Dimly lit hallways as far as the eyes could see, only illuminated by the red crystals embedded into the walls. Like an ant's nest, the labyrinth stretched out into halls and chambers far and wide.
In these hallways, the sound of sharp shrieks and metals clanging echoed throughout the almost still air, creating a chaotic melody as it spread through all the chambers. The sounds only became more quiet as the numbers of dancing in a dreadful battle dwindled.
"Yuna, four more behind you!" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
After blasting an orc towards the wall, Yuna twisted her body around and vigilantly looked out for the ones Grey mentioned, and when she found them...
《Icicle Shotgun!》 ［Yuna］
... A valley of ice flew towards their direction, impaling their large bodies and killing them in an instant. All that was left of them was the drops they had left behind as they vanished into thin air.
Grey and Yuna were currently in a red zone on the second floor. It was an area which was once swarmed with orcs and other G-ranked monsters. All of which have been wiped out by Grey and Yuna without breaking a sweat.
As each floor rises in difficulty, the 1st floor will only be filled with H-rank monsters, the 2nd would be G-ranks at most, and so on and so forth, up until the 10th and final floor which contains contains monsters up until Calamity Class, except for the boss which was a Disaster Class.
Each zone could also be designated by the color of torchstones imbedded on the walls. In the blue zone, bright blue crystals will illuminate the surroundings and no monsters will spawn. While the black zones are devoid of any light and monsters spawn rates are off the charts.
Monsters also couldn't leave their zones, that is why blue zones could also be called safe zones as participants can rest there at ease. Each floor is connected by stairs which are also one of the precious blue zones.
"Was that all of them, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah. I couldn't see any more monsters nearby. There also isn't anything to take note of. Let's just head to the next floor." ［Grey］
Seeing how barren the floor has become, Grey and Yuna decided to descend down the stairs towards the 3rd floor. They didn't even bother to pick up the monsters' drops as they were aiming to head the deepest floor they could.
Although it is forbidden to steal other's loot, higher ranked participants sometimes leave loot that they don't want just anywhere. And since the owners don't want it, other participants are free to take it.
It is also the reason why weaker participants stay vigilant each floor. They would be able to profit without risking their lives to a great extent. This in turn lowered the death rates from participants who were desperate to earn some money.
It has been almost an hour since Grey and Yuna had gone inside the labyrinth, and thanks to Grey's "Heaven's Eye", they were able to easily traverse the labyrinth as Grey looked out for dead ends and the stairs.
Of course, Grey also kept his eye peeled for secret treasure rooms. With his ability to view the work in a bird's eye view, he could bypass any walls and see the whole layout as if he was looking at a map. It was very useful to locate secrets.
There are also three types of treasure rooms. The first type is the easiest one where it only contains the treasure. The second type is laden with traps. And the third one is a monster ranch where the treasure will only appear once the monsters are defeated. But all of these treasure rooms have one thing in common, they become blue zones once the treasure is taken.
It's also worth noting that Grey had detected many treasure rooms, but since it was just the lower floors, they didn't take it as the other participants will need it more than we will. It has decided to only take treasures once they reach the 5th floor.
Gguraakkkkk Urukkk
Just as Grey and Yuna came down the 3rd floor, they were met with a group of ogres, ready to pounce at them at a moment's notice. They all looked at Grey and Yuna as if they were their prey.
"Grey, should we just dash this through?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, let's do that. There wouldn't even be a reward for us even if we stay here longer, anyway." ［Grey］
Just like they did on the first two floors, Grey and Yuna dashed their way to the 3rd floor, with Grey leading the way. All the monsters they met on the way were taken out in just an instant.
It took more than 8 hours, but after much effort, Grey and Yuna were able to reach the 6th floor safely. It was a record only a select few could achieve and could be boasted throughout the world.
Groooowwllllll
"Grey... Let's have lunch, first. I'm starving..." ［Yuna］
Yuna asked adorably as she rested on the corner of the stairway just at the entrance of the 6th floor. Her face and ears were slightly flushed from the growling of her stomach being heard.
