Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The air on the 17th Floor was just as humid.
"Let's head out immediately."
After a quick nutritional top-up, we set off, and a landscape not much different from the 16th Floor unfolded before us.
Plank paths with a swamp lurking beneath them.
The color of the swamp was a bit darker, as if trying to emphasize that it was a different floor. Unlike the 16th Floor, I could occasionally see air bubbles bursting beneath the surface.
It was proof that living creatures were lurking there.
And just as that evidence suggested, from the 17th Floor on, monsters started attacking from beneath the swamp.
Of course, that doesn't mean land-based monsters like the Gnolls on the 16th Floor could ambush us by riding the water; it meant aquatic monsters could pop out.
For example, giant frogs or toads, or giant crabs. Things like Drowned Corpses or swamp crocodiles.
"Lian, take the right. Niela, take the left. The rest of you, move while keeping watch on the rear."
The party members formed up at the Dwarf's command.
I took the right, the Elf Paladin the left.
The fact that the rest were skewed toward rear guard duty was, conversely, because there was no one else to watch that side.
Because they died yesterday.
But fortunately, there were no attacks from the rear.
Though attacks from the sides came frequently.
"Multiple bubbles on the left!"
"Prepare for combat!"
Every time bubbles went ppogol-ppogol in the swamp, we prepared for battle.
Sometimes it was a false alarm, but usually, it was a real enemy.
It was mostly frogs, slimes, or crabs, but occasionally Drowned Corpses would grab our ankles from beneath our feet.
"5 Toads!"
I sliced the tongue of a lunging toad, and green blood splattered.
I twisted my head, slashed its torso, and kicked it with the centrifugal force, turning it into a Magic Stone.
I swung my sword a few times to keep them from getting closer, and the toads hopped back. A few ice spears flew in, piercing the toads, and they similarly turned into Magic Stones and vanished.
Monsters kept appearing like this and turning into Magic Stones, but the earnings were lackluster.
It wasn't that the amount of Magic Stones was low, but because of the terrain, the stones kept falling under the planks.
"We can't exactly set up a net and fight..."
Hera's complaint.
This was why there weren't many Explorers coming to the 4th Realm.
Because you could only expect at best half of the side income from catching monsters.
Of course, that was also why the [Hyantes Flower], an object that wouldn't be very valuable on other floors, was treated as precious here, but...
Well, anyway.
"Moving out."
As we moved along, defeating enemies little by little, it was suddenly lunchtime.
While everyone slumped down, I first untied the laces of my tightly fastened boots.
I felt my constricted feet relax a bit.
"How much further do we have to go?"
"Well..."
Erion's question came as I was chewing on some beef jerky.
I wasn't the Guide, so I couldn't say for sure.
"Hmm... I think we've come about 10%, 15%."
"Only 10%?"
"I think it took about 3 days back in the day."
It was before I became a High-level Explorer, so it was quite a while ago.
Anyway, I remembered it taking that long. It wasn't when I was traveling with Hera, I was going solo, and I think about 3 out of 15 people died.
"Rael, don't just keep watch, come and sit..."
The Elf Paladin's voice came out as if it were really nothing.
That remark, which slipped out while eating emergency rations, grew smaller and faded away along with her own realization.
The party became gloomy at that sight.
The beastmen, in particular, didn't make a sound, to the point where I wondered if they'd died from suffocation.
Whether they were family, lovers, or her first party member.
Anyway, it wasn't a good situation.
I cast my gaze outside the swamp at a sight that would automatically make one click their tongue.
After the break ended, the march began again.
The Elf Paladin's face was expressionless.
This is dangerous. She looks like a mental breakdown waiting to happen.
"Will she be okay..."
To Erion, who spoke in a low voice while gesturing with his eyes, I signaled him to lower his voice even more and then spoke very faintly.
"That's the reason I don't want to party with demi-humans."
"Pardon?"
"They're too different from humans. Their standards."
The reason Elves are optimists is because they are emotionally rich.
Because they are emotionally rich, they interpret and act on the present in an overly romantic and positive way.
But what if reality is pessimistic? Then they end up like that.
Half-cracked.
She fought properly, though.
It wasn't a very good sign.
* * *
The anomaly occurred just as we finished the 5th battle and were about to welcome the night and take a rest.
"Wait, stop."
Everyone stopped at the Guide's words.
While keeping watch on the surroundings, the Guide shifted his expression here and there with a confused look.
