episode_0051

There is a significant difference in the level of middle-floor explorers and lower-floor explorers.

That’s all because of the unique composition of floors 4 and 5.

Hunting is impossible on the 4th floor for a long time, which makes it inefficient.

The extremely cold climate on the 5th floor creates an entry barrier.

No matter how quickly you reach the 5th floor, it takes at least 5 days to a week.

Considering the food, water, and firewood needed for 5 days, there isn’t enough space in the bag.

However, that’s not all; because of the unique characteristic of the 5th floor’s cold climate, you also need to pack specialized items and equipment.

So, unless you have a subspace bag, it’s not easy to operate on the 5th floor.

That’s why most explorers stay in the Orc Sanctuary on the 3rd floor until they retire.

Even if their skills are good enough for floors 4 and 5, the conditions are too restrictive.

However, this only speaks about the cold climate of the 5th floor.

Unlike the 4th floor, where monsters appeared in appropriate groups stage by stage, the 5th floor is a single ecosystem. Situations that could never be anticipated on the 4th floor can occur.

Such as a massive monster outbreak.

Or conflicts between explorers.

Or extreme changes in climate.

Combining all of these created a large gap between 3rd floor and 5th floor explorers, so if you reach the level of a proper middle-floor explorer in the labyrinth city, everyone acknowledges it.

Because the difficult situations on floors 1-3 are almost like playing house compared to the endless challenges that follow.

Of course, for us, who are first-timers on the 5th floor, we knew all this but still took it a bit lightly.

Thinking, isn’t the 5th floor just the 4th floor made a little harder?

But this thought ended within just 1 hour of entering the 5th floor.

Whoosh!

A strong blizzard obscures our vision.

The biting wind penetrates our fur clothes, making our bodies cold.

The ice-cold air goes in and out of our lungs, chilling us from the inside, and the mist formed by the inhaled breath from our mouths quickly disappears.

Plop! Plop!!

We trudge forward step by step through the snow piled about 40cm deep.

It was fortunate that Kylek, who was leading the way, pushed away all the snow in front like a snowplow.

But even following that was not easy.

“It didn’t snow this much last time!!”

“Well, that’s because you were lucky then.”

When we came up to the 5th floor and met the Saintess before, it wasn’t this bad.

Thinking about it now, it seems luck was on our side back then too.

Perhaps the only fortunate point is that we haven’t spotted a single monster for an hour.

If we were to encounter a group of slightly strong monsters now, it might be dangerous.

Of course, it won’t be easy for monsters to move in this blizzard either.

“There’s a cave here!!!”

Finally, we found a place to take shelter from the blizzard.

The place Grace pointed to was a white snow-covered hill.

It looked like a hill from the outside, but when she shot an arrow there, the snow cleared, revealing a cave inside.

But that wasn’t the end of it. A giant covered in white fur from head to toe, a Yeti, appeared from inside the cave.

Goooohhhhh!!!

A single Yeti lets out a grotesque roar that chills you to the bone.

The Yeti throws the arrow stuck in its fur aside and charges towards us.

『Combat begins. Draw 3 cards.』

『Energy 4/4』

[Stab (1)] [Evade (1)] [Flee (1)]

Unfortunately, no cards helpful for assisting my comrades appeared.

If [Nerve Poison] had come up quickly, I could have had an easy win.

But since I wasn’t here alone, I quietly retreated.

Now was the time to trust my party members.

“I’ll block it!!”

Hans, who instantly charged forward, blocks the Yeti’s arm with his shield.

With a thud!, the snow nearby shakes and collapses.

Immediately, we were buried in the snow.

“What the?!!”

A situation where we are attacked by nature during a fight.

I had never imagined a situation like this.

However, the Yeti living here moves skillfully and slams its fist towards the wall.

Boom!!!!

The world shook for a moment as if an earthquake had occurred.

And before long, the white snow that had collapsed due to that force began to flow down.

It’s an avalanche.

“Block it!!!”

A golem that popped out of the subspace instantly created a shield, blocking the avalanche.

Thump, thump, thump!!!

Rocks and snow hitting the shield.

Fortunately, they didn’t penetrate the shield and were just pushed down, so we were able to survive.

“We’re buried in snow!!”

Snow covering the shield even after the avalanche had passed.

We were buried alive.

“How long can this shield last?”

“Probably about 30 seconds.”

“We have to get out of here during that time!!!”

