Side: Athena
We cleared the swamp area of the 5th Level in just over two hours. We were only attacked by monsters about three times, which was a bit anticlimactic. Well, not entirely anticlimactic, as the attackers were four Lesser Dragoons.
For the first Lesser Dragoon, while Yamato drew its attention, I, Sir Yuri, Lady Apricot, Marisa, Viola, and Yuria unleashed our magic. Ludia used Ether Burst to deliver a powerful blow to its weak spot—its abdomen—while Eos, borrowing the prototype Jade Alloy Guisarme from Prim, struck it with all her might to finish it off.
The next Lesser Dragoon was kept in check by Prim, and Raus used his Lapis light Shield to deflect attacks while Flam and Rebecca fired arrows. Ed, Marina, Fiana, and Carol cast spells, and Rika and Meena’s swords cut open its belly, which Lydia then attacked to finish it. When two attacked simultaneously, just before descending to the 6th Level, Yamato decapitated one, and Prim finished the other with Flare Penetrator. That was the only encounter on the 5th Level, so some people didn’t gain levels. We just descended to the 6th Level and are taking a short break.
“Four Lesser Dragoons. Not a bad haul for an encounter.”
“Yes. Though difficult for Yamato and me to use, they are top-quality materials for regular Hunters, so there’s definitely demand for them.”
That’s right. I recall Lesser Dragoons being the most frequently supplied monsters from the Solpre Labyrinth. However, Eos mentioned that since Narlstadt inherited his ducal title, they’ve become extremely rare. Although they are hunted a few times a year, Narlstadt confiscates the materials for his own use, which is truly deplorable.
“What time is it?”
“Just before 3 o’clock. The next area is a snowfield, so clearing it in just over three hours will be tough.”
“Indeed.”
Sunset is close to 7 o’clock this time of year, so I think it would be fine even if we cleared the 6th Level in just over three hours, but is there a problem?
“The temperature will drop after sunset, won’t it? When the temperature drops, the snow can freeze, making the wheels slip and increasing the risk of accidents. It’ll also be harder for our bonded beasts to walk.”
Ah, I see. The Wilness Mountains also get snow in winter, but I agree that walking in the snow is difficult, and in the mornings, that snow can freeze. I’ve slipped and fallen a few times, so I understand how difficult it must be for bonded beasts to walk, and how easily the Beast Carriage’s wheels can slip.
“As far as we know, there are Safe Areas on the 6th Level at the descent from the 5th Level and the descent to the 7th Level, with about two more in between. Depending on the time, it might be better to make camp there.”
“This Beast Carriage blocks out the outside air, so we can spend the night on the snowy plains without any problems.”
As Mana-sama said, there are several Safe Areas known up to the 4th Level of the Solpre Labyrinth. However, beyond the 5th Level, there are very few known, as Hunters rarely venture down. We also prioritized clearing the levels, so we only found one new Safe Area on the 5th Level; we know nothing about the others. And as Fiana mentioned, this Beast Carriage is enchanted to block out the outside air, so even if we camp in a Safe Area on the 6th Level, we won’t be shivering from the cold. I don’t think we need to rush to descend to the 7th Level.
“If we can descend to the 7th Level today, we’ll have more time for exploration tomorrow. However, I don’t intend to push ourselves.”
For tomorrow, huh? I heard the Guardian’s chamber is in the center of the 7th Level, and it’s only about three islands away. However, there are over ten islands, so Yamato and Prim seem eager to visit as many as possible.
“Besides, even if we don’t descend today, couldn’t we spend tomorrow exploring the 7th Level and fight the Guardian the day after tomorrow?”
“If we’re getting materials, that would be preferable.”
“Also, isn’t it said that defeating the Guardian will reveal a magic circle to return to the surface, so we don’t have to worry about getting back?”
Ed, Marina, and Fiana are Crafters, so they seem keen to obtain as many rare materials as possible. Especially the M-rank Monster Dragoons, which will be used to refashion the Crest Armor Coat that Yamato and the others are currently wearing. Since they’ll be using them for portions for me and Eos as well, I think that would be better.
“I agree, but I’m also concerned about Retisencia’s movements and things with Valentia, so I don’t think we should take too long.”
“Indeed. However, given the situation before we entered, if Retisencia were to raise an army, it would likely be in the spring. And even if Valentia, or rather Leonas, made a move, I don’t think anything can be done without Prim.”
“Even with Lady Prim here, nothing can be done.”
