Chapter 82

“In short, the solution is just to take down the 30th Floor Guardian as quickly as possible. Palinchron isn’t the type to break a promise, after all.”

“…He won’t break it, but he’ll find a way to talk around it.”

“True, there’s a high chance of that…”

After confirming that there was no guild business for the next few days, we made our way to the 20th floor of the Labyrinth. We had taken a shortcut from the office using “Connection,” so we had plenty of time.

“There’s no point in being anxious. One way or another, I have to dive into the Labyrinth. Besides the deal with Palinchron, I need to get stronger to stand a chance against those two girls. The Labyrinth is the best place for that.”

“……True. If Kanami can completely overpower those two, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I really wish you’d just tell me everything you know, Snow…”

“…I am telling you everything. I told you everything I had to say on the first day. The rest is just for Kanami to decide and act upon. Besides, even I don’t know the full details.”

“Got it… Sorry for asking over and over. I know for sure that you’re on my side, Snow. Alright, let’s change gears and focus on the Labyrinth. I’m aiming for the deeper floors today.”

“…I’m just following along.”

“That’s fine with me. It gives me a peace of mind.”

I had proven two days ago that even if she said she was just following, she would help me out when it mattered. Taking the somewhat dishonest Snow along, I moved through the 20th floor and headed toward the stairs leading down.

We descended to the 21st floor. My goal had shifted from the 20th floor to the 30th, but the strategy remained the same as two days ago. Up to the 23rd floor, where the “Main Path” was established, getting to the next floor was simple—you just followed the road. Plus, the barrier on the “Main Path” kept enemies away. Occasionally a large monster would wander in, but it wasn’t much of a problem.

As expected, while walking through the 21st floor, a four-armed monstrosity called a Fury ambushed me. I intercepted it with composure. It was a foe I had struggled with not long ago, but it was no longer a threat. The last time I was here, I was Level 12; now, I was Level 15. Every one of my stats had increased significantly.

It didn’t even take me a few seconds to defeat the Fury. Pierced in multiple places by my swords, the Fury collapsed. It instantly turned into light and vanished, and the swords I had used clattered to the ground.

I picked up the magic stone and the swords. Among the swords, some were still usable while others were chipped. I returned them all to my “Inventory.” Thanks to Alibers, I had a way to reuse them, so I had to be frugal.

“I think that Fury called for backup, so let’s hurry a bit.”

“…Got it.”

Snow seemed to understand the Fury’s special ability as well. From the way she naturally started running, I could tell she was quite experienced. As we ran, I asked her:

“Snow, how deep have you ever dived into the Labyrinth?”

“…The 20th floor.”

“The 20th? But you seem to know a lot about the Furies on the 21st.”

“…I am an Academy student, so I know a fair amount. Plus, I’ve heard stories from my brother.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Come to think of it, Snow’s brother was the strongest explorer. It wasn’t strange for her to be knowledgeable about the Labyrinth. Information from the strongest explorer was likely a treasure worth more than gold.

As we traveled, I decided to ask Snow more about the Labyrinth. Along the way, several monsters approached to interfere, but they were no match for me now.

The 22nd floor that followed was much like the 21st. The difficulty was higher, but thanks to Snow’s magic, we progressed without much effort. When Snow saw me having trouble with an aerial attack from a Rio Eagle, she helped me out using non-attribute magic. Using magic that vibrated a wide area, the Rio Eagle lost its sense of balance and couldn’t maintain its altitude. After that, it was a simple task of me carving it up.

Eventually, we reached the 23rd floor and arrived at the end of the “Main Path.”

“…The ‘Main Path’ ends here. What do we do?”

“It’s okay. I’ve been here before, so I know the way. Yes, before—”

Before? Had I come here alone before?

Right. It would be strange otherwise. If I hadn’t, there would be no explanation as to why the “Map” for the 23rd floor visible to me was already filled out. I desperately dug through my memories. Then, I remembered defeating a boss called Flame Squall on the 23rd floor. But something felt a little off.

