Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The moment of teleportation was always the same.
"Ugh. Ughh."
Erion must have diligently done the jump, because he was retching from nausea.
While Hera asked, "Did you do it again?", I looked around.
The surroundings were dark, and a single lamp hung on a pillar next to the magic circle, illuminating the vicinity.
Looking down, I didn't see ground, but wooden planks.
Wooden planks, shoddily patched together, allowing a direct view below.
Beneath them, an ominous green swamp lurked gloomily.
The pillars supporting the wooden planks extended from the swamp, and they didn't look very safe.
It was a typical landscape of the 4th Realm.
The 4th Realm... that is, the humid air characteristic of the 16th to 20th floors, wrapped around us.
"W-what is going on?"
"What."
"We clearly took the portal, so why are we in a swamp... and such a dark one at that."
"That's why it's a Labyrinth."
Hera's answer was indifferent.
The other Explorers, likewise, didn't pay much attention to the change in environment and checked their equipment.
They were checking to see if they had dropped anything into the swamp while teleporting, and the task finished quickly.
I also checked Erion's attire while doing my own check.
Fortunately, nothing seemed to be missing.
Perhaps it was because I had kept drilling into him from the very beginning, "Don't hang anything on the outside."
"Ugh, ughh. The jumping thing, is this really right...?"
"You fell for that? Not a single other person jumped."
"But..."
Erion had an extremely aggrieved expression.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and said.
"Settle your stomach for now."
"Ugh, yes."
"Once we go out there, it's no longer a Safe Zone."
Meanwhile, the party finished their checks and began to move.
When I gave his shoulder a tap, Erion let out a breath and started moving.
It was a much faster recovery than that previous Rookie.
"Are we continuing like this?"
"Yes. If there's no combat, we'll be able to enter the 17th Floor within today, and if there is combat, we'll probably have to camp out."
"Is camping even meaningful in this state?"
"We have to rest regardless... and even this light will disappear at night."
Right now, we can at least see a little bit outside the lantern's light.
However, during the time designated as 'night', it becomes completely invisible, and the monsters become more active.
At such times, building a defensive line and sticking together tightly was what increased the survival rate, rather than moving.
Rather than doing something stupid trying to move quickly and becoming monster feed.
The party's pace was fast.
Perhaps it was because it was already known that there were no traps on the path in the 16th floor of the 4th Realm.
But even so, we couldn't lower our external guard, so the party moved slowly at a speed sufficient to detect danger.
And Erion was already half-dead just from that march.
"Keureuk, this human... is in bad shape."
The words of Furball, who was guarding the very back.
Looking at Erion, it was indeed a reasonable thing to say.
He was beyond just wearing his backpack; he was gripping the shoulder straps tight with his hands, moving forward step by step precariously, and I could feel his legs trembling with every step he took.
Furball immediately went back to rear guard duty after saying that.
Seeing Erion looking so exhausted, I said.
"Are you okay?"
"N-no..."
"That's why I told you. Pack your bags while thinking. Is this really necessary for clearing the Labyrinth or not? Even if it's necessary, can I carry it or not? Think about things like that."
Hera's nagging.
Even though Erion had an expression like he was about to lose his mind from exhaustion, he didn't ask for anyone to carry his load.
I was nodding at his attitude, which I liked, when a signal came from the front. It was a signal for a break and lunch.
While everyone sat down for a short rest, Hera swapped with Furball in the back and began to stand guard.
"Stuff something in your mouth, and untie your shoelaces."
"Huk... Yes?"
Erion, panting, wasn't putting anything in his mouth.
When I pointed at his shoes and spoke, he had a puzzled expression.
"Do you mean for me to take them off?"
"No. Just untie the laces. And set them up so you can pull them tight and tie them with one hand."
Even though he was puzzled, he followed my instructions.
He wasn't Special S-Class, but he showed enough potential to be A-Class.
Usually, trash-tier people often don't do things properly even when told.
Watching people who whine later saying "Why is it like this?" after not doing what they were told, seeing someone follow instructions immediately makes one's heart feel cleansed.
"Let's go!"
"Oh, man..."
However, it seemed he lacked the dexterity and failed to make it so he could tie and untie it with one string. After grabbing Erion's foot as he struggled with his shoelaces, I skillfully took care of it for him.
"I told you to set it up so you can tie and untie it immediately for cases like this. If you untie it all the way, you can't respond quickly."
"Thank you."
He was in a state where he could have even joked about asking me to carry his load.
Erion gritted his teeth, stood up, and shouldered his load.
I thought about carrying it for him, but I folded that thought.
This is all part of tempering and training.
You must have heard of progressive overload; it's similar to that.
Of course, it's not progressive at all, but anyway.
As we started walking again, Furball took the spot where Hera had been earlier.
It seemed they had swapped roles.
"You, what number is this?"
"Yes?"
"This guy is a complete beginner."
"... What?"
After squinting his eyes and then opening them wide.
Furball looked back and forth between me, Erion, and the Party Leader in the distance about three times in a row.
