Chapter 57
Chapter 57. Witch × Young Lady (2)
Red Moon day, dawn.
After the boisterous departure ceremony, the subjugation force entered the Labyrinth Demon Realm.
Fundamentally, Demon Realms were quite vast, but among them, the Labyrinth Demon Realm was especially expansive.
Even with the forces that filled the plaza during the departure ceremony, covering the entire Demon Realm was utterly impossible.
However, there were Demon Realm scholars to handle this.
Demon Realm scholars received expensive funding to research the structure and ecology of Demon Realms.
Where monsters gathered after passing through complex mazes.
Which areas to block off to prevent monsters from rampaging outside the city.
Which Reward Rooms to use as bases for efficient preparation—they formulated strategies.
Under those strategies, the subjugation force was deployed systematically to designated locations.
Among them, the role of the Six Heroes, who could be considered the core, was simple.
Seal off the abyss below the 7th floor.
Generally, below the 7th floor was literally a Demon Realm where human reason and providence became twisted.
The monsters inhabiting that place were all dangerous and troublesome without exception.
If those things crawled up to the lower floors, wouldn't the damage be devastating?
So the six of them each formed six teams and were deployed to key positions to fundamentally prevent disasters.
She definitely understood it that way.......
"Ugh......"
Penelope shivered at the Labyrinth Demon Realm's characteristically cool and dry air.
It felt much colder than when she'd come last time.
No.
This wasn't because it was actually cold.
Honestly, it was because she was scared.
When Penelope received the invitation to join from Isolde, she naturally thought she'd be entering a team under her command.
Just like how Kaylus the Silent Sword Saint led other knights, and Ravina the Beast Empress was organized with her mercenary group members.
However, reality was.......
'Hello. Isolde, have the others arrived?'
'Others?'
'The other team members.'
'They're here.'
'Where?'
'You.'
When she actually looked during the departure ceremony, there wasn't a single other team member.
Unexpectedly, she'd become a close duo with Isolde.
When she learned that fact, the pressure.........
Had continued as an ongoing process until now.
Though Penelope had recently crossed a threshold and her skills had grown considerably, she was still a 5th Rank alchemist.
Moreover, with very little practical combat experience, entering the abyss was extremely dangerous.
However, Penelope's worries didn't seem important to Isolde at all.
"Left here."
"Right here."
"At this fork, take route 4."
Isolde forged ahead through the complex paths without hesitation, as if reading a map.
Thanks to that, they reached the 6th floor before even half a day had passed.
Without even encountering a single monster.
It was incomparably faster than when Penelope had guided before.
Just following behind made her break out in sweat.
Isolde looked back.
"We're entering the 7th floor now."
Incidentally, this was the first time Isolde had looked back since entering the Demon Realm.
Over Isolde's shoulder, she could see the atmosphere rippling with faint light, like a curtain swaying in the wind.
A 'portal' that allowed movement between floors in the Demon Realm.
"Are you tired?"
Of course she was tired.
She'd been using 'Wind Calling' the entire way here, so physically there wasn't much fatigue.
The problem was the mental aspect.
No matter how powerful Isolde was, could she handle 7th floor monsters with only Penelope accompanying her?
Was it okay to entrust her life to someone she'd first met yesterday?
She couldn't understand anything from beginning to end.
From the sudden visit, to the cleaning of her magic circuits, to the reason they'd suddenly plunged into the Demon Realm just the two of them.
At first, she'd suspected Isolde's favor came with a price.
Penelope had always been unlucky, and behind good fortune there was always hidden misfortune.
But this time, she set aside her suspicions.
'What am I worth anyway?'
Not a self-deprecating analysis, but an objective one.
A hero among heroes, the Witch of the Western Border—what could she possibly want from Penelope to put in this much effort to devour her?
"No. No problem."
She'd already steeled her resolve last night.
On the way here, she'd roughly done the calculations.
Though Penelope was just a sidekick, hadn't the two of them defended a strategic position?
If she returned safely, a '3rd Grade Dawn Medal' was practically guaranteed.
The 3rd Grade Dawn Medal provided tax reduction benefits worth 15% of total taxes paid for one year.
Considering the income Y&P Trading Company would earn while establishing the bottling system, it was an opportunity to save massive amounts in taxes.
