The next day.
Wiping away the sweat from my sleep, I slapped my cheeks and woke up.
I had a strange dream. It lacked coherence and realism. I only remembered vague details, but I knew it was a nightmare.
Perhaps it was due to my gloomy mood, but my body felt unusually sluggish.
However, I needed to shift my mindset. I slapped my cheeks hard again and left my room.
Today is again dungeon exploration. Unlike before, with the revelation of the Shira Legacy party as exploration rivals, I had to put in even more effort.
Early in the morning, everyone gathered on the deck to head for dungeon exploration. Despite various disruptions, we couldn’t afford to let our daily dungeon exploration stagnate.
Before departing, I performed the Level Up process. I invested all my level bonuses into Magic Power.
—
Name: Aikawa Uzunami HP: 369/370 MP: 520/920 – 400 Class: Explorer
Level: 20
Strength: 11.55 Stamina: 13.12 Dexterity: 17.11 Speed: 20.86 Intelligence: 17.12 Magic Power: 46.44 Aptitude: 7.00
—
Finally, I’ve entered the 20-level range…
Compared to when I was first summoned to this Another World, it’s night and day. I was the weakest human at Level 1, and now I’ve reached Level 20, considered the limit for humans. With this, I can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Seven Knights of Heaven and the heroes of various countries.
Of course, I have no intention of being satisfied with this.
I must aim for beyond Level 20—beyond the human limit. With the labyrinth having a hundred floors, this is just the beginning.
“Alright, things are going smoothly.”
I clenched my fist, as if testing the power I had gained.
It’s likely that all my companions here will eventually exceed Level 30.
We are getting stronger. I am confident that we are growing.
Even though things are going smoothly—
Yet, my clenched fist loosens.
Hairi’s words from yesterday cast a shadow. Her voice, “I don’t think so,” echoes in my ears.
Because of that, despite becoming stronger, I feel an indescribable anxiety.
I’m starting to feel like Level Up isn’t true growth—more like something else entirely.
To pinpoint the essence of that sensation, my skill “Parallel Thinking” activates.
It’s troublesome how, with even a little余裕 in my thoughts, “Parallel Thinking” mercilessly starts to spin. I consciously suppressed that thought.
Level Up has to be growth.
As I told myself this, Reaper reported while gazing at the sea.
“The voyage is going smoothly! But since we’re getting closer to the mainland, we’re seeing more ships passing by!”
I spread out the map and checked the distance to the mainland.
Indeed, I had also felt that the quality of the sea was changing. The climate had become more stable, and I started seeing ships that appeared to be merchant vessels here and there.
“That’s right. Ships are starting to try and make contact with us, so the ones staying behind, be careful.”
I urged precautions to Maria and gathered the members for dungeon exploration.
This time, the main objective is to clear the underwater area of the thirty-fifth floor. Therefore, Maria, who is not compatible with water, will stay behind.
Maria, entrusted with the ship, replied with her whole body brimming with power.
“Don’t worry, Kanami-san. I will absolutely protect this ship. No matter what enemy we face, I won’t lose it this time—!”
“N-no, that’s not what I mean. Don’t just worry about the ship; think about returning any approaching parties peacefully…”
I’m not worried about falling behind in naval battles with Maria around. The only situation where this Living Legend would be lost is if one of us went berserk. Rather, the Living Legend’s enemy is more likely to be Maria and the others.
What I’m worried about is the approaching ships. Even if they are friendly merchant ships, their fate is uncertain depending on Maria’s mood.
“However, since the battlefield is also near, I think pirate ships will appear in this area. In that case, I will deal with them with all my might. I’ll burn them down without question.”
“No, please go easy on them even if they are pirates… Try not to cause any deaths…”
“You’re too soft, Kanami-san. Why hesitate with villains?”
My strong desire is for Maria not to get her hands dirty, but she, a tough person born in Another World, has a low resistance to killing.
If I back down here, she’ll undoubtedly call me soft again.
Reluctantly, I stopped arguing and turned towards “Connection.”
“Alright then, today, Snow, Reaper, Dia, and I will go as far as we can.”
“Yes. Have a good trip.”
Maria saw me off with a smile.
Then, we dragged the bound Snow and passed through “Connection.”
Snow protested all the way, saying, “I don’t want to go!”, but no one helped her.
After all, she’s the strongest in underwater combat.
