Chapter 81: No Labyrinth Plays Fair
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: No Labyrinth Plays Fair
Ingelam and his companions rushed into the main factory.
Slam!
The interior fell silent after the door was shut. The steelmaking process room. There were no enemies here.
Considering the direction the arrows, crossbow bolts, and fireballs had come from, they were likely in the production control room. It was connected to the steelmaking room by a corridor about 180 meters long—practically next door.
The enemy could be upon them at any moment.
"Damage report?"
Ingelam first checked the status of his own party and Lilweed's.
"Not too bad," the Avian Rogue said.
A crossbow bolt was lodged in the Barbarian Fighter's shoulder, but it hadn't caused any major damage. The fireball Neko had launched was deflected by the shield of the human female fighter from Lilweed's team.
Everyone was safe.
"Except for one."
The Avian Rogue pointed to the Halfling Druid, who had an arrow sticking out of his side.
Three of them, in fact.
"Dammit."
That Halfling Druid was the backbone of Ingelam's party.
The druid's spirit arts supported the Barbarian Fighter and the Avian Rogue while also amplifying Ingelam's own magic.
Of all the rotten luck.
For the druid, of all seven of them, to be the one hit by arrows. And with a triple shot, no less.
"Who is this archer?"
"It's probably Yernil," Lilweed answered, terrified.
"Yernil?"
"That... that elf girl you made transport the drugs to the Flandre Public Security Headquarters. It must be her."
"She seemed like a total idiot."
Ingelam was a little surprised.
That foolish elf has this kind of skill?
Life is full of surprises.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of footsteps echoed from the tin corridor. The enemy was approaching. From the direction of the production control room.
Click!
The first person to open the connecting door and step inside was a large Monk.
He held an iron staff pointed forward, ready to open his parasol at a moment's notice.
Several others followed behind him. An Orc Fighter, a Lizard Crossbowman, a Human Priest, and Neko. The four-person constable party.
The rest of Caleb's party appeared after them.
A scruffy-looking rogue whose eyes made him look more like a plunderer than an adventurer.
And the elf archer, Yernil, whom he'd mistaken for a fool.
And behind them.
The last man to emerge was...
"Caleb."
A young wizard with a slight build.
He was panting as if he'd been running for a while, a wand in each hand.
Ingelam aimed his own wand at him.
The outlaw once called the greatest talent of the Magic University and the greatest genius wizard of the present day stared each other down.
*
"That was very impressive," Ingelam said.
He stood behind the sturdy body of the Barbarian Fighter, who served as a bulwark.
"Was that little trick with the raincoat your doing as well?"
Right.
He wouldn't have understood that part.
"How did the raincoat fly on its own, as if it were alive? How did you do it?"
"Who knows. Maybe it was the vengeful spirit of the Public Security Team 2 you killed?"
I tossed out a joke, and the muscle-brained barbarian standing next to Ingelam's eyes went wide.
"S-Seriously?"
So naive, just as you'd expect from a barbarian.
"Is that true?"
No. Yernil, why are you asking?
"Your party. It's an interesting formation. A Monk for a frontliner? Unusual."
I could sense his scheme.
He was trying to buy time.
Because his Halfling Druid was half-dead.
[Hourglass of the Turn-Based Cooldown: 36 seconds]
But truth be told, I needed a little time myself. Even though we'd scored a lot of points with our preemptive strike, fighting a 5th-floor party without the Hourglass was a bit much.
So why did I rush over to engage them so hastily?
Because Ingelam could swap the slots in his Memory Book.
That's what I would do. A wizard like Ingelam would have more spells than slots, and he'd surely want to replace the now-exposed Ground-Raising Battering Ram with a different spell configuration.
But...
That's not something you can do in 30 seconds.
Swapping slots in a Memory Book requires significant concentration; it's not a task you can just whip through in a few dozen seconds. So, as long as I don't make a rash move and let him read my magic, all I have to do is stall until the Hourglass is off cooldown.
That's why I had Aimus carry me and even used Back Attack's Shadow Leap service to sprint here at full speed.
"And then there's the human rogue with the fierce eyes."
Ingelam shifted the topic to Back Attack.
"Lilweed told me about you. Said you suddenly appeared during a conversation and just tried to kill him?"
"I did," Back Attack nodded.
"That's practically a plunderer. Pointing a knife at someone who wants to talk?"
