The head that had just woken up instantly sobered up. It was similar to the principle of operation of a cooling fan (cooler), which fires first before severe overheating.

So, the rat...

My heart beat more slowly, and my thoughts quickened. The Sky Tower was an independent floor. As soon as the color of the portal changed, it was impossible to follow someone. No object or hidden element, as far as I know, could overcome this. And that means...

Did he enter before the color of the portal changed?

That bastard came in with us from the beginning.

Of course, we also waited to make sure no one was following us, just in case, and used detection magic in case we had a stealth skill before leaving.

If he had an invisibility of rank 2 or higher, normal magic wouldn't be able to detect it.

Of course, this was only the worst-case scenario. It was unlikely that this guy was really a giant with a rank 2 essence. In the end, he felt the magic of detection. It would be more accurate to assume that he only escaped the detection magic upon entering by using an item or skill.

The fact that he was just following us on our heels most likely means that he is not confident in the fight.

I suddenly felt a surge of courage. Judging by the way Raven calmly brings me up to speed, she didn't look too scared either.

So. How do we solve this problem?

"[I don't think he's going to hurt me right away, so think carefully about how you're going to act.

'Behellaaa

The answer came quickly.

I shouted the name of the ancestral goddess and quickly jumped to my feet, then ran straight towards Raven.

"[You're crazy!] Raven screamed right into my head in shock, but it was the best option. To do stupid things and let him take her hostage would be a real headache. Besides, he doesn't know we've noticed him. People are inherently incapable of rational judgment when they are greatly surprised.

"Raven!" Are you okay? You appeared to me in a dream!

I ran, shouting a made-up plausible phrase so that the rat would think for a second that he had not been caught. Let her hope. Of course, I couldn't be sure of what judgment this bastard would make in that brief moment.

"Kyaa!"

Fortunately, he didn't show up until I reached Raven.

"What's going on!?" Enemy!?

— ... What the hell. I slept so well.

The trio woke up shocked by the noise of the night, which was the second effect I had hoped for when I invoked the goddess of the ancestors. This allowed you to be prepared even for the fact that the rat would ambush another team member or try to take him hostage.

But did she hear my screaming even in my sleep? Misha met my gaze and lowered her head like a person who has received an arrow in the heart.

"Appeared in your dream... So you're so close? I... I didn't know. Yes... I didn't know either... Ha ha ha...

What is she doing again? Without any preamble, I simply shouted:

"Get ready for battle!" There's a rat here!

For researchers, the phrase "Prepare for battle" was absolute. The trio, almost reflexively, first took up arms and formed a tight formation, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. I quickly bypassed them.

"Bjorn, a rat?" Are rats on the 4th floor?

— ... This means that a stranger is hiding among us.

"Wh-I see. I was afraid that it was a real rat!

Maybe you should be more afraid of the other?

I wanted to say a lot, but I restrained myself.

It wasn't what I was supposed to do now.

"Raven, where is he?"

"He's gone. I can't detect it with detection magic.

Yes, it means that it is again in detection cancellation mode.

I didn't know if it was an item or a skill, but if it was an activated ability and not a passive one, then it should have a duration.

"Keep using it until they appear.

I hid Raven behind me and began to give orders.

"The rat has a concealment skill, so concentrate. He will definitely show up if he attacks.

Fully aware of the situation, the team members looked around warily with serious faces. The silence dragged on for a few minutes.

—…

The bastard still hadn't appeared, but I was sure he wasn't going to last forever. Most likely, he just needed time to get his thoughts in order, although there would be no decision.

"Mr. Yandel...

"Don't be nervous. Time is on our side.

In the stone cell, where all four doors were tightly closed, there was nowhere to run. The presence of the Ladder of Destiny could have changed the situation, but it wasn't there either.

"Just come out." I'll kill you painlessly," I muttered into the void.

"I found him!"

"Where is he?"

"Over there, at the door!"

So that's where he is.

"Can it be made visible?"

"Since I have a goal, it is possible.

"How long will it take?"

