episode_0067

Floor Boss.

The bosses responsible for each zone of the labyrinth’s floors.

Weaker than the bosses hidden in secret rooms, they provide standard rewards.

That is what a Floor Boss is.

—

However, Floor Bosses are rarely encountered by lower-floor adventurers.

‘Well, of course.’

The labyrinth is deep.

Though they claimed to have descended to the 20th floor, estimates suggested they had gone as far as the 25th.

Given that Glasses—defeated by the Emerald Skeleton Horse—had said so, it was likely accurate.

Such adventurers were everywhere in the labyrinth.

‘But who would pass up a boss fight?’

To descend further, one must defeat the boss.

And this boss even drops EXP and gear?

Naturally, those who venture into the deeper layers—referred to as the “Abyss”—all slay these bosses.

The extra loot is just a bonus.

Thus, competition is fierce when newcomers swarm the labyrinth’s early floors.

‘Though, after a thousand years, the rewards have diminished compared to the past, to the point where some skip bosses now.’

Still, the items dropped by bosses are lucrative enough to provide decent supplemental income.

Major clans, capable of reaching the 10th floor, usually claim them.

‘But not this time.’

Thanks to that, the Floor Boss of the 4th layer was still alive.

Yet.

As we entered the boss chamber to defeat the Floor Boss—

‘……!’

An overwhelming sense of foreboding struck me.

—Why do you hesitate?

‘Dread.’

A bottomless dread.

An orc party led by Vulcan—two units in total.

Counting us, the group totaled fifteen.

Even for a Floor Boss, I thought it would be an easy kill—yet.

“My friend, what troubles you?” “I feel dread.” “Dread? Now, of all times?”

Vulcan’s expression darkened at my words.

“I know not what stirs you, but if you sense danger, we should first regroup—”

At that exact moment—

Tap.

Something lightly landed.

And then—

BOOM!

Before anyone could react.

Vulcan’s body was sent flying backward. Instead of rushing to his aid, I drew my sword.

A purely instinctive motion.

—Dark Moon.

Following Lixeel’s guidance, my blade traced a crescent arc.

And then—

Whooosh!

Darkness draped over the battlefield.

Yet.

Sschhk!

The darkness split cleanly, severed by an unseen force.

A single entity revealed itself.

A lizardman shrouded in gray—unlike the crimson variants.

‘……His strength doesn’t feel threatening.’

Physical prowess on par with a standard Floor Boss.

Yet.

‘But that martial aura—’

Martial Aura (鬪氣)—a force distinct from mana.

It prickled against my skin like static.

The gray-scaled lizardman studied me with keen interest.

—Possessed.

Lixeel’s voice cut in.

—That aura isn’t something a mere Gray Lizardman could wield. As I’ve said before, martial aura is a rare gift, attainable only after hundreds of life-or-death battles.

Lixeel’s gaze sharpened.

—And that thing… I suspect it’s similar to what that glasses-wearing fool was hosting.

‘……Something like Glasses, then.’

The Emerald Skeleton Horse.

That bastard was strong.

Even borrowing Glasses’ frail body, it had overpowered most of the Adventurer’s Guild—our party included.

—Had it not been for your demonic technique, your labyrinth entry would’ve been delayed far longer. Extracting and shattering its soul—that was entirely your doing. That’s why even the Duke of the Empire couldn’t refuse paying you such an absurd sum.

‘……So that was the calculation?’

—You didn’t strike me as someone easily swindled, nor did you seem to have familial ties that could be exploited. Regardless, stay alert.

As Lixeel finished, the gray lizardman lunged—closing the distance instantly.

Its sword descended toward me.

An easy position to evade—

‘This bastard—’

Its martial aura pressed down on me. A suffocating, chilling pressure.

‘……But manageable.’

Yanking myself backward, I escaped its range. The gray lizardman—this Floor Boss, Gray—stared at me in disbelief.

“My friend, how did you—?”

Vulcan, having steadied himself, glared at Gray as he spoke.

“……? What do you mean?” “Just now, the Floor Boss unleashed its martial aura—yet you escaped unscathed.” “I just moved my body?” “……?”

Vulcan’s bewilderment deepened.

—Obviously. The aura that thing released was monstrous. Even you should’ve been slightly immobilized—

‘I was, just a little.’

—Given the intensity, it might make for an interesting fight—?

Before Lixeel could finish, Gray leapt toward the other orcs.

‘Martial aura is innate, wasn’t it?’

Gray was using his aura to overwhelm the others.

‘……A suppression tactic.’

I focused and unleashed my own martial aura toward Gray as he lunged at a burly orc.

For me, controlling aura was effortless—thanks to my gift.

“Meteor!”

Glasses’ voice rang out as vitality and lightness surged through me. Rosen’s and Glasses’ buffs took effect.

‘Buffs and enhancement magic—always welcome.’

At minimum, I felt 1.5 times stronger.

Simultaneously—

[Kkh.]

Gray turned and locked onto me.

Then.

[You. You’re the most dangerous one here.]

No audible words—just a script etched directly into my mind.

—An untamed aura, yet… it recognized your martial aura as superior.

Lixeel muttered under his breath.

But there was no time to dwell.

‘Too fast.’

Gray moved.

Despite our fifteen-member advantage, his speed made coordination difficult.

‘Still, not useless.’

Vulcan recovered enough to rejoin the fight.

Gray could’ve targeted me directly but was harassed endlessly by the other orcs.

Thud.

“My friend—!”

Still.

‘No room for complacency, though.’

Gray appeared before me in an instant.

Whoosh!

A single-handed slash aimed to cleave me apart.

I parried with my sword.

‘Heavy. And fast.’

But.

