Phase 8 of the Undying Engraving doesn't provide any stat increases.
But in exchange, other effects are added.
「The soul residing in your flesh is enhanced.」
「When the character casts [Savage Outburst], all undead take damage.」
「The unique effect [Unification] gains the 'Affectionate Weapon' bonus.」
From now on, [Savage Outburst] deals bonus damage to undead only, and [Unification] gains an extra option.
'Affectionate Weapon' is an option that grants strengthening effects based on how many days you've had the weapon equipped.
The condition for stacking is to kill a monster with the weapon once per day.
Unequipping the weapon doesn't reset the stack, but if you switch to a different weapon entirely, the stacks reset and must be built from the beginning.
'It takes 1,000 days to reach full stack.'
That's nearly three years, but my circumstances are relatively favorable.
In Dungeon & Stone, shields are counted as weapons.
Crawl's Demoncrusher and Aegis's Barrier.
Since I completed my endgame weapons early, I won't have to reset the stack midway.
Simply put, if I build it up steadily starting now, I'll eventually hit full stack.
'The problem is… the Labyrinth is closed.'
Since the condition is to kill one monster per day, there's currently no way to build stacks.
Well, even if the Labyrinth were open, it wouldn't be easy.
'Even doing a 100-day expedition… that's only ten stacks.'
It's not easy by any stretch.
In fact, except for when I explored the first floor, I've never even gone beyond 100 days.
'But what happens if I kill monsters outside the walls? Would that count too?'
That thought came to me suddenly, but I can't test it right now.
So I decided to save that question for another time…
"Fuuuu…"
I turned my head and saw the shaman exhaling a long breath. He was so exhausted that sweat was dripping down his cheeks in beads.
"It's done, Chieftain. So? Do you like the new power?"
"Yeah."
This Phase 8 engraving took longer than any I've received before.
A full three days.
The shaman said that upper-tier engravings take that long by nature, but from my point of view…
'In the game, it didn't take this long.'
If you ask me, it's a skill issue.
Well, at least the engraving itself was clean. That's what matters.
"By the way… Chieftain, there's something you should know."
Just as I was about to get out of this damn tent, now that the engraving was done, he said that.
I forced down an ominous feeling and looked at the shaman.
And then—
"I can't do the Phase 9 engraving with my power…"
Of course. A bombshell.
"You can't? But you're a shaman."
"That's… I haven't learned Phase 9 from my master yet."
"You haven't?"
"It's not that I wasn't taught… I [N O V E L I G H T] just don't have the confidence. From Phase 9 onward, the engraving gets carved deep into the soul—it's way, way harder!"
A sudden revelation, and a much more serious one than I expected.
"I kind of learned the method, so technically I could try… but if I fail, Chieftain, your life would be on the line…"
From Phase 9 onward, it's a life-or-death procedure.
If Phase 9 is already like this, then Phase 10 might be straight-up impossible.
In the small picture, this just means I can't get engraved anymore.
But on the larger scale, it's a crisis for our Barbarian tribe.
It means the essential technique of Spirit Engraving would be lost permanently.
As chieftain, I can't ignore this.
"Isn't there any way?"
"There… kind of is…"
"What? There is?"
Surprisingly, he gave me a positive answer right off the bat.
Given how I've been running into nothing but dead ends lately, it felt unfamiliar.
Not that I'm complaining.
"What is it? Spit it out."
"My master's health took a sharp dive after the 'soul adoption' ceremony. He used to regain consciousness sometimes and teach me things, but now he can't even do that. If we leave him as is, he won't last much longer."
"Just the key point."
"…We have to restore my master's health!"
…What?
"My master, the previous shaman, can handle even the highest-tier engravings without issue. He's the one who engraved the previous chieftain too."
"...."
"If I could learn just a bit more from him, I might be able to perform even the highest-tier engravings myself!"
Hmm… I get what he's saying.
And sure, having both of our tribe's shamans healthy would be good.
But is that even realistic?
"How do we restore his health? Didn't the priest say last time that he couldn't be healed?"
"That's true, but I recently found a method."
"Then tell me. Don't circle around like a damn human."
"It's just… it might be tough for you, Chieftain."
"Ugh, I said just tell me already."
After I spoke with slight irritation, the young shaman flinched like he'd been slapped and finally opened his mouth carefully.
"…We need a dragon heart."
…Should've just never asked.
***
In a way, this is basically a quest.
Technically, it'd be classified as a "race" quest, and its contents would look something like this:
[Race Quest]
Objective: Revive the previous shaman.
Condition: Obtain a dragon heart.
Reward: Unlock Phase 9+ Spirit Engraving.
Failure Penalty: The previous shaman dies, and the Barbarian tribe permanently loses the ability to perform top-tier Spirit Engravings.
The quest is simple.
Get a dragon heart, get a reward. Fail to get one, suffer a penalty.
The problem is…
'A dragon heart, huh…'
The difficulty is off the charts.
There are plenty of people who sell drake hearts as "dragon" hearts, but this one wants the real thing.
Actual dragons show up starting from the 9th floor.
They appear as Rift Guardians on the 8th too, but…
Getting to them is hard, and even if we did, our current power level isn't enough to raid a dragon.
Sure, if we had more time, we might manage.
'…And we'd have to use Distortion too.'
Considering the success rate of Distortion, we wouldn't just need to kill one—we'd need to be able to do it repeatedly and safely.
This quest isn't something you can clear unless you're strong enough to farm dragons reliably.
And there's one big problem.
'Will the previous shaman even live that long?'
Probably not.
'So much for this being a straightforward problem, for once.'
This is worse than anything I've faced recently.
The only chance of success would be if someone else just gave us a dragon heart…
'…The royal family might have one.'
But the problem is, they'd never give up something that valuable for free.
"Haa…"
At this point, for the sake of my sanity, maybe I should just give up on the future of the Barbarian tribe.
'I'll deal with this later. It feels urgent, but it's not like the shaman's dying today.'
For now, I'll just hold onto this quest and deal with more immediate matters first.
As I always say, everything has its priorities.
And right now, the top priority is clearly this:
"Yandel, a letter came from the royal family."
"Hmm…"
"What's it say?"
"They've scheduled the title conferment ceremony."
Strictly speaking, it's not just my title.
They're bundling together my promotion, the appointment of Duke Kealurnus as Chancellor, and the formal succession of other noble houses—like handing out diplomas at a graduation.
'What is this, a damn school recital? Why are they cramming it all into one?'
I don't know the details, but I'm guessing this whole event was arranged under the influence of Astarotta, the King's proxy.
That guy hated hassle as much as I do.
"Ooooh! So Bjorn's gonna be a Count now!! Count Yandel! That even sounds cool!!"
"…Not a Count. A Viscount."
"…Eh? What the hell is a Viscount?"
"Ugh…"
There's no point trying to explain the five-rank noble system to Ainard. She wouldn't remember it anyway.
"Huh? Bjorn? Where are you going?"
"To sleep. I'm hungry."
The ceremony is one week from today.
I still had some time, so I focused on internal matters instead of anything flashy.
I met with Shabin Emure, who handles tribal administration, and had some official discussions to check on her mental state.
Outwardly, she looked fairly recovered.
She said she missed Ragna, her only real friend, but I didn't mention anything about Ragna's situation.
Telling her Ragna's royal and currently imprisoned in the palace would only stress her more.
"These are sweets from a bakery in Karnohn. Eat while you work."
"Ah… thank you."
And with that, our conversation ended as I handed over the gift I'd gotten with care.
After that, I sat down with Amelia to plan our new team structure.
The recent war left gaps in our strength, and new recruits had joined to fill them.
"Incredible. Arua Raven left the army and came to us…"
"Huh? Isn't Elwen's uncle joining more surprising than Raven?"
"Not really. He's just a regular old guy, isn't he?"
"…Huh?"
Amelia seemed more focused on Raven's return than on Beleg.
I suppose that's fair—given all that prophecy and betrayal talk, she's bound to be sensitive about it.
"Still, since we have the same number of members as before, we can operate two teams again."
"Yeah. We'll need to address the vacant vice-leader position too."
"Vice-leader, huh…"
"You don't want to do it? If you took over the role and led Team 2, it'd be reassuring in a lot of ways—"
"Denied."
Tch, she really hates the idea of being vice-leader.
'Honestly, Raven's personality and experience are perfect for it… but it's hard to give that to a new recruit.'
It's a tricky problem.
How do I split the teams? Who goes where?
It might not seem urgent, but this kind of thing should be figured out while there's time.
