Editing/Standardisation: APM
Original Translation: UnnamedShadow (Edited and cleaned MTL)
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Eight days have passed since we entered the Great Labyrinth.
We’re approaching an area where the anomaly is. I didn’t have high expectations for these knights, but they were quite useful in combat and only lacking in brains.
At first, I thought that I had been pushed to join a unit made up of nobles’ spoiled young men, and in fact, it seems that this unit contains the second and third sons of such nobles. But as expected of the Renxandt Empire, it wasnt just a decorative unit.
“It’s true that we are a ragtag group of nobles, but we have the same training and combat experience as the other units. We are a unit made up of people who cannot inherit titles. Everyone is desperate to achieve success by raising their skills.”
Or so I’ve been told. Although they still had the arrogance of a former nobleman, they seemed to have experienced their fair share of hardships and were surprisingly flexible in their response. For instance they didn’t really listen to my instructions before entering the labyrinth, but once they entered the and experienced its harshness, they obediently apologized for their previous behavior and began to follow my instructions.
“Honestly, I underestimated the Great Labyrinth. The lack of common sense is a flaw of a former noble’s unit. It may be prudent to allot some time to general education training from now on.”
The captain of the knights seems to be quite a capable man. However, while it was a pleasant surprise that the knights were more useful than expected, I couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about the expedition. Although they hadn’t yet reached the area where the reports were received, there were more monsters than usual. There have been no casualties so far, but there have been several injuries. It’s not a problem as we have a healer, but the scary thing about the Great Labyrinth is that you never know what’s going to happen.
We brought lots of poison antidotes with me, and some of the knights have acquired [Poison Resistance] in recent battles. I don’t think anything terrible will happen, but I still have a bad feeling about it.
Is there a Queen nearby? It’s not impossible. If Taratect hunting is becoming popular on the other side, it means the Queen has laid eggs. In other words, she’s came to the Upper Stratum. The Queen Taratect is an over S-rank moving calamity. The only record of one being defeated was by the Hero long ago together with a large army in exchange for their lives. Even if you remove that one, there are still five left in the world.
One of them lives in this great labyrinth. They usually live in a lower layer than the Upper Stratum, but go to the Upper Stratum to lay eggs. She usually returns down below immediately, but she sometimes lingers on the upper levels, so you can’t let your guard down.
I don’t think that will happen, but if we were to meet such a beast, no matter how many lives I had, it wouldn’t be enough. I suppose we should avoid large passages where the Queen could pass through. I suppose we should avoid large passages where the Queen could pass through.
Another thing that bothers me is that there’s an entrance to the Middle Stratum in the area where the strange abnormality is occurring. Logically speaking, perhaps some powerful monster appeared from the middle floor and drove the original inhabitants out of their homes?
But, is there really such a powerful monster on the Middle Stratum? The Middle Stratum is a scorching hell where magma’s spread all over. It was a flame realm that humans could never conquer. However, the monsters’ strength shouldn’t be much different from those on the Upper Stratum. This was testified to by the adventurers who had once challenged the Middle Stratum and came back.
Those adventurers had spent many years building up their [Fire Resistance], fully equipped with fireproof gear before taking on the Middle Stratum. In the end, the Middle Stratum was so vast that they ran out of food and gave up exploring further. However, they became the first adventurers to explore the Middle Stratum of the Great Labyrinth and return alive.
The Great Labyrinth is said to consist of an Upper, Middle, and Lower Stratum. There are several huge holes in the Upper Stratum that connect to the Lower Stratum. Although there were adventurers who went down the hole, most of them didn’t come back. The few adventurers who returned testified that the place was overflowing with a frightening number of monsters of C rank and above. It’s said that the Queen makes her base in this Lower Stratum, but it is also said, although this is only an urban legend, that there is an even lower Strata, a Bottom Stratum.
I can’t verify the authenticity of this, but as long as they’re not entered intentionally, the Lower and Bottom Stratum are irrelevant. Or perhaps the recent anomaly was caused by something crawling out from below through the Middle Stratum? I fantasized about such silly things.
“I think we should rest here for today, what do you think?” The Captain asks me. “Yeah, that would be great. It’s almost dark outside.” i answer without hesitation.
“Time intervals get messed up inside a labyrinth. It’s amazing you can tell the time like that.”
“Well, if you’ve been going in and out of labyrinths since you were a kid, you’ll eventually get used to it. That’s how it is with all guides.”
“Huh. I guess the guides are more amazing than I thought.”
“Not really. In terms of direct combat ability, the knight is far superior. It’s all about putting the right person in the right place. We specialize in getting through labyrinths. The knight specializes in fighting. That’s it.”
“I see. By the way, excuse me for asking, but how many skills do you possess?” he suddenly inquires.
“Hmm? Skills, huh?”
“Sorry. I just happened to be curious. If you don’t want to tell me, there’s no need to. I apologize if I offended you.”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that. It’s rare for people like us to be appraised with appraisal stones. It’s been a long time since I last looked, so I don’t remember what my skills are.”
“Oh my. Skills are a lifeline. Wouldn’t it be better to at least be aware of your own skills?” he asks curiously.
“Well, I remember that my [Night Vision] and [Danger Perception] have become level 10, but I’ve forgotten everything else.”
The commander looked back at me in amazement as I laughed heartily. Well, that’s half a lie. It’s true that I don’t remember all of my skills, I remember their general range. But there’s no need to go out of your way to teach other people your skills.
These things are a matter of life and death afterall, right?
APM - Translation 