Chapter 529: Escape Plan (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 529: Escape Plan (2)
We arrived on the sixty-third day of our adventure at three in the afternoon.
Since we had given ourselves ample time to get there, we reached Human Island a full day before the rainy season began. The original plan had been to run around the island for a bit and do some hunting with our remaining time, but I changed my mind and immediately led us to the village.
"...It's just as you described.... an actual monster village."
"Mr. Wyatt... is this really safe?"
"Remember what the baron said. Be careful."
I had told them a few things about this place ahead of time, but the others still looked wary of the monsters who started appearing as soon as we entered their village. Or, well, the members of the Hektz clan did.
"Monsters who call themselves humans..."
"This... is incredible."
"From what I heard, we can talk to them using the ancient language."
"Haha! Didn't I tell you? It'd be a complete tragedy if there weren't a single being inside this huge labyrinth capable of communication!"
The members of the Armin Adventurer Group had adventure itself running through their veins, right down to their very bones. Thus, they were more curious about the monsters than scared.
And naturally, the ones who were the most curious were the wizards.
"Did you say we're going to be staying here until this 'rainy season' is over? Because, if possible, I'd like to get the chance to talk to them myself."
"...Damn it, I should've studied up on the ancient language a bit more."
"Don't worry. I'm going to write down all the conversations I have and turn them into translation guides. This is one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in the history of the labyrinth!"
Well, from their point of view, the monsters of Human Island must have been like aliens. Some people would naturally be afraid of them, while others would want to know everything there was to know about them.
"I'll be going off on my own from here. You lot should get to the house. Emily, can you take them?"
"Sure."
For now, I sent everyone who came with me to the house given to us by the village chief and headed to the village chief's place alone.
"I'm relieved you got here before it was too late."
"Were you worried?"
"Of course. I've waited many years to see people again." Even though this was our first meeting in a good while, the chief spoke without any distinct emotion in his voice.
It felt like talking to a machine.
From what I could remember of the monsters Ainar befriended, however, these monsters were perfectly capable of expressing emotions vocally and otherwise, so it didn't seem like this was a matter of physiology...
"By the way..." the chief said, interrupting my thoughts. "You've collected more companions while you were away. How did that happen?"
One of the monsters must have spotted us on our way over and tipped him off as to our numbers.
Anyway, I gave him a quick summary of what we'd learned. "...So even while we're in here," I said, wrapping up my explanation, "time continues to pass in the outside world."
"So what you're saying is that a certain amount of time passed, and new adventurers were able to enter this place?"
I nodded. "Yes." However, I didn't leave it at that and asked a question in turn. "But you don't sound too surprised?"
"You yourself confirmed for me that time is still passing in the outside world with your arrival alone."
Well, that was true.
However, now that I was thinking about it again, our first meeting raised some questions of its own.
"It's good to see you, truly. And I suppose you are an adventurer from Rafdonia?"
The day I met the chief on this island...
"So, how much time has passed in the outside world?"
That was one of the first things he asked me. And wouldn't that only be a question he could ask if he already knew that time was passing outside?
The more I get to know this old man, the more suspicious he seems...
However, I kept my suspicions to myself and didn't voice them.
Right now, we needed the chief's power and knowledge. Plus, if he really was scheming something, it wasn't like he would admit it just because I asked him nicely.
"So, what happened after you left the island?" the chief asked.
I gave a summary of what we'd gotten up to over the past few weeks, starting with exploring Tree Island to meeting the new batch of adventurers on Stone Island. I also told him about going to Giant Island to save the people trapped there, and about the portal stone we found.
I even threw in a description of the huge giant we saw while we were sailing away from the island.
"...It seems you discovered quite a bit in a short amount of time," the chief exclaimed. His tone, though, was still flat. "However, why did you suddenly return to the island made of stone?"
This was a question I expected him to ask, as I had completely omitted any mention of evil spirits from my tales. As a result, the story had some plot holes.
"Chief, after thinking over what you said, we came to the conclusion ourselves that time must be passing outside. So we went there just in case something happened. We had also reached something of a dead end during our expedition on Tree Island anyway."
"Hmm... I see."
The chief accepted my ready-made excuse without a hint of suspicion. With that, we were each officially caught up on what the other had been up to in the past month.
