Volume 7 - CH 6

The first phase of the hauling operation went flawlessly. We finished ahead of schedule, and some of us even asked for an extension.

However, if we got greedy and made a mistake, it would have been for nothing. We stuck to the plan.

After all, that place is a vicious dungeon, the "Labyrinth of No Return".

In the second phase, the specters had acted in a disgusting way, surrounding us all at once, but we cleared that up with the help of Elisa and the others.

I still cringe when I remember it now.

In the third phase, we assembled the house.

'The Labyrinth of No Return' didn't like my plan for a log house so much that they mobilized all the Specters and Yeti, but I hired an A-ranked party and placed them there.

"A~hahahaha, what's this, this is fun! What's going on here? Uhyahya"

A beautiful blonde girl with her belly button out is spinning around on a pile of Yeti cloaks.

"Sarah! It's not funny! It's not worth it. You should get out of this job."

A large female warrior, clutching a bastard sword, yells at her while keeping a wary eye on her surroundings.

"Oh, if you want to get off, go ahead. You can go home first, Jamie, bye bye"

"No, you can't leave the party."

"If you want to leave..."

"Hmph! Alec! That's a penalty."

"I can get you an extra bonus, but you'll have to give me time. We're on a tight budget. Besides, I told you, didn't I? I don't know what's going to happen. I told you there's some crazy shit going on."

"No, I'm pretty sure you knew about this situation. If you didn't, you wouldn't have hired an A-rank party to prepare the fourth layer. I knew something was wrong from the start."

"Well, I thought I might need it, and I'm a cautious person."

"If it hadn't been for the King's introduction, I wouldn't have taken a quest from a smelly bastard like you."

"Well, well, well. Jaime, you've already taken it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you can make a lot of money selling that cloak."

The priest and the magician soothe her.

"It's not about money, it's about trust. If you want to make a fool out of us, you'd better prepare yourself."

"I don't mean to. Jamie, I'm sure I didn't explain myself very well when I said the job wasn't what you expected. I'll pay you the difference, and then I'll accept your quest unconditionally. How about that?"

"Hmm? If I ask you to slay a dragon, will you accept?"

"It'll take some time, but I'll take it."

"That's an extra 10,000. Then I'll complete the job."

"Deal."

I thought I was going to get ripped off, but it's a small price to pay.

"All right, we'll stick to the deal. I'll give Jamie the 10,000, and you don't have to pay Alec."

"Sarah, that doesn't make any sense."

"It's too much trouble. So, Alec, let's go on an adventure together sometime. I'll lend you a hand."

"Yeah."

"Sarah, what's so great about that dull B-rank?"

"Wh~at? You're jealous, Jaime."

"No, I'm not!"

"Ahahaha."

"Enough chattering. We have a new recruit."

The Magician from Sarah's party is ready.

"Here they comes. It's not getting any easier."

"It's a tedious quest, that's for sure. So, how many are there this time?"

"Hmm, there's only one in sight. ......"

One of the specters is coming slowly, but I don't think they're out of ammo.

I saw that it was a very dangerous guy.

"Combat ready! Stop work, everyone prepare to evacuate!"

I shouted and attempted to use [Appraisal].

【Name】　Specter Overlord

【 L ｖ】　86

【 H P 】　100086/100086

【 M P 】　Browsing has been interrupted.

【Status】　Immortality

【Description】

The King of Shadows, who rules over the immortals.

It is merciless.

It is active against those who approach it.

Its possesses a wisdom close to that of a god.

It possesses a magical power comparable to that of a demon king.

It is equipped with powerful and rare items that nullify most sacred magic.

"Oi, damn, it's level 86! We'll just have to call it off and run!"

I gave up.

I only decided to build a log cabin because it seemed convenient, not because the fate of the world depended on it.

It's a big loss, but it can't be compared to life.

"Wait! Don't think that this Sarah Minerva is going to turn tail and run away from an opponent of this caliber!"

"No, you can fight all you want, but can you win?"

"Hmm, I don't know. It's pretty eeeeevil and dangerous, isn't it?"

"Then let's retreat. This log cabin is like a personal hobby of mine. The king won't complain."

"I told you, that's not the point. This looks like a lot of fun, I can't help but play with it as my personal hobby!"

"I'm saying this, but what are you going to do?"

