After receiving the muffler, Rowen forcibly dragged me to the labyrinth.
The stated goal was to level up, but he seemed to have other intentions as well.
By the way, since Reaper wanted to play on the surface, I left him with Snow. Snow seemed to agree to take care of him, judging it easier than exploring the labyrinth.
When we parted, she happily brought out her knitting tools from her room, so she seemed quite enthusiastic.
“—And so, I’ve come to the labyrinth with my best friend, Kanami.”
“W-When did we become best friends…?”
As we walked through the 21st floor, Rowen and I chatted.
“Come to think of it, I realized these are my first friends my age in my life… Please take care of me, Kanami, to help me resolve my ‘Lingering Desire’.”
“O-Okay… Even if you didn’t ask, I consider Rowen my friend, you know…”
Rowen said something very sad with a serious expression.
Carried away by his sadness, I nodded.
“I was swinging my sword every single day, day in and day out… I couldn’t possibly make friends…”
Rowen muttered, recalling the past. Sensing his eyes gradually becoming vacant, I changed the subject.
“Um, are you good with swords, Rowen?”
“…Yeah. I think I’m the strongest in the world.”
“Huh? Strongest in the world?”
“Yeah, the strongest in the world.”
As soon as the topic turned to swords, Rowen’s confidence soared, and he puffed out his chest.
Then, he suddenly dashed off into the labyrinth, looking around for monsters.
Rowen wasn’t using magic power. However, he seemed to be detecting enemies through means different from mine. He found a Fury monster and cracked his finger joints.
“Let me prove it. Hand me a sword.”
He then reached out to me, spreading his hand.
I took out a common mass-produced sword from my ‘Inventory’ and tossed it to Rowen.
Rowen caught the sword and approached the Fury without even taking a stance.
The Fury roared and thrust its arms, bulging with veins from exertion, forcefully towards Rowen.
The moment its strange four arms were about to touch Rowen, a light *shuuk* sound was heard, and thin lines appeared on the Fury’s arms.
The next moment, all of the Fury’s arms fell to the ground without touching Rowen.
That’s right.
The arms fell, not floating in the air.
Because I could grasp the entirety of the technique with ‘Dimension,’ I was awestruck by its abnormal swordsmanship.
There was no other word for it but divine skill.
Even with ‘Dimension’s’ grasping ability, I couldn’t detect any preparatory movements from Rowen. Until the very moment he moved, Rowen was definitely not exerting any force anywhere on his body.
And at the instant the monster’s attack reached him, Rowen swung his sword with the maximum efficiency the human body could move.
That was all.
Though it sounds like a simple act when put into words, the impact of witnessing it was beyond description.
Even surrounded by all the world’s artworks, I doubted any could surpass this impact. Truly, Rowen’s sword had reached a realm beyond art.
To swing a sword.
To do so with maximum efficiency means to perform every movement without a single ounce of waste, to within a hair’s breadth of accuracy.
In other words, it means swinging a sword within a time frame differing by less than a hundred-millionth of a second, with a body weight transfer deviating by less than a hundred-millionth of a gram, following a trajectory differing by less than a hundred-millionth of a meter.
Such an astronomically difficult sword flash was effortlessly accomplished by Rowen.
Because I could understand its difficulty through ‘Dimension,’ I could do nothing but be awestruck.
It was no longer a matter of how to relax one’s strength, how to move one’s feet, how to swing one’s arms, or how to move the sword.
It was the ultimate utilization of the human body, transcending the theory of swordsmanship.
While I was frozen in awe, more lines appeared, and the Fury disintegrated into pieces.
For the Fury, it probably looked as if Rowen had simply been standing there the entire time.
In that state, he sliced it to pieces, dissipated all its momentum, and dropped its parts to the ground.
As the Fury faded into light, Rowen turned around.
To my surprise, not a drop of blood, not even on his sword, was to be seen.
His sword had been too fast, leaving everything behind.
“—About 30% of my peak condition.”
Rowen returned to me with a displeased look.
“That’s… all?”
I questioned him. After witnessing such divine skill, it was hard to believe it wasn’t even half of his strength.
