STGB Episode 510

Grave(2)

Hans A.

My first night companion and the first being I killed after awakening in this world.

Thanks to him, I was able to evolve into a civilized being in the labyrinth, eventually meeting Erwin and making it this far.

But…

‘Is it because his name is Hans? Even in death, he’s persistent.’

The family portrait of that bastard in the debris.

It was the first thing I threw away when I organised my bag after the looting. Is it some kind of cursed doll that keeps coming back no matter how many times I throw it away?

“Hmm, something you discarded in the Labyrinth…?”

Wait, when did Amelia get here?

I suddenly noticed other companions pretending to work while obviously eavesdropping.

Explorers have sharp ears, after all.

“…Perhaps this place is a dumping ground of the labyrinth.” Versil hypothesized like a proper mage. But honestly, anyone could have come up with that after hearing my story.

“Oh! Fascinating! Does that mean I might find my favorite shoes?”

“If you’re lucky.”

“Wait a minute, Gowland. If your hypothesis is correct, then what are those? There aren’t that many wardrobes or tables lost in the labyrinth, right?”

When Amelia raised the question on her hypothesis, Versil hesitated and trailed off.

“Good point… Why would that be…?”

The flaw in the theory was unexpectedly addressed by the navigator, Auyen.

“Those… might be furniture from large ships.”

“Large ships?”

“During the early days of the 6th floor’s exploration, dimensional magic wasn’t as advanced as it is now. I’ve heard ancient explorers couldn’t summon ships like we do today.”

“Oh, so?”

“They harvested wood from the Island of Beginnings to build ships directly on the 6th floor and left them there for use. Every navigator learns this history first.”

“…How was that possible? Unless they only sailed nearby islands, did they just abandon ships after one use?”

“No. They solved it with magic. Dimensional magic wasn’t as refined back then, but it wasn’t nonexistent.”

Auyen explained that while he didn’t know the exact mechanics, a spell ensured ships would automatically ride the currents back to the Island of Beginnings, no matter where they were left.

“How is that possible? If they built a new ship every time they reached the 6th floor, they would only be able to sail to the nearby islands. And I can’t imagine that they would want to build a new ship every month, only to scrap it after one use.”

“No. They solved that with magic. Although subspace magic wasn’t as advanced back then, it wasn’t nonexistent.”

Auyen didn’t know the exact details, but there was a magic that allowed ships to automatically return to the Island of Beginnings by riding the currents, no matter where they were left.

“So, they took advantage of the fact that time still flows on the 6th floor even when the labyrinth is closed.”

“Yes. However, that led to many cases of thefts and disputes. Ah, and also, there were also frequent shipwrecks on the way back to the Starting Island—.”

“That’s valuable information, thank you, Auyen.”

I felt a bit sorry for interrupting an obviously excited Auyen, but I didn’t want him to get too carried away.

I don’t mind a long explanation, but he needs to concentrate on sailing.

“Make sure you’re steering properly now.”

“Ah… Yes!”

“Erwin, stop looking over here.”

“…!”

“Aynar, your mop has stopped moving.”

I quickly got everyone’s attention back on their tasks.

After all, what does it matter if wardrobes or chairs are floating around on the sea?

There’s only one thing that’s important.

The fact that this place is full of items, perhaps even treasures, left behind when the Labyrinth closed.

“Versil, if you see anything floating, keep fishing it out. There might be a treasure mixed in.”

“Yes. Got it.”

Right now, I’ve only got a useless family portrait of Hans A, but who knows what might appear next? Numbers Item, or top-tier crafting materials…

Like when we had to dump all that gear in the gorge at Icerock.

‘If you look at it that way, this place is more of a grave than a dump. Full of valuable grave goods.’

Now it’s starting to make sense.

No wonder there were so many guys waiting in front of the monument even when Berzark was summoned.

It must have been worth risking their lives for.

‘New monster essences, byproducts, and even treasures floating in the sea…….’

How much will we end up with once we return to the city and settle the accounts? Just as I was thinking that, Erwin, who was on the lookout, shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Uncle! An island! An island has appeared!”

I hope its not Another Rank 1 monster.

***
As it turned out, it was indeed an island.

Well, it’s a bit ambiguous to call it an island.

In any case, it’s definitely not a monster.

“…It looks like a temple.”

