We set out for the investigation and conquest of the third layer as planned after breakfast.
Hilde mentioned that the third layer seemed to be modeled after Bestia, but with slight differences.
Still, since Hilde doesn’t know Bestia inside and out, I feel like it would be better to bring in someone from the Saber’s Guild for a thorough investigation.
As far as Hilde knows, the Saber’s Guild office right at the entrance is gone, and the ranch to the east, which should be visible even from the entrance, is also nowhere to be seen.
There also seem to be buildings that are about one size larger than in Bestia, so there are probably back alleys that have disappeared.
“Lord Yamato, they’ve appeared! Redcap Goblins!”
“They appeared yesterday too, but there really are a lot of them.”
Viola, who was driving, was the first to spot them, and there were fifteen Redcap Goblins that appeared.
Even after hunting nearly fifty of them yesterday, they’re still showing up.
Or rather, it’s because it’s a labyrinth.
“Even though they’re a rare species, they’re still goblins, so they’re easy, but there might be Abnormal Species or Catastrophe Species too.”
“You’re absolutely right about that.”
Goblins are the weakest among demi-humans and are I-rank monsters.
Even though they’re equivalent to one rank higher, C-rank, in a labyrinth, they don’t possess any particularly notable abilities, making them far too easy an opponent compared to the second layer.
That’s precisely why we can’t let our guard down, and Prim’s concern is perfectly valid.
Abnormal Species of demi-humans become Princes and Princesses, and Catastrophe Species become Kings and Queens. However, in the case of goblins, Abnormal Species are S-rank, and even Catastrophe Species are only G-rank.
It’s only in the labyrinth, where they’re equivalent to one rank higher, that they become a threat comparable to other demi-humans. But for us, it’s nothing new.
What’s more frightening is the existence of W-rank, which possess an even higher level of power due to their magical wings, and Demise Species, where all individuals are O-rank at the highest tier.
I don’t think Demise Species would appear in a layer as low as the third, but given that P-R ranks appeared in the second layer, we need to be cautious.
“Ah, that’s right. If it’s a Goblin King, which is W-rank, it would be equivalent to M-rank considering it’s in a labyrinth.”
“Precisely.”
“More importantly, even Redcap Goblins are equivalent to S-rank monsters, and when they attack in groups of over ten, wouldn’t they be quite a difficult opponent for a normal raid?”
“Ah, I had forgotten, but that’s right.”
Rudia exclaimed at Yuri’s point, and I had also half-forgotten.
With alloy weapons, even those of High Class can defeat not only S-rank monsters but also G-rank monsters individually.
However, not all hunters delving into labyrinths have evolved to High Class, nor are they all using Beast Carriages.
Moreover, there are many buildings facing the main street of the third layer, and it’s possible for demi-humans to attack endlessly from them. Even High Class individuals with alloy weapons could lose their lives if they let their guard down.
“Fortunately, it seems they’re only coming out of buildings with doors, so the risk of being attacked by such large groups seems low.”
“Eh? Seriously?”
“It’s just something I noticed while looking from above.”
When Mako pointed it out, I looked at the buildings and indeed saw buildings with and without doors, with the latter seeming to be more numerous.
“However, things like this also appear, so I feel like even Ancient Classes would be in danger if they let their guard down.”
What Mako refers to as “things like this” are Goblin Princes of S-I rank. I had expected them to appear, but three of them actually showed up, and what’s more, they were real. And one of them had insect-like wings on its back, so it’s considered one rank higher as an Abnormal Species, an additional rank higher due to being in the labyrinth, and another additional rank higher for being W-rank, making it equivalent to M-rank.
Well, Mako easily defeated it with an Air Vortex.
“Abnormal Species W-rank isn’t just formidable, it’s downright terrifying.”
I agree with Prim’s assessment. W-ranks can fly freely, possibly due to their magical wings. Of course, there’s a possibility of monsters that fly inhabiting the area, and there’s no telling if monsters might break through building walls to emerge, so caution is necessary.
“They’ve appeared again. This time, Hobgoblins are mixed in.”
“I’m getting tired of this.”
I strongly agree with Mako and Athena. The urban layers are almost a straight path to the stairwell, but the buildings facing the main street are not just three stories high, some are even five stories. It’s infuriating that Hobgoblins are shooting arrows with their rudimentary skills, and even casting magic, from these buildings.
