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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Chapter 31
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Every time I looked at the Status Window, there was something I wondered about.
Everyone’s stats are all over the place.
Since stats are randomly distributed each time a level goes up, some people have high or low specific stats, while others have their stats distributed evenly.
Each has its pros and cons, but everyone except me shares one commonality.
'Stats increase every time the level goes up by 1.'
As if their bodies needed time to adapt to the stat increase.
What I was curious about was this.
[Free Points: 5 points]
'If I invest 5 stat points all at once, can my body immediately follow suit?'
An increase in athletic ability requires a period of waiting. It means that the time for torn muscles to reattach and grow is absolutely necessary.
[Agility:(2+10) → (7+10)]
Agility. A word that literally means moving the body quickly.
So, when the Agility stat rapidly increases, what changes will my physical body show?
The answer to that question appeared instantly.
Swoosh!
A perilous situation with a rain of arrows pouring from the ceiling.
Thump, thump-thump—
Immediately after investing the stats, my body, in a matter of zero-point-something seconds,
'Evolved. One step further.'
A radical increase in the speed at which the body moved.
There was a clear difference even in the speed at which power gathered in the muscles.
"Ugh—!"
"Kyaaak?!"
I put all my strength into the hand holding Densi’s, swung it quickly, and threw her forward.
Jeremy hadn't let go of Densi's hand either, so the two of them flew out of the trap area like linked sausages.
I saved them, at least.
I raised my head and looked at the densely falling rain of arrows. I was standing right in the center of the circular arrow shower.
Even if it had been me from one second ago, I would have somehow managed to survive this arrow rain.
'But I wouldn't have been able to dodge them perfectly.'
Even if my head and torso, which were covered by armor, were fine, three or four arrows would have probably lodged in my legs or arms.
And with the potions I currently had, I couldn't heal that extent of injury. At that point, the second-floor exploration would have faced considerable hardship.
Densi and Jeremy? I wouldn't have had the luxury to save them, so they would have undoubtedly ended up like hedgehogs.
Compared to that, what about now?
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Dozens of arrows were densely embedded in the stone floor. It was a spine-chilling sight.
We lived. All three of us, safely.
'Almost died there.'
Honestly, it was a close call.
If my judgment and execution had been even slightly delayed, I would have been holding hands with the lives I'd taken, taking a tour of the River Styx right now.
"Big Brother!"
Jeremy rushed over and grabbed my hand.
"Your consideration for your party members above yourself! Your quick judgment and decisive action! H-huh… I still have so much to learn…!"
Jeremy, whose life was saved thanks to me, clung to me, shedding tears of emotion.
"If you had been hit by an arrow, Anya in my backpack would have also suffered a severe injury…!"
Ah. So that was the problem. Please let go of me. You're suddenly incredibly overwhelming and creepy, you know?
"Crazy… Crazy bad luck… This has never happened before…"
Densi looked quite upset, as if she'd been unfairly targeted the moment we entered the second floor.
Well, it was normal for her to react that way, given that she almost got her head pierced by an arrow without time to detect or check for traps.
"Thank you for saving me, Master. And… I apologize. I failed to notice the trap."
She had boasted so much about the second floor being her turf, but she faltered right from the start, her face looking crestfallen.
Densi immediately bowed deeply to me. Her pure white back, visible at a glance, trembled slightly.
It wasn't the kind of trembling that suggested sexual arousal as before. It was a darker, more viscous trembling, mixed with negative emotions.
For a moment, I recalled Densi being beaten like a dog by Deluna.
The sight of her silently enduring the pain, even when beaten until her eyes were swollen.
"Why? A master has to protect his slave."
"…Huh?"
A slave is a master's property. If I don't protect my own property, who will I entrust it to?
I patted Densi's head, which she had slightly raised in surprise, and then walked to the arrow-riddled area to pull out the arrows deeply embedded in the stone.
The arrowheads were stained with a purple liquid. Even at a glance, it was poison. The Labyrinth was serious about screwing over explorers.
"This should come in handy. And there's no need to be disheartened. You just need to do well from now on. We still have a long way to go."
As I offered comfort along with the arrows, Densi's eyes momentarily welled up.
"…Yes…"
Densi subtly smiled as she received the arrows.
***
Clatter!
Three pebbles thrown from Densi's hand fell to the floor.
Twitch, twitch.
