Pathfinder's Guiding Light
"So, you're exploring the labyrinth to honor your parents' dying wish?"
"Yeah... but it wasn't like they said 'Become a labyrinth explorer!' or anything. They just told me to live freely. For an orphan like me, the only way to live free is to get strong..."
This was a conversation between Lilia and Eresa.
That's right. Surprisingly, Eresa was 23 years old—older than even Dorne.
Eresa led the way, holding a lantern, while Lilia stood casually beside her, chatting away. If you'd seen Dorne's party before, this scene would make no sense.
Where was the Dorne who'd made Lilia watch the rear for threats? The Dorne who'd double-tap a goblin whose skull was already cracked open?
The answer lay in Eresa's supernatural ability, 【Pathfinder】.
【Pathfinder】 was a combo ability made from three base abilities: [Bright Pathfinding], [Danger Sense], and [Opportunity Sense].
In other words, it could detect danger!
Suddenly, the careless attitude of Kerolf's party—whom they'd bumped into on Layer 1—made perfect sense.
They said 【Pathfinder】 was a core combo for scouts, made from a minimal set of base abilities. In South Labyrinth City, there were supposedly crates full of explorers willing to have their skin peeled off to make it their first ability. (Any ability imprinted within 24 hours could be removed at a temple by stripping the skin.)
The true meaning of "abilities get harder to acquire the more you get" wasn't about acquiring them—it was about keeping them.
Acquiring an ability was like leveling up; deleting one was like leveling down.
An explorer who'd deleted abilities was back at level 1, so they could level up again with the same experience points. (Some research-obsessed scholar had apparently tried using this to quantify the exact experience needed per level-up. The experiment only proved there were massive variables and huge individual differences before vanishing into the annals of history...)
"Left side seems to have a hobgoblin. Should we take it down?"
"Yeah, let's grab the hobgoblin. Its claws and nails are quest items—decent payout."
Dorne's party adjusted the lantern to shine deep into the left passage.
A hobgoblin, spotting the flickering light from afar, charged down the tunnel toward them.
-Kek! Keh keh kek!
The hobgoblin rushed in wielding a rough wooden club. Before the frontliners clashed, Eresa fired her crossbow.
The hobgoblin blocked the bolt with its forearm and barked in fury.
No way a big club could swat a fast arrow. If it could, the hobgoblin would need 【Iron Man】, not Dorne.
-Kegehk!
Dorne met it head-on, swinging his hammer from a distance the club couldn't reach.
The hobgoblin's skull exploded like a watermelon it had never even fought.
Its head slammed into the ground in the direction of the hammer's swing.
Goblins hit by clubs or shortswords just passed out and fell. But one struck by 【Iron Man】's hammer didn't fall—it slammed to its end.
Its limbs twitched briefly in death, ass-up on the ground.
Blood sprayed along the hammer's arc, making it seem like Dorne had wielded a brush, not a weapon.
Raon, Dorne's blood-brother, grabbed his dagger to loot as usual.
"No! I'll do it! You're a fighter, Raon—this is my job."
"But you're like a big sis..."
The youngest, Raon, seemed reluctant to make the oldest, Eresa, handle menial tasks.
"I don't see it as menial. This is a scout's role. Anything fighters can't or shouldn't do—that's scouting."
Eresa insisted, pulling out her dagger.
Now Raon could just pocket the magic stone and convert its value to stew in his head—no more headaches.
A huge boost to the party's combat power.
While she mined the stone, Lilia helped yank the claws and nails, bagging them as Eresa handed them over.
"How long to the Layer 2 portal?"
Eresa couldn't brush off Lilia's "sis, sis" teasing like she did Raon.
"Hm. I'd say about a day. Hard to be precise—【Pathfinder】 just points directions. Plus, it's my first time in East Labyrinth."
Dorne joined in.
"We're not diving the labyrinth just once or twice—how about mapping as we go, Eresa?"
"Oh! I'm already mapping it in my head. That's what [Bright Pathfinding] does."
"Cool, we can optimize later. Good."
After marching briskly for a while, Dorne's party halted at a crossroads on Eresa's signal.
Other explorers nearby.
"Heading to Layer 2?"
Dorne called out from a distance to the stopped explorers.
Both groups held lanterns at eye level with just one person up front.
Strategy to hide their numbers.
Layer 1 lanterns weren't car headlights or LEDs—those in the back stayed shadowed.
But you could make out the leader's rough build. Didn't look Layer 2-ready.
"No interest in the Layer 2 portal. Seen the exit portal?"
