Chapter 265: The Irregularity
The Labyrinth's Monarch, Goliath, was born.
Emerging from the crystal-like mineral wall, it spotted Liam and the others and immediately let out a deafening roar. It began to move, its singular purpose to crush them all.
The giant roared, its feet larger than bathtubs. The ground, hard as rock, shattered and pulverized with every step it took.
"Run!"
The moment Liam saw it, he screamed at the others. The entire team ran for their lives. For Level 2s like them, the floor boss Goliath was the Grim Reaper incarnate. With their current stamina and strength, they already struggled to face a single Minotaur one-on-one. Any mistake could mean instant death.
And a Minotaur, when faced with Goliath, would only be one-shotted. Even a dozen of them attacking at once would be instantly annihilated. The standard Goliath's official Guild rating was Level 4. With such a massive level suppression, even several dozen Level 2 adventurers wouldn't stand a chance.
Nina and the others were pale, and under this immense pressure of death, every one of them was pushing their potential to the absolute limit.
Liam remained at the rear of the team, gauging the distance between them and Goliath. If he killed it here, his identity would undoubtedly be exposed, a situation he was unwilling to accept. He still had too much to learn at the Academy and needed to maintain a low profile.
The exit was just ahead. Chased by death itself, Iglin and the others had only one thought left in their minds: run.
But in his frantic sprint, Kris failed to watch the ground. He tripped over a protruding rock and went sprawling.
A look of utter despair crossed Nina's face. Kris himself was frozen stiff with terror.
Liam accelerated. Even with a pack of supplies on his back, he instantly scooped Kris up and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"Keep running!" Liam urged again.
Kris's face flushed red, and then he couldn't breathe as his stomach was pressed hard against Liam's shoulder. He struggled, but his strength was useless.
"Gieg, its fist is glowing! It's about to strike!" Nina screamed.
Liam felt an intense storm of wind pressure building behind him. It was Goliath, charging up an attack. Liam accelerated again. He shifted Kris from his shoulder into a princess carry, and then channeled his Selfless Sword Aura, condensing it at his feet.
Since Goliath's attack is wind-elemental, he thought, maybe I can use this. I'll convert my Selfless Sword Aura to wind, disguise it, and use its power to get us out of here.
Goliath raised its fist high and slammed it into the ground.
"BOOM!"
A deafening roar echoed through the passage. A powerful shockwave exploded from the ground, expanding rapidly and rushing toward Liam and his team.
At that exact moment, Liam stomped the ground, releasing his own condensed aura. A violent gale instantly erupted from behind them. Before Goliath's attack could hit, the hurricane blasted against the team's backs, picking them all up and flinging them straight into the tunnel leading to the 18th Floor.
Nina and the others tumbled awkwardly into the tunnel, crashing down the stairs. Liam, still holding Kris, landed steadily on his feet.
It's been a long time since a monster this low-level made me look so pathetic, Liam mused.
The hurricane blast had slammed Nina and Reche directly into Iglin's back, sending the three of them crashing into the 18th Floor passage together. They scrambled to their feet, and then let out cheers of survival.
"That was incredible! I really thought we were going to die!"
"Gieg, put me down!"
Liam nodded, only now remembering he was still carrying Kris in his arms. From the contact, he was pretty sure Kris was female. But that didn't matter. He'd seen Pallums use transformation magic before; Lili could do it, too. It was a magic that could completely alter one's physical structure.
A bright light shone from the ceiling far above. This was clearly the 18th Floor. After resting for a bit, the team headed for the 18th Floor's town: Rivira.
This town was an "illegal" settlement built by adventurers. The Guild had ordered it dismantled dozens, if not hundreds, of times. But every time it was torn down, the adventurers just rebuilt it. Eventually, the Guild gave up and left it alone.
When Liam's party arrived in Rivira, Iglin went from inn to inn. They were all unimpressed by the shoddy houses, which looked like they were randomly slapped together with cheap wooden planks. But it was practically the only place in the Dungeon to get resupplied. So, no matter how much they disliked it, they had to buy supplies and rest here.
Iglin approached an innkeeper. "We need rooms. What are your prices?"
"We're full. Try the next one."
The team exchanged glances. Disappointed, they left. They got the same answer from the next several places. Iglin's face was turning ugly.
Nina decided to try. She approached the next innkeeper with a smile. "Hello, we'd like to check in. Could you please tell me your rates?"
"One room, one night. Five hundred thousand Valis."
"How much?"
Nina was stunned. Five hundred thousand Valis. What was this owner thinking? Even though they were students, they knew the basics of Orario's economy.
"I recall that for surface residents, even factory or dock workers make about a thousand Valis a day. Isn't that price a little high?"
"That was then, this is now. If you can't afford it, get lost!"
Iglin's expression turned ferocious, and he looked ready to start a fight. The innkeeper just smirked at him tauntingly. "Ooh, look! The little noble masters from the Academy are gonna hit me! Help, this owner is being beaten to death!~"
This made Iglin and the others even angrier, but it was obvious they couldn't attack. Adventurers from all over Rivira had started to gather around them, watching. If a fight broke out, the students would be at a serious disadvantage.
Liam sighed. "Let's go. We're not welcome here."
Nina and the others nodded. Their social experience was far too limited.
Only after the team had left Rivira did Iglin finally scream at the sky. "This is infuriating! Those guys are nothing but a bunch of thugs!"
Liam began to explain to them, "As I see it, there are two reasons for the conflict between the Academy and Orario's adventurers. First is our status. Every one of us has the title of a student from the world's most prestigious institution. That really rubs those grassroots adventurers, who have nothing but their lives on the line, the wrong way."
