STGB Episode 529

Escape plan 2

We arrived at Human Island a day before the start of the rainy season, and although we had planned to spend the rest of the day hunting around the island, we changed our plans and went straight to the village.

“……It really is a village of monsters, just like I heard.”

“Mr. Wyatt… are you sure this is okay?”

“Didn’t the Baron tell everyone to stay calm?”

Although I had briefed them beforehand, the explorers couldn’t help but react nervously when they saw the monster village.

“Monsters who claim to be human…?”

“This… is quite extraordinary.”

“I heard that if we speak in the ancient language, we can communicate with them?”

“Hah! Haven’t I said it again and again? It’s a colossal waste of space for such a vast labyrinth to not contain a single intelligent being capable of conversation!”

The Armin Expedition Team, true explorers at heart, showed curiosity rather than fear toward the monsters.

Naturally, the three mages were the most enthusiastic among them.

“You said we’d stay here until the rainy season passes, right? If the opportunity arises, I’d love to converse with them.”

“Damn it, I should’ve studied ancient languages more seriously.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll record every conversation I have and later compile a translated version. This is an unprecedented discovery in the long history of the labyrinth!”

Well, from their perspective, the monsters of Human Island must seem like aliens.

Some people’s first instinct would be fear, while others would want to know more.

“From here on, I’ll go alone. You can all head back to the house. Emily, you can handle them, right?”

“No problem.”

After leaving the group at the house provided by the village chief, I entered his residence.

“Good. You’ve returned in time.”

“Were you worried?”

“Of course. You’re the ones who appeared after such a long wait.”

Despite his words, the village chief’s voice bore no emotion.

It felt like talking to a machine.

Thinking of how Aynar had befriended other monsters, it’s clear some monsters do show emotion. But not him.

“By the way…”

The chief spoke up as I was lost in thought.

“Your group has grown since I last saw you. What happened?”

It seemed he had already heard about our increased numbers from the monsters we met on the way.

“Well, it seems that even when we’re here, time is passing normally outside.

“Is that why new explorers have entered this place?”

“Yes.”

I nodded, but a question arose in my mind.

“You don’t seem surprised?”

“The fact that time passes normally outside was already proven through your group.”

Well, that was true.

But thinking about it now, one question came to mind.

[“Welcome. You must be explorer from Raphdonia?”]

The day I first met the chief on this island.

[“Yes, how much time has passed outside?”]

For him to ask that, he had to know that time was flowing normally outside.

‘The more I think about it, the fishier this old man seems…’

However, I kept these doubts to myself and didn’t voice them out loud.

For now, I needed his power and knowledge.

And if he was really hiding something, he wouldn’t answer honestly even if I asked him.

“So, what happened outside this island?”

In response to the chief’s question, I summarized our recent experience.

From exploring Tree Island to meeting the new explorers on Rock Island, rescuing the ones on Giant Island, and the portal stone in the cave.

Finally, the colossal giant we saw when we left the island.

“…You’ve discovered a lot in such a short time.”

The village chief spoke in a tone that didn’t sound like admiration at all, then asked me:

“But why did you return to the Rock Island?”

I had expected this question.

After all, I’d completely left out any mention of the evil spirit in my earlier explanation.

Naturally, that left a hole in my story.

“Chief, after thinking carefully about what you told me, I have come to the conclusion that time passes normally outside. Besides, I’d hit a dead end while exploring the tree island anyway.”

The village chief accepted my pre-prepared excuse without much suspicion, and with that, the information exchange was over.

Soon, the chief moved on to the next topic.

“A non-functioning portal stone… Perhaps that could be the key to escaping this place. What’s your next plan?”

“Ah, about that.”

Before answering, I brought up something first.

“Chief, you and I had a deal. You would help us explore, and in return, we’d share any information we discovered. That was the agreement, right?”

“That’s correct. But…?”

The chief’s tone suggested he didn’t understand why I was bringing this up.

Tch, trying to freeload, huh?

I grinned and said:

“From now on, I’ll need your help.”

The first step of the escape plan.

“My help…?”

We need to get stronger.
***

I realized the need to improve our strength right after leaving the Giant Island. After all, we had seen that colossal giant at the end.

‘Given how the difficulty spikes exponentially… I should assume that Library Island and Tree Island might also have similar monstrous creatures waiting at the end.’

Well, this is still just an speculation.

But that giant was clearly serving as the island’s boss.

We also discovered the portal stone on that Island.

[According to the big data I’ve collected after years of playing Dungeon&Stone, the probability that the giant is the key to escape is very high]

But…

“I need time to think.”

The village chief gave a lukewarm response.

Even though he has been trapped here for eternity and undoubtedly wants to escape even more than we do…

“The rainy season starts tomorrow. Give me your answer by then.”

“Understood.”

With that, this matter was put on hold for the time being.

Our conversation then shifted to less critical topics.

“With more people, that single house must be uncomfortable. I’ll arrange new lodgings for you by tomorrow, so bear with it until then.”

“One day is nothing. They were sleeping on bare ground before, so they won’t complain.”

“That’s good to hear,”

“By the way, where did those guys go?”

“If you’re referring to the Silver Lion Clan, they left shortfly after you all departed. And they haven’t returned yet.”

