Floor 64 was relatively normal compared to the previous two floors.
Although the ceiling was unusually high, it was a normal stone corridor that continued. As we walked, catching our breath, I felt a sense of relief at the familiar maze.
The only minor concern was the excessive ventilation. A cool breeze, cool enough to feel chilly, had been blowing for some time.
“We’re finally back to the usual corridor, but the visibility is poor, so 《Dimension》 is essential. By the way, that fluffy gas-like thing nearby, I think neither swords nor anything will work on it.”
Gas monsters that glowed a faint green roamed Floor 64. Most of them floated in the air like ghosts, not touching the ground.
[Monster] Green High Element: Rank 65
“I’ve learned about it at the Academy. They’re a type of spirit. The only elemental spirits I know are the fire elementals around Floor 15. Christ, have you fought other elementals before?”
“No. I probably could have, but we’ve been progressing so quickly, I haven’t fought many different types of monsters.”
There were also many monsters that died before we could fight them because of Maria and Dia—that was another reason. My combat experience was certainly uneven.
Perhaps in the past, I would have wanted to be able to deal with various monsters little by little. However, it was all ruined by the sharp abilities of my companions.
Dia’s sniping, Rustiara’s unparalleled strength, Maria’s protective flames—those were generally the culprits.
“Then, I guess we have no choice but to fight blindly. If possible, I’d like to ignore them. Christ, are these monsters approaching us?”
“No, they don’t seem to be like the ones from earlier.”
The elementals just floated around and didn’t try to approach us. It was possible they simply lacked perception.
Therefore, we continued walking on Floor 64 with peace of mind.
However, that optimism would soon turn to regret. As we walked, checking the monsters’ positions with 《Dimension》, one of the elementals suddenly disappeared.
Then, without any warning—it appeared right beside us.
A swirling, pale green mist, right next to us, began to approach us as if extending its arms.
“W-why—!? —《Default》!!”
Reacting before Rainer, I unleashed one of my trump cards at the abnormal situation.
By manipulating space, I added distance between the enemy and us.
Then, grabbing Rainer’s neck, who didn’t know what had happened, I immediately tried to run away.
However, the elemental disappeared again and reappeared right in front of my eyes.
It was instantaneous movement, like the Reapers of old, and it didn’t try to let us escape.
“Th-this guy! Can it warp!?”
“Christ! I’ll intercept it!!”
Rainer, finally understanding the situation, began to construct wind magic.
“Ra, Rainer! Wait a m—”
I tried to stop Rainer’s magic in a hurry, but it was too late.
“—《Jaeger Wind》!”
A gust of wind, like an arrow, struck the elemental.
However, the elemental absorbed the wind completely. Far from taking damage, the two types of wind mixed, and the monster grew larger.
“Wh-what, it absorbed it!?”
Rainer was astonished that his strongest new magic had been absorbed.
Unlike Rainer, I had a faint premonition.
For monsters that showed their attributes so prominently, it was rare for them to have resistances to specific attributes—it didn’t go against the common game theory.
By absorbing Rainer’s wind, the elemental enlarged its body. It looked like it had powered up.
However, I saw hope in its transformation. I instructed Rainer, who was still surprised by his magic being absorbed.
“Rainer! That’s fine! Keep going!”
“—Huh!? O-okay!”
I wanted to retreat if possible. But I didn’t want to turn my back on a monster that would likely specialize in magic.
“—《Jaeger Wind》!”
Rainer released magical wind again, but the elemental absorbed all of it.
And its body grew even larger. The elemental, having fully absorbed the rich wind, expanded its body nearly tenfold.
If we left it like this, we didn’t know what kind of magic it might unleash in return. I immediately used my strongest magic on the giant monster.
“—Magic 《Distance Mute》!”
I reached out to the elemental’s body, which was focused on absorbing magic. Its body had grown like a balloon, making contact easy.
Then, I immediately fine-tuned my magical sense to understand the domain of the being called the Green High Element.
