24 – 2nd Floor #2
The first floor of the labyrinth takes the form of a damp cave.
Dark and narrow tunnels extend like passageways, leading to large chambers, with pools of water scattered throughout, and water droplets falling from above.
It feels like a natural crystal cave that you might visit on a middle school field trip or educational excursion, right? There are always some disappointing sights if you don’t see them.
Of course, it didn’t have the atmosphere of a tourist spot.
Squeak, squeak-!
The echoing sounds of beasts climbing the walls from a distance chilled the air. There was no trace of the free and leisurely feeling typical of tourist spots.
“First, the lantern.”
Glowing stones embedded in the earthen walls provided some illumination in the cave, but they weren’t particularly helpful for visibility. That’s why explorers carried lanterns.
Lauren infused mana into the magic lantern hanging from her backpack. It emitted a faint glow.
“…I felt it before too. The lantern is weaker than the glowing stones.”
“The darkness of the labyrinth limits its brightness. We can’t secure visibility beyond this point.”
That’s why wizards and priests are valued. They can ignore the darkness of the labyrinth and illuminate their surroundings with the “Light” skill.
“Anna isn’t pretending to be a wizard for no reason.”
Should I call it an aura or a royal color?
Wizards exude an aura that overwhelms someone like me.
Strength that supports one’s abilities. It boasts exceptional performance, especially in the labyrinth.
If possible, I want to recruit a wizard or a priest into the party. I don’t know if it’s possible….
Dreams are allowed for everyone.
“Let’s move slowly.”
I followed Lauren’s order and took steps, feeling tense in the eerie air.
Squish, squish, I stepped on a puddle. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation.
“Uh…”
“Walk carefully. You can’t see any traps around, but just in case.”
“Yes.”
I wore long leather boots, so the water didn’t seep in. But the quality wasn’t good, so the surface got soaked.
Someday, I’ll be able to get waterproof shoes. I fantasized and lightly brushed off my feet.
Squelch, squelch!
Goblins emerged from the ground. The birth of demons.
Lauren reached out her arm and stopped us.
“Five goblins. They’re all foot soldiers, so I’ll kill three and Suu will capture two.”
“…Wouldn’t it be better to leave all of them to Suu?”
Lauren firmly shook her head and said,
“Suu prefers to move as little as possible. Every time Suu uses mana, it burdens you.”
Every action of a female adventurer consumes the cost of a male child. To operate an inefficient creature, you have to pay more.
It’s a loss to push Suu too hard from the first day. In the labyrinth, you never know what might happen, so you need to save up as much strength as possible.
It made me wonder if it was necessary to control even the movement and hunting. But for now, I followed Lauren’s order.
Keuk!
Lauren handed me the lantern and drew her dagger. Swiftly, she leaped and stabbed the goblin in the throat with her dagger.
Pwook-!
Even if you looked at it kindly, the goblin had the physique of an elementary school student. It couldn’t block Lauren’s attack. The goblin tried to raise its arm to defend against Lauren, but it was already too late.
Already, Lauren had drawn her dagger and stepped back.
Blood spurted from the goblin’s throat. Massive bleeding.
“It’s not that the goblin is weak, it’s that Lauren is strong.”
The movements Lauren showed were not typical of a woman. Both Lauren and Sue were far from ordinary.
The “Blessing of the Incarnate God” was displayed on the status window. It showed the level and stats.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has it.
Lauren had a power that went beyond that of an ordinary person. She could easily kill three goblins.
I know what the source of that power is.
“My strength is 2, agility is 2, and stamina is 3.”
The sisters’ stats would be much better. I don’t know the exact numbers.
“….”
Sue didn’t stay still. As if to show that she couldn’t lose to Lauren, she forcefully kicked the goblin’s leg.
She then lifted her leg and pushed it into the goblin’s chest.
Kuak!
The goblin that was hit rolled on the ground. It couldn’t withstand Sue’s weight and the kick, and it fell down.
Swoo ran forward and decapitated the goblin.
Thunk!
The head and body separated. The thin neck couldn’t withstand the impact and was torn apart. The goblin’s head rolled around before disappearing.
It was a gruesome execution. It was more brutal than the shattered glass death that was effortlessly sliced by the guillotine.
Five goblins. They were quickly taken care of.
The goblin corpses turned to dust and an F-grade magic stone dropped with a thud.
[You have acquired a magic stone (F).]
“How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
Lauren, who had dealt with the goblins, approached me and asked. She checked my condition.
I wasn’t bad. I was perfectly fine.
Hunting once didn’t change anything.
