The man came into view, clad in gleaming silver armor. He was truly herculean in stature, brandishing a great sword with a fierce glare that could cut through steel.
"Who are you people? You do not seem like crawlers or adventurers," the man grunted.
Mei was taken aback for a moment but quickly regained her composure. Judging by the haggard, rough look on the man's face, she knew she needed to tread carefully.
"Forgive us if we've trespassed in any way. We were sent to this labyrinth to reach the lowest layer and conquer it," she replied, speaking with a charisma that gave her words an undeniable weight. The man before her chuckled mockingly in response.
"Did you hear that, Vine? These children think they have what it takes to conquer a thousand-year-old labyrinth," he said, sheathing his sword.
From the shadows emerged another man clad in leather clothes, considerably slimmer than the towering figure.
"Well, if they have a death wish, who are we to stop them?" he quipped.
Ryo couldn't help but observe Vine's weaponry; a collection of small daggers adorned his belt, an impressive arsenal for one person. What on earth could he possibly need that many for? Ryo wondered. Or was it simply a fashion statement unique to this world?
"That aside," Vine continued, "their clothes… I've never seen anything like them here in the North. Maybe they're from the Valtara continent to the south."
"It does look like foreign fabric," replied the leather-clad man. "They don't seem hostile, at least. And since we're not on the tenth floor, they can't be mimics."
From their conversation, it was clear that they weren't summoned but were instead residents of this world. Ryo had studied labyrinth crawlers, but they didn't resemble capable fighters like these two men. They must be adventurers, he thought, though only two of them seemed rather careless. He knew the first two layers of the labyrinth weren't overly dangerous, yet if they were indeed adventurers, wouldn't they descend further to face greater challenges? Perhaps they were incredibly strong.
Mei appeared to be having similar thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to voice her question.
"I'm sorry, but are the two of you the only ones down here?" she asked.
"Huh? Do you think we're dumb or something? Of course not," the slender man responded, gesturing toward one of the nearby caves.
As he pointed, Ryo recalled the faint thud sounds he had been hearing, like metal striking rock.
Finally observing his surroundings, Ryo took in the second layer of the labyrinth. Unlike the first, this level was spacious, illuminated by crystals sprouting from the ground. Though a few tunnels were visible, they were nowhere near as numerous as in the first layer. The clangs were indeed coming from one of those tunnels.
"We're an adventuring party of five, Overhaul. This big guy here is our tank, and the other three are still supervising the crawlers."
"Supervising? So that means they're hired bodyguards, then?" Mei asked, brow raised.
In this world, it seemed that anytime a group of labyrinth crawlers ventured into a dungeon to scout for items, minerals, or anything of value, they were always accompanied by adventurers. After all, the crawlers weren't exactly built for fighting Kardia beasts.
"So you're here to protect the crawlers from potential threats?" Mei clarified.
"Exactly," Vine replied. "They stumbled upon some promising minerals and got right to work. But when we heard a noise nearby, both of us volunteered to investigate. To our surprise, we found a bunch of kids all the way down in the second layer of a great labyrinth."
"By the way, I'm Vine, and the big guy here goes by Gold," he introduced, gesturing to his companion.
At this, Ryo couldn't help but feel intrigued by the man clad in silver armor going by the name 'Gold.'
"I know, right? A guy in silver named Gold—ironic, but what can you do?" Vine chuckled, clearly understanding the looks on their faces. It seemed they all shared the same thought.
"I'm sorry, may I speak?" A voice came from behind Ryo. It was Olivia, one half of the couple who had been with them since forming the party. Throughout their journey so far, neither she nor Logan had spoken much, only offering the occasional "yes" or "no." Now, however, Olivia had decided to voice her thoughts. Everyone present suddenly wondered what she wanted to say.
"I know we look suspicious and all," she began, exasperation evident, "but all this standing around and idly chatting is starting to annoy me. If you don't mind, could we continue moving? At least away from all this debris scattered about?"
It seemed she had finally grown fed up with the way the conversation was dragging on. Probably tired of just standing around, she didn't seem interested in the topic at hand. With their demeanor, you might wonder if Logan and Olivia were taking any of this seriously at all.
And here I thought I had done a good job of indicating my disinterest in a subject or person. She must be a pro
Upon hearing Olivia's words, the two adventurers exchanged glances, sighed, and nodded their heads in agreement.
"Alright then, sorry to hold you up. After all, we do not own this labyrinth," Gold replied.
"Be careful, especially in the fifth layer if you make it that far," he added, pausing for a moment as if contemplating something.
"You know, we're heading for the fifth layer ourselves. This was just a quick stop we made when the crawlers found something that caught their attention. If you're willing, we could guide you on the proper path to descend this tricky labyrinth," Vine offered.