“Yeah, it’s still slow. But it can’t be helped. I was summoned as the guardian of the 30th floor, so my strength is likely fixed to match the rank of the 30th floor.”
“Your strength is fixed…?”
“Yeah. If the boss of the 30th floor wasn’t strong enough for the 30th floor, people would be in trouble, right?”
“…That’s a surprisingly kind explanation.”
“Yeah, this labyrinth is kind to humans. It seems someone kind created it.”
Rowen spoke about the labyrinth’s origins as if it were nothing.
This was likely information unknown to anyone on the surface.
“So, this labyrinth was created by ‘someone’…?”
“Yeah, it’s a ‘rule’ that I can’t say who created it… But it’s certain that ‘someone’ created it…”
Rowen smiled meaningfully.
It seemed there were limits to the information guardians could provide to explorers. He expressed these limits as ‘rules.’
However, this was important information.
I couldn’t just back down easily.
“How much do you know about this labyrinth, Rowen?”
“Not much, really. All I know is that I have a mission to guide humans to the 100th floor in exchange for an opportunity to resolve my ‘Lingering Desire’.”
“Guide…?”
Rowen pondered for a moment, then shook his head and answered concisely.
I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.
Perhaps, according to the ‘rules,’ he was compelled to answer that way.
I tried to probe for the truth by looking at Rowen’s complexion, but he smiled faintly and shook his head again.
“I’m telling the truth. I swear to my friend, it’s not a lie… My guardian transformation was so haphazard, I wasn’t given any proper explanation. The day Reaper and I were glaring at each other, I was suddenly swallowed up. Without any explanation.”
“Swallowed up…?”
“Yeah, swallowed by the continent. There’s a magic—no, a magic circle like that. And then, Reaper and I were whisked away to the labyrinth without us realizing it.”
“…I understand. …So, could you tell me about that ‘day’ next? I want to know about Rowen and Reaper’s past.”
“There’s not much to our past. I was a knight who participated in a certain war, and Reaper was a magic [unit] deployed in that war. That’s all. Yeah, that was really all…”
Rowen smiled as he reminisced.
From that smile, I could tell he was recalling his encounter with Reaper in the past.
Wanting any scrap of information, I pressed on.
“How long ago was that past? You were surprised looking at the sky this morning, was the world that different?”
“Hmm. I believe they said I’d be summoned a thousand years later… so, probably a thousand years ago. After all, the world changes a lot in a thousand years. I was truly surprised by the color of the sky.”
“A thousand years ago…?”
“It was a boring era filled with wars. I was a knight who aimed to make a name for myself there, but fell before achieving my ambition.”
Rowen spoke of his end as if it were nothing.
His words contained various emotions. I could sense not only regret and sorrow but also nostalgia.
Unsure of what to say to someone who had died, I fell silent.
However, Rowen looked at me and laughed.
“Haha, so don’t worry about it. Life is like that—dying without any ‘Lingering Desire’ is rare.”
“Perhaps… but even so, I can’t laugh when facing someone who has died…”
“You’re so serious, Kanami. Let’s be more laid-back?”
“Laid-back…?”
Rowen shrugged his shoulders as if urging me to relax.
“Yeah, you should enjoy yourself more. Enjoy this labyrinth.”
“Enjoy… what?”
“The deeper you delve into the labyrinth, the stronger you become. Isn’t becoming stronger fun?”
The labyrinth guardian’s words were significant.
It was as if he were saying the labyrinth was prepared to make humans stronger. He didn’t explicitly state it, but his wording suggested his perception of the labyrinth.
“Yes, that’s true. Becoming stronger is definitely fun…”
My gamer instincts were certainly enjoying the process of leveling up.
I answered honestly that it was fun, without any lies.
“Yeah, I want you to become even stronger. That’s why I brought you to the labyrinth.”
“Um, so you’re saying…?”
“You want to become stronger to protect your own life. As a guardian, I want to make a promising individual like Kanami stronger. Our interests align. And the labyrinth is the perfect training ground.”
It seemed Rowen had a considerable reason for bringing me to the labyrinth.
“Um, guardians have the role of guiding humans to the 100th floor, so does that mean you’re making humans stronger for that purpose?”
