Chapter 12 - 2nd Floor (Part 2)

 

To some extent, I expected the portal to be here. It was obvious.

The fact that I had met that blonde, a group of top-notch explorers, was proof that the portal to the 2nd floor was in the direction I had come from. That's why I followed the bloodstain confidently.

But I didn't expect it to be so bad. To think that the portal was less than 10 yards from my starting point.

- And you shut it down.

The memories of crawling along these corridors on three legs unfolded like a panorama.

How unlucky can I be? A few steps in the other direction, and I would activate the portal and get a light source. If I had done this, I would have been able to avoid this damn trap!

"Uncle, please talk to me." Don't make that scary face. If I did something wrong, I will fix it...

What does it mean? Oh, it's because of me. It's annoying, let's just come up with an excuse.

"Don't worry. I was just reminded of the past.

"Oh...

Ervena looked at me and felt relieved. Then she looked at me with pity.

I couldn't believe it.

Blood stains, pieces of bread, sandal, the expression on my face.

Could it be that from these circumstances alone she made a conclusion about my 1st day in the labyrinth?

"I'm sure this man is in a good place now.

Of course not.

"Yes... Thank you.

From what she said, she probably thought that I was mourning the death of a comrade. But I did not feel the need to correct her. It was too long a story to explain. Besides, if I were to start talking about it, I feel like my rage would get the better of me. So I decided to just forget about it.

"Are you ready to go up to the next floor?"

"To be honest, I'm still scared, but somehow I don't feel like I'm going to die if I'm with you.

Again, this woman had a strange way of stretching out sentences.

Just say yes if that's what you mean.

"Then let's go."

"Okay...

The moment I entered the portal with Ervena, the surrounding space turned pure white, like the light emanating from a monitor.

*Flash!*

[00:57]

It's only been 4 days since I entered the maze.

[You entered the Goblin Forest on the 2nd floor].

And I got to the 2nd floor.

***

If someone had asked me how I was feeling right now, I would have answered like this. I feel like I've been spat out of the mouth of a giant frog after being chewed for a long time.

"Oh!"

Our bodies swept through the air as if we had bounced off something.

I didn't scream loudly like Ervena, but judging by the result alone, she was much better off than me.

*Bach-!*

While I landed on my ass with a dull sound, Ervena quickly balanced herself and landed without any problems.

"Wow, that's a surprise. Even my sister didn't tell me about it.

I realized once again how physically fit this woman was. It was a dexterity that a barbarian cannot have.

"Uncle, is this the 2nd floor?"

— Yes.

"Hmph, I haven't heard that this is a forest. You sure?

"Perhaps you've heard about the other 2nd floor.

"The other 2nd floor?"

Don't the elves share information about the labyrinth? Why don't you know that?

"There are four portals to the 2nd floor, in the east, west, south, and north directions, and each connects to a different region.

"Oh, I think I've heard about it!"

... Probably, she just forgot.

As I looked at her as if she were a hopeless comrade, Ervena was amazed and said everything that came to mind.

"Oh! 3rd floor! I've heard that no matter which path you choose, from the 3rd floor, everything connects again. Faithfully?

It seemed that she wanted to show off her knowledge. When I nodded in passing, Ervena smiled with satisfaction. Gradually, I began to understand how to handle it.

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Wait. I think.

At first, I carefully observed the surrounding area. It was necessary to note which things differed from the game and which coincided.

Something that could not be seen through the monitor. For example, the fact that we just flew about 3 yards jumping through a portal.

"Hmm...

First, I checked the surroundings again.

Behind us was a portal that allowed us to go down to the 1st floor at any time, and there was not a single living creature within a radius of about 50 yards. Well, I couldn't tell you what was in the trees behind the lot.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Quiet.

The 2nd floor is a map of the forest. It was as dark as night around, but thanks to the lights scattered across the sky like the Milky Way, visibility was ensured... To a certain extent.

It's about as bright as an alley without street lights. However, when time passes and the day comes, it will not become lighter. After all, this is a labyrinth, and what is above us is not actually the sky, but a high ceiling. However, there are floors where there is really sky and sun.

"Let's move slowly."

"Sorry, where are we going?"

- Explore the surrounding area.

Back on the 1st floor, I developed a rough plan. However, there were a few things that needed to be confirmed to determine if this plan would actually work.

So, I started with what I could see...

*Bam!*

Ervena was startled when I suddenly swung my hammer at a tree on the edge of the clearing.

"What, what are you doing?"

"I check if it is possible to knock down a tree.

"Why are you checking this?"

"I was thinking of building a barricade around the portal.

"Oh, I see.

Only then did Ervena nod her head in agreement. It was very annoying to answer every question she asked.

"In any case, I am abandoning this plan.

Ervena didn't ask why, because she had eyes too. Even after I hit the tree with all my strength, only the bark broke off slightly.

How can it be a tree? It looks more like a boulder.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Search this area as planned. And from now on, you will lead.

— ... I?

I decided not to answer any more questions.

"Your task is to go ahead of me and find traps. And pay attention to the presence of enemies and be on the alert as much as possible. You have these two tasks.

