Chapter of Slavery, Episode 7: Operation Hall Wipeout

I woke up.

Or, to be more precise, I blearily opened my eyes and found myself in my dreams.

Marie’s fingertip was shining in the darkness, and she poked the air with it. The light grew brighter with each repetition of this movement, revealing more and more of our surroundings. Spirit Sorceresses sure had fantastical abilities.

Marie looked at me with sleepy-looking, purple eyes.

“Fwaaah... Good morning. It’s hard to tell whether it’s morning or night in the labyrinth.”

“I wish we could get some sunlight in here. I’d probably still be asleep if it wasn’t for your light spirit.” I looked up to find said light spirit gleefully dancing up near the ceiling. The scenery had changed from my condo to the dream world, and we were inside a small room built of stone. We were, of course, inside the ancient labyrinth.

I stifled a yawn and dug through my bag for the Magic Tool.

“We’re supposed to regroup on the second floor today. I’ll let Zera and the others know that we’re up. Don’t go back to sleep, Wridra.”

“Hm, you do not need to tell me. You were kinder to me when I was a cat,” she muttered to herself as she slowly rose from under the blanket.

I placed the cylindrical Magic Tool on the table and pressed the switch on its side. After playing some white noise, a deep voice said, “This is Team Bloodstone. Nice morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes, we just woke up now. I’m sorry we’re always late.”

“Don’t worry about it. You have a small team, and we already knew you tend to rest longer. Anyway, I’m a bit worried about the team that headed down the center path.”

Hm? What does that mean? I activated the Magic Tool to check up on the other team positions. A three-dimensional map came up, displaying the location of each team on the second floor. I immediately recognized that something was off.

“...The center team is separated to the front and back. They’re clumped up on each end, so there’s a gap between them, too. The original plan was to form rows so there wouldn’t be any space between the teams... Could they be under attack from monsters?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing. I contacted HQ, but they didn’t explain much. Something’s fishy.” Marie, who had been listening to the conversation, perked up. She had already tied up the blanket with a rope and finished the preparations to leave.

“What were HQ’s orders?” she asked.

“To stay away. Since they haven’t requested backup despite being in danger, they might be in the middle of something.” I tried to think over the situation with what little information we had.

Most of our forces were concentrated in the center path. Rescuing soldiers that had been cut off there should have been high priority. I knew the person who was in charge of this operation. He definitely wasn’t the type to just let his precious forces die after having just gotten more troops.

“Then maybe he’s planning something already...?”

“Good morning, sleepyhead. Though it looks like the cogs in your head are in full rotation already.”

“Oh, Doula. Good morning.” As I replied, lines started blinking on the map. This was a guide system that could be used between those who shared comm links.

“This is the route we opened up last night. Taking down the undead is my specialty, so Zera’s been lagging behind on that end.”

“Like hell I am. You just got overexcited and went farther than the original plan.” Doula was adept in the holy element, and I’d heard her teammates harnessed the same power, too. She must have pressed forward with her barrier ability and power to purge monsters. It must have been far different from the way we fought them off, drenched in sweat and without any holy blessings.

“No point in sitting around thinking about it. We need to do what we can. We already have orders to proceed with the mission, so that’s what we’ll do.”

“You’re right. We’ll go regroup with you now.” The comm link cut off with another buzz.

It was a good thing more troops had joined after that party, but it seemed things weren’t going to go so easily. It did make me wonder, though. Why were we in greater danger now that we had more people? As I mulled over this thought, the elf girl brushed off her robe and approached me.

“Do you have any bad feelings about this?”

“You know, maybe I do. But why do you ask?”

“Because you can be strangely sharp at times. Anyway, if we know what to do, let’s get moving.”

Me? Sharp? Everyone always told me I was dull and sleepy-looking at work. Wait, I hear that at home, too.

“Come on, we’re about to leave!”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. On my way.” I jogged up to Marie and Wridra, and the raid on the second floor had begun.

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Bugs buzzed through the air.

Their entire bodies, including their wings, were all black, aside from their red eyes. They were like enlarged versions of the mosquitos found in Japan, but their forward-leaning form suggested that they were specialized for speed.

There were about ten of them, zooming through the air and cutting around corners as a group. They seemed to be communicating with each other, making ticking noises and maintaining a set distance between one another. It was somewhat reminiscent of a cavalry charging in formation.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters located in the hall of the first floor, ten members of a special team were on a mission. They wore a black device on their foreheads, eyes closed as if in meditation. A line extended from their device, connecting to the map that Aja had brought up.

The ability that had been controlling the flying bugs from earlier was a skill known as “Sixth Sense.” Since the user’s mind was occupied in the bugs, someone stood on either side to provide audio support. They were both trusted partners that had been hand-selected.