“Yeah.”
It was hard to believe.
I heard that the 100th floor held the power to grant any wish.
Wouldn’t the natural course of action be to protect that power, rather than to hinder exploration?
“The 100th floor has incredible treasures, or rather, power, right? Doesn’t that mean guardians exist to pass that power on to humans? Really?”
“Hmm, I don’t know about that.”
I posed a natural question. However, Rowen’s reaction was dismissive.
“You don’t know…?”
“It’s certain that there’s an unusual amount of ‘power’ accumulated on the 100th floor. But I haven’t been told to protect it or to pass it on. I’m just told to guide people, so that’s what I’ll do.”
“Your role as a guardian is quite… casual, isn’t it?”
“I agree. The whole setup feels a bit lax. —Unlike usual.”
Rowen agreed with my words and fell silent.
Could “unlike usual” refer to the “someone” who created the labyrinth?
Rowen wouldn’t talk about that “someone.” It was against the rules.
So, I shifted the topic not to what Rowen couldn’t say, but to what he could.
“I greatly welcome you helping me get stronger, but are you okay with this? If I get stronger, won’t it become harder for you to win the ‘Dance Battle Tournament’ you’re aiming for?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. The stronger my opponents, the greater the glory I will achieve. It’s not a bad thing for me either. Besides, the ‘Dance Battle Tournament’ isn’t the only path to glory. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll think of the next step.”
“…Understood.”
For me, it was all the same.
Rowen had to clear various difficult conditions to achieve his goal, but that wasn’t the case for me.
Everything would be resolved if I became stronger.
If I became stronger, no one could threaten me. If I became stronger, I could always eliminate Rowen one-on-one. If I became stronger, I could forcefully extract information about memories, whether from Palinkron or those girls.
While I dislike forceful methods, my options would certainly increase.
“Alright, let’s aim to become stronger for now. Rowen, let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s head towards the 30th floor or so for now.”
It was the same as always, in the end.
I would get stronger through labyrinth exploration and save money.
The situation wouldn’t change dramatically, but this was the most reliable and almost correct path.
I proceeded deeper into the labyrinth with Rowen.
◆◆◆◆◆
Unlike Snow, Rowen was a very cooperative partner.
He never slacked off or complained. That alone was a great help. More importantly, his fighting style, unlike the rough approach of Snow, was based on meticulous calculation, which was superb.
He emphasized coordination with his allies, fighting in a way that led to more efficient combat results. This suited me well.
Frankly, he was a hundred times easier to fight with than Snow.
Although the sword he used was ordinary and ineffective against enemies like Crystal Golems, his ability to disrupt the enemy as a vanguard was tremendous.
He would continuously evade attacks right in front of the enemy, sometimes even using martial arts similar to Aikido to break the opponent’s stance. With his superb decoy tactics, he improved efficiency and reduced the required time by about half.
We reached the 30th floor in about half the time it took yesterday.
Although we encountered some trouble on the 29th floor, which had an unfilled map, Rowen’s detection ability quickly showed us the way.
We took a breather on the 30th floor, where there were no enemies, and sat down on rocks that glowed with seven colors.
“…Kanami, you have good magic.”
Rowen seemed to be able to see the ‘Dimension’ I had deployed, pointing at the surrounding magical energy and praising the magic.
“You mean the dimensional magic I’m currently deploying?”
“Yeah. You can follow my movements with your eyes thanks to that magic, right?”
“That’s right. Thanks to this dimensional magic, I’ve been helped in many ways.”
If I didn’t have this dimensional magic, I might still be stuck around the 10th floor of the labyrinth.
It constituted a large portion of my strength.
“Kanami’s own talent is also excellent. This should make things easier.”
“Easier? Easier to do what?”
“With Kanami’s ‘Dexterity’ and ‘Aptitude,’ I think I can teach him my ‘Swordsmanship’.”
Rowen said something incredible with a nonchalant expression.
“Huh? Teach me that sword technique…?”
I recalled Rowen’s divine flash I had witnessed on the 21st floor and couldn’t believe his words.