And judging by how things are going, the Labyrinth won't stay closed much longer—
"Chieftain!! A human came to the gate asking to meet with you!!"
At that moment, one of the barbarian guards stationed at the wall came running over, shouting.
"They want to meet me? Who is it?"
I asked the name immediately.
That's how the world works, after all.
You need a certain level of fame before you can just show up unannounced and expect to get an audience.
If this were some no-name explorer, they'd have been kicked out the moment they hit the gate.
Which means… whoever came looking for me has a name.
"Ilia Adnus! Master of the Explorer's Guild!"
…An interesting guest has arrived.
-x-X-x-
The entire economy of Lafdonia revolves around mana stones that explorers risk their lives to extract from the Labyrinth.
In this city built on a distorted structure, the importance of explorers needs no explanation. Naturally, the influence and scale of the "Guild," which oversees and manages these explorers, rivals any organization.
Tens of thousands of guild members.
Hundreds of branch managers.
Regional overseers who supervise those branch managers.
And above them all stands a single "Guildmaster."
That title alone was enough to make most nobles step aside respectfully, and in fact, for someone like me, the Guildmaster was harder to meet than even the high-ranking nobility.
'And yet someone like that came here, unannounced…'
Too big a figure to just turn away.
My curiosity piqued, I told the warrior who brought the message to lead him here.
After all, I'd been wanting to have a proper conversation with him for a while now.
There was also a subtle history between me and the Guildmaster.
[Who was behind it?]
[Ilia Adnus…]
It was during the Ice Rock expedition.
One of our members, Pike Neldine, had tampered with our food and supplies under the Guildmaster's orders to sabotage the expedition.
At the time, I thought he just wanted to stop us from succeeding so the Marquis wouldn't gain credit through our results.
But…
'The whole expedition was a disposable pawn.'
After learning the Marquis planned to abandon us from the start, I had no choice but to reassess my opinion of the Guildmaster.
Maybe his goal hadn't been to sabotage us, but to save us.
Of course, it's just speculation. I never confirmed the truth.
Still, if I'm lucky, maybe today I will.
"Ainard, go play outside."
"Got it!"
Once she was out, I waited a little longer, and the guest I'd been expecting finally arrived.
"It's been a while, Baron Yandel. I came without notice, but thank you for making time to see me."
"I happened to be free anyway. Don't worry about it."
"Much appreciated."
Truthfully, this wasn't our first meeting.
A person of his position is often summoned to royal events.
We exchanged a brief greeting during the victory banquet after the Ice Rock expedition.
"So what's this about? Why show up out of the blue?"
As soon as he sat down, I asked bluntly.
He looked a little startled.
Guess going straight to business without even offering tea threw him off.
"Just be direct. Or I'm going to get hungry."
He let out a faint laugh, seeming to realize who he was dealing with, and adjusted accordingly.
"I regret not being able to help more during the Ice Rock expedition."
A remark that hinted he knew exactly what the Marquis had been planning. At the same time, it subtly probed how much I knew.
Not the no-nonsense, man-to-man conversation I was hoping for—but with people like him, this still counted as unusually straightforward.
I replied in kind, playing along just enough.
"No, you did plenty. Considering the Marquis's power at the time, I think you endured more than enough."
It was my way of saying I knew about Pike Neldine and the broader circumstances.
The Guildmaster gave a bitter nod.
"Thank you for saying that."
Jeez, how many times is this guy going to say thank you?
"Enough apologies. What do you want today?"
I waved a hand like I was brushing off a chill, and finally, he started getting to the point.
Well, with a bit of preamble.
"I heard you'll be promoted to Viscount for your achievements in dealing with the traitor…"
"And?"
"I'll speak frankly. The Labyrinth will reopen next month."
"Hmm. I see."
"…Did you already know?"
"I'd heard it would open soon, but I didn't know the exact timing."
"Well, someone of your position would at least get a heads-up."
"You're saying you didn't?"
To my question, the Guildmaster replied humbly.
"Being Guildmaster doesn't come with excessive power or treatment. I just tend to receive Labyrinth-related information ahead of others, that's all."
"The way you're talking, sounds like you know more than just the opening date."
"For now, the Labyrinth will no longer open on the first."
"Not the first?"
Even I couldn't help reacting to that one.
Until now, the Labyrinth always opened at midnight on the first and closed at noon the next day, spitting out any remaining explorers.
Sure, the royal family could open and close portals whenever they wanted—but still, one thing puzzled me.
"Why change it?"
"Because of Noark. The royal family plans to open the Labyrinth without warning and send in only a small number of carefully vetted explorers whose identities and skills are verified—so Noark can't prepare and enter."
"Hooh?"
"To keep it top secret, the portal will be opened not at the usual dimensional plazas, but only in the royal capital, Karnohn."
"I hadn't heard that at all."
"Our Guild had to be informed early to prepare the selected explorers. But even if you hadn't heard it yet, Baron, you would've found out soon. Even the nobles aren't foolish enough to leave you out of the plan."
Fools, huh…
That one word revealed that the Guildmaster didn't think too highly of nobles.
Though in my case—as a Barbarian—he probably saw me differently from the others.
Not that his opinion really mattered.
"What's your real point? You didn't come all the way here just to share the news."
I pressed him again to get to the point, and finally, the real reason spilled from his lips.
"I believe the Anabada Clan currently has eleven members, which leaves one open spot if split into two teams."
"So?"
"I'd like to take that spot."
…What the hell's gotten into people lately?
***
Ilia Adnus.
The man is actually quite famous, even among ordinary citizens.
He was once a top explorer during the so-called "Golden Generation" before the collapse in the previous cycle. But his real fame began after his retirement.
I'd looked into him too.
He joined the Guild at 37 as an "adviser."
At 38, he became a branch manager, rolling out successful reforms and gaining popularity among explorers.
By 41, he rose to regional overseer.
At 47, he finally defeated the previous Guildmaster in a board vote and took the top position—and has held it ever since.
'Guildmaster in ten years…'
Looking at his resume, no one could deny his talent.
But so what?
"Why should I give you that slot?"
"…You may not know, but I was also an explorer for many years. I would never slow you down—"
"I know. Ilia Adnus. You were a third-rank explorer before retiring. Known as the Black Hunter. Started as a guide, then switched to combat mid-career."
Ilia Adnus has value as an explorer too.
Of course, just being skilled doesn't mean I'd let someone I barely know into the Labyrinth.
"…You've done your research. Not many know I started as a guide."
"Of course I have. You're the one and only Guildmaster, after all."
As I stared silently at him, he let out a long breath.
This must've felt strange for him.
As Guildmaster, he was probably never in a position to ask for favors. But that title meant nothing to me.
Chief of the Barbarians.
Baron of Lafdonia.
Explorer whose name is etched on the Stone of Honor—Bjorn, son of Yandel.
Any one of those titles was enough that I had no reason to defer to a "Guildmaster."
And now he was the one making a request?
"Don't hold back. Tell me everything. Then I'll give it real thought."
"…"
"Why are you asking this?"
If he tried to beat around the bush again or place conditions, I was ready to end the conversation right there.
Maybe he sensed that—because after a ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) deep breath, he finally spoke.
"…I need achievements."
"Achievements?"
"The Guild's influence has shrunk dramatically with the Labyrinth closed for so long. Even though it wasn't the Guild's fault, people still want someone to blame."
Blame, huh…
"Isn't it you they're blaming—not the Guild?"
"…"
He couldn't respond when I said it flat out with a smirk.
'Well, that explains things.'
Ilia Adnus's second career had finally hit a wall.
The people who'd always been eyeing his seat were trying to use this chance to take him down.
And now he was trying to push back—head-on.
"So in the end, you decided the best place to earn those achievements was my clan."
"That's right…"
He nodded without resistance, and I couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment.
He wasn't quite what I'd imagined.
The man who inserted a spy into our expedition, risking conflict with the Marquis to save us—I thought maybe he had some noble cause behind it all.
'Maybe it was just politics after all…'
Maybe if I got to know him more, I'd see other sides. But for now, that was all I felt.
Just "the Guildmaster." Nothing more.
No personal charisma or presence.
So—
"What do I get if I accept your request?"
"I can upgrade the Anabada Clan's rank using Guildmaster authority. I'll also provide full support and privileges within the Guild—"
"That's enough."
I cut him off after hearing just the outline.
I had some hope, but as expected, nothing appealing.
A higher clan rank doesn't really change much.
And any internal Guild perks are just that—perks. Nothing I can't manage on my own.
"Let's leave it here. Sorry, but you'll have to look elsewhere for those achievements."
