Chapter 116: Reunion (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 116: Reunion (4)

Erwen Fornacci di Tersia was currently in the Witch's Forest with her older sister, Daria.

"Ugh... I'm so dizzy..."

"Once you get used to it, it will be fine. When you do, concentrate on the sounds around you."

The reason she'd entered the Witch's Forest after hunting on the third floor for a while was simple. Lately, she'd been training as a scout. So she was using the last day before the labyrinth closed to enter the Witch's Forest.

"Even if you don't become a professional scout, you'll have to know how to find your way to the fourth floor."

"Ugh..."

Her older sister was a skilled navigator, so she had already inherited the knowledge and know-how to find her way on the lower floors by herself. However, the Witch's Forest was different, a special terrain where you could only navigate by relying on your senses.

"So, do you think you can hear it?"

Erwen followed her sister's instructions and focused on the sounds she could hear. Other races had to specialize in a specific ability, whether it was smell or sight, to avoid getting lost in the Witch's Forest.

Thump!

However, elves, who naturally had enhanced hearing, didn't have to do that. Although it would be difficult—which was the norm, according to her sister—any one of them could find their way to the fourth floor.

Thump!

As soon as she closed her eyes and listened, she noticed faint sounds that she hadn't before—the blade-like whoosh of the wind, the resulting sway of the branches, the howling of monsters, the clang of sharp weapons, and so on. Examining them one by one, she was able to pinpoint a distinctly alien sound.

Thump!

A heavy thud, like a beating heart. This must have been the thrum of mana that her sister was talking about.

"Over there..."

When she pointed in the direction of the sound, Daria smiled proudly. "Good job. Shall we go, then?"

Erwen continued to focus on the sound and found her way. There were times when she didn't sense a monster approaching because she was too absorbed in her task, but her sister helped her out every time so it wasn't a problem. After traveling like that for a long while, the hum of the mana grew louder.

Thump!

It was now loud enough to roar in her ears without her deliberately focusing on it. She decided to stop concentrating on the sound.

"You did well, Rotmiller."

Erwen frowned at the sudden voice. She didn't know who Rotmiller was, but... "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

That voice was familiar. It was a sharp yet warm voice... similar to one she missed.

Could it be...?

Though she didn't think it was possible, Erwen's legs were already moving in the direction of the speaker.

"Erwen? Where...? Stop—!" Daria called out behind her, but she continued forward as if possessed.

About a minute passed. A wide-open space appeared before her, revealing a huge tower hidden in the forest. A group of adventurers stood in front of it: one dwarf, two humans, one beastwoman... and one barbarian.

Of course, he looked completely different from the person in her memory. He was wearing the shiny armor of an experienced adventurer, and his shield was much larger and more extravagant. Plus, because he was wearing a helmet, his face wasn't visible.

"M-Mister?!" But Erwen instinctively sensed it. It was that man. "Mister!"

A second too late, she shouted so loud that the entire forest echoed with the sound, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but the barbarian did not look back. His body had already been half inside the portal when she spotted him, and now he had completely disappeared. So Erwen ran, intending to follow him and enter the portal right away.

"Erwen!"

Her speed now was incomparable to how it used to be back on the first floor, but she was soon stopped by her sister. "Let me go! I have to go—"

"Snap out of it!"

"That person is—"

"Don't be so stubborn. You didn't even see his face properly."

Erwen went silent. She was belatedly realizing how she must have looked. "I... I know. But I can just tell!"

"And if it isn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him? The fourth floor is dangerous for a two-person team. And you don't even know what kind of people we might be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠following."

"Th-that's..."

Erwen hadn't even considered that because she was already convinced she was right. However, she did not have the confidence to explain this feeling in her heart to her older sister. She was about to do something rash and shake off Daria's grip when the color of the portal changed to red.

"N-No...!"

Now, even if she entered the portal, she wouldn't be able to go where those people had gone.

"Why! Why did you stop me?!"

"Because I had to! Didn't I tell you that if you follow someone up to the fourth floor, they might think you're a looter?"

"But... that was Mister...!" Erwen pursed her lips. A wave of anger surged up from deep within her heart, but she let out a long breath and came to her senses.

Yeah, it's okay. At least I know he's alive...

