Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Labyrinth 20th Floor (1)
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"Phew... It's gotten a bit tougher, but it's still manageable."
"Keeek!"
Labyrinth 19th floor.
I muttered to myself as I yanked out the venomous fangs of a massive spider trying to bite into my body with my bare hands.
Around me lay spiders already dying, their fangs pulled out and scattered everywhere.
-Spurt!
"Keeeeek!"
Ignoring the spider's struggles, I ripped out its last fang, then sliced open its belly with my sword, tore out the spinning gland that produced its silk, and finished it off.
These things relied mainly on their poison as a weapon, so they were actually easier to deal with than other 19th-floor monsters like Giant Mantises or Giga Centipedes.
"Hmm... Should I head to the 20th floor?"
I'd come this far to test the limits of my newly boosted strength, planning to go as deep as I could. Reaching the 19th floor without much trouble and having the 20th right ahead made me hesitate a little.
Just like how the 9th and 10th floors had a big difficulty jump, I'd heard the 20th was way harder than the 19th...
"Still, now that I'm here, I should at least take down an ogre."
The 20th floor had various monsters, but the most iconic one was undoubtedly the ogre. Sometimes called an ogre, but mostly referred to as such—this beast.
If you could slay an ogre on your own power, you'd be treated as a true powerhouse anywhere you went. It was a symbol for adventurers who'd reached a certain level.
And if I could take down an ogre... with my power alone?
"Alright, let's go."
I steeled my resolve and set off to find the portal to the 20th floor of the Labyrinth.
If it looked too tough in a fight, I'd bail right away. I was confident I could escape if things got dicey.
Well, up until now, there hadn't been any real problems... No, don't think like that.
These kinds of thoughts always jinx it.
*******
The 20th floor of the Labyrinth was most famous for ogres, but there was another monster with fame that rivaled them.
"Woooorrr!"
A black creature that looked just like a wolf but ran on two legs like a human leaped down from a tree and charged at me.
I immediately deployed an illusion with [Illusion Magic], but...
"Sniff sniff... Grrr!"
The werewolf quickly sniffed around, ignoring the visible enemy and lunging straight toward where the scent was coming from.
-Slash!
"Yelp!"
As I watched the wolf slash at empty air, I swung my sword and severed its waist.
This [Illusion Magic] was pretty great. Combining it with [Sensory Block] and [Sensory Amplification] let me fool even monsters with keen senses of smell like this. Good thing I took it down before it could call for its pack.
As I pulled out the werewolf's fangs, I scanned the forest around me.
My original goal had been to hunt an ogre on the 20th floor, but while I'd spotted werewolves and Elder Ents, I hadn't seen a single ogre.
"Hm... Not as hard as I thought."
Once [Sensory Block] hit level 6, not a single monster I'd encountered up to the 20th floor could resist it. Honestly, there was nothing tough about it. As long as [Sensory Block] worked, it was practically a sure-kill move.
That said, I was trying to conserve [Sensory Block] as much as possible right now. Because...
"Not here?"
"Nothing here either!"
As I gathered the werewolf's corpse, voices echoed from the forest again.
Not wanting to get tangled with other adventurers, I quickly stuffed the useful byproducts into my inventory, climbed a tree, and activated [Stealth]. Soon after, a group of adventurers pushed through the underbrush.
'Dwarves again.'
The standout thing was that every single one of them was a dwarf. The other group I'd seen earlier was dwarves too.
"Nothing?"
"Just a werewolf. And all the prime parts are already looted."
"Damn it... Should we just buy it with money?"
"You know all the materials are sold out right now? We have to get ogre hide somehow..."
'Ogre?'
Listening to the dwarves chatter among themselves, it seemed they were after an ogre too.
Ogres were tough to hunt, but incredibly useful once you got them—lots of requests for their hides and hearts. It wasn't strange they'd target them...
-Rustle.
"What was that?"
"Everyone, hold—Huh? You there, are you blunt?"
"Hm? Bran? What are you doing here... Whoa! Don't tell me you're after an ogre too?"
"You too? Tch!"
Another rustle from the bushes, and yet another group of adventurers emerged. Dwarves again. They seemed to know each other, chatting casually, and from their conversation, they were hunting ogres too.
'What's going on? Why are there so many dwarves? And they're all after ogres.'
Dwarves were usually seen in the commercial districts, especially around forges. Running into them in the Labyrinth was rare, but today they were everywhere.
I'd activated [Lust Absorption] on Vivian and rushed straight into the Labyrinth in my excitement. Maybe I should've checked what was happening on the surface first.
"Argh, seriously! These bastards! Treating me like crap just 'cause I'm a half-breed!"
'That voice...?'
