Chapter 873: Novice (3)
My mind is blank.
It's not just because I woke up a little while ago, but because I can't make sense of the situation unfolding before my eyes.
“Wow!! Look! It's Bjorn Yandel!!”
“Aaaah! You're so handsome!!”
What… in the world is this?
Am I still dreaming?
Or is this an illusion?
“Excuse me… fellow Explorers? Approaching other Explorers inside the Labyrinth is extremely dangerous.” (Armin)
Armin tried to calm the situation down by saying something sensible, but it was no use.
“Don't worry! We won't do anything dangerous!” (Newbie)
“No, that's not what I meant—.” (Armin)
“Over here! Viscount Yandel! Please look this way!” (Newbie)
The situation was so far beyond common sense that I couldn't even get angry.
‘What are these crazy fools?’
Just pure, 100% curiosity.
After collecting myself a little and observing them, one feature quickly caught my eye.
Their equipment was so flimsy you could believe they had just entered the Labyrinth.
This was probably their first expedition.
There was only one reason they could have made it all the way to the Third Floor in that state.
It must have been thanks to their overwhelming **numbers**.
‘Thirty-two…?’
I could understand why Misha and Armin hadn't been able to handle their sudden intrusion properly.
To be honest, my own mind went blank when I saw that number.
“Who are you people…?” (Bjorn Yandel)
“I'm Amy!” (Newbie)
Join Discord
“No, I wasn't asking for your name… How are more than thirty of you roaming around together? You couldn't have formed an Oath in the city…?” (Bjorn Yandel)
Finding it completely unbelievable, I asked, and a female Explorer, who was fearlessly poking my muscles with her finger and giggling, answered.
“We're people who met on the Second Floor!” (Newbie)
Surprisingly, they were all meeting for the first time.
“There were too many people on the Second Floor! This gentleman, Mark, suggested it. He said we should gather more people and just go up to the Third Floor!” (Newbie)
At the woman's words, the man next to her scratched his head awkwardly and continued.
“Of course, if we divide the Magic Stones by the number of people, it won't be much… but better Essences drop here on the Third Floor. I decided it was well worth the effort.” (Newbie)
What is he talking about.
Even if an Essence drops, thirty-two people will have to roll the dice for it.
Well, I suppose the lucky one who gets the Essence will be able to grow much faster.
“But it seems everyone had the same idea, because the Third Floor was just as crowded! So we tried to get as far away from the Portal as possible, and we ended up here! Ah, but to think we'd meet Viscount Yandel here! It seems luck is on our side!” (Newbie)
Then, the man asked me in a perfectly normal tone.
“Anyway, so the place with the portal… um… the Lizardmen? Could you tell us which way to go to get back to where the Lizardmen are?” (Newbie)
Are these people really insane?
They're just wandering around this Labyrinth without even knowing where they are?
No, more importantly.
“Ah, of course, we can't leave right away… We're exhausted from wandering around, so we'll just rest here for a bit before we go!” (Newbie)
Why are these fools so brazen?
It's like they're being polite while spitting.
I wanted to say something, but their bright expressions, as if they had no idea what the problem was, left me speechless.
“Haha, aren't we all Explorers who've entered the Labyrinth to save the city! We're counting on you, Viscount!” (Newbie)
“Hah…” (Bjorn Yandel)
The others must have felt the same way, as sighs of exasperation erupted from all around.
“Are all young people like this these days…?” (Abman)
“I really don't understand. Listening to them makes me feel like I'm the strange one.” (Kevron)
“Back in my day, we were too busy being wary of other Explorers to even fetch water on the First Floor…” (Garton Cultner)
“How can they be so clueless!” (Misha Karlstein)
Listening to my companions' sighs, I felt as if we had all grown very old, but at least I now understood what was happening.
‘I never thought I'd experience something like this in my life.’
In online game terms, it felt like the early days after a server launch.
Right now, the entire First and Second Floors must be **safe zones**.
The newbies must have taken over the entire area, killing monsters as soon as they respawn.
So, it eventually reached a saturation point, and the newbies started spilling over to the Third Floor.
“Wh-what is this! Bjorn? Are my eyes deceiving me? They're clearly humans, aren't they?” (Ainar)
A lack of common sense so profound that even Ainar was appalled.
I wondered how the world had come to this, but at the same time, I understood.
‘It seems they have no idea how dangerous this is…’
In truth, they're victims.
For the sake of the era, which needed new Explorers, the nobles threw boys and girls who had just come of age into the Labyrinth.
