Chapter 789
Chapter 789: Red Ocean (1)
The royal family put in tremendous effort for this labyrinth opening. After all, resources in this city are dwindling. Well, the nobles and those who were already wealthy have no trouble getting by, but……
‘Everyone else is practically starving to death.’
Refugees who have lost their homes, skyrocketing prices. If you walk around the streets, it’s all too common to see people begging. It was unimaginable just a year or two ago. Rafdonia is a city-state that used to execute ‘unqualified’ citizens who couldn’t pay their taxes. Ah, of course, for now, all citizens are temporarily exempt from taxes. Therefore, the royal family needs to stabilize things starting with this labyrinth opening to be able to collect taxes again…
“Bjorn Yandel……”
“As expected, there’s no way they’d miss out on this.”
“Still, it’s impressive that they were invited here with fewer than twelve members…… I heard the smallest clan here has sixty members.”
“What’s so impressive about it? It’s only natural. He’s an explorer who’s inscribed his name on the Stone of Honor.”
“I heard he was promoted to viscount recently?”
As we arrived at the gathering place, hundreds of explorers who were already there looked us over, sizing us up.
“Those must be the new members.”
“A hero of the elves and the Golden Wizard……”
“Well, the Golden Wizard makes sense considering her connection to Viscount Yandel, but is that seriously the level required to join the Anabada clan?”
“Aren’t they going to post any recruitment notices? Just joining the Anabada Clan would make you known throughout the city.”
“Still, a large clan is better. Think about it. They might be made up of an elite few, but besides their reputation, how can they compete against large clans?”
“By the way, who’s that one in the helmet? There should only be eleven members in total.”
Some looked on with envy and jealousy, while others simply showed curiosity. Instead of paying them any mind, I quickly scanned the surroundings. This gathering place, where explorers would secretly enter the labyrinth, was very familiar to me.
“The royal family really has a twisted taste, using the Marquess’ mansion as the gathering place.”
I smirked at Amelia’s muttering.
“Rather than twisted, I’d say they went for efficiency. It’s hard to find somewhere with this level of security and space in the royal capital.”
“Well… I guess that’s true.”
The Marquess’ mansion felt too pristine to be called a ruin, yet far too desolate to feel inhabited. Looking around gave me an odd feeling. It made me reflect on the nature of power while also feeling an inexplicable sense of emptiness.
“This way, Viscount Yandel.”
After a bit of walking, an official from the Labyrinth Management Office appeared and led us to a tent. The official was older than I’d expected for a government worker, and when I asked about his rank, it turned out to be quite high. In modern terms, he was practically the equivalent of a department head……
Are they sending out high-ranking officials like him due to security concerns?
“Phew… I feel like I can finally breathe.”
As soon as we entered the tent, my clan members who had been walking stiffly behind me relaxed their postures. They must have been tense from all the attention…… Among them, Raven seemed the most affected.
“Did you really need to wear high heels? We’re going into a labyrinth, after all.”
“This is something you just won’t understand, Mr. Yandel. Once people start looking down on you, it’s over.”
Hmm… I doubt wearing high heels would really change how people perceive her…… But I didn’t say anything. Everyone has their own way of thinking.
“So, we’ll stay here until we enter the Labyrinth?”
“No, we’ll move around midnight. There’s a dimensional plaza in the royal capital as well.”
“You mean the original dimensional plaza that’s no longer in use.”
As soon as Kaislan finished speaking, Raven muttered while resting her chin on her hand.
“Still opening it at midnight, huh? They can change the date the labyrinth opens, but that part can’t be altered?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that. I’m not a wizard after all.”
“But I have another question. If they can change the date like this and open the labyrinth secretly like a thief, why haven’t they done it until now?”
Oh, that. I can actually answer this one. I was curious myself, so I asked Astarota about it.
“I don’t know much about it, but from what I’ve heard it takes some time to make the adjustments. It seems the preparations only recently finished after Noark took over Bifron.”
