Chapter 524: Giant Island (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 524: Giant Island (3)
On the sixth floor, there was an area called the Windless Zone.
The place had no wind and no ocean currents, so anyone who wanted to get through it needed a mana propulsion device. However, this propulsion device didn't just come in handy in the Windless Zone but was all-around helpful to have because when sailing through the labyrinth, you'd inevitably end up in a few situations where you needed a bit of a speed boost.
Take, for example, our current situation.
Whir!
As soon as we threw all the mana stones we had into the mana propeller's engine, the motors attached to the bottom of the boat activated with an audible whir.
Shaaaaaa!
We cut through the water at a speed impossible to achieve by normal sailing standards.
"Furl the sails!"
And once we folded the sails up, we started to go even faster. When you were using a propulsion system, open sails usually slowed you down rather than helped you out.
"U-Uwaaa!"
"Everyone hold onto something!"
The deck shook as violently as you'd expect considering our speed. Everyone grabbed onto the mast or the railing and flattened themselves as close to the deck as possible to avoid being flung overboard.
"Mister, I don't see them anymore!"
A short time later, the heads of the giants, which had faded into the distance, disappeared altogether. They looked like they were chasing after us at first, but it seemed they gave up after realizing they couldn't keep up.
Did we lose them...?
Of course, that thought only lasted a second. We couldn't lower our guards just yet.
"Captain, what should we do about the propulsion device?"
"Keep it on. We could still be in their territory, so we need to get out of here as fast as possible."
"Aye aye."
On this silver ocean, the types of monsters that appeared differed depending on the region we were in. On the path from Stone Island to Library Island, Gullfrogs dominated the area, and the route to Human Island was full of Tentaculans. Going by that pattern, we were still most likely in Hipramajent territory.
You really can't be complacent on this floor.
Some places had rank-seven monsters, while others had rank-four monsters. That was logic I could accept, at least in theory. But seven monsters that were likely around rank two? Honestly, this area could be called the Sea of Death and I wouldn't even question it.
Come to think of it, there are even rank-one monsters floating in these waters...
For a second, I wondered if maybe I had been too hasty in deciding to come down to Basement Floor One, but I quickly shook off my unease. My expeditions had always been like this anyway. Plus, the more dangerous and mysterious the place, the greater the reward if you manage to return from it alive. How much would I get from selling just the essences we'd obtained so far?
...Let's make finding a way home our highest priority. That way we can go back to the city, upgrade all our gear, and return here later afterward.
"Auyen, where are we now, roughly speaking?"
"Because we accelerated so suddenly, it's hard to know for sure, but if my calculations are correct... we should be near our destination."
Near our destination. Then did that mean we sped through an area that would've taken us six hours in just two hours? I was momentarily amazed at the capabilities of the propulsion system, while at the same time a little worried since this engine was notorious for having terrible fuel efficiency.
"How many mana stones did we use?"
"We used more than 90 percent of the stones you handed me."
In other words, we had used a quarter of all the mana stones we obtained throughout this adventure in just two hours.
If you do the conversion to cash, it's about twenty million stones...
Calculating the exact amount we'd lost was frankly agonizing, but I felt a little better when I reframed it as spending twenty million stones to save my life. We'd just need to pick up some more mana stones later.
"Then since I need to adjust our course... could I go back to focusing on that?"
"Oh, sorry for interrupting you."
With that, Auyen walked around the deck fiddling with some navigation tool I had seen him use a few times before, occasionally turning the wheel a bit to tweak our trajectory. Soon enough, we spotted an island in the distance.
Myul Armin, who was standing next to me, exclaimed, "That man... Did you say his name is Mr. Auyen Rockrobe?"
"Yeah?"
"He's incredible. I'm honestly shocked his name isn't known far and wide in the city." Myul went on to praise my keen eye for talent in attracting such an excellent navigator to my clan, and I could tell that those weren't just empty words.
