Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Labyrinth 9th Floor (2)
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We kept our tension high, waiting for the goblins to approach.
Redrick, shield raised, took point at the front, while Tral gripped his axe beside him, glaring into the darkness. Urn had already chanted a spell to summon spheres of fire, holding them at the ready to unleash at any moment. I nocked an arrow to my bowstring, eyes fixed on the direction from which the sounds were growing steadily closer.
-.....Ker.....Kerruk!
"Here they come!"
"Volcanic Shot!"
As soon as the sounds were close enough and the green shapes became visible, Urn fired off the fireballs he'd prepared.
-Kwaang!
"Krraaaah!"
The fireballs exploded, flooding the area with blinding light. At the same moment, Tral let out a booming shout and charged alongside Redrick toward the goblins. The sheer power surging through his body upon yelling suggested it wasn't just any ordinary battle cry.
I fired arrow after arrow in quick succession, keeping the enemies in check. Activating [Sensory Amplification] to heighten my vision, the dark cavern became familiar, and amid the cluster of green figures, I spotted one large goblin adorned with bone jewelry.
"Urn! Three o'clock! The one wearing jewelry!"
I called out the direction first since I'd spotted it. Urn swiftly began chanting another Volcanic Shot, but the moment I noticed the goblin, it flashed a chilling grin and mumbled something under its breath.
"!!! Not attack spells—protective wards!"
"Kerruk!"
Urn hurriedly canceled his chant and tried to cast a protective spell, but the goblin's bone staff glowed ominously, unleashing a wave of black miasma that engulfed the party.
"Khek! Ancestors!"
"!!!!"
The instant the miasma touched us, the entire party cried out in agony and collapsed. A hallucination...?
Just like when I'd eaten those poisonous mushrooms, my vision blurred, illusions flickered into view, my sense of balance vanished, and standing straight became impossible. The others were in the same state—Tral and Redrick slumped awkwardly, while Urn's interrupted chant backlashed, sending him sprawling.
"Keruk! Kerruk!"
The shaman cackled gleefully at our plight, and the goblins closed in on the defenseless party.
'[Sensory Block]. Block the hallucination.'
"What the—?"
"Keruk?"
Hallucinations were right up my alley—no attack spells involved. I'd tested this before, hadn't I? I shrugged off the illusion with [Sensory Block] and loosed an arrow straight at the complacent goblin shaman.
-Pshut!
"Keeek!"
Perfect hit. Even with my level 1 [Archery], a stationary, unaware target was easy pickings. It didn't drop dead, though—some protective ward must've been up, as the arrow sank in less than half as deep as it would have in a regular goblin.
"Hah!"
"Kuh... this sucks!"
The moment the arrow struck, the spell broke. The party snapped out of it and swung at the encroaching goblins. Tral's massive axe cleaved two in half with one swing.
"Bask in the flames!"
Regaining his wits, Urn belatedly cast protective wards over us. Ignoring the rest of the party, the shaman yanked the arrow from its cheek, bellowed in rage, and fixed me with a murderous glare.
It charged straight at me with clear intent to kill, mumbling another incantation instead of fleeing...
What're you staring at, you little goblin punk?
'[Sensory Block]. Block sight and pain sensation.'
Already well within skill range. I gifted the shaman the same treatment. Guess even shamans were still goblins at heart—the skill landed without issue.
As the blinded goblin let out panicked cries, I peppered it with more arrows. The ward held, so they didn't penetrate fully, but that worked in my favor, piling on just enough pain to keep the [Sensory Block] from breaking.
"Krraaaah!"
Soon, Tral burst through the goblin pack, roaring once more as he closed in on the shaman. Hearing it, the shaman reluctantly shifted targets to Tral, aiming its staff in the direction of the sound and preparing another spell.
'[Sensory Release]'
I couldn't see it happening, of course. In an instant, I unleashed all the accumulated pain on it, amplified further with [Sensory Amplification]. The result?
"...Kii....Kieeeek!"
"Wh-what?"
Tral froze in shock as the goblin convulsed and thrashed on the ground, screeching madly. Guess protective wards didn't block pain after all?
Still wary, Tral brought his axe down on the writhing shaman's neck. Unlike my arrows, the axe shattered its magic and severed the head in one blow.
"Keruk? Kerrruk!"
The moment the shaman's head rolled, the charging goblins halted en masse, then scattered in all directions. Without their leader, they weren't much threat, so we skipped the chase and mopped up the stragglers.
"Impressive, Ian."
After cleaning up the remnants and catching our breath, Tral approached and praised me. Looking closely, not just him—the whole party stared at me with admiring expressions.
"To shoot down a shaman under a hallucination spell... incredible mental fortitude and archery skill."
What were they on about...?
