Week 3 (3)
Week 3 (3)
—First, encounter with a single Owlgaze. Valerie dodges then one-turn kills with [Skill], defeated without taking damage.
—Second, four Shell Hoppers. Using Basiliki's [Call of Atonement] to strengthen Defense Dice with taunt light, tanked the leaking attacks and defeated without damage.
—Third, simultaneous encounter with Ursus and two Hounds. This one gave us a bit of trouble.
Ursus charges in with its stupidly massive health pool, while the Hounds dart around in the mid-line—can't ignore that either.
We eventually took them down, but Valerie's Life Token dropped to 13, and Desire stacked up to 14. Basiliki handled all other damage with timely skill use during combat.
"Hold on a sec, I'll heal the wounds right away..."
"No, let's push forward first. Dragging our feet here might bring reinforcements."
I stop Basiliki from finishing her heal on the wounded Valerie. Using recovery skills outside of combat is risky.
If you use skills with Recovery or Resolution keywords outside of battle, the effect applies normally, but you have to roll for reinforcements as a penalty.
Unless it's something super efficient like Basiliki's [Mercy Song] with a ton of stacked Prestige, it's better to hold off. Worst case, you remove one lump just to get another.
"Tch, finally feels like a real fight. Ugh, that hurts."
Valerie grumbled, clutching her shoulder bitten by the Hound.
She acts first about eight times out of ten, so she often ends up in a forward position ahead of even Ray. That draws concentrated enemy fire.
Her defense stats aren't generous either, so even with Basiliki's taunt covering her, one or two hits shred her Life Tokens.
Of course, she dishes out insane damage in return, so no complaints. If anything, she's worth protecting.
—Anyway, that makes four Event Nodes now. We've reached pretty deep.
The forest looked even more ominous than in the 1st Layer. Trees with pitch-black trunks giving off an eerie vibe grew denser, and the underbrush on the ground crept up unnoticed until it now reached thigh height.
"...Tch, walking's a pain."
Ray, leading the way, clicked his tongue in annoyance and muttered. I'd dressed properly, so it was just mildly inconvenient for me, but... for Ray in that getup, the tall grass brushing everywhere must feel shitty.
I glanced sideways without thinking to check on the others—then flinched again. Should be used to it by now, but it still startles me every time.
Basiliki, who hadn't allowed a single attack through all those fights, was still beaming as she stuck right to my side.
Even in the last clash with Ursus, she'd absorbed multiple attacks with extra Defense Dice and taunt from [Call of Atonement], yet she looked pristine.
"Why is it, Master-nim?"
She noticed my gaze and asked.
No doubt about it—a healer's presence is a huge boon to the party. Back then, Valerie's Life Tokens at that level would've meant preparing for death, or if we'd played it ultra-safe, turning back.
"No, just... you're amazing."
"Hehe, thank you. But taking care of fragile Non-Spirits like you all is my role. Haven't done anything worth praising yet."
...Still don't know how to handle that condescending gaze. But you can tell there's zero malice, so can't even call her out. That's when Kali's voice called from the rear guard.
"Hang on, Master-ssi. Check this out."
She suddenly dashed doot-doot-doot into the thick bushes, then squatted in front of some dark green-black vines. Curious, I looked closer—the plant tumbled at her feet was emitting faint mana glow.
"Found something?"
"Yeah, not just any mana-soaked weed, probably."
I halted the group and approached the crouching Kali. Whether she knew this pose highlighted her Restraints binding her body or not, she was just focused on digging.
My eyes flicked to her ass for a sec. The straps running between her legs inevitably sparked naughty thoughts... bluntly put, a super lewd pose.
"—Ah, this is it."
"Huh? —Oh, yeah."
Did I get too immersed appreciating it? I embarrassingly overreacted to Kali's mutter like an idiot, rubbing my nose bridge. Ignoring Basiliki tilting her head right next to me, I turned to the root Kali found.
"Master-ssi, look at this."
The root Kali held looked extraordinary at a glance.
Two organism-like roots side by side, linked as one by a thin rhizome. One clear light purple, the other deep blackish. The stem's surface had faint pulsing patterns etched in.
...Overall, it didn't look like a plant at all.
"It's called Bindroot. Also known as Connecting Root."
"What is it? Something valuable?"
"Precious material. A rare plant that only grows in places like this Labyrinth, constantly and abundantly soaking up mana, so supply is super limited."
The more I looked, the creepier it felt. I mean, it was clearly just a plant root, but it seemed to tremble slightly. Coming from this Labyrinth, no wonder it felt alien.