"...What makes you say all that?"
"Our group doesn't have a designated navigator. I'm currently taking on that role. Which is why I can say with confidence that it would have been extremely difficult to figure out our location after accelerating so quickly, especially since this place has neither a sun nor stars to act as landmarks."
"Ah... Really...?"
"Yes, and the course he set earlier was extremely precise as well. If possible, I would love to study under him."
I let out an awkward laugh at the genuine praise he was dishing out. Was there anything I could even say here?
"I heard that great people gravitate toward heroes, and I believe those words to be true."
"Ahem..."
I only brought him on because I thought it'd be a waste to beat such a useful plunderer to death...
***
We finally arrived at our destination. However, rather than getting off the boat immediately, we circled the island once to get a good look at it. Then, rather than the cliff faces to the north, we docked the boat on the southern beach.
"How about it, Myul? Do you think we're in the right place?"
"Yes. For now, everything on the island matches the description they gave."
This island looked to be about ten times larger than Human Island, and its largest and most notable feature was the huge trees we could see even from the beach.
"I thought the same thing back when we were on the boat as well, but..."
"They're massive."
"Whoa... My neck hurts just looking up at them!"
Each of the trees growing on this island looked larger than any other tree we had ever seen in the labyrinth. In apartment-building terms, they were about ten stories tall.
Near our destination. Then did that mean we sped through an area that would've taken us six hours in just two hours? I was momentarily amazed at the capabilities of the propulsion system, while at the same time a little worried since this engine was notorious for having terrible fuel efficiency.
"How many mana stones did we use?"
"We used more than 90 percent of the stones you handed me."
In other words, we had used a quarter of all the mana stones we obtained throughout this adventure in just two hours.
If you do the conversion to cash, it's about twenty million stones...
Calculating the exact amount we'd lost was frankly agonizing, but I felt a little better when I reframed it as spending twenty million stones to save my life. We'd just need to pick up some more mana stones later.
"Then since I need to adjust our course... could I go back to focusing on that?"
"Oh, sorry for interrupting you."
With that, Auyen walked around the deck fiddling with some navigation tool I had seen him use a few times before, occasionally turning the wheel a bit to tweak our trajectory. Soon enough, we spotted an island in the distance.
Myul Armin, who was standing next to me, exclaimed, "That man... Did you say his name is Mr. Auyen Rockrobe?"
"Yeah?"
"He's incredible. I'm honestly shocked his name isn't known far and wide in the city." Myul went on to praise my keen eye for talent in attracting such an excellent navigator to my clan, and I could tell that those weren't just empty words.
"...What makes you say all that?"
"Our group doesn't have a designated navigator. I'm currently taking on that role. Which is why I can say with confidence that it would have been extremely difficult to figure out our location after accelerating so quickly, especially since this place has neither a sun nor stars to act as landmarks."
"Ah... Really...?"
"Yes, and the course he set earlier was extremely precise as well. If possible, I would love to study under him."
I let out an awkward laugh at the genuine praise he was dishing out. Was there anything I could even say here?
"I heard that great people gravitate toward heroes, and I believe those words to be true."
"Ahem..."
I only brought him on because I thought it'd be a waste to beat such a useful plunderer to death...
***
We finally arrived at our destination. However, rather than getting off the boat immediately, we circled the island once to get a good look at it. Then, rather than the cliff faces to the north, we docked the boat on the southern beach.
"How about it, Myul? Do you think we're in the right place?"
"Yes. For now, everything on the island matches the description they gave."
This island looked to be about ten times larger than Human Island, and its largest and most notable feature was the huge trees we could see even from the beach.
"I thought the same thing back when we were on the boat as well, but..."
"They're massive."
"Whoa... My neck hurts just looking up at them!"
Each of the trees growing on this island looked larger than any other tree we had ever seen in the labyrinth. In apartment-building terms, they were about ten stories tall.
"Um..."