What helped me here was that I had successfully used 《Distance Mute》 against a high-rank Elfenries a little while ago. And the internal structure of Elfenries and the elementals were similar.
Both were high-rank wind attribute monsters. It only took a few moments to understand their similar internal structures.
However, in that short time, the elemental counterattacked. As expected of a Rank 60 monster, its reaction speed was nowhere near that of low-floor monsters.
Wind blades, tearing through its intangible body, erupted.
“—Ow! But this is the end for you!!”
With the flesh of my right arm torn open, red blood scattering, I grabbed—and pulled out—the enemy’s Magic Stone.
At that moment, the elemental burst. It was probably because Rainer’s wind magic, which had been accumulating inside it, was released before it could be digested. It exploded like a bursting balloon and then vanished into particles of light.
“Haa, haa, I did it…”
《Distance Mute》 is a powerful technique, comparable to the previous 《Midwinter of Overcrowded Dimensions》. Since I’m still not used to it, using it on the spur of the moment causes a headache.
Enduring the pain, which felt like my brain was being crushed, I checked on Rainer’s safety.
“Rainer, are you alright…?”
“I’m fine… B-but, Christ’s arm’s messed up, damn it! —《Cure Cool》!”
Upon closer inspection, my right arm was in a state that was hard to look at. There was no deep gash, but most of the surface skin had been peeled back, turning it dark red.
The fact that I could sustain this much damage in that instant showed the monster’s high magical power.
Rainer’s Divine Magic healed my right arm.
It looked terrible, but it healed quickly.
“It looks like the surface was just torn open. …Good.”
“Not good…! That’s my role, so don’t do anything reckless, Christ…!”
I could tell from Rainer’s contorted face as he healed me that he was sincerely worried about me. But I rejected his concern.
“You say that again. There’s no way that’s your role, Rainer…”
“It’s a matter of priority…! I should be the one sacrificing myself over Christ, for everyone’s sake…!”
“That’s not right, Rainer.”
I couldn’t ignore Rainer’s assertion and replied in a low voice.
I held back from saying, “Rainer has higher priority.” Simply saying I would protect Rainer because he’s older or like an older brother would be futile.
That path would be the same as treating Maria like a younger sister. It wouldn’t lead to anything good.
So, I proposed a new path.
“—Let’s stop with the talk of who sacrifices themselves and who doesn’t. We can help each other and find a way for both of us to survive, Rainer. I understand how you feel. Self-sacrifice is the easy path—Ah, I love it too. But let’s stop it when it comes to Dungeon Exploration. I know it’s difficult, but still, let’s find a way to survive together. No matter what, no matter what happens, no matter how difficult it is, I learned recently that we must never give up on that path until the end.”
Looking into Rainer’s eyes, I conveyed this without any joke.
It was a theory I had just learned, but as his senior and as his older brother figure, this was all I could say right now.
“Together—?”
“Ah, I used to think an older brother should sacrifice himself for his younger brothers and sisters, but it seems that’s not enough… In fact, it wasn’t enough. I almost got burned to death by Maria.”
“No, isn’t it the other way around? Shouldn’t a younger sibling sacrifice themselves for their older siblings?”
“Think about it. Hein and Franryure wouldn’t want that, would they? I wouldn’t want it either. Rowen would definitely say it’s wrong. Most importantly, what does Hairi in your heart say?”
“That is…”
Rainer lowered his head. I could tell from the outside that he was questioning himself internally.
Then, after a few seconds, he raised his head with a displeased look, clearly not convinced. From his expression, I could guess the answer he had arrived at.
“I only realized this a few days ago. Since it’s a good opportunity, let’s fix it little by little, together.”
“Tch… I’m a little unconvinced, but I guess I have no choice…”
After pondering it carefully, Rainer grudgingly nodded.
It was the moment when he, who had been so stubborn, finally relented.
Perhaps because of our past relationship, where we even fought to the death, I felt a slight sense of emotion. It was a slow but steady feeling of progress.
