Chapter 87

This time, there are cruel descriptions, so please be careful if you are sensitive to such content.

Today is August 2nd, that's right! It's Underwear Day. Be careful not to get caught! (ﾟдﾟ)

"Hey, hey, do you want me to teach you spirit magic?"

A pixie, with her arms crossed, speaks to Yuu, but her face is smeared with honey, ruining the effect.

"No thanks. I can use spirit magic."

"Hmph. You're probably only at Level 1 or 2, right? My spirit magic is at Level 8!"

"Wait, wasn't that girl's spirit magic... Level 3?"

"Yeah, she's a bit too boastful, isn't she?"

The surrounding pixies start to tell the truth, and her face quickly turns red.

"Why are you saying that! It's true, I did exaggerate a little. Just a little!"

"Alright, if you can use spirit magic, show me."

"Ah, when I use spirit magic, things get complicated."

The pixies start to murmur, saying things like, "It must be a lie," and "Humans like to show off."

"But even if I can't use spirit magic, I think Yuu is a good person!"

Yuu unfolds the first-tier spirit magic, "Water Bullet." Water spirits quickly gather at his fingertips.

"Wow, Yuu, you can use spirit magic!"

"I told you I could. But..."

More water spirits gather. Even though there are already enough water spirits to cast "Water Bullet," their numbers continue to increase.

"H-How many water spirits are you gathering?"

"I told you it would get complicated. They seem to have noticed me, a human, and are gathering out of curiosity."

The water spirits not only gather at his fingertips but also around Yuu's body, perching on his shoulders and kissing his face. The pixie clinging to Yuu's head hurriedly pulls the spirits away and starts to drive them off.

Even after Yuu cancels "Water Bullet," the water spirits linger. It takes the combined efforts of all the surrounding pixies to finally drive them away.

"It doesn't seem like you're lying... You seem to be a decent spirit mage, though not as good as me."

The pixie who initially offered to teach Yuu spirit magic with a smug look on her face is still trembling but hasn't changed her attitude.

The pixie clinging to Yuu's head puffs out her cheeks and pushes away the few remaining water spirits.

"By the way, does this labyrinth have a name?"

"We call it the 'Maze of the Enchanted Garden.' I don't know when it started, but it has been called that for a very long time."

After making a promise to come back, Yuu is finally released and proceeds to the 14th floor.

He updates his enchantment magic and starts to steal skills from the monsters on the 14th floor. From the Green Slime, he steals "Poison Attack Level 4," from the Mud Mantis, "Paralysis Attack Level 3," from the Dragonfly, "Agility Enhancement Level 1," and from the Murder Beetle, "Paralysis Resistance Level 3" and "Physical Ability Enhancement Level 2."

As he steadily steals skills and progresses through the labyrinth, Yuu reaches the 16th floor and sees five figures ahead. Checking their statuses, the highest level is a tiger person covered in muscles at Level 42, a dwarf at Level 33, and the remaining three humans at Levels 33 to 35.

When they notice Yuu, they stop. Yuu tries to pass by without incident, but a man with a bastard sword on his shoulder blocks his way.

"Hey, you're trying to pass without even a greeting? I'm Gums of the clan 'Leaf of Authority.' You know the tiger person, 'Iron Fist Elda,' right?"

"Never heard of him. Move if you have no business with me."

At Yuu's words, a vein pops on Gums' temple.

"Gums, calm down. Kid, there's no need to be so confrontational. Aren't you the adventurer named Yuu?"

Yuu silently looks at the tiger person called Elda.

"It seems we have the right person. How about we exchange information? Rank 5 monsters start appearing from the 13th floor, and the vast labyrinth with various traps makes it difficult to progress."

"The guild will release the information tomorrow. You can buy it then."

Elda's lips curl up at Yuu's words. The dwarf man looks at Yuu with admiration.

"I see. It seems you've progressed further than us. We need that information now. Understand? If we wait until tomorrow, we won't be able to outpace the others. How about five gold coins?"

"Elda! Don't pay five gold coins to this brat. Hey, brat! Hand over the information without a fuss. Do you understand what it means to make our clan an enemy?"

Ignoring Gums, who is spitting threats, Yuu starts to walk away.

Elda restrains the enraged Gums in a headlock.

"Elda, why? That brat will spill the information if you just threaten him a bit!"

"That kid came to the 16th floor alone. No one is that straightforward. How about this: when we pass by with monsters while he's fighting them, or you provide support from behind while he's fighting?"

Elda's words make Gums grin nastily.

"That's... a good idea. That brat is so cocky, wearing better equipment than me. I don't like it."

"I'm against it."

When the dwarf man voices his opposition, Gums taunts him.

"Polon, did your unique skill activate?"