A single structure, supported by two cylindrical pillars, stood boldly above the water.

We took the ship and circled around the island, but there was only one entrance on the front. Unfortunately, the interior was shrouded in the labyrinth’s shadow.

Meaning, if we wanted to see what’s inside, we’d have to go in person…

“What should we do?”

“What else? We came here to explore, so let’s explore.”

Since the surrounding water was shallow, we all transferred to a small support boat and desummoned the main ship. Then we slowly rowed up to the island.

“…This place is strange.”

We disembarked from the small boat and walked toward the entrance. As we approached, the dark shadows obscuring the interior began to recede, revealing…

‘Visibility is about five meters.’

Right away, I could see a massive stairway leading down.

The height and width of those steps looked like they’d been built for something far larger than a normal human.

Well, that works in my favor.

[The character has cast [Gigantification]

A staircase that allows normal walking even when I am in my [Gigantification].

This is really something.

Thud, thud, thud—

Leading the way, I descended step by step, prepared to take the first hit if anything lurked below.

And after a while.

“It’s incredibly deep.”

We must have gone down at least 200 steps.

What on earth is this place?

Logically, it shouldn’t even exist in a space like this, but in a world like ours, there’s no point questioning realism.

Thud—!

Eventually, the stairs ended.

“Ugh… It smells dusty.”

The space smelled faintly of something musty.

The short visibility made it difficult to make out detailed terrain features, but it wasn’t long before the surroundings began to lighten.

“……!”

The interior lit up as if someone had flipped a switch.

The whole team flinched and gave a quick scan for enemies, but soon everyone was just staring blankly at the surroundings.

“This place…….”

A ceiling as high as the depth we had descended.

And towering bookshelves reaching up to that ceiling.

“What is this……? It’s like a library…….”

The first thing that came to mind was a library, but it was vastly different from the usual kind.

Specifically, its size.

Each book was large enough that you’d need to spread your arms wide to hold it. And the shelves holding thousands of such books were even more massive.

“Oh! It’s not as heavy as I thought!”

Still, the weight of the books was manageable enough for an explorer.

“Pheneline, could you open this book for us?”

“Of course!”

So, Aynar took a book from the shelf, set it on the floor, and flipped
But…

“It’s empty…”

Every page was blank.

What, are these books just props?

“Versil, you stay here and investigate the books. Aynar, you assist Versil. If there’s any trouble, make sure he’s safe.”

I left them at the bookshelves and went to investigate further.

The room was shaped like a column.

Custom-made curved bookshelves lined the perimeter, reaching up to the ceiling.

And…….

‘……What the hell is this is for.’

In the center was a stone slab resembling a table.

And at the far end, opposite the stairs we descended, a large stone door was set between the bookshelves.

I examined it closely, but couldn’t figure out anything.

‘It seems like this is a place where we have to trigger something…….’

There didn’t seem to be any monsters or traps, so I had everyone split up to investigate. Soon, there was news.

“Mr. Jandel, I found a book with something written in it! But it’s in ancient language, so you’ll need to come take a look.”

My ability to read ancient languages was already paying off a lot.

I went back to where Versil was, and there was a book open on the floor.

One side had a picture, the other had text.

“The picture seems to be of the level 9 monster, the Wall Mole…….. But I can’t read the text.”

Versil’s guess was correct—the picture was indeed of a Wall Mole.

After all, it was written right next to it.

Name.

Habitat.

Abilities

And the origin of the name, characteristics of the abilities, and unique behaviors of the monster.

“…It’s like an encyclopedia. Is this the only one you found?”

“Yes. No matter how many times I flipped through, the rest of the pages are all blank.”

“I see…….”

“It seems like you’re thinking something, Mr. Jandel.”

“I’m just thinking.”

First of all, the book itself holds immense value.

Raven, the history enthusiast, would probably jump around calling it a great discovery.

But I’m not really into that sort of thing.

Non-mage explorers are more focused on other things than knowledge.

‘What can I do with this.’

What can be done with this discovery.

Or rather, why does such an item exist here?

Instead of researching, explorers prefer to investigate by experimenting and observing the results.

“Everyone, gather around.”

For that reason, I immediately called the team together.

“Jandel, Did you find something?”

“Not exactly, but there’s something we can try.”

“Something to try?”

Amelia tilted her head, but it’s faster to show than to tell.

Besides, it’s not even certain if it’ll work.