Commander Hakam and Aja the wizard watched them calmly.

“This will be the first magic stone being cast. If we don’t get results, it’ll be my head that rolls,” Hakam said.

“Hmph, not likely that you will be leaving the battlefield. If that ever happens, you can take care of me in retirement,” Aja scoffed. Magic stones were still full of mysteries. They contained such massive amounts of magical energy, and they could be used for such a wide range of applications. They could cause a chain reaction of explosions by setting them in strategic locations, and they could even be turned into something akin to monsters with this method. One theory claimed they were monster eggs, but this was a top secret concept that had been kept under wraps.

Suddenly, something appeared on the map.

The red dots representing the rebels crossed paths with the flying blue dots. Three red dots of the enemy vanished in an instant, and the hall was filled with victorious cheers.

“So fast! They wiped out those sneaky rats in the blink of an eye!”

“That’s the power of the Heat Blaster, huh? Look at those rebels run away in fear!”

Just as the voices had pointed out, the blinking red lights representing the rebels scattered like a mass of baby spiders. But the commander’s keen eye noticed something was off. Why were they able to respond so quickly? He wondered, if he had been leading them, would he have been able to order them into the ideal retreat path while maintaining casualties to a minimum in such a high-stress situation?

Then, another problem reared its head. One by one, the red dots vanished from the map. This meant they were using advanced magic that intercepted their information feed.

“...This will be a long battle. We might need to refuel, Aja.”

“This is rough on my old bones, you know. I’m definitely making you take care of me when I retire.” The two chuckled, then turned their sharp eyes back toward the battlefield.

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“Sorry for the wait!” The contents of my bag rattled as we walked up to the joint camp, and the others turned to face us. One of the men turned to crack a joke, then swallowed his words.

“Yes, sorry about the... Hm? What is this stench...?” Wridra asked.

“Eek, my nose...!” The raid party froze in place, awestruck by Wridra, the black-haired beauty furrowing her brow, and the breathtaking Mariabelle. Both teams had hardly any women, and they found themselves stricken with nerves at the newcomers’ gorgeous appearances. The large man who already had a woman was the exception.

“Ohh, hello, Wridra. I’ve been wondering where you went.”

“Yes, it has been some time, Zera and Doula. Though, I have been around quite oft... I mean, I am glad you seem to be doing well.” The Arkdragon showed them a rare faint smile. Marie had always said Wridra was incredibly beautiful as long as she kept her mouth shut, and it was true. Subtle expressions like this one made all the men around her go wild.

Marie gave them a sidelong glance, then whispered to me.

“What. Is. This. Smell?! My nose is going to rot!”

“Well, uh... This is the smell of your standard military rations.”

“Whaaaaaat?!” She cried out in surprise, snapping everyone around us out of their reveries.

But to be honest, these portable rations were perfect in their own way. They kept well, provided balanced nutrition, contained high amounts of energy, and digested easily. As long as one was able to disregard the horrible taste, there was nothing better. Though, there was one more negative point to those, which was the fact that they contained a slightly dubious ingredient that supposedly allowed you to keep working for twenty hours a day.

“I’m never joining the army. No way!” Marie shook her head violently, and Zera walked over with a cheerful expression. His devious smile told me he just wanted to come over to pick on the elf.

“Oh, it’s not so bad. Here, I’ll give you the best part. It’s this little piece here, has a nice texture to it. It’s delicious. Open wide!”

“No, no, noooooo!” A shiver went down her spine as she watched the questionable substance ooze down from Zera’s spoon. But he seemed to be enjoying her reaction and continued chasing her with his spoon. What a horrible adult he was.

“Nyoooooo!!!”

“Ah, wha?” Marie pulled me in by the shoulder, and the traditional military meal was shoved into my open mouth.

It was just as I remembered. That smell of clay that crept up out of nowhere. It dissolved without me even needing to chew, and the texture as it slid down my throat was simply awful. It was said that this was good for dieting, but that was probably because it completely killed one’s appetite. At the very least, I’d never seen anyone get fat from eating these rations.

“Yup, tastes awful,” I said bluntly with a sleepy-looking expression, and everyone laughed.

As we all sat talking in a circle, we came up with an idea. It was a new strategy that utilized Mariabelle’s ability to keep track of enemy positions in the alliance raid.

After we went over the details, the large man sporting stubble opened his mouth with his chin still resting on his hand.

“Huh. What’s the big deal, Doula?”

“You dummy. You can be really, really dense, you know that? So dense that it makes me dizzy. Everyone, don’t be a dummy like Zera here.”

“Oh, no need to worry about that. The only dummy in our team is our leader,” one of the men replied.

