After the mushroom monster left.
I hung my head and stared blankly at my left hand.
My finger had perfectly regrown.
The severed part was clean, without a single scar.
Yumi—To regenerate a severed part… What on earth was that monster’s identity?
Pururu—That’s insane. It didn’t just reattach the finger, it made a brand new one!
Mysticism—😶
“…I accidentally received help from a monster.”
Yumi—Why did that monster help you, Gun?
Mysticism—🤔
Pururu—Isn’t it like a nurse of the labyrinth? Or maybe a doctor? Anyway, it could be a monster whose hobby is healing others.
Yumi—Are there really monsters who enjoy helping others?
“Well, I guess so. Monsters have diverse personalities just like humans.”
Just like Pururu said.
That mushroom might be the type that feels fulfilled when healing the injured. Or maybe it’s just a show-off who wants to flaunt its amazing healing abilities.
Of course, it’s all just speculation.
The exact reason eluded me.
But then again, the reason isn’t that important either.
Regardless of its motives, the fact remains that I received a favor.
“Dog Spider, Magma Slime. Did you guys know that mushroom monster?”
[Swoosh!]
The Magma Slime nodded affirmatively.
So that’s why you weren’t on guard.
[Hmm?]
The Dog Spider tilted its head.
Well, of course, it wouldn’t know.
It hadn’t been long since it was born, and it’s been attached to me since then.
‘So instinctively, it knew that the mushroom monster was friendly towards other races and had healing abilities.’
Just like sensing a predator or symbiotic relationship.
It seemed the mushroom monster instinctively recognized that it was a beneficial creature rather than a harmful one.
That meant it must have roamed the labyrinth for a long time, healing various monsters.
I looked at the Magma Slime and asked again.
“Masa, does that little guy go around healing injured creatures unconditionally like just now?”
[Swoosh Swoosh!]
Once more, an affirmative gesture returned.
As I expected, that mushroom was a well-known wandering healer among monsters.
“So that’s how it is…”
Muttering to myself, I wiggled my newly grown index and middle fingers.
The nerves were properly connected.
I didn’t feel awkward at all.
“Well, that mushroom is pretty enticing. Its healing abilities surpass that of most saintesses.”
Mysticism—😠
Yumi—Saintess? Like Mother Teresa?
Pururu—Nah, nah. They call the women who heal their companions with holy power in the hero party saintesses.
Yumi—How does Pururu know about that?
Pururu—I read a lot of fantasy web novels where the protagonist reincarnates as a saintess. Haha.
Mysticism—😏
Yumi—I see.
Yumi—But usually, the stories with female protagonists are read more by women, right? Pururu, you’re not secretly a girl, are you?
Pururu—Don’t be prejudiced. Plenty of guys read stories with female protagonists too.
Yumi—So, are you a guy or a girl?
Pururu—Shut up.
Pururu—By the way, Gun, what was the danger level of that mushroom?
“It was B-Class.”
The danger level of the pink mushroom monster was B-Class.
The actual danger level was likely S-Class.
Pururu—So does that mean most saintesses are worse than B-Class?
“That’s not it. If we were to rank saintesses, candidates would be around C-Class, and regular saintesses usually hover around B-Class or A-Class. There was one S-Class saintess, but just one.”
Yumi—There’s quite a variety in ranks.
Pururu—So the S-Class saintess is the real deal, while the others are just budget models. I was wondering why there were so many saintesses.
Yumi—Using ‘budget models’ is a bit harsh, don’t you think?
Pururu—Anyway, so does this mean the mushroom’s healing abilities surpass those of regular saintesses?
“That’s not it either. Instantly healing a severed body part like that is on an S-Class saintess level. To my knowledge, A-Class saintesses can’t regenerate parts in just a few seconds.”
Pururu—?? That doesn’t make sense. You just said the mushroom is B-Class. Is danger level and healing ability unrelated?
“Danger level is assessed by taking all abilities into account. Healing abilities are no exception.”
Pururu—Then what’s going on?
Yumi—What if the healing ability wasn’t nerfed? I think the healing ability remained strong, but all other abilities likely dropped significantly.
“I think the same as you, Yumi.”
The pink mushroom monster.
The detected danger level was certainly B-Class.
Yet the witnessed healing ability surpassed S-Class.
It seems the healing ability wasn’t nerfed, but instead, all the other abilities were diminished more.
I couldn’t think of any other reason.
Pururu—Aren’t other monsters’ comprehensive danger levels lower too? That mushroom is getting special treatment.
