Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth (WN) – Chapter 139

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

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“Rustiara-san, please Level Up us.”

“Ah, yes.”

As instructed, Rustiara proceeded to Level Up Maria and Dia. They had decimated monsters far stronger than themselves, accumulating more than enough Experience Points.

The terrifying part was that our mages were dominating enemies at less than half their appropriate level.

“With this, my Magic Power has increased further. I can create more flames now.”
“Me too, I can increase the output even more!”

Now even stronger, the two of them said terrifying things that made the monsters feel pitiable. The Resonance Magic they had perfected after repeated trial and error had solidified their power.

“Dia, what should we name this Resonance Magic?”
“A name? Right, it would be more convenient to have one. Hmm, how about Kanami decides? He seems to be creating all sorts of magic.”
“That’s right. Kanami-san, could you decide on a name?”

Called upon, I snapped back to reality, still somewhat stunned. For the record, Rustiara had not yet returned.

“A name… Um, how about ‘Aegis’? In my world, it means a shield that protects someone.”
“I like it. This magic is for protecting Kanami. Shall we call it—Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’?”

With the name for their borderline-cheating Fire Magic decided, we resumed our exploration. The 33rd floor had a structure rich in water, with rivers and shallows, and the types of enemies had changed accordingly.

The hard, mineral-type monsters had decreased, replaced by a greater number of aquatic monsters. My spirits lifted.

Aquatic monsters should have high resistance to fire magic. As I proceeded down the path, anticipating my and Rustiara’s turn to fight, I thought—

“—Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’!”
“—Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’!”

—It wasn’t like that at all.

Dia’s beams effortlessly pierced through monsters lurking within the river. A little bit of water was no match for the overwhelming heat; it evaporated on contact, regardless of whether they were aquatic or mineral. Rustiara and I kept our swords drawn, wary of the aquatic monsters. However, our swords were not swung. We stood ready, and the battle was over before we could act.

“The… monsters are evaporating before they can even get close…”
“There’s nothing for us to do, Kanami… Well, I mean, protecting you two in emergencies is important, but, you know?”

I understood what Rustiara meant by “you know?”

There was no point for us to be here. I couldn’t imagine any monster bypassing ‘Flame Guardian Flame’ to reach us. Honestly, Dia and Maria alone were more than enough. I couldn’t help but feel like we were leeching off them. But neither I nor Rustiara could voice this. Admitting it felt like it would shatter our pride and self-esteem built up until now.

The two mages behind us smiled gently.

“It’s because you two are here that we can cast magic with peace of mind.”

Those words were kind. But…

“That’s right. Rustiara and Kanami, you can just relax in the back.”
“Yes. We’re doing this because we love it. Leave it to us, Kanami-san, you can take it easy.”

…It sounded like they were coddling us, like a lazy man being supported by his partner.

I and Rustiara couldn’t hide our anxiety. But reality remained harsh. Unless we could propose a strategy that surpassed their Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’, our turn would never come. I quietly sheathed my drawn sword, and repeated the action. It was incredibly sad. With the ease that had settled in, and the increasing proportion of game-like thinking, it was truly, truly sad to be unable to contribute.

We proceeded through the 33rd floor, relying entirely on the rear mages.

“—Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’!”
“—Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’!”

Flames danced in every corner of the corridor, and monsters evaporated the moment they entered the domain. This was no longer combat; it had become mere slaughter—a tedious task. Picking up the magic stones that lay scattered, I was reminded of dungeon攻略 in games. When a player becomes too strong, they can win overwhelmingly by simply pressing the confirm button, regardless of the enemy. That was our current state.

I walked with Maria and Dia. Just doing that skipped all combat with monsters. In the end, without even catching a glimpse of an enemy, we safely reached the 34th floor. During that time, all Rustiara and I did was collect magic stones.

I, too, though not to the same extent as Rustiara, was a teenage boy who dreamt of adventure. I had formed our first four-person party, and in a corner of my heart, I had expected a varied and enjoyable battle ahead. But reality was harsh. Our only remaining role was collecting items… Rustiara and I lowered our gazes, our expressions dark.

Then, on the way from the 34th to the 35th floor, Maria spoke to us, our hearts still wounded.

“Our MP is about to run out. Please use ‘Connection’, Kanami-san.”
“Ah, yes.”

As she said, I created ‘Connection’. Everything was fine as long as we did as Maria said. It was fine…

We trudged through ‘Connection’. Rustiara, who was also losing sight of her purpose, followed. And then, beyond the door, a blue sky spread out. We had returned to the ‘Living Legend’.

After finishing our first dungeon exploration, we checked our spoils on the deck.

In just a few hours, we had advanced nearly halfway to our goal and gained a massive amount of Experience Points. The leveling had been effectively equalized, and not a single person was injured. It could indeed be called a perfect exploration. Today’s exploration was exactly what I had wished for in the past—an exploration like “reaping rice.” I had no complaints.

