Leaving Roxane and Seri at home, I flew to Halber's Labyrinth alone.
To be taken to the eleventh floor.
After parting with the Duke and Cassia, I warped from inside Halber's Labyrinth back to my house, so it would be bad to bring Roxane and Seri.
When I stepped out of a small room on the first floor of the labyrinth, there was Goslair right there.
"Oh, Lord Michio. You came in right away, did you?"
He noticed me and called out.
Even if it was by chance, it was perfect timing.
It was the right decision to enter Halber's Labyrinth.
This way, I can prove that I was properly inside the labyrinth in the Herz Duchy.
There are people who saw me in Bode and Tare, so there will be discrepancies.
But there's no need to worry about it.
There are no photos or videos, after all.
"Lord Goslair, are you also heading to this labyrinth?"
"Yes, I just broke through the forty-first floor."
"That's excellent."
Impressive.
As expected, a level 61 mage is in a different league.
If converted to combat power, it must be over a million.
The people with Goslair are probably his party members.
They must be one of the leading parties exploring the Herz Duke's Knights.
Two Paladins, one Priest, and one Monk.
What is a Monk?
Everyone's level is high.
The Priest is even level 90.
Since I also have the Priest job, the conditions must be different from those of a Mage or Paladin.
Moreover, they are all Elves.
All of them are handsome.
They are really good at making people irritated.
"Are you leaving already?"
"I just checked the first floor. I'll bring my party members next."
"If you don't mind, let our party members guide you."
Goslair made a suggestion.
He seems to be a considerate young man.
Even if he's trying to find out which floor I'm on.
He's a real pain in the neck.
"Ah, then I'll take you up on that. I'm thinking of entering from the tenth or eleventh floor."
But there's no reason to refuse this invitation.
I don't want to tell which floor I'm entering, but I can't reject it without a reason.
I was only planning to enter the eleventh floor, but if I do, I can start from the tenth floor.
"Ah, they're coming out. Could you go to the tenth and eleventh floors once?"
Explorers and adventurers came out from the entrance of the labyrinth.
Goslair spoke to the adventurer.
"Then I'll confirm."
The explorer returned to the labyrinth.
It seems they went to confirm something.
"Yes, the tenth and eleventh floors."
"He will guide you. Can you join our party?"
Goslair turned to me.
This adventurer level 53 is part of Goslair's party.
When an adventurer joins a party, an explorer comes out.
"I've confirmed. It's the forty-second floor, so I'll take forty-two silver coins."
The confirmation seems to be whether it's the forty-second floor.
They probably just went in and out to check.
It seems that if you think about the forty-second floor and enter, it's okay.
I entered the tenth floor with the adventurer and came out.
The adventurer can't use Dungeon Walk.
I entered the eleventh floor again and came out.
"Thank you for the guidance."
"Then, Lord Michio, please take care."
I thanked him and parted ways with Goslair.
I returned home from a nearby tree.
"When entering the labyrinth, can you choose the floor?"
"Yes, if you are an explorer or adventurer."
I confirmed with Seri, who is an explorer level 11.
It seems that only explorers and adventurers can choose the floor.
There's nothing suspicious about Goslair's or my actions.
I returned to Halber with Roxane and Seri and entered the tenth floor of the labyrinth.
"Let's try fighting in this labyrinth starting from the tenth floor."
"Um, the monsters on the tenth floor of Halber's Labyrinth are Neet Ants."
"They are poisonous. Since it's our first time in this labyrinth, we should try from one floor below. Roxane, scout for us."
"Understood."
Roxane led the way.
The Neet Ant level 10 fell with three Water Balls.
Just to be safe, I hunted a bit more.
It's fine.
Even if they come out in a group, I can handle them.
Do three ants really think they can beat a dinosaur?
In the tenth floor of Halber, an Escape Goat also appeared.
It seems the monsters on the ninth floor are Escape Goats.
The Escape Goat level 10 started to run away after three water spells, as expected.
It's a predictable pattern.
