Chapter 63

It has been a week since I consulted Grandpa about magic.

I am now heading to the weapon development forge. It seems that my sword is finally complete.

"Good morning, Alan."

"Hey, Orun. Good morning. It's finally done. Your sword!"

As he said this, he handed me the sword wrapped in cloth.

After receiving it, I unwrapped the cloth to reveal a sword that was entirely black from the hilt to the blade.

As requested, it was made using black dragon scales, but it lacked any luster, instead appearing to absorb light.

The shape was a long sword with a double edge, tailored to my height. It had no excessive decoration, but its simple form exuded a presence that immediately marked it as a masterpiece.

"Thank you, Alan. Can I try a few swings?"

"Sure, of course."

I moved to an open space and swung the black sword. There was no sense of discomfort when swinging it; it felt natural in my hand. The balance was perfect.

(This is a sword made just for me. Amazing...)

"How does it feel?"

"It's perfect. You're the best blacksmith in *Silver Hare of the Night Sky*. Thank you."

"That's good to hear. As you requested, I used black dragon scales and minerals, and infused them with the blood of a Hide Turtle. For some reason, the durability has slightly decreased, but it's still much tougher than most ordinary swords."

"That's not a problem. I can cover for that with my support magic."

"Got it. So, have you decided on a name for the sword?"

"Yes, I've decided to name it *Schwarzhaas*."

"Schwarzhaas? I've never heard that word before."

"Probably not. It's from a language of a certain region."

"Interesting. What does it mean?"

"It means 'black rabbit.' It's a black sword born in *Silver Hare of the Night Sky*."

"I see. That's a good name."

◇

After receiving the sword, I headed to the strategy room, where everyone was already gathered.

"Good morning, Orun! Hey, hey! Can I see the sword you made?"

As soon as I entered, Lucre, in high spirits, asked to see the sword.

"Good morning, Lucre. Sure."

I took out *Schwarzhaas* from my storage magic tool. Not only Lucre, but the others also looked at *Schwarzhaas* with great interest.

"Wow! It's black! So cool!"

"For a sword made with black dragon scales, it lacks luster."

Will raised a question.

"I asked for it to be matte. It would stand out if it reflected light."

"With this, we're finally ready to go to the deeper levels."

Selma said with a sly smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"What, we've been waiting for a year. This is just a minor delay."

"True. Finally, we can go to the deeper levels—our revenge is at hand!"

Rain's words seemed to carry a lot of emotion.

"Then, as we discussed before, we will head to the deeper levels with full preparation! Today, we will explore the 91st floor. If there are no problems, we will tackle the 92nd floor again! Is everyone ready?"

We all nodded in response to Selma's question.

"Then let's go!"

"YEAH!!!"

◇

We arrived at the 91st floor of the Great Labyrinth. This is our first deep level with this team.

The 91st floor is a swamp area.

The ground is muddy, making it difficult to get a good footing. The trees that grow here are leafless and decaying.

Most of the monsters that appear here are undead, either rotting to a pulp or reduced to bones. Their movements are simple, and their individual combat power is low. However, they appear in abnormal numbers, one after another, and we have to deal with them constantly.

Furthermore, if we don't collect the magic stones regularly, the monsters that absorb them will become stronger. While a few absorbed stones won't make a noticeable difference, it adds up over time. It's best to prevent the monsters from absorbing the magic stones.

The monsters are already troublesome, but the smell here is terrible. The air is stagnant, and the environment is so bad that it could make you feel sick if you stay for a long time.

Monsters immediately appeared. They were bipedal, ape-like creatures that were rotten. There were more than fifty of them. Even this number is considered small for this floor, which shows how many there can be.

The strategy here is to fight in a tight formation.

With so many monsters, it's difficult to manage hate for each one. The rear guard can't use their full power if they are surrounded, so the front guard will protect the rear guard while fighting.

The three rear guards formed a magic barrier around themselves.

I and Will stood diagonally opposite each other on the outer perimeter, dealing with the approaching monsters.

Rain and Lucre were using magic to attack the monsters coming from a distance. Selma, as usual, was giving orders and managing buffs.

In this situation, area-of-effect attacks that can hit multiple monsters at once are required.

"Ready! Both of you, come inside the magic barrier!"

Rain's voice echoed in my mind, and I followed her instructions to enter the magic barrier. Once she confirmed we were inside, Rain activated the spell she had carefully constructed over time.

A tsunami erupted in a 360-degree radius around us, engulfing a large number of monsters.

The other four of us, excluding Rain, scattered lightning-based magic into the water, causing the monsters to be electrocuted and quickly defeated.

"There are so many monsters and it smells bad. I really don't like it here!"

As we finished off the monsters, Lucre complained. I can understand her feelings. The monsters are grotesque and rotten, and the environment is terrible.

"This is one of the worst environments, but if we can fight here for a long time, we should be able to handle similar situations in future floors. Fortunately, the monsters here are numerous but not strong. Let's keep going."

Indeed, if we can fight in this environment without issues, the 92nd and 93rd floors will be better in terms of environment, and I understand Selma's point. The 94th floor is a different kind of harsh environment, and the floors beyond the 95th, which I haven't been to, could be even worse.

We continued to fight multiple times. Each battle took longer than in other floors, and we had little time to rest. The difficulty is definitely higher in the deeper levels. We decided to return because the amount of magic stones we collected had increased significantly.

The 91st and 92nd floors are almost opposite in terms of environment, but we confirmed that with our current team, we can get through the deeper levels without major injuries.

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