Surviving in the Labyrinth City of the Reverse World

27 – Vagabond #1

Just because I made up my mind didn’t mean I wasn’t scared. My body started trembling as soon as I decided to go downstairs to the second floor.

It was inevitable to be nervous. Because I was heading to a new space.

Even when I was conscripted from Horn Village to Ravines, I felt a strange resistance. The desire to secretly run away like this was like a chimney.

“But once I arrived in Ravines, it was 100 times better than Horn Village.”

A city with more older sisters than grandmothers or ajummas. That alone was enough reason to bury myself in Ravines.

It was always the same. When going from a familiar place to an unfamiliar place.

From modern society to the medieval era, from Horn Village to Ravines, and to the Labyrinth.

At first, my hands and feet were trembling.

The second floor was the same. It’s scary and frightening now, but once I break through the experience, I’ll be able to come and go without any problem.

Like my own bedroom.

“You need to sleep well so you can go down to the second floor tomorrow.”

I couldn’t sleep. If Soo wasn’t next to me, I might have spent the time with wide-open eyes.

“So go to sleep quickly.”

Soo helped me fall asleep. Just the fact that someone was watching over me gave me a tremendous sense of security.

In particular, in the labyrinth, the embrace of the sisters felt cozier than an impregnable fortress.

Morning came. They had slept without waking up once.

“Did you sleep well?”

She was Su when she slept well, but she was Lauren when she woke up. The two of them took turns waking up. I was excluded.

Even for the sake of “Soul Protection” quality, the boys had to get a good night’s sleep. It was almost mandatory.

After filling their stomachs, they began to move. They searched for a portal leading to the second floor.

“…I felt it yesterday too. There are many portals leading downstairs to the second floor.”

Today, they decided to go to the second floor, but yesterday they had no intention of going down. Their mindset towards the portals itself was different.

“There are a lot of portals for transportation. That’s because the labyrinth is so vast.”

Meeting other explorers was like a miracle; the scale was enormous. Meeting Brown on the first day was like breaking through an unbelievable probability.

“God must have helped us.”

We were able to survive by a series of coincidences.

“We really have to be careful.”

They stood in front of the portal to the second floor. The shimmering blue portal, which was clearly beautiful, felt unpleasant. It was just unsettling.

When I stood frozen, Lauren chuckled and patted my shoulder, trying to ease my tension.

“Su is here too.”

“…Didn’t you say it was dangerous when Su was here, and you didn’t like it?”

“That’s because your attitude towards exploration seemed too light, so I warned you. Someday, another explorer will come into my place, and it wouldn’t be right if the person caught in between feels uncomfortable.”

I said that for your sake. The excuse was quite good.

“Why did Ray react the same way?”

“Hmph.”

“It’s cute how you pretend to be mad.”

The tension dissipated. Thanks to that, I could relax.

“It’s not too dangerous to be on the second floor. As long as we maintain ‘Soul Protection,’ we can hunt without any problems.”

They say Swoo’s skills are higher than expected. So much so that even the third floor poses no threat.

“But if we go down further, Swoo will have to demonstrate their true abilities. From then on, the cost of ‘Soul Protection’… in other words, it will consume a lot of Ray’s energy, making the party itself more dangerous. But that’s the same for other parties too.”

In the end, what mattered was the power of the boy, his masculinity. I had to firmly grasp the center in order to run the party stably.

“Let’s go.”

Lauren crossed the portal. I followed her.

The air changed.

“…!”

A pitch-black darkness covered everything. It was so dark that it couldn’t be compared to the cave, to the point where it felt suffocating.

“When I heard about it, I couldn’t quite grasp the feeling… but now that I’m here, I understand. How it feels to be on the second floor…”

“Because the solidified darkness obstructs our vision, we can’t see it, but in reality, the second floor is a forest. A forest of darkness.”

Whether it was the first or second floor, the air quality was close to trash. Breathing itself was stressful.

If the first floor felt like inhaling dusty air near a rotten lake, then the second floor felt like someone had placed a bag of trash nearby.

The distinct smell of ammonia filled the air.

“…It’s not a hunting issue, is it?”

I’ve been here for a week? They better pay me extra for this. I’d rather deal with the first floor ghosts.

