Chapter 12: Second Floor (2)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 12: Second Floor (2)

I had almost expected the portal to appear here. It was obvious.

The fact that I had run into the blond's team, a group of top-class adventurers, was a strong indication that the portal to the second floor was located in the direction I had originally come from. That was why I had followed the bloodstain with confidence.

But I hadn't expected it to turn out this way. To think there had been a portal less than ten yards from my starting position.

"You're kidding."

Memories of crawling through these halls on three legs unfolded before me like a panorama.

How unlucky can I be? A few steps in the opposite direction, and I would have activated the portal and secured a light source. Had I done that, I could have avoided that damn trap!

"Mister, please speak to me. Don't just make that scary face. If I did something wrong, I'll fix it..."

What is she talking about? Oh, it's because of me. That's annoying, let's just make up an excuse.

"Don't worry. I was just reminded of something that happened earlier."

"Oh..."

Erwen looked at me and seemed relieved. Then, her gaze shifted to pity. I couldn't believe it.

The bloodstains, the pieces of bread, the sandals, and the look on my face. Had she inferred what had happened during my first day in the labyrinth from these details alone?

"I'm sure this person is in a better place now."

Of course she hadn't. I had had faith in her.

"Yeah... thanks."

Judging from what she had said, she probably thought I was mourning the death of a comrade. But I didn't feel the need to correct her. It was too long a story to explain. Mostly, if I started talking about it, I felt like my rage would get the best of me.

So I decided to just bury it away.

"Are you ready to go upstairs?"

"Honestly, I'm still scared, but for some reason, I feel like I won't die if I'm with you."

Then again, this woman had a strange way of dragging out simple sentences. Just say "yes" if that's what you mean.

"Then let's go."

"Okay..."

The moment I entered the portal with Erwen, our surroundings were dyed a pure white not unlike the light that was emitted from a monitor.

Flash!

[00:57]

It had only been four days since I had entered the labyrinth.

[You have entered the Goblin Forest on the second floor.]

And I had reached the second floor.

***

If anyone asked me how I felt right now, I'd answer like this: I feel like I just got spat out of the mouth of a giant frog who was using me as a chew toy.

"Ahh!"

Our bodies flew through the air like we had bounced off something. I didn't scream out loud like Erwen, but in terms of outcome, she was a lot better off than me.

Thud!

While I landed on my butt with a blunt thump, Erwen quickly regained her balance and landed without a problem.

"Wow, that was a surprise. My sisters didn't tell me about that."

I was realizing once again how physically fit this woman was. She had an agility that a barbarian could never have.

"Mister, is this the second floor?"

"Yes."

"Um, I never heard anyone mention it's a forest. Are you sure?"

"Perhaps the information you heard was referring to another second floor."

"Another second floor?"

Do elves not share information about the labyrinth with each other? Why don't you know this?

"There are four portals on the first floor—one in the east, another in the west, another in the south, and another in the north—and each connects to a different region."

"Ah, I think I did hear about that!"

...I guess she just forgot.

As I looked at her like a hopeless fool, Erwen, startled, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh! The third floor! I heard that no matter which route you take on the second floor, everything is connected again on the third floor. Right?"

It seemed like she wanted to show off her knowledge. When I nodded back approvingly, Erwen smiled with satisfaction. Slowly, I was getting a sense of how to deal with her.

"Now, what do we do?"

"Wait. I'm thinking."

First, I carefully studied the terrain. It was necessary to note which things were different from the game and which were the same. Things that couldn't be seen through a monitor. For example, the fact that we had just flown about three yards while jumping through the portal.

"Hmm."

First, I scanned our surroundings once more.

Behind us was a portal that could be used to go down to the first floor at any time, and there were no living creatures within a radius of about fifty yards. Well, I couldn't speak for what was in the trees beyond the field.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Quiet."

The second floor was a forest map. The surrounding area was as dark as night, but thanks to the lights scattered in the sky like the Milky Way, visibility was secured... to a certain extent. It was about as bright as an alleyway without the street lights. However, even as time passed and it became daytime, it would not get any brighter. After all, this was a labyrinth, and the thing above us was not actually the sky, but a high ceiling. However, there were floors where the sky and sun really did exist.

"Let's move slowly."

"Pardon? Where are we going?"

"To explore the nearby area."

I had mapped out a rough plan back on the first floor. However, there were a few things that needed to be confirmed to determine whether this plan would actually work. So, I started with what I could see...

Bam—!

Erwen was startled when I suddenly swung my hammer at a tree on the outskirts of the clearing.

"What—what are you doing?"

"Checking to see if it is possible to knock down a tree."

"Why are you checking that?"

"I was thinking of building a barricade around the portal."

"Oh, I see."

