Chapter 583: Opened Doors (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 583: Opened Doors (4)
The structure was something like a straight hallway, but honestly, calling it a "hallway" was misleading. Although the proportions were similar, there was a huge difference in size. The space seemed to be at least three times larger than the Palace of Honor where titles were given.
Fwoosh.
Even with the active flare, I still couldn't see the end. The bright light cast a deep shadow above each of the statues that lined the walls, creating a bleak atmosphere that hung over the room.
Statues of Guardians...
What was this place? I hoped that it didn't force a single-player experience and allowed party play.
I kept my guard up for any dangers that might be lurking unseen, then suddenly, portals appeared in the air at the promised time.
Vwoong.
The portal was big enough for exactly one person to fit through. It stayed open for only a moment, enough to spit out one person before disappearing as if having completed its duty.
"It's good to see you safe."
Amelia entered directly after me.
"Ugh...pretty spooky."
Next, the warrior Ainar appeared, looking to have lost all her Aggression, and the portals continued to open as more of my allies entered.
"There could be traps around us, so don't move and be on standby!"
Although all members of Temporary Squad Four finished entering, I didn't immediately begin and instead waited for the rest to enter. It wouldn't be too late for me to begin the investigation after everyone was here. Squad Three, Squad Two, Squad One... After waiting, over a hundred members entered, including the village chief.
"The wizards should secure our vision first, and the rest shall stay vigilant and wait for an order!" the village chief shouted with the face of Jerome Saintred.
Seeing him act so naturally made me feel uncomfortable for some reason, but the sight also relieved me. So he had come as well. I was honestly a little scared that he was just going to throw me in here and not come in himself.
In any case, everyone entered successfully...
Either there wasn't an entry limit for this space, or the limit was very large. That didn't mean I could rest easy, though, not in this situation. True to the experience of Dungeon and Stone, things like this usually had a very high difficulty.
"Baron Yandel, what do you suggest we do now?" The village chief came to ask me, and I relayed my order to the chief under the guise of giving my opinion. "Hmm...that does seem logical."
The village chief tried his best to not make it obvious he was practically my puppet in this matter, and after acting like he was in deep thought for a while, he gave an order to the deputy commander.
"We will first form groups to investigate this area!"
Our investigation then began. In order, the knights first looked around the area, and if they found anything suspicious, they wouldn't touch it and instead call for a wizard first. Before I realized it, we had a completed map.
It's really easy when there's a lot of people you can order.
Honestly, it felt like I was using a cheat. If I only had members of Clan Anabada do this, it would've taken us so much longer.
"We didn't find any monsters in our immediate vicinity."
"Do not touch the statues! It is faint, but there is a mana reaction coming from within them!"
"Although we came through a portal, it doesn't seem like we are within a rift."
"All geographical features can be regenerated."
Something that would have usually taken us an entire day ended instantly with the manpower of a few ships.
After silently observing the whole thing, I received the report together with the village chief and was left with the simple task of consolidating the information and making a decision.
Is this...the taste of authority?
It was so convenient that the adventuring I had done until now felt primitive.
I spun my head instead of my pen and quietly organized the information we received by myself. From my perspective, there were three important factors.
One: Guardian statues.
If the theories of the wizards were true, the stone statues here weren't just simple decorations. They definitely had a role to play here, and I had a guess as to what that could be. Hmm, to be honest, it was something I was looking forward to.
But I'm not certain of it, so let's move on for now...
Two: the possibility of a new type of Guardian.
The stone statues here all depicted a Guardian from the fifth floor and below. However, one odd thing was that even the Vampire Duke Cambormere, who could be considered a type of hidden boss, was among the stone statues. The real problem, however, was something else.
Why are these guys here?
There were a few among the Guardians whom we had never seen before yet who weren't entirely unknown entities either. Just like how even though he was a Guardian, Cambormere was a rank 5 monster, most of the entities here were beings who I had already extracted experience from.
The problem here...
I don't think a Drake can appear as a Guardian...?
There were stone statues of monsters who didn't appear as Guardians in any rift standing proudly among the rest. Maybe the stone statues here weren't limited to just Guardian monsters? But all the rest of them were Guardians of the Rift.
It was clear just from that Lycanthrope statue. A Lycanthrope who used an ice club as a weapon—only the Tyrant of Glacier Cave, Tarunbas, fit that description.
"If it really is another Guardian...then it's the same as a new Guardian essence appearing for us!"
"But we haven't confirmed anything yet."
"No, I'm sure of it! Just like how Baron Yandel defeated the Vampire Guardian and consumed its essence, these are the Guardians of the Rifts that haven't been discovered yet, just like that Vampire!"
