Chapter of Midsummer, Episode 9: Begin Third Floor Raid

The door separating the second and third floors extended far overhead, and it had simple, lattice-shaped patterns engraved into it. The giant jewel embedded in its center emitted a platinum glow, and it seemed to have a mechanism that unlocked the door once the second-floor master was defeated.

Dull, heavy noises rang out as the door opened, and dust that had accumulated over hundreds—no, thousands of years was stirred up with the movement. It rained down like black snow, revealing the staircase leading downward into the third floor to the Arilai soldiers.

The forty or so gathered there were fully armed, and each of them passed through the door without any words exchanged. Out of these members who were about to face the unimaginably challenging trials before them, the muscular man known as Zera muttered to himself,

“They slept in, didn’t they?”

“Shh! Can’t you see Sir Hakam is in a bad mood?”

The raid on the third floor was now officially underway, but the highly anticipated rookies of Team Amethyst, who had declared they would join just for fun, were absent. The raid leader, Hakam, simply stayed silent with a sour look on his face. Although their absence was due to being delayed by the giant typhoon on the way home, explaining the circumstances of the weather in another world would only result in confusion.

Thirty minutes later, Kazuhiho and company finally arrived on the scene and went straight to the headquarters to bow deeply in apology, as if they were talking to a superior at work. Although Kazuhiho had executed a perfectly respectful bow that made full use of his experience as a working adult, Hakam gave a simple response.

“I suppose you’re only doing this for fun, after all.” The young man’s stomach churned with stress despite being in his dream.

Still, he had his own circumstances, and he couldn’t have helped the fact that the weather and work duties caused him to be late. This was exactly why he had turned down the invitation to participate in an official capacity, but it was unlikely that he would be understood.

And even though Marie also made it clear that she was deeply apologetic, she had cleverly used words like “Because he was late...” to deflect any damage to the Sorcerer’s Guild’s and her own reputation.

Despite the dishonor of having to apologize and explain themselves, Team Amethyst also began their part in the raid.

After bowing several times, they finally headed down toward the staircase leading straight forward. Kazuhiho was rebuked by Marie the entire way there, but it seemed mankind was at the mercy of the weather, just as it had always been.

§

It was finally time for the raid on the third floor to begin.

Although we had already gotten a scolding on day one, there was no sense in worrying about that now. We would have plenty of time to redeem ourselves, and that was what Hakam would want us to do.

Our shoes clicked against the floor as we descended the staircase, and we soon noticed a change in the scenery. The walls were quite plain at first, but the light spirits floating around Marie revealed the Gothic engravings on the lower levels. The intricate designs were all over the pillars and walls, and it was clear that much more time had been spent on them compared to the other floors.

“Ancient labyrinths really aren’t like anything else. They generate precious Magic Stones, and the books stored within are ancient and extremely valuable,” Marie said in a fascinated tone. The patterns on the walls were eventually replaced with wall art. I noticed an illustration of a giant eyeball, and when Marie directed the light spirit away from the wall, the light revealed the entire picture.

“Hmm, is that a monster? It kind of looked like a Koopah from the first floor, but I wonder why they’re connected to those ropes. Maybe they used to be pets?”

“I’m sure there’s something to that. These types of wall art tend to depict societal structures and rankings, or how life used to be during those times.” The illustration was made with varying colors, and the wall art seemed to be looking at us and making a face as the light spirits floated around. I reached out and found that it was smooth and slippery to the touch.

We had to hurry to catch up with the rest of the raid teams, but I felt like it would be a waste if we just rushed past this wall art without taking the time to appreciate it. For us, experiencing other cultures like this was part of the enjoyment.

Rather than the content of the art itself, I wanted to feel the intent behind the artist who had made it. How did they think, and why did they leave these behind? As I touched the wall, I asked a question aloud to another member of Team Amethyst.

“Shirley, do you know anything about the third floor?” She shook her head in regret. Her bright blonde hair was tied back, and her straight-backed posture and clothing gave her a refined appearance. Judging by the fact that she still hadn’t covered up her eyes, the other raid team members weren’t anywhere close yet.

If the second-floor master didn’t know about the third floor, perhaps the ancient people had bound her somehow so she would only protect the second floor. Marie looked up at the wall art as we continued walking, then spoke.

“Look, there are more and more humanoid monsters now. Some of them have many eyes or arms, but... Oh, there’s even a dragon over there. The black color kind of reminds me of Wridra.”

“It’s almost like an encyclopedia of monsters. Giants, demons, winged people, specters, and angels? That’s strange. Why are entities from the divine realm hanging out with monsters?”

Wridra turned around upon hearing her name mentioned. As usual, she was clad in black armor that was in the shape of a dress. She only smiled faintly as she watched us, and it didn’t seem like she had any intention of explaining anything about the wall art.

Our interest and curiosity grew further as the mosaic wall art became more and more complex. I knew we needed to hurry, but Marie and I couldn’t take our eyes off of the art as we continued our descent.

The light spirits danced around in four directions, revealing the overall view of the wall.

“Oh, there are fewer monsters now, but they’re getting bigger instead. Maybe that pudgy one ate the others?”

“Hmm, maybe this one is human? Looks like they’re making a small colony here. Look over there, Marie. That drawing above the town... It’s almost like Eden.” Marie let out a small gasp, her eyes widening.

The mosaic art depicted a divine being descending from the skies above. Perhaps that was supposed to be a god. The concept of Eden was rooted deep within people, along with the idea that it would lead the souls of the brave to a land of respite. Doula’s team belonged to a church with such beliefs, and there were theories that they borrowed the strength of gods to lead the people.

But something seemed to be bothering the elf girl.

“That’s odd. The art mainly focused on monsters until now, but a god and Eden suddenly appear? And they’re not depicted on opposing terms from monsters. In fact, they’re treated as if they’re equal.”

I watched her profile and made a noncommittal “Huh.”

I did understand what she was getting at. The monsters had been illustrated as if they were part of an encyclopedia until now, but it suddenly featured the appearance of a god and the people’s lifestyles. Marie and I racked our brains trying to figure out why.

