Chapter 250 Wise Mabel
The enemies appearing on the 49th floor seemed to mostly have dark or heavy attributes.
However, in terms of types, they weren't very different from the previous floors. Dark dragons and angel-type golems with heavy magic appeared as flying monsters, while shadow demons and hide assassins, which could disguise themselves in shadows, were common humanoid monsters on the floating islands.
Especially at night, it was hard to notice dark magic and surprise attacks, so we had to be careful. Additionally, we often got attacked while jumping from island to island, which made me feel even more certain that it was a good idea to have Chloe on my back.
"Yaaahhoooooo!!"
"Nooooooooooo!?"
――It was unclear if a buff effect was happening, but the "Boob Alien" was extremely high-energy, jumping around unnecessarily and moving happily.
Since he didn't seem tired, it was definitely a good choice to have the "Boob Alien" carry Chloe.
So, we boldly and carefully moved forward, leaving the selection of our route to 'Dark Crow.'
As long as we were careful of surprise attacks, the monsters we encountered weren't a big problem.
And after about 10 hours since we started exploring that day,
we reached the innermost part of the 49th floor without any notable troubles or crises.
* * *
We all gathered on a relatively large floating island and observed the innermost island.
Unlike the other islands floating on the 49th floor, it was the same type of island as those on the 46th, 47th, and 48th floors.
There was nothing on the floating island except for a huge gate standing tall in the center.
The brightness of the shining gate probably hasn't changed, but because it's night, it looked even more dazzling than before.
And in front of that gate stood a person who seemed to be a hero from the Age of Gods.
Wearing a wide-brimmed pointed hat, her black dress was strangely revealing, emphasizing her body shape as if it clung to her.
Judging by her appearance, she looked like a voluptuous beauty in her mid-twenties. Her lips, painted a strange red, curved in a playful smile.
The staff she held in her right hand, which she leaned on, shone with a metallic luster and had a confusing design. It looked more like a piece of precision machinery than a staff.
"That is..."
I murmured with certainty.
"A trial for the witch... against Chloe, huh..."
"Eh!?"
Chloe gasped in surprise, but it was obvious. That hat and staff. The more you looked, the more she looked like a witch. Moreover...
"She definitely looks a bit like Chloe..."
"She feels like a level 100 Chloe..."
Fiona and Lucia agreed.
I didn't quite understand what Lucia meant by "level 100," but I could slightly grasp what she wanted to say. In fact, the others were nodding too.
"She does resemble Lady Chloe a bit... she's quite a beauty."
"What an enchanting figure... If I hadn't met Dear Sister Fiona, I might have formed a sisterly bond with her..."
"Ugh, I really want to have a match with her! Oh, of course, in bed!"
That witch has black hair and golden eyes, and she wears a monocle over her right eye. She also has a big chest, and... when it comes to allure, she can compete with Chloe. As proof, the "Boob Alien" carrying Chloe said,
"W-What an anti-gravity chest...!!"
With wide eyes, he was stunned and muttering something that made no sense.
On the other hand, the pigs were unresponsive, so it seems they don't have a sadistic nature.
Well, anyway――
"So, Chloe... go face the trial, okay?"
I encouraged Chloe to go fight. If she overcomes the trial, she might become stronger.
However, Chloe shook her head rapidly in response to my kind suggestion, saying, "No, no, no, no!?"
"Y-You want me to fight alone!?"
"Well, it's a trial."
"B-But when it was Garon-san, we all fought together, right!?"
"I thought Chloe needed a power-up too."
"N-No, I'm fine! I'm okay! I'll pass on that!!"
Even though I was offering out of goodwill, it seems Chloe is really scared. I started to think that maybe I should force her to fight. Just then――
"Unfortunately, Aaron, that isn't Chloe's trial."
Lucia said.
"That person's name is Mabel. 'Wise Mabel'... the hero from the Age of Gods who inspired the Unique Job 'Sage.'."
"Sage..."
At that, everyone's gaze turned to Io all at once.
Io looked down for a few seconds as if deep in thought, then quickly raised his head and opened his mouth.
"Well... I don't really care about this so-called trial. There's no need to fight alone like a fool. We should all――."
"Go for it, Io! We're cheering for you from here!!"
I interrupted Io's words.
Then, the other clan members also started shouting words of encouragement.
"Submaster! Show them what you've got!!"
"If it's Mr. Io, it'll be an easy win!"
"We're all rooting for the cool side of Submaster!"
"Submaster's super special move, Meteor Wood Sword Slash! We're looking forward to it!!"
"Heh, show them what you can do, Submaster...!! Your power, that is...!!"
"...You guys..."
Maybe out of emotion, Io seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment.
"There's no technique called Meteor Wood Sword Slash... and why do you want me to fight alone... no, never mind..."
Io shook his head as if giving up and took a step forward.
By the way, the reason for making Io fight alone... well, it's obviously because it's interesting, or rather, it's a trial! Everyone wants to see Io win in a cool way, not lose embarrassingly...!!
Maybe our passionate feelings reached Io, as he seemed determined to take on the trial alone.
While glancing at the 'Sage Mabel' on the floating island at the back, he gathered magical energy and prepared several spells.
However, someone interrupted.
"Wait, wait! It's way too much for Io to handle alone!"
――It was Logan.
Logan stepped up to Io and said,
"That's the founder of the 'Sage' Jobs over there, right!? And look at that equipment! It's probably a magic staff from the Age of Gods! Even if you're both from the same Jobs, Io is at a huge disadvantage!! At least one vanguard should help out!"
He said something very reasonable.
In reality, Io has the limit mark on his left hand, but it didn't appear after fully growing like Fiona and Logan did. The limit mark appeared because he reached his growth limit partway through.
In other words, Mabel, being the founder, has certainly mastered everything, while Io hasn't mastered all of 'Sage' Jobs. Plus, in terms of weapon performance, the odds are just too bad.
It made sense that Logan, who had been in the party for a long time, opposed it――but Io himself held Logan back, saying, "It's okay."
"I'm not the me you know now..."
"No, what are you saying――Ail?"
Logan, who was about to oppose again, was stopped this time by Ail, who placed a hand on his shoulder. Ail shook his head at Logan with a pained expression.
"Logan, if it's Io, it's okay..."
"No, that can't be――."
"Logan! If it's Io, it's okay...!!"
Ail said this strongly, as if holding back tears.
Logan looked extremely confused, his eyes wavering, and he lowered the hand he had raised to stop Io.
"Is that so...?"
Logan probably knows that Ail and Io fought during the recent stampede. And since the person who fought says it's okay, Logan couldn't find any words to deny it.
"But why do you have that face...?"
However, Ail had a pained expression, as if he were watching a friend go off to die. Logan was also confused.
On the other hand, we clan members aren't really worried. If Io loses, it would be funny, and we would all tease him about it, but honestly, no one really thinks Io will lose.
However, there is a condition.
I think Io knows this too, but still, I said it anyway.
"Hey Io, it seems like Ms. Mabel is really strong, huh? ...Can you win like that?"
"Submaster~! If you lose because you got careless, it won't just be embarrassing~!"
"I don't want to see Submaster's embarrassing moments, you know~."
"Submaster! Now is the time to show off that secret technique you learned as a Wooden Swordsmith!"
Sighing, Io shook his head in annoyance.
"Shut up. I know without you telling me. ...I'm going all out from the start."
And then Io――started taking off his clothes right there.
"Io?"
Logan's voice echoed, shocked.
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