Prim is concerned about Retisencia and Valentia’s movements and believes we should leave soon. Mana-sama, however, believes Retisencia will take more time to act, and as for Valentia, she thinks nothing can progress without Prim. I’ve also heard this discussion, and Leonas, the former prince of Valentia, has a bad reputation with women and is not favorably viewed by Dragonians. It’s heard that Leonas is targeting Prim, and if he finds out she became an Ancient Hunter in Amister, he might resort to any means. However, Prim’s marriage to Yamato, who is now an O-Rank Order of Amister, has been publicly announced. If Leonas were to lay a hand on Prim, it would be an act against Amister itself. Therefore, even if Leonas were to make a move, Yuri-sama says the outcome would be the same, regardless of whether Prim is present or not.
“I agree with Mana and Yuri. If Leonas were to move, I’d just crush him.”
“Indeed, if Yamato moves, even the Anti-Beast King Organization would be easily blown away.”
Yes, I think so too.
“Therefore, Prim, M-rank monsters are rarely huntable. Wouldn’t you say we should hunt as many as we can while we have the chance?”
“While I am concerned about both Valentia and Retisencia, both would take considerable time to act. Understood. Since we have the opportunity, let’s hunt as many as we can.”
Prim also seems motivated. This means we’ll probably camp in a Safe Area on the 6th or 7th Level tonight, hunt on the 7th Level tomorrow, and clear it the day after tomorrow before returning to the surface. We’ll have to present the Labyrinth Core to the Dragon King’s Castle in Dragunia upon our return to the surface, so we might have to camp another night, but Yamato, Prim, and Mana-sama can make that decision.
Side: Yamato
After our break, we began clearing the 6th Level. There was no snow on the path, and snow walls lined both sides, but the path was quite wide. Ordinarily, monsters would attack, but there was no sign of them.
“I’d heard about it, but there really are few monster attacks from the 5th Level onward.”
Ludia, sitting beside me as I drive, says so, and I’ve certainly heard similar things. Still, a Beast Carriage is noticeable as it proceeds along the road, so it’s not like monsters wouldn’t notice it.
“It’s too few. No, I guess that means we figured out the 7th Level is the lowest, so it’s not all bad.”
I’ve heard that Hunters who discovered the 7th Level was the lowest floor rarely encountered monsters from the 5th Level onward. It’s probably partly because they all had bonded contracts with Wyverns and avoided fights by escaping to Safe Areas when attacked. However, there are even unofficial records stating that the 7th Level only had M-rank monsters, and even A-rank monsters. It is said that they confirmed the Guardian’s chamber and immediately retreated using Escaping.
Escaping is a Hunter Magic used to escape from a Labyrinth. Depending on how it’s used, it can allow one to escape from a swarm of monsters, making it an essential magic for Hunters entering a Labyrinth. Of course, as it’s magic for leaving a Labyrinth, re-entry is from the 1st Level, and it seems Long-distance Teleportation Magic, Traveling, cannot be used within a Labyrinth.
“Still, this snowfield is amazing. The area we were just in had snow walls lining both sides of the road.”
“Indeed.”
It’s been about 30 minutes since we entered the 6th Level, and this level is truly incredible. As Ed and Carol are expressing their surprise, just about five minutes ago, the snow walls on both sides were nearly five meters high. Japan has something similar, but I think they use bulldozers or something there. Was it Otani? But here, the Labyrinth itself seems to prevent the path from being buried in snow, so there’s no snow left underfoot. It seems to collapse occasionally, but that’s about it. Incidentally, these snow walls, extending from the Safe Areas, don’t harbor any monsters, and they are only wide enough for two Beast Carriages to pass each other. Large monsters rarely attack, and while small monsters do attack, since large monsters are rare on the 6th Level, it’s often possible to escape by this point.
Once we leave the snow wall area, a vast snowfield spreads out as far as the eye can see. I can see mountains, forests, and even lakes.
“It’s certainly vast.”
“But these snow walls are said to be markers for the Safe Areas, so they shouldn’t be hard to find.”
As Prim and Mana are discussing, the Safe Areas on the 6th Level and the entrance to the 7th Level are said to connect to areas with snow walls. Are only I experiencing the 6th Level as less difficult to explore, despite the higher monster ranks? No, it’s a snowfield, so there’s no way it’s less difficult.
“It’s not at all. Besides, even if monsters aren’t hiding in the snow walls, small monsters can still attack.”
“Yes. I believe there are Snow Raptors and Whitex. Both are a bit larger than humans, but they are very fast monsters, so it’s difficult to escape.”
