Malicious Gaze
◇ ◇ ◇
The next morning, after finishing preparations for exploring the labyrinth, I joined Fuuka and Haruto-san, and together we entered the labyrinth we were targeting.
The interior of the labyrinth resembled a typical cave.
"...Haruto-san, did you see it...?"
After entering the labyrinth and sensing a shift in the familiar atmosphere, I asked Haruto-san.
"Huh, so you noticed too, Orn?"
Haruto-san replied in a voice that sounded impressed.
"Given the intense, malicious gaze directed at us, it’s hard not to notice."
As we got closer to the labyrinth, I began to feel a distinct, hostile presence—a type of gaze filled with ill will. However, rather than immediately attacking, it felt like we were being observed. I decided to ignore it and pretended not to notice, entering the labyrinth without provoking anything.
Having a teammate like Haruto-san, who shares the same ability to sense malicious intent, was a great help. He must’ve used his unique power to identify the source of the gaze, which is why I confirmed it with him.
"Even though this is the first time we’re officially working together, you’ve already figured out how to use me... I’m impressed."
"I’m honored by the compliment. So, did you figure out who they are?"
"They were dressed as explorers. Even if they are imperial agents posing as explorers, the fact that we could detect their presence means they’re not that skilled. There’s no need to be overly cautious."
They were dressed as explorers, huh?
I had suspected that they were imperial agents, but if not, what could their goal be?
"—Orn, can I take out the goblin?"
While I was lost in thought, the presence of a magical beast appeared in my detection net. At the same time, Fuuka asked if it was okay to engage in battle.
In this temporary party, I was designated as the representative and leader. Normally, Haruto-san, being older and the leader of the Copper Sunset guild, would have been the natural choice. However, he declined, and Fuuka insisted strongly, so I ended up taking the role.
"Yeah, go ahead and handle it, Fuuka."
Assuming that there was no need for coordination since we were facing just one goblin, I gave her permission to fight. Fuuka nodded and began walking toward the direction of the goblin.
From her approach, I could hear the goblin making a disgusting sound as it ran toward us.
Fuuka drew her sword from a storage magical tool strapped to her left hip, gripping it in her left hand. She then made a quick motion, readying herself to unsheathe the blade at any moment.
In an instant, her figure blurred, and she vanished from sight.
The next moment, the goblin’s head dropped to the ground with a thud. Fuuka, now further ahead, sheathed her sword.
Her movement just now must have been shukuchi, a technique known for its incredible speed.
I remember that it’s a technique reserved only for those who have reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
I couldn’t help but be captivated by Fuuka’s swordplay.
Her movements were so refined, so perfectly executed, that they left no room for waste, and I was mesmerized.
"So, what do you think? How’s my lady’s swordsmanship?"
"Well, I can only say it’s truly impressive."
I had known this, but seeing it again, I realized that the only reason I was able to beat Fuuka in the martial arts tournament was because she had been holding back and I had landed a lucky surprise attack. It was nothing more than a fortunate coincidence.
To reach Fuuka’s level, I still have a long way to go.
After that, the three of us continued onward, confirming our teamwork as we made our way toward the deepest part of the labyrinth via the shortest route.
◇
"We’ve reached the twentieth floor. From here on, we won’t be taking the shortest route; instead, we’ll pass through areas with a high concentration of magical beasts as we aim for the deepest part."
As I registered the crystal at the entrance to the twentieth floor on our guild cards, I conveyed the change in plan to the others.
According to the information I had received from the Explorer’s Guild, this labyrinth consists of twenty-two floors, with a massive magic stone—known as the labyrinth core—beneath it, which is what gives the labyrinth its structure.
Also, from the twentieth floor onward, the number of magical beasts increases dramatically.
The area between here and the deepest part is a perfect hunting ground.
As I mentioned during last night’s dinner, I want to make some money, even if it’s just a little bit at a time.
"So, we’re collecting magic stones and materials along the way, got it. ...And there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. Orn, you don’t have to keep using formal speech with me, you know?"
"Huh? But..."
"Well, I am technically the leader of our group. And honestly, when you use formal speech with me, it feels kind of awkward."
"…Got it. From now on, I’ll speak to you without formalities, Haruto-san."
"Great, looking forward to it."
While taking detours, we steadily made our way toward the deepest part, and by the time we had cleared about halfway through the twenty-second floor, even more magical beasts began to appear in swarms.
Although the individual beasts were weak due to their low rank, the narrow passage we were in was no longer spacious enough to accommodate so many at once. With dozens of them appearing, our path was quickly becoming blocked.
I had known that the number of magical beasts would increase here from the information we had received beforehand, but the numbers on the twentieth and twenty-first floors were nowhere near this high. This felt almost abnormal.
Fuuka, acting as our front-line defender, kept slicing through the magical beasts, preventing them from getting too close to us. However, this was only enough to maintain our current position.
We could have Fuuka continue to wipe them out, but I felt hesitant to leave everything to her alone. I wanted to create a situation where all of us could fight together.
"Haruto-san, do you have any means of temporarily clearing the path?"
I asked as I compared my map of the labyrinth with our current location. If Haruto-san didn't have a way, we’d switch to clearing them with offensive magic, but I still wanted to check our options while we had time.
"Temporarily, you say?"
"Yes, just temporarily. Or, if you prefer, you can just wipe out all the beasts rushing at us."
"Clearing them all out would be a bit too much trouble, so let's go with clearing the path temporarily."
Haruto-san said this without hesitation, lowering his stance and preparing his fist.
Suddenly, the air around his right hand began to shimmer, almost like heat waves.
(This shimmering isn’t from magic. Could it be... ki?)
"Fuuka, let’s go!"
