Chapter 14

“—Well then, let’s get started. Just so you know, once we begin, there’s no turning back.”

“Yes. I understand.”

In the end, my proposal to go “all-in” was accepted.

They were a bit suspicious at first, but I successfully played on the pride Alken and his crew had built up over their long years as explorers. The deal was sealed once I provocatively added, “We don’t mind if it’s two against four.”

They were likely convinced that there was no way they could lose to two kids who were low-level until just a few days ago. I could see it in their expressions—they were eager to show these cocky brats the difference in their power.

According to the common sense of this world, levels were something you raised over the course of years. They probably wouldn’t believe in their wildest dreams that we had reached Level 6 in mere days.

—And so, we made our vows on the “Main Path” and shared the information on the monster in question.

The target monster was called a Hangshadow.

It was described as a black, liquid-like organism that clung to the Labyrinth walls like a shadow. Its signature move was to ambush explorers from the darkness and “hang” them by the neck. They were highly resistant to physical attacks like swords, and apparently, only magic could deliver a decisive blow. They dropped a unique item, and the number of those drops would determine the winner.

“—Let’s go! Start!”

With that, Alken and his party split into two groups and took off at a run.

I could see they were taking this seriously. They weren’t just looking for a win; they wanted to subject us to an overwhelming, crushing defeat.

However, as their opponents, we—

“Diablo, you know the plan, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

We didn’t move.

Alken and the others shot us puzzled looks, but they didn’t bother coming back.

I waited until I was sure they were out of sight before I began my chant.

“Well then, let’s win overwhelmingly. Magic: 《Dimension · Multiple (Multilayer Deployment)》.”

Without worrying about MP consumption, I conducted a search.

Having grown accustomed to handling this spell, I expanded my senses drastically for a split second to pull in a massive amount of information.

From the data instantly gathered, I filtered for the shapes and forms of monsters within my mind. By discarding unnecessary information, I suppressed the wasteful drain on my MP.

As a result of that streamlined search, I successfully located several lurking Hangshadows.

The MP cost hadn’t even reached 10.

Not a bad performance.

“Diablo, I’ve found a few targets. They might be good at hiding, but they’re a poor match for me. There’s no way we’ll lose this.”

“You’re amazing as always, Christ… I feel like there isn’t much for me to do, though… I guess it can’t be helped this time.”

“No, your magic is going to be our main firepower in the fights, so don’t let your guard down.”

Exchanging light banter, Diablo and I set off.

Through the convoluted paths of the Labyrinth, we took the shortest route to our targets.

As we closed in, I used a final check of 《Dimension》 to pinpoint their location and shifted into a sniping stance.

“First one spotted. Alright, just like with the previous boss, rest your arm on mine.”

“Got it. Here goes—! 《Flame Arrow》!”

A flash of light tore through the Labyrinth’s darkness—and the target died instantly.

We quickly collected the drop and ran toward the next target.

Since Hangshadows didn’t seem to move much, this tactic was incredibly efficient.

“Okay, next. Diablo, fire.”

“O-oh!《Flame Arrow》!”

The second one died just as easily.

Only about ten minutes had passed.

Looking at my remaining MP, it seemed like I could keep this up for an hour. After making that calculation, I used a second 《Dimension · Multiple》 to confirm the positions of even more targets.

“Alright. Let’s keep this up.”

“《Flame Arrow》!”

We hunted the Hangshadows with mechanical efficiency.

Occasionally, we’d end up in a direct fight with a Hangshadow that managed to evade the initial snipe, but I was strong against monsters that relied on stealth.

As long as I had 《Dimension》, I couldn’t be caught off-guard. Moreover, if I used “Display,” I could see their details, ensuring I never lost track of them.

In less than an hour, we had obtained ten Hangshadow drops.

Then, we headed to the meeting point at the entrance room of the 6th floor and leisurely waited for Alken’s party.

“T-that’s impossible…!!”

“It’s a lie…! There’s no way!!”

“Wait, Alken! This is your fault!”

The two parties gathered in the space before the stairs leading from the 5th to the 6th floor to verify their results.

The room had only two exits and was situated firmly on the “Main Path.”

Alken’s crew looked like they couldn’t believe their eyes; all four were in a state of frantic denial. It was understandable. In the span of a single hour, they were on the verge of losing every last bit of their money.

Representing the group, Alken screamed at us.

