Chapter 61
Chapter 61: Operation to Rescue Jang Du-sik (6)
"Your Highness Leonardo, it's time for the regular rest period. Would you not take a break?"
"Very well."
The Empire's First Prince, Leonardo Rofen Arman, who was conquering the upper reaches of the Labyrinth, only sat down after confirming that all members of the conquest party had begun their rest.
"Your Highness, reading documents is not resting."
The prince's hands were full of thick stacks of documents—maps of the 32nd Floor and records of monster types.
"Sitting down allows my body to rest, does it not?"
Every action of his emanated a sublime sense of responsibility.
The prince examined the documents recording anomalies in this floor, carefully studying several changed numbers.
"Does it not seem like the water level is gradually rising? Looking here, it's risen at least one meter compared to before."
"It appears so."
The 32nd Floor of the Labyrinth.
Across boiling magma, massive bones lay scattered everywhere.
The 32nd Floor, called the Canyon of the Dead, was made up of bones so enormous they were treated as terrain.
To call them bones—they were more like gigantic white mountains.
"Do we need to ascend further?"
"There is a risk of encountering the Floor Master."
Much time had passed since the anomaly occurred in the Labyrinth at the upper reaches.
This was due to the time differential of the Labyrinth that intensified at higher floors.
Unlike other floors where the number of monsters simply increased or the Floor Master didn't wander about.
"And yet we cannot die falling into lava, can we?"
The conquest party was forced to advance toward the Floor Master due to changes in the terrain.
The Empire's conquest party, which had originally been positioned at the foot of the giant bone, had now moved to around its waist.
"If we advance further, would that not be toward the chest? The heart is dangerous—"
"I have no desire to discuss such matters while camping on a bone as large as the terrain itself."
Based on the form of these bones, the Floor Master was likely positioned at the heart or head.
Currently, they were taking rest with their military camp established on the rib cage of some unnamed monster.
"What is your plan if you encounter the Floor Master, Your Highness?"
"What else? We must capture it ourselves."
As the prince pondered the conquest party's route of movement.
"More, more—"
"Ugh! Stay back!"
A strange commotion erupted outside.
'Who in the world?'
The conquest parties of other kingdoms had been annihilated, and the Adventurer's Guild conquest party had joined up with the prince's forces.
'Surely not....'
In such a situation, there was only one person capable of causing such a disturbance.
The Empire's First Prince, Leonardo Rofen Arman, rose from his seat.
"Your Highness, it is dangerous!"
The vanguard of the battlefield was always the First Prince Leonardo.
He was also the strongest here.
Yet dangerous, they said?
"W-wait! Slayer Luke! This is the formation of the Imperial Army. Withdraw at once—!"
When the prince emerged from the tent, hundreds of conquest party members had their weapons aimed at a single man.
"Bring me the prince."
That man's eyes gleamed blood-red as he recited his purpose.
To this, the prince dismissed his soldiers and stepped forward confidently.
"Slayer Luke, we have no intention of obstructing your path."
A noble and dignified manner of speech.
His voice offered a strange sense of reassurance, but—
"Ugh......"
The fear emanating from the man called the Slayer was far greater.
The world's first Possessor, living within the Labyrinth.
He had killed all who approached him, regardless of gender, age, nationality, or faction.
The cause of death for all his victims was identical: a stab wound to the abdomen from a short blade.
Thus came his epithet—the Slayer.
"I have business with you, prince."
The Slayer drew his blade toward the silver-haired man.
"How dare you!"
"To His Highness the Prince—!"
The conquest party, who had traversed the line between life and death together for countless days in the Labyrinth, drew their weapons and began to monitor Slayer Luke.
"Slayer Luke, has your madness flared up again?"
The prince likewise quietly placed his hand on his Moonlight Sword and prepared for combat.
"How dare you! This fellow!"
A sharp voice rang out from behind the Slayer.
"......I have done nothing wrong."
"Where are you lying?!"
A woman's form emerged from behind the massive Slayer.
Hair snow-white and long.
Skin transparent like milk.
A flowing white robe adorned with a long golden cross on the back, and a massive greatsword strapped to her back.
'Conversing with that Slayer?'
Her entrance was anything but ordinary from the start.
The mystery of the Labyrinth, Slayer Luke.
A monster who killed all who stood in his way...
"They drew their weapons first! I, I have truly made no threatening gesture!"
He was making excuses in an urgent tone?
And he had even sheathed the blade he held.
"One hundred taps with a stick."
Smack!
"Ugh!"
The man called the world's greatest killer, who wandered the Labyrinth as a slaughterer and unsolvable mystery, was being struck by what seemed to be a girl of around twenty?
'I have heard this mentioned before from His Majesty the Emperor....'
That strange sight brought an old memory to the prince's mind.
"My son, remember this well. Should you ever encounter the white-haired witch in the Labyrinth, never oppose her under any circumstances."
