Chapter: (216) Side Story Garrison’s Adventure Diary 3
Translator: Tseirp
That was the first time I entered the second floor of the Beginner’s Labyrinth on my own.
There was a saying amongst the adventurers.
[The second floor of a labyrinth is a whole new ballgame compared to the first.]
The first floor of a labyrinth houses the weakest monsters in the labyrinth.
It was said that if you could win one-versus-two of the first floor monsters, you could fight one-versus-one against the second-floor monsters.
In other words, fighting a single monster from the second floor was equal to fighting two monsters from the first floor.
That did not mean that the second-floor enemies were purely two times stronger than the first-floor enemies.
There were monsters called Large Bat in the labyrinth second floor. They hang from the ceiling and there’s the risk of being attacked from directly above if you let your guard down.
Also, their body tackle using their swift movements was said to be as strong as the blow from a sheep at the barn and could even dent iron armor.
But, thankfully I can use a spear with a long reach so I would not be defeated as long as I notice an attack from the ceiling.
(Although I only have a pickaxe now.)
Then, I stepped on something.
I kept looking up above so I seemed to have neglected my footing.
What was it? When I looked down, I saw fragments of rocks.
It would not be an issue to see fallen rocks in an ordinary cave.
However, in a labyrinth, that was not possible.
Any inanimate objects that fall to the ground inside the labyrinth, apart from those covered by a cloth soaked in some special fluid, will be absorbed by the labyrinth. Even rocks like those would not be exempted.
The time for the object to be absorbed differs according to the object but rocks like those would disappear in a few hours.
“Jofre huh?”
That guy. He’s using rocks instead of markers.
Certainly, if they plan to return within a few hours, placing rocks like this was not wrong.
He worked at a quarry. He probably had a large number of such scrap stones.
I guess that guy was using his head too - -.
It happened when I was seeing Jofre in a new light.
I noticed a moving shadow in the corner of my vision.
I hurriedly looked up and saw a Large Bat attacking me from above.
“ - - Tch!”
I thrust out the pickaxe with a strange cry.
The Large Bat sucked my pickaxe into its mouth.
The preparation for the Large Bar skewer was complete in the blink of an eye.
Cleaning up the mess would have been troublesome if this was the surface but the dead Large Bat disappeared like smoke, leaving behind Large Bat fangs and a magic stone. The Large Bat fangs can’t be sold so I only picked up the magic stone, took a breather and screamed after calming down.
“That guy is an idiot after all!”
Why would you choose markers that you have to take note of at your feet when you are in a labyrinth that requires your attention to be on the ceiling!
Well, Jofre and Elize are a team. If they have a clear role where one of them takes note of their footing and the other of the ceiling then it is possible but if they just leave a marking - - I picked up the stone Jofre left behind.
It was limestone so I could easily leave a mark on the wall.
The marking would disappear after a few hours too but it was probably better than leaving rocks on the ground.
By the way, if I mixed the limestone powder with the aforementioned special liquid, I would be able to create an ink that won’t disappear even in labyrinths but leaving markings in a Church-managed labyrinth was a criminal act so naturally, I didn’t bring any with me.
Nevertheless, it was good that I had a clue.
“All things aside, I’m surprised those two can pass through here unharmed.”
The third floor ahead was the Goblin nest.
It would be quite tough for a low-level Apprentice Swordsman.
※※※
“Further down huh? That’s really going to be tough.”
I rushed through the third floor while being mobbed by the Goblins.
“Hn?”
I found the stones that Jofre left behind but - - it was strange.
It was a dead-end.
“Sheesh, if you dropped it then pick it up.”
I picked up the rock and threw it at the wall in frustration.
The rock hit the wall and rebounded - - or it was supposed to but it soared through the wall.
An illusionary wall!?
I have heard of places in labyrinths where there are traversable passages that look just like a wall but that was the first time I actually saw one.
In the first place, there wasn’t a single person who would run into a dead-end of their own volition in a Goblin-infested area. For that reason, nobody has ever approached that wall before.
No, I should change my phrasing.
Only an idiot would enter a passage that seems to be a dead-end in a Goblin-infested area.
“Jofre, Elize, are you guys there!?”
I shouted towards the illusionary wall.
“Hn? That voice belongs to Garrison! We’re here.”
“We’re here, Garrison!”
They replied.
Thank god, it seems that they are all right.
I approached the illusionary wall while keeping an eye out for traps.
Behind it was a small room-like space without any monsters.
Moving further into the back of the room, I saw Jofre and Elize crouched against a corner of the wall.
“Jofre, Elize, what are you guys doing?”
“Garrison, we found something amazing.”
Jofre replied.
Something amazing?
Perhaps it’s treasure!? If that’s the case, I can bring it back and give it to Katyusha-chan as a present.
“I don’t see anything.”
There wasn’t anything there.
I mixed in a sigh and leaned against the wall.
Then - - a protrusion on the wall was sucked into the wall.
It seemed to be some kind of switch. But it was already too late by the time I realized that.
“Ah, Garrison. The switch there opens a pitfall if you press it so be careful.”
Elize’s warning was a second too late.
The floor below my feet opened with a snap and the three of us fell together into the abyss.