It is common knowledge among dungeon explorers that the difficulty level increases drastically from the 21st floor.
In the past, the Allied Nations took less than a year to conquer up to the 20th floor. However, it took them over ten years to conquer floors 21 through 23.
One reason for this was the loss of many elites to Teeda on the 20th floor, but the primary reason was the fundamental change in the labyrinth’s nature.
While large monsters do not appear in the lower floors, beyond the 20th floor, they emerge in countless numbers. It would be an arduous task to create a “Seidō” under such circumstances.
Naturally, the Allied Nations began to ease their efforts. They started to feel that floors beyond the 20th were “not worth the effort.” This coincided with emerging financial problems, and the teachings of the continent’s bishops were no longer sufficient to provide the necessary backing.
–The Allied Nations changed their way of thinking.
Legendary honor would be bestowed upon reaching the deepest part – but since it was clear no one could reach it, it was better to discuss more practical matters.
The location was excellent. It was at the center of a frontier, close to the sea, with a mild climate.
The Allied Nations built their settlements around it.
Everyone decided that it would be more beneficial to their countries to exploit the labyrinth’s economy rather than attempt to conquer it. People were naturally drawn to the lucrative opportunities the labyrinth offered, so there was no reason not to capitalize on that. The constant flow of people was essential for a vibrant economy. This land met all such conditions.
The kings of each nation began to focus on the continental economy rather than dungeon exploration.
It was no exaggeration to say that the entire Allied Nations had shifted their direction.
Once that happened, it was over.
The Allied Nations completely abandoned further labyrinth exploration beyond the 23rd floor.
Only one thing can be said about this narrative.
It can be summarized in a single phrase.
–Floors beyond the 20th are “not worth the effort.”
Only the truly eccentric, the foolish, or those blessed by heaven would dare to challenge them. That was the common sense of the Allied Nations.
Yet, on the 21st floor, a girl was exclaiming with joy, dancing merrily as if playing with monsters.
“Ah, hahahaha—! Strong! So strong!! Ah, that way, Christ! Hahaha!!”
It was Rustiara, the girl who was exceptionally eccentric, foolish, and blessed by heaven.
Currently, they were in the middle of exploring the 21st floor of the labyrinth.
Two monsters that Rustiara couldn’t defeat were heading towards them.
Both were large monsters. While they had struggled with just one Minotaur earlier, now there were two even stronger monsters.
“Maria, absolutely do not leave my back! There are too many enemies! It’s dangerous if you get too far away!”
“Y-yes!”
The enemies were Fury, grotesque ape-like monsters covered in black fur, with four arms and four legs. Their movements were slow, but their sheer number of attacks was troublesome.
I met the approaching Fury’s powerful blows with just my sword. I would forcefully strike their arms to deflect them, or sometimes scoop up Maria and retreat.
I couldn’t fight with agility. On a floor with such a high monster spawn rate, I couldn’t afford to keep Maria far away. Consequently, I had to fight while protecting her.
–”I won’t be responsible if Maria-chan dies.”
Rustiara’s words before entering the labyrinth today echoed in my mind. I judged that I couldn’t hold back and shouted.
“–Magic ‘Dimension – Decisive Calculation,’ ‘Multi-cast,’ ‘Form,’ ‘Ice,’ ‘Freeze’!!”
I unleashed all my magic. It was a torrent of all spells, fueled by a magic power magnitudes greater than that of the first day.
I released a multitude of magic bubbles, meticulously mapping out all of space. Of course, I mixed in bubbles imbued with Ice Magic, hoping to freeze the enemies if any opportunity arose. Simultaneously, I lowered the temperature of the entire space, aiming to create an environment conducive to Ice Magic. This would make it easier to refine spells like ‘Ice – Ice Arrow’ and ‘Dimension Snow.’
I batted away the approaching Fury’s four arms with my sword. It had been since the battle with Teeda that I had swung my sword with such desperation. Given the nature of my magic, I rarely fought with brute force. My current situation was proof that I was running out of options.
I was truly running out of options – if that was the case, the correct course of action would be to use Maria as a decoy and escape.
“Hgh—!”
However, my heart was unsettled. Not too long ago, I could sacrifice someone. I could calmly calculate gains and losses numerically and act strategically. But now, it was different.
Since when? Why do I… care so much about Maria—
It frustrated me that new problems were arising precisely when I was in a desperate situation. That frustration slowed my movements, and one of Fury’s arms grazed my shoulder.
“It hurts—!”
A mere graze tore through my coat, peeled my skin, and drew blood.
