CH 75

“Wonder if they’re alright…….”

After sending the three of them off, I’m spending some time at Grandpa’s store.

I feel like my thoughts will go in a bad direction if I’m alone, so I don’t want to by myself.

“You’re loitering and being troublesome…… You trying to sabotage my business?”

As I wander around the store, Grandpa finally admonishes me.

Yeah, this is totally my fault.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t sit still.”

I never realised it’s this painful to just wait.

To send my students off to a place where I can’t reach is something this unsettling……

“If you’re this concerned, why didn’t you just tail them without them finding out?”

Grandpa says exasperatedly.

Yeah, he’s absolutely right, I can’t argue with that.

“I feel like if I did that, it’d mean that I don’t trust them, so I don’t want to do that. They’re good enough to get through the 30th floor without any problems. It’ll be fine.”

“Then just sit tight.”

“Yeah, got it.”

I think I’m a little calmer after I divulge my concerns to Grandpa.

That’s right. I trust them.

I can’t let them see me looking so lame like this…….

Going behind the counter, I sit down next to Grandpa and look around the store again.

“……Still, aren’t there less customers?”

I haven’t been able to advertise the store for the past month.

Is that a factor after all……?

“Afternoons have always been like this. Mornings and evenings see pretty much the same number of customers as usual.”

Right, many explorer parties go on labyrinth exploration during the day.

The store is targeted at explorers, so it’s natural for there to be no customers at this time. 

“Speaking of which, it’s about time for Thanksgiving, Orn, you’re participating this year, aren’t you? After all, you belong to ‘Night Sky’s Silver Rabbit’ now.”

“Ah, now that you mention, it is about time. Haven’t heard anything about that from the Clan though. Probably waiting because we were challenging the 92nd floor, I think. And I think they definitely won’t let me not participate.” 

Thanksgiving is a festival held once a year for ten days around the beginning of June in this city.

What are expressing thanks for? The Great Labyrinth.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the economy of this country has been revitalised due to market distribution of magic stones and materials brought out from the Great Labyrinth.

Furthermore, thanks to the existence of the Great Labyrinth, we’re able to obtain a wider variety of materials from other countries, and it’s also significant that we are able to export these materials.

To give thanks to this, exploring the Great Labyrinth is prohibited during the festival period.

Well, that’s just a pretence. In reality, it’s to maintain the balance of the Great Labyrinth by leaving it unexplored for a while.

As you’d think, the materials explorers target are those that are in high demand.

Materials in demand have a higher price when sold, and it’s obvious that given the same risk, they’d go for the ones with the higher return. 

However, this being the case, in demand will be hunted to exhaustion, and those not in demand will become over abundant in the labyrinth.

Naturally, there is an ecosystem in the labyrinth, but if what I mentioned above continues, this balance will be severely disrupted.

Though to begin with, it would take more than one human lifetime to restore a broken ecosystem to its original state, it does not take that long to restore the ecosystem in a labyrinth.

The labyrinth can be restored to its natural form after about one week of inactivity.

Therefore, no one is allowed to enter the Great Labyrinth during this period while it’s being restored to its normal state again, and this is the background of the festival.

It seems that those who cannot explore the labyrinth help to make the festival more lively by setting up their own stalls and participating in various events.

”Seems” because I’ve never participated in a Thanksgiving.

When I first became an explorer, my immediate priority was to become stronger, so during the periods when I could not enter the Great Labyrinth, I went to other places to explore different labyrinths.

After I started gaining strength, I was never able to enjoy the festival because it was the perfect opportunity to get through administrative work such as negotiations with various sponsors. 

I’ve heard that explorers of “Night Sky’s Silver Rabbit” also participate in the festival every year in some way, so maybe I’ll be able to join them this year.

“Orn can be considered now as the most popular explorer in the city. It would be unacceptable in many ways if Orn didn’t participate.”

Thankfully, since I conquered the 92nd floor, the number of media outlets that have picked up on me has increased.

I don’t particularly like being the centre of attention, but as a member of “Night Sky’s Silver Rabbit”‘s 1st Unit, I have no choice even if I don’t like it.

…….And it also doesn’t exactly feel bad to be flattered.

◇ ◇

After around an hour of chatting with Grandpa, suddenly, the pendant of the necklace hanging from my neck glows green.

“–Grandpa, sorry. Something urgent.”

I inform Grandpa, then jump over the counter and rush for the door.

“Wait up–.”

Just as I put my hand on the door, Grandpa stops me.

I surpress my impatience and turn back to Grandpa as something comes flying at me.

I caught it right away.

“–I improved the convergence magic tool. You’ll need about ten minutes. Take it with you.”

It’s an improved version of the magic tool used for activating [Magic Sword Unification].

Previously during the 92nd floor clearance, that magic tool needed about twenty minutes, to be able to reduce that time by half in just a few days……

“Thanks, Grandpa. I’m off!”

“Take care.”

With Grandpa’s voice at my back, I head outside.

“[Strength Up] [Triple], [Reflective Wall].”

After buffing myself, I stomp as hard as I can on the grey translucent wall set up diagonally at my feet.

