REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, TWELFTH FLOOR
After we kill all the Hando and collect their nails, we descend to the twelfth floor.
As we walk, I slow down a bit.
"Actually… I wanna try something."
Then, I reach into my dimensional inventory and pull out Yamitsuki, the HP-MP-absorbing katana that I've benched for a while. The moment it slides into view, Yomogi, Chantal, and Kimberly examine it together.
The one who comments first is Kimberly.
"That sword… is beautiful… Motegi-sama..."
"Hehe... thank you."
Yomogi tilts her head.
"I've never seen you with that before, Motegi-chan."
"I did use it early on, but since you're a close-combat fighter, I figured I'd hang back and support with spells. Then Chantal joined, and that gave us two frontliners."
"I see…"
Chantal blinks, surprised.
"Wait, you can fight with a sword too, Motegi-kun?"
"Yeah. I'm not good with it yet, but I get by."
"Huh?! I thought you were a mage!"
"Ahaha… well, now that Kimberly's here, I figured I can finally go back to swordplay for a bit."
After that, we keep moving, but before long, Yomogi and Chantal stop us again.
When Chantal's ears perk up...
"I hear something..."
Yomogi sniffs the air as usual.
"Will it be birds this time?"
A moment later, three tall cranes with long beaks strut into view. And when one opens its beak, Kimberly suddenly warns us.
"Watch out…"
And Yomogi shouts.
"Cover your ears!!"
I clamp my hands over mine a second before it begins.
"Skreeee!!!"
Even with my ears covered, I still can hear the ripping sound. Through the noise, I can barely hear Chantal's scream.
"Gahhh! I hate these things! It's the Trumpet Cranes! My ears!!"
Eventually, the screech dies out, and we slowly remove our hands as I ask everyone's condition.
"Are you okay, Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly?"
"I'm okay, Motegi-chan... But this is bad, we don't have any ear protection. I can't fight like this."
"Same here, Motegi-kun. My ears are buzzing like crazy now..."
"What about you, Kimberly? Can you handle them?"
"I can… but… if I cast... a spell… they might spread… the noise... even more... Especially… if they screech... near death…"
Yeah, that makes sense.
Yomogi and Chantal can't charge in. Chantal, especially, with her hearing, takes the worst of it. Kimberly's reasoning is also logical because it might make things worse.
So, I think I have to step forward this time.
"I'll do it."
But first things first...
"Earth Wall!"
Moments later, solid slabs of rock formed in front of each girl.
"Hey, Kimberly, the Earth Wall can block sound, right?"
"Yes… it should… Motegi-sama..."
Yomogi calls out, clearly worried.
"Are you really going, Motegi-chan?"
"Yeah."
And Chantal is also the same.
"Shouldn't you just use magic instead, Motegi-kun?"
"Don't worry, I've got a plan."
I face the cranes again and cast the same spell again, but this time, I do it on my head.
"Earth Wall!"
Moments later, a tight-fitting dome formed around my head like a helmet.
Wait...
This might actually work for these girls too, right?
I mean... they can fight these birds without sacrificing their ears.
Gripping Yamitsuki tightly in my right hand, I charge forward and cast another Earth element spell mid-run.
"Earth Shield!"
Just like that, a small earth shield is conjured on my left hand as I take one of the cranes that tries to open its beak.
"Shut up."
"Skreee...!!"
With one clean strike, I take its head off and just as I thought, its screech is useless against my helmet. Then, I do the same to the other two.
"Now it's you!"
"Skreee...!!"
"And you!"
"Skreee...!!"
When all the cranes fall, they drop something, which are feathers. I pick one up and use my [Appraisal] skill to check it.
[Trumpet Crane's Feather]
Used for ink brushes.
"Ink brush, huh?"
Then, Yomogi, Chantal, and Kimberly rush over.
"Amazing, Motegi-chan!"
"You did it, Motegi-kun!"
Curiously, I turn to Kimberly.
"Hey, Kimberly, what's their rare drop?"
