Chapter 142: The Labyrinth of Claws and Fangs, Part 1

I was now in the middle of the Wise Wolf Forest, pulling a rickshaw.

The rickshaw was pulled in the center of the party. In front of me was El. On the right was my mother. On the left was Naga. And behind was Ashera.

This rickshaw, surprisingly, seemed to be a magic tool, making the force required to pull the load I was carrying astonishingly light.

Even for adventurers, if one reaches S-rank, it seems their lifestyle becomes like that of a landed noble, so it’s likely that adventurers of the past had magic tool craftsmen develop it.

Also, when it came to battle formation, we fought centered around the rickshaw. If we lost our food, it wouldn’t be much of an exploration.

There had also been a slight change in my position within the party. Thanks to Joe being replaced by El, I was granted full permission to move completely as a flanker.

Regarding my flanking, my mother explained to Naga that she would ‘train me in methods to attack the Earth Dragon.’

In this way, I focused solely on mastering the ultra-vibration with Vernier, even just a little, during our exploration.

And in the unlikely event that my magical power ran out, I would end up being loaded onto the edge of the rickshaw…

I have my thoughts on how I’m being treated, but I can’t complain since I’m putting quite a burden on the other members.

According to Mom, besides the ultra-vibration, Ashera’s magic fists might also be able to reach the Earth Dragon.

I have to make sure I master this perfectly so that Ashera doesn’t bear the burden alone and that we’re ready for the Earth Dragon battle…

Also, regarding the ultra-vibration, I hadn’t shown it to Naga yet. For the time being, I had just described it as a ‘blade that cuts through anything.’

Once we get into battle, they’ll see it whether they like it or not, so I hope they can wait a little longer.

In this way, we arrived at the Labyrinth of Claws and Fangs without any significant issues, but I could see a few figures at the entrance.

They were probably other adventurers, but I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that they were thieves.

With a slight sense of tension, I headed toward the entrance of the labyrinth.

“Long time no see.”

The one who spoke first was Joe.

“Joe. Why are you…”

When I spoke, he scratched his head awkwardly.

Next to Joe stood a man named Godo, who had helped me during the wyvern incident.

This Godo was also one of the few people I could have casual conversations with at the guild.

“Hah. He wants to support you guys.”

At Godo’s words, Joe scratched his head even more awkwardly.

I realized once again: Joe was that kind of guy. When I first met him. During the wyvern incident. During the escort of Luis and the others. Even during the previous labyrinth exploration.

“Mother, Ms. Naga, what should we do?”

I was glad for Joe’s manliness, but even though he said he’d support us in the dungeon exploration, I had no idea what he was actually going to do.

It was better to leave this to the two of them, who had plenty of experience.

“Jogna, will you really support us?”

“Yes… someone like me would only be a hindrance against an Earth Dragon. But if it’s support, I should be able to help…”

“Hearing you say that really helps. Then, let’s talk a little…”

And so, Naga and Joe decided how far and in what ways they would support us.

Joe’s party had three members. All of them were rank C. They were only frontline fighters; there were no magic users.

They had ten days’ worth of food on hand. As for water, there was a river nearby, so they planned to replenish it there.

As a result of the discussion, the support we requested from Joe and the others was carrying the luggage.

It seemed that the three of us could reach the entrance of the fourth floor without any problems, and from there we would have the loot carried to the surface.

Inevitably, our campsite was also decided to be in a place right after entering the fourth floor.

Once every one or two days, they would come to the campsite and carry the loot in wooden boxes to the surface.

If there was something missing, they said that if you put a piece of paper in the wooden box listing what you needed, they would prepare it in two or three days.

We couldn’t hand over the goods directly, so the exchange inevitably had to be done using wooden boxes.

Of course, there would be times when they got damaged by monsters, but that was a necessary expense.

If one wants to avoid that as well, then it becomes necessary to place people at the campsite.

In fact, adventurers who specialize in labyrinth exploration apparently gather in several parties to form a clan and even place people at the campsite.

A clan refers to a cooperative relationship between parties, and you can form one by applying to the guild.

There is a wide variety of clans, from those formed temporarily for a specific purpose to those that handle everything from training new members to education within the clan.

Our cooperative system would also be considered an unofficial clan that was not registered with the guild.