The chief was the first to steer our conversation to a new subject. "An unactivated portal stone... That could be the key to escaping this place. What is your plan from here on out?"
"Ah, so about that..." I hedged. "Chief, we have an ongoing deal. You'll help us on our quest, and we'll hand over all the information we gain from said quest."
"That we do." He sounded like he didn't understand why I was bringing this up out of nowhere.
Who do you think I am?
I grinned as I replied, "Well, we now need your help."
The first step in our escape plan?
"My help...?"
We needed to get stronger.
***
The moment I realized that we desperately needed to improve our stats was right after we left Giant Island, when we saw that titan.
Considering how difficulty levels seem to increase exponentially in this place... I need to be wary of a monster like that appearing on Library Island or even Tree Island.
Well, that was still just a vague theory on my part, but I was at least confident that the titan we saw was the boss monster for that particular island. Not only that, but the island was also home to a portal stone. Considering the sheer amount of data I had managed to collect while playing Dungeon and Stone for all those years, I could say with relative confidence that there was a very high chance that that giant would play a key role in our escape.
"You yourself confirmed for me that time is still passing in the outside world with your arrival alone."
Well, that was true.
However, now that I was thinking about it again, our first meeting raised some questions of its own.
"It's good to see you, truly. And I suppose you are an adventurer from Rafdonia?"
The day I met the chief on this island...
"So, how much time has passed in the outside world?"
That was one of the first things he asked me. And wouldn't that only be a question he could ask if he already knew that time was passing outside?
The more I get to know this old man, the more suspicious he seems...
However, I kept my suspicions to myself and didn't voice them.
Right now, we needed the chief's power and knowledge. Plus, if he really was scheming something, it wasn't like he would admit it just because I asked him nicely.
"So, what happened after you left the island?" the chief asked.
I gave a summary of what we'd gotten up to over the past few weeks, starting with exploring Tree Island to meeting the new batch of adventurers on Stone Island. I also told him about going to Giant Island to save the people trapped there, and about the portal stone we found.
I even threw in a description of the huge giant we saw while we were sailing away from the island.
"...It seems you discovered quite a bit in a short amount of time," the chief exclaimed. His tone, though, was still flat. "However, why did you suddenly return to the island made of stone?"
This was a question I expected him to ask, as I had completely omitted any mention of evil spirits from my tales. As a result, the story had some plot holes.
"Chief, after thinking over what you said, we came to the conclusion ourselves that time must be passing outside. So we went there just in case something happened. We had also reached something of a dead end during our expedition on Tree Island anyway."
"Hmm... I see."
The chief accepted my ready-made excuse without a hint of suspicion. With that, we were each officially caught up on what the other had been up to in the past month.
The chief was the first to steer our conversation to a new subject. "An unactivated portal stone... That could be the key to escaping this place. What is your plan from here on out?"
"Ah, so about that..." I hedged. "Chief, we have an ongoing deal. You'll help us on our quest, and we'll hand over all the information we gain from said quest."
"That we do." He sounded like he didn't understand why I was bringing this up out of nowhere.
Who do you think I am?
I grinned as I replied, "Well, we now need your help."
The first step in our escape plan?
"My help...?"
We needed to get stronger.
***
The moment I realized that we desperately needed to improve our stats was right after we left Giant Island, when we saw that titan.
Considering how difficulty levels seem to increase exponentially in this place... I need to be wary of a monster like that appearing on Library Island or even Tree Island.
Well, that was still just a vague theory on my part, but I was at least confident that the titan we saw was the boss monster for that particular island. Not only that, but the island was also home to a portal stone. Considering the sheer amount of data I had managed to collect while playing Dungeon and Stone for all those years, I could say with relative confidence that there was a very high chance that that giant would play a key role in our escape.
"I need some time to think it over."
The chief, however, gave me a wishy-washy answer even though I was sure he was even more desperate to escape than us after having been here for so long.
"Rainy season will begin tomorrow, so let me know your answer before then."
"Sure," he conceded.
I set that aside for now and let the conversation drift to less important topics.
"Since you have more people now, things will get crowded and uncomfortable if you're all forced to stay in a single house. I will prepare new lodgings for you, so please bear with me for today."