“Yeah, this team couldn’t function if we had any more dumb people in our team, haha!”

“...The next person who calls me dumb is joining my dad for dinner.”

Silence.

Everyone glanced at each other wordlessly, and even Doula pursed her lips. Moments passed with no one making a sound, until Zera finally snapped.

“Really? You have nothing to talk about besides calling me dumb?! Fine, fine, I don’t care! I just can’t stand the silence, all right?!” They erupted in laughter, and Marie and I just sat there, mouths agape. We were taken aback by the lively, familiar air of the group. It was far more friendly and enjoyable than the dinner party at the castle that had taken place a few days ago had been, and I’d nearly forgotten we were inside an ancient labyrinth. Just then, Zera slapped me on the shoulder.

“As you can see, we’re all just a bunch of weirdos. We’ve been outcast from the main forces because of this, but I hope we get along.”

“We were outcast because of you, boss. Ignoring orders, acting independently, then falling unconscious and being protected by Doula overnight...”

“I’m really sorry about that. I apologize on his behalf, too. And Zera, did you just casually lump me in as a ‘weirdo’?”

They sure are fun to be around. Marie and I seemed to be thinking the same thing as our eyes met, and we both smiled. We were a bunch of weirdos ourselves, after all. It made me feel like we would have no problems getting along.

“Anyway, do you think the floor master hasn’t made its move yet?” Doula asked, and Zera and I shook our heads. Our operation was moving along at an unprecedented scale, and it was highly likely that we would detect it through the Magic Tool if there was any movement.

According to them, the floor master had appeared pretty frequently before we joined. There was even a team that ran into it twice in one day, so they had assumed it was only a matter of time before we would come across it, too. But as soon as our operation began, it stopped showing up completely.

What could have been different from last time?

One obvious fact was that we had much more people compared to before. There was also the fact that we had joined in, but that was unrelated... Or was it?

I glanced at Wridra, and she looked at me with her black eyes while hugging her knees.

The legendary Arkdragon was a part of the raid this time. The floor master on the first floor had been avoiding her. Was it possible that this was the case here, too? I wanted to ask Wridra later if it was possible for her to conceal her presence to others.

“All right, let’s get back to business. Who wants to lead the way? I do! So, everyone else, gather up.” Doula kicked Zera in the back, and his Team Bloodstone rose to their feet.

I decided to just study how things unfolded for now. If the floor master wasn’t going to appear, there were other things we could do, like map out the floor with the Magic Tool. Marie, Wridra, and I seemed to understand each other, and we nodded in a silent agreement to all watch how things would play out.

This was Team Amethyst’s first time participating in an alliance raid.

Three teams would be advancing in rows, and with our team being the smallest, we were in the back row, where it was relatively safe. The team in the lead, Bloodstone, relayed a signal with finger gestures.

A Giant Zombie shook the ground as it approached, but as soon as it turned the corner, it immediately began to melt. Specks of holy light glimmered in the air, purifying any evil it came into contact with.

Groaaar...! The creature instinctively covered its head before realizing its own mistake. Zera released the energy he had accumulated in his body with a single swipe of his blade, slicing halfway through the zombie’s right leg. One more cut shattered its bone, causing it to fall flat on its butt.

Doula supported Zera from behind, watching the map and calling out orders with a calm voice.

“Four Wights are climbing up the stairs at your flank. Thirty seconds until contact.”

“Ohh, it’s helpful to know when the enemy is approaching. All right, boys, cut down those limbs while you can!” The giants thrashed about violently, but Zera’s team continued chopping at their limbs with their hand axes. Eventually, the cuts were deep enough that the giants’ own weight broke their weakened bones, causing them to crumple. I was impressed as I watched their well-practiced movements, and Marie glanced at me from my side.

“He’s very strong. Looks like he’s not just all talk.”

“This is what they mean by ‘there’s power in numbers.’”

Zera had strength buffs and holy enchantment on his weapon, and there were some debuffs cast on the enemy. He was likely around level 60 or so, but he should have effectively been as strong as level 70. Zera and another man stood at the vanguard, while the others stood in the backline with shields held at the ready. The tanks held their massive shields up high to protect the spellcasters from danger. There was another line of troops behind the tanks: Team Andalusite, led by Doula, providing support via their purification powers. It was a pretty solid formation. I explained as such to Marie, and her purple eyes widened slightly.

“...I have a hard time believing you’re really just an average salaryman.”

“Huh? I’m not sure what you mean. Well, I haven’t mentioned this before, but I’m actually very wealthy, and I own several islands.”

