TEOCH 97

I said I would only sleep for ten minutes, but I ended up sleeping for thirty. My companions tried to play innocent, saying, “Why do you think you slept for thirty minutes when you only slept for ten?”, but I wasn’t fooled by such lies. There was no way I would believe I only slept for ten minutes when thirty minutes’ worth of oxygen was clearly gone. Well, since these people don’t know about the game system, they might have thought I would fall for it.

“Don’t look at us like that. You’ve stressed it repeatedly, haven’t you? That it’s dangerous to go outside without having sufficiently recovered from fatigue.”

“I know. I know……. In any case, we have to go now. If we don’t leave early, we won’t be able to make enough progress on our exploration.”

We came out of the cave for the afternoon exploration. I decided to check the southeast area, which we hadn’t properly explored until now, and unlike in the morning, we were able to achieve a decent haul.

Within an hour of setting out, we hunted two anglerfish and obtained nine parasites, and we also discovered one ‘barreleye fish,’ which gives valuable items, though we can’t hunt it at this stage. It’s the only creature in the deep-sea outskirts that knows how to cast a magic shield, so we can’t touch it right now, but once we get the materials for the sword, we should be able to hunt that thing then.

Anyway, the fact that we discovered three strong demonic beasts in less than two hours was quite noteworthy. It seems there is a habitat of strong demonic beasts around here…….

‘If that’s the case, then perhaps?’

I decided to survey the surroundings a little more carefully. It was because I had a thought that the entrance to the ‘Deep Sea Labyrinth’ might be around here. Unlike the hydrothermal vents or coral reef clusters where weak demonic beasts gather in large numbers, strong demonic beasts tend to be sparsely distributed around the entrance of a labyrinth. Given the characteristic of deep-sea demonic beasts to act alone as they get stronger, it’s not that dangerous a place, but…….

‘It’s not a bad idea to find the labyrinth entrance in advance. Even if we don’t go in right away.’

It wouldn’t be a bad thing to show my companions the labyrinth entrance, and above all, I needed to prepare for any unforeseen ‘sudden situations.’ If a situation arises where we have to suddenly flee into the labyrinth entrance, it would be helpful to know the location of the entrance beforehand.

Of course, I don’t think something like that will happen right at the labyrinth entrance……. but you never know. In the second playthrough, it wouldn’t be strange for anything to happen.

‘Come to think of it, the guardian of this area might also remember what happened in the past. That damn octopus.’

As I realized that fact, I felt a bit queasy, and for no reason, I glanced over at Damian. Damian, who seemed to have decided not to be conscious of my gaze anymore, was just swimming nonchalantly. I was needlessly anxious even though I had never met that octopus outside of the boss battle.

Nah, no way. The only ones in the cave at that time were me and Damian anyway. I thought so and tried hard to shake off the pointless delusion. There’s no way what happened back then will come to light, not even if the guardian’s grandfather showed up. It’s better not to worry unnecessarily.

Just as I was thinking that, I discovered a clear red exclamation mark floating in the southern part of the newly revealed map. It was the very place I had been looking for. I had thought they might intentionally hide the labyrinth’s location since it was Hard Mode, but thankfully, it seemed they had no intention of going that far. I mean, if they did something like that, one could be sucked into the labyrinth in an instant while swimming around without a thought…….

‘There it is.’

I swam over, leading my companions. Toward the vast labyrinth with neither form nor magic, a place from which you can never escape again until you defeat the ‘Guardian.’

[No magic.]

As soon as I showed him the entrance to the labyrinth, Damian made that sign with his hands and tilted his head. The other companions also looked rather troubled, because the place I had shown them as the labyrinth entrance was a dark sea with no difference from any other area. But that wasn’t strange. The entrance to a ‘labyrinth’ is originally a place with no distinguishing features on the outside, to the point that even Damian’s detection magic wouldn’t pick up any magic.

I gave a bitter smile and took out some pearl powder from my bag. It was powder made by crushing a pearl I had obtained while catching clams for food, and it has the property of glowing on its own even when left alone, so it’s quite useful for luring demonic beasts. But the reason I took this out now was different.

[Look.]

[……?]

I let the pearl powder trickle through my fingertips. The sparkling powder spread in all directions, carried by the slow ocean current, and my companions watched the movement of the powder with puzzled eyes. Of course, there seemed to be no particular peculiarities for now, but as soon as the powder reached the labyrinth entrance, my companions were startled and flinched back. Because, suddenly, the powder was swept away at a speed incomparable to just before.

The pearl powder, having flowed several tens of meters in an instant, was glowing hazily in the distance. I moved a little to the right and threw the pearl powder once more, but this time, upon reaching a certain point, the powder shook erratically as if caught in a vortex before being thrown several tens of meters away. My companions made disgusted faces as they watched an unidentified tentacle shoot out from the sandy bottom and rummage through the pearl powder, only to crawl back into the sand after realizing it had come up empty.

Well, this should be enough of a demonstration. Since I couldn’t explain at length underwater anyway, I led my companions back to our lodging. The companions, gathered around the bonfire, were waiting for my explanation with bewildered expressions. I opened my mouth calmly.

“So, it’s an ocean current.”

“An ocean current……? You mean the flow of the sea?”

“Yes. I don’t know the detailed cause either, but an abnormally strong ocean current separates the labyrinth’s outskirts from the outside. Of course, as you saw earlier, there’s no problem with entering itself, but……. if you don’t enter through the proper entrance, you’ll be eaten by those tentacle guys, and even if you do enter through the proper entrance, you can never return to the labyrinth’s outskirts again.”

