Ashley put the exam on pause. We began exploring the second basement level. I took the lead and advanced without hesitation, thanks to my goggles automatically mapping the labyrinth structure. Ashley followed behind with a small sword and round shield drawn.
The voices of the fleeing people became clearer when we reached the small room that connected to the staircase that led to the first level. We were heading in the right direction, and the sound sensor continued to pick them up as we advanced.
The train had not caught up with the three individuals yet—it was only a matter of minutes. We needed to step up the pace if we were going to reach them in time.
“Ashley, we’re not going to make it at this speed. I’ll go ahead and stop the train’s progress. I’ll also eliminate any beasts we encounter along the way. Just follow the sounds of battle.”
“It’s dangerous to go alone! Facing the train head-on will get you swallowed up quickly!”
“I don’t intend to annihilate all of them. Once I’ve created some distance from it and the children, I’ll retreat. You all head towards the surface once you meet up with them.”
I removed the P90’s silencer and turned on the tactical light. Until now, I had avoided using it for fear it might attract beasts. Now, this light would serve as an important deterrent. I removed the silencer so my gun would signal my location. This was not just for Ashley’s sake, but also to catch the train’s attention. I summoned spare ammunition and special grenades through TSS and inserted them into the magazine belt. My preparations were complete.
I exhaled lightly. “All right, I’m going in.”
I executed a slide jump forward, landed, then transitioned into a strafe jump. This transformed my movement into high-speed maneuvers, and I accelerated rapidly.
“Wait—”
There was no time to convince Ashley. Leaving her behind, I advanced alone into the dimly lit underground passage.
The fastest movement technique in VMB involved repeatedly performing strafe jumps. This made you move as if you were sprinting through the air. You continuously executed strafe jumps followed by slide jumps, then back to strafing.
The underground passage was wide enough for a person to run. I zipped through it, accelerating and increasing my speed further. Beasts and subhuman species appeared along the attack route. Ignoring them would hinder Ashley and the kids ahead. I crushed the beasts along the way with aerial shooting while doing high-speed maneuvers.
During high-speed maneuvers, I eliminated glass wolves and goblins by pulling the trigger at the moment the crosshair aligned with their bodies. If I missed any, I changed directions by jumping and circling around, and I made sure to eliminate every last one before proceeding. The sound of P90 gunfire echoed throughout the underground passage. It left in its wake monster screams and magic stones as I hurried forward.
I didn’t have to run long before I spotted the three individuals in the straight passage. It appeared I had arrived just in time. They were children, and a pack of glass wolves was closing in on them from behind. The three noticed me and started shouting something, but first, I had to deal with the beasts.
I took out an M18 smoke grenade from my waist-pouch. This special grenade has been deployed by the U.S. military since World War II. In VMB, it was slightly larger than a can of coffee. For three seconds after the pin was pulled and the lever released, it emitted colored smoke for one minute.
In the game, the colors—red, purple, and green—were randomly emitted. There was no damage element, as it just obscured your opponent’s vision. You could use forward-looking infrared mode to observe your enemies’ movements within the smoke.
While kneeling, I gauged the distance to the three running towards me and threw the M18 smoke grenade to a position where they could quickly pass through the smoke.
“Run through! Turn left ahead, and you’ll find someone waiting. She’ll help you escape the labyrinth!”
The three were startled by the grenade’s purple smoke. I conveyed the correct path for them and gave them subsequent instructions to guide them through.
“Ah, okay! Thank you!” one of the boys said as he ran past me.
I didn’t respond, as my focus was now on the glass wolves entering the smoke. I switched my goggles view to FLIR mode. I aligned the crosshair with the glass wolves, who were confused by the smoke effect.
There were a bunch of them. I carefully performed burst shooting to avoid wasting ammunition during their elimination. The map displayed a band of light. This had to be the train’s main body.
It wasn’t necessary to eliminate all of them. Once the three kids joined Ashley, and they reached the first basement level, I planned to join them. This straight passage was a highly advantageous battlefield for me, though.
