130 - Eighth Floor Boss
The eighth underground floor.
Moving through the labyrinth, which looked like a waterway, we proceeded while riding in a boat-shaped mini-porter.
Water-wheels like paddles on both sides of the boat rotated, moving us forward at a reasonable speed.
We were moving, but a problem arose here.
"Collecting treasure chests is a pain."
Taking off my waist-length raincoat, leaving me in what was practically just underwear, I stepped out of the boat with a knife in one hand and entered the water.
Immersed up to my chest, I headed toward a protruding part that was glowing underwater.
Using the knife, I struck the treasure chest submerged in the water. I crushed the rock, took the treasure, and once again—
"How many of these are there now?"
A yellow-green gemstone, a peridot.
When gemstones appear consecutively like this, I start to feel convinced that there must be some meaning to it.
Or, this labyrinth is a special one that continues to produce magic-infused gemstones with a truly high probability.
After recovering the gemstone and returning to the boat, Aria reached out her hand. With her help, I climbed back into the boat, took a towel, and wiped my body.
When I handed the gemstone to Miranda, she tossed it into a leather pouch, separated into small sections.
"That's the seventh one. When it gets to this point, the sense of gratitude fades, doesn't it? But the profit for this labyrinth conquest is guaranteed."
Consumables, rewards for members, and necessary expenses... Considering those expenditures and the profits obtainable from the labyrinth, we couldn't afford to be in the red.
Because there's no point in spending lavishly when you want money.
Monica looked frustrated at the back of the boat.
"If I were in the center, taking care of the Chicken Bastard would have been mine alone."
Novem looked at Monica with a slightly awkward smile. However, I saw that he glanced at the gemstones Miranda held several times.
Aria said,
"If we collect two more, we can divide them cleanly among the nine of us. It'll be a decent amount."
At that, Miranda looked exasperated.
"Aria, you haven't forgotten the purpose of this party, have you? If we just distribute the earnings cleanly, we'll never achieve our goal."
Hearing that, Aria tried to argue... but stopped. It was absolutely impossible for Aria to win an argument against Miranda.
Since I was basically the one entering the water, I draped a blanket over myself to endure the cold. We continued through the labyrinth, but as expected, securing a means of transportation had been important.
From within the Jewel Orb, the voice of The Sixth Generation sounded.
'A shame. If there were many other adventurer parties here, we could have earned a fair amount with Number Three.'
Like Alamsars, it would have been possible to make money through the business of transporting adventurers and luggage. However, it was difficult this time.
Not impossible, but from the sixth underground floor, only parties that the guild had officially commissioned could challenge it.
The numbers were too small. If that was the case, it was easier to just defeat the monsters ourselves.
Additionally.
"Now, it looks like the destination is in sight."
I muttered while looking deep into the passage, where there was an entrance of a different size than the side holes we had seen until now.
Novem asked,
"Lyell-sama, shall we challenge it immediately?"
I shook my head.
"No, let's rest for a bit. Also, something is approaching from behind, so we have to take care of that first."
As Aria and Miranda took up their spears, Monica pulled a mace from her skirt.
Novem, the mage, ended up as the vanguard, but there was no time to turn the boat around.
Sahagins and Frogmen—they were troublesome fellows underwater.
However—
"I'll strike first. Ice Arrow!"
Novem, who created dozens of ice arrows, fired them toward the monsters approaching by creating waves.
The ice arrows assaulted the monsters, and those that endured and leaped forward were two Sahagins.
The remaining Sahagins and Frogmen were floating on the surface. On the water's surface, ice had formed where the ice arrows had passed.
The bodies of the floating monsters were also frozen where the ice arrows had pierced them.
The two that leaped forward were blown away by Monica with an oar and slammed into the wall. I brought the boat close to the wall, and Miranda and Monica finished the two off.
While watching the battle, I looked at Novem's staff.
From within the Jewel Orb, the voice of The Fifth Generation sounded.
'That is definitely a Magic Tool. Either the power of the magic has increased, or the speed is greater than before. It also looks like he's suppressing the power...'
The Seventh Generation added,
'Among the Magic Tools held by the Foxuz family, there was a staff. It might be that.'
The Fifth Generation groaned.
'There certainly was. But the shape is different.'
When I first saw it, it also looked like the staff that was a Foxuz family heirloom. The shape was slightly different, but I had seen it hanging on the wall when I visited the Foxuz house.
(Novem said he bought it, but is it just a regular Magic Tool?)
There was the possibility that it was just a Magic Tool, but it seemed that those from The Fifth Generation onwards believed Novem was hiding something.
The Third Generation and The Fourth Generation were in a posture of not wanting to be too suspicious.
As Miranda and Aria began collecting magic stones, I looked around.
"After the break, let's go to the boss room. If it doesn't work, we'll just turn back. I hope we can run away, though."
