Having arrived at the first floor of the labyrinth, we set our sights on the eighth, following a route I had mapped out beforehand.
The investigation for floors one through six was already largely complete, thanks to those who came before us. Even the seventh floor was more than halfway finished according to the reports. Because of that, I decided to put the rest of the seventh on the back burner and prioritize the exploration of the eighth floor.
Along the way, I left the fighting to Twilight Moonbow. I was still doing my own private Ki training, and the enemies here weren't anything the party couldn't handle on their own. My main reason for letting them take the lead was to let the new party find its rhythm; they hadn't had many opportunities to work on their coordination since Luna joined.
"Five goblins, just around the next corner to the right," Sophie called out as we navigated the tunnels.
The pack of goblins she had detected was out of sight and a significant distance away, yet she had accurately perceived both their position and their number. Her perception was growing sharper by the day.
Sophie’s detection was close to what people called "intuition." While it varies from person to person, long-time explorers are said to develop a keen sense for the atmosphere—something bordering on a sixth sense. In reality, it’s usually just a "highly accurate guess" derived from years of experience and subconscious clues.
However, Sophie’s ability didn't fit that description. She simply didn't have the experience required to match an advanced explorer. The fact that she could keep pace with them regardless was likely due to her special ability, [Psychokinesis].
Abilities often trigger secondary effects. My [Mana Convergence] and Luna’s [Seirei Command] were the same; because our abilities allowed us to interfere with mana, we could sense things humans weren't meant to perceive. While there was still much we didn't understand about [Psychokinesis], there was no doubt that it allowed her to exert physical influence on objects. In other words, her power was defined by "interaction with matter." I believed this was the root of her sensory prowess.
It had only been two months since Sophie manifested her ability. It was easy to imagine her becoming even more proficient as time went on. For now, my perception was still superior, but she might eventually overtake me. I was truly looking forward to seeing how she would grow.
"Big Sis Ruu, can you use [Induction] at the corner?"
"Understood."
At Sophie’s instruction, Luna activated her Decoy Magic Light, [Induction], at the intersection.
Among the members of Twilight Moonbow, Luna was naturally the strongest by a landslide. She was likely the most capable of leading the party as well, but she had declined the role of commander. Thus, Sophie continued to lead just as she had before.
"Log, we'll finish them with magic once they're lured in. You take two, and I'll take three."
"...Roger."
While Sophie and Log constructed their spell formulas, the goblins were drawn toward the magic light.
"[Fire Arrow]!"
The moment all five targets were in sight, Sophie and Log released their spells. Multiple bolts of flame lanced out, skewering the goblins.
"We did it!"
"Sophie, that's amazing! How did you know they were there?" Carol asked, sounding genuinely impressed.
"Um, I just... somehow felt them."
Listening to their conversation from behind, I approached Log.
"Good work, Log."
"Master... I was just following Sophie’s orders. I’m not tired at all." Log replied with a weak smile.
I thought about waiting a bit longer to talk to him, but maybe I should push a little now.
"Are you worried about Sophie taking over your role?"
Log let out a small, sharp gasp at my question. Before Sophie manifested her ability, Log had been the one responsible for scouting. His perception was excellent compared to other explorers of his rank, but it paled in comparison to Sophie’s current level, which rivaled that of an A-rank.
"Log, your burden was too large to begin with. Do you have any idea how much you contribute to this party by being both a front-liner and an Enchanter? You’re indispensable to them. You should have more confidence."
"...Yes. Thank you very much."
It was probably best not to push any further for the moment. Overstepping could interfere with the investigation. He needed to vent a little so he didn't explode later, but a certain amount of personal struggle was also necessary for growth. It was a delicate balance.
"Log! Sophie said we’re doing front-line combat next! Let’s give it our all!"
Carol had noticed Log’s mood and immediately called out to him.
"...Yeah. Let's do it."
We reached the seventh floor without any major trouble, registering the crystals for each floor on our guild cards as we went.
"Starting from the seventh floor, the magic beasts form mixed groups. Keep that in mind."
As I issued the warning, my own detection network caught something. There were magic beasts in a small clearing straight ahead: one Orc and two Cerberuses.
"Enemy contact! One Orc and two four-legged beasts—probably Cerberuses!"
