Chapter 66: The Air on the Surface is Sweet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: The Air on the Surface is Sweet
"I'm alive!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, my voice thick with joy.
I had made it out of that hellhole alive once again.
Outside the Labyrinth, it was early morning.
I had been using an hourglass to keep a rough track of time inside, and seeing as we emerged right when I expected, my measurements must have been fairly accurate.
Looking around, I saw a few adventurers preparing to head into the Labyrinth.
Porters were scurrying busily between them.
Seeing people moving about finally made it sink in—we really had returned safely from the Labyrinth.
Despite the surprise monster wave, the darkness of the Labyrinth, and our encounter with the heretics, I was satisfied just to be back in one piece.
We had been unfairly screwed over by the Labyrinth several times, but even though everyone in the party except for me was a novice, we all survived. It was a great result.
It was largely thanks to the high level of talent each party member possessed.
A new sense of accomplishment washed over me, knowing I’d led a group of complete greenhorns on their second-ever trip and brought them back without any major casualties.
Did I have a talent for teaching?
Maybe I should retire and open a small school—a Labyrinth Academy of sorts.
The thought of teaching someone and progressing together didn't seem so bad.
"Sion! I'm out too!"
"Welcome back, My Lady. Welcome to the surface."
"What's with the exaggerated greeting?"
"I'm just happy. I feel proud and overwhelmed that everyone followed my lead so well."
"Wait, really? Weren't we always good listeners?"
"Don't you remember the first time we went in? You treated me like a total errand boy."
"I don't really remember much about the first trip. Hmm. Let's see. All I can remember is seeing your dick."
"My Lady! Are you insane?! Why would you bring that up all of a sudden?"
"What? You're the one who took it out and showed me. You even let me touch it."
"That's because you said you wanted to see it!"
"So if I say I want to see it, you just take your dick out? Can't you show me again?"
"Seriously, what is wrong with you this morning! Enough with the dick talk! It's indecent, My Lady."
"What? Why won't you show me? Show me! Should we go into that alleyway for a quick peek?"
"No! Stop pulling on my clothes!"
Has this lady lost her mind? Did she get too much stress in the Labyrinth? She keeps pestering me to show her my dick.
What a virgin bitch. If I actually took it out and showed her, she wouldn't even know what to do and would just freeze up in embarrassment.
Forget it. I'm not showing her.
"I'm not showing you my dick, but regardless, I'm glad you're safe."
"Yeah. Me too. I'm glad everyone is okay, considering how much bad luck we had."
We really did have some bad luck.
A surprise monster wave out of nowhere.
The darkness of the Labyrinth knocking on our door just as we were lying down to sleep.
And just when we thought it was over and were trying to leave, a heretic mocked us and fled.
We endured all those unfair setbacks and made it out with our lives and limbs intact.
It was only natural for a strong bond to form.
Between My Lady and me, there was a sense of comradeship.
It was a bond deeper than just dirty jokes.
"I just suddenly wanted to see it, so I pestered you. Sorry. I was being indecent."
"No, well... I guess that can happen when you're happy."
"Hehe. Yeah. I'm happy. You really are my lucky charm."
"A lucky charm?"
"Yeah. My survival rate goes up when you're around. So, you're a lucky charm."
"Is that so? To be treated like a charm..."
"No! I'm not treating you like a tool! It's a good thing! A good thing! Are you going to keep acting like that? It's a compliment! Wipe that look off your face."
"Ow! That hurts, My Lady! Stop pinching me! Ow!"
When I pretended to be sulky, she pinched my elbow.
Well, she wasn't wrong. Since I almost always make it out alive when I go in, statistically speaking, I probably am some kind of luck totem.
In any case, this concluded my second Labyrinth trip with My Lady.
While she was still far from being a full-fledged adventurer, I could say she had grown more than last time.
Her movements had improved significantly.
She still seemed clumsy with the silver threads, but she used her daggers quite well.
Her teacher must have taught her properly.
"Haaa. The air is so clear. Inhale. Exhale. Whoo..."
"Rika... you have... too much energy..."
"Straighten your shoulders, Rien! We're alive!"
"Hehehe. You're right. We survived. Thank goodness. Cough."
Soon, the rest of the group stepped through the gate.
Rika, in particular, looked incredibly excited.
She seemed deeply moved by the fact that they had escaped all those threats unscathed.
