Internal Strife
Enwol's oath bore fruit sooner than expected, bringing in a new recruit with surprising ease.
It was a position no one expected to handle more than menial tasks anyway, so there wasn't even a proper interview.
Perhaps because of that, Saintess Veronica ventured the question with a face full of concern.
"Is it really okay to decide this so hastily?"
At her words, all eyes naturally turned to Edelic, the party's leader as always.
Without a hint of hesitation, he summed up the situation matter-of-factly.
"He's a connection recommended by the palace, so his background checks out. No issues there."
"But still..."
Veronica trailed off, unable to finish.
As expected, this labyrinth expedition was no light test run—its difficulty demanded respect.
In the end, Kate, who had been listening, adjusted her bowstring and chimed in.
"Veronica, you've been like this since last time. Chris pulled it off, so what's the real worry?"
Under Kate's gaze, the newly recruited Giovanni gave an awkward smile, hefting his massive luggage pack.
"Y-Yes, exactly! I'll do my absolute best!"
The party's mood had already soured, freezing the conversation as the expedition lurched forward half-heartedly.
The chosen labyrinth was a high-difficulty zone.
Even seasoned parties needed meticulous preparation to clear it without risk.
In other words, the Hero Party was treating this expedition far too lightly.
Essentially, they were banking on their prior clear, approaching it without tension.
And that green judgment swiftly exacted its toll the moment they entered the labyrinth.
"Hm?"
Edelic, leading the way, suddenly halted.
A steel-tipped arrow shot out from the wall without warning, slicing the air.
Pssht!
Edelic reflexively gripped his holy sword's hilt and stepped back.
Reading its trajectory, he drew a sharp breath and shouted.
"Everyone, dodge—it's a trap!"
Edelic's reaction was quick, but not flawless.
Some gear got scraped in the avoidable attack, and their formation subtly disrupted.
Rosemary, at the rear, clutched her red hair and hugged her staff tight.
"What the hell was that out of nowhere?! There wasn't anything like this last time! Did the labyrinth layout change or something?!"
No one had a satisfying answer for Rosemary's question.
Kate, lips pursed, broke the silence, shoving her nicked longbow toward Giovanni with blatant irritation.
"Tch, whatever—fix the damaged gear first."
"Huh? That's impossible..."
"What, impossible?"
Kate's eyes narrowed, her cat tail bristling straight.
"You think you can spout that irresponsible crap as the baggage handler?"
Under her intimidation, Giovanni flinched, shoulders hunching.
His gaze dropped to the floor, voice shrinking further.
"B-But... even if you say it like it's obvious, it's really tricky. Repairing damaged gear in the middle of a labyrinth without tools? I'm just one guy."
"What...?"
Kate's carefree tail shot up rigidly.
She let out an incredulous laugh.
"Hah, so you can't just handle it smoothly? Chris fixed it without a peep."
She turned to Edelic.
"Right, Edelic?"
Eyes converged in an instant.
Edelic pinched his brow, as if tying up loose ends, and delivered a curt, dry verdict.
"Enough. Complaining about the porter's incompetence now is just a waste of time."
Edelic's cold stare pierced Giovanni.
Giovanni gripped his hands tight, looking like he wanted to crawl into his luggage.
But the compounding mishaps couldn't be pinned on one person's fault—they were spiraling.
Monsters encountered far sooner than anticipated.
Failed potion distribution.
Misread terrain overlapping their retreat path.
Soon, someone grumbled irritably.
"Why's everything so sloppy? Are the path markers even right?"
Gazes turned naturally to the baggage handler, Giovanni.
"And why's potion distribution this damn slow?"
At the growing complaints, Giovanni jerked his head up.
He swallowed dryly before managing to speak.
"Th-That... everyone's shares ran out ages ago, so I hesitated. Sorry..."
"Shares ran out? I barely used any."
"W-Well, Rosemary in the rear kept demanding mana potions..."
Eyes shifted to the rear.
Rosemary gripped her staff nonchalantly.
"Obviously? Do you know how much mana a big spell takes?"
No trace of apology in her attitude.
At that moment, Kate snorted derisively.
"Big spell? In a tight cave labyrinth? When did you even fire one off?"