That was the cleanest rejection I could offer.
But the Guildmaster still wasn't ready to give up.
"…What do you want?"
He said it like he was ready to give me anything.
That might've made sense coming from a king.
But from a Guildmaster clinging to power? It was kind of funny.
"A dragon heart. Give me that, and I'll let you in."
"…What?"
"Don't have one? Then this conversation's over—"
Just as I was about to tell him to leave, he cut me off.
"…Alright. I'll give it to you."
"…What?"
…He actually has one?
-x-X-x-
I didn't particularly doubt my ears. I mean, come on. Isn't it more likely that this bastard here is throwing out blank checks than that one of my sensory organs is failing? Yeah, so in other words…
"You've lived long enough to know the weight of words, haven't you?" I lowered my voice and spoke with a cold sneer. That's how little sense it made. A Dragon Heart—one of the rarest treasures there is—how could some guildmaster possibly have that—
"I'm well aware of the weight of my words."
"…You're saying you really have a Dragon Heart?"
"Strictly speaking, it belongs to the Guild."
What the hell? Is he screwing with me right now? When I gave him a baffled laugh without meaning to, the Guildmaster shamelessly shrugged.
"It's been sitting in storage for hundreds of years anyway. Who's going to notice if it disappears? Besides, only the Guildmaster has direct access to those kinds of treasures."
I couldn't help but be impressed.
"Wow…"
I could already tell what he was trying to say. As long as he could keep the position of Guildmaster for life, there'd be no problem giving away a Dragon Heart that was just collecting dust in some vault. And that only made it more impressive.
"How exactly are you planning to deal with the consequences…?"
Is this guy planning to live only a few more years or something? The position of Guildmaster isn't forever. Even if he gets away with it now, someday he'll have to hand the title over to someone else.
"The moment they find out you stole the Dragon Heart, you'll be shouldering the guilt, sure—but so will your entire family."
"No need to worry about that. My wife and children have already reaped plenty of benefits thanks to me. It's only fair they share in the cost of failure too."
"Wow…"
That was the second time I found myself involuntarily impressed during this short conversation. Is this guy actually insane?
"There's a saying among gamblers. Ever heard it?"
"What?"
"Just win and pay it back."
"..."
"No matter how long it takes, I just need to find a new Dragon Heart and put it back before I step down, right?"
Wow…
I barely held back a third round of applause and asked one final question.
"…Any chance you've got some barbarian blood in your lineage?"
"None at all."
Right… didn't think so.
***
The Guildmaster's offer to join us was accepted. After checking through Amelia, we confirmed that the Guild really did possess a Dragon Heart. I still wasn't thrilled about taking some guy I barely know into the labyrinth with us, but…
'It's not something I can afford to turn down. Who knows when or how I'll ever get my hands on one again.'
Of course, there's still something fishy about it. The math doesn't add up. No matter how important the Guildmaster position might be, handing over a Dragon Heart just to fill a vacant spot in our clan? That doesn't sit right. Sure, it's technically Guild property, not his personal stash, but from what I heard, the guy's planning to replace it with his own funds eventually.
"Feels like I'm missing something here…"
"His footing within the Guild seems shaky. Lots of enemies. Probably making one last gamble."
"Hmm…"
"If it still bothers you, I'll dig a little deeper."
"Please do."
For now, I decided to wait for Amelia's investigation into the Guildmaster.
"Let's go. Everyone's waiting."
"Right."
When Amelia and I arrived at the meeting spot, the rest of the clan members gathered in the clearing greeted us. It had been a while since I summoned the entire Anabada Clan to the Sanctuary.
"Ah, you're here?"
"Long time no see, Kaislan. Been resting well?"
"Well, no one called for me, so I've been resting just fine… but who are those three?"
"Two are new members. One's a guest who'll be entering the labyrinth with us."
"A guest…?"
"I'll explain everything. Just listen up."
Kaislan's eyes were full of questions, but he held back and stepped back when I told him I'd explain.
"Sorry for disturbing your break, but there are a few things I need to talk about today. First and foremost, the labyrinth is about to open."
"Oh… is that true?"
"Been a while since I smelled dungeon air."
At the mention of the labyrinth, the group stirred with excitement. Naturally, no one doubted the information's validity. I'm a baron, a chieftain, and a well-known explorer. When I say something, people assume I've got solid intel from somewhere.
"The second reason I called you all here is because we've got new recruits."
I called them out one by one and introduced them. Arua Raven, former vice commander of the Mage Corps. Beleg Shusia di Tersia, hero of the fairies. Surprisingly, neither name caused much of a stir. Everyone already knew about my history with Raven, and Beleg had connections to Elwen.
"So the mage and archer slots are filled again."
"A golden mage and a fairy hero… this clan never gets any ordinary recruits."
They were surprised by the names, but it didn't go beyond that. Everything was fine—until Raven stepped forward and pointed at someone.
"But what's the Guildmaster doing here? Don't tell me he's a new recruit too?"
Raven looked completely baffled, and the other members didn't look much different.
"I heard his position's unstable lately…"
"Did he resign and join us?"
Before the murmuring spread too far, I jumped in with a quick explanation.
"Ilia Adnus hasn't joined officially. He'll be accompanying us as a guest a few times in the labyrinth. Don't ask why—it's a pain."
Plenty of skeptical looks flew my way, but I brushed them off like a proper tank. I did, however, decide to change the subject.
"Anyway, the third reason I called you here is to announce the new team assignments. We'll be splitting into two teams of six to enter the labyrinth."
As soon as I mentioned team assignments, attention shifted away from the Guildmaster and back to me. Even if we were reuniting on the sixth floor, which team you ended up in was a big deal for explorers. We often formed one large unit of twelve, but depending on the situation, we operated as separate squads.
"The teams have already been decided. If you have any objections, I'll hear them—but whether I accept them will be decided by a vote."
I said that to sound like a democratic leader of the new age, but the response was oddly cold.
"…Hah!"
"Uh, Miss ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don't copy, read here) Raven? Why are they all reacting like that?"
"Mr. Adnus, you didn't read the clan bylaws, did you?"
"Ahem…"
"It says there: the Clan Leader's vote counts as the total number of clan members. In other words, even if someone objects, it's never accepted."
"Ah… I see…"
Ahem… then if it bothers you, become the Clan Leader yourself. Honestly, if the leader and a regular member had equal votes, that'd be even more unfair.
"Anyway, let's start with Team 1."
Ignoring the grumbling, I confidently announced the squads I'd put together.
[Anabada Clan – Team 1]
Frontline: Me
Melee DPS 1: Misha Kalstein
Melee DPS 2: Kaislan
Ranged DPS: Beleg Shusia di Tersia (Guide)
Mage: Arua Raven
Non-combatant: Ilia Adnus
[Anabada Clan – Team 2]
Frontline: Sven Parab
Melee DPS 1: Ainard Prnelin
Melee DPS 2: Emily Raines (Guide)
Ranged DPS: Elwen Fornaci di Tersia
Mage: Riris Marone
Non-combatant: Auyen Rockrove
This was, in my mind, the optimal formation. Of course, not everyone was thrilled. Just as I expected, Elwen was the loudest voice of protest.
"Huh? Isn't this a mistake? Why am I in Team 2 instead of Team 1? What the hell!"
"…Try to understand."
Honestly, I didn't want to assign Elwen to Team 2 either. But there was no way around it.
"You're the one who said you didn't want to be on the same team as your uncle."
"W-Well, yeah, but… What about the fusion?! If I'm not there, who are you going to fuse with?!"
"Fusion…? Yandel… you fused with my niece…?"
Ah, my head…
"It's not what you think, so don't get the wrong idea."
The "fusion" Elwen referred to meant entering Elibaba Mode via [Spiritification]. I agonized over this too, but realistically, we wouldn't need that combo before the sixth floor anyway, so this setup was fine.
"At least tell me why! Why am I on Team 2?!"
I cut her off more firmly than usual.
"Enough."
"…What?"
"If you want a vote, demand one. Otherwise, stay quiet."
"..."
She looked heartbroken, and that hurt me too—but I couldn't give in. Letting Elwen throw tantrums like that in front of the group wasn't good, and indulging them as the leader was worse.
And besides…
"That's unexpected. I thought I'd end up on Team 2, but… so they came here instead."
It also wasn't healthy for members to start viewing Team 1 as the "main squad" and Team 2 as the "backup." They're all my clan members. All comrades.
