Side: Mako
The first stratum of the island’s labyrinth was only slightly smaller than the island itself, and we managed to clear it in about an hour. The view was good, so about 70% of the map is filled in, and the monsters that live there are only T-rank monsters, so the first stratum is sufficient.
And then there’s the second stratum, which was also a plains stratum similar to the first. The only difference is that the mountains seemed a bit lower and there was a forest visible.
“It’s similar to the first stratum, so this might be deep,” I said.
“Yeah. I want to conquer it quickly, but it looks like it will take time,” Yamato replied.
“The monsters in the shallow strata will have low ranks, so we can investigate even with a small number of people. I’ll proceed with it when I have time,” Ludia offered.
“Oh, I’ll help too,” Prim added.
In response to Prim and Yamato’s words, Lydia and Athena volunteered to help with the investigation. I saw Ludia nodding as well. Prim, Mana, and Flam have childcare duties as well as territory-related work, so it’s hard for them to make time. Mina, who isn’t here, is pregnant, so she’s out of the question. I myself study as a maternity healer and sometimes take on birth requests. I’m also a part-time lecturer at Memoria General Academy, so I can’t come for investigations frequently. Yamato not only has to assist Lady Hilde and Sir Yuri but also take the lead in developing the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, so he can’t move. Therefore, Lydia, Athena, and Ludia, who have more free time, stepped forward. Moreover, all three are Ancient Classes, and they don’t show any signs of pregnancy yet. Most importantly, Lydia and Ludia are level 99, so they won’t fall behind even in the deep strata, let alone the shallow ones.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, but it looks like I’ll have to leave the investigation to these three for a while,” I said.
“That’s right. Well, based on past trends, these three might be able to handle it without issue even near the 30th stratum, let alone the 20th. But this labyrinth probably only just appeared recently, so it’s possible it has a similar structure to the Krater Labyrinth,” Lydia mused.
“Yeah. I’ll probably be relying on the three of you, but don’t let your guard down,” Yamato said.
“I know,” I replied.
I’m grateful that the three who have more free time will be investigating, but I should also go with them when I have the time. Although the three Ancient Classes won’t fall behind in the shallow strata, you never know what might happen in a labyrinth. In fact, the Instant Labyrinth has monster traps that summon monsters from outside or from other labyrinths. The Instant Labyrinth’s third stratum not only has monsters of B-rank to S-rank, but also G-rank monsters, though in small numbers. However, if you get caught in one of those monster traps, you’ll be faced with not just G-rank monsters, but P-rank monsters, including many Catastrophe Species and Anomaly Species. Even P-I Rank or P-C Rank monsters can be defeated by a few High Classes working together, but if there are multiple of them, it becomes difficult. If you are operating as a Raid or Union, Normal Classes will likely be accompanying you, so the only option is to escape. What’s more troublesome is that the monsters summoned by those monster traps remain in the area afterward. Therefore, the difficulty of the Instant Labyrinth’s third stratum varies greatly depending on whether the monster trap is activated or not. Some people intentionally activate them to hunt Drake species and Saur species, which don’t inhabit the Instant Labyrinth, and we’ve done it too.
Monster traps vary in scale and the rank of monsters they summon, but they basically exist in every labyrinth. So, it’s almost certain that this labyrinth has them too. It is confirmed that monsters stronger than those inhabiting the floor where they are set will be summoned, so there’s a good chance that even Ancient Classes will have to be wary of the monsters that appear on some floors.
As we proceeded, we saw monsters in our field of vision, but they were all T-rank monsters like Blink species and slimes.
“T-rank monsters only here too,” Yamato stated.
“I haven’t seen all of them, but it looks like it,” I replied.
“At this rate, should we check the third stratum too?” Prim asked.
“That’s debatable. Clearing it won’t take more than an hour, but this labyrinth is unplanned, and entering it wasn’t scheduled,” Yamato said.
That’s right. However, our purpose in coming to this island today is investigation, so shouldn’t we spend a little time to check the third stratum? Normally, the second stratum would have been enough, but since the first and second strata are almost identical in composition, including the monsters, this labyrinth is expected to be quite deep. Therefore, to obtain even a little information, it might be better to go to the third stratum. Of course, we’ve only just arrived at the second stratum, so investigations are still necessary. It’s not uncommon for monsters to change drastically even in similar strata.
“Ah, no. Let’s just call it a day. We came straight to the labyrinth, so we haven’t investigated the island itself yet, and more importantly, we haven’t even landed on the other of the Twin Islands,” Yamato decided.
Yamato chose to prioritize the island’s investigation over the labyrinth. It seems he’s making that decision based on the labyrinth’s tendencies. We came to investigate the island that was casually named Twin Islands, so he wants to prioritize the island investigation as planned for today.
“Is that okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m curious, but I need to check on the island’s condition too. I don’t know when this thing was born, but if it was a long time ago and it caused a labyrinth surge or expulsion, then development would be impossible, right?” Yamato explained.
“Ah, indeed,” I agreed.
That’s certainly true, as Yamato says. Olden Island was a completely untouched, uninhabited island, so no one knows when this labyrinth was born. However, it’s undeniable that we are the first to enter this labyrinth. If it was born decades ago, it wouldn’t be strange if it had already caused a labyrinth expulsion or surge. Therefore, investigating the island’s situation has a higher priority than the labyrinth’s interior.
