CHAPTER 3

The Labyrinth Strikes Back

Part I: Brand-New Equipment / Beach of the Setting Sun, First Floor

We entered the workshop, and the rest of the party went into the women’s fitting room. I was glad coed parties were accounted for in this workshop. I could hear the girls’ happy chatter from the fitting room while I put on my Hardened Ox Leather Armor +3 and Elluminate Mountaineering Boots +3, both strengthened with the materials we’d found. They now possessed medium darkness resistance and Darkness Status Resistance 1, but those attributes would only be useful against certain enemies.

“How is the fit on the equipment, Mr. Atobe?”

“It’s really nice. Fits perfectly, unlike before… Thank you so much for finishing these in one night. You need to make sure you rest plenty today, too, Steiner.”

“I am but a simple suit of armor. Going one night without rest does not bother me.”

“What are you talking about? You were half-asleep earlier, but you didn’t wake me up. Really, I can’t take my eyes off an assistant like you.” Ceres grimaced, still clad in her pajamas.

Melissa came out around the same time. I would’ve thought she’d have spent the night dissecting, but she didn’t seem tired at all. “…Morning. I had breakfast with Dad and walked him to the Guild teleportation door. Arihito, is my equipment done, too?”

“Yeah, everyone’s getting changed now. You can go join them.” Right as she turned to leave, Theresia came out of the fitting room before the rest of the girls. Her equipment didn’t look all that different, but her bodysuit was different from what she had before.

♦Hide and Seek +3♦

Its abilities were so far beyond Theresia’s previous leather bodysuit. On top of that, it was made from monster materials but had a on it. Silvanus’s Flute was the same, which made it seem that equipment made from materials received from Named Monsters were likely to get the star. That meant it was possible that any starred equipment we found in the labyrinth was made from materials someone got when they defeated a Named Monster.

“We made this with both Melissa’s and Rikerton’s assistance. I am the only one who has skills that can bring together two pieces of equipment. Master and I spent the night sewing in the lining.”

“You did all that and more in one night… I’m sorry to make you do such taxing work, but thank you again for it.” I bowed my head once more, and Steiner put their hand to their helmet in embarrassment while Ceres puffed out her pajamaed chest in pride.

“A good craftsperson always meets the delivery dates they give their clients,” she said.

“Master, you’ve used quite a lot of magic. You need to keep resting.”

“You’re the one barely able to move your armor.”

“I’m sorry to bring this up again while you’re both so tired, but…I wanted to readdress you entering a special contract with us,” I said, and Ceres and Steiner exchanged a glance. They both looked at me and nodded in unison. I couldn’t help smiling at how perfectly in sync they were.

“From this day forward, I, Ceres Mistral, and my assistant, Chiara Steinweg, will provide for all your workshop needs…”

“…Uh, huh? Umm, Master?”

“Chiara… Is that Steiner’s real name?” I asked.

“I couldn’t let you keep going without knowing Chiara’s real name despite entering a contract with us. Chiara’s not the same race as me but is from this side of things.”

Steiner was shocked that their real name had been revealed. Their large armored body was shaking.

“Uh… It’s not what you think. It’s not like I absolutely didn’t want you to know my real name; it’s just that…”

“I informed you of their name to show our sincerity in entering a contract with you, but could you continue to use the name Steiner? I apologize for asking,” said Ceres.

“I know how uncomfortable you can feel if someone calls you something you don’t want to be called. I look forward to working with you, Steiner,” I said.

“Y-yeah… Thank you, Mr. Atobe.”

I shook hands with Steiner’s simple suit of armor, as they called it. Next, I shook hands with Ceres. A contract could be verbal here. It would display on your license as long as both parties had confirmed that they accepted the contract.

“Hmph, we did a good job. I am very satisfied… Yaaawn. Indeed, I have become quite tired now that I am certain things have turned out so well,” said Ceres.

“You sound a bit like a happy king when you get that satisfied… Oh, I still feel as if my heart will burst from my chest. Anyway, Mr. Atobe, I hope you don’t mind if we excuse ourselves for another rest. We’ll be spending the rest of our time here with Madoka, until we return to District Eight.”

“Right, thanks for looking after Madoka and Melissa.”

Ceres and Steiner went back to the sleeping area of the workshop. The girls seemed to need a little longer to get changed; perhaps it was going to take longer because Melissa had arrived.

“……”

“Theresia, you’ll definitely put your new equipment to good use.” I was trying to say that I trusted her, but she just tilted her head to the side a little. In the moment I spent trying to figure out what that gesture meant, I saw her body suddenly melt into thin air.

“Ah…T-Theresia, what are you…? Aah!”

It was so fast that I could have missed it had I blinked, but there was a brief moment that Theresia’s bodysuit literally turned invisible. I saw the Light-Shielding Bodysuit for a brief moment before she turned completely invisible. The whole process lasted less than a second.

“It works…really well, doesn’t it? But…”

It wasn’t like the heat stone, which confused the enemy’s sight. This actually made her blend in perfectly with the scenery. I had no clue where she was no matter how hard I looked. This was the power of the camouflage stone. It could bring out more of a Rogue’s potential for spy work.

“……”

“Um…Theresia? Where are you…?”

I sort of had the feeling that she’d moved. I called to her, but I had absolutely no idea where she was. The invisibility was so perfect that I was starting to get worried she’d never come back. Active camouflage was a really cool idea, but I was starting to see a scarier side to it.

It was right then that I felt a tug on the sleeve of my jacket near my right elbow. I looked back to see Theresia coming out of her invisibility. Perhaps she decided to come out of it because it used magic.

“Oh, you scared me… With that suit and your chameleon boots, you’re completely invisible. I wouldn’t be able to find you if you went far away while using it.”

“……”

Theresia shook her head and took my jacket sleeve in her hands.

“Right… I was being a worrywart again. I guess that’s a bad habit of mine…”

“……”

This time she neither nodded nor shook her head. I smiled a little, thinking that she meant she couldn’t deny the fact that I worried too much.

“Arihito, sorry we took so looong! My new equipment feels soooo good!” Misaki was excited as she bounced out of the fitting room, followed by each of the others. There didn’t appear to be any issues in size. They all seemed a bit self-conscious but showed off their new equipment to me.

The Beach of the Setting Sun was a labyrinth located in the northeasternmost corner of District Seven. When we approached the square in front of the entrance, we saw a large number of people who looked like the Alliance entering the labyrinth. There weren’t many other people; I wondered if other Seekers avoided showing up around the Alliance. I was thinking about it while I checked our surroundings and noticed Seraphina and another woman in the square. Based on her appearance, I guessed the other woman was a Guild Savior like Seraphina.

“Good morning, Seraphina.”

“Good morning, Mr. Atobe.”

“Ah… You and Seraphina have spoken before, haven’t you? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Adeline, a member of Seraphina’s squad.” Adeline held out her right hand as she greeted me, and we shook hands. Seraphina was her superior, but Adeline seemed younger to me since she was a bit smaller. Her skin was dark brown, but the Labyrinth Country had people from all over the world, so that wasn’t really something that made her stand out at all. Her red-tinged brown hair hung to her shoulders, and one small section was braided. If she was a reincarnate, she probably did marksmanship sports because she had a crossbow slung across her back.

“Mr. Atobe, are you planning to enter this labyrinth?” asked Seraphina.

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“I…see. Oh, make no mistake—we have no intentions of interfering, but we have been asked to check the situation in this labyrinth as part of our duties.”

“Seraphina, should we ask them to assist us? There’s a limit to how much we can investigate, and considering the size of Beyond Liberty…,” Adeline suggested, and Seraphina looked as if she was considering it. I didn’t quite understand what the two of them were doing, but it sounded like what Beyond Liberty was doing was starting to cause problems.

“I believe it would be inappropriate to ask Mr. Atobe and his party for assistance at this point in time. As a general rule, we need to complete our duties on our own.”

“If there’s any way we can be of assistance while we’re nearby, just let us know. You’ve helped us out quite a few times, Seraphina,” I said.

“That’s right—we depend on each other. You’re always too proper, Seraphina,” said Adeline.

“…Really, don’t get all puffed up because Mr. Atobe said he would be willing to help,” snapped back Seraphina, and Adeline straightened up in fear. But it did seem like she listened to my proposal. “Very well… We will do our utmost not to interfere with your seeking. Might I ask for your assistance if we find ourselves with no other options?”

“Of course. All right, we’ll go on in ahead… You two be careful.”

“I’m a bit nervous because it’s been so long since I’ve gone into the labyrinth on a mission as a party. But I should be completely safe with Seraphina as my vanguard,” said Adeline. They didn’t have anyone else; it was just the two of them. Seraphina, and Adeline as well, really were a step above any of the Seekers in District Seven.

The seven of us went into the labyrinth, knowing the two Guild Saviors would be following after. We passed into the cave-like entrance and walked down a long declining slope. Partway through, I felt the teleportation sensation, and the air around me felt completely different. There was absolutely no doubt about it—I could smell salt water.