"Just luck."
"No way. Everyone knows how vicious hallucination spells are. Even top adventurers can be crippled instantly. Far deadlier than half-baked attack spells."
That so? With my [Sensory Block], hallucinations were way easier to handle than most.
Seeing I wasn't getting it, Redrick plopped down beside me for a fuller explanation.
"First time on the 8th floor, right?"
"Yeah."
"Goblin shamans aren't common there to begin with. Ones using hallucinations are especially rare. Most 8th-floor shamans stick to basic attack spells."
Not all goblin shamans used hallucinations, then. Urn, who'd been listening, chimed in.
"My apologies. I never imagined an 8th-floor shaman using hallucinations, so I couldn't cast protection in time."
"Hey... we're all safe, aren't we?"
"Ian, you're a finer warrior than I thought."
The constant praise was getting embarrassing. Not a bad feeling, though.
"Still, we need to stay sharp. A goblin shaman on the 8th floor... who saw that coming?"
"What could be worse than a goblin shaman? Nothing on the 9th even comes close. 10th floor, maybe."
"Fair point. Rest up, then let's move."
...Could you stop jinxing it like that?
"Ever fought uruks before?"
As we rested and headed to the 9th floor, I asked Redrick, who'd been chatty.
"Hunted some last time I partied up."
"What kind of monster?"
"Just... basic ones? Think bipedal pigs. Usually solo, sometimes pairs, so easy pickings. Their meat's popular, so requests come often. No special abilities—just brute force."
That's what Redrick had told me before descending. Usually alone, sometimes two.
But...
"What the hell? Why are they coming in threes?"
When we hit the 9th floor, we ran into uruks in groups of three. Pig-faced, walking upright, wielding crude stone clubs. Still, three was manageable for our party's strength, so we dispatched them swiftly.
"How many we need again?"
"Ten."
Grumbling, Redrick pulled a small knife and carved off some leg meat. If weight allowed, we'd take more parts, but to avoid overload, we stuck to the request minimum: leg sections. Labyrinth City's uruk dishes had tasted fine, but seeing them walk on two legs made it feel... off.
"Hunt fast, camp on the 8th."
Groups of three was weird, but we'd fill the quota quick. I scouted ahead, figuring we'd wrap up ASAP and bounce, that nagging unease aside.
"......Not many monsters around."
After the initial trio, we barely saw any. Caught some knolls, but no sign of our target uruks.
"Weird. We've covered enough ground to spot a few by now."
"Other adventurers snag 'em all?"
"Uruk hunts are popular, but the Labyrinth Guild caps requests... shouldn't be."
Redrick, who'd been to the 9th before, said uruks were the most common there. Seeing everything but uruks felt off.
First time for me, so I shrugged it off and kept using [Detection].
"Hm?"
"What is it, Ian?"
"I sense... an adventurer's presence."
"And?"
[Detection] pinged something. My amplified smell picked up human scent, not monster.
The issue? Only one presence on [Detection], plus a thick stench of blood hitting my nose.
Relaying this sobered the party; weapons came out.
We crept forward down the passage until we spotted...
A male elf adventurer, one arm severed, shambling toward us in horrific shape.
"......You alright there?"
Stunned silent by his state, Tral spoke first. The elf trudged on blankly, as if not hearing.
"Hey! You okay?"
Redrick called out at the eerie sight. Finally registering us, the elf's eyes cleared, and he spoke in a trembling voice.
"......Get out of here. Now."
"What? What's going on?"
"Troll."
"Troll?"
"A troll appeared."
Troll? That iconic fantasy beast? But I thought trolls were 10th floor...
"What? No way. Trolls don't show on the 9th."
"I don't know.... Came for uruk hunts, then it appeared out of nowhere. Lost an arm escaping. Worst luck—solo run today...."
"Need help?"
At our offer, the elf grimaced conflictedly, then shook his head.
"...Nah. I'm skilled enough to solo to the 9th. Can make it back one-armed."
Pride? Distrust? He warned us about the troll anyway, then brushed past toward the portal.
"...Troll? For real?"
"Doubt it, but we stay alert."
We mulled his parting words. Consensus: if true, our party couldn't take a troll.
"No uruks anyway—head back?"
Redrick pushed retreat for safety. No point risking death on a maybe.
"Hm.... Fail the request, and we pay penalties?"
Urn opposed. Quitting now meant failure, fines, and rep damage.
After hearing both, I proposed:
"Head to the portal first. Might spot uruks en route. Covers both bases."
Compromise accepted: retreat via portal, but scout for monsters along the way.
We turned toward the portal.
In the end, we did find uruks. A whole bunch.
-Crunch. Crunch.
"Grrrrrrr......"
And the massive monster devouring them.