Only then did Erwen nod her head in agreement. It was very annoying to have to answer each of her questions.

"Wow, that was a surprise. My sisters didn't tell me about that."

I was realizing once again how physically fit this woman was. She had an agility that a barbarian could never have.

"Mister, is this the second floor?"

"Yes."

"Um, I never heard anyone mention it's a forest. Are you sure?"

"Perhaps the information you heard was referring to another second floor."

"Another second floor?"

Do elves not share information about the labyrinth with each other? Why don't you know this?

"There are four portals on the first floor—one in the east, another in the west, another in the south, and another in the north—and each connects to a different region."

"Ah, I think I did hear about that!"

...I guess she just forgot.

As I looked at her like a hopeless fool, Erwen, startled, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh! The third floor! I heard that no matter which route you take on the second floor, everything is connected again on the third floor. Right?"

It seemed like she wanted to show off her knowledge. When I nodded back approvingly, Erwen smiled with satisfaction. Slowly, I was getting a sense of how to deal with her.

"Now, what do we do?"

"Wait. I'm thinking."

First, I carefully studied the terrain. It was necessary to note which things were different from the game and which were the same. Things that couldn't be seen through a monitor. For example, the fact that we had just flown about three yards while jumping through the portal.

"Hmm."

First, I scanned our surroundings once more.

Behind us was a portal that could be used to go down to the first floor at any time, and there were no living creatures within a radius of about fifty yards. Well, I couldn't speak for what was in the trees beyond the field.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Quiet."

The second floor was a forest map. The surrounding area was as dark as night, but thanks to the lights scattered in the sky like the Milky Way, visibility was secured... to a certain extent. It was about as bright as an alleyway without the street lights. However, even as time passed and it became daytime, it would not get any brighter. After all, this was a labyrinth, and the thing above us was not actually the sky, but a high ceiling. However, there were floors where the sky and sun really did exist.

"Let's move slowly."

"Pardon? Where are we going?"

"To explore the nearby area."

I had mapped out a rough plan back on the first floor. However, there were a few things that needed to be confirmed to determine whether this plan would actually work. So, I started with what I could see...

Bam—!

Erwen was startled when I suddenly swung my hammer at a tree on the outskirts of the clearing.

"What—what are you doing?"

"Checking to see if it is possible to knock down a tree."

"Why are you checking that?"

"I was thinking of building a barricade around the portal."

"Oh, I see."

Only then did Erwen nod her head in agreement. It was very annoying to have to answer each of her questions.

"Anyway, I'm giving up on that plan."

Erwen didn't ask why because she had eyes too. Even after I had hit the tree with all my might, the tree bark was just slightly chipped.

How was this a tree? It was more like a boulder.

"So, what's the next plan?"

"Search this area as planned. And from now on, you take the lead."

"...Me?"

I decided not to take any more questions.

"Your job is to go ahead of me and find traps. And pay attention to potential enemies and be on the lookout as much as possible. You have these two jobs."

"...You want to divide up the work. All right."

Surprisingly, Erwen accepted the role assigned to her without complaint. So why was I disappointed? Was it because I had already planned what I would say to convince her?

"I forgot how much I missed being in a forest until we arrived. Even though the only things in this forest are monsters."

Erwen walked through the forest, saying things I couldn't relate to at all.

"Ah, there don't seem to be any traps, but just in case, please follow in my footsteps."

What was this? Suddenly, I felt reassured that this woman was here. She was even taking big strides forward, like she wasn't afraid of traps. Before long, Erwen murmured something.

"It's a trap."

It was invisible to my eyes.

"Look over there and you will see something hidden under the leaves," she said.

But no matter how she tried to describe it, it was invisible to me.

A moment later, Erwen looked at me as if to say, "Why can't you see this?" and threw a stone.

Clamp—!

She was right. How could she have detected that from that distance when it was so dark? Even though I had already known that she had a detection ability as an elf, seeing it with my own two eyes was fascinating. There was a reason why she could walk forward so confidently.

"What do you think?"

"You seem to be good at throwing stones."

"...Is that all?"

"What else do you need?"

Erwen's shoulders, which had been lifted in anticipation, drooped down. This was the perfect time to give her a carrot. Subtle, so as not to be too obvious.

"Finding traps was an ability I was expecting you to have from the beginning. You are already a full-fledged adventurer. Don't get too excited about something this basic."

"Hmmm..."

Although she feigned nonchalance, I could clearly see the slight twitch of her shoulders from the back. Thanks to that, I knew I had gotten the hang of this. I just had to deal with her like this from now on.

"Are you saying that I'm at least pulling my weight? As a full-fledged adventurer?"

"Yes."

The mana stone distribution was still nine-to-one. But the variation of the "every warrior must do their share" motto that my chieftain particularly seemed to favor had worked out better than I expected.