"Skill crystals. When fused… with accessories… they nullify… sound-based attacks…"
"Ah, I see..."
Then, Yomogi pokes at the dome around my head.
"What is that thing, Motegi-chan?"
"Just an Earth barrier spell. Let me do it for you too."
With that, I cast the Earth Wall again.
"Earth Wall!"
One by one, helmets formed on their heads too. And Yomogi and Chantal delightfully poke theirs.
"Now you can all fight safely, right?"
"Oooh! It's cool, Motegi-kun! It's like wearing a helmet!"
"Ehehe... it's a little funny, Motegi-chan."
As for Kimberly, she smiles with what looks like awe.
"You always… come up with… clever uses… Thank you… Motegi-sama…"
"Shall we move on?"
"Yes!"
With helmets protecting our ears, we press forward and continue to face more and more Trumpet Cranes throughout the floor.
Yomogi uses her fists as usual, punching through their feathers.
"Raaahhh!!"
"Skreee...!!"
Chantal blitzes with her daggers, decapitating two of them at once.
"Down you go, feathery freaks!"
"Skreee...!!" "Skreee...!!"
Kimberly follows up with her wind spell, taking three at once this time.
"Wind... Blade..."
"Skreee...!!" "Skreee...!!" "Skreee...!!"
And I cut them all down with Yamitsuki, occasionally mixing it with spellcasting.
"Gravity Bind! Now take this!"
"Skreee...!!"
As we continue to walk, I turn to Kimberly as I become curious again over something.
"Hey, Kimberly. Do elves have a signature skill too?"
"Yes… we do. It's called… [Call of the Wind]. It allows us… to draw mana… from our mouth… into our chest… and… exhale it instantly…"
"Uhh... I don't get it."
Right on cue, three Trumpet Cranes strut out. Then, Kimberly steps forward as she turns at me.
"Then… let me show you… Motegi-sama…"
After that, she murmurs and activates her skill.
"[Call of the Wind]..."
After that, she inhales deeply and then exhales a roaring gust of wind in one breath from her lips like a cannon. It blasts straight into the cranes, slamming them into the wall to death.
"Skreee...!!"
As they drop their feathers, Chantal snaps excitedly.
"Ah! Feathers!"
When Chantal runs to pick them up., Kimberly says something interesting to me.
"Each race… in Acrusse… has their own… signature skill… except… humans…"
"Huh? Why humans don't?"
"I… don't... know… either..."
And Yomogi chuckles, making me laugh awkwardly.
"You know, Kimberly? Motegi-chan doesn't know basic knowledge like that."
"Ahaha... sorry..."
After that, I glance around.
"Those were the last ones, right?"
"Looks like it, Motegi-chan."
"You're right, Motegi-kun!"
"Yes… they're gone… Motegi-sama..."
"Alright then, let's go."
And with that, we descend to the thirteenth floor.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, THIRTEENTH FLOOR
It only takes us a few minutes of walking before Yomogi and Chantal stop us.
Chantal's ears twitch again as usual...
"They're coming."
And Yomogi sniffs the air, but she looks delighted this time.
"Mmm… these ones smell delicious…"
Delicious?
What does she mean?
Then, three strange monsters appear. Their bodies are round and wrapped in leafy layers like cabbages. But strapped to their backs are small stem contraptions like tiny catapults.
"Wait, are those… cabbage?"
Kimberly nods at me, confirming it.
"Yes… they're called… Catapult Cabbage… They can… launch their own… explosive heads…"
Then, Yomogi and Chantal turn to me with hopeful smiles.
"Motegi-kun, mind giving us your magic touch again?"
"Yes! Motegi-chan! Their rare drop items are real cabbages! I want them!"
Ah, that's why Yomogi says delicious.
"Okay, you've got it. And you too, Kimberly."
Kimberly tilts her head, confused.
"Have… what… exactly…?"
After that, I silently activate [Temporary Boost]. I set these girls' respective stats — Yomogi's strength and durability, Chantal's speed and agility, and Kimberly's MP — to infinity. And of course, to make them able to get the cabbage, I set their luck to infinity too.