“But this shows that the concept of Eden has existed since ancient times,” I noted.

“I find that strange in itself. Because, for example, your skills borrow the power of the gods, right?”

Indeed. Trayn, the Journey’s Guide, refers to the god who watches over travelers. He was said to not be bound by anything, and I would borrow his territory to travel over long distances. I nodded in response to Marie’s question, and she nodded back.

“Yes, the god of travel is a particularly fickle and difficult one. He doesn’t grant his power to others often, so many people don’t even know of his existence. We still don’t understand why they choose to bestow their powers to people. But judging by what’s on this wall...” The story went on as we continued to make our way down the stairs. As humans grew in numbers, the forces of the gods also increased, and the conflict was split into factions. On one side were the gods leading the humans, and on the other side were the monsters.

We finally realized the artist’s intention. The wall art was meant to depict the ancient war. Monsters devoured and struck each other down to expand their own territories. From there, the new beings known as gods rose to lead the people.

The wall art ended with an illustration of the Demon Wars, the battle between demons and gods that had been told across generations to this day. The main color was a vivid blue, and I could tell it must have been drawn by a renowned artist. Moved by the pure energy brimming from the sight before us, Marie and I just stared while holding each other’s hands.

“And then the dark ages, the Age of Night, eventually turned to the Age of Mankind.” Marie didn’t respond, still completely entranced by the mosaic wall art. But there was a chance that none of this was true. This art was created by an ancient, and not someone from the Age of Demons or the Age of Night.

The final engravings were the same words we had read on the first floor.

The arrow unleashed from the morning star vanquished demons.

The shot would reach all the way to the fixed star with power that does not belong in this world.

Even the demon’s thoughts were wiped out in a mere moment, and it would eventually return to the world.

For the morning star was the very thing that brought it into existence.

Beyond the atmosphere, a morning star fell out of the skies to get absorbed into the origin of monsters. All creatures looked up to witness the sight, and the Age of Night had come to an end.

What had gone through their minds as they watched the same view after all of the conflict, battles, and destruction? This final picture must have been what the artist wanted to draw most. It was evident by the colors used, and Marie was in a daze at its brilliance as she spoke.

“The colors are so mystical...”

“It really draws you in, doesn’t it? Even though it’s a world far before our time.” She nodded.

At that moment, it seemed like we were able to feel a breath of air from ancient times.

§

Meanwhile, there was someone carefully surveying their surroundings.

Their body was covered in scales, and their eyes were those of a reptile.

According to what little information had been brought back from the scouting team’s reports, there was a problematic enemy somewhere within the third floor. This enemy had the peculiar ability to change the paths within the ancient labyrinth—a power that would make anyone experienced with the labyrinth go pale with fear.

One who loses their path of retreat becomes weak and vulnerable. For example, if someone were to get injured, they would still be deemed relatively fine. This was because they knew the conditions for how to get back alive. But if they lost their escape route, everything would be thrown out of the window, and they would be faced with a struggle to contain their terror. There was nothing more horrifying than a situation in which one had no choice but to press forward.

His name is Egriny. Monsters with names such as his were special. They were allowed a unique ability due to their impressive power, and they were strong enough to fight countless invaders by themselves. Rather, in his case, it would be more of a one-sided devastation than a fight.

After awakening from his long slumber, the first thing he did was wipe out the entire scouting party. The sight of the terrified humans desperately trying to flee and running around in circles was quite ludicrous. However, Egriny felt no satisfaction in dealing with them. It was simply a job.

His only jobs were to prevent any invaders from leaving this place alive and to turn them into nourishment for the ancient labyrinth itself.

After all, this ancient labyrinth was quite special, and it required massive amounts of energy now that it was active again. He had heard there had been many deaths just the other day, and they were getting quite close to the target number.

When the humans had appeared without learning their lesson, Egriny wondered why they would show up just to feed the labyrinth, and he raised the corners of his mouth in a strange-looking smile. He figured there was no use in trying to understand their thoughts.

And now, he was again conducting his duty. He was in the middle of closing off the giant door and making arrangements so it would not open unless he allowed it.

However, ancient labyrinths couldn’t trap invaders inside completely. A labyrinth with no entrance and exit would not be a labyrinth. That was why there was always some sort of route with a passage leading all the way through. But due to his interference, the labyrinth had become even more terrible than before.

Those who went through this path would die, one by one. And once they all perished, this door would finally open...only to welcome the next victim.

However, there was one thing he hadn’t taken into account.

It was Kazuhiho and company, who had slept in and showed up late.

The four stared at Egriny blankly, and he thought. He had to quickly decide whether it was best for him to eliminate them now or retreat.

Direct combat was not his strong suit, but he was strong enough to reach level 90. His vitality was infinite compared to that of a human, and with his body being enhanced by advanced magic, he could move so quickly that the human eye could not follow.

Egriny’s long tongue slithered out and swayed as he took a step closer. Ever since he had tasted humans recently, he was finding it harder to control his urge to devour.

He looked like an eight-meter tall lizard. He silently walked across the wall before landing on the ground. He only needed a few more steps to reach his top speed, moving so quickly that he left sound behind. The young boy’s surprised expression immediately moved closer, and he rammed into him with an impact that reduced him into chunks of meat flying in all directions...or so he thought.

Confused, Egriny turned around to find the boy putting a hand to his chest and letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had missed. It was understandable, considering his body still wasn’t in top shape from having just woken up from a long slumber. Still, missing the target on that sleepy-looking child was quite shocking.

The boy then evaded his second and third attacks, leaving him completely dumbfounded. But his eyes were like those of a lizard, so they didn’t show much emotion.

Then, the situation suddenly changed like he was in a nightmare. Egriny thought he had passed by his target, but the boy somehow appeared right where he had stopped, swinging an impressive-looking weapon at him.

Yet the boy didn’t manage to even land a glancing blow, and even if he had, it would not have had any effect on Egriny’s thick exterior. More startling was the boy’s agility that allowed him to catch up instantly.

