Chapter 39

We are now on the 16th floor of Labyrinth No. 4. This floor is where Queen has the Killer Bees under her control, so I'm thinking of leaving it for a few days.

By the way, can I see Queen's status? If I can, I'd like to see it, but since the details of how to use the Status Orb are unclear, it's a bit difficult. Well, let's give it a try.

"Status Open"

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Genocide Bee / ♀ / Queen / Lv.67 (→80)

HP: 4600

MP: 3500

Master: Owl

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Ah, I can see it. It seems I can see it after a few days. From now on, I need to test it every day to determine the interval.

By the way, Queen is quite strong, isn't she? ...Hmm? What's the arrow and 80 next to the level? Is it something like a growth limit?

By the way, it seems that I can also see the status of monsters, but there are fewer items that can be seen compared to humans... But if I can use it on enemies, it might be used like an identification spell. It's still far from practical, but if I can master it, it will become very convenient.

"By the way, what are the levels of the two of you now? You killed a lot of monsters in the Stampede, so maybe they've gone up quite a bit."

"I'm also curious."

"Hehe, if you don't mind, can you check?"

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Human / ♀ / Luna / 15 years old / Lv.67

HP: 3500

MP: 5100

Strength: 150

Agility: 160

Spirit: 230

Luck: 20

Benefit: Serious

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Human / ♀ / Yomi / 16 years old / Lv.72

HP: 3700

MP: 4300

Strength: 150

Agility: 230

Spirit: 240

Luck: 45

Benefit: Sexy

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Both of them have gone up quite a bit. As expected, if you kill that many, even weak monsters will level up. With this, we should be able to go up to the 20th floor without any problems.

Now, it's my turn. I wonder how much I've leveled up from one Horn Chimera?

"Status Open"

...

Huh? It's not showing.

"Status Open!"

...

It seems I can only do it three times. Come to think of it, I could only see three people's statuses at that time. I need to remember to experiment to see when I can see them again!

"It seems I can only see the status three times a day. And once I see it, I might not be able to see it for a few days. I'll continue to experiment with this, so you two shouldn't forget either."

"「Understood, Master.」"

"Then, Queen, we're going to go down a few floors, so please wait here. You can move around in the forest area up to the 19th floor, but don't push yourself and get hurt. I'll come to pick you up in five days, so please be on the 16th floor. Got it?"

Shiver!!

Yeah, as expected of Queen. She's a different level from other monsters. Her cuteness and intelligence are on a different level. Well, Queen will probably dominate the Killer Bees again and collect honey for us, so I need to collect it later. What a reliable familiar.

"Then, let's go down to the next floor. Since we're at it, I'll leave the monsters to the two of you. I'll take care of gathering and securing wood."

"Leave it to me, Master!"

"I will eliminate the enemies, so please rest assured."

After the Stampede, they seem even more reliable. No, it's just my imagination. It's just my imagination.

The forest area is already familiar, so we can progress smoothly. The forest regenerates without showing the traces of the trees I cut down before. The Labyrinth is amazing; it can grow trees in just a few days. This means we can get high-quality wood from the Labyrinth indefinitely as long as it exists! ...It feels like there's a chance to make a fortune, but if I go too far, it will be tough later. So, I'll hold back.

"By the way, Master. I understand the gathering, but why are you securing so much wood?"

"I was also wondering about that. Hehe, are you building a house for us?"

Building a house, huh? That could be a good idea! I don't know the storage limit, but if I can store a house, wouldn't that be great? I can sleep in a house even while traveling, which is the ultimate luxury. A log cabin can be made with just wood, or I could provide the wood to a carpenter to build it.

"Building a house is a good idea. But the reason I'm securing wood now is to make charcoal."

"Charcoal, you say?"

"What is 'charcoal'?"

Seriously... But now that you mention it, I haven't seen charcoal in this world. It seems that using fire magic items is common for forging, so there might not be much demand for coal or charcoal.

But meat grilled over charcoal has a different kind of deliciousness. The yakitori uncle used a magic item for yakitori, so maybe I should try to spread the goodness of charcoal. I'll go see the uncle after we leave the Labyrinth.

"Master?"

"Ah, sorry. Charcoal is something that can replace fire magic items. Grilling over charcoal is more fragrant and delicious than regular grilling."

"「More delicious than regular...」"

My girls are really food enthusiasts. It's nice to see people who eat a lot, so I'm happy. Still, I think the two of you are quite big eaters, but why don't you get fat...?

Glance

No doubt. All the nutrients are going to the right places.

While thinking about this, Yomi suddenly leans in close to my ear and whispers.

"Hehe, Master. Do you want to touch?"

B, Busted!!! And if I get a gentle response after being caught, I almost start touching!

Dangerous, dangerous. If I didn't have my adamantium-level mental fortitude, I would have crossed the line.

"Hehe, just kidding, Master. We're in the Labyrinth, so it's not allowed, okay?"

Grr... I feel like I'm being toyed with by Yomi. She usually comes on strong, but...

Huh!? Is this the "if pushing doesn't work, try pulling" technique I've heard about?

Very naughty. When did you learn such advanced techniques...? Remember this, Yomi. I will definitely get my revenge!

"Ugh! Anyway, grilling over charcoal is delicious. That's why I'm securing the wood."

"Of course, Master! If there's anything I can do to help with the delicious meat, please let me know!"

...Luna is more interested in food than in being sexy.

"Since it will take some time, let's focus on advancing the Labyrinth for now."

"「Understood, Master.」"

We advance to the 20th floor. Since we're at it, let's practice stripping feathers and meat from the Thunder Eagles.