While joking, once the collection of magic stones was finished, I moved the boat to a nearby room.
After finishing our break and confirming our equipment, we packed the collected magic stones and gemstones into the mini-porter and placed it inside the box.
Just the boat.
Then, in the boat from which unnecessary luggage had been removed, we headed toward the boss room.
Having taken a break, I confirmed that my magic power had recovered to a certain extent.
I wanted to defeat the boss, check the ninth underground floor quickly, and return to the surface. We were living on the boat, but to be honest, I wanted a reprieve from the friction and the awkward silences.
(With this group, I will never challenge a labyrinth again.)
I decided that in my heart.
As I moved the boat toward the room where the boss was, the atmosphere among the members changed. A prickly tension existed the moment we passed through the entrance of the room.
Deep in the room.
Looking at the entrance to the ninth underground floor, it was land.
"I guess the waterway ends here? Well, that's better."
Sitting on that land was a large monster.
With the light of the lantern attached to the boat, only a shadow was visible.
It looked like it walked on four legs. And the head felt elongated. The tail was also long, with something like a fin at the tip.
During the break, I had been reading the book I received from Clara, but there were several candidates for the opponent's appearance, so I couldn't identify it.
"I should have made it brighter."
While complaining, I drew my saber, and everyone readied their weapons. Since I also needed to operate the boat, I wanted to refrain from using magic as much as possible.
I used my skills.
[Full Over] [Select] [Up-Down] [Dimension] [Spec]
When I acquired the opponent's information, I felt a bit discouraged.
The water depth was greater than before. It was at least four meters.
"Be careful, because if you fall in, your feet won't touch the bottom. Also, the opponent seems to be the type that electricity doesn't work on. Moreover, it's the type that uses electricity."
If it's in a body of water, couldn't it be easily defeated with lightning-type magic? I had made such a simple judgment, but of all things, a boss that was immune to it appeared.
Miranda made a light comment.
"It's over if we're grabbed underwater. What's the plan?"
I pointed to the land in the back.
The boss was attempting to come toward us, sinking its massive body into the water's surface.
"First, let's move over there. It would be great if we could hit it while it's climbing up... Look, it's already here!"
Rotating the water-wheels on both sides to immediately leave the spot, the boss, which emerged from the water's surface, leaped forward just as it was.
As the boat evaded, the opponent's appearance became visible as it drew closer.
Monica said,
"A catfish that walks on four legs? Honestly, this world really never gets boring. With that size, I want to use a large hammer, so could you move to the land quickly, Chicken Bastard?"
To Monica, who looked back at me, I sheathed my saber and shaped the Jewel Orb into a bow and arrow to counterattack.
Because I was also operating the boat at the same time, the power of the bow inevitably dropped.
"Don't ask for the impossible. This is my full power."
I felt that it might not be impossible for me to defeat it alone. However, if I did, the members I brought along wouldn't grow.
As I changed the direction the boat was moving, Aria lost her balance and fell on her backside.
"Hey! Don't suddenly make weird movements!"
Then, the boss leaped out in a way that was almost like a headbutt toward the place where we had just been. I fired an arrow of light, which pierced and caused an explosion.
It caused one, but—
"This guy."
Novem readied his staff. Pointing the tip toward the boss, he immediately—
"Magic Shield!"
A translucent wall emitting a faint light appeared, enveloping the boat as if to protect us.
While the boss was emerged on the water's surface, it discharged electricity from its body, and the surroundings were violently enveloped in light.
Miranda took out a knife and readied it, and the moment the discharge ended and Novem released the Magic Shield, she threw it at the boss.
However, it did not pierce the body, and the knife changed direction as if sliding. Part of it was because the surface was slimy, but more than anything, it was the opponent's body.
The skin was thick, and perhaps because there was a lot of fat, the attack didn't penetrate much.
I hurriedly steered the boat toward the land, but the other side was faster in speed.
As it extended an arm from the water's surface to swing down on the boat, Aria knocked the boss's arm away with her spear.
However, at the same time, the boss's body fluids rained down on us.
Sticky, and slimy... it was the worst feeling.
Miranda took a tool out of the pouch hanging from her waist. It was a small barrel, which also looked like a vessel used for pouring liquor in a tavern.
"Hey, that..."
"No problem. I wonder where it'll come out from next?"
I used my skill and pointed to the place where the boss would leap out.
While changing the boat's direction to evade and pointing in that direction, Miranda threw the small barrel and used magic.
As the boss leaped from the water's surface.
"Blow away. Fire Bullet!"
A fireball was shot from the tip of Miranda's right hand, hitting the barrel directly. Simultaneously, an explosion occurred, and as the boss moved its body violently, the water's surface and the boat shook intensely.
Monica said,
"Quite another flashy hidden card. Is it a bomb? To have no fuse and explode it with magic..."
