"What do you mean by 'troubling matter'?"
"Are you familiar with the criminal known as Heinz the Feral Thief?" Gosler asked, sitting directly across from me.
"No, I can't say I am."
"He is a brutal man with a thirst for blood. Whether it is fact or fiction, he markets himself as a thief who obtained the Feral Thief job at the Temple of Elene. I cannot speak to the truth of the claim, but there is no doubt that he is a formidable opponent."
He was almost certainly talking about the Feral Thief I had killed. His name had indeed been Heinz. So, this was the reason I had been summoned.
"To think such a man exists," I said, playing along.
"He was originally based in the neighboring Selmer Territory. He has personally cut down several of Earl Selmer's knights. Heinz is dangerous enough on his own, but his primary subordinate, a Pirate named Simon, is a terrifyingly skilled swordsman. There were veterans among Earl Selmer’s men who fell to his blade. If we were to forbid the use of magic, I doubt anyone in our own Knight Order could match him."
Simon was the man I had obliterated with Equivalent Exchange. His job had indeed been Pirate; there was no mistake. I briefly wondered if using Equivalent Exchange on a man like that had been overkill, but I quickly dismissed the thought. Trying to face him in a sword fight would have been an even worse move.
If no one in the Ducal Knight Order could match him, I wouldn't have stood a ghost of a chance. Ending it instantly with magic had definitely been the right call.
"It seems this thief has entered my domain," the Duke added.
"It isn't a total certainty yet, but the information is highly reliable," Gosler continued. "He may target a village or attempt an ambush within a Labyrinth. Since bodies do not remain in the Labyrinths after death, they serve as the perfect hunting grounds for a man like Heinz. He likely suspects we are spread too thin now that three Labyrinths have appeared within the territory."
"Has there been any confirmed damage?"
"Nothing definitive yet. However, it is only a matter of time."
So, they hadn't found the bodies. We must have encountered Heinz shortly after he set his trap in the Halber Labyrinth. The Duke’s men had caught wind of their presence remarkably quickly. The Harz Knight Order's intelligence network was impressive. Or perhaps they had simply picked up on the disorganized movements of the remnants who had lost their leader.
"That is the situation," the Duke said. "I wanted you to be on your guard, Michio-dono."
"Is that why you called me here? Thank you for the warning."
The information was technically too late, since I had already dealt with them. But I couldn't exactly tell them that. If I did, I would be forced to show my Intelligence Card. For now, I would just have to let them worry. It meant the Knight Order would be going on a wild goose chase, but there shouldn't be any actual harm in that.
"The Labyrinth in Bode, in particular, requires caution," the Duke noted.
"Bode?" I asked.
"Heinz himself is an Elf, but many of his subordinates are reportedly Humans. This information came to us through those channels. Tale and Halber have large Elven populations, so Humans would stand out there. If Heinz intended to enter a Labyrinth, the one in Bode would be his prime candidate."
In reality, Heinz had been in the Halber Labyrinth. He had managed to outmaneuver their expectations.
"I see. Still, since it isn't confirmed that he's in Bode..."
"That is true," the Duke agreed. "Therefore, for the time being, I have no objection if you choose to explore Labyrinths outside our territory."
"I will also be conducting patrols," Gosler added. "Members of the Knight Order may ask to check your party's Intelligence Cards, so I ask for your understanding in advance."
That was bad. That would completely defeat the purpose of keeping quiet about the thieves. Since they had given me permission to hunt elsewhere, I decided it was best to stay away from the Labyrinths in the Duke's territory for a while.
"Understood."
"I appreciate your cooperation."
Since I obviously couldn't refuse, I gave my consent and left the office.
After returning home, I explained the situation to the girls over breakfast.
"The Duke wanted to warn me about those thieves from before. Since the Labyrinths in this territory might be dangerous, he said we could go elsewhere. I still can't tell them we've already taken care of it, so I think we should stick to the Quratar Labyrinth for a while."
"Understood," Roxanne said.
"Quratar it is," Sherry added.
"Yes, desu," Miria finished.
The three of them gave straightforward replies. There was no real reason for them to object, though I wondered how much of the situation they truly grasped.
"Since we have a map, we can climb the floors in the Quratar Labyrinth quite quickly," Sherry noted.