Due to being caught up in exploring the labyrinth, Grey had totally forgotten that they have still yet had to have their lunch. It was already late in the afternoon so it was only understandable for Yuna to be hungry.
Though Grey felt sorry for Yuna not being able to eat lunch, he was also a little happy to see Yuna's adorable expression. It was so destructive that he thought for a moment that his heart might explode.
"Ah, sorry. I didn't notice." ［Grey］
When Grey said those words, he was wearing such a bright smile on his face that Yuna thought he was teasing her once again. She tried to show her dissatisfaction by pouting, but it only made Grey's heart beat faster. It was too adorable for him.
"Mou～ Grey! You're teasing me again, aren't you!?" ［Yuna］
"No, I'm not. It's just that you look so cute, I couldn't help but chuckle." ［Grey］
Well, Yuna also suffered from Grey's sudden remark. Her face became even redder than a ripe tomato as her brain tried to process Grey's compliment.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Grey on the other hand has yet to realize what he just said. He may be useless in trying to confess, but when it came to giving heart pounding compliments to Yuna, he could do it easily as long as he does it on impulse.
"So, Yuna, what do you want to eat?" ［Grey］
"U-Umm... Anything's fine..." ［Yuna］
Grey has already recovered from Yuna's destructive attack, but the same thing couldn't be said for Yuna. She was going to ask for a serving of curry and omelet, but due to being flustered, she ended up saying "anything".
Without wasting any time, Grey cooked a meal with the help of Yuna. He prepared fried rice with cheese and garlic along with orange juice as refreshment. Those served as both lunch and dinner for the two of them.
After having a hearty meal, Yuna and Grey continued their journey throughout the labyrinth, and just a few hundred meters from where we had lunch, Grey immediately detected something important.
"Looks like there's a treasure room up ahead." ［Grey］
"Oh, where?" ［Yuna］
Grey pointed to his right into a wall, a few dozen meters away. While it only looked like a plain stone wall, Grey was absolutely certain that behind it was a treasure room. A large one at that.
Without further ado, Grey let his mana flow into the walls, and when he did, a slow rumbling spread throughout the ground. Soon after. an entrance opened before them, and just a few meters ahead was the treasure room itself.
Although the room was quite large, there was only a single chest inside of it, located at the center in the far end of the room. No matter how one looks at it, it was clearly suspicious for a large room to only have a single chest inside of it.
"Waah～ Amazing... There really is a hidden room." ［Yuna］
Yuna who only saw such a magical contraption for the first time was fully engrossed by the hidden mechanisms in the labyrinth. Still, she did not let her curiosity get the better of her and stayed on guard.
《Appraisal》 ［Grey］
-----------------------------------
【Labyrinth】
【Name】Labyrinth of Death
【Structure】Treasure room
【Type】Trap
【Description】
A large room filled with a single-activation trap. Upon detection of an intruder, the entrance will be closed and blades of mana will come flying from all directions, cutting down anyone below C-rank instantly.
-----------------------------------
Shivers ran down Grey's spine as he read the room's description. Even if it was plain obvious, the manner in which the trap activates was still a nasty one. Anyone unlucky to get caught in it will surely die.
Thankfully, it was located on the 6th floor where only C-rankers and above could reach. Well, considering the amount of C-rank monsters in the floor, only those of B-rank and above will probably be brave enough to dive so deeply.
"Is it safe, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"No, far from that. Anyone below B-rank would suffer from this." ［Grey］
"Hmm... Should we leave it be, then?" ［Yuna］
"Nah. There's no need for that. We could just use 'that' method." ［Grey］
"Oh～" ［Yuna］
Grey didn't even need to mention any more than that. Yuna quickly understood what he meant as it was a method they utilized in the forest every time they needed to explore an unknown territory.