Yomogi and Chantal look at their own bodies happily.
"Thank you, Motegi-chan."
"You're the best, Motegi-kun!"
As for Kimberly, she just stares at her fingertips and looks confused.
"What… is happening… to me…?"
Then, Yomogi charges forward. One of the Catapult Cabbages launches its projectile at her, but Yomogi meets it mid-flight with a punch instead.
"Raaahhh!!"
BOOM!
It rockets straight back into the creature's body, detonating on impact and blowing it to pieces.
At the same time, Chantal blitzes as the second monster fires its explosive cabbage.
"Woohoo!"
She flips to the side with ease and rushes in low, slicing straight through its body and splitting it in two.
Kimberly watches, stunned by the two women.
"I had... no idea… they were… this powerful…"
Still looking dazed, she still raises one arm and casts a spell.
"Wind... Javelin..."
WHOOSH!!
A spear of wind erupts from her palm, blasting into the last monster, sending a huge explosion through the area that surprises Kimberly herself.
"That was… stronger than I… expected…"
And just like that, three fresh cabbages drop to the ground. Yomogi dashes over, happily scooping them up in her arms, and hurries back.
"Motegi-chan! Let's have these for dinner!"
"Sounds perfect."
Then, Chantal leans toward Kimberly, nudging her lightly.
"So, how was Motegi-kun's magic, Kimberly?"
Kimberly just keeps staring at her hands, still visibly overwhelmed.
"I… don't… know…"
**********
What… was that…?
I stare down at my hand, still faintly humming from the Wind Javelin I just released.
That is not normal.
Wind Javelin is one of the most powerful but costly spells in my arsenal. The effort it needs to stabilize the pressure and form is high-tier, and even with my control, I usually avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.
But just now… the power it unleashed felt different. It was like amplified, and I've never seen it deal that much damage before.
And what even stranger is I still have plenty of mana left. Enough to cast it again and again.
How…?
I glance toward Yomogi and Chantal, and I remember what Yomogi said earlier, that she felt stronger than when she used [Rock Fang], or when she said that Chantal was faster than with the [Electric Claw]. And now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I believe them.
Yomogi's raw strength and Chantal's speed... I have never seen a wolfkin that powerful or a pantherkin that fast, not even with their signature skills activated.
This is not ordinary magic.
"Just who… are you… really… Motegi-sama…?"
He turns back at me.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
I blink and shake my head softly.
"It's… nothing…"
"Ah, okay."
But in my heart, I know that something about him doesn't obey the limits of this world.
**********
"So, should we keep going?"
"Yes, Motegi-chan!"
"Hell yeah, Motegi-kun. Our goal is the fifteenth floor, right?"
"Yes… let us… continue… Motegi-sama…"
And just like that, the girls and I move deeper, and the Catapult Cabbage onslaught doesn't let up. But with [Temporary Boost] still flowing through them, the girls are in top form as we collect more cabbages along the way.
Yomogi keeps smashing through leafy bodies like paper.
"Raaahhh!!"
Chantal zips between shots, shredding anything in her path with her twin daggers and lightning-fast moves.
"Come on! Who's next!"
And Kimberly is slowly getting her groove, launching spell after spell more confidently.
"Wind... Javelin..."
"Wind... Cannon..."
As for me, I don't want to lose either. I also boost my own stats to infinity and jump right into the fray with Yamitsuki and magic.
"Fire Storm!"
"Now take this!"
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, FOURTEENTH FLOOR
When we reach the fourteenth floor, new monsters show up again, which are human-sized, slow-crawling leeches called Bitch Leech. According to Kimberly, their saliva can melt metal.
But still, we handle them as a team even though [Temporary Boost] only boosts our luck this time and not our overall stats. Yomogi wrestles without hesitation, Chantal slices them like meat, Kimberly's Wind spells are even sharper than ever, and I continue with my own Yamitsuki and spellcasting.
