031. Centaurs
Beyond the giant door, expansive fields stretched out.
We'd definitely exited the cave, but I wasn't sure if this counted as outside the labyrinth.
"Clown. Is this place outside the labyrinth by any chance?"
[Kirik? Outside the labyrinth? What are you talking about?]
The clown tilted its head, eyes screaming that it was the dumbest question ever.
[To leave the labyrinth, you have to pass through the black portal. There's no other way. Kirik.]
The black portal must mean the dark portal. I asked the clown again.
"So this is still inside the labyrinth, right?"
[What a weird question. Of course this is the labyrinth.]
This world's name was the Ancient Labyrinth. "Outside the labyrinth" meant outside the world itself.
The clown added that explanation.
"Looks like my initial assumption was right."
Just as I'd guessed on day one. This was a world with no space beyond the labyrinth.
After sorting my thoughts for a moment, I scrapped the plan to find a dimensional mage for returning to Earth.
That left three options: Become the labyrinth's dominator. Find a monster that handles dimensional magic. Or buy a return ticket.
Return tickets were absurdly expensive, but since vending machines had varying ticket prices, there was still hope.
[Geontlet... You planning to go back to your original world...?]
The psycho clown asked with a gloomy face. It had apparently read my mind.
"Why'd you use mind reading without permission?"
[Kirik. Sorry. Your face looked so dark, I just used it out of worry for a second.]
I let the unauthorized mind reading slide. It was out of concern, after all.
The clown asked again if I planned to return to my original world.
But it wasn't me who answered—it was Rise.
"Of course Geontlet Gong has to go back. No one can leave their homeland and live here forever."
[Kirik...]
The clown and all the other monsters' faces darkened.
Seeing that made my mind race.
If I did return, what would happen to the tamed monsters?
Success would probably strip my explorer status. Both return and escape tickets noted loss of explorer qualifications.
Would these guys revert to wild labyrinth monsters? Or maybe...
They might stay here forever, sadly waiting for me to come back. Tamed monsters weren't like those dominated—they were different.
Of course I'd return. But abandoning the tamed monsters tugged at me a bit.
Was there a way to keep explorer status and travel freely between worlds? It'd be nice to pop in occasionally to check on them.
...Who knows.
I shook my head and dropped the thought. No need to worry yet. Find a way back first—deal with the rest later.
I strolled across the endless fields, gazing up at the blue sky. High above, a sphere brightly illuminated the world.
It wasn't the sun. Hard to tell from the distance, but it seemed like some kind of monster. The clouds probably were too.
The sphere's maybe S-grade... clouds around A-grade.
Nerfed threat levels, no doubt. Actual dangers: SSS-grade and SS-grade.
Third SSS-grade I'd encountered in my life.
Still can't get used to it. Who has monsters just floating in the sky like that's normal?
Unbelievable. No wonder this was the worst labyrinth ever.
At least they don't seem hostile. Small mercy.
They ignored us completely. Like their only purpose was floating up there—no threats to ground-dwellers.
So we ignored them too. Better avoid flying and piss them off.
Just pretend they're not monsters. Normal sun and clouds.
That was better for my sanity.
Current time: 19:00. No drifters spotted yet.
Clown said we'd need to travel much farther.
As we kept moving...
[Shiiiik!]
Monster encounter.
It was a Pigking.
The Pigking was no threat. Our nerfed power: one A-grade, four B-grades. No contest.
[Pii!]
Jellyfish-002 stepped up proudly.
I grabbed Jellyfish-002's tentacle and pulled it back.
"Jellyfish. Not your opponent. Stand down."
[Pii...]
Jellyfish and Pigking were evenly matched. No need for a tense fight.
But unnecessary. Black Magma Slime could handle it solo like last time.
"Masl. Don't kill—just melt its legs so it can't move."
[Seung!]
Black Magma Slime-003 charged at the Pigking.
"Dog Spider, when it loses its legs and falls, spray a ton of silk to bind it."
[Sii!]
Dog Spider-001 started prepping silk balls.
Next.
"Jellyfish, cast float and haste on this."
[Piii!]
I cast float on the severed arm I'd pulled out, then focused to levitate it.
Prep done. I looked ahead again.
[Shh, shiiiik!!!]
The legless Pigking had already collapsed. Fight over.
Proof of Black Magma Slime-003's strength. This was hunting, not combat.
[Siii.]
Dog Spider-001 bound the Pigking tight with silk.
Setup complete. Time to test.
"Later. First, check if this hand works."
Stealth taming with the severed arm could wait for the right moment.
I placed my hand—not attached to my body, the third one—on the Pigking's red spot.
I watched the spot closely. Red was slowly turning green.
"...Good, it works. Slow like Poison Apple—full of hostility—but it's changing."
No big deal. That's why I extended the arm.
For hostile monsters: bind 'em, slap the hand on the spot, come back later. Done.
No arm limit, no getting tied down during taming.
"Only on itself, I bet."
Not sure, so I asked Clown: Can you mind control others?
The clown shook its head.
[Kirik. Can't use on this one. Mind control only works on weaker foes than me.]
"So almost no one in this labyrinth."
[Right. Everything here's equal or stronger. Only drifters are weaker.]
As we chatted near the Pigking...
"Geontlet Gong! Something's approaching from that direction!"
Out of nowhere, Rise pointed and shouted.
I followed his gaze. On the horizon: five silhouettes.
They charged at us with insane speed. In a few blinks, they were right there.
Human upper body, horse lower. Centaurs, as Ppuru-ru said.
But not ordinary ones. All B-grade nerfed—actual S-grade threat.
Regular centaurs weren't that strong, from what I'd seen.
They kept distance, exchanging glances and talking among themselves.
[...It's definite.]
[An explorer, for sure.]
[Not a dominator, though.]
As they nodded and chatted, our monsters went on guard, blocking me and glaring fiercely.
Sensing the hostility, one centaur stepped forward from the group and shouted.
[Please wait a moment!]
Ah. Up close, not all centaurs—one was female.
A Centauride, the female variant. S-grade actual threat, not your average one.
The centauride locked eyes with me directly.
[We're not your enemies, explorer! We're here to help you!]
Help me? Why? As I opened my mouth to ask...
She shouted louder.
[Our mother was an explorer who came to this labyrinth from another world too!]