Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 212

The report to Gadler, the Hunter’s Master of Instant, continued.

“What? There were only two Safe Areas on the fifth floor?”

“We synthesized it with the map created by Wing Crest, so the possibility is high.”

Saying that, Slei-san brought up the mapping of the fifth floor from the Statering.

The fifth floor descends near the center, and Slei-san’s group proceeded to the southwest, while we proceeded to the northwest, merging in the south.

We, who went northwest, passed through the north and exited to the east. From there, we returned to our starting point and decided to head south. While navigating the labyrinth, we ended up in the southwest and then returned south again.

Meanwhile, Slei-san’s group chose to proceed southwest, then went north, found a Safe Area, and made camp there.

After that, they exited to the east from the north, avoided the southeast completely, and emerged in the south. There, they found the problematic treasure chest trap, and then merged with us.

Hunter’s Magic Mapping only records the routes traveled by the user in labyrinth floors, but it can be synthesized with the mapping of others.

When we synthesized and confirmed it with Slei-san’s map, it turned out we had proceeded while neatly avoiding the northwest Safe Area.

Thanks to that, we found that the southeast of the synthesized map was a blank area, so maybe it was all for the best.

“This is troublesome again. The Safe Area leading to the sixth floor, according to the map, requires passing through the northwest to the north. Moreover, the northwest Safe Area is very close, so if a high-rank undead were to attack us on the way, ordinary hunters would be no match for it.”

“I thought so too. Looking at just the fifth floor, there are undead in enclosed spaces, a difficult labyrinth, and even new types of traps. As everyone said, this labyrinth has a nasty personality.”

Emperor Reinhardt added to Gadler, who was frowning, and everyone nodded.

“Indeed. But you said only the fifth floor, does that mean there was something else on other floors too?”

“Yes, there was. We will report on it later, so Slei, please continue.”

“Understood. With the cooperation of Wing Crest, we were able to reach the sixth floor safely. However, the sixth floor was a desert.”

“It really is nasty. A desert after an undead labyrinth.”

I was told later that few hunters make camp in the desert at night because it gets cold.

Rather, everyone avoids it unless they absolutely have to camp, and Slei-san’s group said that if they had reached the sixth floor as they were, they would have returned to the fifth floor without hesitation.

Slei-san’s group’s Beast Carriage also has a Mirror Room, but it’s only for enchantments like x3 or x5, so sleeping in the carriage is tough, and the night watch has to go outside, which they apparently don’t want to do if possible.

In contrast, our two Beast Carriages are equipped with spacious Mirror Rooms, and the observation seats and decks have magic enchantments that block out the outside air, so we didn’t feel the cold even on a desert night.

So, including the night watch, we didn’t freeze from the cold.

“So, without shivering from the cold, we were able to heal our wounds in our warm Beast Carriages.”

“Truly amazing, that Beast Carriage.”

“Visually, it’s like a ship that runs on land, but we’ve personally experienced its usefulness.”

“I see. You said you’d show me later, so I’ll be looking forward to it.”

I’m a bit worried about being too eagerly anticipated since it’s a prototype, but I’m confident it’s undeniably convenient, yes.

“The next morning, that is, this morning, Wing Crest was scheduled to leave the labyrinth around noon, so we followed suit and decided to end our survey there.”

“In other words, Wing Crest also accompanied you on the survey?”

“Yes. Thanks to that, the survey progressed smoothly, so it was a great help to us.”

It was also a great help to us, as we were able to witness the coordination and skill of veteran hunters, and hear about the usability of the Beast Carriages.

Slei-san then explained that as he proceeded along the path, they found the first Safe Area, and about an hour further on, they found a town. He also reported that the demi-humans in that town were Rune Valkyries, Venus Amazones, and Shell Sirens.

“Valkyries, Amazons, and higher-class Sirens in a horde? Creatures that kill each other on sight?”

“We were surprised too. It’s true that there was an oasis to the east of the town and a forest to the west, but we never expected to find three species there.”

“That’s understandable. While it’s true that such an environment would make you wonder what’s there, even so, three higher-class demi-human species in one place is unheard of in a normal labyrinth.”

There are many labyrinths where demi-humans appear, but they never appear simultaneously with other species. While multiple demi-humans may inhabit the same floor, they will kill each other on sight, allowing the exploring hunters to escape the area.

