Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Knife-Ears
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Knife-Ears.
A chilling sensation washed over me.
What I could see was a dimly lit cave.
For some reason, faint lights flickered in the distance.
'It's not like there's an opening somewhere.'
The space was a long cavern made of black rocks.
There were a few other peculiarities.
We'd arrived here with so many people, but now our team was the only one around.
"Unlike entering the Labyrinth normally, you get randomly dropped on the first floor."
Maybe she sensed my confusion.
Ermé spoke up.
"The Labyrinth is a place where time and space are all jumbled up. It's because of the being down in its depths—its very existence twists everything like that."
Very quietly.
Ermé gazed down toward the depths with a sinister smile.
'Its existence alone does that?'
What kind of monster was that?
But then.
I eyed Ermé with suspicion.
'How does she even know that?'
Was it just common knowledge among Hero candidates?
If I became one, would I learn it too?
But my gut told me that info was shady and dangerous.
And ever since possessing this body, my instincts had rarely steered me wrong.
'I absolutely won't become one.'
I silently reaffirmed my resolve to avoid becoming a Hero candidate when Ermé spoke up.
"First off..."
At the same time.
A faint presence stirred.
I immediately nocked an arrow and aimed toward it.
"Yuseong?"
"...Sharp instincts, kid. We're just passing through, so you can lower your guard."
A group emerged from the darkness.
There were five of them.
'Armored guy, axe on his back, woman with a bow, priestess woman, and a robed mage.'
Every one of them outclassed me by miles.
They could kill me in an instant. Cold sweat trickled down my back on reflex.
"What, Rohan? Been slacking on the Labyrinth lately and lost your edge?"
"Nah, I've still got it. Passed a bunch of scrubs on the way here."
"Fair point. Maybe this one's got exceptional senses?"
"Talent for the rear guard, I guess."
The axe-wielder stared at me before casually adding,
"If you wanna join our clan, look for the one with this emblem."
"...Dawnbreaker Clan!"
When he flashed a crimson circle, Marcel the glasses guy gasped in shock.
"How could the Dawnbreaker Clan be here...? No, even for a prestigious clan like yours, why take on someone like him?"
Ignoring Marcel's glasses adjustment and protests, I lowered my bow.
Aiming at them with arrows wouldn't scare them anyway.
'No need to stay on guard.'
If they meant harm, we'd be wiped out in seconds.
"Oh, I knew you looked familiar. You're that cocky newbie from the guild earlier."
"Ah, the gutsy rookie?"
The priestess woman eyed me up and down.
She was stunning enough to make your eyes pop.
'Not quite Lucia level.'
But she held her own in looks.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
"I like guys with spirit. Newbies these days lack it."
"That's your problem. Anyway, let's move."
"Right. We didn't come here to dawdle."
At Rohan's words, the group melted back into the shadows and vanished.
"That's the famous Shadow Step of the Dusk Wanderers."
"What a great Gift."
Ermé muttered enviously at Marcel's remark.
But she quickly clapped her hands and said,
"More importantly, let's hurry. The others are already moving."
"Yeah."
Teresa nodded blankly.
I agreed too.
We picked up the pace.
At the same time, Ermé spoke.
"First things first, as I said earlier: our lives come first. Report anything suspicious to me or Han Yuseong immediately."
"Yeah."
"Of course."
"......"
Why me?
I'd never been in a Labyrinth before.
'Eh, just dump it all on Ermé.'
Ermé ignored my look and continued.
"Next, stay cautious even with other adventurers. The Labyrinth isn't just dangerous from monsters. And if I give this signal, jump into combat or ambush right away."
"......Isn't that overkill?"
"Marcel, you're underestimating the Labyrinth. It's a bottomless pit that swallows everything. Sometimes you gotta strike first to save our party. I'll judge rationally, of course."
"......Got it for now."
Marcel nodded in agreement.
We walked a bit longer.
Subtle presences flickered ahead.
I raised my hand to halt the group.
"Something up ahead."
"How many?"
"Four......no, five. One's hiding."
"Ambush? Could be goblin archers."
Ermé drew a sword.
I readied my bow.
"Kill the one in back first?"
"Yeah, handle it."
Kreeeak.
I nocked an arrow and targeted the hidden presence behind us.
A blue line appeared before my eyes.
'......Innate Combat Sense (B).'
I knew instantly that was where my arrow needed to go.
So this was what weapon mastery felt like.
It felt even stranger than practicing with the dwarf's bow yesterday.
I aimed and released.
'Hit.'
Even as the arrow flew, certainty filled me. I swiftly drew my sword and charged forward.
Thunk!
