Chapter 20 – Labyrinth Exploration with Grace

Well then. Rent paid, tuition paid.

Magical creatures ordered, furniture acquired—remaining funds: 1,838 kirig.

The major expenses I’d anticipated beforehand were mostly taken care of, and with 2 kirig per day for food, the two of us could maintain a decent standard of living. As long as we didn’t waste money, we probably wouldn’t have any trouble getting by for the time being, but money has a way of suddenly becoming necessary when something comes up.

I planned to pay another 450 kirig in rent six months from now, and I still hadn’t found any noteworthy staves or robes. Particularly when it came to magic staves… if I wanted something of a decent rank, around 1,000 kirig would easily disappear, so this amount of money could vanish in the blink of an eye if I wasn’t careful. While it wasn’t urgent, I needed to continue making progress in the labyrinth.

For that reason, starting the day after the furniture was delivered, I decided to head down into the labyrinth with Grace. I wanted to reach the sixth floor while the map was still usable, so today’s goal was to make it that far.

“Is there anything I should be particularly mindful of?”

“The number of monsters will gradually increase, but the same method as last time should be fine. The fourth floor branches off with a door leading to another section and a staircase going down, so if you see an unfamiliar door, don’t go that way.”

“Understood.”

The staircase side was the path leading further underground. The branching door led through a section where the sewers had become labyrinthine, connecting to the path ascending toward the old mines.

Since my intended direction was toward the Dusk Forest, I could proceed straightforwardly downward without considering side paths. As usual, there were no areas worth exploring around here, so taking the shortest route down would be best.

“Hah!”

Grace’s axe whistled through the air, literally crushing the vanguard Goblin. With the obstacle to the rear-guard archer Goblin gone, I slammed a Wind Magic spell, Cyclone, into it from my cycling state. The two Goblins’ bodies were sent flying together, smashing against the labyrinth’s walls and ceiling, their flesh being scraped away and bones shattered as they were blown back.

Grace, having turned around, threw her axe at the Killer Ant approaching from the opposite side of the passage. The ant that took the axe lost its head entirely and stopped moving.

As before, we employed the strategy of sending the Light Ball ahead to crush any monster ambushes. An archer Goblin had appeared, but it wasn’t particularly problematic. Since Goblins only had good night vision, simply moving the Light Ball right in front of their eyes served as a blinding tactic. Given they spent their time in the dark labyrinth, the light must have appeared intensely bright to them. Even if they shot arrows, blocking or dodging them was easy enough.

Thus, the exploration proceeded smoothly. While moderately collecting Transference Stones and looting from monsters, we managed to advance without much difficulty to the midpoint of the fifth floor.

“How’s the Bloodthirst?”

“There’s no need for concern. The blood of Goblins and Kobolds is… well, smelly.”

Grace frowned slightly. I couldn’t really tell with my senses, but from her perspective as a Dhampir, there seemed to be a clear difference.

Well, that made sense. It was probably reasons like that which drove Vampires to attack humans despite the risks.

If substitutes were available, actively targeting monsters was fine. If that could satisfy the bloodsucking impulse, Vampires should be thanked rather than made targets for subjugation.

Chasing after the Light Ball I’d sent ahead, the area beyond the corner became noisy.

Hearing the sound of footsteps running closer from ahead, Grace and I swapped our vanguard and rearguard positions to handle it.

I myself could handle close-quarters combat primarily using Staff Martial Arts and Combat Skills, without relying on magic. I wanted to hone these techniques further, and since Grace could also perform ranged attacks by throwing her axe, we could flexibly switch roles like this.

I set up a corner ambush for the monsters. I crushed the throat of the Kobold that leapt out with the tip of my staff, and as it recoiled, I swept it off its feet as if pulling it into a spin. I drove a weight-backed thrust into the mouth of the Kobold, who was letting out a choked scream while clutching its throat, delivering the Finishing Blow in one go.

The second Kobold, which emerged slightly later, was Grace’s responsibility. The moment its figure was visible, Grace’s axe was thrown. The vicious metal mass struck its chest directly, slamming it into the wall.

With the casual ease of someone pulling back a yo-yo, Grace pulled the chain in her hand. With a clatter of the rugged chain, the axe flew back toward her with tremendous force.

