Side: Mako
Yuri, Hilde, Rika, Aria, Marisa, Viola, and Mirei are scattering packs of Ice Wolves and White Wolves, while we continue our survey of the first floor.
The first floor seems to be about the same size as the second floor of the Instant Labyrinth in Amister, but the survey isn’t progressing well because it occasionally blizzards.
“I heard there were many S-rank monsters, but seeing them like this, there are more B-rank ones.”
“That’s true. However, since White Fangs appeared, the difficulty might be higher than the Instant Labyrinth or Solpreza Labyrinth.”
About five hours have passed since we entered the Krater Labyrinth, and we’ve encountered quite a number of monsters.
The breakdown is as follows: 47 White Wolves (C-U rank), 26 Ice Wolves (B-R rank), 3 White Fangs (S-I rank), 57 Spear-eared Rabbits (B-U rank), 13 Long-footed Earsise (S-R rank), 32 Fire Tails (B-N rank), 11 Burn-tail Foxes (S-U rank), 26 Snow Stags (B-U rank), and 6 Snow Beetles (S-R rank), for a total of 219 monsters.
While the numbers are high, we are thoroughly surveying the first floor, so I don’t think it’s unusual.
The problem is the appearance of the abnormal Wolf Species, the White Fang.
High Class adventurers with alloy weapons can defeat them without much effort, but before alloy weapons became widespread, it was said that even with more than 10 High Class adventurers, casualties were unavoidable.
With three such monsters appearing, ordinary hunters wouldn’t even be able to clear the first floor.
“White Fangs are certainly troublesome. To have abnormal species appear from the first floor is excessively malicious.”
“I agree. High Class adventurers with alloy weapons can defeat them, but that alloy isn’t widely distributed yet. Let alone Normal Class.”
“Since it’s a labyrinth, it’s hard to tell how frequently they spawn. Well, I think it will be a solvable problem once alloy becomes more common.”
I agree with Yamato’s opinion, but it’s still bothersome to have abnormal species appear.
“While that’s true, Torencia cannot import alloy until spring, so we may have to ask the Saber’s Guild and Hunter’s Guild to seal it for the time being.”
“I think that would be best, but will the Hunters stop, let alone the Sabers?”
“Ah, that might be a bit touchy. Especially B-rank adventurers who are overconfident in their abilities might think of foolish things.”
Ah, that might be true, as Lydia said.
Most of the hunters I know are from the Alliance that participated in the war with Solemne, but I do have acquaintances among the hunters based in Feel.
The hunters who joined the Alliance are all top-class hunters in Amister, so they don’t do reckless things and don’t overestimate their abilities.
The hunters from Feel have had dealings with Raus a few times, but each time they were defeated and learned their lesson. Many of them are reasonable, so it hasn’t been much of a problem.
Hunters from Torencia are generally reasonable, similar to those in Amister. However, it’s impossible to eliminate those who are overconfident in their abilities or have baseless confidence. And there are also scum who think they can do anything because they are High Class. So, even if regulated, people will still enter the labyrinth.
“Why don’t we just let them do as they please? They’ll just die in the labyrinth.”
“I agree. It’s entirely their own responsibility.”
Yamato and Prim’s dismissive remarks are abrupt, but in the end, it will likely come to that.
“That’s all well and good, but what do we do? Shall we proceed to the second floor?”
“We haven’t explored every corner, but the mapping is about 80% complete, so we might as well.”
Rudia and Meena don’t seem too bothered either.
Well, I think so too. Besides, there’s no guarantee that such fools will appear, so let’s move on to discussing how to proceed with the survey.
“If it’s 80% done, we might as well move on.”
“Let me see… There are 3 Safe Areas. In that case, there might be more in the still largely blank southwest area. Let’s explore the southwest area while looking for Safe Areas, and then head to the second floor.”
“You haven’t been to the southwest area much, have you? Let’s do that then.”
Yamato’s opinion was adopted unanimously.
But the southwest area is a bit far.
The entrance to the Krater Labyrinth is on the northwest side of the map, but we are currently on the southeast side.
There are two Safe Areas on the north side and one on the south side, but the arrangement suggests there might be one more, so I agree with Yamato’s prediction that there might be one in the southwest.
But it’s almost lunchtime, and I’d like to take a break.
“I’d like to take a lunch break, so how about stopping by this Safe Area?”
“Sounds good, I agree.”
“Then let’s take a short break at this Safe Area.”
“Agreed!”
It’s decided.
We decided on a short break with a meal at a Safe Area located on the southern side, slightly eastward.
In novels and games about another world, meals in labyrinths are typically dried meat and other preserved foods. However, Helios Orb has Supplication Magic: Storaging.
Storaging, in a nutshell, is a storage magic like an item box or inventory. Time does not pass inside, and the capacity depends on the user’s Mana.
It seems that only High Class adventurers, with the exception of the Winged Tribe, can use it. However, the capacity is at least the size of a normal house.
When evolving into an Ancient Class, it feels like it can store the equivalent of a village, or even a town.
Yamato and Prim said they stored almost all the monsters they defeated in the Solpreza Labyrinth and the Instant Labyrinth by themselves, and they didn’t know the limit.
Furthermore, by linking it with Yamato’s newly developed Supplication Magic, Stairing, they can not only confirm the stored items but also sort them by category.
I use it too, and it’s truly convenient.
