Chapter 60

"Ooh! Now, this is how a labyrinth entrance is S supposed to be!"

"Mm,"

After entering the west gate, we descended a staircase about fifteen feet. At the bottom was a spacious semi-underground tunnel that could easily accommodate a four-ton truck. As we strolled, Tama and Pochi slyly inched towards Satou, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with utmost vigilance. Their carefree attitudes had disappeared, casting a sombre mood over the group. Even the other girls showed unease and began adopting a more serious demeanour. It's not good to worry too much, but this level of caution was probably fine.

Latticed windows placed high up on the walls allowed a small amount of light to filter through, though insufficient for comfortable reading. However, it provided enough illumination to navigate without a torch or lantern. We caught glimpses of looming soldiers' footsteps through the windows' lattices as they patrolled outside.

At approximately one hundred feet ahead, the corridor took a sharp turn, obstructing our view of the entrance to the labyrinth itself. Positioned near the turn was a sliding iron gate meant to be used in case of urgent situations. Along with the presence of surveillance soldiers, it was evident that the authorities had gone to great lengths to prevent any dangerous beasts from escaping.

"Someone's comiiing?"

"I smell blood, sir,"

Tama and Pochi were the first to notice the explorer group's approach. Before long, we saw them round the corner.

"Nana, protect Arisa and Lulu," Liza ordered immediately.

"Understood,"

What about Mia and Sara? I wondered, but then I saw Liza moving in front of them herself.

"I'm Jejeh of Red Ice! But if you wanna fight, it'll have to be some other time. We've got a major in jury here!"

The figure at the front of the pack flashed a friendly gesture our way before hollering out the name of their group, 'Red Ice.' It was impossible to make out the victim's face from my distance. Still, one could easily see that his armour was severely damaged, and the cloth hastily bound over his wound was stained dark red with blood.

"Yikes, that looks really bad..."

"Master?"

Arisa and Lulu quivered in fear as their eyes fell upon the scene. Despite witnessing numerous robbers and pirates sustain injuries, their current location's shadows and eerie ambience caused them to impose their fears onto the wounded individual before them.

"Kura,"

"Hero Kura,"

Mia and Sara looked at me for permission to use Healing Magic, but Satou acted before I could give a response.

"My name is Satou, a new explorer. Please use this medicine if you like,"

Satou pulled out two watered-down magic potions from his Garage Bag. It should be more than enough to heal the wound.

"Sorry, but we don't have any money on hand. We can pay you once our leader catches up with us from sellin' the cores. Is it too much to ask to let us use that medicine in advance?"

"No, go right ahead,"

I doubt Satou was planning on charging them in the first place, but these people were still trying to figure out what Satou wanted in exchange for the potions.

"Huh? Are these magic potions?"

"Yes, that's right. More importantly, you'd better have your friend drink them right away,"

"Right. We owe ya one,"

The first vial seemed to have made a big difference to the injured man. I couldn't see because of the fabric wrapped around it, but the wound had probably closed.

"...Ahhh, I feel better already. Thank you, young man,"

The explorer said in a husky voice as Jejeh steadied him on his feet. He tried to stand up on his own, but the blood loss sent him falling back into Jejeh's arms. These low-grade potions didn't restore lost blood. Only resting for a while would fix that.

"Well, we'll be on our way,"

"W… wait a minute. We haven't paid you yet..."

"It was a gift from someone else. Please don't worry about it. Until we meet again, if fate wills it so,"

We couldn't stand around doing nothing and blocking the path, so we started to walk down the hall. From behind us, Jejeh warned…

"There's a rogue soldier mantis roaming in section 4-1. Make sure you keep your distance!"

Satou thanked him with a wave of my hand. When Lulu and Mia witnessed the grotesque injury, their complexions turned pale. Arisa's enthusiasm also waned, although not as significantly as the others'.

"Would you rather call it quits for today, you two?"

"N… no, I'm all right,"

"Mfine,"

The two of them were obviously putting on brave faces. Still, Mia seemed to calm down when she took hold of my hand, and Lulu had a similar experience when Satou held her hand. If they didn't feel better by the time we reached the entrance to the labyrinth we might have to turn back for the day. After a short while, however, their smiles returned. I realised my worries were unfounded.

"We're heeere?"

"It's a gate with a scary face, sir,"

"Is that the gate into the labyrinth?"

"Probably,"

A spacious chamber stood at the end of the path, its focal point a towering fifteen-foot door. Crafted from an enigmatic jet-black material, the door bore a sinister red ogre visage etched into its surface. A series of steps led up to the gate, with a stone counter in front. Behind the counter, several members of the explorers' guild were stationed, accompanied by four elite guards, one of whom possessed magical abilities.

A young man who looked like an explorer stood at the counter engaged in a heated exchange with a female employee from the guild. Their disagreement centred around the price of the cores he was trying to sell.

"Is that the leader of the people we ran into before?"

"Looks that way,"

As I surveyed my surroundings, I noticed a group of children of various races huddled together in one corner, far from the counter. Their attire was plain and worn, and none of them had any weapons or protective gear. Unlike the welcoming children we encountered outdoors, these remained at a distance. They did not try to interact with us.

"Kiiids?"

"Lots of children, sir,"

"Mrrr?"

Pochi, Tama, and Mia all turned their heads quizzically. Their synchronisation was so flawless that I couldn't resist grinning. Arisa appeared irked that she had missed out on being part of it.

"What do you think they're doing?" Arisa murmured.

"Their eyes are scary,"

Lulu sounded uncomfortable, but I watched Nana while Satou cared for her. Since they were all kids, I was worried that Nana would try to abduct them, but...

"They are not young enough, I dismiss,"

...she put my fears to rest.

"Hey, over here!"

Arisa waved us over to a noticeboard situated near the counter. My eyes fell upon numerous flyers adorning the board.

"Requests for monster parts?"

There were no requests from the guild; most were from artisans, shopkeepers, etc. A small handful were from nobles or merchants. The lower half of each flyer was blank, with dates, names, and ID numbers written in.

"That's right,"

Instead of Arisa, the person who answered Satou's murmur was a good-looking young man squatting next to the noticeboard.

"I imagine a young noble such as yourself does not need anyone to read or write for him, but I can direct you to the best deals if you like,"

He was probably here to earn some extra money. This land had a disappointing low literacy rate, which would put reading and dictation services in high demand. Satou handed the boy some change and asked him about these so-called deals.

"The meat of maze frogs and the carapaces of beetle-type monsters are always sought after, so I recommend those,"

"It is delicious,"

As I stood beside Liza, she murmured while nodding her head knowingly. She seemed to remember her grilled barbecue party with Satou in the labyrinth of Seiryuu City. I noticed Tama and Pochi also nodding thoughtfully, most likely just copying Liza's actions. But all that happened before I started travelling with them, so I can't say for sure if it is delicious.

"What about these ones, like the ant nectar or the labyrinth mushrooms? Those aren't as good?"

"For the nectar, you'd have to enter a maze ant nest, which can be extremely dangerous. And I hear those mushrooms only grow in much deeper sections of the labyrinth. Neither of them is worth the risk," It seemed like this youngster had gained a lot of knowledge about the labyrinth simply by spending time here and making some extra money. "Also, these requests aren't ongoing. Be careful. Just 'cause it's here when you go into the labyrinth doesn't mean it'll still be up when you come back out."

That was reasonable. It's likely they didn't want their demands to be handled by multiple individuals and have an overabundance of materials as a result.

"Master, the woman at the counter wishes to speak with you,"

As I glanced behind me, I noticed a staff member with a sharp, intelligent appearance gesturing for our attention at the counter. It seemed she had just concluded her discussion with the leader of Red Ice. Satou expressed his gratitude to the young boy for his helpful tip, and we proceeded to make our way to the counter.

"Yes?"

"Forgive my inquiry, but are you a new explorer?"

