Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 5th Floor
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"Hoo."
After sending off Lea and Humphrey, I checked the elixirs I'd received as gifts.
『Dawn's Stamina Elixir』
— Consuming it increases Stamina stat by 5.
『Dawn's Mana Elixir』
— Consuming it increases Mana stat by 5.
The Dawn Guild makes these elixirs, right?
Better quality than I expected.
I downed them right away.
Gulp. Gulp.
They didn't bother much with the taste—tart and bitter, coating my mouth.
Once I'd drunk them all...
The Status Window popped up, letting me know the stats had been absorbed into my body.
Elixirs like these don't give extra effects if you drink duplicates of the same one.
Still, they were free.
I cleared away the empty glass and flopped onto the bed.
Beat the boss, rescued four people. Exhaustion hit after such a long day.
"...Tomorrow, I should head to the 5th floor."
For experience points, I needed to move up.
My level had risen a ton, so hunting on the 4th floor wasn't yielding much EXP anymore.
With my current specs, it shouldn't be a problem.
The next day.
Before heading to the dungeon, I went to the city hall to sell the mana stones piled up in my inventory.
"Ah! It's been ages, Rain!"
"Yeah. May."
The clerk, always full of energy, waved at me.
I approached her and handed over all the mana stones from my inventory.
"Wow... has your party grown? So many in just a week!"
"Something like that."
Even solo, a party's a party.
After a vague reply, I helped May—who was struggling with the bags of stones—load them onto the scale.
"All together... 1,230 platinum coins! Double the last time! Hold on just a sec!"
May ducked into the vault-like back room of the hall and came out with extra bags of platinum.
Soon, two heavy bags sat in front of me.
"Thanks."
I stashed the platinum bags in my inventory and left the city hall.
As I walked, I tidied my inventory a bit and checked my total platinum.
3,520 I'd saved up so far. 8,000 from yesterday. Plus 1,230 from just now. Total: 12,750 platinum coins.
A huge pile compared to the early days... but with all I had coming up, it still felt short.
Once the 4th Circle opened, I'd need to seriously start combining lower-tier spells.
Most of those spells could be bought from the Magic Tower or black market.
But they'd cost a fortune.
"Headache."
Still, being able to buy them all outright was a good spot to be in.
Without proper spellbooks, I'd have to go traveling to hunt down hidden NPCs.
Making spellbooks requires fully comprehending every aspect of the spell.
From the 3rd Circle on, that's brutally tough, so supply's always low.
They guzzle mana to craft, making mass production impossible.
No spellbook? Your only option's tracking down someone to teach you one-on-one.
"Anyway, time to go."
I grabbed a light packed lunch from the bustling market and headed for the dungeon.
The entrance was business as usual.
Knights lined up on either side, city guards watching the gate.
As I approached the gate, Guard Captain Den called out to me.
"Are you alright? Those four you rescued yesterday were in bad shape... but you look fine, Rain."
"Yeah. I just ran into them by chance. How are the others?"
"They're all getting treatment now. Serious mental contamination, but not fully taken over."
Good, all four survived.
"The priest's got strong mental fortitude, so he'll snap out of it soon... but the other three, no guarantees."
"I see."
"The guild master who came to greet them asked me to pass on his thanks. Said he'd love to meet you in person if possible. What do you think?"
Den gave me a sidelong glance. Probably about rewards...
I shook my head lightly to turn it down.
Rewards are nice, but I had higher priorities.
"Could you let me know when someone wakes up? I'll come by."
"...? Sure, got it."
He looked puzzled but nodded.
If someone woke up, I needed solid answers on how their party got into the hidden labyrinth.
And make sure their lips were sealed.
Better to hold off on rewards till I got confirmation.
A simple request from a benefactor who helped for free? They'd have to listen.
Extra pressure without saying a word.
Once confirmed, if they sweetened the reward... I'd happily take it.
"Alright then."
With that, I plunged into the dungeon.
Inside the dungeon, I found a quiet spot.
Then used the Designated Return Scroll to warp to the 4th floor hidden labyrinth.
