NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63
A few days passed.
“Wow! Finally, I see the light!”
Arriving at the cave entrance, I silently gazed at the bright light seeping in from outside.
But now that I couldn’t see the end, I felt a bit disappointed.
I caught Grielops, but should I have gone deeper into the cave?
After relying on torches in the dark cave for so long, seeing natural light made me feel uneasy, and I shook my head, lost in those thoughts.
‘No. If I had been greedy and taken another path to explore deeper, I might have ended up dead. Let’s stop being foolish.’
[Chaos emphasizes that the most important virtues for adventurers are challenge and ambition, but one must also always keep moderation and survival in mind.]
In short, curb excessive greed. Keep challenging, but make sure to extend your legs only where there’s room to lie down.
I finally emerged from the cave.
“Ugh! This feels good. Now, all that’s left is to return to the city, right?”
Yeriell stretched and spoke up.
“Exactly. If anything shows up while we’re moving, let’s just ignore it. We’re focusing on reaching the nearby settlement, nothing else.”
“Wow… the scent of this lush greenery! I’m really tired of caves now, aren’t you, big brother?”
Jacob shook his head as if he were fed up.
“No kidding. Once we return, I’m going to need some time to relax and recover from all this.”
As they say about burnout syndrome.
Every time we went in and out of the Labyrinth, something would happen that made it tough, leading me to feel the need to take a break from training and all that jazz.
‘If I keep traipsing through the Labyrinth without breaks, one day my motivation will fade, and I’ll want to settle down. I need to manage myself properly to live lavishly as a high-level adventurer.’
I hadn’t forgotten my biggest goal since coming to this world, after all.
To become a high-level adventurer and live happily enough to completely forget the 2 billion from Earth.
Isaac, I’ll live well enough for the both of us, so watch over me from above.
I looked up at the sky and then checked my watch.
It was 2:35 PM.
“Let’s keep moving until nightfall. Lumia, I’ll be counting on you while we travel. Jacob, as a thief, you should have a knack for finding the way, right?”
“Yep. Just leave the sensing to me.”
“Of course! Hand me the map and compass. If I’m at the front, we won’t lose our way.”
He’s brimming with confidence. Well, shall we get moving?
I hope 3rd Floor has already been cleared by someone before we arrived. Am I being too greedy for wanting a free ride?
Taking the lead, Jacob and I led the party toward the settlement.
*
One day, two days, three days.
We advanced steadily, alternating between battles and rest.
Lumia detected presences with her unique Mysterious Race senses.
With added assistance from the thief Jacob, moving quickly toward the settlement with the portal was a breeze.
Rustle.
“Cough.”
“That’s the end of that.”
I slashed the last Goblin Log’s neck and surveyed the area.
‘No damage taken, and everything seems fine. Are we almost there?’
Before I could even speak, Jacob jumped in.
“Brother! Just a bit further, and we’ll reach the southern settlement!”
“Right. Let’s not let our guard down until the end. Anyone need a break?”
I looked at the three of them in turn, and they all had expressions that said they just wanted to hurry back, not rest.
Collecting the ears and shabby equipment from the scattered corpses, we moved on.
Thud, thud.
There it is!
The scale of the settlement, which was clearly different from the 3rd Floor, was right in front of us. But…
Crack!
Boom!!
The problem was, as we got closer to the settlement, loud battle noises of crumbling and explosions began to echo.
‘Honestly, I was hoping someone would take out the monsters first, but now it’s really happening. What should we do? We need to at least check out the entrance to the settlement, right?’
I urged everyone to hurry.
“Creeeak!”
“Where do you think you’re running off to after hitting me first? Do I look weak to you?”
Smash!
────
[Turk]
[Strength: D+] [Agility: D-] [Durability: D+]
[Stamina: D-] [Magic: D-] [Luck: D-]
[Traits]
Hot-headed
Fury Blow
Murder Machine
Sharpened Instinct
────
As we reached the entrance, we spotted an adventurer beating down a fleeing Goblin.
“Damn annoying little Goblins! You should’ve stayed hidden in the corner, but now you’re just wasting my time… Who the hell are you?”
“Don’t mind us. We—”
“Hey—! What do we do about the others that have arrived?”
Before I could say a word, a hulking figure shouted, drawing attention.
A suspicious-looking mage from afar raised his voice, echoing in our ears.
“Please tell me you aren’t starting a fight with other adventurers!”
“Hoho, of course not. As soon as we met, I made that clear! And judging by the looks of you, you’re not here to fight either.”
The mage let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, that’s good. I wasted some mana trying to get through quickly and now I’m a bit tired. If you’ve come to use the portal, take a few steps back and wait.”
‘If you’re going to talk so loudly, why not just come over to have the conversation? Showing off just so we know not to mess with you, huh?’
“Sure thing. It won’t take long, so just wait a bit farther back. You don’t look like you’ll be able to handle much beyond the 4th Floor, but thanks to us, it seems you’re lucky to avoid a hassle, huh?”
…“Seems only 4th Floor, huh?” How can you say that so casually?
Goblins over here, and more Goblins over there.
Upon reaching the settlement, there were of course your ordinary Goblin Warriors, but also Goblin Archers, Rogues, and even Shamans.
No other species, just a bunch of mutated Goblins, huh?
If only I had been more focused without being distracted by the cave, and had gone straight for the portal without a hitch.
And if nothing like a mutant had popped up along the way, this floor would’ve likely been easier than the 2nd Floor in terms of environment.
Now that we were so close to returning, I didn’t want to stir up pointless trouble.
“Well, you could say that. Then, we’ll wait near the entrance while you finish your business.”
