Chapter 459: Raid (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 459: Raid (4)
With my hammer held high, I cast Transcendence and Eye of the Storm, dragging Daggers over to me.
Shaaaaaa!
Caught off guard by the ambush, he couldn't escape my grasp as I lifted him up with one hand, the soft flesh of his neck squishing under my fingers.
At that moment, Amelia called out to me. "Yandel." Her voice was full of concern. Did she think I was going to kill him? That hurt my feelings a bit. There was no way I would actually crack open his skull over something like that. I wasn't a real barbarian, after all.
Squeeze.
I was just putting on a show that happened to have a few of my true emotions woven in.
"Mister. They're almost here."
As expected, the moment I grabbed this guy's throat, more adventurers suddenly appeared in the distance. It didn't take long for them to arrive at our location.
"...What do you think you're doing, Baron Yandel?!"
They already knew who I was. That wasn't all that surprising. They must have been eavesdropping on our conversation through a message stone or something.
Daggers choked and started to thrash around more desperately as I tightened my grip.
"Let go of him this instant!"
"And why should I do that?"
"Even if you're a noble, this is crossing the line! Do you think it's acceptable to harm an innocent adventurer without reason?"
I was dumbfounded by the question. First off, I found it hard to see someone who might have deliberately summoned the Lord of the Floor without permission as an "innocent adventurer."
"How is he innocent?" I spoke clearly so they could all hear me. Now came the second reason: "This man is a traitor. He shamelessly attempted an unforgivable act—to intimidate and humiliate me, a noble of Rafdonia! Do you think that's acceptable?!"
"Wh-what are you talking about? When did he ever do—?"
"What? Are you looking down on me too?"
"No. That's not what I meant..."
Throughout our conversation, Daggers was still trapped in my grasp, flailing like a fish. "Grk! Ergh...!"
He was more accommodating than I had expected. I was certain he would have drawn the dagger at his waist and stabbed me in the hand by now.
He must realize that would only make this situation worse.
"Th-then may I ask that you please let him go so we can talk about this? I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding here, so—"
It didn't seem like these guys had any intention of attacking me, so I decided to throw Daggers back toward his teammates.
"Vice Captain! Are y-you okay?"
Huh... so he was the vice captain. He must have been James Calla's replacement.
...No wonder he didn't try to fight back at all.
His sense of duty and loyalty toward his clan was impressive, but that didn't mean there was anything good about him or the Sawtooth Clan either.
"Now then, tell me what the misunderstanding was," I said.
The man who had shouted at me earlier to let his vice captain go tried to answer, but Daggers quickly stood up and slapped a hand over his mouth before he could.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to you, Baron Yandel. Please forgive me for the wrongdoing I've committed against you," he said without offering any excuses. "I clearly made a mistake by mentioning Count Alminus."
He certainly was sharp. With this swift and simple response, he managed to de-escalate the situation without stepping on any more landmines.
"If you believe I deserve to be punished, I will willingly submit myself to your judgment when we return to the city."
Now that he'd said all of that, I would look like the bad guy if I continued to complain. It wasn't like he had cursed me out or actually threatened me. Even if I personally asked the Mozlan to execute him, the request wouldn't be granted.
And once we return to the city, this will also reach the ears of Count Alminus.
In fact, there was a high chance that people would interpret this situation as me strangling an innocent adventurer for no justifiable reason.
"Is your answer still the same?" I asked once more, refusing to accept his apology just yet. After all, what I was hoping for was neither an apology nor a punishment. "As a fellow adventurer, I want this situation to be dealt with as quickly as possible, which is why I want to contribute to this battle."
"...I see."
"So do you still plan on stopping me?"
Daggers took a moment to get his thoughts in order, then said, "With all due respect, what are your plans for after this incident is resolved?"
Translation: how would we distribute the loot?
"Aren't we all adventurers? We'll roll the dice, fair and square."
"...I see." Daggers let out a heavy sigh and then handed down his verdict. "Then we will not take part in this battle."
"...What?"
"They say that an enemy you know is less dangerous than an ally you don't. Even so, we have no way of convincing you to not interfere. I'm certain that fighting alongside you will only complicate the situation and result in greater losses for my clan."
"So you're backing down?"
"Yes. You are a reputable hero, after all. I'm sure I can put my complete faith in you, Baron Yandel."
Hah, this punk.
"We will instead focus on helping the low-rank adventurers who are also stuck on the third floor right now."
