Chapter 25 Proposing A Change In Plans
Darkness.
A voice echoes in the unknown, unclear space.
"――I'm proposing a change in plans."
"Huh? What's going on all of a sudden? What plan are you talking about?"
The man's voice announces without warning, and the woman's voice asks for details.
Even though they can't see each other's faces, there's no confusion between them. It's as if it's only natural, and they continue their conversation without any obstacles.
"It's about the labyrinth. I've judged that our current combat power has a high probability of failure."
"What's the basis for that?"
"The 3 top-tier warriors."
"Top-tier warriors, you say... Ah, yes, they do have incredible power for humans."
The woman's voice agrees.
But in the next moment, she raises an objection with a "but."
"Is it really impossible to defeat them, even with those warriors? Top-tier warriors or not, aren't they just relics of the past? ...Ah, sorry. I phrased that badly. But it's a fact that they were active as explorers a generation ago. Our combat power is different now compared to before last year's Stampede. Even if they're legends, they're not opponents we should be struggling against."
The woman's tone is somewhat mocking and teasing.
The man, on the other hand, shows no reaction, simply responding with a calm tone.
"The outcome of a battle isn't decided by ability alone. There are many factors that can overturn the outcome, such as technology, experience, environment, and luck. A novice who's only obtained power can't defeat a true opponent."
"...Are you saying we're novices?"
"I'm not saying that. But they're not opponents we can underestimate. Even if we use all our hidden aces, I don't think we can defeat them. Rather, I think there's a high possibility we'll get counterattacked."
"No way. That's impossible. How many 'suitable candidates (Adepts)' do you think we've mobilized? If we include you, that's 13 people, right? We shouldn't be no match for them, even if they have 38 old humans."
"If you think that, then think that. But I'm going to observe this plan from the sidelines. I don't want to die in vain."
"......"
The woman falls silent in response to the man's words.
Her thoughts are overwhelmed by the weight of his words, a weight that only a man can possess. At the very least, when it comes to combat, sje jas no choice but to acknowledge that he has superior insight than she does.
"Hmph... I don't like it, but if a monster like you says so, then I suppose it's true."
"...Heh heh heh."
The man laughs at the woman's voice, even though there's nothing funny and he's not the type to mock his own previous words. It's inexplicable.
The woman asks out of genuine curiosity.
"What's so funny?"
"No... it's just that it's ridiculous to be called a monster like that."
"Don't you think you're a monster, though?"
Among the 'Adept' individuals in the organization, the man is an extremely skilled fighter. His combat ability surpasses human intelligence, and even a group of explorers wouldn't be a match for him.
If he had sufficient preparation and time, he could probably take down the guardian of the 45th floor of the God's Remains Labyrinth on his own.
That's a combat ability on par with the heroes of the ancient gods, a level that's beyond human.
The old humans who rely on their Jobs and Skills wouldn't stand a chance against the man in front of her, and she's convinced of it.
That's what the true monster says.
"There are only 2 people who have thought of me as a monster. One is Logan Abrams."
One of the top-tier warriors on the enemy side that they've been expecting. The "Sword Saint" Logan.
"And the other is... Aaron Gale."
A member of the Labyrinth Conquest Team clan, and one of the 3 top-tier warriors. He's a ridiculous guy who wields a wooden sword made by Elder Treant, claims to have the "Basic Limit Mark," and openly declares his obvious lies without a care.
"Especially Aaron... he's dangerous. He has the possibility of becoming an ≪Extreme Sword≫."
"...≪Extreme Sword≫... what does that mean, exactly? How strong is it?"
The possibility of ≪Extreme Sword≫ was mentioned, but even ≪Extreme Sword≫ itself is a group with unknown true identities. Specifically, how strong they are is unclear to the woman.
However, the man seemed to have a good grasp of their abilities, and with a confident tone, he declared,
"I'm weaker than him right now."
"...Impossible."
"It's true. I've seen him fight on the 40th floor, and I'm convinced."
"......"
The woman was silenced by his extremely confident tone.
This man didn't obsess over his own strength. He could analyze his and others' combat abilities objectively, and that's why his observation skills were extremely accurate. Since he was so confident, it wasn't easy to dismiss his words.
It was hard to believe that an ordinary human could be that strong.
But if they accepted it as fact, there was something they had to consider. After all, Aaron Gale was a man recommended by Eva Kirke herself, and based on the investigation results, it was almost certain that he was an enemy.
"Who can beat him?"
"Well...the only ones who can definitely win are... the 'Magister Temple', the 'Magus', and the 'Ipsissimus'..."
"...It's not like we can take him down with just one person. Especially if we get the 'Magister Temple' and the 'Magus' involved, it's terrifying just to think about it. As for 'Ipsissimus', we can't even use it..."
'Ipsissimus' was the strongest weapon they had created so far, but it had many problems, and there were concerns about using it in practice. If their goal was to destroy Necronia, it would be a useful weapon for wide-area annihilation, but their goal wasn't to destroy Necronia. In other words, it wasn't a very realistic plan.
So, the woman started thinking that the most realistic way to eliminate him would be to crush him with a large number of 'adept' users...when the man proposed an alternative plan.
"There's someone I want to recruit to our side."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"If that person becomes a 'adept' user, they'll definitely be able to beat Aaron Gale, and maybe even other members of ≪Extreme Sword≫."
"...So you want to increase the combat power, right?"
"Yeah."
"Who?"
The man mentioned a single name.
The woman was troubled by that name. If the person mentioned became an "Adapt", they would become a monster beyond imagination. They might even gain power rivaling "Ipsissimus" itself.
But that was something they had known for a long time. They had never tried to recruit them as an ally, thinking it was unlikely to succeed.
"If you're going to recruit him, I would've done it already."