"We'll be all right for a day. These are people who are used to sleeping rough, so they probably won't even find it uncomfortable."
"That's reassuring."
"But where are the others?"
"If you're talking about the Silver Lion Clan, they left the island not long after you did. And they haven't returned yet."
Hmm... really? The rainy season was about to begin soon, though.
Did they end up docking at a weird island and getting killed?
At their level, that was a definite possibility. Even we were lacking in the numbers we needed to survive this place, which was exactly why we were actively trying to bolster our forces.
"I'm going to wait for them as long as I can, but the village gates will be closed and locked as soon as the rainy season begins."
"Of course."
They might be on their way, trying to get back to the island as we spoke, so we left the issue of the Silver Lion Clan at that for now.
"Anything else you want to discuss?"
"No, that's all right. Once you make up your mind about my request, tell me as soon as possible."
"I will."
After wrapping up our conversation, I returned to our lodgings and rejoined my companions. The house, which had felt spacious during our last rainy season, had turned into a refugee camp.
I mean, I guess it's to be expected since we went from seven people to thirty-nine.
"Hektz, Myul, just hold on for tonight. The chief said he'd give us another place tomorrow."
"That's good to hear."
Since survival was Wyatt Hektz's top priority, he was openly relieved by the news, but Armin's response was a little different.
"These lodgings are fine either way. However... I heard a bit about this village chief person..."
"And?"
"Is it true that the chief is the Dragon Knight Cornelius Bruingrid?"
"...Who did you hear that from?"
Myul flinched and glanced away. When I followed his line of sight, my eyes landed on Ainar, who was avoiding eye contact with me.
I sighed.
Yeah, that was my fault.
I hadn't told her whether that was even a secret. If I had, she wouldn't have gone around blabbing about it.
Myul noticed my resigned sigh and jumped to defend Ainar. "My apologies. Because I asked an unnecessary question—"
"No, it's not a secret or anything. Anyway, to answer your question... what you said is about half right."
"I need some time to think it over."
The chief, however, gave me a wishy-washy answer even though I was sure he was even more desperate to escape than us after having been here for so long.
"Rainy season will begin tomorrow, so let me know your answer before then."
"Sure," he conceded.
I set that aside for now and let the conversation drift to less important topics.
"Since you have more people now, things will get crowded and uncomfortable if you're all forced to stay in a single house. I will prepare new lodgings for you, so please bear with me for today."
"We'll be all right for a day. These are people who are used to sleeping rough, so they probably won't even find it uncomfortable."
"That's reassuring."
"But where are the others?"
"If you're talking about the Silver Lion Clan, they left the island not long after you did. And they haven't returned yet."
Hmm... really? The rainy season was about to begin soon, though.
Did they end up docking at a weird island and getting killed?
At their level, that was a definite possibility. Even we were lacking in the numbers we needed to survive this place, which was exactly why we were actively trying to bolster our forces.
"I'm going to wait for them as long as I can, but the village gates will be closed and locked as soon as the rainy season begins."
"Of course."
They might be on their way, trying to get back to the island as we spoke, so we left the issue of the Silver Lion Clan at that for now.
"Anything else you want to discuss?"
"No, that's all right. Once you make up your mind about my request, tell me as soon as possible."
"I will."
After wrapping up our conversation, I returned to our lodgings and rejoined my companions. The house, which had felt spacious during our last rainy season, had turned into a refugee camp.
I mean, I guess it's to be expected since we went from seven people to thirty-nine.
"Hektz, Myul, just hold on for tonight. The chief said he'd give us another place tomorrow."
"That's good to hear."
Since survival was Wyatt Hektz's top priority, he was openly relieved by the news, but Armin's response was a little different.
"These lodgings are fine either way. However... I heard a bit about this village chief person..."
"And?"
"Is it true that the chief is the Dragon Knight Cornelius Bruingrid?"
"...Who did you hear that from?"
Myul flinched and glanced away. When I followed his line of sight, my eyes landed on Ainar, who was avoiding eye contact with me.
I sighed.
Yeah, that was my fault.
I hadn't told her whether that was even a secret. If I had, she wouldn't have gone around blabbing about it.
