New chapter of Nameless Hero is out! (2/3 chapters)
Azarigrad Labyrinth
Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
I arrived at the meeting place with Taurus. The meeting place was the adventurer guild, which served as the entrance to the underground labyrinth.
The Azarigrad Labyrinth. It is called a great maze in the town. Dungeons are everywhere, but there is no dungeon that extends this deep underground. According to what I’ve heard, no one knows exactly how many layers the lowest level has. What is known is that there is ‘mysterious power’ resting at the lowest level, and those who obtain it are said to be able to ‘change the world. But how do they know that when no one has ever obtained it? Well, I don’t know either. Shia said so.
Also, this maze has three distinct differences from other dungeons. One is that the monsters get stronger the deeper you go. The second is that the monsters living in this maze have materials like their skins and bones that hold magical power and can be sold for money. Lastly, this maze’s structure changes daily, making the strategy to conquer it unstable. Because of that, no party has ever reached the lowest level. On the other hand, new monsters constantly appear, so it’s always fresh. That’s why there are tons of materials that can only be obtained in this maze. By the way, the difference between Demons and monsters is that monsters are monsters. Demons are one of the races. I’m not a monster. I’m a proper person.
The adventurer guild covers the entire building, managing the entrance to the maze. Well, this seems more efficient. You take a quest, enter the dungeon immediately, and since many adventurers form random parties, it allows for easy registration, entering the dungeon, and disbanding after escaping. Shia and I arrived earlier than the scheduled time.
The inside of the adventurer guild is quite lively. There are several reception counters, and the guild staff standing at those counters are all dressed in vests or jackets, neat and formal. There are several types of counters. One for registering new adventurer parties. One for accepting quests. And so on.
“It’s amazing.” (Jack/Lost)
“Well, it’s the Adventurer Guild in an adventurer’s town.” (Shia)
That makes sense. It’s like a holy place.
“For random parties, everyone has to fill out a form with their information on it. It’s quite a time-consuming task, so if you come early and finish filling out the forms, you’ll make a good impression on the leader.” (Shia)
I see. This girl is good at navigating social situations.
Shia said, “Excuse me”, stretched her back and approached the counter, asking for the party registration form. Today, she had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, making her look like an angel who leveled up. Not caring that I was admiring her, she handed me the quill pen after placing the form on the registration desk.
“Can you write?” (Shia)
“If it’s the letters I know, then yes.” (Lost)
The form is divided into sections for the leader and members.
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Party Name｜
Leader Name｜
Member 1｜( )
Member 2｜Shia Landall (Archer)
Member 3｜Lost (Pugilist)
Member 4｜( )
…
…
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Something like this. It seems that if it’s a random party, you just leave the party name blank, and the staff will automatically assume it’s a random party.
“For you, Lost-san, we’ll hide that monstrous ability of yours.” (Shia)
“Yeah.” (Lost)
“So, please try not to fight too flashy.” (Shia)
“Huh? You’re telling me to just stand by and watch after entering the dungeon?” (Lost)
Shia tapped the brackets on the form and looked at me.
“This time, you’re set up as a pugilist.” (Shia)
“Right.” (Lost)
“Pugilists are good at one-on-one battles, so the leader won’t usually give specific instructions for coordination.” (Shia)
Oh, that sounds good. Being able to move freely is a pretty relaxed role.
“However, you’ll likely be seen as someone who can’t coordinate, and people in random parties might dislike you for it.” (Shia)
If there’s someone who can’t cooperate in a life-or-death situation… Yeah, that’d probably be annoying. So, Shia introduced me as a pugilist, thinking that Taurus would accept even a pugilist into the party. Additionally, maybe to ensure I wouldn’t be too focused on during the infiltration? She’s quick-witted. Her parents must be very sharp as well.
“What about you, Shia?” (Lost)
“I’m an archer, so I’ll be a supporter. Mainly, I’ll handle crowd control and aggro management.” (Shia)
That might be useful. I should definitely remember these roles. Warriors who fight up close are usually either attackers or tanks. They balance life, strength, and agility to either be the damage dealer or the one taking the hits. Archers can be attackers or supporters. Supporters are in charge of things like crowd control or leading multiple enemies. Mages, depending on their magic, tend to be attackers, buffers, or healers.