While keeping [Stealth] active to avoid the other adventurers, a familiar hysterical shout rang out from somewhere in the forest.
Sure enough, when I approached, there was a brown-haired half-dwarf woman I recognized, heavily armored and complaining alongside two male party members who looked like her companions.
"They said let's hunt together! One ogre's enough for all five of us! Why exclude me? Bunch of idiots! Weaker than me!"
"Miranda, calm down."
As expected, it was Miranda, the half-dwarf woman I knew.
The two men—one a priest, the other a wizard—tried soothing her anger. I'd heard she sometimes entered the Labyrinth for materials, but the 20th floor? Impressive, even with a party.
"Hm...? Who's there!"
The wizard manning up to Miranda finally noticed my presence under [Stealth], drawing his staff and aiming it my way.
Sorry, but you're off by a mile. And your reaction's way too slow. Should I at least praise you for sensing me?
"Don't be so on guard. I just came over because I heard a familiar voice."
"Oh, not over here... Ahem. Whoever you are, don't come any closer..."
"Eh? Ian?"
The other party members stayed wary, but Miranda spotted me with a mix of delight and caution, greeting me. Once she recognized me, the two men slowly lowered their weapons, vigilance intact.
"What, you already made it to the 20th floor? Impressive."
"Speak for yourself, Miranda. Aren't you a blacksmith? Didn't expect you on the 20th."
"To be a proper blacksmith in Labyrinth City, you gotta hit the 21st. Good ores there... Anyway, hold on. If you've been active on the 20th, have you seen an ogre?"
"Nah, seems like they've dried up."
"!!$#%!*"
Looks like Miranda was hunting ogres too. When I said I hadn't seen any, she started foaming at the mouth.
"What's the deal? Tons of dwarves pouring in, all hunting ogres."
"Allow me to explain."
I'd asked Miranda, but the wizard—who'd been eyeing me suspiciously—stepped between us.
He glared at me warily, but it felt less like enemy caution and more like... Ah.
'This guy's got a crush on Miranda.'
Glancing between Miranda and me, his eyes full of ulterior motives when looking at her. I could guess his thoughts. Tsk tsk. Sorry, but Miranda's already...
...Not something to brag about? It was basically getting her drunk and forcing it.
Still, I was curious, so I listened to the man's explanation.
"Soon, the 'Festival of Fire' begins. Also called the 'Trial of Fire'."
"Festival of Fire?"
"Yes. You know most dwarves worship the God of Fire, right?"
The dwarf cleric I'd met before served the God of Fire too. I vaguely recalled hearing he was also the god of blacksmiths...
"The Festival of Fire is hosted by the high priest of the Fire Temple, the dwarves' greatest artisan, and one of the Labyrinth Guild's eight council seats: 'God's Hammer' Vulcan. Dwarves prepare materials during the prep period, then forge their finest gear from those during the festival and submit it to the temple. Vulcan evaluates them."
Council seat... Yeah, one of the eight was a dwarf blacksmith, but this was my first time hearing about the festival. From the explanation, it didn't happen often.
"Mid-level blacksmiths can advance to 'advanced' if they earn Vulcan's approval. That's why everyone's scrambling for materials. Ogre byproducts are top-tier for mid-level smiths, so all the leatherworkers are after ogres."
Hm... So basically a blacksmith competition disguised as a festival? No wonder the requests were double before I entered— all material gathering quests.
But Miranda's a half-dwarf—does she participate? Guess she does, given her effort.
"Ha... Get it now? If you're here for an ogre, give up. Some guys are camping the 20th floor just for them during prep."
"How long's the prep period?"
"A week? Been two days since we entered... Five left, I guess."
Five days... Damn, too bad. Wanted to try an ogre since I'm here. Guess after the festival...
-Thud! Thud!
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
As I chatted with Miranda's party from a safe distance, the ground rumbled with massive footsteps from deep in the forest, accompanied by voices.
"An ogre...?"
"Let's go. Ian, if you need the forge, come after the festival! I'll be busy! Oh, and rematch next time! I was buzzed last time—that's why I lost!"
At the sound of the footsteps, Miranda hurriedly said goodbye, leading her party toward the noise.
'...Should I check it out?'
Miranda left after her farewell, but I was tempted too.
I'd come to the 20th specifically to hunt an ogre. Might not kill it, but I should at least see its face up close.
Let's see... Sound's that way. [Detection] skill... Hm?
'...What? Two of them?'
[Detection] was acting weird. Felt like one, then two... What gives? Directions matched the sound, and the level 5 effect showed approximate strength... Hm...
'...They're hunting these?'
...Are dwarves way stronger than I thought? Or do they have special hunting methods?
Maybe I was too cocky. At this strength, solo would've been tough anyway. Guess I'll watch how the dwarves hunt.