Chapter 195: 16th Floor (2)

Chapter 195: 16^th
Floor (2)

Balkan
wandered aimlessly through the forest.

The
15th floor had been nighttime until a little while ago, but on the
16th floor, the sun was still up.

Before
night fell and covered him completely, he needed to find a place to
hide and locate the portal’s direction.

However,
Balkan wasn’t a guide.

If
only I had a map, I could make something work, but I didn’t even
have that resource right now.

“What
are you going to do, disciple? Night will fall soon enough. From what
I hear, sneaky wolves roam around the 16th floor at night.”

Even
the so-called master who might have been helpful seemed more
interested in teasing than assisting, so there wasn’t much he could
do immediately.

So,
he simply kept walking for now.

To
find other explorers on the 16th floor—or at the very least, the
footprints of a monster.

If
he followed the direction of the footprints, he might stumble upon a
camping group or a horde of monsters or something useful.

-Swoosh!

After
thirty minutes of cutting through waist-high bushes with his artifact
hand axe, Balkan spotted multiple footprints imprinted in the muddy
ground.

‘An
explorer party?’

At
least a four-person party.

Since
they were wandering the 16th floor, most of them were likely
mid-tier, intermediate-ranked adventurers.

Carelessness
would be dangerous.

The
female adventurers in Eden were notoriously fond of men.

Moreover,
this was deep within a labyrinth, far from the eyes of others.

Depending
on the temperament of those they encountered, there was no harm in
staying cautious.

-Swish.

Balkan
instinctively reached up to tighten his helmet strap, only to curse
while touching his head.

‘Damn
it. I didn’t think being without my helmet would make me this
uneasy.’

Was
it because he’d worn his helmet every day for battle until now?

As
his field of vision opened up and the feeling of freedom grew, an
unfamiliar sense of vulnerability crept in.

“Ah,
disciple. Wear this.”

Idelbert,
noticing Balkan touching his face, quickly pulled out a mask from his
personal storage and handed it over.

It
was a mask that covered most of the face, leaving only the area
around the brow open for visibility.

‘I
may have just seen my disciple’s face for the first time, but I
can’t let anyone else get a look.’

Though
the act was driven by jealousy, Balkan gave Idelbert a slight nod as
he put on the mask.

Sniff,
sniff.

With
the mask faintly carrying Idelbert’s scent, Balkan hurried his
pace.

-Zzzzt!

Before
long, the sharp sensory range Balkan had extended picked up on the
presence of strangers.

There
were four of them, consistent with the number of footprints.

-Halt.

The
steps of the group heading somewhere suddenly stopped.

It
seemed that one of them also had detection-type abilities.

Since
both sides had noticed each other, there was no point in hiding.
Balkan walked toward where they were.

“Stop!”

When
Balkan looked up at the voice from a tree, he saw a man aiming a bow
and a woman holding a wand.

Their
levels appeared to be those of average intermediate adventurers.

“I
don’t intend to be hostile. So, you two hiding behind the tree,
please don’t be too wary.”

After
a brief silence, two more people appeared from behind the tree—a
person in full plate armor and a lightly equipped woman.

“You’re
quick to notice.”

The
full plate-armored person, speaking in a high-pitched voice typical
of a woman, rested her hand on her sword’s hilt and asked,

“Why
were you following us?”

“I
wanted to ask for directions.”

“Directions?”

“Yes.
Could you tell me which direction the portal is?”

“We
know, but why should we tell you—”

The
full plate-armored woman’s voice, sharp and wary, suddenly began to
waver.

She
looked at the stranger who had approached them out of nowhere.

A
man with a sharp intuition wearing a mask.

Though
most of his face was covered, the opening at the brow revealed
intense eyes, thick eyebrows, and a prominent nose.

-Thump.

Her
womb began fluttering as though it were a second heart, but she bit
her tongue to maintain her composure.

He
was wielding an axe, but his armor looked inadequate.

Though
his physique was impressively muscular and solid, it seemed almost
too aesthetically perfect—as if it were a body crafted just for
show.

When
a man with looks that could outshine the top hosts of pleasure
districts or the most refined sons of noble families suddenly
appeared, one of two things would happen.

‘A
decoy? A trap?’

Both
possibilities were plausible. The woman’s gaze shifted to the
figure standing behind the man.

A
body that even another woman couldn’t help but admire—a soft yet
toned figure exuding both feminine allure and the aura of a trained
warrior.

Wrapped
in a leotard suit with a swaying cat tail above her hips.

Her
piercing red eyes exuded an imposing, predatory aura.

“⋯Oh⋯”

It
was a familiar sight.

Though
she had only seen her from afar, this was someone she had idolized.

“⋯The
Alliance⋯”

-Shh.

Idelbert,
standing behind Balkan, raised a finger to his lips.

The
woman, who was about to cry out “Alliance Leader?!,” closed her
mouth tightly.

Idelbert
casually lowered her outstretched hand and made a gesture of slashing
her throat.

A
sign not to speak recklessly and to follow his lead.

“Ahem.
If you head north for about three days, you’ll find it. We’re
here for monster hunting, so we’ll be on our way!”

Sweating
profusely, the full plate-armored woman and her party hurriedly left
the area.

“⋯Such
kind people.”

“Ahem.
Indeed. Now, let us be on our way as well.”

Idelbert
walked beside Balkan with a nonchalant air, hands clasped behind her
back.

-Sway,
sway.

