It has been one week since we started clearing the Varie Labyrinth.
In this past week, we have reached the 16th Level.
The floors we have cleared are roughly as follows:
**7th Level Forest**
B-rank Monsters appeared, but in small numbers. We found a Safe Area with a floor transition array in about three hours without any obstacles and proceeded to the 8th Level.
**8th Level Mountain Forest**
As the name suggests, this floor is a combination of mountains and forests. The Safe Area was in a clearing about 500 meters in diameter, making it easy to locate.
So, I sent Grantpus’s Valey back and stored the Multi-functional Beast Carriage in my Inventory. Then, I flew around to check Safe Areas one by one.
We cleared it without incident in about an hour.
**9th Level Plains**
This is a plain with a river running through it, dotted with several villages. These villages were the Safe Areas on this floor.
We traveled by Beast Carriage on this floor, and S-rank Monsters started appearing.
However, we found five villages that were Safe Areas, and about two-thirds of the map was filled in. I felt like there was only one floor transition array.
We decided to make camp by returning to a nearby Safe Area, and I had Rex and Muse use the VIP room set up at the forefront.
We cleared this 9th Level an hour and a half after departing the next morning.
**10th Level Mansion**
This floor is designed to resemble a mansion, so Beast Carriages could not be used, and we were forced to travel on foot.
It was winding with stairs to go up and down, so we didn’t manage to clear it until the evening of that day.
The Monsters that appeared were all Demi-humans, so if we were to hunt in the Varie Labyrinth in the future, this would definitely be a floor to skip.
**11th Level Wilderness**
Since we cleared the 10th Level in the evening, we made camp immediately and began our investigation and travel the next morning.
This floor had rough rocks scattered about, with no plants or even water sources. Perhaps because of this, the only Monsters inhabiting it were Puppet Species, ranging from I-rank to S-rank.
There were Mithril Puppets, Adamant Puppets, and Crystal Puppets, so it was a floor where one could earn well.
As only Puppet Species inhabited this floor, it wasn’t particularly wide, and we managed to get through by early afternoon.
**12th Level Volcano**
Magma spewed from various points on the mountainside. Fortunately, the danger was low as long as we didn’t stray from the mountain path.
However, there were several Monsters living in the magma, and it was troublesome when they sprang out.
Furthermore, the floor transition array here was located in a Safe Area right in the middle of the crater, which was surprising.
Crossing a bridge built over the magma was indeed a new experience for me, and I remember not being able to let my guard down because it occasionally erupted.
The Monsters that inhabited this floor were mainly Lizard-type, Fire Rock Species, and Fire Wolf Species.
We found the floor transition array in the evening, but it was troublesome that we had to go on foot because the path was too narrow for Beast Carriages.
**13th Level Coast**
The main terrain was sandy beaches, but there were also many sheer cliffs from which aquatic Saur Species attacked.
G-rank Monsters also started appearing from this floor, but they were just the right opponents for Alice’s power leveling. So, before going to sleep, I, Prim, and Mako guarded and hunted several Monsters.
However, this floor was quite wide, so even after exploring until evening, we couldn’t find the floor transition array and ended up wandering until the morning of the next day.
**14th Level Archipelago**
This floor consisted of three islands of various sizes, each with forests, mountains, ponds, rivers, and even small sand dunes.
The mountain in the center of the largest island was a volcano, and like the 12th Level, the floor transition array was in the crater, so clearing it was on the easier side.
Since we expected the location of the floor transition array, we cleared it by evening.
**15th Level Indoor Corridor**
This was a maze-like floor with stone walls, the typical “dungeon” feel.
Demihumans, Undead, Slimes, Puppets, Dolls, and even Golems appeared, but I didn’t see any Orichalcum-type Monsters.
We were able to travel by Beast Carriage, which was a relief as we didn’t have to suffer from the characteristic stench of Undead.
However, it was quite intricate, so it took us almost two full days, until the evening of the next day, to clear it.
**16th Level Outdoor Corridor**
This was basically the same stone-walled maze as the 15th Level, but there were hedges, vines, and even trees in some places. We had to be careful because Monsters could emerge from plant-based walls.
P-rank Monsters also appeared from this floor, but most of the Monsters inhabiting it were the same as on the 15th Level.
As it was an outdoor corridor, there was a pseudo-sun, but the walls were at most about 5 meters high.
