Chapter 345: Don’t You Want to Be a Graduate Student? (2)

Chapter 345: Don’t You Want to Be a Graduate Student? (2)

The
10th floor of the labyrinth.

One-third
of the way through the labyrinth, which extends to the 34th floor,
and a gateway to the middle levels.

What
emotions did I feel when I first came to the 10th floor?

‘…I
don’t remember much.’

Aside
from the physical realignment unique to floors divisible by 5, the
10th floor itself was bypassed with a fountain teleport scroll, so
there were no particular impressions.

But
that’s the labyrinth for you.

Just
entering it makes you feel suffocated and unpleasant.

An
anxiety that seems to suppress one’s psychology.

Just
as humans realize they are mere dust when they look at the universe,
humans become infinitely small before the grand labyrinth.

Unless
you’re an irregular powerhouse like Idelbert, even the most skilled
explorer can’t wander around the labyrinth as if it were their own
backyard.

In
that situation.

“Hngh…”

“Ugh,
aah…”

Ordinary
people had fallen into the 10th floor area, which even the top-tier
low-level adventurers found troublesome.

They
moaned blankly with fear-stricken faces.

“I’m,
I’m going to die. I’m going to die, I’m going to die…! I, I want to
go back…!”

“Let
me go back! I don’t want to, I don’t want to…!”

As
is often the case with those gripped by fear, they were panicking and
blurting out whatever came to mind.

“This
is, the air of the 10th floor…”

“It’s
much more fucked up than the 3rd floor…”

There
were some who were originally adventurers, but most of them had only
played around below the 5th floor.

For
them, the 10th floor was also an unknown territory.

Kuuuung!!

Balkan
looked at them and slammed his extra-large axe into the ground.

The
ground of the labyrinth caved in and shattered as the gluttony demon
was unleashed and the axe blade was sharpened.

The
noise and immense power that resonated from the impact point were
enough to gather the gazes of the terrified people in one place.

“Don’t
be scared.”

His
calm yet deep baritone voice silenced those who were being consumed
by the fear of the labyrinth.

“You
don’t have to be afraid at all.”

His
voice was sincere and, at the same time, kind.

In
a situation where everyone is terrified, the voice of a courageous
person becomes a signpost to move forward.

People
looked at the signpost that would lead them.

“Fighting
is our party’s job, and we will definitely return you to the surface
unharmed.”

Gulp.

Some
of the adventurers swallowed hard at the declaration of protection
from the sturdy male in the ink-black armor.

Their
eyes fell on the crater in the labyrinth floor.

No
matter how much they, who mainly operated in the upper levels of the
labyrinth, struck the ground, they could not create such a hideous
crater.

With
a single axe strike, he made them understand the difference between
them and himself, and forced them to follow.

“So,
follow me quietly.”

“Ye,
y-yes…”

“I
understand…”

As
soon as he finished speaking, the citizens nodded their heads with
limp voices.

Jubel
raised the corners of his mouth as he watched the party leader,
Balkan, forcibly seize the atmosphere for the convenience of
controlling the citizens.

“That’s
why we’re so crazy about him.”

Nod,
nod.

Rubia,
Nuer, Ellie, and Denshi, who had been blankly nodding their heads,
tore the fountain teleport scroll as they looked at him.

Woo-oong—

Immediately,
a portal to the fountain appeared, and the Balkan party escorted the
people through the portal.

***

A
tedious and simple task continued.

Ellie’s
portal magic could not transport 50 people at once, so they were
divided into three groups and transported to the labyrinth.

The
first group of people transported to the labyrinth were then
transported to the fountain via the fountain teleport scroll.

And
the wounded were soaked in the healing water that filled the
fountain.

“My,
my leg…! My leg is growing back…!”

“I
can see again too… I can see the world again with these eyes…!”

The
only sanctuary in the unpleasant and frightening labyrinth healed
most injuries, except for congenital disabilities.

“This
is the miracle of the labyrinth, the fountain of healing…! Ah! If
only we could get this outside too…!”

“We’re
lucky to be able to use it like this now! Originally, you couldn’t
even get close to the fountain unless you were a skilled adventurer!
Long live the royal family! May the Arlonia Kingdom last forever!”

“Idiot.
Did the Queen move us to the labyrinth? It’s all thanks to those
people.”

“I
heard the Queen hired them!”

“…Is
that so? Long live the Balkan party! Long live the Queen!”

The
citizens, who had recovered from injuries they thought they would
never heal, were filled with joy and were transported back to the
surface using Ellie’s portal magic.

Since
the citizens tore the fountain teleport scroll or opened the portal
before encountering any monsters, there were no casualties unless
they stepped on traps while running around in excitement and panic.