Well… that’s pretty much how it goes. There shouldn’t be any problems. Grace, like when we encountered the Killer Ant swarm before, seemed to get excited and lean into her Vampire side when trampling large numbers of weak opponents, but since encounters were sporadic, that didn’t happen either.

After quickly looting the Kobolds, we turned the corner and proceeded, soon spotting the staircase leading to the sixth floor.

I didn’t have a map for beyond this point, so in a way, the real labyrinth exploration was beginning now.

“From the sixth floor onward, two types of monsters are added.”

“What are they?”

“Wood Puppets and Wisps.”

“I haven’t fought them before.”

“Puppets don’t occur naturally, after all. Wisps also only appear in specific places.”

While they had slightly different quirks compared to the monsters encountered so far, both were fundamentally weak.

Wood Puppets were autonomous Wooden Dolls.

They lacked pain and Fear, making them superior as vanguards compared to Goblins or Kobolds, but even so, they weren’t much.

Wisps were pale blue fireballs. They had no physical form, but took damage when dispersed. And they were exceptionally weak to magic attacks. For me and Grace, they were opponents who posed no difficulty whatsoever.

“We don’t need to change what we’ve been doing. If anything, the issue will be navigating the labyrinth itself… but this area still has no traps and the structure is straightforward, so sticking to the basics is fine.”

“Proceed while keeping your left hand on the wall, correct?”

“The right hand is fine too. It’s simplistic, but hard to get lost.”

After explaining the precautions, Grace nodded. While there were structures where it didn’t work, it still served as a guideline for action.

As we advanced through the labyrinth passages, we soon encountered a Puppet. It was a spear-wielder, so I lightly crossed weapons with it—but it was just a Wooden Doll after all. It offered no resistance at all.

Spinning my staff lightly in my hand, I entangled the opponent’s spear and flicked it upward, easily disarming it. Grace then grabbed it, threw it against the wall, destroyed its limbs, rendering it immobile.

Looting from Puppets involved the glass orb located in their chest or head. Since it was also their weak point, destroying it would stop them outright, but that created the dilemma of losing the loot.

Wisps were… easy in various ways. A single swing of Grace’s axe dispersed them into mist, leaving a small Magic Stone behind. Because Grace’s axe had a thick blade, they essentially became entities that were defeated the moment they appeared.

The monsters encountered so far also formed ranks, but if they were clustered, I just needed to hit them with magic, and if not, we just picked them off from the edges. I didn’t feel any particular problems.

This area was still shallow floors, so there was no need to explore small rooms. While traversing the passages, we soon came upon a widened area and discovered a stone monument.

“What shall we do?”

“Shall we return here for now? Our policy was not to waste the map, after all.”

“Understood.”

I placed the required amount of Transference Stones onto the palm of the goddess statue carved into the monument. Instantly, a light Magic Array expanded across the labyrinth floor, encircling the monument.

The procedure was to stand inside for a few seconds to be teleported. A moment later, we were standing in the plaza at the temple entrance.

…We still looked the same, so we’d attract attention. Perhaps word had spread about us turning the tables on the Snake Bite, as there were even people looking our way and gossiping.

…Grace disliked being exposed to public view in her Released Form, but it was better to operate the ring in a place with fewer eyes. First, the two of us returned to where the carriage was parked at the stables. Inside the carriage, I took her hand and activated the Cursed Tool.

“Haah…”

Grace, seated on the bench, closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

Somehow—it sounded somewhat sensual.

Well… it couldn’t be helped, I suppose. Returning from a powerful Dhampir state to an ordinary human apparently came with considerable lethargy. Perhaps because she grew accustomed to the sensation the longer she remained released, the drop felt greater.

Labyrinth exploration, involving activity in dark places, tended to make her lean toward her Vampire side. The recoil from that bloodsucking impulse might also be affecting her. Grace was taking slow, deep breaths, as if to calm herself down.

Well… it was the right call to revert the control inside the carriage. Let’s continue doing the same. Grace probably disliked showing her vulnerable state to others as well.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m fine. It’s helpful that the hunger isn’t too strong.”

When our eyes met, Grace smiled. Somehow, she had a calm atmosphere about her.

Yeah. Seems like there’s no problem. Then next, shall we head to the Guild to exchange our spoils for cash?