"Ms. Raines is likely leading Team 2. I think he put the Bloodshade archer there to keep an eye on the new recruits. As for Prnelin… probably because she listens to Ms. Raines."
"Ah, is that it, Ms. Marone?"
"Just a guess! Hehe, but I'm glad we're on the same team."
"Must've looked like a good pairing to the commander."
"Ah, maybe so. Let's keep working well together."
Come to think of it, those two… seem to be getting awfully close lately.
***
After announcing the teams, we all stayed together for a meal. I figured it'd be good for everyone to bond a bit before heading into the labyrinth. Surprisingly, the Guildmaster stuck around for it too.
"Ahaha… why I'm entering the labyrinth with you? Sorry. There's a story there… I'll explain everything someday when I get the chance."
Maybe it's because you have to be politically savvy to become a Guildmaster, but the guy had solid social skills. He wasn't afraid to strike up conversations with strangers.
Still, I couldn't help but wonder—should a Guildmaster really be doing this right now?
'Whatever. Maybe he used his vacation days or something. Not my problem.'
"Hah! You went through something like that in Branch 17? I'll check into that personally once I'm back at the Guild. I truly apologize for the unfair treatment."
"Ah, no… that's not necessary… but, um, thank you."
While watching the Guildmaster get friendly with the others, I shifted my gaze to Raven. As expected, Raven—who now had both explorer experience and a military background—was blending in without issue. He already knew people like Misha and Ainard, and we'd explored the first floor together even if we were in different units.
'The real problem… is this guy.'
Elwen's uncle was still an outsider. He wouldn't drink when offered. He responded kindly when spoken to, but he didn't make any effort to keep the conversation going. It was like he didn't want to form any new bonds.
'…It'll improve with time.'
For now, I figured forcing anything would just be premature. So I decided to wait and see. Then I mingled with the others and spent time with the group.
And finally…
"Baron Yandel is entering!"
The day of the investiture had come.
-x-X-x-
I left early in the morning for the royal capital, Karnohn, but my investiture ceremony wasn't scheduled until much later. It wasn't just my promotion being celebrated today, after all. Wondering when the hell I'd finally be able to go home, I memorized the event schedule the royal family had sent in advance.
'First period… was the headmaster's speech, right?'
Once all the nobles were seated, Duke Kealurnus—who would officially be taking office today as Chancellor—stepped up to the podium and began his speech.
"Nia Lafdonia! Infinite glory and boundless future to this great city!"
He opened with a powerful salute and cheer, and it was immediately obvious he'd rehearsed it a lot. As far as I knew, Duke Kealurnus had never served in the military. He usually spoke in a quiet, calm tone. His house was a scholarly one, producing mostly mages and academics.
'Well, now they've produced a Chancellor too, I guess.'
His opening was impressive enough, but the rest of his speech was the usual formula.
"The wicked traitors coveted these eternal walls, but we held firm…"
He condemned Noark, honored the fallen, praised those who fought, and finally gave all glory back to the royal family. That dragged on for about an hour, marking the end of first period.
Second period was the succession ceremony.
"Let it be known. Your young blood is the future of this city!"
Heirs who had inherited their family titles during the war stepped forward one by one to be officially recognized. Honestly, this part was boring—but also a bit shocking.
'That many people died…?'
There were nearly two hundred heirs receiving formal succession.
"Ah! The future of House Lumina stands before us! I, on behalf of the royal family «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» of Lafdonia, recognize the succession of Count Metheia Lumina."
"Haha, that little prodigy's already grown into a man. I, on behalf of the royal family of Lafdonia…"
Duke Kealurnus kept the process moving as fast as he could, tossing out brief, factory-line acknowledgments. But it still took forever.
It was a grind to watch, but the other nobles seemed to be having a different experience.
"Tsk tsk, that hedonistic brat inheriting the title… House Bolshe is doomed."
"Same with the House of Verton. Even if the only heir is a baby, giving the title to some collateral branch bastard without even using a regent—"
"I heard the real heir has a disability, and that mongrel took advantage of it to force his own succession."
"Outrageous! Even in chaotic times, that's unthinkable!"
"No need to get upset. He'll implode on his own. Most families are already cutting ties with Verton's businesses."
"True. No noble wants to associate with an ungrateful mutt like that."
Old fogeys who had spent their whole lives doing noble stuff never stopped offering commentary—even as the ceremony dragged on. Strangely enough, they always seemed to know suspiciously detailed intel about the inner workings of other houses.
"It's all young blood now."
"A new era is upon us…"
"Who knows what the future holds…"
A few nobles sounded wistful, maybe hopeful, or maybe just resigned. But to me…
'Even if it's a generational shift, I doubt much is going to change.'
Even that famous Socrates guy complained about how disrespectful the youth were. In the end, it's just a pissing contest between acorns.
"Thus concludes the succession ceremony. A banquet has been prepared, and we hope our esteemed guests will enjoy themselves!"
So the second period—which ran way longer than scheduled—finally ended, and we moved on to lunch. A court orchestra filled the hall with music while dancers performed elegantly.
Not that it made the food any more enjoyable.
"Baron, a pleasure to meet you. I am Metheia Pies. I trust the food is to your—"
"Behell—RAAAAAAH!!!"
"…Ahaha, sounds like you're enjoying it very much…"
"Of course I am. You couldn't possibly enjoy it for me, could you?"
"…Excuse me?"
"I'm eating. Go away."
The whole time I was eating, nobles I didn't even know kept trying to make conversation. Most of them were young nobles who had just inherited their titles.
'There's definitely a generation gap here…'
Maybe it was their age? Traditionally, titled nobles don't like associating with someone like me—a non-human noble. Then again, maybe I'd just built up too much status for them to discriminate now.
"Haha, my young friend! How have you been? It would've been splendid if you'd attended the festival—"
Anyway, most of them were young, but not all. The usuals showed up too—like Count Alminus, who deposits his "friendship fee" regularly, and Count Perdehilt, who keeps trying to marry off his daughter.
Some nobles I'd previously met kept coming back to talk, so I had to pause eating and chat briefly.
Even the Rabbit Baron showed up.
"It's been a while, Baron Yandel. Or… should I be calling you Viscount now?"
"…The ceremony hasn't even happened yet. Anyway, long time no see, Baron Ririvia."
We exchanged greetings like proper nobles, then when I made it obvious I wanted to get back to eating, he got all deflated and stepped away—mumbling something pretty pathetic.
"Uh… Baron? You haven't been attending Melbeth gatherings lately…"
"Been busy."
"Ah… but you still find time to meet Count Alminus…"
"So what are you getting at?"
"P-Please don't abandon Melbeth…"
"..."
"T-Then enjoy your meal…!"
I watched the Rabbit Baron scurry away, looking utterly pitiful, and was struck by a weird feeling.
'Melbeth, huh…'
At first, I joined Melbeth for backing—to gain a foothold as a noble. It was the group that would support me the most. And it worked. But now…
'It kind of feels like that troublesome little sibling you can't bring yourself to abandon.'
Hard to explain, really… but as someone who's also non-human, I guess I feel like I ought to help them out. It's not like I haven't benefited from them, after all.
'I should probably attend the next meeting.'
I was chewing over that thought when the banquet ended and third period began.
For the record, third period was conducted by Count Alminus—not Duke Kealurnus. It was the Chancellor's inauguration ceremony.
"Yaaawn…"
My stomach was full and I was half-dozing. At some point the ceremony ended, and then Duke Kealurnus—now officially Chancellor—took over again for the final segment.
We'd finally reached the fourth and last period of the day.
"It was a war that birthed countless heroes. Yet among them stood one whose achievements shone like a star."
He recited my accomplishments one by one—the killing of the Corpse Collector, the battle against the Evil Eyes, and finally the elimination of the ultimate traitor, Marquis Tertherion.
As I listened backstage, I waited for my cue, then stepped onto the podium.
I'd done a promotion ceremony once before, but this time the format was different. It was far more streamlined. Last time, I'd gone from Junior Baron to Baron, officially joining the thousand noble houses. That one felt more like an induction than a promotion.
"…What are you doing? Pick up the box."
Ah, right.
Snapped out of it, I followed the procedure as rehearsed—took the box, knelt on one knee, and presented it forward.
Then…
Ssssht.
The Duke removed the navy cloth covering the box and replaced it with a blue one. And just like that, the ceremony was over.
After that came the speech portion.
They hadn't warned me about that part, but it wasn't a problem. I could feel Duke Kealurnus's gaze, like he was hoping I'd say something flattering.
'What the hell do you expect from a barbarian?'
I ignored it and spoke with conviction.
