It didn't make any logical sense. How could this book contain a name I made up less than a day ago?
«...How is it possible? We just arrived».
«To think that this information would already be written... Yandel, do you have any idea what is happening?»
«I'm not sure...»
But even as I said it I had a strange feeling. I couldn't put it into words, but somehow, I had a hunch that I knew what was going on here.
The Stone of Records...
A stone that had history from the beginning of time to the end of the world engraved on its surface. This must have had something to do with that thing. The information appeared here in book form and not stone, but perhaps this place had a similar purpose, serving as a kind of archive. The Records Archive.
The more I explore this maze, the more headache it gives me...
This fact left me momentarily stunned, but I forced myself to react. I could always figure it out later.
«This must be one of the countless mysteries of the labyrinth. Stop distracting yourself and let's get back to work».
«That is! Let magicians worry about boring things like studying and researching! Our only job is to explore!»
For the first time in a long time, Ainar hit the nail on the head. I couldn't help but smile at that as I continued flipping through the book. Although the origin of the monster's name was shocking, the entry itself had information that I found extremely useful. Unlike the books in the city library, this one had exact numbers inside.
[Agilidad: +8
Lightning resistance: +15
Jump Power: +30
Soul Power: +20...]
Basic statistics were assigned numerical values, rather than just the adjectives high, medium, or low. Additionally, there was information about the colors and effects of the different essences I could release, something I had been wondering about.
The green essence is Armored Feather.
The yellow essence is Thunder Bone.
The blue essence is Bubble.
Did it make sense to continue in the Magic Tower? Well, the researchers there could still gain recognition by writing articles about these things, of course, but these books would sell for a huge profit.
«Very good! Let's try again!»
After reading all the information it contained, I used the book again to summon some monsters.
[Has mortado a un Nightplar.]
[Has matado and one Gullfrog.]
We didn't waste a second and finished the battle in an instant. Just like last time, after defeating the summons, the stone door closed and a ladder appeared leading to the third row of the huge bookshelf. We split up, and a team went upstairs to take out books and flip through the pages. When someone found one with an image, they would quickly throw it at the other team waiting on the ground floor to put it on the stone and quickly summon and kill the monsters inside.
[You have killed a Frost Wolf.]
[You have killed an Ice Golem.]
[You have killed a Death Knight.]
[Has matado a un Vaikundus.]
[Has tadows a un Language.]
[You have killed...]
As I thought, the number and ranks of monsters increased as we climbed the shelves. As a natural consequence, the difficulty of each combat also gradually increased. To be honest, this was a pretty decent hunting ground.
However, there was no new monster...
Unfortunately, we couldn't find a book that contained information about a completely new type of monster, which was what I expected.
...So that means we have to have met the monster first for it to appear in a book, huh?
That may be so, but our sample size was too small to confirm that hypothesis. That, and we still had a long way to go on the shelf.
One day, two days, three days...
Time flew by as we immersed ourselves in the rhythm of simple, repetitive work. Aside from taking time to sleep and eat, we focused solely on hunting to try to get the shelf up as quickly as possible. Thanks to this, in the end we were able to put together a sample large enough to consolidate some key facts.
One: there were no new monsters in these books.
It was difficult to tell if this was because other monsters simply did not exist, or if only monsters that had been «discovered» previously appeared on its pages. That was something we would only find out after exploring other areas of this plant.
Two: the library was not a good hunting ground.
That was because it was an absolutely incredible hunting ground. In fact, even if you didn't get any EXP if you had already defeated all the monsters in the book, if your goal was to get mana stones and essences, this place might be the best place to do it in the entire maze. The monsters came out of the stone door in an orderly manner, one at a time, making it easier for you to get into formation and attack them as a team. Furthermore, we had all the time in the world to prepare before summoning them. That meant we could even activate abilities and cast spells in advance if necessary.
Furthermore, when we were halfway to the shelf, a single book could contain more than a hundred monsters. There was no need to explain how incredibly valuable that was. This place was perfect for mass hunting, without unnecessary waits or hunting permits. And once we finished a hunt, we could summon another monster right there and continue.
In just three days, we had obtained more than ten million mana stones and seven essences. However, six of the essences were rank less than six, so we discarded them and only used one vial with the rank five essence.
