Chapter 30: Return to the Upper Stratum, Birth of the Labyrinth Nightmare
I don't know what kind of trigger Shiro experienced, but her brain circuitry was a complete mess, leading her to run off and challenge Araba directly. Shirazawa was deeply concerned; though their strength was no longer what it used to be, there was still a massive gap between them and an Upper Wyrm.
"Don't worry about it." Before he could even open his mouth to dissuade her, Shiro cut him off. "I know what I'm doing."
"It's hard for me to stop worrying, though." Facing Shirazawa's persuasion, Shiro remained stubborn. That is, until they reached the entrance to the Lower Stratum.
[Monster]: Earth Dragon Kagna
[Level]: 26
[Status]
[HP]: 4100 / 4100
[MP]: 3400 / 3400
[SP]: 2989 / 2989 (2700 / 2700)
[Average Ability]: 4000
[Skills]: (Full screen of skills.jpg)
...
[Monster]: Earth Dragon Gehre
[Level]: 24
[Status]
[HP]: 3500 / 3500
[MP]: 3000 / 3000
[SP]: 4089 / 4089 (3700 / 3700)
[Average Ability]: 4000
[Skills]: (Full screen of skills.jpg)
...
"Ah-re-re?"
Two massive dragons stood to the side, breathing gusts of dragon-breath at each other. Sensing a foreign presence, they both turned their heads simultaneously to look over. A terrifying pressure swept toward them, and the stench in the air grew thicker. Accompanied by a violent aura, Shiro instinctively held her breath, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back.
This feeling... was a hundred times worse than facing Araba!
"ROAR—!!"
A roar suddenly shattered the silence, instantly snapping the dazed Shiro back to her senses.
"Eek—!"
"Sorry, sorry! Just passing through!"
"You two carry on—!"
Shiro waved her legs frantically, leading Shirazawa in a dead sprint back toward the Middle Stratum without looking back.
"Ah~~ Having two guys like that appear at once, we'd die, right? We'd definitely die!" She rambled to herself as she ran. "Araba or whatever can wait until later. Yeah, once my level is high enough, it won't be too late to go back down and reclaim my dignity. Exactly. This is just a temporary strategic retreat."
She ran incredibly fast. Shirazawa, following behind, felt his mouth twitch. "You girl... you'll never learn until you've experienced a beating from society. *Sigh*."
He let out a long sigh and followed Shiro into the Upper Stratum.
...
Following the tracks left by Mother, the two successfully entered the Upper Stratum. Compared to the Lower Stratum, the Upper Stratum was practically paradise. There were endless small mobs to grind for levels, and if they got hungry, they could use
Here, they encountered almost no monsters that posed a threat. Of course, Shiro didn't forget their goal of finding the exit. They spent their time leveling up to increase their strength while exploring the Upper Stratum. The Elroe Great Labyrinth was even larger than they had imagined; if not for the effects of
Just like that, one month passed...
*Clang—!*
*Chime!!*
*Bang!*
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed continuously through the empty cavern. Two white figures were intertwined, blades flashing and sparks flying. Their speed was lightning-fast, and every strike contained enough power to rend the air, stirring up fierce winds.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
*Boom—!*
The sound of their scythes colliding exploded in their ears. Their speed grew increasingly terrifying, leaving only afterimages on the ground and two blurred, clashing silhouettes. After an unknown amount of time, Shiro suddenly let out a muffled groan and was thrown hard to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
Shirazawa looked down at her. "Hehe, I win."
"Ugh..." Shiro frowned, bracing her waist as she climbed up from the ground. "That's the 2,897th time you've beaten me, but I've beaten you 2,898 times. So, you're still down one round."
"Tch..." Shirazawa pouted, feeling a bit helpless.
Their attribute values were identical; it could be said that neither could truly gain the upper hand. However, that traitor Magic Mind had been bewitched by his "girlfriend," always going easy during combat, which often left Shirazawa at a disadvantage. Consequently, he had proposed banning the Magic Minds from participating to focus purely on training close-combat abilities. Only then did he gradually pull the score back.