— ... That is, we will divide the work. Ok.

Surprisingly, Ervena accepted her role without complaint.

But why was I disappointed? Was it because I had already planned what I would say to convince her?

"Now that we're here, I remember how much I missed the forest. Even if there are only monsters in this forest.

Ervena walked through the woods, saying things that didn't apply to me at all.

"Ah, there don't seem to be any traps here, but just in case, please follow my tracks."

What was that? Suddenly I felt confident in the presence of this girl. She even took big steps forward, as if she wasn't afraid of any traps.

Soon Ervena muttered something.

"A trap.

She was invisible to my eyes.

"Look over there, and you'll see something hidden under the leaves.

However she described it, it was invisible to my eyes.

Not long after, Ervena looked at me, as if to say, "Why don't you see this?" and threw a stone.

*Click!*

She was right. How could she detect it from such a distance when it was so dark? Although I already knew that she had the ability to detect like other elves, it was amazing to see it with my own eyes. There was a reason she could walk so confidently.

"What do you think?"

"You seem to be good at throwing stones.

— ... And that's all?

"What else do you want?"

Ervena's shoulders, raised in anticipation, slumped. Now is the time to give her a carrot. Subtle, so as not to be too obvious.

"Finding traps is the ability I expected from you from the beginning. You are already a full-fledged researcher. Don't get too excited about something obvious.

"Hmmm...

Although she pretended not to notice, I could clearly see her shoulders twitching slightly from behind. Thanks to this, I realized that I had completely mastered it. Now I just had to behave with her just like that.

"Do you mean that I at least lift my own weight?" As a full-fledged researcher?

— Yes.

But even so, the distribution was 9:1.

"But it's strange. No matter how much I listen, it doesn't look like there are goblins here.

It was obvious. The 2nd floor was different from the 1st. The goblins were not always in the vicinity of the trap. It was easier to view the traps on the 2nd floor simply as a feature of the landscape.

"Stop chatting and concentrate.

"Good.

I again focused on the relaxed atmosphere and surveyed the area. The place where we were now was called the "Goblin Forest" in the game.

Another feature, aside from the traps, was that the goblins spawned in groups of 15 or so. Sometimes goblin mutations such as goblin swordsmen or goblin archers also appeared. Of course, on the outskirts, the number of mutants increased, and monsters of a higher rank also appeared. But there was no need to worry about this, since we were going to cover only the area near the portal.

"There's nothing in the vicinity yet.

We've finished searching the area within a radius of about 200 yards around the portal.

There were countless traps, but there were no goblins.

"What should we do?"

- First, we will remove all traps in this area and gradually increase the radius.

We gradually expanded the area, eliminating traps with stones thrown from a distance. This would allow us, in case of danger, to escape to the 1st floor. If we had stepped on a trap while fleeing, there would have been problems. As soon as we widened the radius to over 500 yards, Ervena stopped moving and whispered.

"Uncle."

I held my breath too.

"There's a group of goblins there.

"How many are there?"

"I don't know. Definitely, it seems to be more than 10...

"Distance?"

"About 50 yards." I think they haven't noticed us yet. What should we do?

Isn't it obvious?

"Fight," I said confidently.

Ervena didn't argue. Although it was a little scary, she also knew that there was no choice but to fight. After all, if she didn't want to fight, she shouldn't have entered the maze at all.

"How close can we get without being discovered?"

"I think I can go 30 yards alone. Beyond that, it will be too close. Goblins have a more sensitive sense of smell than I thought.

- I see.

After a moment's deliberation, I decided to follow the plan I had mentioned earlier. At this time, Ervena also slowly walked through the bushes in the direction of the goblins.

This was the advantage of the elves. It was surprising to see that she didn't make a single rustle even as she walked through the bushes.

Ervena soon stopped. Then she looked back at me. When I nodded, she turned, put the arrow on the bowstring and fired.

*Whoosh*

Did it hit? I didn't know.

It was so far away that I didn't hear the arrow hit the target. I hoped she had pierced her forehead again.

* Tud-tud-tud*

After the arrow flew out, I ran straight to Erven.

"Grk?!"

"Grghhhh!"

Even as the excited goblins rushed towards her, Ervena calmly prepared a second arrow.

*Whoosh*

I felt it every time, but the speed at which she fired arrows was insane.

I didn't understand such little things when I saw it in the game.

*Bam-!

The goblin who was running ahead fell. He was wounded in the neck, not in the forehead.

Well, even if she's an elf, it must be difficult to accurately hit a moving target from that distance.

"Erwina, back."

"Good!"

Ervena stepped back without hesitation and disappeared from my sight.

Now all I could see were goblins rushing towards me. There were three times as many of them as the goblins that can be seen on the 1st floor.

They may have been just goblins, but in such numbers, they were a little frightening... But, strange as it may seem, there was no fear.

Instead...

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The warrior's heart in this body was beating aggressively, and rage was raging in his head.

"Grk, Grk!!

"Ghghhhhh!"

Hearing the menacing, howling screams of numerous goblins, I shouted back,

— SPARRRATA!!!

Come here, you assholes!