Four hours have passed since we descended to the second layer.
We crossed two volcanoes and are now at the one where Saber spotted a giant lizard.
The volcanoes along the way were quite troublesome.
Simply put, the second volcano was covered in snow and inhabited by White Leos, Cold Drakes, Island Drakes, Hail Ants, Ice Rocks, and Orcs.
White Leos are G-rank monsters, native only to Torencia, and are about three meters long, white lions.
However, they are said to be at the easternmost edge of the Golud Great Glacier, so the chances of seeing them in Torencia are practically zero.
Cold Drakes, as the name suggests, are a subspecies of Drake species living in cold regions.
They are B-rank monsters, and since I’m used to fighting Drake species, it was easy to handle them.
Island Drakes are a rare species of Cold Drake, an S-rank monster.
They inhabit cold regions, and their length was nearly five meters, but as expected from a Drake species, it was easy to deal with them.
On the other hand, S-rank Hail Ants are ant-like monsters about fifty centimeters long that appear in swarms of at least ten, and they call for reinforcements very quickly, making them extremely troublesome to fight.
Ice Rocks were of the same kind as Mana’s summoned beast, Sirius, making them difficult to fight for a different reason.
Sirius fought them without any reservations, so we cast aside any hesitation as well.
The third mountain is a volcano covered in sand.
It wasn’t entirely sand, but it felt like a desert.
The monsters that appeared here were Antlions, Beetle Antlions, Dummy Cacti, Fake Cacti, Sand Worms, Sky Scorpions, and Sand Spiders.
Perhaps because it was a volcano that could be mistaken for a desert, Demi-humans, Antlions and their superior species, Beetle Antlions, inhabited it.
Even though they are treated as one rank higher, we hunted them in large numbers during the war with Solemne, so we don’t have any particular memories of struggling.
Sky Scorpions are S-rank monsters that also appeared in the desert area of the third layer of the Solpre Labyrinth, and they are flying scorpions.
Their stingers have poison, so that’s the only thing to be careful about.
Sand Worms are giant earthworms, but their hide is highly valuable, so it was a bit of work to defeat them without damaging it as much as possible.
The most troublesome monsters here were Dummy Cacti and Fake Cacti, which are cacti.
The Dummy Cactus is an S-rank monster, and the Fake Cactus is a G-rank monster. They usually camouflage themselves as cacti, and when prey comes within range, they fire a barrage of thorns like in a certain game.
To be precise, they seem to be earth-attribute and water-attribute magic that mimics thorns, but their magic power is high for their rank, and it is said that they never run out of magic.
Their attack power is said to be the same as monsters one rank below them, but they compensate for it with sheer numbers, so I heard they are impossible to defeat in close combat.
Well, I and Prim were angry, so I used the water-attribute A-class wide-area interference spell Neptune and the earth-attribute A-class wide-area interference spell Mars’ layered barrier to seal the thorns, and Prim charged straight through, evaporating the thorns with Seraphim Penetrator as she closed in, and we defeated them in close combat.
“It seems that only one type of Demi-human and four types of monsters inhabit each volcano.”
“Indeed, it looked that way for the three volcanoes, but are you sure?”
“Even though it’s a high-difficulty labyrinth, the volcanoes are quite large. If there were more monsters, they would prey on each other.”
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
Aria, who had doubted Prim’s prediction, seemed convinced by Mana’s explanation.
Monsters in the labyrinth do not prey on each other, nor are they Demi-humans; however, it does happen.
As long as they are within the labyrinth, monsters do not need to eat due to the labyrinth’s magic. They are said to be more aggressive than surface monsters.
And they actively attack humans, but it seems to be the same for Demi-humans.
They seem to be less aggressive towards humans, but Demi-humans are said to be intermediate creatures between humans and monsters, so they are attacked.
For this reason, Demi-humans require food even in the labyrinth and hunt monsters for sustenance.
However, monsters also prey on each other.
If they stray into the territory of another species, they are considered enemies infringing on their territory, and they will fight and prey on each other, even if they are monsters.
Therefore, labyrinths are made large to secure monster territories.
The second layer of the Krater Labyrinth is the same, but the monsters inhabiting each volcano differ.
Therefore, it seems that the territories of the four monster species, excluding Demi-humans, are divided into east, west, north, and south to avoid conflict.
The reason Demi-human territories are not secured is likely because they live in settlements and hunt monsters for food, unlike monsters.
However, their settlements are treated as territories, and monsters rarely intrude.
As we were discussing the ecology and characteristics of the monsters inhabiting the labyrinth, we arrived at the foot of our target volcano.
