Chapter 40

We arrived at the entrance of the forest labyrinth.

There were no signs that anyone else had passed through here.

I'm sure that's the case, as I had it confirmed by Volfg.

Today, I've set aside plenty of time from the morning.

I want to clear this place as much as possible, but there are parts where I can't make an estimate.

The schedule is more or less flexible.

Adel and Ilyna are here too, after all.

We will break through the entrance of the labyrinth with a party formation.

We limited each person to summoning only one monster to conserve MP for that reason.

After breaking through the entrance, Volfg and I will leave the party.

Then, after applying and getting approval for a 'Union,' each of us will summon additional monsters.

I have Volfg, the Wood Golem Jericho, and the bat Gene.

Adel has the tiger Mii and the wolf Uu.

Ilyna has the calico cat Mami and the snake Toguro.

It's the same formation as yesterday.

A testament to our achievements and trust.

Well, there aren't many other options.

If there is a choice, it would be whether to switch Gene and Obsidian.

Personally, I don't mind either, but I want to level up Gene, who is still at level 2.

Mushrooms and Branch Golems attack from the other side of the ground or walls.

The detection abilities of Obsidian and Gene don't work well here.

In a narrow space, Gene has an advantage.

There is one thing that has changed significantly from yesterday.

Today, we decided not to use Flash Light to clear this labyrinth.

We will use the dark magic Noctovision.

The corridors here are not pitch black during the day.

A little light passes through.

With this formation, most of us can move normally without illuminating the corridors with light magic.

What we need are humans like me, Adel, and Ilyna, and Jericho.

Even a slight reduction in encounters with monsters would be a blessing.

However, we encountered four mushrooms and three Branch Golems before reaching the first large room.

It might not be much different, but it feels like a waste of spells, so let's keep going.

Now, about the route.

This labyrinth has large rooms at the vertices of an octagon, and there is also a large room at the center.

There are eight outer corridors and eight corridors connecting the outer and central rooms.

The direction of the outer corridors must be aligned.

In other words, it must be clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed from above.

And all the corridors must be one-way.

However, you can pass through them multiple times.

After verifying in my mind, I concluded that we can reach the central room by passing through 21 corridors.

Twenty-one corridors.

We also have to pass through the large rooms twice, so how many monsters will we have to fight?

It's not a small number.

I want to minimize the number of battles.

There are four large rooms that indicate the exit corridors.

They are likely located in the east, west, south, and north.

From the center, the first large room to the east is blue, the one to the north is black, the one to the west is white, and the one to the south is red.

We temporarily call them the Blue Square, Black Square, White Square, and Red Square.

The route is as follows.

From the first Blue Square, we head to the central room.

We immediately turn left into the adjacent corridor and head to the southeast room.

From there, we pass through three outer corridors counterclockwise.

This will lead us to the Black Square in the north.

Then, we head to the central room and immediately turn left into the adjacent corridor to reach another room.

From there, we pass through three outer corridors counterclockwise.

We repeat this process.

After four sets, we will return to the first Blue Square.

If we head to the central room, we should meet the conditions.

It's long.

So long.

Yesterday, we passed through 11 corridors and consumed a lot of MP.

I considered running away, but defeating them leads to level-ups, so it feels wasteful to avoid them.

I want to fight moderately and earn while conserving MP as much as possible.

It's a selfish desire, but it's the truth.

Well, let's just try it.

On the way to the first central room, we only encountered three mushrooms.

One of them was a Rush Fungus.

We used Jericho as a wall to divide and eliminate them.

I also stripped the obscene umbrella and split the Rush Fungus vertically.

It's scary how one gets used to things.

Watching from the side, it looks like an extremely cruel way to defeat them.

Truly, it's the epitome of evil.

We proceed to the corridor leading from the central room to the southeast room.

We didn't encounter any monsters here.

I thought, "What the hell?" but when I checked with the Call Monster spell, there were indeed monsters.

It seems that using the light magic Flash Light tends to attract monsters.

I wonder how mushrooms and Branch Golems detect light.

It's a bit perplexing.

Well, this is a game, so nitpicking the details is probably uncalled for.

From here, we need to pass through three outer corridors to reach the Black Square from the Blue Square.

I dislike long and boring tasks, but I have to endure.

"Finally, we've made it this far."

"There were 35 mushrooms and 6 Rush Fungi."

"There were 37 Branch Golems."

"That's quite a lot."

We returned to the first Blue Square.

We conserved MP as much as possible and mainly used potions for HP recovery.

We mostly burned the Branch Golems, which seems to have been the right choice.

Instead of collecting logs, we ended up with a lot of charcoal.

How effective was the Noctovision spell?

It's hard to compare in the short term.

Adel and Ilyna counted the number of monsters, but there were fewer monsters compared to the length of the journey.

I want to believe it helped conserve MP.

Naturally, defeating so many monsters yields a lot of rewards.

Adel and Ilyna's summoned monsters also leveled up.

Adel's tiger Mii reached level 3, and the wolf Uu reached level 2.

