episode_0032

I hate bugs.

It’s just instinctive.

To be precise, spiders aren’t bugs, they’re animals, but.

Seeing the countless spiders swarming in, goosebumps rose instinctively.

Still, I surveyed the spiders, holding back my nausea.

To evaluate objectively, they’re not even that big in size.

This much should be manageable, shouldn’t it?

I threw a card.

[Force Field]

A powerful shield surrounding us.

Countless spiders rush towards the shield, which has become thicker and stronger due to [Cat’s Paw].

Thump thump thump thump!!!

Spiders climb onto the shield haphazardly, pounding on it and biting it with their sharp teeth.

But it’s still alright.

Unlike the giant spider, the combat power of each of these guys isn’t that strong.

Furthermore, while they can’t attack this place, we can attack them from inside.

Stab!!

Daybeck swings his sword.

Kairek shoots an arrow.

Hans smashes their heads with a blunt weapon.

Spiders falling down in heaps.

But the supply is faster than the killing speed.

Spiders piling up more and more, completely covering the shield.

Clack clack!!

Their teeth pound on the shield.

“Damn it!! Wizard! Why don’t you do something?”

Ultimately, only I can resolve this situation.

First, let’s kill a spider and see the draw.

[Strike]

Thud!!!

A powerful impact sent a group of spiders flying.

But that was all.

They returned unharmed and attacked the shield again.

As expected, something like Strike can’t kill a monster in one hit.

What a useless card.

『Until the next draw 41… 40…』

There was still plenty of time left.

Can the shield last during this time?

Crack!!

At that moment, a slight crack appeared on the shield.

Even if it’s the attack of weak spiders, it’s different when they pile up and up.

It can’t go on like this.

If I can’t use cards, there’s no choice but to step forward myself.

“Hans! Give me a knife!!”

Hans urgently pulled out a short dagger from his chest.

Pulling out the dagger, I spread my senses.

Countless life mana felt.

Among them, I find something weak.

This way.

I plunged the dagger into the body of a slightly smaller spider.

An unpleasant sensation.

But this is still not enough.

I pulled out the stuck dagger, stabbed its head 3 times, and slit its body.

Splatter!!!

The spider collapsed, spilling its guts.

『[Butcher’s Gauntlet] consumes blood.』

『Energy increases by 1, and you draw 1 card.』

[Shield (1)] + [Body Enhancement (0)]

I didn’t even expect anything.

What a crappy draw.

Still, it’s better than nothing.

[Body Enhancement]

My body becomes lighter.

I keep swinging the dagger, stabbing spiders.

Twitch!!

My scattered senses detected a giant spider moving.

The spider climbing up to the ceiling above the shield.

It seems like it’s probably going to just drop and use its immense weight to break the force field.

Unacceptable.

“Kairek!! A harpoon arrow above its head!!”

“Understood!!!”

Immediately, Kairek pulled out a harpoon arrow and shot it directly above the crown of its head.

Whoosh!!!

The arrow that tore through the spiders went straight through the giant spider’s body.

But it’s not over yet.

The spider’s corpse falling, with a hole pierced through its body.

While it’s slowly disappearing, the falling speed is much faster.

If that heavy weight falls on the shield, it will surely break.

“Kairek!”

“I know!!”

Kairek, having grasped the situation with the already secured view, retrieves the harpoon arrow using [Arrow Return].

He shoots the harpoon arrow towards the giant spider once more.

Whoosh!!

The spider’s body, halved, flying to either side.

With this, we breathed a sigh of relief.

Crackle!!

The shield, still beginning to crack more and more.

I plunged the dagger into a spider clinging to the shield.

Stab!!

The dagger went in a little deeper.

This isn’t the end.

Using my enhanced body, I continue to stab it repeatedly.

Stab!

Slash!!

I killed one even faster than before.

『[Butcher’s Gauntlet] consumes blood.』

『Energy increases by 1, and you draw 1 card.』

[Shield (1)] + [Fireball (1)]

It’s here, an attack card.

My savior, incomparable to something like Strike.

The strongest attack card, Fireball.

Using it immediately.

[Fireball]

Whoosh.

The flames forming around my body soon gather into a single point.

A fireball so large that a torch couldn’t even compare.

Did they see that form? Or was it because the giant spider was blown to pieces?

The spiders, terrified, slowly began to retreat.

I threw the fireball towards where the most spiders were gathered.

Whoosh!!!

A group of spiders who couldn’t avoid the advancing fireball and were hit.

Flames cling to their bodies.

Unlike the wolves, the spiders couldn’t put out the fire on their bodies.

Rather, they spread the fire more and more in an attempt to escape among themselves.

By the time the scent of burning stimulated the tip of my nose, spiders that had burned black began to appear.

Ding, ding!!

『[Butcher’s Gauntlet] consumes blood.』

『Energy increases by 1, and you draw 1 card.』

The status window appearing countless times.

Before I knew it, my hand was full.

And among them, there was also a card to wipe them out.

A 4-cost attack card I newly obtained this time.

[Ice Storm]

The wind blows.

Compared to [Vortex], it’s a wind that isn’t sharp or strong.