After a brief stalemate, the warrior headed inside while we waited at the entrance.
“Aren.”
Before long, Lumia perked up her ears and spoke.
“It seems the noisy movement inside has stopped now, so I think their entire party has moved on.”
Hah, they left without making a sound.
I can’t believe a party that big was still around on the 4th Floor.
Then again, I’ve already experienced that in the Labyrinth, where all sorts of unexpected things happen, so you can never let your guard down.
“Good! Then it’s our turn now. Oh, and what about the monsters? They can’t have beaten them all, right?”
“…Right. The size of the settlement is larger than that of the 3rd Floor, so there are probably quite a few Goblins hiding around. I don’t think we can sneak by quietly.”
I wasn’t expecting otherwise.
Based on the state of that hulking brute and the ease in their actions—it was clear they hadn’t cleared the entire settlement.
They probably only fought through the monsters that attacked them while reaching the portal to the next floor.
Nodding at Lumia’s words, I gave a brief briefing.
“The goal is the escape portal. Everyone, stay sharp and move as quickly as possible.”
I gave a few pats to the backpack in the back.
“We’ve already gathered plenty, so let’s not farm here any longer. If monsters pop up, let’s just take them out quickly without wasting time.”
With those words, I summoned my sword and gripped it lightly.
“Then, let’s go!”
It was still a bit of a distance to the central area where the portal is located.
I gestured to my party members behind me and began to pave the way at the front.
Krrr!
Kaak!
Perhaps we looked a lot stronger than that party that just wrecked the settlement.
The Goblins that had been hiding like mice slowly began to emerge.
Bang!
Just as a scrappy Goblin Warrior with its shabby sword and shield drew near, I made the first move.
‘It’s definitely different. After acquiring mana affinity, my control has gotten easier. The speed feels the same.’
Swish!!
Took down one.
I dashed straight into the horde of Goblins and beheaded the frontmost one before it could even raise its shield.
Kaerum!
Yashah!
A fair number of Goblins rushed at us, unfazed by one of their own being slain.
‘Ugh, they’re just bulk. These roach-like little pests.’
Swish! Crack!!
I ducked and smashed a Goblin Rogue’s skull aiming for my lower body, then leaped up and sliced the vulnerable part of another jumping Goblin.
‘Lightning!’
Crackle!
In an instant, several bolts of miniature lightning struck down, and taking that opportunity, Lumia swiftly began to chant a spell.
“O darkness, crave and consume!”
[Craving Darkness]
Chwaack.
Crash. Smash.
A monstrous mouth-like darkness erupted from the center of the Goblin horde, gaping wide as it devoured several Goblins who froze in shock from the terrifying sound.
Once the magic faded, not even a shard of their bones remained.
“Whew, whew!”
With the center of the crowd completely cleared, the remaining Goblins began to stumble around confused.
‘Looks like we’re almost to the center.’
“I see the portal ahead! Everyone, just a bit more effort!”
“Yes, take this!”
We, of course, and even Jacob, who was relatively weaker in combat, were steadily slicing through the Goblins one by one with his dagger.
Whiz—
Even against a stealth arrow shot by a Goblin Archer aimed at Lumia and Jacob.
“Shield of Holy Light!”
[Divine Shield]
Yeriell instantly manifested a barrier and deflected it without any harm.
Before long, we arrived at the portal.
As several Goblins fell dead in an instant, the remaining monsters seemed to realize they didn’t stand a chance and began to hide or flee.
“I’ll secure the area from behind and follow after, so you all go in first.”
Standing at the portal, I turned to keep an eye over my shoulder.
My right hand held my sword, and my left, cloaked in ice, continued.
“Let’s head to the Guild and settle up, then rest. Especially you, Jacob. Don’t wander off and stay near the checkpoint.”
“Got it! I’m going in first, see you on the other side!”
“Aren. Don’t stray onto another path, just go straight through the portal?”
I nodded.
Confirming my answer, the three of them stepped into the shining yellow portal to return to the city.
Well then, I should go—
Clang!
Swish!!
“Yeah. I knew it, so I said I’d be the last to go.”
‘Of course. The Labyrinth wasn’t going to let me leave so easily.’
It wasn’t just any Goblin Log; it was a Goblin Assassin that had thrown a concealed dagger as it revealed itself.
Naturally, I saw the trajectory aimed directly at my heart and faced the incoming creature head-on.
Goblin… I guess I’ll just call it that.
The Goblin Assassin lowered its stance and sprinted at me rapidly.
Though it reached me in the blink of an eye, I felt not a shred of fear.
‘I prepared this for you, so come on; feel how cold it is.’
I scattered the cold that I had been gathering in my left hand toward it.
Sprinkle.
At that moment, the Goblin, struck by the cold, swung its weapon, and a momentary freeze gripped the area it struck.
The Goblin Assassin, realizing its own deadly vulnerability, screamed.
“Gah, gyaah! Kerah!!”
‘And what else can you do besides scream like that in front of my blade?’
A critical opening means death.
Swish!
Thunk.
With a graceful arc, I cleanly beheaded the Goblin Assassin.
“Since I can’t see the rest of them hiding, this one’s fine to deal with.”
Cutting off its ears, I placed them alongside the pair of discarded daggers on the ground into my bag.
Turning my back, I approached the portal.
One step. Two steps.
It’s still a bit overwhelming since it’s only my third return.
Regardless, I’ve once again overcome hardships and survived.
‘Let’s go. Everyone must be waiting.’
I entrusted my body to the shimmering portal.
Whoosh!
The yellow light spread widely, and my vision flickered.