“Yeah, you’re a more talented person than you think, Kanami. With that much ‘Dexterity’ and ‘Aptitude,’ there’s no way you couldn’t learn it. I believe you can learn any normal skill.”
Rowen repeated the words ‘Dexterity’ and ‘Aptitude.’
He likely meant stats.
“Are ‘Dexterity’ and ‘Aptitude,’ these numbers, related to skills…?”
“Yeah, they are. Though, I’m not that knowledgeable, so I can’t explain it. The concepts of stats and skills only started spreading right before I died…”
The concepts of stats and skills seemed to have originated a thousand years ago.
And according to Rowen’s knowledge, who knew their origin, the numerical values of stats seemed to be related to skill acquisition.
“…Does having high stats mean it’s easier to learn skills?”
“That’s right. You could probably learn every skill in this world without question, Kanami. And very easily, too.”
“Everything…? That’s absurd…”
It was hard to believe.
Indeed, I was confident in my superior stats.
The priest at Laura Via, introduced through Palinkron’s connections, would stare in astonishment every time he checked my level and stats.
However, even so, I couldn’t believe I could easily replicate that sword technique.
“It’s not a lie. As a dimensional magic user, Kanami, you definitely can.”
“I-If that’s the case, shouldn’t I have more skills? Right now, I only have three skills: ‘Dimensional Magic,’ ‘Ice Magic,’ and ‘Swordsmanship.’ If I could learn them so easily, I should have more skills by now, shouldn’t I?”
“That’s because you haven’t tried to learn them. Perhaps subconsciously, you thought skills couldn’t be gained so easily?”
“Well, I guess I do think that…”
The general consensus is that one gains one or two skills in a lifetime.
That’s the common sense in this world, and it’s the common sense I’ve acquired.
“Listen. It’s easy as long as the conditions are met. Dimensional magic users are generally good at observing. By carefully watching the movements of someone with a skill using your dimensional magic, you can learn it. That alone is enough to acquire a skill.”
“Observing with dimensional magic…”
“Kanami can perceive and recognize an astonishing amount of information and remember it all. And you also have the talent to perfectly mimic it. You will surely be able to replicate my sword technique.”
Rowen declared, holding his sword in a formal stance.
It was his first stance today.
Rowen assumed the stance like a demonstration and lightly swung his sword down.
It was a light but too perfect downward swing.
It looked like one complete sword technique.
Its refinement felt historical.
“Was that… a sword technique from a certain school…?”
“…As expected. …The fact that you perceived that downward swing as ‘a certain technique’ means you are abnormal, Kanami. Normally, it would look like just swinging a sword. But you, Kanami, were able to judge that it was ‘a certain technique’ at first glance, based on the creaking of the flesh, the shift in balance, the fixed gaze, the unique way of releasing force, the swing of the arm, and the overall composition. You should understand how amazing that is.”
“…………”
I couldn’t refute Rowen’s point.
Lately, I’ve been deploying dimensional magic as long as I’m conscious. And it’s become a habit to try and understand phenomena within its range.
It’s a survival technique to get accustomed to this unfamiliar world.
However, as my level increases, this survival technique seems to be transforming into something extraordinary.
Indeed, with my current abilities, I might not be unable to understand phenomena within the range of human movement.
To use an analogy from my world—
I could discern the secret of any magician’s illusion before they even performed it—
I could know the pitch and speed of a professional baseball pitcher’s throw before they threw it—
And I could understand the mechanism of a secret martial arts technique, with thousands of years of history, before even receiving it.
—And probably, after seeing it just once.
By replacing it with familiar events, I reconfirmed the strangeness of the situation.
“For now, I intend to have Kanami copy all of my skills. And my most confident skill is ‘Swordsmanship.’ First, I will teach you my ‘sword’.”
Rowen gracefully swung his sword again.
He unleashed perfect slashes from the upper, diagonal, and horizontal positions, from every angle and in every posture.
And his eyes were constantly fixed on me.
Apparently, he wanted me to watch and imitate.
“If you’re going to teach me, I’ll imitate without hesitation… —Magic ‘Dimension – Decisive Calculation’.”
I grasped the beautiful sword movements with my dimensional magic.
