"At the request of Duke Harz, I’ve decided to start exploring the labyrinths within his territory."
I broke the news to Roxanne and Sherry over breakfast.
It was exactly as the request had specified.
The Duke was a somewhat flighty noble I’d met while helping with disaster relief in the duchy. If I were being generous, I’d call him approachable, but part of me suspected he was just reckless and short-sighted.
He was quite handsome—perhaps because he was an Elf—and he had somehow married a top-tier beauty like Cassia.
Truly, he was unforgivable.
Still, a request was a request. Since I’d accepted it, I had to follow through.
"I understand," Roxanne said.
"Do you know their locations? I can go to the Explorer Guild and look them up," Sherry offered.
My party members both responded in character.
Sherry was the rational one, always ready to ask the right questions to fill in the gaps.
As for Roxanne, she likely possessed the confidence to fight no matter where we went.
"The locations are Bode, Halber, and Tale. Apparently, it doesn't matter which one we enter first."
"Those three? Well, as long as it’s a labyrinth within the Duke's territory, I suppose it really shouldn't matter."
"Is that how these things usually work?"
"Um. Ah, yes."
Sherry gave me that look again—the one that suggested I was missing something obvious.
Because I was still so ignorant of this world’s common sense, I often found myself unaware of things that everyone else took for granted. Was the fact that any labyrinth would suffice common knowledge?
"I see."
"To a labyrinth, people are prey," Sherry explained. "Therefore, a labyrinth that people enter frequently sees its activity settle down, while one left alone becomes increasingly active. Even if only three people enter, the overall danger to the surrounding area decreases. This holds true even if they can't reach the deeper floors to actually subjugate the monsters."
"Hoh."
"Labyrinths near cities or villages don't send many monsters outside. Even when they do, they’re usually weak creatures that don’t go out of their way to attack people. But labyrinths in remote areas will spew out much stronger monsters that actively hunt humans."
So that was how labyrinth activity worked.
If the three of us entered a labyrinth within the Duke's territory, our mere presence would reduce the danger to the duchy.
To put it another way, the Duke had essentially told me to go into the labyrinth as bait.
He really was unforgivable.
Well, it couldn't be helped. It wasn't as if he’d ordered me to die.
After breakfast, I left Sherry in Quratar to gather information and flew to Bode with Roxanne.
After inquiring about the location and walking to the labyrinth, I warped from inside the Bode Labyrinth over to Tale.
The Bode Labyrinth was apparently a very recent discovery; it seemed not even the first floor had been cleared yet.
In Tale, I emerged in the same hut where I’d previously delivered relief supplies.
Stepping outside for the first time, I saw that Tale was a tiny village. Bode wasn't huge by any means, but it was a walled city. Tale, by contrast, was truly just a rural settlement.
The hut we’d come out of looked like the most substantial building in the place. It was probably a meeting hall or something similar.
I doubted an Adventurer Guild or an Explorer Guild even existed here.
Oh.
First Villager spotted.
"I’d like to ask for directions to the labyrinth."
"××××××××××"
...Brahim didn't work here.
"I’m sorry, Master. I don’t understand the local dialect either," Roxanne admitted.
"××××××××××"
When the First Villager called out, a man approached us.
It was the Village Chief.
Both the First Villager and the Chief were Elves. They were handsome enough, but they were definitely a tier below the Duke or Gosler.
Maybe I’d just seen too many Elves lately and was becoming desensitized to beautiful people.
Regardless, the Duke was still unforgivable.
"Are you adventurers here for the labyrinth?"
The Village Chief seemed to understand Brahim.
Come to think of it, it had been the same back in the First Village.
"That’s right."
"The labyrinth is southwest of the village. Even someone of the human race might be of some use. You’ll find it easily enough if you head that way."
"...Understood."
"Do your best, at the very least."
I felt a certain... something.
It wasn't exactly hostility, but I definitely felt like I was being looked down upon.
Was this that elven superiority complex I’d heard about?
I hadn't felt it from the Duke, Cassia, Gosler, or the knights, but I suppose the attitude was different in the sticks.
And to think, I was the one who brought them food during the floods.
Arguing would be a waste of breath, so I promptly retreated from the village.
Southwest, he said.
"Their attitude was quite poor," Roxanne noted.
"Now, don't let it get to you."
"I felt as though Master was being insulted."
"It can't be helped. These things happen."
I tried to soothe her.
I was grateful she was willing to get angry on my behalf, though.
Still, there was no point in getting worked up over people I might never see again.
"As expected, Master is so tolerant. I wanted to teach those people a lesson."
If you have to teach them a lesson, that’s not really being tolerant, is it?
I kept walking, calming Roxanne as we went.
After a while, we arrived at the entrance to the labyrinth.