It was impossible for so many people to have received proper training; instead, they were filled with misinformation.
For the past few months, all the media had been brainwashing them that way.
Even now, in their minds, the Labyrinth is probably a beautiful place full of dreams, romance, and opportunity.
“H-hey… kids? Stop being stubborn and get going now!” (Misha Karlstein)
Misha said, as if soothing a child, while glancing at me.
It felt strange.
You know, like a girlfriend flustered because she's worried her gangster boyfriend might do something strange again.
It was exactly that feeling—.
“If you keep this up… something bad might happen… Hurry up and go! Okay?” (Misha Karlstein)
Hmm, so it wasn't just my imagination.
Misha was genuinely worried about those clueless newbies.
‘Hmph, what does she take me for.’
To be honest, I did consider it.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
The only way to have a normal conversation with someone who lacks common sense is to become abnormal yourself.
But…
“Armin.” (Bjorn Yandel)
“Yes, speak.” (Armin)
“Make some space for them next to the campsite. Once they've rested enough, tell them the way to the Green-Tailed Marsh.” (Bjorn Yandel)
“… Will that be alright?” (Armin)
“It's fine.” (Bjorn Yandel)
With that, I got back into my sleeping bag and lay down.
There was no need for me to step in and instill some 'sense' into them.
‘I wonder how many of them will make it back alive.’
The Labyrinth is not a kind place.
—
After we finished camping.
We sent off the well-rested novice clan (?) and went on our way.
Ah, of course, parting with those empty-headed fellows wasn't without incident.
“Ah, Viscount! If it's alright with you, could we just follow you from now on? It must be fate that we met like this, and we promise we won't be a bother at all.” (Newbie)
Surprisingly, the fellows took it a step further and asked me, a complete stranger, to carry them.
I refused them flatly.
And…
“They call him a hero, but I guess you can't believe rumors.” (Newbie)
“It's not like he'd lose anything by letting us follow.” (Newbie)
“He's probably just the type who can't stand seeing others succeed, right?” (Newbie)
“Bjorn Yandel won't last long at this rate.” (Newbie)
The novices grumbled as they left, seemingly forgetting all the consideration we had shown them today.
At that moment, I seriously considered whether I should personally fix the problems in their heads…
But I decided to just let nature take its course.
As long as they continued in the profession of an Explorer, the Labyrinth would surely teach them many things.
**[You have entered the Fourth Floor, Tower of the Sky.]**
**[You have entered the Fifth Floor, the Great Demon Realm.]**
Continuing our expedition, we swiftly broke through the Fourth Floor and reached the Fifth Floor.
The area in front of the Great Demon Realm Portal was usually a time-honored rendezvous point, always crowded with clans waiting for their comrades, but…
‘There are fewer people.’
Of course, it was still a large number in absolute terms, but it was nothing compared to usual.
‘The annihilation of the high-rank explorers must have been a huge blow.’
In fact, more than ninety percent of the people here were probably mid‑rank explorers who used to operate on the Fifth and Sixth Floors anyway.
“That spot looks good.” (Bjorn Yandel)
Team 2 hadn't arrived yet, so we found a suitable spot and waited.
The Explorers who were already there recognized me and glanced my way, but no one dared to approach and speak to me.
‘Yes, this is the Labyrinth.’
For some reason, I was deeply moved by that fact.
A sensible world where the truth that the rude die early prevails.
How beautiful it is.
“I see you arrived first.” (Armin)
After we had set up camp and rested for about half a day, the long-awaited Team 2 appeared through the Portal.
“My apologies. The Stairway of Wisdom appeared too infrequently.” (Armin)
“Why is that your fault? Anyway, what matters is that you arrived safely.” (Bjorn Yandel)
After joining up with Team 2, we resumed our expedition as a group of eleven.
Ah, for the route, we chose the Canyon of Wraiths, the shortest path to the Sixth Floor.
“There are surprisingly many people here…?” (Misha Karlstein)
That's what I realized as we moved.
There were more Explorers on the Fifth Floor than I had expected.
Most of the clearings where monsters respawned were already occupied by Explorers who had arrived earlier.
Well, there were still quite a few empty spots.
But the prime spots were invariably taken.
However, it didn't feel like the clans were strongly controlling the hunting grounds like before…
“Hey! I thought we agreed not to touch the monsters that cross over to this side!” (Explorer)
“Then take care of them faster! What are we supposed to do when they keep attacking us from a distance?” (Explorer)
I saw quite a few places where two or more teams were sharing a single spot, splitting it in half to hunt.
