Chapter 64

With an incredibly serious expression, Enno said, "It was delicious," and gave his thanks.

Is the curry udon really something that causes him such internal conflict? I don't get it.

"Don't worry about it. Enno is serious, despite his appearance," said Ochazuke.

"He believes that 'being serious because it's a game' is the way to enjoy it."

"I apologize."

Enno's party members chimed in with their support, showing how much they care for him.

My first impression of him was one thing, but during the battle, he dealt solid damage while also covering the rear attacks that slipped through the shield. It was enough to change my impression. It must have been painful to take those attacks without a shield.

"He's 'seriously enjoying this world.' I don't think that's contradictory."

"Hmm, before coming to the Labyrinth City, I was a bit... Now I'm more inclined to go all out and be serious."

"Considering the strong residents and the party members, he's in a bad mood."

"He's depressed because the first time, he went too hard and it didn't go well."

When talking about strong residents, I can only think of Galahad and his group, or maybe Akira. There must be other strong residents I don't know about.

"He's so serious."

"Let's have ochazuke after finishing the curry udon."

"Can I focus on ochazuke and support the earth with recovery?"

"Yeah, as long as the damage doesn't cut our HP in half, we can move and we have potions, so that's fine."

"Thanks to the title, even when it hurts, I feel like I can still move, which is a big help."

"Since we can move more than the first time, it should be easier. The only problem is me."

As Ochazuke said, once the battle started, it went as expected.

We had already experienced a boss fight with [Pain Sensation Release], where a single hit could reduce HP more than the high goblin's area attack. They were already adept at self-recovery and hiding behind pillars. Of course, there were times when they stopped moving due to the size of the damage, but compared to our first attempt, it was a world of difference.

Ochazuke said the problem was only him, but this was more of a test for me. It was impossible to do it right the first time. The first time, Ochazuke took care of the recovery, so this time it was my turn.

However, it was difficult to time the recovery while attacking. If I healed too often, it would take away the opportunity to get used to the pain, and if I delayed the recovery, Ochazuke would be immobilized, causing the entire party's recovery to stall.

Ochazuke did a great job adjusting.

"Ugh!"

The Earth dropped his shield.

"What?!"

"[Part Destruction] state!"

For a moment, I thought I had done something wrong, but the Earth's HP was still fine. Players can also get [Part Destruction]! Ochazuke and I both tried to heal at the same time. The healing worked, but he couldn't pick up the shield in time.

Even with full HP, his arm didn't move?

"Damn it!"

Enno stepped in.

Without a shield, Enno held his greatsword with both hands to block the orc's axe but couldn't hold it and fell to his knees, his HP rapidly decreasing.

"Whoa!"

Ochazuke's healing.

"I'm tired of seeing this guy!"

Gir's combo.

My two Light Eagle attacks.

Girvatsa, is this your true form?

[I obtained 5 pieces of Enraged Orc Skin]

[I obtained 4 pieces of Enraged Orc Pork]

[I obtained Enraged Orc Boots]

[I obtained an Enraged Orc Magic Stone]

[I obtained 10 pieces of Black Iron]

[I obtained a Strength Ring +3]

"Clear!!!"

"Yay!!!"

"Yay."

"That was tough!!!"

I was surprised by Enno's decreasing HP and used a spell without incantation and a charge, but it didn't seem like anyone noticed.

While listening to the clear announcement, I felt that it would be okay if my title or skills were revealed to this group. I helped Enno, who was sitting on the ground, celebrating with the others.

"Hmph, thanks."

Enno looked away, perhaps embarrassed, but he grabbed my hand and thanked me.

Enno's atmosphere had softened since entering the labyrinth, and the members were celebrating the clear with a cheerful laugh. Well, the laugh was fake. Gir's laugh is scary.

Although we met and fought together for the first time today, I felt a strong sense of camaraderie, perhaps because we shared the pain and helped each other. Despite not knowing their thoughts or actions, I felt that they would help each other in a pinch. It was a strange feeling.

