Chapter 49: The Boat
"Are we boarding this?"
With the break of dawn, the group left the city gates and took a detour from the side road leading to the labyrinth, arriving at a tributary of the Véracité River that flowed nearby. It was the same stream that flowed through the riverbed where they first fought the ogre.
The day before, just before returning to the city, I had an idea and decided to try making a "boat" using this stream. There was a pool of water visible deep in the fifth layer, and it seemed likely to become a pond or an underground waterway as they went further.
Swimming in the depths of the labyrinth teeming with monsters was not an option.
With my "Move Clay" skill, I could manage to rotate a wheel, but I couldn't, for example, keep clay floating in the air. It seemed that while it might be possible if I consumed a significant amount of MP for a short period, creating something like an airplane or UFO to ride on was impossible.
So, a boat.
If there were lightweight FRP or fabric canoes in this world, they could each carry one, but I thought of trying to make something using my skills instead.
Although I called it a boat, it was about the size of a motorboat. I formed it by shaping thin reinforced ceramic plates into the shape of a boat, and attached a ceramic screw to the back, which I would rotate using my clay-moving skill.
The machining of the shaft for attaching the screw and the fact that ceramic was heavy made it necessary to make it quite thin to obtain buoyancy, so I experimented with various methods, which caused us to end up with the evening yesterday.
Cecily, who accompanied us as the overseer of the slaves, was complaining about being hungry, but she still reluctantly helped out with Lina.
However, in the first place, Cecily had never been on a boat before, although she had seen ships like this on the main Véracité River. When she tried the boat for the buoyancy test, she turned pale at the rocking boat.
So, before using it in actual combat, I thought it was necessary to check if it was safe for everyone (both in terms of buoyancy and psychologically). I took out the prototype I kept last night and placed it on the stream. I immediately rotated the screw to counteract the current and prevent it from drifting away. I had practiced this yesterday and became proficient at it.
However, when I asked them to get on one by one, Greon was even more hesitant than Cecily.
"You're so big and yet so pitiful," Larouque teased as she skillfully hopped aboard, maintaining her balance. Greon nervously got on the rocking boat.
Beth was interested in the mechanics of the propulsion system, so she peered into the screw from the edge of the boat, almost falling in. They didn't have powered machines like this in this world.
However, with six people, or seven if we considered Lina as a life-sized person, the boat's draft was lower than ideal, and it lacked a bit in buoyancy. If we were to fight monsters and the boat started rocking or getting attacked, it might sink easily.
In desperation, I extended the boat's size. At times like this, it was convenient to use a skill.
However, by doing so, the material became quite heavy, even if I sacrificed some strength and made it thinner. Even if I increased the size of the screw or added more, it didn't gain much speed.
"How about adding a sail?"
Beth surprised us with her suggestion. A sail in the labyrinth?
"Not too big, but I think we can move it with wind magic."
Ah, I hadn't considered that.
I could use my clay skill to make an object, and Beth's magic could move it. It was a good combination.
People in this world probably thought of sailboats or rowboats when they mentioned ships, so it might be a natural idea for them. It would also be easier on my MP.
The problem was, what could we use to make the sail?
"What about cutting up camping tents?"
"There should be a few in the labyrinth's guardhouse."
Greon and Cecily came up with a solution.
With the extension of the boat, U-turns seemed difficult considering the labyrinth's width, so we had to keep moving forward as much as possible. Meeting magic-using monsters or those with ranged attacks could be troublesome.
Still, somehow, we found a way to move forward.
I stored the boat again using "Keep," and the party headed for the labyrinth.
***
As a result of yesterday's battle, everyone except me had leveled up.
It was a bit disappointing that I didn't level up, but it was probably because I had already leveled up before everyone else, thanks to the "Growth Rate Doubled" skill. "Growth Rate Doubled" only meant that the required experience to reach the next level was halved, not that the level itself doubled. That would be too overpowered.
