Chapter 188: What the Departed Leaves Behind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: What the Departed Leaves Behind
Still, thanks to Helena, I managed to pull myself together.
Perhaps I had become overconfident after conquering the Underground City. That was likely why my mental state had been so severely shaken by my failure to conquer the Snake Nest—a task I had deemed easier than the Underground City. It had even driven me to the point of considering betraying my comrades to walk the Path of Domination.
Helena had attributed it all to the Malice of the Labyrinth just to smooth things over, but I didn't see it that way.
It was my own inadequacy. My own deficiency.
What was the point of my Abilities growing and me becoming stronger? Mentally, I still had so much room to grow. If Helena hadn't snapped me out of it by using Yuria’s pregnancy as an example, I would have completely spiraled out of control.
“That’s why I’m asking, Mr. Sasaro. I would like your help.”
“Hmm....”
I had decided to reform my party to conquer the Snake Nest once more. The first member was Helena, and the second was Rosier. I had headed to the Church where Rosier would likely be, and the person I happened to run into there was Sasaro.
Right, Sasaro was already retired. He had originally held the position of Interrogator, but he had handed that role over entirely to Abram and said he was heading back to his hometown.
It was a chance encounter. I ran into him at the Church while I was there to see Rosier. I didn't want to let this opportunity slip by.
“Are you asking me to enter the Labyrinth again?”
“No. I am well aware that you have already retired.”
“Then how do you expect me to help you conquer the Snake Nest?”
“Would you be willing to lend me your Ability, Mr. Sasaro?”
“Lend you my Ability? What do you mean by that?”
“I have the power to extract the Abilities of others. Through this, I would like to receive your Crushing Sword.”
“My Crushing Sword...?”
“Yes. It is absolutely necessary. To descend further into the Labyrinth, I need to make my party members stronger. I believe your Ability is perfect for that.”
“Descending the Labyrinth, you say. How far do you intend to go?”
“I plan to go all the way to the Deepest Part.”
At my answer, Sasaro fell silent for a moment, looking around at the surrounding scenery. He seemed to be reminiscing.
“Certainly. Compared to right after the Great Cataclysm, things truly have changed a lot.”
The city was full of vitality. The Labyrinth City was bustling with people, and countless adventurers were heading toward the Underground City for faster growth.
“The Labyrinth City now holds a completely different atmosphere than it did before I left. I heard you’ve completely occupied the 5th Floor Underground?”
“Yes, that’s correct. We are already in the process of turning the monsters into livestock. The speed of Mana Adaptation has increased exponentially, and the adventurers are growing steadily. If we conquer the 6th Floor in the future, it will cause an even greater stir.”
“When we first met, you were just a greenhorn porter. You’ve become a completely different person in just a few months.”
“Yes.”
Sasaro nodded. Then, with his eyes half-closed, he asked me a question.
“Does your transformation include the death of the Saintess?”
He was an Inquisitor who had followed the Saintess faithfully. He was also a Torturer whom the Saintess had trusted deeply.
“Yes. If it weren't for the Saintess, I wouldn't have made it this far.”
“I see. The Crushing Sword... my body is too broken to wield it properly anyway. It’s an Ability far too great for me now.”
“Are you really giving it to me?”
“Why not? My hometown is a place where there’s no reason to fight. The rest of my life will be far removed from blood and death. And even without the Crushing Sword, it won't affect me much. I’ll give it to you. It’s better to leave it to the younger generation before I go.”
“Thank you... thank you so much, Mr. Sasaro.”
I bowed my head deeply to him.
Sasaro’s Crushing Sword. It had a different formal name, but we all called it the Crushing Sword regardless. Why? Because it ground up everything in front of it.
It’s essentially the same as an Ultrasonic Blade.
I still remembered it. When we went down to the 5th Floor to subjugate the heretics, I saw Sasaro carving a path through a pack of Dungeon Trolls, turning them into literal mincemeat.
That was why I decided to borrow his Ability. This would become the finishing move for the Gladiator Brothers. They definitely lacked a heavy, decisive blow. I intended to fill that gap for them.
“So this is what it feels like. Are you a summoner?”
“It’s closer to being a contracted familiar.”
“I see. I’m experiencing all sorts of strange things in my old age.”
As his Ability was extracted by Arad, Sasaro laughed repeatedly, finding it fascinating. And rightfully so—the fact that an Ability could be transferred was nothing short of a miracle.
“With this, you could practically build an army to your liking, couldn't you?”
“It’s possible if I set my mind to it.”
“Interesting. Truly interesting. To think you’ve gained such a peculiar power and brought about so many changes in such a short time.”
Sasaro stood up after the transfer of the Ability was complete.
“I should be going now. My family will worry if I’m too late.”
“Thank you so much for the Ability. As a token of my gratitude...”
“No. No reward is necessary. Just take it. This is likely the last bit of help I can offer you. Conquering the Deepest Part, eh? How romantic. Fight hard. I’ll be cheering for you from my hometown.”
“Mr. Sasaro... thank you. I will make sure to reach the Deepest Part.”