After exploring for about an hour, we used Yamato’s Escape to return outside. Fortunately, we found the stratum transition array, so we were able to check the third stratum.
“A canyon stratum. I don’t think we can expect much from the monsters,” Yamato commented.
“Well, it’s probably not much different from the first and second strata,” I replied.
“It’s a matter of whether I-rank monsters appear or not,” Ludia added.
As Yamato, Lydia, and Ludia said, the monsters inhabiting canyon strata are often not much different from those in plains or mountain strata. In some labyrinths, only T-rank monsters appear up to about the fifth stratum, so it’s not uncommon for rookie hunters to exist there. Blink species, small fish-like bait, and ducks, which are like ducks, are edible, so they are hunted with the “see and kill” approach.
“I’m curious about this stratum too, but this is it for today,” I said.
“We can’t just investigate this one area. Well, I’ll get around to investigating this labyrinth when I have time,” Yamato replied.
“Indeed,” Lydia agreed.
“I want to investigate too,” Prim added sheepishly.
“You can’t,” I said.
Yeah. Once development begins, Yamato will have even less time than before. Not only that, but he’ll also have to take the lead, so he won’t be able to go hunting casually. That’s precisely why Prim and Lydia volunteered to investigate, but Yamato wants to go too. If the situation allows, he might be able to go, but it really depends on the situation. However, not only this labyrinth but also the Gagun Labyrinth needs to be conquered. So, perhaps this year we can just do the preparations, and start the development around next spring. Oh, but an invasion of Abaricia is planned for spring or summer, so that’s also difficult. What should we do?
“Development doesn’t necessarily have to start right away, does it?” Prim asked.
“Yeah. The fundamental issue is that development can’t begin until the investigation is complete. There are three islands, albeit small, and the rank of the monsters inhabiting them is high, so the investigation must be thorough,” Yamato replied.
When it comes to development, there’s some flexibility depending on Yamato, the designated Lord. However, the development of the Fraydlancia Baronetcy is already widely known. Yamato intends to start development around autumn and has already approached the Grand Crafter’s Master and Grand Trader’s Master. Consequently, the Crafter’s Guild and Trader’s Guild are already making plans for material orders and craftsman dispatch, anticipating this. Therefore, if development doesn’t start by October at the latest, there will be crafters and traders who will have trouble making a living.
“Before that, I want to conquer this and the Gagun Labyrinth, but I guess doing both is impossible,” Yamato mused.
“Well, even if we conquer one, it’ll be one or the other,” I replied.
It’s already nearly half of August, and both labyrinths are likely deep, so it could take nearly a month to conquer them. However, the Gagun Labyrinth has been conquered up to about the 18th or 19th stratum, so conquering it would be faster. But this labyrinth is within the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, so Yamato would want to prioritize it. However, this labyrinth has only just been discovered, so its stratum structure and danger level are unknown. Therefore, the priority should be the Gagun Labyrinth, which caused a labyrinth surge a few years ago. The fact that the Gagun Labyrinth is in the Vald Beast Duchy also gives Yamato a reason.
“I’ll sort out the schedule, but if we’re going to conquer one, the Gagun Labyrinth takes priority,” Yamato decided.
“I understand given the nature of the labyrinth surge, but are you sure that’s the priority?” Prim asked.
“Yeah. It should be fine for a few more years, but considering the location… I originally planned to conquer it much sooner, but I haven’t had the time until now. So, I think the Gagun Labyrinth should be the priority,” Yamato explained.
“Thank you, Yamato,” Prim said, blushing slightly.
Prim, although not yet declared Crown Prince, holds the title of first in line for succession to the Vald Beast Duke and is a cousin to Emperor Neige. Since Emperor Neige is also pregnant with Yamato’s child, the Gagun Labyrinth is the one Yamato wants to conquer quickly. He likely wants to conquer this labyrinth quickly as well, but considering Prim and Emperor Neige, Yamato has decided to prioritize conquering the Gagun Labyrinth. We understand his feelings and reasons, so we agree.
“Ah! Yamato, look at that!” Ludia exclaimed.
“Huh? Oh, a Horn Rabbit,” Yamato replied.
When we followed Ludia’s pointing finger, we saw a rabbit with horns. Indeed, that is an I-N Rank Monster, Horn Rabbit. They inhabit the area around Feel, so we’re used to seeing them.
“So, I-rank monsters appear starting from the third stratum,” Yamato observed.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“There will be T-rank monsters, of course, but if I-rank monsters also inhabit it, the difficulty might not be as high as we thought,” Prim mused.
“It’s hard to say since it’s still shallow, but it’s possible,” Yamato agreed.
Regarding the difficulty, it’s still too early to say. However, the fact that I-rank monsters appear on the third stratum suggests that this labyrinth might not have 30 strata. Of course, it’s not absolute, but compared to other labyrinths, it’s probably around 20-25 strata. Since we don’t know when this labyrinth was born, we can’t rule out the possibility of it being an exception like the Krater Labyrinth. In any case, nothing will happen unless we investigate. If I can find the time, I’ll come for investigations with Prim and the others.