Thud.

So I placed the book Versil found on the central stone slab.

And about three seconds later…

“…You’re not always right.”

Amelia spoke up in the silence.

But..

Whoosh—!

The stone slab began to emit a blue light.

A sign that something had changed.

And in [Dungeon & Stone], that means danger.

Therefore……

“Bjorn! Over there! The stone door is opening……!”

At Misha’s call, I sprinted to the front and yelled:

“Prepare for battle!”

At my shout, the team got into their battle stances.

Time passed in that heavy atmosphere.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds…….

Then, at the 4th second, a monster meekly revealed itself through the stone door.

[Squeak—]

……It was a Wall Mole.

[Squeak squeak!]

Just one.

***
Given that the first monster we encountered on this expedition was a Level 1 monster, we’d all been bracing ourselves for something really nasty.

But…

“A Wall Mole…?”

A single Level-9 monster?

“Don’t let your guard down. Something else might come out.”

As the leader, I spoke seriously, but I couldn’t help but feel a little deflated.

However, it didn’t take long for me to understand what was happening.

‘……I think I get it.’

When we placed the ‘Wall Mole’ described in the book on the stone slab, a ‘Wall Mole’ appeared from the stone door.

Is this just a coincidence?

“Erwin.”

As soon as I called her name, Erwin released an arrow.

It’s like she understands what I’m about to say just by hearing her name.

I don’t know how, but that’s not important right now.

[…!]

The Wall Mole, which had been scurrying toward us, died without a sound.

Whoosh—!

A burst of light and a single Level 9 magic stone fell. Since the Beginner’s Luck buff didn’t trigger, no essence dropped—not that I’d keep a rank-9 essence anyway.

Rumble…!

As soon as the monster was defeated, the stone door closed again.

And then…….

“Hey! Jandel! Over here!”

A staircase leading to the second level of the massive bookshelf appeared.

For [Dungeon & Stone], it was a pretty straightforward progression.

‘Keep summoning and climb up, I guess.’

But before climbing the stairs, I checked the book on the stone slab again.

“The picture and writing are both gone…….”

Which meant a book that had been used once couldn’t be used again.

So, I threw the blank book on the floor and climbed the stairs.

Then I suddenly thought to myself.

‘Why can’t I just go upstairs and get the book without the stairs?

When an idea occurs, a Barbarian acts on it. So using my height, I grabbed onto the railing of the third-floor bookshelf, which wasn’t connected yet, and climbed up.

But no matter how much force I applied, the books on the shelf didn’t budge.

‘So, I can climb up, but I can’t take the books.’

Still, I wondered what would happen if I climbed all the way to the top.

I got curious, but decided to check it out later if we hit a dead end or had some spare time.

There’s still a lot to do here for now.

“Everyone, take out the books and look for ones with pictures.”

At my order, the team spread out and began combing through the shelves, opening each book. With everyone working together, we found something within minutes.

This time, it was a book with pictures of two monsters.

One was a Level 8 monster, the Nightflar.

“Oh! I know this one! It’s the creature with the same essence as that vampire we met in the Blood Tinted Castle!”

The other was the MacFrog, which we had encountered countless times on our way here.

“…So? What does it say?”

“It already had an official name? All that effort for nothing.”

Since it was the first monster we discovered, everyone was curious about what was written about the MacFrog……

‘Let’s see, the name is……’

As soon as I read the words at the top, I froze.

“…Huh? Bjorn, what’s wrong?”

Aynar asked me worriedly.

Versil, who was nearby, did the same.

“……Jandel? Is there a problem?”

I didn’t answer and just spoke,

“ MacFrog.”

“Huh?”

“This book also has ‘MacFrog’ as the name written in it.”

‘……? What does that mean? I mean, that’s the name you gave that monster…….’

Yeah, that’s what’s weird.

“W-what an unbelievable coincidence……? The names are the same……”

As I silently stared at the book, Auyen muttered in a shaky voice.

I understood where he was coming from.

It would make much more sense to just admit it as coincidence.

But…….

Name.

Habitat.

Abilities.

After skimming through those descriptions, I reached the part about the name’s origin, and there was no way I could accept it as mere coincidence:

[………The first explorer to enter the 1st-floor Record Repository, Bjorn, son of Jandel, discovered it and gave it that name.]

What the hell?

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