kscans

Chapter 132 - A Labyrinth Unknown

The floor and walls looked like they were made of uneven stones forcibly pressed together. The ceiling was quite high, so high that my handheld light couldn't even reach it. I had a gut feeling it was over twenty meters up.

The passage was also wide, about ten meters across. It was a large-scale dungeon, even compared to the ones I'd seen before.

I could feel an unusually dense mana emanating from the stones that formed the floor and walls. It was a sense of mystique that even a non-Awakened person could probably perceive, and a somewhat solemn atmosphere hung in the air.

But this was, without a doubt, a deathtrap.

There was no information on it, as the Self-Defense Force hadn't explored it. But I could tell just from the cold wind tickling my skin that this place was in a league of its own compared to any dungeon I'd visited before.

"Tch, Kyouta-kun. Take this."

Aira-san, having deployed her `Arcane Gear` that resembled a black-and-white version of Sherlock Holmes's attire, took out an earring from her pocket.

I thanked her curtly, took it, and put it on my right ear while maintaining the flame in my left hand.

"I'll act as the relay. You should be able to hear them normally."

'Hello, Kyouta-chan? Are you with Paisen right now?'

"Yes. What's your situation?"

'There are four of us. Senpai, Shī-chan, and Ā-chan. We're all okay for now.'

I let out a silent sigh of relief at Erina-san's calm voice.

"I saw it on the Dungeon Agency website before. If you come into contact with a gate while inside a large vehicle, only the Awakened Persons on board will be pulled into the dungeon. I suspect that's what happened to us."

"You mean there was a gate on the ocean?"

'Hmm, I don't think that matters right now. Let's focus on how to get out.'

"Right... wait. What about the Professor?"

"If my guess is correct, she's alone. I'm sure she can handle herself, but I'd like to meet up with her if possible... Dammit! That Baba-sama, she left the telepathy mirror back in the room!"

Aira-san clicked her tongue as she looked at her hand mirror.

It seemed we couldn't contact the Professor. Whether we could rendezvous with her or not was completely up to luck.

"It can't be helped. Just like in an earthquake or tsunami, we'll have to act independently for now. We'll regroup if we can, but each team should focus on its own escape."

"Roger."

'Okay.'

"Oh, and Erina-san. Do you have `Byakuren` in your `Item Box`?"

'Yep. I was holding onto it before the trip, and it's still there.'

Like the ring, I had her hold onto it just in case... Another precaution I wished had been unnecessary.

But for now, I'd count it as a stroke of luck.

"You can use it until it breaks, so go ahead and activate it. The weapon case lock is '0987'."

'Kyouta-chan... I think you need to be more security-conscious.'

"I'll change it to a proper number when we get back."

I replied with a wry smile and looked around.

...Frankly, the difficulty of escaping was much higher for us.

Their group had four adventurers, even if their ranks were varied. In contrast, there were only two of us, and one was a non-combatant.

To be honest, I was so scared and tense that I felt like I could throw up the contents of my stomach at any moment. The only reason I wasn't curled up in a ball was the premonition that doing so would mean death.

There was also a bit of pride involved. I didn't want Aira-san to see me fall apart.

"Very well. The situation is dire, but there is hope. Let's start moving, each of us leaving some kind of mark on the walls as we go."

"Roger."

'Understood.'

I took my finger off the earring and drew my sword with one hand. Then, I briefly extinguished the flame and gripped the hilt with both hands before re-igniting the blade.

It would serve as a torch. It was a bit cumbersome as a light source, but it was better than having one hand constantly occupied.

"I'll take the lead. Aira-san, please stay behind me."

"Understood. I'll leave the detailed decisions to you. As you know, I'm an amateur. I do have a weapon, though..."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes at what Aira-san held up.

A gleaming black, iron tube. It was something I'd grown used to seeing from my visits to the store, though this was a different type.

"Is that... a handgun?"

"It is. Of course, it's not factory-made. It's my `Arcane Gear`."

Generally, `Arcane Gear` tended to look like something out of a medieval fantasy.

But of course, there were exceptions, and firearms did exist in the actual middle ages.

'Gun-type Arcane Gear' was said to be possessed by only a handful of Awakened Persons—one in a hundred, or perhaps one in a thousand.

I'd had a suspicion given her 19th-century attire, but I never thought Aira-san would be one of them.

She shrugged, a revolver-type handgun in her hand.