"My arms and legs... everything aches..."
"That's because you don't exercise enough. You should sign up for the martial arts hall too. Come work out with me and Sion."
"Cough, cough..."
"Erika, did you just cough?"
"Oh, it's just... my throat is dry."
"You're surprisingly frail, aren't you? Erika, you should sign up for the martial arts hall too."
"I... I have to do volunteer work..."
Rien looked like she was at death's door, complaining of body aches, and Erika also looked quite haggard.
They had been wandering the Labyrinth for nearly three days, so it was only natural for them to be exhausted.
However, Rika alone seemed to have plenty of stamina left.
She had even flipped her exercise switch and was trying to recruit the half-dead Rien and Erika to the martial arts hall.
She really was a female knight with a brain made of muscle.
"You seem very happy, Rika."
"Indeed. I feel quite proud. Is this the true flavor of a Labyrinth run?"
She seemed proud of herself for completing a proper Labyrinth expedition.
There is a certain sense of pride that comes with it.
A sort of intoxication from the fact that you overcame hardships and survived.
It's a symptom often seen in apprentice adventurers who aren't used to the Labyrinth.
You could call it a form of 'eighth-grader syndrome.'
Especially for a female knight like Rika, who loved cringey sentimentality, it was no surprise she was drunk on her own situation.
Last time she 'died' to get out. This time, she had every right to be proud of walking out alive.
"But the air is strangely sweet. How should I put it... it feels like my insides are becoming at peace. Sion, is it always like this? Was the air on the surface always this sweet and delicious?"
"Yeah. It's always like that. Everyone feels that way when they get out of the Labyrinth. It'll probably start soon."
"Huh? What will?"
"Mana Adaptation."
Whenever I come up to the surface from the Labyrinth, I always get this feeling like my chest is opening up.
Clear air enters the lungs and clears out the congestion.
It feels like the Labyrinth dust that was fouling my lungs is dissolving away in the surface air.
And after this refreshing feeling, Mana Adaptation always follows.
"Urgh."
"Ah..."
Erika and Lady Leah grimaced and hunched over.
It seemed the pain had arrived.
This pain is the process of becoming one step stronger.
You could think of it as experiencing rapid growing pains.
"W-what... is this... my whole body hurts."
"Calm down, Rika. It's called Mana Adaptation."
"This is... Mana Adaptation?! Ah... my muscles are twitching. I feel like I'm getting stronger."
"Because you actually are."
"Was it really this easy to build muscle? I can feel the muscle growth in real-time. This... this isn't natural muscle growth...!"
"Of course not. It's power obtained from an unnatural place."
"I see... this feels like taking performance-enhancing drugs."
"If I had to choose between natural and unnatural... it's definitely closer to unnatural. Though drugs might be taking the comparison a bit too far."
"Natu-what?"
"I'm saying it's an unnatural phenomenon. But doesn't it hurt? You're talking quite well."
"This level of pain is nothing. I was always beaten while learning the sword from my father. Compared to that pain, this is like sipping sweet fruit juice."
I thought Rika would be flustered since it was her first time experiencing Mana Adaptation, but she endured the pain as if it were nothing.
I suppose a female knight who could swing a sword perfectly fine even when swarmed by monsters would find sudden full-body muscle aches easy to handle.
In a way, it was impressive. Is that what happens when you reach the pinnacle of being thick-skinned?
"Anyway, congratulations, Rika. You've just officially lost your 'first-timer' status."
"I see. So my maidenhood has been opened?"
"Excuse me? Your what? Opened?"
"Indeed, Mana Adaptation feels like receiving a condensed version of grueling winter training."
Rika ignored my question and gave her review. Her mental world, where she could casually say things like 'maidenhood being opened,' was fascinating, but the analogy was spot on.
Since the ultimate effect of Mana Adaptation is the strengthening of the body, it's only natural for the body to feel stiff, as if it had undergone intense training.
Once you go through Mana Adaptation, your physical abilities generally improve, and your mana capacity increases.
To achieve this process naturally would require years of training.
Mana Adaptation can be seen as something that shortens that time.
It pulls up physical abilities that would take years to build all at once.
It even raises one's potential, which is why those who seek power have no choice but to keep entering the Labyrinth.
To raise their limits, draw out their potential, and gain even greater power.