—
And so, we met up with Taurus, and the other four members who had been invited beforehand joined us. We formed a party of seven random adventurers and immediately entered the labyrinth. It was quite a large party.
The party composition is as follows, Taurus is the tank and leader. Then, there’s one swordsman, one axeman, one mage as attackers. One mage as a healer. Shia as both a supporter and healer. And me as an attacker, though, as per Shia’s advice, I plan to take it easy and not fight too much.
I needed a Managram for party registration. The Managram acts as personal information for quests and party registration. The receptionist who took my Managram looked shocked when she saw my stats.
As expected, this reaction shows that my stats are unusually high…
—
Here we go, descending into the maze!
The first and second floors of the labyrinth weren’t a big deal. The monsters that appeared were mice and bats. There weren’t many of them. The members easily wiped them out one by one, and we breezed through without me even having time to savor the feeling of my first dungeon.
The third floor was still easy, but this was where humanoid enemies started to appear. Goblins and kobolds. Some goblins wielded clubs or crude swords, and instead of attacking recklessly, their tactics were tested. The attackers cut down the goblins several times and easily won.
“Huh, this is hardly even a warm-up.” (Axeman)
The axeman, holding a large axe, grumbled. Maybe taking a breather, he rested his axe on his shoulder and spat. But somehow, it looked so low level. I lazily watched the others fight from the back. There was no power to their moves, and the speed was lacking. Taurus’s fighting style was also very ordinary. It felt like a textbook version of swordsmanship. It was as if we were playing sword fighting with goblins.
“Taurus, did we really need to bring this many people?” (Lost)
“The skeletons are apparently numerous. I thought it would be better to have a full party to increase speed.” (Taurus)
“Well, if the leader says so, I don’t have any complaints, but it seems like there are some people here who have too much free time.” (Axeman)
The old man with the axe glanced at me, Shia, and the other healer mage who were at the back. His gaze seemed to say, “You guys aren’t needed”.
Well, that’s true. I never thought the dungeon would be this easy. It’s clear that we’re overstaffed.
“We’ve agreed to split the loot evenly. If you’re unhappy, you can rest in the corner.” (Taurus)
Taurus answered nonchalantly to the intimidating axeman.
“Tch, I came all the way here. I want to fight.” (Axeman)
“Then, please. If you go wild, we’ll have it easier.” (Taurus)
“…Tch, fine.” (Axeman)
The old man, who had been complaining, scratched his head and, perhaps feeling good from the flattery, started walking again.
He seems scary, but he looks like a good person inside.
—
Afterward, we proceeded through the 4th and 5th floors, and not just goblins but skeletons started appearing. As the name suggests, they were skeletal monsters, some wielding swords, others shooting arrows. Also, the number of enemies was increasing.
Against our seven-member party, about 10 to 14 enemies were spawning. This was when each person’s role started becoming necessary. More attackers were getting injured, and the two healers started consuming a little bit of their magic. The rate of extermination had probably slowed down. I decided to join the fight one-on-one.
The skeleton wielding a sword swung it, so I dodged it and struck its exposed ribs with my right arm. With one hit, the skeleton exploded into bone dust. The bones instantly turned into bone powder.
What is this? This is so much fun.
I looked around at the other members, but they were all struggling with the skeletons and didn’t seem to have the leisure to pay attention to the other fights. I started getting carried away. I walked up to the skeleton and hit it. The bones turn into bone meal with a bang.
I repeated it over and over again.
Ladies and gentlemen. This is the so-called new bone powder manufacturing machine. It’s essential for every household, especially for crops. But it’s probably expensive, right? No, no, it’s free with every purchase. You only need to provide food, shelter, and clothing, and you’ll always have bone powder on demand. Could I get my meals and lodging covered with such a catchy sales pitch…?