After teaching everyone how to swim, I observed them closely and discovered that Snow was exceptionally skilled. When I asked her about it, she replied, “It might be because I have the blood of a water dragon mixed in.”
After that, it was unanimously decided that Snow would be in charge of the underwater areas.
There was no leniency for Snow, who tried to hide her superior swimming skills until the end.
We passed through “Connection” and emerged on the 30th floor.
The policy for this exploration is to avoid unnecessary battles.
We can easily handle regular Monsters, so there’s no need to force ourselves to Level Up. If we are to Level Up, it would be by fighting enemies that are easy to handle on the 39th floor, which offers the highest Experience Points. That is the most efficient Level Up method currently available.
Using Reaper’s dark magic to reduce monster encounters, we reached the stairs submerged in water.
As planned, I took off my upper clothes, leaving only the minimum required weapons and armor, and my swimsuit.
Until the water becomes murky or small aquatic creatures start emerging, I intend to challenge it in this style.
Before entering the 35th floor, I carried out a final confirmation.
“—Okay, we’re fully prepared. Basically, I’ll be in the lead, and Reaper will be at the rear. Dia, you must always hold Snow’s hand… Snow, your ability to protect Dia is the key. Don’t slack off, alright?”
Snow, with a dark expression, clasped Dia’s hand.
Incidentally, she wasn’t holding his actual arm but a prosthetic hand carved from wood into a grotesque shape. It was made specifically for this exploration, just to hold hands with Dia.
It was hook-shaped to fit Snow’s hand, so it wouldn’t come off easily.
“Even if I wanted to slack off, this position makes it impossible…”
If she let go, it would directly endanger Dia’s life.
Knowing this, Snow hated it with all her heart. However, she was undoubtedly trying to fulfill her duty, now that it had been assigned.
Knowing this, I arranged the positions this way. No matter what, Snow had to work.
However, Dia looked extremely apologetic, being in the position of being protected.
“Sorry, Snow. If only I could swim better…”
“I-i-it’s fine! I’ll do my best for Dia!”
“Thank you, Snow.”
It seems she shifted her thinking towards earning Dia’s favor. Snow began to flatter Dia.
As expected, as long as I bring her along, Snow will work properly. Although it’s a struggle to get her here due to her laziness, she has more sense of responsibility than anyone else. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so trapped by the constraints of being an aristocrat.
“Alright, let’s go.”
After the four of us performed the final confirmation, we took a deep breath and plunged into the water.
We dived downwards and entered the 35th floor.
First, I slowly permeated “Dimension” into the water to grasp the surrounding situation. Of course, the flow of magic is poor underwater. My detection range is less than a tenth of what it is normally.
After confirming the safety of the surroundings with “Dimension,” I opened my eyes. Since the effectiveness of Dimensional Magic is weak, I will have to rely on sight more often.
The 35th floor was an underwater area, a disadvantageous condition, but it was nothing special beyond that.
It looked like just the usual stone corridors filled with water. It wasn’t particularly wide or narrow, and the path wasn’t intricately twisted in three dimensions. Therefore, I could not only swim but also propel myself by kicking off the ground as if moving through zero gravity.
Proceeding deeper while grasping the path with “Dimension.”
In underwater exploration, understanding the condition of my companions is of utmost importance. If even one person can’t hold their breath any longer, the formation will collapse. I must constantly ensure that everyone is following without any disorder using “Dimension.”
And periodically, I take out an air-filled leather bag from my “Inventory” to take breaths. If a battle breaks out, there will be no time for such things, so it must be done diligently and with plenty of time to spare.
As we repeatedly took breaths and our exploration progressed, Snow’s exceptional lung capacity became apparent.
Where we needed to take three breaths, Snow only needed one. Looking at her expression, she wasn’t pushing herself at all. Since I’m recommending frequent breaths, she seems to be doing it for now.
Currently, our limit for activity without breathing is around 10 minutes. Surviving for 10 minutes while swimming without breath is not an exaggeration to call superhuman.
However, Snow is on another level.
She has enough leeway that she could probably swim for several hours.
As I keenly felt in the lava region, the Dragon Person race is fundamentally different from humans.
We humans cannot adapt to underwater environments, but Snow, whether in a volcano or an iceberg—in extreme terms, I feel she could live equally well in the air or underwater.
Indeed, Snow is confirmed to be essential for underwater combat. And it has also been confirmed that she must participate in every dungeon exploration from tomorrow onwards.