Miranda waved her hand lightly.
"It's all about how you use tools, isn't it? Besides, that was the last one, so don't expect anything next time. Those are quite expensive."
It seemed to be filled with gunpowder, but Miranda probably couldn't gather that many on her own.
Aria asked,
"How could you carry that? Doesn't it explode?"
Miranda explained to Aria.
"There are no monsters that use fire here. Well, there was a possibility it would get wet and become unusable, but in the end, it was fine, so isn't that okay?"
If she was carrying something dangerous, I wanted her to declare it. It seemed Novem felt the same.
"Miranda-san, if you have such a thing, you must properly inform Lyell-sama."
At that, Miranda twisted her lips.
"True. But don't you think it would be better to properly inform him about that staff as well?"
Monica clapped her hands twice, and then shouted loudly.
"You lot, stop fighting in a place like this and listen to the Chicken Bastard's instructions! Now, Chicken Bastard, hurry up and give the orders."
I looked ahead, seeing the land approaching.
"Everyone, grab onto something. Also, shut your mouths. We're going ashore."
As I said that, I grabbed the boat's railing and crouched. When everyone similarly grabbed onto something and crouched, the tip of the boat ran up onto the land at the back of the room.
I almost fell from the boat due to the impact, but I used the legs attached to the boat to let us go onto the land.
Descending to the ground, I looked around.
Perhaps because we hadn't defeated the boss, the entrance to the ninth underground floor was firmly closed.
As everyone jumped off the boat, they watched the enemy moving around in the water with weapons in hand.
Monica placed the oar she was holding inside the boat, pulled an oversized hammer from her skirt, and readied it with both hands.
"It's been since Alamsars! I'm going to beat this thing to a pulp!"
Looking at the happy Monica, I returned the bow to the Jewel Orb and hung it around my neck. The consumption of magic power was more than I expected, and I didn't want to use too much here.
And, I wanted to try leaving it to my companions.
Voices came from the Jewel Orb as well.
The Third Generation said nonchalantly,
'I've never fought this kind of monster. Even the monsters in the lake weren't this big.'
The Fourth Generation said,
'Sigh, it looks like a pain, but I wonder what can be stripped from it... I just pray it sells for a high price.'
Even The Fifth Generation said,
'When it's this big, you can't call it cute. It seems a large lake would be necessary to keep it as a pet.'
The Sixth Generation said with exasperation,
'Eh~, you intend to keep this? I've thought this for a while, but your taste is terrible.'
The Seventh Generation said,
'There are quite a few cases where the grotesque ones are more expensive. Or rather, since they are monsters that exist on the surface, I've fought them to some extent... Hmm, it's true that I haven't fought this kind of monster very often.'
As usual, they seemed composed. Since I was the one fighting, they were probably composed because of that.
I didn't have much of that.
As I drew my saber again, the boss, enraged by Miranda's previous attack, came toward us.
Novem was preparing magic. Aria said,
"Didn't it get angry at Miranda's attack? It's making a weirder sound than before."
The boss poked its face out of the water's surface, emitting crackling electricity. Calling it a roar was a bit strange, but it was making some kind of sound.
A cry, like that of a cow.
However, it echoed in the room and was very noisy.
Miranda said, as if joking,
"Then that's fine. It's important to make them angry to create an opening. However, as for me, I don't have any more attack methods that would be a deciding blow."
Miranda was also starting to prepare magic. Aria stepped forward, thrust her spear into the ground, and used magic.
"Then, I'll endure this part."
Aria also prepared a Magic Shield. Though not as much as Novem, she still stood in front of the party and blocked the boss's lightning strikes.
I also prepared magic.
"Aria, once you've blocked it, retreat immediately."
When the lightning strike subsided, I, Novem, and Miranda used magic.
"Stone Needle!"
"Ice Needle!"
"Fire Wave!"
Several rock spikes emerged from the water, and immediately after, pillars of ice assaulted the boss, aiming for the gaps between the rocks.
Pierced by the ice pillars, a wave of fire rushed in while the boss was unable to move.
Seeing that sight, Monica put away her hammer with a bored look.
"What's with the magic! Even I, if I had options, could easily do that... Yes, if only I had options."
Looking at the frustrated Monica, I gave a wry smile.
(However, magic power was tight this time. If only I had a little more leeway... Ah, what?)
The rocks crumbled, the ice pillars melted, and while the fire was still burning the boss's body on the water's surface, I fell to my knees.
Sudden physical fatigue, and pain... it had come.
"Lyell-sama!"
Novem rushed over, but in the next moment.
"Chicken Bastard!"
The one who stepped forward to protect me from the room's wall was Monica. When I looked back to see what had happened, countless hands were stretching out from the wall. Moreover, they were hands so large that I could fit in the palm.
Furthermore, those hands gave the impression of being female.