Episode 116 Reunion (4)
Erwen Fornacci di Tercia.
She was currently in the Witch’s Forest.
With her older sister, Daria.
“Ugh… I’m so dizzy… … .”
“They say it’ll be okay once you get used to it. So once you get used to it, try focusing on the sound.”
The reason she, who had been hunting with her older sister on the third floor, ended up in the Witch’s Forest was simple.
Because I’ve been receiving explorer training recently.
Taking advantage of the last day before the labyrinth closed, I entered the Witch’s Forest.
“Even if you’re not a professional explorer, you should be able to find your way up to the fourth floor.”
“eww…….”
Her older sister is a skilled explorer.
So, in the lower levels, they have already inherited enough knowledge and know-how to find their own way.
However, the Witch’s Forest was different.
A special terrain where you can only find your way by relying on your senses.
“How is it, can you hear it?”
Erwen followed her sister’s instructions and focused on the sounds she heard. Other races had to specialize in one ability, whether it was smell or sight, in order to avoid getting lost in the Witch’s Forest… … .
Thump-!
Fairies with innate hearing don’t need to do that?
My sister explained that although it would be difficult to walk around here like the front yard, anyone can do it as long as they find the 4th floor portal.
Thump-!
Soon I closed my eyes and listened, and began to recognize small sounds that I had not heard before.
The sharp wind, the sound of branches fluttering, the howling of monsters, the friction of sharp weapons, etc.
As I examined these one by one, I was able to find some clearly heterogeneous sounds.
Thump-!
A heavy sound, like a heart beating.
This must be the magical wave sound that my sister was talking about.
“Over there… … .”
When I pointed to the direction where the sound came from, my sister smiled proudly.
“Well done. Then shall we go?”
Erwen continued to focus on the sounds as she searched for her way. There were times when she was so focused on hearing that she didn’t even notice the monster approaching… … .
There were no problems because my older sister was there to help me every time.
How much time has passed like that?
Thump-!
The sound of the magical waves grew louder.
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Now, even if I don’t try to listen, my ears start to feel stuffy. It was the moment when I thought I could finally turn off the sound.
[Thank you for your hard work, Rotmiller.]
Erwen frowned at the sudden voice.
I don’t know who Rotmiller is, but… … .
“Huh?”
“Why are you suddenly like that?”
The voice saying, “You’ve worked hard,” was familiar.
Should I say that it was similar to the voice she had been longing for, which seemed rough but also had a warm feeling?
‘no way……?’
Even though he thought it couldn’t be true, Erwen’s two legs were already moving.
In the direction from which the voice came.
“Erwen? Where… stop… …!”
My sister spoke to me from behind, but I didn’t hear her and continued on as if I was possessed.
Did about a minute pass like that?
A wide open space appeared, and a huge tower hidden in the forest was revealed.
In front of them was a group of explorers.
One dwarf, two humans, and one beastman.
And… …the Barbarian.
Of course, it was a completely different person from the one she remembered.
He was wearing flashy armor like a skilled explorer, and his shield was also much larger and more luxurious.
Because he was wearing a helmet, his face couldn’t be seen.
but…….
“Oh, sir?!”
Erwen felt it instinctively.
That person, that person.
“mister!!”
He shouted belatedly so that the entire forest could hear, but the Barbarian did not turn around.
He, who had already been halfway into the portal when I saw him, had disappeared without a trace.
So Erwen ran.
As if he was going to follow him and enter the portal right away.
“Erwen!”
Her body, which was running with incomparable agility compared to when she was walking around on the first floor, was soon stopped by her older sister.
“… Let go! You have to go in—”
“Wake up!!”
“There’s an old man over there… … .”
“Are you going to keep being so stubborn? When you haven’t even seen my face properly?”
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Erwen was speechless.
It was because I thought back later on how my actions would have been viewed.
but…….
“I… know. I just, I can tell!”
“What if not? The fourth floor is a dangerous place for the two of us. And do you know who those people who went in first are?”
“That, that is… … .”
It was a problem I hadn’t thought about.
Because Erwen was already convinced.
But she didn’t have the confidence to explain this distinct resonance in her heart to her older sister.
So, I was trying to release it by just putting strength into my arms.
“Ah, no… … !”
The portal’s color changed to red.
This means that now, even if you enter the portal, you will no longer be able to go to the same place that those who came before went.
“Why! Why didn’t you let me go?!”
“That’s a given! Didn’t I tell you that if you go down to the 4th floor, you’ll be treated like a looter?”
“But… he was an old man… … !”
Erwen pursed her lips.
Something deep inside my chest welled up like anger… … .
She let out a long breath and came to her senses.
‘Yeah, it’s okay. I knew you were alive… … .’
For now, I decided to be satisfied with that.
If I wasn’t mistaken today, if he really was alive.
‘… I’ll see you soon.’
I’m sure we’ll meet again.
***
“You have entered the 4th floor Sky Tower.”
***
What was it?
What about that voice?
I felt like it was calling me… … .
‘No way, Erwen?’
I froze in surprise.
The only person who could come to mind who would call me uncle was her. But that also didn’t seem to make sense.
‘No, I didn’t want that to be a coincidence.’
It was hard to imagine that such a coincidence would occur while reuniting with a colleague in this vast labyrinth.
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It was probably just a conversation between other explorers.
Anyway, it’s not something to worry about right now.
“Bjorn, what are you doing! Move quickly!”
