I'll be turning in first, then."

"Yes, sleep well."

Ulysses pulled a blanket over himself and immediately began to snore.

The old man fell asleep the second he closed his eyes. I suppose he can't hold out for long at his age.

"Aren't you going to sleep, Kairan?"

"Not really."

"I see."

Kairan was staring silently at the entrance. Was she planning to stay up all night?

She was a woman of few words to begin with, so it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

'What is Joshua doing?'

He seemed to be sitting in a corner, making something.

He was probably crafting an instrument to use.

'Whew...'

Since the others seemed to be spending their time in their own ways, it was time for me to meditate.

I closed my eyes and focused on the Bracelet of Growth.

Soon, I felt the Magic Source around me gradually vanish. It was a sensation like a weight being lifted off my chest.

The same refreshment one feels upon returning to the Surface washed over me.

'Urgh...!'

Soon after, pain surged up as the mana adaptation began.

I felt my physical body becoming even stronger.

Last time, I had died, and all my experience points had evaporated. This time, they were properly integrating into my body.

'This is incredible.'

They said the Snake Nest gave good experience, and they weren't lying. To think I'd level up after just one day of roaming around.

'A headache...! It's an Ability!'

And it even threw in an Ability as a bonus?

Thanks to the Ability Fixing Bracelet, I was in a state where I could only acquire new Abilities related to the Spiritual Eye.

I wondered what kind of Ability would manifest.

[Astral Projection]

Information about the Ability surfaced in my mind.

The new Ability I had acquired was none other than Astral Projection.

'Astral Projection?'

Literally leaving the body behind and having only the soul exit—that was Astral Projection.

Was I unable to do this before?

'I've never actually tried to project my soul before.'

I had used the Ring of Intangibility to turn my entire body into a spirit form, but I had never performed a true astral projection.

I had gone to the spiritual world by dying, and I had half-stepped into the Afterlife through the Spiritual Eye, but I had never left my living body behind in reality while my soul slipped out.

'Shall I try it?'

Everyone was asleep.

It was the perfect time to test the effects of Astral Projection.

'The information inscribed in my brain just says I can exit my body.'

I immediately made up my mind to try Astral Projection.

With my eyes closed, I visualized myself slipping out of my body. Soon, I felt a floating sensation, and I found myself looking at the back of my own head as I sat there.

—It works?

It worked. I had successfully projected my soul.

Right now, I was in a soul state, looking down at my sleeping body.

Probably very few people would be able to detect me in this state. Except for exceptional shamans or warriors with high sensory perception, most people wouldn't be able to sense my presence.

'This is perfect for scouting.'

I could pass through walls. This alone proved that Astral Projection was an incredibly broken ability.

The applications were endless. In an astral state, I could pass through walls and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠move around, finishing the mapping process faster than anyone else.

Furthermore, I could identify all traps and hazards in advance to prevent accidents, and I could scout out locations where monsters gathered or check the status of boss monsters beforehand.

'A chain is connected to my body.'

Even if I went far away, it seemed I could return to my body instantly as long as the chain remained connected.

Shall I take a quick look around?

'I can even pass through barriers.'

I lightly passed through the barrier Abram had set up before falling asleep and stepped out of the room.

The pitch-black corridor was somehow clearly visible. Perhaps because I was in a soul state, night vision was applied automatically.

'This has to be top-tier even among detection-type Abilities.'

I began to map out the area as I moved through the corridors.

I started flying through the air, picking up speed as I intended to map out everything from the places the party hadn't visited yet to the boss room.

'So fast...!'

As I grew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠accustomed to the sensation of floating through the air, my speed increased.

'Is that the place?'

As I ventured deeper into the Snake Nest, the environment changed once again.

If the scenery I first saw was like a ruined underground labyrinth filled with sludge, and the next was a burrow where snakes might live, this time it was a structure with a completely unique architectural style.

The scale had increased significantly. The width of the corridors had expanded to allow large monsters to move around easily, and the style had shifted to something reminiscent of ancient Mayan ruins.

'That guy is the Serpent...'

A massive snake was coiled up, sleeping. It looked more like a dragon with its limbs and wings removed.

Its scales looked incredibly tough.

'And those next to it are the Serpent's minions.'

They were likely all females. Female snakes meant to bear the Serpent's offspring. This place was literally a snake nest. It was filled with eggs. All the monsters in the Snake Nest must be born from those eggs.

How gruesome. If I could just burn them all, I could clean the place out.

'Wait... can I open my subspace pocket in this state?'

I opened my subspace pocket above the Serpent's head.

I'll just pull out a small stone or something... Huh?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

An oil bottle fell down.

Clink.

—Ah.

"......"

The Serpent opened its eyes. I had pulled out the wrong item. Moreover, because I was in a soul state, I couldn't even catch it.

Literally, the moment I pulled it out, it slipped through and shattered right on top of the Serpent's head.

"Ssssssssss..."

Waking from its slumber, the Serpent flicked its tongue and began to move its massive body, scanning its surroundings.

For a moment, I froze, thinking I'd been caught, but then I remembered I was currently a soul.

The creature couldn't see me. However, perhaps because it was annoyed by the oil bottle that had dropped on its head, it pointlessly threatened the females coiled up beside it.

'If I set it on fire like this, I could probably roast its head right now.'

I realized that aerial bombardment was possible through Astral Projection.

Astral Projection offered much better mobility than the Ring of Intangibility, allowing for true flight through the air.

In this state, I could fly through the sky and conduct bombings.

In short, if I dropped oil bottles like crazy all over the Snake Nest and set them on fire, everything would burn to death.