There was definitely a sea in this labyrinth, but we couldn’t see it right after entering. We found ourselves in a field filled with short grass, and the cave we came through was smack dab in the middle of it. A short way ahead, there stood a practically vertical stone wall. It was formed of strange stone shapes, like stalagmites thrusting up from the earth, creating a natural barrier.

“I smell the ocean, but I can’t see it… I wonder if it’s on the other side of that stone wall,” said Elitia.

“Woof.”

“Cion seems like she’s saying it’s that way. Atobe, what should we do? There’s a passage over there—looks like we could get through to the other side, but… Oh.” Igarashi and I realized the same thing at about the same time. There was a place where we thought we might be able to pass through, but we could see Seekers nearby. They were some of the Seekers we saw earlier that looked like they could belong to the Alliance.

“That’s pretty bold of them… I don’t think it would be impossible to get past them, though,” I said.

“Guess they’re not just watching over where the monsters show up. I feel like they’re gonna tell us to cough up a toll for passing!” said Misaki.

“They can’t do that because their karma would go up, but if we try to force our way through, then there’s a chance we’ll also rack up karma,” said Elitia.

“I’m sure the Alliance has its reasons… If they won’t let us pass no matter what, we want to at least avoid the situation coming to blows.” If we did give up on going to the other side of the stone wall, like Suzuna suggested, and instead went seeking in the fields, the Alliance member would be able to observe us fighting from far off. Considering the fact that Gray had Triceratops spy on us, there was a good chance that they’d keep their eyes peeled for our party. Granted, that was if Gray had secretly gotten to all the Alliance members.

“We shouldn’t work in a way that we reveal our hand to the Alliance, but the field isn’t perfectly flat, and there’s some thickets and trees. There’s a chance we’ll end up in battle somewhere that they can’t see us. When that happens, we’ll fight safely and carefully,” I said.

“And sometimes, we’ll fight boldly! I’ll fire off my explosive cards!”

“Misaki, I think you should only use your explosion stone when it’s necessary. The most important thing for you is to make sure you don’t run out of magic,” said Elitia.

“Okaaaay, I’ll be careful!” Misaki really did seem keyed up over having new equipment. I was a little concerned things wouldn’t be entirely fine, but I couldn’t say anything to dampen her spirits.

Seraphina and Adeline had entered the labyrinth after us and huffed when they saw the Alliance member near the passage through the stone wall.

“Mr. Atobe, if you can’t pass because they’re blocking the way, we can try to negotiate with them…,” offered Seraphina.

“No, that sounds difficult. We couldn’t pass that pregnant lady without pushing by, and even Guild Saviors like us would get a penalty for bumping them,” said Adeline.

“I never said anything about pushing by. We could persuade them to let us pass; there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Ah, Seraphina… Hey, don’t just rush in!”

Seraphina had already left Adeline behind and was walking up to one of the Alliance members. She was approached by Daniella, who was assisting the Alliance in their battle strategy because of her pregnancy.

“Hello, my name is Daniella Vorn. I am second-in-command of Beyond Liberty. May I ask why the Guild Saviors are here?”

“We’ve received multiple reports that you have set up hunting activities here. There isn’t any penalty for doing so, but we would like to ask that you allow as many Seekers as possible to hunt here.” Seraphina’s tone was cold and had a certain force to it, but Daniella didn’t flinch at all. She simply smiled.

“District Seven is known as the elimination district. There aren’t many Seekers who make it up to District Six. We have no intention of giving up on our dreams of making our way higher, and that’s why we chose to work this way. I hope you can understand that.”

“I do understand your intentions. However, the question is, if you use this method to move up, will you be able to establish yourselves in District Six and continue working? Is there a chance that some of your members won’t be able to act unless they’re hunting in safe conditions?”

They could potentially move up to District Six but then come back to previous districts if need be. It wasn’t unreasonable, though, to consider if all this standardized seeking of theirs had made them unable to handle District Six’s labyrinths. But it did look like the Alliance had considered that possibility. Seraphina’s words seemed to bother Daniella and the Alliance members behind her.

“We, as Seekers, are aiming for somewhere, and we are going to get there our own way. There’s nothing wrong with moving up to District Six safely. There’s no coming back if we end up dead or turned into demi-humans. No one’s going to be giving us a prize if we take a risk and some of our members lose their lives. Right?”

“…I see. But what you are doing is an infringement on other Seekers’ freedom to do as they will. Please be aware that there’s a chance the Guild will…adjust the contribution points of the monsters you are focusing on.”

“I know. I also know that it takes at least a month to adjust it.”

The Alliance members smiled like Daniella’s last remark was a good retort. Seraphina didn’t show any anger, but she did turn on her heel to leave.

“…It’s no simple task for the Guild to revise contribution points after a monster is defeated. It may not require a whole month, but it’s unlikely that any changes would take effect while they’re still here in this district,” Seraphina said to us after returning.

“It’d mean that other parties couldn’t use the same method as them to earn contribution points. That makes the whole thing a bit complicated… What should we do, Seraphina?” asked Adeline.

“We carry out our duties. We will monitor Beyond Liberty, and that will prevent them from keeping tabs on other parties.”

That meant they would be keeping the Alliance from interfering in what we did. They weren’t overtly backing us, but as long as they were here, the Alliance couldn’t inspect us too closely.

“Thank you, Seraphina.”

“We may have monsters coming our way here; we’ll handle them when that happens. I believe we should be able to manage between the two of us, so you please continue to act freely, Mr. Atobe… We’ll see you around.”

The rest of the party said their good-byes to Seraphina, and we started to walk across the field. We came over a gentle hill and saw a beautiful landscape dotted with trees.

“Huh? Arihito, there’s some white flowers in bloom around here,” said Misaki.

“…Are they just flowers?” said Suzuna.

Like they said, there were what looked like white flowers scattered across the field. Elitia stopped Cion and faced me with an expression that seemed to ask how we should proceed. Everyone was probably suspicious because the flowers weren’t growing in one concentrated area—they were spaced out fairly evenly. It felt like they floated throughout the entire area because there wasn’t anything to obstruct them.

“We could hit one from a distance with something. Seems a bit mean if they’re just normal flowers, though…,” I said.

“What if I use my Decoy to get closer?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, Igarashi. Please do.”

Igarashi pulled a doll from her pouch and placed it on the ground before reciting the incantation.

“Human form born from the earth, imbued with my magic! Rise up and be the vanguard to draw the demon’s gaze.”

The mud doll absorbed Igarashi’s magic, then grew to almost the same size as a human. It moved in closer to the white flowers and…nothing happened. The rest of us approached one of the blossoms. The white parts appeared to be cotton; maybe these were cotton flowers or similar.

“This looks like it could be used as a material for something…,” said Igarashi.

“There’s a lot of them. Maybe we should grab some? Though, I’d rather fight a monster and do some trial runs than collect materials.”

We split up and gathered a number of the cotton flowers. We didn’t know what they could be used for, but we didn’t need to be afraid of them for now.

But right when we started to feel at ease, Theresia stopped as she was nearing one of the flowers.

“Theresia, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“……”

I could tell from her gaze that there was something, and I checked my license. There was an entry other than us collecting this pure-white cotton wool.

♦Current Status♦

“Ah… Everyone, watch out. Theresia’s found a trap.”

“In the middle of a field…?” asked Elitia.

“Maybe the white flowers are supposed to lure people in and then catch them in the trap…?” wondered Igarashi as the two of them looked where Theresia was staring.

Should we…attack? Actually, maybe we should make it catch nothing with Activate Trap if that’ll work at a distance…

“All right… Let’s try activating the trap with Theresia’s new skill. We shouldn’t get caught in it if we’re far enough away.”

“Oh my gooosh, this is so exciting… Traps are set by somebody, right?” said Misaki.

“I think a monster might have set it. I doubt the Alliance has any reason to come all the way out here.”

“If it was a monster, they probably set the trap and are lying in wait…”

We got into our battle formation, and Theresia held her hand out in front of us, to something that just looked like more white flowers. The next moment:

♦Current Status♦

“—Aaaah!!”

The ground rumbled and shook. Centering on the white flowers and spreading out across the ground was what looked like a spider’s web.

“Aaah… Wh-what is this?!”

A pit was dug into the ground, then a lid was made of spider’s silk. The top of the lid was covered in dirt and flowers to blend in with the surrounding, but the monster must have had a special skill for it because the camouflage was perfect. We could have easily fallen in if we’d been caught in the trap. That wasn’t the end to it, either. A number of sharpened talon-like appendages fiercely struck out at the center of the web.

“That’s Arachnophilia… The spider monster!” cried Elitia.

The monster in the bottom of the pit finally realized it had missed its prey and appeared before us. It was a spiderlike creature massive enough to easily eat a human whole.

Part II: Cooperation Support

♦Monster Encountered♦

The monster leaped from the pit, seemingly unhindered by the threads it created, and landed in front of the trap. The multiple eyes on the shell-covered section I assumed was its head looked our way.