“Oho, that is quite intriguing. You should be able to take us on cruises without any issues, then.” Wridra popped out from nowhere and stared into my eyes, making me a bit flustered. I mean, I had spent nearly twenty years playing in this world. I may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but anyone could’ve learned simple troop formations like those with time.

This situation did make me appreciate how useful it was for the three of us to be able to speak in Japanese in this world. We could talk about anything we wanted without anyone being able to understand us, and it seemed that Marie’s ability to detect enemies was already coming in handy. Her Prison Keeper skill’s enemy detection range increased as time went on. We were able to take our time while watching the others take out the monsters with relative ease.

“Gather up, everyone!” The area had been wiped clean of enemies before we knew it, and Zera was calling for everyone to gather before a large stone door. They began making their way toward the spot next to the dissolving Giant Zombie’s corpse. The door that Zera had gestured toward had an inexplicably imposing air to it, and I found myself staring up at it.

“...There’s probably something waiting for us in there.” Zera stroked his chin and nodded.

Labyrinths tended to follow a sort of pattern. We’d encountered relatively few monsters on our way here... but the further we progressed without any serious issues, the more I began to wonder if we’d fallen into a trap designed to lead us here. Doula, who had been watching the terrain through her Magic Tool, turned her sharp gaze toward us.

“I can’t get vision in there even with the map. Mariabelle, can you extend your enemy detection range?”

“I can try.” The elf girl tapped the stone floor with her staff. She had activated her Prison Keeper skill like before, causing a log-shaped object to emerge from below the pavement and gradually increase in height.

Its detection range improved as it extended higher and higher, like a growing watchtower. It had grown one level higher after thirty seconds or so, so I figured it would be a few minutes before it would reveal the entire hall.

Points of light began showing up on the map outside of the Magic Tool’s usual detection range, indicating the locations of hostile beings. Everyone watched in amazement as the location, monster type, and estimated level of each enemy became revealed before their eyes.

“That is one impressive little lady. This is the second time I was surprised since entering this labyrinth, ya know,” Zera said.

“Don’t tell me the first time was when I accepted your feelings for me.” Doula shot Zera a sharp look, and he denied it awkwardly. The exchange almost felt aggressive at first glance, but they seemed so right for each other. My eyes met with Marie’s, and we both smiled at once.

Now that we knew the positions of our enemies, everyone became involved in the planning phase of our next move. We began mapping out the expected enemy movements and using markers to represent troop placement.

“So, should we assume Mariabelle will be able to create obstacles like she did before?” Doula was referring to our rescue mission from some time ago. When we had fought the demon, Marie created a significant advantage for us with her stone walls. It seemed that had left an impression on Doula, and it was surely a large part of why we were invited to this alliance raid.

“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem. But it will take some time to set up, so I’ll need the enemies to be held at bay in the meantime.”

“Hmm, so we’ll need to expand our area of control. I could assign some of my men to protect Mariabelle, if needed,” Doula suggested. Wridra scoffed at the idea with a cool expression. She hadn’t once shown them what she was capable of yet, but her confident and powerful poise seemed to convince them of her abilities. I couldn’t think of a better tank than Wridra, either.

Doula clapped her hands together, drawing everyone’s attention.

“It’s decided, then. Zera will take the lead, and we will spread out in a fan formation. We’ll provide support from the backline and stop the enemies. In the meantime, we will establish our territory on this side and secure an advantage.”

We could have opted to rush in and wipe out all the hostiles, but this approach was also likely meant to get us accustomed to working together as one. In that case, we had to show them just what we were capable of.

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Buzzz...

It was hard to discern whether the faint sound of buzzing wings was coming from nearby, or if it was a reverberation echoing in their minds. The group had been attacked by the winged black bugs earlier, the fear of nearly being slaughtered still deeply ingrained in them as they quietly pressed forward.

They had extinguished all nearby light sources, leaving them in complete darkness. Yet, this wasn’t a concern for them. They were still able to maintain their visibility by reflecting what little light there was with their eyes.

Corpses were strewn about the floor, some of which occasionally moved on their own. The second floor was full of undead souls, and corpses were prime fodder for them. The souls entered the bodies of the dead there, taking their time to transform them into their own. And so, another one of their former allies rose, disappearing into the depths of the ruins to bring another into their ranks.

One of the men watched and gritted his teeth.

“Damn it, damn it... What the hell are those bugs? No one told us about those bastards...”

“Switch to Mind Link Chat. They’ll find us otherwise.” It was too dark to see who had spoken, but the voice belonged to the leader of the reinforcement team. A noise in their minds indicated that a Mind Link Chat connection had been established.

“So, what are those things? Some sort of new weapon?”

“They must have figured out the essence of Magic Stones. I admit I’d underestimated Arilai’s magic, but they seem to have brought a powerful ally on board.”

