Once the drawing was over, the winners met and formed a Link. Then everyone gathered and headed to the monument in the center.
¡Whooom!
When I placed my hand on it, the portal opened with a bright burst of rainbow light.
«Oh, how fascinating. It is clear how mana flows, but there is a clear difference from the flow of typical space-time mana».
«Is this the first time you've seen an open portal?»
«Yeah. Magicians don't have to obsess over feats like that, right?».
As the crew watched the portal open and made idle comments, the light clusters spreading in all directions soon came together to form a distinct shape.
[You are the first to open this portal. EXP +2]
I had always thought about it, but it was really unfair that opening the portal on the eighth floor was worth the same as opening the one on the first.
¡Whooom!
The group of lights with the colors of the rainbow transformed into a disk and shone. When I turned around, everyone was looking at me without saying a word. So, they wanted me to be the one to open it and also the first to enter?
«In training!» In case there was anyone on the other side of the portal, we got into formation and I crossed the portal first.
¡Flash!
A white light filled my field of vision. Before long, the fragmented pieces of the world beyond came into focus.
[You have entered the Land of Dawn, on the eighth floor].
These were the depths of the labyrinth that the game referred to as the Land of Dawn.
[Achievement unlocked]
[Condition: Reach the eighth floor.]
[Reward: Your Soul Power has permanently increased by +50.]
Just like when I first entered the Great Demon Realm on the fifth floor, an achievement was reached and I could feel my soul expanding. I think they called this baptism. It was a mysterious phenomenon whereby the labyrinth granted a blessing to an adventurer when he completed certain tasks.
¡Whooom!
I entered first and observed my surroundings. The squad followed me.
«There are no enemies».
«That's a relief. I was worried that the enemy was waiting for us like during the Battle of the Goblin Forest».
«I can finally see the eighth floor.»
«This alone is worth my participation in this mission».
About half of the crew were baptized, indicating that it was their first time here. No, since magicians and priests were excluded, it was safe to say that it was more than half. Well, that was to be expected: the eighth floor was classified as a deep floor.
«What a fascinating place...» It seemed like it was also Erwen's first time on the eighth floor. The most experienced among us would be Amelia or Ravien.
«Enemy or not, let's eat!»
«¡Woohoo!»
«Wounds first! Please someone deal with this quickly! It started oozing noticeably yesterday and now I can't feel my fingertips!»
It looked like a riot was going to happen at any moment, so a break was quickly ordered. The food on the sleds had run out, but everything we had stored in the subspace was still fine.
As soon as permission was given, all crew members took food out of their subspaces and filled their mouths. Those with minor injuries gnawed on jerky while searching for a priest.
«Sir, we should eat too».
«Yeah.» I was starving too, so I quickly took out the food and ate with my companions.
«I've only heard of it, but I didn't know it was such a peaceful place».
«Do you mean the Land of Dawn?»
«Yeah. Since it's called deep ground, I thought it would be much scarier...».
Well, the feeling had merit. We were on an imposing green hill. The only thing around us was a vast meadow, and a warm breeze brushed our skin. A moment ago we were wearing thick leather clothes and we were shivering from the cold, so the difference was noticeable.
«You rest here. I'll take a look». Once my stomach was somewhat full, I walked away from the group. A leader had duties to attend to, right? I could eat jerky while I walked.
I put five pieces of jerky in my mouth at a time, a luxury greater than any I could have imagined a few hours ago, and chewed while I walked. But my heart was too heavy to be pure happiness. That was the reason why I couldn't sit still and wandered back and forth.
I don't see any cracks...
The Land of Dawn was a very small place. In terms of surface area, it was probably the smallest of all the floors in the maze. There were no monsters here either; at least, not until you entered the Rift.
In that case... it would be safe to assume that someone came in first.
The eighth floor always had an open crack. It was generated randomly, and when the Rift was completely clear, two portals of your choice opened. You could go up to the ninth floor or return to the eighth. Whichever option you chose, the moment it cleared, another Rift regenerated on the eighth floor and the cycle continued.
The problem here is... The people inside that Rift right now have to be from Noark.
Would they head to the ninth floor? Or would they go back to the eighth and choose to hunt in another type of Rift? If they opted for the latter, even resting here right now was a considerable risk. If they were active on the eighth floor, that meant they would be in squad-sized units, with a skill level similar to ours.
Anyway, I see why the palace was in a hurry...
Now that I had reached the eighth floor myself, I realized that the palace had lost many high-ranking adventurers throughout these two years of war. Of course, thanks to great political support, a supply of stored essences, and the return of many retired adventurers, his forces had been restored to some extent.
But if things continue like this, they will only get worse.
Noark was basically using a cheat code. Starting on the seventh floor from day one? They could go directly to the eighth floor to search for the highest ranking essences. If this continued for a few more years, the gap between Noark and Rafdonia's best adventurers would widen exponentially.
...But since they cannot erase the essences, they could end up with bad combinations.
That would be the case for most of them, actually. I had never met anyone in this world who planned their essence combinations as meticulously as I did. Ninety percent of them would have random specifications. But, as always, there would be exceptions.
...In any case, that's not something to worry about right now.
I tried to let go of my anxiety about the distant future. I may have been working for the palace now, but I wasn't going to sacrifice my life out of loyalty to the king. While in the maze, not even concentrating everything in front of him was enough.
«We're leaving in five minutes, so get ready!»
Our long-awaited rest was coming to an end. We were going to enter the middle of enemy territory, and it wasn't a good idea to relax too much.
«Goodbye to this horrible sleigh!»
