Chapter 22: Smooth Sailing into the Labyrinth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: Smooth Sailing into the Labyrinth
“The Guardian of Connection is pointing toward that passage.”
“One moment. I’ll activate the map creation.”
The Guardian of Connection was pointing in the direction of its other half. I immediately activated my mapping ability to begin tracking the Morning Sun team, who had entered ahead of us.
“Seven Leprechauns approaching from the front.”
Leprechauns—walking plant-type monsters commonly known as ‘Gardeners.’
As soon as we entered the Labyrinth, Hachi sensed the presence of monsters. The warrior Rohan and the earth mage Lewis handled the approaching Gardeners without much effort.
This is definitely relaxed.
Perhaps because everyone except me was a Silver Badge adventurer, the monsters on the first floor of the upper levels were child's play. Since only one type of monster appeared on the first floor, we didn't even have to worry about other threats. Yuria hadn't even bothered to draw her sword.
“Aren't you going to fight, Yuria?”
“Huh? Oh. I have to protect you.”
“Fair point.”
Yuria showed no intention of leaving my side. Her attitude made it clear she had zero interest in anything other than acting as my bodyguard.
She’s not even joking around.
Outside the Labyrinth, she had teased and pestered me at every opportunity, but the moment we stepped inside, she became remarkably quiet. She was constantly scanning the surroundings to ensure nothing approached me, preventing monsters from even getting close.
“What are you staring at? Why? Are you bored? Want me to play with you?”
“Ah, no. I was just surprised.”
“Hmm? By what?”
“I just realized you get serious when you're in the Labyrinth.”
“Hey. Isn't that obvious? If you mess around in the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Lord will get angry.”
“The Labyrinth Lord?”
“Yeah. You don't know the stories about the Labyrinth Lord?”
“I’m from the East, so I’m not really...”
“You foreigner. You don't even know our local fairy tales.”
What was this Labyrinth Lord fairy tale? I had collected information about the Labyrinth for the past six months, but I had rarely heard anything about a Labyrinth Lord. Did such a thing even exist in the first place?
“Does the Labyrinth Lord actually exist?”
“Yeah. I just got curious.”
“Hmm. Well, I don't know either. No one has ever reached the end of the Labyrinth, after all. Isn't it just a story made up to make kids behave?”
As expected, there was no solid information regarding a master of the Labyrinth. From what Yuria said, the Labyrinth Lord seemed to be something like the Boogeyman in this world. If you were too loud or played around too much in the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Lord would come and take you away. It was that kind of story.
“Monsters again. Five of them ahead.”
“They just keep coming.”
Perhaps because the monster population had surged, they were crawling out incessantly. Rohan grumbled that this was already their third encounter, and Yata, the healer following quietly behind, looked increasingly distressed. She seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of monsters.
“Whew.”
“I’ll take care of the corpses.”
Of course, no real crisis occurred. This wasn't some bottom-tier rookie party. It would be embarrassing for a party of Silver Badges to struggle on the first floor of the upper levels. Yata was simply the type of person whose expression naturally soured whenever she saw a monster.
We continued forward, clearing out the Gardeners as we went. After walking for a while...
“The Guardian is vibrating. They should be nearby.”
“I sense people up ahead.”
Soon, we encountered the Morning Sun team. We had found the raid leader's team only thirty minutes after entering the Labyrinth. This was quite a fast pace. Thanks to the combination of the Guardian, Hachi’s detection, and my mapping, we found the vanguard before they found us. Our detection capabilities were superior even to those of the Gold Badge adventurers.
“Found you at last.”
Sola smiled and reached out to Rohan, the team leader.
“I’m glad we could meet up so quickly,” Rohan replied calmly, shaking Sola’s hand.
Most Gold Badge adventurers were eccentrics or had a screw loose somewhere, making them difficult to approach, but Sola was different. He seemed... normal, for lack of a better word.
But the others besides Sola...