“You can only get Magic Stones from demi-humans, and attacks from places like that make me lose the desire to collect them.”
“I agree, but I think we have no choice but to collect them this time.”
Mina uses Telekinetic Magic to grab the Hobgoblins and Redcap Goblins attacking from above, and then Flam’s Aqua Arrow pierces them. The fallen goblins are then collected into Mina’s storage. This is probably the easiest method, but only Ancient Classes can do this, so it must be difficult for ordinary hunters.
“They’re not in every building, but when they appear every few buildings, it’s troublesome to deal with.”
“There are a lot of them. It feels like urban guerrilla warfare.”
“Ah, that might be the concept.”
The concept? Does a labyrinth even think like that?
“I don’t know if the Helios Orb has the concept of guerrilla warfare, but it probably has urban warfare, right?”
“I’ve heard that there was quite a bit of it during the era of war about 200 years ago.”
“Torencia also has records of several instances before its founding.”
In the Philia Continent, 200 years ago was an era of war, and many small nations were destroyed or merged. On Aura Island, where Torencia is located, Kazushi and Lord Eliel took the lead in establishing a new country, so as Mana and Hilde say, there must have been urban warfare. Ah, I see.
“So, you’re suggesting that this labyrinth was constructed with inspiration from the urban warfare that occurred on Aura Island?”
“Yes. I don’t know how labyrinths are born, but since it’s creating a townscape so similar to Bestia, at least Bestia was used as a reference, right?”
“I can’t deny that.”
Everyone listens to Mako’s theory with interest while hunting the goblins.
“Is this guerrilla warfare-like feel because they’re goblins?”
“That’s likely, but it’s just a guess.”
The urban warfare of the past is recorded. Due to the era, it was apparently quite gruesome. Solemn and Retisencia, in particular, seemed to have plundered everything they could in the cities and villages they conquered. However, as they were human troops, they apparently attacked and defended with some degree of control.
But the goblins attacking us have no control whatsoever. They just shoot arrows or magic when they enter range, and even though the Redcap Goblins appear in groups, they move on their own, so it’s not even coordination. It feels more like ordinary people who lack combat experience are attacking to repel them, as a guerrilla would.
“That seems closer, actually.”
“Too troublesome…”
We’ve only progressed about a third of the way, but if Mako’s prediction is correct, we might encounter Amazons in the latter half.
“Amazons? Not Valkyries or Sirens?”
“Orcs are too large, Antlions prefer sandy terrain, and Sahagins need water, so biologically they don’t fit. However, it wouldn’t be strange to see Kobolds, which are only slightly larger than goblins.”
Rika and Ludia voice their doubts. Kobolds are only a little larger than goblins, so they might be there.
“Sirens live in aquatic environments, and if there were Valkyries, they would have attacked from the sky by now.”
“Ah, I see.”
I’ve researched the ecology and combat methods of demi-humans after clearing an Instant Labyrinth. The high-ranking demi-humans are Valkyries, Sirens, and Amazons. Apparently, Valkyries excel in mobility, Sirens in magic power, and Amazons in physical strength. Valkyries can fly freely, compensating for their physical strength with their mobility, making them unsuitable for ambushes inside buildings. Conversely, Amazons, like elves often depicted in novels, are known to ambush from treetops in forests, so they might ambush not only inside buildings but even on rooftops. Amazons, whose magic power is superior, are said to have abilities similar to higher-ranking Sahagins in water, with their two legs transforming into separate tail fins.
“It would indeed be troublesome if Amazons appeared.”
“More importantly, considering their malevolent nature, shouldn’t we assume they might be there?”
“Yes, we should assume so.”
Many demi-humans possess weapons. It’s unknown where they procure them, but a strong theory is that they create weapons using their unique demi-human abilities and magic power. While normal and higher species tend to have crude weapons, rare species can have weapons comparable to those sold in stores, and Abnormal and Catastrophe Species can have weapons equivalent to custom-made top-grade items. Many hunters have attempted to seize these weapons. However, upon defeating demi-humans, their weapons disappear. Even if they were successfully stolen, they would vanish, making them unusable by humans according to records. Of course, since the weapons disappear even without defeating the demi-humans, very few hunters now attempt to steal weapons from them. Amazons, living in forests, primarily use swords, daggers, and bows. While some possess spears, they are rare. Despite their forest-centric ecology, their equipment and abilities make them suited for urban combat or, rather, guerrilla warfare. Considering this, they might actually be here.