"Yes, we'll be in your care starting today. My name is Satou,"

"My, how polite. I'm sure they told you all about it when you registered, but this is where you can sell the monster cores you acquire in the labyrinth. You can exchange other monster parts from the requests posted on the wall here, as well. Furthermore, this is only necessary for gold-badge holders, but nobles such as yourself are invited to report your expected exploration time here before entering the labyrinth,"

"I understand. We don't expect to be long, but I'd like to request six days, just in case,"

Satou chose that particular length of time because it aligned with the duration of our reservation at the inn. However, I had a feeling that we would be returning before the night was over. And while Satou was handling the paperwork for once, I asked…

"By the way, who are those children over there?"

"Ah, they're bag carriers, waiting to be hired by explorer parties. They change places with the children outside once every chime, but they're not allowed to call to potential customers down here. The echoes are far too noisy,"

Just as I was about to delve deeper into the topic, a band of about ten adventurers burst forth from the labyrinth's entrance. Each one exuded a formidable aura, with their collective level averaging at an impressive 20. I couldn't help but notice that three of them were carrying heavy bags, but to my surprise, they were not young children but rather muscular beastfolk. A solitary explorer approached us as the other party members settled down to take a break. His face was adorned with a thick, bear-like beard, and it was clear that he was the group leader, the only one at level 30.

"Hey, Bena. Sorry to interrupt, but do you still have that request for boar-spider meat?"

"I'm sorry. Bearded Owl brought some in this morning, so I don't think we're buying any more right now,"

So the woman behind the counter was called Bena.

"Tch, those bastards again? Fine, then. Bena, cook this meat up for us, will you?"

"Very well. Rick, bring out the grill, please. Including coal, the lending fee is one large copper coin. For my labour, all I'll charge you is a piece of the best cut of back meat,"

"Crafty little fox, aren't you?" After the rugged explorer with a beard resembling a bear passed a hefty copper coin to the clerk, he shifted his gaze towards the group of children. "Hey, brats! I'll treat you to some meat, too, okay? Just make sure you pay me back with the praise of your choice before you eat, like 'You're so cool, Mr. Dozon!' or 'Thank you, Mr. Dozon!""

The kids' exuberant cheers were so loud that it pained my ears. Tama and Pochi, who were not used to this type of meat, appeared curious, yet depriving these undernourished children of food would be heartless. Satou gestured for them to hold back, and Liza stepped close to the two of them just in case the smell of meat cooking got the better of them.

"...Shall we get going?"

After displaying our wood badges at the counter, we proceeded to the labyrinth entrance.

"Open sesameee?"

"I want to open it, too, sir,"

"That door is awfully heavy, so it might be tough,"

Tama and Pochi made their way towards the heavy-looking door, and just as they were about to open it, the clerk cheerfully called out to them.

"Heave-hoo0?"

"Hi-ya, sir!"

"...What?"

Tama and Pochi easily opened the door, causing the staff member's jaw to all but hit the floor.

"Uuugh, more staaairs?"

Beyond the door lay a grand staircase that descended beneath a towering ceiling. These steps zigzagged back and forth rather than a typical straight or spiral design. Evidently, they had been constructed in a spot where a steep incline once stood. The bannisters were punctured with evenly spaced gaps, presumably for shooting arrows toward trespassing creatures. Each tier of the staircase contained a platform equipped with a cannon shielded with fabric, most likely a defence against escaping monsters.

Two soldiers were stationed at each platform, appearing to have ample free time as they engaged in a shogi-esque board game. Thankfully, they weren't indulging in alcohol or dozing off while on duty. These soldiers possessed impressive physiques, resembling wolf and lion-like creatures known as wolffolk and lionfolk. As we walked by, we greeted them, and despite their apparent displeasure, they replied with a cordial wave.

"I'm not gonna make iiit..."

"You can do it, Arisa,"

Arisa looked like she was about to give up and turn back, even with Lulu cheering her on.

"Master, are there still more stairs?"

"We're only halfway there. Maybe you should start lifting or jogging so you can build up a little more stamina, Arisa,"

"Uuugh…"

Arisa looked tearful, but Satou just patted her back lightly, and we continued down the stairs. But in the end, Satou did carry her.

<0 >

"Touchdooown?"

"We're here, sir!"

"Whew, finally..."

Arisa looked extremely relieved as she rested on Satou's back. She must have been exhausted because she didn't try to grope him once during her piggyback ride down here.

"Hero Kura, there is a door ahead, I report,"

"Mm, big,"

As Nana and Mia reported, we encountered a pair of towering double doors, standing at fifteen feet tall, obstructing our path. They appeared to be the kind that required a push to swing open.

"Perhaps it's to bar entry for monsters if they try to come through?" Liza said, pushing open the doors.

"That's right, young lady. Welcome to the gates of hell,"

A short-statured foxfolk man in a military uniform greeted her on the other side.

"Whaddaya mean, 'gates of hell'? Gimme a break!"

"Ouch, Captain!"

A muscular man delivered a punch to the jaw of the foxfolk man. Although he appeared like a troll or ogre, the captain was actually an ordinary human.

"Never seen you around here. This is the frontline garrison of the labyrinth army. Don't hang around too long; just pick one of the three paths and head on in,"

As the men stood, a cavern loomed behind them, only half the size of a baseball stadium. The space was illuminated by magic, casting an otherworldly glow over the scene. Three hundred soldiers were stationed in an encampment near the three large doorways. Their surroundings were heavily armed, with cannons and Magic Cannons strategically aimed at all possible entry points. The smaller openings and passageways appeared to have been sealed off, most likely for the purpose of fortifying their defences.

"Captain, the middle path is for garnet badges only, isn't it? You gotta tell people these things,"

"Shut up. I was just about to," A second punch landed on the foxfolk man's face. "The middle path only connects to a room called Hades, which leads down into the middle floor of the labyrinth. We can't have any inexperienced explorers going in there and causing a monster chain rampage."

"Right. It's a serious crime to cause a chain rampage in the labyrinth, so be careful, got it? Especially if you bring 'em all the way back here, you'd be looking at a hefty fine at best. That or getting sent off to the coal mines as a criminal slave,"

"Uh-huh. If it's just weak monsters, the fine won't be so bad, but if a soldier gets killed in the process, there'll be more than just money to pay,"

Before departing from the garrison, we thanked the two soldiers for their warnings.

"Those two were the kind of characters you'd meet in a tutorial level, huh?" Arisa remarked as she watched the pair of soldiers return to their posts.

"Don't say things like that, all right?"

"Okaaaay, I'm sorry,"

After a light scolding from Satou, Arisa meekly apologised for her rudeness.

"Master Satou, Hero Kura, should we proceed along the left path or the right path? I inquire,"

"Let's see... How about this one?"

Since those explorers were kind enough to warn us, we decided to head toward area 4-1, where the "rogue soldier mantis" lurked. We should be able to defeat it easily, and it seemed unsafe to let a relatively dangerous monster roam around in a low-level area. Incidentally, "area 4-1" referred to "area 4 from the area-1 entrance." This naming convention had started because some places within the same area could be accessed only by way of other areas.

"Hey, you!" As we approached the entrance to the main corridor, a soldier shouted for us to halt. "You gonna be all right in those clothes?"

All our armour is hidden beneath our robes, so he probably didn't notice. It was probably Satou's fault. With only his ordinary clothes and fairy sword, Satou probably looked lightly dressed for the labyrinth.

"Yes, I'll be fine, thank you. Besides, we're only taking a look around today. We'll come back once we've explored area 1,"

"Yeah, that'd be for the best,"

We nodded to the concerned soldier before stepping through the door that Liza was holding open.

"This is a huge hallway,"

Arisa and the others looked around in awe at the large space.

"According to the map I bought, it's the great hall,"

"It's darker than I expected,"

"It should be easy enough to walk, but we may not be able to detect monsters lying in wait,"

As we ventured down the dimly lit hall, we relied only on the occasional knee-level light source to guide us. These seemingly enchanted objects, known as 'sign stones,' were just as the map seller had described them. As we drew nearer, the previously white glow shifted to a cool blue hue, just as he had claimed.