As a barbarian warrior, standing before thousands of nobles, there was only one thing worth shouting.
"Behell—RAAAAAAAHH!!!"
I roared before a sea of nobility, but surprisingly, the response was lukewarm. No—indifferent.
"There he goes again."
"I knew he'd do that the moment they asked for a speech."
"Nothing surprising at this point."
No one clicked their tongue. No one muttered about barbarian manners. Not even one noble complained.
Then why did I feel so… disappointed?
I didn't know, and I didn't need to.
"…If you're done, please step down."
"Got it."
And just like that, I became Viscount Yandel.
***
「Character Fame +10.」
「Character Fame +10.」
「Character Fame +10.」
「Character Fame +10…」
「...」
***
Even though my rank had risen from Baron to Viscount, my daily life hadn't changed.
The difference between a baron and a viscount was stuff like the number of private soldiers you could command—but House Yandel didn't even have private soldiers. All I gained was a bit more honor.
'Maybe things change more at the count or marquis level?'
Probably. They say benefits ramp up from count onward. Still, even then, I doubt things would change dramatically. At best, I'd be able to build something like the Melbeth group.
'Back to work.'
Once the ceremony ended, I jumped right back into daily life. I attended Melbeth meetings and had lunch with Chancellor Kealurnus, where we exchanged plenty of information.
Now that he was Chancellor, he seemed eager to maintain a good relationship with me. I felt the same—being friendly with the Chancellor meant access to top-level intel.
Like the labyrinth opening date, which hadn't even been shared with the Guild yet. How many explorers could enter, which clans were joining, whether the royal family would be involved—he told me all of it.
I'm sure he did it to win my favor, but still.
"The material damage inside the Sanctuary has mostly been repaired. Starting next month, warriors will be assigned to restore Districts 7 and 8."
As before, Shabin Emure handled everything related to the Sanctuary. In fact, she seemed to be working even harder than before.
"Shabin Emure, are you getting any sleep…?"
"Don't worry. I sleep a bit in the early mornings."
"..."
Seeing her push herself like that made me worry. But forcing her to rest didn't feel like the right solution.
'Time will sort it out…'
At least thanks to Shabin handling all domestic affairs like a lunatic, I didn't have to worry about administration.
So I devoted all my remaining time to preparing for the next expedition. I fine-tuned the route and kept calling the members together for drills.
And just like that, time passed quickly…
"Wow, how long has it been since we've gone into a labyrinth?"
Finally, the day arrived.
-x-X-x-
The royal family had poured tremendous effort into this labyrinth opening. After all, the city's resources were nearly depleted. Well, it's not like the nobles or those already rich were struggling to eat…
'Everyone else is starving to death.'
Homeless refugees. Skyrocketing prices. Just walking through the streets, you'd see beggars everywhere—something unthinkable just a year or two ago. Lafdonia used to be a city-state that executed "ineligibles" for failing to pay taxes. Now, all taxes had been temporarily waived for all citizens.
Therefore, the royal family needed this labyrinth expedition to succeed, stabilize things, and resume taxation.
"That's Bjorn Yandel…"
"Of course they'd show up."
"Still, impressive. Less than twelve people, yet summoned here… I heard the smallest clan besides them is sixty strong."
"What's so impressive? It's only natural. The guy's an explorer with his name carved on the Stone of Honor."
"And now he's even been promoted to Viscount?"
When we arrived at the rally point, hundreds of explorers already there scanned us from head to toe.
"Those must be the new members."
"The hero of the fairies and the Golden Mage…"
"I mean, the Golden Mage has ties to Viscount Yandel, sure, but I guess you need that level of prestige to even join the clan."
"No recruitment notices? Join the Anabada Clan and the whole city knows your name."
"Still, I'd take a big clan any day. Sure, it's 'elite,' but take away the name, and what chance does it have against the big boys?"
"And who's that guy in the helmet? Shouldn't there be eleven members total?"
Some looked at us with envy or resentment, others with pure curiosity. I ignored them and swept my eyes over the area.
The rally point where all participating explorers had secretly gathered was a familiar place to me.
"Of all places, the royal family chose the Marquis's mansion? They've got some twisted taste," Amelia muttered.
I chuckled.
"Probably more about practicality. In the capital, there aren't many secure, spacious places like this."
"True enough…"
Too clean to be a ruin. Too desolate to be inhabited. The Marquis's mansion was eerie in its own right. Standing in it made you reflect on power—on how fleeting it all was. That sensation of futility hit me hard.
"This way, Viscount Yandel."
After a bit of walking, an official from the labyrinth department appeared and guided us to one of the tents. He looked older than most civil servants, so I asked about his rank—it turned out he was pretty high up. Equivalent to a department head in modern terms.
'Guess they're using higher-ups in the field due to security.'
"Whew… finally, I can breathe."
As soon as we entered the tent, the members who had been walking stiffly behind me relaxed their posture. I suppose everyone was tense under all those stares. The worst of them was Raven.
"Did you really have to wear high heels? We're heading into a labyrinth, you know."
"That's exactly why! The moment they look down on you, it's over."
Hmm… I doubt heels will stop people from looking down on you, but whatever. Everyone has their own way of thinking.
"So are we waiting here until entry?"
"No, we'll move out around midnight. The capital has a dimensional plaza too."
"You mean the original one that's not in use anymore?"
Before Kaislan could finish, Raven murmured with her hand on her chin.
"Still midnight, huh? So they can change the date the labyrinth opens, but not the time?"
"No idea. I'm no mage."
"But I do have another question. If they can sneakily change the date like this, why didn't they do it sooner?"
Ah, that one.
I had asked Astarotta the same thing, out of curiosity.
"Apparently, it takes a long time to reconfigure everything. They've been working on it ever since Noark occupied Viphron, and only now finished."
"Hmm… maybe Noark knew that and rushed their invasion. With a Chancellor like that, there's no way they wouldn't have caught wind of it. Word probably got to Noark too."
"Could be. Anyway, we've got some time, so rest up while you can. Once we're inside, there won't be much time to sleep."
"Ah, one more thing."
"…You're still not done?"
Raven seemed particularly inquisitive today.
"I looked at the exploration schedule. Isn't it a bit too aggressive? The timeline to reach the fifth floor is absurd."
"It's forced marching, yeah, but we have no choice. The labyrinth's been closed for over a year."
There are hidden pieces everywhere inside the labyrinth, most of them on cooldowns. Like the first-floor rift—it could be opened using mana stones from second-floor monsters, but it had a months-long cooldown.
And more than that…
"Historically, this isn't the first time the labyrinth's been sealed. There was the Iron Wall Rebellion, and when the Dawn King rose and created the 13th Month."
"So?"
"Records show something strange."
"What?"
"When it reopened, rift spawn rates spiked abnormally."
"Ah…"
"And here's the thing—other clans gathered here today probably know that too."
Raven was sharp enough not to need the rest spelled out.
"…Makes sense. The competition's going to be brutal. Everyone's desperate to make as much as possible."
"Even if the number of explorers is low, it'll be intense. Everyone's aiming for the upper layers this time."
"…Then I'm gonna get some sleep. Doesn't look like we'll be getting any once we're inside."
"Sure."
With that, the curiosity gremlin finally backed off. But I didn't rest. The Guildmaster had just handed me the list.
"Here's what you asked for. A breakdown of the clans and forces entering the labyrinth."
"Thanks."
A privilege only made possible by having the Guildmaster in our corner. I scanned through the finalized list for today.
These were our rivals, after all.
'Just like the Chancellor said—no one's entering in full teams.'
Of course, that didn't mean small-time explorers were excluded. According to the Guildmaster, some elite micro-teams had managed to join through connections, getting assigned to major clans.
Anyway, the roster went something like this…
"Thirty-one clans. A total of 2,517 people."
Add to that the 1,700-strong royal expeditionary force, and around 4,300 people were entering the labyrinth this time.
Once again, the royal force had overwhelming numbers as a single group. But they weren't worth worrying about.
Their goals were different.
'Mana stones.'
According to the Chancellor's intel, the expeditionary force aimed to secure mana stones. Their destination was the sixth floor, where they would seize all three of the prime farming islands and mine them nonstop until the labyrinth closed.
The clans that had been eyeing those islands were going to be left with nothing, but that wasn't my problem.
What mattered was that the royal force wasn't my competition.
'Our goal is the eighth-floor rift.'
So who were our real competitors? I'd find out when we got there.
"Everyone, please board the carriages! We'll move to the plaza in order!"
As midnight neared, we left the tents set up in the Marquis's garden and rode carriages to the plaza.