"I'm going in."
"Yes."
Penelope resolutely followed behind Isolde and took a step forward.
***
After the slight dizziness felt when moving through the portal.
"Wow."
Penelope opened her mouth and exclaimed, unbecoming of a noble young lady.
Actually, the path to the 6th floor had been monotonously dull.
Because the Labyrinth Demon Realm itself repeated the simple structure of maze-Reward Room like an anthill.
However, from the 7th floor, the starting point of the abyss, it was completely different.
The suffocating sense of confinement disappeared like a lie.
Instead, a space so vast it felt unreal appeared.
The ceiling was filled with distant darkness with no visible end, and beneath that darkness, giant cubes were placed.
They were about 30 meters in length, width, and height, and there were so many she couldn't even count them.
Amid the smooth black mineral cubes emitting a dim glow, they were stacked haphazardly, constructed like a giant three-dimensional maze.
"This is incredible."
"The Spirit Demon Realm is prettier."
Awe blossomed at the mystical spectacle.
She understood why the abyss was called a space that defied providence.
It was a spectacle you couldn't see even with money.
When she returned, she'd have to brag about it so much to Jurgen and Serena.........
No.
Except Jurgen, just to Serena.
"Is that space itself a maze?"
Just as Penelope was about to pour out questions to Isolde.
Krrrrrrrrrng.
An unusual movement occurred.
From a cube with sides at least 30 meters long, a whitish light suddenly began pouring out.
Like a toy cube rotating, the stone mass reassembled with a roar and at some point took on a crude body resembling a human.
—Uuuuuuugh!!!!
"Mo-monster......"
As Penelope trembled at the roar she could even feel vibrating, Isolde added dryly.
"Official name Transformer. Stone Statue type, Crisis Class monster."
I can see that.
Penelope was so surprised she couldn't speak properly.
This was her first time seeing a proper monster in actual combat.
And it happened to be Crisis Class.
Every time the massive body moved, the thud thud sounds were sufficient to send shivers down her spine.
Moreover.......
The darkish stains on the ground visible now.......
They were shaped like crushed people.
No way, right?
"As you can see, it's an individual specialized in mass attacks. Get squished and you'll go splat."
It was.
"It's sturdy and despite being a golem, it doesn't even have a separate core. To dispose of it, you need to thoroughly destroy it so it can't regenerate."
Penelope quickly realized.
Wasn't the explanation a bit too detailed?
"You'll handle it. You can do it, right?"
"Me? That thing?"
"Yep."
Right.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Penelope pulled together her clouding consciousness.
No need to be scared.
If it's Crisis Class, it's a level a 5th Rank alchemist like Penelope could sufficiently handle.
Moreover, Isolde was standing firm behind her.
Though she still couldn't get a read on what kind of person she was, surely she wouldn't ignore Penelope dying right before her eyes?
A good opportunity to safely gain practical combat experience.
Penelope pulled out a 'Flame Seed' from her Palette.
It was a catalyst that could stack 4 Codes.
—Guuuuugh!!
The Transformer, which had been crouching briefly, began charging at a speed unsuited to its massive body.
Thud, thud, thud!
The earth shook with each step it took.
Penelope calmly drew up her magic power and extracted elements from the catalyst.
"..........!"
And she raised one eyebrow slightly.
What on earth had Isolde done yesterday?
Using magic, she could feel her magic power was surprisingly refined.
The entire process was smooth like well-oiled gears.
Magic power circulated smoothly even to the ends of her internal circuits that she normally couldn't utilize well.
Confidence surged wildly.
Who was this person?
Penelope Rosemore.
A god-given alchemy genius who had even repelled the infamous killer undertaker.
If there was no core as Isolde said, she needed to thoroughly destroy the parts composing the body.
For that, she needed to evenly distribute firepower while maintaining power.
Draw the image in her head and derive the optimal solution.
There happened to be a spell she wanted to test.
Compression.
Projection.
Dispersion.
Finally, Penelope's Unique Code 'Falling Petals.'
Penelope extended her hand forward and chanted.
"Fox Flower."
Red trajectories like the stamens of spider lilies extended in streams toward the charging golem.
The Unique Code Penelope possessed was 'Falling Petals.'