“—I-it’s a lie! You guys cheated! Because this is impossible, right!? Even if you were a veteran, the brat over there was Level 1! And yet, ten!? You got ten!? No way!!”

Alken approached us with such intensity it felt like he was about to grab us by the collars.

“No, we defeated ten. It’s the truth.”

“That’s right! Stop making false accusations! We—especially Christ—are strong! This much is obvious!!”

Diablo jumped on my rebuttal. For some reason, he never forgot to give me a push. Even at a time like this, he was pointlessly loyal.

“Impossible!! That waiter bastard is just some guy who came from the sticks and got beaten back on the 1st floor! And yet! A result like this is impossible!”

Alken and the others repeated “impossible” like a mantra.

It was a bit unexpected. I thought they’d make more excuses—claiming the ones we found didn’t count, or that the ones we had beforehand were invalid—but they didn’t even go that far. They might have lost the capacity for rational thought in the face of such an unbelievable development.

“Dammit! Hey, you lot, surround them!!”

However, this development was exactly as I’d predicted.

Alken and his crew moved to use force.

Weapons in hand, they blocked our path of retreat.

I knew this would happen.

In the end, a match like this—it was nothing more than the strong imposing their will.

The strong deceive the weak and steal from them.

A match created for that purpose alone.

There was no order there.

I felt a small spark of hostility toward that lawlessness.

The “heat” smoldering inside my body grew larger.

“Just as I thought… it’s come to this. If we had lost and protested like you are now, you challenged us because you thought you could just trample over us. And even if you lost, you challenged us because you thought you could just trample over us like this. You were just trying to squeeze money out of weaklings who didn’t know any better. …That’s all it is.”

I condemned Alken and the others with a cold voice, and—

“So what! In this world, only the strong survive!”

Alken howled back in response.

“So much for the ‘Duelist’s Vow’… It doesn’t matter anyway, does it? Once you leave the country, there are no consequences. You were planning to finish us off and then chase some other payday in a different nation from the start.”

“Hah, so you figured it out. There are plenty of ways to make coin outside the Labyrinth. Sorry, kid, but you’re dying here!”

I thought as much.

That was exactly why I had bet everything I had.

Specifically to prepare for a situation where force became the only language spoken.

Giving up on the conversation with Alken, I turned to Diablo.

“See, Diablo…? It wasn’t worth it.”

“Y-yeah… Everything happened exactly as you said, Christ…”

Diablo had his head cast down the moment Alken and his crew resorted to violence.

He must have believed the match would be fair.

He had dreamed that by winning this competition, he would finally be acknowledged.

He’d held onto the fleeting hope that even with their animosity, they could respect each other if the skill was there.

Reality was different.

All that remained was violence fueled by spite.

Diablo seemed to hold a certain reverence for the system of duels and vows, so the shock appeared twice as heavy for him.

“I’ll handle the rest. Stand back, Diablo.”

“I-I’ll help too…!!”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve got this.”

I drew my sword.

My remaining MP was at about thirty percent.

Anticipating this outcome, I had made sure to save a certain amount of mana. It was more than enough to overwhelm them.

Then, I whispered.

“Magic: 《Dimension · Gladiator (Decisive Battle Calculation)》.”

“You brats—!!”

Just as the spell took hold, Alken lunged at me with a slash.

His companions—a beastman swordsman and a nimble-looking spearman—followed suit.

In the back, a female mage began chanting a spell.

Based on that information, I mapped out the most efficient way to suppress them and moved my body.

—First, Alken’s sword cut through the air, grazing the tip of my nose.

Slow.

Alken was far too slow for me.

His level was higher than mine, yet his Skill and Speed were several tiers below. Furthermore, with the insane correction provided by 《Dimension · Gladiator》, there was no way he could hit me.

There was such an absolute difference in our capabilities that it felt like we were operating on different planes of time.

Evading his strike, I delivered a shallow stab to Alken’s dominant hand and sliced both his legs for good measure.

Watching him collapse, I parried the spearman’s thrust.

As I slipped past him, I slashed the spearman’s dominant hand as well. Without breaking my stride, I sprinted toward the mage. Mid-way, the beastman swordsman leapt at me with a roar, but I stabbed his arm before he could even bring his blade down. I swept the legs of the pained beastman and vaulted over his head. Finally, I pressed the tip of my sword against the throat of the female mage, who had been frozen in her chant.