“Hmm… Maybe Noark knew this and that’s why they invaded so hastily. No matter how secret it was, the prime minister would have known about it. The information must have reached Noark’s side as well.”
“Well, that’s possible. Anyway, we’ll be waiting around for a while, so everyone should rest up. Once we enter the labyrinth, there won’t be any time for breaks.”
“Oh, one more thing.”
“……You still have more to ask?”
Raven seems unusually inquisitive today.
“I looked at the exploration plan, but do we really have to rush like that? The schedule you set to reach the fifth floor is ridiculously tight.”
“It’s a forced march, but we have no choice. The labyrinth has been closed for over a year, after all.”
The labyrinth is full of hidden pieces, and most of these hidden pieces have cooldowns. For example, there’s the first floor rifts. While it’s possible to open them using mana stones from second floor monsters, there’s a restriction of being able to open them only once every few months. And not just that……
“If you look throughout history, this isn’t the first time the labyrinth has been sealed. Notable instances include during the Iron Wall Rebellion and when the 13th month was created upon King New World’s ascension to the throne.”
“And?”
“Looking at the records from those times, there were some peculiarities.”
“Like what?”
“The frequency of rift occurrences skyrocketed after the labyrinth reopened.”
“Ah……”
“And the important thing here is that the other clans called here today likely know this fact too.”
Knowing how sharp-minded Raven was, I didn’t need to explain further.
“…Got it. The competition’s going to be fierce. Everyone’s already desperate to make as much money as possible.”
“Even if the number of explorers entering the labyrinth is limited, it’s going to be intense. This time, everyone will be scrambling to reach the upper levels.”
“…In that case, I’m going to get some sleep. Judging by the situation, it looks like there won’t be much time to rest properly once we’re inside the labyrinth.”
“Alright.”
Even though Raven, the Demon King of Curiosity, finally withdrew, I didn’t rest. That’s because the Guild Master had just handed me the list I requested.
“Here’s the list you asked for. I’ve compiled information on the clans and factions that will be entering the labyrinth this time.”
“Thanks.”
This was a benefit that wouldn’t have been possible without the backing of the Guild Master who manages the explorers. I began reading through the just-completed list. After all, these would all be our competitors.
‘Just as the Duke said, there’s no groups participating as teams together.’
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no small-scale explorers at all. According to the Guild Master, a select few skilled teams managed to secure a chance to enter the labyrinth by leveraging connections to join larger clans. Anyway, to summarize the various forces……
“31 clans, totaling 2,517 people.”
On top of that, the royal family’s expedition force numbers 1,700. About 4,300 people will be entering the labyrinth. Naturally, the royal army are the largest single group. But there’s no need to pay too much attention to them. After all, they’re not really competitors since their objective is different from ours.
‘Mana Stones.’
The expedition force’s primary goal is securing mana stones. According to the Duke’s information, their target is the sixth floor to collect mana stones. Apparently, they plan to occupy the three main farming islands that are usually swarmed by large clans and just farm until the labyrinth closes? The clans targeting those islands would have no choice but to suck their thumbs in frustration, but that’s not my concern. The important thing is that since our goals differ, the expedition force isn’t my competition.
‘Our goal is the eighth floor rifts.’
I wonder how many competitors we’ll face? Well, we’ll find out when we get there.
“Alright, starting now, we will board the carriages one by one and move to the plaza!”
As midnight approached, those of us waiting in tents set up in the Marquess’ grand garden boarded carriages bound for the plaza.
And……
Shwaaaaaa-!!
Finally, the portal began to open from the center of the plaza. My heart began to race at this sight I hadn’t seen in so long. Just as pine caterpillars need to eat pine needles.
[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor.]
Naturally, an explorer needs to explore.
***
The Crystal Cave shimmered with a radiant glow. Only when that cool yet somewhat sticky air wraps around my lungs does it finally feel real that we’ve entered the labyrinth.
‘Something… Feels different.’
It was an strange sensation I hadn’t felt during my previous monthly labyrinth entries. Should I say being here feels a little awkward to be here? But I still had to do what I had to do.
