STEP, STEP—.
Once we had passed through the entrance settlement, the true labyrinth finally revealed itself.
The pungent smell of earth and mold unique to underground tunnels stung my nose.
The farther we descended along the damp passage, the more the light from the surface faded and the more the eerie darkness deepened.
【Labyrinth Village: Upper Level】
It was a place name from the game.
The upper level of Labyrinth Village was where the Barrier’s influence began to truly weaken.
That also made it a place where monster attacks were a risk, much like the Uncharted Lands.
【Lv. 11】
Flinch—.
At that moment, a translucent window flickered in the darkness.
Something hidden in a dark alley was targeting us.
“Adelia.”
The moment I called Adelia’s name.
SKREEEE—!
A green-skinned monster charged toward us.
‘A Tunnel Goblin.’
It was one of the most common low-grade monsters inhabiting Labyrinth Village.
Without the slightest sign of panic, Adelia swung her sword and ended its life.
*SLASH—!*
THUD—.
The monster’s cleanly severed head fell to the ground.
Watching from several paces away, I thought to myself.
‘......Thanks to the level window, I can spot most ambushes, too.’
The tunnels were dark.
Only the gentle torches installed here and there illuminated the surroundings.
My vision was slightly restricted because of that, but I did not need to worry about ambushes.
The level windows floating before my eyes allowed me to determine the monsters’ locations.
‘I’ve felt this ever since I noticed Adelia following me a few days ago, but.......’
The game system felt like a cheat in more ways than one.
‘Well, that aside.’
I carefully recalled the goblin’s movements from a moment earlier.
The speed with which it had charged at us.
And Adelia’s deft swordsmanship, which had dealt with it in a single stroke.
─SKREEEE!
Was it because my talent for the sword had been unlocked?
Or simply because the goblin’s level was low?
I didn’t know the exact reason.......
‘I feel like I could handle an attack at that level now.’
For some reason, that confidence came naturally.
‘If I get the chance later, I should face a goblin for practice.’
I planned to steadily build real combat experience for future level-ups.
Of course, without relying on skills—using only my talent for the sword.
“Sir Gaon.”
That was when I was occupied with those thoughts alone.
Adelia, who had been staring at the headless goblin corpse, asked me a question.
“What should we do with this?”
TAP, TAP—.
Adelia kicked the corpse with her foot.
Monster corpses were adventurers’ main source of income.
More precisely, the Magic Stones that could be extracted from their corpses were.
They could serve as a Barrier’s power source or as materials for magic tools, among other uses. The uses of Magic Stones were limitless.
After considering it for a moment, I gave my answer.
“Leave it. Someone who needs it will take it.”
Even if we sold a goblin’s Magic Stone, it would only bring in pocket change.
The lower a monster’s grade, the lower the purity of its Magic Stone.
Instead of worrying about something so trivial, it was better to find the Earth Dragon quickly.
It was not as though we were short on money at the moment.
‘Thank you so much, Lea de Karayan.......’
......Thanks to you making sure we had plenty of money, we don’t have to live in squalor.
***
STEP, STEP—.
By then, about half a day had already passed since we entered the labyrinth.
Nothing in particular had happened during that time.
Low-grade monsters, including goblins, attacked us, and Adelia cut them to pieces. It was that same sequence over and over.
Well, if I had to name an unusual occurrence.......
【Lv. 32】
【Lv. 27】
【Lv. 39】
It was only that we occasionally encountered groups of adventurers like this one.
“We will pass ahead of you.”
A white-haired swordsman spoke, watching us warily.
He lowered the tip of his sword to show that he had no intention of attacking, then slipped past us.
The rest of his party followed him, moving slowly.
As she watched their backs recede into the distance, Adelia spoke with a surprised expression.
“There are quite a lot of adventurers. I did not expect to encounter them this often.......”
Adelia was right.
We had already encountered other adventurer groups nearly five or six times.