Hmm… really?

The rainy season is about to start.

‘Did something happen to them on some strange island?’

Given their ranks, that was quite plausible.

But we’re short on manpower for the end-game content, so their return would be good news.

“I’m planning to wait as long as possible. But once the rainy season starts, we’ll seal the village gates.”

“That makes sense”

Since there was a chance that they might already be on their way back, I left the topic at that.

And…

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“No. Just let me know your decision as soon as possible.”

“Very well.”

With nothing left to discuss, I returned to the house where my companions waited. What had once been a comfortable home during the last rainy season now resembled a refugee camp.

Well, seven people had become thirty-nine—what else could I expect?

“Hex, Myul. Just hold on a little longer. The chief said he’d arrange new lodgings by tomorrow.”

“That’s a relief.”

Wyat Hex, whose priority was survival, simply expressed relief at my words, but Armin was different.

“The lodgings don’t matter much. But… I’ve heard about the village chief…”

“And?”

“Is it true that the chief is the Dragon Knight, Cornelius Brungrid?”

“…Who told you that?”

At my question, Myul flinched and glanced somewhere.

At the end of his gaze, Aynar avoided my eyes.

“Sigh…”

Well, this was my fault.

I hadn’t explicitly told her to keep it a secret. If I had, she wouldn’t have gone around talking about it.

As I sighed, Myul, sensing the mood, quickly came to Aynar’s defense.

“My apologies. It was an unnecessary question…”

“It’s fine. It’s not something that needs to be hidden anyway. To answer your question… only about half of that is true.”

“Half… What do you mean?”

“Well, he claims to be, but it’s not confirmed yet.”

“I see…”

Since things had come this far, I decided to hear Myul’s opinion. This man had spent most of his life searching for the labyrinth’s secrets.

He might know something.

“Myul, what do you think? Does his claim seem plausible?”

“Well, I haven’t met him myself, so I can’t judge based on hearsay alone. But if it’s true, one thing bothers me.”

“What’s that?”

“The part about him dwelling in a monster’s body to achieve immortality.”

“Why does that bother you?”

“The Great Sage’s biography is widely known, but… records about his companions are suspiciously scarce. I was once so curious about the their untold stories that I tried collecting every bit of information I could—”

“Enough. Just the main point.”

“Yes. I once found a document about Cornelius Brunggrid in an antique market.”

“What did it say?”

“Before I tell you, let me clarify something first: After analyzing the document, I confirmed it was written in that era, but I couldn’t verify its authenticity.”

Tch, I asked for the main point.

“Yeah, sure. So, what did it say?”

When I pressed him, Myul Armin cautiously spoke.

“The record stated that the hero Cornelius Brungrid was more obsessed with immortality than anyone else, which repeatedly caused conflicts with the Great Sage.”

An uncertain ancient story that I was hearing from Myul for the first time.

But for some reason…

“Immortality…”

Suddenly, I’m starting to feel uneasy.

***

Day 64, 9:00 P.M.

The visited chief visited our dwelling.

He had two matters to discuss.

First, he had prepared new lodgings to address our overcrowding issue…

“I’ve decided to accept your proposal.”

Second, the chief had finally made his decision.

Though the immortality story made me uneasy about him, I didn’t bring it up.

It wouldn’t be good to confront him now.

For the time being, I’d take what I could get and investigate him later.

So…

“The village warriors are ready.”

We went outside with the warriors that the chief had mobilized.

The reason was simple.

Basement Floor 1: The Records Repository.

Escape from this place would be difficult at our current level.

In other words, we need to grow stronger.

And to become stronger, hardship is necessary.

“There are about two hours left. If you change your mind, let me know. There’s nothing more foolish than facing calamity unprepared.”

“No matter what, I won’t change my mind.”

The village chief tried to convince me, but I didn’t to back down.

And after some time had passed..

[Uuuugh!]
[Gero, gero, grok…!!]
[Kuh! Kuh! Kheuheheung!]

In eerie harmony, countless monsters howled from the skies overhead.

Monsters plummeted headfirst into the hard ground, dissolving into light before vanishing.

SWOOOOOOOSH—!

From the dazzling bursts of light, the surviving monsters, battered but alive, and lunged at us. The explorers and monster warriors drew their weapons and clashed.

And then—

‘A Disaster? What calamity?’

I raised my shield high and roared.

“BETHEL—RAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

The Rainy Season.

An event akin to a disaster, where monsters rain from the sky.

But just as I had suspected—

[You have defeated the Ryture Talisman Shaman. EXP +4]
[You have defeated the Werewolf.]
[You have defeated the Wall Mole.]
[You have defeated the Akeltas. EXP +5]
[You have defeated the Subterranean Drake. EXP +4]
[You have defeated the Iyantlo.]
[You have defeated the Orc Warrior.]
[You have defeated the Blade Sentinel…]
[…]
[…]

Monsters that could only be encountered in rifts, hidden fields, or with extremely low probability in regular fields were now pouring from the sky.

[Your character’s level has increased.]
[Soul Power has increased by +30.]
[Maximum Absorbable Essence has increased by +1.]

If this isn’t a burning event, then what is?

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