"Don't get your hopes up. I've never properly fired a gun in my life. My grandfather taught me once in Hawaii a long time ago, but I gave up on it pretty quickly. I'm no famous detective."

"Understood. In that case, please keep it as a last resort. Don't even cock the hammer unless we're at point-blank range."

"Got it. The last thing I want is to die from my own ricocheting bullet."

Returning the handgun to the holster on her hip, Aira-san glanced at the birdcage she was carrying in her left hand.

"You can entrust Sana-kun to me. I will protect her as my second highest priority, after my own life."

"...Please do."

"My, what a long pause. You don't seem to have much faith in me. Of course, your life is important too."

"I trust you on that."

What I didn't trust was something else. That this woman would prioritize Sana or me over her own safety.

But arguing about it now wouldn't help. First, we had to explore.

I approached the left wall and lightly scratched it with the tip of my sword. The flame left a slight scorch mark on the gray stone.

"Please stay as close to the wall as possible. If a monster appears, keep low."

"Duly noted."

"Alright, let's go."

Clack, clack. My boots echoed on the stone passageway.

Without a map, we had no idea where to go. I took another step, appreciating just how much we relied on the Self-Defense Force's preliminary scouting.

And so we walked. It was at the first crossroads, just as we turned left...

—CLOMP, CLOMP...!

I heard the sound of heavy, stomping footsteps.

I stopped, took my right hand off the hilt, and gestured for Aira-san to halt.

Swallowing hard, I took a few steps forward. I wondered what kind of monster we would find here.

As a nervous sweat trickled down my chin, the flame on my blade illuminated the enemy's form in the darkness.

It was a 'minotaur' covered in seaweed.

It stood around two meters tall. Its skeleton was human-like, and so was its musculature.

But unlike a human, its skin was covered in long, green seaweed. Its feet were hooves, and its head was that of a bull.

It had no eyes; its eye sockets and nostrils were empty voids.

In its hands, it held a crude axe, the blade gleaming dully.

'Vuh.'

Its jaw, covered in hair-like seaweed, opened wide.

From its mouth, which, like its eyes and nose, revealed only an empty cavity, an unnatural roar erupted.

'VAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!'

It was unmistakably the roar of a beast. The green minotaur closed the distance with a speed that belied its massive frame and swung its two-handed axe high.

I instinctively raised my one-and-a-half-handed sword to meet the blow head-on.

"Erina-san! We've engaged the enemy!"

Amidst the impact and the deafening roar, I barked the message to my partner through the earring.

It's heavy. Sparks flew as the blades clashed, and the stone floor beneath my feet cracked slightly. Stone this infused with mana, yet it cracked so easily. That's how destructive this thing's power was.

But I could push it back.

"Ooooh!"

I knocked the axe upward and, without a moment's hesitation, swung horizontally at its torso. The blade sank into the seaweed fur—and white steam erupted like a spray of blood.

What? Did the flame on my blade vaporize the moisture in the seaweed? Even so, this is strange. This steam has a faint trace of mana...?

Questions arose, but the enemy hadn't stopped moving.

Beneath the seaweed that grew like fur was a body made of wood. The seaweed on its gashed stomach carbonized and turned black.

'Voh!'

Letting out an angry cry, the monster immediately swung its axe again. As the horizontal slash came at me, I ducked under it, closing the distance, and let it pass over my head.

Carrying the momentum, I brought my sword down in a diagonal slash. This time, it was a full-power strike, accelerated by wind and flame.

For a split second, I saw the seaweed on its body stretch out, trying to entangle the approaching blade.

But it didn't matter. I'll burn it to ashes! I tore through the seaweed trying to wrap around my blade and drove it into the monster's shoulder. Then, I put all my strength into swinging through.

With the satisfying sound of splintering wood, steam danced with the flames.

'Go... buo...!'

Scattering wood chips, the monster fell backward with a loud crash. The axe slipped from its hand, and its limbs were thrown out lifelessly.

And then, as I remained on guard, it turned to salt.

"Fuuu..."

'Kyouta-chan, are you okay? Are you hurt?'

"I'm fine, at least. Aira-san is... she seems fine too."

When I illuminated her with the flame, she gave me a thumbs-up. I nodded back and returned my focus to the earring.

"The enemy was a muscular minotaur, over two meters tall. Its wooden body was covered in seaweed-like fur, and the inside was hollow. It was swinging an axe, so it must have some level of intelligence."

