Skills are, of course, very important when looking for colleagues.
But there are virtues that are just as important.
Reliability, for example.
In other words, can they be trusted?
Of course, when things go smoothly, this isn't much of a problem. You can just band together and laugh, hahahoho.
But what if they don't?
When the worst happens, can you trust them with your back?
'Maybe it's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of nature.'
This is the part that you can't find out just by re-reading the application letter a few times, or after a few meet-and-greets.
Human nature is hidden deep within.
And I fervently hope that we do not ever need to show our true natures to each other.
Because that'd be for the best of us all.
"No matter how many times it's been, I just can't get used to the stink of this place! Ha ha ha! Hey, Dwalky, you alright over there?"
"… Please don't talk to me… ugh – hurk!"
I turn my gaze away from the nauseous form of Dwalky, and glance around for a moment.
The place where I currently am is on the second floor, accessible through the portal in the eastern area of the first floor, the habitat of the blade wolves.
The Lair of Beasts.
As can be inferred from the name, it's a place where mainly beast-type monsters appear.
And that's why it stinks so badly.
That too, a very dense smell.
"Rotmiller, are you alright? I heard you have an olfactory essence?"
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. This isn't my first or second time coming here."
"Right."
Is this the true form of somebody in his eighth year?
Just looking at this uncle somehow gives me peace of mind.
I'll have to nose in a bit more to understand him better.
"By the way, when will our wizard come to his senses? I need to go make some money… "
Misha Karlstein.
She shows no empathy for the suffering of her colleagues, and only cares about her own interests.
While I'm about to add this sentence to her character evaluation in my head, I freeze.
Am I not the same?
"Dwalky, calm down. How much of our time are you going to waste?"
"Right, right. If you can't even handle something like this, you're no adventurer. Wizard! Grow up!"
As soon as I say a word, Misha, who's next to me, immediately jumps on the bandwagon with a high-pitched tone.
But Dwalky shows a rather unexpected reaction.
"That's right. Now I must act like an adult."
Uh, is that how he's taking it?
To be honest, I thought he'd make some stupid excuse. Or maybe even get angry.
"Let's go."
"Hah, but are you okay?"
"Of course, it's tough. But even though it's my first time, even though I'm a wizard… how pathetic would it be if I became a burden to my teammates?"
"I, uh, I didn't say you were a b-burden…"
While Misha is embarrassed by the unexpected apology –
Dwalky, getting up from the ground with a pale face, mutters sadly.
"I can't besmirch the honour of Baron Martoin."
"… Hey! You're pretending to be a noble again!! I won't be scammed anymore!"
"Ha ha ha! Let's go. I'm really okay, now!"
Seeing him so cheerful as if it's all been a lie just now, Misha bursts into anger as if she'd been cheated once again. And finally, we slowly start moving.
"From here on, everyone, please follow my steps. Although it looks flat, the terrain is filled with pits."
"Pits? I'm looking, but I can't see any…"
"They're usually filled in with trash, so it's hard to tell them apart. So you could easily fall into one If you don't take care where you step."
"… Rotmiller, I will trust only you."
The Beasts' Lair is a canyon terrain.
The narrow path is lined with high cliffs on both sides, and any adventurer passing by must find their way by wandering through the cliffs tangled like a maze.
'There are no traps, but the role of the scout is more important than in the Goblin Forest.'
For reference, the monsters that appear are blade wolves, wall mole rats, sabre tigers, werewolves, and vulkars, and most of them live in the caves on the cliffsides.
It's common for adventurers who're here mainly to hunt, to enter a cave and fight a group of monsters.
But our purpose is to go to the third floor, so we pass on it.
「You have defeated a giant blade wolf. EXP+1」
「You have defeated a sabre tiger. EXP +2」
「You have defeated a werewolf. EXP +2」
「You have defeated a wall mole rat. EXP +1」
As we move quickly while hunting only the monsters roaming outside the caves, the time comes to take a break.
Three hours left before the start of the second day.
[20:58].
Although the entire day has been invested in travelling –
Without Rotmiller as the scout, it would've taken twice as long to get here.
"The entrance must be narrow, so this's be a good place to camp."
We clean up the den of a wall mole, and start preparing our camp.
The dwarf, Rotmiller, and Misha.
We have three adventurers with years of experience, so the preparations take barely an eyeblink.
Even the wizard, who's had no presence so far other than creating drinking water, shines at this time.
"Since there's alarm magic, one person on watch should be sufficient."
"Why do we need somebody on watch?"
"Dwalky, it's not because I don't trust you, so get any strange ideas. As you know, monsters aren't the only ones to be wary of in the labyrinth."
To become a proper adventurer, you need to be on the lookout for other adventurers, who're the same as you, more than monsters.
"The first watch goes to Rotmiller, who's worked the hardest today, and we'll take turns from then on in this order…"
"Wait, I don't have to stand watch?"
"Leave this to us, and rest."
The wizard is excluded from the night watch roster.
Not because we're particularly concerned about his weak stamina, but because this is the custom.
Adventurers are big fans of 'grant honours according to one's merits'[1], and the alarm magic is enough to compensate for a watch shift.
'Well, actually, the custom came about naturally from trying to please the wizards.'
Anyway, it's unbelievably comfortable to have stand on night watch only for two hours.
Sleeping six hours a day?
Compared to when I'd been in a two-person team, it's almost like heaven.
Of course, the downside is that the number of people to share the loot has increased, but it's a more than fair trade-off because we can now hunt more and stronger monsters.
"I, the great wizard, Reol…"
"Stop mumbling and wake up, wizard!"
"… Slurp, is it morning already?"
"I don't know if it's morning, but I'm sure it's time to wake up."
Day 2, 5 am.
The first night that I've been so worried about, passed by without a hitch.
The alarm magic detected monsters four times, and a group of adventurers approached the campsite when it was the dwarf's turn, so all of us had to wake up together…
That was all just par for the course.
"Dwalky must've adapted too by now, so I'll speed up a bit from now on."
"Hmm, but there's no need to be in such a hurry, is there?"
"It'd be convenient for camping if we arrive on the third floor as early as possible."
From the second day onwards, we reduce the chatter as much as possible and focus only on travelling. Of course, monsters block our way every few minutes, but…
It's a welcome sight.
「You have defeated a half-moon rock bear. EXP+1」
「You have defeated a wall mole queen. EXP+1」
「You have defeated a blood blade Wolf. EXP+1」
I suppose I've hunted all the ninth ranked monsters in the Beasts' Lair?
Because this is my first sojourn here, the experience points are piling up fairly quickly. Of course, I don't have some kind of HUD with an exp bar.
'If I count the monsters I've hunted so far… '
Only forty.
If I do get the proper bonuses for killing a high variant guardian, it's forty-four.
'There's still a long way to go before I can reach level four.'
As the level goes up, the required experience increases explosively.
For level two it's six, for level three, thirty, and for level four, a hundred and fifty.
Of course, it's not a continuous geometric progression by a factor of five, but it's safe to say that the level of difficulty is even higher than that.
If the monster goes up by one rank, the count increases by +1, but even with that, once you've run out of monsters you can reasonably hunt, it's no longer a matter of supply and demand.
'… Tch, it's not like I'm in a hurry to level up right now.'
I'm level three right now.
Meaning I can absorb up to three essences.
In other words, I still have an essence slot left.
Of course, I'm not expecting another essence to come out before I hit level four.
[Dungeon and Stone] isn't as kind a game as that.
'Why did I have to play a game like this… '
Such regrets well up in my heart, but what can I do?
The me of that time, who'd felt the more joy the more difficult the journey, had been a top-notch pervert.
"We'll now slow down. From here on out, only higher species will appear, and the number would also increase dramatically."
As we trail after Rotmiller for about half a day –
The terrain, or to be precise, the colour of the cliffs, starts changing.
From reddish brown to black.
'Is this the end of the second part?'
No rank nine monsters appear anymore.
Still, no one, including me, is too nervous.
"Even if it's a higher species, on the second floor, that just means rank eight!"
Our team is rank seven on average.
And we have people who've been active on the third floor for a certain amount of time.
Well, I myself am a rookie –
But I'm an exception because I've seen it all in the game.
"By the way, did Bjorn say he hasn't been to the third floor yet?"
