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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Fountain's Embrace
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Lizardgirl Gregore shivered blankly at the scene before her.
The man in the helmet. The inn's part-timer. And the male who had inflicted such a crushing defeat upon her.
After losing to him in an arm-wrestling match, Gregore had continued her efforts to grind down her scales.
She had refused recruitment offers from mid-sized clans, heading deeper into the Labyrinth to grow stronger.
By chance, she'd gotten an opportunity to join a 7th-floor party as a porter, gaining a chance to witness higher-level combat.
And so, she arrived on the 5th floor. This place, chilling and ominous from the start, was where that man had already been for a while.
"No, why is this kid here? And alone?"
Jubel, the Cow Beastkin, spoke with a flustered voice. She was the one who always got drunk at Diana Ordia's inn and spilled milk everywhere.
"That doesn't matter. His injuries are too severe."
Hitholys, the Cat Beastkin, meticulously examined Balkan's entire body, including his thigh.
"These aren't injuries that can be healed with a low-grade potion. We've used up all the water we brought from the fountain, and I need to wait a bit longer to use my healing miracle."
"...I don't think he'll last until then,"
Joy Hog, the Dwarf, muttered with a grim expression.
He was still breathing, but there was no telling when his heart might stop. His consciousness seemed hazy too.
"...Let's use a Fountain Warp Scroll,"
Gregore, the porter with the backpack, said hesitantly. The entire Joy Hog party slowly turned to look back at her.
"What are you talking about, Gregore?"
The Fountain. Even in the Labyrinth, shrouded in all sorts of mysteries, its existence was special.
Existing only at the end of every 5th floor, the Fountain gushed forth mysterious healing water, like the original source of all potions.
It was one of only two beneficial mechanics for explorers in the Labyrinth, similar to the safe zone on the 15th floor.
Some explorers even called the Fountain the Labyrinth's conscience.
It was as if it had been placed there out of consideration for explorers, matching the exponentially increasing difficulty of the Labyrinth every 4th floor, making it seem like the Labyrinth's conscience.
It wasn't unreasonable for some explorers to think that way.
"Do you even know how much a Fountain Warp Scroll costs? A mysterious scroll that can only be used on every 5th floor! A precious artifact that opens a portal beyond human comprehension! Do you know how much that thing costs, and you're asking about it?!"
This was precisely because of the existence of the Fountain Warp Scroll.
A Fountain Warp Scroll, as the name suggests, was a scroll that opened a portal to a Fountain.
And Fountains existed at the very end of a floor. At the end of a floor, there were upward and downward portals.
This meant that explorers could skip the 5th floors, which had environments and difficulties detached from other floors.
Additionally, the lukewarm Fountain provided healing.
The Fountain Warp Scroll was virtually the only miraculous provision that allowed exhausted explorers to rest in the Labyrinth, a place filled with blood and terror.
"Th-that only costs one silver coin...!"
"That's right. One silver coin. Which means it's pocket change to us. Nice idea, Gregore."
And the price of such a miraculous scroll was merely one silver coin. The reason was that there was simply too much of it.
Fountain Warp Scrolls were scattered everywhere on the 5th floors. An unusually large number of them.
Because of this, unless they had a specific objective like the Joy Hog party, such as acquiring a Shaman Hobgoblin's staff, almost no explorers properly explored the 5th floors.
Not to mention the 5th floor, which had a higher difficulty than even the 6th or 7th floors.
It was an area that the vast majority of explorers skipped. High-level explorers didn't find it profitable, and beginner explorers had no reason to go because it was too dangerous.
Even parties without enough money to buy one silver coin could find a Fountain Warp Scroll if they searched the monster village entrance passageways thoroughly.
Then, they would immediately tear the scroll, warp to the Fountain, and leave the 5th floor.
However, sometimes, explorers would get caught by monsters like this.
"Either they were incompetent and got caught while searching the entrance, or they fell into a warp trap."
"...He seems to be the latter."