“After all, I’m an EX-rank.”
I’m different from ordinary boys and Reberu.
“I don’t know about other parties, but at least they need more rest than us.”
We’re more efficient. While others hunt once or twice and rest, we can continue hunting.
If we properly form a party, our earnings will increase to a significant level.
“I’m fine.”
I raised my arm and flexed to show my toned muscles. Though my slender arms didn’t have any prominent bulges, I could still demonstrate my determination.
“Having a lycanthrope with you is not bad form.”
We hunted together last time. Even though I was with Swoo the whole week, there were no issues. Lauren was also by my side as a member of Brown’s party.
I know. That I’m not okay.
Lauren asked out of courtesy.
“If it were a monster that hunts a couple of times and then dies, it wouldn’t have said it’s going back within a week.”
Lauren chuckled and said. I nodded in agreement.
From Noble mtl dot com
We continued walking, maintaining our tension. We were especially cautious when walking through narrow passages.
“Don’t get surrounded from both sides. That’s why it’s better to be careful. Sometimes monsters appear when you’re cornered.”
Lauren had a lot of experience. She was a veteran, unlike what she seemed.
“But why did you form a party with Brown? Can’t you go further down alone?”
“Raising a boy is the top priority.”
It was a straightforward answer that a strong explorer would give for an important task.
“That day, there were so many kids in the guild. We didn’t expect that. We didn’t expect it to be that crowded…”
The Guild Master of the “Sword of Tyranny” canceled the planned schedule and rearranged the party.
He judged that it was more important to safely give the kids experience in the labyrinth than to earn magic stones immediately, so he accepted some losses.
“…Thanks to that, the Master used his own savings to pay off the interest.”
“What interest?”
“The interest on the guild house loan.”
It was a tearful statement that obstructed my view.
Clank! Clank! Thud!
A monster appeared. This time, there were also gnomes mixed in.
The goblin had green skin, and the troll had a dog-like head. The way to distinguish them was very simple.
“Can I give it a try this time?”
“…You?”
Lauren waved her hand as if telling him not to say anything foolish.
“It’s dangerous, you might get hurt.”
“I can do it without getting hurt.”
He raised his hand and shook his bracelet.
“An artifact? Don’t waste it, don’t use it.”
“It’s not just any artifact.”
The one he wore on his left hand was disposable. Theo’s Guardian Bracelet couldn’t be recharged.
But the one on his right hand was different. Abella’s Arrow Bracelet was a rechargeable artifact.
“Summon me as a magician.”
I stretched out my right hand and made a gun shape with my thumb and index finger. Then I aimed at the goblin.
There was no need to shout the enchanted magic name. I had already tested that it could be activated silently.
Any activation word would do.
“Bang!”
A yellow arrow of light appeared immediately to my right and was shot. In less than a second, the magic was activated.
Splat!
Kel?!
The “Magic Arrow” pierced through the goblin’s chest. I effortlessly severed its neck.
“It seems faster than Lauren, doesn’t it?”
Quick and decisive. The killing power was no joke.
Except for its almost abysmal efficiency, it was a perfect artifact.
“Hey!”
Lauren nudged me.
“What if you use the artifact? It would be a waste!”
“Tsk tsk, it’s not a waste at all.”
I flicked my index finger left and right, informing Lauren of the truth about the artifact.
“This is a rechargeable artifact. I got it from Avella’s shop.”
“…Avella?”
Lauren tilted her head, as if she had heard of it somewhere before. After a brief moment of contemplation, she spoke.
“You mean that swindler named Avella?”
“You know Avella too, Lauren?”
“She’s a famous person. She made a supposedly unlimited-use artifact three years ago and caused quite a stir.”
“….”
Snap!
While we were chatting, Swoo tore apart a goblin on his own. He looked over at us with a chubby expression, as if he had some grievances.
Lauren, confirming the end of the hunt, looked at me and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then let’s move. Try not to use the artifact unless necessary.”
“Hmm….”
As I sobbed, Lauren added a few words.
“No matter how rechargeable an artifact is, it doesn’t have an infinite number of uses. There may be a real moment of need, and if you don’t have it then, you’re out of luck. So, it means not to use it on the first floor.”
“Yes….”
“In the floors where Sue can hunt alone, what’s the point of having an artifact?”
Sue glared at Lauren.
“Don’t you move either?”
“Why? I’m just a useless burden. As long as I can find the way, isn’t that enough?”
“If you keep tripping over Ray’s mistakes….”
“It’s that way. I smell it from over there.”
Sue couldn’t move a muscle as Lauren said that.