Did I really defeat that Flame Squall alone back when I was Level 12…?

“…Is something wrong?”

“N-no, it’s just that this floor is a bit hot…”

“…It is. Might be a little hot. I’m fine, though.”

“A little? This heat is incredible.”

“I’m a Dragonnewt. I can handle this much easily.”

“A racial difference, huh…”

“Exactly.”

Looking closely, Snow wasn’t even breaking a sweat. I understood the strength of the Dragonnewt race then. Being physically built differently from humans, Dragonnewts seemed able to move freely even in harsh environments. Envying Snow’s constitution, I pressed forward.

The “Main Path” had ended, but because I had the “Map,” it didn’t take long to reach the 24th floor. We arrived at the volcanic zone of the 24th floor, and I confirmed that my “Map” ended partway through this level.

“I’ve only ever made it halfway through this floor. From here on is the real deal.”

“…Understood.”

“Watch out for the lava. There are lizard monsters lurking inside.”

“…I know.”

Apparently, the strongest explorer, Glen Walker, had been to this floor before. Without me even telling her, Snow kept her distance from the lava.

“Still, this heat is unbearable. Maybe I’ll use Freeze magic to lower the temperature just around me. Magic: [Freeze].”

I tried to suppress the ambient heat with [Freeze], but then I felt a sensation of wrongness. My mana was flowing too well. I was surprised by how smoothly the Freeze magic operated.

“Wait, what?”

“…Me too?”

My [Freeze] didn’t just affect the area around me; it suppressed the temperature in a range that included Snow as well.

“No, I didn’t intend for it to go that far, but my Freeze magic feels weirdly effective. It’s like… it’s easier to use because of the heat, or something…”

It was a phenomenon I didn’t quite understand myself. It was difficult to put it into words for Snow. It was purely intuitive. Intuitively, my understanding of heat—no, of flame—had increased.

I could understand in minute detail how the molecules were vibrating. And for some reason, my body understood exactly how to suppress them. It might be better described as my mana “remembering.” My Freeze magic was automatically performing the optimal control of molecular motion.

“It feels like it’s incredibly easy to cool things down.”

“…I see. Then that’s good. It’s not a bad thing.”

“Yeah. You’re right…”

Though I wasn’t entirely convinced, we continued through the 24th floor. While using [Freeze], I didn’t turn off “Dimension.” It was like I was deploying a very thin “Magic: Dimension: Winter (Di-Winter).”

And that “Di-Winter” showed unparalleled strength on the 24th floor. When I had come here before, “Dimension” couldn’t penetrate into the lava. However, with “Di-Winter,” I was able to extend my senses even inside the magma. It was equivalent to exposing every monster hiding within.

A monster moving through the lava, a Poison Salamander, sneaked up behind us. After confirming we had a blind spot, it leaped out of the lava, its claws glowing.

The moment I turned around, I pulled a sword from my “Inventory” and threw it. The thrown sword pierced the Poison Salamander’s head, and its glowing claws never reached me.

“—Gwah!!”

With a short cry, the Poison Salamander died.

“…Eh?”

“It seems to be a monster with low base stats in exchange for being able to hide in the lava. I took it down in one hit.”

Leaving Snow behind while she wondered what had happened, I put the sword and the magic stone into my “Inventory.”

“…There was a monster behind us?”

“There was. But don’t worry about it. I won’t let them get anywhere near you.”

“……M-mm. So monsters appear that even I can’t sense. Fine, I’ll stay close to you, Kanami. Let’s do that. Do something about them, somehow.”

“If you do that, it’ll make things easier for me too.”

Snow started walking right behind me. She seemed fully prepared to dump any enemy onto me the moment something happened.

I continued along the path, using “Dimension” to keep a close watch even inside the lava. Eventually, I reached the point where the “Map” cut off. This seemed to have been my previous limit.

“—Magic: [Dimension: Multiple].”

Using the same method I used to spread “Dimension” over the town for guild work, I thinly expanded my magical senses. In the Labyrinth, where there is a high concentration of interfering mana, it’s a bit harder to expand than on the surface.