I filled the area around Rowen with magic power, collecting information on his every move seamlessly.
It wasn’t just the simple physical movements. I also obtained subtle information such as Rowen’s minute fluctuations in magic power, heartbeat, blood pressure, perspiration, and eye movement.
A technique is not achieved by the body alone.
The mental state involved plays a significant role.
To mimic even that mental state, I gathered all sorts of information.
A state that one would reach after tireless repetitive practice.
I completely memorized the downward swing, the diagonal cut, the body split, the thrust, the parry—and all unknown movements as well.
Looking back, I had never meticulously observed anything like this before.
In battle, it was important to acquire the minimum necessary information with the least effort. Therefore, the idea of stealing techniques from others with ‘Dimension’ had never occurred to me.
When Rowen’s magnificent performance ended, I began to swing my sword, imitating him.
Thanks to my extraordinary observation skills and memory, I mimicked the glamorous performance.
Of course, my movements were slower compared to Rowen’s.
However, I was confident in performing the exact same movements.
As a dimensional magic user, it was possible for me.
“Oh, wow. To replicate it perfectly after seeing it just once. Any swordsman who trains seriously would go mad.”
Rowen praised me with an amazed exclamation, clapping his hands at my slow-motion performance.
“No, it’s easy for me due to my magic’s characteristics. Just imitating.”
“No, no, for an ordinary person, that ‘just imitating’ takes years…”
Rowen chuckled wryly and unleashed various sword forms again.
As I watched, I admonished myself for my flippant remark. Even Rowen, who repeated divine techniques as if they were simple, must have had a training period in the past. What I just said was disrespectful to that.
“Um, sorry, Rowen.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me. You should apologize to all the swordsmen in the world. I’m in a very good mood because a promising disciple has appeared.”
“Huh? A disciple?”
I stiffened slightly at his remark.
“Yeah! I’ll have you master my Aleis-style ‘Swordsmanship’ before the ‘Dance Battle Tournament’…!!”
Rowen, puffing out his chest, unilaterally declared me his disciple.
Given that he had already started treating me as a best friend, it was likely that Rowen had a tendency to get carried away.
However, the Aleis family…
I recalled that in this era, they were a noble family with a Sword Saint.
Rowen might be one of their ancestors.
Rowen continued his fantastical story with excitement.
“And then, master and disciple facing off in the finals of the ‘Dance Battle Tournament.’ The Aleis-style sword would dance elegantly, and people would be captivated by its beautiful swordplay. This way, even if I lost, I would gain glory as the master of the champion, Kanami. —’Hmph, my first disciple Kanami… Well done for surpassing your master… Seeing your growth brings me both joy and sorrow… At this moment, I bestow upon you the full mastery of the Aleis-style ‘Swordsmanship’…’ How about a line like that? I’ll be the center of attention as a wise master who taught a legendary sword technique to the people!”
“Yeah. Well, if that’s what makes you happy, master, then I guess being your disciple is fine…”
Aside from the cliché progression, it wasn’t a bad deal. No one would lose out.
Regardless of who won, Rowen would gain glory. And I would be able to learn Rowen’s ‘Swordsmanship.’
“This will be conspicuous! Not bad at all!”
Rowen, like a child, dreamt of the glory at the ‘Dance Battle Tournament.’
“Calm down, Master. Take a deep breath and teach me the next sword technique.”
After completing my imitation sword dance, I urged Master Rowen for the next lesson.
Being called Master, Rowen’s relaxed expression softened even further. He twirled his sword like a baton, making it sparkle like a dance, and declared:
“Hmph, very well. I, Rowen Aleis, the third head of the Aleis family, hereby swear! To make Nanami Aikawa the ‘Successor of Aleis Swordsmanship’!”
He had a beautiful smile.
He looked genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
And that made me happy.
Therefore, I thought this master-and-disciple game wasn’t bad, and called Rowen “Master.”
It’s good to have fun.
That alone can push away most hardships.
With a wry smile, I etched Rowen’s image into my memory.
Even if unavoidable death awaited him, Rowen Aleis looked truly happy from the bottom of his heart.
If that was the case, I didn’t feel like stopping him.