...And, saving face, I'd never say it out loud, but honestly... it looked like balls. I snuck a peek at Basiliki, but as expected, she blankly stared at it in Kali's hand with no reaction. Yeah, my issue.
"You have to harvest both bulbs together. Otherwise, they wither fast."
"These two are connected?"
To my slightly uneasy question, Kali nodded instead of answering, dusted off the Connecting Root or whatever, and carefully stowed it in the pouch on her waist.
"With this, I can make some pretty fun drugs."
"Fun... drugs?"
"Yeah, super popular ingredient in The Union or Ark City—raw material for meds that sell like hotcakes."
Kali straightened up with a meaningful smile. Now I'm curious. She easily read it on my face and beckoned slightly—like, lean in. I tilted my head toward her, and she went on tiptoes to whisper in my ear.
"Pills for nighttime fun...♥"
"...What?"
Talk about shattering the exploratory mood. I stared at her in shock, and she burst out laughing, patting my shoulder.
"As expected, Master-ssi's reactions are hilarious."
"Well, yeah... I get why it's popular."
If it's good for night stuff, folks flock to it—same on Earth or here. In the awkward vibe, I cleared my throat repeatedly as Kali explained further.
"Refine the components from Bindroot into pills—they fly off the shelves. Called 'Mental Synchronization Agent,' but... basically, two people take it, and it syncs some of their sensations."
"Aha."
Just from the explanation, I get the effect. Guy and girl each take one, sync sensations, then go at it. ...Honestly, fucking curious.
"...You selling it?"
"Dunno, maybe?"
I whispered low, and Kali smirked slyly.
"Thing is, with this raw material, normal recipes only extract tiny amounts. So, one root like this makes about one vial of pills?"
"Whoa."
One tiny pair of roots for a whole vial. How potent are the components? But sticking Labyrinth shit in your body ain't normal to begin with, so makes sense.
"Well, for such a sensitive material, selling it is... ugh, probably best. Processing's a hassle too."
Disappointing, but yeah. 'Extract tiny amounts' means it's not for home brewing. Better save it and sell when the time's right.
As I smacked my lips tch, Kali tilted her head and added,
"Hm? Oh, I can process it. Not that hard."
"Huh?"
"...Guess I haven't earned enough trust from Master-ssi?"
She asked like I'd never even considered it, her face subtly shifting. Well... thinking about it, I'd never seen her mix Nerve Sedatives with my own eyes. No clue how skilled a pharmacist she really is... until now.
"Congrats, Master-ssi. If provoking you was the goal, mission accomplished. I'll process this myself instead of selling."
"...Sorry about that."
Feeling needlessly guilty, I apologized quick, and her face bloomed into a smile like nothing happened. Probably just teasing.
"But in exchange, volunteer for clinical trials when it's done?"
"...S-Sure, whatever. I trust you, Kali-nim, yeah."
Half teasing, half not. She gonna use me as a guinea pig? My words came out with a limp. Feels light for putting my life on the line...
"Um, Kali-nim. Mind if I ask one thing?"
Then Basiliki, who'd been quietly watching, delicately raised her hand and spoke. Even now, it hits me how gentlemanly—lady-like?—she is for a Demidius. A normal spirit would've just blurted it out and clammed up, regardless.
Feeling a bit pleased, I waited for her question, and Kali nodded readily.
"It's been bothering me since we set out. Is that outfit... normal among Homo?"
What? I instantly wanted to tear my hair out. W-Well, yeah. She probably thinks she has no penalties, so seeing the other women like this feels weird...
Kali froze solid just like me, then barely recovered and started bullshitting.
"Ah, uh, this... yeah, there's a story. P-Please don't ask details..."
"But that outfit hugs the body so tight, emphasizing the chest and butt so much— Huh? Ah..."
I nudged her arm to signal, and Basiliki finally shut up. But she still looked unconvinced. Leaving gloomy Kali behind, Basiliki returned to position and whispered softly.
"Th-Truth is, Valerie-nim and Ray-nim too. One's going commando, the other's just in underwear—"
"—Master-nim, something up ahead?"
─Mid-question, Valerie's voice came from the front. Good timing. No way I could explain their states to Basiliki.
To do that, I'd have to start with how it's weird she's pressed so close, rubbing her tits against me subtly. Fuck, how do I even? Pretending not to hear, I turned to Valerie.
She'd scouted a bit ahead while waiting, tension on her face.
"Master-nim, think we need to get serious?"
Valerie nodded ahead. I followed her chin—same as 1st Layer, signs of the Floor Boss territory encroaching. Arrived faster than average again.
"Yeah, looks like it. Everyone, prepare. Slow advance from here."
—Time to hunt the Floor Boss. Kowabunga!