"Right. But you want to talk right now, too. Wonder how that'll turn out."
"..."
"See? It's nice and quiet when you shut your mouth. So let's shut up and fight. Bring it on."
Ingelam smirked.
"Hold on. We still have things to talk about. Yernil."
This time, he turned the conversation to Yernil.
"I thought you were just a dimwitted elf, but you're quite something. To have the nerve to focus a triple shot on one person in that situation... Whether you identified your target or not, it's admirable."
"...?"
Yernil had no idea what he was talking about.
Let me translate for her.
Our attack was launched the instant the disguise magic wore off.
In that fraction of a second.
You could tell their races by their appearance, but it's not easy to grasp the class and position of all seven members at a glance and fire all three shots of a triple shot at the most crucial target, the druid.
If the halfling had been a warrior, all three arrows would have been wasted.
Therefore, in a situation like that, a conventionally trained ranger would split a triple shot among three targets: A, B, and C. But Yernil unloaded everything on one person, and since it was the druid, it hit the jackpot.
"That incredible decisiveness and the instantaneous ability to pick out a target. It was far too seasoned for a 4th-floor adventurer."
"I-I just wanted to shoot the halfling."
Actually, I was the one who told her to shoot the halfling.
I'd had time to slowly analyze the enemy's positions during my Hourglass turn.
"So humble, too."
Ingelam wasn't listening at all.
"Archer. If what you did was instinctual, then you are a tremendous genius."
"...Am I? Heh heh."
Don't enjoy it, Yernil!
"But Caleb. Now he's what you'd call a real genius. I hear you're the subject of great expectations at the Magic University?"
He turned the conversation toward me.
"Yes. I heard the same was said about you before I enrolled."
"It was considerable. I'll give you credit for reading the cards in my Memory Book."
The optimal time to fight is when my Hourglass turn is ready, and the halfling is still not fully recovered.
That timing will definitely come.
The triple shot was a critical wound, after all...
[Hourglass of the Turn-Based Cooldown: 15 seconds]
In 15 seconds, the halfling will barely be able to walk.
That's when I'll flip the Hourglass, cast a stacked Hailstorm, and unleash our attack.
"But even so, you can't beat us."
While Ingelam ran his mouth, I analyzed the battle situation.
In terms of level, we're at a disadvantage. They're a 5th-floor or higher party.
In terms of equipment, we're also at a disadvantage. They have Lilweed, a wealthy elf businessman, who brought a ton of magical gear.
But half of my team are broke-ass constables.
Let's look at the numbers.
8 versus 7.
We killed one of Lilweed's party members earlier, so they're down one person.
Numerically, we have the upper hand.
And in terms of information, we have a much greater advantage. As long as we're careful of Ingelam's Tier 3 magic, we should be able to handle the rest without any major surprises.
"Caleb."
Ingelam made a proposal.
"Why don't you work with me? We can forget everything that's happened until now."
So that's why he was going on and on, praising each member and making small talk.
[Hourglass of the Turn-Based Cooldown: 10 seconds]
"You think we're going to be poachers forever? We're going to scale up."
[Hourglass of the Turn-Based Cooldown: 6 seconds]
"We're going to create a second Blackdog. Someone like you would be welcome. Your entire party. Let's work together."
[Hourglass of the Turn-Based Cooldown: 1 second]
"All you have to do is kill the constables. Then join our side. I promise you immense wealth."
There was no need to hear any more.
When outlaws ask a question, the best answer is a magic incantation.
[Hourglass of the Turn-Based Cooldown: 0 seconds]
Time to flip the Hourglass and attack...
"Huh?"
Ingelam, myself, and the thirteen adventurers, constables, and outlaws from both parties.
Everyone's gaze shifted to one spot.
Ruuuumble!
Molten iron was flowing out of the sludge pipe. Just like when a new golem was being forged.
"Wh-what? Why is a golem being made?"
Neko gripped her wand tightly, an extreme sense of foreboding washing over her.
"We removed the golem doll from the production control room!" Back Attack shouted.
He was right. We had removed the golem doll from the production control room. That should have stopped the foundry from producing golems in the steelmaking room.
So why was it activating?
Don't tell me.
The focusing core began to glow.
An immense amount of magic power concentrated in the center of the molten iron.
Within the molten metal, a shape took form and slowly began to rise.