“I hear they’re harboring a Neko Tribe survivor. We need to do something quickly...” They had successfully regrouped with the team that had taken the lead. They’d even inflicted enough damage to their target to significantly slow down their progress. However, an unexpected issue had their team leader feeling troubled.

“Good job leading those things right to us... Oops, sorry. I’m still not used to this Mind Link Chat thing,” said a member of the team that had gone in first to obstruct the enemy’s activities.

“It’s your team’s fault for not getting rid of that Neko!”

“Says the ones who became bandits just to make some chump change!” Several pairs of eyes glinted in the darkness as their anger began to boil over. But even with their murderous gazes upon him, the leader of the bandits grinned with an unconcerned air.

“Our mission is to release the seal and activate this place. Am I wrong? He has the key that we need. And you wanted us to kill him? Hah, this is why you’re nothing but empty-headed animals.”

Indeed, the ancient labyrinth had awakened. Its functions that had been frozen for so long were now becoming active again. The group knew this, so they had no retort to the man who had been called a bandit.

...Dirty, mindless beasts.

The leader mentally spat as he activated his interference magic, then began moving without a sound.

“...First, we’ll check on whoever arrived at the west side. We attack only when I say we’re ready. Follow.” A group of souls passed by just beside them. They seemed unconcerned for the group, and the group remained calm in turn.

Normal people would have been attacked immediately, but this group was far from normal. The blood that had been running through their veins for thousands of years had changed them.

As they emerged from the darkness, their appearances were those of beasts.

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The heavy stone door rumbled as it slowly slid open. The dust that had accumulated over many years of dormancy rained down as the door opened and revealed complete darkness ahead.

I turned to find Marie some distance away, appearing rather nervous. The alliance raid members had high expectations for Marie, and she seemed to be feeling the pressure. I nodded, then decided to send her a message via Mind Link Chat.

“Let’s have a little chat as we get through this.”

“I like that idea. I think talking will put my mind at ease a bit.”

“We’re going to Grimland this weekend, and there’s a ghost-themed attraction there. I think you’ll be surprised by how different it is compared to what we’re dealing with here.” Marie and Wridra blinked.

“Making a show out of ghosts? How foolish.”

“What? No, no, there aren’t any real ghosts in that world.”

“Then how are they going to show us ghosts? You’re talking about those, aren’t you?” Marie pointed toward the depths of the hall. A faintly glowing skeleton rose from the ground, its bones assembling to create its form.

Yeah, this is a bit hard to explain. How was I supposed to tell them they didn’t exist when there was one right in front of us? As I mulled over this thought, Zera’s Team Bloodstone went into the darkness one by one. The orbs of light weaving between them and zipping ahead were Marie’s light spirits.

They gathered up near the ceiling, illuminating the hall. This completely exposed us, too, but the undead didn’t rely on their sight, so it wasn’t really an issue.

“I think it would be easier to show you rather than explain. Anyway, Wridra, do you think you could mask your presence if the floor master decides not to come out because you’re here?”

“Of course. I can enshroud myself in my magic to prevent detection completely.” That was definitely worth testing. Defeating monsters was important, but we couldn’t move on until we took out the floor master.

We finally entered the hall after the others.

The underground labyrinth was rather chilly, which may have been due to all the undead in the area. Once we were all inside, the door slowly closed behind us.

“Oh, maybe it’s gonna stay closed until we clear this place. I wonder who’s managing these gimmicks?”

“Aren’t you being a little too relaxed? Doula and the others are already fighting,” Marie pointed out. I couldn’t help but feel curious. Labyrinths were full of mystery, and I found myself wondering who had made them and for what purpose. Why were labyrinths closed off, and why did the Neko Tribe live above them? I had a feeling my questions would be answered once we cleared the entire labyrinth. And so, I gripped my sword with renewed determination.

“With the door being closed, we’ll need to redeploy your Prison Keeper. Well, more importantly, we should secure the area around us like we planned.”

“Oh, but we won’t know our enemy’s positions until we get Prison Keeper up again.” I evaded a ghost that came flying down from the ceiling. I raised my hand and transferred energy into it, causing it to scatter and float around sluggishly. The training I had gone through was pretty rough, but it seemed to have been quite effective. I didn’t expect that it would’ve allowed me to deal with ghosts with such ease.

“The tower vanishes unless we keep managing it, so there’s not much we can do about that. We know the enemy positions already, and most of them are about level 50 or so, so we should be fine,” I said. I wanted to focus on securing this area as planned and getting used to coordinating with the others. Summoning the tower was a matter that could come later. Marie nodded, then began calling to the stone spirits.

