Chapter 27 ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫... Let'S Go!!
That day, a large number of explorers had gathered inside the [Seal Temple].
At the center of the crowded group were 51 Expert Explorers and 4 magicians ―― in other words, the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ and Eva, Kirke, and others from the [Four Great Families of the Seals] who had been sent to set up a teleportation circle.
It was already well-known to the public that our ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ had broken through all 41 floors and were now heading to the 46th floor.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement, looking forward to the establishment of a brand-new teleportation circle, a feat that hadn't been achieved in decades.
Among the crowd, I spotted Fiona and called out to her.
"Hey, Fiona. Did you manage to break through the 40th floor?"
"Hmph, of course I did."
Fiona puffed out her chest with pride and answered.
In reality, after Eva's group had taken her to the 41st floor, Fiona had joined another party that hadn't broken through the 40th floor and challenged the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫.
That was because Fiona hadn't fought much back then, and she hadn't had the experience of defeating the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ at that point.
If she hadn't experienced the battle against the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫, she would have been suspected by other clan members of having relied on others to break through the 40th floor. Whether or not Fiona thought that way, not fighting and still advancing to the 40th floor would have been unacceptable to her pride.
So, she had aimed to break through the 40th floor on her own, and that's what had happened.
It had been a while since we last met, so I asked her directly, and it seemed she had managed to break through safely, which was a huge relief.
"So, did my secret strategy come in handy?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Your way of fighting was completely useless as a reference."
"Maybe you used my way of defeating them as a reference?" I asked, but the response I got was ridiculous.
I thought about it for a moment, and then I quickly came up with an answer.
"By the way, you still can't move in mid-air, right?"
"That's not the problem... Normally, Swordsmen Jobs can't move in mid-air, can they?"
"Well, maybe if you learn the 'Sword Dance Maiden' Job's aerial movement skill, you'll be able to do it someday?"
"You're saying it so easily..."
I told Fiona to use [Flying Slash] aggressively, and if she practices enough, she should be able to control her aura. After all, I'm living proof that people don't need talent to control their aura.
Wait, what was I thinking?
Maybe if I have Fiona make a wooden sword, she'll get stronger?
Probably, if she can at least control her aura enough to carve wood, it'll be a good training exercise...
"......"
I stared at Fiona intensely.
"...What's up?"
"...Hey, Fiona."
I proposed to Fiona, who was tilting her head in confusion.
"You... want to try making a wooden sword?"
"...What?"
"Maybe you'll get stronger."
If Fiona gets stronger because of this, it'll prove that my theory is correct. If I present it to the academy, my name might even go down in history. I'm not sure which academy to present it to, though.
"......"
I waited for Fiona's response, but she just gave me a weird look and didn't answer.
Before that, a huge cheer erupted in the [Seal Temple], interrupting our conversation.
The loud cheers were directed at us, the [Labyrinth Conquest Team], and it was getting more and more intense.
The crowd's expectations were growing higher and higher.
But then, Logan, the Clan Master of the [Labyrinth Conquest Team], took a step forward and slowly looked around, and the cheers gradually died down.
As if he had been waiting for the right moment, Logan opened his mouth.
"All of you! We, the Labyrinth Conquest Team, are about to teleport to the 41st floor, break through the 45th floor, and then set up a teleportation circle on the 46th floor This will undoubtedly be a difficult mission! However! We have no doubts that we can achieve this great feat Why? Because our goal lies beyond the 46th floor! That's right! We're going to fully conquer the [God's Remains Labyrinth], which has been ongoing since ancient times!!"
Logan began to deliver a passionate speech in a loud, clear voice.
His speech was not directed at the clan members, but at the crowd surrounding them. Originally, there were no plans for such a speech, but he had to improvise to calm down the excessively excited crowd.
Well, objectively speaking, this exploration would have a significant impact on the entire Necronia, and the gathered crowd wanted to hear the words of the Labyrinth Conquest Team.
