Chapter 599: Third Record (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 599: Third Record (2)
The fifth floor of the labyrinth, the Great Demon Realm, was monumental for any adventurer. It was the point when adventurers began to work in groups like clans.
And the way you get treated changes.
Humans honestly didn't need to worry about the tax starting from that point onward. It was also why the citizens of Rafdonia treated adventurers who could reach the fifth floor as the best potential spouses.
It's something like joining a major corporation, I guess?
The fifth-floor adventurers went to the labyrinth as if they were going for a nine-to-five. After arriving on the floor, they would go to their usual hunting spot and farm mana stones without rest until the labyrinth closed. Afterward, they would be rewarded based on their performance.
Well, there were plenty of others who didn't like that routine and went around clanless with their own teams.
And those people I guess would be the successful entrepreneurs.
In any case, that didn't change the fact that they were considered the ideal partner.
It's pretty ironic, though.
The "idealness" of a partner was the highest on the fifth floor and would actually decrease from the sixth floor onward.
Ah, also, my reference for this was a book in the library. It was a book that compiled the survey results of over ten thousand citizens, and the reason their favorability decreased was pretty interesting.
First, it was too dangerous.
Second, it would be difficult to meet them, realistically.
Third, because they might be ill-tempered.
The third reason might seem odd, but it wasn't a baseless stereotype. The time of an adventurer flowed differently from a normal person's. Their mental health was worn down in ways the average person wouldn't understand, and the amount of stress they would experience in the labyrinth from the sixth floor and above increased exponentially. That was why among the famous adventurers, a lot of them were known to be quite—
"Lord Baron, what are you thinking so hard about?"
I pulled myself out of my thoughts at the village chief's question. "Ah...I was just surveying the surroundings."
I didn't say that as a plausible excuse either. I really was surveying the area, and that was what led me down that rabbit hole of thought.
The fifth floor of the labyrinth, the Great Demon Realm. Unlike its fearsome name, the floor was relatively safe. However...
"This is a little different from the floor I know."
We had opened our eyes to find ourselves in a place different from the familiar fifth floor we had passed through multiple times. Although the terrain and overall atmosphere were similar, there was one thing that separated it from the floor we knew.
"There shouldn't be any rank three monsters like that roaming around the Great Demon Realm."
On one of the paths that led down, a rank three monster was standing there, blocking it while staring at us.
"Mister, that's a Vamdemon, right?"
Vamdemon was a so-called rare monster because a few conditions needed to be met for it to appear. I hadn't been able to get my experience off of it yet either.
Since it's not something we need the essence of, so there's no need for us to try defeating it here...
Although I had raised my guard as soon as I saw it, for some reason, it just looked us up and down and didn't approach us.
"Gahuin, do you have an idea where we need to go?"
He took a moment to consider my question. "No, I'm not feeling anything. It's as if that ability disappeared as soon as we got here..."
Hmm, is that so...?
"However," he added, "I get the feeling that this is the last trial we must overcome."
"Uh...isn't that just what you're hoping for?"
"Lord Baron, the way you speak... Aren't you going too far? Well, I can't deny what you said..." Gahuin let out a deep sigh before letting out his inner thoughts. "But it's about time this ended. We've already been here for half a year already!"
Considering that I'd woken up in chapter eleven as soon as chapter two ended, I couldn't do anything to console him. I hadn't been playing here for even twenty-four hours, after all.
"Let's leave it at that and get our heads together. To summarize, it seems that we need to find the evil god here." Jerome cut through the awkward tension and reined in the situation, asking, "Which direction do you gentlemen think we should go?"
"That's obvious."
"We don't need to think about it."
Gahuin and I answered him at the same time.
How did that happen?
"Gahuin, you can talk first—"
"You talk first, Lord Baron—"
I wanted to offer him the chance to speak, but we overlapped again, immediately plunging the mood back into awkward territory. Though internally, I was thinking something along the lines of, "Can I just talk now? Hmm, what if I talk at the same time as him again?" I waited for an extra beat, giving him the chance to speak.
Alright, now.
I seized the moment and pointed to the route that the Vamdemon was blocking.
"I—"
"I—"
Was this old man going to do this again? So annoying.
"Gahuin, are you doing this on purpose?" I accused, glaring.
"Wh-why would I?!" Gahuin looked at me as if I had falsely accused him.
