201. Entering the Sixth Floor

After hearing that some changes had occurred on the 6th Floor following the Great Cataclysm, I hurriedly gathered information.

After collecting testimonies primarily from Gold Rank or higher adventurers and cross-referencing them with Olivia’s intel, I learned that three new changes had been added to the 6th Floor.

The first:

The appearance of transfer traps.

Stepping on these traps instantly teleports you to a random location on the 6th Floor.

It’s the start of absolute bullshit, and the moment you trigger one, you might as well consider yourself dead.

So far, only two people have survived stepping on these traps.

The traps are marked with faintly drawn blood sigils, often hard to notice unless you look closely or have a light source.

There are also numerous inactive decoy traps, and some are drawn not just on the floor but also on walls or ceilings.

The problem? No one knows who’s drawing these traps.

According to Olivia, even in the game, these traps appeared suddenly, and players had no idea who the creator was.

What’s worse, there’s a high chance you’ll be teleported into a monster room packed with creatures, so yeah-you’re basically dead.

The second change:

The emergence of the Flesh Wall.

Originally, the 6th Floor was divided into several biomes.

From the most common monster nests to crystal caves infested with rodent-like monsters, high-risk areas like ancient ruins teeming with Watchers, and hidden locations such as the Spirit Tomb.

Now, a new biome called the Flesh Zone has been added.

According to Olivia’s guidebook, it feels like multiple updates were rolled out at once.

Entering the Flesh Zone means experiencing something utterly insane.

The terrain itself is a type of monster, attacking from all sides with bones, thorns, and tentacles. Unique monsters also spawn from the walls, making it an almost endless respawn zone.

Part of me thought it could be a great base for farming monsters like the Snake Nest, but I’d have to see it for myself.

Finally, the third change:

The appearance of Golden Goblins.

Golden Goblins are usually seen as walking treasure chests, but the ones that have started appearing on the 6th Floor are practically mid-boss-level monsters.

They ambush adventurers on sight, actively use loot stolen from their victims, and even coordinate group attacks.

There have already been double-digit cases of adventurers being kidnapped by them.

These little bastards are the biggest headache on the 6th Floor right now.

Because of them, adventurers have been hesitant to descend.

Intelligent monsters as sharp as humans, launching relentless ambushes, committing arson, and even carrying out mass assaults-what a nightmare.

“You think the Golden Goblins are the ones drawing the traps?”

“Probably not. Goblins have zero knowledge of transfer magic. In the game, it was implied that some other entity was causing trouble.”

“Hmm.”

I thought the goblins might be behind the chaos, but apparently not.

“Got it. I’ve gathered enough info, so I’ll head down now.”

“Stay safe, and come back in one piece.”

After exchanging farewells with Olivia and the maids, I headed for the labyrinth.

The rest of the party was already waiting for me on the 5th Floor.

I just needed to enter the 5th Floor and quickly descend to the 6th.

I felt a slight shiver.

The thought of stepping into an unexplored floor made me nervous.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt this tension.’

The 5th Floor is like my home now.

I’ve tamed all the monsters and uncovered every hidden spot.

Since the Evil Sisters manage it, the 5th Floor is actually safer for me than the surface.

But the 6th Floor is different.

The labyrinth’s malice will move in full force to kill me, and the bullshit will begin in earnest.

Honestly, the moment I heard about the transfer traps, I knew I’d trigger one.

Every aspect of this labyrinth is out for my blood-there’s no way I’d escape unscathed.

‘Even though I’ve prepared for everything, I still feel uneasy.’

With a mix of tension and fear, I entered the 5th Floor, where the waiting party greeted me with waves.

“Finally, the boss is here!”

“Welcome back.”

“Shion!”

The gladiator brothers and Lady Leah were there.

Joshua was uncharacteristically quiet, and Ulysses…

“T-This is weird.”

“What is?”

“My gender hasn’t changed…! Shouldn’t my body and soul have synchronized by now? Something’s wrong. Why am I still in a girl’s body…?”

“Old man, isn’t this similar to the Curse of Transformation?”

“Is it? Maximus, haven’t you changed either?”

“I’ve stayed like this too. Probably because this is a monster’s body. Those cursed with transformation have their appearances completely altered, right? Must be the same thing.”

“Ah… Aah.”

Ulysses clutched his head, on the verge of losing it. Even after a week, he was still female.

I get it-living his whole life as a man and suddenly becoming a woman would mess anyone up.

-Alraunes don’t have males to begin with. They’re a female-only species, so it makes sense that the gender is fixed.

“Aha.”

Helena’s words confirmed it.

Ulysses would have to live the rest of his life as a female Alraune.

“Ulysses. Just adapt. There’s no way around it.”

“But..!”

“It’s not like you were using it anyway. Think of it as an exchange for stronger thorn vines.”

“You! That’s too harsh! I was a man too, you know?!”

“Hey, old man. Stop whining and accept it. Your abilities improved-what’s there to complain about?”

“Grrr! Damn brat! You got an overpowered Immortal Imp’s body, so of course you’re happy! Not me!”

