7. Trump Card

“Wake up. It’s time.”

“Ah, yeah…”

Had it already been four hours?

The young lady and I had a light meal-dry bread, thinly sliced ham, tomatoes, and lettuce, with a bit of water to wash it down.

Honestly, for the labyrinth, this was practically a luxurious feast.

“Now that we’ve eaten, it’s time to move again.”

“Mm. Let’s get out of here quickly. It’s weirdly suffocating.”

She must have been feeling the strain from staying in the labyrinth for so long without proper maso adaptation.

Frankly, it was impressive that a beginner like her had lasted this long on the 4th floor.

‘I was hoping rescue would come while we slept. No such luck, huh.’

If we stayed here any longer, breathing would soon become difficult.

I had to get her out before that happened.

Carrying an unconscious or collapsed young lady on my back while navigating the labyrinth was no different from charging headfirst into death.

“By the way, young lady. I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”

“The good news first.”

“There’s probably a transfer stone nearby. We can use it to go up a floor.”

“That is good news. Then what’s the bad news?”

“There’s a staircase. And we have to go down it.”

“Down? No, why?”

The moment I said “down,” she reflexively shook her head.

The 4th floor was already tough enough-it was understandable she’d panic at the idea of descending further.

“Because the transfer stone is down there.”

“You’re saying we have to go down to find the transfer stone? What kind of nonsense is that? You need a transfer stone to go down in the first place! Are you telling me we have to go down to find the transfer stone? Huh?!”

Unfamiliar with the concept of floor splits, she looked at me like I was insane.

I needed to explain this properly.

“It’s not that the floor itself changes, but rather that the 4th floor has split into layers.”

“Floor split? What’s that?”

“Going down the stairs doesn’t actually take us to a lower floor. Since we’re not using a transfer stone, the floor itself doesn’t change.”

When floors change, so do the environment and the monsters that appear.

It’s harder to notice in the upper layers, but from the 5th floor onward, the shift is unmistakable.

“Uh… Mm. I kinda get what you mean. But why is that bad news?”

“Generally, the lower split layer is more difficult. There’s a high chance we’ll run into a Boparabbit.”

“A Boparabbit… That’s the strongest thing in the breeding grounds, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. Normally, the encounter rate isn’t that high, but with a floor split, there’s an extremely high chance it’s either waiting near the transfer stone or patrolling the lower layer.”

Unlike the Horn Rabbits, which always appear in the breeding grounds, Boparabbit is a rare spawn.

But with the floor split, the encounter rate skyrockets to nearly 99%.

‘If there was an adventurer team that escaped ahead of us, they might’ve already killed it.’

If not, then the young lady and I would have to be the ones to take it down.

The very creature I’d been desperately avoiding-now we had to walk straight toward it.

“Can we even win against that thing?”

“If you’re asking whether we can win in a straight fight, then no. Neither of us is exactly a powerhouse in combat.”

“What about that slingshot thing? Would that work?”

“Even if I tried pelting it, it’s way too fast. It’d either dodge or I’d miss.”

Misses and dodges would rain down like arrows.

At my answer, her expression darkened rapidly.

“…Porter.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s just wait here for rescue.”

“Sure. That is the safest option. But-”

But, young lady.

You’re already struggling to breathe, aren’t you?

“Ah.”

“This is the 4th floor, young lady. The fact that you’ve lasted this long is already impressive.”

Either she had an absurdly strong noble bloodline or a labyrinth-adapted constitution-one of the two.

Otherwise, there was no way she could’ve lasted this long on the 4th floor without a single level-up.

“If we stay here any longer, you’ll either pass out or collapse. I don’t have the confidence to carry you while fighting.”

“…Then just…”

“Just?”

“If I collapse… kill me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Kill me… and put me in your dimensional pouch. That’ll work, right?”

She was dead serious.

“I’ll just get revived anyway. Instead of struggling to get out while dragging me along, just kill me if I succumb to maso poisoning and wait for rescue with my body in your pouch.”

Technically, she wasn’t wrong.

It was the most rational option.

If she died, I could store her body in my inventory to prevent decay and wait for rescue.

But doing that would lower the chances of getting a proper reward.

