Chapter 18
“Goblins. Seven to ten of them.”
“Everyone, get ready for combat.”
As soon as the guide Dogo sensed the monsters, Kane spoke in a low voice.
We snapped back into formation in an instant.
Dogo, the guide, fell to the rear, while Kane and I took the front.
Tension filled the cave.
The helmet that covered my face made the pressure feel even heavier.
The goblins’ hideous laughter and light, skittering footsteps came rushing toward us.
[Invisible Sword: They’re here.]
-Kyaaaah!
At the same moment the Invisible Sword spoke, goblins burst out of the darkness.
“Ivan!”
“Yes!”
Kane and I raised our shields and blocked the front.
The goblins shoved their grotesque faces into view.
All we had to rely on for sight was the torch.
In the flickering light, the goblins’ bodies seemed to waver in and out of focus.
Kaak-!
With the shriek of wood being scraped, I felt a heavy impact.
My wooden shield caught the goblin’s rusty dagger.
I drove the goblin that had lunged at me back without mercy, then thrust the military sword in my right hand at its skull.
With a thick, crunching sound, I felt the goblin’s brain burst along the blade.
“By Ivan’s side—!”
There was no time to catch my breath after killing one.
From behind me, the priestess Hena shouted.
While I was dealing with one, another had seized the opening and rushed in.
I hurriedly drew my longsword and swung it horizontally.
The goblin brain matter clinging to the blade sprayed everywhere.
Shwaak-
The cut was sloppier than when I’d first picked up a sword.
But perhaps because a Stigma had formed, the goblin was still severed cleanly in two.
I didn’t even have time to wonder whether I’d grown stronger or whether the sword was just that good.
A goblin’s shriek rang out from the opposite side.
“Ugh…!”
I twisted around in a hurry, but it was already too late.
In my reversed field of view, I saw a goblin grinning wickedly.
Kwaak-
But its attack never reached me.
Just before it landed, an arrow flew in and pierced the goblin’s head.
When I looked back, Nierel was calmly holding the bowstring with a relaxed expression.
Then she nocked another arrow.
The arrow flew lightly and took down one more goblin.
[Foot Technique Master: Seems this level of situation is no problem for her. What a relief.]
[Sword Master: Well, she is a 9th-grade Climber. No way she’d be scared stiff by a few goblins.]
So she really did only fail at crucial moments, huh.
Not a hint of tremble shook Nierel’s arrows.
Which meant that a mere ten goblins were no trouble for her at all.
With my back now covered, I swung my sword without hesitation.
Before long, there wasn’t a single living goblin left.
“Haa… nice. Nierel, I’m glad you were here. Thanks for earlier. You saved my life.”
“H-hehe. It was nothing!”
Once the battle ended, the party’s tension eased all at once.
Kane had done his part, and Nierel’s arrows had saved us whenever things got dangerous.
The one that slipped past us had been finished off by Dogo’s dagger.
It was a fight in which Hena never even had to step in.
Aside from a few minor scrapes, no one had suffered any serious injuries.
[Emperor Augustus: Zahahaha! Excellent coordination!]
[Invisible Sword: Hm… there’s no way a party of childhood friends could be this competent.]
[Sapier: You’ll probably break through the first floor without trouble.]
[Lustful Demon: A pretty elf is always useful. Heh.]
Even the sword spirits seemed astonished.
It was such a flawless battle that all our worries now seemed laughably unfounded.
If we kept this up, the first floor really wouldn’t be a problem.
“Hurry up and extract the magic stones, then let’s move. The noise could draw more monsters.”
Now that the monsters were dealt with, the next step was collecting magic stones.
Unlike the monsters outside, the monsters in the labyrinth carried magic stones inside their bodies.
The stones were extracted and turned in to the association for rewards.
That was one of the reasons Climbers gathered in the labyrinth.
You could make a lot of money by collecting magic stones.
“Ivan, this is your first time extracting magic stones, right? I’ll show you how.”
At that, Nierel walked over to me.
The sword spirits had already told me how to do it, so I knew the method.
But refusing outright would be awkward, so I quietly listened to Nierel’s goblin-dissection lesson.
“The stone’s location is different depending on the monster. Goblins have theirs in the chest. So you have to dig it out like this.”
Nierel produced a machete and, with practiced hands, split open the goblin’s chest.
