Chapter 44: The Fourth Layer of the Labyrinth
Not long after sunset, I went to sleep and woke up before dawn.
I never thought I would live such a life, where I sleep and wake up like this. But, given that I'm a slave with no access to the internet or games, and barely any use of light, it's understandable that I end up sleeping for nearly ten hours. Since there's no clock, it's not precise, though.
Still, besides the level up in that dream, I must be getting a deep sleep due to the fatigue from fighting for my life, of course.
It's hard to believe that I, who was practically a shut-in, am now living a life of physical labor, where pain in my body has become the norm.
When I woke up this morning, my adventurer job had reached level 12. As expected, I didn't gain any new skills from the level up, but I now had 2 Skill Points remaining.
In the space where I level up, it seems you can allocate these points to skills. However, the other day, Lina told me, "You don't need to think about how to use the remaining skill points yet," and since I'm not sure what would be advantageous for the time being, I decided to leave them as they are.
This time, along with the job level up, both the skills "Doll Play" and "Clay Play" also rose to level 9. However, for these two skills, I couldn't allocate skill points to raise them to level 10.
The bonus skills I received from the goddess seem to be treated differently from regular skills.
Regarding skill levels, here's what I've gathered so far:
- Skill levels are separate from job levels and increase the more you use the skill.
- If a skill has levels, the maximum level is 10.
- For non-magic jobs, once the job level exceeds 10, you won't learn many new skills. Instead, you'll receive one skill point per level to allocate and use at another time.
So, since my "Doll Play" and "Clay Play" skill levels are at 9, it means I'm just one level away from the cap.
Gen-san said his bonus skill "Divine Favor of Commerce" reached level 10 when his job level was over 20, so compared to that, I reached it quite quickly.
When I read the status screen, the ability I gained at "Doll Play" level 9 has a ridiculous name: "Return Home."
According to Lina, it allows me to instantly shrink her when she's far away and summon her back.
"Where do you return to? Where is your home?"
"Of course, it's inside your heart. Just kidding."
I gave her a light smack on the forehead.
"Ouch! That's a sensitive spot!"
As I had set in advance, it seems I can manipulate the clay not only from my leather pouch but also from the item box. It's like training a dog to go inside its doghouse when you say, "House!"
And what I gained from playing with clay at Level 9 was the ability to make it "move."
"That's quite literal."
Yeah. Until now, I could deform or harden the clay's properties, but now I can, for example, shoot a spear made of hardened ceramic or make a two-legged walking clay robot. It's pretty handy, isn't it?
...Or so I thought. To control it, I need to hold a specific image in my mind, and if I lose focus, the walking robot would stumble and fall instantly. It's manual control, not automatic, and I need to keep pressing a switch. Will I have time for that during a battle? It's debatable whether it will be useful.
Well, it was a trash skill from the start, so I shouldn't have high expectations.
After using a rope to descend to the fourth level, the first encounter of the day was with a swarm of giant bats known as "Labyrinth Bats," which were equipped with poisonous fangs.
They moved swiftly, and only Larouque, whose archery skill had improved, managed to hit them with arrows. However, Beth noticed that she could knock them down with wind magic, and I finished them off with fire magic.
Beyond that cave was a kind of "forest" that was hard to believe existed underground.
The luminescence from the walls was stronger than on the third floor, making the cave quite bright. It was filled with entangled vines and tree-like structures reaching up to the ceiling.
But it was evident that they weren't ordinary plants. They were squirming.
From the depths of the forest, the presence of magical beasts emanated strongly.
"A magical beast forest, huh?"
This morning, besides me, Larouque was the only one who leveled up. She reached Scout Level 9 and detected the presence of magical beasts, informing everyone.
With the discernment skill, the entangled vines were labeled as
Among them were
It seemed like a kind of ecosystem centered around magical beasts had formed.
We couldn't just charge in like this.
As we approached, the vampire vines reached out towards us, and at first, we tried cutting them with swords, but there was no end to them.
And so, unexpectedly, the skill "Manipulate Clay" came in handy.
By attaching wheels and axles to the hardened ceramic body, I could move the wheels with the skill and make it run like an automobile.