I purchased spare magazines, M18 smoke grenades, and another type of special grenade from the TSS Shop. The Crystal Points consumption for this was minimal. I retrieved the spare magazines and special grenades from the summoned black supply box. Then I knelt in the center of the underground passage and arranged the ammo beside me. This would buy us enough time.
“Here they come!”
A group of eight goblins charged into the straight corridor. Behind them, I heard more creatures’ footsteps, numbering six in total. I threw an M18 smoke grenade at the forefront of the goblin group, confirmed the emission of the smoke screen, then switched to FLIR mode. I aligned the crosshair with the bewildered goblins’ bodies. This reminded me of the last battle.
The rhythmic sound of burst fire echoed as the 5.7 × 28mm rounds pierced through the smoke, drawing straight lines into the goblins’ heads. The trailing six creatures became visible through FLIR mode. They appeared to be horned rabbits. As the goblins stumbled and fell over themselves in the smoke, I grabbed another special grenade—the Poison Grenade. I pulled the pin from the top of the can and threw it into the smoke.
The Poison Grenade was a VMB original. It had the same three-second delay as the M18 smoke grenade, but it emitted yellow smoke for twenty seconds. Its effective range was only about five yards, but the toxic smoke landed on all players within the area. It inflicted visual and physical function impairment, as well as slip damage.
It could affect both allies and enemies, so advanced warning to allies was important—they could wear a gas mask that neutralized the toxic smoke. The most popular use of the Poison Grenade was in combination with smoke grenades like the M18.
While the smoke alone could be easily nullified with FLIR mode, it was precisely because FLIR mode was in use that the yellow smoke from the Poison Grenade became invisible. Even so, the effects of the Poison Grenade were clearly evident on the beasts and subhuman species of this otherworld. Their movements became noticeably sluggish, and some individuals collapsed into convulsions. It seemed to be having a greater effect here than within the VMB game, but there was no time to examine it thoroughly.
The map displayed in my goggles showed numerous additional points of light. I aligned the crosshair with the horned rabbits. Their movements were weakened, and their body temperatures appeared bright red. Sliding the crosshair from left to right, I performed burst shots the moment the target aligned. They were quickly eliminated. For good measure, I threw additional M18 smoke grenades into the corridor. I watched it fill with smoke. I replaced the magazine of the P90, ready to face the next group.
I reunited with Ashley about thirty minutes after confronting the train in the corridor. She and the three kids were waiting in a small room at the top of the stairs from the second basement level. When I ascended, I overheard Ashley scolding the children. They were all breaking down in tears.
“Schwarz! Are you all right?!”
“I am, as you can see. I have no injuries. I only held them off, then retreated.”
“I’m glad you’re safe. Let’s get these kids out of here.”
Ashley helped the children, who were sitting upright, to stand up and began preparing them to move. Later, Ashley explained that these kids were students from the Academy, a school in the royal capital. They had become overconfident in their newly-learned magic and sword skills. They had decided to sneak into the labyrinth to test their abilities.
I led them all towards the surface. The three youths trailed behind me, while Ashley took up the rear. We all moved cautiously, even though the coast was clear. Once a beast or subhuman species in the labyrinth was defeated, it wouldn’t reappear for several hours to days. Therefore, the journey back was uneventful.
After reaching the surface, we explained the situation at the labyrinth management building and left the three kids in their care. Unauthorized entry into the labyrinth carried a hefty fine. The students seemed to come from wealthy families, so it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. Besides, the fear they experienced inside the labyrinth would cost them more in the long run than anything the guild could fine them.
As we parted ways, the students expressed their gratitude again. I was just relieved that their lives were spared. Death in the labyrinth meant having one’s soul absorbed as its sustenance, creating further calamities in the natural world. Perhaps the children’s fear might not have been solely about their own deaths, but also about the calamities that their souls might have become.