"Haven't. We'll head out first then. Don't follow—the Layer 2 portal's far."
"Got it."
The other leader eyed the shiny metal shield poking by the lantern and Dorne's massive silhouette—big guy holding, not wearing, a solid metal shield? Definitely ability holder.
They backed off meekly.
Once Dorne vanished beyond the crossroads, he handed the lantern to Eresa.
"You can even sense people ahead. So convenient."
"Heehee..."
Eresa, praised for the first time in ages, couldn't stifle her grin. Her plump tail brushed Dorne's leg.
He felt it but attached no meaning. Not love—just familial pull from being in a "fence" of belonging for the first time since losing his parents.
Dorne knew it well.
Dorne's party—now two humans and two beastkin—dropped into Layer 2.
On paper, it sounded like a furry disaster... but that was racist.
Beastkin looked human except for ears and tails. (Though lesser panda beastkin tails were so bushy, they shed a bit. Exhibit A: brown fur on Dorne's pants.)
The three tense warriors, shields up, relaxed when no warnings came from Eresa. Shields down.
"Alright. Let's plan Layer 2 exploration."
"...!"
Eresa perked her ears, focusing.
"We're aiming for Layer 3 this run. Packed lots of rations."
The party nodded at the four bulging bags.
"But charging straight to Layer 3 is risky. We got abilities last run, but Layer 2's no joke."
Even factoring [Endurance Enhancement]'s unexpected role in aggressive fights. (They'd seen how fearless warriors grew in Layer 1 scraps.)
"Plus a new teammate. Scattering like in the goblin village would be dangerous."
"I'm good at running... and I've got [Danger Sense]."
Eresa piped up timidly, not wanting to drag them down.
"Even if you were a fighting scout, same deal. Frontline has to hold formation for a pure ranged teammate. And spamming scout abilities in combat means no mana when you really need it."
Dorne laid out his thoughts, pausing for dissent.
"Assuming agreement. New formation: three warriors wall up, Eresa shoots crossbow through gaps. Easy hits up close while we fight."
"Sounds good to me. Can grip spear reverse-short or one-hand it, no issue."
"I'm used to syncing with you, Dorne-hyung. Aye."
"Me too..."
Eresa's tail nudged Dorne's pants again; Lilia smirked at the sight.
"For small fights without goblin shamans, three-wall strat. Shamans? Variations. Thoughts?"
"Hm. Got the metal shield, and with your 【Iron Man】, fireballs are blockable, right? I say stick to one strat to punch through Layer 2."
"Not bad, but it'd mean tanking shaman fireballs and archer arrows while clearing 30-40 goblins total. Doable, but not optimal. Better I ignore small hits, charge, and take out shamans and archers first."
Lilia reconsidered at Dorne's emphasis on ranged exposure.
"Yeah, that makes sense. We hold firm while you sow chaos killing them?"
"Exactly. I'll clean up fast and back you."
"Aye, hyung."
"M-me too!"
Dorne and Lilia nodded. On to next.
"Pathfinding: Assume two days on Layer 2. Adapt to new party, head to Layer 3 portal."
"Agreed."
With leaders aligned, the other two nodded.
"Eresa, guide to Layer 3 portal from now. [Danger Sense] only at corners and forks. Hunt packs we snag."
"Got it!"
Eresa's ears perked with enthusiasm.
The party followed 【Pathfinder】's lead.
Eresa pointed left fork.
"Dorne. Goblin pack that way."
"Take 'em."
Short walk left: goblin silhouettes at lantern's far edge, no need to spotlight floor.
-Kek! Kehruk!
Ten-goblin pack welcomed them.
Lantern-bearer Eresa fell behind the warrior trio, aimed light forward, set it on ground.
Dorne, shielding torso, ordered:
"Not front goblins—priority on archers!"
"Roger!"
Eresa ignored naked close goblins, sighting a distant one drawing crude bow.
Luckily taller than goblins, she saw from backline.
When clueless rich (big inheritance), not money-grubber: premium crossbow's sights locked on goblin archer.
Steady breath, minimize shake... fire!
-Pak, ping—thud!
Premium bolt pierced goblin archer's chest; its loosed arrow nailed a front goblin's skull.
Eresa reloaded without celebrating the down.
While tiny lesser panda reloaded, metal shield and hammer 【Iron Man】-Dorne swept the pack with two warriors.
Ten goblins shattered like waves on a breakwater.
Regretful for only one shot, the lesser panda set crossbow aside, drew dagger.
Not bad fights like this. The now-family warrior trio felt utterly reliable.