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    Chapter 70: Catch Them (8)

    In
    an instant, my vision changed.

    The
    floor was damp. Instead of the stone tiles that surrounded me on all
    sides of the second floor, I could feel the damp, wet earth.

    Reflexively,
    I tried to use my perception to check my surroundings, but a terrible
    headache hit me and my entire body went limp.

    I
    quickly closed my eyes and stopped perceiving.

    -Poof!

    I
    nearly fell to the floor, landing on a damp, fluffy bed.

    What
    the hell. It’s transparent, but the dampness feels strangely
    familiar.

    This
    must be what it feels like to lie on a bed of pudding.

    [Aldente
    LV.28]

    [Aldente’s
    current Blessings and Curses: 2]

    [◆
    Curse of the Slime]


    Your body turns to slime. It’s slimy.


    Stamina +10 Wisdom-5 Finesse-5

    “Are
    you okay?”

    “Ah,
    yes⋯
    I’m fine.”

    Aldente
    had transformed her slime arm into a bed.

    It
    was fascinating. She could transform her body freely.

    Ain.
    Those who were once human but were cursed to become monsters.

    I
    don’t know much about them, as they are far fewer in number than
    humans.

    I’ve
    heard that some are forced to carry the curse because they can’t
    afford to remove it, while others have embraced the life of an Ain
    out of necessity.

    Slime
    Ain Aldente seemed to be the latter. Ten stamina points is a lot for
    a tank to ignore.

    I
    looked at Aldente’s arm as it reverted from its bed form, thanked
    her, and stood still, contemplating my condition.

    ‘Did
    I push myself too hard?

    My
    head still aches slightly from the intense focus of the crisis, but
    not to the point of collapse from exhaustion like this.

    ‘Perhaps
    it’s magic.’

    For
    the first time, I felt like I hadn’t realized the extent of my power
    and had just used it.

    On
    top of that, I wondered if I had maximized my cognition, and that’s
    why my body couldn’t hold on for a moment.

    “Balkan.
    Is that axe⋯an
    artifact?”

    “Ah,
    yes. I got one this time.”

    “Then
    you’re drained. That’s what you get for growing an axe bigger than a
    streetlight. I’m more surprised that you didn’t destroy your artifact
    after all that foolishness. Must be something good, huh?”

    Mage
    Lammel informed me that I was suffering from mana exhaustion.

    She
    explained that it can be accompanied by anemia-like symptoms, as well
    as sudden dizziness and loss of stamina, so I knew I should refrain
    from overextending myself as much as possible.

    “Time
    is the key to curing mana exhaustion. Get some rest. You’ve worked
    hard.”

    “That’s
    right, Balkan. You’ve bought us a lot of time, since you took the
    outlaw down to the eighth floor with you.”

    After
    opening my mouth and eating together a few times, Lammel and Jubeel,
    who had become slightly sweeter, took care of me.

    Immediately,
    a white powder fell on my head. It was a priest’s miracle.

    “I’ve
    cast a miracle to speed up your recovery, and you’ll be well on your
    way to feeling better.”

    Hitolis
    also gave me a miracle.

    As
    I began to feel my body slowly recovering from the emptiness, I
    noticed someone in worse shape than I was.

    “Ugh!”

    I
    stifled a laugh.

    “Gellan!
    Gellan, get a grip!”

    The
    cleric and wizard of Gellan’s party looked on in dismay as Gellan
    rolled around on the ground, swaying from side to side.

    Direct
    hit⋯
    by a male corruption beam from the shaman hobgoblin’s staff.

    Technically,
    I was hit and it was deflected by Serif’s blessing, but there was no
    one here brilliant enough to see it. The situation was too urgent.

    Anyway,

    As
    a result, Gellan became an idiot.

    He
    was an idiot before, but now he was an idiot beyond redemption.

    “⋯⋯”

    Aldente
    didn’t say anything, but her expression was quite bitter.

    It
    couldn’t be helped, since his formerly unharmed teammate had turned
    into an idiot in less than ten seconds of combat.

    ‘The
    pink glow emitted by Shaman Hobgoblin’s staff is the magical
    embodiment of the beast’s male corruption pheromone.’

