Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 186: A Difficult Choice

I managed to escape the Snake Nest using the Ring of Intangibility.

By phasing through the walls and flying away, there was no one capable of pursuing me. I succeeded in reaching the exit before they could even begin the chase.

'Damn it.'

After sealing the entrance to the Snake Nest, I leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh.

To be honest, this was a disaster.

According to the original plan, I should have killed at least two of the mid-bosses in the Snake Nest today.

But things kept spiraling out of control. In the end, I had to flee without achieving any significant results, having lost all my companions.

What went wrong?

Was it sending Kairan off on her own?

Was it failing to give the group enough rest?

Was it my greed in trying to kill the Gorgon?

It was likely a combination of everything.

Above all, I had been far too overconfident in our party’s strength.

'Joshua is out from now on. His personality is too erratic. Old man Ulysses is useful, but his stamina is pathetic. He panicked the moment his thorn vines were neutralized.'

The same went for Chloe and Maximus.

They were merely strong enough to be called Platinum Badges—nothing more. I saw absolutely no potential for them to grow beyond that.

To be blunt, it was disappointing.

Even if they were dealing with Kairan’s Ability, the fact that two Platinum Badges couldn't handle a single Gorgon and wasted so much time made them failures in my eyes.

Honestly.

If I’m being truly honest...

'Yuria and Lady Leah seemed to have much more potential.'

I found myself losing the desire to employ Chloe and Maximus as well.

Both of their combat styles were incredibly frustrating. They lacked a "finishing move," so to speak.

They were more than capable of sweeping away trash mobs, but they lacked the ultimate strike needed to deal a heavy blow to a boss-class monster.

In contrast, Yuria and Leah clearly possessed their own unique "one-shot" capabilities.

In that regard, I found myself looking forward to Yuria and Lady Leah—who would soon rise to Platinum rank—more than the current Platinum Badges, Chloe and Maximus.

'I wasn't planning on taking them because it was too dangerous.'

But unfortunately, there were no talents who could surpass those two in the realm of pure genius.

'And Abram. He’s strong and useful enough, but...'

Compared to Rosier, he fell short. I didn't feel that same sense of reliability I got from her.

'The seven Platinum Badges... everyone except Zelia is a failure.'

Chloe and Maximus. The Gladiator Brothers were too weak for their rank.

Joshua was nearly impossible to control due to his bizarre personality.

Ulysses relied too heavily on his thorn vines, and perhaps due to his age, his physical endurance was poor.

And then there was Kairan, who was already dead.

These were the talents I had given living bodies to, intending for them to descend to the 7th Floor with me.

Yet, their performance was far below my expectations.

Perhaps it was because I had only seen true, high-level monsters among the Platinum Badges until now.

Their level was beneath my standards, and the thought of descending to the 7th Floor with them made the future look bleak.

At least Zelia was in a production role, so I had set her aside. But was there any reason to spend my own money to resurrect the remaining six?

'None.'

Resurrection costs for Platinum Badges would be exorbitant.

There was no point in bringing back people I had no use for.

The best course of action here would be to unilaterally terminate my contract with them, extract the Abilities dwelling in their souls, and then shove them into golems to put them to work.

It was possible.

No matter how high their rank, they were ultimately bound by my Spirit Chain.

I had only treated them with respect because I chose to.

If their skills were this disappointing, I had no reason to continue showing them that respect.

'Unilaterally breaking a contract and exploiting their souls... it’s no different from handling slaves. Some might call it subhuman behavior. But the fact that I’m even hesitating over this decision shows I’m ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still too soft. Why should I hesitate? These are people who would be dead anyway if not for me.'

This wasn't the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time to worry about morality.

Every second, the Labyrinth was awakening nightmares to bring an end to humanity.

There was no telling when the Labyrinth’s malice would fully awaken and wipe out mankind.

At this point, giving them special treatment just because they were Platinum Badges was absurd.

If they were Platinum Badges, they should have performed like it.

Or, they should have been competent enough to prevent the end of the world on their own so that I wouldn't have to discard my humanity like this.

I would strip the Abilities from the slaves who died in the Snake ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nest today. I’d take the good ones for myself and distribute the rest to others.

Trying to accommodate every single Platinum Badge was becoming too suffocating to bear.

'Abram belongs to the Church anyway, so I’ll just let him go.'

As for the rest, I would dispose of them all.

Finally, my vision felt clear.

Yes, I should have done this from the start.

Platinum Badge or not, if they didn't meet the standard, I should have filtered them out.

Especially that bastard Joshua—he was a total loss.

All he could do was play music.

His melee skills were garbage, and his combat ability was the worst.

His personality was so strange that his constant, solitary laughing was grating and unnerving.

If he was going to laugh like a maniac in the Labyrinth, he should have at least had the skills to back it up.

It pissed me off how a guy with nothing but a musical instrument talked down to me and acted like he was something special. This worked out for the best.

"I gave the slaves too much credit."

I had wanted to remain a good person.

I wanted to show compassion even to those who were no different from slaves, bound by the Spirit Chain.

But I couldn't do it anymore.

Trying to maintain my humanity was killing my efficiency.

"Arad."

"What is it? Your... your eyes look strange."

"They aren't strange. I’ve just made a decision."