In other words, rather than giving us a piece of the pie, they would rather throw the whole thing on the ground.
What a stubborn little prick.
The problem was that I couldn't do anything about it. If word of what happened here got out, some people might assume I forced them to leave out of my own greed, potentially resulting in the needless deaths of countless adventurers.
No, they'll definitely make sure that's what people think.
"So have you come to a decision?"
In the end, there was only one decision I could make. "We will leave Riakis to you."
It was a shame I couldn't get a piece of the pie, but it couldn't be helped. It was more important to defeat the boss as quickly as possible before it killed anyone else.
"Then we will be on our way."
Daggers tried to rush off the moment our conversation came to an end, but I left him with one last warning. "But remember this. If by chance you fail, your entire clan will be held accountable. After all, you were the ones who refused my help."
"I would like to sincerely apologize to you, Baron Yandel. Please forgive me for the wrongdoing I've committed against you," he said without offering any excuses. "I clearly made a mistake by mentioning Count Alminus."
He certainly was sharp. With this swift and simple response, he managed to de-escalate the situation without stepping on any more landmines.
"If you believe I deserve to be punished, I will willingly submit myself to your judgment when we return to the city."
Now that he'd said all of that, I would look like the bad guy if I continued to complain. It wasn't like he had cursed me out or actually threatened me. Even if I personally asked the Mozlan to execute him, the request wouldn't be granted.
And once we return to the city, this will also reach the ears of Count Alminus.
In fact, there was a high chance that people would interpret this situation as me strangling an innocent adventurer for no justifiable reason.
"Is your answer still the same?" I asked once more, refusing to accept his apology just yet. After all, what I was hoping for was neither an apology nor a punishment. "As a fellow adventurer, I want this situation to be dealt with as quickly as possible, which is why I want to contribute to this battle."
"...I see."
"So do you still plan on stopping me?"
Daggers took a moment to get his thoughts in order, then said, "With all due respect, what are your plans for after this incident is resolved?"
Translation: how would we distribute the loot?
"Aren't we all adventurers? We'll roll the dice, fair and square."
"...I see." Daggers let out a heavy sigh and then handed down his verdict. "Then we will not take part in this battle."
"...What?"
"They say that an enemy you know is less dangerous than an ally you don't. Even so, we have no way of convincing you to not interfere. I'm certain that fighting alongside you will only complicate the situation and result in greater losses for my clan."
"So you're backing down?"
"Yes. You are a reputable hero, after all. I'm sure I can put my complete faith in you, Baron Yandel."
Hah, this punk.
"We will instead focus on helping the low-rank adventurers who are also stuck on the third floor right now."
In other words, rather than giving us a piece of the pie, they would rather throw the whole thing on the ground.
What a stubborn little prick.
The problem was that I couldn't do anything about it. If word of what happened here got out, some people might assume I forced them to leave out of my own greed, potentially resulting in the needless deaths of countless adventurers.
No, they'll definitely make sure that's what people think.
"So have you come to a decision?"
In the end, there was only one decision I could make. "We will leave Riakis to you."
It was a shame I couldn't get a piece of the pie, but it couldn't be helped. It was more important to defeat the boss as quickly as possible before it killed anyone else.
"Then we will be on our way."
Daggers tried to rush off the moment our conversation came to an end, but I left him with one last warning. "But remember this. If by chance you fail, your entire clan will be held accountable. After all, you were the ones who refused my help."
After a brief pause, he responded. "...I'll keep that in mind."
He clearly had no intention of taking my warning seriously.
***
After hashing out who would be fighting the Lord of the Floor, we left Thorn Reed Field without any hesitation. What was the point of sticking around and watching them any longer?
[Lord of Chaos Riakis is drawing in the Power of Origin.]
If Riakis managed to eat all the marbles, things might take a turn for the extremely difficult as the moment that happened, one of us might end up being designated as Prey.
And if that happens, even if they fail, they'll be able to put the blame on us.
At this point, however, there was no point in worrying over hypotheticals. All we could do was continue to move forward.
"Bjorn! Where are we going now?"
"Wherever there are other people."
"...What?"
"No matter how I look at it, Sawtooth is planning on a long, drawn-out battle."
My claim piqued Amelia's curiosity and she jumped into the conversation. "Hm? What makes you say that?"
"The first reason is the date."
"The date?"
"Yeah. If they thought they could beat it quickly, they wouldn't have summoned it on the thirteenth day."
