REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, SIXTH FLOOR
Once the store is closed and we've earned about 25 million 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 re-explore the sixth floor.
After we couldn't enter the last boss area at the 100th floor, we set our quest to find the secret rooms scattered across the labyrinth so we can complete the dimmed dots and get the final stone plate required to open the gate. And floors 6, 12, 20, 30, 42, 56, 72, and 90 are what we're heading for, with Brunhild leading the way because her Light element can detect anomalous energy better than the other elements.
"Wind... Boomerang..."
"Kheeee...!" "Kheeee...!"
Of course, we also encounter Poison Spiders as we walk. But since floors 4-9 only have two monsters per floor and our goal isn't to conquer this sixth floor, we don't fight them much.
Then, Brunhild lifts her hand and halts our steps as her eyes are locked on the wall to our right.
"This is the place. I am certain the distortion is here."
And she turns to Pinna.
"Pinna."
"Acknowledge. Engage."
Pinna sends her Crawler Unit to the spot Brunhild pointed to. One after another, explosive marbles shoot out, embedding themselves in the stone until the wall is quickly littered with them. Once the final marble clicks into place, Pinna turns to us.
"Step back. All of you."
We step back as she requested, and then...
BOOM!
The wall detonates, shards of stone erupting outward in a tight, controlled shockwave, and the corridor shakes under our feet. Smoke and dust flood the air for several seconds, and when it finally settles, we're all staring in disbelief as we see a massive hole now gapes where a solid wall once stood.
"It's real..."
"Secret room... does... exist... here..."
"There is… indeed a chamber behind it."
"Confirmed..."
With that, we step into the darkness. And it doesn't take long before we see dozens of long, writhing tentacles dragging slimy trails across the stone floor and gaping, clicking maws like jagged teeth in front of us.
"Holy shit..."
In normal floors, monsters come in waves. And bosses only appear once. But this secret room feels like we just walked into a monster assembly.
Then, Yomogi gasps.
"No way..."
"What's wrong, Yomogi?"
"They're... ropers, Motegi-chan…"
"I see."
So, these are ropers, huh?
I've seen them in games before, and this is my first time seeing them for real.
And to think that we're facing the same monsters that brought Yomogi in heat on our faithful full moon night encounter back then, I feel like I should thank them for allowing me to lose my virginity to her and exact revenge on them at the same time for what they did to her.
With that, I activate [Temporary Boost] and set all of my stats as usual.
Then, I lift my hand and cast a spell.
"Lightning Crash!"
A massive spear of lightning forms overhead the ropers. Then, I slam my hand downward and crash the spear into them with such power that their massive tentacles thrash and their bodies convulse violently beneath, obliterating them all at once.
When the flash fades, I'm stunned, and I just realized something... this spell is the most powerful Lightning element spell ever. And now, I got carried away and killed all the ropers in one move.
So, I turn to the girls, laughing awkwardly.
"Ahaha... sorry, that might've been overkill."
They're all still wide-eyed.
But then...
"That was so cool, Motegi-kun! You just erased those freaks like a boss!"
"Y-Yeah... thanks, Chantal."
"Fufufu... that felt familiar, darling~. Like déjà vu~..."
"Ahaha..."
Yeah, Salacia was right too. I also used this spell when I fought her back then, and I remembered how far I was consumed by rage at that moment.
"With this… the first... secret room… is cleared, Motegi-sama…"
"As expected of thee, mine king. No abomination born of stone nor slime may stand before thee."
"Thanks, everyone."
Then, we spot something dropped and scattered on the ground, which are dozens of vials that we collect. I crouch and pick one up, scanning the thick liquid on my hand.
"What is this?"
"Mmm... that's an aphrodisiac, honey~..."
"Really?"
"Mmhmm~..."
Then suddenly, a wicked idea forms in my mind as I can imagine turning this vials to make a special soap for the girls, and how aroused they are when they wash their bodies with that.
"Well, I think I'm keeping it."
"Fufufu... naughty~..."
After the last vial is picked up, a circular pattern suddenly begins to glow on the floor, forming a teleportation circle at the other side of the room.
In normal labyrinth progression, portals appear at the boss areas on floors 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, 48, 63, 80, and 99. They act like a checkpoint or a save button in the game that can keep your progress.
But as for this one, I have no idea what it'll do.
Would it send us back to the fourth floor?
Or would it kick us out of the labyrinth completely?
Or... would it take us straight to the next secret room?
I hope it's the last one.
With that, I look around at the girls again.
"Should we try it?"
Once everyone nods curiously, we approach the portal and step into the light.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, TWELFTH FLOOR - SECRET ROOM
Once the light fades, we see the entire space is now lined with massive trees. Their thick trunks resemble apple trees, heavy with plump red fruit. And we don't need to ask where we are, because we already know that we're in the next secret room.
"What are they this time?"
Lilith then answers.
"Those are Forbidden Trees, honey~…"
"Forbidden Trees?"
"They attack by shaking their bark and hurling apples like high-speed projectiles, very aggressive ones~. And Asmodeus used to train these monsters to be his weapons during the war times…"
"I see..."