"But it's strange. No matter how hard I listen for them, it doesn't seem like there are goblins here."

That was to be expected. The second floor was different from the first floor. Goblins were not always nearby just because there was a trap. It was easier to view the traps on the second floor simply as a part of the landscape.

"Anyway, I'm giving up on that plan."

Erwen didn't ask why because she had eyes too. Even after I had hit the tree with all my might, the tree bark was just slightly chipped.

How was this a tree? It was more like a boulder.

"So, what's the next plan?"

"Search this area as planned. And from now on, you take the lead."

"...Me?"

I decided not to take any more questions.

"Your job is to go ahead of me and find traps. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pay attention to potential enemies and be on the lookout as much as possible. You have these two jobs."

"...You want to divide up the work. All right."

Surprisingly, Erwen accepted the role assigned to her without complaint. So why was I disappointed? Was it because I had already planned what I would say to convince her?

"I forgot how much I missed being in a forest until we arrived. Even though the only things in this forest are monsters."

Erwen walked through the forest, saying things I couldn't relate to at all.

"Ah, there don't seem to be any traps, but just in case, please follow in my footsteps."

What was this? Suddenly, I felt reassured that this woman was here. She was even taking big strides forward, like she wasn't afraid of traps. Before long, Erwen murmured something.

"It's a trap."

It was invisible to my eyes.

"Look over there and you will see something hidden under the leaves," she said.

But no matter how she tried to describe it, it was invisible to me.

A moment later, Erwen looked at me as if to say, "Why can't you see this?" and threw a stone.

Clamp—!

She was right. How could she have detected that from that distance when it was so dark? Even though I had already known that she had a detection ability as an elf, seeing it with my own two eyes was fascinating. There was a reason why she could walk forward so confidently.

"What do you think?"

"You seem to be good at throwing stones."

"...Is that all?"

"What else do you need?"

Erwen's shoulders, which had been lifted in anticipation, drooped down. This was the perfect time to give her a carrot. Subtle, so as not to be too obvious.

"Finding traps was an ability I was expecting you to have from the beginning. You are already a full-fledged adventurer. Don't get too excited about something this basic."

"Hmmm..."

Although she feigned nonchalance, I could clearly see the slight twitch of her shoulders from the back. Thanks to that, I knew I had gotten the hang of this. I just had to deal with her like this from now on.

"Are you saying that I'm at least pulling my weight? As a full-fledged adventurer?"

"Yes."

The mana stone distribution was still nine-to-one. But the variation of the "every warrior must do their share" motto that my chieftain particularly seemed to favor had worked out better than I expected.

"But it's strange. No matter how hard I listen for them, it doesn't seem like there are goblins here."

That was to be expected. The second floor was different from the first floor. Goblins were not always nearby just because there was a trap. It was easier to view the traps on the second floor simply as a part of the landscape.

"Stop chatting and focus."

"Okay."

I refocused on our peaceful surroundings and scoured the area. The place where we currently were had been called the "Goblin Forest" in the game.

The other key characteristic of this area, other than the traps, was that goblins appeared in groups of fifteen or so. Occasionally, variations of goblins, such as goblin swordsmen or goblin archers, also appeared. Of course, the number of variants increased in the outskirts, and higher-rank monsters appeared as well. But that was something we didn't have to worry too much about, as we were only going to cover the area near the portal.

"There is nothing nearby for now."

We finished searching a radius of about two hundred yards around the portal.

There were countless traps, but no goblins to be found.

"What should we do?"

"First, we disable all of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the traps in this area and gradually increase our range."

We slowly expanded our territory by disabling traps using stones thrown from a distance. This would allow us to, in the case of danger, escape to the first floor. If we stepped on a trap while running away, there would be trouble.

Once we had expanded our radius to over five hundred yards, Erwen stopped moving and whispered, "Mister."

I held my breath too.

"It's a group of goblins."

"How many?"

"I don't know. There definitely seems to be over ten..."

"Distance?"

"About fifty yards. I don't think they've noticed we're here yet. What do we do?"

Isn't that obvious?

"Fight," I said confidently.

Erwen didn't argue. Although it was a little scary, she also knew that there was no choice but to fight. After all, if she hadn't wanted to fight, she shouldn't have entered the labyrinth in the first place.

"How much closer can we get without being detected?"

"I think I can go thirty yards on my own. Anything more than that will be too close. Goblins have a more sensitive sense of smell than I thought."

"I see."

After a brief deliberation, I decided to go ahead with the plan I had mentioned earlier. At this, Erwen also slowly walked through the bushes in the direction of the goblins.

That was the advantage of being an elf. It was amazing that she didn't so much as rustle a leaf while walking through the bushes.

