"They're coming!" Roxanne shouted.
An orange magic circle materialized beneath a Grass Bee in the second row—it was preparing a skill. Since it was at a distance, Sherry’s spear, which was capable of interrupting skills, couldn't reach it.
The Grass Bee fired its needles. Roxanne caught the projectiles with her Iron Shield. Almost simultaneously, a Bitch Butterfly and a Hat Bat launched their own attacks against her.
Roxanne shifted her weight, pulling her left foot back to present a narrower profile as she dodged the Bitch Butterfly's body slam. At the same moment, she tilted her head to the side to let the Hat Bat's charge whistle past her ear.
I didn't even know it was possible to dodge like that.
I certainly couldn't do it. From my position in the rear, I focused on casting Breeze Storm. The sudden gust of wind buffeted the monsters, sending them reeling. The Bitch Butterfly managed to regain its balance and lunged at Roxanne again, but she parried it with her shield. As the Hat Bat followed up with another charge, she twisted her body to evade, landing a sharp counter-thrust with her rapier in the process.
I unleashed another burst of Wind Magic. An orange magic circle flared under the Bitch Butterfly directly in front of Sherry, and she immediately lunged forward with her spear to disrupt it. Miria caught a bee’s attack on her shield before slashing back with her scimitar.
Watching Roxanne effortlessly sidestep another Bitch Butterfly and weave through the Hat Bat’s strikes, I visualized the next Breeze Storm. With a final roar of wind, two Bitch Butterflies, two Grass Bees, and the Hat Bat all crashed to the floor.
Finally.
"Hmm. The 16th floor is definitely a step up," I noted.
It was a relief to be able to focus on the Quratar Labyrinth now that I had the Duke’s endorsement, but the 16th floor was proving to be a challenge. Even though Roxanne was the one doing all the heavy lifting in terms of evasion, just watching her was exhausting.
Since I had the maps for the Quratar Labyrinth, I had pushed through the 13th, 14th, and 15th floors on sheer momentum. This was clearly my current limit. If Roxanne weren't standing front and center, dancing around every single attack, our front line would have crumbled long ago.
"No, Master. I wouldn't call this difficult yet," Roxanne replied.
Not difficult? She really was incredible.
The only real mercy on the 16th floor was that so many monsters were weak to Wind Magic. And of course, being able to specifically seek out those monsters was only possible because of Roxanne’s tracking.
"We aren't being hit by multiple consecutive attacks, so I believe we are managing quite well," Sherry added. "If one intends to explore the labyrinths, combat of this level is still considered relatively mild."
When Sherry put it that way, I started to see her point. It seemed that the safety standards in this world were much lower than what I was used to. Then again, with Roxanne drawing the attention of almost every monster in the center, the fight probably wasn't nearly as stressful for Sherry and Miria on the flanks.
"Is okay. Big Sister is here," Miria said, nodding.
"I see. It really is all thanks to Roxanne, then."
"No, Master. It is because you defeat them so quickly with your magic."
"In that case, I'll switch to my sword for the next fight. Find us a smaller group."
During our time on the 16th floor, my Explorer job had reached Level 39. With the extra Bonus Points, I had finally acquired Chant Omission. Being able to run a Fourth Job and Chant Omission at the same time was a massive upgrade. It was also a sign that I had finally graduated from my eighth-grader syndrome; no more shouting spell names for me.
With my MP recovered, we plunged back into combat.
On this floor, we frequently encountered groups consisting of four Bitch Butterflies and one Grass Bee. This was the most dangerous combination in Quratar’s 16th floor. Well, technically the most dangerous would be an insectivorous plant weak to Fire Magic appearing in the middle of a wind-weak group, but since Roxanne helped us avoid those, I didn't worry about it.
The reason four Bitch Butterflies were so troublesome was that Sherry’s spear might not be fast enough to interrupt all of them. Their skills had a high chance of causing paralysis. If Roxanne was paralyzed and stopped moving, the whole party would be in jeopardy. Two butterflies were no problem, and three were usually manageable, but four pushed our luck.
The Grass Bees were a separate nuisance due to their range. Whenever there were four or more monsters, at least one usually moved to the second row. A Grass Bee in the back meant poison needles flying at us from a distance. That was why the four-butterfly, one-bee group was our biggest nightmare.
I wondered if I should buy more Anti-Paralysis Pills, but since we hadn't needed them yet, I figured we were fine. We finished the day's hunt without a single person getting paralyzed.
The next morning, we were back on the 16th floor early.
"They're coming!" Roxanne warned. She moved to intercept the poison needles from a second-row Grass Bee, catching them squarely on her shield. Her consistency was breathtaking.
She then spun away from a Bitch Butterfly's lunge and drove her rapier into a different Grass Bee. She truly danced like a butterfly to evade butterflies and stung like a bee to strike bees. Her prowess was almost frightening.