Was it a dream, a nightmare, or an illusion?

As time went on, the boy’s accuracy increased at an alarming rate.

He was talking to an elf who seemed to be a sorceress, and his movements as he evaded and attacked grew more logical every time they exchanged words. Even more troubling, he noticed the boy was attacking his source of enhancement magic. It was clear that the attacks were meant to pry open the armor covering his eyes and back, and Egriny was forced to retreat. An ominous feeling grew inside of him the longer the fight went on, like he had stepped foot into a deep swamp. Not to mention, there was something strange about the boy’s black-haired and blonde party members. They weren’t doing anything to assist in the fight, but Egriny saw them through his special eyes and found that their outlines were blurry.

It was most likely for the best that he had decided not to engage with them any further. However, he should have come to this conclusion sooner.

As soon as he climbed over the wall, no human should have been able to catch him. But his nightmare was not over yet. The boy appeared suddenly out of the corner of his vision, then attacked his arm that he was using to grip onto the wall. He couldn’t believe what was happening, considering he had climbed fifty meters up the wall in an instant.

It didn’t stop there; the boy had created an unfamiliar flying creature out of a Magic Stone, relentlessly attacking Egriny from his position. The human wouldn’t let up, no matter how much he ran.

Before he knew it, his hardened exterior was terribly damaged, and he could no longer put strength into his limbs.

He couldn’t understand why he was being beaten so badly by someone who seemed far lower in level than himself. The elf occasionally shot magic at him from below, but he had been dodging those each time. It seemed he could ignore her for now.

Fwoooooom!

Then, he heard that unpleasant sound. The boy’s sword was emitting a grating noise that made him picture the image of a flying meteor. What was that thing? But this was also an unexpected opportunity. As long as he could use his amazing agility to dodge the attack, he should have been able to make himself an opening to escape.

He landed upon the ground, standing face-to-face with the human.

Egriny was completely focused, waiting for the exact moment to move.

And yet, this nightmare was still unending. Stone walls suddenly emerged from all directions, and he was shocked to find his vision completely obscured.

It was too late to realize that the elf girl he had been ignoring had set up a trap for him. The walls covering him from four directions gradually increased in thickness.

The problem was, these were walls that Egriny couldn’t control. They were constructed by powerful spirits, so it would take an extraordinary amount of time to break them down. He still hadn’t shown them his magic that could reconstruct the labyrinth, so it was by pure coincidence that they countered his ability. He just so happened to get captured alive, and there just so happened to be a small hole in one of the walls that was about ten centimeters wide, and the human boy just so happened to have a powerful attack that could vanquish Egriny’s massive vitality.

Vwoooooom! The monster stood dumbstruck as the sound grew stronger.

It couldn’t be. How was this possible? Could he really perish just by mere coincidence like this? He was an absolute and powerful being, and he was not the type to die like a frog that got stepped on by accident. He was the one who would bring despair and death upon the third floor.

Stop...

A brilliant light like that of shining stars erupted into the small opening in the walls, and a shock wave burst from the human’s sword. Egriny let out a sigh of surrender in the end, the impact pressing against him from the front and reflecting in all directions, vaporizing his body.

§

The door opened with a heavy, grating noise.

There was an unexpectedly powerful enemy along the way, but we had just entered the third floor, so we would surely run into more strong monsters here. It made me consider that the third floor was a far scarier place than I had imagined. I rubbed my face, realizing that I was beginning to smile.

Well, uh, it’s not that I like to fight. It’s more of a means to relieve stress from work. That is, it feels nice to get some exercise, and it’s not that I enjoy killing or anything... Oh, this was no good. I was starting to make excuses in my own head.

I considered that maybe there was something wrong with working adults, but as I was about to touch on something I probably shouldn’t have, the door fully opened with a loud thud.

The other raid teams were waiting there, and it seemed they were just discussing what to do after the door had suddenly closed on them. They commented about us being late, but we were able to open the door and defeat that unnamed monster on the way. That pretty much canceled out our tardiness in my book.

I was then treated to a rough headlock by Zera. With the terrible enemy we’d yet to meet that was going to make us lose our way inside the labyrinth, I was made painfully aware of the fact that life wasn’t fair.

Just then, Marie approached from behind and hopped onto my back.

“Are you okay? Still tired from that first fight?”

“Oh, no, it was a great warm-up. But I heard there’s a unique enemy on this floor that’s going to make a certain cute elf get lost,” I replied, and a beautiful smile spread across her face. It made me wonder why she didn’t seem afraid of getting lost, but come to think of it, we had an Arkdragon with us who could summon shadow gates. So yeah, she really didn’t have much reason to be scared.

“Oh my, that’s quite frightening. Would you come and get me if I ever got lost?”

“If you get lost, you should leave a trail of snacks like in the book we read the other day. That way, I could follow it to find you. So, what did you bring today?” I asked. She giggled happily, then reached into her top and brought out some chocolate. It was in the kind of box that you could open and shake to make the chocolate come out several pieces at a time. But the look on her face told me she would never drop any of it on the ground even if she got lost.

I looked over to find Shirley crouching down to the ground. I wondered what she was doing and approached her with Marie still on my back, then noticed she was touching the corpse of the monster we had defeated earlier.

It had been hit with a devastating impact. The monster no longer retained its shape, and it had been reduced to a pile of white sand. I couldn’t help but wonder what Shirley was doing, when the remains would get scattered with a gust of wind. Curious, I lowered Marie from my back and peered over to find out.

“Shirley, what are ya doing over there?”

I just noticed Shirley had already covered her eyes with her veil. She turned around, and her lustrous lips formed a smile. She usually made such childlike expressions, but she had a strangely mature air about her when she was out in public like this. But being a reaper, she was quite the unusual woman, and we were highly interested in what sorts of powers she had. I’d thought she would fight with a scythe like she had before, but she didn’t seem to have any sort of weapon on her.

Shirley poked the pile of sand with her fingertip. It then began to melt suddenly, and it transformed into something like clay.