    Whether
    you are a high level explorer or a low level explorer, if you’re hit
    by a monster and exposed to its male corruption pheromones, you’ll
    simply become a bio-dildo for the monster.

    ‘No
    man has ever been able to overcome the male corruption pheromone.’

    I’ve
    heard that various studies are underway to try to cure them, but
    nothing has worked yet, which means the odds of Gellan ever returning
    to his original form are pretty much zero.

    “Put
    it in the bag and go.”

    Still,
    he was an idiot, not dead, so we decided to keep him in a bag from a
    humanitarian standpoint.

    If
    it had been a party of subhuman trash or a party of rehabilitated
    explorers, he’d have been immediately mauled, used as bait,
    discarded, or rolled into a limb-amputation bio dildo.

    In
    Gellan’s case, he was lucky.

    His
    body was shoved into the lightweight enchanted backpack we carried.

    His
    body somehow fit, but only his head popped out.”Crrrrrr! It’s
    fucking heavy, man!”

    “Don’t
    freak out, the lightweight magic cuts the weight in half.”

    Gregor
    squealed as she was forced to carry another bag, but what the hell.
    She’s a porter, she’s supposed to be able to carry a load. Anyway,
    that was the end of Gellan’s handling.

    Now
    I turned my attention to the other side.

    “Eighth
    floor center. We’re in luck. If we keep going in a straight line,
    we’ll reach the end of the line in one night.”

    Joy
    Hog, with her wounds healed by a healing potion, studied the map to
    get a sense of where we were and what was happening.

    “The
    Outlaw’s Mark is on the western outskirts. It’s a little less
    monster-infested, but the roads are rough and unruly.”

    “From
    the way she’s moving, she looks like she’s quite the explorer. Maybe
    she knows the way?”

    “I
    can’t be sure⋯
    but since she’s
    standing right next to a 8th
    Floor Transition Trap, I can’t completely rule it out. We’ll have to
    be very diligent if we want to get to the end first.”

    On
    the second floor, it would have been a chase, but since we were on
    the eighth floor, we only needed to get to the edge of the portal
    first.

    No
    matter how good Gurmimi’s performance was, there were only two of
    them.

    “I
    don’t know about the second floor, but the two of them can’t hold off
    the eighth floor for long. If they want to survive, they’ll come to
    the end of the floor where there’s a portal to the upper floors.”

    “We
    get to the edge first, ambush them, and when they come, we take them
    out in one fell swoop. Right?”

    “Exactly.
    Balkan has little common sense, but a lot of brains.”

    The
    ending was a bit shitty, but when I thought about it, it wasn’t
    strangely wrong, so I just nodded.

    Gellan
    was retired, but it didn’t change the game.

    The
    party’s overall damage dealing is slightly lowered, but the other
    three members of Gellan’s party are still strong.

    With
    this much power, the eighth floor shouldn’t be too difficult.

    We
    immediately began to make progress on the eighth floor.

    ***

    The
    difficulty of the Labyrinth increases dramatically every four floors.

    Just
    as the goblins on the first floor, which were charging with ignorance
    at the sight of a man, become hobgoblins with evolved thinking and
    bodies on the fourth floor and higher.

    The
    eighth floor introduces monsters that are more advanced in every way
    than the previous tiers.

    “Still,
    that rapid growth is a bit disconcerting.”

    “Purrrrrrrr!”

    A
    huge fireball began to form in the hands of the Shaman Minotaur.

    It
    raised its arms to the sky, as if gathering energy, and began to
    increase the size of the fireball.

    In
    response, the four warrior minotaurs guarding the Shaman Minotaur
    snorted and charged.

    -Thud!

    Joy
    Hog shoved one of the minotaurs with her shield to stop it while
    Aldente stretched out her slime arms and grabbed two of the
    minotaurs.

    “One
    down!”

    The
    minotaur that had broken through the front line of tanks lunged at
    me, fists outstretched.

    With
    the priests and mages right behind me, I can’t dodge. I swung my axe
    in time with its outstretched fist.

    -Thud,
    thud, thud!