And then…
Swoooooosh—!!
At last, the portal began to open at the plaza's center.
The sight stirred something in my chest. It had been far too long.
Just like a caterpillar devours pine needles—
「You have entered the First Floor: Crystal Cavern.」
Of course. If you're an explorer, you explore.
***
A radiant glow filled the Crystal Cavern.
The cool, slightly damp air coiled deep into my lungs, and only then did it truly hit me—we were back in the labyrinth.
'Feels… strange somehow.'
It was a subtle, unfamiliar sensation—something I hadn't noticed in my monthly expeditions before. Just standing here felt oddly out of place.
Still, I had work to do.
Slide—
I placed my hand on the crystal-studded wall, brushing along it to distinguish the faint textural differences beneath my fingertips. It was a technique passed down to me by Rotmiller, who had started as a guide at the very bottom.
It had been a while, so I was a bit rusty…
'Yeah, this texture—'
"Judging by the portal placements, the starting point seems shifted northward. Heading to the Goblin Forest will be quickest."
Ah, right.
He was our Guide.
'…These prodigies, honestly.'
While I stood there feeling the wall and tasting the air, Beleg just pulled out a compass, glanced once, and put it away. The vague sense of defeat only lasted a second.
"I'll take point."
He quickly moved out ahead. Normally it wouldn't be ideal for a ranged DPS to lead, but…
'Let's be honest—at this point, it's hard to even get hurt by goblins.'
With Beleg's skill level, he could probably hold point safely up to the fifth floor. Maybe sixth, depending on the island. Though from the seventh floor onward, even he would have to be careful.
There was no need for me to strain my brain figuring out the route—just follow Beleg and keep an eye on the squad.
More precisely, on Raven and the Guildmaster.
The Guildmaster was moving along just fine, nothing unusual. Raven, however, was riding some kind of wheeled device.
"Umm… Aruru? Is that the transport thing you mentioned before?"
"Yes. It's a military-grade magic tool. You can slot in mana stones, but it also charges by absorbing ambient mana. You only need to use stones when you need extra output."
"Aha…? R-Really?"
"On flat terrain, it can probably match Kalstein's speed."
"Th-That's… impressive…"
Misha hesitated, clearly regretting asking. The Guildmaster took over the conversation.
"Can it be used off flat terrain?"
"If the incline isn't too severe, yes. Otherwise, I'd have to pull out something else."
"Something else…?"
"If the time comes, I'll show you."
Unlike the TMI overload she gave Misha, Raven didn't continue the conversation with the Guildmaster.
"Haha, I see. Understood."
…Did something happen between them I don't know about?
Raven's usually the type who proudly flaunts her gear to friend or foe alike.
'I'll figure it out eventually.'
For now, I focused on sprinting through the cavern.
But—
"Looks like someone beat us to it."
By the time we reached the dimensional monolith connected to the Goblin Forest, someone had already activated the portal.
Damn, explorers move fast.
We'd moved quickly enough to expect first entry. A shame.
「You have entered the Second Floor: Goblin Forest.」
Whoever they were, knowing someone was already ahead lit a fire under us. We pushed the pace even more.
But we never caught up.
「You have entered the Third Floor: Pilgrim's Path.」
Another already-open portal greeted us on the third floor.
Because of the terrain in the Green-Tail Swamp, it was easy to spot tracks left by earlier parties…
"Those must be the ones ahead of us."
"At least it looks like just one team."
"Yeah. If multiple teams were already ahead after we moved that fast, that would've been frustrating."
"Alright, let's keep—"
I stopped Beleg with a quick word.
"Hold on."
"What is it?"
"The direction those tracks are heading… it's not toward the fourth floor."
Only then did Beleg's expression shift with concern.
"You're right… That path only leads to the Fragmented Shrine."
Still, he didn't seem to understand the significance. But I did.
'They rushed to the third floor, then veered toward the Shrine?'
There was only one answer.
Whoever it was—whatever insane bastard came up with this—
'The first basement floor.'
Someone's aiming for that place.
-x-X-x-
Basement 1st floor.
A type of hidden field you can enter by obtaining three "Nameless Fragments" from one of the third-floor fields, the Fragment Temple, and placing them on the dimensional stele on the first floor.
Only a very small number of people have explored this place so far, but precisely because of that, all sorts of rumors have been spreading.
Single Numbers, new essences, new monsters, etc.
Judging by the stories, Basement 1st floor has practically become known as the kind of place where if you go in, you'll hit it big.
'Well, just looking # Nоvеlight # at the rewards, I can't say they're wrong…'
From what I felt, it's high risk, high return.
Even for us, there was a moment when it felt like we might never escape from there.
Many of us died during the escape, too.
"You people are seriously insane… You're saying you want to crawl in there on your own feet? Even though the royal family officially designated it as a restricted area."
Raven clicked her tongue in disbelief, but I could understand their actions to a certain extent.
An explorer's desire is like the abyss.
No matter how deep you go, there's no end.
'…It was like that the first time we went down to Basement 1st floor.'
Back then, explorers had swarmed around the dimensional stele.
All of them were smiling.
Even though the Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, was wandering that floor, they couldn't let go of their greed, saying that since a Floor Lord had appeared, the conditions might be met for a portal to open.
[As Baron Yandel knows… That's what exploration is, isn't it!]
It was at that moment I realized just how insane explorers really are.
Like I'd gotten a glimpse of true madness…
"Anyway, if Basement 1st floor is their goal, then it makes sense. I was curious about how they cleared it so fast, but they were just desperate."
Hearing Raven mutter, I nodded as well.
When it comes to entering Basement 1st floor, the biggest enemy is 'time'.
Before the first floor closes.
In other words, you have to climb up to the third floor and obtain three Nameless Fragments, then descend back to the first floor within 7 days in order to gain access.
"So what are you thinking?"
At Kaislan's question, I hesitated for a moment.
Honestly, whether they went to Basement 1st floor or the second floor, it wasn't really any of our business.
There's a much higher chance they won't even make it back anyway.
Well, I'm a little curious about what kind of bastards would come up with such a reckless plan…
"We keep moving."
In the end, I decided there was no reason to waste valuable time out of curiosity, and we resumed our advance.
That was the end of that matter.
After that, we focused entirely on reaching the next floor quickly, and by the morning of Day 6, we arrived at the entrance to the Tower of the Sky, on the fourth floor, after passing through the Witch's Forest.
But the problem was…
"There's a lot of them."
The center of the Witch's Forest.
Dozens of explorer teams were gathered at the entrance to the fourth floor.
Of course, this in itself isn't strange.
Since most explorers doing speedruns have similar times, it's natural that many would arrive at the fourth floor around the same time, which means waiting is inevitable…
'Even moving this fast, we still have to wait… Everyone must be serious about this expedition.'
I looked around just in case Team 2 was nearby, but I didn't see them.
Maybe they arrived earlier, or maybe they haven't shown up yet.
As I led our team into line, I could feel people's eyes subtly turning toward us.
"…It's Viscount Yandel."
"So he's finally here? Kind of underwhelming."
"I've said it again and again. Other than the name, he's just a regular explorer."
Still, maybe because all the top-tier explorers had gathered, I could feel a particularly strong sense of hostility in the air.
I guess it's because they see me not as someone to admire, but as a rival.
"There aren't many teams wearing royal insignia, are there?"
"Well, considering the military's composition, they probably focused more on combat than mobility."
"Ah, that makes sense…"
Even as I exchanged brief words with Raven, the line was moving quickly.
In this situation, there's no need to wait five minutes for the portal color to change.
As soon as six people enter, the portal is full, and when the color changes, the next team can go right in—
Rumble—!
Suddenly, the ground shook as if from an earthquake.
But, as expected from top explorers, no one panicked at the phenomenon.
Everyone immediately understood what it meant.
"…A rift has opened."
A rift had opened on the third floor.
The explorers reacted in three ways.
"So that rumor was true. In a labyrinth reopened after so long—"
"Shh, be quiet."
"Anyway, this means we can look forward to the fourth and fifth floors too, right?"
Those who didn't care about the third-floor rift and looked ahead with sparkling eyes.
"Briam! Where's the rift?"
"It's not far from here. If we go full speed, we'll reach it in an hour."
"One hour… That's tricky. If we can at least enter it, it's not a loss, but still…"
Those who calculated the pros and cons after confirming the location.
And then…
"This way!"
"Run!"
"Captain, what do we do? They're already running!"
"…Damn it! We're going too!"
Those who made an instant decision and charged off.
