Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 161

After hunting a decent number of monsters on the second floor, we descended to the third. That’s all well and good, but the third floor is the worst.

“It’s amazing,” Mïna commented.
“Indeed. A sea of sand stretching as far as the eye can see… So this is a desert,” Mana added.

As Mïna and Mana said, the third floor of the Solpreza Labyrinth was a desert. Although we had gathered information beforehand, seeing this vast sea of sand with our own eyes was overwhelming. However, with the current time being past 3:30 PM, if we don’t break through in just over two hours, we’ll have to make camp on this floor for the night, which would be the worst-case scenario.

“Still, it’s hot here,” Ludia remarked.
“There’s nothing to block the sunlight, so it might be better to move after the sun starts to set,” Lydia suggested.
I thought Ludia and Lydia would know, but it seems that wasn’t the case. Perhaps I’m the only one among us with knowledge of deserts?

“Everyone, how much do you know about deserts?” I asked.
“Perhaps that it’s a sea of sand, and it gets a little cold at night?” Eos replied.
“I don’t know much more than Sir Yuri, either,” Athena said.
Yuri and Viola also spoke up, but everyone else seemed to know about the same amount.

“When it comes to deserts, there’s only the Praia Desert in Solemne. Other than that, it’s probably just labyrinths, right?” Mana said.
Mana’s words made me realize that, indeed, the Praia Desert in Solemne is the only desert on the Helios Orb. The others are labyrinths. Among us, only Mana and Eos have entered a labyrinth before, and Eos mentioned she had no experience with desert floors. Mana, on the other hand, has only experienced the Float Labyrinth near the Royal Capital of Float, and that labyrinth, with all 18 floors conquered, apparently has no desert levels. It’s understandable that everyone else wouldn’t know much.

“Desert nights can get as cold as mid-winter. It’s scorching now, but as the sun begins to set, the temperature will gradually drop,” I explained.
During the day, the intense sunlight can even cause burns if you’re lightly clothed.

“Is that so?” Lord Yamato asked.
“It’s knowledge from Earth, but I don’t think it’s that different. So, even if it’s a bit of a stretch, it’s better to descend to the fourth floor.”
Monsters like Sand Worms and Desert Scorpions often attack from beneath the sand, so the danger level here is far beyond what we’ve encountered so far. Plus, the fourth floor is said to be a forest, so it will undoubtedly be more comfortable than this floor.

“If that’s the case, we should hurry,” Mïna said.
“Yes. I don’t think there will be a problem with this Beast Carriage, but we’ll still need a night watch, so it seems like it will be a significant burden for the Hunters,” Viola added.
That’s also a problem. If we can’t reach a Safe Area, we’ll have to make camp somewhere. But of course, monsters attack even at night, so a night watch is essential. Even if we do reach a Safe Area, there might be others there already, and we’ll need to be vigilant for them as well. I doubt any Hunters in the Solpreza Labyrinth would camp on this floor, but we still need to be cautious.

“The entrance to the fourth floor is about three hours east from here, isn’t it?” Ludia asked.
“Something like that. But there are no landmarks, so even if we think we’re going straight, we might find ourselves slightly off course,” I replied.
The grasslands on the first floor had plenty of landmarks, so we didn’t get lost. But on this third floor, there’s truly nothing to use as a marker. What’s worse, the Solpreza Labyrinth is said to be widest on this third floor, and many have become casualties here.

“There’s no other way, let’s skip this floor. Eos, I’m sorry for asking you to do this in the heat, but can you fly?” I requested.
“Understood,” Eos replied.
That might be the best option. If it were daytime, we might have been able to explore it, but with dusk approaching, we must avoid wasting time. Ah, I need to give this to Eos, though I’m not sure how effective it will be for her as a Green Dragonian.

“Eos, I apologize for the makeshift solution, but please wear this around your neck. I think it will mitigate the sunlight and heat a little,” I said, handing her the item.
“This… is this Sky Serpent leather? And a magic stone?” Eos tilted her head, but this Sky Serpent magic stone has E-rank water-attribute wide-area Water and E-rank wind-attribute wide-area Air magic circles inscribed, as well as a D-rank darkness-attribute interference Dark Shade magic circle. Air can manipulate the airflow within its area, and Water can control water. Since water-attribute Engraving Magic also includes ice-elemental magic, using Air and Water simultaneously can create a simple cooling system. In fact, current air conditioners incorporate Air and Water, along with an E-rank fire-attribute wide-area Heat magic circle. Dark Shade is a darkness-attribute magic circle that can block light. Although I have low aptitude for darkness-attribute Engraving Magic and am not good at it, I can use it without issue up to around C-rank. Therefore, by incorporating Dark Shade, Eos should be able to block sunlight at her will.

“That would be a great help. Thank you, I’ll gratefully accept it,” Eos said.
It would be a burden on Eos, so I had to do something. I wrapped the Sky Serpent leather, containing the magic stone, around Eos’s neck as she transformed into her Green Dragonian form. She lowered her head to make it easier to wrap, but it still looked like a dragon wearing a muffler. Well, it’s only for this time, and as long as it lasts for this floor, it should be fine.

“How is it, Eos?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s very cool, and the sunlight doesn’t bother me anymore. Thank you, Lord Yamato,” Eos replied.
I wasn’t sure how effective it would be on Eos’s massive body, but it seemed to be working fine. Alright, let’s get going then.

