It had been about two hours since we began investigating the volcanic cliffs and lava. This volcano’s paths were intricate, and it seemed to be larger than the others.
“I guess we’ll make camp at the Safe Area here today.”
“It’s past five o’clock, so we have no choice.”
The current time was past 5 P.M. The sun would set in less than an hour, so our only option was to camp at the Safe Area that was supposed to be on this volcano. While the Helios Orb had a clock, it wasn’t as multifunctional or luxurious as the ones Yamato and Mako carried. Nevertheless, it was precise down to the minute, which we found very useful.
“Speaking of that Safe Area, do you think it’s at the summit like the other volcanoes?”
“We should assume so. But the problem is that the monster that’s supposed to be here hasn’t appeared yet.”
“That’s right. It’s estimated that there are five types of monsters, including demi-humans, inhabiting the second layer of each volcano. This volcano has Kobolds, Fire Drakes, Magma Spiders, and Pteranodons. If it’s like the other volcanoes, there should be one more species.”
Rika-sama was correct. Since entering this volcano, we had hunted a considerable number of Kobolds, Fire Drakes, Magma Spiders, and Pteranodons. It was predicted that volcanic areas on the second layer would have one demi-human species and four monster species, and this had been true for the volcanoes we had passed. The first volcanic area in the grasslands was inhabited by Orcs, Fire Lizards, Treants, Buster Monkeys, and Forest Bees; the second volcanic area in the snowfields had Orcs, White Leos, Cold Drakes, Hail Ants, and Ice Rocks; and the third volcanic area in the sand desert was home to Antlions, Dummy Cacti, Sand Worms, Sky Scorpions, and Sand Spiders, including higher ranks and rare species. Therefore, this volcano should also have one more monster species.
“I think we’re getting close to the Safe Area, but perhaps the last monster species claims the area near the Safe Area as its territory.”
“More accurately, we haven’t investigated the area where the Safe Area is believed to be, so that’s probably their territory.”
As Yamato and Mako said, our investigation of this volcano was only about 80% complete. This meant that the remaining 20% of unexplored territory likely contained the Safe Area and the territory of the remaining monster species.
“So, today, after we finish investigating the remaining areas, we’ll camp at the Safe Area, right?”
“That’s the plan. The Saber’s Guild and Hunter’s Guild have prohibited entry here, but there will still be hunters coming in, so we’ll need a night watch.”
Yamato answered Athena’s question, but I didn’t think a night watch was necessary. After all, Krater Labyrinth was a labyrinth where An appeared even from the first layer. They were indeed An, even if they were only S-I rank, and even High Class hunters couldn’t defeat them alone without Alloy weapons. Moreover, hunters who broke the prohibition were usually either third-rate individuals blinded by desire for recognition or fools who overestimated their abilities, and I doubted they could even clear the first layer.
“No, I agree, but there’s always the possibility of the unexpected. Like, if they’re lucky enough not to encounter many monsters.”
“That’s true, we can’t deny that possibility.”
Monsters couldn’t enter the Safe Area, so our main concern was other humans. Therefore, even for a difficult labyrinth like Krater, stationing a night watch for the second layer was understandable. Even if the chances of no one coming were high, if someone did manage to arrive and had ill intentions, we could suffer unexpected damage.
“Yes. Therefore, we’ll decide the night watch by that.”
The moment Prim declared this, an intense tension ran through all the women except Mako and Aria. Well, when she said “that,” it simply meant deciding by drawing lots, but depending on the outcome, we might have no motivation to do anything the next day. After all, Yamato would also draw the lot.
“Ah, I see.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Mako and Aria understood my explanation, and both stated that they would refrain from drawing lots this time. The reason they both gave was that they weren’t yet prepared to be held by Yamato. While they had just gotten engaged, there was no need to be taken by him immediately, and their offer was beneficial to us, so no one complained.
“By the way, Yamato.”
“Yes, what is it, Ludia?”
“The thing you were making before…”
“Yamato-san! That!”
We set aside the night watch matter for a moment when Flam, who was acting as a lookout from the observation deck, called out. It seemed a monster had appeared.
“It’s here. What is it this time… Of all things, this one?”
“I see, so *that’s* the giant lizard the Saber’s Guild saw.”
“Another troublesome one. This labyrinth is as ill-tempered as Instant Labyrinth.”
“Indeed.”
Looking at the monster that appeared, I was surprised, but at the same time, I understood. After all, what appeared before us was a Saur-type P-R Rank Monster, a Spinosaurus.
“Yamato-sama, you called it a Spinosaurus, but is that monster really that troublesome?”
“Yes, it’s a rare species of the Allosaurus lineage. I’ve only seen it in documents, but encountering it in a place like this is the worst-case scenario.”
I also knew something about Spinosaurus from documents, so it was understandable that Lady Hilde, who lived in Torencia where Saur species did not inhabit, was unaware. Spinosaurus were enormous, about 15 meters long, and had dorsal fins from which they could release countless spines imbued with fire magic. Furthermore, they approached at high speed while releasing these spines, making them overwhelmingly powerful in narrow spaces like the paths of this volcano. Naturally, they could also imbue their claws with fire magic and spew fire breath, making them more troublesome than an average Dragoon.
