A New Mystery And A New Monster.

“Wait, wasn’t it seven yesterday?”

“Yes, it was definitely seven.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it was seven.”

Looking back at yesterday, there was no mistake about the number of Wererats stationed in front of the stairs. It was seven.

I casually counted the monster carcasses strewn across the stone floor.

No matter how many times I tracked them, there were nine.

“ ……They’re multiplying.“

This was the first time the number of an area boss’s minions had shifted like this. I had underestimated them because of their small physical mass, but to think the floor layout hid a mechanism like this.

“If the count escalates every single time we clear them, we can’t unthinkingly launch an engagement.”

Up until now, the exact volume of monsters on each stratum had been rigidly fixed; they never spontaneously decreased or excessively multiplied out of nowhere.

If I had to guess, the absolute volume of ambient mana available on each floor is likely locked at a specific threshold, which systematically restricts the maximum population density of the local hostiles. This would explain why geographically larger floors feature a vastly superior variety and generation rate of monsters.

If this hypothesis held solid, then the ninth floor—which possessed a remarkably small spatial footprint—likely suffered from a rather sparse supply of ambient mana.

“What are your directional orders, My Lord?” Paula asked.

“We won’t be able to form a definitive conclusion until we audit the metrics again tomorrow, but if the numbers keep climbing along this vector, we’ll have to find a way to resolve the disaster.”

Even if there’s an absolute population cap, leaving this trend unmonitored felt highly non-serving. Then again, given that the facility’s underlying logic mirrors standard game design, a textbook mechanics-based solution likely exists. Standard patterns usually rely on variables like the specific killing order or total elapsed combat time, but the fact that the boss and its minions possess identical visual layouts is highly suspicious.

I meticulously inspected the carcass of the true Boss Wererat to run a quick diagnostic check, but its appearance was completely indistinguishable from the rest of the pack.

……Hmmm.

“We lack the mandatory data loops to resolve the bottleneck right now. I suppose we have no choice but to rely on wishful thinking for the time being.”

If we spent too much consecutive runtime over-analyzing this quadrant, the sun would guaranteed dip beneath the horizon. That would trigger a non-zero probability of our unit being swarmed by a high-volume influx of Great-Eyed Moths again.

“Alright, let’s advance!”

“Roger~!”

“Understood!”

“Kyuu~!”

Pumping up our morale parameters, we descended the steps—only to freeze in our tracks once more, thoroughly overwhelmed by the boundless landscape stretching out before our eyes. Even experiencing it for the second time, the sheer scale completely blindsided my senses. It was bound to have an exponentially larger impact on the first-time visitors.

The entire platoon stood perfectly frozen on the landing, their gazes hopelessly anchored to the sweeping panoramic view.

“ ……This is an undeniably magnificent landscape.“

After a full minute of absolute silence, the Chief softly vocalized his thoughts, breaking the dam as the rest of the group erupted into a boisterous chorus of voices all at once.

“This zone is insanely massive, holy crap! Why on earth is the spatial footprint this colossal?!”

“I completely miscalculated and thought we had somehow breached the surface world again…”

“The same applies to me… I couldn’t process how a realm of this scale could coexist down here…”

“Oh, look over there. Is that shimmering silver expanse a body of water?”

Under the brilliant, clear illumination of the daytime parameters, environmental details that had completely eluded our sensory tracking yesterday became flawlessly visible. While the chamber featured surrounding perimeter walls, from our current coordinates, the only visible boundary was the sheer earth wall behind us, which sloped upward at a distinct incline rather than rising at a vertical angle. Giant boulders lay exposed across the terrain, looking perfectly accessible if a unit exerted enough force to scale them.

Furthermore, looking toward the absolute center of our field of vision, right where the topography dipped into a shallow depression, a massive, brilliant plane was actively reflecting the light, exactly as Karina-san had calculated. It was highly anticipated to be a subterranean lake or a massive pond. A network of glowing, silver veins converged directly into that water structure; those were undoubtedly local rivers.

The perimeter surrounding the water’s edge was stained a rich, deep green, comprehensively enveloped by what appeared to be dense groves and woodlands.

Registering that this stratum possessed a reliable, permanent water source, I let out a soft, relieved sigh. However, the exact fraction of a second the next conversational loop triggered, that comfort completely evaporated.

“Hmm… something is actively flying across the airspace commanding the water.”

“Yes. Given that its silhouette registers clearly even from this massive distance, its physical mass must be exceptionally large.”

Heimo of the beast-kin race intersected with Ethan-san of the Treant race. Both units were blessed with sensory organs vastly superior to us ordinary humans. There was absolutely zero probability that their systems had miscalculated the visual readout.

Having our pristine, high-value water supply cast as a potential habitat for high-tier monsters was a highly non-serving development for our long-term projection.

“Well, standing around frozen won’t optimize our data. Let’s initiate a scouting sweep to check out the perimeter.”

Succumbing to a drop in morale before my own eyes had verified the field data was a completely premature calculation. Judging by the specific angle and intensity of the solar stones, the current time parameters were likely hovering just past 3:00 PM. We possessed just under a two-hour safety window before the nocturnal Great-Eyed Moths initiated their active phase.

“Does anyone register any further specific environmental anomalies?”

Answering my query, the bear-eared, bearded smith aggressively flailed his arms in a wave of manic excitement.

“Every single square inch of this place is a massive anomaly, brat! Ahh, holy crap, my hype metrics are breaking the scale!”

Unable to contain the sheer mass of his overflowing emotions, Heimo suddenly threw his frame onto the soil, rolling around and flailing his limbs wildly. His behavioral patterns at that moment were an exact match for a small, boisterous bear cub.