As we proceed through the labyrinth, with the pathetic Snow believing she can slack off tomorrow if she works hard today, we eventually cannot avoid encountering Monsters.
Immediately, I look around for a detour. However, even if we change paths, it seems we’ll encounter other Monsters. Resignedly, we prepare for battle.
I cannot explain with words.
Using gestures, I conveyed the number of enemies to those behind me.
Simultaneously, grotesque fish approached from deeper in the corridor.
Unlike the kin of the Galflad Jelly we fought yesterday, they were flat fish, like stingrays. However, their pectoral fins were sharp like blades. It was easy to imagine being cut in half by their bodies in a glancing blow.
The battle began the moment I visually confirmed the enemies with “My Eyes.”
There were four enemies. The number was equal, but we were at a disadvantage underwater.
Determined not to let them pass behind me, I raised my sword—
“—Magic: Impulse!”
—Despite being underwater, a roaring sound struck my eardrums.
Then, vibrations struck my entire body.
I immediately expanded “Dimension” and confirmed that the source of the vibrations was Snow’s magic from behind. I recalled Snow saying she was good at Vibration Magic. However, with Dia and Maria, who are exceptional mages, I hadn’t considered her as a specialized magic user.
But the scene that unfolded before my eyes changed my evaluation.
The labyrinth was shaking. My vision distorted as if it were a blurry photograph.
And the movements of the fish that had been swimming with gusto became erratic.
Like people walking in a severe earthquake, they lost their balance and speed.
However, for some reason, I, who was nearby, was unaffected. My vision became slightly worse, but that was all.
I marveled at the accuracy of Snow’s Vibration Magic.
And then, I cut down all four slow-moving enemies with my sword.
It was easy to cut down opponents who couldn’t move freely.
Dissected into two, the Monsters disappeared into light.
Surprised by the easier-than-expected battle, I gathered the fallen Magic Stones.
Just as I was about to praise Snow behind me, “Dimension” detected new enemies. It seemed the Monsters here were also the type to call for help. They were approaching from all directions.
I was about to inform Snow behind me of the approaching new enemies when…
“—Hm, I know. Three of them from that direction.”
Snow responded preemptively. Despite being underwater, Snow spoke normally.
Of course, she wasn’t speaking with her mouth. She was using Vibration Magic to directly transmit sound to our eardrums.
I opened my mouth in astonishment.
“Hm, hm…? Ah, um, how do you know…? It seems I can tell where everyone is by the vibrations underwater. Also, magic seems to pass through much more easily?”
No, that’s not what I wanted to ask.
If you can speak underwater, you should have said so earlier.
It startled me when only you suddenly started speaking.
“They seem to be the same as before, so I’ll interfere with Vibration Magic again.”
However, my dissatisfaction doesn’t reach Snow. Only Reaper, who has a “Connection” with her, can sense it. Snow is behind me, wearing a wry smile.
Reluctantly, I defended against the reinforcements, centering my efforts on supporting Snow.
As Snow herself said, the support from Vibration Magic underwater was immense.
The approaching variety of fish-like Monsters were successively sliced in two.
They were no match for us at all.
Since we could defeat them almost instantly, they didn’t impede our progress at all. We successfully broke through the enemy encirclement with ease.
Occasionally, enemies appeared from behind, but they could be dealt with by Reaper’s and Dia’s magic.
Reaper’s darkness confused the enemies, and Dia’s Divine Magic barrier kept them at bay. When it came to avoiding encounters, no one was better than these two.
We advanced through the 35th floor with steady progress.
During that time, I heard a strange laughter from behind.
“Ehehe, ehehe, I didn’t know… Maybe I’m good at underwater…!?”
It was Snow.
She swam with movements as light as a mermaid, grinning. Her dragon tail served a similar role to fish fins, making her swimming level vastly different from ours.
Indeed, Snow is more outstanding than anyone else in underwater combat. It’s not just her simple swimming prowess; her applied ability with Vibration Magic is also a strength.
I turned around and nodded at Snow’s words.
“…Ehehe, is that so?”
Proudly, Snow puffed out her chest.
I was happy that my lazy companion got excited. I nodded repeatedly, “Mhm, mhm,” and continued to praise the blushing Snow.
Finally, I conveyed via gesture, “Then you take the lead.”