"Shall I use Mana Light? I inquire,"

"Yes, please do,"

"Yes, Hero Kura,"

As Nana activated her Foundation ability, Mana Lights illuminated the helmets of the vanguards and the staffs of the rear guard. In addition, Satou had added delicate adornments to the helmets, guiding the glow of the Mana Light towards the front.

"Master, how shall we arrange our formation?"

"While we're walking, let's have Lulu, Arisa, Sara and Mia in the middle, Pearl, Nana, Tama, and Pochi in the front, and Liza, Kura and me bringing up the rear,"

Tama and Pochi led the way, their keen senses ensuring they would detect any traps or monsters ahead. With Liza guarding their back, any potential attacks would be quickly repelled.

"Fluffyyy?"

"There's something above us, sir,"

The Mana Lights attached to Tama and Pochi's helmets cast a glow upon several puffballs, each about the size of a tennis ball, floating near the ceiling. The number of these puffballs was quite substantial.

"Mrrr. Spirit eaters," Looking uncharacteristically angry, Mia produced a fire staff from her Fairy Pack. Activating Spirit Vision, I saw the creatures catching and eating small spirits. They must be monsters of some kind. "Destroy."

Mia's staff emitted a fierce fireball that soared towards the ceiling, quickly engulfing the nearby puffballs in a cloud of smoke and flames.

"They're pretty wimpy,"

As Arisa had stated, the creatures were immediately consumed by the fire upon coming into contact with it. After destroying all the spirit eaters, Mia let out a satisfied hmph! And stowed away her staff.

"Good work,"

"Mm, thanks,"

Mia puffed up her chest, and I patted her head in response.

"I'll search for more enemies with Space Magic,"

Arisa readied her staff and looked around.

"Mm, me next,"

"All right, let's take turns, then,"

Mia knew a Spirit Magic spell that was good for finding monsters, so she seemed to want to contribute next time.

"Here goes!"

"Aye-aye..."

Tama covered her ears just as Arisa unleashed the spell. I felt a similar flow of magic to the Practical Magic spell Signal.

"Nope, nothing," Arisa declared.

"Bugs?"

"Little lizards and bats, too, sir,"

"No, not those," Arisa informed them. "I meant there are no monsters."

"Awww..."

"That's too bad, sir,"

Tama and Pochi looked around in disappointment. They didn't seem to know what to do.

"Don't worry. There will be more once we go in a little farther,"

The pair perked up at that, so we continued our exploration.

"It is hard to see even with the light, I report,"

Walking down the corridor, we were met with various columns and stone statues that adorned the walls. In between were scattered, seemingly random sets of stone steps that led to nowhere. Upon closer inspection, the ceiling was adorned with curtain-like objects, which revealed themselves as dusty spiderwebs. As we continued, we noticed occasional hollows in the walls and ceilings, resembling tiny, dark passages.

The small openings resembling ventilation holes near the ceiling appeared to be frequented by little creatures. Occasionally, a few moth or hornworm-like beasts would emerge and feed on the fluffy spirit eaters. Since they were low-level monsters, we decided to let them be for other explorers to encounter.

"Something's there?"

"I hear fighting up ahead, sir,"

Tama and Pochi appeared to have noticed a commotion further along the path. Five explorers have engaged in a fierce struggle against three demi-goblins approximately two hundred feet ahead. Due to the constant din emanating from the ventilation holes in the labyrinth's ceiling, it was challenging to discern distant sounds. Even Tama and Pochi, who were usually quick to notice such things, took a bit longer to pick up on the battle. When we passed nearby, one of the explorers called out a warning to us.

"These goblins are ours. Keep moving,"

"All right,"

I offered a quick answer to avoid causing too much interruption. The fight appeared quite intense: Despite their low levels of 1 and 2, the demi-goblins had inflicted injuries on all of the explorers. The exploration crew appeared to be relatively new, most of them at a level 3 skill level. Their attire consisted of hemp-woven vests and armour improvised from strung-together bones. Armed with self-made short spears and light pick-axes, their lack of formal training was evident. As I was watching the battle, Nana abruptly spun around from the front of the crowd.

"Hero Kura, I have located a suspicious group of larvae, I report,"

"What do you mean?"

A group of children gazed down from above in a section of the grand hall that had transformed into a steep rock face. The oldest boy appeared to be an explorer, accompanied by five younger children tasked with carrying supplies. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that they were hauling a makeshift stretcher made from woven blades of grass.

"Big Brother Boma, behind you!"

"Hello there,"

As a child shouted out a warning, the explorer boy and his companions swiftly turned their heads. They prepared their makeshift weapons, which resembled mere sticks. Satou must have startled them. He climbed up to the children while the rest of us stayed back. We observed the band of youthful adventurers engaged in a perilous fight for their lives against a horde of demi-goblins as we waited for Satou to finish up there.

"Damn this stupid, fat goblin!"

The "fat goblin" was a slightly stronger type called a "demi-goblin grappler."

"Guess I gotta use my trump card!"

The axe user, who appeared to be the group's leader, swallowed some kind of pill. Then, his movements suddenly became faster, and he went from a losing battle against the grappler to gaining a decent advantage. The battle was over soon after that, and the explorers began disassembling the defeated demi-goblins and taking the cores. Finally, the group collected the cores, left the demi-goblin corpses behind, and moved on to find their next prey. One of them seemed to notice the children and muttered a disgusted "tch, corpse pillagers" as they left.

"Let's go! Grab 'em before any other monsters eat 'em!"

After the explorers had departed from the cliff, the boy took charge. He guided the children down the stone steps, carefully pulling the woven stretcher behind them. Satou was following right behind him and asked.

"What do you use the goblin corpses for?"

"W… we sell 'em to a butcher… I…it's we are thieves! We don't steal 'em! We only take what gets left behind!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't doubting that,"

"J… just so you know, we don't eat 'em, all right? That'd make you so sick, your body'd go nasty and rotten,"

Accordingly, he clarified that while demi-goblin flesh may not be lethal, there was a considerable risk of illness upon consumption. Hence, it was strictly prohibited to remove it from the labyrinth.

"Is that what causes Goblin Disease?"

"I dunno. I don't think so, though?" The boy tilted his head and shrugged.

"So what does the butcher use it for, then?"

"They have a slime, eat it and turn it into oil and bones,"

"So even goblins have a use in everyday life... Humans are amazing, hmm?"

"Sright. They might make fun and call us 'corpse pillagers,' but without us, they wouldn't be able to get bones for their armour or goblin oil for their lanterns," The boy exploded into a little rant. He must have a lot of built-up frustration about the subject. "Besides, if we left those corpses lying around in the labyrinth, it'd be crawling with coreless and cursed monsters."

"What are those?"

Before this encounter, I was unfamiliar with those particular terms. I eagerly sought further clarification.

"Coreless' are walking corpses without a monster core. 'Cursed' corpses don't move, but if you get too close, they can grab your legs and curse you,"

So it is unwise to recklessly approach corpses, as labyrinths were more perilous than I thought.

"The fat ones are so heavy,"

"Help us out, Big Bro!"

"Wait a sec-I'll be right there!"

The kid carriers were complaining loudly at the base of the cliff, prompting the boy to offer assistance. Before departing, Satou generously gave him a handful of copper coins as a gesture of gratitude for the valuable information he had provided.

"Wow! You sure, mister?"

"Of course. Thanks for answering all my questions,"

"Heh-heh, anytime!"

<0 >

"The monster pickings certainly are slim in Area 1,"

As we proceeded down the grand hall, we witnessed numerous novice explorers battling against fearsome creatures and vying for kills.

"Hero Kura, the sign stones have begun displaying a new number, I report,"

"Fooour?"