With three parties, we couldn't open sake for a celebration, so we returned to the inn.

The other parties hadn't returned yet, so we took a break until they did. We would need to repair our equipment later. But for now, it was time for a bath!!

I filled the tub halfway and got in. The tingling sensation on my toes made me realize how cold I was. The culture of bathing is wonderful.

The next to return were Roy and his group, who had also cleared the dungeon.

However, Kikuhime and her group—

"We failed."

Kikuhime's answer to Ochazuke's question.

According to the story, Kikuhime also suffered [Part Destruction] and dropped her shield.

"Yeah, me too. But they managed to finish me off before the next [Roar], so it was safe," said Roy.

The main reason for their failure was insufficient firepower. Leo and Shin were too focused on throwing potions, and the orc's HP was still high when Kikuhime dropped her shield. They managed to make the orc suffer [Part Destruction] and hold on, but they couldn't finish it off before the pillars were destroyed.

"Indeed, I gave them a lot of potions for recovery."

"Too focused on recovery!"

"I'm ashamed."

"But I think we achieved the goal of getting used to the pain, so we should be able to clear it next time," said the male holy mage. I'll ask Kikuhime for his name later.

"Also, I kept the same stance the whole time."

[Part Destruction] occurs when a single part takes a lot of damage or when the same part takes continuous damage.

"I didn't think receiving attacks with a shield would count as continuous damage. Next time, I'll try to change my stance or deflect some attacks. Also, I got [Part Destruction Resistance] with the [Shield of Shields]."

Only Kikuhime got the resistance, probably because she fought for a while after [Part Destruction]. Roy and Earth might get it next time.

"This might be a practice boss for [Part Destruction], targeting knees and other parts."

"Interesting, that could be it."

"I was too focused on the pain."

Kikuhime and her group plan to go for a rematch once their penalty is over.

We heard this story in the dining room and were given free time.

We couldn't celebrate the clear with Kikuhime's group since they hadn't cleared yet, so it felt a bit anticlimactic.

Since my real job is a late shift starting in the afternoon, I was torn between taking a nap and getting up early to play until noon, or staying up late and sleeping in the morning. I decided to go to bed early since I paid for the room and it was night outside anyway.

I told everyone my plan and was about to go to my room when Enno called me over.

He asked if I had any curry udon left and if I could give it to him. He must like curry.

I confirmed if he wanted curry and naan or curry udon, and mentioned that there were also curry breads available. I gave him five servings for free as a celebration, and he gave me five blocks of Enraged Orc Pork in return. It was a pure gesture, so I couldn't refuse. I'll make curry with it and return the favor when I have the chance!

By the way, the residents believe that time and space are distorted in the labyrinth. A day in the labyrinth can be less than an hour or even a few days in the real world.

According to Ochazuke, "It's a countermeasure for players. The labyrinth can stretch five minutes to four hours or more. But if you stay in too long, the time will start to align with the real world to prevent you from being trapped. The time difference is significant."

For shallow areas like this, it's fine since the labyrinth isn't too large or complex. However, as you go deeper, it becomes more complex and takes longer to clear. To prevent the real-world time from becoming too long, which would make party clearing difficult, the time is stretched, probably.

My [Thread] skill level has increased significantly from using it with my off-hand while holding a weapon. The length of the thread I can handle has increased, and at level 20, I can now make the thread disappear. I tried using it to detect enemies by placing the thread around corners and combining it with [Presence Detection], but since only high goblins appeared, the sounds were similar. It might have been different if the high goblins were wearing full-face armor, but they were basically half-naked with random pieces of armor.

I thought about the neglected illusion skill as I slipped into bed.

The bed at this old inn was quite comfortable, and the sheets felt nice. The water in the pitcher on the side table was cold when I drank it before bed, probably a magic item.

As I dimmed the lamp, the other lights in the room also dimmed and went out.

It's convenient, even without electricity or machines.