However, I couldn’t dwell on that emotion.
We were in a Labyrinth now. While I was glad my words reached Rainer because of this unique situation, the danger of death still lingered.
“Alright, it’s time to resume our Dungeon Exploration. While talking with Rainer, I’ve figured out the general mechanics of this Floor.”
“The mechanics of this Floor…?”
Even as I spoke, I didn’t let down my guard using Dimension to scan our surroundings.
I shared the results of my information gathering with Rainer.
“The Monster we just encountered is called a Green High Element. It seems to be a Spirit-type Monster that specializes in wind attributes. Its method of movement involves disassembling its body and merging with the wind. Combined with its natural speed, it looks like teleportation. And the most important thing is the Green High Element’s perception range.”
I had only encountered it once, but I understood most of it. Perhaps it was because I had infiltrated its interior using Distance Mute, but I felt a certain conviction.
Probably, the Green High Element uses the wind flowing through the corridors to track the position of intruding Explorers. And the Green High Element, with its high reaction speed, must have moved towards us the moment it perceived us. In other words, the distance between where the Green High Element disappeared and where it reappeared is its perception range. If it’s like me, its perception range likely expands in a circular pattern. It can probably change its range to an amoeba-like shape if it consciously does so, but that should only happen in abnormal situations.
This is evident from the fact that we weren’t attacked by nearby Green High Elements while we were talking earlier. As long as we maintain the distance calculated earlier, we should not be detected.
Fortunately, the Green High Element doesn’t detect Dimension if it’s spread thinly. As long as we don’t let our guard down, we won’t be found.
“I’ve already marked the areas within that range. It’s a bit of a detour, but I’ve also found a path to proceed without being detected by the Green High Elements. Of course, I expect the unexpected, so let’s not let our guard down completely.”
“In that time…? You’re amazing, Christ…”
The map of Floor 64 was already completed in my head.
After confirming my arm had recovered, I immediately started walking. Even though I knew we wouldn’t be attacked, staying in the same place was not good.
Our spirits renewed, we swiftly moved through the corridors of Floor 64.
As we carefully chose our path to avoid entering the Green High Elements’ detection range, the journey was quiet without a single attack. This naturally allowed us to converse.
Rainer was impressed with our progress in the Labyrinth without any attacks.
“If we continue like this, it seems like we’ll clear Floor 64. It’s going smoother than I expected. Or rather, it’s thanks to Christ’s situational judgment. If I were alone, I would have definitely fallen victim to the enemy’s initial encounter abilities.”
“No, I don’t think it’s thanks to my situational judgment. It seems I created this Labyrinth after all. That’s why I can somehow understand the purpose and tendencies of the monsters placed here…”
My observational skills as a Dimensional Mage might be involved, but more than that, my experience from my previous world is significant. From their appearance and names, I can infer their abilities to a certain extent. And in all my previous Dungeon Exploration, this has never been proven wrong.
“Ah, right. So it’s not that your predictions are sharp because you’re a Dimensional Mage, but because you’re involved in its creation that your predictions are accurate.”
“That’s how it is. …And it’s also because having Rainer helps, we can broaden our tactical options. Speaking of which, you were using new wind magic earlier, was that something Rowen taught you? Was it called《Jaeger Wind》?”
“Yeah, he taught it to me. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a good spell I can use on the spur of the moment. …Right. ‘Shiso’ Christ, do you have any advice? Apparently, it’s supposed to be a much more powerful spell.”
“A-advice?”
“Rowen said it himself. ‘Primordial Kanami’ is proficient in all magic.”
“Even if you say that, I don’t have any memories from that time…”
I had been self-taught all along, so I probably couldn’t meet that expectation. However, seeing Rainer’s eyes sparkling, I reluctantly began to demonstrate my self-taught methods.
“If I had to say something, Rainer’s magic is, how do I put it, plain, isn’t it?”
“Eh, p-plain?”
