Chapter 42

But that’s all.

His vision was narrow, his movements rigid. A sign of someone who’d trained alone too long without real combat experience.

Looks like he’s going to plateau here for a long while.

Of course, if he had even one-sixty-fourth of my talent, that wouldn’t matter and he’d keep growing. But this brat? Not a chance.

Well… not my problem.

Clang-clang!

Trading blows with my mace, I decided it was time to end this.

‘If I retreat, he’ll go for a diagonal slash from seven to one. If I press him, he’ll respond with a buckler bash. Which one will look more convincing to take…? Yeah. Let’s go with the latter.’

“Hup!”

As soon as I drove him back with the weight of my mace, he shifted his balance and swung the buckler, radiating a flash of mana.

I matched his speed—fast enough to impress him, slow enough to bore me—and smashed my mace straight into it.

BOOOOM!!

“Gahhh!!”

Both of us were blasted apart, flying back over ten meters.

I stood steady while he hunched over, coughing hard. The outcome was obvious, but I didn’t bother pointing it out. Instead, I feigned fatigue and steadied my breath.

“Phew… let’s end it here.”

“What…!?”

“This is plenty for a test, don’t you think?”

“Test…? Ah, damn it.”

He suddenly remembered why we were fighting in the first place, and his face twisted.

“So, what’s the verdict? Pass? Fail? Like I said—if it’s fail, write the statement.”

Conflict tore across his face.

Jealousy at my skill. Fear of being compared to me by his own party. Terror that his authority as leader might crumble.

But also… hunger for a strong new member to cover their weak spots. Desire to dive deeper floors faster with my strength. And the desperate hope of winning back the succession fight after being cast aside.

As he wrestled with all that, the oxkin youth stepped up beside him and murmured.

“Right now, I think you should focus on just one thing.”

“…One thing?”

“Going deeper. With someone this skilled, it’ll be a huge help.”

That sealed it. The brat clenched his teeth and finally nodded.

“F… fine. You pass.”

I smirked with a face anyone would find insufferable.

“Well, obviously.”

He scowled, his expression twisted with frustration.

Wow. Just look at that crumpled mug. From now on, even calling him “brat” feels too good. You’re Goldie now. Yeah, Goldie.

Once things settled, the party members introduced themselves one by one.

First, the twin-tailed mage girl, as fiery as she looked. Probably around Goldie’s age, just past adulthood. She glared up at me.

“I’m Scala. A 3rd-level mage specializing in fire magic. Bronze rank. I should really be Silver, but I’m short on achievements, so don’t underestimate me.”

Next came the gray-haired archer girl with a bow strapped across her back, looking a few years older than Hank Aduhn.
“M-my name’s Selan. I’m a Novice Steel Body user… and an archer. Bronze rank.”

Then the smiling oxkin youth, towering nearly two meters, with a frame built like a fortress. He looked about my age, maybe older—though beastkin aged differently.

“I’m Cheche. A Novice Steel Body user, also Bronze rank. Seems I’ll be sharing the frontline with you. You look strong—let’s work well together.”

Lastly, the brown-haired priestess in white robes, her face stiff, looked up at me.

“…Illeia. A junior priestess of the Earth Mother Kanan’s church.”

…
…
…

Hmm. Two frontliners, one archer, one mage, and a priestess. Not a bad balance.

The problem was their strength.

Judging by their usual floor range—the 4th and 5th—the young master Goldie wasn’t terrible. My standards were sky-high, but still, a Mana User was more than enough for the surface levels.

Next, that mage girl, Scala, wasn’t bad either.

She’d probably only just reached 3rd-level recently, given her Bronze rank, but fortunately her attribute was fire. Firepower was top-tier among elements. Utility might be weak, but on the surface floors, that hardly mattered. Monsters there were simple enough that raw firepower could bulldoze them.

‘Guess I’ll call her “Sparks” from now on.’

The real issue was the Novices—Selan the archer and Cheche the oxkin.

Take Cheche, for instance. The kite shield on his back said it all—he was the main tank of this party. Goldie filled the role of sub-tank and melee damage. Which meant Cheche had to anchor the frontlines and hold monsters while Goldie and Sparks cleaned them up. Too bad Novice-level Steel Body was shaky at best for that responsibility.

‘No wonder they wanted a new frontliner. I’ll tag him as “Oxhead.”’

As for Selan, the timid Novice archer… her situation was even worse.

‘No, seriously, why would a Novice main a bow?’

For a Steel Body user to be effective with a bow or crossbow, they had to be a Mana User—someone capable of circulating mana beyond their body into their weapons. Only then could they imbue arrows or bolts with mana and increase their power.

But a Novice with a bow?

‘That’s barely stronger than a normal person with good muscles.’

She at least had the sense to carry a shortsword on her hip for close combat, but looking at her timid nature, I doubted she’d ever swing it properly.

‘Fine. You’ll be “Timid.”’

As for the last one—Illeia, the junior priestess—I couldn’t judge her yet. Unlike magic or Steel Body, I knew next to nothing about priestly miracles. Still, I did appreciate one thing: she clearly stood apart from the other three Goldie fanatics.

‘So you’ll be “Sensible.”’

While I was busy assigning nicknames in my head, Sparks shot me a sharp glare and raised her voice.

“You!”

“Hm? Got more to nitpick?”

“I’ll admit you’ve got skill. But a party has a hierarchy. In that sense, I need you to promise me one thing.”

“Oh?”

“In this party, the Young Master’s authority as leader is absolute. As a member, you must respect it.”