The Joy Hog party surmised that Balkan had fallen into a warp trap and was dropped onto the 5th floor.
"What an unlucky guy. I've been an explorer for three years and never once fell into a warp trap."
"That just means you're lucky, you Cow Beastkin."
"Both of you. Stop chattering and let's go."
RIIIIP!
When Hitholys, the Priestess, tore the Fountain Warp Scroll, a yellow glowing portal opened.
Fountain Warp Scrolls were essential for explorers aiming for the 5th floor and beyond, so naturally, the Joy Hog party also had spare scrolls.
"If we can save the inn's mascot for one silver coin, that's a good deal."
"I'll have to ask the owner for a complimentary cold beer later."
Ramel, the Cow Beastkin swordsman, said that as she hoisted Balkan onto her back.
The Joy Hog party all held hands and stepped through the portal leading to the Fountain.
The moment they stepped through the Fountain portal, they noticed three changes.
First, the scenery. They found themselves standing inside a gigantic circular fountain.
The healing water gushing from the fountain instantly restored their weary bodies.
"Tch. No," a voice muttered nearby.
"Well, he said he just arrived on the 2nd floor, so he couldn't have had a Fountain Warp Scroll," another added. "He must have died on the 5th floor after all. Heh heh. Good riddance."
Second, they saw the seven reformed explorers they had encountered before, standing guard in front of the fountain.
They looked quite menacing, and it was best not to associate with such individuals if one wished to live a sound explorer's life.
Up to this point, it was a common occurrence, so they didn't think much of it, but the third change was a bit bewildering.
"...No. Where did he go?"
Ramel, the Cow Beastkin swordsman, muttered in a flustered voice.
His figure, who should have crossed the portal with them as part of the party, was nowhere to be seen at the Fountain.
***
"Tch. Of course. There's no way he'd come here,"
Derusio clicked his tongue in relief.
What exactly had he been so afraid of?
'Right. He was just a cunning bastard from the start. A sneaky whore who sold his body to set up an ambush.'
Though he'd been injured due to carelessness, he could have easily handled him if he'd just kept his wits about him.
What's more? He would have subdued him, kidnapped him, and gang-raped him throughout their time in the Labyrinth.
He was confident he could make him traumatized and utterly frantic just by smelling a woman.
'......'
But Derusio, unbeknownst to himself, thought this in his mind.
'...Then how did that bastard so easily subdue two of his subordinates?'
Even if they were weaker than him, they were still capable enough to handle their own. Yet, those guys almost got their heads chopped off and died before they could even try anything.
An inexplicable unease kept bubbling up inside him.
If he truly thought that man was weak, there would be no reason for him to be so vigilant now.
The moment that guy triggered a 5th-floor warp trap and fell to the 5th floor alone, the game was already over.
He could have just torn a Fountain Warp Scroll, recovered from his injuries, and continued exploring the Labyrinth as usual.
But Derusio didn't do that.
No, he *couldn't*.
Due to the creeping unease in his heart, he had been camping out at the Fountain, waiting for 'that guy' to arrive.
Just in case, by some slim chance.
To immediately kill him if he somehow managed to break through the 5th floor and reach the end of the level.
But now, that wait was over.
'It's impossible.'
Derusio came to a conclusion after two days of deliberation.
No matter how he thought about it, the probability of a beginner explorer, dropped alone onto the 5th floor, returning alive was close to zero.
"Let's go now! What are you doing?!"
The surroundings were strangely quiet.
Neither his subordinates, who usually followed his loud shouts, nor the party that had just arrived at the Fountain.
They were all staring blankly at a single spot.
'...What is it?'
Feeling puzzled, Derusio's gaze naturally followed upwards.
And he gaped, dumbfounded.
"Motherf—"
At the very top of the Fountain.
From the highest point on the Labyrinth's 5th floor.
A man, enveloped in dazzling light, was falling like a meteor.
"Motherf— is what *I* should be saying."
Along with a blood-red, blood-soaked axe.
"You motherless bitch."
CRACK!
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