“No, it’s not plain, it’s just too by-the-book. I don’t think you need to cast magic exactly as written in the textbook. You’re not on a student level anymore, Rainer.”
Through assimilation with Hairi, Rainer’s aptitude and magic power had soared. Yet, if he continued to use methods from when he lacked talent, he wouldn’t be able to grow further.
“That’s true, I guess. Then, what should I do?”
So, I decided to teach him my own answer.
“Um, imagine cool magic, and shout a cool magic name?”
“………….”
However, Rainer’s reaction to my answer was cold. The sparkle in his eyes vanished in an instant. Frantically, I tried to assert the validity of my answer.
“N-no, I’m serious! This is how I’ve gotten so strong!”
“…F-for example?”
“Let’s see. For example… you use wind to extend your sword tip, right? When you do that, why don’t you shout?”
“I can use it without shouting, though?”
“It’s a kind of ‘incantation.’ The act of shouting itself becomes a ‘price.’ Probably. Perhaps, surely.”
“Is that true? But Rowen said Christ here is an expert in that sort of thing… But shouting, what should I shout for that?”
“Actually, I’ve unofficially nicknamed that ‘Magic Wind Blade Formation’.”
“Not just your own magic, but other people’s techniques too, you name them yourself…”
From his dulled eyes, I could even see darkness of despair. The goodwill I had gained from the nice talk just now about “let’s help each other” seemed to be rapidly diminishing. However, still believing Rainer would understand, I continued to assert my self-taught methods.
“S-so, I’m saying, let’s add furigana too… For now, how about ‘Magic Sword《Magic Wind Blade Formation》’? No, how about matching magic names like《Wind Blade Sword》?”
“F-furigana? You mean like ruby characters used in books?”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s it.”
“So, you mean you’ll visualize the characters every time you shout?”
“I think that probably helps with the imagery. The most important thing for magic is imagery. I’m sure just doing this will change the magic effect quite a bit. By the way, I have a track record of developing various magics using this method. In other words, this is a legitimate way of using magic passed down by the ‘Shiso’ of Revannism!”
I was proselytizing with a serious face. Soon, even I didn’t know what I was saying anymore.
“U-um. I don’t really feel like you can just change names around so freely…”
“No, I think it’s rather you should prepare names for yourself. Of course, when learning at the Academy, it might have been more efficient overall to have unified names. But you can’t get caught up in stuffy conventions forever, Rainer. Honestly, we’re not students anymore.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Say’s Christ, the ‘Shiso.’ This is correct — more correct than textbooks or the Bible, isn’t it?”
“Exactly! Since I, the ‘Shiso,’ am saying it, there’s no mistake!”
Seeing Rainer about to be convinced, I became more assertive. If I wanted to gain true companions, now was the time — I thought.
However, why? I’m experiencing déjà vu. I feel like I was doing the same thing a thousand years ago. And I feel like that resulted in the magic names of Teeda and Arti. Well, it’s probably just my imagination…! Probably…!
“Okay. I’ll try it little by little. If it makes me stronger, it’s a cheap price to pay.”
“Yes, just trying it out is fine. I hope it increases your survivability even a little…”
That’s right. I’m not recommending this to Rainer just for my own hobby. This concerns life and death. If I didn’t convey this earlier, after falling behind the monsters in the labyrinth, it would be too late to regret it. If there’s even a chance to increase our safety, it’s natural to share any information among companions. Therefore, the fact that I’m giving myself a mental high-five is by no means for selfish reasons. It’s all for survival — for Rainer…!
Thus, while I was imparting my magical theories to Rainer, we conquered Floor 64. Perhaps because this floor had a good compatibility with the Dimension, or perhaps because we were lucky, there was only one battle. And our exploration continued to Floor 63.
◆◆◆◆◆
I immediately deployed the Dimension and went to grasp the entirety of Floor 63. However, it was just a high ceiling with no other particular features. If I had to point something out, it would be that the corridor ground was glowing more intensely than usual. Despite being in a labyrinth, it felt as bright as daytime. And the path to the next floor was clear, with no need to enter any particularly strange areas.