The village chief stepped in with a neutral expression to settle this unfunny situation. "Don't waste time like this. Looks like the two of you pointed in the same direction. Aren't you two thinking the same thing?"
"Well...that does seem to be the case..."
"I agree."
This time again, Gahuin and I spoke at the same time.
"Naturally—"
"Naturally—"
This was pissing me off. He was saying the same words as me at this point...
Ah, whatever.
I decided to ignore him and just keep talking, and unfortunately, Gahuin thought the same thing.
"We need to go that way."
"We just need to avoid going that way, right?"
After a moment of silence passed, Gahuin and I looked at each other and fell into awkward silence again. I really didn't mesh well with this old man.
***
"There's something dangerous in that direction, so wouldn't it be wise to avoid it and go a different way?"
"Gahuin, do you have an idea where we need to go?"
He took a moment to consider my question. "No, I'm not feeling anything. It's as if that ability disappeared as soon as we got here..."
Hmm, is that so...?
"However," he added, "I get the feeling that this is the last trial we must overcome."
"Uh...isn't that just what you're hoping for?"
"Lord Baron, the way you speak... Aren't you going too far? Well, I can't deny what you said..." Gahuin let out a deep sigh before letting out his inner thoughts. "But it's about time this ended. We've already been here for half a year already!"
Considering that I'd woken up in chapter eleven as soon as chapter two ended, I couldn't do anything to console him. I hadn't been playing here for even twenty-four hours, after all.
"Let's leave it at that and get our heads together. To summarize, it seems that we need to find the evil god here." Jerome cut through the awkward tension and reined in the situation, asking, "Which direction do you gentlemen think we should go?"
"That's obvious."
"We don't need to think about it."
Gahuin and I answered him at the same time.
How did that happen?
"Gahuin, you can talk first—"
"You talk first, Lord Baron—"
I wanted to offer him the chance to speak, but we overlapped again, immediately plunging the mood back into awkward territory. Though internally, I was thinking something along the lines of, "Can I just talk now? Hmm, what if I talk at the same time as him again?" I waited for an extra beat, giving him the chance to speak.
Alright, now.
I seized the moment and pointed to the route that the Vamdemon was blocking.
"I—"
"I—"
Was this old man going to do this again? So annoying.
"Gahuin, are you doing this on purpose?" I accused, glaring.
"Wh-why would I?!" Gahuin looked at me as if I had falsely accused him.
The village chief stepped in with a neutral expression to settle this unfunny situation. "Don't waste time like this. Looks like the two of you pointed in the same direction. Aren't you two thinking the same thing?"
"Well...that does seem to be the case..."
"I agree."
This time again, Gahuin and I spoke at the same time.
"Naturally—"
"Naturally—"
This was pissing me off. He was saying the same words as me at this point...
Ah, whatever.
I decided to ignore him and just keep talking, and unfortunately, Gahuin thought the same thing.
"We need to go that way."
"We just need to avoid going that way, right?"
After a moment of silence passed, Gahuin and I looked at each other and fell into awkward silence again. I really didn't mesh well with this old man.
***
"There's something dangerous in that direction, so wouldn't it be wise to avoid it and go a different way?"
Surprisingly enough, Gahuin's logical starting point was the same as mine, but his conclusion was completely different. It was a fundamental difference in the way we thought.
"No," I refuted. "We need to go in that direction because there is something dangerous there."
This chapter's goal was to find the evil god Karui. And from what I could see, there was a good chance Karui was lying in wait in one of the four canyons. Treasures were usually stashed in places like that.
"There's a kind waypoint just waiting for us there, so why should we waste our time going somewhere else first?" I argued.
"It's too early to say that it'll be a waste of time. The route to success might require us to look through the other three canyons for some object before we meet the evil god!"
"Then what if it is a system where the resulting battle grows more difficult the longer we take? A wrong decision here could lead to an unsalvageable outcome."
"Th-that's too much of a leap!"
"Gahuin, in a rift, you need to be open to all possibilities while still being wary of them. Even more so now since this is our first time being here. And hearing you say such amateurish things..." He shot me a questioning look, and I answered with a resolute, "You really are a wizard. Not an adventurer."
"Wh-what?!"
Seeing his face flush red with anger reminded me of the meeting on Library Island about which of the rank 1 monsters to summon. We had a pretty heated debate then as well.