Swish.
I ran my hand along the crystal-encrusted walls, using my fingertips to distinguish the subtle textures mixed within. It was a technique Rotmiller, who started as a scout from the very bottom, had taught me.
Getting this feel for this is a bit difficult after such a long time, but……
‘Yeah, this texture means—.’
“Judging by the distance between portals, our starting point seems to be biased toward the north. Heading to Goblin Forest would be the quickest route.”
Ah, right. This guy is a Guide.
‘…These natural-born talents, I swear.’
I felt an inexplicable sense of defeat watching Beleg who simply opened his compass, checked the direction, and closed it without needing to feel the walls or gauge the air like me.
“I’ll lead the way.”
We quickly followed after Beleg as he moved to the front. It’s not ideal for a ranged fighter to be in front, but……
‘Honestly, at this point, it’d be hard to get injured by goblins even if we wanted to.’
I’m guessing someone of Beleg’s skill level could probably lead comfortably even on the fifth floor without issue? Though, the sixth floor might vary depending on the island.
‘Even for him, the seventh floor would be dangerous.’
Without needing to rack my brain to find the path, I followed Beleg and kept an eye on the members of Team 1. Or more precisely, I kept an eye on Raven and the Guild Master. The Guild Master was running at a steady pace, while Raven was riding a one-wheeled mechanical device.
“Um… Aruru…? Is that the transportation device you mentioned before, nya?”
“Yes. It’s a magic tool made for military use. You can charge it by inserting mana stones into it, but even without that, it can also charge by absorbing mana from the air. Though, of course, if you want it to run at high output, you’ll still need to mana stones to fuel it.”
“Aha…? R-Really?”
“It can probably even match Ms. Karlstein’s speed on flat terrain.”
“R-Really? Th-that’s amazing……”
Missha hesitated as if regretting having asked, and the Guild Master showed more interest in her place.
“Can it be used on uneven terrain as well?”
“It works fine on moderately rough terrain, but if it gets too bumpy, I’ll have to switch to something else.”
“Something else……?”
“I’ll show you if the situation calls for it.”
Unlike the TMI-heavy responses she gave to Missha, Raven kept her conversation with the Guild Master brief.
“Haha, I see…… Understood.”
Did something happen between the two of them that I don’t know about? Raven might be prickly, but she usually doesn’t discriminate between friend or foe when it comes to showing off her gadgets……
‘Guess I’ll find out if I keep observing.’
After that, we focused on sprinting through the cave like we were speedrunning.
But……
“Unfortunately, we were a step too late.”
By the time we reached the dimensional stone connected to the Goblin Forest, someone had already activated the portal. Huh, these explorers sure are quick. Given our pace, I thought we had a shot at being the first ones here.
[You have entered the Goblin Forest on the second floor.]
Anyway, motivated by the realization that someone was ahead of us, whoever they were, we pushed forward even faster. But even so, we never managed to overtake them.
[You have entered the Pilgrim’s Path on the third floor.]
We arrived on the third floor through another already-opened portal. Due to the field characteristics of the Greentail Marsh, we could easily spot traces of those who arrived before us… Seriously.
“Looks like these are from the people ahead of us.”
“Fortunately, it seems to be just one team.”
“Yeah. Moving this quickly only to find not just one team but several teams ahead of us… That would have been a bit frustrating.”
“Then let’s get moving—.”
I stopped Beleg for a moment.
“Wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The footprints lead in a direction that doesn’t head to the 4th floor, right?”
Finally sensing something was off, Beleg’s expression shifted.
“Certainly… it is strange. There’s nothing but the Sculpture Temple in that direction……”
However, since Beleg didn’t know the reason, he didn’t seem to understand what kind of problem this was.
But……
“To come all the way up to the third floor so quickly only to go to the Sculpture Temple……”
This situation points to only one answer. I don’t know what lunatic came up with this idea, but.
‘Basement Floor One.’
There are people aiming to go there.
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