The Dwarf asked, noticing the very obvious panic.
"What's the matter?"
"Wait, no, wait..."
After saying that, the Guide whispered something into the Dwarf's ear. The Dwarf's eyes widened, and he replied, "What?!" and soon the two of them started discussing something for a long time in hushed voices.
And then the party started moving again.
"What could it have been?"
"Who knows..."
If it were something I needed to know, they'd tell me.
If it were something knowable, I'd find out soon enough.
Thinking that way, I soon faced a sight that made me doubt my eyes.
There was land in front of me.
"...?!"
Land that had appeared before us out of nowhere.
The party members didn't step forward and stared at the land with wary eyes.
"What is this."
Hera's mutter exactly represented my feelings.
Seriously, what is this.
Why is there land here now?
"Is there a problem..."
"... It's real land. It feels just like the soil on the 19th Floor."
The Dwarf said, squatting on the ground and touching the soil.
I answered Erion's question, squeezing my eyes shut.
"In the 4th Realm, land appears on the 19th Floor."
"Pardon? But, this is the 17th Floor..."
Erion's question.
When I answered, he pondered for a moment, then looked at me and asked back.
"Right. That's why it's a problem."
Land in the 4th Realm appears on the 19th Floor.
It's a major premise that everyone here knows.
No, not just everyone here, but if you went outside the Labyrinth and conducted a survey, everyone would say the same thing. Even if you looked at the Labyrinth Strategy Guide published by City Hall that nobody ever opens, it would say so.
But if that's the case, what are we looking at right now?
A hallucination?
Or what, the back of a giant monster?
You know, things like that. In Xianxia novels, you see things like a world built on the back of a Great Immortal-level spirit beast, and so on and so forth...
Of course, that's unlikely.
"Everyone, gather around."
Naturally, the Dwarf called a meeting.
Just in case, he didn't step on the land.
"... What should we do?"
"We must go back. It's become too serious."
"I don't know what this situation is."
"Has land ever appeared on the 17th Floor before?"
The conversation started moving busily.
The beastmen recommended an immediate retreat, and the others couldn't offer any particular arguments.
It was only natural, as it was a completely unexpected situation.
"Rael... If I had known it would be like this, I should have brought you here. I should have at least buried you here, I'm sorry..."
The Paladin stepped onto the land sorrowfully and knelt on one knee, muttering.
A single tear fell, drawing a silver streak.
It was a sight that would naturally evoke sadness, but I could only think, 'Fuck, we're in big trouble.'
Does it make any sense to drag a corpse that died on the 16th Floor all the way here to the 17th Floor to bury it?
"Everything is outside of our assumptions. The three of us strongly recommend withdrawal."
The speaker was the Guide, the Furball.
He was rational, as befitting a beastman, but it wasn't the right thing to say in that atmosphere.
"You!!! You're just going to abandon all this!!"
"If you raise your voice..."
"How can you say that when a comrade just died?! Just go back? Like this, with no gains whatsoever?"
"Then if we keep going, will your Elf come back to life? The Gnolls killed her, did I? That's on you for not keeping an eye on her."
"Oh, shit..."
I felt like I was reading the Korean internet.
How can you say that? In front of someone whose comrade died.
The level of profanity was no joke.
I was shaking my head, and the Elf who heard the reply retorted sarcastically.
"Aha, is that so? Well, I guess since you're all fur-covered bastards, the sentry couldn't even tell the difference! You're all bastards who crawl on four legs, so you probably couldn't tell if they were relatives or what, and that's why you got ambushed, right!"
"You, you fucker..."
This bastard or that bastard, they're all the same.
You're supposed to keep that kind of talk inside, like me.
The Guide, the wolf beastman, growled at the racial insult.
Seeing his claws pop out with a chwaak, he was in combat stance.
In a situation that was five minutes away from being a total shitshow, the Dwarf could only send anxious looks and couldn't do anything.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this?
In the end, I had to intervene and stop them.
I pulled the two apart, who were about to swing their weapons at each other, and blurted out before they could start again.
"First, calm down. I'm against going back."
"You're against it?"
The Dwarf's question, as if it were unexpected.
The other party members also sent looks asking for an explanation.
"We've come too far. Even if we go back, it won't make a difference of more than a day."
At least today's lunch.
Or if we had discovered it a few hours ago, maybe.
Right now, even if we wanted to go back immediately, we'd have to sleep for a day and move tomorrow.
