REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, NINETY-EIGHTH FLOOR
Once the store is closed and we've earned about 15 yen in total sales, we shift to our usual labyrinth run and leave Puck at home as usual.
Right now, Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly, Pinna, Salacia, Manas, Lilith, Brunhild, and I explore the ninety-eighth floor with our formation remaining unchanged.
Frontline: Manas, Brunhild, and Yomogi walk side by side with Pinna's Observer Unit floating between them.
Mid-to-front: Chantal walks in behind the front trio.
Middle: Kimberly walks next to Lilith and Pinna, with the latter's Crawler Unit slithering on the ground between them.
Rear: Salacia and me.
After the Goo Frogs on the eighty-third floor, the next monsters we defeated were Beggar Dodders, Spring Olives with their oil drops, Numb Prawns with their rare meat drops, Drill Carrots with their rare carrot drops, Fall Legumes with their rare tamarind drops, Wallynuts with their rare walnut drops, Wet Sedges, Bitter Gliders, Moss Mounts, Weeny Rhinos, Lethal Lotus with their root drops, Jet Ducks with their rare meat drops, Mile Chamos with their rare dried flower drops, and Super Scarabs. Those are monsters from floors 20-33 that previously returned to floors 52-65, and they came out again at floors 84-97.
And if my guessing is right, these floors, 98-99, will be the last two nine-monster floors, and also the end of the second "loop" mechanic with reappearing monsters should be the ones from floors thirty-four to thirty-five.
Then, Yomogi suddenly stops in our tracks, and she sniffs the air in delight as Manas turns to her.
"What dost thou detect, Yomogi?"
"Mmm! Kaki!"
A second later, nine giant persimmons with glossy orange bodies bounce into view.
Kooky Kaki are monsters from the thirty-fourth floor, then reappeared at the sixty-sixth floor on the first loop... and they've returned once again here, at the ninety-eighth floor, as a part of the second loop.
And obviously, I already activated [Temporary Boost] in silent and set all our stats to infinity, so we can get their rare fruit drops and I can turn them into hoshigaki that everyone likes.
One of them suddenly springs forward, its round body compressing and rebounding straight toward Manas. But she already raises her pavise, and the persimmon slams into it as she laughs mockingly.
"Hah! Foolish fruit! Such antics… shall not avail thee!"
"Haaaahhh!"
And Brunhild charges without hesitation to finish that off, swinging her greatsword in a downward arc and cleaving clean through it.
"Grrraahh!!"
Yomogi roars, driving a straight kick into the second persimmon, detonating its body into a spray of bright orange pulp.
"Who wants persimmon juice?!"
Chantal shouts as her daggers carve cleanly through the third persimmon.
"Wind... Javelin..."
"Earth Bullet!"
Kimberly and I lift our hands and shoot our respective spells forward. Kimberly's long spear of compressed air skewers the fourth and fifth persimmons in a straight line, as my volley of stone rounds does the same thing to the sixth and seventh persimmons' bodies.
WHAM!
Pinna's Crawler Unit finishes the last two as they're slammed flat against the ground with a powerful gravitational force.
After that, we reach out to collect the fruit drops. And Yomogi's eyes shine as she turns to me.
"Nee, Motegi-chan... will you dry these ones too?"
"Absolutely. Though it might take a while like usual, you okay with that?"
"No problem!"
And just like that, we continue forward, defeating more Kooky Kaki and gathering more persimmons until we descend to the ninety-ninth floor.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, NINETY-NINTH FLOOR
Arriving here, we walk deeper until we finally get close to nine impossibly long black, braided strands that hang from the ceiling like monstrous ropes, and their ends brush the ground.
Chantal blurts, and I can't help but joke dryly.
"The hell… they're black now?"
"Maybe they haven't run out of dye yet."
"Hahaha... yeah, you're probably right, Motegi-kun!"
Honestly, these Hairloom monsters are unique to me aside from them being dangerous.
First, they never come to us. Unlike every other monster in the labyrinth, they don't charge or rush. They wait, which means we have to go to them.
Second, their appearance always changes. The first time, on the thirty-fifth floor, they were blonde. The second time, on the sixty-seventh, they were red. And now, they're black.
Third, they don't drop loot, but thanks to my [Temporary Boost], they do drop Fruit of Luck, the macadamia-luck nut with Luck-enhancing properties.
So yeah, that alone is enough to keep the skill active for all of us.
Two braids suddenly snap downward, lunging straight for Manas. But she raises her hand instead.
"Fire Stratos!"
Layered flames erupt from the ground, forming a barrier of burning heat. The braids strike it and ignite instantly, reduced to charred remnants before they can reach her.
"Nnghh... gaahhhh!!!"
The third braid darts straight toward Yomogi and coils around her wrists, but then she roars and successfully yanks it down, tearing it loose from the ceiling and slamming it into the ground.
At the same time, Pinna's Crawler Unit launches forward and shoots a glowing wire that clamps onto a fourth braid.