"Yes, so?"
Thinking she might be trying to start up an argument, I answer in a stern tone, but Misha sounds genuinely admiring.
"Great. It took me a year just to get to the third floor!"
Well, that just makes me uncomfortable.
"… I just got lucky."
It's not a topic I'd like to talk about at length, so I try stalling, but then the dwarf also joins the conversation.
"One year to the third floor? So how long did it take you to get to the fourth floor?"
"Um, two years? I think it took about that long."
"Ah, just like me."
"Yieesh! I'm suddenly feeling a little embarrassed! Even though I'm your senior, team leader, you're already sixth rank!"
"But instead, you were born into a good family, Miss Karlstein!"
"Yieesh! I told you, don't bring up my family!"
As the conversation lengthens and there's a sign of another quarrel starting up, Rotmiller, who'd been looking for the way forward, intervenes.
"Both of you, stop."
His voice, his tone, and his expression are the same as last time.
But why do I feel he's more annoyed than last time?
'Hey, he's working hard on his own, so it's too much to have to calm people down who're lazing around in the back, is that it?'
But I don't pay much thought to it.
「You have entered the Pilgrims' Path on the third floor. 」
It was a little past noon on the second day.
According to Rotmiller's flawless guidance, we entered the third floor.
It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't hunt a few more reasonable rank eight monsters in the Beasts' Lair…
Because not all of them appeared regularly on the second floor.
'I'll get another crack them someday.'
Shaking off my remaining regrets, I focused on our current situation.
"Rotmiller! Get out of the way!"
The place where I was now, was on the third floor, the 'Pilgrims' Path'.
It was along the route from the Beasts' Lair to the 'Steel Rock Hill'.
And upon arrival, we encountered two seventh ranked monsters.
"Dwalky! Use corrosion magic!"
Entity name: 'irontro'.
You could easily visualize them as wild boars with steel tusks.
Only, they about five times the size of a wild boar from Mount Jirisan in Korea.
「Reol Webb Dwalky has cast the eighth grade curse magic, [Corrosion].」
While Rotmiller, who entered the portal first, retreated to avoid the monsters –
Dwalky immediately cast a spell.
And in tandem, the dwarf and I dashed forward to block one each with our shields.
Clang–!
A heavy shock hit me from the front.
If it were the old shield, it would've gotten crushed the moment it met the charge.
Like the dwarf's shield was, over there.
「Hikurod Murad has cast [Emergency Restoration].」
"Bjorn? Why're you suddenly looking at me like that?"
"No, I'm just not being jealous."
I really wasn't.
If you use a hard shield in the first place, you don't have to fix it every time, right?
"What's that, all of a sudden? Anyway, Bjorn! Don't even think about pushing them away, just don't get pushed back!"
"You don't have to spell it out loud, I already know!"
Irontro's active skill is 'Counterweight'.
It has the effect of knockback immunity.
It was also the same essence that the dwarf had.
「Hikurod Murad has cast [Counterweight].」
Did he even have a conscience?
A crazy wild boar with that kind of a skill was charging straight at me, and this dwarf bastard was nagging me about not getting pushed back?
The anger inherent in the barbarian body surged up once again.
Was that why?
"Behel-raaaaa!"
Instead of waiting for the rest of the teammates to attack, I swung my mace and smacked the irontro on the jaws.
Cra-ack–!
At that moment when the steel molars that had already been [corroded] were shattered without resisting –
"Essence, here I come!"
Without my permission, Misha stepped on my back and leapt high, stabbing a dagger deep into the irontro's head.
「You have defeated an irontro. EXP+3」
One down.
I thought of dealing with the other one as well, but stopped and watched for a while.
Dwalky was casting magic.
One of the few offensive spells he had.
「Reol Webb Dwalky has cast the eighth-grade attack magic [Ice Lance]. 」
A skewer of ice flew and pierced into the irontro's stomach.
If he'd aimed at the head or the heart, it would've been a one hit kill, but…
I'd have to give him some detailed feedback later.
Whoosh!
The battle ended with Rotmiller approaching the collapsed Aiantro, and firing a bolt into its forehead from the crossbow in his hands.
Of course, no essence dropped.
Well, that wasn't what was important right now.
'There was a monster right in front of the portal…'
Some bastards might be lurking nearby.
Editor's Notes:
[1] 논공행상 (lit. awarding paddy fields), investigate and rank one's merits, small and large, and reward accordingly.
-x-X-x-
"Rotmiller, is there anyone nearby?"
Could they perhaps have similar doubts as me?
Rotmiller closed his eyes and opened them again without saying a word. Then he looked around with his newly oval-shaped pupils.
「Brown Rotmiller has cast [Thermal Colouring[1]].」
The lizardman skirmisher's ability, 'Thermal Colouring'.
Its function is similar to that of a modern thermal imaging camera.
This skill had been quite useful in the game. As long as it was a living creature, this alone was enough to find it out, even if it was using [Stealth] or another similar ability.
"There's no one nearby."
Rotmiller disarmed the ability and gave a brief reply.
"But judging from the smell, someone was here a while ago."
Coming from someone with two essences that corrected the olfactory stats, the possibility of him being wrong was slim.
I followed up with a few more questions.
"How long ago was it, if you had to guess?"
"There's a margin of error, but at this level of body odour, I'd say around a couple of minutes."
"So there's a very high chance that they left after they saw us coming?"
"… Yes."
Rotmiller nodded bitterly, and the dwarf, who'd been quietly listening to the conversation, interrupted with amazement.
"Wait, then they were aiming at us?"
"Perhaps not aiming at us specifically. Just waiting for someone to come hunting."
Rotmiller didn't deny it.
He also explained that luring monsters in front of the portal was a favourite technique for pillagers.
Perhaps it was considered a low-risk pillaging method?
'Even if it's just a mean and petty trick, it's amazingly effective.'
Surprise attack using monsters.
Aimed at the exact moment when the adventurers, who'd just crossed the portal, were the most vulnerable.
If they got annihilated, great! If one or two got hurt, still good. And if they manage to endure it without damage, you can just back off for a while and wait for the next set of prey.
"Rotmiller! Can't we catch their trail and hunt them down? Killing pillagers is good money!"
"Even if we could, it'd be difficult to actually find them. They won't stay nearby and risk being hunted down… And above all, we don't have any evidence. We can't rule out the possibility of being the ones framed instead."
"Hey, the dead don't talk!"
Hearing his reasoning, Misha retorted with an angry face, but the dwarf made a calm and cold decision as the leader.
"We're going to make a quick trip back down to the second floor and leave a warning about pillagers in front of the portal."
"That's the correct decision."
We followed the minimum rules one had to abide by as adventurers, and then left the portal and went on our way.
Naturally, the conversation switched to the topic of pillagers.
However, the more I listened, the stranger it became.
"You're great, Rotmiller. I never even know that there was such a technique."
"I've only ever heard of it before, but this is my first time falling for this trick. "
"You don't meet pillagers often, after all!"
Uh, what the hell are you shitheads talking about?
I felt alienated from the adventurers chattering all around me, finding it difficult to empathize, and ended up asking some questions.
And then I realized a shocking fact!
"You're asking me? I guess, about eight times in the past five years? One time they were on the same team as me, and the rest were all just some assholes!"
Only eight times in five years?
Fuck, weren't adventurers supposed to meet pillagers almost on a daily basis?
"Yeah, sure… it used to be like that about a hundred and fifty years ago!"
Misha said that after the death of the first king, who was also called the Immortal King, the number of pillagers was greatly reduced due to various policies.
But I couldn't understand it.
It was clear that something was wrong.
Because there could be no explanation otherwise.
'Once in the Crystal Cave, once in the Goblin Forest, twice in the Land of the Dead…'
In total, in the last three months, I'd encountered pillagers five times.
What was wrong with me?
When I told this story to get some opinions, everyone, including Rotmiller, looked at me with strange eyes.
"How many sins did Bjorn commit in a previous life?"
"Ha ha ha! Maybe it's because you're here that we met the pillagers today!"
"…"
I had nothing to say.
What kind of life had I been living?
As I walked sullenly and silently, not having the energy to refute, Rotmiller sighed and spoke.
"Everyone, stop teasing him. Everyone knows that Miss Karlstein is one of the lucky ones, right?"