It meant that coming this far, there wasn't much difference between leaving right now or completing the mission and leaving.
At least there were many people here who would think so.
"Doesn't that mean we can get out a day earlier?"
"Think about it in reverse; what changes just because we can get out a day earlier? If we consider that we're already in danger, isn't it more of a problem that we'd be going back with zero gains?"
The Guide frowned at my words.
He didn't seem to like it.
Looking around at the others, the two Elves seemed to agree with my opinion, and the others had a subtle feeling.
The Dwarf would agree with me since money is important.
"Let's do a majority vote. Those in favor of proceeding."
Many hands went up.
"Those against."
There were only 3 on this side.
"Then we'll proceed."
"We don't agree. Our lives are more important."
"I know you don't agree. But we're in the same party, so we have to move together."
"No, we will move separately from now on."
"What?"
As the Guide stepped back, the other two beastmen also stuck behind him. The Guide spoke while taking a slightly defensive position.
"We have to rest until tonight anyway, so we'll move together. But from tomorrow on, we will move separately."
"You, what is..."
"I can no longer go with blind moths who have lost their reason to rewards."
Fuck, what a shitshow.
I raised both hands and clutched my head.
I tried to patch things up by saying some nonsense, but it still ended up like this.
This is why I didn't want to party with demi-humans.
My head is spinning.
"Do you think that makes sense?"
"Of course it makes sense. In this situation, the side with the higher chance of survival is that one."
"You think going by yourselves has a higher survival rate? As expected of dogs, you have dog brains?"
"Ear-boy, if you run your mouth any more, I'll rip that mouth of yours open."
"Stop, stop!! Stop it!!"
The Dwarf's shout.
"Calm down and lower your voices! You know very well what kind of situation this is. We can talk and coordinate!"
No.
Once it gets to this point, it's impossible to fix.
There's a reason they say 'racial trait'.
If it were humans, maybe, but if demi-humans get into a fight, you have to assume it's unsolvable.
Especially if their own survival is at stake.
But I can stop them from drawing swords.
"Stop it."
After giving a warning.
Predicting it would be ignored, I slapped the Elf's cheek a half-beat faster.
With a jja-ak!! sound, the Elf staggered halfway.
I threw a punch at the flustered Furball, and he likewise recoiled, clutching his face.
The party went quiet at my unexpected action.
Taking advantage of that, I deliberately rasped my voice.
"You want us all to die? Then let's do that! If I kill you all here, the Labyrinth subordinates will be reduced to 3, making it easier for us to escape. Shall we try it?"
It's not just a simple threat.
It's actually a valid point, and there are definitely Explorers who escape like that once they hit around the 40th floor.
It's not like they're deaf, so they must have heard such 'rumors'.
I even drew my sword, so the party went quiet in an instant.
"For now, I can't let you leave the party."
"Grrr, who are you?"
"Go ahead and say you're leaving. Then I'll just kill you. Anyway, until you leave, the subordinate status is applied to our side too. So it's more profitable to kill you."
I had the actual intention to do so, so I spoke while aiming my sword at the beastman, and the Guide sheathed his weapon again while growling.
Like a rational race, he seemed to realize that baring his teeth here wasn't wise.
That part is really good.
The problem is that they are overly rational.
Should I say it's like a 'T-asshole' feeling?
"You, get a grip too. It's a shame your comrade died, but we have our own comrades, and our lives are important too. Stop the bullshit and put your sword away."
The Elf with the swollen cheek gritted his teeth but put his sword away.
Looking at the Dwarf, he clapped his hands as if he had finally come to his senses.
... Looking at that state, he seems to be from a merchant background.
I felt a wave of regret, wondering if I should have checked his profile properly.
But what can I do.
I'm already in.
"Let's settle this for now. Everyone find a place to stay, and put away the bad blood. I know well why you're fighting, but this is the Labyrinth. If we fight among ourselves, there's nothing but death."
Fuck, talk is cheap. Should've done that earlier.
I was clutching my head, and Hera came up behind me and whispered.
"Should I keep watch?"
"Should I... go that far?"
If this had happened in a party of humans, it would be correct to keep watch.
If they fought to this extent, humans would stab you at night.
But, I don't know about Elves, but beastmen weren't that kind of race.
... At least they weren't a race that would ambush you in a situation where an outsider could see. Even if there are individual differences.
"For now, just watch the Elf. If anyone stabs, it'll be that side; the fur-balls won't do anything."