My companions had appalled expressions. The reason this stage is called the ‘Deep Sea Labyrinth’ was, in fact, because of that ocean current. The ‘labyrinth,’ blocked by a wall of ocean current that moves with a fixed directionality, is a place where you are bound to get lost and wander if you don’t move according to specific rules. Not only that, but even if you know the rules, it’s a daily occurrence to be swept away by the current and end up in the wrong direction if you let your guard down for a moment.

Because it’s such a powerful current, and because once you get swept up, it sends you flying from several tens of meters to, in the worst case, several hundred meters away, it’s impossible to go against it by any means. I made dozens of attempts to go against the current using Damian’s ‘Blink,’ but I never succeeded. The speed at which I was pushed by the current was overwhelmingly faster than the speed at which I could pass through with teleportation.

Since the setting is that it’s a ‘natural phenomenon occurring in the seas of the demon world,’ it can’t be detected by magic, and since it’s an invisible flow, it’s difficult to see and avoid it in advance. Moreover, even if there are basically established rules, the structure of the labyrinth itself changes randomly every time I die and come back to life, so……. In terms of the stage itself, it’s a rather tricky place to clear.

“No need to make such faces. I can find the way to the Guardian’s castle, and as for the demonic beasts in the labyrinth, you can handle them somehow once you get used to them.”

“I suppose that’s true. We’ve managed to get through somehow until now……. I’m a little worried, though.”

Rikiel nodded but still looked quite anxious. I studied the faces of my companions, which were still full of worry. It seemed the thought of navigating a formless labyrinth made their minds go blank. The last stage was already difficult, and now this stage’s conditions have become even more demanding, so it’s only natural that they would feel discouraged.

‘I hope those people can get a good grip on themselves. Of course, I know it’s not an easy thing to do…….’

Actually, in this stage, managing the companions’ mental fortitude is just as important as the labyrinth itself. I can handle the labyrinth攻略 by somehow relying on my experiences so far, but if the mental fortitude of my companions, which is the most important thing, hits rock bottom, the situation will worsen to a point where it can’t be controlled.

This area is already so dark that no sunlight gets in, so once someone suffers from depression or starts having mental issues, it’s not easy to recover. Therefore, it’s important to lift their spirits before they become afflicted with depression.

“Well, if it’s you, Mr. Rohan, you’ll surely guide us well! I’m sure we can get through that labyrinth just fine.”

“That’s right, trust me. I’m sorry that I’ve only been showing you an unreliable side of myself lately.”

“Yes, honestly, you have been a bit unreliable lately! You seemed to be struggling a lot…….”

“Do you really have to put it that way? Anyway, inside the labyrinth, I can break through the path, so don’t worry too much. Understood?”

“Ow, ow ow ow! I’m sorry! I said I’m sorry!”

I grumbled a bit at Damian, who said something annoying without a change in his expression, but I knew his words were true to some extent, so I didn’t get that angry. I just ended up pulling his ear a little hard.

Then again, come to think of it, managing my own mental state was just as important as managing my companions’. I was well aware myself that my mental state had hit rock bottom upon entering Stage 2. From the moment the Stage 1 boss battle went the way it did, all my wits had already left me, and since entering Stage 2 in a battered state, I had poured out all my remaining strength in a panic because of Tristan. It would be stranger to be perfectly fine in this situation.

If I become anxious, it will affect the other companions. I tried my best to get a grip on my mind. It’s not a good look for me to be suffering from depression when I’m the one worrying about my companions.

I stared at Damian’s side profile for a moment. Watching him fiddle with his ear, which had turned red from being pulled so hard, made me feel inexplicably at ease. Come to think of it, I owe that person quite a lot. There were many times when he helped me relieve my depressed mood, and that incident at the coral reef cluster also ended without reaching the worst-case scenario thanks to Damian’s quick thinking…….

I have nothing but gratitude for that person. As I was thinking that, Damian suddenly turned his head and looked at me. It seems he was bothered by the fact that I had been staring only at his face for a while now. I was about to turn my head with an awkward clearing of my throat, but Damian’s expression suddenly changed strangely when our eyes met.

“Damian?”

It was an expression that was hard to describe. It wasn’t a look that said he disliked me looking at him, nor was it an expression of finding it strange, but it was a gaze that didn’t seem to hold such a positive emotion. Damian was startled when I called his name and instantly returned to his original expression, but I couldn’t easily forget the look he had just now. Has Damian ever made a face like that before? How should I describe it, that was…….

It was like the face of someone who had suddenly remembered a bad dream they had a long time ago.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Rohan?”

“Your expression just now……”

“Did I make a strange face?”

“……A little.”

“Oh, did I? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because you’ve been looking at me all day today, Mr. Rohan?”

As I hesitated, wondering what I should say, Damian beat me to it. My companions burst out laughing, thinking Damian and I were still joking around, but I noticed that Damian was reluctant to talk about what just happened.

‘Why is he suddenly acting like that?’

I felt the urge to press him a little more, but I forced myself to hold back my words. It was certain that the atmosphere would turn strange, and in the first place, if he was going to answer when asked, he wouldn’t have changed the subject like that. I decided to play along with Damian for now.

“Did I do that?”

“Yes. Staring like this. Don’t tell me you were having strange thoughts while looking at me?”

“O-Of course not! Ahem, stop talking nonsense and let’s get going on the exploration. We have to leave quickly to save time for exploring.”

“Ah, Mr. Rohan is changing the subject.”

As I hurriedly got up, pretending to be a little embarrassed, my companions got up to follow me, laughing without any suspicion. Yes, for now, let’s just let it go. It would be a better choice to wait until Damian tells me later, rather than needlessly prying into something he doesn’t want to talk about.

Knowing Damian’s personality, he will definitely tell me someday.