Chapter 93 I'Ve Got A Good Idea
I sat in the chair, still, and stretched out my right arm in front of me.
In that state, I activated [Chaos Strength] only on my right arm.
I converted magical energy into aura and changed its properties, allowing it to seep into my body――my bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, skin, and even the smallest cells.
Immediately, my right arm began to shine.
It wasn't like when I had aura wrapped around my skin; it was as if my entire right arm had become aura itself, shining in a way that was hard to describe.
It took only a few seconds to deploy [Chaos Strength] across my entire right arm, and I was able to do it much smoother than before. But this time, I deliberately took my time to show it off.
"...Is this okay?"
Everyone in the room was silent, their eyes fixed on my right arm.
No one answered my question.
After a moment, Glen was the first to speak up, her voice trembling with excitement.
"UU, OO, OO...!! THIS IS IT...!! I SAW THIS SHINE DURING THE STAMPEDE...!! ――MASTER GALE!"
"What's wrong?"
Glen turned to me with a burst of energy.
"Can you spread this across your entire body?! Show me!!"
"No way."
I replied immediately.
"Why not?!"
"There's no need to show it off across my entire body."
This should be proof enough.
Maintaining [Chaos Strength] already consumes a significant amount of magical energy. And even if it's not during battle, it's not like it doesn't put a strain on my body. I don't want to waste energy unnecessarily.
"Or should I say, is this enough?"
"Wait!!"
As I was about to return my arm to normal, Glen stopped me.
"What's wrong?"
"Can I touch it and see if it's okay?"
She asked with an eager expression.
To be honest, I was a bit annoyed, but I allowed it since it was just a small request.
[Chaos Strength] can deflect certain magic attacks on its surface, but it's not like [Dragon Scale], which repels objects it touches. Instead, it's because the high-density aura infused in the body can't be penetrated by magic attacks with almost no mass.
During the battle with the false angel, Fiona's clothes remained unscathed until they were struck by lightning when she activated [God's Body], so even if you touch someone in a [Chaos Strength] state, it's not like [Dragon Scale] where your fingers would fly off.
"...Here you go."
I held out my arm to Glen, and she immediately touched my right arm with both hands.
"Whoa...!! It's a bit hot and really hard!! What's going on here!? Can you move in this state!?"
While stroking, gripping, and lightly tapping my arm, Glen asked me questions.
"...Yeah, I can move."
I showed her by closing and opening my hand.
"Wow! It moved! It really moved!?"
"...That's enough."
"Ah! Wait a bit, Master Gale!!"
I pulled my arm out of Glen's grasp, which was still trying to touch me.
Then, as I was about to return to normal――
"Wait a bit, Aaron!!"
"...What's up?"
This time, it was Fiona who spoke up.
And with a slightly embarrassed tone, she asked,
"Can I touch it too...? Is it okay...?"
"Uh..."
I could tell she was interested, but I didn't understand why she wanted to touch it.
I reluctantly held out my arm to Fiona. Fiona leaned forward from the sofa and stretched out both arms.
"Wow, this is... really hot and hard...!!"
"...Hey, Fiona, don't touch it so roughly, okay?"
"I know that already."
While stroking my arm with both hands, Fiona said with a curious tone.
I mean, what's with her stroking method?
It's not like she's doing it on purpose, but Fiona's way of stroking is unique... I don't particularly dislike it, though...
"......"
"Hmm... Did it feel like this when it was my turn, I wonder?"
"......"
Suddenly, Fiona tilted her head as if she had realized something.
"...Huh? It's gotten even harder than before, hasn't it?"
"...No way, that's just your imagination."
"Is that so...? I'm certain, at this place, at this time..."
Rub, rub, rub. Stroke, stroke, stroke.
Twitch, twitch...!!
"...It's definitely gotten harder, hasn't it? And it feels like it's getting hotter little by little too."
"What? That's not happening at all."
"...Could it be that maintaining [Chaos Strength] is tough?"
"What's tough about it? I've got plenty of leeway."
"What's got you angry? ――Wait, ah, just a minute!!"
I pulled my arm back.
...Whoa, that was close.
Let's get back to normal quickly. When I thought that again――,
"Ah, Mr. Aaron."
"Sorry, Aaron."
"I'm a bit curious too... Can I touch it?"
"......"
My right arm ended up being touched by Lady Eva, Garon, and Io too.
"Hmm...? It feels a bit less energetic than when Fiona touched it."
"It's really hard... a strange sensation."
"It's amazing how the human body can change like this... fascinating."
"......"
I waited for everyone to finish touching while counting the stains on the ceiling――.
* * *
"――Now, let's get back to the main topic."
I returned my right arm to normal and announced it.
The main topic, of course, was what to do after the clan was disbanded.
"Ah. But, what should we do... if we make a big move, we might get our exploration permit revoked."
Io expressed his concerns with a difficult expression, and everyone furrowed their brows in agreement.
Indeed, that was a big problem. However, the solution was relatively simple. Was Io overthinking it?
"Hmm... about that, I've got a good idea."
"Do you have a plan, Aaron?"
With full confidence, I announced it, and everyone's gaze focused on me.