Why does this labyrinth have so many food-hurling monsters?
Then, Lilith turns to me again.
"Their rare drop is an apple, much tastier and juicier than ordinary ones~… mmmhh~… I still can't forget how it tastes in my mouth~…"
"Alright, we'll collect them then."
Okay, so that means I'll keep [Temporary Boost] active for now.
However, I don't think this will be easy. These things are thick, and with this many clustered together, fighting them one by one would take forever. Also, none of the standard eight elements will take them all out quickly.
Just as the thought finishes, the trees begin to move. Their bark shudders, and apples tremble on their limbs, then fire outward in bursts like red cannonballs.
"Dome!"
In the nick of time, I manage to protect all of us with a translucent barrier around us just before impact, letting the apple slam and bounce harmlessly to the ground or explode midair without a single one touching us.
"Fufufu~… should I hypnotize them for you, honey~?"
"I think I've got a better idea."
With that, I silently activate [Elemental Combo], combining Fire and Earth elements into Lava element. Then, I lift my hand into the air.
"Lava Rain!"
And then...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Molten spheres the size of boulders plummet from the air like meteors, erupting all the monsters in fiery explosions. Lava splashes outward, devouring bark and root alike until they melt into nothing.
Lilith's and Brunhild's jaws drop, and their eyes widen.
"H-Honey… what… what was that…?"
"That's Lava. From Fire and Earth combination."
"But... the goddess created only eight elements. How is it possible… that such a thing exists, my Lord?"
"Well, just to let you know that the fridge at home uses Ice element too. From Wind and Water combination."
Both of them freeze.
"Ehhh??!!"
"Ice… from Wind and Water, you say...?"
As the room is now littered with dozens of glowing apples, we all spread out and collect the fruits.
Yomogi turns to me, cradling a few in her arms.
"We could use these to make something nice, Motegi-chan."
"Yeah, you're right."
Once the last apple is gathered and safely packed, another teleportation portal blooms once again on the floor. Without hesitation, we step into it together and let the light take us toward the next secret room.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, TWENTIETH FLOOR - SECRET ROOM
Once the light fades, we see the entire space is once again changed, as it's now lined with strange, long things that look like twisted tree branches fused with artillery. Clinging to those branches are clusters of bulbous fruits like explosive drupes loaded into organic launchers.
"What the hell?"
Pinna then answers.
"They are Drupeshooters, Master."
"So it's another weird monster, huh?"
"Confirmed. Botanical artillery units that launch explosive drupes as ranged projectiles. These were originally found as floor bosses in the Heiligeichen Labyrinth, specifically on the thirty-fifth floor. Normally appear solo. This is my first time observing a cluster formation of this magnitude."
"And what do they drop?"
"Their rare drop is pistachios. Statistically rated as three times more flavorful than standard cultivars."
"Alright then, we'll collect those too."
With that, I set all our stats to infinity again. But then, Lilith saunters forward.
"Ohoho... honey, you've been hogging all the action lately~. Why don't you let me take care of these, hmm~? I do have an idea~..."
"Okay, go ahead, Lilith."
"Fufufu... thank you, honey~..."
Then, she raises one hand and coos toward the monsters.
"Now, now, darlings~... I'm not your enemy. But those cannons over there look like trouble, don't they~?"
She pauses for a while before continuing with a lower voice, like a whisper.
"Why don't you… clear a path for me, hmm~?"
And what happens next is total madness.
The cannons all light up, not with aggression toward us, but toward each other. One by one, they swivel and begin blasting their fellow monsters.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions ripple across the chamber in rapid succession. Drupes slam and detonate with shockwaves that quake the ground underfoot.
Salacia immediately clutches my arm tightly in panic.
"Darling, it's shaking everywhere!"
Chantal yells at Lilith, covering her ears as the noise reaches deafening levels for her.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! You trying to kill us?!"
Manas also roars as she raises her shield against the raining debris.
"Thou crazy demon! Art thou possessed with madness?!"
"Oh please... this is the faster way to win~. Just look at the results~..."
She's used that friend-to-enemy illusion spell before, but never at this scale. It's so absurd and feels like we're standing in the middle of a monster-on-monster warzone.
And then, silence, no more shaking. What remains are dozens of green-shelled pistachios scattered across the ground.
Chantal slowly uncovers her ears and looks around.
"Okay… maybe that wasn't so bad…"
Manas exhales through her nose, lowering her shield.
"'Twas madness… yet somehow effective."
"Fufufu~... told you~..."
Without another word, we begin to spread out and gather the nuts off the floor.
Once the last pistachio is gathered and safely packed, another teleportation portal blooms once again on the floor. With that, we step into it together and let the light take us toward the next secret room.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, THIRTIETH FLOOR – SECRET ROOM
Arriving here, we're welcomed by dozens of towering, crustacean-like humanoids with sharp, jagged pincers and armored shells.
According to Salacia, they're called shellborns. Apparently, they used to live deep underwater in Oserin, and the krakens used to hunt them all the time and eat them. When Salacia states their meat is one thousand times better than any lobster, I consider that meat the rare drop and keep our stats infinity with [Temporary Boost].
