Chapter 55 Welcome Back
――I swing.
I swing. I swing. I swing.
I swing my sword.
Each time, I release a massive amount of mist-like aura, which condenses into a blade shape in mid-air. The blades I create float around a huge water sphere, waiting for their cue.
The countless blades are created by [Continous Blade], but they're composed of a pale green aura, making it clear at a glance that they're different from usual.
The reason is the sword I'm swinging――the wooden sword "Jadeite" made from the core of 'Wind Elemental Treant', which grants it wind attributes.
Once the [Continous Blade] blades are fully charged, and the water sphere is completely covered in blades like an eggshell, Io starts to return the water from the sphere to the swamp.
Inside the rapidly shrinking water sphere, the giant ape is going berserk, trying to break free from its watery prison. If this keeps up, it's only a matter of time before it happens.
But I, with my sword technique, [Whirlwind Continous Blade - Great Sealed Sphere], unleash all the blades I've been waiting with before the giant ape's restraints are released.
The blades of wind, all striking at once, cut into the giant ape's body one after another. At the same time, the severed body parts are blown away by the wind wrapped around the blades, making it impossible for them to reattach.
No matter how high its regenerative abilities are, it can't regrow its lost body parts in an instant.
The blades continue to circulate at high speed within the small sphere, cutting the giant ape's body into tiny pieces, and eventually, into a bloody mist.
At the same time, the wind wrapped around the blades ensures not a single drop of blood escapes, trapping the giant ape inside the wind sphere. It looks like a red-black sphere.
Then, Io activates the final magic he's been preparing.
Fire Magic――[Inferno Flame]
Instead of being able to move the flames from their point of origin, they simply pursue high temperatures, emitting intense light as they appear and engulf the red-black wind sphere.
In an instant, the flames transform into a radiant, blazing sphere, burning everything inside to ashes.
The flames soon die out.
The gentle breeze in the sky blew away the massive gorilla, leaving not a single speck of dust behind, and it vanished into thin air.
* * *
Currently, one of the conference rooms on the third floor of the Explorer Guild has been occupied as the "Great Outbreak and Unique Individual Response Headquarters."
This is a separate entity from the Disaster Response Headquarters, and it's where the guild gives instructions to the explorers who are working to suppress the "Great Outbreak." The guild takes the lead in gathering information and gives directions to the explorers as needed.
Inside the room, papers and documents are piled high on the tables, and the guild staff are busily working away.
As I glance around at this scene, I turn my attention to the person in front of me.
Across from me is an old man who looks like he's over 60, with a bald head and a white beard, standing with his arms crossed. However, his physique is surprisingly muscular, and he looks like he could still take on an active explorer in hand-to-hand combat.
This elderly man, who looks like a monster, is the Guild Master of the Explorer Guild.
"You two, good job."
The Guild Master said, opening his mouth to speak in a low, gravelly voice.
It doesn't feel like he's praising us, but if he is, it's probably for defeating the Unique Individual of the massive ape just a few hours ago.
Io and I, who had just returned from the labyrinth, were summoned to the guild without even getting a chance to rest.
"Well, sorry to do this, but let's hear your report... Did you definitely defeat it?"
Io, standing next to me, responded to the Guild Master's question.
"We thoroughly investigated the area, but there was no sign of the Unique Individual reappearing. We believe we were able to defeat it."
"Hmm... Is that so? And did no magic stone drop this time either?"
"Yes. There were no drops of any kind."
"I see... So, it's not a monster from the labyrinth, but... It's likely a parasitic species from outside, after all."
"Well, I've never heard of such a monster existing on the surface, but given that there were no drops, it's reasonable to assume that."
"Hmm... What do you think? Do you think it won't appear again?"
"Well... it's not like that. This time, we've defeated the 4th one, after all."
Io, who had replied with a shrug, was met with a serious expression from the Guild Leader.
Yes, in reality, the "Unique Individual" monster thought to have triggered this "Great Outbreak" wasn't just one. As Io had said, including the one we defeated today, a total of 4 have already been confirmed.
Here's what we've learned so far about the "Unique Individual".
Firstly, Unique Individuals are parasitic creatures with the ability to mutate their hosts.
This was discovered when the individual we tried to defeat earlier transformed into another monster right before our eyes. We thought we had completely killed it by chopping it into tiny pieces or blowing it up, but it liquefied like slime and attacked us again, taking over the body of a nearby monster. We were seriously shocked back then, and it was even more shocking to see it regenerate normally afterwards.
This was before we knew that the Unique Individual's true body was a parasitic creature, and we found out later that it could regenerate from the discarded flesh we thought we had killed.
Anyway, it has an absurd regenerative ability.
Firstly, it's predicted that the Unique Individual's true body (or core) is extremely small, so to defeat it, we need to burn the host's body completely.
