Chapter 16

　Another dead end.

　While exploring the labyrinth, I've run into many dead ends.

　This time, after turning left at a T-intersection, the path ahead was just about two meters long and ended in a wall.

　It seems this labyrinth has a lot of dead ends.

　I've been repeatedly hitting dead ends.

　This is a labyrinth, after all.

　Could I be going in circles?

　But this dead end is new to me.

　Since it's only about two meters, I can clearly see the dead end.

　A large cave wall stood in front of me.

　It was the same kind of cave wall as the path.

　No.

　There's a subtle sense of wrongness.

　Something feels off.

　I approached the dead end to check it out.

　In the dim light, I strained my eyes.

　Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound.

　The wall crumbled.

　Or rather, it fell. It slid down.

　The wall went down, and a path opened up.

　On the other side of the wall, a small room appeared.

　A hidden room.

　Could there have been hidden rooms in the other dead ends I've encountered?

　I didn't notice.

　Should I go back and check them all?

　There were guests in the small room.

　Six knights.

　Four were sitting, and two were lying down.

　Among those sitting was the beautiful knight who threw me the reward.

　When I entered, she glanced at me but quickly looked away, seemingly uninterested.

　One of the men sitting got up and approached me.

　It was the squire knight from the knight's building.

　They must be from the town's knight order.

　"It seems to be safe here."

　"Is that so?"

　Safe from what?

　"Are you alone?"

　"Yes."

　Can't you tell?

　I wanted to talk to the beautiful knight, not this squire.

　Maybe I'll never have any luck with beautiful women.

　"In a labyrinth like this, you can't earn much money, can you? It must be tough."

　"Yes, it is."

　"If you're going to the second level, it's apparently on the right side from the entrance."

　I see.

　It would be rude to just say "I see," so I tried to start a conversation.

　"There are only Needlewoods here."

　"It's the first level, after all."

　Hmm.

　I must have said something odd. I decided to leave before making more mistakes.

　"Um, sorry for the intrusion."

　"No, no. Be careful."

　I left the small room through the entrance I came in.

　The door opened when I approached and closed after I passed through, like an automatic door.

　Even if it looks like a dead end, it could be like this.

　Maybe I should check the other dead ends I've seen.

　While retracing my steps, I thought about the conversation with the squire.

　When he said it was safe, he probably meant there were no monsters in that small room. They were lying down, after all.

　Also, you can't earn much money in this labyrinth.

　To get to the second level, you should go right from the first small room.

　I checked the dead end.

　The first one was empty.

　The second one had a wall that slid open, revealing a small room.

　So, it's possible for them to be like this.

　While thinking about this, I stepped into the room...

　There it was.

　A brown body with a green head.

　I stepped in with my right foot and slashed from the upper right.

　But it wasn't just one.

　They were packed in.

　A thicket, or rather a forest, of Needlewoods.

　I dodged a strike from the right by pulling back my right hand and foot.

　I raised my right elbow and blocked an attack from the left with Durandal. I swung my sword and split the monster from the top of its head.

　I tried to chant "Dungeon Walk," but the black wall didn't appear.

　I thought that might be the case.

　Probably, it doesn't work during encounters.

　It would be wise to test it when there's only one enemy, but it's too late now.

　There were over a dozen, maybe even dozens of enemies. A lot, in any case.

　I was fortunate not to be surrounded since I was at the entrance of the small room.

　Should I run?

　It wouldn't work.

　If they catch up anyway, it's better to fight here.

　I cut down the Needlewood on the right.

　But I was attacked by the one on the left, taking a hit on my left shoulder.

　The entrance to the small room was quite wide.

　I couldn't block it with just me.

　If they got behind me, I'd be attacked from all directions.

　At least, I should have my back to the wall.

　I ignored the monsters on the left and moved to the right.

　I chanted "Overwhelming" and suppressed the urge to do nothing, stepping in with my left foot and slamming Durandal into the Needlewood in front of me. I followed up by stepping forward with my right foot and slashing upward, aiming to sweep away the monster behind it, but the effect of Overwhelming wore off.

　I continued the swing and took down the monster behind.

　I moved one step further and dealt a heavy blow to the Needlewood on the right.

　Now I was inside the small room.

　With my back to the wall, the range of attacks I could receive was reduced to 180 degrees.

　If I could move to one of the corners of the room, I could narrow it down to 90 degrees, but that was impossible now.

　The movement of the monsters on the left slowed for a moment due to my sudden move.

　I took advantage of this to cut down the Needlewood in front of me.

　The monsters quickly closed the gap.

　I pulled back my foot, turned to face the wall, and readied Durandal again.

　I blocked a branch swung from the left with my sword.

　Then, I was hit on my right shoulder from the right.

　"Ugh."

　I reversed my wrist and slashed the Needlewood on the right.

　Then, I was hit on my left shoulder.

　"Ugh."

　I cut the Needlewood on the left.

　Then, I was hit on my right side.

　"Ouch."

　I received an attack.

　It's inevitable when it's not one-on-one.

　I swung Durandal and cut the Needlewood on the right in half vertically.

　I have Durandal.

　As long as the HP absorbed by Durandal is less than the HP I lose from attacks, it's fine.

　Right now, I can't tell which is more, just a rough sense.

　Durandal also absorbs MP.

　I chanted "Overwhelming."

　I suppressed the urge to do nothing and slaughtered two monsters that were approaching.

　When the effect wore off, I quickly returned to the wall.

　I couldn't afford to be surrounded.

　I dodged a branch that was swung at me by pulling back and cut the Needlewood on the right.

　If possible, I wanted to move further to the right and reach the corner of the room.

　The MP absorbed by Durandal wasn't enough to replenish what I used for Overwhelming.