Wow. She really was Goldie’s number one fangirl. Childhood friend or not, what exactly did she see in him?

“Authority of the leader, huh. If it’s just following your Young Master’s orders while we’re in the labyrinth, that much I can do.”

My answer seemed to catch her off guard. She blinked, lips pressing shut.

“What. You don’t like it?”

“N-no, it’s just… you won’t go back on your word later, right?”

“A party’s supposed to work that way, isn’t it? What’s so hard about that?”

Maybe she thought I was easier than expected, because she pushed even further.

“Th-then swear it! On your ancestors’ name!”

On my ancestors, huh…

That was a stock phrase here, the equivalent of swearing on your parents’ health back home. But I had something far better to use.

“I swear on the name of ‘Lumina’ that, as long as it’s not complete nonsense, while I’m a member of this party and only inside the labyrinth, I’ll follow the orders of Hank Aduhn, the leader.”

The moment I invoked a god’s name without hesitation, Sparks and the others stiffened in shock.

“Th-that’s… unexpectedly bold. Fine. I trust you wouldn’t break a vow sworn on a god.”

Heh. Of course I would.

That’s what vows are for—breaking.

Since it was still early in the morning, we headed straight for the labyrinth.

Normally when a new party member joined, they’d celebrate—share a meal, have a drink, build camaraderie. But as expected of a sheltered young master, Goldie didn’t know the first thing about social graces.

Not that I cared. I wasn’t here to sing campfire songs with these kids.

And so we arrived at the labyrinth entrance.

“Whoa…”

It was far larger and more imposing than I’d imagined.

A massive cavern mouth loomed in the distance, the gateway into the labyrinth. Surrounding it was a fortress-like wall, towering nearly twenty meters high.

Beneath the fortress wall were several gates, each designated for adventurers of different ranks and purposes, with heavily armed guards stationed at every one of them.

On top of the wall, rows of ballistae pointed toward the labyrinth entrance. No doubt they were there to guard against the rare but devastating monster waves.

Despite the early hour, the area was packed with adventurers. We squeezed through the crowd and lined up at the busiest gate.

‘So this is the gate for adventurers of Silver rank and below.’

Fifteen minutes later.

Under the stern watch of the guards, a gate officer in relatively light attire began checking Hank’s party, myself included.

“Hm. Hank’s party, is it?”

“Ohohohoh. Hello! Today it’s Officer Coolridge, I see.”

Instead of Goldie, Sparks stepped forward and handled the exchange. It seemed she was the party’s designated spokesperson whenever smooth talk was needed.

“Heard you were struggling to recruit party members… but it looks like you finally managed.”

“Yes, thanks to your concern.”

“Well enough. And the map?”

“Here it is.”

“Latest edition?”

“Of course. We bought it just last month.”

“Good. Remember to update it every time there’s a ‘Shift’—when the labyrinth’s structure changes. Try to save money by using an old map and sooner or later you’ll lose your way. You know what happens then? Nine times out of ten, you die.”

“Yes. Thank you for the reminder.”

“And your Return Stone?”

“R-return stone? Ohohoh… hardly any parties carry something that expensive.”

“Even so, think of it as an extra life. Carry one if you can.”

“Yes, we’ll try.”

“Identification badges.”

“Here.”

The officer checked each of our badges carefully, scrutinizing the bronze badge Miss Kate had issued me as a temporary pass.

“No issues. Proceed.”

Whummmm….

The instant I stepped into the labyrinth, the air changed.

Heavy. Sticky. And beneath it all, a faint malice.

I frowned at the unpleasant sensation. From inside my pack, Shia stirred, rising slightly and whispering in my ear.

“You felt it?”

“A little.”

“It is the malice the labyrinth holds toward mankind. The malice of the Outer Gods that crept into this world of Kion.”

Outer Gods—beings from beyond dimensions, not the rightful gods of this world. They slipped through dimensional cracks into Kion. Most were driven back by the world’s laws, but some managed to cling on. Monsters and labyrinths were their creations—their twisted lifeforms and domains.

Naturally, the gods despised monsters, while the Outer Gods hated humans and other races. It only made sense that a labyrinth, steeped in their will, bore hostility toward adventurers.

“The deeper you go, the thicker this malice becomes. People grow weary and sick, while monsters gain vigor and strength. That is why no one has ever conquered the depths.”

“Thanks for the lecture. But… the others don’t seem to notice.”

“Only one of your caliber could sense even this faint malice. Do you think common folk could?”

This one… her flattery wasn’t half bad.

I chuckled, scooped her up, and ruffled her hair until her face practically melted with contentment.

“Heheh. Yes, that’s nice. More. Better yet, feed me while you’re at it. Aaah—”

…Ugh. Cute.

Like a baby bird waiting for food, her expression was too much. Before I realized it, I tore off a strip of jerky and placed it in her mouth.

“Here. Eat.”

Chomp chomp.

“And something to drink, too.”

“Here.”

Gulp gulp.

“Mmm… But this scenery is dull. I’ll take a nap. Hold me like a princess this time, and sway me like a hammock.”

I almost followed her instructions without thinking, when a sudden realization made me freeze.

“My dear?”

“Hey. You know…”

“Hm?”

“Now that I think about it, lately I’ve been the one cooking, carrying you everywhere on my shoulders, doing all the troublesome work…”

“…”

“Don’t tell me I’m being brainwashed by some sort of cuteness beam?”

“…It’s your imagination.”

“Not really. No matter how I think about it, I feel like I’ve only been giving without getting anything in return.”

“Utter nonsense. It’s all in your head.”