Chapter 139: Cutting Ties
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Cutting Ties
I wanted to avoid fighting a monster like the Glutton if at all possible.
But we were out of options.
“If we have to fight anyway, we shouldn’t hesitate. We need to go now. If we get there while the Gardener is still alive, we might be able to get its help.”
Doesn’t even a country mutt have a bigger bark in its own yard?
Inside Bearhim’s Garden, the Gardener’s combat power would be at its peak. The Glutton, on the other hand, had left the sea of the 7th floor and was floating in the air, so it would be weaker than it was on its home turf.
Still, if the two fought, the Glutton would eventually win. The difference in their weight class was just too great.
“That’s why we have to hurry. Let’s go get the Gardener’s help. I have a rough idea of its location.”
As I was explaining this to both Clorence’s party and my own…
“Um.”
Priest Dorothy raised her hand.
“I disagree.”
It was the first time she had voiced an opposing opinion, after having followed my or Clorence’s lead with a naive expression until now.
“Your suggestion to head for the 5th floor was reasonable, but fighting a special boss from the 7th floor is not.”
“But we don’t have any other choice, do we?” Aimus asked.
“Caleb’s party may not, but we do. We can just find an exit room on the 6th floor, clear it, and leave.”
And since the exit gate only allows four people to pass through, only Clorence’s party would be able to escape.
Could we clear an exit room on our own?
It would be difficult.
“You said your party fell from the 5th floor after stepping on a trap, correct?”
Dorothy knew that as well.
“It’s unfortunate, but it would be difficult for us to help you. We have no obligation to do so, either. We aren’t bound by any contract.”
“W-Wait a minute.”
A flustered Aimus stepped forward.
“So you’re saying the four of you will leave the four of us behind here on the 6th floor?”
“We’ll request support for you once we get out. In the meantime, do your best to survive.”
Her tone was as sharp and final as a blade. The faces of my party members paled.
There was no way Clorence’s team would clear an exit room and let the four of us go first. If they wasted time, they would become targets for the Glutton as well.
We couldn’t buy our way out, either. Why? Just think about how wealthy Clorence, their party leader, was.
“Let’s go, Clorence.”
Dorothy pulled on Clorence’s arm.
Literally.
They were cutting us loose.
Aimus, Yernil, and Back Attack all wore expressions of shock, unable to process what had just happened.
This was probably a first for them.
Clorence’s party was decidedly different from the many other adventurers we had met on our previous Labyrinth expeditions.
With Birtanen’s party, Bernard’s party, Hijikata’s party, and Neko’s party…
In every case, we had been the ones helping the other party.
And we had all pooled our strength together with a cry of, “Let’s do this!” to overcome disasters like monster waves.
Teamwork overflowing with passion and romance, blood and sweat mingling in a spirited battle, and finally, a happy ending.
For my companions, who had only experienced such things recently, Dorothy’s coldness was bewildering.
It must have felt like a children’s story had suddenly turned into a grim, adult drama.
And as for me…
“Just as expected of a priest of Nathaniel.”
She seemed to be somewhat lacking in the coldness and cunning of a priest.
“You’re too kind and naive.”
“Are you being sarcastic?” the priest retorted, her voice dry.
“Caleb. I may be a priest, but I’m also an adventurer. Pleading won’t help.”
“No, I’m being sincere. I’m sure Clorence, Richard, and Kudrum, who are standing right next to you, were thinking the exact same thing. About clearing an exit room and leaving.”
“What?”
“But the reason those three didn’t say anything is…”
It was because a different kind of greed had begun to sprout in their minds.
“You’re coveting Bearhim’s Garden, aren’t you?”
The corners of Kudrum’s mouth lifted slightly. Clorence took out a cigarette and put it to his lips. Richard silently pulled Dorothy back.
“Bearhim’s Garden has Aether Mushrooms, which grant immense power to those who consume them. Clorence’s team came here for them from the very beginning.”
“That’s right.”
Clorence nodded, lighting his cigarette.
The greed must have sparked the moment they heard that the Glutton could find the garden.
But they had searched for the stairs to the 5th floor because, first, their lives were the priority; second, they had no information on the special boss in Bearhim’s Garden; and third, they weren’t confident they could win against a trio of monsters that included the Glutton and two 6th-floor exit bosses.
However, the faithful iron door had invited the adventurers into the garden.
Why?
Because the Gardener was having a hard time fending off the Glutton alone.
The Gardener would form a temporary alliance with the adventurers, at least until the Glutton and its monster horde were dealt with.
‘In that case, isn’t it worth a shot?’
That thought must have crossed the minds of those three.
These highly skilled adventurers, who had cleared the 1st through 5th floors and descended to the 6th, had plenty of experience betting their lives on a risky play.
Even I would feel it was a gamble worth taking.
Eight adventurers from the 5th and 6th floors, plus a 6th-floor special boss.
Their opponents were two 6th-floor exit bosses and a 7th-floor special boss.
Of course, winning a clean victory without any casualties would be difficult.
But if they played their cards right…
“You’re thinking that our party could absorb that damage for you, aren’t you?”
It would be difficult for us to put out a burst of damage in that situation. Our role would be something like a meat shield. While the enemies’ aggro was split, Clorence’s team would inflict critical wounds on the Glutton and the two exit bosses. If they handled it well, they could end the situation and even claim the Aether Mushrooms.
They were probably debating it fiercely in their heads.
Was it better to just cut their losses and leave through an exit room?
Or should they use Caleb’s party to take a gamble?
The former was the safe choice, while the latter was high-risk, high-return.
“No. How could anyone think such a horrible thing at a time like this…”
Dorothy was aghast.
“Spoken like a true priest.”
Kudrum laughed.