"Yeah, the spirits keep whispering that we shouldn't fight that brat. They've given me advice before, but this is the first time they've kept whispering. How about we tail the brat without attacking?"

"This coward! We are 'Leaf of Authority'! What are you saying? Even with a B-rank Elda, are you saying we might lose?"

"That's not what I mean. My skill, 'Whisper of the Spirits,' rarely gives advice, but it has never been wrong."

"Hey, we need to decide soon or we'll lose sight of the brat."

A man with an obsidian halberd steps between Gums and Polon.

"Fine! Let's go. That brat might know where the pixies we missed earlier are. He might even know where the dryad is."

"Alright. I don't think I'll lose to a brat—ahhhhhh!"

Suddenly, a spear of earth shoots out from under Polon's feet, piercing his legs. With both legs pierced, Polon crouches on the spot.

"What! Did a trap activate?"

"Impossible! If it were a trap, Polon, the scout, would have noticed it! Naran, did you sense any magic?"

"No, it activated suddenly. But... I sensed magic for a moment."

"Which is it?"

"Calm down! Naran, cast a healing spell on Polon. Faim, pull the spears out of Polon's legs."

The man called Faim, holding the halberd, tries to pull the spears out of Polon's legs, but the spears have barbs that would tear into Polon's flesh if pulled out forcefully.

"These spears... they have barbs."

"Got it. I'll cut the spears at the base, so stand back."

Elda takes a stance to deliver a hand strike. Elda's jobs are 'Martial Artist,' 'Boxer,' and 'Heavyweight Boxer,' and his trained body is a weapon in itself.

"Polon, it will hurt, but bear with it."

Muscles bulge from Elda's arm to his back. Elda intended to cut the spears at the base with his martial art, 'Hand Strike.'

"Got it... hurry, do it—Elda!"

Polon's voice and the sudden killing intent make Elda twist his body.

"Hmm... I thought I pierced your heart, but you're tough."

"You! What do you think you're doing!"

Gums yells at Yuu, still maintaining a distance despite his anger, as befits a C-rank adventurer.

"I just tried to kill you before you killed me."

"Grr... Kid, you heard our conversation from that distance?"

Elda is pressing a hand to a bleeding wound in his side. He managed to avoid a fatal blow but was still hit, and a significant amount of blood is flowing from his left side.

Naran prepares the third-tier black magic, 'Thunderclap,' without incantation.

"Thunderclap, huh..."

Naran is surprised at Yuu's words. He doesn't understand how Yuu could sense the 'Thunderclap' he was preparing without incantation.

However, Naran has no time for that. Yuu has already cast the first-tier black magic, 'Stone Bullet,' at him.

"Idiot! Do you think you can pierce my barrier with such a spell!"

When the 'Stone Bullet' hits Naran's triple barrier, it shatters and scatters, piercing the barrier and Naran's face.

"Aaaaah! My face!"

Thanks to the barrier, Naran survives, but the fragments of the 'Stone Bullet' are embedded in his face, causing him to roll on the ground.

"How did the 'Stone Bullet' pierce Naran's barrier? This brat!"

"Shield Skill: Shield Charge."

Faim thrusts his obsidian shield and activates the shield skill, 'Shield Charge.' Yuu activates the shield skill, 'Stone Wall,' and takes the hit head-on. Despite the tremendous impact, Faim is the one who is sent flying. Looking up at the unmoving Yuu, Faim mutters that he is a monster.

"You, don't move."

Yuu spreads his magic in a web-like pattern on the ground using 'Heavenly Net' and activates the second-tier black magic, 'Earth Lance,' through the threads.

Elda and the others, distracted by the sudden events, fail to notice the magic threads.

Faim is impaled in the thigh by an 'Earth Lance' and pinned to the ground.

"Don't underestimate me! Sword Skill: Flash!"

Gums releases the sword skill, 'Flash.' A flash of light-like sword strikes approach Yuu, but Yuu counters with 'Flash.'

Gums, confident in his sword skills, tightens his grip on the deflected bastard sword and glares at Yuu.

"The same sword skill...! ? Don't joke with me! How many years did it take me to get this far? Twenty years... I've honed my sword through daily practice. There's no way a brat like you can block it!"

"Gums! Stop!"

Gums ignores Elda's warning and launches a barrage of sword strikes at Yuu, but Yuu dodges them all.

"Always running—"

The moment Gums tries to taunt Yuu, his arms are severed by the higher-level sword skill, 'Flash Flower.' The sword strikes are so fast that Gums doesn't realize his arms have been cut off at first.

"Aaaaah! Why... How can a brat like you have a higher-level sword skill than me? Ah, my arms!"

Gums, having lost both arms, loses his fighting spirit and continues to scream like a madman.

"Kid, you got the order wrong."

Elda is rapidly recovering from his injuries with a potion and the martial art, 'Body Activation.'

