"A plain, huh?"
Stepping into the Farm, I was greeted by a vast field stretching endlessly toward the horizon. There were no conspicuous obstacles in sight; I could see straight to the edge of the world.
『This labyrinth was constructed using the pinnacle of the Cult's technology, refined over centuries,』 Titania said, responding to my murmur. 『Every conceivable environment exists on this floor. Do not let yourself be deceived by visual information alone.』
"Yeah, I know."
The sight was so convincing it could make one hallucinate that the plains truly went on forever, but Titania had briefed me on the nature of this place beforehand.
As she had explained, various environments—plains, marshlands, deserts, even underwater zones—existed simultaneously, partitioned by something akin to invisible walls. These boundaries were purely conceptual, allowing humans and magic beasts to step through them with ease. Consequently, even if your eyes told you the plains continued, you could find yourself stepping into a volcanic zone in the next heartbeat.
Without Titania’s guidance, getting lost would be a certainty, and the sudden environmental shifts would take a heavy toll on one's physical condition.
"I’d heard the reports, but seeing it in person is still jarring," I whispered. "The sight of magic beasts tearing into one another."
It was true. In the plains before me, magic beasts were locked in a cycle of mutual slaughter. Normally, magic beasts possess an instinct to hunt magic stones, but they lack the biological drive to attack their own kind. They were originally engineered as biological weapons, after all. If they slaughtered each other by default, their numbers would be depleted before they could ever be deployed on a battlefield—a logical design choice.
『I am not well-versed in the specifics, but they are apparently using ancient sorcery from the East as a reference,』 Titania noted.
"Fuuka told me about that years ago, though I don't remember much. I believe she called it 'Kodoku'?"
It had been over five years since I heard that story, back before Fuuka and her party left for Tsutrail. Thinking of it brought a small, nostalgic smile to my face.
No, I couldn't let my focus waver.
"Well then, please guide me to the next floor. Keep the route as short as possible and stick to paths with minimal environmental changes. —[Levitation]!"
『Understood.』
Ignoring the clashing magic beasts below, I took to the sky and began to move, following Titania’s lead. Naturally, as I flew past, some beasts shifted their target to me, but I annihilated them with magic without a second thought.
The labyrinth was crawling with a significant number of beasts, but fortunately, they didn't all swarm me at once. While I could handle them even if they did, it would be a tedious waste of time. My real work began on the second floor.
As an aside, [Levitation] was a spell developed by Orun’s father. It allowed for aerial travel at a speed comparable to a galloping horse. However, the spell required constant maintenance of the spell formula and mana infusion, demanding intense concentration and leading to a buildup of fatigue. Even for someone as confident in magic as I am, the spell occupied roughly thirty percent of my total capacity. It was a tool with clear trade-offs.
『These magic beasts should be equivalent to those in the lower floors of the Great Labyrinth, yet you dispatch them so effortlessly,』 Titania remarked as I sniped a beast that had targeted me from below. 『I was told that humans never venture into the lower floors alone, but it seems my assistance may not even be required.』
"Magic beasts move on simple instincts, so they aren't a threat to me. Besides, my role is wide-area annihilation—to mow down the masses and clear a path for the King. I have to be capable of at least this much."
Because their movements are instinctual, they are easy to read and counter. They lack true intellect. While floor bosses in the Great Labyrinth possess some degree of cunning, it is still a far cry from human intelligence.
『We’ve arrived. The entrance to the second floor is just ahead.』
After navigating through multiple simulated environments, I reached the passage to the next level. I took a few deep breaths to center myself.
"Let’s go."
As I descended the spiral staircase, I reviewed what Titania had told me about the Farm. This facility served as one of the Cyclamen Cult’s primary research hubs. Their objective was the creation of "Majin."
A Majin is a human who has been infused with the traits of a magic beast. Generally speaking, magic beasts possess physical and combat capabilities that far outstrip those of humans. Humanity has only been able to bridge that gap through strategy and intellect.
But what if a magic beast possessed the intelligence of a human? Even the most elite explorers and soldiers would be pushed to the brink. Furthermore, the process of creating a Majin required human subjects to endure unspeakable, inhumane treatment. It was an atrocity that could not be permitted to exist, neither for the sake of humanity nor for the balance of power.
Lost in these thoughts, I reached the bottom. The second floor was the inverse of the first; it was an artificial structure, reminiscent of a building’s interior. Suddenly, the agonizing scream of a child reached my ears, echoing through the cold, metallic halls.
"You bastards...!"
A surge of murderous intent, more intense than I expected, flared within me.
"Titania, I’m beginning the suppression now. Give me the locations of the enemies and the primary targets for destruction!"
『Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment,』 she warned. 『I still cannot see past this floor, but it is a certainty that a third floor exists.』
"I know. I won't be so foolish as to lose myself to rage. But I'll be relying on you for backup if things get sideways."
『...For me to interfere here, I must act through you, Shion. I cannot lend my strength too many times.』
"It’s fine. I only view it as a final insurance policy. I intend to handle this myself. —[Levitation]."
As our conversation ended, Titania began to move. I followed her, activating [Levitation] once more. The ceilings on the second floor were low, making the spell more difficult to control, but I used it to eliminate the sound of my footsteps. If my presence was fully compromised, I would drop the spell, but for now, I wanted to cull their numbers as quietly as possible.
『Behind that door is the first target. There are five enemies inside and one child being used as a subject.』
"Understood."
I deactivated the spell and landed silently in front of the door. From my storage magic tool, I retrieved an iron canister filled with a specialized gas. I pushed the door open just a crack.
"This one’s a failure too."
"Yeah. Hey, take this brat upstairs and toss him to the beasts as fodder."
Revolted by the casual cruelty of their voices, I slipped the canister through the gap. Once I confirmed the gas was leaking, I used a puff of wind magic to circulate it throughout the room.
The gas was non-lethal, but it temporarily paralyzed the vocal cords and induced sudden, heavy lethargy—a perfect tool for a silent takedown. While a [Heal] spell could neutralize it instantly, it would still buy me the opening I needed.
And a single moment was all I required.
Hearing muffled groans, I threw the door open. I confirmed the locations of all five enemies and instantly invoked the spell formula I had been holding, adding the necessary positional data.
"[Stillness]!"
After sealing the cultists in blocks of ice, I dispersed the remaining gas and approached a young boy lying on a cold metal table.
(Thank goodness. I’m not too late.)
The boy, bound by his limbs and unable to cry out, stared at me in a state of sheer terror.
"I'm sorry. Just bear with it for a little longer," I whispered.
I invoked [Time Rewind], reverting the boy’s body to its state before their experiments had begun. Once he was safe, I turned back to the room's equipment.
"...Is this it?" I asked Titania, looking at a massive magic tool that dominated the space.
It was powered by a magic stone whose size and mana density were unlike anything I had ever seen. In all likelihood, it was a dungeon core. If the Cult could build a labyrinth, it stood to reason they could manufacture the core that sustained it.
『Yes. They called it a device designed for the refinement of Majin.』
"I see..."
I shattered the device with a blast of magic and retrieved the core from the wreckage.
"Next."
The first floor was vast, supposedly rivaling the deep floors of the Great Labyrinth in scale. However, because so much of the facility's capacity was dedicated to that "wild" environment, the second floor was relatively compact. Even so, it was roughly the size of the middle floors of a standard labyrinth.
There were six of these refinement devices in total. I destroyed every single one. We suspected that the lack of mass production was due to the difficulty of preparing dungeon cores; since creating them takes time, this should effectively stall their research.
After restraining every cultist and subject with [Stillness], I finally reached the passage leading to the third floor.
"Titania, any change?"
『...None. I hoped that getting closer would help, but I still cannot see what lies ahead. I truly do not understand the mechanics behind this interference.』
"Then I shouldn't expect much help from you from here on out."
Everything had gone smoothly so far thanks to Titania’s reconnaissance. Being blind to the next floor's layout was unsettling, but unavoidable.
『My apologies.』
"Don't be. You've already been an immense help. Besides, this next floor is just a boss area, right?"
『Yes. When I could still see it, there was nothing beyond but a massive, dome-like structure.』
"Then what awaits me is likely the 'floor boss'—probably a successful Majin prototype. ...It would be easier if it were still within the maintainable period."
My [Time Rewind] can roll back time for a target, but the caveat was whether the target remained within its "maintainable period." This window varied from person to person; if I rewound a target beyond that limit, the effect would eventually snap back to its previous state. If I wanted to truly "cure" a Majin and turn them back into a human permanently, they had to be within that window. If they had been a Majin for too long, even I couldn't save them.
『If that is the case, you will have to make a choice,』 Titania said. 『But without you here, they wouldn't even have had that choice to begin with.』
"I know."
I steeled my resolve and stepped onto the stairs.
Reaching the third floor, I found exactly what Titania had described: a vast, dome-shaped arena reminiscent of the Great Labyrinth's boss rooms. In the center of the space, a man sat calmly in a chair.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with long, ash-colored hair tied at his shoulder. He was dressed in fine, aristocratic clothing.
"I’ve been expecting you," the man said, offering a friendly, casual smile. "The [White Demon]."