Iglin, gritting his teeth, punched the ground. "But my grades are terrible! This is so frustrating!"
Nina looked at Liam in surprise. "Is that really how adventurers see us?"
Liam nodded. "Besides that, there's the fact that Academy students have too strong a sense of morals and justice. That's not a bad thing in itself, but when you start demanding that others live by your same high standards, you're asking too much of them."
"But what they were doing was wrong!" Iglin shouted. "That bastard, that greedy owner! Demanding 500,000 Valis for one room! Why?"
Liam sighed. "The adventuring profession involves constant combat. As long as it doesn't touch your own core interests, it's best not to get worked up over every little thing."
His gaze swept over each of them. "Also, all of you are still too much like students. If someone becomes your enemy, are you prepared to kill them?"
"Kill them?" Nina looked horrified. "Isn't that going too far? Besides, killing is illegal, isn't it?"
Liam drew his own blade and stabbed it into the ground. "In this world, strength reigns supreme. If you had the power to defy the world, you could do whatever you wanted. And if those adventurers truly cross a line you can't tolerate, then kill them. If you can't solve it in a fair fight, use poison. If your strength isn't enough, train until it is. An adventurer can't stay vigilant 24/7. Write down the names of everyone who wrongs you in a book, and then find a way to kill them all."
Nina's expression was one of terror, as if she were seeing Liam for the first time. "Gieg, isn't what you're saying a little... dark?"
"My point is," Liam said bluntly, "you either swallow your pride and forget about it, or you find a chance to kill your enemy. What you're doing now—getting furious but being too scared to act—is the worst possible choice."
Liam rummaged through his backpack and took out a small parcel. "I prepared this camping gear in advance. Fishing line, flint, spices."
He then led the team to the lake near the great forest. Under Liam's direction, everyone was assigned a task. Liam himself took a branch, tied his fishing line, and began to fish, using earthworms he dug up from the damp soil at the lake's edge.
Normally, you could always find earthworms in damp soil near a riverbank. Because of the Dungeon's unique environment, the worms here looked strange, but their function as soft, protein-rich bait hadn't changed. When food was scarce, one could even consider roasting the worms. But considering the state Nina and the others were in, Liam decided not to subject them to that.
Soon, Liam was grilling fish while the others gathered dry wood.
After everyone else was fast asleep, Liam got up and walked into the depths of the forest.
"Come out. Who are you?"
"Liam. How's the experience, training Academy students in the Dungeon?"
"Fels. It looks like Hermes or Baldr told you my situation."
Fels deactivated his invisibility item. He was still wearing the cloak that covered his entire body, even wearing a mask over his face. He removed the mask, glanced at Liam, and then put it back on.
"It was actually Leon who notified me. But it's all the same. This irregular situation is quite large-scale, and combined with Leon's intel, I came to take a look."
"Then how did you get here? I thought the passage to the 15th floor was blocked. Unless...?"
"That's right. The artificial labyrinth."
Liam had considered letting Reche and the others use the labyrinth, but he'd given up on the idea. The entrance was not something to be advertised, and it was currently only being used by the Loki Familia and the former Freya members. As for other Familias, there were hardly any adventurers at Level 4 or above, so it was basically just those three factions using it.
Fels began to update him on the situation. "Here's how it is: besides your Third Squad, all other trapped students have been rescued by Leon. As for the other trapped adventurers, I knocked them out and hid them in the artificial labyrinth. Liam... the Academy students are not permitted to use the labyrinth. I'm sorry."
Liam nodded in understanding. This was a decision Fels and the others had made for a specific reason, and he respected it.
Afterward, Liam returned to the campsite. Since they didn't even have a basic tent, Liam had everyone dig drainage ditches around their sleeping area and sprinkle wood ash and insect-repelling materials. They then rested within the light of the campfire in a clearing. The repellent Liam had bought worked well when burned in the fire and sprinkled around the perimeter.
When he got back, Nina walked over.
"Gieg, why aren't you sleeping?"
Liam looked at the slightly dazed Nina; she had probably just woken up.
"I was just out on patrol, checking the surroundings for any danger."
"I see."
Nina motioned for Liam to follow her, and the two walked a short distance away from the campfire.
"I'm actually really jealous of you, Liam," she confessed. "You and everyone else... you all have clear goals. I'm the only one who's just stuck in place. Reche wants to build a kingdom for the dark elves, even though that's a long shot. Kris wants to become an imperial knight and achieve greater feats than the hero Finn. And Iglin wants to become a blacksmith, even better than Tsubaki. I'm the only one... I can't find any goal at all."
Hearing Nina's words, Liam finally realized that she had been trying to follow in Eina's footsteps this whole time. Eina had mastered Hieroglyphs by studying Comprehensive Theology and got into the Guild. But Nina, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't learn it. She could only get a 'C' rating on the Guild recruitment exam. The failure had crushed her confidence.
"Nina," Liam said, "everyone is born with different talents. You just need to do what you're good at and what you enjoy. It's because of your healing abilities that Iglin and the others have such a strong survival rate. You are the one making that possible."
"Thank you."
Liam wasn't very good at comforting people.
It was clear that the passage in the Dungeon wouldn't be cleared for a while. Liam decided he would take them to even deeper floors. Based on their current stats, as long as they coordinated, they could go very far.
When Iglin and the others woke up, they looked at Liam with excitement. "What did you say, Gieg? We're going... deeper?"
"That's awesome!"
Instead of fear, they were filled with anticipation.