And we begin with Lilith's illusion.
"Ooh nooo~... your claws are so scary...! Could you... be a little gentle with me instead~? Please~?"
After the shellborns freeze and their bodies sway, we all don't waste time to charge forward.
"Grrraahh!!"
"Engage."
Yomogi and Pinna do the identical snatch, spin, and bowling-like hurl attacks. Yomogi uses her bare hand, while Pinna uses her Crawler Unit's glowing wires.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
Chantal pierces clean through shellborns' abdomens, and without breaking momentum, she drags her blades upward, slicing through their thoraxes until the monsters collapse.
"Wind... Boomerang..."
"Earth Bullet!"
Kimberly's whirling gust and my thunderous barrage of rock tear across the battlefield and shatter armored shells into shards.
"Brunhild! Thy path is clear!"
"Haaaahhh!"
Manas and Brunhild form a perfect combo of shield and sword. Manas's shield intercepts snapping pincers meant for Brunhild, and Brunhild applies the finish with her greatsword.
Once it's done, Salacia lifts both arms.
"Wide Rejuvenation."
A soft blue light spreads from her hands, washing over me, Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly, Manas, and Brunhild, healing our wounds and restoring our energy.
"Thanks, Salacia."
"You're welcome~..."
Then, we see chunks of meat that are completely separated from the shell have littered the ground. Without another word, we begin to spread out and gather it. As I crouch and pick one up, Salacia slithers beside me.
"Mmm... I can already smell how delicious it is, darling~..."
"Yeah, me too."
Once the last meat is gathered and safely packed, another teleportation portal blooms once again on the floor. Without hesitation, we step into it together and let the light take us toward the next secret room.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, FORTY-SECOND FLOOR – SECRET ROOM
Arriving here, we're welcomed by dozens of minotaurs, which are dozens of towering, angry-looking, bull‑headed humanoids. In their muscled hands are axes, clubs, and heavy hammers.
Chantal said she used to encounter one back in Misdaras's labyrinth with her party as the thirty‑fifth floor boss. She also says their rare drop is meat, and it's way better than any beef Misdaras ever produced, which means that I keep our stats infinity again.
Just like earlier, it all starts with Lilith's illusion.
"Aww~… don't be so angry, boys~…"
The minotaurs become slow and confused. Their weapons dip lower, and their movements become sluggish, dulled by her illusion. And that's enough for us.
"Grrraahh!!"
Yomogi roars and slams an uppercut into one minotaur's jaw, then pivots into a spinning kick that snaps another's head sideways.
"Here come the rolling heads!"
"Haaaahhh!"
"Take this!"
Chantal, Brunhild, and I decapitate minotaur after minotaur, carving clean through thick necks with our respective blades.
"Fire Stratos!"
"Wind... Cyclone…"
"Guooohhh...!" "Guooohhh...!" "Guooohhh...!"
Manas engulfs the approaching minotaurs in layers of erupting flames, and Kimberly locks their scorched bodies into the swirling core until they disintegrate in the rushing air.
"Engage."
WHAM!
"Guooohhh...!" "Guooohhh...!" "Guooohhh...!"
Pinna's Crawler Unit pins down a cluster of minotaurs with powerful gravitational force, crushing them flat against the ground until they stop moving entirely.
And again, Salacia heals us with the same spell.
"Wide Rejuvenation."
"Thanks again, Salacia."
Across the floor, thick slabs of meat are scattered around, and we don't hesitate to gather them all. When I crouch and pick one up, I immediately pause as I see the meat is beautifully marbled, rich red streaked with delicate white fat.
"Wow... you weren't lying, Chantal."
"Told you, Motegi‑kun! I've had it once, and I still remember how it melted in my mouth!"
This marbling looks just like the most premium wagyu back in Japan, maybe even better. And since it's from a fantasy monster, I'm pretty sure the taste will be even more insane too.
Once the last meat is gathered and safely packed, another teleportation portal blooms once again on the floor.
But then, my mind wanders over something.
Since monsters come in waves on the regular floors, we always get a breather in between.
But these secret rooms drop dozens of monsters all at once, and just when we're done, another portal appears and drags us straight into another battle, like they're trying to drain us.
We've already cleared five secret rooms, and I think this feels like a good stopping point. Because it will be better to come back to the remaining three left plus the Jashin room tomorrow when we're fully refreshed.
With that, I look at the girls.
"Should we keep going?"
And surprisingly, everyone seems to have the same mind as me.
"I think today is enough, Motegi‑chan. We still have dinner, and Puck's waiting for us."
"Yeah, I've killed enough stuff for one day, Motegi-kun."
"It's better… not to go... all in, Motegi-sama…"
"Recharge is important, Master."
"Returning home is better than constant healing spells, darling~..."
"Verily, mine king, I hath partaken in ample thrill this day. My heart rejoiceth."
"Too much illusion isn't good sometimes, honey~..."
"We still have the next day, my Lord."
"Alright, then. Let's go home now."
With that, I cast a teleportation spell and open the way back home, stepping through our portal together and leaving the labyrinth's portal behind.