Chapter 18

"Raaaaah!"

I swung my sword with all my might to vent my frustration and defeated the beast.

Somehow, I managed to defeat all the beasts.

(Damn it! I’m so frustrated.)

A major reason for my irritation was that Philie, who had just joined the party today, kept letting the buffs from her support magic wear off during battles.

At first, I was excited by the support magic that far exceeded Orun’s effects.

But when the sensation of my body being disrupted multiple times during battles, it started to build up my frustration.

When the buffs from support magic wear off, my physical abilities naturally return to their original state.

And they don’t return gradually; they return instantly.

While standing still or walking might be fine, during battles, I’m making intense movements.

When the buffs wear off during those moments, it feels like a large number of weights are suddenly attached to my body.

I feel as light as a feather, then suddenly as if weights are attached to my entire body, and then light again.

Repeating this process is a significant physical and mental burden.

On her first day of exploration after learning support magic, she managed to keep the buffs from wearing off during battles after just an hour.

We’ve been in the Great Labyrinth for several hours now, haven’t we?

"I-I’m sorry! I’ll get the hang of it soon!"

Philie apologized, looking down with a guilty expression.

...Indeed, her adaptability was at an abnormal level.

I acknowledged that.

It might take a bit more time for a regular support mage to prevent buffs from wearing off.

"Yeah. I’m counting on you. And since Derrick and I are the front-line fighters, we have many blind spots. Tell us about the next moves of the beasts in our blind spots. As a support mage, you should be able to see the whole picture, right?"

"N-no, I can’t do that! Right now, just maintaining the support magic is all I can handle..."

This is Philie’s first exploration with this party. I’m also aware that my resistance to magic is high.

Indeed, even though she’s an excellent support mage, it might be a bit harsh to expect her to do the same job as Orun, with whom I explored for nearly ten years.

Unable to blame Philie, I turned my anger towards Aneri, who was the next source of my frustration.

"Aneri, this is the deeper level! Even if our goal is to confirm coordination, this isn’t a place to play around, do you understand!?"

Aneri hasn’t been properly defeating any beasts today. The attack magic she uses is so weak that it barely damages the lower-level beasts.

The consequences of this have been falling on Derrick and me.

"I’m doing my best! Just like always! So why! Why can’t I cast stronger attack magic!?"

Aneri screamed hysterically.

Her attitude suggests she’s not lying, but what’s going on?

"Don’t take it out on others, Oliver. You’re not in top form today either. I’m not in top form either. Is this a slump? For three out of five of us to suddenly fall into a slump, it must be a really unlucky day."

Derrick was right. My own attack power has decreased. My sword, which usually cuts through even the toughest opponents with ease, can’t do that today.

But why, when my physical abilities should be significantly enhanced by Philie’s support magic?

As for Derrick, he used to maintain his composure no matter what attacks came his way.

But today, he’s been losing his balance frequently against the beasts’ attacks and has even taken some direct hits.

"Damn it! I haven’t slacked off on my solo explorations! So why am I so weak!?"

As the party leader, I usually try not to show my weaknesses, but with my frustration building up, I couldn’t help but complain.

"……Don’t you understand that?"

Luna, who hadn’t spoken a word since the welcome party two days ago, asked in a tone that conveyed deep disappointment.

"Luna, do you know the cause of our poor performance!? ……Now that you mention it, you’ve been acting as usual."

Derrick, who reacted quickly to Luna’s statement, asked her.

If she knows the cause, I’d really like to hear it.

I need to conquer this Great Labyrinth.

I can’t afford to stand still here.

"……Hmph. You really don’t understand. I’m at a loss for words."

With that, Luna closed her mouth again.

"Hey! Tell us! How can you act like that when your comrades are struggling!?"

Aneri, angered by Luna’s attitude, confronted her.

"……Comrades, huh? I see, you’re still like that. ……Sigh, I have no choice. The reason you’ve become weaker is—"

Just as Luna was about to explain, a thunderous roar echoed from above.

"Why……"

One of us, looking up in the direction of the roar, muttered.

It might have been me.

What we saw was a massive, reptilian creature with a body covered in obsidian-like black scales.

Moreover, its back was adorned with wings so large they could almost cover its entire body.

It was a beast that perfectly fit the description of a malevolent creature.

I knew this creature.

"Why are you here!? —Black Dragon!!"

The Black Dragon, the floor boss of the 92nd level, was looking down at us from far above.

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