“Right. That’s enough for me. There’s nothing wrong with a young man having ambition. However, make sure to reflect on whether you’re neglecting those around you. That was the greatest regret of my life.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Sasaro adjusted his hat and left the Church. He would likely never return to the Labyrinth City again. It seemed he had chosen to distance himself completely from the Church through the erasure of his records.
Still, before leaving, he had gifted me the Ultrasonic Blade. I planned to give this to Maximus, the younger of the Gladiator Brothers.
While Chloe was a balanced type who handled both offense and defense, his brother Maximus was the embodiment of a reckless charge. The Crushing Sword was an Ability perfectly suited for warriors who fought on the front lines, pushing forward. Therefore, it would be better for Maximus to use it to grind down enemies rather than Chloe, who was closer to a tanker.
“Sion, is your conversation over?”
“Yes, Rosier. I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”
“Not at all. I was busy with some paperwork anyway. But what brings you here? I thought you said you were going to the Snake Nest.”
“Well, you see...”
I explained the situation to Rosier. She listened quietly to my story and then gently pulled me into an embrace.
“I see. I’m just glad you came back alive.”
“Ugh... Rosier... I can’t breathe...”
“Oops. My apologies. You were just so cute, I couldn't help myself.”
Releasing me from her arms, Rosier toyed with the mace hanging at her waist.
“I am ready to go whenever you are. Did you say it was snakes?”
“Yes, yes. It’s crawling with snakes.”
“Did you know? Snake meat is said to be excellent for one's stamina.”
“Pardon...?”
“Let’s go quickly. It’s an opportunity to boost our virility.”
Rosier seemed very excited. Having been so busy lately, our opportunities for intimacy had dwindled, and she seemed starved for affection.
“Wait a moment, Rosier! Let’s stop by one more place before we go.”
“Where to?”
“I need to drop by the Magic Tower for a bit.”
After asking Rosier to head to the Underground City first, I made my way to the Magic Tower. It was to ask the Tower Lord for help. Helena was with me, but having the Tower Lord along would be reassuring.
More than anything, she had recently been looking for samples of the 7th-floor demi-humans. If the creatures I saw were indeed monsters from the 7th floor, they were undoubtedly demi-humans capable of conversation. Therefore, if I offered the condition of handing over the demi-human corpses, there was a very high possibility the Tower Lord would lend her strength for free. No, she might even shove money into my hands for finding them.
“What? She’s not here?”
“Yes. She has gone to an academic conference. Your timing is unfortunate. We expect it will take at least five more days.”
“Ah... damn it.”
The problem was that the Tower Lord wasn't at the Magic Tower. Apparently, she was attending a regular magic engineering conference. She was my most reliable ally, and she was gone!
“But what business do you have with the Tower Lord?”
“Oh, well. It’s like this.”
Instead of the Tower Lord, I explained my situation to Marle, the bespectacled gatekeeper guarding the tower. I told him how my team had been wiped out during the Snake Nest conquest and how monsters from the 7th floor had come up and were causing havoc. Furthermore, I informed him that there were few adventurers in the Labyrinth City I could reasonably ask for help. After all, Platinum Badge adventurers weren't exactly a common resource.
“I see. I understand the situation perfectly.”
“Is there perhaps a mage I could ask for help? I need to go urgently...”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m actually quite a good fighter myself.”
Marle’s shadow flickered. He was a shadow mage who manipulated shadows. He was also the gatekeeper guarding the Magic Tower of the Labyrinth City, which was called the greatest in the world. His skills were likely only slightly inferior to Tower Lord Mabel and wouldn't fall short anywhere else.
“I’ve been down to the 6th floor a few times myself. It’s just that the threshold to the 7th floor is high. I should be of some help.”
“Then, may I ask this of you?”
“Yes, yes. Of course I can help. Thanks to you, Mr. Sion, the Tower Lord has been in a good mood lately. Honestly, I’m just grateful that the old maid has stopped her eccentric behavior.”
“Uh... well...”
“Now, this conversation is a secret between you and me. If I get caught talking behind her back, I’m a dead man.”
“I’ll make sure to keep it a secret.”
Marle smiled brightly at my promise to keep his comment about the Tower Lord being an old maid a secret. Then, he pulled out some documents, wrote down a few things, and asked for my signature.
“What is this?”
“If you happen to capture one of those three demi-humans alive, I’d like you to donate it to the Magic Tower.”
“Uh, donate?”
“Yes. In exchange, the Magic Tower will provide you with generous compensation. On the condition that I take it if you can capture it alive... do you see this here?”
“This is...”
A substantial amount of money along with several other rewards were listed on the document. If I could get all this just by handing over one demi-human...
This is more than enough to resurrect all my fallen comrades.
I had to sign this. Right now, with the development of the Underground City, I was strapped for cash anyway. If there was a way to make money, I had to dig for it.
“Excellent. Now, shall we head in immediately?”
“I’m going to grab a few more Golems and then head back.”
“Understood. You’ll be renting Black Iron Golems, I assume?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I would rent a total of four Black Iron Golems. Since Abram and Jack were being resurrected at the Church, and Kairan had died with her soul fused with the Gorgon, I planned to have Chloe, Maximus, Ulysses, and Joshua temporarily possess the Golem bodies.
I could resurrect them properly later. For now, the priority was taking them with me to crush the Snake Nest.