However, since I didn’t want to be ambushed by monsters again, I decided to deliberately fight just one monster, as I had done on Floor 65, to gather information. The main monster wandering Floor 63 was named the【Pale Gryphon】. It had the upper body of a bird and the lower body of a beast. Its compound eyes scanned the surroundings, and it had a sharp beak. It had wings that flapped freely and four thick, log-like legs with claws. It was very similar to the mythological creature Gryphon that I knew.
As usual, Rainer and I began the battle, sandwiching it. And as expected, the Pale Gryphon anticipated our surprise attack and launched a counterattack. Furthermore, it retaliated with wind magic as if it were breathing. It seemed that in the 60th floors, detection abilities and magic were standard equipment.
Unlike the enemies we’ve faced before, this one wasn’t impossible.
Their movements were fast, but not despair-inducing. They were strong, but not insurmountable. They used a variety of magic, but nothing exceptionally powerful. They were strong, but that was all.
It seemed that by retreating to the higher floors, the enemies were indeed growing weaker.
Rainer and I were only using support magic. Other than that, we relied on our swords and coordinated attacks to whittle down our opponents. During this process, Rainer even had the presence of mind to practice what I had taught him earlier.
“—M-Magic, —《Wine Flamberge》!”
Rainer… he’s such a good kid…
He was dutifully using the magic name I came up with.
Rainer, who was fighting a cool-looking griffin, a creature of fantasy, wearing the cool clothes I designed, and shouting the cool magic name I invented, was undoubtedly my best friend.
“You’re still too soft, Rainer! You need more imagination! Focus more on being blades of wind! And channel all the hidden imagery behind the words!”
“—M-Magic, 《Wind Blade Sword》!!!”
“Ooh! Nice, that’s really good!”
Rainer shouted, having seemingly found his resolve.
I was surprised by how much the sharpness of his magic had actually improved.
Thanks to that new magical tactic, we managed to corner the griffin and were on the verge of defeating it.
However, just before we could deliver the finishing blow, the Pale Griffin soared high into the sky and began to roar with all its might.
Seeing this, I understood the enemy’s ability and felt disappointed.
“Ah, I knew it… I thought it was a little weak…”
I didn’t need to use Dimension to know.
It was the usual kind.
The type that flees when in danger and calls for backup.
“Christ, aren’t you going to pursue!?”
“I’m not going to pursue. Let’s return to Floor 64 for a moment.”
Chasing this type of enemy often leads to them escaping if they cross floors. Since we were fighting right after ascending to Floor 64, returning was easy.
As expected, our pursuit of the griffin was cut short when it crossed floors. The gathered swarm of monsters also returned to their original positions.
“I know its ability now, so let’s just ignore them and move on. We probably can’t defeat them all.”
“Understood.”
It was the same as always.
Even though we were in a fight, the strength of a single Pale Griffin was boss-class. They were by no means easy opponents. If there were two of them, we likely wouldn’t stand a chance.
The only thing that might work is Distance Mute. However, this trump card consumes a lot of MP, so we can’t use it carelessly. And yet, the Pale Griffin would probably summon monsters throughout the floor with its dying roar. This would include species other than Pale Griffins.
In other words, fighting the Pale Griffin was unrealistic.
I had hoped it would be a relatively safe hunting ground during the battle, but in the end, it turned out to be the most unprofitable one.
It’s just like Rio Eagle from back then.
Monsters that run away when injured should just die.
Rainer and I walked through the emitting light of the corridor.
Avoiding the Pale Griffins was easy. The other monsters didn’t have the wide-ranging detection abilities like the Green High Elements we encountered earlier.
However, by this point, a different problem had arisen.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
“Haa, haa, haa…”
We were becoming severely out of breath.
Rainer, whose Stamina stat was lower, was showing symptoms more prominently.