‘Nothing compared to the force that split Dark Moon.’

Perhaps even he had overexerted himself back then.

—His body seems unchanged. Only the martial aura has expanded. ‘Looks like it.’ —And that thing… it’s burned through far more aura and mana than expected. ‘……Seems another party fought it before us.’

The foreboding I’d felt earlier became clear.

The faint scent of blood lingering in the air.

The weapons embedded in the floor.

‘We can win.’

With that thought, I charged the Floor Boss.

The best method would be Soul Reaping—extracting its soul outright.

But that seemed unlikely now.

This wasn’t like the Emerald Skeleton Horse.

That bastard wielded Glasses’ frail body to dominate the Adventurer’s Guild—our party included.

We’d been helpless, but considering that—

A boss’s body amplified to this degree—

Crack. Clang!

Sparks flew as blades clashed. Each strike sent tremors through my bones, yet—

‘Reminds me of him.’

Ermé’s master—Daigo.

Comparable skill—no, surpassing it due to the vessel’s disparity.

But—

“Die, monster!”

Unlike back then, I had allies now.

Ten orc specialists. My party.

Fwoosh.

Heat flared—Ermé lunged at Gray.

[Annoying.]

Black energy surged around Gray’s blade.

A numbing stiffness seized my limbs.

—……Such a violent aura.

Yet Ermé ignored it, swinging her sword.

‘Stronger yet weaker than expected.’

As if Gray had gained something at the cost of his honed physique.

Meaning—depleting it would cripple him.

Thump.

I flooded the battlefield with my own aura—suppressing Gray’s. His movements visibly slowed.

Ermé’s tension eased.

“Thanks!”

Fortunately, Gray had only augmented this Floor Boss’s body with aura and technique.

Thus, the strategy was simple.

‘Overwhelm with numbers.’

The mental exhaustion was brutal—but I’d endure.

“My friend and his female are suppressing it! Comrades, ATTACK!”

Vulcan led the charge, greatsword in hand. The others followed.

Wait—his female?!

‘What misunderstanding is this?!’

Flustered, I dashed forward, harassing Gray relentlessly.

‘Shadow Waltz.’

Synthetic daggers streaked toward Gray. Though most were deflected, a few left shallow wounds.

[Kkh.]

His movements dulled slightly.

‘Poison’s effective.’

Realizing this, his gaze snapped to me.

Pure murderous intent—yet he redirected it toward the others.

‘Avoiding me.’

Planning to kill them first?

‘Not happening.’

I thrust my arm forward.

Whoosh!

A tendril of Shadow Reaper lashed out. Gray dodged lightly, but I manipulated the mana to control its trajectory.

Skreee!

It wrapped around his arm.

Then I closed in.

Orcs stabbed and slashed from all sides.

Yet—

‘Why’s this bastard so frail?’

For something that set off every alarm, Gray was pathetically weak.

—You look troubled. ‘He’s way weaker than expected.’ —……After clashing with that orc and your Dark Moon, he rapidly weakened. Combined with prior exhaustion, likely.

Still hard to swallow.

‘……But he is dangerous.’

These things swap bodies by hijacking souls.

Perhaps the lingering alarm was a warning.

Keeping him bound, I restricted his movements.

Tap.

I dashed in.

He scowled dismissively, scattering martial aura. My skin tingled—but the threat remained minimal.

“Cover our friend—distract the foe!”

At Vulcan’s command, orcs attacked from range, hurling weapons.

As I charged, Gray’s frown deepened.

[Pests.]

His sword swung wide—

BOOOOM!

A crimson wave erupted, blasting the orcs back.

Some lost limbs—but none died. And as long as they lived—

“Wounded fall back! The priestess will heal you!”

True to Vulcan’s words, our party had a capable saint candidate.

Paler in comparison to Veronica or Clara, but—

“Divine Maiden, my Lady, grant your light’s blessing……”

Rosenta’s healing enveloped them.

Ermé retreated as I stepped forward.

‘Lixeel.’ —You’re scheming. ‘Can martial aura be used like sword energy?’ —No. But blending them is possible.

I swung my bloodied blade, flooding it with mana. A crimson arc flickered.

‘Ermé mixed aura before.’

Her Champion’s Blade once amplified fake sword energy—similar principles.

Mana entwined with martial aura—purple melding into crimson—

SCREEEECH!!

A deafening screech.

Gray’s eyes bulged. My grin widened.

‘……Barely pulled this off.’

Maintaining it was hellish—maybe thirty seconds tops.

Yet despite my worries, I was overpowering him.

Not due to superior strength—but his waning momentum.

Then—

[Even I can’t fight five consecutive battles in this garbage body. The adventurers here exceed expectations.]

Words hammered into my skull.

[Your body—I like it. Hand it over.]

A pale something oozed from Gray’s body.

……This bastard.

I nearly laughed. These soul-jumping freaks—

[SURRENDER YOUR FLESH TO ME.]

Its true form emerged—not a lizardman, but a skeletal monstrosity.

I swung without hesitation.

Not at the lizardman—but the soul itself.

SKREEE—!

[HOW—YOU CAN SEE—?!]

The shock in its voice was palpable.

As if seeing souls was some grand feat.

As Gray died, his essence flooded into me—so vast, stardust-like motes swirled around my body.

‘……Level up.’

Finally—Level 4.

—

I grimaced.

We’d leveled up. No casualties. By all accounts, a victory.

But.

‘These bastards—’

I gnashed my teeth, thinking of the Emerald Skeleton Horse and today’s freak.

These miserly bastards—

‘……All they dropped was damned EXP!’

Staring at the Gray Lizardman’s loot, my face twisted in misery.

Give me my rewards back.