Side: Hilde
Upon safely reaching the Safe Area, we enjoyed a noodle dish made with stewed Rock Boar in soy sauce.
The soup was made by simmering Rock Boar bones with vegetables for a long time and seasoned with condiments, and it was rich and very delicious.
“As expected, the noodles…”
“With such a good soup, they stand out even more…”
However, Yamato and Mako seem unsatisfied with this wonderful noodle dish.
I understand that it is one of the representative dishes of their country, so I can’t blame them for feeling unsatisfied, but I heard that even Sayuri, an O-rank Crafter renowned as a chef, couldn’t replicate it.
“I know it’s asking too much.”
“Mother Sayuri also said she’s still researching it.”
“Does Mako’s Engraving Tool have the recipe for that dish, even if Yamato’s doesn’t?”
“Unfortunately, no. I cook too, but I never thought of starting from making the noodles. Maoh would know, but I can’t ask her.”
“Ah, yes, Mother would know.”
Yamato’s mother?
However, even if we wanted to ask, Yamato’s mother, Maoh, is in Yamato and their world, Earth, so we can’t even meet her, let alone ask her.
“And why does Yamato’s mother know how to make a dish that Grandmother Sayuri has been researching for years?”
“Well, Maoh’s cooking is professional-level, and she doesn’t compromise when it comes to cooking, so she has many recipes in her Engraving Tool. One of the reasons Sayuri couldn’t fully replicate ramen is probably due to the performance differences between the Engraving Tools that I and Yamato use, and smartphones of that era.”
“Ah, Sayuri mentioned that too. Well, even if smartphones could be used, she said she didn’t know if the recipe for making noodles would be included.”
“Is that so? How were you able to replicate curry then?”
Curry?
It’s a spicy soup with spices, but I prefer mild.
“Ah, she said it’s because she worked part-time at a curry restaurant when she was a student.”
“Such a specific reason. Well, thanks to that, we can eat curry, so I have no complaints.”
“I understand how you feel.”
These are conversations that only Yamato and Mako understand.
And if you talk about that, I’m starting to crave it too after so long.
“Curry is good, but shouldn’t we prioritize the labyrinth right now?”
“I know.”
“Of course. However, the second floor is a volcanic area, and we only have information about giant lizards. I wonder if we can reach the third floor.”
“That’s beyond our control. And when they say ‘giant lizard,’ it’s unclear if it’s a truly large Lizard Species, mistaken identity, or a Saur Species. We won’t know until we see it.”
Mana’s gentle interjection brought us back to the topic of the labyrinth.
According to the report from the Saber’s Guild, giant lizards were sighted in the volcanic area on the second floor, so the investigation team retreated due to insufficient strength.
However, only two people actually sighted the giant lizard. It could simply be a normal Lizard Species, possibly fire-attributed due to the volcanic area, or it could be a Saur Species that only inhabits Valentia, or it could even be a misidentification.
However, I don’t intend to blame the Saber’s judgment for retreating. We must confirm it with our own eyes.
Fortunately, Wing Crest has 10 Ancient Class adventurers, so we can handle even O-rank monsters, let alone G-rank ones.
In fact, Yamato, Prim, and Mako have even defeated Demise Species.
“A lizard in a volcano… could it be a Fire Lizard?”
“I’ve never heard of it. Besides, there are no Lizard Species in the Seryado Volcano, so it’s hard to predict.”
Indeed, as Prim says, there are no Lizard Species inhabiting the Seryado Volcano.
Well, perhaps there might be, but it was not confirmed during the subjugation of the Slume Lord 180 years ago, nor during Wing Crest’s investigation a few months ago.
However, they are not uncommon in ponds, lakes, or river mouths, and they are also said to inhabit forests and wastelands. Therefore, I believe it is highly likely to be a subspecies of those species.
“Eos, what’s your opinion?”
Marquis Rica asks Eos for her opinion. Eos has the longest experience as a hunter among us, so I am also interested.
“Well, in my personal opinion, it’s possible it’s a rare or abnormal species of Fire Drake.”
A Fire Drake?
“Yes. It’s a drake that appears in the 15th floor of the Maldosso Labyrinth in the northeastern part of Valentia, enveloped in flames. The Maldosso Labyrinth has only been explored up to the 15th floor, and one of the reasons for this is the existence of an abnormal species of Fire Drake, the Flamist Heat Haze.”
An abnormal species of Fire Drake, Flamist Heat Haze?
According to Eos, Fire Drakes are S-rank, and Flamist Heat Haze is P-I rank.
She also mentions having confirmed the rare species, Crater Drake, which is a G-R rank.
“Another troublesome one.”
“Really. I don’t think a P-I rank would appear on the second floor, but since the rare species is G-R rank, that’s a possibility.”
Indeed, in labyrinths discovered so far, we haven’t heard of G-rank monsters or abnormal species appearing on the first or second floors.
However, anything can happen in a labyrinth, so we must not let our guard down.
“However, this is just my personal opinion. There’s also the possibility of it being a Saur Species, or an abnormal Lizard Species.”
“That’s true, but the idea of Fire Drake-like monsters being there is something we hadn’t considered, so it’s quite helpful.”
I agree with Rudia’s opinion.
Until Eos mentioned it, I didn’t even know that Fire Drakes existed, so simply having this knowledge is greatly appreciated.
The problem is what kind of monsters are on the second floor, but we won’t know until we go there.
After a little more discussion, we finished our short break and resumed our investigation.