“Wow, I’ve never heard of anyone that can alter a defeated monster,” Marie said, and I was just as surprised as her. Monsters began to break down as soon as they died, eventually getting reduced to ashes and vanishing completely. But the substance it had become was now bubbling, growing smaller as it became more dense. A metallic item then appeared, and Shirley picked it up with her fingertips.

“Oh, what kind of key is that...?” Shirley watched Marie’s surprised expression, then placed the item in her hand and smiled as if to say, “For you.”

It was a strange-looking key. The design was simple, and I could faintly feel some magic from it. I opened the status screen right away to check our belongings, but the description only said “Unlocks an invisible keyhole.”

“Hmm, an invisible keyhole? Maybe there’s a special door somewhere in the ancient labyrinth.” I found it curious that it mentioned an invisible keyhole rather than a hidden door. We had discovered treasure chests and secret doors before, but we were able to open them normally by using magic. Of course, that one time our very own Arkdragon had busted a treasure chest wide open was an exception.

We may eventually need the key for something, so I decided to put it in my bag for safekeeping.

“Oh, look! The sand is changing shape!” The clay from earlier had been changing while we were distracted with the key. I turned around to see what Marie was talking about and saw that it had turned into the shape of a lizard covered in a smooth exterior. It blinked its beady eyes, and it sort of looked like a lovable pet.

The lizard jumped onto Shirley’s arm and stopped there. Seeing Marie watch with fascination, Shirley moved closer as if to say, “You can pet it if you want.”

“Oh, wow, may I? It won’t bite, right? Are you sure? O-Okay, here I go...”

She gingerly reached out and touched the strange newborn creature. She pressed it lightly with her finger, but it didn’t have any sort of negative reaction. I was surprised by how docile he was, considering we had just fought him recently.

Before I knew it, Marie was rubbing the lizard’s chin, and it responded by squealing in delight. Marie’s purple eyes lit up.

“So adorable! What’s your name?”

Egriny.

The word suddenly popped up in my mind, and my eyes widened in surprise. Marie was making the same face, so it must have projected its thoughts to all of us at the same time. It was a strange creature indeed if it was capable of sending words directly into our minds.

Shirley, who was all smiles as she watched our exchange, made a large book appear out of nowhere. It was too big to fit in a pocket, and it was quite dense.

She flipped through empty pages and reached the “creatures” and “reptiles” category, and I wondered what she was up to now.

Maybe it was time to say goodbye. Egriny lightly nibbled on Marie’s finger, then hopped up onto the book. The next moment, he was gone.

“Oh, did he just melt into the book? Look at that, this picture looks just like him.”

“You’re right. It says ‘Egriny’ right above his head. Maybe Shirley can put monsters into books.”

“Hm, there’s something strange about this book too. Maybe we should call it the Monster Book. But they contain actual monsters rather than just pictures. Your powers are very unique and interesting, Shirley.”

She seemed pleased by the compliment. Shirley hugged her book to her chest, then mouthed, “Thank you.”

We were surprised to see so many new things, but Shirley was the keeper of the verdant second floor and a reaper that presided over life and death. It was clear that her powers would not be the same as those of a normal adventurer. It was hard to predict the scale of what she would achieve moving forward, but blushing happily before us, she looked just like an ordinary young schoolgirl.

§

Now, there just so happened to be several men also gathered at the same floor as Kitase and his group. They were in a dimly lit stone room, and judging by the fur blanket on the ground, they had just finished taking a short rest.

The reason they were able to arrive quicker than the Arilai raid party was related to the blood coursing through their veins. They were far closer to monsters than humans, allowing them to pass right by the monsters in the labyrinth.

The members gathered here were considered elite fighters. They had lost many of their members in an ambush on the previous floor, and the ones who fell first were those less skilled than the survivors.

“Well, we basically got rid of the weaklings dragging us down. Not a problem.” The speaker was a sly-looking man with an unkempt beard. He had once fought with a certain young man at the oasis and more than held his own.

The woman clad in armor known as Kartina was enraged by this comment, and she walked up to him from behind, then grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Bastard! You flee at the first sign of danger, and you dare call my men weaklings?!”

The man observed the fury in Kartina’s eyes in silence, then exhaled from his nose and grabbed her arm. He shifted his weight to lift Kartina off of her feet, then threw her over his shoulder and mercilessly slammed her against the ground.

It was less of a skillful technique and more like an adult overpowering a child with strength alone, and the woman lay there with the wind knocked out of her. The man immediately cranked Kartina’s arm back, forcing her to crawl on her belly.

The difference in power was plain to see, and the reason was simple.

If a man and woman had equal training, the man would have the advantage of strength over the woman. In order to fill that gap, Kartina had traveled across countries to train in the sword, but her face got slammed into the ground before she could make use of it.

After a slight pause, the man lifted the woman’s red-soaked face. He then whispered into her ear.

“Hm... Now you know exactly why your men all got caught. Little miss leader of weaklings, pretending to be a knight. What’s wrong? Your nose is bleeding.”

Laughter broke out all around Kartina, and she felt herself growing hot with rage. Although the feral blood within her had been diluted over generations, it awakened something inside her, causing her claws and fangs to grow sharper. Soon, she would only see red and massacre those around her in a fit of unbridled fury. Just as the thought crossed her mind, a toe dug into her side with a heavy thud. She twitched and shuddered, then hurled up her stomach acid all over the floor.

“What are you doing, Kartina? Are you trying to defy me?” The kick didn’t come from the same man who had thrown her on the ground. She looked up with fluid still dangling from her mouth and saw a man standing there with an emotionless expression. He was the leader in charge of this plan. He moved to punch Kartina’s original attacker to punish him as well, but he immediately released his hold on Kartina and leaped away.

“Silence, you animals. Get in the way of the mission, and I’ll feed you to the monsters right now.” His command was like a weight upon the entire group, and they all went quiet immediately. There was a powerful presence about him, which was necessary in order to handle a rough group such as this one.

The captain scoffed, then turned his back on the others.

