Chapter 78: Tier 4 (4)

Chapter 78: Tier 4 (4)

Elena was descending to the fourth tier, not with a tense expression but with a mysterious smile on her face.

The reason was the axe in her hand.

She glanced at the axe, which she had already looked at several times, once again.

The axe looked very expensive at first glance, and in fact, it was so expensive that Elena wondered if she had ever heard of such an item.

Looking at it, a giggling smile involuntarily flowed from Elena.

‘I didn’t expect to be taken care of like this...’

Elena liked the hand axe so much because it was undoubtedly a very good piece of equipment gifted by Kim Hyunwoo.

Equipment made from Disaster as a material is fundamentally very expensive.

However, the actual reason Elena liked it so much was because Kim Hyunwoo gave her such an expensive gift without expecting anything in return.

More precisely, while asking her to grow a bit more.

“......”

Elena let out a small laugh without realizing it.

Thinking of what Kim Hyunwoo said, she felt he had great faith in her.

Since entering the Lartania territory, the term ‘failed hero’ had become a thing of the past. She was respected by the soldiers, but her heart still fluttered whenever Kim Hyunwoo showed his belief in her like this.

After all, Kim Hyunwoo was the person who had significantly changed Elena’s life and was also her benefactor.

Elena, who had been looking at the axe and smiling satisfactorily several times until reaching the fourth tier,

“Lady Elena, we have reached the fourth tier.”

soon came to her senses at the trainee’s words, nodded, and composed her emotions.

After all, it was absolutely necessary to compose her emotions before officially tackling the Labyrinth.

Therefore, after taking a few light breaths, Elena entered the entrance of the fourth tier with the 200 apprentices who had come down with her, exhaling one last sigh.

Soon, she began to recall what Kim Hyunwoo had said.

‘From the fourth tier, mutants start to appear more frequently. Hobgoblins and orcs begin to appear, but they are not much different from the monsters in the third tier, so hunting them should not be a big problem.’

‘However, one thing to be careful of is traps. From the fourth tier, horned rock crabs will roam around the Labyrinth. They hide and shoot horns from the walls or ceilings when combat starts, so it’s best to deal with the horned rock crabs first in combat situations.’

‘If you enter combat and haven’t dealt with the horned rock crabs, immediately move to evade. The horns of the horned rock crabs have significant penetrating power, and a direct hit could be fatal.’

Elena, calmly recalling the other things Kim Hyunwoo had told her, soon started to share the information she had received with the soldiers while holding the hand axe.

As before, with Elena leading, they walked into the fourth tier, and soon after, she found herself in the first fight.

“...?”

She couldn’t help but wear a somewhat bewildered expression.

That’s because, just as Elena encountered the first enemies and was about to remove a horned rock crab moving stealthily according to Kim Hyunwoo’s advice and join the fight,

“We’ve won!”

“Waaaaah!!!”

“???”

The fight was already over.

“...?”

Elena looked at the monsters, which until a moment ago were baring their ferocious teeth as if ready to pounce on her, with a puzzled expression.

All of them were either beheaded or had their limbs crushed, slowly fading away.

Seeing this, Elena naturally looked at the apprentices who were roaring in victory with a puzzled expression.

‘...Huh, are the apprentices this strong?’

Elena, having spent a lot of time as a mercenary, knew that the abilities of the apprentices weren’t that outstanding.

But what she had just seen.

Certainly, the soldiers, who until recently had only been able to fend off monsters while exploring the Labyrinth with Elena as regular soldiers, had become incomparably stronger, leaving Elena dumbfounded.

Immediately in the next battle.

“It’s a monster!”

“Kill it!”

“Kill them!!”

The horn that whizzed past her head was embedded in the wall in an instant, indicating its power was not merely strong at first glance.

“......”

Despite knowing from Kim Hyunwoo, she broke out in a cold sweat at its power.

However, Elena, not shrinking back, instead let out a light sigh.

“Hup!”

She immediately rushed in, recalling Kim Hyunwoo’s words.

‘The power of the mutant crab’s horns is tremendous, but they are also easy to dodge. Just avoid being in a straight line with the horn’s launch points. It will keep tilting its body to hit you, but just avoid that.’

‘It can only fire its horns in a straight line. Once you get close by avoiding them, it will be easier for you to handle it.’

Recalling his words and immediately burrowing into the inside of the crab, Elena quickly reached the front of the crab and raised her hand axe.

‘The shell is thick... I must hit it at least three times!’

With that thought, she brought down the axe.

That moment.

Crunch-!

Contrary to Elena’s expectation, the axe instantly pierced through the crab’s shell and tore into its flesh.

[Agonized shriek-!!!]

The crab convulsed.

Dozens of legs burst out, as if trying to immediately move its position, scraping the stone floor.

Crack-!

At that moment, as if by a lie, a blue, sharp bone pierced through the crab’s body.

“...!”

Startled by the tremendous power of the axe, Elena quickly regained her composure, entered the inside of the crab, and swung her hand axe mightily towards the belly of the crab.

And then.

Roar-!

As the crab died, its body began to disintegrate into powder and disappear.

Hearing the cheers from behind, Elena let out a small sigh and momentarily admired the hand axe made from the materials of Disaster.

“...This time too.”

She was looking at the bone that had helped her again, this time much larger than the third tier, now so big it was no joke compared to the size of a person’s waist.

“...?”

Soon, she realized it was different from the last time; it had a pattern engraved on it.

Elena, who had been looking at it for a while, said.

“...Let’s go back for now.”

She quickly gathered the blue bone and started preparing to leave immediately.

As soon as Elena began her preparations to leave, the apprentice soldiers busily started to load the loot and the blue bone they had acquired onto the wagon they had brought.

Elena, quietly watching the apprentice soldiers, subtly started to take note of their movements.

“...Hem hem.”

From her bosom, she pulled out a Magnifying Glass.

Of course, she was already aware from Kim Hyunwoo’s words that the chances with the Magnifying Glass were incredibly slim.

‘...Using the Magnifying Glass in a newly conquered tier increases the chances of finding something good, right?’

Elena had impulsively bought the Magnifying Glass due to rumors circulating among mercenaries.

...In truth, she couldn’t forget the strange euphoria she felt the first time she used the Magnifying Glass, but Elena was convincing herself it was to ‘verify the rumors’.

“Sigh-”

Soon, Elena used the Magnifying Glass while keeping an eye on the apprentice soldiers.

And about 10 minutes later.

“......”

She began to exit the Labyrinth with a slightly depressed expression, considering that she had broken through the Labyrinth’s fourth tier.