Before more could be said, I tapped the emblem on my collar.
As the High-level Explorer emblem shone, Furball's gaze dimmed as if he had immediately grasped the situation.
"Keong. Are you carrying him like a carriage?"
"No, there's no decent Healer."
"You're going to raise him? Keuheong."
Without saying more, Furball started walking again.
The march that seemed like it would continue forever stopped after about two hours, by my estimation.
When I stopped my feet at the stop signal passed from the front, Erion, who had been walking with his head buried toward the ground, bumped into my back with a thud.
I heard the creaking sound of the wooden planks under our feet.
"There are signs of monsters moving. Medium-sized monsters."
The words of the Dog Beastman who was leading the party at the front.
The Dwarf looked like he was agonizing over it.
If we followed along like this, it was clear we would encounter the monsters.
But if we were to detour, we would have to go back the way we came for an hour to reach a fork in the road.
Even that was a route that required walking significantly more, and there was no guarantee it was safe.
"How about we slow down our pace? If they left a while ago, we might be able to reach the 17th Floor without meeting them if we proceed slowly."
"That's too uncertain. I think detouring is better."
"How about we just fight?"
"What's the estimated scale?"
"At this level, we can consider it similar in scale to us. Since there's fur, it seems certain that there are Gnolls."
"Gnolls..."
Unlike general fantasy games or web novels, the Gnolls in this world are on the stronger side.
Their build is almost similar to a Troll (though their reach is much shorter), and they basically wield weapons.
They are monsters with a bit of intelligence.
The fact that such guys are in a unit-sized group was not something to be taken lightly at all.
Since we are here, it's not that we can't win if we fight with this composition, but since this world isn't a game, we had to be prepared for losses.
And those losses could be permanent.
As is always the case with all battles.
"Let's break through."
At the end of deep contemplation, the Dwarf made a decision.
"Break through?"
"First, we continue. We keep going, and when we reach a point where we think combat is unavoidable, we maneuver quickly and ambush the enemy."
"I agree with the first part, but I disagree with the latter. If there are Gnolls, ambushing them is close to impossible unless we're sprinting. They'll smell us before we reach them."
"Then that means we're going to fight the enemy while revealing our entire existence."
The party members murmured.
Erion was standing quietly by my side with his bag down, but I could tell just by looking that he had his ears open toward them.
I didn't particularly stop him.
Because unless there's a strong leader, parties usually flow like this.
It was important for him to learn by seeing and hearing for himself.
In a situation like that, what would I do, what decision would I make...
Thinking about things like that.
The more people who think for themselves, the better.
"What do you think?"
"Me?"
A question that flew in amidst all that.
It was a topic with no particular answer.
In the 4th Realm's terrain, there's no way to get off this wooden plank path, and as per the opinion mentioned earlier, there's no guarantee that there are no enemies on the detour route either.
"I don't have a particular opinion. Doing as the Party Leader says seems fine."
"In that case, let's just not do the charge."
The Dwarf wrapped up the discussion.
The march resumed immediately.
The scenery, where all you could see was the swamp and the back of the person in front, continued.
That ended at the point when the already dim sky was about to become even dimmer.
"I think we should camp in this vicinity."
"Can't we go further?"
"I don't know. We could go further, but..."
The party stopped at the Guide's words.
At the Dwarf's question, the Guide sniffed and muttered.
"Honestly, I don't want to go."
"Does it seem close?"
"Yes. It's much closer than before. They probably don't know, but..."
"Hmm."
The Dwarf showed signs of agonizing.
The party members each stated their own opinions.
"Even if we camp, I don't think it should be here... Shouldn't we go a bit further?"
"Fighting is a bit... It would be better to avoid it as much as possible."
"It's not like it's decided that we'll definitely fight, right?"
The party members murmured.
Unlike before, it wasn't a very good look.
Because there was no clear direction and it was just chaotic.
The Dwarf made a troubled face and then looked at me.
This also wasn't a very good look.
However, since I was asked for an answer, I had to give one.
"I think we should keep going as we are."
"Why?"
In Labyrinth combat, 'preparation' is the most important thing.
Thinking that a battle is approaching versus suddenly encountering one without expecting it.
These two are as different as heaven and earth.
Because even though this is a game world, Explorers are not game NPCs.
It is correct to avoid battles that can be avoided.
But 'avoidable battles' and 'battles you want to avoid' are different.
The former should be avoided, but the latter must be faced.
In my view, the battle with the monsters ahead was the latter.
If we were lucky, we might be able to avoid it, but I had a premonition that if we tried to avoid it, a bigger problem might arise.
"There's no benefit to delaying it. Even at night, the offensive isn't that intense at the beginning anyway. I want to go straight ahead and break through even if it means fighting."
"Hmm..."
"Well, isn't that a bit of a self-centered judgment?"
The Dwarf fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, it was the Dark Elf who raised his voice.
He spoke with a face that seemed to understand something.
"Is it because you're a High-level Explorer that you think it's no problem? But medium-sized monsters are threatening enough for us. We want to avoid them if possible."