As for Zera’s team, they seemed to be moving as planned. They fanned out in formation, with Zera’s team cutting their way through the front and Doula’s team purifying enemies from the rear. Their movements were efficient and precise, steadily securing our area as they pressed on.

On the other side, spear-wielding skeletons swarmed in like ants to honey. They spawned from the ground continuously with seemingly no end in sight. The ghosts flying down from the air were nullified by Doula’s team, leaving them floating harmlessly in the air like jellyfish.

Now, the problem was...

In the center of the hall, there stood a rather large tomb.

The stone tomb was shaped like a cross with a name carved into it and a white haze emanating from it. That seemed pretty troublesome. If it rose, it would likely take command of the undead swarm.

“Let’s make our move. Can you give me a holy enchantment?”

“Come back if you find yourself in trouble. Here, I’ll apply the buff now.” Marie pointed her staff at my weapon, and Astroblade warped like a mirage. It made a strange high-pitched noise, indicating that was far more stable than my previous sword.

“It’s still stable... Incredible.”

“The primal demons were highly compatible with magic. This sword came from one of them, so it is only natural that it works so well.” We were fascinated by Wridra’s explanation. The age of the beginning was also known as the Age of Demons and the Age of Night. Maybe it meant that demons had constructed the ways of the world back then.

Suddenly, the sound of hidden doors opening from the left and right snapped me back to reality. Living Armors emerged from the openings and walked out as if they were on a casual stroll.

“Oh, I’d really like to know more, but let’s get back to this later. Off I go.” Marie waved goodbye, and I was off to join the fray. My target was the creature that was trying to materialize in the center of the hall.

I instantly teleported in front of my target, then reflexively cut through the Skeleton Soldiers where I had landed. The sword of light hummed in my hand, leaving the cuts in my opponents glowing before they crumbled into piles of bones.

“It’s even sharper than before. It would’ve been a lot easier if I had this during my training.” The Skeleton Soldiers were only about level 50, and with the holy enchantment on my sword, I was able to slice through their shields and skulls like a cleaver through a cucumber.

I looked over to find that the ghost coming out of the tomb was now trying to lift its upper body out of the ground to stand on its own legs. I had no intention of waiting until it did, so I stepped forward and swung at its neck, followed swiftly by its armpit.

I heard an unpleasant ripping sound, and the white haze dispersed as if to indicate the damage done. I thought to myself that this thing could’ve been around level 70 or so as I cut down some more Skeleton Soldiers that had been coming in from behind.

The thing was rather muscular, and its undead body was transparent, revealing its bone structure. I continued hacking away at its neck, and it seemed to dislike that.

“Ah, ah, aaarghhh!!!” As it screamed, the Skeleton Soldiers around us suddenly seemed to change. They closed in on me with their shields and spears at the ready with a coordination that almost seemed as if it was innate to them. Even so, there was no point in panicking here, so I had to focus on chopping down that big fella. I may have been one to read the air at work, but I was in a dream world, after all.

I sent out some illusions to draw fire from the Skeleton Soldiers for me. I had filled these copies of me with energy, so they kept the enemies pointlessly occupied.

“I feel sort of bad for them...” Marie commented.

“What? I’m just being efficient.” I nearly burst out laughing at Marie’s silly message.

By now, I had memorized a pattern to take out enemies with one blow using my Reprise skill. I had been comparing various attack pattern angles and finally narrowed it down to the most efficient one.

Fwsh, fwsh, fwsh! I sliced deeper into the undead leader’s neck with each swing, and it let out an “Ah...” as the last blow finally separated its head from its shoulders. I guess you could say I sent it to the afterlife. Come to think of it, each blow was like landing a critical hit, so it was no wonder they’d been so effective.

“Poor thing. All it could say was ‘Ah...’”

“Do not be so harsh on him. This is how he vents the stress he has accumulated from work.”

Huh, that’s odd. Why am I being criticized for beating evil monsters? Wridra was kind of right, so I couldn’t really deny it, either. But the leader would have taken command of the other monsters if I had left it alone, which could have led to casualties on our side. I ignored the uneasy feeling in my gut and kicked off the ground to return to the girls.

The structure was finally ready to be built. The ground trembled as rock walls in a more complex shape than last time rose from below. Walls rose up around us, designed to grow noticeably more narrow at the entrance.

“Ohh, now isn’t that something...” Zera watched in amazement from above. His reaction was only natural, considering how perfectly Marie had shaped the structure in such a short amount of time.

The only way inside was a tight passage, with stone walls on either side beyond the entrance. Any enemy making its way through would have to pass through the rows of peep holes on the walls where spears could be thrust through, with Doula’s Team Andalusite raining down purifying light from above.