“Seriously. You look way better now. A young Alraune beats a wrinkly old man any day. Right, everyone?”

“For once, I agree with my brother.”

“I also prefer young, firm Ulysses over the hunched-back old man with age spots.”

“Even you, Leah?!”

When even Leah said she preferred the young, vibrant Ulysses over the ugly old man, Ulysses slumped in despair and started sobbing.

Throwing a tantrum over losing something he wasn’t even using.

“U-Ulysses. Everyone seems happy with your current form. For the party’s morale, please stay as an Alraune.”

“WAAAH! No one understands my suffering!”

At least he’s cute now, so his tantrums are somewhat bearable.

Normally, I’d frown at Ulysses’ outbursts, but today, seeing a girl throw a fit made it easier to tolerate.

“Hoho. How amusing, watching the trivial anguish of organic beings.”

“Wait, Joshua. ‘Organic beings’? You were human too, you know.”

“What an unpleasant thing to say. I have already transcended my frail mortal flesh and attained an immortal mechanical body.”

“Huh… What’s wrong with this guy? He never used honorifics before. His speech is weird too. What’s going on?”

He used to speak casually to me, but now he’s suddenly putting up walls, using formal speech while belittling organic life.

Even though he was organic himself just a week ago.

“I don’t know why he’s acting like this either.”

“That bard bastard’s been living in a robot body for a few days and now he’s full-on machine supremacist. Fucking insane.”

“He used to be cheerful. Now he feels cold.”

“Without a beating heart, coldness is inevitable.”

“Guess he still has some literary sensibility left?”

“Even a mechanical brain can recall childhood memories.”

Joshua had become a cynical, philosophical machine-man.

The once loud and lively bard now wore a cold, mocking smirk-it was unsettling.

“At least no one seems physically hurt. That’s good.”

Yeah, they’ve all gone a bit crazy, but I’d rather have them noisy than sick.

If they were bedridden, I wouldn’t be able to take them into the labyrinth.

“Our goal this time is to reach the Spirit Tomb as quickly as possible. Since making money isn’t the objective, we’ll avoid unnecessary fights. And as you can see, Lady Leah is our guide.”

“Is she a reliable guide?”

“I believe so. She’s professionally trained in scouting.”

“Combat ability? She hasn’t earned a Gold Badge yet, right?”

“She can solo a Minotaur.”

“That should be enough for the 6th Floor.”

“As long as we avoid the ancient ruins.”

We finalized our plans.

This time, conquering the 6th Floor isn’t the goal. Our mission is to find the path to the Spirit Tomb, retrieve the stone coffin Frodo requested, and enter the hidden sanctuary to obtain the relics of the Saintess from two generations ago.

“Alright, let’s head down.”

“Hope we make it back safely.”

“Please let us land somewhere normal.”

We prayed for a safe return at the transfer stone and descended to the 6th Floor.

---

“…”

“Wh-Where is this?”

“Shh.”

I knew it.

The moment we arrived, we were dumped straight into the ancient ruins.

Are you fucking kidding me?

“Keep your voices down. No torches either. We need to get out of here fast.”

“Got it…”

Lady Leah immediately began scouting a path.

Our priority was escaping the ruins as quickly as possible.

If the Watchers spotted us, every monster in the ruins would swarm us-and these things are no joke.

They’re hard to kill, some use curses, and a few even cast spells. One wrong move, and we could end up afflicted with the Curse of Transformation or worse.

“…”

“Gulp…”

Watchers floated through the air-massive, tentacled abominations covered in eyes and mouths.

If they notice us, it’s over. These insane sentinels have killed more adventurers on the 6th Floor than any other monster.

“They’re gone.”

“Let’s move.”

Without another word, we advanced swiftly, with Leah leading the way.

If we were here to conquer the ruins, I’d have brought Rozie and a full team.

But with just us, it’s too risky.

Unless I turn this place into a Snake Nest and spawn an army, that is.

“We should be close to the exit. If we take this right path…”

Thankfully, Leah’s pathfinding skills were beyond expectations. Following her lead, we managed to escape the ruins without incident.

“Phew. Damn it. In all my years, this is the first time I’ve started the 6th Floor in the ruins.”

“Same here.”

“It’s unusual.”

“The labyrinth’s malice, no doubt. It’s trying to kill me.”

“Damn. Of all people, our leader had to be marked by the labyrinth.”

At Maximus’ words, the party chuckled.

Everyone already knows the labyrinth has it out for me.

Yet, none of them seemed afraid.

Guess being in the same boat gives them confidence.

Having comrades feels reassuring.

“Alright. Let’s keep moving.”

After putting more distance between us and the ruins, we paused to catch our breaths before moving again.

Or at least, we tried to.

Bzzzt-!

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

My body suddenly floated mid-air, and in an instant, I was teleported away from the party.

I must’ve triggered a transfer trap without realizing it. Un-fucking-believable.

And the worst part?

‘I’m back in the ancient ruins.’

The very place we just escaped-now I’m here alone.

I’m so screwed.

Stranded in the most dangerous zone of the 6th Floor, all by myself.