Chapter 164: Let me see your back (2)

Chapter 164: Let me see
your back (2)

-Phuong!

The
Labyrinth vibrated with the sound of a balloon popping.

Red
blood spread everywhere along with flesh, and the sticky scent of
blood reminded me that this was the Labyrinth.

The
blonde bun-haired knight in dress armor who made the sound, Rubia
Steel, pulled a giant shield as tall as me off the wall of the
Labyrinth.

Clink
–

With
a sticky sound, the hobgoblin, crushed as if caught in a hydraulic
press, fell to the floor.

“Ke,
kekeke⋯”

The
goblins, terrified at the sight of the piece of meat that was once
their own kind, slowly began to back away.

Even
the hobgoblins who always approached with a kekekekekekeke looked
fearful.

-Kuung!

Rubia
Steel spread her arms wide toward the hobgoblins with a face full of
fear, leaving her bloody shield stuck in the ground.

“Okay!
More! More are coming!”

“Ke,
keruk!!”

“Keke
keruk!”

The
monsters started to run away in a hurry, perhaps because they felt
fear.

“Eh…
why, why are you running away…?”

Rubia
Steel lowered her hand with a look of despair.

I
also put the axe I had pulled out after seeing that.

“You’re
crazy. Who crushes a hobgoblin with a body slam?”

Jubeel,
who was picking up the hobgoblin that was crushed between the wall
and the shield, quietly exclaimed in admiration.

I
also agreed with that opinion inwardly.

Rubia
Steel ran at full speed as soon as I told her the location of the
goblins.

The
hobgoblin that was approaching in the lead was crushed between Rubia
Steel and the wall.

The
goblins that were following had run away just a moment ago.

As
a tanker, she showed off her monstrous physical specs.

“Please
don’t rush in like that from now on. It’s dangerous for a tanker
who’s supposed to protect the party to go ahead like that.”

It
was a bit dangerous.

The
reason I recruited her was to increase the stability of the party,
but such impulsive actions could actually cause danger.

I
wouldn’t have known when she was just a teammate, but now that I’m
the leader of the party, I have to point out things, because the
lives of the party members depend on my judgment.

“Huh,
hmm. I understand. Since I usually go down to the labyrinth with the
maid, I got a little excited.”

“Just
the two of us in the labyrinth?”

“That’s
right! In fact, I’ve rarely been in a party with other people. So
it’s a little unfamiliar⋯”

I
looked at Rubia Steel involuntarily at her unexpected statement.

The
information I asked her during the interview was whether she had a
blessing or curse, and the highest floor she could reach.

–Blessing
of the Shield Knight and two blessings of the body enhancement
series! There was a curse⋯
but it was erased! The highest floor she can reach is the 17^th
floor!

I
didn’t ask about her background in detail, but she called herself a
noble.

Judging
from the fact that she didn’t form another party until the 17^th
floor and went with a maid, she seemed to be the daughter of a fairly
influential family.

Well,
that’s that.

“It’s
okay. We just need to adjust a little bit.”

Since
this is the first time she’s working with a new party, there’s
bound to be some friction.

When
you join an unfamiliar party, the roles and habits you played in your
previous place are bound to pop out.

For
example⋯

“It’s
like your ex-girlfriend’s work. Don’t worry. We’ll train you to
your fullest to suit your tastes. Kekeke.”

“Well.
Is that the only way you can express it, Jubeel?”

“You
thought the same thing, didn’t you? You lecherous bastard.”

“⋯No,
well. That’s true, but⋯”

I
scratched my helmet at Jubeel’s words.

The
labyrinth becomes more complicated and vicious as you go down the
floors.

If
I don’t fix it now and go down, the gap will only get bigger.

“C-Chief
Instructor, huh?!”

I
looked at Rubia Steel, who was hiding her body wrapped in dress armor
with a bewildered expression.

I
need to make the blonde bun-haired knight, who acts as she pleases,
realize that she’s a member of the party.

***

Three
days have passed.

We’ve
currently reached the 4th floor.

The
progress was slower than usual, but we didn’t get injured or get
lost.

I
planned to go down from the relatively safe upper floors while
keeping up as much coordination as possible.

And
today, that effort finally paid off.

Rubia
no longer rushes at monsters as soon as she sees them.

“Stop.”

“Tsk⋯”

At
my words, Rubia put the brakes on her body and looked at the sword
held by the hobgoblin.

“Wait
a little longer.”

“⋯⋯”

The
green monsters that found their prey rushed in and were about to
swing their knives.

“Now!”

-Kaang!

Rubia
blocked the knives with her great shield and pushed the hobgoblin
away.

As
a tanker, she did her duty and dutifully protected the party members
from the monster’s attacks.

-Crash!

-Squeak!

I,
holding an axe, and Jubeel, who drew her sword, decapitated the
monster that bounced off the shield.

The
harpy magician Lammel responded to trap-like gimmicks and variables.

The
cat-woman priestess Hitolis appropriately heals and buffs to maintain
healthy activity levels.

“This
is great.”

“I’m
sorry to Joy Hog, but isn’t it more comfortable than before?”

I
could finally move as a party.

It
was a bit hard to get used to the fact that the person standing in
front of me was a long, thin woman instead of a dwarf, but honestly,
it was better than before.

If
Joy Hog felt like a warrior and tank who held on with intuition and
combat sense, Rubia felt like a huge wall was just standing in front
of me.

The
solidity was different.

“Is
this what party play is⋯?
It’s a different feeling from when I’m with the maid⋯!
It’s thrilling!”

Rubia
herself seemed to think it wasn’t bad either, so I thought it might
be killing two birds with one stone.

