Time passed, and the day of the Minotaur hunt arrived.
Adventurers, who usually moved either individually or in teams, gathered in droves in front of the monument leading to the Labyrinth.
“It looks like a demolition crew for the Labyrinth.”
“That’s why no country dares to invade Pangrave, which rakes in enormous profits.”
Their gear was all mismatched, sprawled around like a messy pile, but it was still impressive to see them gathered like this, especially since many had begun to shed their rookie status and were getting accustomed to killing.
While the adventurers inside seemed bored from waiting, those outside were buzzing with energy.
“By the way, there are a lot of strong-looking adventurers. With such heavy insurance, can they actually pull off a proper fight?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
The fact that I had summoned the Guardian of the First Floor was not widely known yet.
In essence, the Minotaur, the Guardian of the Second Floor, was the first Guardian that adventurers could realistically face.
Surviving so far meant they had managed to achieve stable victories against ordinary Monsters.
However, even they would struggle with a boss fight for the first time, and to support them, I had planned to attach a protector from adventurers operating at least two floors deeper.
“The Labyrinth isn’t a fool. The moment you’re protected by someone, most of your achievements flow to them.”
“Ah, that makes sense. The contribution system for this Labyrinth was devised by none other than the Goddess of Love.”
Killing someone grants far fewer achievements compared to saving them. The Labyrinth doesn’t evaluate battle records; it assesses everything done inside.
In a space filled with danger, helping someone is deemed noble.
“Noble… is that why Lydia is…”
“Well, that’s partially why my alias is ‘The Noble’.”
Even in a death-filled Labyrinth, she maintains her humanity and strives to act honorably.
If there’s danger, she helps; if there’s evil, she punishes; leading the charge when breaking through, and staying at the rear when retreating, showcasing courage and dedication.
That’s why Lydia stands out even among high-ranking adventurers.
“Just because the number of monsters defeated is similar doesn’t mean their history is the same.”
“Ooh. But what kind of so-called ‘good deeds’ grow attributes? Fighting increases strength, prolonging fights boosts stamina, etc. There’s some randomness involved, but…”
“Well, I’m not sure either. My guess is that it’s not physical. But can’t Jonah just ask the Goddess?”
“Eh? Isn’t that a prophecy? It’s not that easy. Well, I think if I ask, she might answer…”
Since direct messages can’t be transmitted, she would likely try to convey something through the fully powered Goddess Statue. However, there’s the issue where Gacha rates seem to skew negatively every time that happens.
I had spent close to 100 gold this time just to reset my penalties, so I can’t waste that.
“The Goddess might feel burdened. Plus, I have some suspicions.”
“Suspicions?”
“Yeah. I suspect it’s related to mental strength.”
With the Avatar of Love, my mental resistance has surged significantly. My mental strength has also grown, leading to unexpected synergy.
I was able to control much more power smoothly than before. In other words, I achieved a remarkable growth in the output and control of the three great powers: Aura, Mana, and Divine Power.
And as for Lydia, her total amount of Aura is impressive, but she can disperse it like magic, boasting immense power all at once.
The fiery aura enveloping the area and the territory displayed by Lydia are something others using Aura would find hard to replicate.
“That’s my guess. I’m not sure if it’s right.”
“Oh my… So it wasn’t my genius talent…?”
Lydia must have thought this was all possible because she considered herself a genius.
Looking down at her own hands, trembling, Lydia appeared adorably flustered.
In the distance, a familiar face appeared. Tall, well-built, with a flat… no, agile chest and bright blonde hair. An elf with oddly striking features reminiscent of a chaebol second generation.
It was Rosemary. And behind her stood the extremely muscled archer I had seen before.
Though she was utterly subdued by Lydia before, from her appearance, she looked like an absolute human weapon.
With a wave of excitement, I called out, “Hey! Over here!”
“Eek!”
Rosemary turned her head in shock the moment she spotted me, but how could I resist?
I dashed over and threw my arm around her shoulders. I wanted to wrap my arm around her entirely, but she turned out to be taller than I expected, making it a bit difficult.
“Why are you pretending not to see me after noticing me?”
“Uh, um…”
“I greeted you so warmly, yet you won’t reciprocate?”