However, thanks to my experience above ground, I managed to find the stairs leading to the 25th floor. At the same time, I grasped the layout of the 24th floor’s special areas and its boss.

—And then, I found something strange.

It was an altar, a rare man-made object for the Labyrinth. The altar, which looked undeniably handcrafted, was built surrounded by lava. And in its center, a single sword was offered.

“…Found the stairs?”

Sensing what I had done, Snow asked for the result.

“Yeah, found them. But I found something weird too.”

“…Weird?”

“Further in, there’s something like an altar, and a sword is placed on it.”

“…An altar, a sword. Ah, I see.”

Snow nodded to herself, seemingly understanding based on my words alone.

“You see? Do you know something?”

“…I do. But explaining it is a hassle.”

“No, tell me…”

I’d be in trouble if she brushed it off as just a “hassle.” Information in the Labyrinth can be a matter of life and death. Snow understood this too. So, albeit reluctantly, she began to explain in a low voice.

“…It’s likely a Labyrinth Drop.”

“A drop? You mean like the magic stones monsters leave behind?”

“…Yes, similar to that. The Labyrinth is ‘manifesting and converging’ items from the past. On the 23rd floor and beyond, where explorers rarely reach, such things remain untouched.”

“Items from the past…”

I didn’t know much about this world. I had only been dealing with the Labyrinth for a few weeks. But Snow was different. She had been dealing with this Labyrinth for years and had learned a great deal of knowledge at the Academy. She seemed to know many things I didn’t.

“…To begin with, this is a place where the continent vomits up legacies of the past. The Labyrinth also serves the role of a circulatory system, converging and expelling the mana and history accumulated in the earth. Or so I was taught at the Academy.”

“That’s news to me. I had no idea the Labyrinth had a function like that.”

“…Few people even at the Academy know. Anyway, I think that altar is a relic from the past. That sword might even be a famous blade from long ago.”

“I don’t understand the complicated stuff, but that sounds like the most important part for us. I’ll check out that sword from here.”

I had heard something interesting. And so, I began to form my own theories about the Labyrinth’s existence. Hearing that, I could no longer believe the Labyrinth was a natural occurrence. If told it existed simply because it was another world, that would be the end of it. But I felt otherwise.

I could only believe that this Labyrinth was created by someone for some specific purpose. If someone made it, it would explain why the Labyrinth is so conveniently suited for humans. If so, then who made the Labyrinth? Who—

I used “Focus” to “stare” at the sword on the altar via “Dimension” and obtained its information.

“Kanami, well?”

“It’s definitely a rare item. But it looks dangerous.”

“…Are we retrieving it?”

“Let’s do it, just in case. It might be worth some money.”

Snow and I walked toward the suspicious altar. A few Poison Salamanders attacked us along the way, but they were no match for me, as I could sense them even through the lava.

After advancing for a few minutes, we reached the altar surrounded by a river of lava. Normally, the lava would be an obstacle, but with my current physical abilities, I should be able to jump over it. The river wasn’t even ten meters wide. Still, by the standards of my old world, that was a distance close to a world record. The fact that I thought of it as “easy” made me feel a little bit frightened of myself.

“I’ll jump over and grab it.”

“…Have a safe trip.”

Naturally, Snow didn’t jump. I confirmed the safety of the lava, took a sufficient running start, and leapt. As expected, I succeeded in jumping over with room to spare. I approached the altar and observed the sword in question.

Up close, the mana residing in the sword was quite significant. It looked to possess enough mana for a single mid-tier mage. Above all, the sword was beautiful. It had a unique form that ignored functional beauty, designed entirely in black. It felt a bit thorny, but even that was a tasteful touch. It certainly didn’t detract from its beauty.

And coloring that beautiful sword—a beautiful purple mana. It didn’t ruin the unity of the jet-black blade; rather, it enhanced the sword as a purple accent. The swords I had designed with Alibers were wonderful too, but this type wasn’t bad either.