Nevertheless,
the number of people was so large that it took at least two hours for
one round trip.

“Look!
The wounded who went first!”

“Oh
my god… they’re really healed?”

Even
for the worn-out citizens of the labyrinth city, the sight of severed
limbs and eyelids growing back neatly was nothing short of a miracle.

About
50 wounded people were filled with joy and relief.

They
had seen the hope that they too could be healed like them.

After
a short break.

Ellie
opened the portal magic again, and the party members led the new
wounded into the labyrinth.

“Protecting
the academy students last time is helpful. It feels familiar.”

“Eungae.
I also have similar commission experience, so it’s much easier than
that time. Well, it’s mostly because we rarely encounter monsters
thanks to portal magic…”

Ramel’s
departure and Hitolis’s overwork had half scattered the existing Joy
Hog party, but Balkan and Jubel, the only remnants, had experience
escorting academy students, so they could easily lead the people.

The
dark elf magician Nuer also had similar commission experience.

“If
I stretch the mana threads like this in all directions… hmm, it
might be easier to sense presences…”

Denshi
operated the Puppeteer’s mana threads from the rear, combining
them with her own strength, hearing, to create a kind of monster
radar.

Her
mana threads would act like a kind of burglar alarm, alerting the
group the fastest when a monster or stranger approached.

“Ohohohot!
Ellie-yang’s escort! Leave it to me! I, Rubia, will protect
Ellie-yang from head to toe! Ohohohot!”

The
roll-bun-haired noble lady tank Rubia had no escort commission
experience, but she stuck right next to Ellie and took on her
professional escort.

The
main focus of this commission was, after all, Ellie’s escort.

If
it was the reliable national rice soup tank Rubia, she would buy time
until the party members arrived, no matter what attacked Ellie.

“Ah,
yes…”

Ellie
felt like her energy was being drained by being next to Rubia, but
judging from the smile on her face, she seemed to feel more
satisfaction than fatigue.

Adrenaline
surged as her portal magic made people smile, and she heard countless
citizens’ gratitude and party members’ praise.

“How
much energy do you have left?”

Balkan
approached Ellie and asked about the amount of mana she had left.

Even
if the situation was positive, the leader leading the party always
had to prepare for the worst.

Entering
the labyrinth and returning to the surface.

Since
they had to use portal magic twice for one round trip, Ellie had to
use portal magic four more times today.

“I’m
still okay!”

Ellie
wiped away the cold sweat and said confidently.

Portal
magic required considerable mana and preparation, so it was
physically and magically exhausting.

It
was also the leader’s job to manage Ellie’s condition.

“If
you’re tired, just say…”

Balkan
stopped talking.

She
wasn’t the type of kid to say it if you told her to.

There
was no way she would quit something that allowed her to keep getting
praised.

“If
you’re tired, I’ll pat you on the back and let you rest.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll
give you a ‘You did a good job’ sticker.”

“……”

Gulp.

The
moment she heard those words, Ellie’s Adam’s apple moved, and her elf
ears perked up.

“…On
the head? Or, uh… the butt?”

“Wherever
you want.”

“…Euh-euhm!
I, I might be a little tired after opening the return portal this
time…”

Seeing
Ellie blushing and looking at him, he felt less worried.

“……”

[……]

He
escorted the wounded again, feeling Ellie and the party members, and
Bunny, who had been quieter lately, watching him.

***

Day
5 of transporting the wounded.

Our
party, which had already transported and healed over 200 wounded
people at the fountain, did not feel as tired as expected.

It
was only natural.

This
commission was different from the usual labyrinth trips.

Since
they went back and forth to the labyrinth with portal magic, they
didn’t have to sleep in the labyrinth.

They
stayed in a warm tent with hot water provided by the royal family and
the Adventurers Guild.

They
also ate properly in the tent, so there were no problems.

All
they had to do was guard against monsters and protect the people and
Ellie while escorting the wounded.

“This
is the best commission ever? It’s like going camping in the
labyrinth.”

As
Jubel said, it was an easy commission for us.

All
the necessities of life, which were as big a threat as monsters in
the labyrinth, were solved, so the perceived difficulty was lowered.

But
that was only true for us.

“Heuh,
hek…”

Balkan
was carrying Ellie, who was sweating profusely and too exhausted to
walk, on his back, patting her butt.

Soft
flesh was caught in his limp fingertips.

Ellie’s
soft, plump, and chewy butt.

Slap,
slap—

“Eueueut…!”

A
gentle handprint of praise was stamped on Ellie’s soft butt, which
seemed to be clinging to his hand, begging him not to leave.

“You
worked hard today, Ellie.”

“Heu,
eueut… It’s nothing…”

Ellie,
who had used portal magic over thirty times in the past few days and
had almost depleted her mana, smiled bashfully.