“So, does that mean we have no escape here?”
“Yes. To make matters worse, this area is just the right size to favor it, so even if we are safe, our Beast Carriage will be destroyed.”
As Yamato pointed out, I realized that this location was where the path was narrowing, allowing only just enough space for the Multi-functional Beast Carriage to barely pass. Therefore, we would have to pay more attention to the Beast Carriage than ever and defeat it before it got close, if possible.
“It’s coming!”
“Flam!”
“Yes!”
As Yamato had said, the Spinosaurus unleashed spines imbued with fire magic from its dorsal fins. Thanks to the Barrier created by Yamato’s Neptune alongside Mako’s Venus, and Mina’s new Unique Magic, Fielding Protection, we sustained no damage, but it was indeed troublesome. However, the Spinosaurus was impaled by Flam’s Unique Magic, Tidal Blaster, and then, without pause, was struck by Yamato’s Unique Magic, Ice Edge Javelin, falling to the ground and becoming immobile.
“It looks dead, let’s retrieve it.”
“Yes, please. Still, P-R Rank on the second layer… this is too difficult.”
“Yeah. Even in Solpreza Labyrinth and Instant Labyrinth, monsters of P-rank or higher only appeared from the fourth layer onwards.”
Yamato stored the Spinosaurus into his storage using Telekinetic Magic, frowning about the difficulty of Krater Labyrinth with Mana-sama. Anomalous species were like sudden mutations. I had heard that P-I Rank had appeared in the second layer of Solpreza Labyrinth, but I had never heard of a P-R Rank appearing.
“We won’t find an answer by dwelling on it, so let’s press on. If a Spinosaurus was here, it means there might be Megalosauruses besides Allosauruses, and it’s not guaranteed that there’s only one Spinosaurus.”
“What’s more, we can’t rule out the possibility of even higher ranks being present.”
Indeed, as Yamato and Prim said, Anomalous species had been confirmed in shallower layers, so it couldn’t be denied if rare species were present. Furthermore, the Allosaurus anomaly, a T-Rex of M-I Rank, was said to be over 20 meters long and capable of tearing apart the hides and scales of fully transformed Dragonians and even hunters with sheer force. In fact, about 60 years ago in Valentia, a T-Rex descended from the Solpreza Mountain Range, destroying three towns and villages. One village was reportedly reduced to ashes by its breath. A hunting party of about 200, organized with the cooperation of Dragonians bound by Dragon Resonance Contracts and the Hunter’s Guild, was dispatched to hunt it, but records show that only about half survived, and over ten fully transformed Dragonians also perished. Incidentally, the Catastrophe Species above the T-Rex, an A-C Rank Monster, was named Alpagas and had been confirmed in several labyrinths in Valentia, but had never been defeated. The highest rank, the Demise Species, had an unknown name.
“Leaving aside the T-Rex, Alpagas… was there a dinosaur with a name like that?”
“No, I haven’t heard of it. Are you saying it’s a dinosaur related to the T-Rex?”
For Mako and Yamato, Saur species were like dinosaurs, ancient creatures said to have gone extinct tens or hundreds of millions of years ago. While it was a staggering thought, it was common sense in their world, Earth, where such creatures didn’t use magic or Engraving Magic. Well, I had heard that only humans could use Engraving Magic, and in the past, only those with engravings on their hands could use it, so it wasn’t strange that animals couldn’t.
“The Saur species I’ve seen so far seem to have a similar ecology to dinosaurs on Earth, so if I knew the name, I could roughly predict what kind of creature it is. Although, like Brachiosaurus, some only resemble them superficially.”
Brachiosaurus hunted in Solpreza Labyrinth. Brachiosaurus were large Saur species, over 20 meters long, and their attack methods included water magic, legs with sharp claws, a thick tail, and sharp fangs. While the ecology of Earth’s Brachiosaurus is not well understood, it’s believed they didn’t have sharp fangs or claws, so Yamato had been quite surprised.
“I see, so it’s just a visual resemblance to Earth’s creatures. Well, dinosaurs went extinct tens of millions of years ago, and no one has ever seen a live specimen, so we don’t know if their appearance and ecology in books are accurate.”
“Just knowing their appearance makes a big difference, doesn’t it?”
Indeed, if we knew their appearance, we could predict what kind of attacks to expect. Although, giant creatures like dinosaurs apparently didn’t breathe fire. Retrieving the Spinosaurus, we proceeded and reached the Safe Area in about 30 minutes. Along the way, Allosauruses and Megalosauruses attacked, but we hunted them all. While no Spinosaurus appeared, given that it was P-R Rank, it might appear again later. The Safe Area on this volcano has an entrance to the first layer confirmed by a Saber, so we need to properly inform the Hunter’s Guild and Saber’s Guild about the appearance of the Spinosaurus. While the other volcanoes are troublesome, they are still more manageable than this one, and since we couldn’t find the entrance to the third layer, it’s unlikely hunters will come here unless necessary.