Haruto-san called out to Fuuka, who was still fighting off the magical beasts in front of her. She nodded in response, and just as she did, Haruto-san twisted his body.
"This is the order from our king. Clear the way, you beasts!"
Shouting this, Haruto-san stepped forward with his left foot, rotating his waist and swinging his weighted right fist.
The air distortion that shot from his right fist passed through the swarm of magical beasts. The beasts in its path crumpled and collapsed, turning into black mist as a path free of magical beasts was created.
"[Rock Wall]!"
Immediately, Haruto-san summoned a rock wall to block the path behind us, ensuring that the path he had cleared wouldn't be immediately reclaimed by the beasts.
"Haruto-san, can you do that two more times?"
"Heh, no problem! Five times, ten times—bring it on!"
"Good to hear! Then, let’s keep moving straight through the rock walls for now. After a while, we’ll reach a passage to the right. When we get there, I need you to clear the path again."
"Got it, Your Majesty!"
"...What’s with the 'Your Majesty'?"
"Haha, just going with the flow. I mean, you’re our leader, so calling you 'king' isn’t wrong, right?"
"I think it is, actually..."
"Don’t sweat the small stuff! Alright, let’s go!"
We made our way through the swarm of magical beasts with ease, joking around as we moved into an open area.
The previous passage hadn’t been wide enough for us to fight properly as a group, but here, we had plenty of room to maneuver.
"This is much better. Now, let’s start clearing them out!"
At my signal, Fuuka and Haruto-san sprang into action.
Each of us had enough strength to handle these magical beasts solo without issue. And when we worked together, covering each other’s blind spots, the outcome was as clear as day.
Without needing to rely on offensive magic, we quickly turned all the magical beasts into magic stones.
"Whoa, this is a lot! This should cover at least some of our food expenses," Haruto-san said cheerfully, collecting the magic stones and materials scattered on the ground.
"Fuuka, do you have any area-of-effect attack methods for when you’re up against a crowd of beasts like earlier?" I asked as I gathered magic stones alongside her.
"I do. But I’m more suited for one-on-one or small-scale fights, so I leave that sort of thing to those who are good at it," she replied.
It was a pragmatic approach from Fuuka. While I try to incorporate various techniques to handle any situation, Fuuka prefers to leave areas where she’s less skilled to those who excel in them.
It wasn’t an incorrect way of thinking, and in Fuuka’s case, it wasn’t that she couldn’t handle large groups—it was simply that she was better at dealing with one opponent at a time.
"I see. If possible, could you show me that area-of-effect attack sometime soon? —Hold on, Fuuka, Haruto-san!"
As I spoke to Fūka, multiple magical beasts appeared on my detection network again.
I was about to warn them, but both of them had already noticed the beasts.
"Yeah, I see it. But this... is strange," Haruto-san said, frowning as he looked in the direction of the beasts.
I agreed with him—something about this didn’t sit right.
"Help! Somebody, please help!"
Ahead of us, a young man dressed like an explorer was running toward us, clearly trying to escape from the magical beasts.
Given the unusual number of beasts and the fact that the young man was running toward us to escape them, this situation didn’t seem like a coincidence.
We were in the exact center of the twenty-second floor. If the young man was truly fleeing from the beasts, he should have been running toward the entrance of the floor, not toward us.
The entrance had a crystal designed to ward off magical beasts.
It was possible that in his panic, he hadn’t thought of the crystal at the entrance, but...
"For now, we’ll deal with the magical beasts coming toward us. If there are any beasts chasing the guy, we’ll take care of them if we have time. We don’t owe him anything, so we’re not going out of our way to help."
Though doubts still lingered, I decided to focus on dealing with the immediate problem and issued orders to the others.
In an ideal world, I should help the young man, but something about the situation didn’t sit right.
Human nature often reveals itself in moments of crisis, so I wanted to observe and gather information before deciding on my next move.
As the distance between us and the fleeing young man closed, his face, which had been twisted in panic, suddenly shifted into a malicious grin.
(Sigh... It’s clear now that this is intentional.)
While I was processing that thought, the young man passed by us.
"Heh heh, don’t take it personally, you explorers from Tutril!"
With those words, he scattered magic stones around us.
Magical beasts are instinctively drawn to magic stones.
With this many magic stones thrown around, the magical beasts' attention would naturally turn toward us, who were near the stones.
In other words, we’d just been set up to be overwhelmed by these beasts.
"Oh, you’re giving us all these magic stones? How generous. Thanks!"
"Guess dinner’s going to be a little more luxurious tonight."
"Huh? Hey, Fuuka. You’re not planning on spending all the money we earned today on dinner, are you?"
"...? Is that a problem?"
"Of course it is! We’re already scraping by with our operating funds!"
"...That’s unfortunate."
Neither Haruto-san nor Fuuka seemed particularly fazed by the young man’s actions. They were as calm as usual.
"Fuuka, capture that man. Don’t kill him. Haruto-san, collect the magic stones. I’ll handle the magical beasts."
I issued the orders once more. As I saw the two of them moving according to the plan, I focused my magic, channeling it into the blade of my Schwarzhase.
"—Heavenly Flash."
I swung Schwarzhase down, releasing a jet-black slash imbued with both [Gravity Manipulation] and [Instantaneous Ability Enhancement Impact].
The jet-black slash, drawn by the gravity it emitted, gathered the magical beasts into one place. The magical energy then spread from the center, causing destruction in all directions.
All the beasts that had charged toward us were turned into magic stones, and the young man who had tried to push the magical beasts onto us was now pinned down by Fuuka.
Now, let's confirm the answer to my suspicions.
Join our patreon to get 3 chapters early access and ad-free content.
Tags:
Jack WN