    The
    axe sliced smoothly through the middle and index fingers of her fist
    and gently bisected her forearm.

    “Purrrrrrrr!”

    The
    minotaur didn’t even seem to feel the pain and immediately tried to
    counterattack with its opposite fist.

    But
    what the hell, I have two weapons.

    -Tsk!

    “Purrrrr!”

    The
    minotaur let out a short howl as its other arm was equally split.

    The
    axe continued up the minotaur’s arm, straight for its head, and soon
    dropped its neck.

    “Purrrrr!”

    The
    Shaman Minotaur, who had just finished crafting the Primal Fireball,
    shouted. The size of the fireball was unusually large.

    “Lammel!
    Fusilini, are you ready!”

    “Alas,
    I just finished.”

    Just
    in time, Lammel and Gellan’s mage, Fusilini, finished their response.

    The
    two wizards’ fireballs and the shaman minotaur’s fireball collided in
    midair.

    There
    was a tremendous explosion and an intense heat wave.

    “Purrrrrrr!”

    I
    bowed my head slightly and crossed my axes to block the hot air.

    When
    I raised my head again, a minotaur, propelled by the intense wind,
    flew toward me.

    I
    couldn’t say, “Yeah, come here,” and hug it since it would
    crush me

    I
    tucked the axe Idelbert had given me into my waistband, picked up
    Zirnier’s axe with both hands, and started swinging.

    Honestly,
    I felt like a woodsman chopping firewood.

    My
    timing was a little quick and since it would take the minotaur about
    two seconds to get in front of me, that left a gap.

    If
    I swing first, it’ll be a wasted swing.

    The
    Minotaur seems to realize this, and the corners of its mouth twitch
    upward.

    ‘But
    what if I could close the gap?’

    The
    hilt is about a hand’s length long and the Axe blade only slightly
    larger.

    “Giant.”

    The
    magic power is well controlled, the handle is about the length of a
    one-handed sword, and the blade is a little bigger.

    The
    blade landed squarely on the minotaur’s head.

    Zzzzzzzz!!!

    I
    had taken advantage of a slight lapse in defense.

    Still
    feeling like I had the upper hand, I left the minotaur lying on the
    ground with its skull impaled, and immediately joined the tankers to
    take care of the minotaurs they were holding.

    It
    was a quick turnaround after the priest’s miracle.

    The
    battle ended with a sharp axe blade to the head of the Shaman
    Minotaur.

    The
    battle ended with no casualties, but it was trickier than expected.

    “I
    guess it’s not the same as a party of explorers about to be promoted
    to Intermediate level after all.”

    “⋯Well,
    it’s nothing to
    us. You guys are actually quite impressive, it’s hard to believe that
    you’re explorers who usually go to the seventh floor.”

    “Yeah,
    that Gellan was missing a monster every now and then and almost got
    his rear end pierced, but this party has none of that.”

    At
    my words, the tank Aldente and mage Fusilini ⋯
    Pasta
    duo from Gellan’s party shook their heads.

    Despite
    their considerable skill, they were quite modest.

    For
    explorers, they were unusually unassertive. Did they get gaslighted
    by Gellan?

    Hope,
    the priest, was about average.

    If
    the Joy Hog party had fallen to the eighth floor alone, the battle
    would not have ended so cleanly.

    “No.
    Even if I hadn’t been guarding the priest and wizard, I would have
    finished them all off with just one blow of my sword!”

    “Jubeel.
    Don’t be so cocky. Honestly, we’re not that bad.”

    “Ehhh.
    Joy Hog, are you going to keep doing that? Just admit it.”

    “That’s
    why you switched places with Balkan and the rear almost got blown up
    because you couldn’t stop the monster in time.”

    “Uhhhh.
    Hmph. That’s because I, a swordsman, am relatively weak compared to
    Balkan, a warrior.”

    “Are
    you proud that you’re weaker than him?”

    “⋯Yes.
    Suddenly, breast milk⋯”

    Jubeel’s
    habitual bravado soon crumbled under Joy Hog’s rebuttal. She even ran
    away, spewing breast milk.