It was nothing new. The upper level of the labyrinth had long been an area frequented by many adventurers.
That was because it was one of the few Fields where Magic Stones could be acquired reliably.
‘For one, the ceiling height is limited, so there are no large monsters.’
Because it was a tunnel, only small monsters could inhabit it.
Unlike the Uncharted Lands, where anything could appear, the types of monsters that appeared here were defined to a certain degree.
That alone made adventurers feel considerably safer.
‘Moreover, the Barrier’s influence has not disappeared completely, so there is little danger of higher species appearing.’
However, not every adventurer was satisfied with hunting on the upper level.
As I said earlier, selling Magic Stones from monsters like goblins brought in nothing but pocket change.
That was why adventurers confident in their skills went deeper to continue hunting.
To places where the Barrier’s influence weakened and higher monsters appeared.
‘For example.......’
【Lv. 70】
【Lv. 56】
【Lv. 58】
【Lv. 21】
‘......Like that adventurer party.’
The moment we turned a corner, a party of adventurers came into view.
At the sight of them, Adelia took a guarded stance and spoke.
“......They are well-trained adventurers.”
It was a completely different reaction from when she had encountered the white-haired swordsman earlier.
That was understandable.
Their high levels aside, their party composition was well balanced.
‘Let us see.’
Two adventurers with melee weapons.
One archer.
And a Level 21 Guide.
It was a very stable formation for exploring the labyrinth.
‘The point at which a guide becomes truly necessary is the middle level.’
It meant that they might be a skilled party capable of traveling through the middle level, perhaps even the lower level.
Flinch—.
At that moment, someone who had sensed our presence swiftly turned their head toward us.
The moment they saw Adelia, they froze in place.
“.......”
“.......”
“.......”
Silence fell.
Just as Adelia was wary of them, they seemed to be cautious of us as well.
How long did the standoff continue?
A man with a ponytail spoke on behalf of the party.
Not to me, but while looking at Adelia.
“I have traveled through Labyrinth Village for three years and learned the faces of most adventurers, but this is the first time I have met someone as skilled as you.”
“.......”
“You seem to be here for the first time. May I ask why you came to Labyrinth Village?”
Adelia did not answer the question and kept her lips firmly closed.
Since she followed me, it seemed that she had no intention of speaking first.
However, that could only frustrate someone who did not know that.
Whew—.
The man with the ponytail sighed and continued speaking.
“Please understand. There have been so many ‘plunderers’ lately.”
“.......”
“For our own peace of mind, we need to know at least your purpose.”
Plunderers.
It was the term for people who hunted humans rather than monsters for profit.
They were criminals who mainly operated in the Uncharted Lands, where law and order were nearly nonexistent, and in the upper level of Labyrinth Village.
Instead of answering obediently, I asked the man a question in return.
“State your purpose first.”
“.......?”
The man frowned slightly at my question.
“What purpose could we have? We are simply hunting monsters, making money from Magic Stones, and barely surviving.......”
“Is that really all?”
I cut him off.
Their purpose was simply hunting? It was an all-too-obvious lie.
Would a party that well assembled really be doing nothing but hunting?
‘And above all.......’
─He is crazy. It has already been more than three years since that request was posted.
Three years.
The length of time those adventurers claimed to have operated in Labyrinth Village.
And that matched exactly with when the Earth Dragon subjugation request had first appeared.
The circumstances were far too coincidental to dismiss as mere chance.
“Ahem.......”
Just as expected, the man scratched the back of his neck with an uncomfortable look after hearing my words.
“We are exploring the depths to kill the Earth Dragon. What about you?”
I answered immediately, in as flat a voice as I could manage.
“The same.”
HALT—.
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Naturally, they could not help but be uncomfortable. From their perspective, a new competitor had suddenly appeared.
The man with the ponytail gave a short laugh and nodded as though he had expected it to some degree.
“I thought so.”
Then he began to throw out childish provocations.