“Let’s go,” I said.
“Understood,” Eos replied.
Everyone got into the Beast Carriage, and Eos, carrying the carriage, took flight. There would likely be flying monsters here too, so I took my position as lookout in the driver’s seat. Eos had already dragonized twice today, so I couldn’t push her too hard, and with Fly Wind, I could take off anytime.

“Most monsters wouldn’t be able to catch me if they were around S-rank,” Eos stated.
“It’s just in case. Besides, I can’t put all the burden on Eos,” I explained.
Athena, with her cheeks puffed out, sat next to me. Eos, having formed a Dragon Resonance Contract with Mana, is not my fiancée. Athena, on the other hand, is genuinely my contractor and, furthermore, my fiancée. I need to make sure to communicate with Athena properly instead of just focusing on Eos.

“Sorry, Athena. I didn’t expect to be flying in a labyrinth, so I have to do what I can,” I apologized.
“I understand. I don’t want to burden Eos either,” Athena replied.
Athena also has a Dragon Resonance Contract with me. She told me that she wouldn’t run out of mana even if she transformed into an Earth Light Dragonian for short periods, but I’m still worried. A Dragon Resonance Contract is a ritual to resonate the magic power of a Dragonian and oneself. By performing this ritual, one’s magic power is amplified, and the magic power consumption when using Dragon Transformation magic is reduced. I’ve heard that Eos, a Hydragonian who contracted with the High Elf Mana, won’t run out of mana even if she fights for a short time. However, Athena is apparently the first Dragonian to form a Dragon Resonance Contract with an Ancient Class, and it’s said that this might be a burden on her. I believe it will be alright once Athena evolves into a High Class, but in her current state, she might suffer from acute mana fluctuation syndrome. That’s partly why I don’t want Athena to transform into an Earth Light Dragonian rashly.

“Th-that’s right. You’re considerate, thank you…” Athena said, blushing intensely.
Even though I said it myself, it’s quite embarrassing.

“But I want to know what it feels like. So, I’m going to try transforming too,” Athena declared.
“Alright. But don’t push yourself, okay? Eos will help you, but if you overdo it, it could be irreversible,” I warned.
“Yeah, I understand,” Athena replied, smiling brightly. She already looks younger than her age, so she’s incredibly cute. For a Dragonian, 84 years old is equivalent to just before 17 for other races, so while she’s the same age as Lydia and Ludia, one could also believe she’s the same age as Yuri. However, Athena wants to know how the Dragon Resonance Contract with me will affect her complete transformation, so we’ll have her try within her limits. Of course, I intend to provide as much support as possible.

“Lord Yamato, Desert Drake and Sky Scorpion approaching from ahead,” a voice announced.
An attack from monsters at this point? If they came from behind or the sides, we might be able to shake them off, but coming from the front makes that impossible.

“Understood. Athena, please tell everyone,” I said.
“Okay. Be careful!” she replied.
I returned Athena to the Beast Carriage and used Fly Wind to launch myself from the driver’s seat. There were three Desert Drakes and five Sky Scorpions.

Desert Drakes are a subspecies of Armor Drake specialized for deserts. Apart from labyrinths, they are found only in the Praia Desert. However, since most of the Praia Desert is sealed off, most of the Desert Drake materials available on the market are from labyrinths. Sky Scorpions are flying scorpions with insect-like wings. They are naturally occurring monsters, so they aren’t ranked specifically as W-rank. Both are S-rank monsters. The Desert Drake is specialized for deserts, and the Sky Scorpion is small for a flying monster, which contributes to its ranking.

I had Eos slow down and moved to the front, deciding to use my Unique Magic, Ice Edge Javelin, which combines Multi Edge and Ice Sphere. Ice Edge Javelin is a magic that uses Multi Edge activated with Blood Shaking or Mist Solution and fires it like a javelin using ice-attribute magic. This time, I activated Blood Shaking. You might wonder why it needs to be shaped like a spear; Multi Edge is a dagger, and by itself, it lacks mass and decisive power. Therefore, I decided to compensate for its mass with ice-attribute magic, and by combining it with Ice Sphere, Accelerating Magic, and Telekinetic Magic, I developed it to function like a guided missile. Since this is the first time I’m actually using it, I need to test its usability thoroughly. The Ice Edge Javelin easily pierced the exoskeletons of the Sky Scorpions. As ice spread from the point of impact, and their internal moisture violently shook due to Blood Shaking, they fell one after another into the desert. The Desert Drakes, on the other hand, seemed to be using a combination of wind and earth attribute magic, creating sandstorms to slow down the speed of the Ice Edge Javelins and evade them. However, I had fully anticipated that some monsters would act this way. I manipulated the evaded Ice Edge Javelins like Ice Spheres, making them move towards the Desert Drakes again like guided projectiles. Unlike the spherical Ice Sphere, it requires effort to aim the Multi Edge blades in the direction of travel, but Telekinetic Magic makes it manageable. The Desert Drakes seemed surprised that the evaded Ice Edge Javelins were changing direction and attacking them, and without being able to do anything, they took direct hits, froze from the impact point, and fell like the Sky Scorpions, their internal blood vessels destroyed. It’s powerful, but Ice Sphere seems superior in terms of usability. It’s probably a matter of getting used to it, but with over 20 of them, I can’t keep up with the operation. Next time, I’ll reduce the number and increase the mass. While collecting the falling Desert Drakes and Sky Scorpions using Telekinetic Magic, I began to consider how to further improve the Ice Edge Javelin.