Naga and Joe had also decided on the distribution of the loot. After ten days, when we returned to the royal capital for a short period, it seemed they would officially apply for a clan.

Joe and the others’ campsite was not inside the labyrinth but at the entrance.

“Well then. Joe, I’m off.”

“Yeah, don’t do anything reckless.”

We passed by where Joe and the others had set up a simple tent and entered the labyrinth.

Inside the labyrinth, nothing had changed from before: a cave about 10 medes wide continued onward. The materials I had seen before said that even the narrowest parts were at least 5 medes wide, so the rickshaw should be able to pass without any problem.

Unlike last time, this was a serious dungeon exploration. I instantly killed the weak wind wolves and headed toward the stairs to the second floor.

After walking for about two hours, I found the stairs.

“Let’s take a break here. Aldo, Elphas, please prepare lunch.”

Naga called out, and the women headed toward the dead end deep inside.

El and I were different from Joe. While we prepared the lunch as instructed without looking at anything, the women returned in about 15 minutes.

El and I ate lunch without saying anything and then proceeded in the opposite direction from where the women had just gone.

“El, this area should be fine.”

“Yes.”

We took turns keeping watch and taking care of business.

I realized once again: a party is difficult without trust.

This is what happens over just one toilet. The amount of food, the division of roles, the way breaks are taken, and the distribution of rewards.

There are tons of conditions here that could even cause disputes among family.

Thinking about that, I returned to everyone.

“On the second layer, it’s supposed to have boars appearing, right?”

“Yes. Wild boars will appear along with wind wolves.”

“If it’s boar, we can eat it.”

“Yes, but it’s said that using too much fire inside the labyrinth releases poison.”

“Poison?”

“Yes. It seems that just cooking a little isn’t an issue, but if you use a big fire with magic, anti-poison doesn’t work, and an odorless poison comes out…”

“Ah, carbon monoxide…”

“Huh? Ka…rbōn monsokai?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Got it. I’ll make sure not to use fire.”

“…Yes.”

Naga and my mother were giving me a sidelong glance. I had accidentally let it slip. I needed to be careful.

“Al, how much magic power do you have left?”

Actually, up to this point, I’d defeated most of the monsters by myself. It was for Vernier’s practice.

Sure enough, the combat compatibility between Vernier and me was extremely good.

What I thought was that I wanted thrusters on the front and the chest as well. There were a few times I wanted them for a rapid withdrawal. Vernier can be used on my own, but having thrusters definitely makes its response way better.

When I return to the royal capital, I have to ask Borg to modify it once more.

“I’ve used the ultra-vibration a few times as well, so I’m down to about half.”

“I see. If it drops a little more, you’ll need a rickshaw, Al. I want to test combat against weak enemies after you’ve left.”

“…Understood.”

It seemed I would go straight to the rickshaw after all. Certainly, if I stepped out and someone else pushed the rickshaw, the usual three of us would have to be on guard.

I understood my mother’s words; she wanted to try this as early as possible.

The break ended, and I headed down to the second floor. There were no monsters within sight. I left Ms. Naga as a lookout and returned to the first floor.

El and I carried the rickshaw, Mother carried one wooden box, Ashera carried two wooden boxes, and we went down the stairs again.

I glanced at Ashera; she carried the boxes easily, but she couldn’t see ahead at all.

At worst, even if she fell, the space kick would prevent her from flipping over… but I was uneasy.

Somehow, we managed to transport the luggage safely and reload it onto the rickshaw.

“Then, shall we go? I’ll continue to guide us with the map. First, straight down the right corridor…”

Naga was really competent. She had prepared everything necessary for exploration and brought it out when needed.

There was also a rope prepared at the bottom of the wooden box. From the 7th floor onward, teleportation traps appear, so it must be a countermeasure for that.

Without Naga, we might not have been completely wiped out, but there was a possibility that we would have lost our way and had to retreat.

We proceeded through the labyrinth at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, but reasonably steady.

After entering the 2nd floor and six battles, my magical power had decreased to about one-fifth.

‘Naga, my magic is exhausted.’

The party paused at my words.

‘El, lend me your hand.’

‘Yes.’

I held El’s hand and, squeezing out the results of my Vernier and ultra-vibration training along with the little magic I had left, passed it on.

‘Brother!’

‘Anyway, my magic will recover when I sleep… just in case.’