"It says 1-4, sir,"

As the trio up front walked, they stumbled upon a massive sign stone that marked the intersection of the path around Area 1 and the divergent path leading to Area 4.

"Maybe we'll start seeing more monsters soon?"

"I'd say so..." Satou nodded at Arisa, so it is safe to say that monsters will attack us soon. "...It looks like there'll be plenty of fighting to go around pretty soon."

"Let me investigate,"

Arisa used magic to check Satou's claim.

"Me next,"

"Oh right, it's your turn this time,"

We'd been alternating between Arisa's Space Magic and Mia's Spirit Magic for detection, so it must have been Mia's turn this time.

"Cowardice Sylph Okubyou na Kaze," Mia used an enemy-detecting Spirit Magic spell. A yellow-green wind raced through the labyrinth, bringing information back to Mia. "Mm. Lots of enemies."

"People comiiing?"

"Sounds like bugs, too, sir,"

Listening with their ears to the ground, Tama and Pochi seemed to have picked up on the sound of both people and monsters approaching.

"How many are coming?"

Arisa looked at Satou seriously, but he couldn't help responding mischievously.

"You mean people or enemies?"

"Enemies, of course," She snapped immediately.

"Three hundred,"

"Th… three hundred?"

"Master, we should retreat, I propose,"

"I agree with Nana, master,"

"Mm,"

Lulu clung to Satou's arm anxiously as everyone agreed to make a retreat.

"Don't worry?"

"We can do it, sir. As long as our master's with us, it'll be easy, sir!"

Tama and Pochi struck strange poses, and Satou patted their heads.

"What would you do if I wasn't with you?"

"Run away, of course, sir,"

"Get outta heeeere?"

"Good answer. If I'm not with you, you should never try to take on such a large group of enemies, even if they're not very strong,"

Our group had fought large numbers of undead and pirates on the sugar route, but it was never more than between three and five enemies per person.

"What if we have no choice but to fight?" Arisa asked.

"What do you think?" Satou responded.

"Hmm... Get to an advantageous position?"

"That's right. Find a place where the enemy won't be able to come at you all at once,"

"Yep, bottlenecking is a must when you're hunting solo in online games,"

Arisa nodded, explaining further to the others while Satou looked down the hall.

"There are people running away from the monsters this time, so let's help them by fighting, shall we? Of course, if I wasn't with you, you'd prioritise your own safety and run away, all right?"

We retreated to a section of the corridor where we could strategically prepare for battle. The area was strewn with debris and raised mounds, providing an advantageous terrain for fighting against a large number of enemies. It was akin to setting up camp on a sandbank in a river, except our position was about ten feet higher. The lower section, which would be submerged in a river, was cluttered with rubble, making it challenging to manoeuvre. The only way for our enemies to reach us would be to scale a nearly vertical wall or take a longer route away from where the maze ants were approaching. There were two minor issues, however: the bends in the great hall obstructed our vision beyond 150 feet, and we couldn't lay any traps on the path of the fleeing explorers.

"Oops, I almost forgot,"

"Don't worry. I have already taken care of it,"

I had already cast 'Enchant: Physical Protection' on everyone while Satou was busy gathering information on the approaching enemy. I was honestly surprised he forgot something so important. Weak enemies or not, it was always better to be safe.

"Comiiing?"

"They're here, sir!"

A party of two rabbitfolk and a ratfolk came dashing from the other side of the great hall. Though they weren't visible yet, there was also a party of human males behind them and a party of human women bringing up the rear.

"Run for it!"

"Hey, there's a swarm of maze ants coming this way!"

"If you don't wanna get eaten, you better quit standing around and get outta here!"

The beastfolk party shouted warnings as they raced past us. They were all warriors, ranging in level from 7 to 10.

"Hero Kura, the next group is here, I report,"

Next to arrive was the male human party: three explorers and two bag carriers. The leader of the explorers was level 13, while the other two were level 10. The bag carriers had good constitutions but were only around level 4.

"Come on, slaves! Don't drop those jars of ant nectar!" The leader, who had bandages wrapped around his limbs and neck, looked over his shoulder to shout at the two bag carriers. "If you drop any, I'll cut off your arms and feed 'em to the ants!"

In the face of their master's brutal ultimatum, the two slaves chose to remain mute and simply obey the man in silence.

"Besso, the Lovely Wings are falling behind,"

"Hmph. I hate to lose Jena, but as long as we make it out with two jars, we won't be in the red,"

"Good point. Let's make a break for it while they're getting eaten,"

As they raced by, the duo ignored us and continued their unpleasant discussion without even a passing glance. In contrast to the courteous beastfolk group, they showed us no concern or caution. Eventually, the third group, consisting of four human females, appeared. Two members carried large packs on their backs, while the other two were clearly explorers, sporting woven vests adorned with bone armour, wooden shields, and bronze-tipped spears. Underneath their vests, they wore short shirts that revealed their midriffs, and their legs were clad in tight pants. In my opinion, they were simply dressed in casual athletic attire. Still, from the perspective of the Shiga Kingdom, I would assume they appeared almost indecently exposed.

"Master, the monsters!"

"They're going to catch up to those ladies!"

Arisa and Lulu gestured towards the approaching maze ants as the two women desperately tried to keep ahead of their pursuers. One of the bag carriers appeared to have sustained an injured leg, and the other companion was dutifully aiding her, allowing them barely to stay ahead of their relentless chasers.

"Oh no! At this distance, they'd get caught up in my spell..."

"Mrrr,"

"I can't get a clear shot with the Magic Gun, either,"

The girls in the back struggled to contain their fear, biting down on their lips. With the two carriers in front of them, they were helpless as one of the almost human-sized maze ants closed in on them.

"Just get ready to attack," I tell them, stepping forward. "I'll make sure they are out of the way."

"Miss Iruna!"

Turning around, the explorers gasped when they saw the two bag carriers about to be caught by the ants.

"Help us! The ants! The ants!"

"Big Sister, forget about me… just save yourself!"

As the two bag carriers gave a touching display of sisterly love, nearly thirty maze ants closed in on them. But I got there first. Using my 'Warp' skill, I put myself between the ladies and the maze ants and sliced the nearest ant clean in two.

"Where did you…"

The injured bag carrier gasped as I quickly took down two more maze ants, using my 'Magic Hand' spell to grab the ladies. Before they could say anything, I used 'Warp' again to get us behind my friends.

"What the? How did we?"

"Are you a magic user? That was magic, right?"

"We're alive…"

"We're sister!"

As the ladies took a moment to accept what happened, Satou gave the order to begin the attack.

"Now! Begin the battle!"

"Hi-yaaa?"

"Haaah, sir!"

Tama and Pochi reacted immediately, flinging the stones in their hands. The stones smacked squarely into the maze ants that were about to try and climb up to them.

"Nana, use "Taunt"!"

"You idiotic worker ants! Go work until you are bald from stress, I declare!"

Nana's 'Taunt' worked, redirecting the ants' aggression toward her.

"Water Hold Mizu Shibaru!"

"Secret Ultra Dimension Snare!"

Mia's and Arisa's magic activated in unison, sending the charging maze ants tumbling to the ground.

"Here I go!"

Lulu's Thunder Rod sent an electric shock rippling through all the ants that had gotten soaked by Mia's spell.

"More magic...users?"

I heard one of the rescued female explorers murmur in wonder.

"Let's go, you three,"

"Gotchaaa?"

"Roger that, sir!"

"It's about time we got in on the action,"

Liza charged forward, her Magic Spear leaving red traces in the air while Pearl was right beside her with her magic sword sparking and creating a trail of bright blue light. Tama channelled magic power into her two Magic Swords, taking down ants with dance-like movements. Pochi, too, seemed to have gotten the hang of channelling magic into her sword; she moved with certainty, jabbing her weapon into the gaps in the maze ants' carapaces.