"How far has exploration progressed?" I asked the explorer stationed at the entrance.
I’ll keep it a secret that I was slightly intimidated because he was another Elf.
"Up to the thirteenth floor."
"What kind of monsters are on the thirteenth?"
"Love Shrubs."
This explorer, at least, treated me like a normal person.
I’d heard of Love Shrubs before. Sherry had mentioned them—they dropped materials needed to craft our next set of equipment.
This was perfect.
"Then, could I ask you to take us to the thirteenth floor?"
I took out my badge and showed it to him.
"Are you with the Knight Order?"
"I’m an associate."
Gosler had used that term, so it shouldn't be a problem.
However, the explorer at the entrance fell silent.
Eh? Is being an "associate" not enough?
"...Um. Since your party is small, would you mind adding me to your group? Unless I join your party, I can only take one of you for free."
"Understood."
I see. So that was the issue.
The explorer was waiting for me to initiate the party invite.
Since there were only two of us, I had plenty of room for him.
Technically, Sherry was still in the party, but we were well under the limit.
By adding the explorer, we could jump straight to the thirteenth floor in one go.
Once he joined us, the three of us entered the labyrinth.
The explorer led the way, with Roxanne and me following behind.
"This is the thirteenth floor. If you aren't heading back outside immediately, please remove me from the party."
"Ah, no. I’ll head back for a moment."
He’d asked if I wasn't going back, so I’d reflexively said I would.
Now that I thought about it, I’d jumped to the thirteenth floor on a whim. Was this actually okay?
Would entering the thirteenth floor lock me out of the first? Or would entering the thirteenth floor once unlock all the floors in between?
Time for a test.
I went back outside, removed the explorer from the party, and re-entered the labyrinth.
I tried to enter while focusing on the eleventh floor, but it wouldn't let me.
I focused on the first floor and stepped inside.
That worked.
It seemed I could choose between the first floor and the thirteenth. Apparently, you could select the first floor or any floor you had physically stepped onto at least once.
From the Tale Labyrinth, I warped back to the Quratar Labyrinth.
After recovering my MP, I stepped outside.
In the Quratar Labyrinth, you pay when you enter, so the guards don't care when you leave.
Since people usually stayed inside for long periods to get their money's worth, it wasn't suspicious for someone to emerge even if there was no record of them entering recently.
I met up with Sherry in front of the Quratar Explorer Guild.
"How was the guild?"
"Exploration in the Halber Labyrinth has reached the fortieth floor. For the lower floors, an Exploration End Declaration has already been issued. In Tale, they're only at the eleventh—no End Declaration yet. And there was no information at all on the Bode Labyrinth."
"Probably because it was just found."
It takes time for news to travel.
There was no way a labyrinth found yesterday or today would be common knowledge at the Explorer Guild in distant Quratar.
In fact, Tale had already reached the thirteenth floor, despite the guild’s records saying eleven.
"The monster on the eleventh floor of Halber is the Mino," Sherry continued. "The Green Caterpillar is on the fourth floor, so Halber might be a better choice for us."
It was certainly a plus that the Mino, which dropped leather for smithing, was on the eleventh floor. My equipment was better now, so Green Caterpillars weren't as dangerous as they used to be, but Minos were more lucrative.
However, to start Halber from the eleventh floor, I’d have to pay someone to guide me there.
Should I be stingy and start from the first?
Well, it wasn't an amount worth losing sleep over.
If only the progress in Tale had actually been at the eleventh floor like the records said.
If I was going to start from the first floor anyway, I could just use Bode. I’d heard there were rewards for clearing floors there, too.
"Speaking of which, how much is the reward for clearing a floor?"
"Um. It’s a number of silver coins equal to the floor number you just entered."
"That’s cheap."
One silver coin for the first floor, eleven for the eleventh.
It wasn't a "reward" so much as a tiny bonus. If I made it to the fiftieth floor, it might be decent pocket money, I guess.
Jumping straight into the thirteenth floor of Tale felt a bit risky.
The most efficient plan would be to wait for Bode to reach the eleventh floor.
But if I just kept grinding the eleventh floor of Vale in the meantime, I’d be breaking my promise to the Duke.
He might not find out, but I couldn't be sure.
Starting from the eleventh floor of Halber seemed like the best compromise.
I needed to gain as much experience as possible on the eleventh floor right now anyway.
Starting from the very beginning was a drag, and there was no sense in being stingy over a few coins.
Maybe I should play it safe and start from the tenth floor?
Generally, monster strength didn't vary much between labyrinths of the same floor number. The combinations might differ, and activity levels changed based on crowds, but that was it.
I hadn't noticed any major difference between Quratar and Vale.
Besides, it would be a waste of money to pay for both the tenth and eleventh floors.
