Having passed the 30th floor, this marked our fourth exploration of the labyrinth.
We had gotten a feel for the labyrinth’s tendencies, allowing us to explore more efficiently. This included the underwater floors.
Our basic strategy was simple. With Snow, who was strong in underwater combat, at the center, we would continuously evade enemies using Reaper’s magic.
We easily passed the entrance to the 36th floor, where we had previously turned back, and entered the underwater strata of the 37th floor.
Our preparations this time were thorough. We had minimal fatigue, and our inventory’s air supply was double what it had been before.
Perhaps thanks to these meticulous preparations, we managed to swim through the 37th floor’s underwater section without any trouble. The only difference from the 35th floor was the increased obstruction from aquatic plants.
Then, we descended as if falling into the 38th floor and were surprised by the anomaly in that area.
While shallows spread across the corridor just like on the floor above, plants were densely growing on the surrounding stone walls, resembling a tropical rainforest.
We had been captivated by the impact of being underwater, but indeed, plants had been increasing for several floors. Here, that characteristic had come to the forefront.
This was the first floor with so much greenery since the first floor.
A new world opened up, and Rustiara became excited.
“Amazing! There are so many plants I’ve never seen before! I wonder what kind of monsters are here…!”
“Rustiara, don’t touch the plants. Don’t wander off. And we’re not taking detours.”
I warned Rustiara, who seemed likely to get lost if I looked away for even a moment.
“I know. The plan is to train on the 39th floor. I can endure one more floor.”
Seeing her nod immediately, I felt a sense of relief.
“Alright, then, this floor will be like usual.”
The number of aquatic monsters had decreased, and plant monsters had increased. Plant monsters generally had poor mobility. If the goal was simply to avoid enemies, the 38th floor was the easiest.
As long as we had ‘Dimension,’ Reaper’s dark magic wouldn’t even be necessary to proceed. As a result, we reached the 39th floor without any particular problems.
On the 39th floor, the green characteristic was further emphasized, transforming the area into a veritable forest.
The moisture underfoot remained, and the plants had doubled.
Our vision was dyed a deep green, with vines and tendrils stretching out everywhere we looked.
“Finally… Alright, let’s hunt some monsters here.”
“Let’s do it!”
Realizing she could finally unleash her power, Rustiara drew her sword with a flourish.
Before she could charge, I scanned for nearby monsters.
The layout of the 39th floor was similar to the special area on the first floor. However, there were fewer insectoid monsters than I had expected. Most were monsters in the shape of plants.
Flowers spewing poisonous pollen. Plants with gaping mouths like Venus flytraps. Trees dripping viscous sap. A wide variety of plants writhed—and walked.
It was a bizarre sight.
Of course, some remained motionless. These were monsters that mimicked harmless-looking plants, waiting for their prey.
Even with the observation capabilities of ‘Dimension,’ it was not easy to see through their camouflage. They seemed like quite troublesome monsters.
However, monsters that hide their forms were compatible with me.
As long as I had ‘Gaze’ and ‘Display,’ I wouldn’t mistake a monster for a plant, making the risk almost zero.
“I’ll investigate the strength and experience points of each type, so you guys take them down. I’ll handle the scouting.”
I had Reaper, who lacked ‘Display,’ focus on combat while I thoroughly handled scouting and vigilance against ambushes.
“Alright, let’s annihilate them all!”
With Rustiara in the lead, Snow and Reaper engaged the enemies.
The first one was a giant red flower, like a Rafflesia. Its monster name was ‘Stur.’
“Everyone, hold your breath and fight!”
As soon as Stur saw us, it scattered pollen. Its movement reminded me of the Poison Salamander from the 24th floor.
From the rear, I gave instructions to prevent us from inhaling the pollen.
Next, Stur retaliated by lashing out with its vines. However, it was facing the wrong opponents.
The three people Stur was currently facing were specialized in close-quarters combat.
In an instant, the vines were sliced apart, allowing the enemies to close in. Unable to defend against attacks from three directions, Stur’s petals were torn, and its stem was snapped at the root.
Up until now, defeating a monster meant crushing its head or heart, causing it to disappear in a flash of light. However, plant-type monsters were difficult to confirm as defeated. Even when they were clearly no longer in a plant-like form, they were still alive and scattering pollen.