"The best defence is a good offence, I declare,"

As her 'Taunt' lured the ants toward her, Nana wiped them out, bashing them with her large shield and striking them with her Soft Stun-infused Magic Sword. She was making efficient use of the superhuman strength she gained from 'Body Strengthening,' prioritising pushing the ants back or disabling them over defeating them.

At levels 4 through 6, the maze ants didn't stand a chance.

"Should we go help them...?"

"Amazing. They're defeating those tough maze ants so easily,"

I heard impressed murmurs from the female explorer pair. At first, they looked like they would join the fray with Liza and the others, but then they stopped and stood back. Meanwhile, Sara is already healing the injured bag carrier's leg.

"Maybe that flash of magic before weakened the ants' defences,"

Lulu's Thunder Rod's mob suppression mode must have looked like a spell to them.

"Thank you, Sir Noble,"

A charming-looking woman, who seemed to be the leader, approached Satou. We were still in the middle of battle, but it wasn't a problem since Satou was just standing there.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Could I ask you something, though?"

"O… of course, we'll pay you for your troubles as soon as we get back to town,"

"No, that won't be necessary. I was just wondering: How did you know I was a noble?"

"Erm, well..." I shake my head as the woman answers. The answer so so obvious I don't know how someone could miss it. "You're wearing a top-quality robe in a labyrinth... Not to mention, you've got that expensive-looking sword at your waist. Besides..." There's still more. "Only a noble would be eccentric… confident enough to bring a group of young ladies in dresses and even a maid into a labyrinth."

Although the rear guard's dress armour provided superior defence compared to the metal armour donned by knights, this was not evident at first glance.

Meanwhile, as Satou learned of his oversights, the battle raged. The 304 maze ants had been reduced to only ten or so. Partway through, Nana's "Taunt" had run out, and the ants had started surrounding Tama and Pochi. Still, Arisa and Mia provided cover for them with magic.

"Tama! I made a wall on your left, so fight them off from the right!"

Arisa's Deracinator spell was proving particularly useful. With the advanced version, Mazemaker, the user could create a maze of Deracinator walls to en- trap the enemy or release them on a whim. It took a lot of MP, though.

"The hand you hold your fork with is your right hand!" When Tama didn't seem to know her left from her right, Arisa called out to her.

"Aye-aaaye!"

"Amazing. Such a hectic battle, but nobody's injured at all,"

"Huh? Seriously?"

The female explorers watched in amazement. The vanguard had taken a few hits from the maze ants. Still, between their overpowered armour and my Enchant: Physical Protection, they hadn't actually been hurt.

"Wow, you're right. They must be garnet-badge explorers,"

I doubt they would believe me if I told them we were only wood badges.

"More enemies are approaching,"

"Rustle-ruuustle?"

"I hear something behind the wall, sir!"

Pearl, Tama and Pochi had detected the maze ants approaching in the adjacent passage. I was impressed that they noticed in the middle of such an intense battle.

"Satou, sign stone,"

Mia pointed, and I saw that the sign stone, which had been glowing blue in response to the bag-carrier sisters, alternated between blue and red as it detected the enemies in the other passageway.

"Sir Noble! That's a sign that a spawnhole is about to open up. Monsters are going to come out from over there!" The charming woman exclaimed.

The wall, which had looked like stone, thinned into a sort of membrane before a small hole opened in the middle. A maze ant burst out, threatening to go after the bag-carrier sisters, and I immediately stepped between them. With a single swing, the maze ant was dead.

"Wait… that is not a normal sword, is it?!"

"I swear I have seen it before…"

The explorer ladies were staring at me in amazement. The bag-carrier sisters, meanwhile, retreated over to the explorers.

There appeared to be a 'spawnhole' forming behind the explorer party, too. They didn't seem to have noticed until Satou called out to them.

"Behind you!"

"Huh? Another spawnhole? Let's do this, Jena,"

"W… wait a second! Something's wrong!"

Instead of maze ants, a single soldier mantis started forcing its way out through the narrow hole that had formed near the explorer duo. This must be the 'rogue' Jejeh from the Red Ice party warned us before entering the labyrinth. Unlike a typical praying mantis, the soldier mantis had six back legs and four front legs. Two front legs were small for grabbing prey, while two were large and shaped like blades for battle. The creature was about eight feet tall, definitely intimidating.

"Eeeeeek!"

Realising what had emerged, the four women all shrieked in unison. The beauty dropped her spear in shock, and the charmer fell to her knees. I couldn't blame the Lovely Wings explorer party for their reactions. Iruna, the charming one, was level 6, and Jena, the beauty, was level 8. Meanwhile, the soldier mantis was level 16.

KUWKUWAAAAMWA!

The soldier mantis hadn't escaped the hole yet but unleashed a howl.

"R… run away, you two!"

"W… we'll slow it down! Get out of here, quick!"

The two explorer women put on determined expressions through their tears. Gripping their spears with shaking hands, they stepped forward, ready to buy time so the bag-carrier sisters could escape. Meanwhile, the last ant finally left the 'spawnhole' before me, so I cut it down and cast a spell. My 'Ice Storm' spell made quick work of the soldier mantis, piecing it with multiple icicles.

"Huh?"

"No way!"

The soldier mantis's body fell to the floor, spurting a puddle of green blood.

"Did you attack it just now?"

"You're incredible, miss!"

It looked like their battle was almost over, too. As the explorers praise me, I can see that everyone else is finishing off the last of the maze ants as we speak.

"Miss, you've saved our lives twice now,"

"""Thank you so much."""

The explorers and bag carriers all thanked me in turn.

"You took it down so easily,"

"Garnet-badge explorers are truly on another level,"

I shrugged and returned back to the others. That thing was pretty weak compared to the monsters I have fought before. Anyway, it looks like everyone is getting ready to collect materials.

"Master, shall we begin collecting materials?" Liza asked, getting her harvesting equipment ready.

"Just the cores are fine. The ants' carapaces are brittle, so they wouldn't be very useful," Satou replied, looking over the countless corpses of the maze ants.

"Master, forgive my insolence, but..." Liza voiced a rare disagreement. "I believe the carapaces could serve as material for armour and shields. The claws of the maze ants' front legs are said to be useful for short swords, sickles, and so on."

According to Liza, ants-type monsters were greatly prized for their resources in her homeland. Even though a simple bronze sword could penetrate a maze ant's shell, it was most likely tougher than armour crafted from the bones of goblins. It was worth considering bringing these creatures to the surface, as they could be valuable assets. We don't need the money, but it could save some newbie explorers' lives.

"Meeeat?"

"We're not going to grill the meat, sir?"

Tama and Pochi contemplated whether they should also dismantle the meat after successfully recovering the cores from the deceased maze ants.

"It would be best not to. Ant meat is so bitter that few people choose to eat it. Besides, if a child eats it, they could get food poisoning,"

Despite Tama and Pochi's apparent disappointment, I reassured myself that I had an abundance of meat stored that I could prepare for later. Still, that will leave them with only bread and water for now.

"Miss, here,"

Iruna, the charming female adventurer, passed me a handful of monster cores obtained from the maze ants I had battled and slain. However, she seemed to have avoided the soldier mantis, perhaps choosing not to venture near it.

"Thank you,"

"It's hardly enough to thank you for saving our lives, but we would be happy to help break down the corpses,"

Although Jena's offer was kind, I was unable to accept it.

"Actually, you should probably make a run for it. My friends here have detected with magic another swarm of maze ants headed this way. They'll get here before too long,"

"You're not going to run, Sir Noble?"

"We'll slow them down for a bit first,"

I was attempting to subtly suggest that it would be in our best interest for them to make a rapid escape.

"All right. Make sure you stay safe, okay?"

"We'll definitely pay you back for today!"

The female explorers and their bag carriers hastily rose, ready to escape quickly. In the frenzy of packing their belongings, I spied a jar of ant nectar in the elder sister's possession. It was then that I realised, perhaps, that was what the maze ants had been seeking all along.

