Chapter 263: Bug (2)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 263: Bug (2)

This cave was covered wall to wall in brilliantly-glowing crystals, a place I'd been to many times in the past, but it felt unfamiliar today. Well, maybe that was only natural since it had been two months since I saw it last.

But the other factor must also play a role in that.

Scanning my surroundings, I swallowed my disappointment. First, unlike usual, there were only three of us. Also, while it wasn't as bright as broad daylight, the area we were in wasn't dark enough to require a separate torch.

"This isn't the dark area."

Simply put, the experience point copy bug was in fact locked. That meant it would be impossible for us to use the dimensional instability phenomenon to start in front of the portal to the second floor now.

"Do you know anything?" Pretending not to know what was going on, I asked Raven and she carefully came up with a guess.

"I did hear the palace recently put in a big commission to the Magic Tower. I didn't hear much because I haven't been around there these days... But now that I think about it, it might have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been a portal stabilization job."

Whew, so that really was what had stopped the bug. Still, Soul Queen had given me time to mentally prepare so I was able to quickly throw away any lingering regrets. Well, what could you do? We'd just have to go classic from now on. We had it easy for several months there, right?

"Let's get moving."

Taking a moment to examine the terrain at our starting point, I quickly took out the compass and tried to find our bearings. That was because the number of people entering the labyrinth this month wasn't that high. If we played our cards right, it might be possible for us to get EXP for opening a portal.

"Abman, summon Iron Bear. We're going to move a little faster than usual."

When Mr. Bear called out his summoned beast, Raven automatically got on top of it. "If only Miss Ainar was this soft..."

Oh, these wizards. They're way too used to riding things.

"Whooom!"

Anyway, as I took the lead and ran, Raven and Mr. Bear followed behind. Our formation had Mr. Bear positioned at the rear, as he was rather sturdy for a long-range damage dealer. Goblins weren't that much of a threat to me now, but still, you never knew. The most dangerous things in the labyrinth had always been the people.

It looks like there are no bastards from Noark for now...

At first, I was tense as I ran through the cave, but before long, I lowered my caution level one notch. We ran into several adventurers as we sped up, but most were lower-floor adventurers wearing low-ranking equipment. And even that number was small.

It might actually be possible to open the portal.

As time passed, hope gradually grew within me, but it was destroyed the moment I arrived at the start of the dark area.

"Looks like someone got here first."

A rank-nine mana stone was on the ground in front of us. It couldn't have been Missha's team who passed through here. Maybe Erwen could have led them here fast, but I never taught Missha and Ainar to be so wasteful.

"...Why are you picking it up?"

"A rank-nine mana stone is still a mana stone." Thinking of the day I crawled down this long passage on all fours, I couldn't accept throwing away a mana stone. Back then, this little mana stone had been my only hope.

"No, I meant I could pick it up with magic."

Oh, that's true.

Did that mean that the team that passed through here hadn't had a single wizard? At this speed, I had assumed whoever got here first had to be a top-tier team.

"Leait."

Instead of torches, we lit up the darkness with a light spell and continued running. After about forty minutes, a portal appeared. I hadn't been betting on it, but the portal had already been opened, just as I expected.

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

I left behind my disappointment and threw myself into the portal. Our agreement was to wait upstairs no matter who arrived first.

"...I felt this way in the cave earlier too, but this feels... strange."

"Right? Things were so intense back then."

The Goblin Forest was where bastards from Noark and Rafdonian adventurers had engaged in a bloody battle two months prior. But now, our surroundings were quiet and there was no one in sight.

"Looks like Missha's team isn't here yet, so let's take a break for a while."

After that, we had free time to look around and were able to find traces of people nearby.

"Looks like it's from the people who got here first. But why are you studying it so intently?"

"It's just bothering me."

"Uh, the fact that you're the one saying that is making me nervous, Mr. Yandel."

What was this kid talking about? "Don't just stand around, rest a little. The other team could show up at any time."

So we each took out our own chairs from sub-space and sat down. Occasionally, goblins approached us, but they did nothing to interrupt our break. Iron Bear could take care of them.

***

"Excuse me..." In a forest bathed in soft moonlight, a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties opened her mouth to complain. "Now that we're on the second floor and since there's no one around, can't we summon Yongyong?"

"No. With that size, it will surely leave tracks."

"Come on, Sis. Don't be like that. We're not the only summoners here, right?"

"Carmilla, stop it. Ms. Rainwales said no."