If
it weren’t for the potions and mana recovery artifacts provided by
the royal family.

At
the same time, if Ellie’s portal magic experience hadn’t exploded
from using portal magic dozens of times in a short period, Ellie’s
mana would have been completely depleted by now.

“Today
is the last of the wounded, and the remaining wounded are in better
condition than before, so let’s try our best one more time and rest
in the tent today and tomorrow. I’ll grill you some meat too.”

“I’m
all for it… Half-elves eat meat well when they’re tired too…”

He
could feel Ellie smiling on his broad back.

Thanks
to the hard work in the early days when she had the energy, the
future schedule for transporting the wounded would be much easier,
with only one group being moved per day.

But
in order to do that, they had to open the portal magic one more time.

“Master.
The wounded have all finished healing at the fountain.”

Balkan
nodded at Denshi’s report and turned to look at Ellie.

Ellie,
with her eyes closed tightly, raised her staff and manipulated her
mana.

Soon,
the moment her mana rippled.

Clang!

The
space in front of her shattered like a mirror, and then began to
ripple as if dimensions were distorted.

Soon,
the bizarre rippling drew a certain pattern and began to swirl like a
vortex.

“Alright,
everyone, let’s go in!”

As
soon as the portal, which looked like it would suck you in just by
looking at it, was created, Jubel went to the portal, dancing his
butt in excitement at the thought of finishing today’s commission.

The
party members, who smiled at the sight, were about to move when.

“…Huh…?”

Balkan
heard Ellie’s voice mixed with embarrassment.

“Everyone,
stop!!!”

Thud!

The
party members, who had stopped walking at the party leader’s cry,
began to guard their surroundings, each pulling out their weapons
while questioning in their hearts.

“Ellie.
What’s wrong?”

“……I
didn’t open it.”

Sreureuk.

The
mana that had been gathered on Ellie’s staff to unfold the portal
magic scattered.

A
portal had clearly opened, but Ellie’s mana had not yet created the
portal magic.

“That
portal… I didn’t open it with my portal magic!”

This
phenomenon meant one thing.

“I
tried to time it right, but you’re really quick to notice.”

A
third person other than Ellie had opened the portal.

Sreureuk—

At
the same time as the portal rippled.

Thud!!!

The
peacock beastman who popped out of it thrust sharply raised peacock
feathers at Jubel’s nape, who had stopped just before crossing the
portal.

“Don’t
move. Genius magician and…”

The
peacock beastman, who took Jubel hostage and smiled at Ellie, turned
his eyes to the man in the ink-black armor.

“Demon
hunter.”

Balkan
glared at the arrogant demon worshiper who called himself a demon
hunter and pulled out his axe.

He
had killed the demon worshiper of jealousy, made the demon worshiper
of gluttony, Bel, a mere slave, and made the demon worshiper of lust,
Lilith, his exclusive familiar.

He
had subjugated the demon Puppeteer of greed and exploited her
power, and killed the demon of gluttony and used it as a pet.

The
fact that Ignorion, the demon worshiper of arrogance, called himself
a demon hunter was proof that he had acquired some information about
the inside story.

“Ignorion,
demon worshiper of arrogance.”

“Oh
my. You remembered?”

“That’s
not what you wanted to say.”

Thud,
thud.

Balkan
poked the ground with his axe and said with a dissatisfied look.

“Get
to the point quickly. If you want to take a hostage and threaten me,
just say what you have to say.”

“Hey,
hey… Balkan…?”

Jubel
groaned in embarrassment as he looked at Balkan.

Could
it be…

Was
he so calm because the hostage was himself, not another party member
or Ellie?

“……”

On
the other hand, Ignorion, the demon worshiper of arrogance, regretted
his choice of the past as he looked at the huge man.

‘…He
grew much faster than expected.’

It
had only been a few months since the man in front of him had faced
the demon worshiper of wrath, Gott.

In
that short time, the man had grown to the point where he could hold
his head up straight even in front of a demon worshiper.

His
mental strength was also so strong that he didn’t even blink an eye
even when he took one of the party members, who seemed to be
receiving everyone’s attention, hostage.

‘…If
that’s the case, the story changes.’

Ignorion,
the demon worshiper of arrogance, was not the type to be called
arrogant, unlike the demon he worshiped.

He
knew that there were people in the world who were stronger and more
outstanding than himself, and he found possibilities from there.

Originally,
he had intended to devour Ellie Ordia to gain enlightenment… but he
had seen it.

How
fast the genius magician’s portal magic had grown over the past few
days.

“I
want to make that red-haired half-elf magician my assistant.”

That’s
why Ignorion said this.

“I
want to restore the lost history of portal magic with that girl.”