We had been walking continuously for nearly four hours without a break. On top of that, we’d been in life-or-death battles. Even if we could prevent the depletion of HP and MP, our physical stamina was reaching its limit. Though not yet apparent, our mental state was likely also deteriorating.
By continuing to avoid monsters, we safely passed through Floor 63, but it wasn’t without any price.
Then, after catching our breath between floors, we entered Floor 62.
Except for one thing, the characteristics of this floor were no different from others. However, that one characteristic was too intense.
The light emanating from the ground had become stronger. Furthermore, not just the ground, but the walls and ceiling were also glowing.
The image of a vast sky transformed into the image of a dazzling sun.
The light coming from all directions severely limited our vision. We couldn’t see nothing, but we could barely make out our surroundings by squinting.
I, who could use Dimension, was fine, but Rainer next to me was in danger.
“Rainer, can you fight here?”
“If I constantly use《Wind》, I think I can get a general sense of where things are. Of course, it’s difficult to fight, and the MP consumption is not negligible.”
“Then I’ll take your hand for movement. Just use《Wind》 when we’re fighting.”
“Thanks. I’ll rely on you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
This was simply a matter of matching our acquired magic. Rainer’s ability was effective against the floating monsters like Griffins. Now, my ability was simply more effective.
As I walked with Rainer, I gathered information using Dimension. Monsters roamed all over the luminous corridor. They were bird-like monsters, fitting for a sun-themed floor.
We quickly found an isolated monster and prepared to fight, but—just before attacking, we noticed something clearly abnormal.
The monster was only a few meters away.
There was a completely white bird monster walking right in front of us—and yet,
**Monster:** Pierce Pigeon: Rank 60
The Pierce Pigeons simply continued to walk by. Like fish in an aquarium, they didn’t alter their pace at all, even when they saw us.
“Are these… not attacking us even when they see us…?”
“It seems so, Christ…”
We got too close, and our eyes met. Still, the monster showed no hint of hostility. It simply preened its feathers elegantly with its beak.
Rainer and I exchanged glances, then decided it was pointless to fight and waste our strength, so we looked for another monster. The next one we found was a giant horned horse, completely white.
[Monster] Colorless Unicorn: Rank 59
Its body is white, probably due to the camouflage of this dungeon. It’s difficult to even find without magic. It must be a threat if it charges at you with that body.
However, the Colorless Unicorn is also not moving. It’s looking at us, but it doesn’t seem like it’s looking for an opening. It’s just looking at me. There’s no sign of entering combat.
“Hmm, hmm. Is it a monster that only reacts when attacked…? Or maybe, with this poor visibility, if we accidentally bump into them, combat begins—that might be the case…”
“Then there’s no need to force ourselves to take on the challenge. With Christ’s Dimension, we can avoid them all.”
“Ah, of course, that’s what I intend to do…”
Still, it’s strange.
Compared to other floors, it’s too easy. It’s a world of difference compared to the wind floor right before this. It can only be for some other reason.
These white monsters are just staring at me. Not at Rainer, but at me alone.
It even feels like they’re looking at me with relief. It’s a reaction as if they’ve met a familiar face.
“There’s no point in thinking about it. Let’s go, Rainer. It looks like we can break through easily.”
I take Rainer’s hand and distance ourselves from the white monsters.
The rest is easy. We just choose our path with Dimension and keep walking silently. Of course, we haven’t let our guard down against enemy attacks. However, the silence, unlike any labyrinth I’ve experienced, continued to envelop us.
In less than an hour, we reach the sixty-first floor. Nothing went wrong.
We ascend the stairs without hesitation.
And then, the expected light illuminates us.
The characteristics become even more pronounced, and the dazzling light fills the corridor.
The ceiling has now become the sun. We can’t keep our eyes open and have to squeeze our eyelids shut. Even so, the light burns our eyeballs, and our black vision turns red.
Holding Rainer’s hand, I give him the minimum explanation.