As we surveyed the terrain and prepared to get moving, someone approached me. It was a wizard from the Armin Adventurer Group.
"Um... so..."
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"Could we perhaps harvest a few of the trees? I don't think I've ever seen trees like this before..." the wizard managed to ask despite looking quite wary of my reaction.
Well, I supposed normal wizards did like all that research-y stuff. Maybe it was because I'd been spending most of my time around Versyl, who was a player, recently, but the request sort of caught me off guard.
"There's a chance that it could end up containing some priceless material. And if that's the case, it'll be of great benefit to you, Lord Baron..."
"It'll take a while to cut down a tree of that size."
"...I only need a little sample of it."
"Well, if that's all you need."
I sent Ainar off with the wizard to help them get a sample of the tree. Unlike Versyl, these people were proper wizards, so I concluded that they had a good chance of making some sort of discovery during this adventure.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The wizard had gotten their hands on not just a section of the bark, but practically an entire trunk's worth of tree, and they gave me several deep, delighted bows to show their gratitude. When they made their triumphant return to the other wizards, they all started chattering excitedly.
"You really got some!"
"I wish it was night already. I want to examine it so bad."
"Don't forget, everyone, all the research we do here will have all our names listed as co-authors."
Were they really that happy about a tree?
In any case, after letting the wizards have their fun, we finished our preparations and set off in formation, headed inland. We made sure to proceed with caution, mindful of the fact that we had no idea what could be lurking around the corner.
"Yandel, something is charging toward us."
Thirty minutes into our island trek, we detected our first monster and the group went on alert and took up battle stances.
However, the moment the monster appeared, we all froze, utterly gobsmacked.
The monster had a short stature that didn't even reach my thighs while I was in Giantization mode, green skin, a long face, and a stone dagger curled in its twig-like fingers.
Grrr?
"...A Goblin?"
I never expected to find a Goblin here.
Although I could already feel the tension draining from my shoulders, I tried to stay vigilant as I shouted, "Don't let your guard down! It could be a different species that can change their appearance—"
[Goblin has cast Create Trap.]
"...Huh?"
The goblin had tossed down a trap right in front of us while we were actively looking at it.
We stared at the Goblin.
The Goblin stared back at us.
An odd silence settled between us as a standoff ensued.
"That guy..."
"Is he waiting for us to step on it?"
I forced myself to snap out of it. "We can't underestimate it... Even Goblins aren't this moronic. There's definitely a possibility that it's not like the Goblins we know—"
"Um..."
As we surveyed the terrain and prepared to get moving, someone approached me. It was a wizard from the Armin Adventurer Group.
"Um... so..."
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"Could we perhaps harvest a few of the trees? I don't think I've ever seen trees like this before..." the wizard managed to ask despite looking quite wary of my reaction.
Well, I supposed normal wizards did like all that research-y stuff. Maybe it was because I'd been spending most of my time around Versyl, who was a player, recently, but the request sort of caught me off guard.
"There's a chance that it could end up containing some priceless material. And if that's the case, it'll be of great benefit to you, Lord Baron..."
"It'll take a while to cut down a tree of that size."
"...I only need a little sample of it."
"Well, if that's all you need."
I sent Ainar off with the wizard to help them get a sample of the tree. Unlike Versyl, these people were proper wizards, so I concluded that they had a good chance of making some sort of discovery during this adventure.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The wizard had gotten their hands on not just a section of the bark, but practically an entire trunk's worth of tree, and they gave me several deep, delighted bows to show their gratitude. When they made their triumphant return to the other wizards, they all started chattering excitedly.
"You really got some!"
"I wish it was night already. I want to examine it so bad."
"Don't forget, everyone, all the research we do here will have all our names listed as co-authors."
Were they really that happy about a tree?
In any case, after letting the wizards have their fun, we finished our preparations and set off in formation, headed inland. We made sure to proceed with caution, mindful of the fact that we had no idea what could be lurking around the corner.
