Chapter 85

When I slipped through the opened door, another set of stairs leading down continued. The space was decently wide, allowing us to spread out and walk five abreast.

We proceeded further, and gradually the green glow from the walls and floor intensified. The stairs ended, leading to a straight passage.

This place seemed similar to the usual labyrinth, but since it was an ancient ruin that glowed green, the atmosphere was a bit more eerie than usual.

Taking the lessons from the last time, this time I decided to give everyone a transceiver and an escape device before entering.

With this, even if something happens, we can communicate and escape.

"Alright. I'll take the lead this time, so Noll, I'll leave the rear to you."

"Huh? You, Oogura-sama, are taking the lead! What's going on?"

Since there are likely many traps in ruins, it's better for me, who has high resistance to status ailments and high defense, to take the lead. The rear can be left to Noll, who has the highest stats, without worry.

I suggested this, but Noll was covering her mouth in surprise at the idea of me taking the lead. ...Isn't she overreacting a bit?

"Is it really that surprising?"

"Last time, you said we were setting off and made me take the lead, didn't you?"

...Bringing up old stories again... Indeed, that happened. But now, with better equipment and higher levels, it's embarrassing to keep relying on Noll. I want to prove that I can also perform well!

"Then, shall I let my big brother protect me properly?"

As I was getting pumped up, Estelle hugged me from behind.

"Hey! No hugging! Estelle, stay in the center of the group!"

"Ah--"

Since Estelle and Sisya have low defense, I want them to stay in the center of the party where they can be protected. So, I gently peeled Estelle off. She let out a small sound, frowned, and looked up at me with a sad expression.

"Ugh... I'll protect you if anything happens, so don't make that face."

"Oh... Hehe, it's so nice to hear you say that."

Seeing her made my heart ache, so I inadvertently used the words Sisya had said before. Hearing this, Estelle's sad mood vanished, and she smiled happily. Switching so quickly!? Could it be an act...? Am I being played?

As I was dumbfounded by Estelle's quick switch, I noticed Sisya covering her mouth and grinning.

"What, what is it?"

"Hehe, nothing at all."

"It's just that I have the highest defense, so I thought I should protect them! More importantly, make sure to heal them if something happens!"

"Indeed, you're not very honest. I'll heal them, so please proceed with peace of mind."

She must be remembering the time I said the same thing to Sisya. I don't want to prolong this and get into unnecessary arguments, so I quickly cut off the conversation and started moving forward. Glancing back, I met Sisya's eyes, and she was still grinning.

Damn... I shouldn't say embarrassing things...

"Phew. Have you always been like this? You guys lack tension."

Luna, who had been silently listening to our conversation, opened her mouth in a somewhat exasperated tone. Indeed, we might have been a bit too relaxed upon entering the labyrinth.

"Being too tense isn't good either."

"Just a bit more tension. Look, a monster is coming."

Luna pointed down the straight passage, and I could see a green, liquid-like substance on the floor. It started to rise and gradually changed shape, finally forming a hand-like structure. It's like a hand growing out of the floor... It's really creepy to look at.

Let's check its stats since it looks like a monster.

---

●Species: Ligas Manus

Level: 45

HP: 8500

MP: 0

Attack: 20

Defense: 10

Agility: 80

Magic Resistance: 60

Special Ability: Assimilation

Skill: Bind

---

Hmm? It's weak? But the skill "Bind" is concerning. It's not a threat due to low HP, but it could be a nuisance.

I approached to take it down, but the Ligas Manus turned back into a liquid-like state and disappeared into the depths before entering my attack range. Its agility is quite high, so it's pretty fast.

"Escaped... Better than a Mummy, but this could be a troublesome monster."

"If it suddenly emerges from the ground or walls and grabs us, it could be dangerous."

A monster that runs away on its own is rare, like the Frogman. It's good not to have to fight, but it could be troublesome if it grabs us during battles with other monsters or when we trigger traps. In that sense, it might be one of the more annoying monsters we've encountered.

After encountering the Ligas Manus, we continued down the straight passage and eventually reached a slightly wider area with several room entrances. Hmm, it seems to be a bit of a maze from here... This could be troublesome.

I stepped into one of the rooms that caught my eye...

"Whoa!? Ah, that was close..."

The moment I took a step into the room, something came swinging down from above, cutting through the air from both sides. It was so fast that I wouldn't have been able to avoid it, but thanks to Excalibur, my action speed was increased, and I managed to retreat and avoid it. The green, square-like stones collided with a thud, blocking the entrance.

"There's a trap."

"You reacted well, Oogura-sama."

"Thanks to Excalibur, I managed to see and react in time..."

I thought I was going to die... It's a deadly trap right from the start. I'm glad it was me who triggered it. I probably wouldn't have been crushed, but I'd rather not hit it. Since I have the fastest action speed in the group, I was the best person for the job. Good thing I have Excalibur.

We started exploring other rooms, and various traps were triggered. The floor would sink, and arrows or spears would fly from the sides, or taking a gem embedded in the wall would cause the ceiling to descend. ...I wish they would cut me some slack.

"Phew... There are fewer monsters, but aren't there a lot of traps?"

"Maybe this is to make up for the lack of traps in the upper ruins."

"Indeed, it's better for Heisaburo to take the lead."

There were no traps in the upper ruins, but here it's like a trap sale. I've managed to avoid all of them, so I haven't been injured, but it's mentally draining. The only monsters we've encountered are Mummies and Ligas Manus, so the battles are quite easy.