"Initiate Cosmic charge."
The unit glows and pulls the braid downward, ripping it free with a crack and sending it crashing into the ground.
"Wind... Fragment..."
Kimberly raises her hand, sending a gust that splits in two midair and carving one braid each.
For the final three, I turn toward Lilith for help.
"Lilith. Can you turn those things to anchors?"
"Fufufu~… leave them to me, honey..."
With that, she raises her hand and coos softly to the three braids.
"Oh~… don't be so angry, okay~?"
They immediately stiffen, then relax. They straighten, drooping obediently, positioning themselves like platforms beneath me, Chantal, and Brunhild.
"There you go, honey~..."
"Thank you, Lilith."
And we move at once, planting our foot to each braid and vaulting upward.
"Take this!"
I slash the seventh braid clean off at the ceiling with Yamitsuki, and then I land in a crouch beside the heavy rope of severed hair.
Chantal then shouts, and Brunhild agrees with a tiny giggle, offending Lilith.
"These look like Lilith's hair, but way more annoying!"
"I agree… same thing."
"What?!"
And the two of them scream together.
"Woohoohoo!"
"Haaaahhh!"
Chantal slices through the eighth braid in a blur, while Brunhild cleaves the ninth clean from above. They land beside me, crouched, as the final ropes collapse.
After that, we reach out to collect the Fruit of Luck drops. Then, I see Salacia tending to Yomogi's reddened wrist.
"Heal."
Salacia grabs Yomogi's wrist with both hands and lifts her own hand closer to it, casting the Heal spell. In an instant, Yomogi's skin turns smooth again.
"Thanks, Salacia~"
"You're welcome, Yomogi~..."
After that, I hand one nut to Salacia as a reward for what she did to Yomogi.
"Here comes your reward, Salacia."
"Thank you, darling~..."
After that, the nine of us bite the fruits together.
Yeah, we always do this, and that's the fourth unique thing about these monsters. We never sell these drops or save them to be cooked at home, but we just eat them straightaway on the spot.
And after that, we continue forward, defeating more Hairloom and gathering more Fruit of Luck until eventually, we reach the boss area and step inside together.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, NINETY-NINTH FLOOR - BOSS AREA
Arriving inside, a familiar, small figure shorter than a dwarf figure is already waiting for us, although it's not the same one either because its entire body now is wrapped in a dark shinobi outfit. Hooded, masked, and nearly faceless, with only a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes peering through.
Unlike the other bosses that I've still got no solid confirmation on — the Terracotta Emperor, Ushabti Witch, and the Frankenstein Kampfer — I have no doubts about this one given its appearances.
So, I lean onto Pinna's back.
"That's a Halfling Ninja, right?"
"Yes, Master. However, I lack exact records of this subspecies. No dungeon logs exist detailing its abilities or class skills."
"Yeah, I think I've got the rest covered."
Yomogi once handled both Frankenstein and its evolution. And now, I believe Chantal, who had taken down the original Halfling back then, would definitely want to fight this one.
Since that base version specialized in high-speed running and ranged knives, then this one probably leans hard into stealth, like silent attacks, shadow feints, and vanishing techniques.
So first things first, I silently activate [Temporary Boost] just to set Chantal's Perception stat to infinity, which is enough to keep her safe without her noticing.
Then, I approach Chantal, who is already flipping her daggers between her fingers.
"Be careful. I think this one's going to be really fast. Might even move in ways you can't track."
She pauses, giving me a sideways glance.
"Huh? You serious, Motegi-kun?"
"Yes, just trust me. You're still the fastest panther in Misdaras, right?"
Then, she laughs.
"Hahaha...! Damn right I am! I've never fought this thing before, but I'm not letting it show me up."
"I know you would."
And then, the Ninja vanishes before a throwing star lands near her feet.
THWIP!
Before Chantal can react, a black flash of kunai appears right in front of her face.
CLANG!
But Chantal's blades snap up just in time, and the attack vanishes again.
"Tch! Just like you said, Motegi-kun. This thing is slippery."
CLANG!
Another attack comes from behind, and Chantal twists mid-air, narrowly deflecting it with a flick of her left blade. But the Ninja keeps reappearing, attacking, and vanishing over and over into her blind spots.
CLANG!
CLANG!
But Chantal holds her own, and her daggers keep intercepting each strike with increasing sharpness.
At one point, she subtly changes her stance as she drops her other dagger hidden behind her leg... just one second before the Ninja reappears again dead ahead and lunges straight for her face with a raised kunai.
She catches the strike...
CLANG!
...and that's when she moves her hidden dagger, stabbing upward into its wrist and forcing the Ninja to squeal and flinch back.
"Hnngghhh!!"
Chantal grips its arm and twists it savagely, spinning behind it in one fluid motion. In the same instant, both her blades slide around its neck.
SHINK!
The twin daggers cross clean across its throat. Its body stiffens, then drops forward like a doll cut from its strings.