    As
    an aside, since Gellan became an idiot, the conversations between our
    party and theirs have increased slightly.

    “Still,
    it’s not the same as the eighth floor I experienced last time.”

    “It
    would have been dangerous if we hadn’t used our power to offset the
    fireballs. Even a shaman minotaur can’t make a fireball that big⋯”

    The
    two mages talked amongst themselves, discussing the growth of the
    Shaman Minotaur.

    “Did
    you feel it too, Hitolis?”

    “Yes,
    in the Shaman Minotaur’s shadow⋯”

    The
    priests spoke of the hazy [darkness] that lurked in the shadow of the
    shaman minotaur.

    ‘Is
    the darkness making the monsters stronger?’

    “We’ll
    have more definitive information soon enough, now that the temple
    investigators are out, but for now, let’s get on with our work.”

    It
    was a matter of personal curiosity, but there was no time to dwell on
    it.

    We
    resumed our march up the eighth floor, fighting off the fatigue of
    battle with a brief rest.

    ***

    After
    eleven hours of nonstop walking and nine battles, two glowing portals
    came into view but the party’s faces were not cheerful.

    “⋯All
    hands, prepare for battle.”

    “What
    kind of battle preparations are you talking about, asshole?”

    Familiar
    faces stood in front of the portal.

    I
    didn’t need to look at the tracking map since Gurmimi, the
    rabbit-headed outlaw, and the mage who went by the name of Reichem
    but called herself Talian had arrived at the end of the eighth level
    before our party.

    They
    even greeted us as if to say hello.

    Joy
    Hog and Jubeel gripped their shields and swords tighter at the
    unexpected appearance. Jubeel had switched places with Aldente.

    “Why
    didn’t you just jump through the portal and run?”

    Gurmimi
    chuckled at Joey Hogg’s question.

    “I
    thought about it, but I kept thinking about how he screwed me over.”

    Gurmimi
    gently scratched the nape of her own neck with her sword, then
    extended it and pointed it at Balkan.

    The
    tip of the blade swept from his forehead to his toes. The red rabbit
    eyes moved in response.

    -Gulp.
    The sound of swallowing as if faced with a tasty prey.

    It
    was a gaze Balkan had grown accustomed to by now, a gaze of immense
    lust and hostility.

    “I’ll
    kill all the others, but I’ll enslave you for the rest of your life.”

    “That’s
    a lot of words.”

    “⋯What?”

    Balkan
    scratched the back of his neck roughly with his right hand, swinging
    the axe in his other hand.

    “You’re
    a talker, as usual. I thought the stronger ones kept their mouths
    shut.”

    “⋯⋯”

    Kududududud!

    Gurmimi
    suddenly shut her mouth, either in acceptance of Balkan’s words or in
    defiance.

    Her
    grip on the hilt of her sword tightened to a crushing grip, and she
    poised herself for a sword strike.

    The
    veins in her forehead pulsed, her face hard.

    She
    looked like she was about to pounce at any moment, and her fierce
    aura filled the edge of the eighth layer.

    The
    party members stiffened accordingly, each readying themselves for the
    miracles and magic they had in store.

    Joy
    Hog and Jubeel, at the front of the line, gripped their weapons
    tightly while Balkan watched in mild admiration.

    ‘Illusion
    magic. That’s some quality stuff.’

    At
    a lower level, it fooled all the explorers.

    [Reichem
    LV.22]

    I
    looked at Gurmimi’s status window, and out of nowhere, Reichem’s
    status window appeared.

    ‘She
    was using illusion magic.’

    The
    Gurmimi next to Reichem doesn’t have any status window, so it’s an
    illusion.

    The
    illusion was strangely crude and didn’t say or do anything. It seemed
    to be more precise when it was based on a person.

    Balkan
    immediately turned away from Reichem, who glared at him like she was
    going to tear him to pieces and glared at the wall to his right.

    [Gurmimi
    LV.36]

    It
    was a plain, featureless wall of the Labyrinth, with nothing but a
    status window.

    “There
    you are.”

    Gurmimi
    flinched.

    I
    raised my axe and spoke, and the illusion magic began to waver
    uneasily, as if it had been pierced.

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