The “mission” the captain had mentioned earlier was to take control of the relic here on the third floor. Some hooded dark sorcerers sat on the ground, casting a curse to control the terminal that had been left by the ancients.

Due to the density of the magic being channeled, the complicated patterns emitted by the curse could be seen even with the naked eye. A beam of light extended toward what looked like a giant water tank. It seemed they had made a breakthrough, and the array of curses began binding to the terminal and water tank one by one.

The wisdom of the ancients soon became unraveled. An image appeared in the air with an electronic vwoom, and they all raised their voices in surprise at once.

“Ah! So this is the layout and the position of each monster on the third floor!”

“Level 82... 99... These numbers are unbelievable. But with this, we can crush any invader who dares step foot inside!”

The monsters being displayed were all high in level. The numbers representing the power of the monsters were all far higher than they had expected. If they could control these monsters, they could repel the Arilai forces with ease. This was why the captain had said they would understand soon enough a few days ago. Those who were gathered there had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

But one person among them, the one who led the rest of the team, uttered to himself that something was off. There should have been a unique monster that could change the structure of the labyrinth. He furrowed his brows as he read the list, not seeing its name written anywhere. Still, there was no time to waste. His soles clicked on the floor as he took a step forward.

“Let us begin. It’s time to eradicate the dogs of Arilai.” The corners of his lips curled up into an intense smile, and he began to operate the terminal. On the display, a high-level monster called a Heat Dragon appeared.

The giant had been casually strolling about the stone-paved labyrinth until now, but it suddenly stopped. It then looked around with its long neck and received a signal from the central control.

The dragon changed directions, and sparks flew out of its sharp claws as it rushed forward. It batted its wings once to fly right over the railing. A steep cliff was just ahead, but it plummeted into the darkness without hesitation. From the way it moved, it obviously knew that the invaders were down below.

The dragon that had been ordered to wipe out all of its enemies was a terrifying monster over level 100. True to its name, the Heat Dragon could expel a viscous fluid that was much like lava. Of course, any human it touched would be engulfed in flame and burn to a crisp.

Dragons were special creatures.

They had an organ known as a dragon core inside them, and the magic and life force it generated was practically infinite from a human’s perspective. Even if someone managed to decapitate a dragon by some miracle, it could continue fighting without its head for a month straight.

The Heat Dragon expanded its blood-red wings and took flight. It would soon turn the foolish intruders to dust. Afterward, the battle would be taken from the dim labyrinth up to the surface.

§

When Marie and Shirley returned to the others, the groups were in the middle of a mid-walk discussion. It seemed they were deciding on the direction moving forward now that the four teams and Gaston’s midsize organization would be working together.

The discussion centered around the leaders of each group, Kitase being one of them. Marie stood next to him, and Kitase greeted her with a “Welcome back.”

“Marie, this was in the preliminary report, but Magic Tools become unstable on the third floor. Our link isn’t working properly either, so the map won’t be of much use. We should assume we won’t be able to get in contact with HQ for a while.”

“Oh, is that so? So we’re basically cut off from the outside world right now.”

“Well, I figured this would happen. Let’s register our raid group while we can.” The group nodded in agreement to Zera’s comment, then each of them began operating their terminals. Even if the teams were separated, now they would be able to get a general idea of their positions through Mind Link Chat.

The red-haired woman, Doula, who had been checking on her Magic Tool until now, then scanned her surroundings.

“Look, there are morion growing all over this place. That must be what’s interfering with the flow of magic here. The map is still working, but the range is much more limited.” Kitase could see that the edges of the map were blurred out. Since Aja’s support couldn’t quite reach them here, this was the extent of what the map could display. If the structure of the labyrinth was changed in this state, the party would be in immediate danger.

Puseri, the master of Team Diamond, turned around with her twilight hair swaying.

“We will need to stay vigilant for this monster that can make us get lost. Let us alert each other if the map changes at any time.” Everyone voiced their affirmation at once.

Although the raid team had been put together in a hurry, each member was highly experienced. In fact, Team Amethyst, who had spent most of their time freely rather than in organized groups like the others, was most likely to drag the others down. Even now, they stared at the wall art and furnishings with great interest, and they didn’t seem too reliable compared to the others.

There was a rail in the straight corridor, and beyond it was a sheer crevasse that was too deep to see the bottom. There was no way one could survive a fall from that height. And since it was completely silent without even the sound of wind to accompany them, a forlorn feeling filled the air as soon as the conversations stopped. If they hadn’t been in a large group, the feeling of solitude may have been too much. That was, for anyone other than Team Amethyst.

The group continued forward, voicing their remaining concern. The supplies that had been sent from headquarters were limited.

Doula’s Team Andalusite could easily cure the injured due to being servants of the divine, but food and consumables were an absolute necessity. But the path from the country to the oasis to the second floor was quite a long one, and they were also dealing with the interference on their Magic Tools. This meant they had to be more careful than usual. The boy understood this, but he voiced his complaint anyway.

“They said they would send as many supplies as we needed for this mission. I asked for some tea, but to think all we got were some stale tea leaves.”

“Do you really intend to ask Sir Hakam and Great Aja for tea? Unbelievable. Aw, I’m getting thirsty from talking.” The boy agreed, then pulled out his canteen with practiced hands. It was an unusual metal container, and they fell silent as they watched him pour out steaming hot tea as if it had just been freshly brewed. Just as they tried to ask about the strange canteen, it happened.

Doula raised her hand from the front, and everyone immediately stopped. The silence was deafening. They waited for some time. Then suddenly, a grating sound could be heard from a distance.

Screeeeeech! The destructive sound reverberated from above, signaling that something was approaching with devastating momentum. Some of the men looked cautious, but the unwavering Team Diamond led the way.

Puseri, who likely had the greatest defense of the group, raised her large twilight shield. But even she couldn’t help the bead of cold sweat from rolling down her cheek. Whatever was approaching was just that intense.

Booom, vwoosh...!

Something massive came crashing down, sending cracks down the stone pavement all around it. The thing that tore through the railing with ease and fell through the steep wall above was...