"Hey, Mister. You keep your mouth shut."

"Then stop acting up so I won't have to open my mouth. Why are you so tired, anyway? You were sitting on my shoulder the entire first floor too!"

"Ugh, you smell like a widower, okay? It's making my clothes smell. It's hurting my nose!"

"...What did you just say?" The warrior carrying the woman paused at the brutal verbal attack, but only for a moment. He let out a sigh that implied he was used to this treatment.

"Huh? What could I possibly say to you?"

"Then don't say anything in the first place!"

"Carmilla, I get you're sensitive these days, but stop acting like a child. You're not the only one on this mission."

"Ugh, you and your scolding..." The woman named Carmilla pouted. She wasn't pleased with this entire situation. "But why do we still have to carry out our mission, anyway? When everyone's left us behind to escape outside, what difference is killing that adventurer going to make?"

"No, I meant I could pick it up with magic."

Oh, that's true.

Did that mean that the team that passed through here hadn't had a single wizard? At this speed, I had assumed whoever got here first had to be a top-tier team.

"Leait."

Instead of torches, we lit up the darkness with a light spell and continued running. After about forty minutes, a portal appeared. I hadn't been betting on it, but the portal had already been opened, just as I expected.

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

I left behind my disappointment and threw myself into the portal. Our agreement was to wait upstairs no matter who arrived first.

"...I felt this way in the cave earlier too, but this feels... strange."

"Right? Things were so intense back then."

The Goblin Forest was where bastards from Noark and Rafdonian adventurers had engaged in a bloody battle two months prior. But now, our surroundings were quiet and there was no one in sight.

"Looks like Missha's team isn't here yet, so let's take a break for a while."

After that, we had free time to look around and were able to find traces of people nearby.

"Looks like it's from the people who got here first. But why are you studying it so intently?"

"It's just bothering me."

"Uh, the fact that you're the one saying that is making me nervous, Mr. Yandel."

What was this kid talking about? "Don't just stand around, rest a little. The other team could show up at any time."

So we each took out our own chairs from sub-space and sat down. Occasionally, goblins approached us, but they did nothing to interrupt our break. Iron Bear could take care of them.

***

"Excuse me..." In a forest bathed in soft moonlight, a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties opened her mouth to complain. "Now that we're on the second floor and since there's no one around, can't we summon Yongyong?"

"No. With that size, it will surely leave tracks."

"Come on, Sis. Don't be like that. We're not the only summoners here, right?"

"Carmilla, stop it. Ms. Rainwales said no."

"Hey, Mister. You keep your mouth shut."

"Then stop acting up so I won't have to open my mouth. Why are you so tired, anyway? You were sitting on my shoulder the entire first floor too!"

"Ugh, you smell like a widower, okay? It's making my clothes smell. It's hurting my nose!"

"...What did you just say?" The warrior carrying the woman paused at the brutal verbal attack, but only for a moment. He let out a sigh that implied he was used to this treatment.

"Huh? What could I possibly say to you?"

"Then don't say anything in the first place!"

"Carmilla, I get you're sensitive these days, but stop acting like a child. You're not the only one on this mission."

"Ugh, you and your scolding..." The woman named Carmilla pouted. She wasn't pleased with this entire situation. "But why do we still have to carry out our mission, anyway? When everyone's left us behind to escape outside, what difference is killing that adventurer going to make?"

"...I'm sure they have their own circumstances to worry about. They contacted us a few days ago."

"Oh, right. The call that cut off in ten seconds after they just said what they wanted to say?" Carmilla spoke caustically and the archer frowned.

"They asked us to be understanding about that. It's impossible to maintain a call for long because of the barrier. But they said they have a way to get us out too, so we just have to do our job—"

"How naive. You don't think that could be a lie?"

"...Then why did you come all this way, Miss Carmilla? Why not stay in the city?"

"That's..." Carmilla trailed off and bit her lip. How could she admit it? In truth, she had followed them because she had been too scared of how that woman would react if she made a fuss about not wanting to go.

Ugh, just what is happening?

Irritated for some reason, she returned her attention to the archer, her tone sharp. "Anyway, Nebarce. What happened to the Fallen Scholar? You were the one who was with him until the end."

"I told you. The Fallen Scholar was talking to that guy before he disappeared somewhere—"

"Everyone, stop."

When the woman clearing the way stopped walking, the archer also stopped and smoothed out his expression. "Amelia, is something wrong?"

"The trap set near the portal is gone."