Myul noticed my resigned sigh and jumped to defend Ainar. "My apologies. Because I asked an unnecessary question—"
"No, it's not a secret or anything. Anyway, to answer your question... what you said is about half right."
"Half... right?"
"Yeah. He claims he's the Dragon Knight, but we don't know for sure if that's true yet."
"I see..."
Now that the cat was out of the bag, I decided to ask Myul for his two cents. This old-timer had probably spent his entire life searching the labyrinth for its secrets, just like me. He might know something I didn't.
"Myul, what are your thoughts? Do you think he's telling the truth?"
"Well... I've only heard about him from Ms. Ainar, and I haven't met him myself yet, so I can't be sure. However, if I were to accept his claim as true, there is one thing about his story that bothers me."
"What is it?"
"It's the fact that he's currently residing inside the body of a monster and living an immortal life."
"What of it?"
"The story of the Great Sage is very well known... but we have notoriously little record of his companions. At one point, I grew curious about this lost history and tried my best to collect as many accounts of them as I could—"
"Okay, yeah, get to the point."
"Well, on a visit to an antique shop, I found an account related to Bruingrid."
"What did it say?"
"Before I share that, I do want to clarify something first. When we analyzed the record, we were able to confirm that it was written during the appropriate period, but we weren't able to confirm the veracity of its contents."
Man, I told you to just get to the point.
"Got it. So what did it say?"
When I pushed one last time, Myul Armin carefully admitted, "The account described the Dragon Knight Cornelius Bruingrid as a hero who was more obsessed with immortality than anyone else in the world, and went on to say that this was a point of continuous tension between him and the Great Sage."
Logically speaking, this was nothing more than an ancient bit of lost history, shared with me by a man who wasn't even sure of its legitimacy.
So, why...?
"Immortality..."
Why did I suddenly feel so uneasy?
***
On the sixty-fourth day at nine in the evening, the village chief visited our lodgings.
His visit served two purposes. One was to tell us that a new residence had been prepared for us, solving the problem of us being packed in here like sardines...
"I decided to accept your offer."
And the second was to tell me his decision.
After hearing about the whole immortality thing, I was a little more wary of the chief, but I refused to let it show. It wasn't a good idea for us to antagonize him right now. The smartest thing would be for us to get the help we needed from him while we could and investigate in due time.
"All of the warriors are ready."
As such, the chief mobilized all the warriors of the village and headed aboveground with them. This was for one reason and one reason alone.
Basement Floor One, the Archives... At our current level, it'd be almost impossible for us to escape from this floor, meaning we needed to get stronger. And to get stronger, you needed to push yourself to your limits.
"There are only about two hours left now. Tell me if you change your mind at any point. I can think of nothing more foolish than running headfirst into a natural disaster naked."
"Noted, but I have no intention of changing my mind."
The chief tried to persuade me to back down, but I refused to budge. Our group of three hundred—including the village's warriors—continued to stand there with grim looks on our faces, waiting as the minutes ticked by.
Then, finally, the time came.
Uruuum!
Croak, croak, croak...!
Woof! Woof! Grrrr!
Above us, we heard the distant cries of hundreds of monsters come together in haunting harmony as they began to drop from the sky like flies.
Crunch!
These monsters then slammed headfirst into the ground and disappeared into bursts of light.
Shaaa!
The ones who survived dragged their battered forms to their feet and charged at us through the blinding light, and with our wait over, the adventurers and monster warriors alike drew their weapons and fought them off.
What do you mean "natural disaster?"
I raised my shield up high and roared, "Behel—aaaaaah!"
Rainy season—a catastrophic event where a deluge of monsters rained down on Basement Floor One and its inhabitants.
However, I saw it a little differently, and this did nothing but validate my point of view.
[You have killed a Luture Talismancer. EXP +4]
[You have killed a Werewolf.]
[You have killed a Wall-Mole Rat.]
[You have killed an Akeltas. EXP +5]
[You have killed a Subterranean Earth Dragon. EXP +4]
[You have killed an Iron Tusk.]
[You have killed an Orc Warrior.]
[You have killed an Island Guardian...]
Monsters that could only be found in Rifts, hidden areas, or out in normal areas at exceedingly low rates were pouring from the sky.
[You have leveled up. Your Soul Power has increased by +30. The maximum number of essences you can absorb has increased by +1.]