"I believe the thirteenth floor of Quratar is an excellent place to earn a living," Roxanne added.
Perhaps they understood better than I thought. Between my Herbalist job and the 13th floor's drops, our income would be substantial. And as Roxanne pointed out, the map was a huge advantage. We could bypass the search and head straight for the higher floors. Given our current strength, we could likely handle enemies a few floors up without much trouble.
The real question was how far we should push it. If we got cocky and just kept climbing, we would eventually hit a wall. In a Labyrinth, hitting a wall meant death. Someone could die, or the entire party could be wiped out. I had to avoid that at all costs.
In Labyrinths without maps, we were forced to explore and find the boss rooms, which naturally allowed us to grow stronger as we progressed. We didn't have that natural buffer here. I had to be the one to decide when we were ready for the next level.
Making that judgment accurately was difficult. If it were easy, the Labyrinth wouldn't be considered a dangerous place. If one could perfectly gauge their own limits, the Labyrinth would be relatively safe. I myself had rarely felt a true threat to my life so far.
Nobody wants to die. However, greed—the desire to get stronger faster or earn more money—often clouds one's judgment. People convince themselves that 'one more floor' will be fine, and that's when they slip up. That is why the Labyrinth is a place of death. I had to remain vigilant.
After breakfast, we entered the Quratar Labyrinth. We started on the 14th floor. Under Roxanne's guidance, we confronted a Hat Bat.
The Hat Bat was a black bat, making it difficult to see against the Labyrinth's shadows. When it folded its wings and sat still, it really did look like a black top hat.
"Water Ball!"
Ugh. Even though I had waited for it to get close, the bat dodged my first spell. It suddenly banked, changing its altitude. My second spell, a Breeze Ball, missed as well. I had hoped Wind Magic would be harder for it to detect, but its movements were just too fast. I would have to let it get even closer.
I finally started landing hits with my third spell, an Earth Ball. Roxanne stepped into the vanguard while Sherry and Miria flanked the creature. I positioned myself diagonally behind Roxanne; I didn't want to accidentally hit an ally if the monster dodged another spell.
Since I hadn't acquired Chant Omission yet, I was still stuck shouting the spell names at the top of my lungs. The bat might have been reacting to the sound. Being a bat, it likely had excellent hearing.
I managed to hit it with the next spell. The Hat Bat dove in with a sharp, carving motion, but Roxanne parried it with her shield. As the bat stalled to regain its balance, I blasted it with more Wind Magic. Finally, the creature crashed to the floor.
They were small and hard to hit, but it looked like we could manage them. Next, I had Roxanne lead us to a larger group. Against multiple enemies, I would use all-target magic, which didn't require precise aiming.
When a group of three Hat Bats and one Flytrap appeared, I unleashed Breeze Storm. At this scale, it didn't matter how fast they were or how small they looked. I could strike them all at once.
The Hat Bats were a nuisance in close combat, even for Sherry and Miria, but a barrage of all-target magic brought them down quickly. I followed up with Fireballs for the remaining Flytrap. It was frustrating that the Hat Bats weren't weak to fire; if they shared the same weaknesses as the plant-type monsters, I could have wiped the whole group in seconds.
As it stood, the 14th floor of Quratar didn't seem particularly efficient.
I decided to try using Durandal. I unequipped 20x XP Gain and took Weapon VI instead. I didn't want to mess with the Required XP Reduction skill because I wasn't sure exactly how it functioned—whether it needed to be active for the entire level-up process or just at the moment the XP threshold was reached. To be safe, I just left it on. XP Gain was much simpler to toggle, so that was my go-to for swapping in Durandal.
I also set my third job and equipped Chant Omission. When using Durandal, I would act as the primary bait. Since the monsters would focus on Roxanne and me, we didn't strictly need a Monk. Durandal’s HP Absorption would keep me healthy, and Roxanne rarely took a clean hit anyway.
I approached a Hat Bat with Durandal in hand and watched its movements. Even Sherry and Miria had trouble hitting these things, so I didn't expect it to be easy. As Roxanne had taught me, I focused on reading the enemy's rhythm.
The Hat Bat tucked its wings and charged in for a tackle. I activated Overwhelming.
Immediately, the monster’s movements slowed to a crawl. I landed a solid strike as it charged, twisted my body to dodge the impact, and followed up with a second blow. I tried for a third as it passed by, but I couldn't quite reach.