Ah. Above all, if bright red blood were to drip from this black blade, how beautiful would it be—

“—[Blast Impulse]!”

A shockwave of mana struck my back. I leapt to the side, dodging it by a hair. Then, I shouted a reproach at the person who had attacked me.

“S-Snow—! What are you doing all of a sudden!?”

However, Snow, the person herself, replied nonchalantly while constructing another spell.

“…Well, you were being enchanted by the sword. I thought I’d blast you away to bring you back to your senses.”

“Enchanted? Me?”

“…The sword’s mana was starting to seep into your body. That thing is pretty dangerous.”

Keeping Snow’s words in mind, I looked at the sword again. I noticed the sword’s abnormality. A mana resembling a sinister grudge was squirming, trying to enter my body. It was far from the beautiful mana I had perceived just moments ago; I could tell just by looking that it was the kind of thing humans should never touch.

I thought such an obviously dangerous sword was beautiful?

“Y-yeah, that’s definitely bad…”

“…It showed its true colors once you got close. What will you do? Give up? I think you’ll turn into a serial killer if you hold it.”

“No, I won’t give up. I want to prevent someone else from owning this and becoming a killer. My magic should allow me to hold it—”

“…N-no, I’m against it. I feel like it would be the most dangerous thing in the world for you to hold it, Kanami.”

“I won’t touch it, so don’t worry. I’ll neutralize the sword from this distance. Magic: [Dimension Overwinter (Di-Winter)].”

“…Be careful. If you fail, don’t forget that I’ll be the first one you kill. Seriously, be careful.”

Leaving the anxious Snow behind, I deployed my mana. Of course, I was attempting the retrieval because I was confident. With my [Di-Winter], I could interfere with mana even from this distance. From several meters away, I used [Di-Winter] to push away the sword’s mana that was trying to approach me.

At the same time, I walked toward the sword bit by bit. I advanced step by step, making sure not to touch the sword’s mana. After several minutes, I finally reached the front of the sword. Now for the real part. While still keeping the mana at bay, I cast [Ice]. My target, of course, was the sword itself.

Perhaps sensing its life was in danger, the sword made its mana surge to reject the cold. However, I reinforced [Di-Winter] with more mana to block it. A few seconds later, a single frozen demon sword was completed. With the utmost caution, I placed the sword into my “Inventory.”

“…Whew.”

I let out a breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead. The sealing was complete. I leapt over the lava and returned to Snow.

“I’m back.”

“…Good work. Please don’t take that out while we’re in the Labyrinth.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“…Hmm, I’m uneasy. Why don’t we just break it here?”

“No, if it’s going to be broken, I think it’s better to call Alibers or people who can use Holy Magic to dismantle it. It might be useful as a material. There’s even a possibility it could be worth a lot of money.”

“…True, I suppose it would be worth money if it could be dismantled. But I’m still uneasy.”

Unusually, Snow was being persistent. She must be that worried. Having no choice, I took [Rough Bringer] out of my “Inventory.”

“If you’re going that far, Snow, I’ll at least snap it.”

“…Yes, let’s break it. Leave it to me.”

Snow then placed her hand on the block of ice containing [Rough Bringer] and cast a spell. Having received the vibration magic at point-blank range, [Rough Bringer] snapped cleanly in two.

At the same time, I felt the overflowing, vicious mana settle down. The value of this demon sword might have been lost now. However, in exchange, we had gained peace of mind.

“Yes, that’s better. Thanks, Kanami.”

Snow said her thanks and handed the two pieces of [Rough Bringer] back to me. I put them into my “Inventory” and shook my head as I replied.

“No, I was the one who insisted on retrieving it. It’s not something you need to thank me for.”

In response, Snow gave a faint smile. Then, she pointed deeper into the Labyrinth and spoke.

“Well then, shall we move on?”

I felt a bit more energy in Snow’s voice. It was only slight, but she seemed to have found some motivation.

“Yeah.”

So as not to extinguish that small flame of motivation, I hurried to resume our Labyrinth exploration.