The enemies would have a hard time getting through this one. If they somehow managed to climb through their fallen to get to the far end, they would’ve had to deal with our tanks and the congestion building up in the passageway. This meant we could attack the Skeleton Soldiers while they stood waiting their turn, and the next in line would come into range for our attacks as the previous one fell.

Perhaps my experience seeing castles in Aomori had paid off here. Japanese castles were quite interesting, and were designed with narrow passageways like these where the defenders could one-sidedly attack the invaders. In comparison, western castles and castles in this world opted to build thick walls around their perimeters to keep invaders out entirely. It seemed that Marie’s spells were more in line with the former rather than the latter.

“This is incredible. It’s pretty much a fortress,” Zera said.

“Marie did design these with fortresses and castles in mind, after all,” I replied as I stepped on the stone to check its durability. It was solidly secured and seemed unlikely to break without some significant damage. This was all made possible by the technology left in Wridra’s ruins. I turned around and spoke to Marie.

“This really is impressive, Marie. You’ve pretty much mastered this ability already.”

“Hehe, this time, I tried to incorporate the concept of pillars. That was the key to making even more complex designs.”

It was some time back in Aomori. Marie had been studying techniques to add years to a building’s durability, which led to her learning how to add roofs and peep holes. Her diligent nature had led her to improve her spells little by little. No, this was far more than ‘little.’

As our conversation went on, Doula turned around, her red hair dancing around her head as she faced us.

“We should be able to use the terrain to our advantage to fight their numbers. Well done. Mr. Sleepy here just casually took out their boss, too. You lot are quite interesting.” The usually calm woman was flush with excitement, and it seemed she now saw the effectiveness of our coordinated efforts. We also saw for ourselves that as long as we set up our structure, the others would take out the rest for us.

We each smiled with satisfaction, and then it came.

The one that wandered the labyrinths, culling the living.

He existed in the line between life and death, eyes ablaze, and the air cracked open as he suddenly appeared in the center of the hall. We all turned at once to find him crack his own neck, then exhale what seemed to be a bloody mist.

“...Reaper.” By the time the word left Doula’s lips, I was already teleporting.

I had a feeling I would’ve been in danger otherwise.

I breathed out, listening to the battle music as it began to play.

The rhythm was like my quickening heartbeat. The singing had a somewhat hysteric tone to it, telling me this was a mid-boss or some other powerful foe. How exciting.

Dust rose into the air as I looked up with my feet dug into the ground. A two-meter tall giant stood before me, covered in spikes and black, metallic armor. However, its upper body was bare and burned, and its lips peeled back, revealing rows of beast-like fangs. My many years of experience told me this was one powerful foe we were dealing with.

Boy, that is one ugly creature. The whip-like object in its hand looked like it was made out of bundles of human hair, but I wanted to believe that wasn’t the case.

Just then, a message from Marie popped up in my head via Mind Link Chat.

“Are you going to be all right?! It looks very strong!”

“Hmm, I’d like to think I’ll be fine. More importantly, could you activate Prison Keeper right about now?” The worst case scenario would’ve been if more monsters came in at this very moment. If another Reaper appeared, things would go south very quickly.

The creature cracked its neck again, then glared at me with its infernal eyes. Despite my child-like appearance, it seemed to have recognized me as a target.

“Ah, it moved!” Just as Marie shouted, I heard the stone pavement crack as its massive body shot forward.

Reaper’s whip snapped forward right above my head as I ducked, ripping out some hairs as it swung by. After a slight delay, the ground behind me erupted in a circular pattern with a loud crack!

“Huh, it has a wider hitbox than I imagined... Whoa!” A black hand emerged from its ribs and reached for me, but I immediately teleported back to avoid it. He spat a black, bloody mist at the illusion I left behind, and black flames engulfed the surrounding area.

That must have been what they called hellfire. Hmm... That looks pretty powerful.

If that thing took me down, it could cause the rest of the team to collapse, too. Though, if I did die here, I could just go back to sleep to come back, and Wridra would probably protect the others... but there was no time to think about that.

The whip spread out and extended toward me, blocking my vision. I hurriedly teleported backward to escape, but it was hard to find an opening... Whoa! As his ribs opened up again, he shot out what seemed to be a wooden stake. I managed to avoid it in a fluster, and it flew by right under my armpit.

He even has long-range attacks? I didn’t like the way that projectile was glowing pink, either...

“Can you tell Zera to send some reinforcements? I think this guy might be trouble.”

“I can tell. He’s on a completely different level from the others.” Marie was right. I raised my sword above my head as I faced the enemy.

I then teleported to Reaper’s right-hand side, and my weapon swung down at the whip he was holding. The holy enchantment helped me cut through about half of the bundle of hair, but the rest of it shot toward me at once.

