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Chapter 166: Everyone’s growth and Unforeseen circumstances
Translator: Tseirp
I fought with various kinds of monsters, desperately struggled to the death to defeat them and my level and status rose.
I felt that I got a ton of progress but I still had a sense of unease within me.
It has been 15 days since the training where I had my eyes crushed and it has been 40 days since we came to this Labyrinth of Traps.
Even though I should be growing stronger, I could not dispel the feeling that I was regressing.
I felt like I could fight more skillfully and accurately in the past as my core balance had become worse and my range of motions had become more limited too, possibly due to it being an adverse effect of leveling up too quickly. Above all else, my sword play was a mess.
This symptom began to appear when my Magical Power and Presence Perception skills reached Level V without me noticing.
Since I would have troubled the fighters beside me if I was a vanguard, I was seriously glad that I am a Healer.
Whenever I have mock battles with Shisho, I always get disheartened with my weak techniques.
If I liken Shisho and myself to a high altitude mountain, I would be at the foot of the mountain while he’s at the peak.
I am climbing with the peak as my goal but even if I am chasing after Shisho’s back, Shisho is already at the mountain peak so I can’t even see him.
Everyone was telling me that I have become stronger but that was because my status and my sword technique, (magic) manipulation technique, and Taijutsu skill levels just rose as well so it’s not because of the training.
Well, this is also my fate due to my choice to be a Healer so even though it’s mortifying, I will just continue working hard.
For self-defence martial arts for the sake of survival, leaving Shisho and Lionel’s strength of another dimension aside, it should be achievable by investing time into it.
Although Shisho isn’t one of my followers, with everyone else around, most incidents would generally pass without any problems.
I feel that by creating an environment that is conducive to a peaceful life, forming a family, building a village or town that my followers and said family can live in with peace of mind and gradually developing the place, I will be able to stand proud that I did my best with my life including my previous life.
I was working hard for that sake.
Even if I clear through this Labyrinth of Traps and learn attack magic at the Independent Magic City Nelldal, I will not go near the Elimasia Empire and the Principality of Blange. The Rubruk Kingdom is currently at war with the Elimasia Empire so even if I intend to visit the kingdom, I’ll only do so after the war has settled down.
It might be a good idea to head to Rockford before returning to the Church and pass Dolan and the others the magic stones I obtained this round … all that comes after we clear this labyrinth though.
“All right.”
After consolidating everything in my mind, I hit my face to raise my spirit and got up to begin preparing breakfast.
Everyone woke up in order and after we finished our meal as usual, Shisho spoke up.
“We will clear this labyrinth today but everyone has become very much stronger. Have confidence in yourself. If Sen’oni’s words are true, you guys can probably easily win against the Church Headquarters’ Paladin squads. But, carelessness is prohibited. I might be contradicting myself but anything can happen during a battle. Even if an abnormal situation occurs, you will be fine as long as you handle it calmly. Trust your companions and let’s clear this labyrinth.”
“”””””Ha!””””””
Everyone’s senses were aligned and we achieved a satisfying start.
However, the labyrinth’s irregularity started immediately.
There were monsters in the labyrinth.
It might seem natural but why would they appear when they normally don’t? That question floated in my mind.
Even so, since we plan to clear the labyrinth, I only focused on the traps and advanced but I was bothered by one point.
“About the monsters that are appearing in this labyrinth, it’s a labyrinth with the Lightning Dragon so I thought that monsters with a lightning attribute or the opposing attribute would appear but it’s a chaotic mix without any set rules and I feel like the monsters aren’t that strong either.”
I couldn’t say that the monsters appearing were weak.
There were intimidating monsters like ogres and minotaurs that would normally be a threat but after fighting with a Chimera and Cyclops, these monsters no longer have that much impact, furthermore, they just charged at us without thinking and we just let them activate the traps themselves and self-destruct.
There was a wealth of variety like fire-breathing crocodile-like monsters and acid-spitting big frogs but they were sent flying by Shisho’s slashes so they didn’t touch me at all.
“That’s true. Moreover, it’s strange that they don’t drop magic stones. These monsters might actually be summoned monsters.”
“Summoned? This staggering amount?”
“Magic stones, blood and magical power are needed as compensation for summoning but it is possible to summon with only magic stones. Well, it would be completely impossible to control them so it can probably only be used to buy time.”
” … Is it that slave merchant? He seemed capable of summoning.”
“There’s no way to tell but I have no idea what’s this person’s intention for summoning these monsters.”
” … Is leveling his own level and the level of the monsters he uses unthinkable?”
“Only a person with a broken mind would make the monsters he summon fight among themselves. It’s even worse than playing with dolls.”
Shisho says that but the fact that they are being summoned means that there is the possibility that the person’s skill level is rising.
But, I suddenly thought of it. For a period of over a month, we spent our time at the 40th-floor boss room but the slave merchant did not pass through.
Taking that into consideration, he shouldn’t be able to survive that long assuming he doesn’t have a magic bag so it’s highly possible that he’s somewhere outside.
“It might be useless even if we think about it.”
“Yeah. After this ends, I’ll return to Meratoni and Luciel will learn magic right?”
“I’ll strive to give Shisho a shock.”
I said and laughed.
There were many heinous traps in the Labyrinth of Traps and there were many that were hard to disarm.
At those times, monsters would get caught in the traps before us so it felt to me that Great Luck-sensei was showing itself after a long time.
Then, we arrived in front of the 50th-floor boss room but the door was shut and I could not hear any sounds coming from inside.
“Do I open this door?”
Since it’s possible that it might become a Blue, Red and Yellow Dragon festival if either Shisho or Lionel open the final boss room.