It was a rocky mountain as we had heard, with lava erupting in some places, giving it a typical volcanic atmosphere.
“It’s close to Seryado Volcano, but there’s no snow and no vegetation.”
“Yes. And there are lava pools, and the temperature is quite high.”
Indeed, with lava pools everywhere, the temperature had risen.
In fact, the thermometer app on the engraving tool showed 43 degrees.
“That’s quite… If it weren’t for the heat-resistant magic enchanted on my coat, it would have been quite difficult.”
“And the beast carriage too. The saving grace is the low humidity.”
I don’t have a hygrometer app, so I can’t say for sure, but this volcano is quite dry.
High humidity makes things muggy, and sweat clings unpleasantly, so this much is a relief.
“However, since it’s a volcano, won’t the humidity increase as we get closer to the summit?”
“Ah, that’s possible too…”
Mako predicts with a dispirited look, but there are also steam explosions during volcanic eruptions, so that possibility exists.
I would rather not get close, but as we are here for research, we have no choice.
I guess we have to give up.
“That aside, what about them?”
Where Ludia points, there is a swarm of Fire Drakes.
Drake species live in groups, so it’s not surprising that Fire Drakes are also in swarms, but the problem is that among the Fire Drakes, about two meters in size, there is an individual that is slightly larger, probably over three meters.
“‘Questing.’ That’s a Crater Drake.”
“You were right. But…”
The rare species of Fire Drake, the Crater Drake, is here, and Eos’s prediction was spot on.
But the problem is that the Crater Drake is smaller than I expected.
“Yes. The giant lizard spotted by the Saber’s Guild was reported to be nearly ten meters long. Of course, there’s a possibility of exaggeration or misidentification, but the size difference is still too great.”
As Hilde says, it’s unthinkable to mistake a monster about three meters long for one nearly ten meters long.
The Sabers who witnessed it were two people, and it was almost instantaneous, so the accuracy is questionable, but I still don’t think a High Saber would make a mistake about a monster’s size.
“In that case, we need to consider that there is another monster besides the Crater Drake.”
“That’s right.”
“We need to find out what kind of monsters appear besides Fire Drakes first.”
Yuri, Aria, and Lydia conclude, but for now, the task is to hunt the Crater Drake along with the Fire Drakes.
Wait, it’s already over!
Well, even though it’s a rare species, it’s G-rank, so it’s not a threat to us.
In fact, Prim, Mana, and Athena took down the Fire Drakes, while Eos, along with Marisa, Viola, and Mirei, the four Butlers, took down the Crater Drake.
“Eos, can Fire Drakes be eaten?”
“Yes, of course. Compared to Feather Drakes, their meat has more fat, but that fat is also high-quality as oil. The meat itself is a bit tough and inferior in taste to Feather Drakes.”
So, Feather Drakes are more delicious.
However, if the fat can be used as oil, there seem to be many uses for it.
Incidentally, their hides, fangs, and claws, being a fire-attribute Drake species, seem to grant resistance to fire attribute and attack enhancement.
The rare species, the Crater Drake, is one rank higher than the Fire Drake, so let’s secure the meat, even if the materials are just that.
“Recovery complete. Shall we move on?”
“Yeah.”
Athena recovered the Fire Drakes and Crater Drake into storage, and we began investigating this rocky, lava-filled volcano.
Side: Hilde
It’s been about two hours since the Saber’s Guild began investigating the volcano they descended into.
The volcano we are investigating is surrounded by rocks, with lava pools erupting in some places, making the investigation no easy task.
The only solace is that the lava does not overflow onto the mountain paths.
“This volcano is steep, unlike the others.”
“Rather than steep, it might be better to say it’s intricate.”
“Yeah. It’s like a maze.”
Mana, Flam, and Lord Yamato sound troubled, but as they say, this volcano is intricately intertwined with rocks and lava.
There are indeed mountain paths, but they are as winding as a maze, and we’ve ended up in dead ends more than once or twice.
“And it’s always a Kobold settlement at those dead ends, what’s with that?”
Prim looks annoyed, but I understand how she feels.
The Demi-humans inhabiting this volcano were Kobolds, and at the dead ends of the mountain paths, there were always Kobold settlements, some with nearly fifty Kobolds.
While there were no An or Catastrophe Species, Demi-humans within the labyrinth are considered equivalent to one rank higher. Therefore, even a rare species like a Kobold would be equivalent to a G-rank monster, and with multiple individuals present, a normal Hunter’s Raid could be annihilated depending on the number of inhabitants.