Yes, when it comes to hunting, this place is not bad at all...
However, both I and my clanmates were not satisfied with just that. Our objective on this expedition was not to kill mobs. We were the first in history to set foot on this hidden ground. Much more was gained by exploring the unknown than by sitting down to hunt in the same place.
The other problem is... that it would be impossible to clean this entire shelf at our current level.
As for battles, we were able to defeat most of the monsters on the center shelves with relative ease. However, once we got to the beginning of the top section, it became clear that we wouldn't be able to clean it all up.
Rank three monsters start appearing in the books around here. That means that if we keep going up, we will eventually run into a rank one monster.
Still, someday we would have to work to clean up this entire library.
My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scream from a shelf a little further away.
«Bjooorn!» Ainar shouted. «I found a book with a new monster!»
Wait, really?
The members of our scattered clan stopped searching the shelves to stand in a circle, all with looks half expectant and half skeptical, considering who we were talking about. Ainar didn't seem to notice and picked up the book to show us, clearly proud of herself.
The book showed a monster covered in tentacles. On its back it had wings made of bones, although the creature appeared to walk on four legs.
«What do you think? Have you seen anything like this before?»
«Definitely not... It's the first time I've seen a monster like that».
«Candle, ¿y tú?»
«This is my first time too.»
It seemed that this was, in fact, a new monster. But why does it suddenly appear now?
«Hurry up and read it! What rank does it have? Seems strong».
I read the old text aloud for everyone to hear. However, before the words left my mouth, I began to get the strange feeling that I knew what was happening.
«His name is Tentaculated. Its habitat is the Sea of Records...»
»Sea of Records»? Isn't that the same place where we discovered the seagull frog?»
«Yeah. But don't interrupt me.»
«Oh! I'm sorry.»
«It is a rank four monster, and is classified as a beast type.»
«Oh! Range four?! The skills! What skills do you have?!»
I thought I told her not to interrupt me... Well... I guess there's no point in messing with her.
«He has the passive Pacifist ability, which is the same as the rank four Sea Merchant monster. It also has Gargoyle Evil Sound, Medusa Stone Curse, and Riu Moby Dick Water Roar».
«...So the monsters on this plant are really mixtures of monsters on other plants.»
Yeah. At this moment, that seemed the most likely explanation. The natives of this place seemed to be new monsters made from various combinations of essences from other monsters.
This finding also helped us confirm something else.
«It also seems that the monsters we found here in the library must have been discovered by someone at least once before».
«Hey? But isn't this a new monster?».
I nodded as I read the origin of the name that was written. «Adventurer Maderkin Lilgreams named the monster after being the first to discover it while exploring the Basement One Plant Archives».
«Maderkin Lilgreams... Is that the captain of the Silver Lion Clan who came here with us...?».
«I thought he would have died without us, but I guess they manage well on their own», Amelia said, looking bitter.
She must have been angry, since it seemed like she had stolen some of our glory. Still, it's not like they gave us money for having our name written in a book. Or, wait, was she angry because her name hadn't been written anywhere, but this freeloader would go down in history forever?
...If we find another new monster later, I should let her name it.
That was all the information written about the monster, so we quickly headed to the lower floor to summon it.
Grrr ...
It was much bigger than in the photo. But there was something strange. Aside from the tentacles coming out of his body, he looked like a wolf. So why did he live in the sea?
[You have killed a Tentaculate.]
There was no way to know, so we focused on hunting him down. Since it was the first time we encountered this thing, we took things slow to make sure it couldn't hit us. Still, he was only rank four, so it was an easy fight.
«That was... even easier than I expected.»
Come to think of it, Missha had become quite strong... That was the only thought in my mind as I watched her step forward and take down a rank four monster with a single slash.
«Alright, everyone, let's group together for a moment».
Once this was done, I gathered my clan members to vote. There was only one item on the agenda.
«Please tell me what you want to do. We can stay here and continue climbing the library shelves, or go out and try to explore another area».
However, my team members showed no enthusiasm for offering their opinions.
«...What's the point? You're going to be the deciding vote anyway».
«Exacto».