Confusion. But a conclusion was quickly reached.

“I’ll hold on for a bit!”

“I’ll break through!!!”

Hans would block the falling snow with his greatshield, and Kylek would clear a path with arrows.

Immediately, Kylek aimed a harpoon arrow at the bowstring.

“When you’re about to shoot, I’ll remove the shield.”

“I’m shooting now!!!”

The moment Kylek let go of his hand.

I commanded the golem to retract the shield.

Whoosh!

Snow poured down towards us, but Hans’s greatshield blocked it.

And Kylek’s arrow shot through the snow, advancing.

A cylindrical path created within the snow, like an igloo.

At the end of that path was the cave.

“Don’t worry about me, just go!!!”

Hans was trembling while holding up his shield, enduring.

It’s better to defeat the Yeti quickly rather than awkwardly helping him here anyway.

We immediately ran towards the path Kylek had created.

I threw one card.

[Flee (1)] – Flee quickly. Enter [Stealth] state.

My body melts into the world.

I move instantly.

When I came to my senses, I was already behind the Yeti.

However, with my current cards, it’s impossible to kill the creature instantly.

Checking the rewards I had saved, I chose one card.

[Meditation (0)] – Gain 2 Energy.

An energy card that I couldn’t choose before because other cards had priority.

Immediately, the cards return to the deck.

[Stealth] also loses its power and my form is revealed.

“…?!!”

The startled Yeti turned its head and found me.

Sniff, sniff.

Looking at its moving nose, it seems to be tracking by scent.

However, I have already drawn 3 cards.

『Combat begins. Draw 3 cards.』

『Energy 4/4』

[Stealth (2)] [Stab (1)] [Evade (1)]

My hand is not great, only basic cards, but there’s no problem.

The Yeti has already recognized that I am here.

The Yeti is hesitant, looking around, unable to decide which way to attack.

Not missing that brief opening, Kylek’s arrow pierced the Yeti’s right arm.

Goooooh!!!!

The Yeti’s low growl, then it seemed to resolve something and was about to approach me, when.

A defensive golem was already in front of the Yeti.

Boom!!

Watching a strong explosion strike the Yeti’s body, I threw one card.

[Stealth]

My body disappears.

A shadow falls over the Yeti’s face as it stares intently at where I was.

Just the fact that I can intervene at any time will prevent it from fighting easily.

Sure enough, unable to concentrate, it gets slashed in the body by Luca’s axe.

“Kuaaaaah!!!”

The Yeti lets out a strong shockwave from its mouth.

At this rate, the snow hit by the shockwave is about to become an avalanche again.

“Uwaaaaah!!”

Luca interrupts it with [Taunt].

And Grace, who had somehow burrowed into the Yeti’s body the moment it paused.

A sharp dagger slices the Yeti’s belly.

However, it didn’t reach the internal organs beyond the thick outer layer of fat.

As the Yeti swung its arm, Grace quickly moved to the side, and Kylek’s arrow, aiming for that opening, crushed the Yeti’s jaw.

Stagger.

Luca passes by, cutting the legs of the Yeti that is staggering, losing its balance.

Swish!!

The Yeti, unable to keep up with the tempo, continues to take hits.

However, thanks to its considerable defense and sturdy body, it didn’t fall easily.

“As expected of a 5th floor monster, its base stats are solid.”

Its entire body is covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, but its appearance as it endures without falling inspires awe.

However, that’s only for now.

『Your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

『White Storage Box – Preserve 1 card at the end of the turn.』

For safety, I preserved one [Evade] card I was holding.

[Evade (1)] + [Stab (1)] [Sudden Attack (1)] [Betrayal (1)] [Meditation (0)] [Stab (1)]

A hand of 6 cards.

But my luck isn’t good.

How did [Nerve Poison] or [Banishment] not come up?

I didn’t expect it from the start anyway.

I threw two cards.

[Meditation (0)] – Gain 2 Energy.

[Betrayal (1)] – When in [Stealth] state, draw 3 cards.

[Evade (1)] [Stab (1)] [Sudden Attack (1)] [Stab (1)] + [Banishment (4)] [Nerve Poison (3)] [Evade (1)]

Fortunately, they appeared in the next draw, so it’s fine.

I immediately used [Banishment].

The stealth is released.

Immediately, water droplets form around me and become magic bullets that fly wildly towards the Yeti.

Flash! Flash!