“GII…GIIGIII…”

It wasn’t a Named Monster, but it was so enormous and menacing that it rendered the entire concept of an “ordinary monster” pointless. This thing was far more intimidating than something like a Grand Mole.

There was a large lump on the creature’s back that made it resemble both a spider and a scorpion. I couldn’t even fathom what purpose it served.

“It kinda looks less like a spider and more like a robot with scratchy fur… Urgh,” said Misaki.

“There are a lot of tough monsters in District Seven… But as long as Arihito’s here…,” said Elitia.

“First, I’m going to attack from afar! Everyone, brace yourselves!”

“Okay!”

I used Morale Support 1 to increase everyone’s morale, then loaded my magic gun with an elastic stone. I wanted to first test it with a normal single attack to see if it would be effective for using with Attack Support 2.

“—Take this!”

♦Current Status♦

I aimed my gun and pulled the trigger. The hammer struck, and the magic from the stone I used to charge the gun was fired. The spinning light roared as it struck the spider’s head, exploding with an incredible sound.

“—GIIII!!”

Perhaps it was a special effect of the elastic stone, but the impact didn’t stop at the creature’s surface. It seemed to reverberate throughout its body. I scanned my license and saw the spider had been delayed. The shock had passed through its body, slowing its actions.

The magic stone was ejected from the gun like a spent cartridge, now useless after being shot. Considering how powerful it was, though, there was plenty to be gained from using the magic gun in the appropriate battle conditions.

“Now’s our chance… Kyouka, Cion, let’s go!” cried Elitia.

“Right! …Let’s do this, Cion!”

“Awooooo!”

♦Current Status♦

Cion used a new skill to increase the three vanguards’ attack power, and then…

The three of them can make a good combination attack… I wonder what’ll happen if I add that skill here!

“—Cooperation Support…vanguards!”

Since the skill was level 1, I pretty much just expected it to increase the damage after everyone had attacked.

“Ah… Is this…Atobe’s orders…?”

“Cion will break through, and we’ll push forward!”

I didn’t know all of Cion’s skills, but it occurred to me a chain of attacks, including Cion’s own, would cause a lot of damage.

“—Booowwow!”

“I’ll cut you down!”

♦Current Status♦

The first attack was Cion coating her shoulder in magic and crashing into the spider.

“GIIIII!!!”

Afterward came Elitia, lashing out with Armor Break, a strike that could pierce into an enemy’s armor. Cion had thrown the spider off balance, reducing its defense, and Elitia reduced it even more.

They weren’t done yet, though.

“Kyouka!”

“Here I go…hyaaaa!”

♦Current Status♦

The last to add on her attack was Igarashi. She blasted off Spiral Lightning using the power of her lightning topaz.

“—GIIIGIIIGI…GAA…GAGAAAH!”

♦Current Status♦

Electricity ran through the spider’s whole body, making it stagger. It took support damage for the three attacks, and it looked like another attack’s worth was added in. I couldn’t believe the fight was going this well. Even Suzuna, who had activated Archery Master and was preparing to fire, glanced at me to ask if she should fall back.

“I want to finish it off here. Next, us rearguards will do a combined long-range attack…”

“—Mr. Atobe, don’t let your guard down! That spider’s—!”

“Huh…b-but it can barely move at all…”

The voice that had called out to us was Seraphina’s. Apparently, she could see us even at a distance. She probably had experience fighting these creatures given how she was able to warn us of an incoming attack.

Can we…beat it to the punch…? No, right now it’s—!

“—Everyone, pull back from the spider!” I cried.

Elitia and the others had been about to strike again, but the spider’s many eyes glittered in anticipation.

♦Current Status♦

“Wha—?!”

A massive stinger unlike what you’d expect from a spider grew from the monster’s body and pierced the ground. The next moment, its legs, which had been planted firmly, lifted up, and it began spinning around violently, spewing white silk everywhere.

“Ack!”

“Booow!”

“Aaaah!”

The only way a rearguard could prevent the vanguards from getting pulled into an attack was if they staggered their attacks with the vanguards’, but this counterattack forcefully prevented us from doing that. There was no way to avoid it from the moment we saw the stinger.

“Oh no… A-Arihito, what do we do?!” asked Misaki.

“Arihito, it’s transforming!” said Suzuna.

♦Current Status♦

“Wh-what is that…? Part human, part spider…?”

The lump on the spider’s body had in fact been the upper half of a human form, bent over and concealed. It appeared to be wearing some sort of hooded robe, like that of a sorcerer. With my Hawk Eyes skill, I could see that what looked like clothing was in fact the same material as the spider’s body.

“Mr. Atobe!” Seraphina started rushing toward us. Even if she was coming to assist us, our captured members were sure to take an attack before she arrived.

“Dammit… I can’t get these threads off me…!”

“Elitia, stop! You’ll just get more tangled if you touch them!” I called to her.

We needed a way to cut the threads. If we couldn’t do it with physical attacks, we’d have to use something else. We could use magic stones, but what would be most effective?

♦Current Status♦

The human part of the spider started emitting a purple light from its hands. I couldn’t hear its voice, but I could see with Hawk Eyes that its lips were moving. It must have been reciting some incantation.

Magic gun, slingshot, Suzuna’s bow, Misaki’s cards… None of our different attacks were fast enough that we could guarantee they’d cut off the spell. Even so, we were all prepared to shoot out of sheer desperation when I realized something.

There… She’s there, I can tell. Theresia!

I couldn’t see her, but she was waiting for my orders. Even though she was invisible, I could tell she was in front of me.

“—Theresia, I’ll support you!”

♦Current Status♦

Theresia had decided to use her camouflage stone to activate Active Stealth, then circled around the enemy. Since the enemy wasn’t aware of her, she could use one of her new skills: Sneak Attack.

The Paradox Beetle had used its horn for a skill called Razor Horn. Now, that horn had been put into Theresia’s sword, and it glowed with a blue light from the blue flame stone.

“……!”

“—KIIIAAAAA!”

Even from where I was, I could see where Theresia had circled behind the spider and attacked. There was a flash of blue light, and the human part of the spider screamed in agony before falling over forward.

♦Current Status♦

“Wow…Theresia, you’ve gotten soooo strong!” cried Misaki.

“—Theresia, evade! It’s going to counterattack with silk!” I shouted.

“……!”

♦Current Status♦

Theresia’s form slowly wavered. She wasn’t reactivating Active Stealth, which had stopped when she attacked. Instead, she was cleverly combining her evasion-type skills to draw the enemy’s attention and dodge the threads it shot out. If the enemy had been completely unable to see Theresia, it might have targeted Elitia and the others who were trapped in its web. But Theresia couldn’t keep up using these skills or she’d run out of magic.

“Suzuna, Misaki! It’s our turn now!” I called.

““Got it!””

Suzuna had finished preparing Archery Master, and Misaki was once again raring to go. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that now. By using the attacks of us three rearguards in tandem, we could use another combined attack. Theresia was drawing the spider’s attention, and by the time it realized we were making a move, it was too late.

“Cooperation Support…rearguards!”

“—!”

The human-half body part of the spider spread its hands, and with Hawk Eyes, I could see that its mouth was moving again. But I was already pulling the trigger of my magic gun before the spell could take effect.

Can I support two people with one bullet…? However this goes, just let this be where we finish it off!

♦Current Status♦

My bullet struck the human part of the spider, causing it to stagger. Suzuna’s gale-wrapped arrow hit its body, the strong winds whipping around it and slowing its movements. Like an attempt to make sure it was finished, Misaki’s card flew into the spider and exploded around it.

“GIIII…AAAAH…”

♦Current Status♦

When the third stage hit, the combined attack added another attack, leaving the spider completely unable to move. The strength suddenly went out of its legs, and it collapsed to the ground. The robe-like section that covered the human part fell open, exposing the skin beneath. I tried to tell myself it was definitely a monster, but it resembled a human in the same way as the Demi-Harpies. I didn’t have it in me to make the move and finish it off. Elitia had her sword ready, but she was waiting for my decision.

“I can’t keep showing mercy to monsters just because they have parts that look exactly like humans, but…,” I said.

“Well, we could also capture it. We can still get materials from it after we send it to the Monster Ranch anyway,” suggested Elitia.

“Won’t the people in the ranch be afraid of such a gigantic spider? Hmm, but this part looks like a woman… Oh, it’s my fault she went through so much…urgh,” said Misaki.

“Oh… A-Arihito, please turn away for a moment. I have a towel; I’ll cover her,” said Suzuna.

“Wait. Her skin might be poisonous. My shoes have Poison Resistance 2, so I should be fine if I climb up and only touch her with my shoes.” Elitia took Suzuna’s towel and jumped up on the spider, laying the towel over the human part to cover her. I couldn’t watch this part.

“Atobe, what should we do? Have the Demi-Harpies put her to sleep, or…?” said Igarashi.

