I have visited Laofen town before during the advance on Solemn.
So, we offered several monsters to Neige, sold them to the Hunter’s Guild, and then used Traveling to teleport.
It doesn’t seem like any battles are occurring near Laofen, and the town hasn’t changed much.
“I thought we’d be fighting as soon as we arrived, but that’s not the case,” Prim said.
“That’s right. The town seems fine, so perhaps the fighting is happening near the Laofen Labyrinth?” Meena asked.
“That’s likely. I believe the Labyrinth Flood at Laofen Labyrinth, unlike Gagun Labyrinth, was still in its preliminary stages,” Lydia replied, who had participated in the meeting at the Emperor’s Castle, answering Prim and Meena’s questions.
While the Labyrinth Flood at Laofen Labyrinth was indeed in its preliminary stages, the number of monsters expelled from the labyrinth was significant, and it was expected to cause a full-scale Labyrinth Flood soon. It was precisely for this reason that a meeting was held, led by the Soldier’s Guild, and measures were being discussed. At that very moment, they received news that Gagun Labyrinth had suffered a Labyrinth Flood.
“There’s no point in talking here. I know where the Laofen Labyrinth is, so let’s head there,” Yamato declared.
“Right. I’d prefer to use a Beast Carriage, but we don’t have time to hitch one. Let’s ride our Contract Beasts,” Neige suggested.
That seemed like the sensible choice. Yamato had also considered using the Beast Carriage, as its observation deck would make it easier for Flam and Mako to attack. However, if they were surrounded by monsters, not only would they be immobilized, but their chances of being defeated would increase. They needed to hurry, but they couldn’t neglect their safety. Athena and Eos were already in their dragon forms today, and they had just finished a battle, so they couldn’t be pushed too hard. Yamato had told them they could rest, but they insisted on coming, claiming it would be fine as long as they didn’t use their dragon forms.
“Alright, let’s hurry,” Yamato said.
“Yes,” Neige replied.
They quickly summoned their Contract Beasts and mounted them. Flam, Athena, and Eos rode Sirius, who had evolved into a Freeze Bird. Flam had a Beast Contract with Flow, a Ridoceros, but Ridoceroses are slower than Grantpus, making them inconvenient for urgent travel. Ridoceroses are amphibious monsters, and although they spend more time on land, they are more agile in water. Their fins on all four legs seem to be a hindrance on land. It’s said that on evolving into the rare Canal Rhinoceros, the fins become retractable, greatly improving their movement on land. Since the contract was recent, Flow’s evolution would still be a long way off.
After traveling on their Contract Beasts for about an hour, as the sun began to dip towards the west, they finally spotted the Laofen Labyrinth. Soldiers and Hunters were present nearby, but it didn’t look like any battles had taken place.
“Huh? It doesn’t look like any battles have occurred,” Yamato observed.
“Indeed. Either they’ve already suppressed it and are in a period of observation, or the Labyrinth Flood hasn’t actually started yet…” Prim mused.
“We’ll find out if we ask,” Yamato said.
Prim was right. Not only were Grand Soldier’s Master Delfina, Gracious Lynx, and Black Army present, but it would also be easier for them to talk.
“Let’s see… ah, there they are.”
The Multi-functional Beast Carriage at the front belonged to Gracious Lynx. Leader Slay confirmed their arrival and dismounted from the Beast Carriage.
“Slay,” Yamato greeted.
“Yamato, it’s been a while,” Slay replied.
“Yes, it has been a long time,” Yamato said.
It had been since the wedding reception since they last met Gracious Lynx. After the war with Solemn ended, they had apparently entered the Instant Labyrinth with several other Raids to defeat the Guardian. They had also heard that Gracious Lynx had entered it alone afterward. Unfortunately, the Guardian had not respawned. With the Holy Grave, which contained Ancient Fairy and Ancient Human, having conquered the Solpreza Labyrinth, it seemed like all the unconquered labyrinths on the Philia Continent would be cleared soon.
“Slay, what happened with the Labyrinth Flood?” Yamato asked.