“B-but.
Mr. Balkan?”

“Yes?”

“Do
you really have to tell me to stop and wait? This is too⋯”

Doesn’t
it look like a pet⋯?

Rubia,
who was speaking with a slightly complicated expression, replied
nonchalantly.

“But
there is no other communication method as fast and efficient as
this.”

“That’s
true…Oh, I understand. Enduring embarrassment is also a way to
train your mind and body! In order to have a perfect body, you must
also control your mind!”

Rubia
shouted loudly, “Ohhoho!”, perhaps to shake off her
embarrassment.

If
it had been in the middle of the floor, it would have been a crazy
act to attract the aggro of the monster, but fortunately, it was
close to the end of the floor now.

All
that was left was to cross the descent portal to the 5th floor, so
the party crossed the portal right away.

“I’ll
tear the fountain movement scroll.”

Boohoo–

The
scroll torn from Hitolis’ hand created a rippling portal.

We
arrived at the fountain at the end of the 5th floor once again.

I
suggested a break to the party members.

“Let’s
rest a bit and do some maintenance before moving again.”

“Good!!”

“Bbaa-tu-tu!”

It
was finally time to put this dark elf down.

Nuer
that had been carried on my back for three days laughed loudly.

“You’ve
worked hard, Balkan.”

“This
kid… Oh, no. Why does Nuer only want to ride on Balkan’s back? If
someone else tries to carry her, she screams ‘Ppae-ae-ak’…”

“It’s
obvious. Even if her mind is broken, her body knows. That she became
a female who can only depend on males.”

“Tutta-tata-ta!!”

As
Lammel, Hitolis, and Jubeel said, Nuer had been carried on my back
for the past three days.

In
the end, I had no choice but to continue marching while carrying this
obscene dark elf that must have weighed at least 60kg.

It
was fortunate that she didn’t draw the monster’s aggro by crying
or screaming, but she still had a hard time.

“Our
Nuer. When you come to your senses, are you going to lose some
weight?”

“Ppuuuu!”

-Slap
slap.

Feeling
a little resentful, I patted Nuer’s breasts and butt, which
accounted for a significant portion of her body fat percentage, and
Nuer puffed out her cheeks.

Ignoring
Nuer, I carefully took off her pants and placed my hand under her
mound.

“Ppu,
slap slap⋯”

I
checked the diaper with my palm by pressing it with the skin near my
perineum.

“Yeah.
It’s not wet. Good job, good job.”

Diapers
were consumables, but they took up a lot of space in my backpack.

Even
though I had a subspace backpack, I couldn’t invest a lot of
capital and capacity in items that only Nuer used.

I
don’t know if it’s because she’s an elf with a slow metabolism
or because of her simple constitution, but since she didn’t poop
once in three days, I can say that it was a good decision.

“Bbaengtta-ta!
Bbaenghii–”

As
I patted Nuer’s head while praising her for not pooping or peeing,
Nuer burst into laughter.

“Is
it really ethical to restore her memories and make her normal?”

“I
should gag her before throwing her in the fountain. She might bite
her tongue and kill herself.”

Hitolis,
who never stops discussing humanity while resting, and Lammel, who
makes a plan to prevent suicide with a serious face.

“I
heard that she was a person who had a certain amount of energy, but,
uh, how did she end up like that…You really can’t let your guard
down in this city …”

“But
honestly, isn’t it lucky for a female? If there’s a male who
marks and manages her, honestly, that kind of life isn’t bad
either…”

Rubia,
who was shocked at seeing Nuer, and just listening to Jubeel’s
voice, put her in the fountain on the 5th floor.

“Tuttau?”

“⋯There’s
no change at all.”

It
seems Freya was right.

Even
after soaking her in the healing water of the fountain for 30
minutes, there was no sign of her recovery.

I
had to soak her on the 10th floor to find out, but I had a feeling
that I would have to head to the fountain on the 15th floor.

“Nuer.
Should we stop splashing around now and go?”

“Tauuu!”

The
moment I took out a round cloth from my subspace backpack and tried
to wipe the wet Nuer’s body.

Tingle
–

Someone
was caught in the wide range of my perception.

It
was a strange presence.

It
seemed extremely weak, but also strong…a mysterious feeling.

It
wasn’t the presence of a monster, but my eyes naturally turned
towards it.

“Ah,
ah, ah⋯”

A
voice that was as hungry as a starving child, with a cracking sound.

Her
unmanaged, matted hair dragged on the ground, and her skinny body was
so thin that it felt like only skin was attached to her bones.

If
you left a girl in her late teens alone for a few years without
feeding her anything, she would look like that.

The
strange thing was that the helpless-looking girl had ‘walked’ all
the way here.

The
multiples of 5 are the ones most explorers skip through using the
fountain scroll.

Unless
there is a specific request, it is really rare for a girl to walk
inside the floor like that.

Before
I knew it, my hand was on the extra-large axe, Bunny, behind my back.

The
party members also noticed my strangely stiff atmosphere and gathered
together to take precautions.

However,
no one drew their weapons first.

If
they had aimed their weapons first, there was a possibility that it
would have developed into a fight.

The
girl looked weak to the eye, but the aura she gave off was unusual.

There
was no need to take unnecessary risks. Safety is the best.

It
would have been nice if we had just been a little wary of each other
like the explorers we often meet.

“Ah⋯”

After
walking aimlessly, staring blankly into space, the girl stopped in
front of the descent portal and turned her eyes to us.

“⋯⋯⋯You.”

No,
more precisely.

“You’ve
got something nice on your back.”

Towards
me and Bunny.

“Can
I look at that axe for a second?”