"No, the order was right. I intended to prevent the dwarf from escaping from the start."

"I'm the strongest in this party.

Kid, remember this. When fighting multiple opponents, the rule is to take down the strongest first. Let's end the talk and start, shall we?"

Elda's body is filled with magic from his martial art, 'Combat.' He uses the advanced skill, 'Flow,' and the martial art, 'Limit Break,' to remove his body's limits. His already strong body, as a beastman, grows even larger, becoming a mass of violence.

Using the martial art, 'Step,' Elda closes the distance to Yuu in an instant and delivers a straight punch with his right fist, but Yuu blocks it with his left arm. Elda is shocked; no one has ever withstood his punch, which has shattered bones in the past, let alone a human child.

"Using swords, magic, and even martial arts!"

Elda, who had raised his guard and tried to keep his distance from Yuu, finds that his right fist, which was blocked, doesn't come loose. Upon closer inspection, the contact point is frozen.

Yuu, having let go of his sword, retaliates with a punch. Elda forcibly pulls his frozen fist away, tearing off skin and flesh. He blocks Yuu's punch with a cross guard, but he soon realizes it was a mistake. Yuu's right fist is red and then turns a dark color, and the smell of burning flesh rises from the arm that blocked it.

"Grrr... Can you infuse your arm with magic!?"

Elda changes his thinking, no longer considering Yuu as a lower opponent but as a superior one. He feels a pressure from a human child that he has never felt, not even when fighting an Earth Dragon. Cold sweat pours from his body. However, Elda notices that Yuu is not trying to kill Gums and the others, and sees an opportunity to exploit this leniency. He applies a potion to his frostbitten and burned arms while keeping his eyes on Yuu.

"Do you know that our clan, 'Leaf of Authority,' has the backing of the Minister of Finance, Barley Volyn Nox? Not only that, but our clan has over fifty members. You have no chance of winning."

Elda tries to intimidate Yuu to gain a psychological advantage, but Yuu picks up his sword with an expression that seems to say, "So what?" Elda knows that close combat is dangerous, but with the magic threads spread on the ground, he can't predict when magic will be cast. He believes that the only way to win is to engage in close combat.

Elda uses his ultimate skill, the unique skill 'Semi-Beastification,' to significantly enhance his physical abilities and uses the martial art, 'Step,' to close the distance again. As Elda rushes in, Yuu uses the sword skill, 'Gale Lightning,' to aim for his neck.

Elda uses the martial art, 'Steel Body,' to reinforce his limbs like steel and sacrifices his left arm to block the sword. The sword cuts through the silver gauntlet and slices halfway through Elda's arm, but it doesn't completely sever.

"I've got this match!"

Elda knew that Yuu would most likely aim for his arms or legs. It was clear from the previous battles that Yuu didn't intend to kill, so Elda focused on protecting his limbs. If he could survive, he would then use the martial art, 'Power Strike,' to strike Yuu's throat, a vital point, and kill him.

Elda puts all his strength into his right fist and delivers a punch. In the moment he thought he had won, he looks at Yuu's face. Is he surprised, scared, or turning pale with fear of death? But Yuu's expression is different. It reminds Elda of a spider when its prey is caught in its web. However, Elda can't stop the 'Power Strike' he has already launched and puts even more force into his punch. Elda's punch, which would be fatal even to an Earth Dragon if hit directly, is blocked by an invisible wall. The invisible wall is actually a barrier Yuu has set up, but Elda's punch pierces it as if it weren't there. However, it is immediately blocked by the next barrier. Each time a barrier is broken, the power and speed of Elda's punch decrease slightly. By the time it reaches Yuu's throat, the initial power and speed are gone. Yuu dodges the punch and strikes Elda's fully extended elbow with a palm strike.

A dry sound echoes, and Elda's right arm is broken. Before he can feel the pain, Yuu continues his attack, delivering kicks to Elda's legs. The kicks fracture the femoral necks of both legs, and Elda collapses to the ground, unable to stand.

Yuu steals skills from the fallen Elda and drags him towards Gums and the others.

"If you surrender now, I'll spare your life... Do you understand what will happen to your family, friends, and acquaintances if you do this to us!?"

Elda, unable to move with his limbs destroyed, barks, but Yuu ignores him, steals skills from Gums and the others, and beheads them.

"What!? No, no way! Why are you killing us. You can't... you can't kill us..."

"Did you think I couldn't kill you? I have no intention of letting you live. I immobilized the dwarf scout first because he would have been the most troublesome if he escaped."

"L-Liar! You deliberately targeted our limbs to make us combat ineffective—"

Before Elda can finish his sentence, Yuu's sword pierces his heart.

Yuu collects the equipment and item pouches and casts necromancy on Elda