Chapter 88

“Sister, what kind of place is this [Labyrinth Dungeon]?”

I sat down at one of the cafes that are being built in a corner of the “Labyrinth Dungeon Area” on the south side of the new city.

That’s what Estoa asked Yuri as he watched the video of Altorius group exploring the labyrinth, which was rated as [Beginner II] difficulty.

Just a few minutes ago, Estoa was so engrossed in eating zenzai that she didn’t even see the image.

She seemed satisfied when she finished one cup each of the one with roasted rice cake and the one with white bean paste, and now she was watching the video with interest.

She ate so well that Yuri wondered for a moment if all priests were healthy eaters. (Are all clergymen healthy eaters?) Yuri had a moment of doubt, though.

But as expected, Estoa seems to know how to take it easy. ―――At least much more than the High Priest of Badanterre who ate six bowls of zenzai at the food stall the other day.

“You can think of it as a kind of convenient ‘Training Place’ where you can only fight demons of the strength you want to fight.”

For example, the recommended level for exploring this [Beginner’s II] is [21-35]. There are five floors in this labyrinth, and only demons with levels 21 to 23 are placed on the first floor, and only demons with levels 24 to 26 are placed on the second floor, and so on.

“I see. In other words, you can fight only the demons of the strength you want to fight by exploring a specific floor.”

“Yes. On the first floor, the level of the demons will be about the same as Altorius and his team, so there will be few difficulties in fighting. If you’re dealing with a demon of the same rank, the explorer’s side will have the advantage because of their intelligence.”

“It’s true that Your Eminence hasn’t had any difficulty so far.”

While Estoa was eating zenzai, Altorius’ group had already experienced two battles.

The first was against three wolves, and the second was against a goblin warrior and two giant spiders.

In both battles, Annette, who was playing the role of tank, held off two enemies while the remaining one was quickly defeated by Altorius’ sword and Sarum’s magic.

“By the way, sister. What are the green and blue lines displayed above the heads of those who are exploring?”

“Oh, I didn’t explain it to you, did I? Well, how to explain it…

If I were to put it simply, the green line is an easy way to show how much more demon attack you can withstand. Whenever you are attacked, the green line gets shorter.”

“What happens if the green line gets too short and eventually disappears?”

“You die.”

“Die……”

Yuri’s immediate answer made Estoa face pale.

The green line, by the way, refers to the [HP Bar] in the game.

To make it easier for the viewers to understand the situation of the explorers, Yuri had the beast that acted as the camera hold a magic tool developed by <Rindou>, so that the [HP Bar] of the explorers and demons could always be seen by the viewers.

Needless to say, this is something that the people who are exploring the labyrinth cannot see.

“Of course, the [Life-Saving Ward] that have been set up in the city will help, so you won’t die even if the green line disappears. In that case, it will be treated as if you were defeated by a demon, and you will be forcibly returned to the entrance of the labyrinth dungeon.”

“Oh, I see……. So it’s safe.”

“Yes, it’s safe, except for the ‘painful death’ part.”

Yuri told her, smiling.

Estoa let out a small shaky voice with a pale face.

Yuri once thought about using [Pain-Reducing Ward] to minimize the pain he felt when he was injured or killed by a demon.

But surprisingly, the idea was opposed by Lydina herself, who is more sensitive than anyone else to the fact that people feel pain.

From her point of view, it would be undesirable for people to take death lightly or not be afraid of it after experiencing it so many times in the [Labyrinth Dungeon].

Therefore, they even requested that if a searcher dies in the labyrinth, they should be given a merciless ‘painful death’ as a penalty.

It seems that she has an idea to warn people when they should be warned.

“Of course, the green line can be restored by casting a healing spell. To avoid dying, it is essential to properly treat the damage inflicted by the demon after the battle is over.”

“That sounds like a lot of work for a party without a

to tackle the labyrinth.”

“In the future, more and more people will be able to use healing magic by choosing

as their [Class] instead of [Vocation], so it should not be a problem.”

“Oh, that’s true, too.”

In response to Yuri’s words, Estoa nodded.

And―――this is something that hasn’t been on the ‘air’ yet. The treasure chests that appear randomly in the labyrinth are set up so that you can easily get [Elixir Potions] that can heal wounds.

In the beginning, the elixir will be sold at a high price as a valuable item. However, after a certain amount of time has passed and the fact that elixirs are stably produced in the labyrinths becomes known, the market price should stabilize to a reasonable level that is easy to obtain.