“A d-dragon!!!” Someone’s voice cracked as they screamed in terror, and the Heat Dragon demonstrated why it had earned its name. It opened its bright red gills, and its exhalation was so hot it warped the air around it. Something roared within its lungs like a scorching flame as it charged up its dragon breath. Once that breath escaped its lungs, the number of casualties would be calamitous.

But despite the sudden appearance of the dragon, two people’s eyes glinted with amazement.

One of them was a young boy who claimed this world was like a dream and held a deep admiration for fantastical monsters such as this one.

“Wow, it’s so big! They’re really something else when you see them in person.” He began walking forward unsteadily as if mesmerized, and the other person made their move at the same time.

The old man was adept at controlling his energy, and he hid his presence from detection. He then vanished completely, unable to be noticed even by the dragon’s acute sense of smell.

It was Gaston. The white-haired old man who had a reputation for being undying spoke in his usual easygoing manner, then removed the dragon’s wing without being seen... Or so he thought.

“Ka ha ha, take th—” Before he could finish his sentence, the dragon stopped. Its infernal eyes were staring right at a certain individual. He may have imagined it, but it looked like the dragon had bowed its head. Even the rumbling growl almost sounded like an apology.

As the group pondered what in the world was going on, the Heat Dragon vanished beyond the railing. Its retreat was just as abrupt as its appearance. Gaston and the others were left dumbfounded by the sudden disappearance of the massive creature.

Meanwhile, Kitase continued to stare. He was looking at the tall woman with black hair that reached down to her waist, who said, “Yes, I apologize,” but the others couldn’t understand her words.

Wridra was a far superior being to normal dragons, so her own kind could recognize her even if she concealed her presence. She was like a lord attempting to blend into society.

As for the old man who was still frozen with his sword raised, the others only gave him a cursory glance before forgetting about him, and he was left with no real chance to shine.

It was around this time that he realized the battlefield was no longer the one he once knew. The time when battle meant climbing over the corpses of your allies and only seeking the heads of your enemies was long gone. The old man sheathed his sword and let out a sigh.

A few days ago, he had spent a great sum of money to invite a certain girl to his manor.

Her name was Hakua of Team Diamond, a plain young girl with long, chestnut-colored hair. She had a special ability that allowed her to read the future using astrology, and she had recently been forbidden from using her powers for outsiders. The reason this policy had been changed may have been related to the capture of their leader, Zarish.

Perhaps most people would have a question in mind if they had the opportunity to ask about the future. In Gaston’s case, he had a very peculiar one.

“When am I gonna croak?” Most people would tilt their head at such a question. It wasn’t as if he was suffering from a serious illness or had suicidal tendencies. The old man simply wanted to know. He had overcome too many battles to count, and he wondered when this senseless life would end.

“The ancient labyrinth that awaits you will be your place of death.” The old man’s eyes widened. Strangely, Gaston felt strength coursing through his body now that he knew the end was near. He was delighted to face the finale to his life that had gone on for too long.

His expression changed as if he was in the midst of battle now, then he slapped his knee and stood up with vigor. And so, he had willingly joined the highly unpopular mission on the third floor.

So why? This isn’t what I signed up for. Gaston let out a heavy sigh for some reason. Perhaps it was because an elf girl was gleefully creating a large stone oven using a stone spirit. Or perhaps it was the appetizing scent that came from the flattened dough that a young boy threw into it.

The scent was enough to make the old man’s stomach growl even though he wasn’t particularly hungry.

The group had decided to take a break at a large room they came across. Gaston didn’t mind this. After all, it was important for a warrior to keep himself in optimal condition at all times. However...

“Why are you cooking in the labyrinth, you fools?!”

“Whoa!”

Gaston had risen to his feet as he shouted, and the kid with the stupid name, Kazuhiho, trembled in surprise.

Why was no one else pointing out the absurdity of the situation? They had been happily cooking together, and some of them were even cheerfully lining up with plates in their hands. He could at least let the members of Kazuhiho’s Team Amethyst slide. But seeing even the dark elf from Team Diamond join in on the nonsense was too much. The boy made fine adjustments to the heat using a stick with a flattened end as he looked at Gaston with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. I did think it might be a bad idea to cook here, but we already decided we’re making pizza today.”

“Huh? What do you mean you ‘decided’ that? A man should just shut up and eat his military rations. That’s how it’s always been since I was born. The hell?” The Fire Lizards seemed to have noticed the commotion and stared at them from inside the stone oven. The way they blinked their beady eyes was enough to make anyone forget about their rage. More distracting than anything was the boy’s blissful smile.

“I’ve always wanted a pizza oven, so I was amazed that we could make one so easily. The grains and herbs you can get from Arilai are such high quality, so I’m sure you could make some excellent pizza with them. We could even use some oil and...” Surprisingly, the sleepy-looking runt started running his mouth out of nowhere.

And why was that black-haired woman glaring at him from the back as if to say, “Don’t interrupt us, asshole”? He had to admit, he felt his stomach tightening from her gaze.

How can this be? I didn’t even yield to that brat Zarish... He was right to be confused. The old man Gaston had defeated over ten thousand enemies who stood before him. And yet, he instinctively knew this woman was on another level.

“Oh, I think it’s about time. Let’s bring them out,” the boy said.

“Good! I’m starving!” The eruption of aroma that came out was almost overwhelming.

Red tomato paste had been applied to the circular pizza dough, with plenty of bacon on top. The bubbling melted cheese filled the air aggressively with its delicious scent.

The smell made the elves squeal with delight, and the plates started getting passed around. Gaston gulped, managing to swallow his saliva before it dangled from his mouth, causing him to swallow his words at the same time.

“Oh, Gaston,” the boy called out as he cut through the crispy crust with a crunch.

It wasn’t as if Gaston expected to get anything, but he didn’t want to be rude. He didn’t bring a plate with him, but he supposed he would bear the heat and have a slice.

