Chapter 13

In the second floor of the labyrinth, there were bat-like monsters.

They were about the size of a Chihuahua, much larger than ordinary bats, and it was hard to imagine how they could fly. However, Haru used two swords to cut off the bats' wings and ran through them.

Wow, he's not just using two swords, he really is a dual-wielder.

It's like watching skills with names like Cross Slash or X Slash.

"Master, please finish them off."

"Huh?"

"Only the one who lands the final blow gets the experience points."

So it's a system where the one who lands the last hit gets all the points.

Ah, I see, that's why he only cut off their wings and didn't finish them off.

This is probably the correct way to level up using a slave, and Haru is faithfully executing it.

"No, let Haru finish them."

"Are you sure?"

"While I appreciate the sentiment, since Haru did most of the work, Haru should get the experience points. I want to prioritize helping Norn over my own growth."

"Understood."

Haru nodded and slashed the bat's belly with her sword, even though its wings had already started to regenerate.

We continued to advance through the labyrinth, following the scent.

For the enemies on the second floor, it seemed to be easy for her.

She overwhelmed the enemies on the second floor without any need for me to step in.

Maybe I should have let her give me a few.

We soon reached the third floor.

"Haru, is the scent still there?"

"Yes, the scent remains. Just like the stairs to the second floor, there was no new scent leading up the stairs. In the beginner's labyrinth, except for the final floor, there is only one set of stairs going up and one set of stairs going down, so she must not have gone up."

While descending the stairs, I was relieved that Norn had made it this far, but at the same time, I was worried that something might have happened.

Could she have been attacked by thieves targeting beginners?

"I see... By the way, why do thieves commit crimes in the labyrinth? If there's only one entrance and one set of stairs, they can't escape, so this place is the most inconvenient, right?"

In my mind, thieves and bandits attack merchants' caravans—pirates attack trade ships.

"There are various reasons. If someone dies in the labyrinth, the labyrinth consumes the body, so there's no need to hide the evidence. If there's no body, it's impossible to tell whether the person was killed by thieves or monsters. Also, if a merchant is attacked, the knights will get involved, but if an adventurer dies, the knights rarely do. The Adventurers' Guild and the country have a non-interference agreement."

"I see, so there are some benefits. But I've heard rumors about thieves targeting beginners."

"Probably because the weapons and armor of adventurers who were supposed to be dead appeared on the market. When a person dies and is consumed by the labyrinth, their equipment disappears."

They're sloppy. They successfully stole valuable antiques but didn't have a black market route to sell them, so they got caught.

We continued deeper into the labyrinth. At a crossroads, a small, ugly-faced man with a club appeared.

I thought it might be a different race, but when Haru drew her sword, it must be a monster.

I stopped Haru.

"Haru, is that a goblin?"

Goblins often appear in games and many fantasy works. In games like Final Fantasy, they are treated as the weakest monsters. If this world is the basis for the games, goblins are probably weak here too.

Cobolds are apparently even weaker.

"Yes, the third floor is a goblin nest."

"Got it, let me try this one!"

I ran forward, swinging my sword and shouted,

"Slash!"

A shockwave shot out from the steel sword, deeply cutting the goblin's torso and splattering purple blood.

But—

"I see, one hit isn't enough to finish it."

The goblin, holding its stomach, managed to stand up.

"Slash! It's not working!"

"Slash can't be used again for 10 seconds after it's used!"

"Damn, 10 seconds seems short but it's actually long!"

I said this as I blocked the club with my sword—though it was a heavy blow, I could handle it.

While blocking the club, I kicked the goblin's sensitive area with my other foot.

"...How's that? Even if the race is different, we're still men! This—wait, it's not very effective?"

It looks painful, but he's not jumping up.

Actually, I lost my balance from the kick and almost fell over.

"Master! That goblin is female! It doesn't have horns."

What, it's a girl!?

Surprised by Haru's unexpected words, I completely lost my balance, fell backward, and dropped my sword.

Oh no, the goblin is about to finish me off, raising its club.

"Master, 10 seconds have passed! You can use Slash now. Use a hand strike instead of a sword."

Got it—

"Slash!"

I swung my right hand hard.

The blow widened the goblin's wound, and in the next moment, the goblin's body disappeared, leaving only the club and a magic stone.

[Ichinoshou's level has increased]

[Obtained Hunter Skill: Aura Detection]

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Skill Description: Aura Detection [Hunter Level 15]

Can detect the presence of nearby creatures.

However, it cannot detect the presence of those with Stealth skills.

……………………………………………………

This is a useful skill.

I also checked my status.

……………………………………………………

Name: Ichinoshou

Race: Human

Occupation: Unemployed Lv41, Apprentice Swordsman Lv17, Hunter 15

HP: 93/94 (10+59+25)

MP: 32/36 (8+16+12)

Physical Attack: 100 (9+60+31)

Physical Defense: 79 (7+42+30)

Magic Attack: 25 (4+12+9)

Magic Defense: 29 (3+14+12)

Speed: 65 (4+28+41)

Luck: 40 (10+10+20)

Equipment: Cotton Clothing, Leather Boots, Iron Light Armor, Steel Sword

Skills: [Job Change], [Third Job Setting], [Stone Throwing], [Sword Equipping], [Slash], [Job Appraisal], [Spinning Slash], [Bow and Arrow Equipping], [Disassembly], [Skill Description], [Aura Detection]

Obtained Titles: None

Available Job Changes: Commoner Lv15, Farmer Lv1, Hunter Lv15, Lumberjack Lv1, Apprentice Swordsman Lv17, Apprentice Mage Lv1, Merchant Lv1, Apprentice Spearman Lv1

Blessing: 20x Experience Points, 1/20 Required Experience Points

……………………………………………………

I have quite a few skills now.

The levels of Unemployed, Apprentice Swordsman, and Hunter have each increased by 1.

Hmm, but the battle just now was quite tough.

My stats are probably higher, but I don't have enough combat experience to match them.

"Nice job, Master."

"No, I was saved thanks to Haru's advice. Thank you."

I stood up and bowed in gratitude.

I thought I might be stronger than Haru, but at this rate, I still have a long way to go.

"Master, about Norn's scent—"

"Yeah, can you still detect it?"

"…It continues in that direction."

She pointed to the right at the crossroads.

It was a dead end, with no way forward.

"…What does that mean? Did she go to the dead end and come back?"

"No, there's no scent of her returning. I don't want to think about it, but it seems she must have died for some reason and been absorbed by the labyrinth…"

"…No way… That can't be true…"

I collapsed to my knees and hung my head in despair.