Chapter 65

After receiving a bit of underhanded harassment during the beginner’s training, I had built up a good amount of resentment towards the Adventurer’s Guild, so I decided to start thinking about how to retaliate against the harassment. My first goal was to get past the level where adventurers in the labyrinth city were stuck.

I arrived at the entrance to the labyrinth. The area where the entrance was located was a small square with stalls selling items useful for exploration.

The entrance seemed to be quite busy, which was surprising. There were even people selling maps, but according to Sylph, as long as there was air, she could send wind to guide the way, so it seemed we didn’t need them. Hooray for cheats. Not seeing anything we needed, we headed straight for the entrance.

"Show me your guild card."

I handed my card to the guard watching the entrance. It seemed the labyrinth was managed by the state. If the Adventurer’s Guild had been in charge, they might have refused to let me enter the labyrinth.

"Hey, are you really going to enter the labyrinth alone, an F-rank adventurer? I’m telling you, turn back and find some companions."

I received a very reasonable suggestion. But it didn’t seem like I could find any companions even if I looked.

"I have combat experience, so I’ll be fine. I’m F-rank because I’m new."

"But still... Well, since you have a guild card, I can’t refuse you entry, but don’t overdo it."

Reluctantly, he allowed me to enter. I thanked him and descended the stairs.

"Wow, this feels like a labyrinth. The passages are bright, so it’s designed to be user-friendly, huh?"

It was a cave-like structure, but it was very bright everywhere, as if it were glowing.

"There are also dim and dark areas. They probably make it easier for people to enter at first."

I remember hearing that the labyrinth lures people in to devour their lives. It must make it easy enough to attract people. It’s like a business, no, a gamble. If you let your desires lead you deeper, you’ll either find a fortune or death. It’s ruthless.

"During the beginner’s training, they said that only slimes and goblins are in the first to fifth floors. Sylph, can you guide me through the shortest route? I think a few battles will be enough."

"Understood."

Since I can defeat liches, I shouldn’t have any trouble with goblins. Let’s move on quickly.

"Even though Bell and the others won’t have much to do, please follow me so you don’t get lost."

"Okay," "Quack," "Got it," "Ku."

They seemed a bit disappointed, but at first, there wasn’t much for them to do. I carried my hammer, which I had shrunk to fifty centimeters, and moved forward.

"Yuta, that’s a goblin."

"Ah, that’s it."

A goblin came running from ahead, shouting loudly. It had a club in its hand, green skin, and a piece of cloth wrapped around its waist. It felt like a game world.

"Should I take it down, Yuta?"

"Yeah, I’ll handle it for now."

The goblin was smashed to pieces with one swing of the hammer. It wasn’t much different from zombies or skeletons.

"This is a waste of time for me to fight, so let’s just move on. If goblins attack, Bell and the others can take them down."

I had been fighting myself until now, thinking it was wrong to ask children and small animals to do it, but for the sake of speed, I decided to let go of my principles.

"Let’s take it down, Bell!" "Quack, quack!" "I’ll do my best."

Bell and the others seemed happy to have something to do rather than being bored. Wait, Tamamo looked down.

"Tamamo, what’s wrong?"

"Ku."

Tamamo looked at me sadly. ?? What’s wrong?

"Oh, Tamamo can’t create plants with magic yet, so she can’t fight in the cave."

Sylph explained. I remember her saying that. Her ears and tail drooped cutely, but I had to comfort her.

"Tamamo, there will definitely be a place where you can fight, so please bear with it. I’m looking forward to seeing your magic."

I patted her head, and she seemed to understand that there would be a place for her to shine, as she playfully jumped around. She’s so cute. Bell and the others joined in, and we had a little playtime in the cave.

"Alright, let’s move on. Oh, I want to fight a slime, so please let me know if you see one."

Satisfied with our playtime, we moved on with Sylph’s guidance.

***

"From here, the enemies will start to appear in groups, right?"

"Yes, but it won’t change much. They’re still goblins."

The labyrinth is designed in sets of five floors. The first two floors are low difficulty, the next two floors increase in difficulty, and the last floor is the boss. The cave and natural fields alternate. After the first five floors of the cave, the next area is a grassland. There are supposed to be ruffbirds here, so I need to hunt them.

