𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟑: 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬

“The Lacris Labyrinth, huh. Another troublesome place taken over by a troublesome monster.”

“This is the fifth team that has failed. The higher-ups are at their wits’ end.”

Jennifer sighed heavily.

She must be under a lot of pressure from above. Poor thing.

It seems that about half a month ago, a very strong monster called a Chimera settled in the Lacris Labyrinth, which is rumored to have a hundred underground levels.

In a large hall on the tenth floor underground.

It’s a very bad place.

That’s because we’re currently progressing through the twenty-fifth floor.

What this means is that the most elite adventurer clans challenging the labyrinth have been cut off from the surface.

If we don’t do something about the Chimera, they won’t be able to return.

Because of this dire situation, an emergency request was issued, and experienced adventurers moved to subdue the Chimera.

And they all failed.

The location is bad.

The large hall in the middle of the labyrinth is a moderately large space where a large monster like a Chimera can rampage to its heart’s content.

But it’s too narrow for humans to deploy a large force.

In that hall, at most five or six people can fight at the same time. In other words, it’s like an extension of individual combat against the Chimera.

That’s obviously too much to ask.

Oh, just to explain, a Chimera is a four-legged monster with the heads of a dragon, a lion, and a goat. Its tail is also a poisonous snake.

The lion’s head just bites, but its jaw strength can easily tear a human body in half.

On top of that, the dragon’s head breathes fire, and the goat’s head uses magic.

And of course, the snake has poison. And it’s lethal.

We have to defeat such a dangerous monster with just five or six people.

“You said it’s been half a month since it was sealed off.”

“Yes. We’re reaching our limit.”

Jennifer nods seriously.

The clans that are conquering the labyrinth, of course, carry plenty of food. There are also water sources in the labyrinth.

However, there is a limit to how much food can be conserved.

The desire to return to the surface must be growing day by day.

“Lionel-san. So, you see.”

“I get it. We’re the only ones left, right? Enough.”

Without letting everyone else speak, I patted Jennifer’s shoulder.

“Hope” is not a powerful clan at all. First of all, the total number of people is small, and the financial base is almost zero. There are no investors.

However, if we select five people and fight, our strength would be among the top in Gaillia.

Meg’s ability is still unknown, but the growth of Asuka, Miliaria, and Meisha is remarkable.

And I’m the one who’s going to lead them.

We might be able to beat the Chimera.

We won’t know if we can stretch or bend until we try. It’s not an opponent we can fight with full confidence.

But the fact that Jennifer brought the story to me means that there’s no one else who seems to be able to win.

The five teams that have challenged so far are not weak.

They’re teams that the guild would give the green light to.

“Don’t hold it against us if we become the sixth team, okay?”

“I’m seriously praying for your success.”

・・・

『”𝘈𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮” – 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷e𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 “𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 “𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴”.』

・・・

Meg was better than I expected.

The next day, we were already challenging the Lacris Labyrinth.

Thanks to the guild providing a carriage from the city to the labyrinth, the journey was easy.

Thanks to that, we were able to start the attack without feeling much fatigue, but the scout from “great runner.” performed beyond my expectations.

First of all, we’re not ambushed by monsters.

Almost never.

She scouts at an incredible speed and informs us of the situation, so we’re always able to ambush them.

I think anyone who has ever held a sword would understand how advantageous this situation is.

We strategists are always thinking about how to get our allies to strike first.

Since we can do that naturally every time, the range of strategies we can use is vastly expanded.

“There were twenty poison rats. I rolled some poisoned bait because they didn’t notice.”

“Excellent.”

Meg, who had returned from the front without a sound, reported to us.

She’s the kind of person who can do things like this.

Asuka and I nodded to each other and advanced to the small room where the giant rat was said to be.

As we approached, the cries of agony grew louder.

It must have taken the bait.

I wiggle my index finger towards the back to call Miliaria.

By the way, if I wiggle my middle finger in the same situation, I’m calling Meisha. If it’s my whole palm, then it’s both of them.

“I need you to cast Magic Missile throughout the room. You don’t need to aim.”

“Understood.”

“After a beat, Asuka and I will rush in.”

“Roger that.”

Miliaria extended the tip of her wand to the entrance and activated the magic.

Dozens of magic bullets fly around the room.

Truly in all directions.

A raging magical attack on top of the agony of being poisoned.

This must be unbearable.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

Asuka and I dive into the room after the storm has calmed.

Well, it’s not that heroic. It’s just a simple job of finishing off the dying poison rats.

We’ve cleared up to the seventh layer, and we haven’t taken any damage at all.

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