Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, labyrinths, also known by the name Dungeons, are a staple of RPG games. They even have their own genre nowadays: Dungeon Crawlers.”

 

“Wah, this time it’s stairs huh--”

 

“Arisa, maybe it’ll be good for you to start weight training or jogging, to build up your physical strength.”

 

“Bleh…”

 

I light push Arisa’s back, there’s no need to look so sad when looking at stairs. I was also signaling her to start down the stairs already.

 

There’s a broad stairway beyond the door leading into the labyrinth. It’s not a normal or spiral stairway, but it meanders. It has a broad, winding, slanted path and a high ceiling. There are also crenels along the stairway rails at fixed intervals, for archers to shoot arrows at targets below.

 

These are all used in the case of Monster invasions.

 

Since I’m free for a bit while we’re descending the stairs, I use All Map Exploration.

 

It’s wide.

 

Even compared to the Ruined Labyrinth of the Duchy Capital, it’s unbelievably wide. Even only three areas of this labyrinth could completely swallow the entirety of Seryuu City’s labyrinth.

 

I set the search parameters of the search only to the Upper Layer, yet it’s likely that there are hundreds of areas. Just like the Ruined Labyrinth, the labyrinth has a lower layer that seems to extend underground--I had to zoom out to see all of it.

 

In one area there are around 100 corridors and rooms connected 3-Dimensionally. There is also an area where there is only a single, massive room, or one that contains 1,000 small rooms.

 

Despite such vastness, there are 30 areas which contain Adventurers, most of which are in the first area and the seven areas that adjoin it. In the labyrinth, there are around 2,000 Adventurers, 500 soldiers, 300 baggage carriers, and 400 Lost Thieves.

 

There are also several dozen other people beside that.

 

Arisa and Lulu become tired part way down the stairs, so Liza and I carry them. I think it would be a good idea for them to train their physical strength--but, it is likely that as their levels rise, they will get stronger.

 

***

There are many people in the first room of the first area. This room is bright, since there is lighting provided by Magic Tools that have been attached to the wall. As for the size of the room, it would probably be easier to understand if I say that it was around the size of three school gymnasiums combined.

 

All of the soldiers, beside the ones manning the stairs, are in this room. About 90% of the soldiers are doing practice swings, being commanded by a senior. There aren’t only normal soldiers, but also Magic Soldiers, but there are only a few.

 

However, the Red Ice people should have reported about the Monster outbreak, yet everyone seems so carefree. Maybe Monster outbreaks happen often.

 

There are also stallholders, which is amazing that they’re able to work inside such a place. Most of them are food stalls, equipment repairmen, or general stalls--but there are also some interesting ones.

 

“Noble over there, would you like to touch someone who bears the Item Box Skill before you level up? One touch is one silver coin, but if you’re lucky, the potential for the Item Box Skill may dwell in your slaves or subordinates, you know?”

 

That seems like an interesting theory, but every one of us have already touched Arisa--some of us in places which this person wouldn’t allow probably even for several gold--who has the Item Box Skill, so it’s meaningless.

 

In this room, there are three large corridors, that are each 5 meters wide. There aren’t just these big corridors, small ones also exist, there are 10 of them. But, none of them connect to other areas.

 

There are armed Adventurer’s Guild staff standing in front of the door that leads underground. Behind the door is a spiral staircase that leads deeper, and it continues outside of the map’s search range. Let’s look at in alone some time.

 

We’re walking to the big door that leads to Area 1-4, which is what Jeje mentioned earlier.

 

The soldiers have made a military encampment by piling up sandbags in front of the door, they warned us not to get close to Area 1-4, since there was a ‘rumour’ of an outbreak of Ants there.

 

“It’s alright. We’re only going to see things today, we will be going back after looking around.”

“Ah, that’s fine then.”

 

I tell the soldier, who’s nicely giving us a warning, and go through the door that Liza and the others have opened.

 

***

As we begin walking down the big corridor, leaving the door behind us, Liza inquires as to what formation we will use.

 

“Master, what should we do about the formation?”

 

“When we’re moving, Lulu will be in the center, with Mia and Arisa to her sides. The advance guards will be Nana and Tama, the rear guards will be Liza and Pochi.”

