Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth (WN) – Chapter 137

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on November 20, 2025

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While eating salad on deck, I chanted a spell.

“— ‘Connection’!”

After confirming that we could depart from the 30th floor of the labyrinth at any time, I got to the main subject.

“Alright, I’ll explain our labyrinth exploration policy.”

I began to explain the labyrinth exploration plan I had been thinking about alone.
On Christmas Eve, when I escaped from the cathedral, I realized it, and the thought of forming a party with so many companions just by brainstorming is fun. It gives me the same sense of exhilaration as playing a game.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t be doing this just for fun, the gamer in me just couldn’t help but surface.
I proudly show off the plan I’ve thought out to my heart’s content.

“For labyrinth exploration, I intend to basically proceed with parties of four. We’ll rotate to increase efficiency.”

My eyes sparkled as I presented.
This plan, derived from the thought processes I used to grind games and attempt time attacks in the past, was my optimal solution. To make them understand it, I started operating my ‘Parallel Thinking’ at full capacity.

“First, provisionally, Team A will be Snow, Dia, and Sera. Team B will be Rustiara, Maria, and Reaper. This combination has the best balance.”

This way, experience point distribution will also be equal. I will avoid situations where the skill gap becomes too large, like with Maria previously. Sera might be a bit lacking in potential, but I plan to have her focus on supporting the rear guard and movement.

“First, in the morning, I will explore with Team A. When my MP gets low, we’ll switch to Team B using ‘Connection’. At that time, my MP will likely be depleted, so I’ll receive MP from Reaper. Then, using the afternoon to our advantage, I and Team B will resume our exploration.”

By the way, Reaper’s ‘Connection’ ability remains. While the ‘curse of absence’ was lost with Rowen’s departure, other magic is still usable. However, judging that excessive memory influx is dangerous, I’ve retained only the bare minimum ‘Connection’. Reaper also dislikes her abilities as a grim reaper.

Currently, only I, with my strong rational thinking, am connected to Reaper. The others are avoiding ‘Connection’ due to privacy concerns.

Dia tilted her head, listening to my detailed plan.

“Hm, hm? I don’t really understand…”

The others were much the same.
Among them, only Rustiara reacted negatively.

“As usual, Kanami’s stories are boring. And why four people?”
“To prevent the ship from being left unattended. A roughly even split seems appropriate, right?”

That’s not precisely the reason.
The truth is, four is the number of people I can keep track of with my ‘Parallel Thinking’.
Also, I simply wanted to experience the act of forming a party, and four is the classic party size in games. In fact, the latter might account for the majority of the reasons.

“Besides, isn’t it unfair that only Kanami is participating consecutively?”
“Huh? Well, I’m the only one who absolutely wants to reach the deepest part, so I thought I’d take on the more burdensome roles…”
“At least I don’t mind participating consecutively! In fact, if you leave me behind, I might just go by myself!”
“Don’t do that! Don’t go off on your own! I won’t let you go without me!”
“Huh? Without you!? …Why?”
“No, it’s just common sense. If we don’t have a situation where we can retreat at any time with ‘Connection’, wouldn’t that be unsettling? It’s basic to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.”

Rustiara was displeased with my overly cautious approach.

“Also, I have other complaints. Are the teams going to be fixed all the time?”
“Of course. To improve our coordination, we need fixed teams.”
“It’s boring if it’s always the same. Let’s mix them up randomly with a lottery or something.”
“Random is no good. What if only the back row or only the front row ends up in a party?”
“That would be interesting in its own way!”
“Your idea of ‘interesting’ is too directly linked to danger!!”

Our bickering wouldn’t stop.
However, this is also customary. It’s about right to have us hash things out like this.

While we were discussing, leaving the other members behind, Snow tentatively raised her hand.

“Hm? What is it, Snow? If you have something to say, don’t hesitate.”
“Um, can’t I just wait on the ship?”
“…Hey. Are you saying you have no intention of exploring the labyrinth at all?”
“Um, not really? If I were the only one, I’d have no choice, but with so many of you, it seems like I don’t need to go…?”

Snow seized the moment to weakly protest her non-participation.

“That might be the case, but then you wouldn’t be contributing at all.”
“I’m good at sewing, so I’ll make everyone’s clothes! I can cook too! I originally wanted to be a bride!”
“—Wait, that’s enough… You have the most labyrinth exploration experience. I’d appreciate it if you participated in exploration rather than housework…”

I instinctively cut off her statement, which could have frozen the mood.
I decided to ignore the “bride” part and try to persuade Snow to join the labyrinth exploration team.
However, Reaper, sitting next to Snow, also shook her head.

“Hmm, I’m not interested in labyrinth exploration either. But I’ll help if I feel like it!”

Reaper stood up.