Chase it, Roxane. Capture it.
I didn't say that, but I finished it off with the remaining three spells.
There doesn't seem to be much difference in the tenth floor of Halber.
I could fight without any problems.
The remaining concern is to check the new equipment, but I don't want to receive attacks from Neet Ants.
There's no need to deliberately receive them.
I'll probably receive attacks from Mino on the eleventh floor.
"Since there are no problems on the tenth floor, let's move to the eleventh floor."
"Understood."
We moved to the eleventh floor.
To defeat Mino level 11, I needed seven spells, as expected.
This way, Seri will probably receive attacks sooner or later.
But the first attack I received in Halber's Labyrinth was from me.
I couldn't avoid Mino's body slam while recovering MP with Durandal.
It's the first time.
These fools have never disrespected me like this.
Thinking about it, the time spent fighting Neet Ants and Escape Goats is short.
Fully using seven spells, only Mino can be fought from the moment of approach.
Even if Mino is a monster on the eleventh floor, a group of four is small.
If there are three or fewer Minos, Roxane can handle two, so Seri only needs to deal with one.
I won't receive attacks if I fight carefully one-on-one.
While thinking about this, I received an attack from a Neet Ant when I used Durandal again.
I won't forgive you, you insects.
Seri received an attack when she used Durandal again.
A group of four monsters appeared: Neet Ant, Mino, Neet Ant, Mino.
I rushed to the left Neet Ant and moved to the middle Neet Ant, but Seri was headbutted by the middle Mino.
It seems our movements to advance and avoid overlapped, and she couldn't avoid the attack.
"Sorry, did I get in the way?"
After defeating all of them, I asked Seri.
"No, I was careless even though I knew you were moving."
In other words, I was completely in the way.
I took the items and treated her.
"How is the Chain Mail? How does the enemy's attack feel?"
"Yes, it feels lighter. Thank you, I'm fine now."
It seems two treatments are needed.
The damage isn't significant, but it seems to have reduced somewhat.
"Is the eleventh floor of Kooltar at a manageable level?"
"I can't say for sure until I try, but I think I can manage."
The answer is the same as before changing the equipment.
But it's true that you can't know until you try.
At least, I can judge that I can fight properly on the eleventh floor of Halber.
Even if there are differences in strength due to the combination, the strength of the monsters on the same floor doesn't seem to differ between labyrinths.
Since I spent some time, I hunted on the eleventh floor of Halber in the morning.
I took a short break and entered the labyrinth again in the afternoon.
"We'll go to the thirteenth floor of Tare and hunt Labshrub. Seri, Labshrub is the monster that leaves the material needed for the next equipment, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
First, I entered the first floor of Tare's labyrinth.
Just to be safe, I increased my jobs to six, added the Warrior and Alchemist jobs, and applied Enamel.
After applying Enamel, I refilled my MP on the first floor.
I should prepare thoroughly.
Moving up two floors shouldn't be that bad.
I should be able to defeat them with a Rush using Durandal.
After preparing, I finally stepped into the thirteenth floor.
"Do you know what Labshrub is?"
"I haven't fought it, but it's a monster that attacks from a distance by throwing branches. Fire magic is its weakness."
A ranged attack.
It seems the monsters from the twelfth floor and above are a bit stronger.
And their weakness is fire magic.
"Fire magic, right. But I'll use a new spell this time. Roxane, scout for us."
I sent Roxane out.
Following Roxane's lead, I advanced in the labyrinth.
Two monsters appeared.
Labshrub Level 13
Labshrub Level 13
What appeared were tree monsters shorter than Needlewood.
They have small roots and roots that serve as legs, unlike Needlewood.
They are completely trees.
Their movement speed seems to be slow.
They are moving slowly.
It seems I can handle them with fire magic.
Well, it's fine.
Two appeared, which is just right.
It seems the number can't be determined by smell alone.
"They're coming."
When I was about to cast a spell, Roxane jumped back.
Something flew out from where Roxane was.