"When you defeat a Thunder Eagle, first use earth magic to capture it. Once it's unconscious, strip all the feathers and secure the meat while using healing magic. This is the general process, but can you do it? I'll handle the healing magic, so you take care of the rest."

"No problem, Master!"

"Hehe, I'll strip the marrow from the bones."

Yomi's words sound a bit gruesome, but she's very reliable as a companion.

"Alright, let's go."

"「Yes!」"

To sum up the results, both of them are too reliable. What's with their excellent teamwork? It felt like I saw the essence of "neither killing nor letting live." The monsters were almost pitiful by the end... Namu.

"Even though I'm not as good as Master, how about this?"

"Pushing the limits isn't bad. I felt like I was awakening to something."

No, you were better than me. Your efficiency and the time it took were better than mine. Yomi, you need to calm down. Don't go to the dark side!!!

No, no, I need to calm down. I shouldn't use such character-like phrases.

"Then, let's go to the next floor."

By the way, the Labyrinth areas I know so far are as follows:

1-5 floors: Cave Area

6-10 floors: Grassland Area

11-15 floors: Wetland Area

16-20 floors: Forest Area

21-25 floors: Desert Area

26-30 floors: Lakeside Area

31-35 floors: Volcano Area

The tricky part about the desert area is that it's hot, and most of the monsters that appear hide in the sand and attack. It's a great place to practice detecting and responding to hidden threats.

"Then, I'll watch from behind while you two handle it. We've been through this area before, so you should remember the way, but this time it's without me."

"No problem, Master! We'll eliminate any enemy!"

"This dry place is bad for the skin, so let's get through it quickly, Luna!"

"Of course!!"

That's the reason! But you're right; having beautiful skin is a good thing. I'll give you some toner next time.

Thus, the training of Luna and Yomi began.

●Day 1●

We broke through the desert area from floors 21 to 24 with all our might. We eliminated approaching Sandworms, desert wolves, ant pits, and sand scorpions with intense determination. They started to use the ring's spatial awareness to detect monsters that couldn't be detected by presence sensing, and their magic usage improved as they got used to combat. This kind of sense can only be developed through actual combat, and it seems they got quite used to it during the Stampede.

The boss on the 25th floor was a Sand Ant, a monster resembling an ant that commands countless Lesser Ants. The Sand Ant itself is large, about 3 meters long, but the Lesser Ants vary in size, with the smallest being as small as real ants, making them perfect for presence sensing training.

Thanks to the training in spatial awareness and presence sensing beforehand, we managed to defeat the Sand Ant.

According to Yomi, "Sand and heat are the enemies of maidens!"

...I'm impressed by her consistency even at the end!

●Day 2-3●

The lakeside area from floors 26 to 29 has relatively fewer monsters, but each one is much more troublesome. Stealth Bears, Night Vipers, Invisible Chameleons, Phantom Magic Trees—monsters with quirks and more quirks.

The Stealth Bear, as the name suggests, is a monster that can evade presence sensing. The Night Viper is cunning and cruel, the Invisible Chameleon can disappear both in presence and appearance, and the Phantom Magic Tree looks like a regular tree but confuses and drains its victims.

Thanks to the results of the first day, they managed to defeat the monsters by using spatial awareness and presence sensing. I'm also teaching them more magic, and it might be time to teach them Thunder and Water Dragon Summoning.

...Luna and Yomi almost became nutrients for the Phantom Magic Tree, but I'll tell that story another day. What kind of illusions did they see?

"I, I can't tell Master!!"

"Hehe, hehehehehe"

I'm curious. I'm really curious, but my sixth sense is telling me not to ask. ...Good job, my sixth sense!

The boss on the 30th floor was a monster that resembled a dragon in the lake, a Thunder Catfish. It's a tough monster to defeat because it uses electricity in the water. When I fought it before, it was quite a challenge. In the end, I had to use storage to drain all the water and immobilize it before defeating it. ...That's why there's still a lot of water in storage.

In contrast, Luna and Yomi:

"Ice Coffin!"

The lake froze in a matter of seconds. ...Is this what a strategic victory looks like? Luna is looking at me, hoping for praise.

Good job.

Yomi, don't make a handkerchief!

By the way, I couldn't see the status on the third day either.

●Day 4●

On the fourth day, we finally entered the volcano area. The monsters here are strong, and the area itself is challenging. You need to wrap yourself in water or ice magic to progress, which is good practice. The Lesser Lizards, Evil Eels, and Red Cyclops appeared as usual. By this point, both of them had become much stronger, so we decided to fight together.

As expected, there were no monster presences on the 34th floor due to the Grand Zale. There must have been some monster here originally, but what kind of monster was it?

The boss on the 35th floor, the Fire Lizard, was instantly killed last time, but how strong is it really?

The Fire Lizard's main attack is Fire Breath, and the temperature is high enough to melt anything it touches, which was quite alarming, but it was manageable.

"Water Dragon Summon!"

What!? Yomi, Yomi!! When did you learn that? I haven't taught you yet! You can only summon one Water Dragon, but the technique is complete!

"Hehe, I practiced a lot! Please praise me."

Good job!

...What a happy face, Yomi. I almost got a heart flutter.

Luna, don't look at your companion like she's your enemy!

●Day 5●

Today is the final day of training, but can we reach the 40th floor?

The 36th floor, which we're entering for the first time, looks more like an ancient city than an environmental area. There's no presence, but the spatial awareness shows a reaction.

"Intruder detected. Immediate elimination."

The attackers were the "Golems" I've been researching but haven't succeeded in creating yet. Specifically, full-metal mechanical Golems.

"Finally found them... Golems. Luna, Yomi! Capture them!!"

"「Understood, Master.」"

After that, Golems were hunted throughout the Labyrinth for their materials.

I'll update this bit by bit.

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