Another week passed since consulting Grandpa about the spell.
I was now heading to the weapon development room's forge.
My sword was finally complete.
"Good morning, Alan-san."
"Yo, Orun. Morning. It's done—your sword!"
He handed over a cloth-wrapped blade.
I unwrapped it.
From hilt to tip—pure black.
Per request—no gloss. Instead, it seemed to swallow light.
Shape: double-edged long sword matched to my height.
No excessive decoration—simple form, yet instantly recognizable as a masterwork.
"Alan-san—thank you. Mind if I swing it lightly?"
"Go ahead."
I moved to open space—swung the black blade.
No discomfort—perfect fit in hand.
Balance flawless.
(This is a sword made just for me... incredible...)
"How's the feel?"
"No issues. As expected from *Silver Rabbit*'s top blacksmith. Perfect."
"Good to hear. Per your request—black dragon scales and ores treated with Hide Turtle blood. Durability dropped a bit for it—dunno why. Still way tougher than normal swords, though."
"I can cover that with support magic—no problem."
"Right. So—got a name for it yet?"
"Yeah. Inscription: 'Schwarz Hase'."
"Schwarz Hase? Never heard it."
"Probably not. It's from a regional language."
"Oh? What's it mean?"
"Black Rabbit. Born in *Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky*—black sword."
"Nice. Suits it."
◇
I headed to the strategy room with the sword—everyone already gathered.
"Morning, Orun-kun! Hey hey—show us the finished sword!"
Lucre bounced excitedly the moment I entered.
"Morning, Lucre. Sure."
I drew **Schwarz Hase** from storage.
Not just Lucre—everyone stared with keen interest.
"Whoa! Black! Cool!"
"No shine despite dragon scales."
Will noted curiously.
"Requested no gloss. Reflection would stand out."
"Now—deep layers prep complete."
Selma-san smirked boldly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"What—we waited a year already. This is nothing."
"Exactly. Finally—revenge time in the deep layers!"
Rain-san's words carried heavy emotion.
"Then—as discussed—full force to deep layers! Today—91st floor exploration. If no issues—push for 92nd conquest again! Everyone ready?"
We nodded firmly at Selma-san's call.
"...Then—let's go!"
"""YEAHHHH!!!"""
◇
We arrived at the 91st floor of the Great Labyrinth.
First deep-layer dive with this party.
91st: swamp zone.
Ground soggy—poor footing.
Trees here and there—leafless, rotting.
Monsters here mostly undead—rotting sludge or skeletons.
Behavior simple—individual strength low.
But numbers abnormal.
Wave after wave—endless dealing.
Plus—must collect stones constantly.
Otherwise—monsters absorbing them grow stronger.
Few stones—no visible change.
But dust accumulates.
Better prevent absorption entirely.
Monsters troublesome enough—smell awful too.
Stagnant air—long exposure risks nausea. Harsh environment.
Monsters appeared immediately.
Rotting bipedal ape-like beasts.
Roughly fifty-plus.
Even this counted "few" for the floor—shows density.
Here—group combat standard.
Too many for individual hate management.
Rear line vulnerable up close—so front line shields rear while fighting.
Rear three clustered—erected mana barriers around.
Will and I took diagonal positions outside—handling incoming.
Rain-san and Lucre attacked distant monsters with spells.
Selma-san—usual command and buff management.
Area suppression needed here—hit multiple at once.
『Ready! Both of you—inside the barrier!』
Rain-san's voice echoed mentally.
We followed—entered barrier.
Confirming us—Rain-san unleashed the spell she'd carefully built over time.
Tsunami surged 360 degrees around us—engulfing hordes.
We four (minus Rain-san) scattered thunder spells into water—electrocution—mass kill.
"Monsters everywhere—stinks—hate this place!"
Lucre grumbled after cleanup.
Understandable.
Monsters grotesque—rotting. Environment vile.
"Worst environment—but endure long fights here, similar floors later become bearable. Monsters here only numerous—not strong. Push a bit more."
True—if we handle this fine—92nd/93rd better environment.
Selma-san's point valid.
94th harsh differently.
95th+—unknown to me—possibly worse.
More fights followed.
Battles lasted longer than other floors.
Little rest.
Deep layers indeed harder than lower.
Stones accumulated heavily—so we returned.
91st and 92nd are opposites—but current party could navigate deep layers with minimal injury.