"Ah! It was like that –!"
"I, too, tend to see pillagers about once every three months. So don't worry too much about it."
Ah, uh, um…
Thank you for comforting me.
Still, that was different from five times in three months.
「Wormstone defeated. EXP+2」
「You have defeated an iron falcon. EXP+2」
「You have defeated a steel hill guard. EXP+2」
The third floor, 'the Pilgrim's Path'.
No matter which route you pass though, such as the Land of the Dead, the Goblin Forest, or the Beasts' Lair, this is where you end up eventually.
The starting point is different for each route, so if you want to meet adventurers from different routes, you have to follow the road to the centre of the fourth floor, where the portal is.
'It took about three to four days on average to get to the centre… '
For reference, this is the time it takes if you only focus on travelling. From that it can be seen how large the third floor is in size. It's incomparable to the previous floors.
Therefore, in addition to the name of the section, 'the Pilgrim's Path', each monster habitat is also named separately, and one of them, the 'Steel Rock Hill', is where we are now.
"Then we'll camp here today, and tomorrow we'll move on to the next area."
The boundary line where the area ends.
At that halfway point, we start preparing our camp. The reason being, as the territories of the monsters from both sides overlap here, there're relatively few monsters roaming around.
"By the way, Dwalky, are you alright? You haven't looked good for the past while."
The dwarf, who's finished his sleeping preparations by laying out his sleeping bag on the floor, starts talking to Dwalky.
So Rotmiller, Misha and I start eavesdropping while pretending not to.
Because I'm curious.
Why does this talkative guy keep on spewing vitriol?
"… Did I look like that?"
"Maybe I was mistaken, but that's how it seemed to me."
"I guess…"
Dwalky smiles bitterly and nods.
And after hesitating for a while, he responds.
"I know what I'm going to sound like. Maybe I just look naive and young from your point of view. But… to be honest, I was shocked."
"Shocked?"
"Or rather, you were right to say that the illusion I'd been under was shattered. I've always heard of adventurers since I was little, but… I'd never heard of such a thing."
An adventurer who kills other adventurers.
Or rather, an adventurer who makes money by killing other adventurers.
Certainly, this reality isn't full of dreams and childish feelings.
"Hey, no, that was just a joke!"
"Doesn't matter if it was a joke or not. Maybe, if I continue working as an adventurer, one day I'll also kill people, right?"
At that, everyone in the party shuts their mouths.
"…"
"…"
Any comfort you try to provide at this point would be nothing but a lie.
The dwarf, Misha, Rotmiller, and I all have experienced killing people.
And if Dwalky continues in this industry, the day will inevitably come when he too shall experience it.
"So I made up my mind. Since I've gotten this far, I'll keep going… "
Hearing his muttering which sounds much more determined than I'd have expected, I ask him one thing.
"So what was the result? Are you determined to do it?"
"I am. But… when the time comes, I don't know how well I'll do."
Dwalky's resolve is full of confusion.
He isn't confident in himself, and is full of fear of the future.
Yet…
"That's enough."
Rather, I think this is better.
Compared to idiots who make promises they can't keep and then start whining when push comes to shove.
Perhaps he thinks the same, since Rotmiller, who'd been listening to the conversation, speaks up from the side.
"It's important that you not get overconfident. You sound a lot more reliable, compared to shouting 'I can do it!', to my ears."
"Is that so?"
Seeing Dwalky's sullen expression, Rotmiller gives him a warm smile.
As if looking at a young man walking the same path he's travelled long ago.
"You know what you have to do, and you're determined to do it. As long as you stay like that, you'll surely do well even when the time comes."
"Really, I hope I would…"
"Ha ha ha! Cheer up, my friend!"
The conversation finally ends when the dwarf slaps Dwalky on the back.
But while people are about to lay down after settling the order of watch during the night –
"Wait a minute, can you all give me some time?"
Suddenly, Rotmiller calls on the whole party.
"I know that taking a little more rest would help the team, but there's something that I want to show you."
"What is it?"
At my question, Rotmiller looks at Dwalky as he responds.
"Proof that this job isn't just full of hard and terrible things."
Soon after, Rotmiller checks his watch and walks to the edge of the cliff near the campsite.
We follow, without any idea about what's happening.
All we can see, is the usual darkness.
The darkness of the labyrinth, which eats even the light, is an ever-present obstruction to the sight of us adventurers.
"What were you planning to show us?"
"Wait, wait a minute."
Seeing Rotmiller answer while looking at his watch, I suddenly have a guess, so I take out my own watch.
[23:59].
One minute before the start of the third day, when the monster population peaks.
The second hand of the clock moves with a ticking sound.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…
I close the lid of the watch and look into the darkness on the other side of the cliff. Before long, silver orbs of light begin appearing in the distance, lighting up the darkness.
In numbers beyond counting, they start rising from the ground, fluttering in the air like dandelion seeds, and ascend towards the sky.
The dark labyrinth gradually becomes brighter and brighter.
It's now that I realize why this place is called the 'Steel Rock Hill'.
"It's a view that only adventurers who arrive early can see. Isn't it wonderful?"
'Hill'.
In other words, even within the labyrinth, this place is a highland.
It's usually far too dark, so it's difficult to tell, but once this bunch of light scours away the darkness, the entire area of this spacious third floor can be seen at a glance.
Mountains and fields, and even a river flowing through them.
A dense forest, and a high spire at the centre of it all, towering up to the ceiling.
If I'd lived my whole life within the walls of Rafdonia, it would've been an unprecedented sight.
Dwalky, looking blankly at the view, murmurs.
"… I think I understand now, why adventurers say that the world is wide."
I raise my head and look up at the sky.
I know it's just a closed roof over our heads, but at this moment, it really feels like the heavens.
Like standing under an open night sky, with the Milky Way twinkling high above.
Of course, it only lasts for a fleeting moment.
It takes only a minute or so for the orbs of light to reach the ceiling and disappear.
"No one knows why this happens only on the third floor."
There are many hypotheses.
For example, that the magic of the labyrinth dimension becomes oversaturated on the third day, and is released.
Or that it's a blessing from God.
Everyone accepts what they want to believe.
But Rotmiller encapsulates it perfectly.
"It's clear that there is some reason or other. But anyone who sees this scene in person doesn't wonder why."
"That's right! I've only ever heard of it, but this is my first time seeing it in person! Normally, I'd have been coolly sleeping inside my sleeping bag by now!"
"Ha ha ha! Do you think this friend won't be able to sleep tonight after seeing this?"
After that, the light completely disappears, and the usual darkness envelops the labyrinth again. All the team members, except for me, who's the rookie and therefore on first watch, go to sleep in their own sleeping bags.
But…
"…"
It takes a long time before I hear the sound of sleep from Dwalky's sleeping bag.
It was a bright new day.
Not that the surroundings had really brightened up or anything. It was still just as dark.
But the time was morning.
[08: 10].
After clearing out the campsite, we walked downhill for a while and left the Steel Rock Hill.
And then we reached our first destination.
"Come on, the Orc Colony's just ahead."
Orc Colony.
Among the various areas on the third floor, this place had the highest number of monsters. A characteristic feature was that only monsters of rank eight or higher appeared here.
'If you aren't going straight to the fourth floor, you won't find a hunting ground better than here.'
The difficulty level was the second highest among the third-floor areas.
But if my predictions were correct, we wouldn't be facing any major risks.
In fact, with our team, working on the fourth floor was possible.
We had a wizard, and there were three people apart from me who were originally active on the fourth floor.
"Then let's try and clear this area as a team for a while, and decide our next steps based on the outcome."
After reorganizing the team formation, we set foot into the high bushes.
Although I called it a reorganization, it was just sending Rotmiller to the rear and the dwarf taking his place.
"Murad, there's a group of orcs coming at one o'clock."
As expected of a popular hunting ground with a high monster concentration, even though we were in the outskirts, we managed to encounter a group of orcs after walking only for a little while.
"Chwi, chwiik—!"
A basic set of four orc warriors, one archer and one shaman.
"Just do like you practiced!"
I took my place in the formation we'd already put together in advance.
Named, Formation A.
A formation where the dwarf and I were the tanks solidly blocking at the front, and Misha, who took the melee dealer position, freely moved between the shield walls, prioritizing the closest enemies to defeat first.