Then again, there probably weren't many groups large enough to handle an entire respawn spot on their own.
“Oh, they said quite a few people who had retired came back to active duty. It seems to be true.” (Abman)
“Ugh… it looks like the overall age demographic has gone way up.” (Misha Karlstein)
“Still, I expect the Seventh Floor will be empty.” (Jackson)
“That's likely. More than ninety percent of the clans that used to explore the Seventh Floor have been disbanded.” (Kevron)
It was then, as we were heading further down while grasping the changed atmosphere of the Fifth Floor.
**Ruuuumble—!**
The canyon suddenly shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
Excluding the navigator… no, even the navigator we brought along as a mercenary was a veteran who had been through thick and thin in the Labyrinth, so few words were needed.
“A Rift!” (Abman)
A Rift had opened.
Therefore, there was one thing we had to do immediately.
“Abman! Location?” (Bjorn Yandel)
“There's one quite close! Want to give it a try?” (Abman)
At the question from the Bear Uncle, who possessed the talent of a Guide, I let out a small laugh.
Of course, we hadn't planned our expedition with a Fifth-Floor Rift in mind, but we were Explorers, weren't we?
Why would we refuse a prize that fell right in front of us?
We have to at least think about taking a bite.
“Abman, you take the lead! Ignore the monsters, we're moving at full speed from now on!” (Bjorn Yandel)
I quickly gave the order and changed our formation, then we ran with all our might, following the Bear Uncle's lead.
Along the way, I saw other Explorers running blindly.
A six-person team was dashing through the canyon, desperately trying to find the Rift.
However, it didn't seem like they were heading for the exact location, perhaps because they didn't have a Guide.
“There it is!” (Abman)
Soon, the Bear Uncle at the front hurriedly pointed in one direction.
Following his finger, I turned my head and saw a shimmering Portal at the end.
**Shwaaaaaa!**
A Portal of black light, writhing as if it would suck in everything like a miniature black hole.
“Looks like we're not too late!” (Misha Karlstein)
“A Rift right from the start. Luck is on our side.” (Jackson)
“What are you doing, Bjorn! We have to go in!” (Ainar)
Ainar shouted, full of excitement, but I paused in front of the Portal to gather my thoughts.
‘Including the Fortress of Souls, there are a total of twelve types.’
The number of Rifts that can appear on the Fifth Floor.
However, the 'Fortress of Souls' is a unique Rift that only opens when special conditions are met, so excluding that, there are eleven types.
“As you know, not everyone can enter.” (Abman)
Rifts that allow an expedition-sized group to enter only start appearing from the Sixth Floor and above.
Of the eleven types of Rifts that open on the Fifth Floor, ten can only be entered by a team, and the remaining one can't even be entered by a team—.
“Bjorn!” (Ainar)
Ah, this isn't the time for such thoughts.
Still, I had roughly organized my thoughts on the way here, so choosing the members to enter was easy.
“Ainar.” (Bjorn Yandel)
There's no need for two warriors, but she has **No. 9999 Beginner’s Luck**, so she's a top priority for unexplored regions.
“Charlotte Amblot.” (Bjorn Yandel)
A Mage is also essential.
“Abman.” (Bjorn Yandel)
It's more convenient to have a Guide in a Rift.
“Misha, Garton Cultner.” (Bjorn Yandel)
For combatants, I chose Misha, in case a suitable Essence drops for her, and the Supernatural Ability user from Team 2's Armin's expedition.
It would be a bit much to take only members from Team 1.
Well, for that reason, Armin would actually be the ideal candidate, but…
“Armin, I'm sorry, but you're out.” (Bjorn Yandel)
I need someone to act as team leader while I'm gone.
“I expected as much, but it is a pity. Have a safe trip.” (Armin)
After finalizing the selection, I quickly arranged the entry order and hurried into the Rift, worried the gate might close if another group filled up the spots.
And…
“Ah.” (Bjorn Yandel)
As soon as I entered and surveyed the terrain, my jaw dropped.
All my hurried work of picking members in front of the Portal had been for nothing.
‘To think I'd hit the one-in-eleven chance.’
The Rift that could only be entered individually, not as a team.
**[Your character has entered Paradise Island.]**
The salty smell of the sea mixed with the gently blowing wind.
Was it just my imagination, or was there already a whiff of blood in it?
—
