Chapter 16

This is my second post of the day, commemorating my daily top ranking.

If you haven't read the previous post at 21:00, please do so.

□＜Tomb Labyrinth＞ 【Paladin】Ray Sterling

*Sniff, sniff...*

Holding Nemesis, who was sobbing as if cursed by a weapon, in one hand, I walked through the interior of the ＜Tomb Labyrinth＞.

Since then, I've defeated twelve ［Zombies］, thirty ［Skeletons］, and five ［Haunted Spirits］.

Thanks to these achievements, my level has risen by two, reaching level 7. My HP has also surpassed the 1,000 mark.

*Rotting flesh... maggots...*

The battles with ［Zombies］ were like splatter movies, gradually eroding Nemesis's sanity.

The only silver lining was that ［Zombies］ yielded more experience points than ［Skeletons］, and encounters with ［Skeletons］ were more frequent.

Most importantly, everything except the drop items disappeared after they were defeated, which was a relief.

Otherwise, my and Nemesis's equipment would have been covered in flesh and bodily fluids.

*Ugh, I never thought you had a sadistic streak...*

"I didn't do it for fun. It was necessary."

*...But you seemed to swing the sword a lot more than usual, didn't you?*

"Stop overthinking it."

Perhaps due to their undead nature, their bodies were fragile and shattered spectacularly when struck.

While it looked like a splatter scene, a full swing with a greatsword was an effective attack.

There was even a bit of the satisfaction you get from Western games.

Incidentally, Nemesis's screams, as the shattered flesh stuck to her, were louder than the ［Zombies］' groans.

After a while, they became like background music.

I might have been a bit high, like a protagonist in a zombie game.

"Ah, I used up half of the ［Gems］ I prepared for ［Spirit］-type monsters in the last battle."

［Zombies］ and ［Skeletons］ can be handled on my own.

However, ［Spirits］ were a different story.

［Spirits］ are ghost-like or human soul-type monsters.

Their key feature is that physical attacks are completely ineffective against them.

Additionally, they use attacks that reduce MP or SP instead of HP and inflict status ailments.

This was the worst matchup for me.

I don't have any offensive magic skills, so I was helpless.

Even ＜Vengeance is Mine＞, which has a chance to work against spirits, can't double the reduction in MP or SP.

Incidentally, I use vague terms like "chance" because it hasn't been proven yet.

Also, ＜Vengeance is Mine＞ is a unique skill of Nemesis, so there was no information about it on the strategy sites. This is common for ＜Embryo＞-related skills.

I knew from the wiki that ［Spirits］ would appear in this ＜Tomb Labyrinth＞, so I had to prepare.

Before coming here, I bought the necessary items.

For ［Spirits］, I prepared disposable attack magic items, which are common in other games. When used, they launch a holy light spear at the target.

These are highly effective against ［Spirits］ and can defeat them in one hit in this floor.

The ［Gem - ＜White Lance＞］, a small crystal-shaped item, costs about 1,000 rils each at the store.

It might seem expensive, considering it costs about 10,000 yen per attack, but I bought about ten of them.

My sense of money might have been skewed because I had just bought the ［Permit］.

"Well..."

I've used five ［Gems］ so far, leaving me with half.

Considering the return trip, I should probably turn back soon.

But...

"How much would the drops be worth so far?"

That's the problem.

I don't expect to cover the cost of the ［Permit］, but I want to earn enough to cover the ［Gems］.

Otherwise, it will be tough to continue leveling up here. The money from selling the ［Full Plate Armor］ will eventually run out.

However, while ［Zombies］ and ［Skeletons］ do drop items, they don't drop anything valuable.

It's a question of what to do with tattered clothes and bone fragments.

I'd like to say that weapon items used by the undead are a given, but the ［Zombies］ and ［Skeletons］ on this floor only wear clothes and don't carry weapons, so that's not possible.

If they were animal-type monsters, they might drop fur or fangs, but... well, there's nothing I can do about it.

"Let's push a little further. We haven't even found the stairs to the next floor yet."

We might find a treasure chest along the way.

I haven't seen any in this dungeon so far.

"Understood. ...By the way, Master."

"What is it?"

"Please polish me when we get back."

"Sure, sure."

The undead's bodily fluids and flesh may disappear, but they still leave a bad feeling.

◇

Five minutes after deciding to continue exploring, we found it.

It was a staircase with the same design as the one we used to descend from the surface to this floor.

It likely leads to the second floor.

"If this is here, the first floor must end here."

"No boss was here."

"They appear every five floors."

The ＜Tomb Labyrinth＞ is structured in sets of five floors.

Floors 1 to 5 are a lair of the undead, with an undead-type boss at the end.

The boss is randomly selected from several candidates.

Defeating the boss opens the path to the sixth floor, which becomes a lair of plant monsters, and the cycle repeats.