Overwhelming really did make it possible to dodge and counter like Roxanne. When the bat stalled in front of me at throat height, I triggered Overwhelming again. I moved Durandal in short, precise arcs, striking it twice before finishing it with a heavy downward swing. With the skill active, I could land three hits in the time it usually took for one.
The Hat Bat hit the floor. I immediately moved on to the next target. With Overwhelming, even these fast bats were no threat. My MP seemed to be recovering faster than I was spending it, so the cost was negligible. It wasn't the most efficient way to hunt, but it worked.
"That was amazing... desu," Miria praised me after the battle.
All praise be to Overwhelming.
"Thanks, Miria. Sherry, what’s the boss for this floor?"
"The boss of the fourteenth floor is the Pat Bat," Sherry explained. "It’s an enhanced version of the bat monsters. Its physical attack power isn't particularly high, but it uses a skill that can cause paralysis. If you're paralyzed, you have to use medicine or wait for it to wear off, so we must be careful."
"And the medicine would be Anti-Paralysis Pills, right? We only have two."
"Unlike poison, paralysis won't kill you. And since it's a skill, I can interrupt it." Sherry thrust her spear forward with pride.
She was clearly eager to show off her spear's new Chant Interruption skill. I couldn't blame her; you don't get a weapon like that and then not want to use it. Our combat potential was definitely growing. Apparently, adding Chant Interruption to a Steel Spear changed its name to the 'Steel Spear of Authority.' I looked forward to seeing that 'authority' in action.
"Do you think we're ready for the fifteenth floor?" I asked.
"No problem at all," Roxanne said.
"I believe we can do it," Sherry added.
I had yet to hear a negative answer from either of them. Roxanne was a given, but Sherry was surprisingly gung-ho herself. I wondered if she was being rational or if she just really wanted to test her new spear.
"I'm okay, desu," Miria agreed after Roxanne translated.
I suppose it was fine. In this world, survival was a constant struggle, so maybe I was just being overly cautious with my safety margins. It was a little nerve-wracking to keep climbing, but I couldn't let fear hold us back. Higher floors meant better experience.
That afternoon, we returned to the Labyrinth with a map of the 14th floor. Sherry and I each carried one Anti-Paralysis Pill. We followed the map directly to the boss room.
"I'll handle the small fry. You guys focus on the boss."
A Pat Bat and a Hat Bat appeared. Two bats. I would have preferred a plant-type monster as the sub-boss, but you can't always get what you want. I activated Overwhelming and went after the Hat Bat.
"It's coming!" Roxanne's voice rang out.
The boss was using a skill. We couldn't let it finish. I watched Sherry out of the corner of my eye as I prepared to jump in if needed. Sherry lunged with her spear, striking the boss perfectly on the first try.
Impressive.
"Well done!"
"Thank you!"
Even a boss seems to slow down or hold still when it prepares a skill attack. I managed to finish off the smaller bat with Overwhelming while the boss was distracted. Once the small fry was gone, we surrounded the boss.
From there, it was a guaranteed win. The Pat Bat tried to fly high to break our formation, but I used Overwhelming to ground it whenever it got close. Finally, I slammed Durandal into it one last time, finishing the fight.
"Sherry, what's on the fifteenth floor?"
"The monsters on the fifteenth floor are Grass Bees."
"Grass Bees? Then we don't need to pick them off one by one. Roxanne, find us a large group."
"As you wish."
We moved to the 15th floor and soon found a swarm: two Grass Bees and two Hat Bats.
"Breeze Storm!"
I bombarded them with Wind Magic. They were stronger than the monsters on the previous floor, but since they shared a weakness, the fight was simple. However, things would get complicated if insectivorous plants were mixed into the swarms. As we climbed higher, our lack of level-grinding would start to hurt.
Our job composition was also starting to feel suboptimal. Roxanne's Beast Fighter, Sherry's Smithing, and Miria's Diver jobs provided no Intelligence Increase. Job effects affected the whole party; a boost to Intelligence would make my magic much more effective. I considered switching jobs to Shrine Maiden or Monk, but losing the Strength Increase would make using Durandal a lot harder. It was a difficult trade-off. If a fight with Durandal dragged on too long, I was the one who would take the most damage.