「Reol Webb Dwalky has cast the eighth-grade attack magic [Ice Lance]. 」
Orcs didn't need any special curse-type magics, so Dwalky only focused on attacks.
And the same went for Rotmiller.
In battle, he concentrated on supporting us from the rear using his crossbow.
Although he had one more additional role.
「Orc shaman has cast [Frenzy].」
「All orc warriors have three times the physical resistance for ten seconds.」
If a monster ignored the shield wall and rushed to the rear, he had to protect the party member most vulnerable to close range attacks, meaning Dwalky.
"It's [Frenzy] magic! Be careful!"
"Dwalky! Stay behind me!"
"Got it!"
One of the orc warriors in the [Frenzied] state ignored us and rushed for Dwalky, but Rotmiller pulled out a shield to block him.
Of course, as a scout, he didn't have the physical ability needed to defeat an orc warrior one-on-one, but…
"Haah, that surprised me!"
He just needed to buy some time by using any of his main or secondary weapons, like his crossbow, buckler, dagger, or fire grenade.
So he could hold on until Misha provided support or Dwalky cast attack magic.
「You have defeated an orc warrior. EXP+2」
「You have defeated an orc archer. EXP+2」
「You have defeated an orc shaman. EXP+2」
So the first battle with the orcs ended smoothly. It lasted about eight minutes in total, and there were no injuries, but I couldn't deny that it took longer than I'd expected.
'The issue is definitely our DPS.'
Along with our scout, we had two shield warriors.
And orcs had fairly high physical resistance among the eighth-grade monsters.
Of course, we had a wizard in the party, who were supposed to be the pinnacle of damage dealers in this world, but…
Dwalky wasn't from the Magic Tower.
His [Ice Lance] that dealt single-target damage was all that he had when it came to rank eight attack spells.
'Well, it's because he specializes in curses rather than attack magic, in the first place.'
The value of a wizard doesn't lie only in high-power attack magic.
There's a matter of compatibility between adventurers and monsters.
But if you have a wizard on your team, it becomes possible to actively hunt monsters of a much more diverse nature.
'Still, it's slow, although we do have high stability… '
It was a bit disappointing in that aspect, but it was a pretty good team.
"Then let's go deeper."
After that, we fought our way towards the centre of the Orc Colony.
The deeper we went, the greater the number of orcs that appeared in a group. At one point, the seventh-grade monster, 'orc warlord', also mixed in…
「You have defeated an orc warlord. EXP+3」
This hunt also went without difficulty.
But shitty things always happen when everything seems to be going smoothly.
It happened while we were hunting a group of orcs in earnest.
"Ihenro Tauntain."
Suddenly, a low-pitched chant was heard in the distance, across the thick bushes.
And –
Craaaaaaaaaaashhh!
A flaming meteorite fell on the horde we were hunting and exploded.
"… What the fuck?"
What kind of a dogshit situation was this?
Editor's Notes:
[1] 체온색적 (lit. thermal colours).
-x-X-x-
Crrrrrackle–!
The heat could be felt even from a distance of about 10m.
And the pungent smell tickled my nose.
Sssssk–!
As my brain recognized the current situation, my heart clenched.
'If that'd fallen right over our heads…'
Everything might've been already over.
"P-, prepare for battle!"
The moment the dwarf who'd frozen at such a sudden situation came to his senses and shouted; adventurers appeared from the other side of the bushes.
Five in number.
Four people in escort formation, accompanied by one wizard.
'Motherfucker, they don't look like they work on the third floor…'
Why were these bastards here?
As we prayed inwardly that we hadn't come upon another group of pillagers, the tribal beastkin among the group sneered as he saw us ready for battle.
And proclaimed in a high-pitched tone of voice.
"This Orc Colony is the domain of the Dzarwi Clan, so please go somewhere else."
'Clan?'
When I looked, they all wore the same seal on their chests.
'Fuck…'
Curses welled up in my heart out of nowhere.
But not because I didn't understand what these guys were doing.
'Controlling a hunting ground on the third floor?'
Fuck, wasn't this supposed to happen from at least the fifth floor and up?
[Dungeon & Stone] is a single-player game.
But surprisingly, it has some domain management content as well.
Although at first glance it just looks like a way to prevent movement between different maps before you've played the relevant parts of the main storyline, if the player manages to create a clan later in the game, they can also control the hunting grounds like this and farm monsters.
Of course, it needs a huge investment of manpower, so unless it's the habitat of some rare or boss mobs, it's a net loss.
'But doing that at the third floor?'
I can't quite make sense of it in my head.
I mean, what's the point of farming a seventh rank monster?
Just look at the wizard.
It's a waste to use such high-ranking personnel capable of magic like that to catch mere orcs.
"… I know that the Dzarwi Clan operates on the sixth floor and up. Why are you in a place like the Orc Colony?"
The dwarf also wonders if this has some kind of unknown reason, and asks carefully.
But the reply that comes back is cold as frost.
"I have no reason to explain that to you."
Oh, that's right.
I might agree to their demand, but the dwarf wouldn't.
Even though we're on the same team and have had a lot of fun together, that guy is still an adventurer.
He's sensitive when it comes to matters of self-interest.
Even more so if the cause is external rather than internal.
"I heard that in some clans, the royal family grants rights in the labyrinth in recognition of their achievements. But I've never heard of this being the domain of Clan Dzarwi. And most of all, I don't even know if you really are part of them."
Our opponents being who they are, the dwarf also presents his questions in the most logical and orderly manner.
It's definitely a sensible view.
Their equipment and the level of magic we just witnessed make it clear that they're far superior to us as adventurers, but there's no evidence that they are members of that clan.
But…
'It might be better to just leave…'
To be honest, I'm more afraid of the possibility that they aren't who they say they are.
The large clans don't even notice the outside world, won't any impersonator bastards be even worse?
"You're a funny guy."
The beastkin shows a displeased expression and tries to widen his eyes into a glare.
But the dwarf doesn't step back either.
"I hear that often."
As the silent fight stretches on and on, the tension gradually rises.
Step.
I feel somebody approaching from behind.
When I turn around to check, it's none other than Misha.
But why is she right behind me all of a sudden?
As if trying to avoid something and hide…
"… Is that you, halfwit?"
When the beastkin asks with a frown, I feel her twitch behind me.
What, was it really trying to hide behind me?
"H-, Honourable Brother…"
Misha stutters as she comes out of her hiding spot and stands next to me.
The beastkin's expression wrinkles even more.
"Didn't I tell you not to call me that outside?"
"Sorry, I'm sorry."
"Tch, how many times do I have to repeat it so that halfwit brain of yours can remember?"
Misha doesn't respond to the beastkin's sarcasm and silently bows her head.
As expected, he wouldn't have called her a halfwit if they were close.
'By the way, what's the relationship between you two? Are you siblings by blood?'
While such doubts arise, the magician of the other team, who'd been trailing behind thus far, asks quietly.
"Just to clarify, is that lady your sister?"
"Yes, for now."
As the beastkin politely nods his head, the wizard strokes his shiny beard.
"Hmm, I do owe you a debt, Sir Karlstein. Besides, she can't be called a stranger if she's your sister, so we can provide some special exceptions –"
"You don't have to."
"Huh? But…"
The beastkin once again firmly refuses the wizard's consideration.
"Father won't even care. I can't tell you the reason because it's family business."
His voice is cold, with a sense of stubbornness.
"If you say so, I understand."
The wizard also changes his mind and nods his head without saying anything else. Couldn't you at least ask for an explanation?
"Look, you all."
He takes a step forward, and starts talking in a shrill tone.
"Due to the clan's internal circumstances, we urgently need an orc warlord essence. If things go well, you'll be able to keep hunting here from the next cycle, so just go somewhere else this time. Well, either that, or go to the outskirts where there're no warlords."
Maybe it was because he was a wizard, but he had a much softer attitude than the beastkin man… Anyway, in the end, they both mean the same thing, that we should get out of here.
"I will decline."
The dwarf shakes his head.
And he ridicules the opponent with a much sharper tone in return.
"It seems that you're claiming your rights without the royal family's official recognition, so why should we care about what clan you're from? And did you know that what you are doing now is illegal in the first place?"
"… Illegal?"
Did the word strike a nerve?