Every single one of them looked strange. The swordsman was muttering pessimistic remarks under his breath. The spearman was yawning widely, looking incredibly bored. The archer, who carried a greatbow as tall as a person on his back, was for some reason reading a book. And the female thief standing behind him smirked and stuck her tongue out when our eyes met.
What is up with that woman?
I quickly looked away. I didn't want to pick a fight by staring at Gold Badge adventurers for too long.
Except for Sola, they all seem a bit off.
The party Sola belonged to, ‘Morning Sun,’ was a five-member adventurer team. Sola of Radiance, Gou of the Storm, Stein of Lightning, Torius of Black Flame, and Karan of the Dark Moon. From the Gold Badge rank onward, adventurers could have epithets, which usually represented their skills or abilities—making it clear at a glance what kind of powers they wielded.
Regardless, the other four besides Sola looked generally bored and listless. It made sense, considering people with the skill to descend to the Underground City were stuck escorting a porter through the upper levels.
“Alright, let’s head down.”
Sola didn't seem to care whether his teammates were bored or not; he just led the way with a bright smile. The Morning Sun team took the lead, carving a path through the monsters. This gave our party a chance to catch our breath. Additionally, everyone in our team shifted into a formation surrounding and protecting me.
Currently, I was the most important person in the raid force. Everyone was focused on my safety because I was carrying the supplies for all seventy-two people. If I were to die or become unable to continue, the entire raid would collapse.
“By the way, Yuria. I’m curious about something.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“That team doesn't have a healer or a mage.”
“You were curious about that? I thought you were going to ask about my mom.”
“Dammit. I told you I’m not interested in your mom.”
“Hehe.”
Yuria smirked, then nodded, acknowledging it was a valid question. A long-term expedition to the Underground City could take days. Therefore, the presence of a supporter or a mage was practically essential. However, Morning Sun had no supporter, let alone a healer or a mage. The entire party consisted of combat classes.
“That team doesn't need to bring a healer. They all have healing-type abilities.”
“Aha.”
“You don't get a Gold Badge for nothing. It means they have that level of capability.”
Surprisingly, most of Sola’s party possessed healing abilities. That was why they didn't need a dedicated healer.
“Having a healer increases the party's stability, but to be honest, a healer with zero combat ability is nothing but a burden in the deep layers. They figure they can just make do with expensive potions as they go down.”
“That makes sense.”
Yuria’s stance was that healers were ultimately just another type of support role, like porters. Unless it was a healer with unprecedented divine power, they would just become someone who needed protecting once they reached the deep layers. I personally believed a healer was necessary, but everyone has different opinions.
“Well, the real problem is that there aren't many priests willing to go down to the deep layers anyway.”
“True, there’s not much reason for them to go,” Rohan added, having overheard our conversation.
As he said, the small talent pool was likely part of the problem. For a priest of the Goddess Church, working at a cathedral was safer and paid well. Even for priests of other religions, there was little reason to risk an expedition to the deep layers.
“Of course, there are outliers.”
“People addicted to the Labyrinth?”
“Exactly. Those addicted to acquiring abilities or mana adaptation. Or those who enjoy standing on the brink of life and death. Those people keep going down. Until they die.”
There were all sorts of people. You couldn't generalize or judge based on a single aspect. In the end, those who were meant to go down would go all the way, while others would just dip their toes into the upper levels and stop.
“Hey, Si-on.”
“Yeah? What?”
“You should stop at a reasonable point too. Unless you want to be consumed by the Labyrinth.”
“Obviously. I’m quitting the Labyrinth once I’ve saved up enough for retirement.”
“Retirement? Hmm. Then what about marriage? Are you going to get married too?”
“Marriage?”
Why was Yuria suddenly asking about marriage?
“I suppose I’ll get married eventually. Why?”
“Is there a girl you have in mind?”
“What? No. Not really.”
“Hmph. No one you like? I heard a rumor that you got involved with a noble lady.”