“Having them continue that for a long time would be tough on their magic. Considering how powerful the spider is, too, I’m hesitant to leave the Demi-Harpies to keep an eye on her…”

It looked like our only option was to take it to the Monster Ranch for them to take care of her, but right when I was thinking that, Seraphina hesitantly approached from where she had been watching.

Part III: What Emerges from the Ocean’s Depths

“Mr. Atobe, everyone, I apologize. It’s inappropriate for an outsider such as myself to barge in…”

“No, it’s wonderful actually. Thank you for watching over us,” I said.

“I-it’s nothing… I don’t deserve such kind words. I requested again from the Alliance that they allow us to observe what is happening on the beach, but it does seem at this point that the only thing we can do is advise them not to take over the hunting grounds…”

“Today’s apparently an important day for the Alliance; they just turned us away again. Does being a Guild Savior really mean that little?” Adeline shrugged as she followed Seraphina over to us. The same thing would probably happen to us if we went, but it was pointless if we left the labyrinth now.

“…Oh, are you not going to finish off this spider?”

“No, we were thinking we wanted to capture it… We were just trying to decide if we should leave the labyrinth for a bit.”

“You can bind it safely with a capture rope, though you need a skill to use it,” said Adeline.

“Oh… Well, we don’t have one. I have used normal rope to capture Demi-Harpies before, though. Sorry I couldn’t use your advice.”

“You used normal rope…on Demi-Harpies… You say that with such a straight face. Atobe, I didn’t realize you were into that kind of thing.”

“Adeline, stop chatting while you’re on duty. Mr. Atobe, would you allow us to bind this Arachnomage with a capture rope? I imagine it will be out for another couple of hours, but it will slowly regain consciousness,” said Seraphina.

“That would be a great help, if you don’t mind.”

“Understood, Commander Seraphina. I’ll do it properly; no need to get so angry with me.” Adeline actually called Seraphina commander when obeying orders. She pulled a rope from her pouch-like inventory and bound the spider before you could say spiderweb. Apparently, she used a skill called Rope Bind in the process.

“Assuming they come collect the spider as soon as possible, what should we do next…?” I said.

“Arihito, should we try to find a way to go see the beach side? I’m sure we could find a back way through so the Alliance wouldn’t notice us…,” suggested Elitia.

“We could try, but how should we do it…? What if we ask the Demi-Harpies to carry us through the sky?” Igarashi said as she pointed to the sky. Right around then I was thinking about the Demi-Harpies and realized something: We couldn’t tell how high the stone wall was from the bottom, but the Demi-Harpies should be able to fly over it. Spiders were good at climbing walls, too, actually. If we managed to train this spider enough that it would help us, we could ride on it to get over the nearly vertical wall. But right now, that wasn’t an option, and the only other option we really had was to negotiate with the Alliance and try to pass through.

“I am sorry—if only I was better at negotiating…,” said Seraphina.

“No, there’s not much you can do since the Alliance isn’t actually breaking any rules. But we didn’t come to this labyrinth solely to hunt crabs. At least we’ve accomplished something by defeating the spider. It’s because we went through that process that we can argue against fighting monsters in the same way over and over…” I didn’t think they’d listen to our argument just because things went well for us, though. It’d be hard to talk to them because they’d probably think that all we wanted to do was hunt the crabs ourselves.

“You’ve considered that much when dealing with the spider… Mr. Atobe, you are a very logical person,” said Seraphina.

“N-no, actually… To be honest, it’s just a reason I added on after the fact.”

“Arihito’s blushing… He’s so cute when he does that, right, Suzu?” said Misaki.

“Uh… C-cute isn’t really something you say about a grown man…”

“Woof!”

While Suzuna was flustered by Misaki’s statement, Cion barked happily. Maybe she was agreeing with Misaki…or maybe I was overthinking.

“Seraphina, we can’t leave after only having a staring match with the Alliance. Should we use my skill to investigate what’s happening on the other side?” suggested Adeline.

“But it’s inappropriate to meddle too much in the Seekers’ affairs…”

“Generally, yes, but there are exceptions, aren’t there? I believe it’s fine to approach this instance like that. Even if we’re wrong, rule one of being a Guild Savior is to consider all possibilities in order to prevent disaster.”

Seraphina turned around and stared up at the cliffs after Adeline made her argument. She closed her eyes and took a breath, before turning to face her subordinate again.

“You’re right… Adeline, can you do a search to see what the leader of the Alliance is up to?”

“No trouble at all. My job’s Hunter; that’s our bread and butter. All right, let’s move around so those people from the Alliance can’t see us. The closer to the cliffs the better.”

We followed Adeline until she reached a certain point, pulled the crossbow from her back, and set it up on the ground pointing toward the top of the cliffs.

“Okay… Step back just a little, please.” Adeline turned the handle on the crossbow’s grip and pulled the string taught. The tension was so great it looked difficult for a human to pull it back by hand.

“Arrow filled with my magic, take this momentary life and become my obedient familiar!”

♦Current Status♦

Adeline poured her magic into the arrow and fired it into the sky. Just as it looked like it reached the height of its trajectory and was going to start losing speed, it flew off as if it had wings and climbed even farther.

“That cliff is so high…but it got past it somehow. It might be a feature of this labyrinth, but it appears infinitely high when you’re at the bottom, even though it’s really only about a third of a mile high.”

“Adeline, what is the Alliance doing currently? And their target monster…?” asked Seraphina, and Adeline put a hand to her mouth in shock.

“Wh-what are they doing? They’re… They didn’t have to go this far; there’s other ways… Ah, S-Seraphina!”

Seraphina’s expression clouded over as she looked at Adeline’s license.

“…It must be because their hunting has been abnormally stable until now, making it very efficient. But…there’s a tiny chance that this could be part of the ‘conditions’ necessary to…”

“What’s going on?” I asked, and Adeline let me see her license. It showed what the Arrow Familiar could see the Alliance doing on the other side of the wall.

♦Current Status♦

“What is this…? It’s like the monsters are…”

“…being lured out and hunted. They’re not waiting for them to appear naturally.”

“Seraphina, this Ghost part… The priests say you shouldn’t hunt undead-type monsters unless you have the proper countermeasure against them… This really isn’t good!” said Adeline.

I was curious what this countermeasure was, but I had the impression that you could end up cursed if you killed dozens of a monster with ghost in the name. I wasn’t certain if that kind of curse existed in the Labyrinth Country, but there was the job Shrine Maiden, which came along with a lot of ghost-related skills. It wasn’t entirely impossible.

The rest of the party was also looking at Adeline’s license, lost for words. Only one Ghost Scissors appeared. They must have already defeated the monster they called the crab. Now, we only saw displays that they used a summoning charm, with the occasional monster appearing and being defeated.

“Based on the information we received, they started using those summoning charms today. If they’re resorting to using items to force monsters to appear, they must have already hunted a significant number of them…,” I said.

“Ah… Atobe, look! The display changed!” said Igarashi, and I felt my blood run cold. Shivers of dread greater than I’d ever experienced running down my spine.

“What…? Ugh…I feel like my head’s going to explode…”

“Suzu?!”

It wasn’t just me—apparently everyone was feeling it, but Suzuna was the most sensitive of us all. She turned pale, and her hair stuck to the sweat slicking her cheeks.

“Arihito… There’s something…sinister on the other side of the wall…,” said Adeline.

“Woof, woof! Grrrrr…”

“……”

Cion barked toward the cliffs, and Theresia stared in the same direction. That’s when I saw that Theresia also had a cold sweat on her face. Just like Suzuna, she seemed to be sensing something menacing.

“Is the monster…trying to get revenge for its fallen companions…?” asked Elitia. She, Igarashi, and Adeline were staring wide-eyed at Adeline’s license. I felt so terrible I thought I might vomit, but I pushed the feeling aside and forced myself to look at the license’s display.

♦Current Status♦

“Ah?!” Adeline cried out, and her license’s display automatically changed. It showed that the familiar she’d made with Arrow Familiar had been destroyed.

“What is going on over there…? Is this terrible feeling…because that unidentified monster appeared…?” asked Igarashi.

“It’s most likely…a Named Monster. The Alliance used summoning charms to kill an excessive amount of one type of monster, accidentally fulfilling the special requirements to make it appear…,” answered Seraphina. The unforeseen circumstances changed nothing for the two Guild Saviors.

“Seraphina, we should call the military!”

“I have decided that at this point in time, we have reached the requirements necessary to justify stepping in on Beyond Liberty’s actions. Adeline, you leave the labyrinth and report on the situation. I will go see this unidentified monster,” said Seraphina. Adeline looked like she wanted to say something, but she saw Seraphina’s expression and swallowed back her words.

“…Understood. But, Commander Seraphina, if you go alone…”

Seraphina looked at me. Knowing her, she’d be hesitant to ask us for help even though we talked about it before. But this wasn’t the time to stand around deciding what to do.

“I’ll go over there with the members of my party who can run quickly if need be. We have a way to get past the Alliance members blocking the way,” I said.