Before they could react, an arrow pierced a goblin's head.
"Nice."
Ermé dashed ahead with those words.
Teresa followed. I drew my sword too.
Ermé closed in on the goblins in a flash and kicked the nearest one.
"Kreek!"
She slashed another's throat.
Meanwhile, Teresa bashed an approaching goblin with her mace.
I targeted the one coming at me.
Green-skinned, ragged, like a decrepit old man.
I couldn't read its expression, but desperation filled it.
'Am I the weakest-looking one?'
I swung my sword.
The blue line guided it straight through the goblin's neck.
"Whoa, clean kill."
Teresa gave me a thumbs-up.
"......Well, this is awkward."
Marcel pushed up his glasses with a troubled look.
"A party where the support enchanter worries about spacing with three frontliners......"
"Less whining, more looting?"
Ermé scolded him.
Marcel quietly gathered the drops.
'Just goblin ears and a magic stone, though.'
Only one stone, even. Worth one silver coin, right?
'Ears for mage research.'
Labyrinth work might be easier farming than I thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Killing goblins was easy.
Each time, something inside me filled up bit by bit.
'Experience points?'
It invigorated me too.
'......Status window.'
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 3 💨 Agility: 3 ✨ Magic Power: 3 💪 Stamina: 3 🧠 Mentality: 3 👁️ Senses: 3 ◈ Gifts • -Rogue Mastery (S), Plunder (S), Fatal Constitution (A), Innate Combat Sense (B)
◈ Skills
• -Hidden Space (B)
'When did this go up?'
I'd felt my body changing, but.
No sense of triple strength.
'Still pretty strong now.'
At least double my starting point.
Funny how I could gauge it intuitively.
'Rogue Mastery......'
It even let me compare changes easily to my old self.
This thing could do almost anything.
After a few more goblins, I sensed faint presences.
'......Trailing us.'
Someone shadowing us.
They were heading our way.
"Been feeling it for a bit. Someone's tailing us."
"Tailing?"
Ermé glanced back but frowned.
"Nothing......but if you say so, Yuseong, it's probably true. Scavengers, maybe."
Ermé drew her sword.
Teresa and Marcel prepped for battle.
"Let me show you why support enchanters are so prized by frontliners."
Marcel adjusted his glasses and aimed his staff at us.
Faint star-like motes settled on our bodies.
'Oh.'
My body felt lighter. A bit stronger too.
This was a support enchanter's power.
Buffs for the team.
"Yuseong, how many?"
"Ten. Two groups of five, a bit separated."
"Five......Scavengers are predictable, but no point dodging."
No one raised their hand to flee.
Everyone burned with battle lust.
"Teresa guards Marcel. Yuseong and I hit the enemy. Best formation."
"Heh, I can handle myself. Don't worry."
Marcel said, pushing up his glasses.
Ermé and I nodded.
As we finished prepping and stifled our presences for a sneak attack.
Clack clack.
A five-man party approached us.
'Weak.'
First impression.
Three frontliners, one mage-ish, one archer.
I used Rogue Mastery to melt into the shadows and quietly nocked an arrow.
"......! Where'd they go?"
"They were right here! Did they notice?"
The five panicked.
Ermé stepped out toward them.
"Hey, Scavengers."
She greeted them like that, then slashed the front warrior's throat.
Just like that? No talk?
I gritted my teeth.
Right. This was the barbaric era I'd have to survive.
Staying calm amid the shock, I nocked and aimed.
Target: the archer eyeing Ermé.
My arrow pierced the archer's throat from the dark.
"Harun!"
A desperate cry. I revealed myself and charged.
Target.
'Mage.'
Frail body, no loot value, fragile if interrupted.
'But one hit could turn the tide.'
So, the mage.
But Ermé urgently stopped me mid-charge.
"W-Wait! They're knife-ears!"
"Knife-ears!?"
The area erupted in shock at Ermé's shout.
Knife-ears?
I turned at the familiar slur and saw beauties whose eyes might pop out.
At the same time.
The group trailing us appeared.
Already eight of them.
Smug expressions......Huh?
The reactions were off.
"Knife-ears here?!"
"Damn it, isn't this a treaty violation?!"
"Run!"
Our attackers turned to flee.
'......What?'
Even Ermé and Marcel acted weird.
Teresa's fierce face twisted in horror.
"Those lunatics in the Labyrinth......!"
"Oh, today's the day they start, huh."
Ermé scowled hard and yelled,
"Everyone, run!"
Even Ermé broke off her attack to reposition.
What the hell were these guys?
"Men! We found men!"
"Kill all the women! Rape the men!!"
"......"
The elves charged us, screaming that.