“…Thank you.”

I smiled slightly, then lay down in the corner of the rickshaw.

“Aldo, are you uncomfortable?”

“Yes… I’m fine…”

To be honest, I felt like my consciousness was about to fade due to exhaustion of magic. I had only about one-tenth of my magic left.

“I’m sorry… please… take care of things…”

My consciousness sank into darkness.

When I came to, I was laid down in the corner of a place that looked like a plaza.

“Good morning, Aldo.”

“Good morning… Ashera…”

Ashera was sitting with her lap as a pillow for my head.

Seeing that it wasn’t cold at all, she had probably used air-conditioning magic.

“Ashera, are you okay with your magic?”

“Yeah. Unlike on horses or wagons, the air here doesn’t flow much.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

Everyone except Ms. Naga was watching our interaction with eyes as if seeing something heartwarming.

Meanwhile, Ms. Naga was looking down and muttering something.

“When will spring come for me?” “Aldo-kun, you said you’d invite me to a meal.”

This was Ms. Naga at her worst. I immediately changed the subject.

“Where is this place?”

“…Huh? Ah, this is in front of the stairs leading down to the third layer.”

In Ms. Naga’s line of sight, there was a gaping hole in the wall, and beyond it, the stairs continued.

“How was it after I went to sleep?”

“The pace of progress did slow down a little, but there were no particular problems.”

“That’s good.”

“However, it might get tough in the deeper layers.”

“I see…”

“Let’s discuss how to judge that there. If necessary, it’s fine to take time for training.”

Ms. Naga, who didn’t know our situation, didn’t seem to have a mindset bound by time.

This would become our responsibility for not sharing the information.

As we were talking, my ring started to glow and Ao suddenly jumped out.

“Aldo, it’s our regular check-in. ‘No problem’—if it weren’t for this phrase, I might forget everything else. Hmm? This place… is it a labyrinth? You’ve come to get the Miasma Stone, right? Try to get it as quickly as you can.”

After saying just that, Ao disappeared… That guy really goes at his own pace…

Our gazes were now focused on Ms. Naga.

“N-n-n…”

“Hmm?”

“W-what was that?? A blue raccoon spoke! No, it was flying. Rafina, what was that!?”

In response to Naga’s behavior, I had no choice but to avoid making eye contact.

I had heard about Ao from my mother, but Naga apparently thought it was just one of her usual careless stories and didn’t believe it.

“Naga, I told you. ‘A blue raccoon that talks in the morning and evening appears,’ I said.”

“I heard it… I heard it, but… normally, there’s no way I’d believe that, right?”

“I don’t know anything about that. I clearly told you.”

“Ehhhhhh.”

Naga’s scream echoed through the labyrinth. We would sleep here today and challenge the third layer starting tomorrow morning.

How far we went would be a judgment we made on the spot.

However, we wouldn’t overdo it. There would be a need to do something somewhere, but not now.

It seemed that a bonfire didn’t cause any problems even in the thin air, so we lit one to keep warm. I had thought this when we entered as well, but the labyrinth was much warmer than outside.

According to Naga, the temperature hardly changes throughout the year.

Everyone gradually fell asleep while relaxing in their own way.

By the way, the order of the watch was me, Naga and Ashera, El and Mother.

It seemed Naga wanted to have a conversation with Ashera and El, so this time Naga paired up with Ashera.

Why was the watch starting with me and only one person? That was because I had been sleeping due to magical exhaustion until just now.

Thanks to that, I wasn’t sleepy at all. Naga told me, ‘Change if you get sleepy,’ but I intended to keep watch until morning.

Surely tomorrow I will end up sleeping due to magical exhaustion again. I want you to think of it as an apology from me, who is adding to your burden.

In this Labyrinth of Claws and Fangs, dead trees grow from the walls in places. We were using them as firewood to light campfires.

I took out my knife and summoned my magic weapon (greatsword). I quickly applied ultra-vibration and cut down the dead trees.

I tried to cut off the ultra-vibration, leaving only my magic weapon (greatsword), but I ended up erasing the magic weapon as well…

In just those few seconds, I ended up consuming about 5% of my magical power.

I still need a lot of training, but for now, I have to reserve my magical power or it will interfere with my watch duty.

Thus, while fighting drowsiness midway, I kept watch until morning.