"I never said that."
"There are things you can hear even without them being said."
Look at that elf bastard talk.
But I just shrugged and didn't add anything more.
Getting into an argument is a loss. For me, for that guy, and for the whole party.
Explorers must always be rational.
If the opponent is not rational, they must be even more so.
When I didn't respond further, the Dark Elf didn't add anything more either.
Instead, he shook his head while looking at the Dwarf.
"I'm against it. There are people who are exhausted now, and we don't know how much further we have to go. If we fight early, that would be fine, but if it starts at the very last moment, there's nothing worse than that."
That opinion also has merit.
It's just that I don't think so.
The Dwarf listened to similar opinions several times and eventually tapped his helmet and said.
"I've decided. We'll find a suitable spot to rest and then break through tomorrow."
It's unexpected.
I thought a Dwarf would try to force a breakthrough because he'd hate the wasted stay costs.
"Is this right?"
"It's decided. Can't be helped."
Hera must have thought similarly, as she came to my side and whispered.
But since it was already decided, I had no intention of arguing.
If it's decided, you have to follow it; grumbling and pushing back only harms the party's order.
The rest took place about 10 minutes further on.
There happened to be a place with wide planks laid out.
I would have preferred it to be a two-way path if possible, but it was a three-way intersection.
Fortunately, unlike the swamp terrain that appears in the high-level realms, monsters didn't easily spawn outside the path in the 4th Realm swamp.
The party arranged their luggage and tools so they could guard against monsters coming from both sides with their backs to the swamp.
While the temporary camp was being set up, Erion placed his luggage in the designated spot and was massaging his feet.
I looked at him and said in a low voice.
"Just in case, be prepared."
"Yes? What kind of..."
"So that treatment is possible. In preparation for a night battle."
"...! A battle...!"
Erion raised his head sharply, tensing up.
I placed my hands on his shoulders to calm him down.
"It might not happen, and I think the probability of it not happening is high. But we have to be prepared. You know what I mean, right?"
"Yes."
"So that even if you wake up from sleep, you can take it out and use it immediately."
He nodded firmly, then started fumbling with his luggage.
While Hera watched him, I headed to the Party Leader.
"I'd like to have sentries on both sides."
"No, I'm going to use Alarm Magic. If we set it up a little further away, magic alone is enough."
"Even if we use magic, I think it's better to have sentries."
"Well, I don't think it's necessary, but..."
Alarm Magic is certainly effective.
In fact, there were many cases in the Deep Layers where sentry duty was replaced by Alarm Magic.
But strangely, I had a bad premonition.
But I couldn't insist, "I just have a feeling," so I was agonizing over it when the Dwarf spoke.
"No, if a High-level Explorer says so. Even if not on both sides, let's set up one person."
"Okay."
It's a pity, but it's better than having no sentry.
Seeing some party members push back at the Dwarf's words, I narrowed my brows.
The one pushing back happened to be the elf again.
'Optimist bastards...'
Elves are guys who think everything will work out well.
That mindset isn't bad.
Isn't it said that the most representative mental illness Koreans suffer from is thinking everything pessimistically?
But in the Labyrinth, you shouldn't be like that.
You don't need to be a pessimist, but you shouldn't be an optimist either, but for elves, optimism was just a racial trait.
Is it because they are a long-lived species?
Thinking that our compatibility just doesn't match, I laid out my spot.
* * *
My eyes opened on their own.
Looking around, everyone was sleeping.
In the center of the party, a pillar with a lamp hung on it was set up, and Furball, who was on sentry duty, was staring in one direction.
When I got up and looked around, Furball said bluntly.
"Keung, you're the one who said to stand sentry, right?"
"Yes."
"What is this. Keureung. We already set up the alarm, so they wouldn't be able to approach anyway. Keuheung."
Furball muttered with a sullen face.
Instead of answering, I looked around. The surroundings were peaceful without incident. As if we were at a lake on a summer night.
Standing next to Furball and looking in the same direction, it was truly quiet with nothing there.
Only the sound of water lapping was heard little by little, very, very faintly.
... The sound of water lapping?
"Wait a second."
"... Keung?"
"Can't you hear this sound right now? The sound of water."
"Sound of water? No, keung. I don't hear it."
"No. The water is currently..."
Why would there be a sound of water in a swamp.
There were no signs in the direction Furball was looking.
When I whipped my head around, Furball sniffed and said, "I don't smell anything?"
If Furball says there's no smell, it's equivalent to saying there's definitely nothing in the vicinity.
Because he would smell almost everything.
But just now, some sound...
Once more, pyok.
I turned my head quickly enough to make a sound.
The place I need to look is not somewhere else.
A place different from the direction the sentry is looking.
Under the wooden plank path, the pillar part...
I saw air bubbles rising and popping very faintly there.
And also the fingernails that slipped out from behind the pillar and went back in.
"Ambush!!"
The moment I shouted that, and the monsters that were holding onto the wooden planks jumping out of the swamp in a swarm.
It happened almost simultaneously in my perception.