107th
The Nymphs and Pluto’s Underground Labyrinth
107 ? Nymph Cult and Pluto’s Underground Labyrinth #5
The work done by adventurers belonging to a guild can be broadly classified into three categories.
First, there are those who receive money and contributions in return for escorting people or subduing monsters. Those so-called mercenaries can also be included in this category.
Most of what this category of guys does is carry weapons and kill or knock down creatures.
In some ways, it could be said that this is the main business of the Mars Guild, which values the most primitive violence. That’s why the Mars Guild is full of vicious mercenary-like guys.
And the second type is the group of expedition teams that go on expeditions to unexplored landscapes and new discoveries. If we look at the old Earth, are the explorers who were active from the 19th to the 20th centuries exactly like this?
People of this type are said to travel across continents, through rugged valleys, and through jungles in an attempt to uncover the mysteries of this world that are still largely unknown.
I think this is something that the noble adventurers of the Minerva Guild mainly do. In fact, I think the word ‘adventure’ in the name of adventurer fits this perfectly.
Because discovering new creatures, minerals, plants, etc. to create a guide, or seeing new terrain to increase your knowledge and maps are what the word adventure is all about.
Anyway, let’s just move on from this.
What I really want to say is that the third and final category of main activities that adventurers do is tomb raiding in Pluto’s Labyrinth.
Yes, it is a labyrinth raid.
This is the main task that everyone, whether it’s the Minerva Guild or the Mars Guild, is working on.
Exploring Pluto’s labyrinth, killing the monsters sleeping within, and bringing rare relics to the surface to sell on the market – that’s all.
It was a job that every guild, adventurer, or anyone would want, just like the European powers during the gold rush when they dug up every mountain.
That was the robbery of Pluto’s Labyrinth.
And let me say this to Hassan.
To be honest, I’m a newbie who hasn’t even started walking when it comes to mercenary work or exploration.
Still, I was proud to say that I knew as much as any Bronze Tier adventurer about raiding Pluto’s Labyrinth.
It seems that the number of dungeons I entered as Elfriede’s porter exceeds a dozen.
And I dare say this.
Entering a labyrinth with five people was clearly a dangerous act.
“So, Hassan of Samaria, are you telling me to take one person out?”
Hippolyta, who was leaning against a corner of the west gate of Sodomora, frowned as she spoke her mind.
He looked tired, like a teacher who had been nagging his students. He must have been unhappy with my opinion.
“There’s less than an hour left until the Labyrinth Expedition sets off. I don’t know what you’re talking about all of a sudden.”
“You’ve been an adventurer for a long time, so I’m sure you know a lot about Pluto’s Labyrinth, Lady Hippolyte. Seven or eight would probably be fine, but five might be a little too dangerous.”
“Ah-, Hassan. Now I understand what you mean. Are you talking about the difficulty increasing with the number of people?”
“Yes.”
As expected of a high-ranking adventurer, he seems to have understood what I was trying to say. Pluto’s Labyrinth is not just a building, but an organic, living, moving body part.
That’s why the number of traps placed and monsters appearing increase depending on the number of people entering and exiting the labyrinth.
If we compare, what should I say… .
If we had to compare it, it would be similar to a dungeon in a game where the difficulty increases as the number of parties increases.
Because of this, large-scale expeditions, including the Knights of the Kingdom, cannot conquer the labyrinth. The difficulty level increases exponentially as the number of people increases!
And as far as I know, the number of people that becomes the threshold for increasing difficulty is a multiple of 5.
Therefore, the difference in difficulty between 4 and 5 people solving the labyrinth was quite large. It is no exaggeration to say that the mode itself changed from easy to normal, or from normal to hard.
The upper echelons of the Mars Guild that planned the labyrinth expedition could not have been unaware of this. I had no choice but to protest and ask Hippolyte why they had arranged the personnel in this manner.
Hippolyte’s answer to that is this.
“If solving a labyrinth is easy, it won’t be a task but rather a walk. Then it won’t be fun.”
“Is it fun…?”
“Yes. Fun. There are many aspects to fun. The fun of slaughter. The fun of injury. The fun of growth. And the fun of reward.”
What kind of fun is that, with so many different variations? What’s the fun of being injured? Is getting injured fun?
“What is it? Lady Hippolyte, you have a very broad perspective on fun.”
“It’s a point of view….”
Perhaps thinking that my reaction was indifferent, Hippolyte looked around to see if anyone was listening to her story, then continued speaking.
“Samaritan. It seems you know a lot about labyrinths. Your opinion is very reasonable. But you know one thing and don’t know two.”
“What don’t I know?”
“As I said before, a task is meaningless if it isn’t difficult. The more difficult it is, the more karma you accumulate in your body, and your human level will rise.”
“Are you saying that as the difficulty increases, the rewards will also increase?”
“Yes, it’s good that you understand quickly. Five. That’s actually the right number to clear the labyrinth. That’s what the Silver Tier adventurers, including me, and the heroes wearing gold necklaces have always done.”
In Hippolyte’s opinion, five people seems to be the most appropriate balance for the increased difficulty and great rewards.
Perhaps it is an extremely correct opinion.
But isn’t that only possible when all five people are on the same page and are doing one-person parties?
Top, mid, jungle, bot duo… . When I was counting the number five.
“The participants in this expedition are all carefully selected promising individuals within the guild. If each person just does their assigned role, there shouldn’t be any difficulties.”
Hippolyte answered in a very light tone and left.
* * *
A time when the desolation of dawn still lingers dimly.
There were already four people waiting for me in front of the west gate.
The first thing that came into view was Luna, who had placed a huge suitcase on the floor and was sitting diagonally on it, looking around.
