Volume 12 - Prologue

Since the discovery of the ninth layer by the party of the First King of Grandsword Five hundred years ago, no one had been able to reach it since then.

Now that Gallard's party had rediscovered it, the taverns and adventurer's guilds of Grandsword were in a festive mood.

"I knew it, Gallard was amazing!"

"Yeah, I've always thought he could make it to the ninth layer."

"And he's the biggest clan in the A-rank party."

"And he's nice! He's such a nice guy!"

Here and there, adventurers were talking excitedly.

Our party, on the other hand, was feeling down in the dumps.

"What's the big deal about finding the ninth layer?"

"Well, it's supposed to be the first time in 500 years, so it's not hard to see why people are talking about it. ......"

"They're getting too carried away. Master is much more respectable."

"Hey, Alec, why don't we start now and say we're ahead of them?"

"No, we can't, Letty, we've already talked about this."

"Tell them about the Dark Zone. It's evidence, right?"

"It's not about whether it's true or not. It's about image."

It's naive to think that if we're honest and tell the truth, people will understand.

If we were to announce that we found it first, people would ask why we didn't report it to the Adventurers' Guild right away.

It's not a bad thing for an adventurer to be ahead of the pack and gain an advantage.

There's no rule that says you have to report when you find a new layer.

But what would the other adventurers think when they heard that?

If Gallard and the others had found the ninth layer first and kept silent, I would have called them a cheapskate.

It would be nice if that was all, but how would you feel if, say, some unknown C-rank party said after the fact that we found it first? How would you feel if they said, "We found it first!"

Are you sure? Are they lying? Of course you would think that.

Even an A-ranked party, not just a C-ranked party, would be suspected. That's the only disadvantage of being an afterthought.

And I'll――

"Listen to me! I've been silent until now, but I found the ninth layer first! Sean from The Blue Lizard!"

I was about to say, "Let's go," when a man in leather armor shouted proudly in the middle of the road to the Labyrinth of No Return.

"Hah, a raggedy C-rank who hasn't even cleared the fifth layer, that's bullshit!"

"Who's going to believe anything Sean the liar says?"

"I don't know why kept silent about it until now."

"W-well you know, I was just trying to keep the treasure to myself. Besides, there's no need to go any lower than the fifth layer. There's an entrance to the ninth layer on the first layer, right?"

"Okay, fine, if you insist, Sean, you can take us to the ninth layer now."

"Ahh!? Now!? N-no, you'll die with your skill."

"We'll just see the entrance and head back, and if your party's in the lead, we'll be safe, right?"

"Right?"

The adventurers stare at Sean with grins on their faces.

".....Ow, ow, ow, ow. I've got a little bit of a stomach ache. I'm sorry, but I'll have to take you to the ninth layer another time."

Sean ran away from the scene and his party mates, who shrugged their shoulders, followed him.

"Cheap bastard."

"I bet he's about to crawl into bed and say, "Uuhhh!" or "Aah!"."

"Why would he tell a lie that's so easily exposed?"

"Conspicuous assholes don't do well."

The adventurers looked in the direction Sean had gone and said with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Aahh, Alec, it's okay, let's go."

Letty, too, seemed to sense the uncomfortable atmosphere and hurriedly walked away.

"If we insist, will it be like earlier?"

"I don't know. ......"

"[The Black Cat of the Wind] is a A-rank, right? Then the credibility of the story is totally different, and I think it's only semi-credible."

Hanna said. Still, it means I'm skeptical.

"It's too much trouble to be bombarded with questions. Let's go."

With that, I dismissed the topic and started walking.

At the entrance of the first layer, the gate guard soldier there saw me and called out to me as usual.

"Hey, Alec, looks like you got hit first."

"I guess so."

"Haha, you're still the same, aren't you? But you've got A-rank and you have more members. I think you can turn things around now, don't you?"

"Maybe."

Between Gallard and the others who's just found ninth layer yesterday, we have the advantage because we're ahead of them.

But that's not an absolute.

The map of the ninth layer isn't even half full yet, and we haven't even found the boss room yet. Moreover, since we had given top priority to map exploration, we were exploring from the edge. If Gallard and the others went through the middle and reached the boss room first, They might be able to turn the tables.

However, it would be better not to rush into the middle of the map.

The only reason I'm giving priority to map exploration is because the more the map is filled, the less dangerous it is.

If you get lost and run into a strong enemy, there's a good chance you'll be wiped out.

"Then, let me know what the ninth layer looks like later. You're going to capture now, right?"

"Yes, we are."

It would be cool to say we're still exploring the eighth layer, but the ninth layer will be flooded with adventurers now, and it would be a bit embarrassing if we were spotted there.

We'll explore the ninth layer with impunity.

We descend the stairs and head down the first layer.

Using [Levitation], we climbed up behind the warrior statue and went through the hidden passage to the magic circle.

Then I heard a voice talking from the other side, and it seemed that there was a visitor in front of the magic circle.

"――for that reason, let's give priority to searching for the enemy on the ninth layer. We'll be cautious and take it easy, okay?"

"Gallard, someone's here. It's an adventurer."

The red-haired knight who was consulting with his companions turns to me.

"Hey, Alec-san."

Gallard smiles in a friendly manner. But I don't trust anyone who smiles at me when I don't know them very well.

"......Yo."

As is the custom of adventurers, I would at least return the greeting.

"Hee~, if you have that ring, then it seems that Alec-san and the others have already cleared the eighth layer. I'm impressed."

Gallard sensibly noticed the ring on my right index finger.

"That's enough of the flattery. You can either move on or give way to us."

"Yeah, excuse me. Okay, guys, can you stop by for a minute? I'll let Alec and the others go first."

"Yes, sir."

"Here you go."

Most of the people in Gallard's party smiled, but a few of them looked reluctant.

Well, I guess they think we're competition.

"Oops, right."

As I entered the magic circle, I turned around and asked Gallard.

"Gallard, what are the enemies on the ninth layer looks like?"

We're the first ones to enter this place, so we should at least ask some questions.

"Yeah, it's a pretty tough opponent. I think even Alec and the others will have a hard time. There's a dark passage, so you'd better be careful there too."

Gallard answered honestly. Well, in here, "I'm sure Alec and the others can handle it! It'll be a piece of cake! It doesn't matter if you're surrounded by enemies, just keep running forward!" If he was such a bad guy, he wouldn't be so popular, and he wouldn't have so many members.

"I see, it's tough, huh, thank you. ――Gallard, in the dark, it's better to be careful about traps, isn't it?"

I'll go ahead and hint at the trap.

"Yes, of course it would."

Gallard nodded with a smile, it seems he hasn't experienced a spear trap yet. Well, if he just found it yesterday, there's no way he would have gone that far.

"Yeah, bye."

"Yes, excuse me. Take care."

I waved my ring over the magic circle, and we instantly moved to the ninth layer.