For example, floors 11 to 15 are a lair of beast-type monsters, and floors 16 to 20 are a lair of demon-type monsters.

The strategy site information goes up to the 45th floor, which is the dragon floor.

The 45th floor boss is extremely powerful, and no one has cleared it, so it's called the uncharted territory.

While it's called uncharted, it seems that no one among the strategy site operators or wiki contributors has cleared it.

There might be people who know about floors 46 and beyond but are keeping the information as an advantage.

Well, there's no point in thinking about places we can't reach now.

Let's call it a day here.

But this dungeon, while the experience points are just right, is still tough on the budget.

As my level rises, I'll need to go to lower floors.

If that happens, one ［Gem］ might not be enough to defeat the ［Spirits］ on the lower floors, which could lead to higher expenses.

What should I do...?

"Master."

While I was thinking, Nemesis spoke up.

Her voice was a warning.

"What is it?"

"Someone is coming up the stairs."

I turned my attention to the stairs.

Listening carefully, I could hear the sound of footsteps echoing from below.

Monsters can't move between floors, so this must be a player.

It seems another player who came to explore the dungeon is returning.

However, it's strange that there's only one set of footsteps.

If the purpose was to explore the dungeon, they would likely be in a party.

As I was wondering, the footsteps, which had been echoing, suddenly stopped.

—The next moment, something stretched out from the floor below.

It was terrifyingly fast.

I could sense it coming from the distance between the floors.

When I realized it, it was right in front of me.

It was clearly an attack aimed at me.

"＜Counter Absorption＞!"

By the time Nemesis and I finished saying the skill name, it had collided with the wall of light that had been deployed.

It was a chain.

With a pyramid-shaped protrusion at the end, it still exuded a sense of power even though it was blocked, and I could sense that it would have crushed my head in one blow if not for the ＜Counter Absorption＞ wall.

"This power...!"

Nemesis groaned in pain.

She didn't react this way when defending against the Demi Dragon Worm or the monster's bullet.

In other words, this attack exceeded those...!

"This is... beyond...!"

Cracks began to form in the light wall that had defended against all attacks so far...

"!"

Just before the wall shattered, the chain retracted to the floor below.

What this meant was...

"Second attack coming! Get ready!"

The preparatory movements for the next attack.

Sensing this, I jumped back to create distance.

But what to do.

I have one more use of ＜Counter Absorption＞, but that's it.

If I block the next attack, I'll have nothing left.

What to do...!

"...?"

But the next attack never came.

There was no sign of the chain flying from the stairs, and the footsteps that had stopped began to ascend again.

"Master... what do you want to do?"

I understood the meaning of Nemesis's question.

Run away immediately or face whoever is coming up.

From the single attack, the power difference between us and the opponent was clear and hopeless.

It felt like a bigger gap than the PK I vowed to get revenge on.

If possible, I'd rather not fight.

But the thought of the chain flying again the moment I turned my back made me hesitate.

Then, I decided not to run.

Hesitating won't help either way.

I'll bet on one thing.

When the opponent appears, I'll nullify the next attack and return the damage from both attacks doubled.

I don't know if it will hit or if it will defeat them, but it's the only option.

Nemesis also seemed to have made up her mind and aligned her thoughts with mine.

As the footsteps from below grew louder... the person appeared.

It was a young man, a few years older than me.

He had a sharp, thin gaze, often described as "slit eyes."

His most distinctive feature was his peculiar attire.

Like me, he wore light metal armor from the ［Riot］ series, but he wore a hakama on the lower half.

His feet were clad in metal greaves, and he held three chains in each hand, with rings on all his fingers and a feather-decorated hat on his head.

To top it off, he wore a long blue coat draped over his shoulders.

Each item on its own wasn't strange, but the overall coordination was bizarre.

It was the kind of look you get in games when you choose the best-performing items, and they end up looking odd.

The reason I thought they were high-performance was that each item was visibly excellent, even to a layman's eye.

The peculiar person glanced at me and said,

"...It's a human after all."

He sighed.

Then,

"I thought it was a random pop boss monster! I'm sorry! I apologize!"

He bowed deeply to me.

◇

The peculiarly dressed person and I talked in the room with the stairs.

Nemesis had also returned to her normal form.

Incidentally, the room was safe due to a monster-repelling barrier item the person had placed.

From the conversation, it seemed this person was not a PK.

It didn't seem like a lie, and his tone and attitude gave me the impression of "a good person."

So, why did he attack me?

"In other words, you mistook me for a monster?"

"Yeah, this dungeon sometimes has bosses that appear randomly. ...I'm really sorry."

Apparently, he had sensed someone watching him as he ascended from the floor below.

Looking up, he saw a silhouette in the backlight, which didn't look human, so he attacked to check.

...His right hand was entangled with Nemesis in black greatsword mode, so it might have looked that way from the silhouette.

"Can bosses appear on the first floor?"