Maybe it really was a case similar to the Bloody Citadel. It was difficult for me to accept that there were so many rifts that even I didn't know about, but the longer I stayed in this world, the more accepting I became of it.
My knowledge was only vast when compared directly to others. It was foolish of me to think I knew everything there was to know about Dungeon and Stone. This Basement Floor 1 was a prime culprit. I also never knew that Restrained Wish could upgrade the Vampire essence into an Ogre essence either.
In any case, onto the next one.
Three: that giant stone door.
After walking past the stone statues in the hallway, another giant stone door presented itself, and even after using rank 1 magic, not a single mark was created on it.
"Although we came through a portal, it doesn't seem like we are within a rift."
"All geographical features can be regenerated."
Something that would have usually taken us an entire day ended instantly with the manpower of a few ships.
After silently observing the whole thing, I received the report together with the village chief and was left with the simple task of consolidating the information and making a decision.
Is this...the taste of authority?
It was so convenient that the adventuring I had done until now felt primitive.
I spun my head instead of my pen and quietly organized the information we received by myself. From my perspective, there were three important factors.
One: Guardian statues.
If the theories of the wizards were true, the stone statues here weren't just simple decorations. They definitely had a role to play here, and I had a guess as to what that could be. Hmm, to be honest, it was something I was looking forward to.
But I'm not certain of it, so let's move on for now...
Two: the possibility of a new type of Guardian.
The stone statues here all depicted a Guardian from the fifth floor and below. However, one odd thing was that even the Vampire Duke Cambormere, who could be considered a type of hidden boss, was among the stone statues. The real problem, however, was something else.
Why are these guys here?
There were a few among the Guardians whom we had never seen before yet who weren't entirely unknown entities either. Just like how even though he was a Guardian, Cambormere was a rank 5 monster, most of the entities here were beings who I had already extracted experience from.
The problem here...
I don't think a Drake can appear as a Guardian...?
There were stone statues of monsters who didn't appear as Guardians in any rift standing proudly among the rest. Maybe the stone statues here weren't limited to just Guardian monsters? But all the rest of them were Guardians of the Rift.
It was clear just from that Lycanthrope statue. A Lycanthrope who used an ice club as a weapon—only the Tyrant of Glacier Cave, Tarunbas, fit that description.
"If it really is another Guardian...then it's the same as a new Guardian essence appearing for us!"
"But we haven't confirmed anything yet."
"No, I'm sure of it! Just like how Baron Yandel defeated the Vampire Guardian and consumed its essence, these are the Guardians of the Rifts that haven't been discovered yet, just like that Vampire!"
Maybe it really was a case similar to the Bloody Citadel. It was difficult for me to accept that there were so many rifts that even I didn't know about, but the longer I stayed in this world, the more accepting I became of it.
My knowledge was only vast when compared directly to others. It was foolish of me to think I knew everything there was to know about Dungeon and Stone. This Basement Floor 1 was a prime culprit. I also never knew that Restrained Wish could upgrade the Vampire essence into an Ogre essence either.
In any case, onto the next one.
Three: that giant stone door.
After walking past the stone statues in the hallway, another giant stone door presented itself, and even after using rank 1 magic, not a single mark was created on it.
And four: that was everything.
To put it simply, we needed to satisfy some condition from among the things we discovered to open that door and proceed to the next step.
"Let's end the investigation here. Gather everyone together. I mean, I think we should gather everyone together."
I used the puppet-leader village chief to get everyone.
I mean, it was obvious at this point, right?
"Prepare for battle...!"
After receiving the village chief's order, the deputy commander relayed the order to the rest of the army, and in the strained silence, I slowly approached the stone statues and placed my hand on the King Slime statue which should be the easiest.
Bzzt.
An electric feeling zapped through the end of my finger into the statue. Instinctively, I could tell that something had activated.
But I didn't expect this.
I only expected the stone statue to come alive and move, so I couldn't help but be flustered.
"...A portal?"
There, next to the statue, a portal had opened. We'd arrived here after going through an unknown stone door on Basement Floor 1 only to find yet another dimensional portal. However, it wasn't too hard to suspect where this one would lead.
"Won't it probably connect to the Green Coal Mine...?"
"That does have the highest possibility, doesn't it?"
From the murmurs I was hearing, the other adventurers seemed to be thinking the same thing. However, I didn't let myself become complacent.
"We will decide who will enter with me."
There was no guarantee that the portal would lead to the Green Coal Mine, and there was no guarantee that everyone could enter through this portal as well. We began to diligently select our members, cognizant of the three types of portals.
One: a permanent portal that stayed open until the labyrinth closed.