Her cat tail twitched irritably.
Rosemary crossed her arms, puffing out her ample chest defiantly.
"Can you stop nitpicking now? I just did my usual thing."
"Ha, you're joking, right? So you've been blowing through potions like that the whole time? Total troll move."
"What did you say? Name one time my spells tanked an expedition."
"Feels like it's about to happen right freaking now."
"Both of you, calm down—"
As always, Veronica tried to mediate, stepping between them.
But her words cut short.
A faint tremor interrupted her token plea.
Rumble!
The ground shook, cracks splitting without warning as the floor collapsed.
The disrupted formation left Veronica's footing give way.
"Eek?!"
"Veronica—!"
Edelic lunged, but too late to reach.
The fissure crumbled in seconds, swallowing her into the darkness below.
"Aaaah!"
Her fading scream left only cracked earth and dust.
"..."
No one spoke.
Whoosh.
Just settling stone dust whispering past their ears.
Veronica's surroundings were pitch black, too dense to make out her own fingertips.
At least she hadn't passed on yet—delayed pain stabbed her side, curling her body.
"Ngh..."
Her ribs throbbed, something scraping inside with every deep breath.
Enduring, she probed her side.
Throb!
A light press nearly stopped her breath—it was shattered.
"...Ribs, two or three broken."
Her mutter dissolved into the dark, tempting her to just lie there.
But instinct kicked in.
This was a labyrinth.
And falling down meant—
"...Underground level."
Mana density thickened deeper in.
Density equaled monster rank.
Far fiercer beasts than above prowled here.
Encounter now? Survival odds weren't worth calculating.
But surrender wasn't an option. Veronica clasped her hands defiantly.
Her lips parted, warm light gathering at her fingertips.
"High Heal..."
A prayer-like whisper drew holy power into her.
Heat wrapped her broken ribs, spreading through her body.
Pain didn't vanish, bones didn't fully mend—but emergency stabilization held.
Recovering bit by bit, Veronica groped the wall to stand.
Rough stone under her palm outlined the space faintly.
Her eyes adjusting to the dark.
Narrow fissure-passage, fallen debris from above.
And a slope descending further.
The scene matched her fears. She dragged her feet forward.
As expected, each breath brought oppressive mana cloaking her.
'...This density is insane.'
Wondering what rank lurked nearby chilled her spine.
Then—
As she stepped—something rustled from the dark ahead.
Scrape.
Thud—
A heavy footfall neared, a black shape crawling forward, shoving shadows aside.
'It' was covered in coarse, dull black fur.
Low to the ground, thick long arms propped it, scythe-like claws scraping stone.
Veronica hastily summoned holy power.
But in the unprepared fight, her foot slipped.
"Ack!..."
She toppled, crashing down.
Raising her head slowly, she met monkey-like eyes.
Crescent-slit, clownishly warped—not a mere beast's.
Facing the monster, a name escaped her instinctively.
"...Ammo Black Monkey."
Known among adventurers as the 'underground guardian'—a mid-high rank 45 beast.
The Ammo Black Monkey circled slowly on all fours.
Each arm-plant crushed stone; its gaping maw revealed jagged, filthy teeth.
Not a tearing posture.
No rush to charge—it twisted its lips grotesquely.
Realizing its intent, Veronica gulped.
'This isn't about eating me...'
Like a bored predator toying with prey first.
Sure enough, a long arm extended lazily, hooking her hem before she could dodge—
Snag.
Like plucking a roadside bug, it lifted her effortlessly into the air.
"Nngh...!"
Her toes scraped empty air.
It didn't rip her apart.
Eye-level now, it shook her slowly, exhaling hot breath between teeth.
Huff.
The monster knew.
How helpless this tiny life was here.
Veronica, feeling it viscerally, trembled in spasms—a clear trickle ran down her thigh.
Drip.
The monster tilted its head, scanning her up and down.
Then its long, slimy tongue tip licked her thigh.
Smacking lips in satisfaction, a low, sticky growl leaked out.
"Keeek..."
As Veronica's despair peaked in her helpless torment—
Shing.
A black-haired boy appeared, loosely gripping a mana-sheathed iron sword, his cloak fluttering low.