Incidentally, there’s no convenient system like being able to teleport to floors you’ve already visited. The deeper you go, the harder it is to return, and it takes time to get back to where you were before. The deeper you go, the more difficult and troublesome it becomes to clear the labyrinth.

"Then, let’s prioritize moving forward as usual and go straight to the boss. Everyone, please help."

Bell and the others, full of enthusiasm, responded energetically. Thanks to their enthusiasm, goblins and slimes were dispatched rather easily, to the point of being sad.

Bell and the others were flying ahead, taking down goblins and slimes, so as I moved forward, I saw goblin and slime corpses scattered around. I was storing them, but disassembling them was a hassle. A few times, Bell and the others had gone too far, and I had to summon them, but overall, we progressed smoothly through the cave.

I had warned other adventurers not to kill the monsters, but I doubt anyone saw us. Given the current lack of spirit mages, if something invisible started slaughtering monsters, it might become an urban legend.

Incidentally, I fought a slime once, but it just squished under the hammer, so I decided to leave it to Bell and the others.

***

Is this the boss room? A grand door stood firmly in front of me. When I opened the door, five goblins in full gear were inside. Honestly, I think it’s a waste to have goblins come out when you open such a grand door. It would be more fitting if the enemies were a bit stronger.

"Sylph, those goblins?"

"Soldier, Mage, Priest, Archer, Thief. You should be fine, Yuta."

"Since it’s the boss, I’ll handle it just in case."

When I entered the room, the goblins attacked. I easily dispatched them with the hammer. In a weak floor, fighting doesn’t really have much meaning. I’ll let Bell and the others handle it until I encounter enemies that will help me gain experience, except for the first encounter with a new enemy.

When I defeated the boss, the door at the back opened with a rumble, revealing a staircase leading down. The grand door and the boss being goblins felt more wasteful than anything, even to the point of being depressing.

"Phew."

"Why are you sighing all of a sudden? What’s wrong?"

"Well, it just feels out of order. The thrill of the labyrinth is supposed to be the tension and worry before the boss, and the excitement of defeating it. Just swinging the hammer around doesn’t give me that feeling."

"What are you talking about? Not everyone who enters the labyrinth is a beginner. Many skilled adventurers come to the labyrinth city, so most people easily defeat the first boss and move on."

"I see. You’re right."

The sense of achievement I mentioned is probably only felt by true beginners who became adventurers in this labyrinth city. I became an adventurer in the labyrinth city, but since I had already survived the Land of Death, it was only natural to breeze through the early floors. Let’s get back to exploring.

When I descended the stairs... wow, this is another world. I had heard about it, but there was a grassland spread out normally. There was no sun, but the sky was high and the breeze was cool. It didn’t feel like we were inside a labyrinth at all.

"Hey, Sylph, this place seems to have a better environment than the outside. Why don’t people live here?"

The grassland had a cool environment. It felt like it would be a great place for a summer retreat, even without a lake.

"Hmm? I’ve heard about setting up a base in the labyrinth, but I don’t think people would live here. It would be troublesome to live in a place where monsters suddenly appear."

That’s true. I don’t know how monsters appear, but it would be a hassle if they suddenly appeared in your yard. Let’s move on.

But why is it so bright without a sun? How far can we fly up? The labyrinth is full of mysteries.

"Hey, Sylph, the nature here is so rich, but I don’t see any spirits. Are there no spirits in the labyrinth?"

"Yes. The labyrinth is, in a sense, another world. Spirits don’t come near. We wouldn’t even be able to enter if we weren’t contracted to you, Yuta."

"Is that so? Do you get sick or anything?"

"No, it’s fine. Spirits just don’t like places with a weak connection to the world."

I see. I understand that spirits have their own preferences.

"I get it. So, Sylph, this is a grassland, but can you find the stairs?"

"I can, as long as they’re not hidden. It’s impossible in places where air doesn’t circulate."

It feels like I’m on a labyrinth tour. Sylph is an excellent guide.