However, the Rune Valkyries, Venus Amazones, and Shell Sirens that appeared on the sixth floor of the Instant Labyrinth not only didn’t kill each other but attacked us cooperatively.

Slei-san’s group was initially surprised, but it was fortunate that I and Prim were able to confront the Rune Valkyries, Wing Crest and His Majesty’s group confronted the Shell Sirens, and Alliance confronted the Venus Amazones, allowing us to defeat them before they could fully cooperate.

“And there were so many of them. In that case, we’ll just have to go around the town.”

Gadler said so, and it’s usually the correct way to think.

However, in the case of the Instant Labyrinth, there are reasons why that’s not possible.

“No, we cannot do that.”

“Why?”

“It’s extremely troublesome, but there is a Safe Area deep within the town, and that’s where the Guardian’s Chamber was.”

Gadler clutched his head at Slei-san’s words.

“That… it is certainly extremely troublesome. There are limits to being nasty.”

“I agree. Furthermore, we encountered them about 20 minutes after entering the town, but it took another 30 minutes to reach the Guardian’s Chamber. Of course, if we hurried, we could arrive a bit faster, but while it might be possible to escape with the Amazons or Sirens, we cannot escape from the Valkyries with a Beast Carriage.”

Sirens are aquatic demi-humans, so even if their combat ability is unknown, their movement speed is inferior to Amazons. Amazons, perhaps because they inhabit forests, are as fast as Battle Horses. However, considering the sixth floor is a desert, the speed of the higher-class Venus Amazons may be reduced.

But Valkyries can fly, so the terrain doesn’t matter, and more importantly, their flight speed far surpasses that of Battle Horses, so we would absolutely not be able to escape with a Beast Carriage. When those Valkyries swarm and attack, I think escaping to the Guardian’s Chamber, which is about an hour away, involves a great deal of luck.

“That’s the ultimate kicker. So, confirming the Guardian’s Chamber means you confirmed the Guardian too, right? What was the Guardian?”

“It was a Mithril Colossus.”

“…What?”

“A Mithril Colossus. An A-C rank monster.”

The moment Slei-san reported that the Guardian was a Mithril Colossus, Gadler truly began to despair.

“There was still more… How are we supposed to conquer such a labyrinth?”

Gadler wore a sorrowful expression, but then a helping hand (?) was extended.

“Um, it’s difficult to say, but actually, we succeeded in defeating the Mithril Colossus.”

“What!? We succeeded in defeating it!”

“Yes. However, we didn’t do anything. Yamato and Prim were the ones who defeated it.”

As if a “gruun” sound effect echoed, Gadler’s eyes darted between me and Prim with astonished eyes.

It’s interesting to watch.

“Even we who saw it directly still can’t believe it, but they one-sidedly defeated the Mithril Colossus. We don’t fully understand what happened, so it’s difficult to explain…”

Well, what happened was that we simply attacked and tested Ice Mist Explosion and Flare Tornado? Of course, given the opponent, I donned Wing Burst, and Prim donned Extreme Flame Wing. Furthermore, we used our full Magic Power and went all out.

“Hunter’s Master, I think you’re better off not knowing what happened.”

Just as I was thinking that, Emperor Reinhardt spoke first.

Well, what about that?

And not just Alliance, but even our own members are nodding deeply, which I really can’t accept!

“I am starting to feel that way too… Then you recovered the Labyrinth Core, right?”

“Yes, Yamato has it.”

Yes, I’ve had the Labyrinth Core with me since before I joined the Hunter’s Guild. I was going to hand it over to the Alliance leader, Slei-san, but he flatly refused. So, I had no choice but to carry it, and I never expected Hunter’s Master Gadler to not notice it.

“I thought it was an unusually large Magic Stone, so it was the Labyrinth Core? I’ve never seen one before, so I didn’t know.”

So that’s what it is. It’s true that a Labyrinth Core does resemble a Magic Stone. A normal Magic Stone is about the size of a clenched fist, and even for large monsters, it’s rarely much bigger. However, for magical creatures like golems, when defeated, they drop a Magic Stone of the same size as their core. Furthermore, if the core is exposed, it’s easy to extract just the Magic Stone, so they are not brought to the Crafter’s Guild for dismantling. In fact, the Magic Stone of the Mithril Colossus was also recovered properly from where I destroyed the core. It was a Magic Stone about a basketball’s size, so at first glance, it was hard to tell which was the Labyrinth Core. Of course, since it’s the Guardian’s Magic Stone, I will properly present it upon returning to Amagi Castle.