“That was just... I went along as a guide and got caught up in things. What does that have to do with dating?”
“I heard that noble lady is incredibly beautiful. Don't tell me you fell for her?”
“What are you talking about? I moved for the money. I mean, sure, she was pretty, but...”
“....”
“Why are you glaring at me?”
“You seduced my mom, and now you're looking elsewhere?”
“Oh, for God's sake!”
Perhaps because the Gold Badge adventurers were protecting us, Yuria was starting to act up again.
“Still, it’s better not to mess with noble daughters. It’ll only lead to trouble.”
“I know that much.”
“Hmph. And an adventurer like you should date a real adventurer. Not someone who enters the Labyrinth for fun, but... someone like me. A real adventurer.”
“I don't think that’s a good idea.”
“Huh!? Why?”
“Because if you die, I’ll be sad. And it costs a lot of money to resurrect someone.”
“...Well, that’s true... Hey.”
“Ugh, what now?”
“I have a lot of money.”
“What? Where did that come from?”
“Just saying.”
“If you want to brag about your money, buy me dinner or something.”
“I keep saying I will, but you're the one who's always 'too busy.'”
“Oh. Did I say that?”
“Sigh.”
Yuria ruffled my hair for no reason and walked ahead. She had been sticking to me like glue saying she’d protect me, but now that the Gold Badges were here, she was acting on her own again. She really was a handful.
“Transfer stone found. Everyone, let’s move to the next floor.”
We soon found a transfer stone. At this rate, I figured we could reach the 4th floor within four hours.
I don't think I've ever traveled through the Labyrinth this comfortably.
Yuria’s joking was proof of that. The Gold Badge party was truly impressive. They annihilated monsters the moment they were spotted. It felt like they were wiping them out before the creatures could even perceive us. Stein of Lightning and Torius of Black Flame were particularly, absurdly strong.
“Weak. Too weak. Boring. Tedious!!!”
“Why... is it so smooth... will something go wrong... it’s too smooth... the anxiety is killing me.”
Stein of Lightning was shouting about how bored he was, while Torius of Black Flame was expressing his anxiety because everything was going too well.
“Uh... Mr. Rohan. Is that person okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, Torius?”
“Yes. He’s been muttering to himself for a while now.”
“He’ll be fine. He might have the strongest mental fortitude of anyone here.”
“What? That guy?”
The man muttering that we were all going to die had the strongest mental fortitude? He looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. When I expressed my doubt, Lewis the earth mage explained Torius’s ability.
“Torius has an ability called Indomitable Will. His mental strength is superior to anyone else's.”
“Then why is he like that...?”
“Why is he muttering? It’s because his Indomitable Will is clashing with the penalty of another ability. Without Indomitable Will, he would have succumbed to madness long ago.”
“Madness?”
“It’s a side effect of one of his abilities. Abilities don't always provide positive effects. Some come with penalties.”
“Aha.”
An ability that provided not just benefits but also drawbacks. I had heard of abilities with penalties.
I heard those kinds of abilities are especially powerful.
They were said to have incredible performance in exchange for the penalty. High risk, high reward. That sort of thing.
“So Torius is basically using Indomitable Will to suppress the penalty of his other ability?”
“Exactly. He’s using Indomitable Will to crush the penalties of habitual seizures and madness. Though it has left him with a pessimistic personality.”
I didn't know what Torius’s other ability was, but for it to change his personality, it must be quite terrifying.
“Um, excuse me... From what I know, Mr. Torius has been pessimistic since he was a rookie adventurer.”
“Hmm? Is that so? Then I guess that’s just how he is.”
As I was coming to my own conclusions, Yata the healer, who had been listening to us, timidly chimed in to correct Lewis. So it wasn't because of the ability; he was just like that naturally.
Yep, Gold Badges really were all strange people.
“Transfer stone ahead. Entering the 3rd floor.”
Just then, we found another transfer stone. Our descent through the Labyrinth continued with remarkable ease.