"Yandel, something is charging toward us."
Thirty minutes into our island trek, we detected our first monster and the group went on alert and took up battle stances.
However, the moment the monster appeared, we all froze, utterly gobsmacked.
The monster had a short stature that didn't even reach my thighs while I was in Giantization mode, green skin, a long face, and a stone dagger curled in its twig-like fingers.
Grrr?
"...A Goblin?"
I never expected to find a Goblin here.
Although I could already feel the tension draining from my shoulders, I tried to stay vigilant as I shouted, "Don't let your guard down! It could be a different species that can change their appearance—"
[Goblin has cast Create Trap.]
"...Huh?"
The goblin had tossed down a trap right in front of us while we were actively looking at it.
We stared at the Goblin.
The Goblin stared back at us.
An odd silence settled between us as a standoff ensued.
"That guy..."
"Is he waiting for us to step on it?"
I forced myself to snap out of it. "We can't underestimate it... Even Goblins aren't this moronic. There's definitely a possibility that it's not like the Goblins we know—"
Someone fired an arrow, and it struck the Goblin right in the head.
Shaaaaaa!
The Goblin immediately died and disappeared in a flash of light.
My companions didn't say a word as I watched it disappear in a moment of baffled silence.
...What? Was it actually just an ordinary Goblin? What the hell was I doing then?
I felt a deep sense of shame well up in my heart.
Grrr!
Grrr! Grrr, grrr!
Having watched their ally die, the other Goblins let out enraged howls.
Vwoom!
At this point their tiny Goblin bodies started to grow larger.
"...Huh?"
Now, they easily reached my thighs. It even looked like they had some muscle too.
[Goblin has cast Giantization.]
...What the hell was going on?
***
It wasn't all that hard to deal with all the Goblins. Even if they were bigger than usual, Goblins were still just Goblins. Describing our fight against them as "easy" would be an utter understatement. However, the psychological impact of the fight was significant.
"That was..."
"Maybe..."
No one even attempted to gather the mana stones dropped by the Goblins, instead simply looking to me for an explanation. Since I had Giantization, they probably expected me to be the one best able to confirm.
"...We can't be sure of anything yet."
"I-Is that so?"
As I headed them off at the pass before they could voice their thoughts, everyone awkwardly fell silent. Well, everyone except one person—Amelia.
"It doesn't matter if you're sure or not. We're just curious what your thoughts are. Did that look like Giantization to you?"
"...Yeah."
"That's interesting, then. It shouldn't be possible for all of them to be boss monsters."
Honestly, the Goblins we encountered here today were completely out of the ordinary, and they weren't even a new type of monster.
But they use other monsters' skills too...
Was this a trait unique to just these Goblins? Or were there other monsters around that could do the same thing? These questions were answered not too long into our expedition.
[Troll has cast Giantization.]
[Werewolf has cast Giantization.]
[Iron Golem has cast Giantization...]
All of the monsters we ran into on our journey inland were capable of using Giantization.
I had no idea how they were able to do this, but one thing needled at me.
The island.
The monsters we encountered on other islands didn't do this, meaning there was probably something special about this particular one.
Is there an area effect active on this island or something?
That was the first hypothesis I came up with, but I couldn't be sure it was correct. As such, I decided to enlist the help of the wizards.
"Any news on the essences?"
"They give off the wavelengths and frequencies you'd expect to see."
"So in other words, this essence is no different from any other Goblin essence you'd find on the first floor?"
"Yes... At least, that seems to be the case. There's a high likelihood that even if you absorbed one of these essences, you wouldn't obtain Giantization. Though, if you want, we could pick a volunteer to test it out—"
"It's fine. This isn't important enough to go that far."
With that, we continued on our quest. We now had two main goals.
The first was to gather as much information about this new island as possible. The second was to find the adventurers who were stuck on this island and rescue them. The former was a work in progress, but we were thankfully able to find clues that would help us with the latter.