By stepping on it, I’m sent to the sky above in the direction of the Grand Labyrinth.

“[Dexterity Up] [Triple], [Agility Up] [Sextuple]!”

While moving in the air, I further buff himself.

Then, I create footholds in the air with [Magic Convergence] and head for the Great Labyrinth at the fastest speed possible.

◇

In no time at all, I reach the entrance to the Great Labyrinth.

There are quite a few people in the vicinity, but I ignore them and go straight for the crystal without slowing down, transferring to the 30th floor.

After activating [Hearing Up], I run at great speed along the route I’d heard about beforehand.

(If the pendant glowed green, does that mean something happened to Carol? Maybe it’s already–)

Pushing down my uneasy feelings, I activate the necklace around my neck.

Then, red, green, and purple lights appear.

(Thank goodness……. They’re all still alive!)

I don’t have time to go into details, so to put it simply, the necklace I gave to the three of them at the entrance to the Grand Labyrinth has a mechanism to let me know when they are in a dangerous situation.

And that mechanism was just activated. Meaning that there is a very high possibility the three of them are now in danger.

(I knew I should have followed them…….! No, don’t think about anything unnecessary right now. Focus all your energy on finding them!)

Many sounds reach my ear, but they’re all not from those three.

I’ve memorised the characteristics of the sounds they make, like their footsteps when they walk or run.

Don’t miss even the slightest sound from those guys…….!

I’ve already covered 70% of the route I’d heard about from then. But I still haven’t found them.

Judging by the time, I think they should be around here……

“–stop!”

–su!

Log’s voice can be heard from beyond the wall.

Besides that, I hear a man’s voice I don’t recognize.

Is he in combat with someone?

I check my current location against my mental map.

Behind this wall is a space that’s like a plaza.

If I continue on this way, I can get there, but from the sound of Log’s voice, he’s in a dire situation.

Time is running out.

“[Magic Sword Unification]!”

Schwarzhase appears and is transformed into mana.

(Smash through this wall! But I don’t know exactly who is where. They might just be right next to this wall. I’ll limit the destruction as much as possible!)

I converge the mana on Schwarzhase further.

“–su!”

The converged mana slash sends the wall flying upwards.

The spread of mana is suppressed as much as possible.

Then, I jump into the hole that has been created.

◇

(What’s, going on……)

When I disperse the surroundign dust with magic, the scene revealed in front of my eyes is Sophie’s neck being grasped and lifted by a large man. 

The other two look fine for the time being.

Immediately, I move close to the large man and cut the space between Sophie and him.

Of course, the large man’s arm is in the path of the sword.

(Even after slashing, his strangling strength won’t immediately diminish. Then, I’ll obliterate it!)

Schwarzhase, still in a mass of mana, slashes the large man from the elbow down.

The pitch black mana flows through the severed arm, covering it, and in an instant, it disappears.

Following that, I grab Sophie with my left arm and move to the position where Log and Carol are.

Sophie is coughing.

The sight of Sophie coughing makes me angry, not only at the enemy, but also at myself for arriving so late.

“I’m late, sorry.”

(Calm your anger. The priority now is to relieve these guys. Act as usual……!)

“Orn……..”

Sophie’s voice comes out.

It’s fortunate. She seems to be conscious.

Maybe she wasn’t strangled for that long.

“Yes, I’m here. You did your best. You did great. It’s alright now. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the rest.”

I try my best, putting on a smile on a face to reassure the tearful Sophie.

“The two of you too, are you alright?”

“Yes…… I’m, fine.”

“I’m okay too.”

Part of Carol’s clothes are missing.

The missing areas are where she was cut…..?

Ceaseless anger wells up in me.

“I’m sorry, Master. In the end, we couldn’t conquer the 30th floor…….”

As if Log is repenting, he says with tears flowing.

Even though he knows it’s not the situation for that.

…….Still, it is regretful. 

“You can come back another time to try again. It was just bad luck today. Don’t worry, you guys will clear it in no time.”

“Master, I, couldn’t protect everyone…… I couldn’t do anything to those guys who hurt them. It’s so frustrating……!”

Carol’s eyes are watering as she spits out her regret.

“……Don’t worry. I’ll make you strong enough to not lose to guys like them. Leave today to me. Besides, I told you, didn’t I? I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who beats you.”

Just beating them won’t be enough though. 

“Yeah…….! Master, thanks……”

“My arm! Ow, ow!”

“…….Shut up. Right now, we’re having a conversation right now. Read the air and shut your mouth.”

“Shit Shit! Won’t forgive you! I’ll kill you!”

He can’t seem to hear me, he’s giving in to his emotions and screaming.

“That’s what I should be saying. –Scram.”

I extend the blade Schwarzhase and scythe.

Immediately after, the head of the large man flies through the air.

The body, having lost its head, collapses.

And just in time, Schwarzhase’s effect ends and it changes from a magic sword back to a pitch black long sword.

“I’m going to finish this quickly, so wait a moment.”

After telling them this, I activate [Space Leap] and move the three of them to the wall.

Then, I deploy a magic barrier to cover the three of them and combine it with [Magical Convergence] to increase its strength.