"Even if we talk like this here, the count is the one who makes the decision, no? Count Saintred, you make the decision." There was no point wasting time here, so I let the count make the decision, and naturally, the outcome was already decided.
The village chief acted like he was thinking for a moment. "Hmm... It seems we should follow the baron's decision," he said, taking my side, and the conversation ended with that.
"Th-that's...!"
Gahuin didn't seem to like that decision, but he couldn't say anything since the village chief held the final say here.
Alright, then the route is decided.
Gahuin let out a bitter laugh before stepping away, and although my relationship with that old man worsened a little, this was still better. No, rather, this was a refreshing outcome, even.
I then approached the archbishop whom I had been observing for a bit. "Archbishop, why have you been standing there by yourself?"
"Ah... Oh! I was thinking for a moment. About that...evil god. It may be the case that we could meet that evil god in this place."
"Why? Do you not want to?"
"Well...I don't know." The archbishop's expression turned pretty serious as he said it.
Well, I figured it was the sort of worry you'd see from any devoutly religious person. As an atheist, I couldn't relate, but it wasn't something I needed to care about either. "I don't care what you're thinking about but don't get distracted and drag us down. Got it?"
"...I will take care of myself."
Sure, whatever.
In any case, after checking up on the archbishop, we had a short information session on the Vamdemon. The one who gave the lesson wasn't me but Gahuin. Although he didn't have the mind of an adventurer, it wasn't as if he lacked knowledge.
He did miss a few small details... But this much is fine. It'd be weird if I brought up those details too... I can't be bothered to do it either.
***
[You have defeated a Vamdemon. EXP +7]
Our battle against the rank three monster Vamdemon wasn't that difficult. We were all under the effects of pretty powerful abilities already. Unlimited divine power for the priest, double stats for the knight, the powerful ancient magic for the wizard—even considering that I couldn't take on the tank role like I used to, the bonuses were enough to easily defeat a rank three monster.
Maybe we should've tried with just three people...
The loot from the Vamdemon was only a mana stone, I wasn't too disappointed. I mean, maybe I should be glad we got it. Even though it was such a small thing? I was more focused on something else, however.
"That wasn't too difficult. I don't know why an old man got so scared," I observed.
"...Lord Baron, what did you just say?"
"Nothing?"
"What do you mean nothing?! You were talking about me."
"But I can't really call you a young man, can I?"
It might seem a bit childish, but I wouldn't lose even a single word to Gahuin.
He's been acting up recently. Even if he's from a noble family, he doesn't have a noble title.
I needed to make him realize his position at least once—
"Mister..."
Erwen called for me as I went to pile on Gahuin a bit more.
I paused. "What is it?"
"I-it's just..."
"Don't keep me waiting. Just say it."
"Well...you're not acting like yourself today..."
Hearing her careful words, I couldn't help but smirk. "What do you mean I'm not like myself?" Thinking about it now, she also expected everything from me for no reason. So did Amelia and Missha...
"Oh, are you asking why I'm not acting the way you like?" I demanded, taking a step toward her. Erwen stepped back, fear clear in her eyes.
"What the—?" I muttered.
After seeing her expression, my mind instantly cleared, dispelling the rapid swirl of emotions I hadn't even noticed until then. It was such a natural change that I didn't even realize it.
"D*mn it."
I dropped the hammer I had been holding onto the ground, lowered into a squat, and then with a clang, I slammed my head onto the hammer.
"Hah..." I sighed in relief. "Now I can finally think."
A problem had occurred in my head as soon as we entered the Great Demon Realm.
No, perhaps...
"So barbaric... Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
Maybe I wasn't the only one with a problem.
[You have entered a special area.]
[Field Effect—Great Demon Realm is in effect. Control will continuously decrease.]
Surprisingly enough, Gahuin's logical starting point was the same as mine, but his conclusion was completely different. It was a fundamental difference in the way we thought.
"No," I refuted. "We need to go in that direction because there is something dangerous there."
This chapter's goal was to find the evil god Karui. And from what I could see, there was a good chance Karui was lying in wait in one of the four canyons. Treasures were usually stashed in places like that.
"There's a kind waypoint just waiting for us there, so why should we waste our time going somewhere else first?" I argued.
"It's too early to say that it'll be a waste of time. The route to success might require us to look through the other three canyons for some object before we meet the evil god!"
