episode_0140

As the Knight enforced his will, things were settled faster than expected.

They would repel the vampire before that guy could do anything.

“As that person said, it’s likely the fellow is in quite a desperate situation. The fact that he deliberately avoided a fight proves it.”

The Knight simply strode forward imposingly.

Jack followed right behind him.

Surprisingly, the Knight brought Jack out as soon as he decided on the subjugation.

“Ahaha, Sir Knight, thank you. For accepting even a swindler like me.”

“There’s no reason to refuse someone who is willing to fight. But why didn’t you run away?”

“Ahaha, well…, I guess.”

“The good heart within you desires it!”

Jack just laughed, hahahaha, as if that was absolutely not the case.

Well, for now, what Jack is thinking isn’t important.

The most important thing right now is finding that vampire.

Even considering the 7th floor is quite a bit larger than I thought, finding just one vampire in a place like this…

It’s truly like finding a needle in a haystack.

Unless he finds us first, that is.

“Move!!!”

For now, the gem soldiers and gem knights blocking the way are being cleared by the Knight in one go, but.

At this rate, when will we find the vampire?

It would be the worst-case scenario if they exploited this opening to attack the safe zone.

But who could stop this late-stage Knight? We can only support him as much as possible.

“As it happens, I have a good method.”

“Indeed, Wizard. Let’s see it.”

Immediately, I used one card from my hand.

[Tidal Wave]

As soon as I drew a line in a suitable spot, a large amount of seawater gushed out from within.

The water began moving rapidly along the cave.

If used in an open area, the tidal wave wouldn’t go very far and would dissipate, but. If used in a narrow cave like this, and directed slightly downwards, it travels quite a distance.

However, a drawback of this method is that it could cause inconvenience to the explorers who were inside.

The number of explorers on the 7th floor has decreased quite a bit, and we have the Surveyor and the late-stage Knight as backing, so.

In an urgent situation, this is the only way.

In the areas the tidal wave swept through, there were only monsters.

Neither humans nor vampires could be found.

“It seems they aren’t in this area.”

“Ohoh! Amazing!! You are comparable even to the Imperial Court Wizards!!”

The Knight was genuinely complimenting me, but I couldn’t accept it outright.

From the information I got from the Crown Prince, the Imperial leadership, the wizards, were involved with the evil god, so.

If that’s the case, is even this Imperial Knight within the evil god’s grasp?

That couldn’t be the case.

As I felt when I visited the Empire last time, they are incredibly hidden.

“Then, Wizard, can you perhaps change the terrain as well?”

“That’s not possible!!”

The Surveyor cut in at the late-stage Knight’s words.

But as if he knew everything, the late-stage Knight also nodded.

“I know. We inform the Knights as much as possible about the labyrinth’s information. Just like the 3rd floor canyon, if one performs an act that defies divine providence here, a corresponding price will be exacted.”

“Then…”

“But that story is only the story of the weak. It’s a story that doesn’t apply to the strong, who have no reason to be on that floor in the first place.”

That certainly makes sense.

What if I were to go to the 3rd floor canyon right now and change the terrain however I wanted?

Then that long monster would appear and attack.

But that would be the extent of it.

Even when I was an explorer on the 3rd floor, I was able to cope to some extent.

At the 7th floor level, wouldn’t it be manageable even with just our late-stage Knight?

I was having such thoughts when.

A fact suddenly occurred to me.

‘The vampire was also passive about collapsing the cave.’

Perhaps in that case, which one of them was mistaken?

Immediately, the Surveyor let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“It’s different from the 3rd floor. Forcing the same standard on low floors and high floors doesn’t even make sense in the first place.”

“Is, is that so…?”

“If you’re that curious, try it once!”

“Well, if you put it that way.”

The Knight suddenly became meek. Is that really the same Knight who was laughing heartily just now?

Anyway, since an expert is so insistent, the plan to change the terrain to find the vampire cannot be chosen either.

In the end, there’s no choice but to search meticulously using the tidal wave, as initially thought.