 

With this formation, we’ll be fine even if we get attack from the front and the rear.

 

Moreover, they should be able to fight without my help, and it might be better if I don’t act too overprotective, and let them grow up.

 

“Mia, use Bubble Search Magic, and make sure that the front is clear.”

“Nn.”

Mia replies to Arisa’s request, and invokes her Magic. It seems that they always used this Magic first and foremost in the Spriggan Training Grounds to search for enemies.

 

This Magic produces around 30 bubbles that float in the air. They’re brittle and will pop if you just touch one, but you can feel the surroundings through them, like feelers.

 

The detection range is only about 30cm from the bubbles, but the bubbles themselves can be separated several hundreds of meters away from the caster. Moreover, if the bubbles don’t break, the effect lasts about 2 hours--so they’re quite useful for scouting.

 

However, it does have a weakness that the spell will be canceled if the caster uses any other Magic.

 

“Should I use Light Magic? I don’t have the Skill, but I can do at least that much, you know?”

 

“No, there’s no problem even though it’s a little dim, so, it’s alright.”

 

There are dim lighting Magic Tools on one side of the corridor that illuminate from knee-high and down to the ground. This must be the Sign Monument, and like I had heard, it’s colour changes from white to blue as we’re approaching.

 

Moreover, Pochi and Tama can detect Monsters and traps, while Mia’s Search Bubbles can detect things that approach from outside their range. There are small passageways, cavities, and shelters all piled with spiderwebs and dust, set in the wall and appearing at fixed intervals.

 

“There’s something?”

“I hear the sounds of battle from beyond the path.”

“Nn, a battle.”

 

Pochi and Tama noticed the battle ahead, and slightly later, Mia’s Bubbles seemed to have detected the battle between six Goblinkin and five Adventurers 300 meters ahead.

There are air holes in the ceiling of the labyrinth corridors that constantly emit a low-pitched noise, and as a consequence, it’s difficult to sense presences using distant sounds. In fact, even Pochi and Tama seemed to be slower than usual to notice.

 

The Adventurers and Goblins seem to be in a small corridor which branches off from our current corridor. They’re not too far away, and seem to have noticed us approaching, one of the Adventurers raises his voice to warn us.

 

“These Goblins are ours. You go over there.”

“Acknowledged.”

I don’t want too distract them too much, so I answered curtly.

 

It seems to be quite the melee battle, since the Adventurers are all hurt, even though they’re only against level 10 - 12 Goblins. These Adventurers are level 15 or so, so they may be newbies--they’re all warriors.

 

Adventurers that have Magic Skills are only around 5% of the whole, so they’re quite scarce. There are hardly any Monsters in this first area we’re in, maybe because there are too many Adventurers.

 

There are some tunnels where Monsters are moving, but it seems that they’re not connected to where the Adventurers are, so we haven’t met them.

 

After observing for a while, battles begin in a faraway corridor that’s connected to the corridor by the strange tunnel. I see, so Monsters pop up with this mechanism.

 

***

“Enemy coming.”

“Insects, three?”

 

Yep, correct.

 

Fly-type Monsters came out of the small tunnels around the ceiling, and there are three of them, every one of them are around level 13.

 

“You insects! So I declare.” Nana uses Provoke, causing the flies to attack using dives.

 

Even though this was a commemorative first battle, it’s over before Arisa even took off the cloth wrapping her wand--it was settled by Pochi and Tama throwing stones, and Liza’s spear attack.

 

“Uuu, the enemies are too weak.”

 

I comfort the pouting Arisa by gently stroking her hair. I praise Pochi and Tama, who are wagging their tales, and Liza who looks like it’s obvious, but also slightly triumphant.

 

After around an hour, we get close to the large junction that connects to Area 1-4. We’ve gathered nine Magic Cores while passing through several rooms and junctions. Since one person will need five Magic Cores to raise their rank, with one more kill, we will have enough for two people. After we get one more.

 

We’ve only encountered Fly-Type Monster like the ones at the beginning, as well as normal rats, insects and bats that weren’t Monsters. But they didn’t give much Experience, so we left them alone.

 

There are a lot of Monsters on my radar, at last.

 

Around 300 Ant-Type Monsters, and 12 people from three Adventurer parties and baggage carriers are approaching us.