This was dangerous. It was taxing both physically and mentally. If I felt any greater sense of crisis, my skill ‘???’ would likely activate. The confusion that had subsided would only increase.
My thoughts, a mixture of impatience and indecision, clouded my judgment.
“Master—!!”
“It’s alright, Maria! Rustiara will sort it out any moment now!”
I glanced at Rustiara, who was fighting in the distance. She was there, annihilating monsters like a wrathful god.
Yes. This was a battle that could be won by buying time. There was no need to clear my confusion with the skill ‘???’. I just needed to wait until Rustiara, who was moving freely, finishes them off. Rustiara alone was steadily reducing the number of Furies. If I could buy time, she would break through this crisis. Therefore, I just needed to endure patiently and adopt a long-term strategy.
Thinking this, and concentrating solely on interception, the two Furies attacked me from both sides.
However, my positioning was good. I activated some of the ‘Dimension Snow’ magic near the enemies. The Furies, suddenly feeling their bodies freeze, lost their balance and collided with each other with their own momentum. Seizing that opening, I grabbed Maria and retreated from them, then loudly checked on Rustiara’s situation.
“Are you done yet!? Rustiara!!”
“Yeah, yeah! Hang on!”
Finally, Rustiara transformed all the Furies she was fighting into light and rushed to our aid.
From then on, it was instantaneous. The two Furies, their movements hindered by my Ice Magic and showing openings, took the full force of Rustiara’s sword thrust. Rustiara’s sword pierced the Furies’ vital points. Facing the screaming Furies, Rustiara ruthlessly pursued her attack. She wielded her sword like a swirling vortex. Her speed was beyond what the Furies could match. Her sword was plunged into every vital point without exception.
Before long, the remaining two Furies collapsed, spewing large amounts of blood.
Upon confirming that all Furies had dissolved into light and vanished, I immediately issued an order.
“–Retreat!! Retreat! Let’s go back to the 20th floor!!”
“Yes, Master!!”
Without even bothering to pick up magic stones, we retraced our steps and ran through to the 20th floor space.
“Hah, hah…”
“Hah, hah, hah…!!”
Having reached a safe zone, Maria and I caught our breath. Rustiara, still disgruntled, complained.
“Hey. Why did we retreat?”
“I didn’t expect them to be this strong…”
“Eh, I told you. I said they’d get a bit stronger, so be careful.”
It was foolish of me to believe those words and try to level up Maria on the 21st floor. I should have remembered more firmly that her sense of values was skewed.
“That wasn’t ‘a bit.’ It was quite a lot.”
“Quite a lot? Really…?”
“Anyway, fighting on the 21st floor is completely different, so let’s stop for today. If we continue like this, Maria won’t be able to participate.”
“Hmm. After all, wouldn’t it be better for Maria-chan to wait at home?”
“…Maria is a companion. I can’t do that.”
“You can’t do that? Christ, really?”
“……..”
I was at a loss for words. I knew… If it weren’t for Maria, they would have been just about right. I also knew that if the goal was labyrinth exploration, it would be correct for Rustiara and me to challenge the 21st floor alone… That’s why I fell silent, unable to answer her question. Behind me, Maria’s face showed signs of frustration. Her voice, though quiet, was clear.
“I— I, even though my level has increased… I’m almost the same level as Master, but I can’t do anything…”
Maria was growing at an impossible rate. In just a few days, she had reached the level of a top-class explorer. However, that was within the scope of an ordinary person—far from being exceptional like me or Rustiara.
Unreachable. There was a clear gap. Even though our levels were almost the same, she couldn’t even participate in the battle. This was the difference in talent. The difference in ‘aptitude’ between the gifted and the less fortunate.
Unable to bear watching Maria, I left Rustiara and tried to comfort her.
“Maria, don’t worry about it… As your level increases, you’ll be able to fight too—”
“Y-yes, you’re right. If only my level, if only my level increases—”
“–It’s the other way around.”
However, Rustiara interrupted our conversation. Her words continued as if she couldn’t bear to watch us.
“The higher your level gets, the more Maria-chan will fall behind. Maria-chan will never catch up to us. Ever.”
Rustiara stated with certainty. She conveyed to Maria the fact that I had vaguely realized but hadn’t voiced.
“–Eh?”
Maria didn’t seem to grasp the meaning of her words immediately.
“There’s an overwhelming difference between Maria-chan and us in our growth rate… That’s why the higher your level gets, the further apart you’ll drift. There will never be a situation where Maria-chan can help Christ. On the contrary, she’ll just be a hindrance and put Christ’s life in danger.”
Rustiara pressed on, bombarding the confused Maria. I couldn’t stand it anymore and interjected.