For now, she decided to be content with that. If she hadn't been mistaken just then, and if he really was alive...

I can see him again soon.

Surely, they'd meet again.

***

[You have entered the Tower of Heavens on the fourth floor.]

What was that? That voice? It seemed to be calling me... Could it be Erwen?

I jolted. The only person who called me Mister was her. However, that would be a little improbable.

Could a coincidence like that really happen?

After somehow managing to reunite with my fellow team members in this huge labyrinth, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was difficult to imagine such a coincidence happening again. It must have just been a conversation between other adventurers. Anyway, it was nothing to worry about right now.

"Bjorn, what are you doing? Come on, get moving!"

The Tower of Heavens was about 1,400 square feet, and there was a stone chamber with a tightly sealed door on each wall. This was the first trial you had to face right upon entry. In other words, waves of monsters were already coming straight for us.

"Kyaaagh!"

Seven rank-nine, three rank-eight, and one rank-seven monster. Monsters that normally appeared on the third floor attacked us in random groups regardless of their habitat. This was why I used to call this place the Tower of Training in the game. Because there were so many types of monsters, it was easy to get experience points, and you could deal with combinations you'd never seen before.

"M-Mister?!" But Erwen instinctively sensed it. It was that man. "Mister!"

A second too late, she shouted so loud that the entire forest echoed with the sound, but the barbarian did not look back. His body had already been half inside the portal when she spotted him, and now he had completely disappeared. So Erwen ran, intending to follow him and enter the portal right away.

"Erwen!"

Her speed now was incomparable to how it used to be back on the first floor, but she was soon stopped by her sister. "Let me go! I have to go—"

"Snap out of it!"

"That person is—"

"Don't be so stubborn. You didn't even see his face properly."

Erwen went silent. She was belatedly realizing how she must have looked. "I... I know. But I can just tell!"

"And if it isn't him? The fourth floor is dangerous for a two-person team. And you don't even know what kind of people we might be following."

"Th-that's..."

Erwen hadn't even considered that because she was already convinced she was right. However, she did not have the confidence to explain this feeling in her heart to her older sister. She was about to do something rash and shake off Daria's grip when the color of the portal changed to red.

"N-No...!"

Now, even if she entered the portal, she wouldn't be able to go where those people had gone.

"Why! Why did you stop me?!"

"Because I had to! Didn't I tell you that if you follow someone up to the fourth floor, they might think you're a looter?"

"But... that was Mister...!" Erwen pursed her lips. A wave of anger surged up from deep within her heart, but she let out a long breath and came to her senses.

Yeah, it's okay. At least I know he's alive...

For now, she decided to be content with that. If she hadn't been mistaken just then, and if he really was alive...

I can see him again soon.

Surely, they'd meet again.

***

[You have entered the Tower of Heavens on the fourth floor.]

What was that? That voice? It seemed to be calling me... Could it be Erwen?

I jolted. The only person who called me Mister was her. However, that would be a little improbable.

Could a coincidence like that really happen?

After somehow managing to reunite with my fellow team members in this huge labyrinth, it was difficult to imagine such a coincidence happening again. It must have just been a conversation between other adventurers. Anyway, it was nothing to worry about right now.

"Bjorn, what are you doing? Come on, get moving!"

The Tower of Heavens was about 1,400 square feet, and there was a stone chamber with a tightly sealed door on each wall. This was the first trial you had to face right upon entry. In other words, waves of monsters were already coming straight for us.

"Kyaaagh!"

Seven rank-nine, three rank-eight, and one rank-seven monster. Monsters that normally appeared on the third floor attacked us in random groups regardless of their habitat. This was why I used to call this place the Tower of Training in the game. Because there were so many types of monsters, it was easy to get experience points, and you could deal with combinations you'd never seen before.

An Orc Sorcerer, a Stone Golem, Living Armor, and a Dullahan.

Right from the jump, we were met with an odd combination.

[Living Armor has cast Armor Boost.]

The Living Armor was draped over the Dullahan's body, almost like it was using it as a host.

[Orc Sorcerer has cast Frenzy. Dullahan's physical resistance increases by 3 times for 10 seconds.]

The Dullahan, which already had a ridiculously high physical resistance, pretty much became steel. The Stone Golem used Suppression to dispense debuffs in the meantime.