Despite this, it was impossible to fly over the walls, so shortcuts by flying were not possible.
Alice evolved into a High Human after defeating the G-U rank Monster Adamant Doll inhabiting this floor, reaching level 47.
It took longer than expected, but there were few G-rank Monsters up to the 15th Level, and only one P-rank Monster, a Mithril Golem, was confirmed on this floor, so in a way, it might be unavoidable.
We also summoned several of our Silkest Crawlers to fight, so I hope they will evolve soon as well.
And the 17th Level, where we are now, is, inconveniently, a cave floor.
It is a type of corridor floor, but it is structured with passages connecting larger clearings, reminiscent of an ant nest.
In fact, it was an Ant Species’ nest.
Furthermore, as it is a cave, Monsters can emerge from the walls, so we had to constantly be on the lookout. Moreover, only S-rank and G-rank Worm Species attack, which is frustrating considering the low return for the risk.
Although Worm Species hides have many uses, the Worm Species on this floor are smaller than the small Fairies, so their usability is limited.
When we entered a clearing, it was often a monster nest, so unless one can defeat multiple G-rank Monsters at once, clearing it would be difficult.
Some of the clearings were incredibly vast, while others were only large enough to fit about five Multi-functional Beast Carriages.
Furthermore, we didn’t see a single P-rank Monster.
The 17th Level also had a lot of ups and downs, and it was annoying that we hadn’t cleared it even after two days.
“Shall we descend to the next floor and make camp today?”
“This floor was exclusively insects, so Mako is at her limit.”
“I truly want to get out of this floor as soon as possible.”
Mako really hates insects, so this floor was genuinely tough for her.
I’m also not a fan of large insects, so like Mako, I want to get out of here quickly.
“However, judging from our progress so far, the next floor seems to be similar.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Ah, Mana is right, I do feel that way.
The Varie Labyrinth has had similar floors for two consecutive levels.
Therefore, the next, the 18th Level, will likely be similar to this cave.
Even saying “similar to a cave” doesn’t give me much to go on for predicting what kind of floor it will be.
I don’t think it will be an underwater corridor floor like the Krater Labyrinth, but I really don’t know.
“Let’s decide when we get there. The difficulty probably won’t suddenly skyrocket from the next floor onwards.”
“Well, that’s true. Besides, we’ve only seen one P-rank Monster, a Mithril Golem, and that was on the 16th Level.”
“And only one of them. I don’t know how many floors there are, but at this point, the difficulty is lower than expected.”
No one seems to disagree with my assessment.
As is common with labyrinths, the difficulty doesn’t suddenly jump from one floor to the next.
It does increase to some extent, and depending on the floor composition, it might feel like a jump, but judging by the Monster Ranks, there’s often not much difference, and sometimes it even decreases.
The Solpreza Labyrinth and Krater Labyrinth are prime examples.
However, the problem is that even considering those labyrinths, the difficulty of the Varie Labyrinth is lower than expected, as Muse mentioned.
While the first floor mostly only has T-rank Monsters, there are other labyrinths like that.
Those labyrinths either have nearly 30 floors or less than 20. We are currently on the 17th floor of the Varie Labyrinth, so we can’t determine which pattern it is yet.
However, even considering that, having only one type of P-rank Monster by the 17th floor is clearly very few.
“That’s also something I’m concerned about, but it’s not uncommon for evaluations to change depending on the higher floors?”
“I understand. What concerns me is whether this Varie Labyrinth truly caused a Labyrinth surge during the Kobaldia Incident last year.”
“Ah, I see. That is certainly concerning.”
So that’s what Muse was concerned about.
But now that I think about it, given that the Monster Ranks are so low right now, we can’t make a judgment even if it did cause a Labyrinth surge.
During the Kobaldia Incident, we hunted many low-rank Monsters, but there were also many Monsters that seemed to have been defeated midway.
“It is a concern, but worrying about it now is pointless. Let’s focus on clearing for now.”
“That’s true. Well then, shall we re-focus ourselves?”
Even though this floor is less than satisfactory, even anticlimactic for us, letting our guard down would lead to more than just injuries. Most importantly, Mako’s scolding awaits.
Also, as Rex said, we won’t get an answer about whether the Varie Labyrinth caused a Labyrinth surge by thinking about it now. We came here to clear it, so if we get injured due to carelessness or distraction, we’d be fools.
Therefore, we refocused our resolve and aimed for the 18th Level.