Ilyna's snake Toguro reached level 3, and the calico cat Mami reached level 2.

My summoned monsters also leveled up.

The wolf Volfg, the bat Gene, and the Wood Golem Jericho, all three of them.

Volfg

Wolf Lv4 → Lv5 (↑1)

Dexterity: 11 (↑1)

Agility: 25

Intelligence: 12

Strength: 12

Vitality: 17 (↑1)

Spirit: 10

Skills:

Bite, Sprint, Intimidate, Hearing, Danger Sense, Tracking (New!)

Gene

Bat Lv2 → Lv3 (↑1)

Dexterity: 15

Agility: 18

Intelligence: 11

Strength: 9 (↑1)

Vitality: 9

Spirit: 11 (↑1)

Skills:

Bite, Flight, Echolocation, Evasion, Ambush, Vampire

Jericho

Wood Golem Lv1 → Lv2 (↑1)

Dexterity: 4

Agility: 4

Intelligence: 4

Strength: 33 (↑1)

Vitality: 32 (↑1)

Spirit: 4

Skills:

Strike, Kick, Magic Resistance [Minor], Self-Repair [Minor], Block

I want to pursue a beautiful array of numbers, but the automatic allocation can't be helped.

Anyway, Volfg gained the Tracking skill.

A police dog?

No, it's a noble ability as a natural hunter.

It feels like a clear improvement.

We head to the central room.

The conditions should be met.

What will happen?

With a mix of excitement, we defeated the mushrooms blocking our way and proceeded.

We arrived at the central room.

Although we had passed through it many times, something was different.

A yellow human soul was seated in the center.

Adel and Ilyna, who were supposed to be standing back, were nowhere to be seen.

Their summoned monsters were also invisible.

My summoned monsters were still there, though.

The surroundings had completely changed.

It was unnaturally bright.

What's about to happen?

*This is the Forest Maze.*

*You have met the qualifications to challenge me.*

*Head north. There will be a path in the land of high mountains.*

*Head west. You will find hope in the dust.*

*Head south. If you can traverse the scorching land, you will find treasure.*

*But it will not be granted unless you defeat me.*

*Challenge me.*

*Fight me.*

*Show me.*

*Show me your power.*

The ground was glowing.

It looked like a magic circle similar to the Summon Monster spell.

Something was about to appear.

A Branch Golem?

No, it was much larger.

It was a wooden golem, which was clear from its appearance.

Jericho, the Wood Golem, is also tough-looking, but this one was similar in size.

However, its surface was unusual.

It looked wet, and something was growing all over it.

Mushrooms, right?

I'll try to Identify it.

Plant Golem Lv.???

Event Monster ???

*Let's begin.*

The battle started.

The first to clash was Jericho, who was acting as a wall.

If he could hold his ground, that would be enough.

But he was being pushed back.

Despite being pushed back, Jericho was the first to attack.

He hit the chestplate, but the monster's HP bar barely decreased.

In response, the monster's punch hit Jericho's torso, reducing his HP bar by about 10%.

This won't do.

One-on-one, we're at a disadvantage.

"Physical Enchantment: Earth!"

I boosted Jericho's defense and chose the next spell.

The main focus of the battle is still Jericho.

It's natural to prioritize his reinforcement.

Volfg and Gene were also attacking to keep the monster at bay, but the monster paid no attention.

"Physical Enchantment: Fire!"

I increased Jericho's attack power and chose the next spell.

But something had changed.

Suddenly, a mushroom appeared in front of me.

It wasn't there a moment ago.

I kicked the mushroom to knock it down and left the rest to Volfg and Gene.

Where did this mushroom come from?

I completely missed it.

Jericho's attack didn't hit the monster directly but scraped its surface.

Wood chips from both sides fell to the ground.

The wood chips suddenly grew into mushrooms.

What's going on?

No, it wasn't just wood chips.

The mushrooms covering the surface.

When they fell to the ground, they grew into mushrooms.

"Physical Enchantment: Wind!"

I further reinforced Jericho and hesitated in choosing the next spell.

Something was missing.

I had overlooked something.

I was certain of it.

While dealing with the mushrooms, I chose a spell I hadn't used before.

I was certain I should do this.

The incantation was relatively short, and the effect was activated.

"Sense Magic!"

I could now see the glow of magic in my eyes.

Jericho's body was covered in several colors.

I could also see the glow of magic in the monster.

This thing, was it under some kind of spell beforehand?

No, looking closely, it seemed the magic was not coming from the entire body.

It was the mushrooms.

The mushrooms were the source of the magic.

I left the mushroom I was dealing with to Volfg and had Gene attack the mushrooms on the Plant Golem's surface.

I prepared the next spell to heal Jericho.

Gene's fangs bit into the mushrooms.

But the attack didn't seem to go through.

They didn't even peel off.

No good.

There must be a way.

The first thing that came to mind was Dispel Magic.

But interrupting the battle between Jericho and the Plant Golem would be too dangerous.

I'll try the other method.

"Earth Heal!"

I healed Jericho to about 90% and chose the next spell.

What should I reinforce now?