“Hatsan! Over here!”
Seeing Luna waving her hands makes me feel a little relieved.
It’s better to start with at least one ally than to head out into the open air in a place where no one knows you.
“Everyone is here.”
At Luna’s words, I glanced at the faces of those gathered for this expedition. A dwarf in armor. A witch with a short staff. And a cult nymph named Paranoy.
Ball feather.
As I made eye contact with Paranoy, I saw something like anger flash in his crimson eyes for a moment. Why did he get angry the moment he saw me? – I thought.
“ah.”
I realized that it was Hippolyte who revealed to me that I had subdued Schizophrenia yesterday.
Even if I were a stupid paranoiac, the circumstances would have been enough to make me realize that I was not a Pluto cultist.
Did you feel something like betrayal?
Sval, I have a bad feeling even before we start.
It’s like swearing at an ally who trolled you on the previous board, then turning the queue, only to meet them again as an ally. Yeah, that’s exactly the feeling.
The tension of not knowing what kind of crazy thing the kid who got cursed at by me will do this time.
Not only that, but the eyes staring at my face made me feel like my breath was stopped. I don’t like being the group project leader.
“Ahem, okay. Well, before we leave, we might have to spend a few days together. Let me introduce myself. I am Hassan from Samaria. This time, I happen to be the host of the party.”
After that, I thought about what else I should say. Nothing came to mind. When I cut off the conversation like that, Luna was the only one who clapped her hands in joy in the awkward atmosphere.
And then Luna shouts excitedly like when we first met.
“I am Luna, the daughter of Ideophee! Luna, the daughter of the great night, is I! Please take good care of me from now on!”
“Huh, you’re from Ideopa.”
Unlike the awkward reactions to my introduction, Luna’s introduction was followed by a small exclamation. Paranoy, who had been quietly glaring at me, opened his mouth.
“If you’re from Ideopa, do you happen to know Somnia?”
“I know! I smashed his head! I also took this obsidian dagger and amulets from Somnia.”
“What, what?”
“Ahem, ahem, okay, next. Who’s next…?”
What good would it do to upset Paranoy, a party member? It could lead to disaster before we even set off, so I hurriedly intervened in Luna and Paranoy’s conversation to intervene.
“Next, Mr. Dwarf, tell me your story.”
“Me? Me, you mean me?”
The dwarf who was touching the two horned helmet like an ox trembled at my words. Then he hesitated as if he was very embarrassed.
“Ahem, oh my, self-introduction. Ahem… . Ahem… .”
Is he really that shy, considering he has a huge red beard and is armed with a giant double-edged axe?
“It feels a bit awkward to suddenly introduce myself. Haha, what should I say? I never even thought about it.”
“Just do it roughly.”
“Roughly, ah, roughly. Okay. I, I, uh, what is it? I’m Didi, the son of Troggir. I don’t have a girlfriend yet… My, my ideal type is a woman like the goddess Vesta. A woman who is broad-minded and warm like a hearth. A woman who doesn’t nag me even if I stay locked up in the workshop for two days and instead brings me meals on time.”
“ah-.”
Why is this half-assed kid suddenly talking about women? But people in this world who are not used to introducing themselves would be flustered and start talking nonsense.
Even though I’ve done countless group projects, I’ve never been able to get used to the awkward self-introduction time.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re taller than me, but you definitely have to weigh less-.”
But still, when I saw Didier rambling on and on about what kind of body his ideal type should have, I felt my heart sink.
There are three women at this party right now, and they are all looking at Didier with cold eyes! If this continues, we’ll end up in trouble!
“No, Mr. Didier. What should I say? Don’t you have any special talents? Some kind of talent.”
“Ah, talent. Th, what is it… . I like making pancakes. They are really amazing. If you drip Bashkir honey on the flour of the plains of Sodom, it tastes really good.”
You’re so good at making pancakes. That’s quite a talent!
But this kid, what on earth is he holding that double-edged axe for? Is it a cooking tool?
“Yes, well, I think that should be enough. Then the rest of you… .”
Swish.
A female wizard with long, sky-blue hair. And I was lost in thought for a moment as I looked at the nymph with short, scarlet hair. However, Paranoy’s gaze was so sharp that it was a little annoying.
“Next, nymph, you speak.”
“Me, me?”
Paranoy, a nymph cult member, is startled, as if he never expected his name to be called.
“I, I need to think about it for a bit. Uh, uhm… I’m, the necromancer Paranoy… But, if I can’t use Pluto-sama’s magic anymore, I won’t be able to use necromancy… So, then what am I… What am I? What do you think?”
No, if you ask me that, how would I know? Why are you asking me to introduce myself?
For a moment, I suddenly became worried about whether this nymph would be able to do her job well in the dungeon. Wouldn’t she be more likely to set off traps to screw us over, let alone do her job?
I was thinking that maybe I should consider it a little more.
“Paranoy, you can check what you can do in the labyrinth.”
Luna, who had been quietly listening to the people’s introductions for a while, spoke to Paranoy.
“check?”
“Yes! Since nymphs are loved by the gods, they can do anything!”
“Oh, really? Is that so?”
“And nymphs are also good ingredients for elixirs! If you don’t know what to do, come to me! I’ll write it for you!”
“Hee, heeeek!”
Shit, I’m screwed.
So now there is only one thing left.
I decided to end this weird self-PR time after hearing the introduction of the last guy.
“Okay, so there you are, magician. Lastly, please introduce yourself…”
“Huh, I don’t listen to anyone weaker than me. Remember that, savage.”
This bitch is like Black Wargreymon.
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