Suddenly, a sharp zing, like something slicing through the air, passed by. This happened when I was excitedly approaching a skeleton. It felt like I was suddenly attacked by something like a wind blade, and something strong rushed past me. I couldn’t see what it was. When I realized what happened, the torso of the skeleton in front of me shattered and it was instantly killed. When I turned toward the direction the wind came from, there was Shia, holding a bow in her left hand and glaring at me with a displeased look.
What was that? Did Shia shoot an arrow? I didn’t see any arrows though.
Once the battle settled down, I walked over to Shia.
“Hey, what was that just now?” (Lost)
“Lost-san, please don’t make things too flashy when fighting.” (Shia)
“Y-Yes…” (Lost)
For some reason, I felt a sense of fear and obediently answered.
Is she angry? …Maybe it was just a warning from her. Like, “That was a little too flashy”. I suppose I did stand out since I was defeating so many on my own. I’ll gratefully accept her advice.
And then we finally reached the 6th floor. There was no significant change from the 5th floor. The enemies were still just skeletons. I decided to quietly only take down one or two at a time.
Slowly. Slowly take them down.
I received the attacks gently, as if handling fragile glasswork. If Shia gave me another warning, I might end up making her angry.
Bored, I decided to secretly test my own abilities. The sword generation technique that came naturally when I defeated the forest Behemoth. Looking at the sword the skeletons wielded, I tried creating the ‘same sword’ from the dungeon’s ground. The shape was the same, but unlike the rusted iron sword the skeleton held, it was made of earth, with dark red lines running through the blade.
I couldn’t make it exactly the same, but I could replicate the shape. It felt like I was copying it. I pictured it in my mind and strengthened the image of the sword being embedded in the ground. Then, I felt some power gather and it seemed to form.
I decided to try fighting the skeletons with that sword. I tried clashing swords, and the skeleton’s right hand holding the sword was blown away.
Does my ability have an explosion feature?
Zing!
Again, that ‘wind’ swept through. It felt like déjà vu. But this time, the wind didn’t aim at the skeletons. It came at the sword I had created.
“Woah!” (Lost)
Something pierced my earth sword with a crack, and the sword crumbled into pieces. At the same time, that ‘something’ appeared with a gust of wind. It was an arrow. Just an ordinary arrow.
I looked at Shia. This time, she wasn’t just displeased. She was clearly angry. The skill to hit even a sword like this with an arrow.
Scary. Well, putting that aside…
“Shia.” (Lost)
“Lost-san, you’re a pugilist, so swords are prohibited!” (Shia)
In a quiet voice, but clearly out of breath, Shia directed her anger at me.
When she normally stays calm, it’s kind of cute when she shows emotion.
“By the way, what was that arrow?” (Lost)
“What are you talking about?” (Shia)
“The trajectory couldn’t be seen.” (Lost)
“It’s just your imagination.” (Shia)
“No, it wasn’t.” (Lost)
“I didn’t even see it when it pierced.” (Lost)
“…” (Shia)
It seemed Shia had given up trying to argue.
“I’ll tell you later.” (Shia)
She said only that and quickly followed after the rest of the party.
Invisible arrows… Is it some kind of magic?
—
The quest was to collect 50 bones and 25 skulls from the Metal Skeletons, a variation of the skeleton that recently appeared. These bones were said to have a bit of lightning magic embedded in them, making them highly valuable. When we reached the deep, maze-like area of the 6th floor, a large group of Metal Skeletons appeared. There were easily about 30 of them.
“These are the ones! Let’s hunt them!” (Taurus)
“Yeah!” (Party)
Taurus, the leader, led the charge, and the attacking swordsmen followed. The brave warriors ran forward. But for some reason, it felt like there was no real focus. They were running towards the battle with a sluggish pace, starting the fight in a relaxed manner.
It feels like their level are low, maybe because of things like this.
Moreover, the swordsmanship of the Metal Skeletons was several steps above that of the regular skeletons. It seemed like it would take quite a bit of time to defeat one. Also, the attacking magician take a long time to chant and then cast fire magic or ice magic, but they were not dealing much damage. Since there were so many, we were having quite a hard time.
It was taking time to hunt one, and the remaining Metal Skeletons were about to attack a single adventurer.