If that happens, it will be much easier to buy elixirs on the market and explore the [Labyrinth] without a healing magician.

“Oh, it looks like there’s only one enemy this time. That’s lucky!”

I heard Estoa voice and looked at the video. You can see the scene where Altorius and his group are trying to hunt down a Wolf that was acting alone.

It is true that normally if you can start a battle in a situation where you are outnumbering, you will be able to create an overwhelming advantage.

However―――the [Labyrinth Dungeon] created by the Yuri Empire is not so easy.

“But, two of the closest demons will rushing over to assist”

“……Eh. Is that so?”

“Yes. Because that’s how I made this [Labyrinth]・・・・・.”

A battle with a numerical advantage is not fair.

―――If a battle begins when there are fewer demons than explorers, the nearest demon will automatically come to aid.

This time, there were three explorers and only one demon.

So to make up for the difference in the number of individuals, the two demons closest to the attacked wolf will immediately join for support.

However, the demons will only go for support once at the start of each battle.

So if you can defeat the wolf in front of you before the two demons arrive, you can maintain your advantage in numbers, and there will be no more demons rushing to support you.

In this sense, being able to start a battle with a small number of enemies is an advantage.

“There’s one coming from behind!”

Sarum, the rear guard of the explorer party, warned his companions in a dire voice.

The ‘closest demon’ will always rush to your support.

―――In other words, the demons that come to support do not always come from in front of them.

It’s a good thing that Sarum was able to detect it right away this time, but if you don’t notice the demons rushing from behind, you may be in for a painful surprise attack.

“…… Is it possible that this labyrinth dungeon is too dangerous to attempt with too many people?”

“Well, that’s Estoa for you. You’re smart.”

Estoa is a ‘Saint’ of the Holy Land of Nimun, but she is also a fierce fighter who has raised her level to ’64’. She had a lot of experience in combat, so she would have been able to recognize it right away.

Normally, when dealing with demons, it’s a fact that gathering a large number of people will give you an advantage. In this labyrinth, if ten explorers dive together, the demons will certainly try to fight with ten of them.

If this is the case, you will naturally be attacked from the front and back in many cases.

The mental stress of being sandwiched by demons on both sides and having your path of retreat blocked is not uncommon. There are not many explorers who can maintain their composure in a siege situation, so the risk of danger is high.

“In other words, it is very possible for one or two people to take on the challenge.”

“So it could be the other way around?”

“Yes.”

Yuri nodded and replied to Eshtoğa’s words.

A battle where there is an advantage in numbers is not fair. ―――If that is the case, then of course the demon’s side being outnumbered is also unacceptable.

So, when the demons are outnumbered, there is a built-in specification that allows the demons to automatically ‘escape’ to the extent if they are outnumbered.

So if you are diving into a labyrinth alone, even if you encounter more than one demon at a time, leave only one behind and the others will immediately retreat.

For those who are confident in their abilities, this may be easier than forming a party.

“A party of three, like this one, maybe just the right number. If there are two vanguards, they can cope well with being sandwiched by demons.”

“That’s right. I’m sure they can win this battle without any problems.”

Even though the wolves rushed in from the front and back, the formation of Altorius party is not disturbed.

While Annette was using her shield to hold off the two wolves that were originally there and the wolf that came from the front to support, Altorius took care of the wolf that came from the rear and immediately took care of it with his sword and Sarum’s magic.

Once that was done, the three were able to take advantage of our superiority against the two wolves, so they didn’t have any struggles.

“It’s not that interesting to have a completely unscathed fight.”

“Is that so? As a member of the Holy Land, it’s even a bit touching to see Your Eminence actually fighting.”

“Oh―――that’s true too. I’m sorry.”

Certainly, it would be a rare opportunity for the people to see their sovereign, who they rarely get to see, in action.

It’s not a very interesting battle scene from Yuri’s point of view, but for the subjects of the Holy Land, as Estoa said, it can be seen as something that even moves them.

“It’s a lot of fun to be able to cheer while watching the images like this!”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

Whatever it was, it’s a good thing that Estoa enjoying it.

Yuri thought about this and consoled himself with a subtle sense of dissatisfaction.

There are also many demons in the form of cute girls placed in the labyrinth.

If only she could see them―――Yuri could watch the video and cheer them on with all her might.