As long as I had Roxanne guide us to a spot with fewer monsters at first, we should be fine starting on the eleventh.
I decided to make the eleventh floor of Halber my immediate target.
That meant I needed someone to take me there.
After breakfast, I left Roxanne and Sherry behind and flew to Halber.
Since I had warped home from inside Halber after parting with the Duke and Cassia, I could simply walk out of the labyrinth without any issues.
In fact, it would be better not to have Roxanne or Sherry with me for this part.
When I stepped out of the first-floor room, Gosler was right there.
"Oh! Lord Michio. You’ve started already?"
He was quick to spot me and call out.
It was a lucky break, even if it was just a coincidence.
Choosing Halber had been the right call.
This was proof that I was diligently exploring a labyrinth within the Harz Duchy.
Well, technically it only proved I’d been hanging around after the Duke dropped me off.
Some people had seen me in Bode and Tale, so discrepancies might pop up.
But I shouldn't overthink it. It wasn't like they had photos or video evidence.
"Is Lord Gosler also heading inside?"
"Yes. We’ve just cleared the forty-first floor."
"That’s excellent."
Impressive.
As expected of a Level 61 Mage—he was in a different league entirely.
The people with him must be his party members. They were likely the elite exploration team of the Harz Knight Order.
Two Paladins, a Priest, and a Monk.
What even was a Monk?
Their levels were all incredibly high. The Priest was actually Level 90. Even though I had the Monk job myself, I doubted it meant the same thing for them as it did for me.
And naturally, they were all Elves.
All of them were handsome.
They really were experts at being irritating.
"Are you leaving so soon?"
"I was just getting a feel for the first floor. I’m going to go get my party members now."
"If you like, I can have one of my men guide you."
Gosler offered.
He was even an attentive, considerate gentleman.
Even if his real goal was to see exactly which floor I was targeting...
He was a guy who managed to get on my nerves at every turn.
"Ah... I’ll gratefully accept, then. I was thinking of starting from the tenth or eleventh floor."
There was no reason to refuse a free ride.
I would have preferred not to reveal my floor choice, but I didn't have a good excuse to decline.
I’d only planned on the eleventh floor, but since it was free, I might as well unlock the tenth while I was at it.
"Oh! There they are. Sorry, but could you take this gentleman to the tenth and eleventh floors?"
An explorer and an adventurer emerged from the entrance.
Gosler spoke to the adventurer.
"I’ll go confirm it, then," the explorer said, immediately heading back inside.
He seemed to be verifying something.
"Yes. The tenth and eleventh, right?"
"He’ll guide you. Could you add him to your party?"
Gosler turned back to me.
So this Level 53 adventurer was one of Gosler’s men.
Now that I thought about it, Gosler’s immediate group didn't have an explorer or an adventurer. You couldn't form a party without at least one of those.
While I was adding the adventurer to my party, the explorer came back out.
"It’s confirmed. It’s the forty-second floor, so I’ll pay out forty-two silver coins."
The "confirmation" was apparently to check if they’d reached the forty-second floor.
I see. Gosler said they’d cleared forty-one. Clearing forty-one gave them access to forty-two.
The silver coins you get for the first floor are two?
The adventurer from Gosler’s party and the explorer in charge must have popped down to the forty-second floor together.
Gosler’s group had been waiting here while the explorer verified the new floor depth. It probably only took a second—you just have to enter while thinking of the forty-second floor to prove it’s unlocked.
The adventurer and I entered the tenth floor together, then stepped back out.
Then we did it again for the eleventh floor.
Since the adventurer didn't have Dungeon Walk, he couldn't jump directly from the tenth to the eleventh from inside.
"Thank you for the guidance."
"Well then, Lord Michio, I’ll leave the rest to you."
I thanked him and said my goodbyes to Gosler.
I used a nearby tree to head home.
I returned to Halber with Roxanne and Sherry.
To ensure the explorer at the entrance saw me returning, I didn't warp directly inside. Instead, I warped to a tree in the forest and entered the tenth floor from the outside.
"Alright, let's start by testing the waters on the tenth floor."
"Um. The monster on the tenth floor of Halber is the NEET Ant," Sherry informed me.
"Poisonous, then. Well, it’s our first time here, so we should start one floor down just to be safe. We’ll see how it goes, and if there are no issues, we’ll move to the eleventh. Roxanne, find them."
"Certainly."
Roxanne took the lead.
The first NEET Ant we encountered was Level 10; it went down easily to a single Water Ball.
I decided to hunt a few more just to be certain.
It was fine. Even when they came in groups, we could handle them.
Did three mere ants really think they could take down a dinosaur?
Besides the NEET Ants, we also ran into Escape Goats. Apparently, they were the monsters from the ninth floor.
The Level 10 Escape Goats still tried to flee halfway through.