“Ah, Reaper! Wait!”
“The talk is difficult, so I’m going to play for a bit! I tried fishing earlier, and it was more fun than I expected!”

Saying that, she quickly ran off into the ship.
Furthermore, the unexpected continued.
Sera, who had been wearing a scowl, spoke briefly.

“To be clear, I will not enter the labyrinth under your command.”
“W-What!?”
“I am the lady’s knight. And besides, I’m not particularly interested in labyrinth exploration.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.
She’s a knight, not an explorer. Also, there’s no reason for her to feel indebted to me and explore the labyrinth.

My plan was gradually falling apart. I had no choice but to grit my teeth and accept it.
Rustiara watched this with great satisfaction.

“Hehehe, our party is half-destroyed before we even set out. It’s not going according to plan! This is irresistible!”
“W-Well, what I said at first was just an ideal plan. I have a secondary plan…! So, I’m not even remotely disappointed…!”

While Rustiara felt some inexplicable joy, I hastily offered a series of equally inexplicable excuses.
Since the beginning of the plan had gone down the drain, I had no choice but to propose exploration with the remaining members.

“…Then, basically, it’ll be me, Rustiara, Dia, and Maria’s four-person party exploration! We’ll rotate as needed. That’s it!”
“Great! A plan with less planning is more exciting!!”
“Our first goal is the 39th floor. Until we settle things with Palinkron, we’ll operate under the policy of not awakening the guardian of the 40th floor!”
“Oops, if we accidentally enter the 40th floor, I’m sorry, Kanami!”
“If that happens, I’ll leave you as bait in the labyrinth, so it’s fine. If I erase all ‘Connections’, even the guardian shouldn’t be able to follow us to the ship.”
“Hey, isn’t that a bit too much of a joke, Kanami?”
“If you intentionally enter the 40th floor, I’ll do that much. Well, you’ll probably survive somehow. If it’s a guardian like Rowen, talking might work.”
“Kanami, you’re not being honest. Even if that happens, you’ll end up staying behind anyway.”
“…In terms of survivability, Rustiara is the highest. That’s what I believe.”
“You’re… quite serious. Okay, I’ll be careful not to accidentally enter the 40th floor…”
“Please do.”

Realizing my seriousness, which had learned to rely on others, Rustiara quieted down.
With no one left to argue with, the silence made me regain my composure, and I declared our departure.

“Alright, let’s go! We’ll descend into the labyrinth, and then we’ll figure things out!!”
There’s no point in thinking any further on the ship. Overthinking and getting nowhere is a bad habit.
This time, I’ll try to learn from Rustiara and proceed with the labyrinth exploration. My party of four—me, Rustiara, Dia, and Maria—is almost the best possible lineup, so we have some room to spare.

However, our departure was thwarted.

“Ah, Kanami-san. Um… there’s laundry left…”
Maria interjected apologetically. It seems she hates leaving chores unfinished, as she enjoys housework.
I quietly grabbed Snow, who was trying to escape.

“…Make Snow do it.”
“Huh? M-Me?”
Snow vehemently shook her head.

“Hey. Didn’t you say you would do it earlier…? Does this bride of yours do no housework at all…?”
“No, I thought I might do it if no one else would, but since Maria-chan is going to do it, I figured I didn’t need to take that job from her, that’s what I’m thinking…”
“Are you really just planning to eat and sleep on this ship…?”
“I-I’ll do knitting too…?”
“That’s your hobby.”
“I’ll go fishing too…?”
“You’re definitely just going to sleep… And we don’t lack food, so there’s no need to fish…”

Snow tried to cleverly deceive me with an “Ehehe,” but I didn’t let go of her.
However, Reaper appeared from inside the ship with fishing gear, diverting my attention. Seizing the opportunity, Snow wriggled free and ran off.

“Ah, Reaper is calling me. I’ll be right back!”

It seemed they had conspired beforehand.
Reaper and Snow, carrying fishing gear, fled towards the stern of the ship.

“What should we do about the laundry…?”
Maria, who had witnessed the entire scene, awaited my instructions.
Reluctantly, I approached Sera, whom I had intended to avoid mentioning until the very end.

“Um, Sera-san… Could you do the laundry? Uh, you look the part, after all.”

I asked Sera, who stood silently in her maid outfit.

“To be clear, I have never done housework before. Also, if you mention my attire again, I will kill you.”
“…You haven’t? Not even once?”
“Yes, not once. …However, I intend to learn from now on.”

While uncooperative with the exploration, she seemed willing to cooperate with the journey.
Her words showed a willingness to cooperate as a member of the party. I’d want her as a bride a hundred times more than Snow.