So fast. I managed to avoid danger with another illusion and teleportation, but that would have been game over for a normal person.

I stepped off of the floor and flew some distance away, and he turned to face me.

Then, I heard it.

The sound of shoes clicking against the ground.

A woman’s hand holding an iron ball.

Then came the sound of a chain being dragged across the stone floor.

The woman gripped the iron ball with her hand, setting it ablaze with a pale-blue flame. It was likely hollow inside, and she had ignited a holy flame inside through the mesh-like grid.

“Wha... Doula?” I was honestly taken aback to find her approaching from behind Reaper. She often wore a calm expression, but she seemed to be in a visibly foul mood. Or maybe it was just the lighting from the fire below her.

“Do you know the meaning of the word ‘cooperation?’ Do you always run off to fight enemies by yourself like this?”

“Well, honestly, I’d like you to stay back where it’s safe.” It was a bit strange to have a conversation with Reaper standing between us.

Doula scoffed at my words and released the iron ball. It stayed afloat as she pulled it by the chain, then began swinging it around.

Fwoom, fwoom, fwoom...

What an interesting weapon. It was a type of flail, or maybe a morning star, that bludgeoned enemies with centrifugal force. It seemed to have been customized for her usage, the flames roaring with each rotation. Suddenly, the ball and chain was flung forward, embedding itself into Reaper’s back.

Groaaarrr!!! He spat out a mist of blood as the blow landed, and then he turned and glared at Doula, seething with hatred for her holy-powered attack. I decided to take this opportunity to move in and attack from his blind spot.

I teleported, reappearing right next to my giant opponent.

A spray of blood shot out as I scored a hit behind the knees, and I ducked under the spinning back fist aimed at my head. He felt no pain and had fast reactions, but he couldn’t avoid the follow-up hit from the iron ball landing against its back again.

Doula seemed to be more skilled than I had imagined. She maintained a safe distance, constantly repositioning herself to keep the enemy between us. In addition, the holy fire on her weapon was very effective against the undead. It left wounds on the enemy’s body, gradually burning away at its health.

A knee came flying directly toward me, the spike extending from it causing me to lean backward to avoid some serious damage, but this was the reaction my foe had been hoping for. He kicked off the stone pavement and leaped backward toward Doula.

He wanted to take out the weaker one of us first.

“Look out!” I teleported to the enemy’s flank, but I was dumbfounded by what I saw. Doula’s iron ball had flown directly upward, then came crashing down upon the enemy’s head.

She had to be only level 50 or so, but she had deftly dealt with the bloody mist and black flames using her holy barrier.

“Wow, you’re good!”

“I can manage. Just know that if you assume you need to protect me because I’m a woman again, I’ll rearrange your face so it’ll never look sleepy from now on,” she shot back calmly as she delivered a follow-up blow against Reaper.

It was said that God lent a person his strength when they used holy powers, but seeing her display made me want to learn how to harness it myself. I actually once looked up to Paladins, and I’d partially learned how to become one, but I just couldn’t deal with the tedious skill leveling process... Well, that was a story for another time.

The tide of the battle turned significantly from here into a one-sided barrage of attacks from either side. An opening was made every time our opponent swung its whip at Doula, so I repeatedly cut at its wounded right knee.

“Oh, I just remembered something.” I had sent energy into ghosts before, but I wondered if it would be effective against an undead with a physical body. As an experiment, I touched his bloody knee and sent a burst of energy into it.

Gyaaaaaarrrgh!!! A black miasma spewed out as he roared in pain.

Looks like it’s working. Maybe I was starting to get the hang of busting the undead.

“Interesting move. Like this? Or this?”

Wham! Bam! Bam! The iron ball mercilessly slammed into the writhing creature, pounding its back over and over again. I already knew this, but Doula seemed to have a bit of a sadistic side, and I saw a faint smile on her lips as she beat the monster down.

She seemed to be getting the hang of it, too.

She had delivered massive amounts of holy power into the undead’s wounds, causing blue fire to burn from the cuts. The flames erupted from its eyes, nose, mouth, and the lacerations throughout its body, finally bringing Reaper down to its knees.

Flames engulfed him, and he stared at his hands, dumbfounded. He then looked at us, and we raised our weapons in a hurry. Our eyes widened as we realized the bloodlust was gone from his face, replaced by a human expression.

His ripped-up lips parted, and he spoke with a voice that was hardly audible.

“...Captain... Doula?” Our jaws dropped.

The simple fact was, we hadn’t even begun to understand the horrors of this floor.

A change in music signaled the end of the battle as Reaper burst into pieces, releasing embers into the air.