"A wise adventurer should know when to be careful."
The wizard's gentle eyes change and become terrifying.
But perhaps they don't want to leave any room for future problems?
"More than that, when did we ever break the law? Aren't we just being considerate of you, telling you that there'd be no monsters left for you to hunt as long as we're here, so it'd be better for you to go somewhere else?"
They're saying it pretty circuitously, but what they mean is they'll sabotage our hunts with all their might if we don't leave.
Knowing this, the dwarf also bites his lips with an angry face.
"Shit…"
Nobody can prove if you're forcibly expelled from an area or injured in the process.
After all, it's not like the labyrinth is officially partitioned into separate areas.
In other words, there's no possibility of legal restitution at all.
'The problem is that we initially tried to lean on the law.'
I do feel sorry for the dwarf who somehow tried to protect our team's interests, but I wanted to back out from the beginning.
In essence, the labyrinth is a place where powerful people are the law unto themselves.
If you somehow forget this and try to make a fuss, you might simply vanish into thin air without even the faintest trace.
'At this point, he should've realized that this isn't the time for pride, so I better coax him to step back.'
While I'm watching the situation and formulating the next course of action –
"Don't worry, guys, just let me handle it."
Suddenly, Dwalky intervenes.
And he sends out words that are completely incomprehensible to my ears.
'You, handle it? What the hell are you even talking about?'
I can't even dare guess what's going on inside his head.
But before I can even ask him what he means, Dwalky smiles and approaches the wizard on the other team.
"Ha ha ha! Nice to meet you, Elder."
"… Elder? Have we ever met?"
"Actually, no, but as a fellow student who decided to devote his life to the study of magic –"
"Right, so who the hell are you?"
Was such a negative reaction unexpected?
Dwalky pauses for a moment, then replies with a forced smile.
"Hahaha, my name is Reol Webb Dwalky, an eighth-ranked magician of the Rafdonia royal –"
"I was wondering, so you're trash after all."
"… Eh?"
A look of displeasure appears on the wizard's face.
Or rather, he's been uncomfortable since the word 'illegal' was uttered, and he simply has no inclination to hide it any longer.
"Dedicated your life to magic? Know your place, you piece of trash. How dare you say that after learning a few measly cantrips, selling yourself out as a wizard, and playing tricks on the street to earn money? That brazenness of yours is giving me goosebumps, so please don't go and spew that shit anywhere else ever again."
The sharp accusations pour out like rapid-fire cannons.
'So that's a real wizard, huh? His vocabulary is no joke.'
While admiring the wizard's lung capacity as he doesn't even pause for breath during his tide of insults, I'm worried about Dwalky. If I heard words like that in public, even my mental state might've collapsed…
"… Stop it, stop it!"
Oh, he's already down.
When I look to the side, I see that Dwalky can't even breathe properly, and his eyes are uncontrollably twitching.
The way his mouth keeps opening and closing is reminiscent of a fish thrown onto sand.
The dwarf, witnessing the mental breakdown of his best friend, can't stand it anymore and explodes.
"Look! Aren't you being a bit harsh!"
"I'm just telling the truth, though?"
"What? You call that telling the truth?!"
A vein jumps on the dwarf's neck.
His eyes start glowing with repressed energy.
And as soon as I detect it –
"Let's see, let's see what –!"
I grab the dwarf's back and lift him up.
And also confiscate the battle hammer in his hand at the same time.
But am I still too late?
Zzzzzzzaaaaap!
A sharp tingling sensation comes from my fingertips.
「Hikurod Murad has cast [Lightning]. 」
Damn, is this bastard really stark raving mad?
I dismiss my anger as much as I can and mutter in a low voice.
"Calm down, Hikurod."
Because just now, we were all about to die.
"You have a good teammate. You should live the rest of your life being grateful to that barbarian. Because he saved all of you."
"…"
Did the dwarf come back to his senses?
The idiot acted consistently submissive to the wizard's scoldings, and hurriedly led our team to leave. And as soon as we reached the outskirts, he gave us a brief bow.
"I'm sorry. I lost my temper and got excited. If it weren't for Bjorn, like he said… "
We'd probably all be dead.
They certainly didn't seem generous enough to spare those who took the initiative to attack first.
"You just committed a rash act that almost ruined everyone on your team."
Rotmiller rebuked in a stern tone.
"… I have shamed myself."
Knowing it was his fault, the dwarf again bowed his head without making any excuses.
To be honest, I wished Rotmiller wouldn't stop there and chide him more.
But…
"But nothing came of it in the end, so I won't say any more."
Rotmiller was too soft to play the stern military drill sergent.
"And although it was indeed a thoughtless act, personally, I think it was a good thing to stand up in defence of your teammate."
I didn't understand at all.
Instead of giving the dwarf both barrels, he was now praising the guy?
'Aren't we supposed to at least cancel his share of the loot so he doesn't earn anything from this expedition?'
Mistakes should be punished, and merits rewarded.
That way people wouldn't keep making the same mistakes.
Therefore, I thought of a realistic countermeasure in my heart, but the atmosphere wasn't suitable to speak it out loud.
'Fuck, am I the weird one here?'
When Rotmiller forgave the dwarf with such diplomatic words, the atmosphere became strange.
It was hard to describe, but it might've been the most awkward I'd ever felt since I'd been a kid.
"… I'm sorry too. If it weren't for me, things might've turned out a little better."
The first to be swept away by that atmosphere was none other than Misha.
"Oh, how could that be!"
The second was Dwalky.
Dwalky was startled by Misha's self-blame and waved both his hands wildly. And although he stuttered, he spoke with steadfast determination.
"I, I… Of course, I'm not always right, but…! The reason they kicked us out has nothing to do with you being there! So don't ever think like that!"
It wasn't particularly wonderful as a consolation, but the sincere emotions mixed in it were clearly conveyed to everyone.
Was that why?
"I… Do you know why I hate talking about my family?"
Misha suddenly started talking about herself.
"I'm treated like a stranger in my house. Maybe some of you can guess why."
Misha looked at us, and examined our expressions.
Rotmiller, perhaps one of the ones who guessed it, avoided his gaze first, so I also followed suit and pretended not to know.
Fairies deal with spirits.
Dwarves with the blessing of armaments have increased efficiency when dealing with numbered items, and barbarians have spirit engravings.
Similarly, in addition to their unusually high basic agility stats, beastkins also have additional racial characteristics.
"I'm the only one in my family who couldn't sign a contract with a 'soul beast'."
Soul beasts.
Beastkin can make pacts with ancient beasts called by that name.
And there are different types of such pacts.
You can summon them to fight together, or you can increase your physical abilities by avatarization, or you can use the special ability of the beast through blessings.
Of course, not all beastkin can do it.
Only a few talented beastkin are chosen by soul beasts.
However, the problem here was…
'I guess it's because she's of the tribe chief's blood.'
A direct descendant of the Karlstein family, the chieftain of the tribe.
In other words, it was a big problem that she, a pure-blood, couldn't contract a 'soul beast'. It wasn't simply a matter of talent, instead it acted as circumstantial evidence that put her bloodline itself to question.
"I used to get along well with my brothers when I was young. But it changed when I couldn't sign a contract with a soul beast even after becoming an adult. Everyone called me a halfwit. Half mixed blood…"
A child born through infidelity.
Since her mother had passed away early, no one could know the truth, and Misha, who could not stand the gazes of her family, left the house. And she only focused on martial arts, and slowly grew up as an adventurer.
"Thank you for sharing with us such a difficult story."
When the short yet somehow long story was over, the dwarf patted Misha's back with an unusually serious attitude.
Misha, too, didn't react as harshly as before.
Perhaps she was more like a domesticated cat?
"Hikurod… you thought of us as colleagues and were genuinely angry for our sake."
What, was that why?
The emotionally charged discourse continued on and on, something that as a pessimist I felt very difficult to follow.
"Ha ha ha! Since we're laying it all out on the table, it's my turn to tell you my story. It was my dream to become a blacksmith. But because I didn't have the talent, I couldn't get rid of my apprentice label even after a decade. That's why I became an adventurer when I was over thirty! I still had to make money somehow after all! I really thought about running away and becoming a fugitive."
Perhaps Misha's confession was impressive, and the dwarf also bluntly told his story, followed by Dwalky.