I'm going to check with Sarah's party.

"The leader decided to do it, and the job was perfectly taken care of earlier."

"I should have eaten my fill of Danish pastry if I had to do this."

"You guys should get the hell out of here. I don't think we can afford an escort."

I'm sure you do.

"Clear out! We'll pay your fare. Everyone, evacuate!"

I don't need to give them orders, the porters are scrambling to get away.

Of course, anyone who's carefree enough to listen to a level 86 can't possibly take on a quest of this magnitude.

"Alec, are we running away too?"

Serina asks.

"Of course. Do you think you can survive against that thing?"

"Hmm, I think I can if it is about 20 levels lower. Besides, they're here at our request, so..."

"I don't mean to abandon them, but if they're A-ranked, they'll know when to back off and won't be killed right away. Besides, if we're here, we might be dragging them down."

"Oh, I see. Let's retreat for now."

A black ward had formed behind us, but Sarah and the others were still alive, cutting through it.

"I'm going back first. I'm going to the castle."

Having copied the skills of [Levitation Lv2] and [Instantaneous Movement Lv2] from Spectre, I'm a little faster than everyone else on the snow.

I spent 3,000 points to change my skill to [Levitation Lv3], but it didn't increase my speed that much, so I went with it.

There was a new [Death Touch], but I'll check it out later.

When I entered the third layer, I saw a party in battle.

"I'm in hurry . I'll let you through."

I call out from behind, and pass through the ceiling, pass over in horizontal position.

"Uwahh! You're undead, aren't you?"

The warrior who looked up at me said with a jerk.

"You're wrong, I'm Alec, the B-ranked Black Cat of the Wind. I have no intention of messing with you guys. I'm just passing through."

"A magician? He's creepy as hell. Hey, he's moving right now. That's weird."

"Jarck! Don't look away! We're in the middle of a battle. If he's not enemy, leave him alone."

I'm sorry I did something wrong, but I don't think it's fatal. It's the adventurer's fault for looking away in the middle of battle.

"Hmm?"

As I was floating along, I found a passageway on the ceiling of the first layer that seemed to be just barely passable.

This is where I fought the skeleton hero.

From below, this passage is just out of sight behind the warrior statue.

Well, I'll check it out later. For now, I need to call for help.

Once I'm on the ground, I run towards the castle. I don't want to be seen by many people, so I don't use [Levitation] or [Instantaneous Movement].

"Stop right there!"

The gatekeeper of the castle held up his spear. It seems that my face still doesn't work very well in the castle.

In that case, I pulled out my platinum pass from my pocket.

"I'm Alec, the Black Cat of the Wind, and I have an urgent matter for the king. You can tell him I have a request in my name."

"Murgh! That pass! I'm sorry, sir. Please pass."

I didn't think I'd need a pass, but in a situation like this, it's a must. The King of Grandsword has foresight.

As I waited in the bleak reception room, the King arrived. He's wearing glittering clothes today.

"I hear it's urgent."

"Yes, I found a bigger fish than I expected on the fourth layer. Level 86."

"What?　86?"

"Yes, sir. Sarah's party is currently in combat."

"You're not retreating?"

"Yeah, I suggested that, but Sarah seemed amused."

"Really ...... that personality. I understand. I'll send out a rescue team right away. Is that okay?"

"Yes, and I need to see the highest level priest."

"The highest level priest around here is High Priest Farnon. But you can't move the high priest. He's too old."

"I'm not taking him anywhere. I just want to see him."

"All right, then. Suit yourself. Somebody get him to the temple. The pass should allow you to see him."

The soldier led me to the temple, where I was allowed to meet the high priest.

"Hohou~, I see, level 86 undead? Then you'd better take these beads with you."

"Thank you very much."

After receiving the beads, I checked my skill list.

It would be a blessing if I could also copy some powerful techniques.

It's random.

【Brush fiddling (erotic)　Lv５】New！

Aahhh, old man, I had a feeling about that!

And don't you dare max out your it's level, you Old pervert.

I don't have much time, so I'll just take the beads and go back to the labyrinth.

"Oh, Alec, how did it go?"

Serina and the others were waiting at the entrance to the ground.

"The king will send a rescue team. I've got the items, so We'll head back to the fourth layer."

"All right."