On the sixth floor, there was an area called Windless Zone.
This place lacked wind and ocean currents, so anyone who wanted to pass through it needed a mana propulsion device. However, this propulsion device was not only useful in the Windless Zone, but everywhere, because when navigating the maze, you inevitably found yourself in situations where you needed a little more speed.
Take, for example, our current situation.
Whir!
As soon as we threw all the mana stones we had at the mana propeller motor, the motors attached to the bottom of the ship activated with an audible hum.
Shaaaaaa!
We crossed the water at a speed impossible to achieve with normal navigation standards.
«Lift the candles!»
And once the candles were folded, we started going even faster. When you used a propulsion system, open sails usually slowed you down more than helped you.
«U-Uwaaa!»
«Everyone hold on to something!»
The deck shook as violently as expected considering our speed. Everyone clung to the mast or railing and crushed themselves as close to the deck as possible to avoid being thrown overboard.
«Lord, I don't see them anymore!»
Shortly after, the heads of the giants, which had faded into the distance, completely disappeared. At first it seemed like they were chasing us, but it seems like they gave up when they realized they couldn't keep up with us.
Had we lost them?
Of course, that thought only lasted a second. We couldn't let our guard down yet.
«Captain, what should we do with the propulsion device?»
«Keep it on. We could still be on their territory, so we have to get out of here as quickly as possible.»
«Aye aye.»
In this silver ocean, the types of monsters that appeared differed depending on the region we were in. On the way from Stone Island to Library Island, the Gullfrogs dominated the area, and the route to Human Island was filled with Tentaculans. Following that pattern, we were most likely in Hipramajent territory.
You really can't be complacent on this floor.
Some places had rank seven monsters, while others had rank four monsters. It was a logic I could accept, at least in theory. But seven monsters that were probably rank two? Honestly, this area could be called the Sea of Death and I wouldn't even doubt it.
Come to think of it, there are even rank one monsters floating in these waters...
For a second, I wondered if perhaps I had rushed into deciding to go down to Basement One Floor, but I quickly got rid of my restlessness. Anyway, my expeditions had always been like this. Furthermore, the more dangerous and mysterious the place, the greater the reward if you managed to return from it alive. How much would I get by selling only the essences we had obtained so far?
...Let's make finding a way home our top priority. This way we can return to the city, improve our entire team and come back here later.
«Auyen, where are we now, more or less?»
«Since we accelerate so suddenly, it's hard to know for sure, but if my calculations are correct... we should be close to our destination».
Close to our destination. So did that mean we had sped through an area that would have taken us six hours in just two hours? I was momentarily amazed at the capabilities of the powertrain, and at the same time a little worried, as this engine was reputed to have terrible fuel efficiency.
«How many mana stones do we use?»
«We used more than 90% of the stones you gave me».
In other words, we had used a quarter of all the mana stones we obtained throughout this adventure in just two hours.
If you convert to money, that's about twenty million stones...
Calculating the exact amount we had lost was downright distressing, but I felt a little better when I rephrased it as if I had spent twenty million stones to save my life. We would have to collect more mana stones later.
«So since I need to adjust our course... could I focus on that again?».
«Oh, sorry for interrupting you».
Auyen then walked around the deck playing with a navigation tool that he had already seen him use several times, turning the wheel from time to time to adjust our trajectory. Soon we saw an island in the distance.
Myul Armin, who was next to me, exclaimed: «That man... Did you say his name is Auyen Rockrobe?».
«Yes?»
«It's incredible. I'm surprised his name isn't known throughout the city». Myul continued to praise my keen eye for talent in attracting such an excellent navigator to my clan, and I could tell that they were not just empty words.
«...What makes you say all that?»
«Our group does not have a designated navigator. I am currently taking on that role. That's why I can confidently say that it would have been extremely difficult to figure out our location after accelerating so quickly, especially since this place has neither sun nor stars to act as landmarks.»
«Ah... Really...?»
«Yes, and the course he set earlier was also extremely precise. If it were possible, I would love to study with him».
I let out an awkward laugh at the real praise he was giving. Was there anything you could say here?
«I've heard that great people gravitate toward heroes, and I believe those words are true».
«Ahem...»
I only brought it because I thought it would be a waste to beat such a useful looter to death...
***
Finally we arrived at our destination. However, instead of getting off the boat immediately, we circled the island once to get a good look. Then, instead of the northern cliffs, we docked at the southern beach.
«What do you think, Myul? Do you think we are in the right place?»
«Yeah. For now, everything on the island matches the description they gave».
This island seemed to be about ten times larger than Human Island, and its largest and most notable feature was the huge trees that we could see even from the beach.
«I thought the same thing too when we were on the boat, but...»
«They are huge.»
«Wow... My neck hurts just looking at them!»
Each of the trees growing on this island seemed larger than any other tree we had seen in the maze. In terms of apartment buildings, they were about ten stories high.
«Um...»
As we scanned the terrain and prepared to set off, someone approached me. He was a wizard from the Armin Adventurer Group.
«Um... then...»
«If you have something to say, say it».
«Could we maybe harvest some of the trees? I don't think I've ever seen trees like these...», the magician managed to ask despite seeming quite suspicious of my reaction.