『Designated Return Scroll: 4th Floor Hidden Labyrinth』
【Grade: Hero】
— Warp to a pre-designated location.
『Special: Usable in Underground Labyrinth Dungeon, Eternal Frost Lands, Temple of Chaos.』
Vrrr—
Each floor was so vast that climbing from 1F every time took half a day just to travel.
Now, warping to the hidden labyrinth cut travel time massively.
"A hidden spot like this is best."
Warping via scroll had subtle differences from passing through a gate.
Sharp eyes might notice.
From underground 4F on, teleportation magic and scrolls were completely blocked.
Only cash shop Designated Return Scrolls worked.
Eh, didn't matter much if someone caught on... but better to keep it under wraps.
I generously saved the 4th floor hidden labyrinth coords to the scroll, then exited it.
There.
"Hoo."
The familiar cemetery sprawled before me.
Even with less travel time, the floors themselves were huge.
It'd still take a while from here to the boss room.
- Woo woo...
I cleared out the approaching undead and hurried toward the boss room at a brisk pace.
How long had it been?
"Hm?"
Arriving at the 4th floor boss room, I spotted something off.
Simple wooden buildings inside the boss room.
People selling food and supplies from them.
Not just Azure Dragon Guild folks—mid and small guilds too.
A decent crowd hawking wares.
On the opposite side...
"No, why suddenly tear it down? The vice guild master's so unpredictable."
"Shh. She might hear. Lea's whims aren't new."
Dawn Guild members dismantling their building.
Not total demolition—they neatly stacked the wood in a corner.
Like they'd paused mid-renovation.
Reason? Obviously the boss that'd show up here.
They'd bought my warning.
"Ah, Rain."
Humphrey was out here too, spotting me and greeting warmly.
"Renovations?"
"Sort of. We planned to expand... but had to put it off."
Humphrey grinned sheepishly and continued.
"If a boss shows like you said... it'd be a disaster."
Fair point.
Boss appears, no building survives.
Vendor shacks on the other side? Mostly smashed too.
Felt kinda bad for causing hassle by killing the boss...
But this was different.
Couldn't just let those four who'd entered the hidden labyrinth first die.
Boss spawning was normal anyway.
At least they'd halted before dumping more cash in. Damage minimal.
"We'll pay the info reward as soon as it's confirmed."
"Yeah."
With that, Humphrey headed back to the Dawn building.
I slipped into the dungeon depths and found the gate to the 5th floor.
Jumped right in.
Vrrr—
A nauseating lurch, and the view flipped.
The underground 5th floor: walls covered in throbbing, dark red flesh.
Pulsing rhythmically like living organs.
Mental strength requirement here: minimum 200.
My mental strength was 300, so no immediate issues.
But it drained over time, so I had to manage it.
"Hoo..."
Deep breath, then I started forward slowly.
From 5F on, every monster was seriously threatening.
In trade, encounters dropped to almost nothing.
But... today's target was set.
Whispering Shellbugs.
The massive swarm monsters I'd met hunting the 1st floor boss.
Swarm nature meant fixed respawn spots.
Pinpoint 'em, and they were laughably easy to find.
I wove through the dungeon's quivering flesh walls to a massive room.
The biggest chamber I'd seen yet—and weirdly pitch-black.
Dungeon always had torches at intervals, no darkness...
But not a speck of light inside.
That meant one thing.
Bugs ahead, packed full.
"...Hoo."
I steeled myself and stepped in.
Reached the point where outside light cut off.
Thud—
Something huge hit the ground behind me.
At the same time.
Scritch scritch.
The eerie sound I'd not heard in ages spread through the room like an infection.
I pulled out a 2nd Circle Light scroll and used it.
Pop—
Bright light flooded the room...
And illuminated thousands of bugs devouring each other.
Shaka shaka shaka.
Low mental strength? I'd have lost it here.
"Come on."
I gripped my staff.
At that moment.
Flutter flutter—
The bugs filling the vast room beat their wings in unison.
...I really hate this.