This was advice the Emperor had given Leonardo before he entered the Labyrinth for his duty to conquer it.
'Her name is....'
"—Riferoze Astia."
When the prince spoke that name aloud.
"Hehe."
The white-haired beauty smiled brightly and approached him.
She spoke thus:
"You lack manners, just like your father."
***
Having claimed the floor conquest reward, Erik immediately headed to the next floor.
After storing the black box in his [Inventory] so as not to cause a disturbance like before.
"......Ah, Saint!"
However, contrary to Erik's wishes, an even greater commotion erupted.
"No, Erik sir"
"Massive divine power erupting from the mountain!"
Both the Adventurer's Guild and Imperial Army were calling out Erik's name desperately.
'This is unbearable.'
A frown formed between Erik's brows.
There were two captains who could calm this situation.
"Even your frown is magnificent, sir."
"Surely you are the Saint, sir."
The two men and women were the ones most enthusiastically praising him, and knowing they held the rank of captain and were even married to each other...
'There is no hope if even the superiors are like this.'
Erik could only frown and walk forward silently.
"That staircase leads to Floor 4."
Fortunately, thanks to the gray stone staircase placed in the middle of the desert, Erik was liberated from the senseless praise.
'To think the day would come when I'd be glad to see the Labyrinth stairs.'
It was somewhat inconvenient though.
Erik could neither stop this flow nor had the will to do so.
'Rising status is beneficial.'
These accumulated matters would eventually allow him to rival the Emperor or the Pope's influence.
His reputation had roughly caught up, but his strength and influence still fell far short.
If he led the survivors to escape as things stood, he could certainly garner sufficient support.
'Moreover, the Divine Edifice has become clearer as well....'
With such thoughts, Erik ascended the Labyrinth stairs and arrived at Floor 4.
"The adventurers have requested to join us!"
There too, he rallied survivors just as before and charged toward the Floor Master.
"T-there are terrain features we've never seen before here!"
Floor 4 was an entire desert floor where challenging monsters called Sandworms appeared.
Yet in the middle of that desert, an oasis had appeared?
'This must be traces of finding a hidden piece.'
In other words, it meant Jang Du-sik and the three Possessors had succeeded.
'Finally....'
Erik felt indescribable emotion at Jang Du-sik's successful completion of his mission.
'It's time for Du-sik to grow as well.'
Currently he caused no particular problems, but the past Jang Du-sik had been nothing but a troublemaker.
'He gambled away all the money I gave him to operate a shop, and when I told him to hire staff, he beat some gangsters and made them subordinates instead.'
‘Brother, I've only learned these things my whole life. How am I supposed to suddenly manage a store and hire people?’
How much time had he spent correcting that behavior?
Yet that Jang Du-sik had now progressed to the level of managing a magical tool shop alone and even completing high-difficulty missions like securing hidden pieces in the Labyrinth.
'The Level Up Elixir was supposed to come out as a reward.'
Erik recalled the compensation Nishida Ryo had mentioned.
So he felt no doubt that Jang Du-sik would have failed the mission.
If failure?
'Hmm.'
That Du-sik wouldn't get away with just a tap at that point.
Erik rushed forward with absolute confidence in success, urging the Floor Master conquest.
He rallied survivors and arrived at the Imperial Army's camp, ordering the adventurers to handle the monster waves.
"The Adventurer's Guild moves under the command of the Imperial Army!"
Despite only thrusting one man on a spear, all adventurers moved according to Erik's will.
Disobedience?
The freedom of adventurers?
'That massive procession....'
Thousands of survivors following behind Erik.
Simply hearing the words that came from them, one could understand the fact that they could not go against the enormous Paladin's words.
"See that spear? If you don't listen, they just say you're a heretic and kill you."
"Hey, don't even mention it. They say he rained down meteors made of divine power through the Labyrinth ceiling."
"Exaggeration? Bull, there were over a thousand people who saw that here."
"Ah, it seems like he destroyed the ceiling rather than pierced it."
"How did he destroy the indestructible Labyrinth? I have no idea. Maybe it's possible because he's a Saint......"
Moreover, adventurers who loved gossip added their own words one by one, praising Erik's might.
'What adventurers are these guys?'
Erik let meaningless conversation flow past him without interference and faced the person responsible for the Imperial Army on Floor 4.
"S-salute! Captain of the 3rd Company, Rowhen!"
"Is there also a company on Floor 5?"
As Erik continued to encounter captains as persons in charge, he asked a simple question.
"Companies have been deployed on Floors 2, 3, and 4 respectively, and Floor 5 is managed by the Battalion Commander and his direct unit."
The man briefly explained the military deployment managing the Labyrinth up to Floor 5.
Three companies managing Floors 2, 3, and 4, and a Battalion Commander on Floor 5.
In other words, one battalion was managing Floors 2 through 5 of the Labyrinth.