"It's a trail. Made by a human, not a monster."
We discovered a footprint while exploring the area. According to the information provided by a member of the Armin Adventurer Group, it was the imprint of a shoe produced by a certain boutique in Rafdonia.
"He was once an investigator working for the palace, so you can trust his assessment."
"What a lucrative career. So can you tell us when this footprint was made?"
"I'd say it's... from about five hours ago."
Nice. Honestly, I was sort of worried that they had all died already.
This meant there were still survivors.
Someone fired an arrow, and it struck the Goblin right in the head.
Shaaaaaa!
The Goblin immediately died and disappeared in a flash of light.
My companions didn't say a word as I watched it disappear in a moment of baffled silence.
...What? Was it actually just an ordinary Goblin? What the hell was I doing then?
I felt a deep sense of shame well up in my heart.
Grrr!
Grrr! Grrr, grrr!
Having watched their ally die, the other Goblins let out enraged howls.
Vwoom!
At this point their tiny Goblin bodies started to grow larger.
"...Huh?"
Now, they easily reached my thighs. It even looked like they had some muscle too.
[Goblin has cast Giantization.]
...What the hell was going on?
***
It wasn't all that hard to deal with all the Goblins. Even if they were bigger than usual, Goblins were still just Goblins. Describing our fight against them as "easy" would be an utter understatement. However, the psychological impact of the fight was significant.
"That was..."
"Maybe..."
No one even attempted to gather the mana stones dropped by the Goblins, instead simply looking to me for an explanation. Since I had Giantization, they probably expected me to be the one best able to confirm.
"...We can't be sure of anything yet."
"I-Is that so?"
As I headed them off at the pass before they could voice their thoughts, everyone awkwardly fell silent. Well, everyone except one person—Amelia.
"It doesn't matter if you're sure or not. We're just curious what your thoughts are. Did that look like Giantization to you?"
"...Yeah."
"That's interesting, then. It shouldn't be possible for all of them to be boss monsters."
Honestly, the Goblins we encountered here today were completely out of the ordinary, and they weren't even a new type of monster.
But they use other monsters' skills too...
Was this a trait unique to just these Goblins? Or were there other monsters around that could do the same thing? These questions were answered not too long into our expedition.
[Troll has cast Giantization.]
[Werewolf has cast Giantization.]
[Iron Golem has cast Giantization...]
All of the monsters we ran into on our journey inland were capable of using Giantization.
I had no idea how they were able to do this, but one thing needled at me.
The island.
The monsters we encountered on other islands didn't do this, meaning there was probably something special about this particular one.
Is there an area effect active on this island or something?
That was the first hypothesis I came up with, but I couldn't be sure it was correct. As such, I decided to enlist the help of the wizards.
"Any news on the essences?"
"They give off the wavelengths and frequencies you'd expect to see."
"So in other words, this essence is no different from any other Goblin essence you'd find on the first floor?"
"Yes... At least, that seems to be the case. There's a high likelihood that even if you absorbed one of these essences, you wouldn't obtain Giantization. Though, if you want, we could pick a volunteer to test it out—"
"It's fine. This isn't important enough to go that far."
With that, we continued on our quest. We now had two main goals.
The first was to gather as much information about this new island as possible. The second was to find the adventurers who were stuck on this island and rescue them. The former was a work in progress, but we were thankfully able to find clues that would help us with the latter.
"It's a trail. Made by a human, not a monster."
We discovered a footprint while exploring the area. According to the information provided by a member of the Armin Adventurer Group, it was the imprint of a shoe produced by a certain boutique in Rafdonia.
"He was once an investigator working for the palace, so you can trust his assessment."
"What a lucrative career. So can you tell us when this footprint was made?"
"I'd say it's... from about five hours ago."
Nice. Honestly, I was sort of worried that they had all died already.
This meant there were still survivors.