After being ripped into more than a hundred pieces, Stur disappeared in a flash of light.
The enemy had fought hard, but its end was anticlimactic.
Presumably, this monster, Stur, weakened its opponents with pollen before battle. However, because I had discovered it in advance with ‘Display,’ it couldn’t utilize its strengths.
I was convinced that the 39th floor was a lucrative hunting ground.
Being a deep floor, the monsters were generally strong. However, most of them specialized in camouflage and ambushes, and with me around, their strengths could be nullified.
“…Yes, this is not bad. Let’s continue fighting the monsters on the 39th floor. We’ll find the easiest one and use it to gather experience.”
Everyone else seemed to agree, not offering any objections.
Then, we continued to defeat plant monsters one after another.
The good thing about this floor was that the enemies didn’t regroup after being defeated. The pace might have been slower, but we could steadily defeat enemies without risk.
I thought Rustiara might complain about the repetitive nature of this task, like harvesting rice, but she didn’t. She seemed satisfied fighting various types of enemies.
We had already found the stairs to the 40th floor. However, we continued to fill out the map of the 39th floor, searching for the ideal hunting ground.
Of course, we had evaded the boss with ‘Dimension.’ Even the aggressive Rustiara, perhaps remembering her lapse during the boss (Galflad Jelly) fight, didn’t disrupt our pace.
However, along the way, we discovered several altars.
If there was no danger, there was no reason not to investigate them.
And then, we discovered something.
“The altar items are gone again…”
We found traces of someone’s presence.
“Could it be Hairi and Shia…? I don’t think they could have come this far in that condition after that…”
Rustiara predicted who had taken the items.
“No, they said they were a party. If they had companions other than those two, it wouldn’t be impossible. But in the first place—”
‘Parallel Thinking’ provided an answer.
—In the first place, it’s possible Hairi had already reached the 39th floor on the day we met.
In fact, she might have gone even further, beyond the 40th floor.
“We might need to change our plans and take a peek at the 40th floor…”
“Yeah! I think so! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Rustiara enthusiastically agreed to my proposal. However, the other two didn’t look pleased.
“Um, um… If we go to the 40th floor, won’t there be a Guardian?”
“Brother, are you really okay?”
They were worried about fighting a Guardian. But I had a certain conviction.
“No, I think the possibility of no one being there is higher.”
Rustiara added further support.
“Even if there is, if it’s a Guardian who can talk, we can make friends, and if it’s a bad one, we can just run away. Don’t worry, Snow. I’ll protect you no matter what.”
“L-Lady Rustiara-sama…!”
Rustiara hugged Snow Tora, who was trembling.
Reaper looked stunned at the scene, but seemed to agree with what Rustiara had said. He consented to entering the 40th floor with the understanding that we could escape at any time.
We had already found the stairs by wandering around hunting. We headed straight for the 40th floor and finished our preparations at the entrance.
Then, with the utmost caution, we descended to the 40th floor.
As we descended, the deep green color of the walls gradually faded.
From deep green to green, from green to yellowish-green. The dense forest was repainted in bright colors.
The world that unfolded before us.
It was a ‘Great Plains.’
There were no obstacles whatsoever, with grass only a few tens of centimeters high growing underfoot. It felt a little humid, but that was all. A world without any threat or excitement.
Rather, a cool breeze brushed against my cheek, bringing a sense of peace.
Compared to the previous scorching desert and jewel flower fields, it was a significant contrast.
There was truly nothing. And no one.
I could observe the entire area from end to end. However, there was no Guardian anywhere on the 40th floor.
It was empty.
Rustiara said disappointedly.
“As expected, Hairi must have awakened the Guardian before us.”
“It seems so. And from the looks of it, the Guardian of the 40th floor is still alive…”
If someone had defeated the Guardian, it would be strange for the room not to be inorganic like the other Guardian rooms.
“Ah, they beat us to it. I’m a little frustrated…”
“No, this isn’t a bad development at all. We don’t need to defeat all the Guardians to go to the deepest part. Rather, being able to push that quest onto the other party makes it easier for us.”
I wasn’t saying this out of bravado. I genuinely felt this way.
Whether it was Arti or Rowen, if we were to act together, we would be entangled with the lingering attachments of the Guardians.