Raven didn't answer. She only held out her wand in her hand.

[Arua Raven cast an 8th rank auxiliary magic [Search]].

The gem on the end of the wand began to glow.

*Shaaaa!*

A cloud of blue light pressed against something transparent and formed the figure of a man. When the accumulation of light disappeared, the figure of the hiding bastard finally appeared. He wore a mask and was dressed in a tight-fitting dark suit.

"Looks like a rat. Behellaaaaa!

—…

As soon as our eyes met, I pushed off the ground and rushed forward.

*Whoosh!*

As if deciding on something, the rat opened the door and ran up the stairs.

"Bjorn!" He's leaving!

"Don't panic and pack your things for now.

Instead of giving chase, I took care of our belongings scattered on the floor. After all, if there is no one left here, the door will close. Then we won't be able to go back and pick up our things.

Of course, there is an opportunity to leave one person here, but why?

There was no need to hurry. The door that the rat opened was the Ladder of Courage. Until we all get up, the monsters won't appear. In other words, the rat was locked in a cage.

"That's all.

"Then let's go."

I stuffed everything, including my sleeping bag, into my backpack and followed him. When we all entered, the stone door closed with a crash. I climbed the stairs in front of everyone else, covering myself with a shield.

Judging by his eyes, he hadn't chosen this door without thinking.

I was a little nervous. What did he want? Since I didn't have any leads at the moment, I continued to stay alert as I climbed up. Soon the stairs ended. Behind the open door, I saw another empty cell.

Well, maybe "empty" is not quite the right word.

I didn't expect it...

In the center of a stone chamber with an area of 40 square meters, a corpse was melting.

***

*Bach!*

As soon as all the team members entered the cell, the door closed and a group of monsters were summoned.

"Did the detection magic detect anything?"

— No, I don't.

"We'll fight, assuming there's a rat lurking nearby."

We took a defensive position and dealt with the monsters. All this took about 6 minutes. When the battle was over, all eyes naturally turned to one point.

"Bjorn, this corpse..." Mike stammered. I thought I knew what she wanted to say, so there was no problem. She asked if he was real.

I called an expert.

"Raven?"

"It's not a fake. I feel the remnants of mana.

"It's a relief.

"That means he's just died.

"Could it...

"It can't be someone else. It is weak, but the length of the mana wave is exactly the same.

... So, it is so.

Bloody hell.

The rat committed suicide without even having time to say anything. This fact made me uncomfortable. It was similar to how in the novel members of a secret society take poison before being captured.

This is the first time I've encountered this, so I didn't even think about it.

I've met a lot of scum in the past, but they all wanted to live to the end. For the first time, I saw a man immediately run and kill himself. He didn't even try to fight.

— ... First you need to check.

I slowly approached the body and took off my mask. However, neither gender nor race could be determined. All the muscles on his face melted and spread like an Egg Ghost*.

A ghost from Korean folklore. He has no arms, no legs, no head, not even eyes, nose, or mouth. Its name comes from its resemblance to an egg.

"Mr. Yandel, maybe you should take off his clothes just in case?"

At the mage's direction, I removed the clothes from the corpse. The sight was even more horrible than before.

"Just as I thought, my whole body melted. And it's not acid. The clothes remained intact...

Raven walked over to the corpse without hesitation and poked it with an iron stick, checking here and there.

"The bones are still holding. There are no deviations in the hair either. It seems to be a component that only breaks down proteins...

Watching her work with the corpse without batting an eyelid, I couldn't help but ask:

"Are you okay?"

"Excuse me?" What are you talking about?

"Didn't you vomit when you saw the Corpse Golem...

"Ah!" That's because I suddenly smelled the smell of rot in the middle of the spell cast. I've seen worse things during my experiments, so it's nonsense.

— ... Got it.

Her character was very different from her appearance.

Even a ten-year-old veteran researcher, Mr. Bear, was forced to turn away.

"Yandel, are you sure he's dead?"

- So far, it looks like it.

"Then I'll rest over there." Cheese is my favorite food.

"Cheese?"