They were putting their clan's entire existence on the line with this unauthorized raid. Given that that was the case, the ideal strategy would be to quickly summon and defeat the boss right before the labyrinth closed to minimize the loss of innocent lives. But instead, they had been forced to summon it early, which told me that they couldn't defeat it the ideal way. They were instead banking on a battle of attrition.
"...What is your second reason?"
"They had Purification Torches on their waistbands."
"Purification Torches... Are you talking about that Numbered Item in the 8000s?"
It was No. 8645, to be exact, but that wasn't the point. If everyone in their raid squad had one, they would be able to skip Riakis's second phase for free.
"But why is that a problem?"
"Because using that item forces you to drag out the fight. It does lower the overall difficulty level, but if your goal is to defeat the boss as quickly as possible, that is one of the worst items you could use..." Since I felt like I was revealing too much, I quickly tacked on, "At least that's what I read in a book."
"Ohhh! Amazing!" Fortunately, Ainar didn't seem to notice anything. I was always on alert around her, but in her mind, she probably didn't have any reason to be suspicious of me.
"Ahem... Anyway! Things will probably stay like this until the day the labyrinth closes. So let's focus on gathering as many people together as possible."
"Of course!"
"Still... Just know that a lot of people will die here. I'm sure of it. This is one of the most dangerous Lords of the Floor, after all. Even parties working together in groups must be struggling to hold on..."
"It's impossible to head up to another floor anyway, so I don't mind either way... Why are you asking us for permission if you've already made up your mind as our leader?"
"It's just standard procedure!"
"...I-I'm also fine with it!"
All right, it seemed we were all in agreement.
After a brief pause, he responded. "...I'll keep that in mind."
He clearly had no intention of taking my warning seriously.
***
After hashing out who would be fighting the Lord of the Floor, we left Thorn Reed Field without any hesitation. What was the point of sticking around and watching them any longer?
[Lord of Chaos Riakis is drawing in the Power of Origin.]
If Riakis managed to eat all the marbles, things might take a turn for the extremely difficult as the moment that happened, one of us might end up being designated as Prey.
And if that happens, even if they fail, they'll be able to put the blame on us.
At this point, however, there was no point in worrying over hypotheticals. All we could do was continue to move forward.
"Bjorn! Where are we going now?"
"Wherever there are other people."
"...What?"
"No matter how I look at it, Sawtooth is planning on a long, drawn-out battle."
My claim piqued Amelia's curiosity and she jumped into the conversation. "Hm? What makes you say that?"
"The first reason is the date."
"The date?"
"Yeah. If they thought they could beat it quickly, they wouldn't have summoned it on the thirteenth day."
They were putting their clan's entire existence on the line with this unauthorized raid. Given that that was the case, the ideal strategy would be to quickly summon and defeat the boss right before the labyrinth closed to minimize the loss of innocent lives. But instead, they had been forced to summon it early, which told me that they couldn't defeat it the ideal way. They were instead banking on a battle of attrition.
"...What is your second reason?"
"They had Purification Torches on their waistbands."
"Purification Torches... Are you talking about that Numbered Item in the 8000s?"
It was No. 8645, to be exact, but that wasn't the point. If everyone in their raid squad had one, they would be able to skip Riakis's second phase for free.
"But why is that a problem?"
"Because using that item forces you to drag out the fight. It does lower the overall difficulty level, but if your goal is to defeat the boss as quickly as possible, that is one of the worst items you could use..." Since I felt like I was revealing too much, I quickly tacked on, "At least that's what I read in a book."
"Ohhh! Amazing!" Fortunately, Ainar didn't seem to notice anything. I was always on alert around her, but in her mind, she probably didn't have any reason to be suspicious of me.
"Ahem... Anyway! Things will probably stay like this until the day the labyrinth closes. So let's focus on gathering as many people together as possible."
"Of course!"
"Still... Just know that a lot of people will die here. I'm sure of it. This is one of the most dangerous Lords of the Floor, after all. Even parties working together in groups must be struggling to hold on..."
"It's impossible to head up to another floor anyway, so I don't mind either way... Why are you asking us for permission if you've already made up your mind as our leader?"
"It's just standard procedure!"
"...I-I'm also fine with it!"
All right, it seemed we were all in agreement.
As soon as we began to search the floor, fellow barbarians started to recognize me and ask for help. Luckily, all of the barbarian adventurers we found could handle Spirits of Chaos on their own.