Sherry dodged a butterfly's sweep, and Miria caught another bee's strike on her shield. Neither of them had Roxanne's level of composure, but they were holding their own.
The Grass Bee in the back fired again, and Roxanne blocked it effortlessly while shifting her body to avoid a butterfly. Another bee lunged at Miria. She parried the first strike but couldn't quite dodge the follow-up body slam.
Fortunately, it didn't look like she had been poisoned. I kept up the Wind Magic while weaving in a First Aid spell for her. At our current levels, none of us would be taken down by just two or three hits, so I could afford to take my time with healing between attacks.
Finally, the Wind Magic finished them off.
"I am fine, is," Miria said, raising a hand to stop my healing.
I signaled Roxanne to find the next target. It was a smaller group—two Bitch Butterflies and a Grass Bee. Sherry got knocked back once by a wing-slap, but we finished them quickly. After healing Sherry, I pulled out Durandal to recover MP by taking on two more groups. I still felt like using Tonic Pills was a waste, so I stuck to the sword for recovery.
The next encounter was two Bitch Butterflies, a Grass Bee, and a Hat Bat. The Hat Bat soared over Roxanne’s head and dove straight for me. I managed to parry it with my cane and followed up with a Breeze Storm that knocked the whole group out of the air. It was a close call.
This was the terror of the labyrinth. Even as a Rear Guard, I couldn't let my guard down. Hat Bats were a nightmare because they could bypass the Front Line entirely. If I got swarmed in the back, Roxanne would have to choose between protecting her own front or turning around to save me, and either choice could be fatal.
At our current level, the 16th floor really was the limit. If we went higher, the battles would take even longer, and while Hat Bats appeared less frequently, we wouldn't be able to rely on Wind Magic alone.
The next group was four Bitch Butterflies and a Grass Bee. Surprisingly, I felt more relaxed knowing there were no Hat Bats. The Grass Bee launched a few long-range shots, but Roxanne's defense was an iron wall.
Then the butterflies closed in, forming a horizontal line. Roxanne dodged the first body slam and blocked the second. Another butterfly began preparing a skill, but Sherry’s spear lanced out and silenced it.
I thought we were in the clear until orange magic circles flared beneath all four butterflies simultaneously. Sherry lunged, but even she couldn't hit four targets at once. I couldn't cast fast enough to stop them all either. Sherry managed to cancel three of them, but the fourth butterfly—the one furthest from her and directly in front of Miria—completed its skill.
A cloud of powdery scales erupted from its wings. The smoke enveloped Miria.
She froze instantly.
I watched her while casting my next spell. She was shivering slightly, her body locked in a rigid stance.
"Should I give her the medicine?" I shouted.
"Finish them first!" Sherry replied.
I unleashed another Breeze Storm. The Bitch Butterfly attacked the defenseless Miria, but she couldn't move to dodge. I threw out a quick First Aid and followed up with more magic until the last monster hit the ground.
"How long does the paralysis last?" I asked. Miria was still frozen. I reached into my Item Box for an Anti-Paralysis Pill.
"The duration varies," Sherry explained. "Usually it doesn't take long; sometimes it wears off during the fight. If it persists, we use medicine or move to a safe room."
"There are no other monsters nearby," Roxanne added.
I looked at Miria. Should I give her the medicine mouth-to-mouth? Or should I wait a bit? It wasn't that I was desperate to do it, but since she couldn't move, it wasn't like she could offer a passionate response anyway.
On the other hand, the idea of forcing my way into her mouth while she was unable to resist... that felt like I was developing a very questionable hobby. I imagined pulling her into a firm embrace, prying her lips open, and letting my tongue have its way with her defenseless mouth. Since she was paralyzed, she wouldn't be able to fight back at all.
This... this was something I might actually have to try once.
Just as I was entertaining these thoughts, Miria blinked. Her eyes started moving again.
"Ah... are you okay?"
"Is okay, is. Sorry, is," Miria mumbled.
"Don't worry about it."
She had recovered while I was busy being a degenerate. No mouth-to-mouth today, then. A little disappointing, honestly.
I kept a close eye on her for the rest of the day, but Miria showed no lingering effects. Once the paralysis broke, she was back to full strength. We finished the rest of our hunting without anyone else getting hit by a skill.
"Fish, is. Hurry, is," Miria said as soon as we left the labyrinth, heading straight for the fishmonger. Today was the day we were supposed to try a fish dish in our new pan.
"What kind of fish do you need?"
"White fish, is," Miria declared after looking over the shop's selection. She ended up choosing the white fish from our drop items anyway. It seemed the shop didn't have anything better, or perhaps she had just wanted the drop items all along.
"Anything else?"
"We need Slime Starch," Roxanne translated.