　To suppress negative emotions, it's better to use it when my MP is full.

　But if I'm too stingy, I might be driven into a corner.

　I should use it actively when I feel my MP is sufficient.

　I don't like the elevator of bipolar disorder, but this isn't the time to be picky.

　I blocked an attack from the left with Durandal and swept away the Needlewood along with the branch.

　Then, I was hit on my right shoulder.

　The back-and-forth battle resumed.

　It seems the HP I lost from attacks is being sufficiently covered by the HP absorbed by Durandal.

　Still, I can't be complacent.

　If I receive several consecutive attacks, I'll be on the brink of death in no time.

　I'm only maintaining a precarious balance right now.

　I became aware of my own death.

　Even though it's a different world, this is reality.

　Being defeated by a monster here means certain death.

　Hmm.

　Death is close. Too close.

　It's scary, but not terrifying.

　I don't tremble, but it's not something to laugh off either.

　Maybe it's because I'm in battle.

　I was looking at the impression of death coldly.

　I cut the Needlewood and brought it to its knees.

　I was attacked from the side and hit.

　The battle with the monsters was a back-and-forth struggle.

　I dodged a branch that was swung at me and countered with Durandal.

　I tried to scatter the monsters on the right while aiming for the corner of the room.

　Before I knew it, the number of Needlewoods between the right corner of the room and me had been reduced to two.

　This was my chance.

　I chanted "Overwhelming."

　First, I slaughtered the one in front, then cut the one on the right. The effect wore off at that point, but I raised Durandal overhead and cut down the remaining Needlewood from above.

　I avoided the attacks of the monsters that finally caught up with my movements and took up a position in the corner.

　Now, the angle of attacks I could receive was 90 degrees.

　I held Durandal in a ready position and faced the monsters.

　The number of enemies had decreased.

　I only noticed this after taking a calm look around.

　I thought I was looking at death coldly, but apparently, I wasn't calm at all.

　There were only a few left.

　I didn't need to secure the corner so desperately.

　I should have been more calm and always aware of the enemy's status.

　I was even sweating.

　I had to be careful. If Durandal slipped out of my hands, it would probably be the end.

　I alternately released my right and left hands to wipe the sweat on my pants.

　I received a few attacks during this time, but it couldn't be helped.

　I gripped Durandal tightly and ran to the right.

　I thrust the sword into the Needlewood on the far right.

　With this remaining number, I could move more aggressively.

　I moved forward while swinging Durandal up and cut the monster behind.

　I deflected a branch that was thrust from the left and brought Durandal down on the open shoulder.

　I then cut the Needlewood on the right. When it dodged, I stepped in and slashed upward.

　I engaged the monster in front.

　Just as I deflected a branch, a Needlewood attacked from the left. I pulled back and dodged.

　I swept its torso as we passed each other.

　I raised Durandal overhead and brought it down on the head of the Needlewood in front.

　One left.

　The monster had no intention of fleeing.

　I deflected the branch that was swung at me and, using the momentum, raised Durandal. I stepped in with my left foot and brought the sword down on the shoulder of the Needlewood.

　"Phew..."

　I exhaled, blowing out air.

　The last monster I defeated also disappeared in smoke.

　I took deep breaths to steady my breathing.

　I looked around the small room.

　It was about four or five meters square, the same size as the room with the entrance.

　Several branches left by the monsters were scattered on the floor.

　There was something else besides the branches.

　Leaves.

　Just ordinary leaves.

　There were three of them.

　Could the leaves be rare drops?

　There was nothing else.

　There was no treasure chest or legendary sword in the room.

　I confirmed again while putting the scattered branches into my backpack, but there was nothing.

　It was just a room with monsters.

　How misleading.

　Without Durandal, I would have been killed for sure.

　The labyrinth is more terrifying than I thought.

　Could a party of six knights, like the one I saw earlier, handle this room?

　Moreover, there was nothing in the room.

　Just branches and leaves. They probably don't yield much money.

　Maybe the squire was right about not being able to earn much money.

　There seem to be other monsters on the second level, though.

　I gathered all the branches, looked around the small room to confirm there was nothing else, and then chanted "Identify" to examine my arm.

Kaga Michio, Male, 17 years old

Villager Lv6, Hero Lv3, Explorer Lv4

Equipment: Durandal, Leather Armor, Sandal Boots

　My levels had increased significantly.

　I had gained three levels as an Explorer.

　When I used Overwhelming at the end, I didn't feel as depressed, which might be due to the level-up.

　I don't have a sense of recovery, so it seems HP and MP don't recover at level-up.

　I must be recovering HP and MP with Durandal.

　Maybe I should explore the labyrinth a bit more.

　No. I'm already at my limit.

　Thinking I can still go on means I'm already done.

　I must still be fatigued.

　Durandal can't completely alleviate mental fatigue.

　I decided to return to the inn.

　I chanted "Dungeon Walk," visualized the small room with the entrance, and entered the black wall that appeared.

　I emerged in the first small room and entered the black wall at the back.

　After a brief moment in the dark, I was outside the labyrinth.

　The sun was setting.

　I thought it had only been about an hour, but I must have spent more time in the dungeon than I felt.

　I was always on edge.

　I should be careful not to spend too much time in the labyrinth.

　Indeed, I'm already at my limit.

　I called up the character reset, dispelled Durandal, and obtained a 30% discount.

　I had 2 points left.

　I must have become a Villager Lv6.

　What should I add?

　I'll think about it when I get back to the inn.

　I chanted "Item Box" and took out the scimitar.

　Hmm?

　There seem to be spaces on either side of the box where I can put something.

　Was it like this before?

　I'll think about it when I get back to the inn.

　I sheathed the scimitar at my waist and returned to the town of Vale.