“BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!”
“Daaaaaah!!!”
While listening to the Great Fang Boar’s roar, Ul shouted, as if to dispel his fear, and then sprang out, drawing the boar’s attention. Just as he intended, the boar, which had shattered the door, shifted its gaze to Ul, who had burst forth. Its bloodshot eyes and menacing fangs turned towards Ul.
“Here I come.”
Seizing that opening, the Mysterious Girl leaped from the shattered door. Clad in a slightly oversized robe, she didn’t head towards the exit but moved behind the Great Fang Boar, which had its fangs aimed at Ul.
Is she serious about fighting? That girl.
Ul scowled, about to say something but stopped himself. If she thinks she can do something, let her. Sadly, Ul had no room to worry about her. The Great Fang Boar, with its fangs pointed at him, was terrifying. He didn’t have the luxury of dividing his attention further to her.
The current victory conditions for Ul and his companions were clear.
1. Defeat it.
2. Escape.
Achieving either of these would suffice. With their current strength, escape was the only option. Even if they fought and won, there was no True Core Magic Stone to obtain. Fighting would be a pointless endeavor.
The problem was how to escape from the “Master” standing before them.
There was a countermeasure. Ul took out a medicine bottle he had found in the warehouse.
“BUMOOO…”
“Hope this works…!”
Ul couldn’t understand the nature of the liquid within the bottle he had found in the warehouse. He had no knowledge of medicine. All he knew was that the liquid inside was extremely decayed, and when he opened the bottle, an immense stench wafted out.
Yes, a stench. A stench so potent that Ul grimaced and felt like gagging the moment he smelled it.
“BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”
While the nature of the Great Fang Boar was unknown, its enormous nose peeking out between its fangs couldn’t possibly be just for show—!!
“Hiyah!!”
The moment Ul threw the bottle, the decayed contents scattered and splattered onto the Great Fang Boar.
“BU—”
The substance was likely not a poison. It was merely something that had decayed over an immeasurable amount of time, to the point where its original form was unrecognizable. However, its effect was tremendous.
“BUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!???!”
The Great Fang Boar roared.
Ul, with his limited knowledge of monsters, didn’t know this, but the Great Fang Boar relied on its sense of smell for over ninety percent of its perception. That was why its eyes were small and its field of vision narrow. Its skin was thick and elastic, making it less sensitive. Therefore, the damage inflicted by having the putrid substance shoved into its nose was immeasurable.
Ul’s prediction had been correct.
However…
“BUGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!”
“Ack!?”
Generally, Adventurers and Knights who faced Great Fang Boars never did anything that would impair the boar’s sense of smell. They didn’t attack and destroy a clearly visible weak point.
Why? Because it was dangerous. To take away the sense of smell of a Great Fang Boar with its massive fangs.
“BUGIIIIIIIIIII!!!”
“Daaaaaah?!!”
Ul screamed as colossal fangs flashed above his head at tremendous speed. The boar was thrashing. It was likely unable to withstand the stench. It writhed and thrashed wildly as if in agony. Each time, its long fangs scraped the ground, slammed against the walls, and pierced the pillars. There was no coherence whatsoever. Its movements were entirely unpredictable. Yet, a direct hit would be fatal.
This… this is worse than a sane state!!!
Ul’s face contorted at the result of his simplistic plan. He thought that by taking away its sense of smell, its ability to perceive them, he could escape, but with such reach from its tusks, it made no difference whether it could see or not! It would have been better if it had charged straight at him blindly!!
“Ah, damn it! What do I do now?!”
To make matters worse, the Great Fang Boar was thrashing around the vicinity of the exit. It was within the range of its randomly swung fangs. He couldn’t possibly dodge between these attacks.
Should he wait for it to recover? But there was no guarantee it wouldn’t charge in this frenzied state. What should he do?
“Please move away!!”
A woman’s voice called out. Then, she threw something new. Multiple medicine bottles. Was she making it worse?! Before he could think, they struck the Great Fang Boar.
“BUGI!!”
“…!!”
The Great Fang Boar thrashed even more violently. Its fangs grazed his body. He was going to die. He was really going to die. Ul could no longer even scream. What was she doing? He looked towards her, and the girl had her hands outstretched, about to cast magic again.
“【Flame, sing, and smite our enemies】”
A spell’s incantation, resonating like a song.
Magic incantation, a technique to allow magic power to penetrate more deeply and heavily. Was she going to cast a stronger spell than before? Would that defeat it? He didn’t feel like it. Its hide was incredibly thick, visible even from here. He couldn’t imagine fire penetrating it…
“…Huh?”
At that moment, a faint, different scent drifted to Ul’s nose, which had been numbed by the stench.
It wasn’t the smell of decay. It was something he recognized. An underground facility invaded by the labyrinth. A dark space where one couldn’t see without the labyrinth’s magic, something that should have been stored in the warehouse at the back of the hall.
Oil!!
Was it truly flammable? Could something of unknown age even be used? Various doubts swirled in his mind, but he pushed them all away. There was no time to think. Because the rampaging Great Fang Boar had turned its body towards the girl.
“BUMOOOO!!”
Whether its nose had recovered or its instincts had kicked in was unclear, but the outcome of leaving it like this was obvious. The girl hadn’t finished casting her spell yet. Even if she did, if that giant body charged, she would be crushed and die.
He had to stop the charge.
It was an impulsive move, but it was correct that the girl and Ul had managed to surround the Great Fang Boar diagonally. The Great Fang Boar was facing the girl. That meant its back was to Ul. The threat of its fangs was low. But where should he attack?