Body Mind is truly the one to count on.
Shiro rubbed her aching arms, her gaze toward Shirazawa becoming a bit complex. She had indeed miscalculated just now. She hadn't expected this guy to find an opening by suddenly increasing his skill proficiency during the battle. Taking advantage of the brief information gap before she could react, he had knocked her flat.
It was... so embarrassing.
*Body Mind is useless! Why can't you be more like Magic Mind? Go and settle the other side's Body Mind already!*
Shiro (Body): [I'm getting blamed for this too? My life is so tragic...]
...
After finishing their day of training, the two rested on the spot before heading toward their "home."
"Hey, Shirazawa." Shiro called out to him.
Shirazawa turned his head. "Hmm?"
"We're both Level 24 now. Is it time to go find trouble with Araba?" she asked excitedly.
Shirazawa paused, then curled his lips into a smile. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, definitely!" Shiro nodded vigorously.
She didn't believe that with attribute values exceeding ten thousand, they still couldn't handle a mere Araba. This time, she had to eradicate her nightmare, achieve a peak sublimation, and surpass everything.
"Well... alright then. In a couple of days, we'll go down to the Lower Stratum to scout the path and plan our strategy." Shirazawa reached out and gently patted her forehead, speaking softly.
Shiro grinned, revealing her snowy-white fangs. "Got it!"
The two looked at each other and smiled, leaving hand-in-hand.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Upper Stratum, an elite Imperial army had stepped into the labyrinth.
At the head was a thin old man wearing a green mage cloak and holding a ruby staff. His hair was grey-white, and his aged face was written all over with reluctance. Leading the way in front of him was a man in noble attire named Buirimus, the person in charge of this mission. Following behind them was a large group of knights in shining armor. They looked majestic, far beyond the level of ordinary adventurers—clearly Imperial regulars.
The group held oil lamps, their expressions serious as they cautiously wandered through the Upper Stratum.
"Ah~ I say, Buirimus, can't we rest for a bit?" The white-haired old man grumbled with an exhausted expression.
"Master Ronandt, didn't we just rest?" Buirimus let out a long sigh, responding helplessly.
"But an hour has passed! Let's rest~"
"It has *only* been an hour. There's no reason to rest for half a day after marching for just one hour." Ronandt's request was heartlessly rejected by Buirimus.
Seeing his first plan fail, Ronandt tried another. "Ow ow ow!" A tragic wail escaped Ronandt's mouth; someone who didn't know better would think he had sustained a major injury.
"What's wrong, Master Ronandt?"
"The left foot I injured yesterday started hurting again. No, I must rest."
"Uh..." Buirimus was speechless on the spot. "I recall you saying it was your *right* foot that was injured yesterday..."
"Eh? Was it? Ahahaha..." The old Ronandt scratched his head with a reddened face.
"Let's keep moving."
"Yes, sir." Buirimus waved his hand, ordering the soldiers to pick up the pace.
"Master Ronandt, please show a bit more urgency. we aren't here for simple labyrinth exploration; we have an important mission. Recently, numerous monsters in the Elroe Great Labyrinth have been fleeing their original habitats and gathering near the entrance, causing the danger level of the continent to skyrocket."
"According to surviving adventurers, this was caused by two terrifying spider monsters living in the labyrinth. Their danger level is at least A-rank, possibly even S-rank. That is why we asked for the help of an Imperial Court Mage like yourself."
Hearing his nagging, Ronandt glanced at him and said flatly, "I know, I know. It's just subjugating two monsters. Let's go, let's go. With this old man here, there won't be any problems. You can put your heart at ease."
Buirimus suddenly felt relieved. "That's good to hear. Then let's speed up—"
Before he could finish, the old man pivoted. "So! Let's take a rest!"
"No!" Buirimus was at a loss for words.
"Stingy brat..." the old man muttered, but he obediently followed the team, falling silent.
"..."