Zero points for originality.
Chase it down, Roxanne. Catch it.
I didn't actually say that; I just finished them off with magic.
Even though it was Halber, there didn't seem to be any major differences. We could fight here without issue.
My only concern was the monsters' attack power, but it was too much work to go out of my way to get hit just for a test. My equipment was brand new; going up one floor wouldn't be fatal. We’d eventually take a hit on the eleventh floor anyway.
"The tenth floor seems fine. Let's move up to the eleventh."
"Understood."
We transitioned to the next floor.
After a few fights, it seemed the Level 11 monsters here were no different from those in Quratar or Vale.
I’d expected Sherry to take a hit eventually, but as it turned out, I was the first one to get tagged in Halber.
I’d stepped forward with Durandal to recover MP and failed to dodge a Mino’s charge.
This is a first. You idiots actually managed to make a fool of me.
Thinking about it, we spent very little time fighting NEET Ants and Escape Goats. Unless I had Durandal out, the ants died instantly to water magic, and the goats spent half the fight running away.
The Minos were the only ones we fought properly.
And even if they were eleventh-floor monsters, groups of four Minos were rare. If there were three or fewer, Roxanne took two, meaning Sherry only had to handle one.
Even I wouldn't usually get hit in a one-on-one fight if I was paying attention.
...Or so I thought, until the next time I brought out Durandal. I managed to take a hit from a NEET Ant in what was supposed to be a one-on-one.
I will never forgive you, you pests.
Still, it confirmed that monster attack power was consistent in Halber. I’d felt it myself, so there was no mistaking it.
I could safely conclude that we could handle the eleventh floor of Halber.
While the combinations might vary, the fundamental strength of the monsters remained the same across labyrinths.
We spent the rest of the morning hunting on the eleventh floor.
After a short break, we went back into the labyrinth in the afternoon.
This time, it was the one in Tale. I definitely wanted to test this one out.
"We’re going to the thirteenth floor of Tale to hunt Love Shrubs. Sherry, that’s the monster that drops the materials we need for our next gear, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Since we were aiming for the thirteenth floor, we needed to be prepared. It was only two floors higher than our usual, so it shouldn't be too overwhelming, but still.
We entered through the first floor.
To be safe, I brought out Durandal and even added a Sixth Job. I equipped Warrior and Alchemist to apply Plating. In that state, I filled my MP to the brim.
If I used Rush with Durandal, even thirteenth-floor monsters shouldn't take long to kill.
With our preparations complete, we finally stepped onto the thirteenth floor.
"Do you know what kind of monster the Love Shrub is?"
"I haven't fought one myself, but I’ve heard they use their branches for long-range attacks. Their weakness is fire magic."
Long-range attacks, huh.
That alone suggested that monsters from the twelfth floor and up were a step above. And they were weak to fire.
"Fire magic, then. Well, I’m going to use a new spell today. Roxanne, lead the way."
I sent Roxanne ahead. We navigated the labyrinth following her lead.
Soon, two monsters appeared.
They were tree-like monsters, shorter than Needle Woods. Their roots were small, unlike the Needle Woods whose roots functioned as legs.
They looked exactly like normal trees.
Because of that, they seemed slow. They were sluggish and clumsy.
Against enemies like this, even standard fire magic would probably be overkill.
Oh well.
Two of them had appeared, which was a good number for a test. Roxanne’s nose couldn't always give an exact count, after all.
"They're coming!"
Just as I was about to cast, Roxanne suddenly leaped to the side. Something shot out from where she’d just been standing.
Roxanne, hold on.
It was fine for her to dodge, but I really wished she’d consider that there was someone behind her. What happens when the person in front suddenly vanishes in a dark labyrinth?
A brown object whizzed right past my head.
T-That was close!
I hadn't been able to move an inch. Being behind Roxanne was a dangerous place to be.
For a second there, I genuinely thought I was a goner.
So that was the Love Shrub’s long-range attack. They made up for their lack of mobility with range.
And right when I was about to look cool casting my spell.
Damn it.
They were going to pay for that.
I could have easily pulverized them with my regular magic. But before I killed them, I was going to show them an ultimate spell more terrifying than death itself. I’d give them a special show. My final spell. My true power.
"You should feel honored. You’re the first to witness this. From the far reaches of the infinite universe comes the will of the heavens to obliterate all... Annihilation! Meteor Crash!"
I triggered the Bonus Spell I’d selected.
Meteor Crash.
It was a spell I hadn't been able to use before.
But now that my level had increased, I could.
No, I would use it.
I knew it would work. I was certain of it.
I felt a massive drain on my MP.
It was a success.
My MP was gouged away, and the spell activated.
It actually worked.
Above my head, a fragment of incandescent rock appeared. It was a meteorite, burning as red as molten lava.