Snow Raptors and Whitex, huh? Both are indeed P-rank, but unlike the higher-ranked Snow Raptors, Whitex are rare species. However, both are said to be faster than Battle Horses, so escaping if attacked would be difficult. More troublesome than those, of course, are Dragoons. Like these.
“Yamato-san! A Dragoon from above!”
Meena noticed it too.
“I know.”
That’s a higher-ranked Lesser Dragoon, a Snow Dragoon. The ranking of Dragoons is a bit complex; Dragoons with elemental names like this Snow Dragoon are M-U rank, those with color names are M-R rank, and P-rank only includes Lesser Dragoons. They say these appear on the 6th Level, but I never heard about it. In the first place, Dragoons are said to evolve from Lesser Dragoons that gain elemental properties, so it’s not strange for them to inhabit this snowy plain level.
“Whoa! I don’t have much time to think!”
That Snow Dragoon suddenly spat Snow Breath from above. I managed to defend against it by deploying Nibbleheim, but as expected of an M-rank monster, it was quite tough.
“I’ll bring it down.”
“Please do.”
As soon as she said it, Prim, cloaked in Extreme Flame Wing, flew towards the Snow Dragoon.
“That was fast. But it’s hard to attack from up there, so I’d appreciate it if you could bring it down.”
“With my and Rebecca’s levels, our attacks won’t even land on an M-rank monster.”
Ludia is a pure close-combat type, including her Unique Magic, and Flam and Rebecca haven’t evolved into High Class yet, so their attacks sometimes didn’t even land on Lesser Dragoons. Although, Flam and Rebecca’s levels increased from battling those Lesser Dragoons. Flam, Rebecca, and Meena might be able to evolve this time, so let’s count them, plus Mana and Athena.
“After Prim knocks it down, I’ll draw its aggro. Flam and Rebecca will feint with arrows, and exploiting the opening, Mana, Meena, and Athena will attack.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll do my best!”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
Only High Class Mana would be able to deal effective damage to a Snow Dragoon, but since the goal is to level up, it should be fine.
“It’s falling!”
At Lydia’s voice, I look up. One wing of the Snow Dragoon has a hole in it, and it’s burning. Not just Dragoons, monsters in Helios Orb use their own magic power to fly. However, wings are used for catching the wind and changing direction, so it’s not wrong to say that without wings, they can’t fly. With one of its wings rendered useless, that Snow Dragoon can no longer fly. Moreover, Prim knocked it down far from the Beast Carriage, so everyone on the Beast Carriage was unharmed.
“Lydia, Ludia, Raus. I’ll have to ask you to handle the Beast Carriage for a while.”
I entrust the Beast Carriage to the three High Classes, but it would be tough for just three of them against P-rank and M-rank monsters. So, I need to pay proper attention to them as well.
“Yamato, what should I do?”
“Follow Flam and Rebecca while keeping an eye on the Beast Carriage.”
Prim, who had just brought down the Snow Dragoon, sought instructions from me. Prim’s level is 69 after defeating the Lesser Dragoon on the 5th Level, but the issue of Prim’s level has been put on hold since we decided to enter the Solpre Labyrinth. The lowest floor is a nest of M-rank monsters, and even on the 5th and 6th Levels, P-rank monsters are abundant. If Prim doesn’t fight, we don’t know what might happen, and the burden on me is too great, as everyone, including Prim herself, has told me. Furthermore, although Float and Dragunnia, and even Feel, are under information control, everyone in Feel knows that Prim has evolved into an Ancient Foxy. There’s a possibility of leaks from there. However, even if it leaks, since her survival and marriage to me have been announced, if anyone tries to interfere, I’ll just crush them.
“Understood. I’ll save the serious fighting for the 7th Level.”
Prim seems a bit disappointed, but I can understand her feelings. Neither she nor I have fought seriously since the Lesser Dragoons. The reason we came to the Solpre Labyrinth this time, besides clearing it and obtaining M-rank monster materials, includes leveling everyone up and, if possible, evolving them. After all, evolving into High Class extends one’s lifespan by 50 years, and evolving into Ancient Class extends it by another 100 years. If possible, I want everyone to evolve into High Class or Ancient Class. Yamato and I are Ancient Class, so considering our levels, we can live for about 270 years. However, everyone else cannot live for even 100 years. Even Mana, Lydia, and Ludia, who are High Class, will likely live to about 150 years. I want to spend as many days as possible with everyone, so I’m willing to cooperate as much as needed. Only Athena, who is a Dragonian, is an exception, but I’ll try to live longer by leveling myself up to compensate.