"Ugh, you aren't alone in not having talent. Although I was able to start on the path of magic using my family's money, my low talent meant I couldn't enter the Magic Tower. If only I'd been a true wizard… he might've respected me a bit, then."
Dwalky went on to say that his goal was to learn even more magic by earning money from his work as an adventurer.
And when I thought this was the end of the story…
"I've been on several teams so far, but this is the first time I've ever been in a situation like this."
Rotmiller, who'd been silent so far, smiled and blew on the extinguishing embers to reignite them.
"I also have something to apologize for. When Murad and Miss Karlstein talked about retirement the other day, blood rushed to my head in anger."
"Whoa, did something like that happen?"
"Right. My own ugly envy was the reason. I didn't even know that each of you had your own circumstances, and I thought that both of you were lucky enough to be born demihumans, so you had the luxury of grumbling about who was slower or faster."
Human adventurers also have their advantages.
Once you become able to use aura, you can become a spiritist, a wizard, or a priest.
Some are born to become as large as barbarians.
In fact, humans can have the strengths of each of the demihuman races.
But in the end, this is only a possibility, and there are few humans born with special talents.
"Ha ha ha! So, everybody in our team are half-baked people? It's better, because it means that we don't have to worry about hiding from each other in the future."
Soon, the dwarf grinned awkwardly, dispelling the subdued atmosphere.
And in response to that—
"I think so too!"
The talentless wizard Dwalky agreed enthusiastically.
"I will work harder in the future to help the team!"
The pureblood beastkin who couldn't handle soul beasts, sounded moved.
"I don't make a habit of saying this on the third day of a team's first expedition, but I want this team to last as long as possible."
Rotmiller, an eight-year-veteran human adventurer at the pinnacle of mediocrity, was the same. Everyone acknowledged their own shortcomings, spoke openly and comforted each other.
As a result, naturally, their eyes focused on me, who hadn't confessed anything yet.
"…"
"…"
As if something was missing.
'Uh, I don't anything to say, though…'
I thought I'd have to come up with something first, so as to avoid being bullied by the team…
Confused by the gazes gathering on me, I blurted out whatever came out of my mouth.
"I, I have no mother!"
-x-X-x-
After the shocking confession that I didn't have a mother –
"Uh, um…"
"Well, is that so…?"
A strange silence reigned, and bewildered gazes kept flying towards me.
I quickly went on to explain further.
"My mother died giving birth to me. And my father never came back from the labyrinth when I was young. So even now that I'm an adult, I can't meet them even if I want to!"
For reference, this was a hundred percent true – from what I'd heard from Ainar.
"That…"
"You must've suffered a lot as a kid."
But was it because it was the confession of the youngest member of the team, a barbarian who had just finished his coming-of-age ceremony?
The light of sympathy began to shine in the gazes that looked at me.
"Bjorn, you don't have to force yourself to be fine in front of us."
"I'm sorry. I didn't even know that you were in such a situation, and I told you about my family…"
"Bjorn, I can't ever replace your parents, but if only you want –"
What the ever-loving fuck, you bastard?
I decided to ignore the rest of the dwarf's blathering.
"It's all in the past."
For some reason, I seemed to have become the most pitiful of them all in an instant… what to do about it? It wasn't true, so I didn't have to worry about it.
It wasn't that I never had a real mother.
And above all, I was a munchkin barbarian who, unlike them, was on the track of the ultra-elite course by being promoted to a seventh ranked adventurer in only three months.
My core identity was the most essential part.
'Well, but when you think about it that way, am I really not the most pitiful of us all?'
I suddenly thought that it might actually be the case.
I was summoned to a game world without my consent, and I had to suffer through the risk of death several times until now.
Fuck, why is my life so miserable?
"Bjorn, you don't look so good! Are you feeling down because you brought up your mother?"
"Yeah, that's…"
"If you're missing your family, you can call me sister—"
Interrupting the cat-eared girl's preaching, I got to the point.
"By the way, what're we going to do now?"
We couldn't hunt at our primary destination, the Orc Colony, because of those bastards.
Of course, they also said it was okay if we hunted on the outskirts, but how much could the income be if we went there and had to share the loot between five people?
"I think it'd be better to go to the Witch's Forest first."
The dwarf offered an opinion as the team leader.
The Witch's Forest is a huge forest area surrounding the portal going up to the fourth floor.
Mainly seventh and eighth ranked monsters frequent the area, including spirit-type monsters with physical damage immunity.
"Of course, it's not a good match for us, since we have mostly melee warriors, but since there's a wizard with us, it doesn't seem too bad a choice."
"Hmm, wouldn't it be better to just go up to the fourth floor in that case?"
Rotmiller, who was listening, offered a new opinion.
I also thought this was a better option than the dwarf's opinion.
To most adventurers, the Witch's Forest is perceived as an area they have no choice but to trudge through, because it has little merit as a hunting ground.
'None of the essences I'd eat drop there, either.'
But the problem was, the dwarf didn't seem like this option at all for some reason.
"The fourth floor is… I think it's still too early."
I knew what the dwarf was worried about.
On the third floor, seventh and eighth grade monsters are the most frequent. And the fourth floor is the same.
However, there is a very crucial difference between the two.
"Like I said at the meeting, I've seen a lot of teams that think it's easy and go upstairs, and then get wiped out. It almost happened to my team too, one time."
The presence or absence of a sixth ranked monster.
From the fourth floor, there's a rare chance that sixth ranked monsters may appear.
In terms of the encounter frequency, it's like walking around all day and meeting once every three days…
Meaning, as long as you stay active on the fourth floor, encountering a sixth rank monster becomes an inevitability.
'Will we be able to get past that one-time hurdle, or not? That is the question.'
In fact, even when playing the game, there'd been many times when I'd entered the fourth floor at a moderate level, and got bloodied for my hubris.
So, the dwarf's statement made sense.
"I don't think it'll be too late to decide about going to the fourth floor after we work together for at least a few more days."
Despite the deeply emotional exchanges we'd just had, or the deep interpersonal bonds that might have wrought –
This was our first expedition as a team.
It'd only been three days since we'd entered the labyrinth, and we still weren't very used to each other.
"Moreover, as you know, this is first time in the labyrinth for Dwalky, and this is Bjorn's first time making it to the third floor."
To summarize, the dwarf's argument was that we could choose to go to the fourth floor, but we couldn't be too impatient about it.
"Well, then why don't we just go to another area on the third floor? I think the Greentail Marsh would be fine… "
Misha, who was listening to the argument with a painful wrinkle on her forehead, offered a new opinion.
And she was beaten back right away by Rotmiller.
"It might've worked if we'd gone that way from the very beginning, Now it'll take at least six days to reach the Greentail Marsh from here."
The labyrinth closes at the end of the seventh day on the first floor, the tenth day on the secondnd floor, and the fifteenth day on the third floor.
So what would happen if we invested seven more days on nothing but travelling? We were already on the third day, so even if we started moving right away, we'd only have five days or less left to hunt.
"In that case, I think it'd be better to go back to the Steel Rock Hill."
"R-, really? I just followed the scout every time, so I didn't know the route was such a big problem… "
At Rotmiller's expert opinion, Misha smiled awkwardly and scratched her cheek.
Tsk, I was keeping up with their conversation just in case, but it didn't bear any fruit.
I was going to have to step in and clean it up.
"How long are we going to just stand around and talk? Now that we're at this point, let's all get together and decide. Let's hold a majority vote."
"Majority vote?"
"What? Would you prefer rock-paper-scissors instead, Rotmiller?"
"No, that's a bit…"
Rotmiller gave me a disgusted look at my question. Actually, I was joking about whether there was aby better way, but…
Just because I was a barbarian?
Unfortunately, no one seemed to notice that it was a joke.
"I'm in favour of deciding by majority vote."
"It's simple, but it's the surest way."
"Anything's fine with me!"
Anyway, we agreed that a majority vote would be held to decide what to do next.
And I was the first to vote.
"I think it'd be better to go up to the fourth floor."
Judging that the person going in front would help nudge the public opinion, however little.
"… The fourth floor suddenly started to feel dangerous. It feels like we're being too hasty in making our decision."
"Uh, did you feel the same, Miss Karlstein?"