For reference, our response was the first type.
We didn't need anything from the White Temple, and since our guild leader was focused on 'achievements', he didn't say much either.
Even if we cleared the third-floor rift, what kind of achievement would that be?
Ah, though the fact that the rift opened was a good thing.
"Oh, it's our turn now."
Thanks to the explorers rushing out in droves, the line had shortened drastically.
「You have entered the fourth floor: Tower of the Sky.」
It goes without saying, but nothing special happened in the Tower of the Sky.
At most, a rift opened on Day 10?
We eagerly searched for it as soon as it opened, but unfortunately, we couldn't get in.
"That's a shame… It wasn't the Golden Ruins, was it? They say money literally pours out there."
"…It was probably the Forest of Doppelgangers."
It was disappointing that we couldn't enter the rift, but like a mentally sound explorer, I consoled myself with some good old rationalization and kept climbing the tower.
Unlike the previous floors where we could skip all battles, the fourth floor made fighting unavoidable, and each time, I closely observed the combat capabilities of the new recruits.
'Unexpectedly solid, I'll give him that.'
Beleg Shusia di Tersia.
A hero of the fairies. His nickname as an explorer used to be "the Pursuer."
Apparently, he had another nickname before, but after the fairy village was destroyed by the Dragon Slayer more than a decade ago, he was always hunting that person, which is how he earned it.
Ah, as the name implies, his specialty is tracking and detection.
'His combat ability seems to be somewhere between Grade 2 and Grade 3…'
What stands out is that he's in the archer position but doesn't use a bow.
His combat mechanism goes like this.
Whoooosh—!
He summons spirit beings on a military scale, referred to as "summons."
「Beleg Shusia di Tersia casts [Skill Transfer].」
Using the [Skill Transfer] essence, he shares the effects of his various "archery-type" essences with the summons.
And then…
「Beleg Shusia di Tersia has no weapon equipped.」
He boosts all summon damage several times over with the [Holy Commander] effect—
「Beleg Shusia di Tersia casts [Horn of the Soul].」
「When summons attack the same target, additional damage is inflicted.」
—and rapidly increases their firepower using several support skills.
Because of this, no matter how you look at it, he seems more like a summoner or a psychic caster than an archer…
'But whatever, as long as he fights well.'
Beleg's character was more complete than I expected.
Guess that's what you'd expect from someone who used to be a player.
'Way better than the guild leader.'
For comparison, the guild leader's performance was far below my expectations.
Sure, he had some rare essences and was objectively strong, but…
'That's it.'
It felt like he was barely scraping by at his current level.
At this point, it's too late to completely restructure his build, and without that, there's hardly any potential left.
「You have entered the fifth floor: Great Demon Realm.」
Anyway, while doing a sort-of test, we kept climbing and soon reached the fifth floor.
But the fifth floor already looked different from what I remembered, starting from the entrance.
Usually, at the entrance to the fifth floor—a safe zone—a camp would be set up, and explorers would rest together…
"…No one's here?"
"That just means we arrived that early."
Of course, even if time passed, I didn't think the scene here would change.
If you had the skill level where you needed to set up camp even in the safe zone, you wouldn't have made it this far into the labyrinth in the first place.
"…Judging by the lack of markers, we must've arrived before Team 2."
"Unless someone erased them."
We left a simple sign for Team 2 at the entrance and resumed our exploration.
Naturally, we took the shortest route despite its difficulty: the Canyon of Wraiths.
「Your character has entered a special area.」
「Field Effect – Canyon of Wraiths applied.」
「Status Effect [Earthbound Spirit] inflicted.」
「Dark Resistance and Physical Resistance decreased by 100.」
The ground shook periodically, like tremors.
With the eerie howling of spirits in the background like BGM, and that uniquely unpleasant sensation, like your skin's gotten thinner.
Even more off-putting than Frost Canyon or Hellfire Canyon, but as an efficiency-first explorer, I had no choice.
"Why is this the fastest route, of all places…"
Time in the labyrinth is literally money.
As soon as we took this path, I started seeing explorers here and there. Just like us, they were climbing the floors quickly.
'It's not exactly a great hunting field, after all.'
Hm. If we'd chosen a different path, maybe we would've run into some explorers here to farm monsters.
Maybe. Probably.
Actually, the fifth floor isn't a bad hunting area if you can monopolize it.
"At this rate, we'll arrive at the sixth floor tomorrow."
Time passed quickly, and it was now Day 16 since entering the labyrinth.
Just one day left until we reached the sixth floor.
"Reaching it on Day 17 is insanely fast, huh…"
"It's a ridiculous pace. Wasn't the previous war's participation threshold to arrive by Day 25?"
Yeah, arriving on the morning of Day 17 would set a record.
If we'd pushed even harder without worrying about condition management, we might've even forced it on Day 16.
'Maybe the overall quality of the team's gone up?'
In any case, nothing noteworthy happened during our time on the fifth floor either.
If I had to pick something, I guess another rift opened…
"Seriously, it's like a rift opens on every floor."
"And we still couldn't get in despite having a Guide… What's with everyone being so fast."
Somehow, we couldn't get in again this time.
Even though a rift portal popped up relatively close to us.
'Maybe we're just not lucky with rifts this round…?'
I was setting up camp while thinking that when—
"Yandel."
Beleg, our team's designated Guide, lowered his voice and called my name.
I didn't need long to figure out why he was suddenly setting the mood when we were about to sleep.
"…Explorers."
"There's quite a few. Over forty."
"Let's wait. If they've noticed us, they'll probably circle around."
It feels pointless to even say it at this point, but monsters aren't the only thing to be wary of in the labyrinth.
No—if anything, you need to be more wary of people.
"…They're not changing course."
The unknown group was coming straight toward us.
It's an unspoken rule in the labyrinth to avoid conflict by detouring if another group's already set up camp.
Step, step.
We were all awake and on alert when the group finally emerged from the darkness of the labyrinth.
The moment they saw us preparing camp, their eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"…Anabada Clan?"
Just like I figured out their clan from their insignia, they did the same with us.
Though, really, they'd have recognized us even without the insignia.
"What are you looking at? Move along already."
"Ah, sorry. I know the unwritten rule, but as a captain, I wanted to shorten the route as much as possible."
"I said move along. Now."
That was already the second time I said it.
But the guy didn't budge and just swept his gaze over our group.
"By the way…"
That sticky look—the kind you only get when weighing what you can lose versus what you can gain.
It hit me again.
"…Looks like you haven't met up with Team 2 yet?"
Yeah.
This is the labyrinth.
-x-X-x-
Treasure brings misfortune. 이 proverb shines especially brightly inside the labyrinth. I myself, back in my rookie days, once had someone suddenly turn into a raider just because of a subspace bag, and there were so many such incidents that at one point, I seriously considered whether I should peel off the workshop seal from my subspace bag or smear soot on my lightium breastplate to dull its shine.
But....
'I thought those days were over.'
As I gained fame, formed a team, that team grew into a clan, I became a noble, then a chieftain... the more I had, the less reason I felt to hide anything.
No, on the contrary, I exposed everything I could.
I judged that now was the time when that would help me more.
And yet, what is this now.
"...."
The moment that bastard subtly tossed a question, the weight of the air changed.
Neither I nor he had said a single word yet.
My comrades each began pulling out their weapons, preparing to fight at any moment, and the enemy did the same.
"...."
"...."
In a tense silence, we aimed our gazes at each other.
He was hesitating.
Of course he was — there was so much he could gain from killing me.
Just counting the Numbered items known to be in my possession, there were several, and among them were even Single Numbers.
And even if not that, he was probably assuming there was much more I hadn't revealed.
People are creatures of imagination.
And always toward their own advantage.
"…How are things going with your new team members?"
He must've also considered our team composition when a little bit of greed started to seep in.
Because Elwen and Ainard, members of the Seven Rivals, weren't here.
And Beleg — you could say he was a washed-up retiree — and Misha didn't have any well-known combat capabilities.
'Raven and Kaislan are somewhat famous, but....'
With that lineup, maybe he thought it was worth a shot.
After all, they had over forty people, and we were just six.
"I have no reason to report internal clan affairs to you. So, what exactly is it you're trying to say?"
"Haha, why so hostile? I just wanted to say — be careful."
"...?"
"Well, stuff like how you supposedly took on twenty Orkulis members alone, or smashed a Magic Eye in one blow… maybe clueless fools might believe that, but no one who made it into the labyrinth would believe such absurd tall tales."
Ah… so that's what this is.
Now I get it.