The dimensional headstone was of this category. However, considering the circumstances, this had the lowest probability of being the case since we had never seen a portal of this type open inside a rift.
Two: a multi-use portal that only stayed open for a set number of people.
The first-floor rifts were like this. When a rift opened, dozens of portals appeared all around the first floor, and when a total of five people went through the portal, they would disappear.
Three: a portal which only activated once.
The doppelganger forest of the fourth floor fell under this category. That portal could only be used one time. However, if people were connected during that one portal use, they would all be transported together.
Ah, also, it had been proven long ago that even if six people were tied together, all six of them would teleport through the portal.
Alright, then the member selection is done...
We had five-member and six-member teams, as per usual, as well as ten-member, twelve-member, fifteen-member, eighteen-member... We made the teams in multiples of five and six and decided on who would go in first.
This could all be a waste of time, but not doing something that could be done was practically a sin within the labyrinth—at least that was what I believed.
"Then I'll go in first."
After reapplying the appropriate spells on our group, I carefully stepped through the portal, and couldn't help my surprise.
Tracks laid on the floor. Debris scattered about everywhere. A broken minecart and coal within it.
There was no problem up to that point. It was clear by that alone that I had arrived at the Green Coal Mine. However, there was one serious problem.
"What the hell? Where is everyone else?"
No matter how long I waited, no one else entered.
Just in case, I looked around the area and waited for a bit longer, but the portal never appeared.
At that, my brain began to go into overdrive.
Why aren't they coming in?
Did a problem happen outside? Or did the village chief do something again...?
Hmm, or maybe everyone was here, but the starting point was different so I haven't seen them yet.
"...Let's proceed by myself for now."
Whatever the case, it seemed like I would just be wasting time if I stayed here, so I slowly began to make my way through the area. It wasn't any ordinary Green Coal Mine, after all. It wouldn't be odd if a different powerful monster appeared.
I reminded myself repeatedly to not let my guard down and carefully moved forward.
"...Huh?"
"Kyuuit!"
But not long after, an open area suddenly appeared, and with it, so too did the Guardian of the Green Coal Mine. Usually, I would need to defeat another boss in the middle before walking a lot further in.
Crunch!
For now, I crushed the thing that charged at me as soon as it saw me with my hammer.
[You have defeated a King Slime. Guardian defeat bonus. EXP +3]
It looked like the experience was working properly, and yet...
Maybe I was imagining things.
Flash!
But then, my mind blanked as I took in the portal that appeared as soon as I defeated it.
That's it...?
Although it was anticlimactic, this really did seem like the end.
Unless another event is waiting for me beyond that portal.
Since the portal didn't seem like it was going to disappear at any moment, I steadied myself and checked where the King Slime had died.
"You know, you should've dropped a rift stone or something."
The loot I got was the rainbow essence that represented the Guardian. For me, it was garbage. It would be difficult for me to gain anything from selling it by putting it into a magic vial too, and that was ignoring the fact that I didn't have a wizard here to do that for me in the first place. It also would do me no good to eat it.
After abandoning the Guardian essence, I quickly left through the portal.
"M-Mister...!"
Thankfully, I returned to where I was previously as I walked through the portal.
"Bjorn...!"
"T-thank goodness, Captain!"
"Did something happen inside?"
My allies came to check on my well-being with worry in their eyes. However, before I explained what I experienced, I asked what happened after I walked into the portal. Why did no one come in after me? The answer to that question aligned with what I suspected, quite unfortunately.
"It wasn't that we didn't come in, we couldn't. The portal disappeared as soon as you walked through it."
So it really was a single-person rift. Well, it was still better than them not being able to follow me because something had gone wrong out here.
I couldn't help but sigh.
I pulled my eyes away from my allies and looked at the rest of the stone statues lining the hallway.
The Guardians under the fifth floor, each of whom was of a different species, had different difficulties and required different methods to deal with them.
I need to defeat all of them myself, alone...
I could already see the path of suffering lying in wait for me.
And four: that was everything.
To put it simply, we needed to satisfy some condition from among the things we discovered to open that door and proceed to the next step.
"Let's end the investigation here. Gather everyone together. I mean, I think we should gather everyone together."
I used the puppet-leader village chief to get everyone.
I mean, it was obvious at this point, right?
"Prepare for battle...!"
After receiving the village chief's order, the deputy commander relayed the order to the rest of the army, and in the strained silence, I slowly approached the stone statues and placed my hand on the King Slime statue which should be the easiest.
Bzzt.
An electric feeling zapped through the end of my finger into the statue. Instinctively, I could tell that something had activated.
But I didn't expect this.
I only expected the stone statue to come alive and move, so I couldn't help but be flustered.
"...A portal?"