"Behelahhh!"

While Missha and Rotmiller were clearing out the rank-nine trash, Hikurod and I created a shield wall to block the Dullahan. It was a strong combination, but with two tanks, it was easy to manage.

Even having high physical resistance doesn't mean much to us.

Our main damage dealers were Dwalkie and Missha. Dwalkie was a wizard, which went without saying, but Missha was now on a proper ice route, which raised her cold damage dramatically.

I was busy acting as a meat shield when the battle ended a moment later. The dwarf cocked his head. "Um, was this always this easy?"

"I guess we've all gotten strongerrr!"

"Haha, that was a new spell I learned just now. What do you think?"

Initially, no matter how strong a tank was, it wasn't outwardly obvious. On the other hand, damage dealers exhibited obvious growth. As for the scout... Well, they were treated as non-combatants.

"Ahem."

It was safe to say that the scout had done his job just by bringing us to our destination in time. It wasn't just monsters that appeared on the fourth floor.

[The trial has been completed.]

Soon after all the monsters died, the tightly closed doors opened wide. Each door had a unique design engraved on it: Courage, Wisdom, Fate, and Patience. Normally, I would have opened the Stairway of Courage and fought a random monster.

"Since we don't have much time, it would be better to climb the floors quickly."

However, we decided to take the Stairway of Wisdom for now. The Tower of Heavens's difficulty increased each time you passed a trial, but the Stairway of Wisdom was a route where you could climb all its floors in one go. With our combat power, we'd have to reach the twentieth floor before we got any real hunting in.

[You have chosen the Stairway of Wisdom.]

For that reason, we walked through the abyss-like darkness. The path was complicated. There were traps, and monsters appeared occasionally, but none of it was dangerous with our professional scout, Rotmiller, with us.

Bam!

When we reached the sixth floor in about an hour, the door we came through shut behind us and monsters attacked. Unlike on the first floor, there were three rank-sevens, but none of our enemies were particularly dangerous. And unlike before, the combination was also on the more mediocre side.

"Hmm, I don't think there is an option to take the Stairway of Wisdom this time."

After finishing up our hunt, we had no choice but to take the Stairway of Courage. Fate had too many variables, and Patience... everyone shook their heads at that in unison.

We'd be more at ease fighting a few more monsters.

In this reality, trials of Patience were trials to avoid. They brought back memories of being hot, cold, sad, and really messed up.

[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]

Anyway, we climbed the stairs and reached the seventh floor. A monster appeared and that was it. The battle ended with ease, but there was no sign of the tightly closed doors opening. That was to be expected. If you chose Courage, you had to wait four hours even after killing all the monsters.

"Now then, let's take a break and recharge our courage again!"

We were tired from running through the Witch's Forest so, ignoring the dwarf's joke, we took a break without any regrets. There was no need for a night watch. The monsters here did not respawn, and once the color of the portal changed, other adventurers could not enter behind us.

"Haha, then let's go!"

After sleeping for four hours, we woke up and took the Stairway of Wisdom again as we climbed the tower. Soon enough, we reached the twelfth floor. But what was this?

"Gaaah!"

We froze as we saw the monster sitting alone in the center of the stone chamber.

Thump!

It had a large body that was over thirteen feet tall, huge fangs protruding from its mouth, gray-white leather covering its bulky muscles, and a hunched back with wide, deformed shoulder bones.

"A T-Troll...?"

"Why is that thing here?"

A Troll was classified as a top-notch bastard among rank-five monsters. If Death Fiends were notorious for flattening newbies, this bastard played the role of keyboard smasher for mid-level gamers.

Why is this asshole here?

I also had quite a few memories of slamming my fists down on my keyboard because of this bastard. As the memories came to me, so did the curses. "Goddamn it."

No wonder things had been going so smoothly since meeting Hans. Was this why?

Fuck, I didn't know it was going to be a monster this time.

In the labyrinth, plunderers weren't the only thing you had to look out for.

An Orc Sorcerer, a Stone Golem, Living Armor, and a Dullahan.

Right from the jump, we were met with an odd combination.

[Living Armor has cast Armor Boost.]

The Living Armor was draped over the Dullahan's body, almost like it was using it as a host.