“Shia, isn’t this kind of bad?” (Lost)
“Yes, it’s bad.” (Shia)
“So, the party will be the one to get killed?” (Lost)
“It’s possible.” (Shia)
From a strength balance standpoint, we weren’t in a state to defeat 30 Metal Skeletons. The enthusiastic axe wielding man was also stopped by the metal skeleton when he swung his axe.
“What should we do?” (Lost)
“Well, just watch.” (Shia)
Oh, she’s a reliable girl.
“Excuse me for a moment.” (Shia)
“Yes?” (Healer Mage)
Shia called out to a nearby healer mage. This mage also seemed to be a girl. She looked young too. Small in height, with a childlike face. While watching the party’s progress with a worried expression, she was diligently casting healing spells.
“I’ll temporarily become an attacker. Will the healing be sufficient?” (Shia)
“Yes… somehow.” (Healer Mage)
“Sorry. If you run low on mana, please use this.” (Shia)
Shia handed her two magic potions. Then, she returned to our side and started to nock an arrow.
“Lost-san.” (Shia)
“What is it, Shia-san?” (Lost)
“I have a skill called Air Pressure Control.” (Shia)
Now that she mentions it, I think I saw that ability listed when she showed me her mana gram.
“I’m not an especially great archer, but I use that unique ability to extend my traits as an archer.” (Shia)
Shia lowered her body to the ground almost as if she were lying on the floor, drawing the bowstring with a tight, focused expression. The wind began to gather around her. This wind converged onto the arrow she was holding, wrapping around it. Gradually, the strength of the wind increased, and the airflow made the arrow disappear from view.
“I can also make the arrow invisible like this.” (Shia)
So, that was the invisible arrow from before.
“By compressing the air, I can also increase its power.” (Shia)
When we first met in the forest, the arrows she shot indeed had immense power. It felt like a cannonball had been fired at us.
So, this is the true nature of her ability.
Once the adjustments seemed to be finished, she released the string and shot the arrow. The arrow, with a loud whoosh, flew at a high speed and pierced the free Metal Skeleton, bringing it down in one shot.
“Oh! Amazing!” (Lost)
Shia wasn’t satisfied with just that. She quickly nocked more arrows, firing them one after another to eradicate the Metal Skeletons. After Shia went all out, the extermination speed was incredibly fast. As she wiped out the Metal Skeletons one by one, when the other members were struggling, she shot invisible arrows to support them, without them even noticing. It was impressive how she could change targets so quickly. The one who had called me a monster was, in fact, the one with the most monster-like skills.
…Maybe this girl alone was enough?
—
The Metal Skeleton hunting was quickly finished. The other members were so confused by the unexpected strong enemies that they didn’t even realize that Shia had taken out most of them. They probably just felt like the task was done by the time everyone had put their efforts together.
We exited the dungeon, and the leader went to the reception counter to report the completion of the quest and hand over the materials he had collected. The reward was 7,000 Solids per person. Seven gold coins. It certainly left me with a bit of a sense of dissatisfaction.
I didn’t do anything, but wasn’t the axeman going to complain about this?
I looked at the old man, but he silently accepted his reward and walked off.
Was he okay with this? Maybe he was just relieved to make it back safely. Probably the latter.
“Thanks for today. I might have gathered too many people, so the share’s a little small, huh?” (Taurus)
“No, it’s still a lot of money.” (Shia)
“Haha, hearing you say that makes me feel a bit more at ease as the leader.” (Taurus)
Taurus smiled contentedly after hearing Shia’s response. He really seemed like a friendly person, unlike the intimidating axeman.
“I’m often at the Simnon Tavern, so if you feel like it, come talk to me again.” (Taurus)
“Alright!” (Shia)
With that, Taurus left the Adventurer Guild.
The random party disbanded. It was a quick affair. It felt easy and carefree.
“How was it?” (Shia)
Shia asked me.
“Well, it was about what I expected.” (Lost)
It seemed like none of my acquaintances were mixed in with this random party.
The fact that the level felt low makes me think I could join a higher-level random party next time. Maybe there are acquaintances there.
Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
Please consider supporting Bayabusco Translation @
bayabuscotranslation 