Chapter 216
Translator: Tseirp
That was the first time I entered the second floor of the Beginner’s Labyrinth on my own .
There was a saying amongst the adventurers .
[The second floor of a labyrinth is a whole new ballgame compared to the first . ]
The first floor of a labyrinth houses the weakest monsters in the labyrinth .
It was said that if you could win one-versus-two of the first floor monsters, you could fight one-versus-one against the second-floor monsters .
In other words, fighting a single monster from the second floor was equal to fighting two monsters from the first floor .
That did not mean that the second-floor enemies were purely two times stronger than the first-floor enemies .
There were monsters called Large Bat in the labyrinth second floor . They hang from the ceiling and there’s the risk of being attacked from directly above if you let your guard down .
Also, their body tackle using their swift movements was said to be as strong as the blow from a sheep at the barn and could even dent iron armor .
But, thankfully I can use a spear with a long reach so I would not be defeated as long as I notice an attack from the ceiling .
(Although I only have a pickaxe now . )
Then, I stepped on something .
I kept looking up above so I seemed to have neglected my footing .
What was it? When I looked down, I saw fragments of rocks .
It would not be an issue to see fallen rocks in an ordinary cave .
However, in a labyrinth, that was not possible .
Any inanimate objects that fall to the ground inside the labyrinth, apart from those covered by a cloth soaked in some special fluid, will be absorbed by the labyrinth . Even rocks like those would not be exempted .
The time for the object to be absorbed differs according to the object but rocks like those would disappear in a few hours .
“Jofre huh?”
That guy . He’s using rocks instead of markers .
Certainly, if they plan to return within a few hours, placing rocks like this was not wrong .
He worked at a quarry . He probably had a large number of such scrap stones .
I guess that guy was using his head too – - .
It happened when I was seeing Jofre in a new light .
I noticed a moving shadow in the corner of my vision .
I hurriedly looked up and saw a Large Bat attacking me from above .
“ – – Tch!”
I thrust out the pickaxe with a strange cry .
The Large Bat sucked my pickaxe into its mouth .
The preparation for the Large Bar skewer was complete in the blink of an eye .
Cleaning up the mess would have been troublesome if this was the surface but the dead Large Bat disappeared like smoke, leaving behind Large Bat fangs and a magic stone . The Large Bat fangs can’t be sold so I only picked up the magic stone, took a breather and screamed after calming down .
“That guy is an idiot after all!”
Why would you choose markers that you have to take note of at your feet when you are in a labyrinth that requires your attention to be on the ceiling!
Well, Jofre and Elize are a team . If they have a clear role where one of them takes note of their footing and the other of the ceiling then it is possible but if they just leave a marking – – I picked up the stone Jofre left behind .
It was limestone so I could easily leave a mark on the wall .
The marking would disappear after a few hours too but it was probably better than leaving rocks on the ground .
By the way, if I mixed the limestone powder with the aforementioned special liquid, I would be able to create an ink that won’t disappear even in labyrinths but leaving markings in a Church-managed labyrinth was a criminal act so naturally, I didn’t bring any with me .
Nevertheless, it was good that I had a clue .
“All things aside, I’m surprised those two can pass through here unharmed . ”
The third floor ahead was the Goblin nest .
It would be quite tough for a low-level Apprentice Swordsman .
※※※
“Further down huh? That’s really going to be tough . ”
I rushed through the third floor while being mobbed by the Goblins .
“Hn?”
I found the stones that Jofre left behind but – – it was strange .
It was a dead-end .
“Sheesh, if you dropped it then pick it up . ”
I picked up the rock and threw it at the wall in frustration .
The rock hit the wall and rebounded – – or it was supposed to but it soared through the wall .
An illusionary wall!?
I have heard of places in labyrinths where there are traversable passages that look just like a wall but that was the first time I actually saw one .
In the first place, there wasn’t a single person who would run into a dead-end of their own volition in a Goblin-infested area . For that reason, nobody has ever approached that wall before .
No, I should change my phrasing .
Only an idiot would enter a passage that seems to be a dead-end in a Goblin-infested area .
“Jofre, Elize, are you guys there!?”
I shouted towards the illusionary wall .
“Hn? That voice belongs to Garrison! We’re here . ”
“We’re here, Garrison!”
They replied .
Thank god, it seems that they are all right .
I approached the illusionary wall while keeping an eye out for traps .
Behind it was a small room-like space without any monsters .
Moving further into the back of the room, I saw Jofre and Elize crouched against a corner of the wall .
“Jofre, Elize, what are you guys doing?”
“Garrison, we found something amazing . ”
Jofre replied .
Something amazing?
Perhaps it’s treasure!? If that’s the case, I can bring it back and give it to Katyusha-chan as a present .
“I don’t see anything . ”
There wasn’t anything there .
I mixed in a sigh and leaned against the wall .
Then – – a protrusion on the wall was sucked into the wall .
It seemed to be some kind of switch . But it was already too late by the time I realized that .
“Ah, Garrison . The switch there opens a pitfall if you press it so be careful . ”
Elize’s warning was a second too late .
The floor below my feet opened with a snap and the three of us fell together into the abyss .