—In real time, the entire exchange lasted only a few seconds.

I spoke in the lowest voice I could muster.

“…What I really wanted from this match wasn’t money. My only wish is that you people, who insulted Diablo, never show your faces before us again. If you disappear, I won’t do anything more.”

“I-impossible…”

Alken and the others clutched their wounds, voices leaking out in disbelief.

The battle had been decided in seconds.

They likely had never experienced anything like it in their lives. Dazed, they watched their companion mage held at swordpoint.

“Answer me quickly. If you don’t say you’ll leave, I’ll have to hurt you more.”

I moved the blade closer to the mage’s throat.

“I-I get it… I surrender. I’ll leave right away.”

The mage, facing the immediate threat of the blade, was the first to concede.

Following her lead, the beastman swordsman and the spearman also signaled their surrender.

“Dammit…! We did it on the ‘Main Path’ anyway. We can’t stay in this country now…!”

Even Alken admitted to leaving the nation.

The gap in power between us was undeniable.

When a clear path of retreat was offered under such circumstances, they had no choice but to take it.

More than anything, they seemed to realize I was being sincere. Since money wasn’t my goal, their calculations told them it was better to simply comply.

“Good. That settles it then. Let’s just consider ourselves both unlucky today.”

I used the tip of my sword to usher Alken and his group out of the room.

“If we leave the country, you won’t do anything else. Right?”

“Right. But I’ll be reporting this to the Guild, so you’d better leave Wald sooner rather than later.”

“Tch… Dammit. Fine, we’re leaving…”

With those final words, Alken and his party began to walk away.

The beastman swordsman lent Alken a shoulder, and the four of them left the room as one.

From a distance, I could see them bickering in hushed voices as they departed.

I kept a vigilant watch until they were completely out of sight before finally letting out a breath.

“Whew…”

“S-sorry… Everything turned into a mess because of me…”

Once the ordeal was over and they were gone, Diablo apologized with a dejected look.

“No, it’s fine. I was annoyed with them too. Seeing them look that pathetic was actually quite refreshing.”

“That wasn’t what I intended… I thought if they acknowledged me, that would be enough…”

While I’d relieved some stress by seeing Alken’s group cower, Diablo didn’t seem to feel the same. For better or worse, Diablo had a pure heart; he’d probably imagined a scene where they’d praise each other’s efforts after the match.

But things like that are just dreams.

Yes.

Just like this. Everything is a dream.

“I’m sorry, but that’s difficult. Truly acknowledging one another is a very hard thing to do.”

For example, it was like the question of ‘whether or not I would acknowledge this world.’

It was a truly difficult problem.

“I see… So, Christ. What now?”

“Well, my MP is low, so we should head back for now—”

“Actually, I’d rather you didn’t leave.”

As I was about to suggest heading home, an unfamiliar voice from above interrupted me.

“—!?”

Startled by a voice from outside my awareness, I leaped backward.

My focus on 《Dimension · Gladiator》 had been centered entirely on Alken’s group.

Furthermore, we were within the ‘Main Path.’

Those factors had created a lapse in my vigilance.

“Ah, my apologies. Did I startle you? But it would be a bit of a problem if you left. It’s rare to encounter children like you, after all.”

The owner of the voice was clinging to the ceiling of the Labyrinth.

And it was a monstrosity.

Its appearance resembled the Hangshadows we had been hunting earlier.

However, while similar, it was something else entirely. A Hangshadow would never take a humanoid shape, and it certainly wouldn’t speak.

But this thing had formed a humanoid body out of shadow-like black liquid and was speaking with clear intelligence.

A writhing, black liquid body.

A featureless, Noh-mask face.¹

A genuine monster was talking to us.

Its feet were stuck to the ceiling, and that mask-like face remained fixed on us.

Breaking into a cold sweat, I used “Display” to check the monster’s details.

It wasn’t human.

It didn’t have a monster rank, either.

It was simply labeled as a Guardian, with the title ‘The One Who Steals the Dark Principle.’

I stared at the “Display” in horror, and the black mask of the monster seemed to smile in response.

“Hehehe. I am the gatekeeper of the 20th floor, the One Who Steals the Dark Principle, Teida. A pleasure to meet you.”

And with that, he introduced himself as the boss monster of the 20th floor with the poise of a gentleman.