Since it involved simple rotational motion, I didn't have to concentrate too hard to keep it moving.
I visualized the image of a wheeled armored vehicle with many tires that appeared in simulation war games. The details were haphazard, but as long as it had a barrier to defend against attacks and could move, it was good enough.
It was designed to accommodate seven people, including Lina, so it consumed a considerable amount of MP. After that, I focused solely on moving it, leaving the combat to everyone else.
In a real armored vehicle, Beth and Lina in their wizard attire would be placed on the top turret, and we would advance while incinerating plant-type enemies with their fire magic.
Gleon and Cecily acted as guards and intercepted any attacking magical beasts.
This labyrinth had no significant irregularities like natural caves. It was nearly flat with an elliptical cross-section, probably due to the worm's burrowing.
That's why it was fortunate that we could employ such a strategy and use this vehicle. If we had tried to conquer this cursed forest on foot, we would have been utterly lost.
Although the travel itself became easier for us, we still had to burn all the forest's magical plants and conduct sweeps to eliminate the hidden magical beasts. It took time and effort. However, thanks to the armored vehicle, none of us suffered severe injuries while dealing with high-level monsters.
Finally, we passed through the forest and reached the deepest part of the fourth floor.
Most likely, the final battle of this labyrinth awaited us there. We sat on the armored vehicle, eating our rations, and thinking about what lay ahead.
Everyone was exhausted from the non-stop battles, and both Beth and I were running low on MP, so we desperately needed a refuel.
There were continuous grazes and times when we couldn't dodge the attacks of agile venomous mice, so Kareena used her "Healing" and "Cure" skills frequently, and it seemed to have significantly drained her MP. She was now using the "Meditation" skill to recover.
"Should we stop here for today?"
Beth, wearing her silver leotard as a precaution against the possibility of undead appearing on this floor, asked Kareena.
"Yes, everyone seems to be at their limit in battle. But how about we enter the barrier and explore just a bit more?"
I thought to myself, "That's a good idea," upon hearing Larouque's suggestion.
With Kareena's "Hama" ability, we should be able to enter and leave the labyrinth's main barrier. It would be advantageous for us to go near the labyrinth worm and gather as much information as possible through reconnaissance and detection. Even if we wish to face the decisive battle tomorrow, right?
"Yes, let's do that."
Everyone agreed without objection. As a precaution, we equipped ourselves fully.
Since the armored vehicle couldn't enter, I temporarily stored it away using my "Totteoku" skill.
Then, I stepped into the shimmering mist and passed through the barrier.
"Huh?"
Beth might have been the first to exclaim, but I think we all felt the same.
In front of us was the same as the previous levels, the worm's shell glowing in a pale orange color... an empty shell. An empty shell means the worm's main body is not here?
"What does this mean?"
Greon murmured, while Laruk concentrated, trying to sense the presence inside.
"It's not a worm. It's a different type of demon, with a high level, probably more than one."
"Do you know the type and level?"
Unable to hide her disappointment, Kareena asked Laruk for a report.
"Beast-type creatures and large humanoid demons. Their level... much higher than ours, probably close to level 20."
"That's bad news. They might have noticed us too!?"
Cecily pointed out in a hurried, hushed voice.
"Let's go back."
Kareena chanted the "Hama" spell again, and we quickly left the area.
***
Back at the barrier, we were silent.
One of the reasons we had been able to endure the life-threatening battles day after day was that we believed the end was near.
With increasingly powerful enemies, we managed to make it this far without any casualties, thanks to successful tactics and a bit of luck.
However, nobody truly believed that this could continue forever. The reality of an uncertain future, with no knowledge of when it would all end, naturally affected our morale.
Using Beth's magic, we returned to the labyrinth's exit and sealed it before heading back to the city.
Both Beth and I had almost depleted our MP.
Toriuma seemed to be walking with a heavier step, and as we approached the mansion near dusk, Cecily murmured,
"Tomorrow is the new moon."
I didn't understand the significance, but everyone had a solemn expression. Kareena observed the situation and spoke thoughtfully,
"Yes, that's right. It's an ominous day. Let's take tomorrow as a day of rest. We'll resume at dawn the day after tomorrow."
That's how she declared it.