'Got it. We haven't made contact yet, but we'll be careful.'

"Kyouta-kun. From your perspective, what was that monster's rank?"

"Well, let's see..."

I didn't want to admit it, but telling a comforting lie here would do no good.

My face contorting as if I'd bitten into something bitter, I stated my unvarnished assessment.

"Probably 'B-Rank.' On par with the Cuelebre."

'...Understood. Thanks, Kyouta-chan.'

"Please, be careful."

'You too. Take care of Paisen.'

"Roger."

'C' is the highest rank dungeon that regular adventurers are allowed to enter. Anything above that is handled exclusively by the Self-Defense Force.

Lairs of monsters that cannot be defeated without the full might of modern weaponry. That's what a 'B' rank or higher dungeon is.

We were now in the den of monsters that were a class above us.

"I have some information as well. I didn't have time to see its full stats, but that monster's skills were 'Water and Ice Magic' and 'Self-Regeneration'."

"It could use magic, too...?"

'Okay. Thanks, Paisen.'

"Hmph."

It had charged into close combat first, but I should probably assume it can fight at mid-range as well...

"In any case, let's follow the left wall."

"That's fine, but isn't it standard practice in a maze to keep your right hand on the wall? I suppose either left or right works, though."

"I just want to keep my left side covered by the wall. I can't say for sure that minotaur was right-handed, but at least my right arm will be free to move."

"I see."

We continued walking as we talked.

How many minutes had passed? It felt like only three, but it could have been ten.

This was my first time exploring a dungeon where the only light source was the flame on my sword. I had considered using my phone's flashlight, but I was pretty sure I'd left it on the desk in my room. Aira-san didn't have hers either.

My throat was dry from tension. Since she couldn't fight, I had to work harder than usual. Naturally, my grip on my sword tightened.

After rounding a corner, we were in a long, straight passage where only our footsteps echoed.

I was about to say something to break the tension when...

—CLUNK.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the floor tilted. The flat ground beneath my feet instantly became a steep slope.

"Whoa-oa-oa...!'"

Aira-san stumbled, flailing her arms. Just as she was about to fall flat on her face, I grabbed her shoulder to steady her and looked around.

"What in the world..."

Why did the floor suddenly tilt? What did it mean? I felt a momentary flow of mana, but it was too brief and too small.

I didn't think it was a large-scale spell, but to warp the floor like this should have required a much larger flow of mana.

...Could it be that this dungeon itself was 'designed this way from the start'?

If so...!

"A trap!"

A rumbling sound, like the earth itself was groaning, began to echo from ahead.

And then, the activated 'trap' was faintly illuminated by the flame.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

It was a classic trap, but one that was rarely ever used in practice.

A contraption that lacked cost-effectiveness and stability, designed more for impact.

But it was a trap that was overflowing with physical destructiveness—with impact.

"A giant boulder!?"

It was an enormous rock, rolling towards us.

I frantically scooped up Aira-san under my arm, turned around, and broke into a full sprint.

It's not just a rock! It's accelerating by releasing mana from its rear! It's a 'magic tool' itself!

Whoever designed this trap was probably an idiot!

"Oooogh!? Kyouta-guuun! All my body weight and the shock are going into my cute tummy-wummyyyy!"

"You'll bite your tongue, so be quiet!"

Aira-san's screams were coming from my side, but I had to ignore them for now! I could hear questions from the earring too, but I had no time to answer.

Calm down. At the end of this straight path is the corner we just turned—

"What!?"

It should have been there.

But now, there was only a dead end before me. I looked left and right, but there were no other passages. It was a cul-de-sac.

"No, we definitely turned a corner... tch!"

No time to think. The boulder was already right behind us.

I considered jumping over it and looked up, but the ceiling had lowered at some point. The light from my sword, which shouldn't have been able to reach it before, was now illuminating the stone ceiling.

And that wasn't all. The four corners of the passage were now filled in, creating a channel just big enough for the spherical rock to roll through. There was no gap for a person to squeeze through.

The shape of the passage itself is changing! There's no space to escape up or to the side...!

"Aira-san, stay in the corner as much as possible!"

"O-Okay... ugh."

I dropped Aira-san unceremoniously and gripped the blade of my sword with my gauntleted hand.

For a moment, I extinguished the flame on the blade and ignited the crossguard. Concentrating the power on one side, I increased the output.