Most of those people eventually assimilate with the Labyrinth and become monsters wandering the deep layers.
"Are you okay, Rien?"
"Yeah... it seems I didn't go through Mana Adaptation this time... what a shame... it's a chance to raise mana for free without meditating... I hate training... right?"
"Wait, Rien. Has your character changed? It's one thing to be gloomy, but you can't become lazy too!"
"What...? Lazy? You porter... what are you saying...! I-I'm diligent...!"
"No, it's just that you always seem to have no energy."
"That's... well... because it's the Labyrinth..."
Rien becomes lazy when she enters the Labyrinth.
Her mental strength is decent, but it seems to be due to her trauma regarding the Labyrinth.
She has plenty of talent. If she can just overcome her trauma, she'll become an excellent adventurer.
Wait, my thoughts keep shifting to that of a teacher looking at a student.
Because I went in as a guide and taught them the ways of the Labyrinth, I keep seeing these women as my disciples.
I shouldn't get too attached.
"Ugh. A headache..."
Just then, Rika and My Lady grabbed their heads.
Both of them had gained an Ability.
Come to think of it, Erika had gained a simple but—for a priestess—top-tier Ability last time: increased healing.
I wondered what kind of Abilities Rika and Lady Leah had obtained.
"Did you get something good?"
"It's an Ability called Pain Nullification. Is this good?"
"Pain Nullification? It's great. Wait, you got exactly that? Knights and warriors would go crazy trying to get that Ability."
"Really? Hahahaha! This feels good! The effect is substantial too. It says I can ignore pain. This is quite good, isn't it? It's more effective than my family's Pain Resistance Ring. Heh. Are you jealous, porter? You look quite grim."
"Ugh... such a humble-brag..."
"Humble-brag? What does that mean?"
"It means you're bragging in an annoying way."
"Hehehe. You must be trembling with envy. I see, so this is the thrill of entering the Labyrinth. If I use this with my Pain Resistance Ring, I could probably keep moving even if my arm were cut off."
"Well, you could move."
You might be able to move, but if you run around with a severed arm, you'll probably die of blood loss before long.
It allows you to ignore pain; it's not an Ability that heals wounds. It's like a painkiller without side effects that lets you function temporarily while leaving the root of the problem untouched.
Since front-liners are constantly exposed to pain, it was an Ability that could change the course of a battle depending on how it was used.
To be honest, I was jealous. With that Ability, you wouldn't feel pain during surgery or when getting a shot.
When receiving treatment, there are many cases where a wound has to be pried open to remove foreign objects, and that's exactly where Pain Nullification would shine.
I'm jealous. But my Subspace Pocket is better, right?
Yeah, no reason to be jealous. My Ability is better.
"What about you, My Lady?"
"I got Quick Hands. I can act a bit faster now. This is good."
"You'll be able to throw daggers much faster. That's a really good Ability too. You could slit an enemy's throat in the blink of an eye. Your proficiency in anything involving your hands will increase rapidly."
My Lady had obtained an Ability great for those who need manual dexterity.
She would likely be able to handle objects much faster than before. I considered that Ability to be a type that drastically boosts proficiency.
Because it allows you to handle anything quickly.
I'm a little jealous of this one too.
Both Rika and My Lady.
They both got Abilities that suited their roles perfectly.
No matter how good an Ability is, if it goes to the wrong person, it ends up being neglected.
I think it's best when an Ability finds its rightful owner.
"So this is what an Ability is. It's fascinating."
"It's unique, isn't it? Having information burned directly into your brain."
"Yeah. It's incredibly strange. It feels like encountering some mysterious miracle."
"A mysterious miracle, huh? It might be a miracle bestowed by the Labyrinth."
Now, this really was the end of this Labyrinth run.
We made it out safely, went through Mana Adaptation, and gained Abilities.
All that was left for us was a celebratory dinner.
"Let's all go for a drink. You have to have a celebration when you make it out safely."
That was the unspoken rule of the Labyrinth City.
If you've had a proper adventure, you have to soothe the lingering excitement with alcohol.
"It's on me."
"No, My Lady. The party leader is supposed to buy the first round. Let's go. We'll have a few drinks and then head home."
We all headed to a tavern together.
Everyone looked exhausted, so I figured I'd just give them a light meal and a glass of ale before sending them on their way.