Yoru and Kuu immediately rocketed over to his coordinates, using his massive belly as a makeshift trampoline to bounce around with an immense volume of energy.

“Whoa! What’s this?! Are you two little freaks bursting with excitement too?!”

“Festival~!”

“Kyuu~!”

In stark contrast to the boisterous spectacle unfolding between the smith and the two little beast-girls, the elder Treant male—possessing the delicate, lovely features of a young maiden—carefully scanned the landscape before delivering a focused response.

“ ……Look over there. A group of lifeforms is currently deployed along those coordinates.“

The direction his finger mapped out pointed straight toward the base of the eastern perimeter wall. True to his observation, a cluster of black dots was actively navigating across the steep, rugged incline.

“Fascinating. Let’s redirect our vector to check out their profile.”

“Roger~! Moving out! Come along, Yoru-chi, Kuu-chi!”

“Understood~!”

“Kyuu~!”

“Hey! Don’t leave me stranded behind your queue!” Heimo barked, scrambling to his feet.

After a steady walk of roughly five minutes, the true taxonomic identity of the shadows roaming the mid-tier slopes manifested clearly in our vision.

The creatures possessed slender, elegant four-legged builds, draped in exceptionally long, flowing coats of pure white fleece. Their facial profiles were narrow and elongated, anchored by a pair of magnificent, thick horns that swept outward from the sides of their heads in a dramatic, curving arc.

“Those entities are… Curved-Horn Sheep.”

While their nomenclature included the term “sheep,” their underlying biological traits scaled much closer to the taxonomy of wild mountain goats. They strongly favored steep, rocky inclines and possessed an ingrained behavioral loop regarding territorial defense—but under normal parameters, they were classified as a strictly non-aggressive, passive monster demographic. They yielded an immense volume of high-value utility components, making them a certified “jackpot” drop source back in the database of Draclo 2.

“Let’s execute a clean lockdown on a single specimen to harvest its data. However, be extremely careful: they possess an exceptionally high pack-loyalty matrix. The exact fraction of a second they perceive an immediate threat, they will guaranteed organize into a high-volume stampede and launch a counter-offensive.”

Answering my directive, Ethan-san scanned the stone facade and singled out an isolated target that had drifted away from the main cluster.

“Let’s assign that specific entity as our objective. Synchronize your firing arcs, everyone.”

On his mark, the two young archers from the youth alliance intersected with Gob-chi’s unit, smoothly drawing their bowstrings back in a single, synchronized motion.

“Fire.”

Ethan-san’s arrow broke free with exceptional velocity, instantly followed by a succession of five additional shafts slicing through the airspace. However, given the steep vertical angle of the target coordinates, achieving clean accuracy was an exceptionally tedious calculation. Three of the arrows deflected harmlessly off the rocky face, leaving only two shafts to successfully connect with the target’s frame.

Even so, the kinetic payload was more than enough to disrupt its sensory loops. Shot clean through its leg and flank, the sheep flatly lost its footing and slid down the treacherous incline. It desperately drove its hooves into the rock to halt its downward vector, but a ruthless secondary volley of arrows immediately intercepted its position.

Uttering a brief, pained bleat, the sheep slid further down the slope, barely managing to anchor its frame once more. However, its coordinates had finally entered our primary magic range.

Mia’s fingers snapped into position, ready to unleash her primary array—

“Ah, wait! Engaging with fire magic is strictly prohibited for this target! If you incinerate its fleece, our gathering efficiency drops straight to zero!”

“Ehh~?! Seriously, you need to fast-track those restrictions to my system before I launch my loops, boss!”

Despite her boisterous complaints, the young girl instantly recalibrated her arrays, switching her deployment straight to <Wind Blade>. Simultaneously, the second female mage cast <Stone Spire>, triggering a sharp, jagged projection to erupt from the earth below.

The two casters executed a magnificent combination play, systematically forcing the Curved-Horn Sheep to slide straight down into our immediate melee perimeter. With its mobility entirely compromised, the rest of the unit swarmed the target with clubs, swords, and whips to flawlessly conclude the harvest.

I immediately initiated a gathering cycle on the fresh carcass to audit the loot data. High-grade sheep wool and premium meat manifested smoothly within my item logs, but zero additional components registered. While our target artifact failed to drop from this initial trial, securing a permanent, high-volume source of premium meat was a massive victory for our community. This would systematically eliminate our village’s remaining food scarcity bottlenecks.

“Alright! We shall dedicate the remainder of our operational schedule today to a localized sheep-hunting grind!”

“Ohh~!”

Over the next hour leading up to 4:00 PM, our platoon successfully completed about ten harvesting cycles. Calculating our return transit parameters, I officially called a halt to the operation at that milestone.

Along the navigation path back, Ethan-san requested permission to remain deployed on the eighth floor to initiate his logging queues, so I executed a localized <Dismissal> loop on Gob-chi and the other two goblin archers to leave them behind as his auxiliary vanguard.

The remainder of our core party—including the youth alliance, Heimo, and the Chief and his wife—cruised smoothly back to the surface world. That evening, I was finally capable of indulging in a deeply comfortable, peaceful slumber within a proper bed at the tavern.

The following morning, since the Chief and his team had their daily labor queues locked down within the upper sectors of the labyrinth, we reverted to our regular elite vanguard configuration to push into the tenth floor.

Overflowing with a massive volume of motivation, our unit rapidly advanced until we stood right before the familiar staircase plaza of the ninth floor.

Stationed squarely on the landing, pacing back and forth across the stone floor in a restless, chaotic formation, was a cluster of eleven Wererats.