The leeches' drop items are gelatins, which can be used for cosmetics. And then, we continue battling them and collecting their gelatins again.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, FIFTEENTH FLOOR
The monsters on the fifteenth floor are another human-sized monster. And this time, they're rolling, bouncing tumbleweed-like creatures with spiky strands called Tum Tumble.
And they attack us literally by rolling, but it doesn't matter for us. Yomogi meets them head-on with spinning kicks that knock them airborne, Chantal zigzags through their rolls and splits them in half deep, Kimberly hurls Wind Blades and shreds them into pieces, and I use magic and Yamitsuki again.
Their drop items are weeds, which can be used for medicine. And then, we continue battling them and collecting their weeds again.
After a few more fights with the Tum Tumble, we reach the end of the fifteenth floor: a boss area.
"Ready?"
"Ready, Motegi-chan."
"Let's do this, Motegi-kun!"
"I'm ready… Motegi-sama…"
"Okay, let's go."
And just like that, we step inside the room.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, FIFTEENTH FLOOR - BOSS AREA
At the center of the boss chamber stands a lone figure. It's humanoid in shape, feminine in build, and carved from a granite-like stone.
I ask curiously, which Kimberly answers.
"What is that?"
"That's… an Ushabti…"
Ushabti?
That sounds familiar.
That's an Egyptian funerary figurine, right?
Then, Kimberly continues.
"It can… nullify magic. I don't… think my spells… will work…"
"I see."
With that, I turn to Yomogi and Chantal.
"What about you two?"
"I'll give it a shot, Motegi-kun!"
Chantal immediately lunges forward, trying to slash once, and both daggers bounce harmlessly off the granite surface.
"Tch... damn it!"
Yeah, that's a rock, Chantal.
"Let me try too, Motegi-chan!"
Yomogi charges in next, locking arms with the Ushabti as the two push against each other.
"Ghhh..."
Yomogi isn't struggling, and it doesn't look like it's overpowering her either, but something was off. She is exerting more effort than usual, like she needs a lot of time to win.
"Back off, Yomogi! I want to try something."
And Yomogi leaps back.
"What are you going to do, Motegi-chan?"
"Motegi-kun, if my daggers didn't work, your sword probably won't either."
"And magic… may fail… Motegi-sama..."
I smirk at them.
"Who knows?"
I don't know what I'm about to do, actually, but I know that I should try something.
"Lightning Orb!"
I randomly cast that spell and launch it into the Ushabti, striking its stone torso.
It works, huh?
Yomogi blinks.
"Huh?"
Chantal gasps.
"Wha... how?"
And Kimberly is equally surprised.
"Your magic… works...?"
Without hesitation, I silently activate [Elemental Combo]. On my left hand, I merge Water and Wind elements, forming a ball of Ice element. On my right, Fire and Earth elements twist into a ball of Lava element.
"Amazing... he created... new elements…"
"It's one of Motegi-chan's tricks!"
"That's Motegi-kun for you!"
Then, I turn my back and playfully ask them.
"Hey, Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly. What is the fastest way to break a rock?"
I pause for a moment before I answer it myself.
"Extreme temperature shift!"
After that, I throw the Ice ball first, freezing the Ushabti. Before it can react, I hurl the Lava ball, melting the fissures. And when its surface softens, I charge forward with Yamitsuki.
"Haah!!"
CRACK!!
The Ushabti shatters into dust, and in an instant, it drops a chunk of granite.
Well, another useful thing for future use, and my [Lapidary] skill definitely likes it.
Then, Yomogi and Chantal approach me.
"You're amazing, Motegi-chan!"
"Seriously, Motegi-kun. That was so cool!"
Kimberly says nothing at first, but then she whispers.
"Motegi-sama…"
And then, a teleportation circle appears in the middle of the room. But we have a better way to go home.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, SIXTEENTH FLOOR
As we arrive at the sixteenth floor, I cast my teleportation spell and turn to them.
"Alright, let's go home."
And just like that, we step into the portal together and end our labyrinth adventure for today.