“W-well, I was surprised because of the formal speech…”
“Well, I was mad back then. How can I speak informally to someone who’s over a hundred years older than me? So why did you pretend not to see me? Does the elf turn their head in shock?”
“Ugh… Um….”
Rosemary hung her head, mumbling. I leaned in and tilted her face up with my chin.
The trick was to keep my eyes wide open, dilating my pupils as much as possible.
In that state, I started repeating the same question mechanically like a broken record.
“Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?”
“Eep!”
It seemed Rosemary took a liking to my fashionably yandere acting, stiffening in delight.
I held her trembling hand and pulled her closer.
“Come here.”
“Eek.”
With a pale complexion, Rosemary obediently followed. Her guard, Berry, could barely watch the scene unfold, burying his eyes to avoid the painful spectacle.
…Anyone passing by would think it was a kidnapping scene.
After bringing her over, I stood beside Lydia, nodding knowingly.
“Stay close and fight alongside us in the Labyrinth.”
“W-why?”
“So that we can save you in case of danger?”
Rosemary’s eyes widened as if she had heard something unexpected. But her bodyguard, the elf archer, whipped her head around with a serious expression and whispered in her ear.
“If needed, being rescued means it could also lead to… other things, if you know what I mean. It’s better to follow orders here.”
Startled, Rosemary blinked between me and Lydia before she slowly nodded.
“Hey, I can hear all of that? It’s not like I’d deliberately let it get awkward if Rosemary were to die!”
“If I bring you to the meeting as planned…”
“What reason is there to keep someone around who has no further use?”
“…!”
“I feel like you want me to say that if you really want that. Honestly, I feel wronged. I was just responding to the provocation.”
I patted Rosemary’s shoulder reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. You should have nothing to be concerned about.”
“…….”
Rosemary nodded, creaking like a broken doll.
Lydia, who had been watching all of this unfold, sighed and shook her head.
*
A while later, a guild-affiliated adventurer arrived, leading the way as we entered the Labyrinth, holding hands in a line.
The skilled guide quickly surveyed the area upon arrival and showed no hesitation in leading the guild’s adventurers.
The sight of dozens of us lined up in narrow tunnels was quite the spectacle.
Occasionally, some monsters charged at us fearlessly, but there was no need for me to step in, as the front-line adventurers quickly took care of them.
After all, anyone stepping up to challenge the Guardian must be adept at taking down typical second-floor monsters easily.
We followed the guild guide down for quite a while. Deeper and deeper.
Having become significantly stronger after defeating Morgana, the hunting party plunged effortlessly into depths I’d never entered.
Slowly, the Kobolds disappeared, replaced by a Queen Spider surrounded by several young and poorly-made Golems of soil.
And yet… they too were swiftly hunted.
With only the magic stones kept as loot and all else left behind, we pressed onward, continuing for who knows how long.
The huge heartbeat got closer. Before we knew it, the junctions had vanished, leaving only a long, narrow corridor.
At the end lay a vast expanse that reminded me of an open square above ground.
Thud-thud! Thud-thud!
And then, the heart of the Earth God appeared before us.
“Wow.”
A spontaneous exclamation slipped out. The other adventurers felt similarly awed.
The colossal heart made of soil and stone pulsated rhythmically, emitting a heavy sound.
I had expected it to be deafening, echoing throughout the second floor, serving as our landmark, but it wasn’t quite like that up close.
The reason was simple: what I had thought were mere sounds were actually stimulating something much deeper — perhaps what could be called the soul.
Of course, I knew that the heart before my eyes was just an illusion, merely a past echo.
Yet, as my reverence swelled, the heartbeat…
Thud.
The ceaseless pulsing of the heart suddenly stopped.
Soon, a calm voice rang out from the guild adventurer.
“Here it comes. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
Crack.
Just as her warning ended, a small crack appeared on the massive heart.
No, the heart was so large that it appeared small; in reality, it was a substantial crack.
Crackle, crunch. Snap!
With a loud noise, the crack began to shatter and twist from within. Before long, it broke through the heart’s outer shell, and the illusion birthed a reality.
A two-legged figure emerged. A corrupted past hero. The one who bore the Earth God’s love and sorrow.
-Buuuuuuuuoooh!
It was the Minotaur.
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