A small green magic stone was lodged inside the ribs.
She removed it and cleaned it neatly with a cloth.
“This is a Goblin Magic Stone. The shape of magic stones differs from monster to monster, and the stronger the monster, the more valuable the stone.”
Monsters like specters, whose forms were vague and unstable, dispersed when they died and dropped their stones automatically. Things like this were a little annoying because you had to cut through flesh and skin yourself—but, she said, chatting away, that was just how it was.
“Then I’ll try it too.”
This time I took out my own machete.
I’d bought it yesterday, so it was still clean.
When I drove it into the goblin’s hide, it quickly soaked red.
Following Nierel’s example, I was able to extract the goblin magic stone in no time.
“Wow! You’re good at this. As expected of a swordsman—you’re amazing at dissection too!”
“It’s only because you explained it so well, Nierel.”
It was only a matter of slicing open a corpse and pulling out the stone, yet Nierel praised me as though I’d done something impressive.
“Then let’s do the rest too.”
After that, we extracted the stones from the remaining corpses.
While we worked, I learned that magic stones had plenty of uses beyond simply selling them to the association.
Rare stones could be used as materials for weapons or even to help someone grow stronger.
Of course, that was a ridiculous thought when it came to something as ordinary as a goblin magic stone.
“A total of ten. That’s right. We’ll divide them two each.”
We divided the harvested stones among ourselves, two apiece.
“Then let’s move again.”
We re-formed the line and set off.
The tension had eased considerably.
There were a few more fights after that.
But none were larger than the first.
Fight, move, fight, move. Rest for a while.
The grueling march went on and on, as if it would never end.
*
“Let’s camp here for today.”
When it felt like half a day had passed, Kane said this.
Checking the time, I saw it was around eight in the evening.
Nearly twelve hours had passed since we’d entered the labyrinth.
“Haa… It really feels like we’ve been walking forever, but it’s only been one day. And the scenery never changes.”
“Especially in cave terrain, yes. But we’re steadily making our way toward the transfer stone, so don’t worry. Right, Dogo?”
“Y-yes.”
Kane and Dogo said that as they unpacked their gear.
In cave terrain, the scenery stayed the same no matter how far you moved, so it never really felt as though you were going anywhere.
The guide hadn’t said anything unusual, so we were probably on the right path, but the journey was still unbearably dull and exhausting.
Still, up to now it had been secure enough.
And the chemistry among the party members had been excellent.
I plopped down on the ground and took out my food.
[Invisible Sword: Hey. Don’t let your guard down.]
But then the sword spirits spoke in low voices.
I wasn’t exactly treating this like an inn just because we were resting.
Of course I’m staying at least somewhat alert.
[Invisible Sword: That’s not what I mean. Don’t let your guard down around your party members.]
But the target of the Invisible Sword’s caution was not the labyrinth itself—it was the party.
Unable to understand, I asked back,
What do you mean?
[Invisible Sword: Don’t trust those guys completely. You haven’t even spent a night with them yet.]
When you slept in the labyrinth, the watch shifted from person to person.
While I slept, someone else would keep an eye out for monsters.
[Invisible Sword: So far they seem fine, but they could easily wait until you’re asleep and then ambush you.]
Just because the mood had been good during the day didn’t mean we could relax.
They could change the moment night fell, kill me while I slept, and take everything I had.
From what I’d seen so far, I didn’t think any of them were that kind of person…
[Sword Master: I don’t think they’re the type to do that, either, but still, whenever you form a new party, it’s best to be careful on the first night and the last night.]
[Quick-Draw Master: Especially since those three already have a prior relationship, while you’re a complete stranger. It wouldn’t be strange at all for them to be hatching some separate scheme among themselves.]
Apparently, if a party hadn’t worked together for a long time, suspicion was the normal response.
Come to think of it, why would anyone trust strangers enough to sleep soundly?
In a labyrinth party, money was on the line.
If a member died, everyone else’s share increased.
Especially on the final night, once you were almost at the transfer stone, it wasn’t uncommon for people to kill the rest of the party and take the rewards for themselves.
And those childhood friends had joined to earn money for a friend’s medical treatment.
So nothing can be trusted, huh.
[Emperor Augustus: Zahahaha! The road to strength is a harsh one!]