Lauren looked at me, her eyes filled with amusement. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Ha, when did I say I wanted to go down to the second floor?”

“I didn’t expect it to be like this. Are there people exploring here? It seems impossible for anyone to do it.”

“No one explores willingly. There are only those who do it out of necessity.”

“…I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

To be frank, it felt like someone had put socks on my face all day long. I couldn’t even stand it as a joke.

Lauren asked.

“Should we go back to the first floor?”

“……”

The decision was left up to me.

“You’re the party leader. The rest of us have no choice but to follow your lead. Because, no matter how strong a woman you are, we rely on your ‘soul protection’ in the labyrinth.”

“……”

“If you can’t do it, then you can’t. If you say you can, then you can. We only step in when you make reckless judgments that seem to put your life in danger.”

“……”

“Why? You are the one who knows your abilities and condition the best.”

This also seems like part of the training….

“Hunting here is impossible.”

I was really tempted to vomit right then and there.

But exploring? That’s absurd.

“Is that so?”

Lauren willingly listened to my opinion.

“You thought I was strong-willed like the others, but I wasn’t, Ray.”

“…No matter how strong-willed you are, this place is a little…”

There are different types of determination. I lacked the determination to overcome the stench.

Squeak, squeak-.

At that moment, a sound came from nearby. It was the sound of a group approaching.

It must be the monsters on the second floor.

Due to the narrowed field of vision, I couldn’t see ahead. I had to rely on other senses to find the monsters’ location.

Since my sense of smell was practically useless, the second floor forced me to rely on my hearing.

“…A skeleton?”

Emerging through the darkness was a skeleton. A familiar skeleton from somewhere.

The distance was about 10m. The visibility allowed by the darkness of the second floor was up to 10m.

Three unarmed skeletons creaked and approached this way. Their movement speed was slower than the goblins’.

It took an eternity for them to walk those 10m.

“The second floor is unpopular. It’s mentally challenging. Boys can’t handle it, like you.”

“……”

“That’s why most skilled parties go directly to the third floor. The third floor is comfortable. Maybe even more than the first floor. There’s no environmental discomfort. But the monsters are powerful.”

Lauren leisurely walked over and kicked the skeleton’s leg. With a light low kick, the guy’s shin shattered.

It was truly pitiful to see him collapse with a clank.

The skeleton wasn’t threatening. I held my nose and asked in a muffled voice.

“If the monsters are powerful… how dangerous is it?”

“Did you suddenly become interested in the third floor?”

“Are you going back to the first floor or going up to the third floor? I thought I should consider which one would be better.”

“On the third floor, there are orcs. Orcs, lizardmen, werewolves. They’re evolved versions of the monsters on the first floor.”

I can’t grasp how dangerous they are. They may be just ordinary mobs that appear in other fantasy worlds, but here they could have completely different powers.

“You said you were active on the fourth floor, right?”

“Yeah. On the fourth floor, there are spirits. Spirits that have been consumed by darkness. The Empire named them Dark Spirits.”

“…So the third floor should be a piece of cake, right?”

Goblins, kobolds, and gnolls, the superior counterparts of monsters, versus dark spirits that sound threatening just by hearing their name.

Of course, the former seems easier, doesn’t it?

Lauren, who is active on the fourth floor and still alive, and the White Tiger Clan’s Su, who guarantees her abilities.

“I can go to the third floor, right?”

It’s a little scary, but I think I can handle it, at least to some extent.

Once again, I start to have a careless mindset. Fortunately, Lauren administered medicine at the right time.

“The danger on the third floor isn’t the monsters themselves. Even level 2 adventurers can hunt them.”

“…?”

How strong are level 2 adventurers? Judging by Lauren’s excitement, it doesn’t seem like they’re particularly powerful.

“What you need to be careful of on the third floor are not the monsters, but the other adventurers.”

“…Adventurers?”

“More precisely, former adventurers. Outlaws.”

“….”

Lauren continued speaking.

“You know, where do you think the bandits who tried to kidnap you might be staying?”

“……”

“The girls who can’t go back to the city, where would they go?”

Lauren pointed down with her finger.

“Down there. Deeper into the labyrinth.”

“You mean the 3rd floor?”

“The 3rd floor has a good environment. If a group of skilled adventurers gather, they can live well enough.”