“Well then, let’s all do the laundry together…”
“I shall comply.”
“After that’s done, let’s go to the labyrinth…”

We postponed our labyrinth exploration and ended up busy with housework.
However, since it was all women’s laundry, I was immediately forbidden from participating. Honestly, only Sera seemed to care. Maria and I said it was fine, but they wouldn’t listen.

Everything was going downhill…
Thus, the first labyrinth exploration of the commemorative ‘Living Legend’ group began with a completely anticlimactic start.
And after hanging the laundry out to dry on deck, we rounded up Rustiara and Dia, who were happily fishing with Snow and the others.

When my eyes are off them, they scatter immediately. The thought of this makes my head ache.
Perhaps attempting to control this group in the first place was a mistake.

Noticing that the future of our labyrinth exploration looked grim, I let out a huge sigh and passed through ‘Connection’.

◆◆◆◆◆

Passing through ‘Connection’, we jumped to the 30th floor, where I had set it up beforehand.
The 30th floor was unrecognizable. The crystal field that once covered everything was gone, replaced by a floor of inorganic stone.
Feeling the same melancholy as with Arti, we descended to the 31st floor.

The 31st floor was not very different from the 29th.
The sand had changed, and the ground had become slightly firmer.
The sea of sand stretched out endlessly. Golems roamed this desert, and fish-like monsters swam within it. All of these monsters were covered head to toe in hard, crystalline shells. It looked like it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.

I deployed ‘Dimension’ to maintain vigilance around me while performing my final status check.

Due to placing many ‘Connections’ before departing from the Allied Nations, my maximum MP is lower than usual. To compensate for that MP, I’ve allocated all my Level Up points to Magic Power.

Rustiara has also grown somewhat compared to before. By the way, I gave her the ‘Crescent Pectoral Azure’s Straight Sword’. Her beloved Heavenly Sword ‘Noah’ is apparently left behind at the Fuziaze Cathedral.

Dia has grown the most. Her stats have jumped significantly while acting alongside Rustiara. her Strength has surpassed even the strongest, Glen, and her Stamina has surpassed even Volzak, who has the largest physique among the ‘Epic Seekers’. However, her Swordsmanship skill has only increased by 0.01. It’s a sad contrast to the suspicious skill ‘Over-Protection’ which has skyrocketed.
No matter how hard she tries, she can’t achieve the stats she desires; it’s a prime example.

Her level hasn’t changed. However, thanks to Arti’s magic stones, her Magic Power and Aptitude have soared. No, rather than soaring, it’s more like breaking into another dimension.
Although Maria has lost both her eyes, she has gained spatial recognition abilities to compensate for her sight through Arti’s magic. She is on guard with several glowing, ghost-like flames floating around her.
She modestly explained that her Fire Magic had only slightly improved, but looking at those flames, it doesn’t seem like “slightly.” The flames float naturally yet possess great power. They are flames that remind me of Arti.
Indeed, what concerns me the most is Maria’s true strength.

“Alright, let’s proceed with caution. Rustiara, I’ll leave the two behind you to you.”
“Roger!”

I walk at the forefront, with Rustiara guarding the two in the rear in our formation.
As I deploy ‘Dimension’, we walk across the sea of sand. It feels less like walking a path and more like traversing a vast desert. There are no walls in my peripheral vision, and I can’t even be sure of our direction.
If one were to explore normally, this would be a floor fraught with many anxieties.

However, it’s of no concern to me now.
When I was the Guild Master, I enveloped an entire city with ‘Dimension’. Today, I permeate that ‘Dimension’ throughout the entire floor. It’s a luxurious use of MP, but it’s better to be cautious at the start.

I confirm and memorize the floor’s structure, enemy positions, and the stairs to the next level.
However, I cannot fully grasp the interior of the sand sea. I must be wary of attacks from monsters hidden within the sand.

I focus my attention on the nearby sand.
Strangely, the flow of magic feels better than before.

No, I have a prediction for the reason.
The experience of fighting guardians has made me grow. It’s a ‘numerical value not shown on the status’ that doesn’t appear on the status.
Just as fighting Arti increased my understanding of fire, fighting Rowen likely increased my understanding of minerals.
Compared to Rowen’s crystal, which repelled all attacks, the minerals on this floor are easier to understand.

We proceed further with ease.
Along the way, we spot a single, manageable monster moving alone and intentionally make contact with it. This is to confirm the party’s movements and abilities at an early stage.

— Monster —
Jewel Fish | Rank 29—

It’s a seven-colored giant fish that was present on the 29th floor, swimming.
I call out to everyone.

“Let’s try fighting that manageable monster over there. It’s a fish monster that swims in the sand; it’s hard and fast, so be careful.”
The three in the rear nod in agreement.
And so, the first battle—the first exploration—of the ‘Living Legend Party (Provisional)’ begins.

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