[Orc Sorcerer has cast Frenzy. Dullahan's physical resistance increases by 3 times for 10 seconds.]

The Dullahan, which already had a ridiculously high physical resistance, pretty much became steel. The Stone Golem used Suppression to dispense debuffs in the meantime.

"Behelahhh!"

While Missha and Rotmiller were clearing out the rank-nine trash, Hikurod and I created a shield wall to block the Dullahan. It was a strong combination, but with two tanks, it was easy to manage.

Even having high physical resistance doesn't mean much to us.

Our main damage dealers were Dwalkie and Missha. Dwalkie was a wizard, which went without saying, but Missha was now on a proper ice route, which raised her cold damage dramatically.

I was busy acting as a meat shield when the battle ended a moment later. The dwarf cocked his head. "Um, was this always this easy?"

"I guess we've all gotten strongerrr!"

"Haha, that was a new spell I learned just now. What do you think?"

Initially, no matter how strong a tank was, it wasn't outwardly obvious. On the other hand, damage dealers exhibited obvious growth. As for the scout... Well, they were treated as non-combatants.

"Ahem."

It was safe to say that the scout had done his job just by bringing us to our destination in time. It wasn't just monsters that appeared on the fourth floor.

[The trial has been completed.]

Soon after all the monsters died, the tightly closed doors opened wide. Each door had a unique design engraved on it: Courage, Wisdom, Fate, and Patience. Normally, I would have opened the Stairway of Courage and fought a random monster.

"Since we don't have much time, it would be better to climb the floors quickly."

However, we decided to take the Stairway of Wisdom for now. The Tower of Heavens's difficulty increased each time you passed a trial, but the Stairway of Wisdom was a route where you could climb all its floors in one go. With our combat power, we'd have to reach the twentieth floor before we got any real hunting in.

[You have chosen the Stairway of Wisdom.]

For that reason, we walked through the abyss-like darkness. The path was complicated. There were traps, and monsters appeared occasionally, but none of it was dangerous with our professional scout, Rotmiller, with us.

Bam!

When we reached the sixth floor in about an hour, the door we came through shut behind us and monsters attacked. Unlike on the first floor, there were three rank-sevens, but none of our enemies were particularly dangerous. And unlike before, the combination was also on the more mediocre side.

"Hmm, I don't think there is an option to take the Stairway of Wisdom this time."

After finishing up our hunt, we had no choice but to take the Stairway of Courage. Fate had too many variables, and Patience... everyone shook their heads at that in unison.

We'd be more at ease fighting a few more monsters.

In this reality, trials of Patience were trials to avoid. They brought back memories of being hot, cold, sad, and really messed up.

[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]

Anyway, we climbed the stairs and reached the seventh floor. A monster appeared and that was it. The battle ended with ease, but there was no sign of the tightly closed doors opening. That was to be expected. If you chose Courage, you had to wait four hours even after killing all the monsters.

"Now then, let's take a break and recharge our courage again!"

We were tired from running through the Witch's Forest so, ignoring the dwarf's joke, we took a break without any regrets. There was no need for a night watch. The monsters here did not respawn, and once the color of the portal changed, other adventurers could not enter behind us.

"Haha, then let's go!"

After sleeping for four hours, we woke up and took the Stairway of Wisdom again as we climbed the tower. Soon enough, we reached the twelfth floor. But what was this?

"Gaaah!"

We froze as we saw the monster sitting alone in the center of the stone chamber.

Thump!

It had a large body that was over thirteen feet tall, huge fangs protruding from its mouth, gray-white leather covering its bulky muscles, and a hunched back with wide, deformed shoulder bones.

"A T-Troll...?"

"Why is that thing here?"

A Troll was classified as a top-notch bastard among rank-five monsters. If Death Fiends were notorious for flattening newbies, this bastard played the role of keyboard smasher for mid-level gamers.

Why is this asshole here?

I also had quite a few memories of slamming my fists down on my keyboard because of this bastard. As the memories came to me, so did the curses. "Goddamn it."

No wonder things had been going so smoothly since meeting Hans. Was this why?

Fuck, I didn't know it was going to be a monster this time.

In the labyrinth, plunderers weren't the only thing you had to look out for.