I asked Roxanne to find a group that included plant monsters. After shooting down the Grass Bees with Wind Magic, I had to switch to Fire Storm for the Flytrap. It was the longest battle we'd had in a while. Both Sherry and Miria took a few hits. In a prolonged fight, the risk of taking damage increased significantly.
"If the battles keep dragging on like that, we're going to take more hits. Are you all okay with that? First Aid."
"This is nothing to worry about," Roxanne said.
"Honestly, this is quite light compared to typical Labyrinth combat," Sherry added.
"I'm okay, desu," Miria chimed in.
They seemed genuinely unfazed.
"But won't it be a struggle every time a Flytrap or Sarracenia shows up? First Aid."
"I will try to find groups with fewer of them," Roxanne promised.
"Even one is a pain, though."
"We can handle a single one easily enough," Sherry said. "In fact, it might be better to just move up to the sixteenth floor."
Sherry was making some bold suggestions today.
"The sixteenth floor?"
"The sixteenth-floor monster is the Bitch Butterfly," Sherry explained. "They are weak to Wind Magic. Since Grass Bees and Hat Bats are also weak to Wind, the sixteenth floor might actually be easier to manage than the fifteenth."
I see. She was thinking logically, as always. On the 16th floor, Bitch Butterflies would be the most common enemy, followed by Grass Bees and then Hat Bats. All three of those top-tier spawns were weak to Wind. The chances of encountering the fire-weak plant monsters would actually decrease. If I could focus entirely on Wind Magic, the efficiency would skyrocket.
"If that's the case, it sounds like a plan. Let's see how we handle a few more fights here, and then we'll try the sixteenth floor."
"I think that's a good idea," Sherry agreed.
I didn't want to rush in blindly, so we spent the rest of the day on the 15th floor. We definitely took more hits; a Hat Bat even managed to fly over the front line and tag me. Roxanne, of course, remained impossibly stable.
Whenever my MP ran low, I swapped to Durandal to top up. Between the frequent use of First Aid and combat spells, my MP was draining faster than before. Swapping to Durandal meant I earned less experience, and while higher floors gave more XP, the increased frequency of needing to recover MP might cancel out the gains.
I also realized I’d forgotten that groups of five monsters start appearing on the 16th floor. That could be a problem. Then again, with all-target magic, the number of enemies didn't matter as much. If we could kill them all at once, the 16th floor would definitely be better for experience. Plus, with fewer Hat Bats, I wouldn't have to rely on Overwhelming as much when using Durandal, making MP recovery more efficient.
We finished the day's hunt on the 15th floor and prepared to tackle the boss the next morning. Since the 15th floor's Grass Bees were the same as those on Halber's 12th floor, the boss was the same Killer Bee we'd fought before. There might be a slight difference in power, but having already defeated one was a huge confidence booster. We didn't let our guard down, however, and finished the Killer Bee cautiously but quickly.
"As I mentioned yesterday, the sixteenth-floor monster is the Bitch Butterfly," Sherry reminded us as we prepared to move up. "They are weak to wind and resistant to fire. They have a paralysis skill if you get too close, so it's time for my spear to shine."
"A paralysis skill, huh? I'm glad we got your weapon ready in time."
"Yes! I'll do my best." Sherry hugged her spear to her chest. She really had taken a liking to it.
We stepped onto the 16th floor. The Bitch Butterfly looked more like a giant moth than a butterfly. Its flight was heavy and awkward, far from elegant or lovely. But then again, it was a monster.
It was relatively slow, and my Breeze Balls hit it with no problem. It took a few hits, but it went down. Against a single target, it was nothing to worry about. The question was the group dynamics.
"Roxanne, do you think you can guide us specifically to groups that only have Bitch Butterflies, Grass Bees, and Hat Bats?"
"I believe so."
If she could, Sherry’s plan would be perfect.
"All right. Let's try hunting here on the sixteenth floor."
We spent the morning exploring the new floor. The combat was intense, but we were definitely holding our own. It wasn't impossible, and I never felt my life was in immediate danger.
Labyrinth combat always walks the line between life and death. A single careless judgment can carry a heavy price. I had to remember that the chips I wagered in this place were my own life. Even with that in mind, I was confident we could make it work on the sixteenth floor.