However, their appearance was different from when we were on the 4th floor.

[Banishment], which tore apart and mashed the flesh of the Orc Berserker into near pulp.

For the Yeti, the magic bullets also penetrate the flesh, but they lose power and disappear after passing a certain depth of the skin.

Proof that it is tougher than the gimmick monster, the Orc Berserker.

The gap between the 4th and 5th floors is palpable.

“Krrrooooo!!!”

The Yeti moves.

Even while being hit by magic bullets, even as its body is torn by arrows, its body is ripped by an axe, and its muscles are shredded by a dagger.

It somehow regenerates little by little and approaches Kylek.

Having somehow reached right in front of Kylek, the Yeti raises both hands high and slams them down.

“It’s dangerous!!”

“It’s fine!!!”

However, Kylek, with his large body, rolls to the side and shoots an arrow towards the side of the creature’s head.

Kwaaaaang!!

A part of the Yeti’s head disappeared.

Only then, losing power, the Yeti falls to its knees.

It soon began to disappear.

Ding!!

『Please check the card rewards.』

The status window confirmed the victory.

Watching the cards return to the deck, my companions also guessed it was over.

“We have to save Hans!!!”

Kylek runs, followed by Luca.

Grace picked up the magic stone that came from the Yeti.

“Certainly, mid-grade magic stones come out easily.”

Unlike the 4th floor, the rewards are good.

The difficulty has also jumped significantly, but we earn more as well, so it evens out.

Whoosh!

The blizzard hadn’t stopped yet, so we quickly took refuge inside the cave.

I took out the never-extinguishing firewood thingy – I forgot its name – from the subspace bag and lit a fire.

A brief rest, with a warm fire burning in the cave, sheltered from the blizzard.

My mood also improved as my cold body warmed up.

“It seems we should act after the blizzard passes.”

“Probably, right?”

“It’s harder than I thought. The book originally said blizzards don’t happen this often.”

Watching Grace read the 5th floor booklet again, I took a moment to rest.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as expected.

The blizzard didn’t stop for a whopping 7 hours.

*

The blizzard has passed.

Now the visibility is a bit better, and the surroundings are visible.

Looking at the entirely white mountain, I didn’t feel particularly bad.

“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

“It’s like a painting.”

Everyone felt the same way, except for Kylek.

Kylek said what does that matter and was looking around to see if there were any monsters.

While spending a brief moment observing.

Grace spoke.

“Let’s go to the safe zone first.”

“We should. How many days are left until the labyrinth resets?”

“Seven days.”

“We should go quickly then.”

We immediately turned our steps.

Unfortunately, the structure of the 5th floor’s frigid zone changes with every labyrinth reset.

Everything changes except the area around the safe zone where the portal to the 6th floor is located.

Of course, that doesn’t mean everything is random, they say.

Because there are rules that have been established over the tens of thousands of years the labyrinth has existed.

Several core areas also respawn, so you can grasp the geography based on them.

That’s why they say it’s very difficult to find your way on the 5th floor without a guide.

Because finding those core areas is the guide’s role.

“I think there’s a lake over there!”

Following Grace, we moved and reached a lake with the prominent bones of a giant animal.

Surprisingly, the lake was not frozen in this cold weather, but was emitting copious amounts of warm steam.

Putting my hand in, it felt warm like a hot spring.

As if to prove this, various monsters were visible around this lake.

They were far away, making it awkward to go and hunt them specifically.

Grace looked around the giant bones and came to a conclusion.

“Seeing the horns, I think it’s the South Lake.”

There are four lakes on the 5th floor.

When the four lakes are connected by lines, the safe zone is said to be exactly in the center.

That’s why originally, to find the exact location, you would have to survey and connect the lines.

“From here, we can just go North.”

You can just roughly head North and look around the surroundings to find it.

This method can only be used assuming you have excellent guides.

Plop! Plop!!

We advanced North, wading through the snow that reached our waists.

We also encountered and fought monsters along the way.

We even met other explorers and asked for directions.

Time passed like that, but.

Something was strange.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling that strangeness.

“Why isn’t the sun setting?”

Grace said, looking blankly at the sky.

None of us could answer her question.

Fifteen hours had passed since we entered the 5th floor.

Not once had the sun set during that time.

I don’t know much, but I know this phenomenon.

That climate phenomenon that only occurs in the polar regions of Earth.

White Night.

Eternal day was greeting us.