The current party was as follows:
Shiro - Adventurer, Level 13
Greon - Warrior, Level 12
Cecily - Warrior, Level 11
Karina - Priestess, Level 11 (New spell: "Guardian of the Mind")
Larouque - Scout, Level 11
Bes - Mage, Level 10 (New spell: "Magic Strengthening")
Everyone was now in the double digits. Before, it was just Sebastian the butler.
With the time taken for the boat test in the morning, they reached the fifth underground floor near noon.
Then, Larouque gave a warning, "Stop. It seems like a considerable number of monsters have spawned…"
This area was where they had burned down a large number of bugs and vines the day before. However, overnight, slime had appeared again, and luminescent moss was growing.
"It's just as we thought," Karina and Beth explained in turn.
This floor was probably a relatively new space, and the magic concentration was very high. When the labyrinth was formed, and magic surged, these primitive creatures likely appeared first.
And as time passed, I wondered if more humanoid-like creatures, perhaps more advanced or similar to us, would be born in the upper layers of the labyrinth.
If that's the case, these monsters on this level will continue to emerge as long as the source of magic isn't cut off.
I don't really understand, but could it be that even the interior of the labyrinth evolves into more advanced beings, akin to the history of Earth? Or maybe there's some kind of food chain at play?
However, if that's the case...
"There's a high possibility that this is the last floor," Beth said, and we all braced ourselves. While we shouldn't get complacent, knowing that there's an end in sight is a bright prospect.
There were few bugs that were susceptible to physical attacks, and most of them were incinerated by Beth and Lina's flames.
Fortunately, there were much fewer bugs than yesterday, so there was no risk of suffocation.
As we continued walking from where we advanced yesterday, the small puddle we glimpsed turned out to be a waterway stretching far into the distance.
No, it wasn't just a waterway; this was a narrow underground lake.
The walls of the cave and the water itself emitted a faint glow imbued with magic. Thanks to my map skill, I could grasp a considerable distance ahead.
Above the water surface, the walls and ceiling were covered densely with labels such as "
On the other hand, the lake itself seemed to possess a magical barrier of sorts. I could only spot a few "
However, with my detection skill, I could sense a strong magical presence underwater.
It seemed that even Raluc's scouting skill had limited information.
"It's more dangerous underwater. Please be careful not to fall into the water," Beth warned.
"It's impossible. The barrier-like thing can't be undone..." she replied.
Beth tried to use her barrier spell to neutralize the lake's barrier, but the lake seemed to be protected by a formidable magical force generated by the labyrinth itself.
I took out the ceramic sailboat (with a propeller) I had stored and let it float on the lake.
Instantly, small creatures were attracted and swarmed around it.
The first to approach were the "
Next, the "
Lina tried shooting fireballs, but it wasn't very effective underwater.
Beth used "Water" magic to create water currents and keep them at bay, but they quickly regrouped. It seemed endless.
Beth then began a different chant than before. Apparently, it was a newly acquired "Magic Enhancement" spell. After finishing the incantation, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused.
Then, she cast another water spell, but...!
Suddenly, a surge of powerful magic erupted from Beth's fingertip. The water surface she pointed at froze instantly, and the magic jellyfish around the boat were frozen and floated on the surface.
Magic enhancement seemed to significantly boost the power of the next spell she cast. While it was unclear if water magic simply became ice magic through enhancement, it was an impressive feat.
As the shallow waters could be hazardous for boarding the boat, I decided to pass ceramic planks from the shore and walk on them.
I still had some MP left.
It seemed that as my level increased, my MP gradually increased as well.
Nevertheless, until monsters appeared, I relied on Beth's wind magic to move the boat.
At the bow, Laruk aimed her bow, and Greon, though a bit reluctant, raised his shield. Behind them, Lina was ready to cast fire magic.
The murky and viscous lake surface concealed the appearance of lurking monsters underneath.
Carrena continued chanting "Protection" and "Mental Guard" spells, increasing the party's defense, and with her signal, we bravely ventured away from the shore.