The Memoria General Academy’s first Monster Hunt practical exercise ended with disappointing results.
Although the students managed to hunt a few monsters, most were goblins and wood wolves, making the experience rather mediocre. Furthermore, the appearance of a Goblin Queen from the deepest part of the labyrinth forced them to end the hunt earlier than planned. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but it was also due to our insufficient investigation. Therefore, we plan to conduct an investigation immediately before the next practical exercise.
However, being overly protective is not ideal, so we intend to eventually leave such matters to the Order’s Guild and Hunter’s Guild.
The Febro Lehithrest Marquisate has also successfully declared independence, and the local nobles and influential figures who have become vassals are outwardly showing their submission, so no problems have arisen so far. This is natural, as it has only been two weeks since its establishment, but the trust in the Solemne nobles remains low, prompting the Order’s Guild, as well as the Soldier’s Guild, to dispatch inspectors.
The capital, Lehithrest, faces the Nadal Sea, which has led to regular ferry services with four cities and the consistent supply of goods to the Solemne region. Neighboring towns and villages are already benefiting, and even the Count Enlo Istlias has received supplies, suggesting future development. However, it is still uncertain when the third country will declare independence. With very few potential candidates for kings and a dubious situation regarding vassals, it might be impossible to achieve this in the current generation.
Since there’s nothing I can do about that, I’ll focus on what I can do now.
Today, I am scheduled to go on an investigation of the Retisencia region with Mana, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, and Mako. It has been eight months since Saki’s birth, and her body has almost fully recovered, with rehabilitation completed. However, her hunting experience has been limited to areas near Feel and Float, so this will be Mana’s first true hunt in a long time. Hilde wanted to come too, but she is preoccupied with preparations for the abdication ceremony in mid-September. Therefore, she has taken Meena with her to Bestia as a guard.
“I believe there was a labyrinth somewhere in the Varie Mountains?”
“Yeah.”
We are riding in a Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage, so we are protected from the rain, but outside the barrier, it is pouring heavily. The Varie Mountains are tall, rugged peaks that rise from the central to northern parts of Retisencia. Due to the harsh environment and constant rain, very few people venture there. It is said that a considerable number of rare and anomaly species inhabit the mountains. The foothills to the north of the Varie Mountains were also a place where monsters, evolved with Demon Crystals, were gathered. While many monsters were hunted during the Kobaldia incident, I don’t believe they were all eliminated. Therefore, it is more likely that the labyrinth in the Varie Mountains is an unconfirmed labyrinth that has caused a Labyrinth Flood.
“I think so too, but weren’t there too many monsters? I only heard about it, but wasn’t it close to ten thousand?”
“Yes. However, I’ve heard that the number of monsters overflowing from a Labyrinth Flood depends on the scale and quality of the labyrinth. The Labyrinth Flood at the former Felsa Labyrinth was recorded at approximately 2,000 creatures. If you add the monsters from the three labyrinths that have already been conquered and those that originally inhabited the area, along with their familiars, it should be around that number.”
“Did the Bulgall Labyrinth and Rōkūra Labyrinth not experience Labyrinth Floods, meaning they had more monsters than the Felsa Labyrinth?”
“It depends on when the Varie Labyrinth was created, but it’s likely included, isn’t it?”
Mana, Lydia, Ludia, and Mako are investigating the Labyrinth Flood during the Kobaldia incident, and I suspect it’s along those lines. Even if new labyrinths were created by the Divine Emperor’s mana, it hasn’t been even half a year, so there wouldn’t be enough monsters to cause a Labyrinth Flood yet. While the possibility of other unconfirmed labyrinths cannot be ruled out, it seems most areas outside the Varie Mountains have already been explored, so we expect those to be fine.
“Who confirmed the Varie Labyrinth?”
“Wise Rainbow. However, Wise Rainbow only has one Ancient Class member, Frau, so I heard they retreated after defeating Abyss Fall and Crest Unicorn.”
Frau, the leader of Wise Rainbow and an Ancient Human, was in her mid-70s. While fighting Crest Unicorn, Abyss Fall intruded, causing several raid members to sustain severe injuries, including severed limbs. They quickly finished hunting Abyss Fall and then used Traveling to teleport to Float. Fortunately, Wise Rainbow has two High Healers, so the severely injured hunters survived. They were also able to request treatment from A-Rank Healers, including the Grand Healer’s Master, which allowed for the recovery of their limbs. Because of this, Frau reported to the Hunter’s Guild that a solo attempt by Wise Rainbow would be difficult and issued a request to any hunters who could move immediately. That’s how we got involved. Incidentally, upon hearing that the request was accepted by us, Wise Rainbow immediately entered a period of rest to recover from their fatigue. We’ve pushed them hard for the past few months, so I feel that they deserve a good rest.
“Still, there are so many of them.”
“Now it’s Marine Birds. Given the location, it’s understandable that Aqua Rocks would appear, but what’s with a swarm of rare species?”
Monsters have been attacking frequently. While many are B-rank or below, G-rank and P-rank monsters occasionally appear. This time, G-rank monsters, Marine Birds, appeared in a swarm of about ten. There are no B-rank Aqua Rocks or S-rank Spring Rocks around, so it’s almost certain that the current species evolved due to the Divine Emperor’s mana. Well, even so, they are G-rank monsters, so for us, they are nothing more than a trivial threat.