"That means someone has come up to the second floor. Judging by the time, it must be a high-level adventurer... It could be that more adventurers have entered than we expected."

"Nebarce, any teams you can think of?"

"I'm not sure. But it can't be a large clan. They wouldn't make a move when things are still uncertain."

"I see."

Carmilla butted into the middle of their conversation. "But does it matter who it is? I don't know why you're all curious about that."

"...You're definitely not wrong." At her words, Amelia seemed to fall deep in thought for a moment. "But it's bothering me for some reason," she muttered.

"Sorry? What did you say?"

Amelia shook her head. "...It's nothing. Let's keep moving."

***

"Did you wait long, Mister? I'm sorry. It took some time because we ended up starting in the southern district."

After we waited about two hours in the forest, Missha's team arrived on the second floor and we quickly got moving. That was because while we had been waiting, more than ten teams passed us by.

It's not as empty as we thought.

The third-floor portal we eventually arrived at was, of course, already open. The same went for the one to the fourth floor, which took us six days to reach.

"But at least we can have a proper meal now."

Having spent the entire time running without proper food, we replenished our stamina as we cleared the fourth floor's trials. We were a team of six now, but our speed was slower than usual. That was because once you had six people or more, the difficulty of the trials increased. The fact that more monsters were spawning was great, but in the case of the Trial of Wisdom, where you had to pass through a maze, the map got even bigger and it ate up a lot more time.

I guess race still plays a role. She's definitely better at finding the way than I am.

Having received scout training from her sister, Erwen found the way better than I ever expected. If my navigating abilities were rooted in knowledge and experience, Erwen found the way by relying on her senses. Her night vision was also much better, so she could spot traps from afar.

"From here on, I know it even without Mr. Abman's help. It's this door, right? I can hear the ripples of mana beyond the door." Erwen had high sensory stats, to the point that she could find the portal leading to the fifth floor even without a scout's innate abilities. I knew for a fact that none of her essences came with additional hearing stats.

Was she just born with it?

Anyway, when we arrived in front of the portal on the fifth floor, it was around the start of the nineteenth day.

Are we about a day later than usual?

If there were seven of us, the fourth floor would have taken much longer. From then on, the waiting time between each trial increased in proportion to the number of people present. There was a reason large clans were divided into teams of five and chose to meet on the fifth floor.

"But why don't they meet up on the second floor and hunt like we did, Aruru?"

"They'd have to divide the loot into an extra share and it's just not worth it on the lower floors. Besides, if you split a team into two, it's important to have a scout on each side. There are many non-combative adventurers on the lower floors, right?"

"Hm! I see!"

"I... see what you're doing now! You didn't understand what I said at all but you still nodded anyway, right?"

"Oh, you really are a wizard!"

"Both of you, stop fooling around and go to sleep."

It was time to camp out anyway, so we all entered the fifth floor early in the morning after resting on the fourth floor, where it was safe.

[You have entered the Great Demon Realm on the fifth floor.]

The fifth floor looked a little different than usual even from the get-go. Which was exactly what I had been hoping for.

"It's nice and quiet."

There weren't any of those clans who always arrived first to secure a spot and control the hunting grounds.

"Oh! Over there! It's an Istoltos!"

Monsters you wouldn't have even been able to catch sight of in the past unless you paid a clan now roamed the map freely.

"So this place was originally filled with this many monsters," Mr. Bear said simply. True, this guy had been active on the fifth floor for a while now. As much as he harbored ill feelings toward clans, it must have felt strange for them to not be here. "Yandel, what do you think? Things won't be this way for long, will they?"

"Yeah, it probably won't last long," I answered honestly. Even starting next month, large clans would probably begin entering the labyrinth one by one. And after a while longer, newly-created clans would fill the vacancies the old ones left behind. "So let's stop gawking and get moving. Opportunities like this don't come often, after all."

There was a monster that would be difficult for us to get our hands on if not today.

"...I'm sure they have their own circumstances to worry about. They contacted us a few days ago."

"Oh, right. The call that cut off in ten seconds after they just said what they wanted to say?" Carmilla spoke caustically and the archer frowned.

"They asked us to be understanding about that. It's impossible to maintain a call for long because of the barrier. But they said they have a way to get us out too, so we just have to do our job—"

"How naive. You don't think that could be a lie?"

"...Then why did you come all this way, Miss Carmilla? Why not stay in the city?"