“…Please, Mr. Atobe.”

“Fast party members… So Cion, Elitia, Theresia…Atobe, and me…,” said Igarashi.

Considering the number of Demi-Harpies we had, we could only take three people over, including me. Cion was too big, so she’d have to wait. We needed to choose two more.

“Arihito, I can use my own skills to get past the Alliance. Take Theresia and Kyouka with you,” said Elitia.

“All right. Igarashi, do you mind? And, Theresia…you don’t have to push yourself.”

“……”

Theresia shook her head. Did she mean it wasn’t pushing herself to do it? Igarashi smiled when she saw it, too, then nodded to me to accept the task.

“Misaki and I will go with Cion toward the path to the beach. Even if we can’t get through, our skills might be able to reach,” said Suzuna.

“It looks like the Alliance has gone all crazy since we’ve been talking.” Misaki was right, they seemed to be arguing about something. Daniella was trying to go over to the beach, and the other members were stopping her.

“Let me go; I can fight, too! Roland would—he plans to fight!”

“Calm down, please. Roland said not to come… He’s confident he can handle it—that’s what that guy said!” yelled one of the young men in the Alliance. They hadn’t yet realized that we’d come close. Elitia was in the lead and aimed for a crack in their lines where they’d stopped focusing on blocking the path, speeding up even more.

“Mr. Atobe, could you handle things in the front? I’m not far behind you!” said Seraphina.

“Understood!”

She seemed to want to try persuading the Alliance one last time. I ran after Elitia as I pulled out my summoning stones, gripped them tight, and called, “Come forth, Demi-Harpies!”

♦Current Status♦

“Ah… Y-you—you’re in the suit-wearing guy’s party!”

“—Stay right there. Don’t you move a muscle!” said Elitia.

♦Current Status♦

For a brief moment, it was completely impossible to follow Elitia. She rushed between the seven members of the Alliance so fast they couldn’t even lay eyes on her. The big man blocking the path leading to the beach reacted too slowly. By the time he looked up, Elitia had bounded off the stone walls of the path and somersaulted over him.

“…Huh?”

The District Seven Seekers had never seen someone move like Elitia and couldn’t even perceive her she was moving so fast. The moment the large clueless guy cried out, Theresia, Igarashi, and I followed after Elitia, carried higher by the Demi-Harpies.

“Y-you!” The man holding back Daniella shouted after us, but we didn’t have time to worry about them.

We passed through the narrow gap between the towering rocks and could tell that the saltwater smell really did come from the beach we saw before us. But that wasn’t all: We were still far away, and it was hard to get a good look, but the previously pure-white sand was dotted with red marks around Roland’s party.

“That attack from earlier even got them!”

“I don’t know if they were just caught up in it, or if the monster aimed at them…but either way, they’re in no condition to keep fighting!”

A gash cut the beach in two and continued up the cliffs. Something in the ocean had unleashed an attack. That was what had destroyed Adeline’s arrow, and it had left Alliance members with horrific injuries.

“You’re asking for harm when you use harmful methods!”

“—Elitia!”

The Demi-Harpies would likely die if they took a single hit, so I couldn’t use them to cast Lullaby. I undid the summon and followed Theresia and Igarashi as they rushed after Elitia. It was still quite a way to where Roland and his party were even for Elitia and her high Sonic Raid speed.

♦Current Status♦

Even from this distance I could see dozens of felled human-sized crabs—most likely the Ghost Scissors—each with one massive overgrown claw. Nearby was a gaping hole in the beach. That must be the monsters’ nest that the Alliance had staked out.

Near the hole stood Roland, with what looked like a saber in his hand. Gray’s legs had given out from under him in fear, and he was staring at the ocean. I followed his gaze and saw another crab breaking the surface of the water. It was ten times bigger than the ones on the beach.

♦Monster Encountered♦

That area effect… Does that mean it inflicts Fear on people in the area just by appearing? That’s gotta be the source of this feeling of dread!

“Why…am I so scared? We don’t have time for that…”

“……!”

Luckily, Elitia wasn’t affected by Fear, but Igarashi and Theresia were. They slowed, losing their will to fight.

“Igarashi, use Mist of Bravery please!” I cried.

Igarashi realized what was causing the strange feeling and quickly pulled herself together. They could use their morale to recover from the status effect, but it was better to use a skill to keep the morale for later.

“Theresia, Atobe, come close to me!”

♦Current Status♦

Using Mist of Bravery once can continue to suppress Fear for a period of time. The fact that most of the Alliance members were unable to move, though, meant they had neither resistance to Fear nor a method for removing it.

The only one among them not affected by Fear was Roland, and he didn’t look back toward his companions. He stood, staring down the massive crab in the sea. I assumed it was a Named version of the Ghost Scissors, but it had some differences in its shape. Its left pincer was abnormally large, but its right wasn’t the shape of a pincer at all; it seemed more like a scythe. Maybe the right one was formed in a different shape for a different purpose, like taking advantage of openings made with the oversized left pincer.

The creature hadn’t even come on land yet, but it’d managed to devastate Roland’s party with a single long-range attack. Five of them were injured while Gray and one other member managed to get by without a direct hit, but they’d already lost their will to fight.

“Run, all of you! Thomas, give me just one setup, though!” called Roland.

“—M-morons…urgh, this is ridiculous. Like hell I’m gonna fight against a monster like that!” Gray shouted as Roland rushed ahead. Thomas, the only other member with minor injuries, knew what skill he should use.

“—Haaaaaaaaah!”

♦Current Status♦

The sky was so blue it chilled you to the bone. Roland let out a battle cry that echoed across the entire beach and leaped higher than I ever believed someone could. That must be a combo that they knew was sure to bring them victory. Thomas’s skill made footing for Roland, regardless of the fact that they were on soft sand, and Roland increased his jump height to fly high in the sky, attacking the enemy from directly above. Louisa had said his job was Air Trooper. That meant that even in the Labyrinth Country, he was specialized in aerial attacks.

“Wait! If you miss—!” Elitia’s shout didn’t reach him. Gray was surprised when he realized Elitia had come near and skittered backward on the sand. He finally got up and ran away, panicked from Fear and screaming the whole time.

“AAAaaaaaah, aaaaaah!!”

He’s just…ugh, he’s just going to leave Roland and the others!

I had no obligation to assist with Roland’s attack, but I couldn’t leave him there alone, fighting against a monster ten times larger than him.

♦Current Status♦

I considered the possibility that the set damage would make it through the massive creature’s defenses, but my highest priority was making an opening for Roland to get away after he made his attack.

From the corner of my Hawk Eyes’ expanded field of vision, I saw Gray use a Return Scroll, and he disappeared along with his collapsed allies. Thomas tried to run as well, but perhaps he was outside of the range of the Return Scroll, and he failed to make his escape.

“—Diiiieeeeee!” Roland left a white trail behind him like an airplane as he cut through the blue sky and attempted to pierce his saber into the giant crab’s head. It didn’t seem like the crab could do anything about attacks from directly above, but…

The top half of the crab showed above the water, its movements restricted by the crashing white waves. Without a single sign of warning, though, it suddenly turned transparent, like a ghost.

“Roland!”

♦Current Status♦

As if to make light of all our hopes, Roland’s attack struck nothing but air. A pillar of water erupted from the sea’s surface as he plummeted into it. It took a long time for me to finally feel the racing of my heart, to hear Elitia, Igarashi, and I screaming wordless screams. Roland swung his saber at the crab, which had gone behind him. But before his blade landed, not the left pincers but the right sickle-shaped appendage flashed across and struck him.

♦Current Status♦

The scythe the giant crab wielded didn’t strike Roland with a physical attack. It passed through, stealing something from Roland. I looked at my license, and my heart dropped. If that display was true, then Roland…

♦Current Status♦

“…What the…? Why did it have to…?”

“Atobe, pull it together! If we don’t do something, we’ll also be—”

“Kyouka, Theresia, get out of here! This monster is too dangerous!” Elitia didn’t pull back; she faced the monster to challenge it. No, she was aware of the danger and was being cautious. But that wasn’t the only reason. Elitia couldn’t run because she couldn’t abandon another party even if they were our rivals.

The logical part of me said that we couldn’t save Roland, and therefore it was obvious that we should run. But what if he could be saved? The possibility lingered in my mind, and reinforcing that was the bluish-white light now hovering near the crab after being extracted from Roland’s body. But then—

♦Current Status♦

—a sea anemone–like tentacle extended from the crab’s back and grabbed the light. It was a monster that cut down and bound the souls of Seekers. It was almost like revenge for continued hunting of its kind.

But the fact that his soul was captured indicted there was a chance to me—a chance that Roland’s soul wasn’t yet lost.

“Elitia, its resistance just changed—now it’s immune to physical attacks! I know only my support attacks will get through, but can you lure it somehow?!”

