Page 95

(Derisha)

And Walson - the incredibly skilled and mysterious shopkeeper, the owner of the Hero's Restaurant - was teleported alongside me to the 70th underground level known as the "Abyssal City" due to the foolishness of the Rex family's idiotic head. The only way to survive through this and get out of the labyrinth is to conquer it, which no one in history had ever managed to do.

In the labyrinth, I also formed a bond called a [Party] with Walson. Due to my status as this country princess, I couldn't easily form deep connections with anyone before since I was too busy avoiding political factors and the so-called "noble bloodline" in the mouths of foolish aristocrats... But in the current extraordinary circumstances, it was unavoidable for me to develop a bond like this.

...Actually, I really like the feeling of fighting side by side with someone.

Throughout the countless quests I've undertaken as a solo adventurer, I've formed temporary parties with others many times in the past, but the feeling that I get when I was with them is nothing when compared to what I'm feeling today.

I don't know why, perhaps because the one I'm in a Party with is Walson? After all, when I was with him, I could fight wholeheartedly without worrying about any monster attacking my back.

The person behind me is not only someone whom I want to protect, but also someone who can protect me.

Have all the other adventurer teams been like this?

I... I envy them... .

It has been such a long time since I was fighting joyfully like this, the fact that he also gave me a weapon also boosted my mood a lot... Yes, he gave me a weapon. He said it's called the [Anti-Melon Spear], though its original name was longer, but it was simplified.

Anti-Melon Spear... What is a melon? Is it a monster? Or the name of a person? Was this weapon created to fight against this person?

What kind of formidable opponent does this weapon, made from the powerful Orha Steel, have to face? Holding the Anti-Melon Spear, capable of withstanding all of my magical power, I feel like my vision has been elevated to another realm.

I can easily defeat monsters above level 80 now, but at the same time, I feel my own insignificance.

Sitting in the special fast ship made by Walson, the "speedboat" as he called it, we plunged into the darkness.

However, we couldn't escape from that enormous... monster.

Who would have thought that the labyrinth that the Teigitan King built a long time ago in the past turned out to have such a terrifying fish monster living at the bottom floor!?

This fish monster was originally a ferocious little fish that lived in the labyrinth - or at least, it should have originally been like that.

But after reaching the deep layers, these fish have become so huge and strong that I can only feel powerless just by standing in front of it - that's what the old me would have said, but now I'm willing to fight alongside my newly made party member on the same ship till death.

Was this enormous fish a result of the anomaly?

...Although this year's harvest is still bountiful, it is actually much less than in previous years. The blessing from the Autumn Goddess, who is also the Water Goddess, and her presence in the water has decreased.

Could all of this be the result of the anomaly influence?

Even though we rushed into the water passage leading to the lower entrance, we still weren't able to escape from the danger.

One reason is that the water passage is very wide.

That giant fish monster also followed us in.

"OOO, OO, Storm Thrust!" I unleash an [Arte] that was originally classified as a short-range attack, this magic should pack enough firepower to crush his head, but it only inflicts a gory wound on the monster forehead instead.

The giant fish skull seems incredibly sturdy, and combined with my inability to attack the monster from a different angle due to the water passage, I can't slow its movement down at all.

Losing the advantage of maneuvering in the water passage, the monster gaping maw is only a hair's breadth away from us.

"Damn... If this continues, it'll catch up... Hey! Get down!"

Walson's equipment shoots a thread that wraps around my feet, tripping me.

...I don't know when it happened, but several aimed shots release impacts that pierce through the air where I was originally positioned. (Tn: This meant several arrows shot past through where her head was)

"This angle leaves you nowhere to dodge. Let's see if your head is stronger than the canon bullet!" The threads shot out again, this time firmly sticking my hands to the deck. Then, Walson pulled out a peculiar-looking cylindrical object from somewhere.

"Huh?! What are you going to do...?"

And then, my words froze amidst the splattering fish blood.

The massive beast stopped its howling—it couldn't make any sound with a hole pierced through its skull.

But the ship had already lost its speed, and within seconds, it would be swallowed by the swarm of fish.

"It seems to be effective, but the speed of the ship is not enough." Walson just put on a new glove, and a stone wall appeared in his hand, shattering and intercepting the incoming attacks.

The beast was dead, but the remaining fish continued to thrash about.

Walson flipped over and struck the stern of the ship in mid-air. The ship shook, and its speed suddenly increased, leaving Walson and the giant beast behind.

"Sorry, I'll take care of the rest and catch up later, be careful of the way"

The last thing I saw was his hearty smile and a group of fish monsters that were surging at him.

...

No, no.

Did—did he really just sacrifice himself like that!?

. . . .No

Please don't. . .

As my mind began to feeled to the brim with the feeling of despair, what remained before my eyes was the ceiling blurring due to the high speed movement of the boat. After some floating sensation, my vision returned to brightness once more.

I arrived at the next level, but only I alone made it through.

I tore the spider silk off my hands and stood up. The wooden boat was already in ruins. I anxiously looked around.

Compared to the previous level, this space was much narrower. It was a hemispherical space, and unlike the previous level, this one had reverted to its original style. There were no stone pillars, but instead, there was a small platform in the center of the water with a small house on it.

The water pouring down from the sky was the way I came in. There was no disturbance from any monsters or beasts... At this moment, I sensed an unnatural flow of magic in this place.

This is... an alternate dimension? And then, I remembered something.

Once upon a time, I had read in a book that large mazes would usually have a small number of these areas placed on an alternate dimension set up, known as safe zones.

Moreover, these peaceful areas typically had barriers made around it to prevent monsters and beasts from approaching, making this as some sort of a monster-free zone.

People said that this was the creator of the maze showing a bit of kindness toward the dungeon explorer, creating this peaceful area for them to take a rest.

So... if only I could have held on a little longer, if I fought with him just for a moment longer, Walson wouldn't have...

"Boom!!!!!!!!"

Before I could finish my thought, a tremendous explosion echoed from the ceiling, and a large mass of bright red matter splashed into the water.

A few seconds later, a single hand grasped the edge of the boat I was in and pulled itself up.

It's Walson.

"Damn... huff... using a detonator in such a narrow space is really no different from asking for death... I caught a glimpse of the afterlife... By the way, we're at the same Party now. Just check your status, don't immediately assume I'm dead, you clown! How heartless of you as a princess..."

...And then, both of us fell into the water together as I lunged at him with tears gathering at the corner of my eye.

My bodies began moving on their own before my mind could process what is happening.

I held my nearly lost companion tightly in the water, the very same companion who almost sacrificed themselves for me.