It was only after a full day had passed that I began to think that idea was wrong.

I spent a full day using the tidal wave, but.

There were no significant results.

“You’ve worked hard. It seems he’s not easy to find at this point.”

“It feels like he’s hiding after seeing the Knight.”

“Still, we evacuated the few remaining 7th-floor explorers, so let’s be satisfied with that.”

Although we couldn’t even find a trace of the vampire, we succeeded in evacuating most of the explorers on the 7th floor.

Of course, there is one more achievement besides this.

Having wandered around the 7th floor so much.

I had already found a gem flower, and.

“Waiting this long for someone who has worked hard is possible.”

“Thank you.”

Because I found a gem frog, one of the promotion conditions.

[4. Bring 10 pieces of gem frog poop.]

This condition is absurd just hearing it.

Well, I guess I just have to wait for it to poop?

Unfortunately, it seems our late-stage Knight doesn’t know much either, and the Surveyor is keeping her mouth shut.

Since we had been walking around all day anyway, we needed to rest.

We set up camp here.

The place where the gem frog was found is ambiguous to call wide, and ambiguous to call narrow, it’s somewhere in between.

However, it is quite a bit wider than a cave crevice, and there are also some passages, so.

It wasn’t a very good location for receiving attacks.

Everyone here isn’t so foolish as to not think of that.

We set up a watch and rested safely, passing the day.

Incidentally, we also got some gem frog poop.

“If they were going to aim for us, they should have aimed last night. What on earth are they thinking?”

“Did they just really run away?”

“Is that really the case?”

Amidst all sorts of speculations.

Just as we were about to wander the 7th floor again.

Something strange began to appear.

“……This is?”

Pure white corpses began appearing in the cave passage.

Leaving aside the fact that there wasn’t a drop of blood, the corpses were too pure white, as if artificially made.

Their appearance was exactly the same as when we first discovered the traces of the vampire.

“…Let’s cremate them.”

I offered a light courtesy to the deceased.

Immediately, next.

While moving through the cave via the passage.

Another corpse was visible.

Perhaps because it was the second time seeing it, this time I quickly paid my respects without much to say, and.

Just as I was about to move forward again.

This time, even more corpses were scattered here and there.

This blatant attitude.

We weren’t foolish enough to not understand it.

“…This is buying time.”

I’ll pay my respects later.

I ran through the passage with a light jog.

Just then, one of the corpses began to move.

It changed its form, transforming into something other than a human appearance.

Something white moving limply.

Seeing that, Jack’s expression crumpled, as if he had been caught off guard.

“Mimic!!”

Just as I was confused by the name I had never heard before.

The late-stage Knight lightly cut down the Mimic.

“It’s a monster that represents the 8th floor.”

“I was caught off guard.”

Were the bodies we had been burning all along monsters in the first place?

A monster that deceived the Knight, the Guide, and even the Surveyor in one go.

It was clear that a difficult situation was approaching.

Immediately, the Mimics filling the passage stood up.

Ah, right. We had judged these Mimics to be corpses and ignored them, thinking it was a way to buy time, and came here.

That means. We are now surrounded.

Tch, where did the Main God who prevents killing intent go in times like this?

I’m grateful that I’m kept in battle mode constantly, but in situations like this, I feel a sense of regret.

“Shall we break through the front?”

In the urgent situation, I made a quick judgment.

There’s no need to necessarily fight the Mimics.

I opened a magic circle.

[Tidal Wave]

My wave, useful in cave terrain.

Immediately, I quickly activated the wave behind us.

“Then, let’s break through the front…”

My plan was not realized.

The Mimics hit by the tidal wave quickly changed form.

What they mimicked was a sturdy Golem.

Immediately, the Mimics became hard Golems and settled onto the floor.

“Mimics transform into specific monsters to fight!!”

“It certainly looks like that.”

The situation is not going to be as easy as I thought.

“Why on earth are there so many Mimics on the 7th floor?”

“One or two might appear as irregulars, but…”

“It’s definitely the work of a Black Mage!!”