Upon hearing that, Mei looked back at the group, and they all nodded in agreement. However, Olivia turned away to face her boyfriend. Ryo thought he heard a faint "Hmph" escape her lips.
"If you would be so kind, we would gladly welcome your assistance," Mei said.
"Right, no need to be so formal, though. I'm not great with that kind of stuff. Wait here while we inform the others," Vine replied.
With that, both of them slipped into one of the tunnels to notify their group about Ryo and his party joining them.
After a while, Vine returned alone—Gold still lingered back in the tunnel.
"They said it's no problem, so I guess you're welcome aboard," Vine confirmed.
Ryo and the others followed him, and as they walked, Emma, who had been quiet, leaned in to whisper in Ryo's ear.
"Don't you think they're a little too nice? They're offering to help us, sure, but doesn't it seem suspicious how they're going out of their way like this?"
She raised a valid point. Ryo had heard stories of adventurers using lost bystanders or survivors as bait when faced with danger. However, since Ryo and his companions were unknown to them, it was unlikely they'd see them as easy prey. However, If Their party were incredibly strong, that would change things entirely. Ryo had no clue what rank system adventurers used in this world; there had to be one, like in light novels.
It would make sense to have a ranking system to classify quests by difficulty and to know which groups were suitable for what jobs, like if a noble needed a bodyguard or if they sought partners for labyrinth crawling.
Maybe I should ask them. I hope it doesn't come off as intrusive.
He turned to face Emma, who still looked a bit worried but was slightly surprised when he snapped his attention back to her.
"Why don't we confirm, then?" he suggested.
"What? Are you just going to ask them if they're planning to stab us in the back or—"
Before she could finish her retort, Ryo stepped up to Vine just before they entered the next tunnel. Mei looked taken aback by his sudden movement but chose to observe quietly, and so did Tadashi.
"Sorry if this comes off as rude, but do you mind telling me what rank you guys are as adventurers?" Ryo asked.
"Oh, I don't mind at all! Our party is Voyager-ranked. We just reached that rank recently, but it shouldn't make a difference, should it?" Vine replied.
Upon hearing that, Ryo pressed further.
"I see. Sorry, I'm not really familiar with the adventurer ranking system you're used to. Could you brief me on it? I'd like to know," Ryo said.
Vine tilted his head slightly, wondering why Ryo would ask about the rank without any previous knowledge of the system. However, he thought there was no harm in sharing the information.
"Alright, basically, there are five ranks for groups and individuals at the head guild in Glaciem. The highest rank is Pathfinders, followed by Trailblazers, Voyagers, Seekers, and Starters."
He went on to explain that these ranks were assigned to both parties and individuals. A group's strength was determined by how many individuals of a certain rank were present. Of course, parties could also be reevaluated in strength based on their achievements, allowing them to rank up.
If a party consisted entirely of individuals at the Starter rank, they would be classified as Starters. If a party had, say, two Seekers and four Starters, their rank would be Starters, as the higher number of Starters dictated the group's classification. Conversely, if there were several cases with one Voyager or a higher-ranked member among a group of lower ranks, the higher rank would prevail. Essentially, a Voyager counted as three Seekers. So, if a party consisted of one Voyager, one Seeker, and four Starters, their rank would be Seekers. If there were two Voyagers, they would be regarded as Voyagers, and the same principle applied for higher ranks. Ryo found this to be a well-thought-out system.
"And that's the gist of it. I'm a Seeker, Gold and Laylanna are Voyagers, and Celdric and Clarice are Starters. Laylanna just hit Voyager rank recently, so we moved up in rank."
Based on that intel, it didn't seem like they were overwhelmingly strong. Although two members of their party appeared to possess strength beyond that of their comrades, Ryo wasn't sure how to gauge the strength of the Lilies in comparison.
Considering the balance of the party, it would be difficult for all of them to subdue Ryo and his team. For now, they could put aside the idea of being fodder for experienced adventurers, but caution was still necessary. Mei seemed to understand what Ryo was doing; she nodded in agreement with his decision, crossing her arms.
"Thank you for sharing that valuable information," Ryo replied, stepping back into the position he had previously taken.
"At any rate, let's catch up with my guys. They're about to move," Vine said as he led them to his group.
Emma, curious about Ryo's puzzling questions regarding the adventurers, decided to ask him directly to uncover his motives. She leaned forward, her voice a whisper.
"So, what was that all about? Did you learn anything?" Emma inquired.
Ryo hesitated before responding. "It's probably fine. They don't seem like they'll do anything shady to us, but I'm not entirely sure, so keep your guard up," he cautioned.
His vague response made her feel a bit skeptical, but rather than dwell on it, she chose to trust his judgment and move forward.
"If you say so. Well, you seem to be smarter than I gave you credit for," she replied, her playful tone returning.
With that, they made their way to meet the party known as Overhaul.