For now, I wanted to focus on Palinkron, so this situation was actually convenient.
“It’s certainly easier…”
Rustiara agreed with a disheartened expression.
I understood her concern. She was probably worried about the Guardian’s magic stones falling into someone else’s hands.
However, obtaining them would not be easy.
For some reason, I had a feeling it would be alright.
I didn’t know why. But ultimately, it felt like it was our role to sever the Guardians’ lingering attachments—that’s how I felt.
And at the same time, I thought.
The master of this great plain was someone I should have welcomed. I should have been the one to hear their wish first.
Such a thought lingered, unable to leave me.
“It’s as planned. Let’s spend the remaining time hunting monsters.”
Shaking off the strange regret, I led everyone back to the 39th floor.
From now on, we intended to level up as much as time allowed.
We carefully defeated one slow-moving plant monster at a time. As expected, we were attacked with status-ailment effects, but unless it was something dire, Rustiara’s divine magic could heal it.
Therefore, on the 39th floor hunt, we only used a little ‘Dimension,’ divine magic, ‘Display,’ and the skill ‘Swordsmanship’—only these four.
We were able to hunt steadily and for a long time. The fact that we could rest on the uninhabited 40th floor when tired was also a significant advantage.
It was not our MP that reached its limit, but our hunger. Although we had preserves in our ‘Inventory,’ the meals on the ship were safer.
Snow insisted that we cut the exploration short before our concentration decreased due to sleepiness or other factors, so we ended our activities.
When we returned to the ship, the sky was dark, illuminated only by the moon and stars.
Maria, who had been worried, greeted us on the deck. It seemed she had been waiting for our return ever since nightfall.
If Reaper had stayed behind, we would have known our safety through our ‘Connection,’ but since she had accompanied us this time, the ship’s side couldn’t monitor our situation.
It seemed best for Reaper and I to act separately as much as possible. We didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry.
“We’re back… I’m sorry, we’re late.”
“Welcome back, Kanami. It’s alright. I’ll prepare dinner right away.”
Maria immediately entered the ship and began preparations.
As I watched her go, Reaper simultaneously ran to the ship’s helm. She spread out a sea chart, appearing to check our position.
Reaper, who was largely in charge of navigation, seemed concerned about our progress while we were away.
“Reaper, we haven’t deviated from the course, have we?”
“Ah, yes. It seems okay. Will we arrive by tomorrow morning? It’s a good point to arrive.”
“Tomorrow, huh…”
If I had my way, I would have liked a few more days of leveling up.
But I was afraid of leaving Palinkron unattended and preparing leisurely. At the very least, I wanted to locate Palinkron with ‘Dimension’ and grasp what they were doing.
As soon as we reached the mainland, we planned to conclude our labyrinth exploration.
Under the starry sky, we had our last meal on the ship.
Afterward, we processed the accumulated experience points and confirmed that Rustiara and Snow had reached levels in the 20s.
***
And so, the next day.
We arrived at the ‘Mainland.’
Unlike the eastern continent, which was a frontier, the ‘Mainland’ was largely governed by humans. Over ten great nations were crammed together, with cities steeped in history.
On the northeastern part of the mainland, in the Valt nation, we docked the ‘Living Legend’ in a hidden location at the easternmost edge of a cliff.
Information about us being on this ship might have leaked through the slaves and pirates we rescued. That’s why we docked in a secluded spot rather than a port town. However, given the ship’s considerable size, it was unlikely we could keep it hidden forever.
For the few days until we located Palinkron, we might not be discovered if we were lucky—that was the extent of our hope.
For now, we decided to split up, as a large group would attract attention. Of course, we also needed shipkeepers to guard this expensive vessel.
On the clear, white morning sky, our companions gathered on the deck.
However, Dia never showed up, so I decided to go wake her.
“Dia! Are you awake? We’ve arrived at the ‘Mainland’!”
I shouted in front of Dia’s room. I knocked intermittently on the door, trying to wake the sleeping Dia.
However, there was still no response from inside the room.
I had no choice but to use the minimal ‘Dimension’ to assess the situation inside. Dia was sleeping like death on her bed.
Her utter silence made me anxious.
Her clothes weren’t disheveled, so I decided to go in and wake her. I remained vigilant, just in case anything happened. I disliked putting my life in danger due to a minor mishap, so I sharpened all my senses.