Each time, Densi's ears twitched.
Perhaps to hear better, she cupped her hands over her ears, and seeing her crouched on the floor like that, it oddly looked like she was mimicking a rabbit.
"Don't touch this tile or that wall tile. Just follow the path I take."
Densi carefully moved, avoiding specific stone tiles.
Jeremy and I also immediately followed Densi's footsteps, stepping over the tiles.
"Whew. That's it. There shouldn't be any traps for a while now."
"…How do you know that just by throwing pebbles on the floor?"
When I asked out of curiosity, Densi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gently touched her earlobe.
"When you throw a stone on the floor, there's a very faint vibrating sound. And that sound travels through the walls, floor, and ceiling, and sometimes you hear strange rattling noises from somewhere."
Densi said, picking up pebbles one by one.
"I don't know the exact mechanism of the Labyrinth's traps either, but places where such sounds are heard are almost certainly—"
Whoosh—!
She threw a stone hard towards the wall tile she had just mentioned.
Click.
As the tile was slightly pressed, simultaneously.
Thud!
The floor where we had just been suddenly folded in half, revealing a pit.
"Like this. That's where the trap is."
I cautiously approached and looked down into the pit, seeing dozens of sharp spears stuck with their blades pointing upwards.
"Ohh…"
Jeremy and I could only stare in admiration. This was a trick only Densi, with her exceptionally good hearing, could use.
"The trickiest ones are the arrow rain traps, where the sound is faint, and the transfer traps, which make no sound at all… I've only seen one of those once, so I don't have a good grasp of them."
"Transfer trap?"
That name alone sounded incredibly ominous. Where else could it transfer us in this already crappy Labyrinth?
"They vary by color, but sometimes transfer traps appear that send you to a lower floor. In fact, when I went to the third floor with Deluna's party, it was because we got caught in a transfer trap. I almost died then…"
Densi shivered, as if she didn't even want to imagine that time.
"It's a good thing I only fell to the third floor; if I'd gone to the fourth floor or lower, I wouldn't be here…"
The Labyrinth's difficulty sharply increases every floor that is a multiple of four.
Meaning, the difficulty increases on the 4th, 8th, and 12th floors, and so on.
Because of this, the 4th and 8th floors are called the 'Walls of Wailing' by novice explorers.
"…That's a damn dangerous trap."
"That's right. If you get caught in one by mistake and are unlucky enough to fall below the fourth floor, your life is over that day."
"But wait, 'caught in'? Not that your party members stepped on it directly?"
"Ah. Transfer traps are area-of-effect traps. A light spreads out, and if you touch it, you're immediately caught in the trap."
A damn dangerous trap that you have to be most wary of in the Labyrinth, where you could get caught by someone else stepping on it if you're unlucky.
Given the Labyrinth's characteristic of having to ascend floor by floor via ascending portals, if you fall into a transfer trap, you might simply have to wait to die without any solution.
Realizing this, a strong curiosity arose along with the caution.
'What's the difference from a descending portal?'
Is it just a difference between a trap and a portal? In the end, isn't it the same portal or trap in that it takes you deeper into the Labyrinth?
'I need to investigate portals too, but…'
I had no idea where to even begin. How am I supposed to check anything when I just touch it and *whoosh*, I'm transferred?
"…Hmph. Let's just keep going."
"Yes!"
I sighed needlessly and started walking again. When I returned to Valerius later, I should try visiting the library or something.
***
Thwack!
I buried my axe in the Goblin's neck. I felt a slight resistance, but with a little more force, the Goblin instantly became a go\blin.
'Tougher than the first-floor Goblins.'
It wasn't impossible to deal with, but I could feel that the Goblins' level had slightly increased.
"Hoo. Hoo…"
[Jeremy LV.5]
It had already been three days since we entered the Labyrinth. A little over two days since we entered the second floor.
Jeremy had already gained two levels on this Labyrinth trip.
It was probably due to the efficiency buff, but it definitely seemed like second-floor monsters gave more experience than first-floor monsters.
"This woman's body is cursed… Because of this wretched fat, hoo… I'm out of breath with every move… Haa…"
Jeremy breathed heavily, perhaps unfamiliar with fighting in her changed body.
Well, great power comes with a great price.
[Nam Su-jin LV.6]
[Free Points: 1 point]
[Bound Slave: Densi (LV. 8)]
Densi and I had also leveled up, but our speed was quite sluggish.
