Side Rex
Ten days into the Varie Labyrinth, we are proceeding through the mine-shaft type stratum on the 18th floor.
It’s a cave-like environment, similar to the 17th floor, but inside it truly resembles mine shafts found in actual mines. Considering the prevalence of puppets, dolls, and golems, it’s safe to call this the mine-shaft stratum.
“Wow, is that an Orichalcum Doll!”
“There’s a Crystal Golem too, and over there is a Corundum Doll. When processed, they can become rubies and sapphires, so they’re quite profitable monsters.”
“I defeated a Jewel Doll!”
“Ah, an Iron Golem, huh… It might be useful for something, so I’ll take it just in case.”
The Crafters of Wing Crest are enthusiastically engaging in hunts. They are Ancient Crafters and Element Crafters, but they cannot create anything without materials. However, the materials they desire are quite expensive and in high demand, making them rarely appear on the market. This is likely why they want to secure them while they have the chance. Still, encountering an Orichalcum Doll, a P-rank Monster, here was truly unexpected.
“All four of you, hunting is fine, but don’t lose sight of your objective, okay?”
“We know. But we never expected it to be a nest for mineral-type monsters. And not just any, but Orichalcum-type and Jewel-type, monsters we rarely see.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
Indeed, I’ve never heard of a labyrinth with so many gem-type puppet species. Especially Jewel Dolls, as far as I know, only appear in about two or three locations within the Amister Labyrinth, and elsewhere, only in the Nebel Labyrinth in the Steilhang Beast Dukedom and the Temerario Labyrinth in the Granrehue Bridge Dukedom. Furthermore, since Jewel Dolls are G-U rank and Jewel Puppets are S-N rank, they should only appear from the 15th floor onwards in any labyrinth. This Varie Labyrinth is no exception.
Jewel Puppet species, when processed, turn into gems and are purchased at high prices by the Hunter’s Guild. Processing requires Craft Magic such as Jeweling and Polishing. Even with a Jewel Puppet the size of a Fairy, only a few gems are produced, and even a Jewel Puppet the size of an Ogre yields less than ten. Moreover, you don’t know what kind of gem it will become until it’s processed, so even if you hunt and bring them in, it might not turn into the gem you desire. The subspecies, Corundum Puppets, can produce rubies or sapphires, which increases their price accordingly. For these reasons, I hear that gems are always in short supply due to Monster Ranks and habitat issues.Incidentally, raw ores mined from mountains are also processed. Like regular metal materials, even small amounts can be processed into gems. Although the yield from mines is small, it’s processed into gems corresponding to the raw ore, making this method more reliable.
“Ah, they’re all gone now.”
“Still, we’ve hunted a decent amount, so we won’t have trouble for a while.”
“That goes for metal materials, but gems are tricky. You don’t know what they’ll become even after processing.”
“That’s true. But since we managed to defeat Corundum Dolls, the possibility of securing sapphires is enough for us.”
The Jewel Dolls and Corundum Dolls in the plaza were annihilated in an instant by Yamato, Mako, Ludia, and Flam. Well, I understand the reason. Corundum Dolls, in particular, are P-U rank monsters, and the rubies or sapphires processed from their bodies can withstand the magic of Ancient Classes and Element Classes. Furthermore, gems have the characteristic of easily being imbued with magic, which attracts not only women who seek beauty but also hunters and Ritters. I myself am wearing a bracelet adorned with several gems.
“With this many Corundum Dolls around, it’s worth coming here just for them.”
“If I had to be greedy, I wish there were Jewel Golems too, but there’s nothing we can do about that.”
“It’s not impossible. If we search, we might find some.”
Jewel Golems, huh. They are also P-R rank monsters, so it’s possible we might find some if we search.
There are over 30 types of gems in the Helios Orb, but the most famous are the eight types corresponding to elemental magic. Ruby corresponds to fire magic, sapphire to water magic, emerald to wind magic, topaz to earth magic, amethyst to lightning magic, turquoise to ice magic, crystal to light magic, and diamond to dark magic. There are also alexandrites for all elements, amber and pearl, which are said to be compatible with Celestial Magic, tourmaline, which has an affinity for Supplication Magic, and obsidian, which is always used for large-scale ritual magic. In general, gems have high compatibility and affinity with magic.
The troublesome part is that gems are produced in specific mines, and some gems cannot be made from the puppet species inhabiting the labyrinth. I’m not very familiar with it, but I believe Corundum Puppet species can produce rubies and sapphires, and Jewel Puppet species can produce emeralds, topazes, turquoises, and tourmalines. I don’t know what other gems can be made from. Ah, though it’s just a rumor, I’ve heard that some gems are made from monsters. Carbunculus is a well-known example, but I recall hearing of others. I don’t know how they are made, though.
“Even though it’s the 18th floor, having this many gem-type puppet species could be a valuable resource for the Count Fallheight Territory.”