The same could not be said for other adventurers.
"B-Baron Yandel!"
"It's really Baron Yandel...!"
"W-We're going to live!"
They all probably knew that Riakis was roaming the third floor by now, so they must have been terrified.
"Th-thank you so much for taking us in...!"
"Ohhh! Chieftain! The chieftain has come to save us!"
Since there weren't enough members of my team to protect the entirety of the camp we set up, I was forced to assign fellow barbarians to guard the outskirts. However, something unexpected happened.
"Baron Yandel! We would like to help you as well! Is there anything we can do?"
"Me too! I would also like to help!"
Other adventurers suddenly started to come forward and volunteer. It didn't take long to set up a solid defense system where we only had to work in shifts.
...I don't think there's anything more we can do.
I decided to send Erwen and Amelia off to search the perimeter since we already had enough people at our camp to defend ourselves unless Riakis himself showed up. "Erwen, Amelia. Can I ask you to do something?"
"Yes, of course!"
"...Whenever you ask me that, it always ends up being a pain in the ass."
These two had one mission: to run around outside our camp, find any isolated or lost adventurers, and bring them back to safety.
"Bjorn! What about me? What should I do?"
Unfortunately, Ainar would be unable to find her way back alone. Instead, I gave her the position of security commander of our camp.
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has...]
[Your Reputation has...]
Day Thirteen. Day Fourteen...
Time flew by, until finally, it was the day the labyrinth would close.
***
"Mister, I'm back!"
When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Erwen's amber eyes right in front of my face.
"Good work. How many did you bring back this time?"
"Thirty-nine. I searched quite far, but it seems that there are no more adventurers left in our vicinity now."
"I see. Go ahead and rest."
"All right."
"...I told you to rest?"
"Being next to you is resting, though?"
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just checked the time.
[04:01]
We had around eighteen hours left before the labyrinth closed. The once-panicky lower-rank adventurers seemed to have slowly regained their composure. Well, seeing nearly a thousand adventurers all gathered together, relying on and protecting each other, must have put them at ease. I, on the other hand, was starting to get more and more anxious.
As soon as we began to search the floor, fellow barbarians started to recognize me and ask for help. Luckily, all of the barbarian adventurers we found could handle Spirits of Chaos on their own.
The same could not be said for other adventurers.
"B-Baron Yandel!"
"It's really Baron Yandel...!"
"W-We're going to live!"
They all probably knew that Riakis was roaming the third floor by now, so they must have been terrified.
"Th-thank you so much for taking us in...!"
"Ohhh! Chieftain! The chieftain has come to save us!"
Since there weren't enough members of my team to protect the entirety of the camp we set up, I was forced to assign fellow barbarians to guard the outskirts. However, something unexpected happened.
"Baron Yandel! We would like to help you as well! Is there anything we can do?"
"Me too! I would also like to help!"
Other adventurers suddenly started to come forward and volunteer. It didn't take long to set up a solid defense system where we only had to work in shifts.
...I don't think there's anything more we can do.
I decided to send Erwen and Amelia off to search the perimeter since we already had enough people at our camp to defend ourselves unless Riakis himself showed up. "Erwen, Amelia. Can I ask you to do something?"
"Yes, of course!"
"...Whenever you ask me that, it always ends up being a pain in the ass."
These two had one mission: to run around outside our camp, find any isolated or lost adventurers, and bring them back to safety.
"Bjorn! What about me? What should I do?"
Unfortunately, Ainar would be unable to find her way back alone. Instead, I gave her the position of security commander of our camp.
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has...]
[Your Reputation has...]
Day Thirteen. Day Fourteen...
Time flew by, until finally, it was the day the labyrinth would close.
***
"Mister, I'm back!"
When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Erwen's amber eyes right in front of my face.
"Good work. How many did you bring back this time?"
"Thirty-nine. I searched quite far, but it seems that there are no more adventurers left in our vicinity now."
"I see. Go ahead and rest."
"All right."
"...I told you to rest?"
"Being next to you is resting, though?"
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just checked the time.
[04:01]
We had around eighteen hours left before the labyrinth closed. The once-panicky lower-rank adventurers seemed to have slowly regained their composure. Well, seeing nearly a thousand adventurers all gathered together, relying on and protecting each other, must have put them at ease. I, on the other hand, was starting to get more and more anxious.
They still haven't finished him off...