A space of about 40 pyeong.
A stone chamber with a tightly closed door on each wall.
Tower of Heaven.
This is the first trial upon entering. Namely, monsters pour out.
[Kyaaaaah-!]
Seven of 9th grade, three of 8th grade, and one of 7th grade.
Monsters that appear on the third floor attack us in groups regardless of their habitat. This is why I usually call this place the ‘Training Tower’.
Because so many different types of monsters appear, it’s easy to gain experience points, and you can deal with combinations of patterns you’ve never encountered before.
‘Orc Shaman, Stone Golem, Living Armor, and a Dullahan… … .’
From the start, an odd combination emerged.
“Living Armor has cast [Armament Reinforcement].”
Living armor that is worn over the body of a Durahan as if it were a host.
“The Orc Shaman cast [Frenzy].”
“Durahan’s physical resistance increases by 3 times for 10 seconds.”
Even without that, the Durahan, which had extremely high physical resistance, was practically turned into a boulder, and in the meantime, the Stone Golem used [Suppression] and spread debuffs.
“Behel—raaaaah!!”
While Misha and Rotmiller were taking care of the level 9 trash mobs, the dwarf and I built a shield wall to block the Dullahan.
Even though it was a bun bun combination, it was easy to hold out since there were two tanks.
‘Even if the physical resistance is high, it doesn’t really mean anything to us.’
Our main dealers are Dwalki and Misha.
Not to mention the wizard Dwalki, Misha is also riding the Ice Inspector tree properly, and her cold damage has increased significantly.
“Well, was it originally this easy?”
The dwarf tilted his head as the battle ended in an instant, even though he was just wearing a meat shield.
“Aren’t we all stronger?”
“Hehe, what I just wrote was a new spell I learned recently. How was it?”
No matter how many times you look at a tank, it doesn’t show.
On the other hand, dealers were a job that showed a lot of growth even with just a little bit of growth.
By the way, the explorer is… … .
“Ahem ahem.”
Well, to begin with, it was almost treated as an out-of-power situation.
Just getting you to your destination on time is enough to be considered a explorer’s job.
On the 4th floor, it’s not just monsters that appear.
“The trial has been completed.”
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As soon as all the monsters were dead, the door that had been tightly shut opened wide.
Each door had its own unique pattern engraved on it.
Courage, wisdom, destiny, patience.
If it were normal, I would have opened the Stairs of Courage and fought a random monster… … .
“We don’t have much time, so I think it would be better to quickly climb the stairs.”
We have first taken the steps of wisdom.
The Tower of Heaven’s difficulty increases with each trial you pass, but the Stairs of Wisdom is a route where you can climb all the floors at once.
With our power, we have to go up to the 20th floor to start enjoying hunting.
“You have chosen the steps of wisdom.”
For that reason, we walked through darkness that was like an abyss.
The path was complicated, there were traps, and there were monsters here and there, but as long as there was a professional explorer named Rotmiller, there was no danger.
Kwaaang-!
After reaching the 6th floor after about an hour, the door we came through was locked and a monster rushed in.
Unlike the first floor, there were three 7th-grade monsters, but no particularly dangerous situation occurred.
Unlike before, the combination was also a bit bad.
“Hmm, there are no stairs to wisdom this time.”
After the hunt, we had no choice but to take the Stairs of Courage. After all, fate has so many variables, and patience… Everyone nodded their heads in unison.
‘Well, it’s more comfortable to fight a few more monsters than to do that.’
If it’s a game, then maybe not.
In this patched reality, the test of patience was one everyone avoided.
It’s hot, it’s cold, it’s sad, and it brings back some shitty memories.
“You have chosen the Stairs of Courage.”
Anyway, I climbed the stairs and reached the 7th floor.
A monster appeared and that was the end of it.
The battle was easily over, but the tightly closed doors showed no sign of opening.
That was only natural.
If you choose courage, you’ll have to wait 4 hours even after catching all the monsters.
“Okay, let’s take a rest and recharge our courage!”
It’s just a dwarf’s joke, anyway.
Since we were exhausted from wandering through the Witch’s Forest, we spent our rest time without any regrets.
There was no particular need for a night watch.
Monsters do not respawn, and once the portal color changes, other explorers cannot enter.
“Whew, then let’s go!”
After waking up after 4 hours of sleep, we took the stairs of wisdom once more and climbed the tower.
In terms of floors, we’ve already reached the 12th floor.
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But what is this?
[Ghaaaaaaaaaaaa!!]
We froze as we looked at the single monster sitting in the center of the stone chamber.
Kuung-!
A huge body over 4m tall.
Huge canines protruding from the mouth.
Grayish-white leather covering the sturdy muscles.
And the spine was bent like a hunchback and the shoulder bones were deformed and wide.
“T, troll… …?”
“Why is that guy here… … .”
troll.
A monster classified as a top-tier bastard among the 5 grades.
If Deathfind was a ‘newbie cutter’… … .
That kid who played the role of a ‘keyboard breaker’ against mid-level gamers.
‘This kid came out of here?’
I also remember making shotgun noises on my keyboard because of this kid at one point.
But is it because of that memory?
The swearing just came out on its own.
“Nimiral.”
Somehow, things started going smoothly after I met Hans.
Was it all because of this?
‘Damn, I didn’t know it was going to be a monster this time.’
Marauders aren’t the only thing you have to be wary of in the labyrinth.