“By the way, aren’t you a guide? I thought you were just some nobody that woman had hired.”
“.......”
“Aha. I understand. You’re the young master of some nouveau riche family who came to play at exploration with a knight bodyguard.”
Adelia frowned at that.
“How dare you say that with that mouth.......!”
SNAP—.
Before Adelia could draw her sword, I quickly stepped in and stopped her.
When I extended my arm in front of her, Adelia forced down her anger and stepped back.
‘The reason they’re provoking us like that is obvious.’
They wanted to provoke us into being the side that started the fight.
Then they could claim self-defense and remove us.
It seemed they were willing to resort even to such cowardly tactics in order to kill the Earth Dragon themselves.
‘Do they think they can defeat Adelia if all four of them work together?’
I doubted it.
It might have been different if this were the Level 77 Adelia I had first met.
But after gaining her realization and breaking through the wall of Level 80, Adelia had become a being on an entirely different level from them.
Seeing them provoke her without properly gauging the gap in skill, their basic ability seemed lacking.
‘At the very least, they are not skilled enough to subjugate the Earth Dragon.’
I could see why they had achieved nothing but empty-handed trips for three years.
‘Well, that doesn’t mean I have any reason to waste energy in a pointless fight with bastards like that.’
That was when it happened.
“Hey, young master. Let me give you one piece of advice.”
The man with the ponytail spoke in a voice as though he were doing me a favor.
It seemed he had taken my silence as fear.
“The upper level may have been fine, but once you reach the middle level, playing at adventurer is the perfect way to die a pointless death. You need to know how to protect yourself there.”
I put on a show of nodding obediently at his words.
Do you think I avoid shit because I’m afraid of it?
I avoid it because it is filthy.
I chose the so-called ‘Don’t Feed the Trolls’ strategy.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll end my adventurer game here.”
“.......?”
“Then we’ll turn back now.”
Turn—.
The moment I finished speaking, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction.
Toward the uphill path—more precisely, the route opposite the way to the middle level.
“Hmm?”
“What is with that bastard?”
“Puhahaha! He was a coward without a shred of nerve.”
The next moment, laughter and mockery spread through the adventurers.
They seemed not to have expected me to give up so easily.
“S-Sir Gaon.......?”
Adelia was just as confused.
She approached me and whispered quietly.
“Are we really giving up like this?”
“No.”
Of course not.
It was only that the place we needed to visit lay on the opposite side of the path toward the middle level.
“I guarantee they won’t even catch a glimpse of the Earth Dragon’s claws.”
“.......”
“On the other hand, we’ll accomplish in one go what they could not achieve in three years.”
“Ah.”
At those words, Adelia let out a breath of admiration.
By then, her eyes were filled with admiration.
“.......I will trust you and follow.”
***
About an hour passed after that.
“Sir Gaon?”
“What is it?”
“Can we really find the Earth Dragon with a method like this......?”
Without the slightest hesitation, I nodded.
“That is right.”
“.......”
Clench—.
Adelia bit her lip and looked at me with suspicious eyes.
Her expression suggested that she could not understand my actions at all.
Regardless, I began the final preparations with a resolute expression.
RUMMMMMBLE—!
With the sound of earth being churned, the entire tunnel echoed.
......It was time to call our ‘guide.’
***
“H-Huh?”
Flinch—.
At the same time.
The Donkey Old Man, who had been resting peacefully in a field, sprang to his feet as though seized by a fit.
Prick—!
With anxious eyes, he glanced to the side and saw the donkey drinking from a stream raise its ears.
It looked as though it might run off somewhere at any moment.
“W-wait! Calm down, Wilson! I know what you are thinking...... But do not run off on your own.......!”
HEE-HAW—!
Despite his owner’s desperate plea, the donkey let out a bray and began running somewhere.
The old man cursed and hurriedly chased after it.
“That damned donkey bastard, seriously!”