[Quick-Draw Master: In the labyrinth, I always slept lightly, sword in my arms, keeping one eye on my surroundings while I rested.]
In a labyrinth, even sleeping wasn’t really sleeping.
You never knew when a party member might suddenly turn on you.
You never knew when monsters might charge in.
Even while sleeping, you had to stay armed and ready to leap up and fight.
But then, wouldn’t it be enough if you all warned me when something dangerous happens?
[Invisible Sword: Now he’s trying to take us for granted.]
[Sword Master: The rookie’s getting bolder by the day.]
That’s not what I meant. I was only asking because you said you don’t sleep anyway.
I really had only been curious.
Up until now, whenever something happened while I was asleep, the sword spirits had always woken me.
[Sapier: Of course we’ll wake you if it’s dangerous. But relying on us alone isn’t good either.]
[Sapier: Even if we wake you, if you’re too deeply asleep, it’ll still take time for you to come to your senses. In the end, you have to stay alert on your own.]
Sapier was right.
If I couldn’t move immediately, then it was useless.
I couldn’t just trust the sword spirits and let my guard down.
Besides, I couldn’t possibly rely on them alone.
Then I’ll keep my mind open and sleep lightly.
[Quick-Draw Master: A wise decision.]
[Sword Master: But while you sleep, keep your voice down a little!
We decided that, in the labyrinth, I’d sleep with my mind half-open.
It wouldn’t be a comfortable rest, but at least I’d be able to stay tense.
With that settled, I took dried rations and water from my bag and ate a simple meal.
“How should we handle the watch order?”
While we were resting, Nierel asked that question.
The sword spirits immediately suggested an order, as if they’d been waiting for it.
[Invisible Sword: Don’t put the childhood friends back to back.]
[Lustful Demon: Put you and the elf in the middle positions.]
They said if the childhood friends were placed one after another, we couldn’t know what sort of scheme they might cook up.
I agreed, so I passed the suggestion on to the party.
“...Fine. That should be more comfortable for the two of you.”
Kane nodded silently and accepted it.
Nierel also took it as the obvious thing to do.
In the end, the watch order was decided as Kane, me, Hena, Nierel, and Dogo.
“Then I’ll block the passage.”
Shortly after, we covered the tunnel with stones and cloth and settled in to sleep.
Kane took the first watch.
The rest of us found our places and pulled blankets over ourselves.
“Haaam… then good night, everyone.”
Nierel closed her eyes at once, looking tired.
Whether she was relaxed because she was a 9th-grade Climber, pretending to be, or simply trusting the party completely—I couldn’t tell.
Hena and Dogo, too, seemed to fall asleep easily because their childhood friend was on watch.
For some reason, I’m the only one who seems tense.
[Lustful Demon: Still, it’s better to stay tense.]
[Invisible Sword: Don’t trust anyone. Especially those childhood friends.]
The sword spirits still spoke in unwavering voices.
Right. There was no harm in being careful.
I closed my eyes with the military sword clutched in one hand.
I drifted into unconsciousness, woke again to the sword spirits’ voices, and repeated the cycle in shallow fragments of sleep.
“Ivan. It’s your turn.”
After a while, Kane woke me.
It was my turn as the second watch.
I dragged my tired body upright and took my place on guard.
Nothing happened while I was on watch.
Did Kane do anything suspicious?
[Quick-Draw Master: He did rummage through his bag and fidget a bit, but he never left his spot.]
It seemed Kane’s watch had also passed without incident.
Maybe he’d just been fussing with his belongings to kill the boredom.
Time passed as I talked with the sword spirits.
My next turn was the healer Hena’s.
I woke her and lay down again.
“Sleep well, Ivan.”
“Yes. Please work hard.”
Hena even bowed politely as she spoke.
I gripped my sword again and slipped back into a shallow sleep.
But this time I was more exhausted than before.
It was the hour when I should have been at my sleepiest, and my body, worn down by the forced march, could no longer hold on as firmly.
I woke less often to the sword spirits’ voices.
And then, at some point, I sank completely out.
How much time had passed?
[Invisible Sword: Hey! Wake up!]
[Quick-Draw Master: Don’t open your eyes or move—just come to your senses.]
[Invisible Sword: I knew it. I knew those childhood friends were up to something…!]
The sword spirits woke me in a panic.
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