A moment later, Sophie sensed them too.
A Cerberus was a three-headed, dog-like magic beast. They were large enough to carry a teenager on their backs and incredibly fast. Furthermore, they had a keen sense of smell. Among low-rank beasts that couldn't use magic, they were considered quite dangerous.
"Sophie, what's the plan? Should we wipe them out with magic?"
"Yeah, that’s the safest bet. We’ll approach until they’re in sight. If they haven't noticed us, Ruu-nee and I will each take a Cerberus, and Log will take the Orc. If they have noticed us, Carol and Log, you two suppress the Cerberuses. Ruu-nee and I will pick them off one by one."
Sophie’s plan was sound, but the matchup was unfortunate.
"Mmm, I think they've already spotted us."
The Cerberuses’ sense of smell had already picked us up. They were charging toward us in a vertical line.
"Tch! Carol, take the one in front! Log, Ruu-nee, I’ll pin the one in the back with [Psychokinesis]. Intercept it with magic!"
"Aye-aye, sir!" "Got it!" "Yes."
Log immediately buffed Carol. With the boost in power, she closed the distance to the lead Cerberus in the blink of an eye.
"Stay!"
Sophie thrust her left hand forward, using [Psychokinesis] to forcibly halt the rear Cerberus.
"[Rock Needle]!" "[Thunder Arrow]!"
Log caused the ground to erupt into jagged spikes that pierced the immobilized beast’s legs and belly. Then, several of Luna’s lightning arrows rained down from above. The Cerberus dissolved into black mist, leaving only a magic stone behind.
Meanwhile, Carol was utterly dominating the other beast. She closed in, slashed with her daggers, and danced out of range before the Cerberus could even snap its jaws. She used the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling, moving with a speed that a normal person wouldn't even be able to track.
Carol’s growth of late had been staggering. Her physical abilities alone were likely in the top tier of all explorers, A-ranks included. She couldn't yet match the near-teleportation speed Fuuka had shown at the tournament, but even with just a standard support magic buff—a mere shadow of Ki Activation—she seemed to be chasing that same level of speed. If she ever mastered Ki Control, she might truly stand on equal footing with Fuuka.
"Carol! Magic incoming!"
Hearing Sophie’s voice, Carol delivered a final heel drop from the ceiling onto one of the heads before leaping away.
"[Fire Javelin]!"
A spear of flame lanced through the air where Carol had been a second ago, impaling the Cerberus and reducing it to a stone. Log drew the Orc’s attention while Luna blasted it with magic, ending the encounter without a hitch.
"Master! How was my fighting?" Carol ran over to me with a beaming smile.
"You handled yourself well. You didn't take a single hit. You've really grown, Carol." I patted her head, and she preened under the praise.
"Ehehe~"
Since the labyrinth was relatively small, we reached the unexplored eighth floor in less than two hours.
"Alright, this is where today’s real investigation begins," I said, addressing the group after a short break. "A labyrinth investigation involves several steps, but does anyone know the first thing we do upon reaching an unreached floor?"
"I know. It's mapping, right?" Log answered.
"Correct. Mapping is the top priority. Knowing the internal structure allows us to move efficiently. And for that, we use this."
I reached into my storage magic tool and pulled out something that looked like a sketchpad. In the old days, maps were hand-drawn, which meant scales varied wildly depending on who was drawing. To fix this, the Explorer Guild created this magic tool: the Mapping Board. By placing a special sheet of paper on the board and holding it level while walking, the device would automatically draw the map.
"Whoa! That’s so cool! So convenient~" Carol took the board and walked a few steps, watching as lines appeared on the paper.
"It really is handy. I suppose it makes sense, though. All the maps the clan has are perfectly scaled."
"You don't need me to tell you how valuable this is to explorers," I said.
"Yes. Between this and the guild cards, we owe the guild a lot," Log added.
"True. Alright, let's start the mapping. Even for a small labyrinth, we have to walk every single path at least once, so it’ll take time. You’ll be fighting far more often than you do on a normal crawl. If you go all out every time, you’ll burn out. But if you slack off and get hurt, it defeats the purpose. Watch your pacing."
"""Yes!"""
"Then let's go."
""""Yeah!!""""