“That was troublesome, but Magma Spiders and Pteranodons were also annoying.”
“Ah, indeed. They spit fire-wreathed webs from the lava, and swoop down from the sky with lightning, which was certainly troublesome.”
Mako and Ludia also look annoyed, but given the monsters we encountered, I certainly understand their feelings.
Magma Spiders are spiders that inhabit lava and are G-rank monsters.
They use fire-attribute magic while hindering movement with their webs, and the webs are highly flammable and burn well.
Despite that, when they capture prey, the webs are not easily broken and have enough strength to easily hoist several tons, making escape nearly impossible once caught.
Furthermore, since they inhabit lava, our attacks cannot easily hit them, making their subjugation far more difficult than their rank suggests.
Fortunately, or rather, because they inhabit lava, they are classified as G-rank monsters, but their actual attack power is equivalent to S-rank, and their defense is equivalent to B-rank, which is quite low. If you can hit them, it is not difficult to defeat them.
And Pteranodons are Saur species that should not be in Torencia; they are a superior subspecies of Wyvern, or rather, an ancestral form of Wyvern.
Wyverns are C-rank monsters and are common monsters used as flying mounts, so they are bred in many countries.
Pteranodons are S-rank monsters, and in the past, many people had them as familiars or contracted them as summoned beasts, and I hear some still have contracts with them.
Wyverns are said to have evolved from these Pteranodons that were raised.
Other examples include Grantpus evolving from Triceratops and Preciser from Plesiosaurus, and they have now become indispensable monsters in our lives.
Getting back to the topic, Pteranodons have high attack power even among S-rank monsters, and their movements are also swift, so it’s not uncommon to be approached the moment they are spotted.
Their beaks and talons are sharp, and they can freely wield lightning-attribute magic, so I’ve heard that ordinary High Class adventurers are no match for them.
The volcano we are investigating is a sheer rock mountain, and lava flows in some places, so in some areas, we are restricted from moving without using Scaffolding, and visibility is also very poor.
Conversely, for Pteranodons, our movements progressing through the mountain paths are likely visible, so we must constantly be on guard, which accelerates mental fatigue.
“With that kind of speed, even if we detect them with exploration-type magic, they’ll be right in our faces before we know it.”
“Truly. For an S-rank, they must have the wrong rank.”
Our Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage is equipped with a Tenma Stone enchanted with Lord Yamato and Mako’s exploration-type Engraving Magic, which greatly aids in detection.
However, the flight speed of Pteranodons is such that they can reach us from the very edge of the detection range of the exploration-type Engraving Magic in just a few seconds, so if we let our guard down, we won’t be able to intercept them in time.
Furthermore, some Pteranodons are said to be capable of bringing down even G-rank monsters, so as Mako mentioned, they are often said to have the wrong rank.
“If we go a bit further, the territory will change, so it might get a little easier.”
“Let’s hope so. Speaking of which, if the second layer is this difficult, this labyrinth might be shallower than we thought.”
“I thought so too. Since Solpre Labyrinth has a total of 7 layers and Instant Labyrinth has a total of 6 layers, Krater Labyrinth might have about the same, or perhaps only 5 layers in total.”
Lord Yamato and his party have conquered the Solpre Labyrinth and Instant Labyrinth, which are said to be the most difficult. The Solpre Labyrinth has a total of 7 layers, and the Instant Labyrinth has a total of 6 layers, making them quite shallow labyrinths.
Since high-rank monsters appear from the early layers, they are probably good hunting grounds for seasoned hunters, but for average hunters, they are nothing short of a death trap.
In terms of difficulty, both Solpre Labyrinth and Instant Labyrinth are navigable by High Hunters up to the third layer. Therefore, Krater Labyrinth is more difficult than both Solpre and Instant Labyrinths, and it is Lord Yamato and Marquis Rika’s theory that the labyrinth is shallower for this reason.
“However, we have no choice but to camp in the second layer today, so we’ll likely only make it to the fourth layer at most.”
“That’s right. Or rather, since there’s a possibility that the giant lizard seen by the Saber’s Guild is a P-rank monster, we may need to end our investigation on the second layer.”
“I know, right.”
For my part, I want to conquer the Krater Labyrinth as soon as possible, but I understand the reasoning to prioritize investigation given the difficulty so far.
Fortunately, the ecosystems in the second layer differ by volcano, so as long as we don’t make a mistake about where we descended from the first layer, I don’t think the survival rate for hunters will decrease.
Therefore, I agree with Mina’s idea that we should cover the entrances from the first layer as much as possible.
Of course, that also depends on where the entrance to the third layer is.