That being said, I don’t intend to push everyone, so I need to make sure they don’t get injured.
The Snow Dragoon, whose one wing Prim burned and sent falling, seemed a bit disoriented upon hitting the ground but quickly recovered. However, in that gap, I deployed the fire-attribute A-rank wide-area interference-type magic circle, Jupiter, and used the Knight Magic, Arresting, to stop the Snow Dragoon’s movement.
“Alright, good!”
“Yes!”
At my signal, Flam and Rebecca fired their arrows. Against this opponent, Ice Arrows would be ineffective. Therefore, they’re using Fire Arrows, which they find difficult, but since both are within Muspelheim, they are increasing the power of their Fire Arrows by interfering with them.
“GYAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!”
As expected, they couldn’t pierce its scales, but several hit the wing Prim had punctured, and the Snow Dragoon screamed.
“Hah!”
“Take that!”
Exploiting that opening, Meena and Athena charged in and slashed at its forelegs. Unfortunately, they were unharmed, but they stubbornly continued attacking the same spot. Oh, did Mana’s participation and attack with Lapis Whip Edge on its forelegs make Meena and Athena’s attacks more effective?
“There!”
While the Snow Dragoon was distracted by Mana, Meena, and Athena, Flam drew an incredibly huge water arrow on his Lapis Wing Bow. It’s more like a short spear than an arrow. While ice-attribute magic isn’t very effective on Snow Dragoons, and it’s unclear if water-attribute magic is effective, Flam, being of the Undine race, is most skilled in water-attribute magic, so he must be using it. Is that the Unique Magic Flam was developing? If so, I should help.
“Tidal Blaster!”
Flam’s Unique Magic, Tidal Blaster, is a magic that wraps lightning-attribute magic around an arrow created with water-attribute magic, and then uses wind-attribute magic to create a vortex and launch a colossal arrow. Water conducts electricity, so when the water arrow hits, the target gets shocked and takes significant damage. Moreover, the water arrow is spirally rotated by wind-attribute magic, giving it high penetration power. I don’t expect a single blow from Flam, who hasn’t evolved yet, to be effective against an M-rank monster, but Tidal Blaster is a magic I advised him on, so I know how to support it. It’s difficult to overlay water-attribute Engraving Magic while Jupiter is deployed, but since lightning is classified as fire-attribute in Engraving Magic, I decided to interfere with Jupiter to increase the power of the lightning-attribute magic in Tidal Blaster.
“GUGYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaAAA!”
Flam aimed for the Snow Dragoon’s neck, and it hit perfectly, piercing the Snow Dragoon’s scales. The arrow that got stuck was also a water arrow, so it scattered immediately, but the Snow Dragoon’s neck became wet, and the lightning-attribute magic amplified by Jupiter’s interference dealt damage.
“HAAAH!”
Then, Meena, using her Silverio Sword, shaped a giant mace with earth-attribute magic, wrapped it in fire-attribute magic, and struck from the side. Meena’s Unique Magic, Mace Quake. My support was late, but the Snow Dragoon, hit sideways by the nearly three-meter-long mace, was blown back slightly but not defeated. Moreover, it glared enviously at Meena, who had blasted it.
“TAAH! WHAT?!”
Of course, I wouldn’t allow that to happen, so I fired Ice Edge Javelin towards the Snow Dragoon. This time, I activated Mist Solution, intending to melt any snow or ice. Ice Edge Javelin easily pierced the Snow Dragoon’s scales, and with its blood melted by the activated Mist Solution, it collapsed powerlessly. It still seems to be breathing. Even though monsters unconsciously strengthen their bodies and magic power, the effect should be reduced when they are this weakened.
“Meena, Flam. Once more!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Meena deployed Mace Quake again, and by interfering with Jupiter, it transformed into a molten war hammer. Meena swung the Mace Quake with both hands and brought it down with all her might towards the Snow Dragoon’s head. The impact made its long neck lash like a whip, but its head still maintained its shape. However, Flam’s Tidal Blaster pierced the Snow Dragoon’s brow. As before, the lightning-attribute magic amplified by Jupiter was now flowing directly into its brain, so it couldn’t do anything. As expected, the Snow Dragoon never moved again. Even though I provided support, Meena and Flam’s Unique Magic turned out well, and we managed to defeat it properly, so the result is excellent.