'Let's take it slow. No need to rush.'
"We've come quite far already. This is near the center of the second floor. Would you like to rest for a bit?"
"A break sounds good."
"Absolutely!"
By moving with appropriate breaks and exploration, we had already reached the center of the second floor.
Since we first landed in the early part of the second floor, we had succeeded in reaching the central area in just two days.
"At this pace, we should reach the deepest part in about three more days. For two first-timers on the second floor, this pace is incredibly fast. Honestly, it's faster than when I was with Deluna's party."
The main theme of the second floor was traps. Other than the addition of traps, there wasn't a dramatic difference from the first floor.
"Ah. If you sit there…"
Click.
Whoosh!
"Hieeeek!"
Jeremy tried to sit on the floor but fell into a net trap, dangling in mid-air.
I sighed and cut the net with my axe.
"Th-thank you, Big Brother…"
Like this, except for the types of traps that were relatively quiet or caused no particular harm, Densi's help allowed us to bypass most of the second floor's main challenge: traps.
Dealing with monsters like Goblins wasn't particularly difficult either.
Honestly, the most dangerous moment on the second floor was right after the transfer. Other than that, I hadn't felt any significant danger.
Our party was fully capable of handling the second floor. This meant I could set our next goal a little higher.
For a moment, I thought about going to the third floor this time, but I shook my head, feeling it might be too greedy. Going one safe step at a time was best.
'Please, let this end smoothly…'
If this Labyrinth trip ended safely, there was a lot I wanted to do.
Go back and prepare for the third floor, visit the library, and ah, I wanted to take a proper bath too. I'd only been wiping myself with a wet towel until now.
I also missed Diana's warm soup.
I hadn't eaten the jerky yet because it felt too precious, but just holding the string pouch made a strange power well up inside me.
After a short rest, we resumed our journey.
***
"Bullshit."
The price for setting such a massive flag had returned.
"Th-transfer trap…"
Densi muttered, looking at the yellow portal fixed in mid-air.
A transfer trap. We had encountered the trap that explorers must absolutely avoid.
"Judging by the color, it looks like a trap leading to the fifth floor."
I had no intention of sticking my head in there to begin with, but hearing the destination made me even more eager to avoid it.
The fifth floor. I couldn't even guess how tough it would be.
I hadn't even dipped my toes into the third floor, let alone the fourth floor where the difficulty sharply increased, so I had no desire whatsoever to go to the fifth floor.
"B-but still, it's a relief. That we found it first. A transfer trap just needs to be avoided; we just need to make sure not to touch it, so let's hurry!"
Densi, who was about to run, suddenly flinched. I soon understood why.
People were detected. Seven of them. Somehow, it was exactly lucky seven.
However, the information that explorers were coming wasn't entirely bad news. Logically, even if a transfer trap was found, 90 out of 100 would avoid it.
"Whoa~ Super lucky~ It's a fifth-floor transfer trap?"
"We can skip the annoying third and fourth floors. Good job."
By some insane probability, we hit the 10 percent. Those who weren't afraid of transfer traps.
These were the people who either had to pass through the fifth floor or had entered the Labyrinth with the fifth floor as their destination.
A transfer trap might be a terrible disaster for low-level explorers, but for some, it could be a super-fast elevator that skips all the troublesome steps.
Still, it was fine for now. We could just ask them to wait until we were out of the transfer trap's range.
"H-huh…! Wh-why is that demonic bastard here…!"
"What? You know them?"
"…Very, very well, actually."
'Goddammit.'
[Jelvin LV.11]
[Mercy LV.9]
On the other side, walking towards us, were familiar faces.
Jelvin and Mercy, the 'reformed' explorers who had tried to rape me, got soundly beaten, and ran away.
"Your body looks good. Makes me wanna do it, huh?"
"Ah, no. Don't touch that one."
"What? Why?"
The two women's faces turned pale the moment they saw me, but the expressions of the women around them weren't so kind.
Their eyes gleamed with lust, clearly indicating their minds were full of evil thoughts.
"Densi. Looks like you've used up all your luck."
Right. I never relied on luck to begin with. I was always a person far removed from luck.
To get the desired outcome, I had to seize it myself.
I tightly gripped the tool of negotiation in my hand.
People often called this excellent means of communication an axe.
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