“Well, we defeated about 200 monsters approximately two hours ago, but we can’t determine if that’s the end of it or if there are more following. That’s not the only reason, but the Black Army is currently inside,” Slay explained.
So that’s why they couldn’t see the Black Army’s Beast Carriage. They wondered if it was quite deep, considering the monsters up to the third floor were said to be C-rank at most. And entering a labyrinth that was experiencing a Labyrinth Flood – wasn’t that quite dangerous?
“What? They entered a labyrinth that’s experiencing a Labyrinth Flood?” Ludia exclaimed.
“Are they alright?” Flam added, echoing everyone’s surprise.
Labyrinth Floods were phenomena where a labyrinth released more monsters than it could contain, and it was said that the interior of the labyrinth itself was in a terrible state. While they were apparently released through magical means like Traveling or Escaping, rather than climbing up from the lower floors.
“It depends on the monsters, but probably. This is just a guess, but considering that Grand Deathwurm has been expelled from the labyrinth, I think Laofen Labyrinth is around the 22nd or 23rd floor. If the third floor has C-rank monsters, then compared to other labyrinths, G-rank monsters only start appearing after the 10th floor. So, I believe the Guardian is P-rank, or possibly M-rank,” Slay speculated.
Yamato vaguely recalled hearing something like that. Laofen Labyrinth had C-rank monsters from the third floor onwards, but it also had T-rank monsters. This seemed to be the case for other labyrinths as well. Compared to the ecology of other labyrinths, T-rank monsters stopped appearing around the sixth floor, and S-rank monsters started appearing then.
“Ah, I see. P-rank monsters appear around the 16th floor, and M-rank monsters start appearing from around the 21st floor. Since an M-I rank Grand Deathwurm was expelled, it’s almost certain that there are more than 20 floors,” Yamato stated.
“You are correct. There’s a possibility of it being even deeper, but the monsters we defeated earlier were at most G-rank. If there are no more following, that judgment will be made,” Slay added.
Although a Labyrinth Flood could be a disaster that could cripple not just towns and villages but entire nations, it also presented an opportunity to observe a considerable number of monsters without having to delve into the deep strata of the labyrinth. Therefore, not only were the monsters hunted, but thorough investigations were also conducted, and based on that information, the labyrinth was promptly conquered. In fact, it was said that over 80% of labyrinths that experienced Labyrinth Floods had been conquered. The fact that not all of them were conquered was concerning, but for the Retisencia Labyrinth, which had an A-I rank Disaster Dragoon overflow, it was left untouched due to Retisencia’s own selfish actions. It was likely that other labyrinths were abandoned for similar reasons.
“How many were there?” Yamato asked.
“29 I-rank, 53 C-rank, 48 B-rank, 57 S-rank, 18 G-rank, and 3 P-rank,” Slay reported.
The ranks varied widely, but the number of P-rank monsters was remarkably low. Conversely, there wasn’t a significant difference in numbers from the C-rank to S-rank. Given that an M-I rank Grand Deathwurm had been expelled, it was certain that M-rank monsters inhabited the labyrinth, but their numbers were not that high.
“With the Grand Deathwurm incident, I thought this would be a much bigger problem, but it’s different from what I expected,” Ludia remarked.
“That’s right,” Meena agreed.
Yamato concurred with Ludia and Meena’s opinions. In both Labyrinth Floods and monster expulsions, the monsters released from the labyrinth were often high-rank monsters. The reason was unknown, but high-rank monsters inhabited the deeper parts of the labyrinth, which were often not explored or even investigated properly. Therefore, high-rank monsters tended to appear during Labyrinth Floods and monster expulsions.
It seemed that the monsters in the labyrinth also reproduced and increased in number, but the labyrinth core could also create them suddenly. This meant they would increase endlessly without proper management. When the labyrinth could no longer contain these endlessly multiplying monsters and released them outside, this phenomenon was called a Labyrinth Flood or monster expulsion.
“Was the Labyrinth Flood at Gagun Labyrinth that severe?” Yamato asked.
“Yes,” Slay replied.