†
▪︎Petal of salvation "16th Ventus "2:00pm (The Labyrinth Of Lethe Day 3)
It was the third day in the Labyrinth of Lethe when Ryo and his party had, against the odds, made it to the second layer of the labyrinth quicker than they would have under normal circumstances. They had teamed up with a party of adventurers known as Overhaul, who were accompanying some labyrinth crawlers all the way to the fifth layer. Trusting their guides, Ryo and his friends felt a sense of relief as they descended deeper into the maze.
The party Overhaul was considerate, taking into account that both Ryo's group and the crawlers might not have the same stamina as seasoned adventurers. They made regular breaks during their journey and even shared some of their surplus rations with Ryo's party.
As Ryo wandered alongside a slightly annoying gremlin named Emma, he chewed on a piece of jerky. Emma was grinning wildly, clearly enjoying the adventure, and she couldn't help but pester him with questions and comments about everything from the labyrinth to the jerky he was eating.
Meanwhile, Mei and Tadashi were engaged in discussions with members of Overhaul, eagerly probing them for advice on navigating the labyrinth. Time and again, they encountered several kinds of kardia beasts, ranging from lesser beasts to crawlers all eerily crystalline In nature. The Overhaul party effortlessly dispatched these threats, which left Ryo's group with little to do. It was incredibly convenient, and they even took turns keeping watch while the rest rested. Still, Ryo remained vigilant, wary of their newfound allies. Despite their hospitality, a nagging part of him felt guilty for not fully trusting them.
Over the past few days, they had navigated the tunnels smoothly, making impressive progress. Occasionally, the crawlers would stop, their eyes glazing over in awe when they spotted valuable items or minerals. "Ah, this looks magnificent!" one would exclaim. "We hit the jackpot!" Such moments were the only hiccups in their journey thus far, but they were insignificant compared to how far they had come. According to Vine, they were just a few hours away from reaching the third layer.
This was quite an achievement, especially considering how tricky labyrinths could be; the second layer was much larger and, in many ways, more complex than the first. With a guiding party like Overhaul leading them, Ryo and the others had a significant advantage.
As he observed the party during their battles, Ryo began to form a clearer picture of their strengths. And after a bit of probing, he was able to ascertain their scenarios.
Vine was the quintessential assassin—quick-witted and tactical in battle. Gold, with his imposing presence, embodied the tank scenario perfectly. Laylanna, on the other hand, felt somewhat out of place in the group. An elf and a formidable archer, she was quiet and reserved. This was Ryo's first encounter with an elf outside of the novels he loved, and he felt a strong urge to ask her many questions that might come off as rude or inappropriate. But since they were helping his party out of the kindness of their hearts, he refrained from voicing those impulses.
At least I met a hot elf girl in person before I die. not many boys my age can boast of that, can they?
Celdric and Clarice were twins—less outgoing and a bit more timid than the rest, yet remarkably efficient at supporting the group. Celdric was a cleric, while Clarice wielded magic as a Magus, they were the only two in the group with familiar scenarios.
Tadashi, Emma, Olivia, and Logan were taken aback by the mention of foreign scenarios, which were quite different from what they were used to. However, after Mei explained how the residents of the Mirror Realm differed from their own experiences, they reached a mutual understanding. That bit of information seemed to intrigue them all, but they didn't delve deeper; instead, they resumed their usual activities.
...
Finally, they arrived at the hole leading to the third layer. It was a wide chasm, and Ryo couldn't help but notice that the second to fifth layers must have been frequently traversed before; various landmarks and carefully crafted contraptions littered the area, all meticulously designed to aid travelers in navigating the labyrinth.
"It looks rather dark and intimidating," Mei remarked.
She averted her eyes from the vast, dark abyss, a hint of cold sweat forming on her brow as she spoke.
That reminds me, isn't this how she had reacted when we first got to the Darkness isle.
Though she was attempting to put on a brave face, it didn't take long for everyone to notice her aversion to the hole.
"Sorry, miss, but you must be scared of heights. Don't worry, though; there's an elevator to take us down. The third layer is much lower than the second, which is in turn lower than the first. For that reason, contraptions like this have been designed over the years. We won't have to climb down; instead..."
As he spoke, Gold moved around the hole and pulled on a lever connected to thick, long ropes.
Soon, they heard a low-pitched rumble accompanied by a heavy creak. The ropes stirred, and a small wooden contraption resembling a room began to ascend.
Gold tested the sturdiness of the rope and chamber before stepping inside and urging the others to come aboard. It could hold only four people at a time, so Gold, Vine, and the two labyrinth crawlers went first. After them, Tadashi, Olivia, Logan, and Clarice followed. Lastly, Ryo, Laylanna, Mei, and Emma made their way down.
With that, they safely reached the third layer of the labyrinth with minimal difficulty.