Unbeknownst
to him, her tail swayed slightly, revealing her emotions.

As
Balkan’s party headed off on their new path,

The
full plate-armored woman’s party, panting and flustered, exchanged
words.

“Wh-what?
Why is the Alliance Leader here on the 16th floor with that man⋯?”

“Come
to think of it, I heard a rumor that the Alliance Leader’s disciple
came to Eden recently and destroyed the turf clan in the back
alleys.”

“Oh,
I heard that too. Something about the outlaw prison being packed full
because of it. But the Alliance Leader’s disciple is supposed to be
a tall male axe warrior who always wears a helmet, right⋯?”

The
archer of the group murmured, and silence followed.

A
tall male axe warrior obsessively wearing a helmet.

And
the tall, immensely muscular axe warrior they had just seen.

“⋯Don’t
tell me, the one under that helmet was⋯?”

The
archer’s murmuring prompted the women in the party to gulp.

Though
he tried to hide his face with a mask, it wasn’t something that
could conceal such features.

Even
in Eden, a place devoid of brothels, it was natural for a woman’s
desires to build up.

And
then, to witness someone like that⋯

“Hnnng⋯”

The
women unconsciously rubbed their thighs together, their expressions
betraying their frustration.

The
archer immediately understood.

Tonight’s
watch duty⋯
was going to be very challenging.

“Whew.
Whew.”

I
blew gently with my mouth to keep the spark I worked hard to ignite
from going out.

The
spark grew, transforming into a large campfire.

In
the dark cave, it was the only light that would illuminate the night.

If
I had a mage, this wouldn’t have been such a hassle, but alas,
there wasn’t one right now.

“Are
you planning to rest in this cave tonight?”

“Yes.
For now, I intend to replenish my stamina.”

I
nodded at Idelbert’s question.

Although
the 16th floor had just become night, the 15th floor had turned dark
much earlier.

It
was practically the equivalent of traveling through the night without
rest.

To
move properly tomorrow, I needed to rest now.

I
had already found the direction I needed to go thanks to the
explorers I encountered: three days north. It wouldn’t be an easy
journey.

“I’ll
keep watch.”

At
her words, Balkan nodded and laid his weary body on the cold, hard
floor.

Memories
from the past suddenly surfaced. The recollection of the early days
of his labyrinth expedition.

How
long had it been since he last tried to traverse a labyrinth alone?

Well,
he wasn’t entirely alone, but the nostalgia lingered nonetheless.

Rustle,
rustle.

As
he lay absentmindedly, trying to drift to sleep, Balkan caught sight
of Idelbert fiddling with something dark in front of the campfire.

“…Is
that mana?”

“Yes.
Didn’t you see me use it earlier to drive away the wyvern?”

He
had seen it.

Well,
technically, he had only watched.

The
problem was that he had no idea how to wield it.

“Now
that I think of it, earlier you told me to create armor with mana.”

“Yes.”

“How
is that even possible?”

“Are
you curious?”

“Yes.”

“Well,
I don’t see why I shouldn’t show you.”

At
her words, Balkan sat up again, his attention focused on Idelbert.

Huff.

Idelbert
clenched the dark mana she had been kneading in her hands, and it
began to wrap around her arm.

The
black mana formed a protective layer, coating her arm as if encasing
it in armor.

It
was undoubtedly a barrier, but something about it reminded Balkan of
the sword aura that Jubeel used.

“…It
kind of resembles a sword aura.”

“Good
observation. It’s an extension of that. Whether it’s a sword aura
or a barrier, it’s about manipulating mana according to your will
with strong intent. Simply think of protecting yourself, and envelop
yourself in mana.”

“Hm…”

That
sounded easy in theory.

Even
Rubia, the tank with her signature bun hairstyle, could only create a
large mana barrier and hadn’t mastered the technique of neatly
coating her skin like this.

“It
seems you don’t understand, so I’ll show you again.”

Hi-yap—

Idelbert
extracted the dark mana again.

Huff.

Then,
she enveloped her arm in it once more.

“This
is how it’s done.”

“…Excuse
me?”

What
exactly was she expecting him to do?

All
he saw was her grabbing and releasing mana.

“Sigh.
Let me show you one more time. Hi-yap—
then, huff.
That’s it.”

“Hi-yap
and then huff?”

“No,
no! It’s hi-yap—
and then, huff.
Got it?”

Idelbert
stared at him as though wondering how he couldn’t grasp something
so simple.

But
no matter how she looked at him, Balkan had no excuses.

After
all, he had only started perceiving the labyrinth’s ambient mana
after investing a point in the Wisdom stat, which had been at 1.

“Ah.”

Could
it be…?

Balkan
opened his status window with a flicker of hope.

It
was the same window he had been admiring now and then as he gradually
leveled up and distributed stat points.

[Nam
Soo-jin LV.35]
[Stamina:
(14+16) Strength: (14+11) Agility: (14+11) Wisdom: (1+4-5) Dexterity:
(5+11)]
[Free
Points: 6]
[Current
Status: ‘Desire-filled’]
-Stamina+5,
Wisdom–5, Dexterity+10

Among
my stats, one stood out—Wisdom, which had been severely tanked by
the penalties of the Nightmare Curse.

1+4
equals 5. Then minus 5.

5
minus 5 equals 0.

Wisdom:
0.

Not
1, not 2, but zero.

“Could
it be…?”

If
he raised this stat…could he, too, become a master of sword aura?