Slay and Gracious Lynx were aware that Gagun Labyrinth had experienced a Labyrinth Flood. Yamato was supposed to have come to Laofen Labyrinth originally, but he couldn’t due to that incident, so he had informed Gracious Lynx and Black Army of this.
“To think that so many A-C rank monsters appeared. That means Gagun Labyrinth must be quite deep,” Slay mused, frowning.
Even with Slay, an Ancient Rixie, present, most of the Hunters in Gracious Lynx were High Class. While a few monsters might be manageable, facing over 20 A-rank monsters would be difficult.
“Yes. We intend to investigate and conquer it as soon as possible. However, we are also concerned about the monsters that moved deeper into the Gagun Great Forest, so our priority is investigating that first,” Yamato explained.
“Gagun Great Forest… Hanuman. Moreover, the monsters that were likely expelled and moved to the depths are Catoblepas and Cresthorn Pegasus. That’s incredibly troublesome,” Slay added.
Yamato wholeheartedly agreed. Furthermore, since there was a possibility of consequences already occurring, they needed to investigate quickly, or it could truly become an irreversible situation.
“It’s truly troublesome. However, with the Black Army inside, neither we nor the Orders can move,” Slay stated.
While Yamato wished he could have received help with the investigation of Gagun Great Forest, he couldn’t just leave Laofen Labyrinth unattended, and the same applied to other unconquered labyrinths. Therefore, Raids requiring Ancient Classes would undoubtedly be called upon for conquest. In some locations, similar problems to the Gagun Great Forest might arise, and by conquering them, they wouldn’t have to worry about Labyrinth Floods or monster expulsions anymore.
Speaking of Orders, Yamato had heard that an Order had also been dispatched. He wondered what Rex and the others were doing.
“Slay, what about my brothers?” Yamato asked.
“Rex and the others have gone to investigate the situation a little to the west. There’s a town called Schreien there, and it seems there’s a Lord who governs this entire area,” Slay replied.
So, Rex and the other Orders were investigating whether the expelled monsters were heading towards a town called Schreien. It was true that Laofen wasn’t the only direction the monsters might have gone.
“In that case, we’ll be on standby here for a while too,” Yamato said.
“I’m sorry, but that would be a great help,” Slay replied.
It seemed that was the case. The Black Army apparently entered Laofen Labyrinth about two hours ago, and from their conversation, it seemed they had reached the third floor. Rex and the other Orders had also headed towards Schreien around the same time, so any discussions with the Lord would be starting now. That meant Rex and the others likely wouldn’t return until around sunset. There was a possibility of monsters appearing before then, so waiting was unavoidable.
“Understood,” Yamato replied.
“Thank you,” Slay said.
They had come to suppress the Labyrinth Flood at Laofen Labyrinth, so waiting was not a problem. With Gracious Lynx present, they could pass the time by exchanging recent reports.
They ended up engrossed in discussions about the interior of Krater Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Flood at Gagun Labyrinth, and a Revenge attempt at the Instant Labyrinth with Gracious Lynx.
Apparently, after achieving Revenge at the Instant Labyrinth, Gracious Lynx heard about Krater Labyrinth at the Hunter’s Guild and decided they wanted to head there. Slay, in particular, being an Ancient Rixie, had issues with wearing everyday clothes. Therefore, they wanted to hunt Grand Silk Crawlers extensively on the fifth floor of Krater Labyrinth. Yamato could understand the sentiment, but he wondered what they would do about the fourth floor. However, they had already made preparations for that. They were commissioning the ship’s hull, which was an option for Yamato’s Tenju Manufacturing Beast Carriage, from Feel’s Crafter’s Guild. The measurements had already been taken, and it seemed it would be completed in a few days. They had decided to enter the Deseo Labyrinth until then, but upon arriving at Deseo, they learned of the Labyrinth Flood at Laofen Labyrinth and had hurried to this location. It was hard to say whether it was good or bad luck.
Although not mentioned in the activity report, the regular work has become too demanding, so from the next chapter, updates will be weekly.