Roxane, wait.
It's good that you avoided it, but consider that there are people behind you.
What happens if the front suddenly disappears in a dark labyrinth?
A brown object passed right next to me.
Ah, that was dangerous.
I couldn't move a millimeter.
Being behind Roxane is dangerous.
Even I thought I might die just now.
This is Labshrub's ranged attack.
They compensate for their lack of mobility with ranged attacks.
I was about to cast a cool spell.
Damn.
I'll make them pay.
Even with normal spells, it's easy to crush Labshrub.
But before killing them, I'll show them a spell more terrifying than death.
I'll show you a grand service. My last spell. My true power.
"Be honored. This is the first time I'm showing this spell. From the far reaches of the infinite universe, the will of the sky that destroys everything, Annihilation, Meteor Crash."
I used the bonus spell I had selected.
Meteor Crash.
A spell I couldn't use before.
Now that my level has increased, I can use it.
No, I will use it.
I can use it, no doubt.
I felt my MP decrease significantly.
It was successful.
My MP was drastically reduced, and the spell was activated.
It was a success.
Above my head, hot rock fragments appeared.
They were red-hot meteorites.
The surroundings were illuminated in red.
Red-hot meteorites fell towards the ground.
They fell, filling the cave.
They fell, one after another.
The sound of meteorites slicing through the air echoed.
"What?"
"What is it?"
A huge rock passed by the stunned Roxane and Seri.
It was successful, but it's fine.
Since I didn't select a target, Meteor Crash is an area attack spell.
Area attack spells don't hit people for some reason.
Roxane and Seri are fine.
It's impressive that Roxane avoided it.
The meteorite passed over Seri's head, but it didn't seem to cause any damage.
The rocks moved.
They scattered sparks and left a trail as they moved.
The cave was engulfed in red flames.
Then they collided with the Labshrubs.
The meteorites shattered, taking the two Labshrubs with them.
Boards
The quiet space returned, with no meteorites or monsters.
Only two boards remained.
One hit.
As expected, it's a powerful spell, being a bonus spell.
"What was that just now?"
"A new spell."
"You have such a spell? You are truly amazing, Master."
"But it was one hit."
On the eleventh floor, I needed seven spells.
It's safe to assume that Meteor Crash has considerable power.
However, Labshrub is weak against fire magic.
The meteorites were red-hot, so it might be a fire attribute spell.
"Since I have excess power, I might overdo it a bit."
"It's too powerful."
At the same time, my MP decreased.
It's tough.
It seems to consume a considerable amount of MP.
After moving to the first floor and recovering minimally, I recovered my MP on the eleventh floor of Halber.
Moving from the thirteenth floor of Tare to the first floor of Tare's labyrinth is easier than moving between labyrinths.
However, only one monster appears at a time on the first floor, and it's troublesome to absorb MP from level 1 monsters.
I fully recovered my MP on the eleventh floor of Halber and returned to the thirteenth floor of Tare.
This time, I want to see if I can fight with Durandal.
If I can't win, I'll use Meteor Crash.
"Find a place with fewer monsters again."
Following Roxane's lead, I found a single Labshrub.
Just right.
I raised Durandal and charged in.
I have to be quick before the branches fly.
Before I reached the Labshrub, a branch flew out.
I saw the orange magic circle, but I couldn't avoid it.
The branch hit my chest, where I was wearing leather armor.
It was a significant impact.
That hurt.
Even with Enamel, it has this much power.
If I stop, I'll receive more attacks, so I ran through.
There's no time to reapply Enamel.
I raised it high and delivered a Rush to the Labshrub.
It didn't fall with one hit.
I used Rush again.
It's much stronger than I thought.
I was surprised.
To think there's something that can withstand two Rushes.
Even after two Rushes, it didn't fall.
While trading blows with the monster, I swept its trunk from the side.
A third Rush.
The Labshrub fell.
Three Rushes.
On the eleventh floor, it fell with one hit.
It can't be three times stronger just by moving up