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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Hwaji's Labyrinth 1st Floor (1)
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Hanson offered Serena the potion he had taken from the treasure chest.
The transparent glass bottle was about the size of her fist. It looked like it could be used around five times for minor wounds.
"Do you know what this is?"
Serena showed the potion to Philia. She only showed it because she was worried about dropping and breaking it if she handled it carelessly.
"Judging by the color, it's a low-grade potion. The higher the quality, the redder and more vibrant they get. This one's pretty dull."
'Nothing special.'
Serena had asked Philia, who often dealt with potions, hoping for more details, but the answer wasn't much different from what she already knew.
"Oh, right!"
Philia clapped her hands as if something had just occurred to her.
"Do you know more?"
"Once we get out of here, let's take a potion bath together! Fill a tub full of high-grade potions!"
The party's eyes sharpened. Serena quickly changed the subject to prevent a red revolution in the labyrinth.
"Since we'll have to fight, I'll make this clear upfront. My magic can't be used in combat."
"What? Really?"
Hanson was the most shocked.
"I don't know much about magic either! But! The ice magic you use, Your Highness, isn't that Ice Arrow?"
"Yes. Ice Creation is actually the same magic as Ice Arrow. You just make arrows or spikes out of ice and shoot them at the enemy."
"But you can't use it?"
"If you can't shoot it, can't you just make ice on the rat's body and freeze it?"
"To use magic in combat, you have to chant spells and form images while moving. That's a skill only battle mages who undergo special training can do. Using magic on moving targets is similar. And to use Ice Creation as an attack spell, you need another magic that I haven't learned."
"Ahh, I see..."
Hanson's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Though he lagged behind Chrome in performance, he seemed burdened as the party's only dedicated combatant.
'He felt secure having a mage around, but now he's disappointed that I can't help.'
People always hope that when tough challenges arise, a mage will magically solve everything with a snap.
Such things didn't exist in her previous world, nor in this one with fantasy and labyrinths.
"I'll help if there's a chance, but don't expect too much."
Of course, Serena had no intention of just watching. This was merely a preemptive warning not to expect her to attack monsters with magic or actively join the fray.
"I'll work hard so you don't have to step in, Lady Serena!"
Whatever she meant by working hard, Philia was also fired up for battle.
"Then let's go find the floor boss."
"Yes!"
"But what's a floor boss? Didn't you say you knew, Your Highness?"
"You know the labyrinth is made up of multiple floors, right?"
"Yeah."
"They say each floor has a monster stronger than the regular ones. Books mention it usually guards the entrance to the next floor or a treasure chest with valuables."
"And that strong monster is called the floor boss?"
"Yes. But I also read that not every floor necessarily has one..."
"What you read is correct, Your Highness. I heard the same—not every floor has one."
Usually, conquering a floor means defeating its boss.
"Then what's a stratum boss?"
"The labyrinth in my hometown only has one floor, but others have many. Well..."
Lavenda recalled a guide's explanation to make it simple.
"Floors one through four are like here—stone corridors with just labyrinth rats. But starting on five, suddenly wooden corridors with different monsters."
"No way?"
"That's why it's a labyrinth. Anyway, they group those floors with the same vibe into a stratum. The stratum boss is the strongest monster in that whole stratum."
The strongest monster on a single floor is the floor boss, but the stratum boss is the strongest across multiple floors.
"Must be really strong."
Adventurers say they've conquered a stratum after defeating its boss.
"Vieta's labyrinth ends at Stratum 1, Floor 1. The boss labyrinth rat that the shepherd defeated probably served as both floor and stratum boss."
That's why when Vieta sought stratum boss info, the labyrinth-owning nations laughed and said, 'You don't even need it.'
'I hope this floor's boss is a boss labyrinth rat too.'
Since one shepherd took it down, the current party could handle it easily.
"Wait a sec, I'll take that box."
"The empty chest?"
"Looks good for firewood."
"The treasure chests respawn, so it should be fine. But won't it be heavy and cumbersome?"
"We'll leave it by the fountain. We're wandering to hunt rats anyway, so it's no big deal, right?"
If they searched all paths at the second junction without finding the boss, they'd have to backtrack to the first anyway.
Serena nodded.
"No need to come all this way. I'll drop it off myself."
"That's dangerous. Wait at the first junction."
"Yeah."
The party waited for Chrome at the first junction, discussing which path to search next.
They scanned each path entrance for hints, but found nothing.
"No hints, so let's start with the path Lavenda came from."
"This way."
Lavenda pointed to the rightmost passage.
Not long after walking the corridor, the party heard the patter of labyrinth rat footsteps. As the clicking of claws on stone grew closer, Hanson, Chrome, and Lavenda bravely gripped their weapons.
"Battle stations!"
This time, three labyrinth rats appeared, just like before.
Hanson thrust his spear at a rat hanging from the ceiling. The rat dodged and dropped, leaping onto his head.