"If I look even longer, I don't think I'll be able to eat cheese again.

That was a good reason, so I let him go. Then, for similar reasons, Einar and Misha left.

"S-cheese?" I don't know what it is, but it's probably delicious.

"Bjorn?" I don't think I can help either...

Yes, there was no need for all of us to go through these difficulties.

"Both of you go and rest.

I focused on talking to Raven.

"Is it poison?"

— Yes. I don't know which of the alchemists made it, but it's a very unusual poison. The components of the drug are released through the sweat glands immediately after its use and melt the skin.

"Ideal for suicide.

— Yes. Especially if you need to hide your identity.

The discomfort grew. What kind of bastard is this? At first glance, he did not look like an ordinary marauder.

*Click*

I took off his equipment.

It was prey, but I also thought there might be some clues to his identity.

"I don't have a certificate.

— ... Strangely.

It wasn't just strange. Without an identity card, it was impossible to pass through a checkpoint in the city.

Could it be that the Dragon Slayer had sent him?

If this person was from an underground city, then it made sense that he didn't have an identity card. With this thought in mind, I rummaged through his expandable backpack. There were not so many items: a few items for the expedition and food.

And...

"Wow, this guy must be an expert. It has everything from sleepy plants to the paralyzing venom of the basilisk.

The rest is consumables for battles with other people. Among them were items so rare that even Raven wanted to take them.

That bastard was really planning to kill someone.

Although I didn't exchange a single word with the masked man, I got goosebumps. It was an insidious method of looting, taking advantage of the distinctive feature of the 4th floor. If it weren't for Raven, we would be in serious trouble.

"But what were you doing at that time?"

—... I just washed my face.

Oh, that's right. She has already spoken.

"Why didn't you do it when everyone is awake?"

— ... I'm sorry, but it's only my second time in the labyrinth. Less than a month later, I met Mr. Urickfried.

Exactly, a period of adaptation. It was so simple that I didn't even think about it. In any case, Raven finally understood what she looked like now. Dressed in a thin dress, she frowned and took out a robe from the subspace to put on.

"Tell me next time." I'll put up a tent for you or something.

"It's all right. I am now a researcher. I'm not going to make a fuss about that.

"As you say."

After that, I exchanged a few more words with Raven, examining the corpse, but nothing special came of it. After covering the masked man turned into a pudding with a rag, we gathered in the corner and tried to sleep.

Of course, just in case, we decided to take turns on duty. I was the first on duty.

—…

As I silently went over everything that had happened today, I heard a moan from Raven's sleeping bag. Maybe she was having a nightmare? I was wondering if I should wake her up when Raven slowly opened her eyes.

— ... Mr. Yandel.

"Are you awake?" Don't worry and sleep on. I will guard this place.

"That's not the point. I want to ask you something.

When I told her to continue, Raven paused, and then asked:

"If I hadn't used detection magic back then, what would have happened?"

It was not at all like her usual dignified tone. And then I realized that no matter how calm she behaved and no matter how well she controlled her emotions, she could not help but be shocked.

"Do you want an honest answer?"

— Yes.

"If we hadn't been lucky, we'd all have died. If we were lucky, it would end up with the death of one or two of us.

There was a minute of silence.

"Isn't it... Is the expedition always like this?

I smiled bitterly and nodded.

— Yes.

Not knowing when and where you will meet the villain, the fact that your life can disappear at any moment is an expedition.

"But don't worry. It's not always hard and terrible.

I didn't know if that would calm her down, but I told her about what had happened to the team of losers:

About how Dvalki was discouraged after the first meeting with the marauder.

About the beautiful landscape on the 3rd floor, which Rothmiller showed us to cheer him up.

"My seniors say it's a meaningless phenomenon of mana oversaturation," Raven muttered, grinning. I wondered if this was the feeling of a real sorcerer. "Still, I hope to see it next time.

"Okay, next time I'll wake you up before 12:00.

It wasn't long before the sound of light breathing came from Raven's sleeping bag. Thus ended the 8th day.