"Master, the next wave will be here soon,"

"All right. I'll recharge your magic,"

Satou used the 'Mana Transfer' spell to restore the group's magic power. No one looked injured, and well, Satou recharged the group's MP I recast 'Enchant: Physical Protection' on everyone.

"They're here!"

Following our initial encounter, we fought numerous battles against the maze ants. We ventured into their nest after successfully defeating most of the ants. In our possession, we obtained various substances, such as ant nectar, queen ant nectar spheres, and a delicacy known as naturally fermented ant nectar mead. Curiously, a particular group of maze ants chose to chase Besso and his team rather than approach us. Mercifully, there were no fatalities, but the group suffered significant injuries upon reaching the encampment of the labyrinth army. If my recollection serves me right, unleashing a chain rampage in that area was considered a punishable offence.

<0 >

"Hopping potatoooes?"

"There are walking beans over here, sir,"

Tama and Pochi quickly conquered the monsters lurking in the passageway. These feeble level-1 beasts could only attack with their bodies but were no match for the duo. Swiftly, they eliminated the creatures.

After successfully eliminating the maze ants' nest, we found a faster route to the next area. Our original plan was to return later that day, but after uncovering this shortcut, we had to adjust our plans.

Participating in monster battles was arduous, as we constantly hid our top-of-the-line gear and Satou's support skills from our fellow explorers. This created considerable pressure, leading us to opt for a more secluded location that we stumbled upon. Of course, it wouldn't be a problem if Satou wasn't instant on keeping a low profile.

Upon arriving at Area 9, we were immediately met with many traps, slimes, and minuscule insect creatures equipped with deadly 'Poison,' 'Plague,' and 'Paralysis' attacks. However, we cleverly employed the 'Everyday Magic spell Bug Wiper', swiftly neutralising any threats and effortlessly progressing.

Our current location, Area 9-4-1, which is quite a mouthful, so we refer to it as 9-1, can only be reached through a complicated network of passages. As expected, we were the only ones brave enough to venture this far. While there were several explorers near the main entrance to Area 9, it appeared that very few dared to venture as deeply as we did. We only came across roughly 20% of the number of sign stones found in other regions. Still, it didn't concern us as we could teleport back to Area 1 with the aid of our seal slate.

"These monster cores are white,"

"They're very small, too,"

Liza and Lulu harvested the walking beans and bouncing potatoes, resulting in small, pill-sized white cores.

"White ones like that aren't really useful, so you don't need to go out of your way to collect them," Satou told them after taking a quick glance at the core.

Satou and I put the monster corpses away in Storage. The individuals responsible for the disgustingly unappetising beans and potatoes we consumed before entering the labyrinth must be these guys. According to Satou, there were more in Area 2 than here.

"It's shining?"

"Tama, if you could,"

"Aaaye!"

Being careful of traps, Tama went ahead to scout out a moss-filled cavern. Beyond this point was the enormous space that contained the areamaster of area 9-1.

"There's a foreeest?"

"A forest…?" Satou quickly ran ahead to Tama, hearing that. "It certainly is a forest."

"This is so much bigger than the room we beat before," Arisa murmured, gazing around as the rest of us caught up with Satou and Tama.

The immense size of the cavern could accommodate three Tokyo Domes and was brimming with lush trees and shrubs, illuminated by gentle rays filtering through the ceiling. The light originated from the plant life suspended above us. Even the ground beneath our feet was covered in grass, making it difficult to believe we were deep underground. The path we'd been on led to the top of the large room, and we could look down at the forest from there.

"There's even a river,"

There had been water trickling from the walls in one of the earlier rooms, but this room had a small river and even a lake.

"Mrrr. Freakish," Mia grumbled, brow furrowed as she stared at the forest.

The area was filled with mainly plant-like creatures, making it understandable why she disliked it.

"The flowers in the centre are pretty, I declare,"

"They look like orchids. The glowing flowers are moving around, though. Is that a monster, too?"

"It's really beautiful,"

Nana and Arisa gazed at an enormous plant monster in the centre of the room while Sara leaned into my side as she admired the view. It was a beautiful sight, but looks can be deceiving. The beautiful follows was a creature that was a crazy dendrobium; it was level 53 and used Light Magic. On the hill it was growing on, there were also ten or so related monsters called mayhem dendrobiums, which were around level 40.

Attracted by the smell of the flowers, bug-type monsters were flying around the plants, only to occasionally be brought down by bullets of light from the flowers. Once the monsters hit the ground, the dendrobium monsters grabbed them with vines and dragged them down to their roots.

"Maybe I should thin those out a little," Satou muttered before announcing.

"I'll be right back,"

"Don't get hurt!"

<0 >

"Okay, I'll pick up the first round of enemies and bring them out here,"

Right after the large cavern, there was a lot of conveniently level ground, so we used Earth Magic and Practical Magic to create a simple encampment.

"Let's do this thing! Same-strength enemies for now, plz!" Arisa replied.

Satou and I were taking turns aggroing some monsters and leading them to where everyone awaited.

"Let's start with these vanilla stalkers. 'Biting' and 'Vine-grabbing' are their only attacks, but they're level twenty-three. Don't let your guard down,"

The group's initial adversaries were leafy beings adorned with vanilla-scented blossoms, concealing sharp-toothed mouths within. However, a select few possessed the power of 'Charm Person', making them potentially deceptive despite their outward appearance. As a result, we were forced to tread carefully during our encounter.

"…Paralyse Mist Mahimu,"

"You are quite impudent for mere shrubs, I declare,"

Mia's Water Magic hindered the plants' movements, Nana drew their attention with "Taunt," and the beastfolk girls closed in for the kill. At the same time, Sara provided them protection with defensive spells. And surprisingly it looks like Pochi might be learning to use 'Spellblase'. I only saw it for a split second, but her sword definitely glowed red. As I continued watching the girls battle, I saw the same thing happen with Tama's Magic Swords. At this rate, if they kept leveling up, they might get the "Spellblade" skill like Liza and Pearl pretty soon.

That day, we continued fighting monsters until evening. Then, we spent the night in a safe house Satou made inside the labyrinth. At the same time, I took over drawing the monsters.

<0 >

After that, we spent days battling and sleeping in the labyrinth until the day before our scheduled return. Sometimes, we fought together; other times, my group fought sperate from Satou's. I don't like the idea, but there may be a day when we part ways, so Satou and I thought getting used to fighting without each other was essential.

The monsters we fought weren't strong enough for me to level up on, but I still learned a lot by watching how they moved and how they used their skills and natural abilities.

"Preeey?"

Tama strode towards the group of people who were gathered on the hill. Accompanying her was a peculiar creature, dubbed the 'walking corn.' With its insect-like legs and appearance resembling a stalk of corn, the monster lived up to its moniker. Despite its unusual appearance, it moved startlingly swiftly. To Tama's astonishment, the cornstalk creature transformed its kernels into cone-shaped projectiles. It began firing them at her with rapid precision, resembling the fire of a machine gun.

"Tama, behind you! Sir!"

"Whoosh, whoooosh?"

Tama used "Blink" to dodge the barrage of corn, but the monster stood in place and continued shooting at her.

"Plants should not move, I declare!"

Nana shouted, using her ability, 'Taunt,' luring the wandering corn's gaze towards her. As the corn charged towards the encampment, Nana swiftly stopped it with her powerful Magical Shield and Flexible Shields. Despite her valiant efforts, the attack pushed Nana backwards, causing the sharp spikes on her shoes to dig into the earth.

"This walking corn is level twenty-seven! It's just a normal one with no magic! We'll hold on until it runs out of corn, then counterattack!"

Arisa called out the information she'd found with Status Check to everyone.

"Take this!"

From behind Nana, Lulu fired with her Fireburst Gun, the Flame Bullets hitting the corn, causing it to explode with a pop. The Fireburst Gun was a new weapon Satou made using one of the Firelight Pearls he found on the fire-breathing island. A standard Thunder Rod Gun or Fire Rod Gun wouldn't be strong enough to fight an enemy of this level.