I had no complaints, but—!

“Well then, thank you for your hard work. I’m returning to my chores.”
“I’m going to rest in my room… Maria really worked me hard, I’m quite tired.”

Maria and Dia, having finished their work, disappeared back into the ship together. Their retreating figures were filled with a sense of accomplishment, like clearing one stage in a shooting game. And there we were, Kanami and Rustiara, left behind on the deck. Perhaps due to the unspent energy within us, our bodies trembled.

“I—I need to be here for Level Ups and recovery, right…?”

Rustiara started by trying to confirm her place.

“I—I’m useful as a scout, too…!”

If we didn’t say it aloud, we felt like we’d be admitting we were useless.

“But Maria has become able to scout too!”
“If you’re going to say that, then Dia can use Divine Magic too!”

For some reason, we were chipping away at each other’s justifications. That’s how shaken we were. If I wasn’t mistaken, I had intended to lead everyone as the leader, and Rustiara had the awareness of being a sub-leader. But if things continued like this, our positions as leader and sub-leader would be untenable. Our party would become one where we were carried by younger girls. We wanted to avoid that at all costs.

I had no complaints about Maria and Dia being strong. None at all. But this couldn’t continue. Therefore, we made a decision.

“—Alright, let’s train!”

We both had plenty of Stamina and MP remaining. I drew my sword and invited Rustiara.

“That’s right! Training, let’s train! This is also a classic hero’s tale!!”

Rustiara drew her sword in response. And so, the training by two pale individuals began.

***

“You’ve been saying you’re not good at magic and trying to look cool, but that’s no good. Swords are already outdated. After all, hero tales where people fight with swords are just fairy tales…!”

Rustiara clenched her fist and explained with tears flowing.

“Ah, indeed, magic. Come to think of it, even in the games from my world, overall magic was the most efficient way to deal with dungeon mobs. Single-target attacks were truly nonsensical.”
“Magic…! We should also learn to use moderate area-of-effect magic…!”
“Yeah, let’s train! Rustiara!”

We slapped palms, confirming each other’s resolve.

“So, what kind of training are you planning on doing? I haven’t thought of anything.”
“Hmm. For now, I think learning new magic is important.”

There was no other way to become stronger so rapidly. Like my composite magic ‘Dimension Winter’ or Maria and Dia’s Resonance Magic ‘Flame Guardian Flame’, basic magic could exhibit dozens of times more power with the right idea.

“But I don’t have any slots to learn new magic, so it will be mostly applied magic.”
“Or, Rustiara and I could learn Resonance Magic.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea! Shall we try it?”
“But Rustiara can’t use Dimensional Magic, you know.”
“Dimensional Magic is too niche, it’s not registered in my blood. I have plenty of Ice Magic, though…”
“Conversely, I have little Ice Magic. Only ‘Freeze’ and ‘Ice’.”

Both of us were keen on Resonance Magic, but we didn’t have many compatible spells.

“Seriously, Kanami’s usable magic is so specialized…”
“It can’t be helped if I couldn’t master them…”

I had once consumed a Magic Stone for the Ice Magic ‘Little Snow’, but nothing changed. It was likely that I could only increase Dimensional Magic.

“Then, shall we try various things?”
“For starters, let’s combine simple Ice Magic. It wouldn’t be bad to imitate Maria and Dia at first.”

Starting with the Ice Magic ‘Ice’ and ‘Freeze’, we experimented with various spells. We tried to mix our spells, but the only success was imitating ‘Flame Guardian Flame’, which already had a precedent.

Indeed, magic relies heavily on imagery. My magic also consists of imitations.

“—Magic ‘Ice Arrow’!”
“—Magic ‘Dimension Winter’, ‘Dimension Snow’!”
“Resonance Magic ‘Ice Guardian Ice’!”
“Resonance Magic ‘Ice Guardian Ice’!”

An ice barrier formed on the deck, and ‘Dimension Snow’ began to fall. And then, Rustiara’s ice arrows, guided by the path of snow I had refined, pierced the sky. The imitation was successful. However, the accuracy and power were too low. When I tried it on a moving target, I couldn’t even hit a single flying bird.

“…It’s no good. The fundamental aspects are lacking.”
“Kanami’s precision in magic manipulation is inferior to Maria’s, and my magic’s power is inferior to Dia’s… Hmm, it’s not going well…”

Adding their magic consumption and increasing the number of spells was pointless. Even if we could hit a bird, it wouldn’t be effective against monsters on the 30th floor and beyond.

