Red Ocean (1)

The Royal Family had poured an immense amount of effort into this particular opening of the Labyrinth. It was only natural, as the city’s resources were hitting rock bottom. Well, to be fair, the nobles and those who were wealthy from the start didn’t have any trouble putting food on the table, but…

‘Everyone else is starving to death.’

Homeless refugees, skyrocketing inflation. Walking through the streets, it had become common to see people begging. Just one or two years ago, such a sight would have been unimaginable. After all, Raphdonia was a city-state that used to execute ‘unqualified’ citizens who couldn’t pay their taxes.

This situation was clearly the result of the temporary suspension of taxes for all citizens, meaning the palace had to reopen the labyrinth to resume tax collection and restore stability.

“It’s Bjorn Jandel…”

“There’s no way they wouldn’t be here.”

“Even so, it’s impressive. Their group doesn’t even have twelve members, yet they were still summoned here. As far as I know, even the second-smallest clan had around sixty members.”

“What’s so impressive about that? It’s only natural. After all, he’s an explorer who carved his name into the Stone of Honour.”

“I heard he was promoted to Viscount this time?”

As soon as we arrived at the meeting point, the hundreds of explorers who had already gathered scanned us curiously.

“Are those their new members?”

“The fairy hero and the golden mage, huh…”

“Well, the golden mage is connected to Viscount Jandel, so that makes sense, but is that the standard required to join them?”

“Did they put out any recruitment notices? Joining the Anabada Clan would make you famous across the whole city.”

“Still, large clans are better. Think about it. They call themselves elite, but aside from their individual skill and fame, they can’t match what a big clan is capable of.”

“By the way, who’s the one wearing the helmet? There should only be eleven members.”

Some watched us with jealousy and envy, while others observed with simple curiosity. Instead of reacting to their attention, I turned my gaze and surveyed the surroundings.

This so-called top-secret gathering of the explorers set to enter the labyrinth was being held in a place I knew all too well.

“It seems the palace has rather twisted tastes, making us gather in the marquess’s mansion.”

I chuckled at Amelia’s remark. “It’s less about humor and more about efficiency. It’s hard to find a place in the Imperial Capital with this much security and space.”

“I suppose… that’s true.”

The Marquess’s mansion felt too clean to be called a ruin, yet too desolate to feel inhabited. Looking around gave me a strange feeling—it made me reflect on the nature of power while simultaneously feeling an indescribable sense of futility.

“This way, Viscount Jandel.”

After walking a short distance, an official from the labyrinth administration appeared and guided us to one of the tents.

He looked rather old for a civil servant, and when I asked about his rank, I discovered it was quite high, roughly equivalent to a department head in a modern organization.

Perhaps someone like him had been assigned to attend the meeting for security reasons?

“…Phew. I feel like I can breathe now.”

As soon as we stepped into the tent, the members behind me sank into more comfortable positions. They had been holding themselves rigid under the crowd’s watchful gaze.

Raven seemed to have had it the worst.

“Do you really need to wear heels like that?” I asked, slightly baffled. “We’re going into the labyrinth anyway.”

“That’s because you don’t understand, Mr. Jandel. The moment you’re looked down upon, it’s over!”

Well, I don’t think wearing high heels is going to stop people from looking down on you…

Even so, I kept it to myself. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion.

“So we just wait here until we enter the labyrinth?”

“No. We’ll move around midnight. There’s a dimensional plaza in the capital too.”

“You’re referring to the first Dimension Square, right?” Kaislan asked. “The one that hasn’t been used in ages.”

As soon as Kaislan finished speaking, Raven placed a hand on her chin and muttered, “So it’s still opening at midnight. Maybe that part can’t be changed, even if they can control the day the labyrinth opens?”

“Who knows? I’m not a mage.”

“But I have one more question. If they could change the date
open it like this by changing the date, why didn’t they do it before?”

Ah, that.

I could answer that one. I’d been curious about it too, so I’d asked Astarotta.

“I don’t know the details, but apparently it takes some time to make the adjustments. They started preparing after Noark occupied Bifron, and it’s only just finished now.”

“Hmm” Raven murmured “Perhaps Noark attacked in such a hurry because they knew this. No matter how secret it was, that Chancellor would have known everything. The information must have reached Noark.”

“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, we’ll be on standby for a while, so everyone get some rest. Once we’re inside, there won’t be time for sleep.”

“Ah, one more thing.”

I paused. “Is there more?” For some reason, Raven seemed to have a lot on her mind today.

“I looked at the exploration plan. Do we really need to move that aggressively? You set the time to reach the fifth floor extremely tight.”

“It’s a forced march, but we have no choice. We’re entering a labyrinth that’s been closed for over a year.”

The labyrinth was filled with all kinds of hidden pieces, most of which had cooldown periods before they could be uncovered again. The first-floor rift was one such secret. While it could be opened using a mana stone from a second-floor monster, it was limited to being activated only once every few months.

“If you look through history, this isn’t the first time the Labyrinth has been closed. The most notable cases were during the Iron Wall Rebellion and when the thirteenth month was introduced after the King of the New World ascended the throne.”

“And?”

“When I checked the records, there was something unusual.”

“What is it?”

“The frequency of rifts skyrocketed abnormally after reopening.”

“And the important part is that the other clans gathered here today probably know this as well.”

As expected of Raven, I didn’t need to explain further.

“…Got it. The competition will be brutal. Everyone’s already desperate to earn even a little more.”

“Even if the total number of explorers entering is limited, it’ll be fierce. Everyone will try to push to the higher floors.”

“…In that case, I’ll get some sleep. It looks like I won’t be getting any once we’re inside.”

“Go ahead.”