I slowly opened the door and approached Dia’s bed. To avoid startling her, I gently shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her consciousness.
I thought this would lead to a natural awakening. However, even then, Dia didn’t wake up.
Her sleep was too deep. It was abnormal not to wake up despite so much external contact.
Then, Dia started muttering in her sleep.
“‘I’—No, no, it’s not that. I’m sorry, Christ—”
I had heard these drowsy murmurs before. When I carried Dia back after fighting Teeda on the fifth floor of the labyrinth, she had muttered the same thing.
Dia kept apologizing, calling my name incessantly.
It could only be a nightmare.
I slapped Dia’s cheek hard, forcibly waking her.
“—Gah, nnh, ah, nnn…”
Shifting and distorting her face, she opened her eyes slightly.
The blue eyes beneath her eyelids seemed to glow.
“Wake up, Dia. It’s morning.”
“M-Morning…? Are you, Christ…?”
“You’re still groggy, Dia. Christ was an old alias; I’m Kanami now.”
After correcting her mistake about my name, Dia finally opened her eyes clearly.
“K-Kanami…? That’s right, I’m Kanami now…”
Rubbing her blue eyes, Dia sat up.
As she moved her hands away from her face, Dia, now fully conscious, grasped the situation.
“Good morning, Dia.”
“Good morning, Kanami… B-But, why are you here, Kanami?”
Our eyes met at close range, and Dia’s cheeks flushed. I thought she wouldn’t care about such things, as she usually presented herself as male, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Well, you were waking up late, so I came to get you.”
“…Why me and not Maria or someone else?”
“Maria told me to come get you…”
“…That woman planned all of this.”
Dia showed an angry expression towards Maria, who was not present. It seemed she didn’t want me to see her sleeping face.
But she quickly shrugged and changed the subject.
“Um, I’m sorry for oversleeping. So, the decision about who stays behind isn’t made yet, right?”
“Not yet. We’re all waiting for you.”
She asked about the situation on deck after getting out of bed and tidying herself up minimally. Then, she hurriedly left her room.
I told her she could take her time, but Dia disliked wasting time because of her.
In less than a minute, she went up to the deck and started discussing the member division.
“Everyone, I’m sorry. I was late.”
“No, it’s fine. Honestly, there isn’t much to discuss about dividing ourselves into groups.”
Rustiara replied while casually munching on her breakfast.
I tilted my head at her remark.
“Nothing to discuss… Have you already decided?”
“For now, it’s probably just me, Maria, and Dia who want to go to the ‘Mainland’ with Kanami. That divides us nicely into four and three.”
“Eh, is that so…?”
I looked around, and everyone nodded.
I thought Sera would insist on staying with Rustiara, but Rustiara had already persuaded her.
Snow was completely in sending-off mode. She was waving a homemade flag with “Have a good trip!” written on it.
“Kanami’s request is to act separately from Reaper, the dimensional magic user, right?”
She also wanted to take Snow along personally. However, it would likely take several days to persuade her, so I decided to give up for today.
The most important objective this time was to locate Palinkron. It would be fine to bring her along once a battle with Palinkron was confirmed.
“That’s right. I can communicate well with Reaper, so I’d prefer to act separately. Also, if possible, I want to go in a smaller group… Honestly, I’m fine going alone just to search—”
“That’s not allowed. You’ll probably end up fighting by yourself and getting beaten.”
“No, no, no, even if we do fight, if I’m in perfect condition and it’s one-on-one, I don’t think I’ll lose… Palinkron was a knight focused on support magic, wasn’t he…?”
“That’s right. During the ‘Seven Knights of Heaven’ era, their combat ability was always among the lowest. I never saw them win even in practice matches against Sera-chan.”
“We just need to be careful of Teeda’s magic. But the seeds of that magic are understood now. As long as it doesn’t come into contact with black liquid, we’re safe.”
“—Therefore, I absolutely will not fight Palinkron head-on. Kanami will definitely not be in perfect condition, and they will definitely find a way to get their magic in and use mental magic. No doubt about it.”
“…I see. We’ll surround them and defeat them together.”
Her words were convincing.
I had thought the fight would end quickly with Rowen’s swordsmanship if we confronted them directly, but it seemed I should abandon such naive thoughts. Honestly, I couldn’t picture myself easily defeating Palinkron.
