CH 68

Mountainous Region

———————–

After defeating the Fire Dragon… well after Sylphy did, we searched for a wide area in the 51st floor cave and set up a base camp for the night. Since my strength clearly increased after defeating the Fire Dragon, I checked my levels before reading the book about the hero who conquered this Labyrinth up to the 87th floor.

Name: Yuta Morizono

Level: 80

Stamina: A

Magic: B

Strength: A

Intelligence: B

Dexterity: A

Luck: B

Unique Skills:

Language Comprehension

Exploration Tool

Skills:

Life Magic

Hammer Technique

Night Vision

Hahaha, my level went up by 35 all at once. I defeated quite a number of monsters in this Labyrinth, but my strength clearly changed after defeating the Fire Dragon.

As the level goes up, it becomes harder and harder to level up again, so I probably gained more than 20 levels from defeating the Fire Dragon alone. Is this what they call “beginner’s luck?”

I must have become quite strong by now, but it’s strange that I still feel like it’s no big deal with Sylphy by his side. I take a moment to remind myself that there will always be someone stronger than me and shifts my focus. I should just be happy that my level went up. Now, let’s read the hero’s book.

…A harem life that I can only envy. The person truly embodied the spirit of a hero who loves adventure. The book also contained information about the Labyrinth, with the battle against the Fire Dragon being the climax in the middle.

According to this book, the danger level increases significantly from floor 50 and beyond, although it’s not as high as the 49th floor. The level of normal enemies also rises considerably.

As a result, many valuable items can be gathered. From the 51st to the 59th floor, it seems like they are is a mountainous area where precious herbs and minerals have been discovered. It feels like the first stage ends on the 50th floor and the second stage begins beyond that.

I don’t know if there are floors beyond the 100th, but if there are, the third stage would probably begin from the 101st floor.

“Sylphy, since that’s the case, shall we collect a lot of valuable herbs and minerals in the mountainous area from tomorrow onwards?”

“I don’t mind, but aren’t we aiming for floors beyond the 87th? If you surpass the hero, the guild master will definitely regret it.”

I have thought about that too, but it won’t work. It’s too soon.

“Sylphy, if I go beyond the 87th floor, the guild master will be surprised and would be regretting his decisions, but he will have an excuse to apologize then.”

“What do you mean?”

It seems like Sylphy doesn’t understand. Maybe it’s just my bad personality.

“I mean, it’s somewhat easy to apologize to someone when he has surpassed a hero. Everyone would take that for an excuse. After all, they were harassing someone who surpassed the hero.”

I might receive criticism for speaking, but that’s all. If I apologize, it will depend on my magnanimity. If he apologizes, I might have to end the dispute immediately. It’s a bit too easy to end it like that.

“But what do you think will happen after we keep unloading the mountainous items? If the guild master’s strategy succeeds on the 49th floor, he can catch up with us, so I don’t think he’ll be willing to apologize.”

“I’m sure he’ll be very frustrated, but I’ll endure it and do my best while unloading materials, believing in the success of the strategy.”

“That’s true, but if the strategy succeeds, they will catch up to us.”

“The strategy will take time to succeed and the guild master will be occupied with other problems. And even if it succeeds, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will catch up to us. And if it fails, I think the guild master will be in a lot of trouble. As long as I am ahead, materials from this Labyrinth will not be delivered to the Adventurer’s Guild in the Labyrinth City.”

“Yuta, you really have a bad personality.”

“Yuta, bad boy?” “Kyu?” “Not good, you know?” “Ku?”

Sylphy scolded me, and the spirits seemed to agree with her.

I was scolded by Bell and the others. Sylphy’s reaction seemed more like she was exasperated than angry, so there shouldn’t be a problem. But I need to make an excuse to Bell and the others.

“Listen, everyone. I said this during the Zombie general incident, but this is a battle that I, no, that a spirit mage fights for their dignity. You heard what the adventurers at the guild were saying about me, right? Spirit mages are being looked down upon. In this dangerous world, where being underestimated can be damaging, we have to fight thoroughly.”

I’m also going to have a bit of fun, but I shouldn’t say that out loud.

“Is that so?” “Kyu?” “Hmm?” “Kuu?”

“That’s right.”

I assert myself confidently. I can’t show any hesitation right now. Alright, it seems like Bell and the others are convinced. That was close. Unlike Sylphy, Bell and the others are good, innocent kids. I can’t show them anything ugly. At the very least, I need to make sure they acknowledge my justification.

If I can successfully train myself as a spirit mage, and combine it with this, I wonder how the people at the guild will react…I’m starting to feel excited about it.

We passed through the cave and entered the mountainous area.

“It’s really big. Can we even call this a labyrinth?”

Why are there even bigger mountains inside the labyrinth? I don’t understand the meaning behind it.

“That’s right. According to what Yuta read in the book, it seems to become something else from the 51st floor. It’s about five times bigger than the previous floors we’ve seen.”

…Five times bigger? I haven’t seen every corner of the previous floors, but just imagining the size makes it hard to swallow.

“Well, we want to focus on collecting materials, but we don’t know where to go. It’s easier when we have a clear destination like the stairs.”

The volcano had sparse vegetation, so the visibility was good, but the mountainous area had trees and grass fiercely claiming their territory.