Priest Dorothy really was naive and kind. Even if she chose the exit room, there was no need to blurt it out now. They could have made that decision when they found an exit room while on the move.
Dorothy’s conscience had gotten the better of her, and she’d spilled the beans to us prematurely.
“To correct one thing, I wasn’t thinking much of anything,” said Richard of the Zanmato.
I see.
It seemed his mind was filled with nothing but rage for Back Attack.
“But now I understand how your party made it this far with Back Attack in tow.”
The most important skill in the Labyrinth is the ability to figure out what calculations are running through another adventurer’s head.
“We weren’t trying to deceive you, Caleb. I was just worried that trying to explain would only crush your morale,” Kudrum said.
Meanwhile, Clorence, who had been puffing away on his cigarette, stubbed the butt out on the ground.
“Caleb’s party has taken the elevator a few times, so you must have seen them. The high-floor adventurers.”
I knew.
Those detached, lifeless eyes, those expressions devoid of vitality.
Clorence was all too familiar with that look, unique to high-floor adventurers.
At some point, his own eyes had become similar to theirs.
“The deeper you go into the Labyrinth, the more your humanity fades. You become as cruel as the Labyrinth itself.”
Even if the person in front of you was your sister’s savior and your father’s guest.
“Caleb. Yernil. I apologize to you both, but I can’t bet the fate of my party just to protect you. I can’t order these people to do that. Right now, I am the person responsible for leading this party to its greatest success.”
I understood.
“Therefore, if we are to challenge Bearhim’s Garden and fight the Glutton’s group, it will not be for your sake, but for the Aether Mushrooms. And I cannot yield the mushrooms to you.”
I understood that, too.
“Also, if I become the leader of these eight people, I won’t push you to the front and sacrifice you out of some bias for my own party,” Clorence said.
“However, with our current composition, the most efficient arrangement would be for your party to bear the most risk.”
I agreed.
The four of us had grown a lot, but we were still a little lacking compared to Clorence’s party. If I were a gamer arranging these eight people, I would have thought the same thing.
‘If someone has to die, I’d rather it be Caleb’s party.’
They weren’t being heartless or cruel.
This was the Labyrinth average.
“And yet,” Clorence said.
“I still haven’t decided whether we will challenge Bearhim’s Garden or not.”
It was frustrating, but I had no choice.
Right now, we were in a position where we had to cling to Clorence’s party, even if it meant volunteering for the role of meat shields.
I had to persuade Clorence.
“If not for this opportunity, it will be impossible to find Bearhim’s Garden.”
“That’s true.”
“And.”
I had been thinking about this situation for a long time.
The scenario where three parties—Clorence’s team, our team, and the Gardener—formed an alliance to fight the Glutton’s group.
“We can win.”
We had a chance.
The problem was, there was no guarantee that all eight of us would make it out unscathed.
At least one casualty, maybe as many as five.
That was the number of losses I expected.
And there was a high probability those casualties would be concentrated in our party.
“You can have the mushrooms.”
“…”
Clorence fell into thought for a moment.
He reached for another cigarette, then stopped. It was his last one.
“After experiencing this Labyrinth Eruption and the White Lion, I’ve been thinking.”
Clorence said to his party members.
“Perhaps adventuring so cautiously, just trying to protect ourselves, isn’t the best way forward. A devastating Labyrinth Eruption, like the one 12 years ago, might happen again soon.”
“…”
“And there might be more monsters like the White Lion, and our friends and families in Sohen could be in danger.”
Clorence continued.
“I need to get stronger. I’m going to become as strong as my sister, as strong as my father. That’s why I’m going for the Aether Mushrooms. This situation is a crisis, but it’s also an opportunity. I can’t let it pass.”
He asked Richard, Kudrum, and Dorothy.
“Will you come with me?”
“The 7th floor was next anyway,” Richard said.
“If your only goal is to live comfortably, staying in the middle floors is enough. But adventurers go to the high floors for reasons other than money.”
“Then let’s give it a go. Bearhim’s Garden, I mean.”
Kudrum patted my shoulder.
“Though I’m not sure if this went Clorence’s way or your way.”
“…”
“To be honest, I’d still rather just find an exit room and leave.”
Dorothy was still against fighting the Glutton.
“But I can’t clear an exit room by myself. And I’m worried about Richard’s injury. I suppose I have no choice.”
It was good that we’d managed to hold on to Clorence’s party, but my own party was somewhat dispirited.
Their morale had hit rock bottom.
“There’s no need to be so down,” I said quietly to the three of them.
“Once we get there, you’ll find it’s more manageable than you think. I have a strategy in mind.”
It was a method I’d never even tried in the game, so there was no 100% guarantee of success, but…
“If things go well, we might even win without any casualties.”
We had now arrived at Bearhim’s Garden.
A thick fog hung in the air.
Pastel-colored mushrooms bloomed in abundance, like in a fairy forest.
This place was originally a space hidden by the Gardener’s magic, a magical location where the garden itself would move to avoid adventurers who got too close.
But now, it was inviting us in, so it remained still.
[Watcher]
I unfurled the scroll and sent the magical tool into the garden.
“There it is.”
A moment later, what came into view was a colossal octopus.
A lord of terror that looked like it came straight out of the Cthulhu Mythos.
And…
“Is that Bearhim?”
Gasps of awe escaped everyone’s lips.
The true master of the mushroom forest. The King of all Fungi.
We were likely the first adventurers in Sohen to witness the corpse of that ancient god.
It was as massive as the Glutton, an ethereal silhouette that shimmered with blue light.
It had no eyes, nose, or mouth, but it had a human form. It sat unmoving on a silver throne.
And growing on its body were Aether Mushrooms.
Hundreds of them.