“So, let’s go with a four-person party. The party name will be ‘Palinkron Annihilation Squad’!”
Rustiara said this half-jokingly.
However, the other two praised her joke with grim smiles.
“That’s a good party name. Yes, I need to get back at that knight someday. Fufufu, ufufufu…”
“Haha! Hahahaha. The scar that knight gave me still aches. I escaped in Laura Via, but this time I won’t let them get away. I’ll crush them.”
Maria and Dia’s murderous intent was palpable.
I was afraid they might unleash magic the moment they met Palinkron, indiscriminately. Since I had questions for Palinkron, I just hoped they would hold back on that.
“Alright, let’s depart. We can’t dock the ship in an easily discoverable place like the coast, so we’ll jump from here to that cliff. I’ll carry Maria-chan on my back and jump, so Kanami, you take Dia.”
“Understood. Then, Reaper, Sera-san, Snow, please guard the ship.”
Carrying Dia on my back, I bid farewell to the members staying behind.
Waved off by Snow and the others, Rustiara and I jumped off the ship.
Then, like beasts, we kicked off the cliff rocks and climbed to the top of the precipice.
Upon reaching the summit, we waved to the ship and disappeared into the forest on the cliff top.
We walked through the forest, literally cutting our way through, with no discernible path.
It wasn’t a path for humans, but it was better than a labyrinth. Even Dia and Maria, who had low physical abilities, followed without issues.
After about half an hour of walking through the forest, we emerged into an open space.
A plain colored in light ochre and green.
This was the ‘Mainland.’ Honestly, it looked not much different from the frontier settlements near the Allied Nations.
I opened the map and checked the direction.
A city was faintly visible on the horizon ahead. Using ‘Dimension,’ we found a path and entered disguised as travelers.
We wore large coats to conceal ourselves completely. It was unavoidable, as all of us had striking physical characteristics.
After concealing my burn scars and dark hair, I led the way, and after another half hour’s walk, we arrived at a bustling town.
It was a port town on the eastern side of the Valt nation, named ‘Cork.’
The plan was to gather information in Cork, a place with a lot of comings and goings.
However, from a distance, the security looked very tight. It was surrounded by a wall about 5 meters high, and armed men stood at the checkpoint.
As expected, the Valt nation, being close to the battlefield, was on high alert.
If we went to the checkpoint without any connections, we would likely be detained. After an identity check, our charges as citizens of the Allied Nations would be exposed, leading to arrest.
I felt that bribery might work, but that would be a last resort.
“Alright, let’s find a weak spot and sneak in.”
Rustiara suggested infiltrating using brute force.
“Are you sure about that? It would be a problem if we could easily infiltrate a city during wartime, right?”
“No, there aren’t any spies with our level of ability… If we instantly clear the wall, we won’t even be detected by the ‘Magic Stone Line.’ We’ll just be mistaken for birds or small animals.”
“Is that how it works… I don’t really know how that system functions, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“Okay, let’s do it like before. Maria-chan, over here, over here.”
Rustiara beckoned Maria. However, Maria, with a troubled expression, shook her head.
“It’s my turn. Next, it’s Kanami-san.”
“Eh, it doesn’t matter either way—”
“—It’s my turn.”
“Ah, yes.”
Overwhelmed by Maria’s palpable intensity, Rustiara nodded.
Dia pouted slightly, as if she wanted to complain, but sensing Maria’s thoughts, she said nothing.
I also sensed Maria’s reasoning and my face contorted.
While I appreciated her affection, it was also painful. I knew they didn’t have such intentions, but it felt like I was blaming myself for not choosing anyone else.
Enduring the stomachache that I was getting somewhat used to, we moved to a less guarded spot, and I carried Maria on my back.
“Please, Kanami-san.”
“Okay, hold on tight.”
I picked up surrounding information with ‘Dimension.’
Confirming that there was no one on the other side of the jump, Rustiara and I simultaneously started running. We ran across the plains with deadly acceleration, leaping like cats across the ground.
Once, I kicked off the wall and changed direction straight upwards. Immense inertia pressed on my body. Shaking it off forcefully, we cleared the wall.
Thus, we successfully infiltrated the port town of Cork.