"Argh!"
As the rat clung to his face, Hanson let out a horrific scream, pried it off with his hands, and slammed it to the ground.
"You pest!"
Chrome smashed the rat's skull again. With one dead, the rats retreated and fled, replaying the previous battle exactly.
'They haven't learned anything.'
In a game, they'd gain XP, but Hanson repeated his mistake, and the rat escaped again.
"You gotta watch and stab properly!"
"Too quick."
"I said swing it, not stab—didn't I?!"
"Worried about hitting others..."
"Then dodge and swing right! You're a soldier!"
"Sorry! I'll do better!"
Chrome had killed two rats, Hanson only one. Hanson bowed deeply to her.
"Don't blame Hanson too much. Hwajichen soldiers prioritize human combat over monsters, from what I hear."
"True! And I'm better with a sword than a spear!"
"Shouldn't soldiers be good at both? You a real soldier? Didn't buy your way in?"
"N-no!"
Chrome collected the rat. Tying its tail to her waist, she muttered.
"One's not enough. Hope more come."
Speak of the devil. As if granting her wish, they encountered more labyrinth rats.
This time, five of them!
"You, you."
"Over there! No! Come here!"
"Hyap! Yaap!"
Fighting small enemies with low centers of gravity was harder than expected. Small size seems easier, but tiny targets are hard to hit, and their speed makes it worse.
Better to wait for them to attack and counter.
"Hya!"
Serena kicked a labyrinth rat charging through the front three. Her kick lacked power, like with Lavenda. Fortunately, Hanson stomped it to finish.
"That's it! Use your legs over the spear, soldier!"
"Yes! Got it now!"
Hanson left his spear like a pillar and kicked vigorously. His steel-toed Capital Guard boots were more threatening than the spear.
Learning to use his legs, Hanson aggressively attacked the rats. Losing three kin and injured, the survivor fled.
Chrome happily gathered the corpses.
"Still hungry."
No food, so more edible rat meat should be welcome. Her dissatisfaction meant she was still full.
'Sigh, life.'
Serena looked up at the sky with hollow eyes. The ceiling was still solidly blocked.
The path Lavenda had fallen into had no junctions. The party soon reached its end.
A small clearing lay at the end. The floor was dirt with growing grass, not stone.
A small puddle sat in the corner, surrounded by lush grass, resembling a spring.
With just a bench, it could pass for a park if you forgot it was a labyrinth.
Chrome plunged her hand into the spring. Serena gasped.
"Don't!"
"Clean. No slime."
"You have no sense of danger!"
"The fountain was clean too."
"That's different!"
"Got it. I'll be careful next time."
Would she? Serena doubted it—Chrome would likely act rashly again, making her heart skip.
Chrome washed her hands in the spring and rummaged through the grass.
"Lemme see. Edible grass or not."
"That's an herb. Good for reducing swelling and toxins when boiled in water."
Lavenda found a detox herb. Hearing it was edible, Chrome yanked it up.
"Eat the roots or leaves?"
"Both."
Lavenda and Chrome found edible grass and herbs. Chrome for food, Lavenda for medicine—they traded based on expertise.
Serena checked for familiar plants but gave up. Few plants from Earth could she identify, and unsure if they even existed here.
'I know mugwort, but does this world have it?'
None here anyway. As a reincarnated princess, she'd tried memorizing flowers but quit quickly. Why bother when gardeners knew?
Instead of plants, Serena thought of using the dirt usefully.
'Perfect spot for a toilet.'
With the spring nearby, dig a pit in the corner.
Short path from lobby, no junctions. Rat attacks worrisome, but manageable in a group.
Serena casually suggested a toilet. Everyone but Chrome agreed.
"Digging's good, but untreated waste kills grass. And it'd contaminate the puddle."
"Should be fine. It's a labyrinth—dig all you want, no dropping floors; smash walls, no entering adjacent rooms."
"True, and fountain water's there. Okay."
Serena's party secured food and now a toilet. Their greatest joy since entering the labyrinth.
"Where next?"
"We've checked two paths at the first junction, so before the second, let's finish the rest."
If unlucky, all duds; if lucky, one has the boss.
They took the path between the middle and third from the left—fourth from left.
No rats, but a trap where stepping triggered spikes. Too easy to spot again—Serena gritted her teeth lightly.
This path was shorter than the middle one.
'Boss at second junction? Wrong way?'
Anxious, Serena led to the second-from-left path. Killed one rat, got a low-grade magic stone from a chest.
'Damn, nerve-wracking.'
One path left at first junction. Short paths saved time, but fatigue built—this wasn't a game.
'No choice. Let's go.'
Serena led into the leftmost path. All followed without complaint, heightening her pressure.
Passed traps, fought rats. Gained more bodies.
Too heavy for Chrome alone, so each carried one or two.
Then, for the first time in Hwaji's labyrinth, Serena's party found a door.