At that, Snow immediately became hesitant.
“…N-no, perhaps underwater isn’t good after all? It feels really restrictive, and I feel like I’m having trouble breathing. Yes, I can’t fight at all, I’m not good at it, not good at it!”
My strategy of flattering her to make her work failed.
If she could make so many excuses, I wanted to tell her she was fine, but I lacked the confidence to persuade Snow, who had become stubborn, with just gestures. Moreover, it was a waste of effort, so I gave up.
Leading the now subdued Snow, we proceeded further in.
This party had a high level of communication, and the underwater exploration proceeded smoothly.
Then, around the center of the 35th floor, we found a strange lateral hole in the corridor. According to “Dimension,” there was no water accumulated in the space beyond.
I thought it might be a special area inhabited by a boss, but no matter how much I searched with “Dimension,” I couldn’t find any danger, so we entered the lateral hole.
That space was a dead end.
Despite that, it repelled water as if blocked by an invisible wall. We could enter it without difficulty.
It brought back a nostalgic childhood memory. The phenomenon where air doesn’t leak out when you submerge an overturned bucket in the bathtub. That’s what this space is like now.
I vaguely recall hearing that it’s due to the relationship between water pressure and air pressure, allowing a mass of air to be held within the water.
However, the fact that a space where one can breathe exists so conveniently feels unnatural. For the balance of water pressure and air pressure to match in such a special space, it feels like *someone* intervened.
*Someone* went to the trouble of creating this space for Explorers challenging the 35th floor—
—No, as my prediction suggested, *someone’s* hand is involved.
“Parallel Thinking” affirmed my deduction.
I could try to force myself to accept it simply because it’s a labyrinth in Another World. However, the words I previously exchanged with Rowen make me certain of *someone’s* existence. At that time, Rowen said, “Someone kind to humans made this labyrinth, doing something uncharacteristic.”
In the end, he didn’t tell me who that *someone* was, citing rules, but from his tone, it was certain that a human had created the labyrinth.
That *someone* created this “rest stop” to make clearing the 35th floor easier. When I think about it that way, the reason for this space becomes clear.
As Rowen said, that *someone* is likely kind to humans.
And that *someone* is—
—It doesn’t matter. Regardless of who that *someone* is, it has no bearing on what I need to do now.
What’s important here is only what Rowen guaranteed:
That a great power—a “Miracle”—awaits at the deepest part of the labyrinth. That the creator of the labyrinth is kind, and the labyrinth itself is gentle. That Explorers become stronger the further they progress.
That’s more than enough for me.
“—Hey, Kanami. If we’re taking a break, shall we build a bonfire here?”
As I was lost in thought, Dia spoke to me from the side.
Startled, I flinched.
We’re in the middle of dungeon exploration, yet I was letting my mind wander. If this were a surprise attack by an enemy, I would have been at a disadvantage.
I regretted being careless just yesterday, yet what am I doing?
It’s foolish to die thinking about things I can’t help.
I refocused my attention on conquering the labyrinth.
“…No, let’s just catch our breath, refill the bags with air, and leave immediately. Since there’s only one entrance and exit here, we won’t have anywhere to escape if we’re attacked by Monsters.”
“Understood. Then, let’s cut our break short.”
Dia nodded and began helping me fill the leather bags, which I took out from my “Inventory,” with air.
Then, we quickly finished our break and plunged back into the water.
The formation was slightly altered.
Reaper and I switched positions to distribute the burden of detection. This is to avoid a situation where one person’s MP is drastically depleted.
Honestly, Reaper is more skilled at the front if the goal is simply to avoid enemies.
By skillfully using Reaper’s dark magic, we headed straight for the next floor without any detours.
Of course, we couldn’t avoid all enemies, and occasional battles occurred. However, since Snow was stronger underwater than expected, we didn’t struggle. Vibration Magic proved to be the weakness of fish-like Monsters. This ease reminded me of fishing methods where rocks were struck to catch fish, which are prohibited in my original world. Perhaps if Snow had been there during yesterday’s Galflad Jelly fight, it would have been an overwhelming victory.
However, no matter how dominant we are, I absolutely will not engage in a boss battle. I suffered too much yesterday. Unless there’s an extreme circumstance, I won’t engage in a boss battle on the first encounter of a floor.
Thus, by exploring the 35th floor with unceasing vigilance, we found the stairs to the 36th floor.