"As expected of the former knight captain..."
Fiona, standing beside me, said with admiration, and I agreed.
"Yeah, it's like he's used to speaking in front of people."
I was impressed that he could speak so smoothly without a script, especially in front of such a large crowd.
It wasn't just us who were impressed. The other clan members were also looking at Logan with respectful gazes, and he continued his speech with confidence.
"It's only been 78 years since the ≪Great Transition≫! We've never succeeded in opening up the 46th floor at this pace! There have been times when we couldn't even conquer the 40th floor and had to face the ≪Great Transition≫, which everyone knows! But the Labyrinth Conquest Team gathered here has already reached the 41st floor!! Therefore, I'm confident that we have gathered strong warriors who are not inferior to the heroes of ancient times!!"
The crowd erupted in cheers: "Wooooo!!"
Logan raised his hand, waiting for the thunderous applause to subside, and then continued speaking.
"By completely conquering the [God's Remains Labyrinth], the occurrence of the ≪Great Transition≫ will be suppressed. That means the arrival of a long, golden era! We, the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, will bring that legendary curtain-raiser to Necronia! To take a solid step towards that legend, we'll set up a teleportation circle to take us to the 46th floor! I hope you all will look forward to the good news!!"
Wooooo! A huge cheer erupted.
The loud voices even made the floor of the [Seal Temple] tremble.
With that cheer behind him, Logan turned to his clan members and announced,
"Alright, ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫... let's go!!"
"""Yeahhhh!"""
The clan members cheered and followed Logan onto the teleportation circle.
The destination was the 41st floor.
Finally, the entire clan's exploration had begun.
* * *
The 55 members teleported simultaneously, and they found themselves in a spacious, vast cave with plenty of room to spare.
In that cave, which was also their destination on the 41st floor, Logan looked around at his clan members once again.
"Now, even among you expert explorers, there are few who have experience going beyond the 41st floor. Of course, I've explained it beforehand, and I'm sure you've all gathered information on your own. But just to confirm, let me explain again about the 'Dragon Mountain floor'."
With that, Logan began to explain.
From the 41st to the 45th floor of the [God's Remains Labyrinth], there's a floor called the "Dragon Mountain floor".
As its name suggests, it's a mountain where dragons live, and when you descend the stairs, you'll find a cave opening in the mountain's belly. From there, you'll find a mountain with a different environment on each floor.
The place where the stairs continue to the lower floor is simple, and you'll always find stairs leading to the mountaintop on every floor.
The 41st floor is a mountain with a vast, deep forest. The monsters that appear are mostly wyverns and smaller earth dragon species.
The 42nd floor is a massive rocky mountain. The monsters that appear are mostly large flying dragon species.
The 43rd floor is a mountain of falling rocks. The monsters that appear are mostly attribute dragons like water dragons, lightning dragons, and wind dragons.
The 44th floor is a snowy mountain. Frost dragons and other ice-attribute dragons are abundant.
The 45th floor is a volcano. Fire-attribute dragons are plentiful.
By the way, there are many types of dragons, but as they grow stronger, they're called "attribute dragons" and can use extremely powerful breath attacks.
If they possess even stronger powers, they're given unique names to distinguish them from others. These are what we call "Named Monsters."
There are 5 such Named Monsters in the "Dragon Mountain floor."
They're the floor bosses waiting at the mountaintops from the 41st to 44th floors, and the guardian of the 45th floor.
What's unique about the "Dragon Mountain floor" is that each floor has a monster guarding the stairs.
"The exploration route for each floor has already been determined to be the shortest route. Although the difficulty level will be a bit higher, this is because we have 4 non-combat members, and we're taking their physical strength into consideration."
After finishing his explanation of the "Dragon Mountain floor," Logan continued to explain the exploration route and battle roles.