If I can't escape it, I'll just have to smash it!

"Ooooooooohh!"

I took two, then three steps towards the approaching boulder, and on the fourth, I unleashed the wind and flame from the crossguard at maximum output.

A strike enhanced by a horizontal spin and centrifugal force. A deafening roar that felt like it might shake the entire labyrinth echoed, and my vision wavered.

—SCCCCRRRRR...!

"Th-This...!"

`Concept Interference`.

I tried to absorb the mana the boulder was emitting and punch it back. But while cracks spread across the entire spherical rock, I could only just barely hold it at bay.

However, if I could stop its rotation, that was good enough. If I hit it with another hammer blow, I should be able to knock it back.

—RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...!

If there hadn't been a second one.

"Tch...!"

Beyond the first boulder, which blocked my view, I could finally hear the sound from the other side.

Immediately after, an impact. An immense weight, transmitted through the rock I was touching, assaulted my arm.

The stone floor, which I had sunk my feet into up to my ankles, began to crack and splinter, and my feet threatened to slip out.

But more than that, my upper body was starting to be pushed back. I was spewing wind and flame like a jet engine, but the mana being released from the second boulder was still pushing me back. I couldn't even use Concept Interference, the first one was in the way...!

My gauntlet chipped, and cracks appeared on my sword. The blade dug into my palm, sending a sharp pain through me.

What do I do...!? What can I do...!?

'Kyouta-kun!'

Just then, Aira-san's voice echoed from the earring.

'Back and to your right! Run there with all you've got!'

"Tch... Roger!"

Had she found a way out? Or was there a space to hide?

Either way, right now, I had to trust her. I pulled my feet from the floor, kicked off the boulder, and used the recoil to turn my body around.

I started running with all my might—and where she had indicated, there was an open door.

"!?"

There was no such thing there before. My eyes widened in shock, but I leaped through it at full speed.

I dove in headfirst, rolling across the floor. An instant later, a tremendous shockwave washed over me from behind. Looking back, I saw stone fragments scattered everywhere, and a large crack had formed in the wall. The door that had been open seemed to have broken from the impact, its hinges torn off.

I let go of my sword, which was slick with my own blood, and created a fireball in my palm. In its light, I could see Aira-san sitting weakly on the floor, waving a hand at me.

"Hey there, Kyouta-kun. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes. Thank you. But where in the world is this..."

I looked around and saw a room about the size of a classroom.

Besides the wall the boulder had just crashed into, there were shelves of decaying wood lined up, on which sat old books, some kind of magic-infused roots, and crystals.

"Well, assuming this dungeon was once a place where someone worked, I figured there must be a way to deal with accidental trap activations. I used `Appraisal` on the walls one by one and found a strange spot. When I pushed it, the wall slid back and a door appeared, you see."

"I-I see."

Aira-san placed a hand on Sana's birdcage, which she had set beside her, and gave a dry laugh. It seemed it had been quite a gamble for her as well.

But it had saved us. When it came down to it, she was a reliable person.

'Kyouta-chan! Paisen! What's going on over there!? Are you okay!?'

"Ah, Erina-san."

I finally replied to the voice coming from the earring.

"Sorry. A giant boulder was rolling at us, so we were running away..."

'What, no way, I'm jealous.'

"I'm sentencing you to the Zaru Udon punishment."

'What's the Zaru Udon punishment!?'

Ignoring the self-proclaimed ninja's scream, I approached the broken door and ripped it completely from the wall.

I tore off a piece, set it on fire, and placed it on the stone floor. I wanted as many light sources as I could get.

"Erina-kun, I would love to regale you with a theatrical retelling of our movie-like experience, but for now, let me give you the short version."

'Right. Go ahead, Paisen.'

As Aira-san explained the situation, I took another look around the room.

The door behind me was blocked by the crumbled boulder, and I couldn't see any other exits. We could try to break through a wall, but I had no idea how thick it was. I also predicted it would be quite sturdy.

Most importantly, the sudden change in the passage worried me. If that happened while we were digging through a wall, we could be trapped.

"This dungeon... if a person made this, I'm sure they had a twisted sense of humor."

"I agree."

Aira-san and I muttered in unison and let out a heavy sigh at the same time.

Well now. What were we going to do from here? If this room served the purpose she predicted, there should be another exit, but... I could only pray it wasn't designed with the assumption that someone would come to rescue us.