'But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to salvage anything... What a shame.'

If this were a simple subjugation quest, I could just burn everything and take the charred corpses, but the goal of this expedition wasn't just subjugation; it was primarily for leveling up and farming new materials, so I couldn't commit arson.

Furthermore, I had agreed to bring back a few eggs from the Snake Nest, which made it even more impossible.

'If I could touch objects, I could do all sorts of thievery in this state.'

It was a bit disappointing, but I decided to be satisfied with having revealed the map.

'Hm?'

Just as I was about to look around other areas in satisfaction...

I discovered something in the Serpent's nest.

'That's...'

I saw what looked like someone's foot.

Was that a human leg? There's a person here?

Something was strange.

This was a kind of closed space that could never be reached by normal means.

The only way to enter the Snake Nest was to use a key to open the door, like I did. At least, that was what I knew.

But there was a person here? Why? How?

Who is that? An outsider who hasn't adapted to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Magic Source should have died within a few hours.

'Let's make contact first.'

Avoiding the eyes of the snakes that had fallen back asleep, I approached the figure huddled in the corner.

As I got closer, I could see them clearly.

'A Halfling? No, looks like a Dwarf.'

As I drew near, I saw a Dwarf with his breath held, his eyes darting around.

I didn't know his exact race, but he definitely wasn't human.

Also, he was wearing a mask on his face. Was that suppressing the infiltration of the Magic Source?

It might be. He might be protecting himself from the Labyrinth's Magic Source with that peculiar steampunk-style mask.

'First, a way to communicate...'

Naturally, I couldn't produce a voice right now.

It might be different if I had turned my entire physical body into a spirit using the Ring of Intangibility, but in this state where only my soul remained, I had no way to communicate properly with another person.

'I wonder if this will work.'

In the end, I decided to try communicating not through normal means, but in my own way.

First, I bound the Dwarf's soul with a Spirit Chain.

"Urgh...!!!"

Startled by the sudden presence, the Dwarf tried to scream, and I quickly seized control of his body and used his own hand to cover his mouth.

To be precise, I pressed down on the mask he was wearing to muffle his voice.

"Mmph...!"

—Shh. Be quiet. You'll die if you scream here. I'm going to read your thoughts now, so think intensely. That way, we can communicate.

'Wh-What the... Who are you... How are you controlling my body...!!'

—I'm in a state of partial possession. It's complicated to explain. But who are you, and why are you here? How did you get in? Answer me.

'Th-There was a stele... I touched it, and then I was here...'

A stele?

Could he mean a Transfer Stone?

—Did you come in alone?

'Th-That's...'

—I'll know if you're lying, so tell the truth. Unless you want to die.

'I had teammates... but they're all dead...'

—You had teammates?

'W-Well, we came in for exploration... No one knew it would be connected to a strange burrow like this...'

—Hmm. So you touched a Transfer Stone while exploring with teammates. And you even brought equipment in advance, expecting to enter the Labyrinth. Where are you from?

'....I-I am...'

—Keislan? Or the Catlan Empire? Answer.

The only countries in the Central Continent capable of making equipment that can block the Magic Source would be those two, wouldn't they?

'Y-You won't kill me because of where I'm from, right...?'

—I won't kill you. Just answer.

'I'm... I'm from the Catlan Empire...'

As expected, he was an Imperial.

I'd heard there were many Dwarf engineers in the Empire. Was this guy an engineer too?

—What are your capabilities?

'Capabilities?'

—Yeah. Like, are you good at fighting? You must have a specialty.

'W-Well... I've done nothing but study at the academy...'

—What academy? What year?

'I was in grad school at the Catlan National College of Engineering...'

A graduate student?

A grad student from the Imperial College of Engineering tried to enter the Labyrinth using a Transfer Stone and ended up in the Snake Nest?

The Empire is a country with advanced engineering. There's a clear reason why the Empire is called an Empire.

They haven't touched the Labyrinth City due to the massive aristocratic purge by several Platinum Badges, including Moira, in the past, but the Labyrinth City is equally fearful of an all-out war with the Empire.

Some say the Empire's technology is the best in the world. In terms of pure magic, the Labyrinth City's Magic Tower might be superior in certain niche areas, but in engineering—especially magic engineering—the Empire was supreme.

And here was a talent who had accidentally drifted in from such a place.

I couldn't let him go.

If I put this guy together with A2 and the various mages I knew, they would surely create something incredible.

Inventing the telephone wouldn't just be a dream. We might even be able to catch up to the Empire in engineering.

—You want to get out of here alive, don't you?

'O-Of course...! I don't know where this is, but...!'

—I can save you. On one condition.

'Wh-What is it? I'll do anything as long as I can get out alive...!'

—I'll get you out alive. In exchange, betray the Empire.

'What...? Betray... the Empire...?'

—The place you've entered is a Snake Nest where an ordinary human should give up any hope of escaping alive. To get out of here, my help is essential.

'Wh-Who even are you? Aren't you... just a ghost?'

—I am a living person. I just happened to find you while I was out on patrol. For your information, every single member of my party, except for me, is a Platinum Badge.

'This is insane...'

—Don't forget that I am the only person who can pull you out of here. If you don't betray the Empire, escape is impossible. I heard snakes enjoy swallowing their prey alive. Well? Want to try struggling on your own?

'There's practically no choice here...'

—It's either die here or betray the Empire. It's one of the two.

The Dwarf began to deliberate.

It would be a difficult choice. The moment he betrayed the Empire, he would have to live as a fugitive for the rest of his life.

But he wouldn't be able to resist.

Because my help was essential if he wanted to make it out of the snake pit alive.