Yumi—Maybe the labyrinth grants it special treatment because it’s a healing-type monster that helps others. A healing monster that’s friendly to all creatures wouldn’t harm explorers.
Ha Yumi’s words made sense.
However, I believed there was another reason.
Perhaps it’s a safety mechanism for explorers?
Monsters with combat or buff abilities would disrupt the balance, but a monster with strong healing abilities is simply existing to maximize explorers’ survival, even if it slightly disturbs the balance.
After all, if the selected explorer dies too easily, it would be a problem for the labyrinth too.
And.
The Lone One trait means that unless one is lucky enough to encounter the mushroom monster, they wouldn’t be able to benefit from this mechanism.
However, other traits, like Ruler or Supported One, can utilize this mechanism more effectively since they can turn monsters into allies.
So the conclusion is.
I absolutely have to tame that pink mushroom monster.
I should actively utilize the privilege granted by the labyrinth.
The pink mushroom monster is basically a must-have monster to carry for survival.
‘I should have captured and tamed it earlier… It was such an unexpected situation, I didn’t even think of it.’
Swallowing my regret, I resumed my journey.
And I decided to continue exploring while looking for the pink mushroom monster.
The one that healed me had passed by, but there can’t be only one of those creatures in this labyrinth.
*
It was 9 PM.
I had mapped out this direction quite well, but there was little else to gain. I hadn’t encountered any other monsters, not even the mushroom monster.
I also hadn’t met the monster that stole my finger again.
Thus, I returned to the gathering point empty-handed.
“I’m back.”
[Phew!]
Pururu—Hey there.
Mysticism—🫡
Rize and Jellyfish were already back at the gathering point.
He was holding two swords in his hands.
“Here you go. This is the Execution Sword.”
Pururu—You managed to find it! I thought you’d come back empty-handed.
Mysticism—👍
I accepted the Execution Sword.
It was quite hefty.
The blade was sharp enough, but I couldn’t tell the difference from an ordinary sword. I’m no sword expert.
‘I should give this to a monster that can wield swords later.’
After storing the Execution Sword.
And after grabbing Rize’s drawn map, we shared the information we had gathered during our explorations as we returned to our hideout.
For reference, not a single trace of the revolutionary army’s higher-ups was found.
Neither I nor Rize.
*
*
*
[Passage No. 8]
○Countless crossroads.
○Pig King spotted.
○Healing monsters and finger-stealers inhabiting.
○Eye-shaped monsters and leaf-covered monsters also inhabiting. (Not directly witnessed)
The two Execution Swords were safely stored next to the box.
Then, I stopped by Passage No. 5 to grab a Poison Apple.
I hadn’t caught any monsters suitable for dinner.
“Dog Spider, you can let it loose now.”
[Hmm!]
I released the Poison Apple’s restraints.
Then, as usual, I provoked it to summon the Apple Spirits.
Pururu—The more I look, the more pitiful they seem.
Yumi—There’s no need to pity them. In the world of the survival of the fittest, there’s nothing you can do. If that apple were stronger than you, you would’ve been eaten.
Pururu—Actually, not pitiful. Just disgusting.
Yumi—?
After gathering the summoned Apple Spirits, I simply killed the Poison Apple.
It would die naturally by tomorrow anyway.
I handed two summoned apples to Rize.
“Is it okay to eat this?”
“Yep. No problems eating, and it actually tastes really good, so don’t worry.”
“…Thank you.”
Rize was initially hesitant, but once he took a bite of the summoned apple, his demeanor completely changed.
“Oh! It looks horrifying, but it tastes great!”
His taste isn’t much different from mine.
Before eating my apple.
I opened my notebook and started working on the Monster Index.
■Medical Mushroom
—Actual danger level: S-Class.
—Current (Nerfed) danger level: B-Class.
—Ability: Healing.
That pink mushroom monster I saw earlier.
I decided to name it Medical Mushroom.
Yumi—Mushroom is the correct spelling.
Pururu—Mushroom sounds cooler.
After drawing the picture.
I took a bite of the summoned apple.
‘Truly delicious.’
I savored the sweet juice as I chewed slowly.
And just when I was about to take another bite.
[Beeep!]
A familiar voice echoed.
Simultaneously, a pink liquid dripped from the apple I was holding, and in the blink of an eye, the apple reverted to its original form.
“…Huh?”
Pururu—?
Yumi—Oh?
Mysticism—😦
I turned my head to look in the direction of the voice.
Right beside me.
The Medical Mushroom was floating with a cheerful face.
[Beeep!]
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