“We’ll deal with it if it happens.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Well, it’s true that whether they’re here or not, our actions won’t change.
About an hour after setting out, we arrived at the area corresponding to the Central Plaza of Bestia. The monsters that appeared along the way were only goblin species such as Hobgoblins, Redcap Goblins, Goblin Princes, and Goblin Princesses. However, five Abnormal Species Goblin Princes and three Goblin Princesses appeared, which was a bit troublesome.
“The location of the Healer’s Guild hasn’t changed, so as expected, it’s a Safe Area.”
“Yes. I can see the other guilds too, so it seems that this area is basically the same as Bestia.”
Yuri and Mako are both healers, so they have visited the Healer’s Guild, Torencia Headquarters of Bestia, many times. That’s why they immediately recognized that the location hadn’t changed. I also took a look, and the Hunter’s Guild and Crafter’s Guild are also present. Healer’s Guild and Priest’s Guild are often Safe Areas, but other guilds are not. The Crafter’s Guild and Trader’s Guild reportedly have escape teleporters, and the Hunter’s Guild sometimes has a stratum map. These maps are typically just city maps and may not include back alleys, but they can significantly shorten the investigation time, so we are eager to obtain one.
“However, since this place is almost identical to Bestia, there’s a chance the map would just be a replica of the Bestia map.”
“Ugh, that’s troublesome…”
Indeed, as Rika points out, that possibility is not low. However, the difference between having a map and not having one would be substantial in terms of investigation efficiency.
“Even if it’s a map of Bestia, it’s important to me.”
“It is a map, after all.”
Ah, that’s right. In ancient Earth, it was apparently the same, maps were important military secrets. Therefore, even in the Helios Orb, detailed maps are strictly managed by rulers, and there is no Supplication Magic for map creation. While Hunter Magic has a map-making spell called Mapping, it can only be used in labyrinths, and it’s said that the Royal Family and nobles have no intention of hiding labyrinth maps, as not making them public will only increase casualties. Solemn and Retisencia apparently keep them secret, though.
“Let’s confirm that as well. Fortunately, the Safe Area seems to encompass the entire Central Plaza, including the guilds.”
“It’s a large Safe Area, isn’t it?”
“Ah, the four guilds excluding the Healer’s Guild are located in the northwest, northeast, southeast, and southwest positions. This means they are functioning as a magic circle.”
I also had an idea of the guild’s positional relationships, so as Mako said, it’s likely that a magic circle, which could be called a Four Directions Array, was formed by the Hunter’s Guild, Crafter’s Guild, Trader’s Guild, and Butler’s Guild, resulting in a larger than usual Safe Area. The Healer’s Guild was established about 30 years ago, so it’s slightly off, but it’s unlikely to be completely unrelated.
“Yamato, Sister Hilde, I’ve checked the Hunter’s Guild, but there was no map.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Since this place is modeled after Bestia, I don’t know if they judged that a labyrinth core was unnecessary, or if they’re using magic to form the large Safe Area.”
“There were no teleporters in the Crafter’s Guild or Trader’s Guild either. It might be as Lydia said.”
Prim and Lydia investigated the Hunter’s Guild, Flam and Ludia investigated the Hunter’s Guild, Mina and Athena investigated the Trader’s Guild, and Mana and Eos investigated the Butler’s Guild. They reported that the teleporters to the outside and the stratum maps, which should have been present, were nowhere to be found. This further strengthens the possibility of the Four Directions Array’s influence.
“Well, even without teleporters, there’s Escaping, and maps aren’t normally present anyway, so it’s not that big of a problem.”
“That’s true. Still, a Four Directions Array, you say.”
Bestia was built at the same time Torencia was founded, so about 180 years ago. This means Kazushi and Yukari were definitely involved. No, I would have thought the same thing, so let’s stop criticizing others. For now, let’s investigate a bit more, take a break, and then aim for the fourth layer.