Well, I assumed normal wizards liked all that research stuff. Maybe it was because I had spent most of my time around Versyl lately, who was a player, but the question caught me off guard.
«There is a chance that it will end up containing invaluable material. And if that is the case, it will be of great benefit to you, Lord Baron...»
«It will take a while to cut down a tree that size.»
«...i just need a small sample of this.»
«Well, if that's all you need.»
I sent Ainar with the wizard to help them get a sample of the tree. Unlike Versyl, these people were wizards per se, so I concluded that they had a good chance of making some kind of discovery during this adventure.
«Thank you! Thanks!»
The magician had obtained not only a part of the bark, but practically an entire tree trunk, and they bowed to me several deeply and enchantedly to show their gratitude. When they returned triumphant with the other magicians, everyone began to chatter enthusiastically.
«You really got something!»
«I wish it were already night. I really want to examine it».
«Don't forget, everyone, all the research we do here will have our names as co-authors».
Were they really that happy about a tree?
In any case, after letting the magicians have fun, we finished our preparations and set off in formation, towards the interior. We made sure to proceed with caution, aware of the fact that we had no idea what might be lurking around the corner.
«Yandel, something is coming towards us».
Thirty minutes into our trip around the island, we detected our first monster and the group became alert and adopted combat postures.
However, the moment the monster appeared, we were all paralyzed, completely speechless.
The monster had a short stature that didn't even reach my thighs when I was in gigantization mode, green skin, an elongated face, and a stone dagger coiled around its twig-shaped fingers.
Grrr?
«...A Goblin?»
I never expected to find a Goblin here.
Although I could already feel the tension leaving my shoulders, I tried to stay alert while shouting: «Don't let your guard down! It could be a different species that can change its appearance...»
[Goblin has released Create Trap.]
«...Eh?»
The goblin had set a trap right in front of us while we were actively watching it.
We stared at the Goblin.
The elf looked back at us.
A strange silence settled between us as a tie occurred.
«That guy...»
«Are you waiting for us to step on you?».
I forced myself to wake up. «We can't underestimate him... Not even Goblins are that stupid. There's definitely a chance it's not like the Goblins we know...»
Someone shot an arrow, and it hit the Goblin right in the head.
Shaaaaaa!
The Goblin died immediately and disappeared in a flash of light.
My companions did not say a word as I watched him disappear in a moment of bewildered silence.
...What? Was he an ordinary Goblin? What the hell was he doing then?
I felt deep shame in my heart.
Grrr!
Grrrr! Grrrr, grrr!
Having seen their ally die, the other Goblins let out angry howls.
Vwoom!
At that moment their small Goblin bodies began to grow.
«...Eh?»
Now they easily reached my thighs. It even seemed like they had some muscle too.
[Goblin has launched gigantization.]
...What the hell was going on?
***
It wasn't that difficult to deal with all the Goblins. Even if they were larger than normal, the Goblins were still just Goblins. To describe our fight against them as «easy» would be an understatement. However, the psychological impact of the fight was significant.
«That was...»
«Maybe...»
No one even tried to pick up the mana stones that the Goblins dropped, but they just looked at me for an explanation. Since I had gigantization, they probably expected me to be the best able to confirm it.
«...We still can't be sure of anything».
«Really?»
When I cut them off before they could express what they thought, everyone fell uncomfortably silent. Well, everyone except one person: Amelia.
«It doesn't matter if you're sure or not. We're just curious to know what you think. Did that seem like gigantization to you?»
«... Yes.»
«That's interesting, then. It must not be possible for all of them to be boss monsters».
Honestly, the Goblins we found here today were completely out of the ordinary, and they weren't even a new type of monster.
But they also use the abilities of other monsters...
Was it an exclusive trait of these Goblins? Or were there other monsters that could do the same? These questions were answered shortly after our expedition.
[Troll has launched gigantization.]
[Werewolf has launched gigantization.]
[Golem de Hierro has launched gigantization...]
All the monsters we encountered on our journey inland were capable of using gigantization.
I had no idea how they were able to do this, but one thing was stinging me.
The island.
The monsters we found on other islands didn't do this, which means there was probably something special about this particular one.
Is there any active area effect on this island or something?
That was the first hypothesis that occurred to me, but I couldn't be sure it was correct. So I decided to ask the magicians for help.
«Any news about essences?»
«They emit the wavelengths and frequencies you would expect to see».
«So in other words, isn't this essence different from any other Goblin essence you would find on the first floor?».
«Yes... At least, that seems to be the case. It is very likely that, even if you absorbed one of these essences, you would not obtain gigantization. Although, if you want, we could choose a volunteer to try it-»
«Alright. This is not important enough to go that far».
With that, we continue our search. Now we had two main objectives.
The first was to gather all the information possible about this new island. The second was to find the adventurers who were trapped on this island and rescue them. The first was a work in progress, but luckily we were able to find clues that would help us with the second.
«It's a trail. Made by a human, not a monster».
We discovered a footprint while exploring the area. According to information provided by a member of the Armin Adventurer Group, it was the print of a shoe manufactured by a certain Rafdonia boutique.
«He was once a researcher working for the palace, so you can trust his assessment».
«What a lucrative career. So can you tell us when this print was made?»
«I would say it is... from about five hours ago.»
Good. Honestly, I was worried that everyone had already died.
This meant that there were still survivors.