I collected gems and other items that seemed necessary, but I don't want to go through such scary experiences. I want to finish this labyrinth quickly and relax at home, pulling gacha.

"Finally, a large room. ...What's that orb in the middle?"

"It looks like a surveillance system. We should be careful entering this room."

"Oh, there's a treasure chest in the back!"

After exploring multiple rooms, we finally found a passage leading to another area and proceeded. The passage continued straight, but there were a few rooms along the way. One of them was quite large, with a crystal orb on a pedestal in the center. The red dot inside the crystal orb was scanning the room, like a monocular.

There was a depression in the back of the room, and a large iron treasure chest was placed there. It seems the crystal is monitoring to prevent the chest from being taken. So, the chest likely contains something important?

The crystal's movement seemed alive, so before entering the room, I checked if it had any stats. However, the status app showed no reaction. So, it's not a monster but just an object?

Since there's no point in hesitating, we immediately stepped into the room.

"Hmm? Nothing seems to--!"

As we reached the middle of the room, the red dot in the crystal orb turned towards us. In the next instant, the crystal glowed green, and a laser-like beam was fired.

"Ouch!? Oh no! Hurry, get back to the entrance! Let Estelle and Sisya escape first!"

"Understood!"

I blocked the beam with a pot lid, and a tremendous impact shot my arm back. I managed to hold onto the lid, but my hand was still tingling from the shock. It was a powerful attack.

Looking back at the crystal, it was already charging another beam, so I quickly called for Noll and the others to retreat to the entrance. Noll and Luna would probably be fine if they were hit, but Estelle and Sisya might not be, so they had to go first.

Thanks to my increased action speed, I managed to block the attack and act as a decoy while Noll and the others retreated to the entrance. As I turned to run, something exploded with a "pop" sound, and I was blown back to the entrance, rolling on the ground.

"Ouch!? My butt, my butt is split in two!? Heal! Heal!"

"Calm down! The pain will go away soon."

I endured the pain, holding my butt, and asked Sisya to heal me. Light gathered on my butt, and a warm sensation enveloped it. Damn... I didn't expect it to attack so quickly... I misjudged the attack timing.

"Phew... What was that laser-like attack?"

"For you to take damage, it must be quite powerful."

"Mmm... But the treasure chest in the back seems important, so we can't ignore it."

It was likely a magical attack, but even with my holy shroud, it hurt a lot. Noll and Luna might have been in trouble if they were hit. Honestly, the hit to my butt was quite painful, and I felt like giving up and running away.

But if it's guarded so heavily, the contents of the treasure chest must be valuable. Is there a good way to deal with it?

"Estelle and I can try attacking it to see if we can break it."

"That's a good idea. It's better than trying to force our way through."

As I was pondering, Luna suggested breaking it. Estelle and Luna, who can perform ranged attacks, could safely attack from the entrance.

Estelle took out a red grimoire and readied her staff, while Luna lifted her spear and prepared to throw it. Luna threw her spear with all her might, and Estelle launched a slightly smaller fireball at the crystal. The room shook slightly from the explosion, and black smoke covered the area where the crystal was.

Wow... Was that overkill? I remember the crystal reacted strangely when I broke the chest, but I think Luna and the others are the same.

"Not a single scratch..."

"My attack didn't even scratch it..."

"Is it part of the labyrinth?"

When the smoke cleared, the crystal was completely unharmed. Luna looked shocked, and Estelle seemed unsurprised. Seriously... It can't be broken? I remember trying to break a wall in the labyrinth before, and it didn't even scratch. Is this the same?

Hmm... If it can't be broken, there's no other way. The crystal has a high rate of fire, so a frontal assault would be tough, and running through would be difficult. A way to avoid the monocular... Ah, I have an idea. But will it work?

"I want to try something, so I'll go in again."

"Are you sure? Don't do anything reckless."

"Don't worry. I'll come back immediately if it doesn't work."

I took out the Invisible Mantle from my bag to try. If I become invisible, I should be able to avoid the monocular's surveillance. But if it detects heat or uses some other method, it could be dangerous. I placed a beacon before going in to ensure I could return quickly if needed.

I stepped into the room again to get the treasure chest. As I approached the spot where I was detected before, I was nervous about being hit. I reached the middle of the room and glanced at the crystal, which was facing a different direction, seemingly unaware of my presence. Good, it seems to rely on visual detection. This way, I can safely take the contents of the chest.

I reached the chest and cautiously lifted the lid, worried it might be locked. But it opened when I pushed it up. I carefully opened the lid to avoid alerting the crystal and reached in to take the contents.

I immediately tried to use the beacon to leave, but a "Cannot use" message appeared. What... It doesn't work on the same floor? Well, I'll have to walk back slowly.

"Phew... I was on edge, thinking I might be hit at any moment."

"That red eye-like thing attacks when it sees you."

"It's the first time this has been useful. I usually just use it for pranks."

We managed to return safely. I didn't expect the beacon to be unusable. It worked inside the ruins, but not in the labyrinth. Maybe it's a good thing we found out early.

Let's check the contents of the chest I retrieved.

"So, what is this broken stone tablet-like thing?"

"I don't know. I thought it might be a key, but this was inside."

"Hmm, from the jagged edges, it seems like it needs to be combined with other pieces."

The chest contained a square, palm-sized stone tablet. Two of its sides were jagged and rough, suggesting it could be combined with other pieces, as Luna said. Do we need to find multiple pieces of this? Hmm... This labyrinth will take a lot of time to explore, especially since we're in a hurry. I posted a summary of the gacha results on the activity report as requested. Please check it out if you're interested.