"Let's bring this sucker down! Mia, Paralyze Water Hold, plz!"

"Mm,"

Arisa kept a close eye on things, giving the group orders.

"Nana! I'm going to make a barrier so you can set up some new Flexible Shields, okay?"

"Understood, I report,"

The transparent barrier Arisa made blocked the walking corn's barrage. After Nana completed the process of resetting her Flexible Shields, Arisa swiftly dismantled her barrier. Despite its strong defensive capabilities, the Barrier Magic consumed a significant amount of MP. It was not a feasible option for everyday use.

Eventually, as the creature exhausted its supply of corn projectiles, its pointed end was divided into four sections. It sprouted sharp fangs, forming an enormous gaping maw. As Nana stood ready to repel it, the corn stalks lumbered towards her with frightening speed as if intent on consuming her entirely.

"Yah!"

When it opened its mouth and exposed its weak point, Lulu fired her Fireburst Gun, shooting right into the monster's gullet.

"…Paralyse Water Hold Mahi Mizu Shibaru,"

As Mia summoned her Water Magic, a powerful force surged from her, interrupting the corn monster's stride and sending it crashing to the earth. This particular spell was a mid-level Water Magic incantation, combining the 'Paralyze Mist' and 'Water Hold' abilities. While its range was not as expansive as Paralyze Mist, it proved a valuable asset when facing single adversaries, as there was no danger of her companions becoming entangled in the attack.

"Super Dimensional Ultra Attack!"

Arisa shouted as she fired a 'Dimension Cutter' spell at the immobilised walking corn. Invisible blades slashed away at the walking corn, but they were so sharp that they didn't do much damage.

"Tama, Pochi, time to attack! Let's finish it off,"

"Spellblaaaade'?"

"Gooo, sir!"

Tama and Pochi, equipped with their magic swords, activated the technique known as 'Spellblade' and emerged from their hiding spot behind Nana. By Liza's side, they charged into battle against the walking corn. Having recently mastered the technique, Tama led the charge, swiftly followed by Pochi, who had just learned the skill after levelling up earlier that day. With their blades illuminated in a bright red hue, the two girls effortlessly sliced through the legs of the walking corn, quickly gaining the upper hand in the fight. Since they were still new to 'Spellblade,' the light was unstable and consumed a lot of MP.

As the corn ambled forward, its vines thrashed like frenzied whips, threatening the vanguard who held their ground. The fight was a draw for a brief moment, but our group soon gained the upper hand. Pearl joined the fight, attacking from behind as an attack spell from Sara hit from above.

"This is the end of the line!" Liza readied her spear with a steady red light at the end. The 'Spellblade' spun sharply as she jabbed it into the walking corn, stabbing through it. "Helix Spear Attack!"

CWUOOOORWNN!

The 'Spellblade' around the spear spun in a helix shape, shredding the creature's body. A strange death cry unleashed itself from the corn monster's fanged mouth.

CWUOOOORWNN!

With another dying cry, the creature whipped its vines around. Plant-type monsters were tough.

"Sleep, I declare,"

Nana's 'Body Strengthening' enhanced shield bash hit the gigantic walking corn, sending it flying backwards.

"And just to be sure, here's a Dimension Pile, max strength!"

Arisa's Space Magic closed in on the unmoving walking corn, finally finishing off the stubborn creature.

"We wiiin?"

"Sir!"

As we celebrated, Sara started healing. No one was severely injured, but some of the girls took a few scratches.

"Yesss! Awesome! I just hit level twenty-nine!" Arisa cheered.

"Greeeat?"

"Hooray, sir!"

"Don't get too full of yourselves. We were only able to come this far because of Master, remember,"

"Well, of course, I'm grateful. Tama does the monster pulling now, but Master and Kura were doing all of it up until yesterday," That was uncharacteristically big of Arisa… "It was pretty amazing. They didn't pull any other monsters, and there was always an ideal enemy right after a break… really. Nerds are so efficient."

"Look who's talking," Satou said blandly, bopping Arisa on the head.

I can't take credit for picking the right enemies. Whenever it was my turn to lure a monster, Satou would use his 'Map' skill to direct me to the best monster for the girls to fight.

"At this rate, I might hit level thirty before the end of the day,"

The girls had made impressive progress in levelling up due to the abundance of powerful enemies in area 9-1. Initially, the area seemed like a forest to me, but it was actually just a cavern filled with plant monsters.

"Sorryyy?"

"No worries!"

Tama found herself being pursued by not just one but two menacing monsters: a bothersome thornfoot that could drain magic and a capture slime, a plant-like creature with sticky tentacles that feasted on insects. It seemed that in her haste to catch one, she had unwittingly attracted the attention of both.

"Nana, please deal with the capture slime for a while!"

"You should try being cute like a snail, I declare!"

Nana's 'Taunt' skill had levelled up, so she could now use it on specific targets.

"Let's bring down the thornfoot first! Make sure you don't get caught in its ivy, or it'll suck up your magic!"

"Understood!"

"Yes, sir,"

Liza and Tama fought to restrain the thornfoot as Pochi provided additional defence. I maintained my Enchant spell that granted us enhanced physical protection. Still, the beastfolk girls' weapons were gradually losing their magical energy.

"Emergencyyy?"

"Geh, a third one! It's a fire maple!"

As the fire maple neared, its blazing branches swayed in all directions. Its writhing roots propelled it forward, almost as if it were dancing. The unstable nature of the fire maple's roots only added to its playful movements. It is pretty cute but a deadly foe.

"I'll use Mazemaker to buy some time. Thornfoot first, then the capture slime, then the fire maple last!"

Arisa used Space Magic to create a maze of invisible Deracinator walls around the fire maple. Some of its branches jutted out from the maze, flinging flaming leaves like shuriken, but Satou blocked them before they could reach the girls.

"The thornfoot's down to forty percent of its health!"

"Mm. Got it,"

"Let's bring it down!"

Quickly defeating the thornfoot, the rest of the group went to help Nana, who'd been fighting the capture slime alone.

"Arisa, the fire maple's almost out,"

"Uh-oh! Thank you, master,"

Arisa hurriedly recast her Space Magic spell. This seemed to use up the last of her magic, so she pulled a vial out of the pouch at her waist to throw back a Mana Recovery Potion. Not long after that, all three of the monsters were defeated. Once the battle ended, Pochi ran up to Satou, her tail wagging. Tama rushed over, too, her eyes narrowing as she sniffed the air.

"Smells good?"

"What're you making, sir?"

"Hmm? Well, the walking corn's kernels reminded me of something, so I decided to make pancakes,"

"Geez, I wish you'd stop cooking near us while we're in the middle of a fight. I thought my stomach was gonna start growling,"

"Mm, it did,"

Satou ignored Mia's and Arisa's complaints while slicing the pancakes. He then put some maple syrup on top before giving pancakes to everyone as a snack. We'd harvested the maple syrup from a monster similar to the fire maple the group just fought.

"Yummy!"

"It melts in my mouth, sir!"

Tama and Pochi rejoiced at the sweetness.

"More maple syrup, please,"

"Mm, more,"

"Don't blame me if you put on weight, you two,"

Lulu shook her head as Arisa and Mia demanded more syrup, looking to Satou for permission so he gave a nod.

"Master, did you make these with the yellow grains from that monster?" Lulu asked.

"That's right. I broke them down into powder, then mixed them with eggs, sugar, and so on,"

Using only ingredients found within the labyrinth, Satou crafted these delicious pancakes. The eggs were freshly gathered just the previous day by Tama. At the same time, the sugar used was a unique variety known as 'ugi sugar,' derived from the bamboo of a deer-like plant creature.

"Master, this design is wonderful, I report. We must protect it, I recommend,"

Nana stared intently at the baby chick design Satou had imprinted on her pancake.