A destructive Code that made magic burn more violently by feeding on the surrounding heat.
Though it was a 4th Rank spell, the firepower would be sufficient.
Baaaaaannng!!!!
A chain reaction where the created flames caused more flames and explosions.
The form of the charging golem collapsed as is, and brilliant sparks scattered like a shower of falling flower petals.
Kroooom!
The golem fell powerlessly in its charging posture.
Because of its size, just its collapse spread a roar that made her insides churn.
"Yes!"
This level is easy!
It was far more powerful than what she'd theorized.
Confirming the golem wasn't regenerating, Penelope immediately looked for Isolde.
Wouldn't she praise her for this level of achievement? Expecting that, Penelope.......
"Isolde, how was it?"
"How was what?"
"......Nothing."
"About 6 hours left until Red Moon starts. There was a decent resting spot around here......"
Was quickly disappointed.
Well, would it be easy to receive recognition from a legendary alchemist?
Moreover, since Isolde was Hanbin's colleague, her standards wouldn't be in the realm of humans.
"Ah, it's this way."
As Isolde walked leisurely without tension.
—Kuuuuuuurrrng!
—Krrrrrrrng!
"No way............"
The roar that had occurred when the golem appeared earlier sounded consecutively from all directions.
Sure enough.
Several of the cubes composing the maze were simultaneously, geometrically moving and forming shapes.
"Don't tell me............ all those piled up like a mountain are monsters?"
Were all the stone masses forming the three-dimensional maze Transformers or whatever they were called?
She'd broken quite a sweat handling just one, but they were swarming like that?
—Guuuuuugh!
Thud, thud, thud!
Roars and heavy movement sounds creating echoes in the vast space.
Penelope understood.
It was called the abyss because 'Crisis Class' poured out whenever you got bored.
"It's not like that. A few of them are mixed in."
Isolde stepped forward leisurely.
In her hand was a mushroom.
A mushroom with a red cap and white spots scattered all over—a visual that would cause big trouble if you touched it and then rubbed your eyes without thinking, but.......
That was an alchemy catalyst.
Woong, woong, woong.
Ripples spread near Isolde's body and she could feel Codes stacking.
Impossibly refined and profound ripples like a deep river.
"Grow, mushroom mushroom."
As Isolde's chant ended, sparkling powder scattered.
And.......
That was the end.
Outwardly, there was no effect whatsoever.
The golems covered in powder were charging toward Penelope and Isolde to turn them into jerky without any problems.
"Um, excuse me...... Isolde?"
Could it have been a dud?
Just as she was wondering whether to pull out an alchemy catalyst to do something.
Pop pop pop.
Colorful mushrooms began blooming from the body of the Transformer charging in the very front row.
Some were as large as human heads, others were tiny mushrooms.
Starting from there, mushrooms began growing from the other golems' bodies as well.
Even though their entire bodies were clearly made of mysterious stone masses.
Penelope could intuitively understand.
This was Isolde Blackwood's Unique Code 'Life.'
Mushrooms growing one after another, yet explosively, forming colonies in an instant.
The golems that had been charging vigorously began disrupting their movements the moment the mushrooms grew, then soon stopped functioning entirely and became culture medium for mushroom cultivation.
The number she'd subdued in one moment was fifteen.
"This is the magic a 9th Rank deploys............"
She'd wondered if she was someone lacking somewhere, but she wasn't.
Well, didn't they say geniuses originally have some eccentric aspects?
She couldn't even grasp what or how she'd done it.
Even though she had the intuition that she wouldn't reach that realm even if she devoted her entire life, she didn't even feel jealous.
That's how overwhelming the gap felt.
Despite displaying such a miracle, Isolde was expressionless.
Even that aspect was cool.
"Here."
Isolde suddenly held out a basket in front of the admiring Penelope.
It was an empty basket woven from wood.
"This is...... why?"
Isolde pointed at the pile of golems that had become mushroom medium.
"Go pick some mushrooms. We're having mushroom hot pot."
Shortly after.
"Isolde! Are these mushrooms safe to eat?"
"You can eat them."
"Really? They look too dangerous though?"
"You can eat them exactly once."
Having received the errand, Penelope diligently picked mushrooms while Isolde boiled water in a pot.