“For a few minutes maybe… I’m not gonna let a stupid crab treat us like we’re nothing!” said Elitia bravely, then activated Sonic Raid. The crab’s giant pincers swung down but missed, kicking up sand as it crashed. Then—

“Mr. Atobe, please flee now! You can’t beat that monster with your current abilities!” said Seraphina.

“Arihito, tell me if there’s something I can do!” called Misaki.

“Arihito, you can’t get too close… That monster is dangerous!” said Suzuna.

“Woooof!”

Seraphina and the others came running over, perhaps able to finally reason with the Alliance now that they were panicked.

“It has a long-range attack! If it looks like it’s going to use it, run sideways! It’s fast then, too, so you need to keep a good distance!” I ordered.

“““Understood!””” they all replied.

Seraphina went in front of me and took a defensive stance. This battle formation meant I was at lower risk of being targeted by the giant crab, and I could still support the vanguards.

“Leader, say something! Roland! …Dammiiiit!” The man named Thomas wasn’t running and leaving Roland behind—he was trying to rescue him. Even if Roland’s soul had been captured, as long as his body was safe, then… I hoped I was right, but there was no guarantee we could save him. Even so, if I ran now without doing anything, I was certain I’d regret it. Even if the Alliance brought this on themselves, it was wrong to say that they had to die because of it.

“Let’s save those two from the Alliance and then get out of here… Seraphina, that’s what we need to focus on.”

“…Mr. Atobe… How far will someone like you go…?”

“I know what I’m saying is stupid, but even so, I…”

“You’re not stupid, Arihito,” said Misaki.

“Misaki’s right. I feel the same way as you, Arihito. If we all work together, surely when can get back safely!” said Suzuna.

The two of them should have been scared, but they didn’t run.

Seraphina didn’t say anything else—she simply readied her shield facing forward. “I will protect you all… No attack will get behind me!”

The crab raised its gigantic pincers again. When Elitia drew the attack, then dodged, Theresia and Igarashi moved in. I focused on one thing: supporting their attacks.

Part IV: Facing Death on the Shoreline

There appeared to be another hole to a crabs’ nest on the beach, but the Alliance members near it had seen Roland’s party destroyed and were completely unable to move.

“All of you, run! You don’t have to try and support us!” Seraphina called to them, and the party in the left rear finally started to react. They used a scroll to teleport out. All who remained on the beach now were Seraphina, my party, Roland collapsed in the shallows, and Thomas.

The massive crab’s eyes kept moving even while Elitia evaded its attack. It turned its attention to another target. Thomas looked like a close-range fighter, but based on his armor, there was no way he could take a hit from the giant crab.

“Kyouka, Theresia, stay far enough back that you don’t get pulled in!” shouted Elitia.

“We’re fine… Ah, with how big one of its attacks is…if we could just hit back…urgh,” said Igarashi.

“……!!”

The massive crab’s pincers swung down, cleaving the beach apart. The attack hit a terrifyingly large area. Elitia moved so close to evade I could hardly believe my eyes, and Igarashi and Theresia both barely managed to dodge. They were using Mirage Step or Accel Dash where necessary to evade, but they would never be able to avoid those attacks without those skills.

I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t get too close, but I needed to move in to make it easier for the vanguards to disengage.

“Misaki, Suzuna, stick to the back like Seraphina says. You absolutely cannot let yourself get hit with the Soul-Stealing Scythe attack. Cion, don’t let yourself get too far ahead, either!” I ordered.

“I’ll activate Auto-Hit while I have the chance, to make sure I’ll hit no matter what…,” said Suzuna.

“Woof… Grrrrr!”

Suzuna prayed over her arrow. It was still too far for Misaki to use Lucky Seven, but she pulled out her dice and gripped them tight as we ran forward. Cion responded loyally to my order but then growled when she saw the vanguards evading an attack.

And to make things worse, it’s easy to trip in this sand. There’s no way you can get close unless you have a speed-enhancing or evasion skill… This is an incredibly dangerous monster!

“Eyes on me!” Elitia shouted to the crab. I watched what she was doing and tried to decide what support would be best. If she was trying to attack it to draw its attention, it would be pointless if it did no damage.

“Elitia, I’ll support you!”

♦Current Status♦

She dodged the crab’s attack, then used Counter Slice 1 to immediately strike back. The attack hit the pincers, and I could see the blade of her sword slip across the surface, not getting through, but the invisible blade that Attack Support 1 created left a slash on the surface.

“It went through… I was right; as long as Arihito’s here, we can do this!”

Provided the attacks were getting through, we could defeat it. As long as we could continue whittling it down. But that was if we could keep enduring and avoiding its attacks like we’d been doing.

“Theresia, get away from that!”

“……!!”

“—Theresia!”

♦Current Status♦

“Agh!”

“……!”

My heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t often that an attack’s damage exceeded what Defense Support 1 reduced it by. But even though Theresia brought up her shield, she went flying backward. And even though Igarashi fell into a defensive stance, she couldn’t defend against the explosion from one of the Ghost Scissors’ bodies.

“Be careful, you three! Don’t go near any of the other Ghost Scissors remains!” I shouted.

“I don’t plan on it, but there’s too many!” replied Igarashi.

Who knew that what the Alliance did would end like this? This Named Monster truly was the embodiment of the defeated crabs’ grudge.

The corpse’s explosion didn’t just do damage—it recovered the large crab’s vitality. Elitia saw the wound on its pincer disappear and shouted as she shook with anger.

“How dare you hurt my friends!”

She didn’t hesitate to move forward to make a counterattack, but Igarashi stopped her. She was injured but didn’t fall back a single step.

“You’ve done well…but it’s our turn now!”

♦Current Status♦

Lightning leaped from Igarashi’s spear as she jabbed out with it, racing between her and the enemy in a flash, hitting the translucent giant crab. Physical attacks were insignificant against it, but the magic attack definitely got through its defenses. It was left Electrocuted, sparks flying here and there from it as it seemed unable to move for a moment.

We rearguards could now contribute to the battle. If we could hit the monster with a combination magic attack, we should be able to get in a decent enough attack.

Elitia seemed to have the same idea. “Arihito, let’s do a combo…!”

But we couldn’t let our guard down. The crab was supposedly Electrocuted, but its eyes were still moving. It wasn’t looking at the three vanguards—it was looking at us rearguards.

“Everyone, spread out! Seraphina, you get out of here, too!” I shouted.

“Mr. Atobe?!”

I was sure the giant crab was going to use Bubble Laser until I saw its legs push forcefully into the sand and realized my assumption was wrong.

What the hell…? Something’s glowing…

Right when I realized what was emitting light, the giant crab sparkled and transformed. At the same time, it moved in a way I couldn’t believe a body that huge was capable of.

♦Current Status♦

“What…the hell…? That—that’s my leeeeeader’s!”

Why did it cut out and capture Roland’s soul? The reason was that this giant crab could use the skills of the Seekers whose souls it captured.

I heard Thomas scream. The crab didn’t jump as high as Roland, but it still flew higher than I could expect something that large to. No matter who it targeted, they couldn’t do anything against that much weight. If it used Vapor Dive, we were—

“—I won’t let you hurt any more people!”

♦Current Status♦

I should have known that she would choose that route. But after it easily got past my Defense Support 1, I didn’t believe she would get out of this unharmed, even with my support on top of her defense. In that case, I had one choice. I could think of only one option that made sure no one got attacked.

♦Current Status♦

There was a momentary break in my consciousness, and the next moment, I was behind the giant crab where it jumped high into the air. I felt the blood rush from my head at the falling sensation but pulled my black slingshot back as far as I could, then released the bullet. I had no idea if it would have any effect, but I had to try.

“—Eat this!”

♦Current Status♦

It worked… If this keeps going, we can get Roland’s soul back, too!

♦Current Status♦

Since the crab used its skill while Confused, its target wasn’t limited to someone on the land. Instead, it aimed for the water’s edge and dropped suddenly. I wasn’t able to steal Roland’s soul back because it put such a distance between us so quickly.

I was left there in the sky. As things were, I was going to slam right into the beach.

I can’t use Rear Stance here… Come on, think! What do I do…?

“—Awooooo!”

“Cion!”

Cion rushed forward and jumped, catching me before I hit the ground—but I wasn’t sure Cion would be able support both of our weight when we crash-landed.

Yet, the impact I expected never came.

“Waaaah?!”

The ground gave with far more elasticity than I would have expected from a beach and bounced us back up. I tumbled to the ground, and Cion gracefully flipped in the air before landing nicely on her feet.

“A-are you okay?!” Thomas had used his skill that made the ground elastic, like when Roland had leaped into the air.

The giant crab had accelerated from Vapor Dive, its pincer outstretched, and slammed into the shoreline. Unlike Roland, it didn’t escape the maneuver unharmed due to its weight, and it was still Confused. But—

It’s translucent again… Its resistances are changing!

♦Current Status♦

It switched its resistances at dizzying speed and removed status abnormalities at the same time. We couldn’t find an opportunity to get in a solid round of hits on it at this rate.