《Summon: Goblin》 ［Grey］
Upon Grey's command, mana quickly gathered and soon after, took the shape of a small humanoid creature. It was a goblin which looked like any other goblin. The only difference was that it was a summon which obeys the summoner's will.
After receiving Grey's instruction, the goblin immediately started walking towards the chest. At first, nothing much happened, but when the goblin arrived at the centerline, a violent barrage of blades rained down upon it. After which, the goblin was nowhere to be found. It has vanished back into pure mana.
Grey felt a little pity for the goblin seeing its cruel fate. Thankfully, they were just mobile masses of mana and not really living things. Otherwise, his conscience would be haunted for days because of what he just did.
"It should be safe now." ［Grey］
Having made sure that the room was safe, Grey and Yuna entered the room, and Grey opened up the treasure chest. The contents were much better than Grey had anticipated
"What's inside?" ［Yuna］
"It's a 'Scythe of Darkness' , a vial of 'High-Grade Healing Potion' , and 4 platinum coins." ［Grey］
While there were only a few items, all in all, they would achieve a total of more than a million kiels. It was roughly equal to performing about 3 B-rank quests. It was a very hefty reward considering how easy Grey and Yuna bypassed it.
"Let me see the potion." ［Yuna］
"Sure." ［Grey］
Being an alchemist, what Yuna became interested the most was the potion. The moment she got her hands on it, she quickly examined it. After all, it was her first time seeing a potion not made by people.
After a rough examination, Yuna concluded that it was just as effective as the ones she makes. It was a high-tier high-grade potion to be exact. As she was a tier 6 Alchemist, she could even make a peak-tier high-grade potion.
Seeing Yuna like that, it made Grey wonder how she will react if she knows Grey has 20 Divine-grade potions and the like in his "Inventory". Yuna only knew that he had some high quality stuff but didn't know the exact grading. She doesn't even know she is using Divine-grade equipment.
"How is it?" ［Grey］
"It's... normal, I guess? But rather than that, do you know how the labyrinth makes this potion, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"From what I know...." ［Grey］
Answering the enthusiastic Yuna, Grey did his best to explain how the labyrinth creates physical objects using mana alone. While they chatted, Grey also stored the items they got into his "Inventory".
The two then continued their way throughout the labyrinth, and while doing so, they encountered some C-rank monsters which they were able to crush easily. And a few moments later....
"Oh, looks like there's another one." ［Grey］
"A treasure room?!" ［Yuna］
... Grey once again detected a treasure room. It was just located a few hundred meters from the previous one.
This time, it was Yuna who unlocked the treasure room, imitating Grey's previous actions. When the room opened, what greeted them were about a dozen monsters fully plated in metal. They were the dullahans Grey and Yuna were very familiar with.
"Twin Spiー" ［Grey］
"Wait, Grey!" ［Yuna］
Grey was about to wipe out the dullahans in one fell swoop, when suddenly, Yuna stopped him from doing so, making him cancel his spell in the process.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" ［Grey］
"No, nothing. I just want to take them down without using magic!" ［Yuna］
"Huh? Why so sudden?" ［Grey］
"I want to see how much I've grown ever since. So this time, I want to take them down without using magic!" ［Yuna］
Yuna declared energetically with her eyes shining with excitement. There was only a trace of purity and innocence inside her eyes. She was shining so brightly that Grey might go blind from looking at her.
Hearing her words, Grey reflected for a little bit. And his conclusion was the same as Yuna's. And even though Dullahans are D-rank monsters, being dark-attribute boosts them to be comparable to C-rank.
"Alright, then let's have a match to see who got the most dullahans." ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
"Then, in one, two, three... start!" ［Grey］
With Grey's signal, Yuna and Grey started their little friendly competition. Grey dashed towards a group of dullahans and delivered a punch unto each of them. Yuna also did the same and diced up the ones that charged towards her.
In just about 10 seconds, the number of dullahans dwindled to one, and by coincidence, Yuna and Grey were in a tie, left with taking down the last dullahan being the only way to win.