What could this be besides a farming event?
"Half... right?"
"Yeah. He claims he's the Dragon Knight, but we don't know for sure if that's true yet."
"I see..."
Now that the cat was out of the bag, I decided to ask Myul for his two cents. This old-timer had probably spent his entire life searching the labyrinth for its secrets, just like me. He might know something I didn't.
"Myul, what are your thoughts? Do you think he's telling the truth?"
"Well... I've only heard about him from Ms. Ainar, and I haven't met him myself yet, so I can't be sure. However, if I were to accept his claim as true, there is one thing about his story that bothers me."
"What is it?"
"It's the fact that he's currently residing inside the body of a monster and living an immortal life."
"What of it?"
"The story of the Great Sage is very well known... but we have notoriously little record of his companions. At one point, I grew curious about this lost history and tried my best to collect as many accounts of them as I could—"
"Okay, yeah, get to the point."
"Well, on a visit to an antique shop, I found an account related to Bruingrid."
"What did it say?"
"Before I share that, I do want to clarify something first. When we analyzed the record, we were able to confirm that it was written during the appropriate period, but we weren't able to confirm the veracity of its contents."
Man, I told you to just get to the point.
"Got it. So what did it say?"
When I pushed one last time, Myul Armin carefully admitted, "The account described the Dragon Knight Cornelius Bruingrid as a hero who was more obsessed with immortality than anyone else in the world, and went on to say that this was a point of continuous tension between him and the Great Sage."
Logically speaking, this was nothing more than an ancient bit of lost history, shared with me by a man who wasn't even sure of its legitimacy.
So, why...?
"Immortality..."
Why did I suddenly feel so uneasy?
***
On the sixty-fourth day at nine in the evening, the village chief visited our lodgings.
His visit served two purposes. One was to tell us that a new residence had been prepared for us, solving the problem of us being packed in here like sardines...
"I decided to accept your offer."
And the second was to tell me his decision.
After hearing about the whole immortality thing, I was a little more wary of the chief, but I refused to let it show. It wasn't a good idea for us to antagonize him right now. The smartest thing would be for us to get the help we needed from him while we could and investigate in due time.
"All of the warriors are ready."
As such, the chief mobilized all the warriors of the village and headed aboveground with them. This was for one reason and one reason alone.
Basement Floor One, the Archives... At our current level, it'd be almost impossible for us to escape from this floor, meaning we needed to get stronger. And to get stronger, you needed to push yourself to your limits.
"There are only about two hours left now. Tell me if you change your mind at any point. I can think of nothing more foolish than running headfirst into a natural disaster naked."
"Noted, but I have no intention of changing my mind."
The chief tried to persuade me to back down, but I refused to budge. Our group of three hundred—including the village's warriors—continued to stand there with grim looks on our faces, waiting as the minutes ticked by.
Then, finally, the time came.
Uruuum!
Croak, croak, croak...!
Woof! Woof! Grrrr!
Above us, we heard the distant cries of hundreds of monsters come together in haunting harmony as they began to drop from the sky like flies.
Crunch!
These monsters then slammed headfirst into the ground and disappeared into bursts of light.
Shaaa!
The ones who survived dragged their battered forms to their feet and charged at us through the blinding light, and with our wait over, the adventurers and monster warriors alike drew their weapons and fought them off.
What do you mean "natural disaster?"
I raised my shield up high and roared, "Behel—aaaaaah!"
Rainy season—a catastrophic event where a deluge of monsters rained down on Basement Floor One and its inhabitants.
However, I saw it a little differently, and this did nothing but validate my point of view.
[You have killed a Luture Talismancer. EXP +4]
[You have killed a Werewolf.]
[You have killed a Wall-Mole Rat.]
[You have killed an Akeltas. EXP +5]
[You have killed a Subterranean Earth Dragon. EXP +4]
[You have killed an Iron Tusk.]
[You have killed an Orc Warrior.]
[You have killed an Island Guardian...]
Monsters that could only be found in Rifts, hidden areas, or out in normal areas at exceedingly low rates were pouring from the sky.
[You have leveled up. Your Soul Power has increased by +30. The maximum number of essences you can absorb has increased by +1.]
What could this be besides a farming event?