"The biggest problem we face is the lack of personnel. Especially, the shortage of Scouts is severe, but I'll explain that later. Anyway, to conquer the unexplored floors early, we need a large number of people who can explore beyond the 46th floor. But can't we solve this by establishing a new clan?"
"No way, I don't think establishing a clan will be approved, do you? Wouldn't it be better to gather cooperators for each party and form a raid team to conquer the labyrinth?"
Io's counterargument was reasonable.
However, I shook my head.
"No, I used to think that too, but I realized it's not that hard to establish a clan. As long as the clan's purpose isn't to conquer the labyrinth, there shouldn't be any issues, right?"
The [Four Great Families of the Seals] don't want us to conquer the labyrinth. That's why they disbanded the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫.
So, we're going to create a new clan with a purpose that has nothing to do with conquering the labyrinth.
"Besides, having a clan has its benefits. If we're going to defy the [Four Great Families of the Seals] and aim to conquer the labyrinth, it's better to have a clan to unite multiple parties, don't you think?"
Many Adventurer Parties usually don't cooperate with each other in labyrinth exploration or guardian subjugation because of issues like distributing dropped resources, differing exploration goals, or not trusting other parties.
So, even if we understand that cooperating is more efficient, it's hard to form a raid team.
To control multiple parties, having a clan organization is indeed useful.
Moreover, since our goal is to defy the [Four Great Families of the Seals], we can't rely on multiple parties that might betray us or leak information.
It's better to bind them together as a single organization, sharing both benefits and drawbacks.
But Io agreed while still having doubts.
"But in theory, that's how it is... If the members of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ join a new clan, it's obvious what they're thinking. The Four Great Families will definitely be on guard, and if we try to rush in, they'll mercilessly revoke our exploration permit, don't you think?"
"Then we shouldn't rush in. ...For a while, at least."
It seemed like he realized it. A look of understanding appeared on Io's face.
"...Hmm, could it be... You're planning to rush through it all at once?"
"That's right."
I smiled and nodded in response to Io's speculation.
In other words, we'll establish a clan with a suitable goal, and while we make progress on our apparent goal, we'll secretly prepare for labyrinth conquest.
And on the day we're ready, we'll all dive into the labyrinth, update the floors at once, and reach the deepest floor. Since the "Sky Floor" is a fixed floor, we can assume the deepest floor isn't too far away. It's not impossible.
And if we do it this way, we can conquer the labyrinth before the [Four Great Families of the Seals] revoke our exploration permit.
"But Aaron, what about the Scout Jobs? That old geezer is stubborn, you know?"
"We'll have the Guild take care of the Scout Jobs. If we reach the deepest floor before the [Four Great Families of the Seals] say anything, they won't be able to blame the Guild."
"I see... So you're going to explain it to the Guild Master and get him to agree, right?"
"Yeah, by force if necessary."
I understand the Guild Master's position, but that's beside the point. It has nothing to do with taking back the massive debt we owe.
"However, if we're going to conquer the labyrinth all at once, we'll need to spend a considerable amount of time inside. At the very least, we'll need Storage Rings and camping equipment with magical tools... What about that, Lady Eva?"
Io asked Lady Eva.
The reason we can't help but take a super long-term approach to conquering the labyrinth, which spans decades, is that we can't stay in the labyrinth for an extended period like we would on a normal day.
We usually return to the surface within the day, and even if we stay in the labyrinth for a few days, 3 days is the limit.
However, with Storage Rings and Barrier Magic Tools, long-term exploration becomes possible. It's like when I took Lady Eva and the others to the 46th floor.
Lady Eva thought for a while, then replied.
"Regarding the Storage Ring... my father and the others have some reservations, so I don't think they'll recover it. It's not a high-quality ring, anyway..."
It seems like the Ring won't be recovered. Honestly, that's a relief. It's too convenient, and exploring a labyrinth without a Storage Ring is just too much trouble.
I don't want to go on an expedition carrying weapons, food, and dropped items on my back anymore.
If it's going to be recovered, I was thinking of buying a new Storage Ring with my own money.
"And about the Barrier Magic Tool... I think the ones from our household won't get permission to use. But... I can make one myself if I cooperate with a Magic Tool craftsman."
The [Four Great Families of the Seals]' income sources are diverse, but the existence of Space magic-using Magic Tools has the greatest influence in terms of expanding their power. That's why the people from the 4 families also learn how to make Magic Tools.
That being said, the Magic Tool craftsmen make the Magic Tool's main body, apparently.
"If you make one, how long will it take?"
"It'll take about a month per tool, since there are limited craftsmen who can make it..."
"I see... it's certainly a long time, but if it takes that long, then it's doable, I suppose..."
After hearing Lady Eva's answer, Io nodded, seeming to think there was no problem.
Everyone looked at me, seemingly judging that my proposal had merit. Io spoke as their representative.
"We'll also go along with Aaron's plan."
"Yes!"
With those words, I nodded strongly and stood up to declare.
"――That's it, then! We'll establish a new clan, ≪Wooden Sword≫!!"
"Got it!"
"""...Wait, what?"""
――It's going to get busy!!
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