Clankkk
Within the last moments, Grey's fist connected to the Dullahan's chest while Yuna threw her dagger, striking the head accurately. It caused the Dullahan to fall to the ground with a loud thud.
"Looks like it's a tie..." ［Grey］
"Uuuu... I almost had it." ［Yuna］
"Well, we can do nothing about it. Yuna, how about you open the treasure chest this time." ［Grey］
"Really?!" ［Yuna］
Seeing Yuna down, Grey then suggested to her that she open the treasure chest, which she gladly did so with a bright smile on her face, clearly excited to open a treasure chest for the first time.
Without wasting any time, Yuna skipped happily towards the treasure chest, and with a small creak resounding throughout the room, the treasure chest opened, revealing its wonderful content.
"Waah～ more treasures..." ［Yuna］
Although Yuna was a little disappointed that there were no potions that time, she was still amazed by the contents of the treasure. Especially when one of the items could be used for alchemy.
With the treasure chest opened, Grey approached Yuna and identified what the contents were. There were 4 vials of "Vampire Lord's Blood", a "Sword of Regret", and 5 more platinum coins. It was even more rewarding than the first treasure chest they opened.
"Grey, the 'Vampire Lord's Blood', I want it! All of it!" ［Yuna］
Yuna requested cheerfully as she thinks of all the things she could concoct with the use of that ingredient. She might even be able to reach Tier 7 with enough practice with it.
"Alight, alright, you can have it. But I'll be holding onto it for now. I'll hand it to you when we're out of the labyrinth." ［Grey］
"Yaay～! Thank you, Grey! You're the best!" ［Yuna］
Driven by the momentum, Yuna suddenly hugged Grey without much thought, making the receiver of her embrace blush profusely. It was so sudden that Grey's brain overheated for a moment.
What's even worse was that Yuna's head was on Grey's chest when she hugged him. Because of it, Yuna could hear the sudden racing of Grey's heart, not missing a single beat of it.
"Hm? Grey, your heartー" ［Yuna］
As Yuna looked up to Grey's face, all she could see was a flushed expression which was redder than anything she had seen. It took her a few seconds to process things, but the moment she realized what she was doing...
"A-Ah! S-Sorry, I-I didn't mean to do that!" ［Yuna］
... she immediately backed off quite the distance. Her face equalled Grey's in terms of redness. Even her ears were red from being flustered.
But seeing Grey's reaction, Yuna couldn't help but feel a little bit hopeful. She didn't want to get ahead of herself but she hoped deep inside her heart that Grey was blushing for the same reason as hers.
Grey swiftly turned around to hide his flustered face, but it was already far too late. Yuna had seen all of it. In actuality, it was Grey who was missing out on Yuna's very red face.
"Uh... Umm... I don't really mind it. So.., Uh... Why don't we continue with the labyrinth?" ［Grey］
"U-Un! Let's." ［Yuna］
Trying to shift the topic, Grey suggested that they head deeper into the labyrinth which Yuna agreed to without much thought.
During the whole day, Grey and Yuna opened up every treasure room they found, but only tried half of them. They made sure that there were still rooms left for others who might want to try their luck. They also made sure to only try the more dangerous ones to lessen the amount of casualties even a little.
Even with that all said and done, the two of them were still able to conquer more than two dozen treasure rooms, and it goes without saying that they acquired tens of millions of kiels worth of treasures.
By the time they reached the 7th floor it was already about deep in the night. They decided to end it there for the day and headed to dreamland.
When the two of them awoke, they immediately walked down the stairs to the 7th floor after preparing themselves. The reception they received upon descending down a floor was quite the loud one.
Kruwaaaakkkkk
Ghieeeekkkkk
Groaaaarrrr
Orc Kings, Ogre Generals, Greater Golems, and Minotaur Commanders. They were all B-rank monsters, monsters who can easily tear apart large buildings as if they were only tearing paper, and all of them are roaming around in the labyrinth aimlessly.
It was yet another eventful day for the both of them.
CHAPTER 59 END