The source of my anxiety was the Lord of the Floor. I had expected a prolonged battle, but I never expected them to not have defeated the boss by now.
The Spirits of Chaos disappeared a few hours ago, so they must have finally cleared the second phase, which is the longest...
How would things play out from here, though? They were annoying bastards, to be sure, but I genuinely hoped that nothing went awry during their raid. Their failure would be the absolute worst-case scenario, especially if Riakis was now wandering the floor in his third phase.
A sigh escaped me. I was dying to know what was happening.
In frustration, I walked around our refugee camp, acting like I was keeping an eye out for anything suspicious while really just needing some fresh air. Sure enough, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The Spirits of Chaos were no longer spawning, after all.
After my mock patrol, I gathered my party together for a meal for the first time in a while. By then, it was already 6:30 a.m.
Tremble!
The vibrations under our feet turned our expressions to stone.
"Bjorn, what was that just now...?"
"Guoooooo!"
Shit.
"I-It's the Lord of the Floor..."
"He's here..."
"I-I heard that last time, hundreds of people died in a single day..."
Fear and confusion instantly began to spread throughout the camp.
I stood up, taking a deep breath before shouting with all my might, "Everyone, be quiet!"
Phew, that was better.
I used Giantization so I could be seen by those in the back as well. Feeling the thousands of eyes watching me, waiting to hear what I had to say, the first thing I did was gather information. "Erwen, is it heading our way?"
"...No."
Seriously? Well, that's a relief.
Looking around, I then called out the name of the first familiar face I saw. "Lewis Seyur!"
It was the wizard I had met at the Orc Colony a few days ago.
"...Yes? W-Why did you call for me?"
"From now on, you are in charge of this place."
"... W-What?"
We had run into each other again by chance after the Lord of the Floor spawned. After talking with him for a while, I realized that he was quite a smart, rational guy. "You will lead the people here and run as far away as you can."
"Th-then what are you going to do, Baron?!"
Wasn't it obvious? "I'm going to stop him."
"Wh-what? B-but Ms. Tersia just said that he isn't even coming toward us..."
"So you're suggesting that we just leave it alone?"
There was no way this camp of ours held every single low-rank adventurer stuck on the third floor. There had to be hundreds more that were still hiding out there, and now that the second phase was over, Riakis's rampage would begin in earnest. Even more people would become innocent victims.
"Y-Your Lordship..."
"If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"You really are... exactly like I heard..."
What?
"I'll take that as a compliment, then." With that, I grabbed my hammer and ran in the direction Erwen pointed, the members of my party following close behind.
Stomp, stomp.
I moved with haste. As I pushed forward, the adventurers who were standing in our path quickly cleared the way to not block us.
"May the blessings of Rafdonia be with you..."
They quietly lowered their heads. Why were they acting like we were going to die?
"Lewis! What are you doing?! Take these guys and get out of here, fast!" I yelled out to the wizard one last time, but he didn't respond. He must have been too far away to hear.
Feeling awkward about all that, I started to speed up. Amelia laughed and asked if I was embarrassed. Come to think of it, it was strange. Why did I feel so much pressure to save them? Would other higher-rank adventurers go this far for lower-rank adventurers? Not only that, I was even a noble.
Well, I can just say that I did it to garner their respect. It's not like it cost me any money to do the right thing.
Thinking like that made me feel a bit better.
Stomp, stomp.
As we exited the camp, we continued to barrel forward at top speed. At this point, regret started to gnaw at me.
If I knew things were going to pan out like this, I would have forced their hand from the get-go.
I was confident that I could one, hold back the Lord of the Floor on my own while he was in the first phase, and two, run across the entire floor nonstop until the labyrinth closed if I ended up marked as Prey. However, it was Phase Three when my confidence disappeared.
And I thought this month's expedition would be more relaxing.
This situation was nothing compared to Ice Rock, but it also wasn't great either.
Is he on the third or fourth phase?
If it was the third, I was going to have to run around like a meat shield nonstop.
I really hope it's the fourth phase.
If they just so happened to fail to land the final blow on it during the last phase—
Guoooooo!
The lone figure of Riakis appeared in the distance, and I quickly came to a stop with a wide grin on my face.
I'm starting to feel butterflies in my stomach.
Yeah, this was worth a shot.
"Get ready, everyone."
"...You said we would just be trying to stop it, but now you want to defeat it?"
Well, yeah. How could I resist landing the final blow?
They still haven't finished him off...
