By some strange twist of fate, as I continued this life of diving into the Labyrinth, I had started to think that this kind of existence wasn't so bad.
After all, it was exciting.
Or perhaps "exciting" was an understatement—it was literally life-threatening. If I let my guard down for even a second, I could be killed. It would be the end, in the most literal sense possible. Because of that, I couldn't afford to be lax. I had to stay sharp. I couldn't allow my concentration to break.
Every day was certainly a thrill.
Normally, a person might think they’d rather pass on such a heart-pounding lifestyle, but it wasn't as if things were constantly at a breaking point. It was moderate.
Even in the Labyrinth, there were upper floors and lower floors. If we went to the upper levels, the monsters would be powerful and the danger would increase, but on the lower floors, the enemies were weak and things were relatively safe. Since no one was forcing me to be here, I just had to fight on the floors that suited us.
In the past, I might have worried about the low earnings on lower floors, but at the very least, we had already moved past that stage. I could fight on whatever floor I liked while remaining mindful of safety. If I were careless, things would get dangerous, but the situation wasn't so dire that I had to be constantly wired. I didn't feel a blade at my throat every second of the day.
It was a moderate level of tension. And it provided a moderate amount of exercise.
We were fighting in the Labyrinth, so naturally, we were using our bodies. It was physical labor. That said, it would be a problem if I were utterly exhausted by the time the battle ended. The Labyrinth was a dangerous place; if I were to wear myself out, no matter how many lives I had, it wouldn't be enough. It was better to have the kind of light exercise where I could think, "I worked hard today," when the day was over—not so much that I felt bone-weary.
A moderate level of tension and moderate exercise. There was no way every day could be bad like that. Since every battle was different, things never became dull. As of now, I hadn't grown bored of it. Or rather, if I were even thinking such things, my life would be in jeopardy.
And once the battles in the Labyrinth were over, I returned to a harem life surrounded by beautiful girls. Every day was refreshing. Every day was fulfilling.
Granted, there was a possibility that my sense of danger had become paralyzed or that I had grown too accustomed to this world. But that was fine, wasn't it? After all, I was only human. Beyond that, I just had to be careful not to lose an appropriate sense of caution and not to ignore the warning bells that might ring in the back of my mind.
Well, the reason I felt that way was likely because I was in the Rear Guard. Things might have been tougher for the Front Line.
First, there was Roxanne.
Yeah. Seeing her nimbly dodging enemy attacks, I couldn't imagine it was hard for her. If anything, there was a possibility she thought it was a "trash game" because it was too easy. She might even be thinking she wanted to be released from my service soon because I was forcing her into such soft battles.
"Is something the matter?" she asked.
"No. I was just thinking that the Front Line must be tough. I felt bad for dragging you into Labyrinth exploration."
"Not at all. I am grateful to be allowed to engage in such fulfilling combat."
Since I had been staring blankly at Roxanne even after the monsters were annihilated, she had checked in on me. However, that was probably her honest feeling. As expected, she likely didn't want to be released.
It seemed the rest of the Front Line was also doing well.
"Miria, Vesta, do you find it painful to fight in the Labyrinth?"
"I'll do it," Miria said.
"I believe I am perfectly fine," Vesta added.
With Vesta, I truly felt like she was telling the truth. Unlike Roxanne, she took a fair number of monster attacks, but it didn't feel like she was taking serious damage at all. It might have just been because she was large that it seemed that way, but that didn't really matter. Rather, I could assume that because of her large build, she truly did have high durability.
Nowadays, I only used healing magic once during a battle, and only if she had taken several hits. Just once. That was all it took. I had almost no memory of using it twice or more on her. I had never tested how many times I would need to use healing magic to bring someone back from the brink of death, but there was no doubt she had plenty of leeway.
Thinking about it that way, the one with the hardest time was probably Miria. She didn't evade as much as Roxanne, and she didn't have as much durability as Vesta. She took a moderate amount of moderately painful monster attacks. It might have been tough for her.
