The tunnel connecting Ebiza to Illumasia was located on the tenth floor of the labyrinth. Apparently, this was the path the resistance would be taking to sneak into the empire. After seeing them off at the entrance, we took the same route as them, purposefully choosing the one that had traps. Despite her title of Holy Oracle, it seemed that Melphina couldn’t see what we were doing.
With Brod and Lionel’s overwhelming strength, combined with Kefin’s clever use of the trap-disarming techniques he had learned from my master in the Labyrinth of Wiles, we reached the boss room on the tenth floor impressively quickly, considering how small our group was.
“This labyrinth’s monsters are so damn weak,” Brod said, looking bored out of his mind.
“For now,” Kefin rebuked him. “But the adventurers who tried clearing this place all gave up on the thirtieth floor, so I assume that’s where the real challenge begins.”
“Then let’s stop wasting our time here and hurry up.”
“Master, whatever you do, please don’t step on a trap and die on the spot,” I interjected.
“What do you take me for? I’ve already got the skill, so I’m not gonna do something that stupid.”
That’s my master for you, I guess.
It seemed that Lionel wasn’t too happy about being left behind, though.
“Kefin, Ketty, you two focus on disarming the traps, all right? I’ll be going ahead.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yep!”
Kefin and Ketty nodded in unison.
You’ll “be going ahead”? That’s what you’ve been doing this entire time! I almost retorted, but there were so many sparks flying between Brod and Lionel that I decided to keep my comeback to myself.
After a bit more walking, we regrouped with Kefin in front of what I assumed was the boss room door.
“The boss of this floor is on the other side of the door. According to my information, it should be a pack of black wolves,” he announced.
“Are they strong? Do they have any annoying abilities?” I asked.
“No to both. We shouldn’t have any issue defeating them. Well then, let’s go.”
With that, he touched the door, and it opened on its own. We made our way to the middle of the boss room, and twenty or so black wolves appeared from the ground. The biggest of them let out a howl, and all the beasts charged us at once. I wouldn’t say that this was a coordinated attack of any kind; it was more likely that rushing at their opponent was the black wolves’ only way of dealing damage. As long as they didn’t change direction midair, they posed no real threat to us. All I needed to do was place the blade of my Illusion Sword directly on their path, and they began turning into magic stones. Of course, Brod and Lionel didn’t struggle either, and we managed to gain control of the room in the blink of an eye.
“This was surprisingly easy,” I remarked. “So? Do you guys really want to keep going?”
“What would have been the point of coming all the way here if we left now?” Brod shot back.
“We haven’t been here for so long that we need a break, so I’d like to keep going, if that’s all right with you,” Lionel added.
“Sure.”
We gathered the magic stones left behind by the monster and descended the stairs to the eleventh floor.
“Is it just me, or is it a bit dark down here?” Brod asked.
“It is. The labyrinth might be getting darker the deeper we venture,” Kefin replied.
“Maybe. Just remember, Kefin, it’s only going to get tougher from here, so prioritize your safety, you hear?”
“Yes!”
Why did I feel like Brod treated Kefin more like his apprentice than he did me?
Anyway, it was amazing how different this place was compared to just ten floors above. Black wolves—the monsters we’d fought in the boss room—soon began appearing in the corridors.
We’re about to get busy. I sighed inwardly as my companions and I pressed on, subjugating the monsters as they appeared.
“We’ve come all the way to the twentieth floor and didn’t end up running into any annoying monsters,” Brod said. “Having an accurate map of the place sure is handy.”
“It is.” Kefin nodded. “But there are a lot of blanks from the next floor onward, so we’ll need to be more careful.”
“Yup.”
Brod gestured for him to open the door to the twentieth-floor boss room. As before, it swung open on its own when he touched it.
I entered the room, progressing with caution, but couldn’t find any enemies. “There’s no way there’s nothing in this— Over there!”
I swung my Illusion Sword at the shadow charging toward me, and by the time the wolf revealed its appearance, it had transformed into a magic stone. It seemed that this was some sort of assassin-type wolf.
I turned around to warn my friends to be careful, but it turned out I didn’t need to. They had already taken down multiple wolves, as evidenced by the magic stones scattered around them. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh of relief when I realized I couldn’t sense any more monsters nearby. However, I was a bit taken aback by how efficient my comrades had been. Don’t get me wrong; I knew they were strong (especially Lionel), but this showed just how big the gap between their combat abilities and mine was.
“I didn’t notice the monster at all until it lunged at me. How did you guys spot them so quickly?” I asked without thinking.
Brod shrugged. “I just sensed their presence.”
“I’m always on the lookout for unusual presences and mana signatures,” Lionel said. “When something feels off, I attack in the direction I sense it coming from.”
“Monsters have a scent. This time, I used that as a hint to know where to strike,” Kefin told me.
“Same here,” Ketty chimed in. “I saw some dark shadows moving, so I swung my sword at them.”
“I can tell where enemies are hiding, so I used that to my advantage,” Estia explained last.