There, next to the statue, a portal had opened. We'd arrived here after going through an unknown stone door on Basement Floor 1 only to find yet another dimensional portal. However, it wasn't too hard to suspect where this one would lead.
"Won't it probably connect to the Green Coal Mine...?"
"That does have the highest possibility, doesn't it?"
From the murmurs I was hearing, the other adventurers seemed to be thinking the same thing. However, I didn't let myself become complacent.
"We will decide who will enter with me."
There was no guarantee that the portal would lead to the Green Coal Mine, and there was no guarantee that everyone could enter through this portal as well. We began to diligently select our members, cognizant of the three types of portals.
One: a permanent portal that stayed open until the labyrinth closed.
The dimensional headstone was of this category. However, considering the circumstances, this had the lowest probability of being the case since we had never seen a portal of this type open inside a rift.
Two: a multi-use portal that only stayed open for a set number of people.
The first-floor rifts were like this. When a rift opened, dozens of portals appeared all around the first floor, and when a total of five people went through the portal, they would disappear.
Three: a portal which only activated once.
The doppelganger forest of the fourth floor fell under this category. That portal could only be used one time. However, if people were connected during that one portal use, they would all be transported together.
Ah, also, it had been proven long ago that even if six people were tied together, all six of them would teleport through the portal.
Alright, then the member selection is done...
We had five-member and six-member teams, as per usual, as well as ten-member, twelve-member, fifteen-member, eighteen-member... We made the teams in multiples of five and six and decided on who would go in first.
This could all be a waste of time, but not doing something that could be done was practically a sin within the labyrinth—at least that was what I believed.
"Then I'll go in first."
After reapplying the appropriate spells on our group, I carefully stepped through the portal, and couldn't help my surprise.
Tracks laid on the floor. Debris scattered about everywhere. A broken minecart and coal within it.
There was no problem up to that point. It was clear by that alone that I had arrived at the Green Coal Mine. However, there was one serious problem.
"What the hell? Where is everyone else?"
No matter how long I waited, no one else entered.
Just in case, I looked around the area and waited for a bit longer, but the portal never appeared.
At that, my brain began to go into overdrive.
Why aren't they coming in?
Did a problem happen outside? Or did the village chief do something again...?
Hmm, or maybe everyone was here, but the starting point was different so I haven't seen them yet.
"...Let's proceed by myself for now."
Whatever the case, it seemed like I would just be wasting time if I stayed here, so I slowly began to make my way through the area. It wasn't any ordinary Green Coal Mine, after all. It wouldn't be odd if a different powerful monster appeared.
I reminded myself repeatedly to not let my guard down and carefully moved forward.
"...Huh?"
"Kyuuit!"
But not long after, an open area suddenly appeared, and with it, so too did the Guardian of the Green Coal Mine. Usually, I would need to defeat another boss in the middle before walking a lot further in.
Crunch!
For now, I crushed the thing that charged at me as soon as it saw me with my hammer.
[You have defeated a King Slime. Guardian defeat bonus. EXP +3]
It looked like the experience was working properly, and yet...
Maybe I was imagining things.
Flash!
But then, my mind blanked as I took in the portal that appeared as soon as I defeated it.
That's it...?
Although it was anticlimactic, this really did seem like the end.
Unless another event is waiting for me beyond that portal.
Since the portal didn't seem like it was going to disappear at any moment, I steadied myself and checked where the King Slime had died.
"You know, you should've dropped a rift stone or something."
The loot I got was the rainbow essence that represented the Guardian. For me, it was garbage. It would be difficult for me to gain anything from selling it by putting it into a magic vial too, and that was ignoring the fact that I didn't have a wizard here to do that for me in the first place. It also would do me no good to eat it.
After abandoning the Guardian essence, I quickly left through the portal.
"M-Mister...!"
Thankfully, I returned to where I was previously as I walked through the portal.
"Bjorn...!"
"T-thank goodness, Captain!"
"Did something happen inside?"
My allies came to check on my well-being with worry in their eyes. However, before I explained what I experienced, I asked what happened after I walked into the portal. Why did no one come in after me? The answer to that question aligned with what I suspected, quite unfortunately.
"It wasn't that we didn't come in, we couldn't. The portal disappeared as soon as you walked through it."
So it really was a single-person rift. Well, it was still better than them not being able to follow me because something had gone wrong out here.
I couldn't help but sigh.
I pulled my eyes away from my allies and looked at the rest of the stone statues lining the hallway.
The Guardians under the fifth floor, each of whom was of a different species, had different difficulties and required different methods to deal with them.
I need to defeat all of them myself, alone...
I could already see the path of suffering lying in wait for me.