The woman replied, looking disappointed.
However, in the next moment, the man's laughter echoed from the darkness.
"...Don't worry. He'll definitely join us. No, he has no choice but to join."
"But even if he becomes an 'Adapt', it'll take time, right? It'll take a while for the Labyrinth Conquest Team to reach the 45th floor."
"That's what I said. I'll propose a plan change."
The man explained his alternative plan to the woman.
It was a strategy to ensure the person mentioned would join their side.
There were 2 major advantages. One was the possibility of securing immense combat power that could be used freely.
The other was the potential to turn someone who had infiltrated the [Four Great Families of the Seals] against them, allowing them to eliminate their enemies at once.
These 2 advantages were significant, especially the latter, which had an irresistible charm.
However, there were also disadvantages.
"Is that really possible? Even temporarily, they might reach the 46th floor. And it feels bad to use me as a stepping stone."
"That's unavoidable. But he'll definitely join our side. Especially after surpassing the 45th floor. I'll guide him to make it happen."
"...The 'teleportation circle' on the 46th floor might be destroyed."
"Isn't that something we're not using anymore? Anyway, with our current combat power, even if I move, the possibility of eliminating them is low. If we can get rid of the nuisance by trading in one 'teleportation circle' that's scheduled to be scrapped and 12 'adept users' with low compatibility rates, that's a cheap deal, don't you think?"
"Well, after this incident is over, the 12 'adept users' were originally going to be eliminated by you anyway... but if the other somehow manage to exceed the 50th floor, it's clear that would be troublesome, right?"
"I don't know how many will survive, but I don't intend to let them reach the 50th floor in the first place. I'll eliminate them beforehand. That's why we need to bring him in."
The woman remained silent for several dozen seconds, deep in thought.
Then, she looked up, and the sound of her hair rubbing against something faintly echoed.
"Alright... I'll report it to the higher-ups."
"Is that so?"
The man let out a rare sigh of relief.
"...With this, even if ≪Extreme Sword≫ turns against us, we can win. If that's the limit of his abilities, no matter how hard he struggles, it won't be a problem."
As long as Aaron Gale doesn't become an ally, he's nothing but a hindrance that needs to be eliminated. It's certain that he'll become a major obstacle if they don't get rid of him.
However, with this, they've secured a way to eliminate Aaron.
They can definitely eliminate him within a few months.
* * *
[God's Remains Labyrinth] 15th floor.
As I gazed at the massive body of Elder treant, which was disappearing after its magical energy was restored, I reaffirmed my conviction.
"I never thought it would come to this..."
It's been 2 weeks since we reached the 41st floor with Eva, Kirke, and the others, and I've been escorting them.
As the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, our plan from now on is to transfer to the 41st floor with all our clan members and the 4 members of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], then aim for the 45th floor, defeat the guardians there, and after that, set up a new teleportation circle on the 46th floor.
However, it seemed that there were still party members in our clan who hadn't reached the 41st floor, and we were waiting for them. On top of that, as a clan, we needed to prepare various things, and Eva and the others were busy preparing the necessary items for the teleportation circle and re-checking the procedures.
That's why we wouldn't be exploring beyond the 41st floor for about another week.
In the meantime, I had been dedicating myself to crafting wooden swords.
I had obtained the rare drop material "Ice Elemental Treant's Core Wood" from the 40th floor's guardian, ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, and I was trying to create a new wooden sword that would surpass Black Radiance.
Well, just like before, I failed multiple times, and my materials ran out, so I had to go back to the 40th floor alone again... But thanks to my hard work, I finally succeeded in creating a new wooden sword with ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ yesterday!
It's transparent, beautiful, and reflects light, shining brightly... This wooden sword, which has an artistic quality surpassing Black Radiance, I decided to name "Silver".
Well, anyway.
Lately, I had been pouring my heart and soul into completing "Silver", so I decided to make Black Radiance again. I had used up some of my stock of Black Radiance to gather materials from ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ using my ultimate technique.
And the orders for Black Radiance never stopped, and the delivery date was approaching.
So, before our exploration in a week, I wanted to make a bunch of Black Radiance and stock up, but when I checked my materials in my atelier at home, I found out that I was running low on wood for Black Radiance.
This wouldn't be enough to fulfill the orders.
That's why I came to the 15th floor today to gather the core wood of Eldar Tree, which is the material...
"Yeah, that's right..."
I gazed at the blade imbued with the Black Radiance, its quiet and serene aura.
And then, I confirmed the massive body of Elder treant, which was almost disappearing.
Lately, when I defeated Elder Treant, I used the combined technique of [Heavy Blade] and [Blast Blade], known as [Heavy Blast Blade]. This was because it consumed less magical energy and allowed me to defeat it quickly.
However, this time, I didn't see any holes created by the [Heavy Blast Blade] explosion on Elder Treant's body.
Its massive, thick trunk was cut in 2, revealing a slanted cutting surface.
The sword technique I used was just one [Heavy Flying Blade].
Until now, I couldn't defeat Elder Treant with just one [Heavy Flying Blade]. But today, I did.
I had a similar feeling when I defeated other monsters on my way here.
It's as if today, my condition is exceptionally good, and...
So, I thought, "Why not give it a try?" and unleashed the [Heavy Flying Blade]. And somehow, I managed to defeat it.
The reason for this is clear. It's not because I used a new wooden sword called "Silver" or anything. I still used "Black Radiance" this time. Therefore, there's only one reason that comes to mind. I muttered to myself.
"Could it be... that making wooden swords has made me stronger?"
It's Silver.
By making Silver, I've become able to control my aura even more precisely.
As a result, to put it simply, my combat ability has increased.
No way, does just making a wooden sword make me stronger?
I think so too, but this is no joke.
Alright, let me explain the detailed circumstances.
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