“Behind me, you two!” Seraphina called as she was trying to protect Suzuna and Misaki. As its name would imply, the giant crab didn’t hesitate to target the party members with low defense. It brandished its scythe. With how fast it was now, there was no way any party member it targeted would be able to dodge.

I had Cion carry Roland’s body on her back. If I could buy some time, she could run for the single path out of here. But I knew we couldn’t take even a single hit. That scythe that stole Roland’s soul really did pass through his body. It didn’t leave any sort of wound. It would probably pass right through a shield meant for defending against physical attacks. Seraphina probably had skills to deal with that, but if not, we’d just lose more people.

Think… Before it moved…there must have been something—there had to be!

The giant crab started to move again. It was trying to repeat the nightmare from before.

“Ack!”

It didn’t aim for Seraphina. It didn’t move to their flank. It was using its faster-than-the-eye-can-see speed to circle around behind them. It was trying to do what it did to Roland—but to my friends. I could never let that happen; I couldn’t accept it. I had to do something, anything. As long as it saved them…

As if in response to my thoughts, a familiar presence welled up inside of me.

Wait… We’re not done just yet!

“—hito…Arihito. My devotee, do you require my power?”

“Ariadne!”

♦Current Status♦

“Aaaaah!”

“Misaki!”

Ariadne called to me, having sensed the party was in danger. That let her activate Guard Arm, which changed the path of the giant crab’s scythe as it fell. It swung over Misaki’s and Suzuna’s heads, giving us a very small but definite moment to work with.

“—Misaki, use that one skill!” I shouted.

“Ah… Sure, whatever you say!”

I was talking about one of the skills we’d kept on hold, that Misaki had called her “true power.” I put my trust in it, because it was the only way we had of getting through this nightmare.

Part V: A Strategic Withdrawal

Misaki pulled out her Jester’s Wildcards +3. Akin to normal playing cards, they had a face and a back, with numbers written on the faces.

“I bet our victory on this card!”

♦Current Status♦

You might call it a gambler’s bluff. It worked as long as you could convince the enemy that something was going to happen.

“It stopped!” Suzuna said in surprise. The crab had brandished its giant pincers, but it definitely paused so it could closely observe Misaki’s actions.

♦Current Status♦

Misaki listened to my orders and went even further. I remembered what we talked about when we’d considered what skills she should take.

“This skill could save the party if we find ourselves in a pinch. But it needs two skill points, and I’m not sure I want you to spend that.”

“So I’ll just make sure I’m ready to take it on the spot. If I use it perfectly when you want me to, will you praise me, Arihito?”

This was exactly the kind of situation we’d talked about, and she pulled it off wonderfully. But even though the giant crab’s movements were slowed, it still swung down its huge pincers. Its force was cut by more than half immediately following Surrender’s activation.

“…Now I should be able to take it!”

“Seraphina, I’ll support you!”

♦Current Status♦

The crashing pincers had far more mass than Seraphina did, but she endured the strike with her large shield. Her extended defensive range completely stopped the aftershock that ran through the beach.

“Agh… And here I’ll…push back!”

“Me too!”

♦Current Status♦

“…GUWAAARARAAAA!”

Seraphina took her shield and tackled the crab, throwing back its pincers and creating an opening, which Suzuna used to fire off an arrow. The creature let out a screech unlike anything we’d heard thus far.

“I-it really worked… Suzu, you’re incredible!” said Misaki.

Seraphina’s defense and counter followed by Suzuna’s arrow hitting the crab made me realize there was a way of defeating this creature.

“Fall back, you two! I’ll draw it now!” ordered Seraphina.

“Wait… Those things are still here!” cried Suzuna.

I dashed across the beach, kicking up sand, and felt a strange presence coming from the giant crab.

♦Current Status♦

This thing can even make crabs out of sand…?!

Countless of the giant crab’s kin—the Ghost Scissors—had been killed on this beach. Now, their souls rose from their bodies, gathered sand around them, and formed into their original crab shape again.

“This is nothing!” cried Elitia as she ran ahead and bravely slashed one of the sand crabs that was several times her size. A glance at my license showed me this:

♦Monster Encountered♦

This was an opponent that couldn’t be hurt with a normal attack, but Elitia didn’t plan on holding back. We didn’t have the luxury of changing our tactics when a single hesitation could mean life or death. So in that case…

Elitia, I’ll support you!

“Return to the sand you came from! Blossom Blade!”

♦Current Status♦

The crab exploded in a shower of sand after taking the attacks so fast the eye couldn’t see them. Elitia’s overwhelming number of attacks meant Attack Support 1 was still effective.

“I didn’t feel my sword actually connecting, but I still cut it…”

“Everyone, normal attacks won’t work against those sand crabs! Avoid their attacks and get out of here!” I shouted.

“B-but they’re blocking the way…urgh, I feel dizzy from trying to use Surrender…”

“Misaki, hold it together… Just a little longer!” said Suzuna.

At this rate, even Cion, who was running away with Roland’s body, would find her path blocked. Thomas was also pinned in.

The giant crab isn’t Confused anymore, but it should still be less hostile… I just hope it doesn’t shoot a Bubble Laser!

“—Come forth once more, Demi-Harpies!”

♦Current Status♦

“Himiko, Asuka, you take Thomas and Igarashi! Yayoi, sing Lullaby!”

“Atobe!”

“Don’t worry about me, Igarashi! I’ll definitely make it out of here! You go on ahead!”

“Wh-whaaaat—?! A-are you a Monster Tamer…?” stammered Thomas. “Don’t you go dying on me, suit guy! It’ll all be for nothing if you die!”

I had absolutely no intention of dying. Igarashi did as I ordered, but I bet she’d give me an earful when we got back and ask me why I was the last to flee. The reason was because I wasn’t the only person remaining. Theresia would never run and leave me. I knew that no matter what happened, she would always be there.

♦Current Status♦

It worked! I guess the targets don’t need to have ears since these things are made of sand…

“Aaah… Wh-what the heck?! The crabs are still moving?!” cried Misaki.

“Arihito, Theresia…hurry while you still can!” shouted Suzuna.

“We’re fine! Everyone else just needs to focus on running over there!”

“Um, y-you don’t look fine…,” said Misaki. “Arihito…!”

I needed to run as far from the giant crab as possible, but the Sand Scissors had completely blocked off any available escape route. A crab that formed from the sand in front of me came at me, swinging its pincers. But she really was there. I didn’t need to even give her orders; she just knew to move where I needed her.

“Theresia!”

“……!!”

♦Current Status♦

The two of us can’t take one down with a single round of attacks… In which case…!

Theresia was able to hit the sand crab because the magic stone on her sword gave her a nonphysical attack. We weren’t going to miss the opportunity gained from the Stun and went in for another round.

♦Current Status♦

We finished it off… But we’re screwed if we keep whittling down our magic at this rate!

“……”

“Theresia, hang in there!”

“……!!”

The blue flame stone was very powerful, but in exchange, it drained a lot of magic. She was tripping over herself as she tried to run, so I supported her and used Charge Assist.

“……”

“Don’t worry about me—I’m just fine!”

One of our obstacles for escape was the giant crab that was building up hostility after it had been reduced by Misaki’s Surrender. Theresia now had enough magic back to use Accel Dash, but she’d have problems dodging if it swung with its oversized pincers. I could use Rear Stance on one of the party members that had already escaped, but I wasn’t going to leave her until we’d both made it out.

“Yayoi, take Theresia!”

“……!!”

“I can go last! I wouldn’t be a rearguard if I didn’t!”

I didn’t know if she agreed. I called on Yayoi to stop singing and carry Theresia away. Theresia stretched her hand out to me, but I chose to run on my own.

“Mr. Atobe…I refuse to let someone like you die!”

“—Seraphina!”

♦Current Status♦

“Agh…haah… Haaaaaah!!” Seraphina took the Merciless Guillotine’s attack with her shield and pushed it back. The giant pincers many times larger than her were like chunks of rock crashing into her shield. She couldn’t get out of an impact like that without injury, but she just looked at me with fire burning in her eyes.

“Mr. Atobe, I’ll buy you time! You must survive at all costs…!”

I guess she intended to keep enduring the attacks and drawing the enemy’s attention. But if she did that, there was a chance the remaining sand crabs would target her. I would be safe if I used Rear Stance on one of my allies who’d already fled, but…I had to do something to save her. Seraphina was trying to lure the enemy to her so that I could live.

“I won’t let anyone else…go down in front of me!” Elitia had already escaped to safety, but she was about to rush out and step in front of the Merciless Guillotine, but before she could—

Part VI: The Alliance’s Collapse

The giant crab stumbled when Seraphina braced against its huge pincer, the mass of which pulled the creature back. The pincer was so oversized that the giant crab had a hard time controlling it, but it wasn’t going to destroy itself from the weight of the thing. Its shoulder creaked from the strain, but it dug its feet into the sand and stood its ground, then readied a counterattack.