Sleds and supply boxes were placed in the subspace, and potions, scrolls, and various battle consumables that until now had been sealed in boxes were appropriately distributed to each team. With that, we were ready to resume our journey.
When it was time to leave, everyone lined up in their positions. At first, we looked like a group of misfits, but now we looked more like an elite fighting force.
«¡Sawgan!»
The process of going from the eighth floor to the dark continent was uneventful. That was because as long as you didn't enter a Rift, the eighth floor had no monsters and was a safe area, and the portal itself was close enough to be visible from the hill.
Step step.
We arrived at our destination after walking about thirty minutes.
«Once we get through it, we'll be on the Dark Continent, right?».
I confirmed it from a distance with the naked eye, but even up close, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the portal. This was a relief. If Noark hadn't opened the eighth floor portal and left him alone, we would have stood here idly by.
Well, even if they hadn't gone up to the eighth floor to hunt, I considered the possibility of someone opening it on the seventh floor just for the XP.
Maintaining the formation, I approached the portal first and everyone swallowed. It seemed like everyone was a little nervous now that we had Noark's territory in front of us.
«Schuitz». Just as he was about to enter, Kaislan spoke. «Why don't you say a few words before we leave? Coming from you, it should boost the squad's morale».
Hmm, the truth is that I don't feel like it. It's also a waste of time.
When I looked indifferent, Kaislan blinked and quickly added: «P-think carefully. It is a historic moment. If this mission is successful and we play an important role in winning the war... What you say here will be recorded for generations to come».
I didn't know about «historical». But given the way his eyes burned with an obvious desire for glory, he could tell that this guy was crazy with envy.
If I don't say anything, he'll probably continue whining about it... It would be better to say something quickly.
«Ejem-hem.»
When I cleared my throat, Kaislan straightened his back like a guard and shouted to get the group's attention, his voice full of gravity. «Troops, listen! We find ourselves at a great crossroads. Success or failure! Will we lose everything or win everything? I'm sure some of you are wondering the same thing. But... I, Melend Kaislan, have no doubt that we will go down in history as victors».
«¡Ooooooh!»
While Kaislan's companions cheered, the others showed sour expressions. Why do you say all this? That was what they seemed to be wondering.
I guess Kaislan realized it intuitively too. «In that sense! Listen to everyone carefully. I am sure that Sir Schuitz will have something to say before we carry out this great mission entrusted to us by the palace».
Kaislan passed the baton to me in no time. It was ridiculous.
But what...? I thought he wanted me to do it, so why is the microphone passing me after having said whatever he wanted? I guess he also wants to be recorded in history in some way.
He didn't understand at all what was going through his head, but everyone had different motivations. Turning my back on the portal that connected to the Dark Continent, I looked at the crew. Everyone seemed curious as to what I would say, unlike Kaislan. I wondered if that wasn't why that American CEO was always trolling on social media. People at least paid attention like that, wondering what kind of problems it was going to cause.
Anyway, I have more important things to focus on right now.
«Ahem...» I cleared my throat and scrutinized the crowd. Before me I could see the faces of the crew, faces that I now knew very well after going through hardships day and night together. Was that why? At that moment something occurred to me that I wanted to say. «I won't talk for long this time either!»
Yeah. As I already said «Let's kill a lot and win a lot» then this should be enough for today:
«Let's go back to as many alive as possible!»
***
[You have entered the Dark Continent on the seventh floor.]
Dragon Pit was one of the last stages of the Dark Continent. Almost as if we had entered a museum, skeletons of huge vertebrae were scattered throughout the ruins and the ground was filled with skulls and bone fragments.
Rattle, rattle.
We move forward making as little noise as possible. Nobody spoke.
Rattle.
There was not a single light illuminating our surroundings. Of course, that wasn't a big obstacle to ensuring visibility. The problem of darkness was solved with magic.
[Riard Ashed has cast the rank five Perspective support spell.]
Using it too frequently consumed quite a bit of mana, but it was inevitable. After all, we were in the middle of enemy territory. We had to move as carefully as possible.
Clack.
Amelia, who had stood in front of me when she reached the seventh floor, suddenly stopped dead.
Latigo, latigo.
He gave me urgent hand signals. The enemy was close. The team leaders following us joined me in the vanguard and immediately activated a team communication spell so that we could all talk without Noark hearing us.
«How many enemies?»
«Fifteen».
Hmm, just the size of a small clan. Well, you need to operate with at least that many people in a place like this.
«What is your plan? Fight them?» akurava asked.
«Isn't that obvious?», Kaislan said. «These people are enemies that threaten our kingdom. Let's attack them immediately».
«I agree with Sir Kaislan. The achievements of the war are great, but it is also safer to gradually reduce their numbers as much as possible from now on.»
The leaders reached a unanimous agreement and it was decided that we would ambush the enemy. As commander, I did not disagree.
«Okay, let's attack them quickly».
«Wait. We have to prepare more if we want to carry out a surprise attack. If mages and special ability users release their firepower in a concentrated blast, this battle will be much easier», Akurava said.
«It's true. Since it is the first battle, we will lead it», Kaislan said.
What are these guys talking so seriously about?
«Do you know what an ambush is?».
When I poured cold water on their argument, the team leaders tilted their heads toward me.
Wow, they all seemed very experienced at killing. I guess they've never looted anyone before.
«Wizard or not, the first thing we will do is wait».
«Wait for what?», Kaislan asked.
It's not obvious?
«When they start fighting monsters, we will attack them from behind».
These were the foundations of the Player Slaughter.