It’s a weak wind, not strong enough to tear the spiders’ flesh or blow them away, but.

This wind carries coldness.

Moreover, ice fragments scattered piece by piece within the cold wind.

The astonishingly cold chill slows down the spiders’ movements, and.

The countless ice fragments hidden within the wind tear their entire bodies to pieces.

Whoosh.

Spiders touched by the ice storm split apart.

Head, chest, abdomen. The spiders’ bodies are torn apart like the three segments of an insect.

Countless legs being cut off are a bonus.

Clatter!!!

The severed legs and torn bodies rush towards us from the impact, but hit the shield and fall.

I move the storm more powerfully.

Whoosh!!!

The ice storm dominating within the narrow canyon.

It follows the fleeing spiders.

The ice storm advanced without missing even the last one.

All spiders have been eliminated.

Ding!

『Please check card rewards.』

The victory status window welcomed me.

[Sever (1)] – Cuts down enemies with a powerful slash.

[Ignite (0)] – Ignites sparks at a desired location for 1 turn.

[Repulsion Field (3)] – Deploys a repulsion field for 1 turn, pushing away everything that approaches.

This is a reward for sweeping away a bunch of spiders, but no 4-cost card?

As expected, this level isn’t enough.

First, I don’t like [Sever] because it’s too low cost, and.

[Ignite] feels similar to Water Spray, so its versatility should be good.

Conversely, [Repulsion Field] feels like a defensive card with clear strengths.

Normally, I would choose [Repulsion Field], but.

Thanks to the Paladin’s deck, defense is no longer a significant factor to worry about.

I’m not fighting alone in the labyrinth either.

At least it’s right to leave the defense of the Elementalist deck to the party members and increase my attack power.

In such a situation, is the value of the 0-1 cost attack cards that appeared now any good?

Ignite does have good versatility, but.

Will igniting flames in front of monsters that appear on the 4th-5th floor be effective?

Burning their eyeballs might be better than I thought, too.

I’m conflicted.

“It’s a magic stone!!”

Watching the party members picking up magic stones, I pondered whether or not to take [Ignite].

My contemplation wasn’t long.

I decided to take [Ignite].

If it were 1 cost, I would have agonized.

Since it’s 0 cost.

The [Ignite] card goes into the deck.

Situation concluded.

Daybeck approached.

“What do we do now? Do we have to wait here for 20 hours until the red portal opens?”

In fact, Daybeck’s judgment is correct.

“Do we absolutely have to go outside the labyrinth?”

“Then are you saying we hunt against monsters that might attack from the darkness of the canyon at any time?”

“Anyway, fighting in the darkness was the same on the 2nd floor, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm, that’s true. But on the 2nd floor, there was nothing but scraps of grass, so they didn’t attack first. But like those wolves earlier, there are many cases where they set traps. Is there a way to find that out?”

There is a way.

Originally, when Grace was here, I just didn’t use it because her detection ability was overwhelmingly better than mine.

I also have a detection ability.

I spread my senses and read the surrounding mana.

It doesn’t reach as far as Grace, but.

At least I can find out about threats around us.

“……Kairek.”

“What is it?”

“Shoot a harpoon arrow towards that wall over there.”

“……Understood!”

Kairek, who was letting out a hearty laugh, picked up a harpoon arrow.

“But, where exactly are you talking about?”

“…….”

That’s true.

I drew 3 cards.

[Ignite (0)] [Blink (0)] [Terrain Manipulation (3)]

It’s been a while since Strike or Shield weren’t in my starting hand.

I felt good.

“Where do I shoot?”

“Ah, just a moment.”

I threw a card.

[Ignite]

As the card melted into thin air, a sense of exhilaration rose throughout my body.

The method of using Ignite that immediately came to mind.

This is that, isn’t it.

The method for using fire magic I saw in a manga I read a long time ago.

Immediately after extending my left hand and aiming.

Zap!!!

Along with a strong impact sound.

Flames flared up on the canyon wall for 1 second.

And Kairek’s arrow, which didn’t miss it, tore through the wind and advanced.

Unfortunately, the arrow Kairek shot went slightly off target.

But despite that, he succeeded in breaking the canyon wall.

CRASH!!!

A monster hidden inside the wall revealed itself.

“Squawk?”

It was a snake with golden skin.

“Gold Snake?!!”

A surprised Daybeck rushes towards the snake.

The snake, seeing this, immediately came down from the wall and began to flee.

The rest followed suit.

“What’s a Gold Snake?”

“It’s a monster found in the canyon. It’s a monster hidden inside walls, so you can’t find it without a guide!”

“Is it rare? Like a Treasure Mole?”

“No! But the reward is better than for spiders!”

Kairek passing by me.

It’s not a super rare monster on the level of a Treasure Mole, but. It seems to be a rare monster in its own right.

Crrk!!!

When I arrived, the Gold Snake’s neck had already been severed.

A blue card floating up.

Then, shall I expect a reward too?

But the status window didn’t pop up.

“……Ah.”

Is it because I didn’t enter combat state?

No, it seems like it should handle this much flexibly.