Only by bringing her back alive would I receive the full payout.

“Keeping your corpse with me until rescue arrives is a viable option, sure. If things go south, we can switch to your plan.”

“No, I’m not joking-I’m serious-”

“I know. I know you’re serious. But I do have one other option.”

“You have a way?”

“Yeah. But, well… it’s a bit…”

“What? Spit it out.”

“It’s expensive.”

“Huh?”

“I have a scroll. With this, we can kill the Boparabbit.”

A scroll inscribed with a 6th-circle lightning-attribute spell.

I’d obtained it by sheer chance.

This was my trump card.

If I sold it, I had no idea how much it’d go for.

“What kind of magic is even-”

“Lightning Shock.”

The advanced version of Electric Shock, a 3rd-circle lightning-attribute attack spell.

One hit from this, and the 4th-floor Boparabbit would be fried to a crisp.

“Might even explode it outright.”

“Wait, a 6th-circle spell? What about mana?”

“That’s why I’ve been buying mana potions whenever I had spare money. I’ll chug them until my mana backfires and one-shot the thing. How’s that sound?”

“…That actually seems possible.”

“Right?”

It was possible. With this, we wouldn’t need anyone to die to escape.

Now, the important part-negotiating the price.

“The problem is whether you can cover the cost of both the scroll and the mana potions.”

As I mentioned earlier, nobles tend to view revival as unclean.

They believe the soul is tainted after dying and coming back.

Not to mention, the cost of revival is no joke.

It’s no wonder those who get revived often end up drowning in debt and selling themselves into slavery.

Voluntary slavery is basically their version of bankruptcy.

More importantly, 6th-circle scrolls don’t have a fixed market price.

In short, she’d have to pay a premium for me preserving her “purity.”

“So? If we don’t do this, the only other option is stuffing your corpse in my dimensional pouch and waiting for rescue.”

A binary choice.

Pay to keep her soul “clean.”

Or die and wait for revival.

“I’ll pay for the scroll. Better to spend money and stay alive than revive and deal with the family fallout. If I die here, my father will never let me step foot in the labyrinth again.”

“Wait, you want to come back to the labyrinth? Did someone coat this place in honey or something?”

“It’s just… my dream is to reach the very bottom… What’s it to you?”

What a weird dream.

“Sure, fine. Whatever. Then let’s head down. We’ll probably run into a swarm of Boparabbit, so wrap your scarf tight. It might block an attack or two.”

“Got it.”

I helped her tighten the scarf around her neck.

Something was better than nothing.

‘Shield’s on my arm too.’

I attached a shield to my left arm.

Since I’d need to tear the scroll the moment we encountered the Boparabbit, I gripped it in my left hand.

And to cast the spell, I’d need mana-so I prepped three high-grade mana potions on my belt, ready to chug.

‘The rule of thumb is there’s only one Boparabbit per 4th floor.’

Even with the floor split, I doubted the breeding grounds’ boss monster would spawn twice.

‘If it’s gonna appear, please just let it be one. Any more than that, and we’re dead.’

The young lady’s breathing was growing ragged.

We had to move fast.

If she passed out, the scroll plan would be useless.

“Watch your step on the stairs.”

“Mm.”

The lower split layer.

For simplicity’s sake, you could call it the 4.5th floor.

The labyrinth’s air grew even heavier.

The young lady’s breathing became more labored.

We had to hurry.

Just then, my mapping skill detected a likely spot for the transfer stone.

The closer we got, the more certain I was it’d be there.

Just a little further…

Thud.

Thud thud.

“Ghk-!”

“Kyaa-!”

The moment I heard the sound, I yanked the young lady behind me.

The Boparabbit lunging for her throat missed its target, and I smacked it aside with my shield.

I wanted to finish it off right then, but-

This wasn’t the only one.

‘Tch. Three of them at once?’

The difficulty had visibly spiked.

Boparabbit normally didn’t travel in groups.

But thanks to the floor split, three had spawned together.

If I let my guard down, my throat would be slit.

I’d die right here.

“Young lady-!”

“Ugh, nngh-!”

The young lady was showing signs of maso poisoning.

Her breathing was so strained she could barely focus.