With that, Raven, as curious as ever, walked away, but I still couldn’t relax. The guild master had finally delivered what I had asked for.

“The list you requested. It contains the clans and teams entering the labyrinth this time.”

“Thanks.”

It was an unexpected bonus, something I could never have hoped to obtain without having the guild master, the one who oversaw all explorers, on my side.

‘Just as the Duke said, there are no independent teams participating.’

Of course, that didn’t mean small-scale explorers didn’t exist. According to the guild Master, elite small teams with the right connections had merged into large clans to secure their spot.

Anyway—

“Thirty-one clans. Total of 2,517 people.”

Add to that the royal expedition force, which consisted of 1,700 soldiers.

That made roughly 4,300 people entering the labyrinth this time.

And, as expected, the royal army was overwhelmingly the largest single group.

Still, they weren’t something we needed to worry about.

Their objective was different.

‘Mana stones.’

The palace expedition force’s top priority was gathering mana stones, and according to the information I received from the duke, their target was the sixth floor for mining. The problem was that they intended to seize the three farming islands, which were already crowded with large clans, and simply harvest stones there until the labyrinth closed.

Any clans targeting those islands would be out of luck.

Not my problem.

What mattered was—

They weren’t our competition.

‘Our goal is the 8th-floor rift.’

How many competitors would we have?

Well, I’d find out when I got there.

“Alright, we will now begin moving to the Dimension Square. Please board your carriages in order.”

As midnight approached, we left our tents in the Marquis’s garden and headed to the plaza.

And then…

At last, the portal began to open at the center of the square.

Watching it unfold after so long, I could feel my heart pounding with anticipation.

Just as a caterpillar needs to eat leaves to survive, an explorer needs to explore.

[You have entered the 1st Floor: Crystal Cave.]

****

The crystal cave shimmered with radiant light.

As the cool, slightly damp air wrapped around my lungs, it finally felt real — we were inside the labyrinth.

‘It feels a bit strange.’

It was a strange feeling, one I didn’t recall experiencing during my monthly trips into the labyrinth. Somehow, it felt as if the place itself had subtly changed.

Still, work is work.

I ran my hand along the crystal-embedded walls, trying to make sense of the faint sensation lingering within them. It was a technique I had learned from Rotmiller, who had started out at the very bottom of his scouting career.

It took me a moment to make sense of the feeling. It had been a while, so I was a bit rusty, but—

Yes, this feeling means…

“Judging by the spacing between the portals, it looks like we drifted slightly north of the original point. We should be able to reach the Goblin Forest quickly from here.”

Ah, right. He’s the scout.

…Seriously, these ‘naturals’ are something else.

For a brief moment, I felt a hint of defeat, but I let it fade when I saw Beleg simply glance at his compass and confirm the direction without needing to touch the wall or taste the air.

“I’ll take the lead.”

I hurried after him as he pushed ahead. After all, it wasn’t right for a ranged damage dealer to be leading from the front, but…

‘At his level, goblins can’t even hurt him.’

Although I didn’t know the full extent of his abilities, I had a sense that Beleg could hold the front line up to the fifth floor without issue. Beyond that would likely depend on which island we ended up on in the sixth floor.

‘The 7th floor would be dangerous even for him, though.’

Since I didn’t have to worry about navigation, I turned my attention to the members of Team 1 who were trailing behind Beleg.

More precisely, I was watching Raven and the guild master.

The guild master was just running normally.

Raven, on the other hand, was riding a one-wheeled mechanical device.

“Uh… Aruru? Is that the mobility device you mentioned before?”

“Yes. It’s a magic tool made for military use. You can insert a mana stone, but it can also recharge by absorbing mana from the air. Of course, if you need higher output, you’d still have to use a mana stone.”

“It will likely be just as fast as you on flat ground, Ms. Karlstein.”

“R-really? Th-that’s impressive…” Misha stammered, looking embarrassed as if she had asked something unnecessary. The guild master smoothly picked up where she left off.

“Can it be used on uneven terrain as well?”

“As long as it’s not too rough, it works fine. If it’s worse than that, I’ll have to switch to something else.”

“Something else…?”

“I’ll show you when the situation calls for it.”

Unlike how she had overshared with Misha, Raven didn’t engage much in conversation with the guild Master.

“Haha… I see. Understood.”

Was there something going on between them that I didn’t know?

Even though Raven could be prickly, she never missed a chance to show off her gear.

After that, we pushed through the cave at a pace that felt like a speedrun.

“Unfortunately, we are one step late.”

By the time we reached the dimensional monument connected to the Goblin Forest, someone had already activated the portal ahead of us.

Damn, explorers are fast.

We could’ve made it.

「Character has entered the second-floor Goblin Forest.」

Anyway, the fact that someone was ahead of us pushed us to move even faster.

Even so, we never managed to overtake them.

「Character has entered the third-floor Pilgrim’s Path.」

We once again passed through an already open portal and reached the third floor. The area was a lush swamp, making it easy to spot the tracks left behind by those who had arrived before us.

“Looks like these belong to the group ahead of us.”

“Fortunately, it seems to be just one team.”

“I will continue moving.”

I suddenly stopped Beleg.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

“The direction these footprints are heading… it’s not toward the 4th floor.”

Only then did Beleg pick up on the inconsistency, and his expression turned serious.

“…You’re right. It is strange. If they go that way, the only place they’ll reach is the Sculpted Temple…”

Beleg didn’t know the specific reason, so he didn’t realize the gravity of the situation. But I did.

“They climbed up to the third floor quickly… only to head for the Sculpted Temple…?”

There was only one conclusion this situation pointed to.

I don’t know which lunatic came up with this idea, but—

‘Basement Floor 1.’

There are people trying to get there.

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