I bought two pieces of fish just to be safe, taking advantage of the discount. Miria would probably find a way to eat both anyway. We picked up some Slime Starch—a drop from Gumi Slimes—at the guild and headed home.
Miria put water, wine, fish sauce, and a little olive oil into the shallow pan. She added the cleaned white fish and let it simmer. It looked like a fairly standard poached dish.
"What do you do with the Slime Starch?"
"This, is."
Miria ground the starch and dissolved it in a little water before adding it to the pan at the very end. I thought it was just a seasoning, but I realized what it was the moment she plated it.
It was a starchy sauce.
So Slime Starch was basically potato starch. In Chinese cooking, you use a starch slurry to thicken sauces at the end, and Miria had done exactly that. If it worked the same way, Slime Starch and potato starch were interchangeable.
I gave one whole fish to Miria and divided the other three ways. Even a third of a fish was a hearty portion. I figured Miria would clean up whatever we couldn't finish.
The simmered fish in the starchy sauce was actually quite good. The fish sauce gave it a slightly wild, rustic flavor. If I added some sugar and vinegar, it would be even better.
Wait, that would just be a sweet and sour sauce.
"Finished, is," Miria said, looking satisfied. She had eaten so much that she didn't even try to steal any from Roxanne or Sherry. That should keep her cravings at bay for a while.
The next morning, I experimented with the sweet and sour sauce. I boiled water with sugar, vinegar, and fish sauce, then thickened it with the Slime Starch. I poured it over a batch of stir-fried vegetables.
It was... basically Sweet and Sour Pork, but without the pork. It felt a little strange to call it that without the meat, but then again, we have "nightingale bread" that contains no nightingales. I'd been too afraid of messing up the meat, so I’d stuck to vegetables, which was my first mistake.
Then again, dishes like chukadon or tenshinhan are similar. Apparently, tenshinhan was invented in Japan and doesn't even exist in Tianjin, China. Even Tianjin sweet chestnuts aren't actually from Tianjin; they're just shipped from its port. It’s like how Mocha coffee is named after the port of Mocha, or how Arita ware is called Imari because it was shipped from the port of Imari.
"This is delicious, Master!"
"It's sweet and sour—a flavor I've never had before. It's incredible!"
"Delicious, is."
The girls were full of praise, but that was probably because they’d never had actual Sweet and Sour Pork. It felt a bit lacking to me.
But I wasn't about to give up. I decided to try another dish with the Slime Starch. We’d had enough starchy sauces for now, so I moved on. I took some goat meat we’d gotten from the Pan boss, rubbed it with fish sauce, and let it marinate for half a day.
"Miria, can you grind some Slime Starch for me?"
"Yes, is."
That evening, I had her prepare the powder.
"Master, there is a message from Luke the broker," Roxanne noted. "It seems he won the bid for a Caterpillar Skill Crystal."
A Caterpillar Skill Crystal could be used to make a Substitution Misanga. That would be our third one. Between those and the Ring of Determination, everyone would finally have an accessory. I decided that could wait until tomorrow.
I tossed the goat meat in the Slime Starch and fried it. It was basically Hokkaido-style Zangi, or Tatsuta-age. It didn't turn out quite as red as I’d hoped—the fish sauce gave it a darker, almost blackish tint—but it smelled great.
I took a bite. It was delicious. It’s hard to go wrong with fried meat. I'd never seen Tatsuta-age in Japan that was actually "crimson" anyway, despite the poetic name. This was more than good enough.
The next morning, I went to pick up the Skill Crystal. After breakfast, I traveled to the Merchant Guild alone while the girls handled the chores. I hadn't let Sherry start smithing yet, as I needed to oversee the fusion once I had the crystal.
"Here is the Caterpillar Skill Crystal," Luke said.
"Thank you."
I confirmed it was authentic with Appraisal before accepting it. My heart always hammered a bit when doing business with Luke. I wondered what I’d even do if he tried to sell me a fake. He had ties to the Duke’s knights, so I couldn't exactly cut him down on the spot. I'd probably have to file a formal complaint and demand reparations. The paperwork alone would be a nightmare.
Maybe I should start checking items at the Guild Temple occasionally just to keep him honest. I’d been meaning to see what the temple looked like anyway.
"Also, here is a wanted poster for the thieves," Luke added, handing me a sheet of papyrus. "The Duke’s Knight Order asked me to pass this along. They wanted to emphasize that you should be extremely careful."
It was called a wanted poster, but there were no drawings, just a long-winded description written in Brahim. I couldn't believe the knights had gone through the trouble of making these. I’d already killed the guys. It felt like a total waste of their budget.
Then again, there might still be remnants of the gang out there, so I suppose it wasn't completely useless.
I returned home with the crystal and the poster. I handed the Skill Crystal and a Misanga to Sherry.
"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the papyrus.
"A wanted poster for those thieves."
Sherry immediately snatched the poster away and began reading it with a focused expression.