This was bad.

Thud.

Thud thud.

Meanwhile, the three Boparabbit took turns lunging.

Blocking all of them was impossible.

No choice.

I’d protect her neck at least.

My arms would be shredded, but she’d cover the medical bills, right?

‘Damn pests.’

I knocked one aside and immediately stabbed my sword into the second.

My arm was wounded, but what could I do?

No time to dwell on the pain-I crushed the face of the third and buried my blade in its body.

No time to pull it out.

I yanked another sword from my inventory and hurled it at the still-living Boparabbit.

Thunk!

“Ah, fuck.”

By the time I finished off the last one, my shield was in tatters.

Useless now.

I tore it off and tossed it aside, then shook the barely conscious young lady awake.

“Young lady. Young lady-!”

“Ghk… Ugh…”

“Ah, damn it.”

We had to move.

“S-sorry… Ugh.”

She dry-heaved before finally standing.

We had to walk. The transfer stone was marked on my map.

Just a few more steps and-

“Knew it.”

I’d expected this.

No way it wouldn’t show up.

How many times had I been screwed over in the labyrinth?

I knew exactly how this rotten place operated.

Giving hope before dashing it with despair-this wasn’t my first rodeo.

The labyrinth’s malice was familiar.

If you always assumed the worst, you’d never be caught off guard.

“Guhk-!”

Right on cue, the Boparabbit crawled out.

The bastard had perfect timing, charging at us at full speed.

I let go of the young lady and chugged a high-grade mana potion.

Half of it spilled, but this wasn’t the time to care.

The monster was almost on us.

No time to think.

No time to aim.

I had to fire now.

Right-

“Lightning Shock.”

I tore the scroll and unleashed lightning straight ahead.

The recoil sent me flying backward.

A bolt of thunder ripped through everything in its path.

The power of a 6th-circle spell was beyond words.

I’d seen up to 4th-circle magic before, but this was my first time witnessing 6th.

It was insane.

The labyrinth lit up in an instant.

Bright enough to blind.

The Horn Rabbits nearby fled in terror.

My hair stood on end from the residual electricity.

Dust billowed up.

“Guh… eugh…”

Thud.

The Boparabbit collapsed.

Half its upper body was gone, its white fur charred black.

One-shot.

A mere 4th-floor monster wouldn’t survive a 6th-circle spell.

“Kuh… ugh…”

Something-blood, maybe-gushed up my throat.

My vision blurred.

Chugging enough mana potions to trigger backflow left my limbs trembling. The side effects made me feel like I’d pass out any second.

Staying upright was a struggle.

My body had hit its limit.

I wasn’t even a mage.

A lowly porter with no mana circuits forcing out a 6th-circle spell was bound to suffer backlash.

“Cough… cough… Damn it, young lady… Pull yourself together… and drag me… to the transfer stone…”

Thud.

My legs gave out.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

I’d heard the recoil would be harsh, but-

I felt like I’d vomit any second.

We couldn’t afford to stay here.

The faint sound of Horn Rabbits approaching reached my ears.

If we delayed, we’d die to trash mobs.

After killing the Boparabbit, dying to Horn Rabbits?

That’d be the most pathetic end.

So hurry up and get moving, young lady.

“Ugh… damn it…”

Finally, she stirred.

Struggling to breathe from maso poisoning, she looked dangerously unsteady.

“Th-there… right?”

“Yeah… straight… ahead…”

Staggering, she grabbed my ankles and started dragging me toward the transfer stone.

‘The Boparabbit’s corpse…’

As she pulled me, I reached out and stashed the body in my dimensional pouch.

No idea if any parts were sellable, but I took what I could.

Every bit counted.

Scrimping and saving like this was how I bought survival gear.

I took everything I could.

Every scrap I gathered would one day save my life, just like today.

“Huff… huff… ugh…”

She stopped several times but eventually made it to the transfer stone.

Damn, she was impressive.

“Hey… hey… this one… blue, right? Not red?”

“Blue… yeah…”

“Mm… got it.”

Dragging me along, she stepped into the blue gate.

Behind us, the breeding grounds’ monsters crept closer.

Luckily, we escaped the damn 4th floor just in time.