I sighed. Had I played my trick too soon? I should have saved my voting power for something more important.
«Don't worry. I will not participate in this vote».
Everyone looked at me suspiciously, but after a moment, they relented.
"Hmmm. Good ⁇ .
«I guess we can hold a vote, then».
Once the vote began in earnest, the results were surprisingly unanimous.
We would stop exploring the library and try to find another area.
Honestly, I was already expecting it. Everyone was already bored with this simplistic hunting format, and finding Tentaculated in that book had only been adding fuel to the fire.
«This place is not bad, but considering we have competition, this seems like a waste of time».
«Right now, they're probably exploring new areas and finding new monsters to name».
«And whatever essence they find, they can sell it to the Magic Tower for a high price.»
Yes, this is the classic mentality of adventurers.
However, although the vote was unanimous, I decided that we should stay here one or two more days.
«...Won't we leave right away?»
«Because? You are not one of those who delay things for no reason».
My clan gave me glances that suggested I was acting like a dictator again. His distrust hurt my feelings. He was just trying to make the optimal decision as the leader of this clan.
«Right now, we can summon rank three monsters from these books. We should try to hunt as many as we can first and then leave».
We would find rank two monsters difficult to hunt, but with our current level we could do a quick job with most rank three monsters.
«And Emily, aren't there still enough rank three monsters that even you haven't had a chance to kill yet?»
«It's... true.»
«You too, Ainar. You still haven't achieved that essence I told you about».
«…¡Ugh!»
Ainar wasn't the only one either. There were some rank three essences that Erwen and Missha also wanted them to have. I also needed the essence of Bellarios.
«So, does everyone agree?»
I took his silence as consent. With our plan decided, we accelerated the pace even further.
[You have killed a Mechanical Giant. EXP +7]
[You have killed a Phoenix. EXP +7]
[You have killed a Usbin. EXP +6]
[Has mortado a un Garcian. EXP +7]
[He killed a Skeletor of the Abyss…]
[You have killed...]
Compared to the central section of the library, the difficulty of the battles had multiplied several times, but in return, the rewards were even sweeter. We were able to kill and gain EXP for many of the rank three and four monsters on the seventh floor of the dark continent, which we had not yet been able to explore due to the war. The only disappointing thing was that Beginner's Luck only worked once.
[No. 9999: Beginner's Luck has been activated.]
Still, it at least activated for the Abyss Skeleton, a monster that appeared exclusively on the tenth floor. However, since none of us could take advantage of its essence, we would have to sell it. Luckily for us, the essences from the tenth plant were worth an incredible amount.
But from the looks of it, the rarest or hardest-to-find monsters in the maze don't usually appear in these books too often.
For example, Bellarios. I really wanted to get my hands on it, but we never managed to find it in any of the books, not even when our search came to an end.
«Let's leave it».
Despite my disappointment, I finally decided it was time to stop hunting. The difficulty of each battle was increasing, and now we were forced to face two rank three monsters at once. Time-wise, it was hypothetically more efficient, since we could hunt two monsters at once. But in reality, because we had been hunting tirelessly for the past few hours and our fatigue was increasing, continuing like this was not sustainable.
«Everyone, take the books, and let's go out».
It was time to get going.
«Pick up the books?»
«Other people could pass by here. If we take the books from the upper shelves with us, that means it will be impossible for them to advance further than we have. And it's not like they can climb the shelves to reach a higher book, since they won't come out».
«But if we take all these books, our subspaces could fill up».
«If they do, we will have to throw them overboard into the sea».
«That? Yandel, you...»
"¿What?"
«... you are smart. Especially when it comes to things like this».
Everyone, including Amelia, liked my plan. Everyone thought it was a smart strategy and not underhanded in the slightest. That was because we were all adventurers.
This is nothing in this line of work.
After making sure that no one could climb higher than us, we all began to return the way we had come.
¡Pum! ¡Stomp!
Unlike me, who could easily climb the steps one at a time, all my companions had to work hard to jump each one of them. And when we finally reached the last step, we were greeted by an interesting insight.
«...Baron Yandel?»
For some reason, there were a bunch of adventurers gathered at the entrance staring at us, and they were all in battle formation, weapons drawn.