"I can make it again for you anytime, so please eat that one before it gets cold,"

"Yes, master,"

Satou also made paw print marks and rabbit marks for Tama, Pochi and Mia.

"Tastyyy?"

"Delicious, sir,"

Satou should have made more, as everyone is looking like they are ready for seconds.

"Once we've rested for a bit, we should move on,"

"Yeah, the only monsters left around here are trash," Arisa agreed.

We enjoyed cooking and feasting in the labyrinth with such ease due to the scarcity of enemies in the vicinity. Having already hunted most of them in the past few days, the fire maple we encountered earlier was the only potential threat in the expansive cavern.

After eliminating all the creatures in the expansive cavern, we systematically went through the adjoining small rooms one by one.

"That last spore attack was rather dangerous,"

"I never imagined that capsaicin bird symbiote would use its 'Fire Magic' to set the spores on fire,"

Arisa and Liza panted as they gazed at the bulky remains of a dungeon fungus. The capsaicin bird, a frail avian creature adorned with fiery red leaves, often took refuge on the caps of these fungi. Occasionally, they possessed the 'Fire Magic' skill.

"That's a pretty large dungeon fungus. Mia, would you like that for dinner again tonight?"

"Mm, please," Mia's gaze was fixated on the deceased dungeon fungus, an expression of hunger evident in her sparkling eyes. Recently, dungeon fungus steak had become the main course in her meals, satisfying her palate. Fortunately, there was an abundance of vegetables in this herbaceous territory, leaving Mia with a more cheerful disposition than usual. "Fungus, tasty."

"Treasure box over there..." Tama pointed at a hollow in the corner of the fungus room.

The room, teeming with towering mushrooms resembling trees, held a strange aura. In an attempt to harvest one, I discovered the inner flesh beyond the initial layer was as impenetrable as stone. These colossal fungi seemed almost creature-like yet remained eerily still.

"Ooh, finally!"

Over the past few days, we had found only three treasure boxes. But they were both duds, containing five bronze swords resembling ancient ornaments and one big bronze mirror. Still, everyone's hopes were high as we approached this one, but...

"Bronze swords again? And they're all the same kind!"

"They're well-balanced, so they might be useful to newbie explorers for training,"

As Satou attempted to console the grumbling Arisa, he put the five swords away in Storage.

"It's starting to get dark,"

"Yeah. Maybe we should head back to the vacation house,"

When nobody seemed to have any complaints, we left the danger area behind. The group looked like they still wanted to fight more. Still, aside from Mia, who required a high amount of experience, everyone else was at least level 30. Still, Mia's Spirit Magic abilities had improved: She could now make spirits of all four primary elements.

"I'm definitely picking up 'Fire Magic'! The elves said that 'Fire Magic: Body Strengthening' burns body fat to create energy, so it'd be perfect for dieting,"

As for Arisa, she had recently acquired the 'Fire Magic' skill. Unfortunately for Arisa Fire Magic used normal magic power as fuel. The thing about body fat was probably a joke by the elves. She seemed so excited that I didn't have the heart to tell her.

<0 >

"We're heeere?"

"Ooopen sesameee, sir,"

As Tama and Pochi uttered these words, a passageway suddenly materialised with a low rumble before us, emerging from the dirt wall. On a pedestal at its entrance stood a penguin statue, welcoming us.

"We're back," Mia greeted.

"Pen!" The penguin responded.

During our time in the dungeon, Satou had created a penguin statue using the core components of the figurehead golem that controlled the flying ship. The penguin golem served as both the doorman and the caretaker of this small space. It strictly allowed only our group entry, making it the ultimate form of security. On the slight chance that anyone did manage to break in, the golem would alert us with a similar mechanism to the Practical Magic spell Signal.

Just past the penguin stood a solitary log cabin serving as our home base. Originally constructed from the remains of tree-like creatures, the cabin consisted of only a combined living and sleeping area. However, Satou has been steadily expanding and enhancing it in recent days. Presently, it boasts a spacious living and dining area, a cosy bedroom, a functional kitchen, a modern bathroom, and a fully equipped workshop, giving it the feel of a luxury vacation home rather than a mere base.

"Let's wash up and go inside,"

Upon reaching the cabin, we quickly stopped at the small washing area nearby. Our first order of business was scrubbing the grime off our hands and feet, then swapping out our dirty shoes for cosy indoor slippers.

Once clean, I looked around the cavern containing the cabin. We chose to make our base because it had a water source, ventilation holes, and no nearby monster passages that could create a spawnhole. Next to the cabin was a field cultivated by living dolls, where we grew tomatoes, herbs, and so on. These living dolls were the same ones we'd used as a dummy crew on the flying ship.

Three passages led in and out of the cavern, but we'd blocked both ends of each passage with an earth-wall door like the one we'd just entered through. We'd also put adamantite alloy wire mesh from one of the sunken ships across the air vents, and the walls, ceiling, and floor were all protected with purification Barrier Magic circles. This barrier was to keep out any physical and small-bug-type monsters. That was mainly because the first time we slept here, tiny bug monsters called 'bite worms' came up from the ground to attack us.

"Everyone! The bath is all heated up!" Arisa called out.

The children who lacked cooking skills were responsible for heating the bathwater. Initially, Pochi struggled to operate the magical device for water heating. Still, she eventually mastered it and could maintain a consistent temperature.

"Hurry up and strip, master… everyone's waiting..." Arisa wiggled her fingers at him as soon as Satou entered the changing room. She was expecting a show, but too back for her. Satiy used his 'Quick Change' skill to switch to only a towel wrapped around his waist. "Grrr, you can't cheat at bathing!"

The group gathered outside the immense wooden bath, each dressed in bathing robes. Satou had personally constructed the bath, using a Holy Sword to slice through a massive tree trunk. With Arisa's Space Magic aiding him, they had managed to carve out a perfect bathing area from the wood. We could have gotten in already, but Liza, Pochi, Tama and Arisa insisted we wait for Satou.

"Your bath awaits, master," Liza bowed before we finally climbed in.

I slowly lowered myself into the bathwater, letting my body relax in the warm water.

"Lots of spirits," Mia commented.

"Are there?" Arisa asked, tilting her head.

I activated 'Spirit Vision' and lifted my hand partially out of the water. As I gazed at my palm, I saw spirits swirling and twirling through the flowing water, slipping in and out of my fingers. Despite the belief that spirits lacked emotions and individuality, the ones in this bath were delightfully frolicking.

"Okay, now that we're all warmed up, time to wash our hair,"

"Aaaye,"

"Yes, sir,"

"Mm. First,"

After winning the round of rock-paper-scissors, Mia reached for a small headband to prevent shampoo from getting into her eyes. She then settled down onto the petite chair inside the rustic wooden bath. Satou made the headband for Tama and Pochi, but Mia and Nana liked it, too.

I immediately began applying the shampoo and hot water to cleanse her hair thoroughly. It wasn't quite as good as the shampoo in my old world, but it formed a better lather and was gentler on the scalp than most normal soap.

<0 >

"Tomorrow morning, I think we should go back up to the surface for a bit,"

Everyone's faces fell a little when Satou said that after the bath.

"Awww, let's stay until we hit level fifty!"

"I'd like to, but we're at the end of the exploitation period we registered for at the labyrinth entrance, and our payment at the inn is going to run out soon, too,"

Despite telling them that, I never imagined they would swiftly sell off our horses and carriages. Nevertheless, I still desired to take precautions.

"Besides, the horses will be lonely if we don't check on them occasionally, right?"

"Let's go baaack?"

"We'd better hurry, sir!"

Tama and Pochi's expressions turned to one of alarm as they realised they had neglected their cherished horses during our time in the labyrinth. Tama and Pochi hopped up in a hurry but calmed down when Satou patted their heads and gently sat them back down.

"Oh, all right,"

"Mm. Fair,"

Fortunately, everyone else seemed to accept the decision.

"Besides, I'll set a seal slate here so we can return anytime,"