“Since there’s no one here besides Yuta, should we fly around and search for a promising spot?”

I don’t even know how long it will take, so maybe it’s better this way. The romance of the labyrinth was lost when the undead appeared, and with it being this big, I don’t feel like exploring it the normal way when there are other means. I’ll save the romance for another time and steer towards the easier route this time.

“Let’s do that. Let’s focus on searching for places with distinct features.”

Sylphy put up a cocoon of wind for me and we took to the skies. I asked Bell and the others to let me know if they find anything interesting and we split up. When we found something amazing, everyone got excited and flew off to investigate. By the way, for some reason, Bell flew off on Rain. Are they searching together?

“Yuta, there’s a village over there.”

I looked in the direction Sylphy was pointing and indeed there was a village. Many huts were built on the mountainside that had been cleared. It’s quite large in scale.

“What kind of village is it? Are there no humans?”

“Yes, there’s an Orc King there. He has formed a large group. There are also Goblin King, Kobold King, Troll King, and Ogre villages scattered throughout the mountains. It seems like they’re fighting with each other.”

“What about each king? Are they A-class?”

Even after passing the 50th floor, they still can’t break away from their ties with goblins, kobolds, and orcs. And they’re causing trouble with their groups.

“Yes, they’re A-class. When you consider their group, it might be even harder than fighting an Assault Dragon.”

It seems like the mountainous area of the labyrinth has turned into a warring states period for monsters. Hmm, I’m already tired of facing a large army. If I’m found, I’ll fly away and escape. They can’t fly, so I should be able to get away.

Exploring this vast mountainous area while fighting various groups of monsters would make me nauseous. Let’s search for other promising spots while flying.

“Sylphy, I don’t really have a clue. The book said there are quite a few valuable medicinal herbs like Magic Grass, which is used to make the highest level of magic power recovery potion, and Universal Grass, which is used to make the highest level of universal medicine. Do we have to go down to find them?”

The book stated that there are medicinal herbs that can be obtained in the mountains that gave heroes the power to advance even further after preparing themselves. These two herbs can be obtained outside the labyrinth, but they are incredibly rare and their discovery in the labyrinth caused a big stir.

Furthermore, as we progress deeper into the labyrinth, there is something called Godly Grass, which is a medicinal herb that can be used to make Recovery Potions for missing body parts. This herb was discovered by the heroes themselves, and after the Pharmacists Guild mobilized to research its potent power, the full Recovery Potion was created.

It was named Godly Grass because of its divine-like power, but it was said that it doesn’t actually contain the power of a god.

“It’s definitely easier to search for those herbs. Shall we go down?”

“That seems like a good idea. Oh, Turu has come back. Did you find something?”

“I found something good.”

Turu said with a smile, looking a bit proud. He took us to a place where the rock face was exposed.

“Turu, what’s here?”

“Mithril ore.”

…Mithril, right? The super-famous metal from fantasy stories. I want a Mithril sword or armor so badly.

“That’s amazing, Turu. Thank you for finding something good.”

I pat Turu’s head and praise him. Mithril is a huge treasure. I remember that Turu said he couldn’t extract minerals yet, so I’ll store the vein inside the rock and have Nomos extract it after making a contract.

“I’ll mine the vein, Turu can guide us to the right spot. Sylphy, could you eliminate any monsters approaching us in the surrounding area?”

“Sure.”

“Got it.”

Following Turu’s instructions, I use the magic shovel to dig out the mineral veins and store them. I wonder how much Mithril is contained in this rock? Turu reinforces the collapsed areas by solidifying the rocks, allowing us to continue digging without worry.

There seems to be a labyrinth-like area created in the dungeon. It’s probably better to fill it up after we finish digging.

“Yuta! Yuta! Bell and Rain found something amazing. Come over here!” “Kyu kyu. Kyu kyu.”

Bell and Rain fly over excitedly, making a fuss. “Wait, Bell. I’m still digging. Turu, how much more mineral veins are there?”

“There are still plenty more.”

That’s good news. We’ll be able to get a lot of Mithril.

“Alright. Let’s temporarily stop digging and check out what Bell and Rain found.”

“Okay.”

“Yuta, hurry up!” “Kyu kyu.”

“Okay, I’m coming. Bell, Rain, calm down for a bit.”

Bell and Rain are excited to show me what they found, flapping their fins and hands. They’re so cute. We go outside and join up with Sylphy, sealing the hole with rocks. It would be troublesome if monsters got inside. Sylphy creates a cocoon of wind around us.

“Preparations are complete. Bell, Rain, please guide us.”

“Okay!” “Kyu!”

Without delay, Bell and Rain shoot off into the distance. I wonder what they found? We fly after them, eventually arriving at a slightly dark and eerie place, thick with trees.

“Yuta, look over here!” Bell points to a large tree… or rather, a hollow within the tree. Peeking inside, we see a shiny, luxurious golden chest.

“Wow, Bell! Rain! You found this? How did you find it?”

“Bell is amazing!” “Kyu kyuu!”

The excited Bell and Rain explode with joy upon being praised and begin flying around the forest. It’s going to take some time for them to calm down.

However, who would be able to find a hollow in a tree in this dense forest? Well, Bell and Rain did, but it’s not something that would be found easily.

Now, I wonder what’s inside this gorgeous chest? I’m very excited to find out.