♦Current Status♦

The pincers slowly rose. Unlike its first attack, this one was meant solely to kill. And yet, Seraphina still did not waver.

“Come at me! I will not move from this spot!” Seraphina was three levels higher than the giant crab, but one attack from its pincers surpassed her defensive abilities.

A black magic-like aura emanated from the giant crab’s body. Just before it had completely coated the crab’s pincer, I heard a whisper right next to me. That voice belonged to the katana on my back. Murakumo was calling to me.

“The blade of hatred cannot harm me. Master, call my name.”

“And I will add my support. My arm has recovered; it is your most valuable tool.”

I completely believed the promising words. I unsheathed the katana and activated my skills.

“Here goes! …Ariadne, Murakumo!”

♦Current Status♦

“Seraphina, I’ll back you up!”

“Ah… Understood!!”

She had more important things to do than be surprised. I was grateful that she decided without spending the time to consider her actions. I saw two mechanical arms appear in front of Seraphina.

♦Current Status♦

The magic-cloaked pincer didn’t seem to encounter any air resistance as it fell faster than my eyes could follow. The two Guard Arms reached out to grab it, doing so with perfect accuracy, and managed to reduce the attack’s power.

“I can…take this…! Haaaaah!!”

♦Current Status♦

Seraphina used her skills to force the crab into a defenseless position. But if we tried to run now, it might come after us to attack.

“My Guard Arm is broken. I advise you retreat with your party,” said Ariadne.

“Sorry… Just one more attack…!”

♦Current Status♦

The moment I activated the skill, I felt like Murakumo was guiding my hands from behind. My body wasn’t my own; I had become one with the Stellar Sword…

♦Current Status♦

The moment the magic covering the falling pincer disappeared, I thrust out my blade, and Murakumo’s sword left my hands, cloaked in a purple light as it flew out to pierce into the pincers, creating a massive crack.

“…GWOORAARAAAAA!!”

The giant crab let out a horrific screech just like when Suzuna’s arrow had struck it in the corner of its mouth—that must have been one of its weak spots.

“What on earth…? You put a crack in such a tough shell…”

“Seraphina, we need to go now!” She stood there dumbfounded until I called out to her, and the two of us started to retreat.

“Arihito, behind you!”

Urgh… This thing is determined!

The giant crab had raised its pincer and was recklessly pursuing us. The remaining Sand Scissors responded to its movements by raising their pincers, too. But before it could catch us, we dived into the narrow path leading through the stone cliffs. The giant crab finally gave up its pursuit. It stared at us but didn’t try to follow again.

There was Roland’s soul, captured with Soul Tentacle. It was still glowing; I didn’t know how Roland’s body would fare without his soul.

“Roland…! Roland, please, say something!”

“Daniella, please stop! It’s bad for the baby if you get so upset…”

“…Noooooo…!!”

Cion had escaped first. The moment Daniella saw Roland, she broke free from one of her female allies and clutched Roland’s body to her. I looked around and saw Gray a little way off. He must have come back to see what was going on after using the Return Scroll, but he didn’t try to talk to his allies, not even Daniella. He noticed I was staring at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile, then he left. I didn’t have any energy to chase after him and question him right then. I guess I was the only one who noticed him, as no one else seemed to be paying him any attention.

Everyone was silent. Even the Alliance members who had escaped safely were staring blankly. I approached Cion and looked at Roland. He seemed like he was sleeping. His breathing was irregular, and his skin was deathly pale even though he was alive. It didn’t seem like he was going to wake from his slumber.

“…We’ll take him to the Healer clinic. Mr. Atobe, I greatly appreciate your cooperation. Adeline will have made arrangements to transport the Arachnomage you captured to the Monster Ranch. I will tell her to report to you on that later.”

“Seraphina…that monster…”

The giant crab had turned its back to us like the beach was its personal property. It walked away, eventually disappearing from sight. Named Monsters continued to pursue the first opponent they encountered. If they weren’t a member of Roland’s party, it wouldn’t attack them again. Except that we had fought it once. It might remember us as an enemy.

“That monster likely appeared because certain conditions were met. It has incredibly dangerous abilities, even compared to your average level-eight Named Monster. It only used the skill once, but it is possible it could use Create Golem to make as many crabs as had been killed there before… If that’s the case, even my unit of Guild Saviors will have a hard time defeating it.”

But if we didn’t defeat the monster—if we left it there—there was a chance it would eventually cause a stampede. Seraphina was aware of that and continued to speak with displeasure.

“I’ll request support from the Guild Savior headquarters. We can’t just leave that monster as it is.”

“…How long will it take that support to get here?”

“The fastest would be three days… If they’re slow, it could take up to a week. Generally, they recommend that the party who first encountered the Named Monster defeat it. The Seekers of a given district are entrusted with maintaining the safety of their district… That’s why support isn’t considered urgent even when there is a stampede.”

Which meant that if the Seekers ran into a Named Monster they had no way of defeating, their only choice was to run. Then if a stampede happened, lots of people would get dragged into it. The Guild Saviors weren’t focused on protecting Seekers. They maintained a reasonable distance from them at all times, monitored them, and maintained order. But Seraphina tried to save us, even if that meant she ended up in the battle herself.

“The leader of the Alliance…Roland Vorn made decisions that caused a Named Monster to appear, then chose to fight it, and lost. It’s not a tragedy; it’s something that’s happening all across the Labyrinth Country. I hope you can understand that, Mr. Atobe.”

Seraphina’s squad had come into the labyrinth and were taking Roland and Daniella out. Most likely, they were heading to the Healer clinic. The remaining Alliance members finally started to move. They seemed to be discussing something, probably about what was going to happen now that Roland was gone.

“Could I have a word with you…?” Seraphina asked them.

“…Sorry, no one’s really in shape for talking right now. Thank you for saving us…and sorry for taking over the hunting ground.”

Their spirits seemed crushed. It was understandable for them to feel that way, particularly if they accepted that it was their own actions that brought this on.

“Arihito… Let’s leave,” suggested Elitia.

“…Sorry. My decision was…,” I said.

“…That baby is going to be born soon, but their dad…had that happen…,” said Igarashi. I never wanted this to happen, but I couldn’t say it. Igarashi took a shaky breath and turned away from me.

I’d been against what the Alliance was doing, and I didn’t have it in me to feel sympathetic about what their actions brought. Most importantly, I needed to place my party’s safety above all else. If Suzuna and Misaki hadn’t joined the fight, we wouldn’t have had the time we needed to escape, but they wouldn’t have been fine if they’d taken a hit from that giant crab. It wasn’t the right decision as their leader to put them in that situation, and a simple apology wasn’t enough… I was thinking that when someone pinched my cheek.

“Ah…I-Igarashi…?”

“…I do understand how you feel, but I have been telling you that you need to put yourself first more. I did sort of want to try out Evasion Step, though.”

“N-no… It’d be too dangerous to keep trying to dodge the attacks of something as powerful as that monster. If we can, you should try it on a safer monster…”

“There’s no such thing as a safe monster. But as long as you’re behind us, we can be all kapow, kapow!—you know?” said Misaki.

“Your decision wasn’t one most people would make…but I don’t think it was wrong. I want to keep as many people alive as I can, whether I have connections with them or not.” Suzuna was right, not many people made that decision. Actually, they shouldn’t make that decision. The most important thing was to keep moving safely forward with your companions.

“…I thought it was a stupid move, too, but I couldn’t just abandon them… So I agree with Arihito. I’ll apologize if I have to,” said Elitia.

“Woof.”

“……”

Cion barked quietly, wagging her tail a little. Theresia touched my arm, patting it to try and comfort me.

“Right… Atobe, you don’t think it’s over yet, do you?” said Igarashi as if she could tell from looking at my face.

“…Roland’s soul has been captured. If that state continues, I think he’ll actually die, but…”

“It’s easy enough to say we have no obligation to save him… But we were starting to fight back in the end there. I think we can beat that thing if we prepare properly. It wouldn’t be reckless.” Elitia’s eyes burned with intensity.

Additionally, if we defeated the Merciless Guillotine, it would count toward the requirement of defeating three Named Monsters we needed to advance to District Six. If you’ve fought an enemy once, you can start to build strategies against it. Perfecting those strategies was paramount if we wanted to take on this monster again.

“We’ll feel nothing but regret that it beat us. We didn’t even try all our attacks out on it…,” continued Elitia.

“I really, really feel like I can do something, too… Like, I’m scared, but I also kinda want to show everyone what I’m capable of…”

“Misaki, did you have an idea?”

Everyone started coming up with ways to beat an enemy that powerful. It was arrogant of me to think I’d protect everyone; the realization was the push I needed to self-reflect.

“What are your thoughts, Arihito? I think a strategy you come up with will be our best chance at success,” said Elitia.

“…All right. I think we should…”

I accepted that Elitia might be right and considered everyone’s equipment and skills to think up a few different strategies—strategies that would let us uphold our beliefs as we continued to move forward.