"…"
Anyway, it was quickly concluded after each person gave their opinion in turn.
"Haah, since all of you are of the same opinion, there's no point in me being stubborn."
We were now going up to the fourth floor.
Despite the dwarf's concerns, I had a reason to push for this decision.
Of course, it was a majority vote, but…
That didn't mean much.
If I'd judged that it was too early for the team to enter the fourth floor, I would've kept them locked up on the third floor, even if it took drastic action like destroying their self-esteem.
"Oh? It seems like it suddenly got a little chilly… "
"Hmm, already? We should have long way to go before reaching the Witch's Forest… "
"No, it feels a bit different from that, I can't really pin it down though."
Under Rotmiller's guidance, we resolutely made our way through the darkness towards our destination.
Although the dwarf still had a pitiful expression on his face.
'I don't think he was like that in the Blood Citadel, but he's been overly cautious these days.'
Was it because he, as the team leader, had met each team member in person and selected them? He always had this strange sense of responsibility about him.
He was only a figurehead anyway, so he didn't really have to do that, though…
'Well, he never learned that I have a vampire essence, maybe that's why?'
The dwarf didn't know my exact specifications.
So going straight up to the fourth floor might've made him feel a little more insecure.
And the fact that he didn't realize how good his numbered item, the 'Guardian's Vambraces', are, must've also played a part.
"Hikurod, when you enter the Witch's Forest, don't hold off using 'it' and try it out."
The dwarf looked a little worried at my advice, then nodded his head with determination.
"I will do as you say."
No. 3112, the Guardian's Vambraces, is an advanced piece of equipment worth fifty million stones.
As it's said, opportunity makes the thief[1].
The dwarf had asked me not to let the rest of the team know that he possessed such a treasure.
'But if you don't use it when you have to, what's the point?'
And, well, it wasn't me who owned it, anyway.
Although we'd been depending on each other until recently…
"'It'? What's that? What're you two talking about, as if there's something only you two know!"
"You'll know when the time comes, too."
I ignored Misha's curiosity and did a final recalculation.
'With the frontline tank specs like this, I think a sixth ranked monster would be doable. The problem is the DPS side…'
Although we did lack somewhat in overall specs, our short time hunting together at the Orc Colony had given me some confidence.
As long as the frontline held, with these members, even a sixth-ranked monster wouldn't be overly dangerous.
'Unless some trolling bastard backstabs us while we're focused on the front.'
There'd been a lot of NPCs like that in the game.
None of them are like that, right…?
'Miss, why are you suddenly anxious again?'
Contrary to myself, who was worried about the future, Misha's face had a slightly reminiscent expression.
"It's been a while since I'd last been to the fourth floor, so I'm feeling a little excited!"
I heard that it was her first time returning to the fourth floor after her team disbanded a year ago…
But was it because she was a cat by nature?
She was making some kind of grungy hissing sound with every breath.
"We're going to have to find a place to camp soon."
After moving along the edges of the Orc Colony for a while, it was time to take a break.
"Rotmiller, everyone looks physically fine, how about moving a bit more?"
"You have to go three more hours to find a better place than this spot."
"Hmm, then let's do as you say."
For reference, the time was around 9 pm, which almost coincided with the camping time of the first and second days.
To be honest, I was very impressed.
'Is this a what you call a skilful adventurer?'
Rotmiller must've picked the camping point according to our movement profile and had adjusted speed accordingly.
No matter how many days and nights you spend in the labyrinth, it's good to take your breaks at a specific time.
"Rotmiller, what's your plan for tomorrow?"
"We might be able to reach the Witch's Forest by lunchtime tomorrow."
Well, then it'd be the next day or so when we enter the fourth floor.
Whatever question I asked, the answer came back without any buffering time. This was a human navigation system no GPS could compare to.
"Bjorn, could you take the last watch? You'll have to suffer quite a bit once we enter the forest tomorrow, so get some more rest today."
"Alright."
Tonight's first shift was the dwarf, and last shift was me.
The Witch's Forest was a place where melee warriors suffered the most, so that was how the turns were decided, giving us a bit more time for restful sleep.
Well, there'd surely be once or twice during the night when I woke up inadvertently, but anyway.
"Bjorn."
I opened my eyes at the whispering voice.
Rotmiller's face was visible under the flickering torchlight.
Since Rotmiller had the turn before me…
"… Is it my turn now?"
"Not yet."
"Then why…"
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I stiffened.
Dwalky, the dwarf, and even Misha. Everyone on the team was already awake except for me.
Armed and armoured.
I asked briefly.
"Monsters?"
"Both types."
Meaning, both natural monsters and adventurers…
As I was about to ask how far away they were, I heard an urgent cry from beyond the darkness.
"Damn it! Following me all the way here… "
"Run away!"
They seemed to be adventurers being chased by monsters…
Rotmiller closed his eyes, sniffed and sniffed again, then muttered briefly.
"Now I know for sure."
"What do you mean?"
When he frowned like this, something serious happened most of the time, so I unconsciously became uneasy.
And it was no surprise.
"Those who're coming towards us now, must be the ones back at the Steel Rock Hill."
Things were getting fun again.
Editor's Notes:
[1] 견물생심 (lit. when you see an object, greed is born in your heart).
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"You mean they're those pillagers from back then?"
Rotmiller nodded at the dwarf's question. And this made the situation crystal clear.
There couldn't be such a coincidence that the guys who'd been proudly pillaging on the third floor just happened to chance upon us here after being chased by monsters.
"I don't know who they are, but they're definitely aiming at us."
"I don't know why they'd do this, but I agree. Maybe they're pretending to be chased and trying to mix within our ranks."
Rotmiller not only affirmed my words, he also added his own opinion.
I had the same idea.
"S-, so, what do we do now!"
What to do? How to do it? Those were the questions.
Luckily, thanks to Rotmiller, we managed to find out about their scheme early in the game.
"We should take advantage of this opportunity."
"Take advantage? How do you mean?"
Misha tilted her head.
There was was no time to explain in detail.
Because the other party had already arrived.
"L-, light! There's a light!"
In tandem with the male voice shouting, three men and women soaked in blood and sweat rushed into the radius of our torchlight.
"If you aren't confident in your acting, just stay still and watch."
Whispering that, I made eye contact with Rotmiller. He gave a slight nod.
There was a reason why I got along well with this guy.
Even the dwarf who was worried to the bones seemed to understand exactly what I meant.
Now, let's start, slowly.
"Don't come any closer."
Seeing them rush in, I immediately grabbed my shield and went forward to block their way.
"H-, hey, look! Our party got annihilated. Help! We'll definitely pay…!"
A desperate yet urgent expression.
This guy was good at acting, too.
Or was it a standard skillset for pillagers?
"Put down your weapons."
"Uh, but there're monsters right behind us!"
A human uncle in his early thirties pointed back to their trail.
A horde of orcs that'd come chasing them could be seen, staring at us from beyond the torchlight's range.
"Chwi, chwiik!"
Since the total number of targets increased, they were hesitating to approach, but we couldn't be sure how long that'd last.
So come on, let us in.
That was evidently what the old man was going for, but so what?
"It's your choice. Either put down your weapons or get out."
I stubbornly repeated myself, but they couldn't answer easily.
It was a troublesome demand, after all.
"…"
Because in the labyrinth, your weapon is the same as your life.
Perhaps they were even suspicious whether we'd picked up on their acting.
But it didn't matter.
No matter what choice they made, we had nothing to lose.
"… Let's put them down."
As soon as the decision was made, the man with the moustache dropped his weapon on the floor, and the other two also followed and threw theirs away.
'Aren't they being too greedy?'
While I was satisfied with their choice, I was also a little worried. They were taking such a big risk, what about us was worth that?
There was no point in even trying to guess.
"Okay then, slowly come forward. Stay apart from each other, as far as possible."
"Hey, there's no need to be like this, right? We just wanted some help…"
"If you want help, do as you're told."
"I understand."
Then, as they arrived one by one as instructed, Rotmiller approached and checked them for hidden weapons.
"… There doesn't seem to be any threat."
"Right. Murad, you keep watch on them."
"Ah, got it!"
The dwarf stiffened and nodded his head, then marched forward at attention with jerking limbs like a North Korean soldier on parade.