“…It doesn’t seem much different from the previous floor. Let’s proceed with the same policy.”
“Ah, it’s painfully bright.”
I just don’t want to linger. If we continue to bathe in this light, I feel like we’ll develop some kind of abnormality. The light was that unkind to our eyes.
“This brightness, this light… Perhaps the Guardian of the sixtieth floor is the ‘Thief of the Principles of Light’…”
“Ah, now that you mention it, the floors near Aid, who was the ‘Thief of the Laws of Wood,’ were full of nature. So, guardians matching the surrounding floors appear, right?”
“The guardian’s power must influence the surrounding floors. Still, ‘Thief of the Principles of Light.’ Does that mean they’re an expert in Divine Magic?”
“I don’t think so. Divine Magic and Light Magic are different.”
Since Rainer, a knight of Revannism knowledgeable in Divine Magic, says so, the next guardian is likely specialized in Divine Magic.
It’s highly probable that they are a user of Light Magic, one of the minor elements.
I have little information about Light Magic in my head.
I only have a slight understanding of the magic’s tendency.
Light Magic, which is the counterpart to Dark Magic, also has many spells that affect the mind. However, unlike Dark Magic which causes abnormalities, Light Magic only restores things to normal. This includes healing spells, which is why I confused it with Divine Magic.
It’s definitely not suited for combat.
However, like Rowen or Teeda, guardians can be strong regardless of their magic. If possible, I want to face them in perfect condition.
As I think this, I continue to use Dimension to avoid enemies.
The monsters on the sixty-first floor are the same as before, showing no hostility at all. I found a white mist floating around and used ‘Gaze’ on it, but it only emphasized its abnormality.
[Monster] Holy Element: Rank 62
Despite its high rank, this wandering spirit-like monster shows no interest in us.
It’s so easy it makes me anxious.
Should I follow that anxiety and retreat for now? However, there’s no particular abnormality with our bodies. Both HP and MP are abundant. Since it’s a floor we’ll definitely have to pass through eventually, we can’t put it off.
There’s no doubt that the Holy Element has noticed our presence. As all those countless spirits continue to stare, we step through the sixty-first floor.
And then we reach the stairs.
Since there was no combat for two consecutive floors, our condition is good. Just in case, I break the ‘Dimension’ ring to replenish my magic power and recover MP.
Furthermore, I succeeded in placing a Connection near the sixtieth floor. I thought it would be impossible in this light, but it was easier than expected. Though the light is bad for the eyes, it doesn’t contain any particular magic.
There was no reason not to challenge the sixtieth floor.
It feels as if the light floors—the sixty-first and sixty-second floors—are calling me.
“Christ, aren’t you going…?”
“I am. I’ll challenge it and awaken the guardian. But I have a bad feeling about this…”
“But if we don’t challenge it here, we’ll never get to the surface.”
“I know…”
Rainer is right.
We don’t have time. We can’t afford to hesitate in this perfect condition.
With his encouragement, I finally make up my mind.
“Alright, let’s split up. Rainer, wait in ambush in front of the Connection. I’ll go into the sixtieth floor alone and try to talk to the guardian first. If I think the conversation is going to get complicated, I’ll retreat to the Connection immediately, and you cover me.”
“…Understood.”
It was a plan made with the worst-case scenario in mind.
Rainer seemed to have complaints, but he nodded obediently. He probably wants to go into the sixtieth floor himself. However, I, who have the escape means of ‘Default,’ am the safest to carry out the negotiation, and he knows that rationally. That’s why he didn’t object.
I can see that my sermon from earlier has had a considerable effect.
“Don’t worry too much. Guardians were originally human too. If we talk, they’ll understand.”
“If they’re friendly with ‘Primordial Kanami’ like Lord, that’s fine, but…”
In other cases, it will likely result in combat.
We have to be prepared for that.
“I’m going.”
And so, I advance.
The sixtieth floor of the labyrinth.
To the floor where the ‘Thief of the Principles of Light’ awaits.