“It can’t be helped. For now, let’s aim to manipulate my magic more finely.”
“I also need to re-examine my Magic Construction… Since I can’t converge like Dia, the power is low…”

We continued to knead our magic, murmuring. By using the same magic, the difference became clear. As we practiced magic, we pondered solutions. We playfully made snowmen and had snowball fights, getting covered in snow as we pondered. As we played to our hearts’ content, exhaling white breath with flushed cheeks, Rustiara’s face brightened.

“Ah!”
“Did you think of something?”
“No, I remembered. There’s a rule that magic users use when dueling… like this, we create a territory and—”

Rustiara drew a line on the snow-covered ground, accumulated from practicing Ice Magic, with her foot.

“—We shoot magic inside this line. If you use anything other than magic, you lose. Moving also makes you lose.”
“Whoa, that sounds interesting. It might be good training.”

I mimicked her and drew a line. Stepping inside, we faced each other.

“Then, let’s try a light match. —’Ice Arrow’!”
“—’Dimension Winter’!”

I deployed my ‘Dimension Winter’, disrupting Rustiara’s Magic Construction and causing it to dissipate.

“Hmmph, you still love ‘Magic Nullification’, don’t you?”
“It’s your fault that your magic construction is weak. With this rule, can’t I aim for ‘Magic Nullification’?”
“So, if the construction is solid enough, ‘Magic Nullification’ won’t happen?”
“Yes, if there are no openings. Try to keep that in mind.”
“I see—”

As we gave each other advice, we continued to construct magic one after another. Our magical strength was nearly equal, so the battle dragged on longer than expected. My magic power was higher. However, Rustiara’s blood contained various types of magic and experience. Utilizing that experience, she solidified her magic construction and sometimes used various tricks to try and slip past ‘Magic Nullification’.

As expected, Rustiara’s combat sense was exceptional. In this short time, she completely rebuilt her magic construction. Beyond no-chanting, she even shortened her magic construction time. She even used a trick of changing the magic generation point from her hands to her feet, skillfully concealing the source of her magic, making her unpredictable. Rustiara simultaneously deployed different elemental magic from all directions. It was difficult to dissipate her first-encounter spells with my ‘Dimension Winter’. Furthermore, Rustiara was gradually getting used to being ‘Magic Nullified’, and her magic construction openings were decreasing. I had to admit, I was at a disadvantage. In a magic contest where I had to stand still, my strengths wouldn’t work at all. Reluctantly, I switched to a strategy that relied on brute force magic power.

“—’Midgard Freeze’!!”
“—I was waiting for this! ‘Ice Battling Ram’!!”

However, that wild swing was exactly what she was waiting for. As I timed the moment to stop ‘Magic Nullification’, Rustiara also transitioned to a powerful move. With Rustiara’s giant ice hammer, my refined giant ice snake was shattered into pieces. And then, ‘Ice Battling Ram’ continued its momentum, forcing me out of the territory. The magic duel was won by Rustiara.

“I concede… This is quite interesting. It’s quite logical, and I like it.”

Brushing off the ice clinging to my body, I approached Rustiara. While showing me a peace sign, Rustiara spoke with a serious expression, contrary to her pose.

“It’s good practice. If I create even the slightest opening, Kanami will nullify it, so it was very clear. I also realized how rough and wasteful my magic construction had been until now.”
“I also learned a lot by repeatedly nullifying magic and seeing various spells.”

There was a big difference between having nullified a spell once and not at all. In the future, I would likely nullify many enemy spells. Perhaps it would be good to preview them with Rustiara’s magic first. We felt a certain sense of relief in our depleted MP.

“Huuu… Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve really tried to get stronger.”
“Me too. I had Dimensional Magic from the start, and I didn’t need to train because of the Level Ups.”
“As for me, I mastered combat with swords, martial arts, and all sorts of magic from the beginning. There was no reason to try and put in effort.”

Wiping away the beads of sweat, we laughed.

“This is a fresh feeling…”

It was an emotion I had never experienced since coming to this other world.

“Yeah, sweating feels good.”
“It’s thanks to Dia and Maria. I never thought we’d be in a rush because we were too weak.”
“This is great, it’s youth! It’s an adventure tale!”

To check the results of our training, I examined my status.

Both Rustiara and I had acquired one new skill each. However, the values were still low. We had only gained a foothold. Seeing the definite progress, my cheeks relaxed. Rustiara, likely seeing her own skill increase, smiled happily like a girl receiving a new dress. Naturally, I controlled my emotions. I didn’t want to treat her specially. And with my usual demeanor, I high-fived Rustiara.

Still energetic, Rustiara asked me, “Hey, Kanami. Is there anything else we should train for?”

Perhaps she had never gained anything through her own efforts before. She nuzzled closer, her excitement evident. I wish she’d stop; it was hard to control my emotions.

“Let’s see, and then…”

Using ‘Parallel Thinking’, I retrieved the ‘Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen’ from my ‘Inventory’.

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