Then, Yomogi runs up to Chantal as the latter puts a smug expression on her face.
"That was amazing, Chantal!"
"Hah! Evolved or not, it still can't beat me."
Then, Chantal glances at me with a flustered expression.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Motegi-kun. That really helped."
"Anytime, Chantal."
Meanwhile, Salacia hurries to her side worriedly as she grabs Chantal's wounded hand.
"Chantal… your hand. There are so many cuts..."
"Yeah, please do, Salacia."
"Excuse me."
Then, Salacia lifts one hand and brings it closer to Chantal's wounds.
"Heal."
In an instant, the cuts seal shut. Once it's done, Chantal examines her skin, flipping her hands in repeat.
"Thanks, Salacia!"
"You're welcome, Chantal~..."
As the girls talk, I notice something where the Ninja is, which is a set of kunai and shuriken that I pick up. Then, I turn to Chantal.
"Do you want these, Chantal?"
She takes them, tests the balance in her palm, and spins a shuriken between her fingers. After a few moments, she frowns a little.
"Hmm... they're nice, but just don't feel right in my hands. Not bad, but... yeah, it doesn't click."
"You don't want that?"
"Yeah, just sell them, Motegi-kun."
"Okay, then."
Back then, the normal Halfling dropped an enhancement pill for speed and agility boost. But because nobody wanted it, I sold it off to the guild. And despite this superior version dropping something useful, maybe Chantal was right.
She doesn't need to be a kunoichi, and I'm happy if she stays this way as our loud, wild pantherkin rogue because she's already more charming that way.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, ONE HUNDREDTH FLOOR
As we step onto the one hundredth floor, I can't help but think again. With the Hairlooms down and the Halfling Ninja defeated, that means we're officially stepping into the final floor of the labyrinth and have ended the "loop" mechanic. And honestly, I don't know what kind of monster that we will face here.
Yomogi and Chantal murmur in disbelief.
"I still can't believe this. We're really here. The hundredth floor."
"Me too, Yomogi. We've gone way beyond what any of our elders pulled off back then."
"You're right, Chantal."
Kimberly and Pinna are also in awe, though they express it differently.
"And I… have surpassed… the furthest… anyone in Heiligeichen… has ever reached…"
"I concur. This expedition has exceeded all logical thresholds. The accumulated data — on mob distribution, progression loops, and item drop ratios — it is all invaluable. I could never have anticipated this much input."
Yeah, they're right to be proud of their journey. Yomogi and Chantal's beastkin elders only made it to the sixty-third floor of Misdaras's labyrinth, while Kimberly's Heiligeichen elder team stalled at floor eighty. And now, all three of them have left those legends in the dust.
Also, if Pinna clears this floor with us, she'll be the first automaton in history to ever complete a full labyrinth.
Salacia leans in to me as Manas is already excited.
"That means we're one step closer to finishing this whole thing, right, darling~?"
"Yeah, you're right, Salacia."
"Let us see what this final floor hath in… ere we claim our triumph, mine king!"
"I can't wait for that too."
But honestly, I don't know what I should feel about this. There's one side of me that's curious to see what's ahead, but another one is nervous, as we don't know what's waiting for us.
And when this is all over… how should we react?
But then, Brunhild reveals something shocking to all of us.
"I have completed a labyrinth once before. In Turivel. Millennia ago."
The entire group stops walking.
"Wait, really?"
"Eh? For real?!"
"Indeed. However, I do not understand why labyrinths in the lower world possess such excessive structure. One hundred floors is highly inefficient."
And I ask her.
"What do you mean?"
"In Turivel, labyrinths were never allowed to grow unchecked. Angels and unicorns were dispatched at once upon detection. The one I conquered had only nine floors."
"Nine?! That's it? How's that even possible?"
With that, Lilith is the one who answers.
"That's because of the Light element, honey."
"Light element?"
"Mhm. Light, the element of angels and unicorns, is the only one that can sense those anomalous energies that spawn labyrinths. It gives them a head start no one else gets."
"I see…"
So if Brunhild had cleared her labyrinth, it means she didn't let it spiral into anything like the shuffles or loops. Which also means… she might actually know what kind of monster is waiting at the final floor.
"Brunhild. Do you have any idea what kind of monster is at the final floor?"
But before she can answer my question, Pinna suddenly halts us as her Observer Unit notices something.
"Everyone. Stop."
As Manas turns back to Pinna...
"What dost thou detect, Pinna?"
Pinna's usually unreadable face has gone pale, and her voice drops an octave.
"Multiple entities detected. Count: ten. I cannot measure their threat level. All I can state with confidence is… these might be the worst possible enemies for us to encounter in every sense."
"What do you mean?"
And just as I ask that, we see them... the ten figures emerging in front of us.
Our eyes go wide in an instant, and I see everyone is shaking… so am I, as I can only mutter weakly.
"You can't be serious, right?"