"Random pops become more likely the deeper you go, but the probability isn't zero even on the upper floors."

...I had missed this information from the strategy site, following the ［Paladin］ entry.

"I'm glad I didn't encounter one while leveling up."

"Leveling up? Why are you doing it here? You're only level 7... When you're at a low level, it's more profitable and easier to go to the beginner hunting grounds. You don't need a ［Permit］ as a ［Paladin］."

...I bought one, though.

And he can see my level?

"Didn't you know? The beginner hunting grounds are unusable due to terrorism right now."

"Terrorism?"

"Yes, there's a PK terrorism targeting beginners that started three days ago in ＜Infinite Dendrogram＞ time."

"...I didn't notice because I've been here for five days."

He said he hadn't checked the internet or anything.

"Have you been in this ＜Tomb Labyrinth＞ for five days!? What for!?"

"Kind of a marathon. I dive as deep as I can solo and then come back."

He's doing a grind play.

From his equipment and the attack earlier, he seems to be a high-level player.

"How far did you go this time?"

Out of curiosity, I asked,

"I made it to the 48th floor. One floor better than last time."

The young man casually mentioned an impossible floor number.

"......What?"

The strategy site's top players, in a party, reached the 45th floor.

And this person went to the uncharted territory, which even they couldn't reach, solo and returned alive?

"You are...?"

"Oh, my name is Figaro. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ray Sterling, and this is my ＜Embryo＞, Nemesis... Ah!"

I couldn't recall the name Figaro at first... but I remembered while introducing myself.

Figaro.

［Super Fighter］ Figaro.

That's... the name of a top-ranked duelist in the Alter Kingdom Duel Ranking.

"Are you the ranked Figaro?"

"Yeah, I use the arena a lot."

"Arena?"

"Right, the arena. Most countries have one, but in this country, it's in Duel City Gideon. Battles in the arena don't result in death, and you can earn money based on the audience. It's fun."

"No death?"

"There's a barrier, so it's set up that way. That's why it's casually used for betting matches. There are other tourist attractions, and it's a vibrant city, so I recommend visiting at least once."

Even when the country is on the brink of destruction, human desires keep things running smoothly.

"Gideon is just over the mountains south of the capital... Ah, but if the beginner hunting grounds are unusable, the ＜Sauda Mountain Path＞ must be blocked. People can't come from the capital... That's a problem."

Figaro thought for a moment and said,

"Alright. Let's do something about it."

He added,

"It's also an apology for attacking you by mistake. I'll take care of the PKs on the southern ＜Sauda Mountain Path＞."

"What do you mean by 'take care'?"

"......Negotiation?"

There seemed to be a question mark at the end of his words.

"I think it should be usable from tomorrow or so. Then, come to Duel City for leveling up. I'm usually there or in this dungeon."

"Ah, okay."

"Alright, I'll go now. Here, take this."

Figaro took a small stone from his bag.

It was a ［Gem］ like the one I used, but a different color, with a different magic inside.

"It's a ＜Escape Gate＞, a magic to leave the dungeon. I think you should level up to the limit and return today."

"Is it okay to give it to me?"

"Sure. It's also part of the apology. If I accidentally penalized a beginner, it would have been a blow to my reputation."

"Thank you."

It's really helpful. With this, I can hunt to my limit without worrying about the return trip.

This person really seems like a good person.

"By the way, Ray and Nemesis are great."

"Huh?"

"You withstood my attack, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that's because of the skill."

"Not the damage. When I came up, you weren't broken, right?"

Not broken?

What does he mean?

"I like people who don't break. I like you. When your level is higher, I'd like to have a match with you in the arena."

"Sure."

If what Figaro said is true, there should be no death penalty in the arena, and I'm curious about the skills of a top-ranked player, so I'd like to fight.

"Yep, I'm looking forward to it. I'll clean up for the future."

"Clean up?"

Figaro stood up and said,

"See you later."

"Thank you for the ［Gem］."

Figaro smiled and waved as he left the room.

◇

"［Super Fighter］ Figaro, huh. A completely unexpected person."

"Yeah. When I heard about him from my brother, I thought he was more stubborn."

His reason for not participating in the war was "I'm not interested in messy battles."

It sounds a bit arrogant, but considering Figaro's personality, there must have been a reason.

"Alright, let's get to work. We got an escape ［Gem］ from Figaro, so let's go all out."

"Right. Compared to that first attack, the undead are nothing to be afraid of."

It seems the incident earlier temporarily numbed his fear.

That's perfect.

We can progress faster than before.

Until now, I had been holding back a bit for Nemesis.

Now, I'll go all out with the splatter.

"Let's resume hunting!"

"Bring it on!"

◇

A few hours later, I would end up polishing Nemesis, who was sobbing and wouldn't let go of the greatsword, until dawn.

To be continued

The next update will be at 21:00 tomorrow.