"That's..." Carmilla trailed off and bit her lip. How could she admit it? In truth, she had followed them because she had been too scared of how that woman would react if she made a fuss about not wanting to go.

Ugh, just what is happening?

Irritated for some reason, she returned her attention to the archer, her tone sharp. "Anyway, Nebarce. What happened to the Fallen Scholar? You were the one who was with him until the end."

"I told you. The Fallen Scholar was talking to that guy before he disappeared somewhere—"

"Everyone, stop."

When the woman clearing the way stopped walking, the archer also stopped and smoothed out his expression. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Amelia, is something wrong?"

"The trap set near the portal is gone."

"That means someone has come up to the second floor. Judging by the time, it must be a high-level adventurer... It could be that more adventurers have entered than we expected."

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

"Nebarce, any teams you can think of?"

"I'm not sure. But it can't be a large clan. They wouldn't make a move when things are still uncertain."

"I see."

Carmilla butted into the middle of their conversation. "But does it matter who it is? I don't know why you're all curious about that."

"...You're definitely not wrong." At her words, Amelia seemed to fall deep in thought for a moment. "But it's bothering me for some reason," she muttered.

"Sorry? What did you say?"

Amelia shook her head. "...It's nothing. Let's keep moving."

***

"Did you wait long, Mister? I'm sorry. It took some time because we ended up starting in the southern district."

After we waited about two hours in the forest, Missha's team arrived on the second floor and we quickly got moving. That was because while we had been waiting, more than ten teams passed us by.

It's not as empty as we thought.

The third-floor portal we eventually arrived at was, of course, already open. The same went for the one to the fourth floor, which took us six days to reach.

"But at least we can have a proper meal now."

Having spent the entire time running without proper food, we replenished our stamina as we cleared the fourth floor's trials. We were a team of six now, but our speed was slower than usual. That was because once you had six people or more, the difficulty of the trials increased. The fact that more monsters were spawning was great, but in the case of the Trial of Wisdom, where you had to pass through a maze, the map got even bigger and it ate up a lot more time.

I guess race still plays a role. She's definitely better at finding the way than I am.

Having received scout training from her sister, Erwen found the way better than I ever expected. If my navigating abilities were rooted in knowledge and experience, Erwen found the way by relying on her senses. Her night vision was also much better, so she could spot traps from afar.

"From here on, I know it even without Mr. Abman's help. It's this door, right? I can hear the ripples of mana beyond the door." Erwen had high sensory stats, to the point that she could find the portal leading to the fifth floor even without a scout's innate abilities. I knew for a fact that none of her essences came with additional hearing stats.

Was she just born with it?

Anyway, when we arrived in front of the portal on the fifth floor, it was around the start of the nineteenth day.

Are we about a day later than usual?

If there were seven of us, the fourth floor would have taken much longer. From then on, the waiting time between each trial increased in proportion to the number of people present. There was a reason large clans were divided into teams of five and chose to meet on the fifth floor.

"But why don't they meet up on the second floor and hunt like we did, Aruru?"

"They'd have to divide the loot into an extra share and it's just not worth it on the lower floors. Besides, if you split a team into two, it's important to have a scout on each side. There are many non-combative adventurers on the lower floors, right?"

"Hm! I see!"

"I... see what you're doing now! You didn't understand what I said at all but you still nodded anyway, right?"

"Oh, you really are a wizard!"

"Both of you, stop fooling around and go to sleep."

It was time to camp out anyway, so we all entered the fifth floor early in the morning after resting on the fourth floor, where it was safe.

[You have entered the Great Demon Realm on the fifth floor.]

The fifth floor looked a little different than usual even from the get-go. Which was exactly what I had been hoping for.

"It's nice and quiet."

There weren't any of those clans who always arrived first to secure a spot and control the hunting grounds.

"Oh! Over there! It's an Istoltos!"

Monsters you wouldn't have even been able to catch sight of in the past unless you paid a clan now roamed the map freely.

"So this place was originally filled with this many monsters," Mr. Bear said simply. True, this guy had been active on the fifth floor for a while now. As much as he harbored ill feelings toward clans, it must have felt strange for them to not be here. "Yandel, what do you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think? Things won't be this way for long, will they?"

"Yeah, it probably won't last long," I answered honestly. Even starting next month, large clans would probably begin entering the labyrinth one by one. And after a while longer, newly-created clans would fill the vacancies the old ones left behind. "So let's stop gawking and get moving. Opportunities like this don't come often, after all."

There was a monster that would be difficult for us to get our hands on if not today.