“I’m sorry if we’re bothering you. Please don’t mind us and enjoy your military rations.” By the look on the boy’s face, Gaston could tell he wasn’t being sarcastic or malicious. However, that was the moment he had decidedly come to hate Kazuhiho. He felt the urge to kill the brat growing inside him.

At the same time, the old man pressed his fingers against his wrinkles and thought to himself painfully. Maybe this is where I die. No, it couldn’t be. It was impossible. There had to be a glorious end more fitting for him.

Gaston groaned to himself in agony as he opened the seal of his military rations. He had once loved the smell of clay and the chewy consistency from the bottom of his heart...

§

The entirety of the dim room was at a loss for words.

The spellcaster controlling the terminal, the leader of the group, and each of the team members in the room couldn’t believe their eyes. The leader of the group stared with an icy look in his eyes, but he was secretly struggling to maintain his composure.

The Heat Dragon fled from battle? In a matter of seconds? It even looked like the dragon was bowing its head, but what could that have been about? It must have been some sort of error, so he gave an order to send another patrolling dragon that wasn’t bound to any particular area to attack the group, but...

“S-Sir, it isn’t working. There’s no response at all!”

“Is this their will? Are they communicating among each other somehow? Could it be that the entire network of dragons is defying our order?!” The spellcasters raised their voices in a panic, and the man concealed his distress as he tried to figure out the situation.

Something was wrong. They hadn’t expected this situation in the slightest. Ever since the second floor, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some greater entity lurking among the raid team. The boy who had staggered closer to the dragon without putting his guard up and the old man who instantaneously hid his presence came to mind.

One of the spellcasters controlling the terminal raised his voice. Unlike earlier, there was a hint of hope in his tone.

“I found one! There’s an even more powerful monster on patrol. The terrifying being that can cast necromancy and controls countless souls of the dead... A Lich!”

“Good, send it immediately! Destroy them!” The Lich raised its giant scythe to its shoulder, blood dripping from its tip.

Its jet-black robe billowed in the wind, and its skull was covered in runes that allowed it to activate its magic immediately. The runes also served to interfere with wide-range incantations, but they didn’t interfere with necromancy. This was what made the Lich so terrible. They had no issues lopping off their enemy’s head no matter how much they begged and cried for mercy, and the corpses would only add to the ranks of the army of the dead.

The Lich received the orders to annihilate the raid team, responded with a simple “Understood,” then sank into the ground, dragging the countless blood-soaked undead along with it.

§

“Ah,” I heard someone say, and turned around to find a semitransparent, skeleton-like monster peeking from the door. It was locking eyes with Shirley, who just so happened to be carrying her plate at the time, so I figured they knew each other and continued cooking. The scythe it carried on its shoulder and skeletal appearance did remind me of Shirley.

The monster with empty eye sockets and Shirley continued staring at each other for some time. Then, the monster whose name I didn’t know disappeared behind the door.

“Who was that, Shirley? Friend of yours?” Shirley shook her head, so I guessed not. I was busy anyway, so I decided not to think about it.

Anyway, it was time for the pizza tasting party.

I had recently come to realize that we could just bring in ingredients like this whenever we didn’t have time to make meals beforehand. The way people looked at us bothered me a bit—well, it bothered me a lot, but since the girls had told me, “I’ll never eat military rations,” and “You can eat them by yourself,” I didn’t really have much of a choice. I had a feeling Team Amethyst was a bit more happy-go-lucky than the others, but our group consisted of an elf, an Arkdragon, and a former floor master, so perhaps it was best not to worry about it so much.

I was starting to get used to our eating habits, and I had brought our pizza dough into the dream world. After mixing some bread flour, salt, water, and olive oil, then kneading it all together and letting it rest, all it needed were some toppings.

It was better to thin out the dough to get a crispy texture and particular flavor. We had scattered cheese, bacon, and some basil-like herbs we picked from the second floor on top of it, then cooked it up in the stone oven. This was Italian-style pizza, which was a bit different from American style.

But with three Fire Lizards lying inside the stone oven, it did make me question what pizza was. They were lounging around on their backs, looking up with their beady eyes when I brought them the pizza dough. It felt more like bringing food into a sauna room than cooking. Marie, who was controlling the spirits, tugged at my sleeve.

“How’s the fire? I could make them work harder if you’d like.”

“No, I think we’re good. The air on the third floor is pretty cold, so the stone oven is nice for keeping us warm too.” Drawn by the warm air and smell, people started gathering around us. The ones to make the first move were the engaged couple, Zera and Doula, and curious people like Eve the dark elf. They stared unabashedly at the stone oven, and Eve had even brought her own wooden plate.

She had also partaken in portable meals up until last time, so maybe she instinctively knew to bring a plate? No, it couldn’t have been... I shook my head. Just then, Zera walked over to speak to me.

“Huh, you have some weird cooking wherever you come from, Kazuhiho. You mind letting us try a bite?”

“Oh, hi, Zera. Sure, of course you can have a bit.” We only had a limited amount of food, and there wasn’t enough time or resources to pass them out to everyone present. I felt bad, but I had to keep it to just a taste as requested.

After waiting for some time, I took the pizza out of the stone oven. The cheese melted nicely, and the roasted color made everyone’s eyes light up with excitement. The delicious aroma filled the room as I sank my knife into the well-cooked crust.

Yeah, there was nothing like fresh-baked pizza. Not to mention, we had used a high-heat cooking method that wasn’t possible to do at home, so I couldn’t help but feel giddy.

I placed a slice each on Marie’s, Wridra’s, and Shirley’s plates. Then I cut another slice into thirds and placed one of them on Eve’s wooden plate. I had already placed the toppings on another piece of flattened dough, so I tossed it into the stone oven. Marie looked at me apologetically.

“I feel bad about eating before you when you’re doing all the cooking.”

Her eyebrows were furrowed in a frown, and Wridra stood behind her with her mouth wide open. She had stopped herself from taking a bite at the last second. To my surprise, it seemed she had learned to read the room.

“No, no, I want you to taste it while it’s fresh. It won’t taste as good the longer you wait, after all.” I gestured for them to dig in, and Marie nodded hesitantly.