Shisho felt that it would be interesting when I told him that but he reluctantly complied and gave up when everyone joined together against the idea.
After I applied 「Area Barrier」 on everyone and entered the boss room after opening the door, I saw a human figure standing there alone.
However, that presence was extraordinary and unlike before, I even felt a sense of fear.
The human figure was the slave merchant.
“Oh? The whimsical people who came to clear this labyrinth were you guys?”
“Slave merchant, did you clear this labyrinth on your own?”
“I have a name you know, Brad. I will summon a monster that I can call as my kin with this blood.”
It felt to me like the slave merchant named Brad was slightly tripping (neurotic) but he didn’t seem to have touched the labyrinth core.
But there was something I was uneasy about.
“What happened to the returning magic circle? Isn’t it strange that the magic circle hasn’t appeared considering that the boss was defeated!?”
“Since I’ve enslaved it, it doesn’t seem like it’s considered to have been defeated. Well then, we finally had the chance to meet but I will be shattering your dreams and use those sisters as material to slaughter the Principality of Blange.”
After Brad’s declaration, magic circles rose up from every magical point.
Isn’t enslaving the boss way too out of the norm?
The instant I tsukkomi-ed in my heart, a high-speed slash was sent flying towards Brad.
Brad caught sight of it all and the slash did not reach him but the enormous ogre that appeared from the magic circle a step ahead of Brad was sliced apart.
However, the mental damage inflicted on Brad was huge.
“Mo, monster! Your level at that time was abnormally high but you shouldn’t be this strong!!”
Without giving him a reply, Shisho, Cathy and Kefin paired, as well as Estia and Nadia paired crushed the monsters appearing from the magic circles one after the other, Lionel protected me and Lydia with his large shield as he sent balls of flame and slashes flying while Lydia attacked with Spirit Magic.
I precisely cast heal while giving support by casting spells depending on the combat situation, 「Aura Coat」 when they fought against monsters that leaked miasma or 「Recover」 when against monsters that seem to have poison and paralysis.
“Im, impossible, how did your levels rise so suddenly. Exactly what kind of cheat did you use. Shit, damn it, you piles of shit!!”
Looking as if he could not believe the monsters he held confidence in disappear one after the other, Brad retreated backward.
Then, he lost his temper when it didn’t go as he desired.
He took out and scattered a large amount of magic stones on the floor, cut his palm with a sword to drip blood onto the magic stones and began constructing a huge magic circle.
Similarly, I intended to crush the magic circle with 「Sanctuary Circle」 but Lionel motioned me to wait.
“Luciel-sama, the return magic circle has not appeared yet so the one that will emerge now will probably be the original boss. If that’s the case, let’s slice them up including that summoner there once the summoning is complete.”
I listened to Lionel and looked at Shisho before agreeing with his judgment.
“All right. Hold fast.”
“Yes!”
The moment the magic circle’s construction was complete, all the other monsters disappeared.
Then, from the huge magic circle that gathered everyone’s gaze, a Chimera appeared.
Brad’s complexion was extremely bad as if he was on the verge of magical power depletion but he laughed at us who did not react to the Chimera.
“Hahaha. How’s this!! This Chimera is my greatest trump card. Since you’ve all been seen by it, become its food and die!!”
Immediately after Brad triumphantly declared his win, the Chimera targeted Estia and Nadia and jumped towards them.
The lion face suffered in pain when the black light cast by Estia’s sword swing hit it while Nadia braced herself with her shield and thrust forward with her sword to cut its feet.
The Chimera also didn’t intend to allow her to easily approach it as the mountain goat shot an electric shock towards Nadia.
Nadia firmly blocked that with the dragon shield and succeeded in cutting its front foot.
But the Chimera did not overlook that moment of opportunity.
The poisonous snake tail pounced on Nadia as her posture was broken from attacking.
At that time, Cathy and Kefin appeared.
Cathy ran at a speed that would beat Shisho in a straight line and whacked the snake’s head with all her strength using the flat of her sword and Kefin cut off the defenseless freefalling snake.
The lion with its face covered in darkness tried to release a flame breath but Estia was one step faster in stabbing the lion’s mouth with her sword.
Even though the mountain goat knew that the snake was chopped off and the lion was wounded, it could not tolerate its prided electric attack not causing any damage so it relentlessly rained electric attacks on Nadia.
Cathy and Kefin sliced at the rear legs to break its balance, swords pierced the body of the Chimera and with attacks on the mountain goat head, the Chimera raised its death throes and collapsed.
Without acting carelessly, the mountain goat’s head was chopped off and it was a complete victory against the Chimera.
“Im, impossible. That’s a Chimera? An A-rank upper tier monster … how?”
Brad could not comprehend the reality as he trembled and muttered while staring at the 4 people who defeated the Chimera.
“”””It’s because we spent all of our time from morning to night training in an environment where strong monsters appear with an excellent mentor and an excellent healer (nya).””””
When the 4 of them declared in sync, the Chimera disappeared, leaving a magic stone but the returning magic circle appeared and swallowed the 4 of them at the same time.
“Ah.”
Even we did not expect the magic circle to suddenly encompass Kefin and the others.
What was more unexpected was the appearance of the labyrinth’s nucleus in front of Brad.
I don’t know if it was Great Luck-sensei working behind the scenes to distance me from that evil source or that it was abandoning its duty but I shouted when I came to my senses.
“Withdraw!!”
We ran towards the magic circle and Shisho tried to kill Brad before he touched the labyrinth nucleus with a flying slash but the slash was hindered by something.
Then, just as we were about to reach the magic circle in just a few more steps, the magic circle disappeared.
Author’s note:
Thank you for reading.