“Hah! Honestly, even if we’re fine, a swarm of ten G-rank monsters is life-threatening for ordinary hunters!”
Mana’s words are true. Even for High Class adventurers, a swarm of G-rank monsters is a serious threat. It would be difficult to even investigate this Varie Labyrinth, let alone cross the Varie Mountains.
“I believe this is a special situation, and it will eventually be resolved. However, it is precisely because of this that the conquest needs to be expedited.”
“I understand that, but today is just a simple investigation. If we’re going to attempt a full-scale conquest, we need to prepare, don’t we?”
“Ideally, we’d conquer it now, but Yamato also has his work to do.”
“Indeed.”
Frankly, I would like to conquer the Varie Labyrinth now. However, the request we received was simply to confirm the Varie Labyrinth and conduct a brief survey of its shallower levels. More importantly, we only accepted it because our schedules happened to be free, or because the task could be postponed without issue. Tomorrow, I have to go to Deseo, and the day after tomorrow, I have a meeting in Float. Both are absolutely critical engagements, so I don’t have the time to attempt a full conquest.
“We’ve defeated the Marine Birds, so let’s head inside.”
“Let’s do that. Jade, I’m counting on you.”
I give instructions to Jade, who is pulling our Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage, and we enter the Varie Labyrinth. The first floor is a mountainous region, and the rain is falling, which is quite demotivating.
“A mountain, huh?”
“That’s fine, but the rain is a nuisance.”
“Indeed it is.”
Everyone’s enthusiasm is dampened. In reality, mountains in the rain are dangerous. Fortunately, the mountain path is well-maintained, so the beast carriage can move without issue. However, there are many puddles, and stepping off the path even once will cause you to lose your footing. Larger ones could potentially be ponds or swamps, so straying carelessly is frightening.
“The difficulty will change greatly depending on what appears.”
“In this environment, even facing a T-rank monster requires caution.”
As Mana says, if high-ranking monsters appear in addition to the environmental challenges, it could be dangerous even for Ancient Class adventurers. And as Mako said, even a T-rank monster could inflict significant damage on a Normal Class adventurer. If they don’t have water breathing magic, even an Ancient Class adventurer could be submerged in a puddle while losing their balance.
“In any case, let’s move forward.”
“There’s no point in staying here, and we’re here for an investigation.”
“I wonder what will appear.”
I give Jade instructions again, and we begin to advance through the first floor. No monsters appear for quite some time. After about 30 minutes, the first monster finally reveals itself.
“What, a Spring Wolf?”
However, the monster in question was a Spring Wolf. It is a water-attribute Wolf Species, a subspecies of Glass Wolf and Wood Wolf, with a Monster Rank of I-N. However, considering it’s a water-attribute wolf, in this environment with rain and large puddles, it might possess the strength equivalent to a C-rank monster. Still, it’s only an I-rank, so for us, it’s a negligible difference.
“It’s the first one, so it might be the weakest monster. We can’t make a definitive judgment yet.”
“Ah, that’s right. We don’t know what other monsters are here, so we can’t make a judgment based solely on this Spring Wolf.”
“That’s true, but with a Spring Wolf present, I don’t think there’s more than a B-rank monster at best.”
Whether the Spring Wolf is the strongest or weakest monster cannot be determined without observing the other monsters. It could be of average strength, or slightly below average. While a Spring Wolf is considered high-tier among I-rank monsters, it is still close to the bottom overall. As Athena mentioned, a definitive judgment is impossible at this point. However, as Mana predicts, the chance of encountering a B-rank monster is low. Labyrinths that feature B-rank monsters from the first floor are typically of low difficulty and high depth.
Indeed, Mana’s prediction proved correct. The next monster to appear was an I-N rank Mud Puppet. Mud Puppets, with their bodies made of mud, can be used as a pottery material and are purchased at a reasonably high price among I-rank monsters. However, they disintegrate into a muddy puddle upon defeat, making them difficult to handle. This is because, like liquids, they require some form of container for storage in a spatial inventory. Furthermore, in mountainous regions like Amister, it’s easy to obtain high-quality mud compared to Mud Puppets. Therefore, the higher purchase prices are found in countries with fewer mountains, such as Valentia, Bariente region, and Solemne region. Incidentally, like all puppet-type monsters, their monster cores have the earth attribute.
Furthermore, the presence of a T-rank Slime and an I-U rank Water Slime suggests that the Varie Labyrinth can be classified as a high-depth labyrinth.
“I want to clear this quickly, but it seems quite extensive, and the conquest is likely to be time-consuming.”
“There’s the added complication of rain from the first floor. For high-depth labyrinths, isn’t it common for two consecutive floors to be the same?”
“I’ve heard so. So, it’s likely that the next floor will also be a mountainous area with some additional element.”
Given that the first floor was a mountainous region with rain, the second floor is bound to be a mountainous region with an added feature. Even if the floor composition is the same, the types of monsters that appear can change drastically depending on the weather. Therefore, we need to be prepared not only for monster encounters but also for environmental challenges. But first, we need to find the teleportation array to the second floor.