"Got it."
"Uh... does this happen often?"
Erion's question.
Well, what should I say.
"It's ambiguous to say it happens often..."
It's not like it doesn't happen.
With my level of experience, honestly, I've seen it more times than I can count.
Hera would be the same.
"Just, well, there are all sorts of people, and it's a place where you bet your life. Just let it be."
"I'm starting to regret following you..."
"For now, you can't go anywhere until you pay back the 4 Gold Coins."
If I even get a hint of you going anywhere, I'll really put a collar on you.
4 coins is no joke of an amount, even if I bring it up easily.
"We'll camp here!"
In the midst of that, the Dwarf's voice came from nearby.
I smacked Erion's shoulder, and he looked unfairly aggrieved.
* * *
The camping phase went by relatively easily.
As it was terrain that appeared on the 19th Floor, water was springing up, so we could at least wash our bodies to some extent.
This part is really fortunate...
"Are you seriously washing up even after coming all the way here? You'll get sick if you wash too often!"
"Are you crazy? You wash up too, quickly."
I threw a towel at her, and Hera pouted but accepted it.
I don't know if she's planning to wash later or not wash at all.
Personal hygiene, holy shit, oh my god.
Is this really right?
Erion was setting up our sleeping area, saw me wiping my body with a towel, and hurriedly turned his head.
I could feel Hera glaring at Erion with sparks in her eyes.
But I'm not even fully naked, yet he's showing signs of being inexperienced even with this...
"If you turn your eyes away even in this state, you'll turn your head away when you see a woman's body in a crisis situation, right?"
"No, it's not a crisis situation right now, so..."
"You have to get used to this much."
After wiping my body, I put the towel into the water I had scooped up earlier.
It wasn't a very pretty sight.
While I went to dump the water I'd scooped into my shield and went to get more, Erion followed me around.
"Still, it's fortunate that there's water. I thought there was no such environment at all inside the Labyrinth."
"No way."
I don't know what it would be like in reality, but this world is a game.
It's designed to allow you to wash, and my guess is that you were supposed to do 'something (meaningful)' there.
Anyway, there was always a place to rest a little in every realm, and in the case of the 4th Realm, it was the 19th Floor.
... But if the 19th Floor terrain appeared on the 17th Floor now, what state is the 19th Floor in?
Leaving the question that complicated my mind behind.
Erion and I passed the party members huddled around the campfire and headed to the water's edge.
Just in time, I saw the other Elf keeping watch and the Elf Paladin Niela washing up.
"Ah, about what I hit earlier."
Before I could say anything.
I swung the axe at my waist up toward the Paladin's head.
The Elf's eyes widened.
As if she couldn't believe the situation.
And my axe approached those widened eyes, but...
It grazed the Elf's face and deflected a sword that was flying in from behind.
A few strands of the Elf's hair were cut off by the axe.
"Kueoheong!"
What the fuck.
The Furball whose sword was deflected lunged again without losing momentum.
The offensive was quite fierce.
I swung the axe a couple of times, laid my body back, and threw a sidekick to kick his midsection, but the Furball quickly dodged and approached me.
What stopped that offensive was the Elf's blade.
"Die!"
A crude yet powerful swordsmanship befitting a Paladin.
Despite the onslaught, the Furball swung his sword to block the attack.
But it was impossible to deal with both sides.
The Furball eventually had no choice but to expose his body to me.
"Keureureuk!"
After giving a fake, I kicked his torso hard with my left foot.
The Furball hunched over in pain, and the Elf seized the gap, rushed in, and cut his throat.
There was no hesitation in her movements.
Rather, there was a strong feeling of relief.
As the canine's head fell to the ground with a thud, the Elf looked at me and said.
"Even with things coming to this, are you just going to leave it be?"
"Hmm."
It's hard to believe. That beastmen would be like this.
But I saw it with my own eyes, so I can't deny it.
I heard the sound of the party running from behind, as if they had heard the fighting.
If they find out a comrade died, what on earth will they say, ugh.
"Is it a fight?"
"Yeah. Just now, the beastman..."
Just as I was about to say that.
I witnessed a strange sight.
There were three Furballs coming from behind.
The Guide, the injured guy, the sentry.
Does that mean it was a monster?
Perhaps thinking the same thing, the Elf and I turned our heads back at the same time.
But the corpse was still there.
The corpse with its throat cut.
Without turning into a Magic Stone.
Why?
"... What is this?"