We know it's small because even when we chopped it into tiny pieces, it didn't die. If it were a somewhat large existence that could be killed with a slash, it would have died by then.
Moreover, we couldn't find the parasitic true body even after chopping it into tiny pieces. It's possible that it has a semi-liquid body and is disguising itself as blood or something. Considering that, we have no choice but to burn everything, including the host's body.
However, it takes a considerable amount of time to turn a body with a high water content into ash. That's not suitable for magic, so we ended up with that method of defeat.
If we chop it into tiny pieces beforehand, we can burn it completely in a short amount of time, that's how it is.
One thing, a Unique Individual is not just one entity.
As we discussed earlier, we've already defeated 4 Unique Individuals. It's unclear if there are more, but it's certain that all Unique Individuals are parasites that have transformed into something else. This is because all 4 of them, despite being different monster species, had black bodies and golden eyes with variations.
One thing, a monster that has been parasitized and transformed will continue to mutate and grow stronger as time passes.
It seems that when they eat other monsters, they can copy the abilities of those monsters. The giant ape we defeated this time only used the abilities of monsters from the jungle floor, so it hadn't been parasitized for long.
The other 3 individuals used a variety of abilities.
In any case, the fact that there are multiple Unique Individuals is prolonging the situation.
Normally, we could have suppressed the situation within a week, but the problem is that there are multiple Unique Individuals. In reality, the number of monster spawns has already returned to normal. The monsters that had already spawned in the 40th floor and below have been roughly defeated, and the labyrinth's seal has been lifted up to the 20th floor.
However, when we lifted the blockade on one of the floors, a second Unique Individual appeared, causing massive damage to the Beginner explorers. This led to a slight resurgence of the monster Great Outbreak, which had previously been calmed.
As a parasitic organism, it's not just one entity, and we can't predict where it will appear. That's why, as a guild, we're being cautious and not lifting the seal easily.
Still, due to this incident, the blockade will likely be lifted up to the 25th floor.
Fiona and the others were still active on the 25th floor because they had to re-eliminate the massive number of monsters that spawned again due to the damage to the Beginner explorers. This time, it seems that most of the increased monsters have been eliminated, thanks to our efforts to defeat the Unique Individual.
It's not like we can say that the danger has been completely eliminated, but exploring the labyrinth isn't exactly safe either. And when I think about the Necronia economy, we can't just keep the labyrinth sealed off forever――that's a realistic problem.
The Guild Leader let out a deep sigh.
"For now, we'll just have to gradually lift the blockade and see how things go..."
There's no way to confirm if we've defeated all the Unique Individuals, so it seems like we have no choice but to do it this way.
"Well, anyway, thanks for your hard work today. See you next time, okay?"
I exchanged a glance with Io, and we both made a bitter face.
It's not like we don't know that we're being used too much, but...
The second Unique Individual has caused a lot of harm to Beginner Explorers too. So, it's understandable that we don't want to cause any more unnecessary harm to explorers, but it's still a bit much to ask just the two of us to do it.
Well, at least the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫ will be participating in the subjugation from now on, so it should get better.
If possible, I'd like to focus on either defeating the Unique Individuals or clearing the monsters from the 41st floor onwards.
"Hey, hey, don't make that face I'll give you a generous reward, so don't worry about it, okay?"
"Yeah..."
"Ah..."
We nodded vaguely and left the scene.
* * *
When Io and I descended to the first floor lobby, the explorers lounging around inside focused their attention on us.
Some of them were looking at Io, who was being called a "sage". This wasn't surprising, since Io was a legendary explorer who was still famous even now.
What was weird, though, was that more people were staring at me than at Io.
The explorers in the lobby were whispering to each other, glancing at me.
"Hey, isn't that...?"
"Yeah, no mistake. That's him, all right."
"The rumored..."
"Sword Dance Maiden's master, right?"
"Didn't he and the sage do the subjugation this time too?"
"It's a story about how they hunted it down just the 2 of them... but is it really true?"
Lately, my name as an explorer has been spreading like wildfire.
The reason is related to the subjugation of Unique Individuals.
Basically, when we're about to take down a Unique Individual, we make sure to clear the area of other explorers to avoid any interference. But there are times when that's just not possible. The second Unique Individual appeared on the 8th floor, which is relatively shallow, and many beginner explorers were suddenly attacked. The Guild was late in issuing an evacuation warning.
So, we were urgently dispatched to the 8th floor to stall the Unique Individual and fight to let the other explorers escape. It seemed like a lot of people witnessed our battle.
There were also scouting teams sent to monitor the Unique Individual, and they had a chance to see us fight. Rumors spread from there as well.
Well, it's no wonder people are talking about me, who was almost unknown until now, suddenly being given an important role by the Guild.