"Is the Battalion Commander strong?"
Erik asked this question for a simple reason.
He wanted to gather information beforehand about Floor 5, where Jang Du-sik would be.
"That person is strong, but... a mage."
The answer he received was not good news.
'Mana depletion....'
Mages had inferior stamina compared to knights.
It was natural.
The 'War-Mages' of the Imperial Magic Tower were different, but generally, military mages were specialized in large-scale magic that prioritized firepower.
Therefore their mana consumption was also large, and the casting time for spells was long.
'Perhaps Floor 5 might be the most dangerous.'
Jang Du-sik was also a mage.
However, since Jang Du-sik possessed an exceptional talent—a monster-like regeneration of magical power—it wasn't a major problem.
Still, the reason Erik felt worried was that there was a high possibility the Imperial Army containing the Floor Master had been pushed back.
"Once you finish clearing the monster waves, open a path to the stairs."
Saying thus, Erik walked toward the crimson desert where the Floor Master emerged.
***
One hour had passed.
Above the crimson sand where the Floor Master appeared, thirty giant Sandworm Kings surged upward.
It felt truly like watching a massive dragon.
Whooooosh!
A powerful wind pressure erupted above the ten-meter-long centipede-like monster.
Crash!!!
A golden sphere shook the earth as it fell.
Shortly after.
"Wow......"
"What is that?"
Whoooooosh!
Golden wind blew toward the amazed Imperial Army and adventurers.
The divine wind sweeping across the desert sand was truly beautiful, yet they had no leisure to appreciate the sight and had to move immediately.
"Phew, you're in quite a hurry."
"It seems my subordinate is on Floor 5."
The Imperial Army and adventurers endlessly walked following the divine wind that washed away their fatigue.
It was difficult to keep up with Erik's strides as he stepped forward.
The Imperial Army faithfully opened a path to the stairs leading to Floor 5, and Erik placed his foot on the stairs without any particular combat.
Walking three stairs at a time, the moment Erik arrived at Floor 5.
Crack!
Attacks came flying from all directions.
'An entrance kill—.'
Right after moving floors in the Labyrinth, a brief paralyzed state occurs.
Once, Possessors had made entrance kills utilizing this paralyzed state fashionable, and the Imperial Army had come to guard each floor's entrance to prevent this.
Clang!
Erik put strength into his body right after the paralysis wore off and identified the source of the attacks aimed at him.
'—The Floor Master?'
Massive fangs.
Large claws.
Howl!!!
A werewolf resembling a hyena reeking of foul odor.
"All units, defensive formation!!! Secure your positions—!"
The Imperial Army that followed quickly began responding.
Erik waved his hand, scattering divine power.
"—Divine Barrier."
A dome of sanctity appeared at the floor's entrance, and pale smoke began rising above the monsters within.
"All units, move around the barrier as your center!!"
The three captains used this opportunity to reorganize their soldiers and quickly began driving back the Floor Master.
'Where is he?'
Erik closed his eyes, trying to sense presences.
Howl!!!
The entire area was Floor Masters.
This meant that much time had passed since the Imperial Army had retreated on Floor 5.
'Northwest and southeast....'
Erik detected two faint presences felt from far away.
Presumably, one would be the Imperial Army, and the other would be Jang Du-sik.
'This one is stronger.'
Erik decided his destination toward the weaker presence.
"I leave this place to you."
Leaving a single word with the remaining Imperial Army, he began walking with heavy steps.
Boom!
The earth cracked and wind pressure erupted in all directions.
'Where is he?'
Erik rolled his eyes wildly through the passing landscape.
The presence grew increasingly faint.
He began to regret telling him to look after the Possessors.
'That fellow has a strong sense of responsibility....'
With Jang Du-sik's character, he would have definitely said "Because brother said so" and carefully looked after the Possessors as well.
And perhaps because of that, he may have found himself in greater danger.
Howl!!!
The barking of beasts filled the air everywhere.
The pressure emanating from the Floor Master kept disturbing the weak presence.
Then a faint voice reached Erik's ears.
"C-come at me. You bastard! All of you come at me!"
It was rough and threatening.
Yet more desperate than ever before.
Whoosh!
Erik spread his wings and shot like an arrow toward the faint voice.
"Ugh....... Spit. Come at me, you damn"
He was met with Jang Du-sik in a pitiful state, swaying.
Behind him, three battered Possessors lay breathing faintly.
Howl!!
The Gnolls surrounding Jang Du-sik circled him and barked as if mocking.
"Du-sik"
Jang Du-sik, who had lost one arm and was bleeding profusely across his entire body.
With one eye distorted, Jang Du-sik followed Erik's voice with his gaze.
And soon, cough! spit! He spat blood and smiled at Erik.
"Brother, Why are you so late?"
Saying so, Jang Du-sik's body tilted.