"Then what if it is a system where the resulting battle grows more difficult the longer we take? A wrong decision here could lead to an unsalvageable outcome."
"Th-that's too much of a leap!"
"Gahuin, in a rift, you need to be open to all possibilities while still being wary of them. Even more so now since this is our first time being here. And hearing you say such amateurish things..." He shot me a questioning look, and I answered with a resolute, "You really are a wizard. Not an adventurer."
"Wh-what?!"
Seeing his face flush red with anger reminded me of the meeting on Library Island about which of the rank 1 monsters to summon. We had a pretty heated debate then as well.
"Even if we talk like this here, the count is the one who makes the decision, no? Count Saintred, you make the decision." There was no point wasting time here, so I let the count make the decision, and naturally, the outcome was already decided.
The village chief acted like he was thinking for a moment. "Hmm... It seems we should follow the baron's decision," he said, taking my side, and the conversation ended with that.
"Th-that's...!"
Gahuin didn't seem to like that decision, but he couldn't say anything since the village chief held the final say here.
Alright, then the route is decided.
Gahuin let out a bitter laugh before stepping away, and although my relationship with that old man worsened a little, this was still better. No, rather, this was a refreshing outcome, even.
I then approached the archbishop whom I had been observing for a bit. "Archbishop, why have you been standing there by yourself?"
"Ah... Oh! I was thinking for a moment. About that...evil god. It may be the case that we could meet that evil god in this place."
"Why? Do you not want to?"
"Well...I don't know." The archbishop's expression turned pretty serious as he said it.
Well, I figured it was the sort of worry you'd see from any devoutly religious person. As an atheist, I couldn't relate, but it wasn't something I needed to care about either. "I don't care what you're thinking about but don't get distracted and drag us down. Got it?"
"...I will take care of myself."
Sure, whatever.
In any case, after checking up on the archbishop, we had a short information session on the Vamdemon. The one who gave the lesson wasn't me but Gahuin. Although he didn't have the mind of an adventurer, it wasn't as if he lacked knowledge.
He did miss a few small details... But this much is fine. It'd be weird if I brought up those details too... I can't be bothered to do it either.
***
[You have defeated a Vamdemon. EXP +7]
Our battle against the rank three monster Vamdemon wasn't that difficult. We were all under the effects of pretty powerful abilities already. Unlimited divine power for the priest, double stats for the knight, the powerful ancient magic for the wizard—even considering that I couldn't take on the tank role like I used to, the bonuses were enough to easily defeat a rank three monster.
Maybe we should've tried with just three people...
The loot from the Vamdemon was only a mana stone, I wasn't too disappointed. I mean, maybe I should be glad we got it. Even though it was such a small thing? I was more focused on something else, however.
"That wasn't too difficult. I don't know why an old man got so scared," I observed.
"...Lord Baron, what did you just say?"
"Nothing?"
"What do you mean nothing?! You were talking about me."
"But I can't really call you a young man, can I?"
It might seem a bit childish, but I wouldn't lose even a single word to Gahuin.
He's been acting up recently. Even if he's from a noble family, he doesn't have a noble title.
I needed to make him realize his position at least once—
"Mister..."
Erwen called for me as I went to pile on Gahuin a bit more.
I paused. "What is it?"
"I-it's just..."
"Don't keep me waiting. Just say it."
"Well...you're not acting like yourself today..."
Hearing her careful words, I couldn't help but smirk. "What do you mean I'm not like myself?" Thinking about it now, she also expected everything from me for no reason. So did Amelia and Missha...
"Oh, are you asking why I'm not acting the way you like?" I demanded, taking a step toward her. Erwen stepped back, fear clear in her eyes.
"What the—?" I muttered.
After seeing her expression, my mind instantly cleared, dispelling the rapid swirl of emotions I hadn't even noticed until then. It was such a natural change that I didn't even realize it.
"D*mn it."
I dropped the hammer I had been holding onto the ground, lowered into a squat, and then with a clang, I slammed my head onto the hammer.
"Hah..." I sighed in relief. "Now I can finally think."
A problem had occurred in my head as soon as we entered the Great Demon Realm.
No, perhaps...
"So barbaric... Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
Maybe I wasn't the only one with a problem.
[You have entered a special area.]
[Field Effect—Great Demon Realm is in effect. Control will continuously decrease.]