Gene.

While kicking away another mushroom, I called Gene to my side.

I had him wait on my left shoulder and prepared the incantation.

Volfg and I finished off the mushrooms at the same time.

But new mushrooms were already appearing. It was endless.

"Enchanted Weapon!"

I could see the magical glow in Gene's fangs.

The target was the mushrooms. If I could eliminate them, I could focus on supporting Jericho.

Gene flew and attacked the Plant Golem.

He bit into the mushrooms. How about that?

The mushroom lost its magical glow and fell to the ground.

No new mushrooms appeared.

Bingo.

Can it work?

However, I couldn't eliminate all the mushrooms at once.

I reinforced Jericho again and chose the next spell.

I stopped another mushroom from attacking Volfg, who was fighting the mushrooms.

Volfg ripped the mushroom he was biting into two from the head.

But we couldn't let our guard down.

Two more mushrooms were approaching.

Volfg and I split up to deal with them.

I closed the distance quickly and knocked one down by its feet.

I left the rest to Volfg.

"Physical Enchantment: Aqua!"

I improved Jericho's attack accuracy and then focused on Volfg.

His HP bar was significantly reduced from the intense battle.

How about my MP?

It was down to about half.

The monster's HP bar?

It still had about 70% left, so we had some leeway.

It looks like it will be a close fight.

"Light Heal!"

I healed Volfg to near full.

Next.

This situation is disadvantageous if it continues.

Even to suppress the proliferation of mushrooms, Gene alone might not be enough.

I chose the next spell and decided to break the deadlock.

The moment the incantation was completed, I moved behind the Plant Golem.

I placed my hand on the monster's waist and cast the spell.

"Dispel Magic!"

The magical glow covering parts of the Plant Golem's body disappeared one by one.

So far, so good.

Immediately after casting the spell, the monster's kick sent me flying.

I crossed my arms to block it, but the pain was intense.

My vision went dark, but I managed to endure it.

You bastard.

You did it.

I struck the remaining mushrooms with a furious palm strike and chose the next healing spell.

My HP bar was reduced to less than half.

It was better that there was no penalty for taking a big hit.

After finishing off the mushroom in front of me, Volfg also finished off the last mushroom.

"Earth Heal!"

My MP was down to about 30%.

My options were limited.

Should I support Volfg next?

Or prioritize healing Jericho?

But it turned out to be unnecessary.

The moment Gene attacked the monster's head and dealt a small amount of damage, a large opening appeared.

Jericho's attack hit the spot.

The monster's upper body fell as if its head had been blown off.

Jericho pounced and captured the monster.

After that, Jericho continued to punch the monster, reducing its HP bar.

The last hit created a large hole in the monster's torso.

When the Plant Golem stopped moving, the voice echoed in my mind.

*You have shown your power correctly.*

*Proceed forward.*

The surroundings returned to the usual large room.

It seems to be over.

*You have gained a level-up in [Block]!*

*You have gained a level-up in [Wind Magic]!*

*You have obtained the title [Guardian of the Forest]!*

There were level-ups and rewards.

It was a tough battle, after all.

It wouldn't be worth it if there weren't.

To be honest, I thought we might be overwhelmed.

"Mr. Keith!"

"Are you okay?"

"We were worried when you suddenly disappeared!"

"There was an event. There are monster remains."

"Don't worry."

It seems the battle was invisible to them.

The 'Union' was also forcibly dissolved.

It seems you can't easily proceed without a title.

I left the task of removing items from the mushrooms to the two of them and stabbed the Plant Golem with a skinning knife.

Let's see what we get.

[Material Item] Magic Mushroom

Raw Material, Quality C, Rarity 3, Weight 0+

A mushroom that induces hallucinations. It can be used as a poison or medicine but is not generally available.

Handling requires caution.

This is bad.

I got nine of these dangerous items at once.

What should I do?

Protagonist Keith

Race: Human, Male, Race Level 6

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 5

Bonus Points Remaining: 22

Set Skills:

Staff Lv4, Strike Lv3, Kick Lv3, Joint Techniques Lv3, Throwing Techniques Lv3

Evasion Lv3, Block Lv3 (↑1), Summon Magic Lv6

Light Magic Lv3, Wind Magic Lv4 (↑1), Earth Magic Lv3, Water Magic Lv3

Fire Magic Lv2, Dark Magic Lv1

Alchemy Lv3, Pharmacist Lv3, Glassworking Lv3

Coordination Lv5, Appraisal Lv5, Identification Lv5, Cold Resistance Lv2, Grappling Lv4

Riding Lv4, Precision Manipulation Lv4, Jumping Lv1, Heat Resistance Lv3

Equipment:

Kay's Rod, Hare Chestplate + Series, Snow Ape Arm Guards,

Wild Horse Boots +, Snow Ape Leather Helmet, Backpack

Item Box ×2

Held Items:

Skinning Knife

Titles:

Apprentice to an Old Summoner (Temporary), Guardian of the Forest (New!), Seeker of Balance

Summoned Monsters:

Volfg, Wolf Lv