The source of my anxiety was the Lord of the Floor. I had expected a prolonged battle, but I never expected them to not have defeated the boss by now.
The Spirits of Chaos disappeared a few hours ago, so they must have finally cleared the second phase, which is the longest...
How would things play out from here, though? They were annoying bastards, to be sure, but I genuinely hoped that nothing went awry during their raid. Their failure would be the absolute worst-case scenario, especially if Riakis was now wandering the floor in his third phase.
A sigh escaped me. I was dying to know what was happening.
In frustration, I walked around our refugee camp, acting like I was keeping an eye out for anything suspicious while really just needing some fresh air. Sure enough, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The Spirits of Chaos were no longer spawning, after all.
After my mock patrol, I gathered my party together for a meal for the first time in a while. By then, it was already 6:30 a.m.
Tremble!
The vibrations under our feet turned our expressions to stone.
"Bjorn, what was that just now...?"
"Guoooooo!"
Shit.
"I-It's the Lord of the Floor..."
"He's here..."
"I-I heard that last time, hundreds of people died in a single day..."
Fear and confusion instantly began to spread throughout the camp.
I stood up, taking a deep breath before shouting with all my might, "Everyone, be quiet!"
Phew, that was better.
I used Giantization so I could be seen by those in the back as well. Feeling the thousands of eyes watching me, waiting to hear what I had to say, the first thing I did was gather information. "Erwen, is it heading our way?"
"...No."
Seriously? Well, that's a relief.
Looking around, I then called out the name of the first familiar face I saw. "Lewis Seyur!"
It was the wizard I had met at the Orc Colony a few days ago.
"...Yes? W-Why did you call for me?"
"From now on, you are in charge of this place."
"... W-What?"
We had run into each other again by chance after the Lord of the Floor spawned. After talking with him for a while, I realized that he was quite a smart, rational guy. "You will lead the people here and run as far away as you can."
"Th-then what are you going to do, Baron?!"
Wasn't it obvious? "I'm going to stop him."
"Wh-what? B-but Ms. Tersia just said that he isn't even coming toward us..."
"So you're suggesting that we just leave it alone?"
There was no way this camp of ours held every single low-rank adventurer stuck on the third floor. There had to be hundreds more that were still hiding out there, and now that the second phase was over, Riakis's rampage would begin in earnest. Even more people would become innocent victims.
"Y-Your Lordship..."
"If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"You really are... exactly like I heard..."
What?
"I'll take that as a compliment, then." With that, I grabbed my hammer and ran in the direction Erwen pointed, the members of my party following close behind.
Stomp, stomp.
I moved with haste. As I pushed forward, the adventurers who were standing in our path quickly cleared the way to not block us.
"May the blessings of Rafdonia be with you..."
They quietly lowered their heads. Why were they acting like we were going to die?
"Lewis! What are you doing?! Take these guys and get out of here, fast!" I yelled out to the wizard one last time, but he didn't respond. He must have been too far away to hear.
Feeling awkward about all that, I started to speed up. Amelia laughed and asked if I was embarrassed. Come to think of it, it was strange. Why did I feel so much pressure to save them? Would other higher-rank adventurers go this far for lower-rank adventurers? Not only that, I was even a noble.
Well, I can just say that I did it to garner their respect. It's not like it cost me any money to do the right thing.
Thinking like that made me feel a bit better.
Stomp, stomp.
As we exited the camp, we continued to barrel forward at top speed. At this point, regret started to gnaw at me.
If I knew things were going to pan out like this, I would have forced their hand from the get-go.
I was confident that I could one, hold back the Lord of the Floor on my own while he was in the first phase, and two, run across the entire floor nonstop until the labyrinth closed if I ended up marked as Prey. However, it was Phase Three when my confidence disappeared.
And I thought this month's expedition would be more relaxing.
This situation was nothing compared to Ice Rock, but it also wasn't great either.
Is he on the third or fourth phase?
If it was the third, I was going to have to run around like a meat shield nonstop.
I really hope it's the fourth phase.
If they just so happened to fail to land the final blow on it during the last phase—
Guoooooo!
The lone figure of Riakis appeared in the distance, and I quickly came to a stop with a wide grin on my face.
I'm starting to feel butterflies in my stomach.
Yeah, this was worth a shot.
"Get ready, everyone."
"...You said we would just be trying to stop it, but now you want to defeat it?"
Well, yeah. How could I resist landing the final blow?