"I saw him fighting! He was using skills I've never seen before, and he was ridiculously strong. Maybe even stronger than the Sword Saint..."
"Is he a member of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫? That means he's at least reached the 46th floor, right?"
"I heard he's a powerful warrior who even competed with the Sage for the new Clan Master position..."
"Apparently, he's being called 'Meister Gale' or something..."
"Meister? Why Meister?"
"I don't know, but it seems he has that nickname..."
"...Hah! Maybe it's something like 'Boob Meister' or something like that?!"
"...There's a possibility, I suppose..."
"...I might just ask him to be his disciple too..."
And my nickname as the Wooden Swordsmith is spreading with some variation.
What's with this "Boob Meister" thing? Are they kidding me? I'm more like the "Hip Master"!!
――No, wait. That's not important.
"I can't honestly be happy about it."
With a sigh mixed in, I mutter unintentionally.
If I were my old self, I would have been thrilled to become famous as an explorer, but after gaining recognition as a Wooden Swordsmith, it's not the same. Especially now, being famous as an explorer just means I get assigned extra work, and it's just frustrating.
Io looks at me with a questioning expression, wondering why I'm reacting this way.
"Hmm... don't you want to be famous?"
"It's not that I don't want to be famous, but it's just troublesome right now."
"Troublesome? Are you worried about something?"
Io asks with a slightly serious expression, and I respond in a grave tone.
"Lately, the guild's workload has been too much, and I've hardly had time to make wooden swords. In the past 3 weeks, I've only made one... a jade sword..."
It's not like I made the jade sword just because it was necessary for defeating a Unique Individual.
I made it to prove to Fiona that making wooden swords can really make her stronger. I won't go into details now, but the fact is, I did get stronger after completing the jade sword. My Flash Blade charging time has also decreased significantly.
However, in the past 3 weeks, I've only made that one jade sword. The wooden sword commissions I've received are also stalled, and the clients are understanding, saying it's an emergency...
"It's ridiculous to prioritize explorer work over my main job... it's a shameful thought!!"
I grit my teeth, clench my fists, and shout in frustration.
Io looks at me with a stunned expression.
"Are you kidding me? D-Did you intend to be a craftsman in your day job..."
"What's so obvious about that?"
Anyone can work as an explorer, but only I can lead the industry as a master Wooden Swordsmith. It's not even worth thinking about!!
"And besides, I'm busy training my disciple... I don't have time to hunt monsters."
"Your disciple... you mean Missy Fiona, right? Wouldn't it be better for her to fight monsters? There's no better training than actual combat."
"What's the point of making her fight monsters? Right now, it's crucial that she makes as many wooden swords as possible."
"What? Wooden sword?"
"Huh?"
"What's with that?"
"...?"
We didn't quite get what was going on, but we decided not to worry about it.
"――Well, anyway."
Io cleared his throat to change the mood, then said.
"Aaron, you becoming famous is kind of inevitable. I mean, it's surprising to me that you were so unknown as an explorer until now."
"......I was weak back then. I'm a late bloomer, I guess."
"Hmm?"
In reality, after I left ≪Sword of Glory≫, it took me 8 years to even reach the 15th floor. But after I started making wooden swords, I kept updating my floor records. It wasn't until I met Fiona and cleared the 30th floor that I got called an Expert Explorer.
That's a pretty long time as an explorer's apprentice.
If I had gotten stronger earlier, like, if I had reached the 20th floor 5 years after leaving ≪Sword of Glory≫, I might have been able to go back. Reaching the 20th floor solo is definitely a decent feat.
But that didn't happen.
In my explorer life, it's only recently that I've been able to upgrade [Slash] to various sword skills and battle techniques.
Since I didn't interact much with other explorers, there wasn't much talk about me, and I wasn't exactly famous. After I started fighting with wooden swords, I got called stupid and whatnot.
"Well...Aaron, we don't know what's going to happen yet. Let's keep in touch, okay?"
"Yeah, got it. I'll be at home, so if anything happens, contact me."
Anyway, today's work is done.
I parted ways with Io in front of the guild and decided to head home quickly.
On the way, I stopped by a food stall to grab dinner and then headed back. I usually cook for myself when I have the time, but lately, I've been too busy. I bought a bunch of stuff that would fill my stomach, and it's convenient that I don't need to carry it around thanks to my Storage Ring.
I quickly walked through the noisy food stall street, which was already bustling with evening revelers, and continued on my way through the evening streets.
It's been a while, and I finally arrived at my house.
I unlocked the front door and stepped inside――and then, from the back of the room I used as a atelier, located at the end of the hallway, I heard the sound of footsteps, followed by the creaking of the door as it opened.
"――Welcome back."
The one who emerged from the atelier was Fiona, wearing a thick, work-use apron made of sturdy fabric.
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