"What kind of decision...?"

"A desperate measure for the greater good. How many Abilities can you extract in a day?"

"As many as my threads allow. Infinitely, essentially."

"And how many threads can you produce?"

"That depends on the amount of monsters I consume."

"Good. From now on, extract every single Ability from the slaves I’ve captured."

"What...?"

"Extract the Abilities from all the golems in the Underground City. There’s no need for mere laborers to possess Abilities. Strip them all, categorize them, and report back to me."

"Heh... so you intend to use humans as an Ability factory."

"Exactly. There’s no reason for those who have no will to descend to the 7th Floor and no skill to possess such good Abilities. Pull them all out."

"...Isn't this a bit of a rash judgment?"

"No. If I don't get desperate, everyone dies."

"Even if it invites your own ruin?"

"If I don't do it, humanity is ruined anyway."

"....You are carrying a very heavy burden."

I took a moment to organize my thoughts at Arad’s words.

About the burden I was carrying.

"Someone... someone has to do it. It just happened to be me. Don't try to sway me anymore. You have your own goals. So do I."

Arad’s goal.

To kill her mother on the 7th Floor.

"Just help me. I’ll kill your mother for you in the shortest time possible."

"Well... I suppose that’s all that matters. Fine. I shall do as you wish."

Arad began to grow in size.

The woman who had been the size of a palm was now as large as a human.

"Go to the Farm Section and get to work."

"Understood."

Arad immediately moved toward the Farm Section.

Now, she would begin stripping the Abilities from those who lacked the courage to descend further.

Using those Abilities, I would forge the ultimate team.

'People with the will to descend and the courage to fight.'

I had to assemble a new team.

The people I thought could be my team were too weak.

I needed those with iron wills and immense potential.

*

After handing Abram’s body over to the Church, I immediately descended back into the Labyrinth.

"Helena. Helena!"

I went below the Layer Division of the Underground City to find Helena.

She had been hunting the boss monsters of the Underground City alone to ensure rapid growth. Even when I entered the Snake Nest today, she hadn't emerged from below the Layer Division.

Since she had been hunting monsters alone for several days, she must have grown considerably.

"You’ve come."

Soon, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something emerged from the darkness.

It was a dragon that had grown significantly.

While not yet a full adult, she had grown to the size of a sub-adult.

"To grow that much in such a short time..."

"I was able to monopolize the guardians of the Underground City all to myself. It is only natural."

Since she had been feasting on monsters like Chimeras, Minotaurs, and Manticores alone, I suppose it made sense for her to become this strong.

"But won't it be difficult to move around if you get too big?"

"I am perfectly capable of adjusting my size. There, is this sufficient?"

Helena soon returned to her small, compact form.

She had even gained the ability to control her size.

"So, do you have a task for me? I believe I heard you were heading into the Snake Nest."

"Well, about that..."

I told Helena everything that had happened.

How I had to kill the companions I went into the Snake Nest with by my own hand.

And how the Platinum Badges weren't nearly as strong as I had thought.

"Well, that is simply how it is."

"How it is?"

"Indeed. Just because someone is a Platinum Badge does not mean they are all as strong as I am. There are those among them who are exceptionally weak, and there are those who are absurdly powerful, like myself. They are all lumped into the Platinum rank simply because there are no higher grades to categorize them."

"I know that, but..."

"It seems your expectations were too high. It cannot be helped. The difference in level even among Platinum Badges is stark. Still, it is painful to have to replace your party members. Especially when there are so few proper Platinum Badges to begin with."

"You’re right. It would be great if everyone were as strong as you, Helena, but the situation isn't ideal."

"So, do you intend to extract their Abilities and build your own party from scratch?"

"Yes. I’m going to concentrate the Abilities onto talented individuals. I’ll need a vanguard, a scout, and perhaps a suitable support-type caster."

"They are all already provided for."

"Provided for?"

"Yes. In the end, you want people with the talent to become as strong as I am. They are all right beside you."

"Surely you don't mean..."

"Your hunch is correct. Yuria and Leah. For a suitable support caster, Lafnel will do. For a healer, that barbarian interrogator should suffice. And there is Freya as well."

"As for a mage..."

"I am the greatest mage there is; do you truly need another? If you must, find one more to use as an assistant. There is no need to take the long way around. You are surrounded by women who adore you, so why bother looking elsewhere?"

"But if they descend with me and die..."

"Your mind would likely shatter. But what else can you do? You must take them regardless. From what I see, there are very few in this era with the makings of a hero. You must form a team with the talented ones you have, shouldn't you? You need to break through the 6th Floor quickly to begin sourcing proper materials."

"...."

"If you have resolved to sacrifice others, you must also be prepared to give your everything."

"You’re right."

"Then make your decision. There are no individuals more talented than the women you keep by your side."

She was right.

Helena was right.

There were no people more talented than Rosier, Yuria, and Lady Leah. It was only right to take them and conquer the Labyrinth.

I had only hesitated because I was afraid they might die.

"But Yuria is currently pregnant."

"I see. That is a valid concern. However, there is a way."

"What is it?"

"You simply have to hasten the birth."

"Pardon?"

Helena suggested that if the pregnancy was the issue, we could just speed up Yuria’s delivery.

For a moment, my mind went blank.