"The Iron Wall Alliance will focus on protecting the non-combat members. This will be the same for the 45th floor guardian battle. While others will handle the fighting, we'll only form a large raid team for the floor bosses and the 45th floor guardian battle. As for the small fries along the way, we'll divide into 3 groups and take turns fighting to avoid inefficiency."
Of course, the members for the battles along the way have already been decided.
Logan, Io, and Ail will each become temporary leaders, leading their respective groups.
I'll be joining Ail's group, which consists of Ail, me, Fiona, and 2 other parties: "Balmung" and "Flames of Dominance."
"Balmung" is Calum's party, which I fought during our clan's first meeting, and "Flames of Dominance" is a magician-only party of 6... Ah, I mean, a rare party composition.
"――Alright, let's get going soon. Each group, please gather your members."
Logan's explanation had ended, and the members who had been informed beforehand gathered together.
As Ail approached us, I and Fiona also walked towards him.
"Aaron, Fiona, I'll be counting on you from today onwards."
"Ah, same here, we'll be counting on you too."
"Thank you, we're counting on you."
"――Master Aaron!"
As I greeted Ail, I was called out in a loud, cheerful voice.
When I turned around, I saw the members of "Balmung" standing there. Calum, who was standing at the front, was beaming with a smile that was unlike anything I'd seen before.
"Ah, it's Calum and the others. Please take care of me from today onwards."
"Likewise! We're honored to be exploring with Master Aaron... I'm so thrilled!"
I exchanged greetings with Calum and the others from "Balmung".
By the way, I had become acquainted with Calum at the party on the first day, and we had hit it off. He was a wood sword maniac, and a fan of mine. So, he had started calling me "master" with reverence as a craftsman. He was quite a lovable guy.
I took out "a certain item" from my storage ring and handed it to Calum.
"Calum, I was sorry about what happened during our previous mock battle. I'm offering you this as an apology. Please take it."
"W-w-what's this...?"
Calum's eyes widened in surprise.
What I had handed him was a long spear made from the core wood of an Elder treant. Of course, it was made entirely of wood, from the handle to the spearhead, and could be used in actual combat. However, Calum's current spear was stronger, so this one was for training purposes.
"Feel free to use it during training."
"T-this is... Is it really okay for me to take it?"
"Ah, of course."
"A-a-thank you so much! I'll treasure it and pass it down to my kids and grandkids!!"
Calum received the spear with a face that looked like he was about to cry from joy.
It seemed like I had made him happy, which was all that mattered. As a fan, it was crucial to prioritize their feelings.
I was also extremely satisfied with Calum's reaction, and the remaining members had arrived.
――Fiona! Long time no see!
"Claire! Nice to see you again, starting today!"
The 6-member magician party, "Flames of Dominance."
Despite the ridiculous party name, all the members are women around Fiona's age or slightly younger. The party leader, Claire, is a black-haired woman who's called by Fiona, and they all wear the same design robes.
From their conversation, it seems that Fiona and Claire are old friends who cleared the 40th floor together.
So, they were part of the "Flames of Dominance" party that explored together...
......
Well, it's not surprising that they get along well, being weirdos and all.
Anyway.
Everyone gathers and exchanges greetings. Then, I glance around at the faces of the Ail group and say to Ail beside me.
"Hey, Ail."
"What's up?"
"This party... doesn't have enough tank roles, does it?"
There's only one shielder job in the "Balmond" party.
Isn't that a bit unbalanced?
I mean, Logan's group and Io's group have multiple tank roles, after all.
"......"
Ail folds his arms and looks away.
Then, he mutters.
"...We got stuck with problem children, so it couldn't be helped."
"Problem children...?"
I look at Fiona and the "Flames of Dominance" members.
I mean, it's probably inevitable that the balance is off with "Flames of Dominance" around.
I guess we just have to accept it with an open mind.
"......You're the biggest problem, though."
"Huh?"
I think Ail mumbled something, but he doesn't meet my eyes, so it's probably just my imagination.
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