I'd been wondering why he was getting greedy over me, but from the start, he must've thought all my strength was just inflated rumors.
"We're gentlemen, so we'll just pass by like this—"
Bullshit. You're just a coward too scared to take the risk.
"Meiruta Clan."
I cut him off and spoke quickly.
"Out of a total of 121 members, 48 entered this expedition. Seems like you've signed a pact with Dvoord Clan, which is a similar size, but since you're still apart, I assume you'll be linking up on the sixth floor."
"How did you…?"
"At my level, you naturally get to know certain things. Like how, though acquitted in court, your clan has been suspected of raiding multiple times."
"...."
"Do you want what I have?"
To my question, he gave no reply.
It was ridiculous.
When I stayed still, I must've looked like a pushover, but now that I was going on the offensive, he was suddenly flustered and at a loss.
"…Haha, what are you saying? I merely offered you some friendly advice—"
"Prepare for combat."
I cut him off and told my team.
"From this moment forward, consider the leader of Meiruta Clan a raider and noble-killer. Execute him on the spot."
"...Wh-what are you saying!"
"If you aid your leader, you'll be treated as accomplices and punished accordingly."
"W-wait!!"
As I finished my curt declaration and took one step forward, the bastard took a step back and cut me off.
"Y-you're really going to attack me?"
"I'm merely punishing a criminal."
"Wh-what did I do?! Think carefully! Even if you're who you are, if you act like this—"
"If I act like this, what?"
"...."
"Do you really think I wouldn't be able to deal with the consequences?"
He couldn't say a word in response and just opened and closed his mouth like a fish.
Because he knew it too.
That even if he and his men were innocent and I slaughtered all of them, I could make it go away.
"Ilia Adnus."
"…Hoo, so it comes to this."
I merely said his name, and the Guildmaster understood exactly what I meant and removed the helmet he was wearing.
"Th-the Guildmaster…?"
"Why is the Guildmaster with Anabada Clan…?"
Everyone was in complete shock, but honestly, the question they should be asking right now isn't why the Guildmaster is here.
"You are now participating in a raid."
"W-we've never—"
"From what I saw, it was clearly an attempted raid. Are you saying otherwise? Then will you stand by your leader's criminal act?"
To the Guildmaster's question, the Meiruta members responded with actions instead of words.
They instinctively, almost unconsciously, took a few steps back…
'Okay. That's that.'
Whenever you're about to make a move, what matters most is not giving the opponent time to think.
The moment their members stepped back, I dashed forward.
And then…
"...Ugh!!"
I grabbed the leader of Meiruta Clan by the head with one hand.
Kwaaaaang—!
And slammed him straight into the ground.
Of course, even in that situation, none of their members made a move.
No — to be exact, they couldn't.
If their leader had shown some kind of overwhelming charisma and given a command, maybe it'd be different. But in this situation, none of the regular members could make that kind of weighty decision.
"...."
"...."
Thus, silence once again fell over the labyrinth.
But it was a completely different kind of silence from before.
Before, it was a tense quiet, like something could explode any moment…
"...."
Now, it was the stillness after a victor had been declared.
The loser had no options left, and could only wait, hoping the winner would show mercy.
"What will you do?"
The Guildmaster clicked his tongue and stepped up next to me.
"Executing him here won't be a problem. He didn't have a good reputation to begin with, and if we investigate him back in town, we'll probably dig something up. Besides, he's the one who broke the unspoken rule and approached first, isn't he?"
"P-please spare me… P-please… I was wrong."
"So? What will you do?"
The Guildmaster asked like he hadn't heard the man's pleas, and I ignored them as well, finishing my final thought.
"Execute him."
"What…? No, you can't do this! I-I really didn't do anything!"
Well, technically he's not wrong.
But the problem is that he even entertained the thought.
'If Team 2 had run into people like this?'
What if they were ambushed while climbing and someone died?
I have no intention of sitting back and then comforting myself by saying, "There was nothing I could do."
Yeah. That's why…
They need to know.
Who Bjorn Yandel is.
What happens when someone messes with us.
Crack—!
No need for more words.
I brought the hammer down, and that was the end of it.
As my judgment concluded, the Guildmaster approached me.
"Well done. People like him are like cockroaches. If you let them be, they just multiply endlessly."
I didn't care much for his consolation, and instead looked over the faces of my comrades.
Raven, with her long military background, didn't show much of a reaction — nor did Beleg.
Kaislan even looked like he found it refreshing.
But…
"...."
Only Misha, who'd spent the longest time with me, showed a slightly concerned expression, though she didn't say anything here and now.
"S-so… what happens to us now?"
"Are you the vice-captain?"
"Y-yes. Baron— I mean, Viscount…"
The vice-captain couldn't even make eye contact and was trembling.
Well, they lost their leader in a place they never expected — I probably looked like a demon to them.
From their perspective, it might've seemed like I killed him on a whim out of anger.
"I have a few questions."
"W-we really didn't intend anything! When we sensed someone, I-I said we should turn back, but the captain just acted on his own—"
"That's not what I was going to ask."
"Eh? Then…?"
"I get that you chose the fifth floor as your gathering point. But how'd you get here so fast?"
It was the question I'd had since I first saw them.
We'd been advancing at an extremely fast pace too — how did they get ahead of us?
With forty-eight people, no less.
"T-that's because our captain assigned six members to the expedition who had [Flag of Swiftness]! Ah, the [Flag of Swiftness] is…"
"No need to explain. I know it."
[Flag of Swiftness] is an aura-type skill that greatly increases movement speed based on the number of people benefiting from the buff.
It does burn through a lot of MP, but they probably rotated who used it…
'But does this strategy even have any real merit?'
As I was pondering, the Guildmaster cut in with a mocking tone.
"That's a strategy no one uses these days."
"Eh…?"
"It only really works efficiently once everyone's gathered on the fifth floor. Sure, you can rush through the fifth floor fast, but… from the sixth floor you need boats, and from the seventh, stability matters more than speed. That's why it was a brief fad, then it died out."
"…I-I see… I really didn't know. The captain said he paid a lot of money to learn that strategy…"
"Then he wasted it."
Anyway, that cleared up my question.
To be honest, I'd been surprised when we suddenly ran into such a big group on the fifth floor.
"So what about us…?"
"You're coming with us. You're heading to the sixth floor anyway, right?"
"Uh…?"
"Got a problem?"
"No, sir…"
Well, seeing how things turned out, we might as well head to the sixth floor and rest.
***
「There are 53 characters within range.」
「[Flag of Swiftness] effect increased by 315%.」
「All movement-related stats have greatly increased, and stamina consumption while moving has greatly decreased.」
「You have entered the sixth floor: Great Ocean.」
***
Even after wasting some time on all this, we reached the sixth floor before Day 16 ended, thanks to moving with the Meiruta Clan under the buff.
Lymia, the Island of Beginnings.
Along the coast, various clans were preparing to set sail or waiting for their not-yet-arrived comrades.
"Doesn't seem like many ships have already set off."
"That's a good thing. Team 2 isn't here yet, so let's head for the mountain first."
"Um…"
"You're ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ coming too."
Having arrived at the sixth floor, we took the Meiruta Clan with us and climbed the mountain located at the center of the island.
And…
"We could see it vaguely from down below, but… I don't think I've ever seen this many trees growing here before."
"Axes out, everyone."
We began full-fledged lumbering work.
The trees that grow here are extremely valuable.
Normally they're all gone — reduced to stumps — because people always take them. But since the labyrinth had reopened after a long time, the trees were densely packed again…
'Looks like everyone had the same idea.'
There were already quite a few explorers chopping trees around us.
No wonder we only saw ship guards or tent watchers near the shore.
'Still, none of them have as many people as we do.'
After all, the reason we even split into two teams for this climb was because of these trees on the sixth floor. The team that arrived first was supposed to start harvesting them in advance.
These guys were probably farming until their whole crew arrived too.
Chop—! Chop—! Thud—!
And so we threw ourselves into a full-scale lumber race with the other explorers.
At this point, it was hard to tell whether we came into the labyrinth to explore or to work manual labor…
'Once the labyrinth opens to the public, wood prices will probably skyrocket.'
It was definitely more profitable than most hunts, so I, my team, and the forty-seven "volunteers" we'd picked up on the fifth floor all diligently chopped wood.
But the problem was…
One day, two days, three days, four…
The number of explorers coming to log increased.
The speed at which the forest turned into a bald mountain sped up.
Eventually, the trees ran out, and all the explorers disappeared—
"...Fucking hell."
…And still, Team 2 hadn't arrived.