Chiiiiik!
It billowed out a massive amount of steam.
A hard, gleaming yellow body.
The monster standing tall on the casting mold held a glittering golden spear in one hand.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Ingelam's expression was about the same as mine.
The look of someone who knows they're completely screwed.
The special zone boss of the foundry.
"It's the Golden Golem."
This can't be happening.
The scene of the Golden Golem stomping down into the middle of the standoff between our two forces of fifteen people felt like a dream.
It's only supposed to be generated when the labyrinth opens. It shouldn't appear otherwise.
That's how it was in the game.
To say it was different here... Ingelam's expression confirmed my knowledge.
"Why... why would one suddenly... Is it possible for one to just appear out of nowhere?"
Ingelam's terrified party took a step back.
It seemed they had done the same thing I did with my Wizard's Eye; they must have scouted the special zone boss with their Avian's sight before coming in to steal the focusing core.
Piiing!
But surprisingly, this absurd situation wasn't over yet.
Even I had never experienced something like this.
Clank!
A section of the steelmaking room's wall opened, and a dwarf-like man strode out from beyond it.
"The Blacksmith, too..."
Both of the foundry's special bosses had appeared at once.
Normally, only one special boss was supposed to appear.
*
I can say with certainty that my labyrinth adventures have always been a series of unfair setups.
The first time, it was the exit boss, Back Attack. The second time, it was the Watcher and the Caretaker of the Sanctuary that Bernard dragged to the 1.5th floor. The third time, it was the monster wave, the massive mess Antonelli had kicked off.
But this time, I wasn't caught up in something; I had refused Neko's sacrifice to let me escape and had chosen to stay here on my own two feet.
Technically, I had screwed myself over.
The labyrinth itself hadn't thrown me into any traps or tormented me in any particularly vicious way.
Yeah. A grand slam of misfortune four times in a row just didn't make sense.
...or so the thought had briefly crossed my mind.
As I thought. For me, no labyrinth ever plays fair.
The Golden Golem and the Blacksmith.
The former is a warrior type, while the Blacksmith is a wizard or priest type.
Of course, that's just a rough classification. In reality, if the Blacksmith starts swinging his hammer, even our Monk would have a tough time in a melee.
Conversely, the Golden Golem's 'Gilding' magic would be difficult for even the priest on Neko's team to dispel.
"Aimus!"
I had to defend first.
"Open the parasol. And press it flat against the ground!"
Aimus hurriedly opened the parasol. Then he slammed it down, like planting an umbrella on the floor.
The magic parasol blocks projectiles, but it doesn't interact with neutral objects, walls, or floors.
So, by pressing it flat against the ground like this, the magical fabric between the parasol's ribs wouldn't phase through the floor but would instead form a tight seal along the boundary, creating a gapless wall.
And on the other side...
Ruuuumble!
'Liquid gold' erupted. It was fired from the tip of the Golden Golem's spear.
"Wh-what in the world is this!"
Aimus freaked out at the hot liquid sloshing under the magic parasol.
"Earthen Rampart of Boundary!"
I could hear Ingelam casting a spell to create an earthen wall. He was trying to block the liquid gold with that, too.
"Be careful not to let any in!"
Liquid gold is extremely dangerous.
The moment it touches you, it deals high damage and inflicts the 'Gilded' status effect.
It hardens you like petrification.
It wears off after a certain amount of time, but you're incapacitated until then, making it an express ticket to a party wipe.
CRASH!
Another loud noise came from beyond the parasol.
I had a good idea what it was, and a chill ran down my spine.
The Blacksmith had cast 'Structure Transformation' with his hammer. It's a spell that reconfigures the forms of golems. He could use it to freely change them between crossbow golems, sword-and-shield golems, and long-spear golems.
But there were no golem minions around right now.
So what did he use Structure Transformation on?
"Everyone, stick close together!"
He'd used it on the 'foundry'. The entire foundry was beginning to move.
The structure was being rearranged. The steelmaking room, the blast furnace, and the production control room would all be jumbled together.
"Don't get separated!"
Ingelam and Lilweed's cronies were just playing the role of 'Sally the Plunderer' in the face of my labyrinth's atrociously bad luck. A slightly stronger and smarter Sally.
The ones in charge of screwing me over, the ones playing the part of the Watcher and Caretaker of this inter-floor hell, were those bosses.