For some reason, a sigh escaped me…
Fortunately, from their expressions, they didn't seem to sense anything awkward in our actions.
"Chwi, chwiik…"
"Chwiik, chwiik, chwiik–!"
Leaving the dwarf with the trio of pillagers, we stepped forward to stare back at the orcs, and they soon turned around and left.
Even the orcs considered it a great risk to fight a group this large.
'As usual, all these monster bastards are clever."
But, well, compared to the adventurer bastards, they were nothing to write home about.
In any case, avoiding a useless battle was good news for us.
Since we were already facing a new problem, having to focus on the battle with the orcs would've been quite tiring.
"Whoo, I really thought I was going to die…"
As soon as the group of orcs disappeared, the woman of the trio plopped down on the floor, with a loud sigh as if all the wind in her lungs was leaving in a rush.
And then, did she come to her senses?
She got up from the floor with an apologetic look on her face and bowed politely to us.
"Ah! My name is Elisa. Thank you for saving us!"
Perhaps because of the exposed portion of her chest that peeked out through the torn top?
"Oh, khm. I am Hikurod Murad."
The dwarf coughed and turned his head away.
It didn't seem like he was being shy.
His head was turned, but his eyes were still stuck at one place.
"So it was Mr. Murad! And what's your name?"
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"Oh, I see!"
The woman who'd introduced herself as Elisa came up to me and grabbed my hand.
And she bowed her head again, same as before.
Of course, this time, her breasts were further emphasized.
"Hah, I really survived this time thanks to you! What would've happened if I hadn't met you…"
As a bonus she squeezed out her panting breath and talked in a mellifluous voice that seemed to tickle my ear canals.
Now that I looked at her again, this was probably why only she among the three had her top shredded to bits like this…
"Bjorn! Your eyes are glazing over!"
Misha misunderstood the reason behind my focus and muttered.
However, this wasn't the time to resolve the misunderstanding.
There'd be a chance soon.
"Name yourselves one by one."
To clear their suspicions, I started with a simple and brainless perfunctory investigation.
The first person to introduce himself was the moustached uncle who was presumably the leader.
"Hans Argoda."
What?
"… Hans?"
"It's a common name. Do you know others with the same name as mine, perhaps?"
"Ah, um, well… Yeah, that's it."
I nodded awkwardly.
Hans A had been smashed in the head by my shield, and died.
I hadn't seen Hans B since I accidentally got advice from him at a drinking party.
And I met Hans C today, so this moustached uncle here seemed to be following the same steps as A.
Anyway, he was done and it was the next one's turn.
"My name is Irita Tason."
Tason, a blond spearman with a tall physique.
I estimated his age to be in the mid-twenties, and I couldn't find any special features.
If I had to mention one thing, maybe his politeness?
"It was a situation where I had to wonder if I'd survive, but I managed to avoid my death thanks to you. Thank you again."
While the spearman, Tason, bowed ninety degrees to show his respect and humility, Elisa also started making a fuss in her characteristic, natural tone.
"Really! Who knows what would've happened to us if it weren't for you? Lord Reatlas must've guided us to your side!"
"Reatlas?"
Rotmiller stiffened at that word.
Then he carefully spoke to Elisha.
"Perhaps… you, Miss Elisha—"
"Oh, I haven't told you my last name yet. My name is Elisa Behenk. And as you can see…"
Elisha shuffled her feet, checked her clothes, and cried.
It was originally a white outfit, but now it was torn here and there and covered in sweat and grime.
"… I guess you can't see? But, indeed, I serve Lord Reatlas!"
"Ooh!"
"You really were a priest."
While the dwarf just let out a brief exclamation, Rotmiller closed his eyes and drew a brief sign of the God in front of Elisha.
Wow, this guy was a hell of an actor.
"May the stars of the twilight guide us…"
"Yes, the stars of the twilight shall guide us."
Did she think herself successful at her ruse?
Elisha also smiled brightly and drew a sign. And the vigilant atmosphere surrounding us faded in an instant.
Well, at least that was how it looked like to them.
'We all know she can't be a real priest, so –'
Wait, what?!
"Sorry! I should've helped you with your wounds first…"
She wasn't an impersonator? An actual priest?
While I flinched at the unexpected development, Hans C pulled up his shirt to show a stab wound.
Elisa chanted a prayer, and brought her white, glowing hand to the wounded area.
But… how?
Sssshhhh–
As a point of fact, the wound healed really quickly.
It was true divine power. No matter how suspiciously I watched, I couldn't refute that.
How could I be so sure if I'd never seen it before?
First of all, from the sound was different from potions, and also just by looking at the expression on that Hans C over there.
Didn't he look calm and gentle as if there was no pain at all?
"May the stars of the twilight guide us…"
What an unexpected development.
Rotmiller, who'd also gotten flustered for a moment, soon regained his senses and kept drawing the God's sign.
Like a man witnessing a divine miracle right before his eyes.
It seemed a bit exaggerated to my eyes, but in fact, this was probably the normal reaction given how this world was structured.
Just as demihumans grow up in their holy places, most human children learn to read and accumulate knowledge in the temples from an early age.
The weight behind the title of priest, is different.
"Ah! So can we get our weapons back now, please?"
Elisha asked naturally.
She spoke as if she'd realized only now that she didn't have a weapon at hand. Perhaps showing her divine power had been to lead to this.
It must've been this trust in herself that had let her make the bold decision to throw away their weapons earlier.
But so what?
"You can't."
"Eh? Yes?"
As she stared with a puzzled expression, I also responded naturally. Well, there was no need to reveal just yet that we already know their identity.
"I know that you're a real priest. But so what?"
I was a barbarian who believed in the ancestors!
I'd never received anything from the priests, so it wasn't strange for me to react like this.
Elisa smiled awkwardly and looked at Rotmiller and Dwalky, the two humans in the party.
Like she was trying to get some help…
I continued in the same stubborn tone.
"The weapons can be returned when you leave after giving us the reward."
"Re-, reward?"
"Why're you so surprised? Whether you're a priest or whatever, as long as you've entered the labyrinth, you're an adventurer. You have to follow the convention."
"Ah, yes… I've heard of such a custom. Then… how much should I give you?"
I pretended to think for a moment.
"About two million stones would work."
"… Wh-, what?"
Elisa asked as if she'd heard it wrong.
But I was aloof.
"Isn't that an unreasonable request?"
Um, no, this was reasonable enough.
Some villains even rob people of their equipment in return for their lives.
"Don't think of it as a waste, think of it as the price of your life."
"But… we don't have that much money, you know?"
I already knew that.
Who would carry cash with them when they entered the labyrinth?
Now that we got the expected answer, it was time for the next move.
"I'm not asking you to lower the price. At least wait till we go outside—"
"No way. I don't believe in the promises of people other than my kin. If you don't have the money, pay in kind."
"… In kind?"
"Well, I think that man's armour should be enough."
When I pointed to Hans C with my index finger, he frowned. But after a short and silent exchange of glances with Elisa, he sighed deeply.
"Huh, yes, it's npt a bad trade to save our lives with just this much. But instead, there are conditions. We will stay with you tonight until our fatigue is relieved."
"Sure."
I nodded willingly.
Their intentions were obvious, but what was the problem? It wasn't like we were ever going to reach the point where this promise would have to be fulfilled.
"Irita, can you help me, please?"
"Of course."
Hans C, who took off his heavy armour with the help of the spearman next to him, handed the equipment to Rotmiller.
Alright, one bastard's armour had been stripped off.
'For now, I think I'll start by taking everything I can grab…'
"Well, now that the price has been paid, could you please return our weapons to us?"
I couldn't take it any longer and smiled brightly.
To be honest, I never thought things would turn out so well…
"… Why are you laughing?"
Hans C looked at me and asked with a firm face.
Very rudely, I didn't respond.
Come to think of it, I never solved Misha's misunderstanding that my eyes were glued to Elisa's form, hm? She was so sullen about it.
Because even if I didn't tell her why out loud, she was going to find out soon enough.
"You over there, Yandel, right? If you keep asking for more here, we'll be in trouble—"
"Oh, no, that's not it."
Along with my answer, my mace rose up and struck Elisa in the head, thud–!
"L-, Lady Elisa!!!"
Doesn't matter which game it is, crushing the enemy healer's skull first is common sense.
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