“Yes. It will require land development from scratch, but by the time Al inherits it, it will probably be a small town. If we can secure a stable income, that would be for the best.”
As Hildegard-sama said, this area, including the Varie Labyrinth, is scheduled to be granted to my Count Fallheight family. However, my father holds the position of Sub-Order’s Master of Feel, and as the legitimate heir, I am entrusted with the important role of Grand Order’s Master. Therefore, it is difficult for me to engage in land development. Above all, development would start from scratch, and high-rank monsters inhabit the Varie Mountain Range, so we haven’t even been able to secure safe passage to the Varie Labyrinth. For land development, my sister Meena has kindly volunteered to act as my proxy, so I will have to entrust it to her for the time being, much to my regret. Of course, I intend to take the initiative myself whenever I have the time.
“Once it becomes known that gems of P-rank or higher can be produced here, Ancient Classes will definitely come. In fact, Yamato and the others already are.”
“Saya will be happy too. At this difficulty level up to the 18th floor, Saya can definitely clear it solo.”
Ah, that seems quite plausible. As H.R.H. Manalease said. For Ancient Classes, their clothing and arms and armor will quickly become unusable unless they are made from P-rank or higher monster materials. Gems are similar, with magic stones likely being the only exception. Distinguishing them by appearance is difficult, but it can be confirmed using the commercial magic “Investing,” and if one has been granted the Celestial Magic “Magic Eye,” they can use it even without being registered with the Trader’s Guild, so any fraud would be discovered immediately. Because of this, there are few who commit fraud, but it’s not non-existent. Most who require high-rank monster materials are nobles, Ancient Hunters, and Ancient Ritters. If caught, the retaliation can be severe, making fraud a truly life-risking endeavor.
And Saya, one of my wives, is both an Ancient Hunter and an Ancient Crafter. If she learns of this stratum, she will undoubtedly rush here with joy. After all, even she has lamented that P-rank or higher gems are rarely obtainable. She just gave birth to our daughter, Glass, so she can’t come now, but in a few months, she might come for rehabilitation. I shall accompany her then.
“Oh! Is that a Jewel Golem?”
“Seriously? It is!”
“Anything else… just a Jewel Puppet and Jewel Doll. No, that’s enough.”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
While I was thinking, we had arrived at the next plaza. It turned out to be a nest of jewel-types, and a single P-R rank monster, a Jewel Golem, was present. Naturally, Yamato and his companions didn’t miss it and were already hunting it. Ah, the Jewel Puppets and Jewel Dolls have also been wiped out. I can’t help but wish they’d show a little restraint, but there’s little point in telling the Crafters that.
“Hmm? What’s that… a temple?”
“A temple? Here?”
After proceeding for about another hour, Muse, who was on watch, spoke up. A temple, you say? This is a mine shaft, meaning it’s underground. There shouldn’t be anything like that here…
“It’s not the Hall of the Guardian.”
“Does that mean this is the deepest layer?”
“That would be the case. This is truly unexpected.”
I thought so. But Prim, Athena, and Flam, who were also on watch, continued speaking and reminded me. The Hall of the Guardian is a temple-style building common to all labyrinths.
“It really is the Hall of the Guardian. That this is the deepest layer, just as Flam said, is entirely unexpected.”
“Indeed. This will be another troublesome problem.”
Yamato and H.R.H. Manalease are troubled, and I completely agree. This is because the Labyrinth Flood, which is said to have occurred during the Kobaldia Incident, has the Varie Labyrinth as a prime candidate. The reason is that the Varie Labyrinth is an unconfirmed labyrinth and its details are completely unknown. However, the fact that it has a total of 18 floors and the monsters inhabiting it are only up to P-rank leads to the inference that there are other undiscovered, high-difficulty labyrinths. Although the monsters in the Varie Labyrinth were confirmed during the Kobaldia Incident, they are monsters that could be found anywhere. If we don’t assume this, it will cause significant problems not only for the Count Fallheight Territory but also for the development of the Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Baronetcy that H.R.H. Manalease will be granted.
“The Guardian is… an Earth Shaker? Ah, it’s a Catastrophe Species of Sharpness Rabbit.”
“P-C rank, huh. Considering the Monster Ranks encountered on the way, it’s about intermediate rank.”
A P-C rank monster, Earth Shaker. This is the first time it’s been confirmed, but even so, it’s said that an Ancient Class can easily defeat it alone. I’ve hunted the rare S-R rank monster Longfoot Earsice, a rare species of Sharpness Rabbit, multiple times while dispatched to Torencia, so I have a general grasp of its abilities, which significantly helps. Honestly, it feels almost anticlimactic. However, since this Varie Labyrinth is planned to become part of the Count Fallheight Territory, I believe it is my duty to defeat the Guardian Earth Shaker. Since we’re taking a short break, I’ll talk to Yamato about it during this time.