“Rustiara, wait a minute!!”
“I won’t wait.”
“Maria is getting stronger little by little, and there’s a time and place for everything—”
“I thought it might be interesting to watch Christ, who deceives himself like this, and Maria-chan’s tragic scenes… but I’ve changed my mind. I seem to like Maria-chan more than I thought.”
Am I deceiving myself? No… I didn’t want to admit it. But Rustiara’s earnest gaze wouldn’t allow it.
“That’s not true… It’s not true…”
“Christ, you can see Maria-chan’s ‘aptitude,’ can’t you? If it’s low, there’s nothing you can do. No matter what happens, the basic rate of power increase is different. To take Maria-chan into the labyrinth like this is not the act of a sane person. Do you understand why you’re doing it?”
“That is…”
I knew. I had realized that ‘aptitude’ influenced stat increases. Comparing my growth and Dia’s to Maria’s made it glaringly obvious. Maria absolutely lacked ‘aptitude.’ Still, I dragged Maria around—
“It’s okay… It’s okay, no more…”
Before I could say everything, Maria stopped me. Her expression had turned pale. She understood the words that were about to come out of my mouth. I knew this too. When Maria saw Rustiara fight, when she saw me fight— she already understood that she was useless. I had been pretending not to notice. As Rustiara said, I had been deceiving myself.
Maria dejectedly lowered her head. Her eyes were as dark as the bottom of the sea. It was the same vacant look from some time ago.
Oh… Stop it…
It was a trauma. I didn’t want to remember that time. That’s probably why I had been favoring Maria all along. Out of my own selfishness, I had indulged myself again. And this time, unconsciously deceiving myself… I was truly cowardly, foolish, and the worst…
“Fufu, ufufufu…. Fun fun, I see. Ah, good. You two are so good. I envy you…. Fufufu.”
As Maria and I were crushed by the realization we had reached, Rustiara began to exclaim with excitement, envying us. It was the same innocent and ruthless gaze as before. A lifeless gaze that ordinary people could hardly comprehend. She looked at us with that gaze, envying us—and cherishing us.
“…You really have a sick sense of humor.”
“It’s your fault for living such an interesting life on the edge.”
“My bad… for being on the edge…”
“But that’s what’s good about it. You’re both so good at deceiving yourselves, so I think you’ll be able to enjoy yourselves for a while longer. But don’t worry, I’ll be watching to make sure you don’t die or fall apart!”
Rustiara smiled at us with eyes mixed with madness. I thought I had started to understand Rustiara’s thoughts recently, but it seemed I still had a long way to go. However, I was becoming accustomed to her madness, so I sighed and replied.
“There’s no way I can be reassured…”
“…Rustiara-san, please be a little more considerate.”
Maria next to me replied with an expression similar to mine. Although shocked by the reality that had been thrown at her, she still had the energy to retort to Rustiara’s audacious remark.
“Ah ha. Yes, yes, good, good. If you can both talk back, you’re still alright…! Actually, if it had continued like that, things would have gotten even worse later! Rather, you two should be more grateful to me, who has extensive party experience from reading adventure tales!”
Rustiara, completely unperturbed by our words, laughed proudly.
“There’s no way we can be grateful…”
“Honestly, we can’t be grateful…”
Maria and I replied simultaneously. Mixed with our disappointment was a wry smile, far beyond mere exasperation. Perhaps Rustiara’s ruthless yet innocent cheerfulness was bringing out this faint smile. Thanks to Rustiara, we had despaired, but thanks to Rustiara, we were also recovering.
I continued, with a wry smile, trying to keep this faint brightness from fading.
“Hah, honestly… You’re as scary as ever…”
“Eh, am I scary?”
“You have no common sense, you’re erratic, and you show no hesitation, so you seem incredibly scary from our perspective. Right, Maria?”
I chuckled and playfully turned to Maria.
“Y-yes… I always get nervous because I never know what Rustiara-san will do.”
“Ehh. Even you, Maria.”
It seemed Maria was able to play along with my lighthearted banter. By exchanging jokes, even if they were forced, the atmosphere among the three of us gradually brightened. Although problems still loomed, our spirits slowly began to lift.
“–Shall we go home then? Rustiara, you can stay if you want.”
“No, I can’t possibly stay alone! I’m going home too!”
“Fufu. Rustiara-san is strong, but she’s oddly lonely, isn’t she?”
After that, by continuously teasing Rustiara, we successfully shifted our deeply dejected moods. And so, all three of us managed to smile, even if it was just for show, and returned home safely through the ‘Connection’ magic on the 20th floor.