It was customary to grab pizza without using a fork while it’s piping hot. They felt the heat on their skin as they picked it up. They gingerly put it in their mouths, cautious to not burn their tongues. They would soon raise their voices in delight. The crust crumbled easily as they bit into it, and the strong cheesy flavor of my favorite, Parmigiano Reggiano, filled their mouths. It melted together with the bacon fat, and the acidity of the tomato sauce balanced out and improved the taste to new heights.

The fragrance of the pizza crust, flavor of the sauce, and umami from the cheese assaulted their taste buds as they sank their teeth in. It disarmed their caution from the heat, and they continued chewing in order to deliver more flavor with each bite.

“Mm! Mm! Mm! So good...!”

“Nnnh! This crispy texture! Aaargh, the cheese is criminally delicious!”

It made me happy watching them as they stretched out the cheese with smiles on their faces. Shirley’s eyes also lit up with joy, and her outline was getting a bit blurry... I tried signaling with my eyes for her to be careful and calm down. She raised both fists in a victorious pose, which only made me worry a bit more.

“Mmm, the cheese is so stretchy! Nnf, nngh, I love pizza!”

“Hng! The thin crust emphasizes the cheese even further! The crispy texture is simply divine!” I wanted to correct her pronunciation a bit, but I kept it to myself.

In any case, I felt fortunate just watching the happy expressions on these beautiful women as they enjoyed good food, including the part where they slapped me on the back and shoulder. Once they finished eating, they brought me their plates and asked for seconds.

But the one who loved the pizza the most out of all of them was Eve the dark elf. Her eyes had practically turned into hearts, and she sat there dreamily with her mouth half open for some time after she had finished eating.

I had a vague feeling that she would like junk food, but it was somewhat concerning seeing her breathing heavily with her eyebrows in an inverted v shape. She stared at me expectantly, and I couldn’t help but spoil her a bit.

“Eve, would you like another slice?”

“Can I?! Yay, yay, yay! Thank you, Kazu!” She leaped at me and hugged me from the side, and I blinked in surprise.

I felt somewhat like her older brother, but she was far taller than me in the dream world. Her words and actions could be quite severe, but she was like a child when there was something she wanted. Though, the way she still clung on to me from behind as she made impressed noises at the stone oven was a bit troublesome.

I proceeded to make a second, then third slice, and everyone’s stomach started to fill. Wridra could still have eaten plenty more, but I did want to eat some myself.

We were in the ancient labyrinth, so no one really minded that we stood while eating against proper etiquette. As we had some tea, Zera made a comment.

“Come to think of it, that old man Aja said he’d send us supplies if needed. Maybe he’d send us ingredients like these if we ask? We have some skilled team members, so I think they could cook something up instead of Kazuhiho.”

“Don’t be dumb, Zera. I’m not shameless enough to ask them to deliver us some food. Though, that would help with morale, so I have to admit I’m tempted,” Doula said as she wiped the crumbs off of Zera’s mouth, showing her maternal side. It was strange seeing her take care of her fiancé while insulting him with a cold look on her face.

I thought about Zera’s proposal of ordering ingredients. Arilai had some high-quality spices, tea, and grain. My wallet would greatly appreciate it if they could send us what we needed. But in order to do that, we had to shorten the path between the labyrinth’s entrance and HQ somehow. In dungeon crawler games, one usually unlocked shortcuts after clearing a dungeon. I figured that was asking for too much and sighed.

I hadn’t noticed at the time, but a strange key was dangling from Marie’s waist as she rubbed her stomach with satisfaction. It glinted in the light, but no one noticed it as they enjoyed their meal. It would still be some time before the path opened.

And so, today’s raid had come to a relatively quiet close.

§

The room was filled with a deafening silence. It was so dark that those gathered there couldn’t even see their neighbor’s face, but they didn’t need to see each other to know their expressions were filled with despair. After all, the Lich had left after only saying, “Ah.”

“Weren’t they having a harder time on the previous floor...?”

“Hey, zip it! I was making an effort not to say it out loud!” The commander of the group twitched in response to the bandit and Kartina’s voices. But when he looked upon the group’s faces, he realized everyone else was saying the same thing and decided to keep his mouth shut. The man was usually cold and composed, but he was definitely shaken by the fact that these powerful monsters left on their own, one after another.

He straightened his collar absentmindedly, then quietly reassessed the situation. The defense system was far superior on the third floor, and the monsters there were on a completely different level. But for some reason, he felt as if the tides had shifted for the worse here.

He couldn’t quite place his finger on the feeling of helplessness that was overflowing inside him. No matter how much he advanced, he couldn’t make any progress. In fact, the pieces at his disposal disappeared as he went. He gritted his teeth and glared at the footage. He could see them merrily spending their time together.

No. It’s not supposed to be like this.

He had anticipated various scenarios, but not the sight of the tasting party before him. It was difficult to even comprehend. Normally, he would be enjoying the front-row seat to a thrilling hellscape. He didn’t want to hear their laughter echoing in the silent, dim room. It was terribly depressing somehow.

“I don’t think they even noticed this time...”

“You fool! Our leader is brilliant! Of course he has another plan lined up!” He felt his head go numb. He was even getting cornered by his own subordinates.

Fortunately, he was quite resilient and capable of keeping his emotions contained. Otherwise, he may have clutched his own head and screamed. Or maybe he would have punched one of his men in the head. But as a leader, he had to give hope to his team. That was his duty.

“Of course. This is the third floor. There is always a way.”

“Oooh!” Visible relief washed over the members of his team. With a glint of hope in sight, they were eager to know the next step. He flashed a reassuring smile, then spoke to his useless subordinates.

“I have an ace up my sleeve at all times. Yes, I still have my last resort.”

“Wait, you’re on your last one already?” He shot a glare at the speaker, and Kartina covered her mouth with her hands and averted her eyes.

It seemed that it was sometimes necessary to let out his emotions and swing his fists after all.

He rolled up his sleeves.