"..."

Soon, Erwen stopped advancing. Then she glanced back at me. When I nodded, she turned around, nocked an arrow on the bow, and shot it.

Swiiish.

Was it a bullseye? I didn't know. It was so far away that I couldn't even hear the arrow hitting the target. I hoped she had pierced their foreheads again.

Thud, thud, thud.

Once the arrow was fired, I ran straight to Erwen.

"Grk?!"

"Grghghgh!"

Even as the goblins rushed toward her in a frenzy, Erwen calmly prepared the second arrow.

Whiiishh!

I thought so every time, but the speed at which she shot her arrows was insane. I hadn't noticed these little things while playing the game.

Thunk—!

A goblin that was running forward fell. It got hit in the neck, not the forehead.

Well, even if she were an elf, it must have been difficult to accurately hit a moving creature from a distance.

"Erwen, step back."

"Okay!"

Erwen stepped back without hesitation and disappeared from my line of sight. Now, all I could see were the goblins rushing toward me. The number was three times the number of the goblins on the first floor.

They may have just been goblins, but they were a little daunting in numbers like this... But surprisingly, I felt no fear.

Instead...

Babum-babum-babum.

The warrior's heart in this body pounded aggressively and sparked a rage in my head.

"Grk, Grk!"

"Grghghgh!"

Hearing the menacing, howling shouts of numerous goblins, I shouted back, "SPARTAAA—!"

Bring it on, assholes!

"Stop chatting and focus."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Okay."

I refocused on our peaceful surroundings and scoured the area. The place where we currently were had been called the "Goblin Forest" in the game.

The other key characteristic of this area, other than the traps, was that goblins appeared in groups of fifteen or so. Occasionally, variations of goblins, such as goblin swordsmen or goblin archers, also appeared. Of course, the number of variants increased in the outskirts, and higher-rank monsters appeared as well. But that was something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we didn't have to worry too much about, as we were only going to cover the area near the portal.

"There is nothing nearby for now."

We finished searching a radius of about two hundred yards around the portal.

There were countless traps, but no goblins to be found.

"What should we do?"

"First, we disable all of the traps in this area and gradually increase our range."

We slowly expanded our territory by disabling traps using stones thrown from a distance. This would allow us to, in the case of danger, escape to the first floor. If we stepped on a trap while running away, there would be trouble.

Once we had expanded our radius to over five hundred yards, Erwen stopped moving and whispered, "Mister."

I held my breath too.

"It's a group of goblins."

"How many?"

"I don't know. There definitely seems to be over ten..."

"Distance?"

"About fifty yards. I don't think they've noticed we're here yet. What do we do?"

Isn't that obvious?

"Fight," I said confidently.

Erwen didn't argue. Although it was a little scary, she also knew that there was no choice but to fight. After all, if she hadn't wanted to fight, she shouldn't have entered the labyrinth in the first place.

"How much closer can we get without being detected?"

"I think I can go thirty yards on my own. Anything more than that will be too close. Goblins have a more sensitive sense of smell than I thought."

"I see."

After a brief deliberation, I decided to go ahead with the plan I had mentioned earlier. At this, Erwen also slowly walked through the bushes in the direction of the goblins.

That was the advantage of being an elf. It was amazing that she didn't so much as rustle a leaf while walking through the bushes.

"..."

Soon, Erwen stopped advancing. Then she glanced back at me. When I nodded, she turned around, nocked an arrow on the bow, and shot it.

Swiiish.

Was it a bullseye? I didn't know. It was so far away that I couldn't even hear the arrow hitting the target. I hoped she had pierced their foreheads again.

Thud, thud, thud.

Once the arrow was fired, I ran straight to Erwen.

"Grk?!"

"Grghghgh!"

Even as the goblins rushed toward her in a frenzy, Erwen calmly prepared the second arrow.

Whiiishh!

I thought so every time, but the speed at which she shot her arrows was insane. I hadn't noticed these little things while playing the game.

Thunk—!

A goblin that was running forward fell. It got hit in the neck, not the forehead.

Well, even if she were an elf, it must have been difficult to accurately hit a moving creature from a distance.

"Erwen, step back."

"Okay!"

Erwen stepped back without hesitation and disappeared from my line of sight. Now, all I could see were the goblins rushing toward me. The number was three times the number of the goblins on the first floor.

They may have just been goblins, but they were a little daunting in numbers like this... But surprisingly, I felt no fear.

Instead...

Babum-babum-babum.

The warrior's heart in this body pounded aggressively and sparked a rage in my head.

"Grk, Grk!"

"Grghghgh!"

Hearing the menacing, howling shouts of numerous goblins, I shouted back, "SPARTAAA—!"

Bring it on, assholes!