Even so, the reason we were here on the 22nd floor of the Zabil West Forest Labyrinth was because I had taken Miria's wishes into account. We were here for Miria's appetite, as she wanted to fight Marbrims and the floor Boss to get food ingredients. Miria likely had no problems either.
"Sherry, you're okay, right?"
I decided to check with Sherry as well, just in case. She ended up being last, but that was because Sherry was in the Rear Guard. Well, since she wasn't a magic-user or a healer, she was sort of a half-Rear Guard, or practically Rear Guard. At the very least, she didn't confront monsters on the frontmost line; she poked them from behind with her spear. She was definitely a member of the Rear Guard.
A fine Rear Guard at that. For a while now, Sherry shouldn't have taken any damage from monsters. If she started saying that fighting in the Labyrinth was painful despite that, I would have ideas of my own. Specifically, she'd be getting a punishment in bed. You understand, don't you?
"Thanks to Master's magic, the monsters fall quickly," she replied. "I am a bit bewildered that we have progressed to the upper floors at such a fast pace, but I have no anxieties regarding the combat itself. I am fine."
I received a satisfactory answer. Tonight would be a reward.
As I thought, a moderate level of tension and appropriate exercise were bringing positive effects to them as well. Regardless of their true feelings. No, it was fine.
"Alright. Let's move on to the next one."
"Yes. This way," Roxanne said.
We proceeded under Roxanne's guidance. This time, we encountered three Marbrims. The three girls moved to intercept. With three opponents, they could bring it into a one-on-one situation, which meant Roxanne's surroundings became an Absolute Defense Perimeter. There was no way an attack from the likes of a Marbrim would hit her. I wanted to share her with some Empire currently at war.
Look at that. Just now, two Marbrims launched a simultaneous attack on Roxanne, but by dodging one attack while parrying the other with her shield, she showed she could defend against both. Monsters occasionally did something like a position change, where the monster to the side attacked or two attacked simultaneously from the left and right, but even then, Roxanne wasn't hit. When being attacked from both sides simultaneously, the target was often Roxanne because she was in the middle, and this contributed greatly to the party's stability. As long as Roxanne was in the middle, the Front Line would not collapse.
"I did it!"
One Marbrim fell to the floor. Petrification. The effect had triggered.
Miria was also working hard. The sword she was using was the Estoc of Rigidity, which was imbued with a skill that could petrify the opponent it slashed. It didn't happen frequently, but it triggered occasionally like this. A petrified monster would never move again. If it was a monster that floated in the air like a Marbrim, it would simply fall to the ground.
Combat became easier. Victory drew much closer. It was all good. Well, the effort of cleaning up remained, but that could be done as a side task.
It was safe to say we had acquired quite the piece of equipment. With the Estoc of Rigidity, Miria could be fully counted on as part of the party's combat power—as part of the Front Line. I wanted to give the petrification weapon to Miria rather than Roxanne, who focused on evasion. Vesta used a two-handed sword, so she didn't need it either.
Miria had more to look forward to. She was currently a Warrior Lv 28, but once she reached Warrior Lv 30, she should be able to take the Assassin job. Since an Assassin had the Status Ailment Probability Up skill, its compatibility with the Estoc of Rigidity should be even better.
And the other Front Line member was the large and stable Vesta. She was reliable just to look at. I didn't really think so from her attitude or speech, but she was just so big. Just standing there silently gave off an intimidating aura. Being big was a good thing.
"Alright."
While Vesta and Roxanne kept the front line stable, I defeated the Marbrims with magic. On this floor, there were no problems at all.
"Yes!"
However, Miria's eyes were single-mindedly locked onto the white fish, which was the drop item from the Marbrim. With sparkling eyes—no, with glinting eyes clouded by appetite—she picked up the white fish and handed it to me. It seemed the ingredients obtained in the Labyrinth were more important than the hardships of the Labyrinth itself.
"True. Let's call it a day around here. Grilled white fish for dinner sounds good."
"Yes!"
"Boiling it with seasoning also sounds delicious."
"Yes!"
"Deep-frying it might also be good."
"Yes!!"
"I'll give you the white fish, so make us a dish for dinner tonight."
"I'll make it!"