Although it felt unfair.

Still, since I got one card, I decided to be satisfied.

“That’s amazing? Can a wizard also act as a guide?”

Honey dripped from Daybeck’s eyes.

Avoiding his burdensome gaze, I said.

“Anyway, I can’t find the way to a safe zone, but I can hunt monsters safely.”

“It seems so. Anyway, the guide guy’s role was to bring us here. I guess we can just think of it as the distribution getting better.”

Daybeck showed a reaction that he was rather happy because the proportions had improved, even though a person had died.

The reaction of the other two was not different either.

A person had died right before my eyes, but. Seeing the party members quickly shaking it off felt a bit strange and also made my heart feel lonely.

Moreover, we had been living together through thick and thin for several days.

Am I too sentimental?

At that moment, Kairek approached and patted my shoulder.

“When entering a labyrinth, there is no adventurer who enters without preparing for death. It’s something that has already happened. Don’t worry about it.”

“…Okay.”

Kairek is right.

The guide dying is the guide dying, and.

We must continue forward.

“Whew…….”

Taking a deep breath made me feel a little better.

First, I checked the cards I was holding.

[Blink (0)] [Terrain Manipulation (3)]

Terrain Manipulation, drawn in a non-combat situation after a long time.

A good idea came to mind.

[Terrain Manipulation]

I make all the blade crystals above the canyon fall.

Thud!!

After putting the 10 blade crystals, which were the request, into my subspace bag.

“Since we’re already here, let’s make a fortune before we leave.”

“Good.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

I move the canyon using Terrain Manipulation.

“Wh-what? The canyon is moving?”

The party members laughing while watching the bewildered Daybeck.

I continue to concentrate.

The goal is a good battlefield for us.

Rumble!!!

A large, straight path was created between the splitting canyon walls.

I continued to move the terrain, closing the gaps in the canyon.

As I closed off all the paths where monsters could attack us from all directions,

Now, there is only one way they can come to where we are.

Only the narrow gap visible up ahead.

“Uh uh……. This is unbelievable. Is this why they say ‘Wizard, Wizard’?”

Daybeck looks around in wonder.

I spread my senses again and read the mana.

“……!!”

Perhaps it’s because of the vibration felt while the terrain was moving.

Countless monsters were approaching us.

Following the single path I had created.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!!!!”

As soon as I shouted, Hans and Daybeck charged forward.

But at that moment.

A status window popped up.

Ding!

『You have provoked the Lord of the Canyon. Numerous monsters are swarming.』

I thought it was the status window with the usual phrase ‘You draw a card’ written on it, but.

Something was different.

To think I provoked the Lord of the Canyon.

Could it be that something happened because I moved the canyon with [Terrain Manipulation]?

It’s a sufficiently possible story.

CRASH!!!

Something burst out from the ground.

Something appeared, swallowing the rushing monsters.

Kairek and Daybeck faltered upon seeing its form.

“What is that?!!”

“I don’t know either!!”

Something they didn’t know either.

But looking at its form, one thing came to mind.

Sandworm.

It looked similar to that monster said to appear in deserts.

The color was slightly different, having a bluish tinge, but it was a serpent with a long body and an enormous number of teeth.

The Lord of the Canyon was charging towards this place.

『Combat Start. Draw 3 cards.』

『Energy 4/4』

[Ice Shield (1)] [Pyre (3)] [Strike (1)]

“Block it!!!”

For now, offense is indeed the best defense.

The moment I threw the [Pyre] card.

Hans kicked off the ground and charged out.

Whoosh!!!

A powerful harpoon arrow entered the Lord of the Canyon’s mouth and turned its insides upside down.

Grrr!!!!

The Lord of the Canyon rushing forward, struggling with a bizarre sound.

Hans’ shield, standing before it, became enormous.

Hans receiving the Lord of the Canyon’s powerful force with his weighted body, digging his two legs into the ground.

“Ugh!!!”

But it’s too much for Hans alone.

Since his physical specs themselves weren’t outstanding to begin with.

“I’m here!!!”

Daybeck compensates for the insufficient strength.

Daybeck, who had approached before I knew it, supported Hans who was being pushed back, and.

Thanks to that, he succeeded in stopping him at the point of being pushed back significantly without being sent flying.

But that doesn’t mean it stopped.

The Lord of the Canyon soaring upwards along the tilted shield, passing over our heads.

I raise a spear of flames towards it.

[Pyre]

Whoosh!!

The spear of flames, enhanced by the effect of [Cat’s Paw], tears the Lord of the Canyon’s body.

Subsequently, flames clung to the Lord of the Canyon’s body.

Whoosh!!

But as if small flames clinging to its massive body weren’t a problem at all,

The Lord of the Canyon, who advanced without dying, broke through the canyon wall behind us and went underground.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble.

The canyon shaking violently.

Although it was difficult to keep my balance, I quickly spread my senses.

I can feel the Lord of the Canyon’s movement.

The direction it’s coming from is…….

“Right!!!”

CRASH!!!

The canyon wall collapsing.

Amidst the fragments, the Lord of the Canyon opened its mouth and charged towards us.