“Whether His Majesty’s presence here is good or bad fortune, I cannot judge.”

“That’s my line as well. Coming to the Instant Labyrinth was accidental, and I had no intention of conquering it. However, it has been a good experience for me to have coincidentally joined Alliance. We cannot participate in Alliance, you know.”

Emperor Reinhardt is the king of this country, so of course he cannot participate in Alliance. It might be different if he abdicated, but if the king dies in battle as a result of participating in Alliance, no one knows what will happen to the country, so it’s natural.

“Regarding that, I will refrain from commenting. So, do you also have a report from Your Majesty’s group?”

“Ah. Yamato, please.”

“Understood.”

Since Slei-san is the leader of Wing Crest, the report to Gadler also comes from me. I think His Majesty could have done it, but I was told it’s proper for the Raid Leader to report, so I couldn’t argue.

“Well, have you received the report from Sacred Bird?”

“Ah. It seems there was a cleverly set up Monster’s Trap near a passage on the third floor? And what appeared was a Saur species, not found in Amister, what kind of joke is this?”

“I agree with that, but if Sacred Bird has reported it, then we’ll just be supplementing it.”

Sacred Bird retreated near the passage while fighting a Spike Turtle, and then the Monster’s Trap was activated. We witnessed the activation of the trap from a distance, so we conveyed the scene.

“A complex Magic Circle? It’s true that Monster’s Traps are Magic Circles, but they’re not particularly complex, are they?”

Ordinary Monster’s Traps are said to be an eight-pointed star representing the attribute of magic, or a six-pointed star excluding light and darkness. However, the Monster’s Trap that Sacred Bird fell into had about five eight-pointed stars floating within a circle, and they seemed to be intertwined.

“That’s… I don’t know what to say.”

“One speculation is the possibility of being summoned from another labyrinth. Or from the outside.”

As much as I say it myself, I don’t think it’s from the outside. The monsters that appeared from the Monster’s Trap weren’t just Titanosaurus, Megalosaurus, and Macronaria, but also Evil Drake, Sword Drake, and Demons Drake.

“That’s a vicious lineup. Indeed, rather than from outside, it’s more convincing to say they were summoned from some labyrinth. If that’s the case, the most likely candidate is Valentia, but I heard that the Solpreza Labyrinth was also conquered recently, so it’s completely unclear where the summoning source is.”

It’s true that it’s unlikely to be a conquered labyrinth. Valentia still has unconquered labyrinths, so I think it’s one of them, but I have no idea which one. In the first place, my guess might not even be correct.

“And besides, Hunter’s Master, you know that the Solpreza Labyrinth was conquered, but you don’t know *who* conquered it?”

H.R.H. Maruca pointed out to Gadler, but isn’t that irrelevant right now?

“Unfortunately, the rumors that have reached Instant are only that the Solpreza Labyrinth was conquered. And that there was a dispute with the lord who held it.”

Why is that what’s spreading? It’s true that I had a dispute with Narlstadt, the lord of the Nizheg Duke’s territory who held the Solpreza Labyrinth, but wouldn’t the names of the Raid or Union that conquered it normally spread along with it?

“That sort of thing happens.”

As if reading my mind, H.R.H. Maruca gently placed a hand on my shoulder. Since it’s not my fault, please stop with those kind eyes.

“Could it be…”

“Yes. It was Wing Crest that conquered the Solpreza Labyrinth.”

Hearing H.R.H. Elis’s answer, Gadler once again clutched his head.

“In such a short period, you’ve conquered two labyrinths that were said to be impregnable!? This makes no sense!!”

The next moment, Gadler’s scream echoed through the tenth appraisal room. His lung capacity was fully utilized by the High Dwarf, so his voice was so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst. Foxy Prim, Ulfy Raus, Loxy Slei, and other beastkin with acute hearing also suffered considerable damage. H.R.H. Maruca of Aldily was dizzy, but perhaps understanding my feelings, Emperor Reinhardt and H.R.H. Elis smiled wryly and let it pass, which was memorable.