Usually, when strange things happen in the maze, if you point to a Black Mage, you’ll be right a hundred times out of a hundred.

Sure enough. It seems a similar thing has happened this time as well.

Just then, Noah glanced at me.

It felt as if he was asking, ‘Should I step in?’.

I shook my head.

We have the Knight anyway. There’s no reason to reveal Noah’s identity, which has remained almost completely hidden.

Noah only uses his full power when we are alone or when our lives are in danger.

“I will break through the front, everyone follow me!!!”

There is a Knight here right now.

He is old and at the age of retirement, but.

He rushed towards the Mimics blocking the way, his sword gleaming with radiant aura.

We simply followed behind him.

“Everyone, move aside!!!!”

The late-stage Knight ran forward, cutting down the Mimics blocking the way with his aura-clad sword in one go.

Indeed, befitting a Knight stationed on the 7th floor.

The 8th-floor monsters, the Mimics, couldn’t withstand even a single blow from him.

His strength was incomparable to our Karin from the 1st floor.

As he swung his sword, the Mimics were annihilated, so we just kept moving forward.

However, one fact suddenly came to mind.

The Guild Surveyor.

Was she good at fighting?

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

The Surveyor was already holding a shield and following closely behind us.

“Most Surveyors are former explorers. Unlike those who only guide. I can at least protect myself.”

Furthermore, she was able to easily overtake even me, who was supposedly running with all my might.

No, why is the Surveyor faster than me?

This is all because I’m a wizard, I rationalized, and moved quickly like a wizard using Blink.

The Knight’s appearance seen from the front.

As expected, Mimics couldn’t stop the Knight.

His sword movements weren’t visible; it was as if starlight was painting in the air.

With just those movements, the monsters were completely cleared away.

And the enemies, as if they hadn’t expected it in the first place.

Threw their second move.

Poooooo-

The sound of a horn was heard.

With that sound, like a sandstorm summoning gem soldiers, the world began to shake.

Yes, they prepared a lot to confront us.

But we advanced even faster than the enemies expected.

Gem turtles, gem soldiers, and gem knights appeared in the places we had already passed.

This was all partly because the Knight cleared the path well, but also.

I lifted the terrain, leveling the rough cave passage.

And once we passed, I restored it to its original state.

With just this, we advanced faster than expected, and the enemy couldn’t keep up with our tempo.

As we advanced like that.

We were able to discover the enemy who caused this.

A Black Mage, who had summoned numerous monsters, was blocking the passage.

Just by looking at his clothes, he didn’t seem like an ordinary Black Mage. The Black Mage shouted urgently.

“Stop!!!”

No, why would we listen to that?

The Black Mage, caught off guard and trying to talk, had his neck cut off by the Knight right there.

The monsters behind him were also all blown away, unable to withstand even a few blows.

And the path was cleared again.

‘Definitely strong.’

At this level, wouldn’t there be no problem even if a complete vampire came?

A Knight is a being that gives hope to everyone.

Following that hope, we continued to advance and eventually reached the end of the passage.

“They’re over there!!!”

Simultaneously with Grace’s voice, a wide space welcomed us.

And in the center of it was a giant red heart.

Beneath the red heart were a red mist and a mountain of corpses.

The identity of those corpses was too clear.

Since I found the face of one of the explorers I saw when I first entered the 7th floor last time.

Everyone intuitively understood.

That the vampire was sleeping inside that heart.

And if it woke up, everything would be over.

“Destroy it!!!!”

Warriors charged forward with ranged attacks.

But just before those attacks could reach.

With a tearing sound, the heart split in half.

And the vampire appeared from within.

Simultaneously, a red mist instantly erupted from the heart.

The mist, seeming to have physical form, pushed back everything it touched.

A sword strike containing starlight went straight up, breaking the cave wall, and my fire magic bounced off and slammed into a gem nearby.

“……That was close.”

Red light flickered within the red mist.

Soon, the mist cleared, revealing the vampire behind it.