Ul readied his ceremonial sword. Fortunately, it wasn’t just a replica shaped like a sword. It had some sharpness. But that was all. Even a proper weapon would struggle to pierce the boar’s hide. If he stabbed its rear, before it could do significant damage, it would turn and slash him with its fangs, and Ul would die. Its fangs, its fangs! If only he could avoid them—
“—Its back!”
Ul kicked off even harder, his footwork accelerating. He leaped. And, as if running up its back, he scaled the Great Fang Boar’s body. Its back, a place its fangs absolutely couldn’t reach, a safe zone!!
“Daraaa!!”
Ul roared and plunged his sword into the boar at his feet. A heavy, hard, dull resistance. The blade seemed to have barely penetrated, much less than expected. He took a deep breath, focused all his body weight into the sword, and thrust it deeper. A tearing sound echoed.
“BUGYA!?”
The Great Fang Boar stopped its charge and writhed in pain from the sudden stab on its back. It kicked its legs, thrashing wildly again. But its fangs couldn’t reach Ul. They couldn’t reach Ul, who was on its back. Ul’s intuition had been correct. The Great Fang Boar’s back, surrounded by thick muscle, couldn’t be a vital point, but it was a safe zone.
“…!!!”
“…!!!”
Unfortunately, Ul had no time to comprehend that. He was desperately clinging to the back of the wildly thrashing boar, trying not to fall off. He was barely alive, using the embedded sword as support.
“I’m going in!!”
The moment he heard the girl’s voice, Ul let go with both hands. Whether he was thrown or jumped off himself was unclear. He landed on the ground. Losing his bearings, he crawled away from the boar’s presence without getting up.
“【Fireball!!】”
And in the next instant, the girl’s magic was released.
It was the same fireball as before. However, compared to before, its heat and size were clearly increased. The flickering flames flew directly towards the boar and exploded.
“BUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!???!”
Flames erupted. Intense fire burned the Great Fang Boar’s body. It was Ul’s first time seeing an offensive spell up close, and he was astonished by its power. The flames, hot enough to cause burns just by being near them, were surely taking the Great Fang Boar’s life.
However, it was still standing.
“You’re tough, damn you!!”
Ul started running. At this point, there was no choice but to fight. Ul didn’t have the stamina to escape. Neither did the girl, exhausted from casting her spell.
A half-hearted retreat would lead to death. Thus, there was only one option left.
“I’ll kill you…!”
Ul gripped another ceremonial sword he had kept in his back. And he charged. The Great Fang Boar was still burning and hadn’t turned its attention to him. Taking advantage of that opening, Ul thrust his sword with all his might.
Towards its small eye.
“GIIIIIIIII!??!”
It went in. Deeply, strongly, Ul pierced its vital spot, unprotected by its tough hide.
“Eh, gu, die!!”
Pouring all his strength into the hilt of the sword lodged in its eye. He kicked off the ground and swung his arm, thrusting forward. The sound and sensation of something tearing, shattering, and gouging sent a shiver through Ul.
“…GA…GI…”
Thus, the Great Fang Boar, with the sword deeply embedded in its skull, finally ceased its movements.
The moment Ul thought it was dead, the Great Fang Boar’s body began to crumble. Its body, created by the labyrinth, dissolved and vanished. The labyrinth itself now lacked a core. Its fate was the same as this monster.
And in the place where the Great Fang Boar had stood, a Magic Stone, about twice the size of a Gremlin’s, lay on the ground. Ul, lacking the strength to pick it up, simply stared at it.
“…Is it over…?”
The girl confirmed in a voice that sounded just as exhausted as Ul’s. Blood trickled from her forehead, her robe was torn, and she was bleeding from her exposed arms. She must have been grazed by the Great Fang Boar’s fangs when it thrashed. Even that was enough to leave her in this state.
“Are you alright…?”
“Are *you* alright?”
Upon hearing that, Ul realized his own condition was far worse than hers. His entire body was covered in bruises and blood. And the moment he acknowledged it, an intense pain shot through him. The pain and fatigue, numbed by adrenaline, now attacked him all at once.
“…Frankly, not at all.”
“Shall I use Healing Magic?”
“Can you?”
“…Sorry, I’m out of magic power.”
“Thanks for the false hope.”
Ul sighed and sat down near the girl, who had slumped over. Now that the labyrinth’s core was gone, monsters wouldn’t spawn. And without the core, Ul had lost his means of repaying his debt again. The double blow of relief and futility drained Ul’s strength. He needed to rest for a bit.
Then, he noticed the girl beside him staring intently at him. He considered ignoring her and resting, but being silent was also tiresome.
“…What?”
“Thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’d like to thank you, but how can I?”
“Give me Gold.”
“I don’t have any. I’m completely naked.”
“Then I don’t need it… Ah, damn it, all my hard work was for nothing. Someone console me.”
“Shall I pat your head?”
“I’d rather you let me grope your large breasts.”
“Do you want to?”
“It was a joke…”
Feeling even more exhausted, Ul gazed blankly at the dim ceiling. It was then that he finally realized.
“…What’s your name?”
“My name is Shizuku. And yours?”
“Ul.”
And so, the young boy Ul concluded his encounter with the girl named Shizuku and his first labyrinth conquest and “Master” extermination.
Ul’s only thought after completing the conquest was, “Never again.”
Unfortunately, this wish would not come true.
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