This would do. Miria shouldn't have any dissatisfaction with fighting in the Labyrinth. At least for now. The rest was just making it last as long as possible.
After leaving the Labyrinth, it was good eating, good pleasure, and good sleep. Regarding the middle one, there was a possibility I was causing discomfort or a burden to the four of them, but I shouldn't think too deeply about it. It was fine, wasn't it? After all, I was only human.
After a refreshing reset, we entered the Labyrinth again the next day.
"Oh. There's a door there."
"We have not passed through that one," Roxanne said.
We found a door during exploration. Roxanne said we hadn't passed through it before, so we went through. Exploration was basically left to her; the rest of us just followed.
"Whoa. Is it the Boss Room?"
"It seems so."
Following Roxanne through the door, we entered a small room with two doors, one on each side. It was a classic Waiting Room. Beyond this would be the Boss Room.
The Boss of the Marbrim was the Black Diamond Tuna. Since we had fought it before, there was no need for a briefing from Sherry. I equipped Durandal, made my preparations, and entered.
I cast the Gambler's Status Ailment Resistance Down on the Black Diamond Tuna and headed toward the Marbrims. It was easier if we reduced their numbers.
"I did it!"
But almost at the same time I defeated a Marbrim, Miria's petrification triggered. The Black Diamond Tuna fell, and the Boss Battle practically ended right there. What was that about reducing their numbers?
Well, I suppose it was fine to say that Boss Battles on the 22nd floor were no problem. There was a possibility that petrification wouldn't occur for a long time, but as long as Roxanne stood in front of the Boss, there wouldn't be any major accidents.
We needed to do this Boss Battle many times. Specifically, until the rare drop, Toro, fell. Until Miria was satisfied. At this rate, it should be fine.
"Um. We are going to challenge the Black Diamond Tuna many times, right?" Sherry asked as we exited to the 23rd floor.
When I glanced at Miria, she was looking at me with eyes full of expectation. Of course, I couldn't say no.
"Yeah."
"In that case, the 23rd floor of the Northselm Labyrinth is a bit... well, problematic, so I think it would be better to return to the 22nd floor immediately."
Apparently, it was a bit much. I didn't really understand, but we immediately moved back to the 22nd floor. We went to the small room closest to the Boss Room. Since there were no other people on the 22nd floor of the Zabil West Forest Labyrinth, I felt like it would be fine to warp directly to the Waiting Room, but that kind of carelessness could invite death. Safety first.
If we defeated Marbrims on the way, we might get a whole fish. I didn't have the Cook job equipped, so I wasn't expecting much.
Now, how many laps would be necessary until the Toro appeared? On the first lap, I didn't have Cook equipped because I was testing the waters, but if it was going to take many laps, it would probably end faster if I set Cook as a job. Then again, it wasn't particularly my goal to finish quickly today, so I left it. It also wouldn't be good to give Miria a strange preconception if the Toro appeared too easily. I wanted her to think that getting Toro was a lot of hard work. Otherwise, she would keep asking for it constantly in the future.
"Even so, is it really not dropping?"
After that, we had probably done ten laps, but the Black Diamond Tuna didn't drop any Toro. One or two laps might have slipped by, but even so, it felt like a lot.
"If you're lucky, it can come out immediately, but I don't think this is particularly bad luck," Sherry noted.
"I'll do it," Miria added.
It was just as Sherry said. Even if it dropped at a one-in-ten probability, it wasn't something that would definitely come out once in ten times. That said, it should be about time for it to appear.
And I realized it was futile to try and convince Miria that getting Toro was hard work. That was just how she was. It wasn't just the Toro that Miria wanted; the battle with the Black Diamond Tuna itself was fun for her.
"Love the monk, love his robe," as they say. If the drop item was a favorite, then the monster that left it was also a favorite. The Black Diamond Tuna was essentially a giant fish monster. Besides, even if she couldn't defeat it, she could neutralize it with petrification. There was no way it wasn't fun for her. Even if it wasn't Toro, it left red meat, which was also delicious.
Even after ten laps, she didn't make a single displeased face. She was overflowing with motivation.