"Then, please lead the way. I want to secure some ruffbirds, so if there are any nearby, let me know."

"Sure. Let’s go this way."

Sylph led us to the stairs. Apparently, this floor has goblins, kobolds, and ruffbirds. I decided to let me handle the kobolds and ruffbirds for the first time.

Ruffbirds... they’re like giant chickens. They’re about my size and come charging at me at high speed, pecking with their large beaks. They’re scary, but they’re weak, so I cut off their heads with a saw to avoid damaging the meat.

Kobolds... they’re just faster than goblins, not much different. They attack with their teeth bared, which is a bit unpleasant.

Since it was a hassle, I left it to Bell and the others and moved on. Tamamo was particularly active here. She launched plants from below to impale the monsters, entangled them with plants, and showed a variety of ways to take them down. She seemed so happy to be able to contribute that she flew over to me each time she defeated an enemy, looking for praise. She’s so cute. After moving a bit further, I’ll set up a mobile base and rest. I wish I had brought a bed into the labyrinth. I’m a bit regretful.

***

Three days into the labyrinth. Cave, grassland, cave, forest, cave, swamp, cave, ruins. After passing through the cave, we reached the volcanic area where adventurers were stuck.

I fought new monsters myself, but physical attacks were no problem, so the changing terrain was more troublesome. I thought about flying, but flying through the first labyrinth would lack romance, so I pushed through the early floors. Only the early floors, though. Thanks to that, my magic bag was full of monsters.

There were many traps in the caves, but Sylph and Tulu saw through all of them. Tulu covered the areas with traps with surrounding rocks, so we could move forward with peace of mind.

I thought about digging down through the labyrinth’s rocks, but it was apparently dangerous. You wouldn’t normally reach the bottom, but would be thrown into a distorted space. Also, if you messed with the labyrinth too much, it would get angry.

In the forest, orcs and trolls appeared. Orcs... thinking about eating them made me a bit depressed, but knowing they were delicious, I decapitated and stored them. I think I would have refused to eat them if I hadn’t eaten orc meat first. Good job, past me.

In the swamp, the terrain was difficult, and we encountered poison toads and giant toads, which required courage to fight. The giant toad was as big as a two-story house, and its eyes were very creepy. Just looking at it made me want to go back to Earth.

The marshland lizard used in my equipment also appeared. Since the marshland lizard’s head could be easily cut off, I became a bit worried about my equipment. There were many unpleasant enemies, but I searched the swamp for rice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it, so I took it out on the giant toads.

The caves and ruins from the 31st floor were a den of undead, and I was honestly fed up. I was so tired of the smell of the undead that I fast-traveled through the entire floor except for the boss. It was good that I could fly without being seen by anyone, as the undead were unpopular in the labyrinth.

I left most of the fighting to Bell and the others, moved through the shortest route, and fast-traveled through the caves and ruins where the undead appeared. It still took three days, so I wonder how long it would take a normal party to clear it.

Incidentally, in the caves, Sylph used a wind cocoon to repel the undead while flying. It was like a roller coaster. Flying through narrow passages was quite scary. If I had been controlling the wind cocoon myself, it would have been a major accident. I’m grateful to the spirits.

"But it’s pretty hot here. This place is tough."

I thought I had gotten used to the heat from the Land of Death, but this was even worse. Sweat was pouring down. Is this a sauna?

"Is that so? Then I’ll blow some wind on you."

When Sylph said that, a cool breeze gently blew around my body. It was quite refreshing.

"Sylph, why is the wind cold? Wouldn’t it just be hot wind in this heat?"

"It’s magic."

It was a simple and convincing reason. It’s magic, so of course, it can be a cold wind.

"Anyway, Yuta, there are a few people on this floor. What should we do?"

"Huh? There are people? Oh, right, this is the front line of the labyrinth. It makes sense that there are people here."

There were almost no people after the undead started appearing, so I hadn’t even considered that there might be people here. But if they’re here, they’re most likely adventurers. What should I do?

The lower floors of this labyrinth exploration are not included in this story but will be covered in a future event. I hope you can bear with the shortened version.

Thank you for reading.