Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 109
The second floor of the labyrinth (2)
It was the third morning after entering the labyrinth.
After defeating monsters that looked similar to the size of a wolf, the group was finally able to come out of the cave.
“This is…the second floor of the labyrinth.”
“Huh, it’s been a while.”
The hot wind brushes my face and collar. The bailiff and the dwarf who stepped on the sand showed different reactions.
Dallen scratched his chin. For him, it was no different from the scenes he had seen countless times on the other side of the monitor.
Hwii-
a desert with hot winds blowing from all directions. The heat rising from under my feet makes my feet inside my boots feel oppressively tight.
Except for the entrance to the cave I just came out of, everywhere I looked, there was nothing but barren sand.
‘2nd floor of the labyrinth. ‘Scorching Desert.’
Unlike the first floor, which was a mixture of forest and swampy plains, the second floor of the labyrinth was entirely a desert area.
A terrain similar to the desert on the ground, but at the same time quite different in concept.
If the desert on the ground warms the body with the sunlight shining from the sky, the desert on the second floor of the labyrinth gave off light and heat from the sand itself.
As the nickname “Scorching Desert” suggests, this is a desert area that is literally burning itself.
“It looks like the soles of my feet are going to get cooked.”
“They’ll say it’s going to freeze at night. “In this sand hell, at night, it feels as cold as the tsarist winter.”
Over the next few days, Sasha and Bjorn seemed to have become a little closer, chatting and looking around.
Dallen took a few steps ahead over the crumbling sand. He took out a transparent glass sphere from the subspace in his arms.
“Oh, isn’t that a fragment of the Explorer’s Left Bank?”
Bjorn looked at the glass ball with the blue metal arrow floating around and touched his beard with an expression of interest. Sasha also seemed to be secretly glancing at me.
It’s not strange. This item, recovered from the underground ruins of the Holy Knights headquarters, is an artifact with a powerful tracking ability.
Although it is less famous than weapons such as swords or armor that are easily dramatized in heroic stories, its abilities are among the best among artifacts of the same class.
If you are an executive of a special task force in a powerful Tsarist state or a hero-level craftsman who can handle gunpowder at will, it would make even more sense not to know.
‘Sienna.’
Reciting the name of the person to be targeted, Dallon materialized the information.
An information merchant from Crow’s Nest with black eyes and long black hair.
A woman who likes tea more than alcohol and has a mischievous smile and long eyelashes.
A contradictory spellcaster who hates being indebted to anyone, but at the same time values those closest to him more than anyone else.
‘And Eclasia.’
It is a surname passed down from generation to generation to the youngest of the thirteen witches born from the original witch, the Witch of Feathers.
It was a token of the power that Sienna possessed from birth and sealed away to survive, but now wants to regain.
Buzz, buzz,
the needle, which started spinning like crazy as soon as magical energy was injected, slowed down as the image materialized.
The blue metal needle trembles and stops moving when the witch’s last name is mentioned.
Dallen smiled as he looked at the needle pointing beyond the horizon.
“There you are.”
“here? “Who are you talking about?”
“Siena.”
The dwarf, who had been tilting his head, belatedly had an expression of regret.
The Explorer’s Left Bank Fragment is a powerful artifact that operates without major problems even if the target is located on the exact opposite side of the continent.
However, unlike the continent that was part of a single physical space, the labyrinth was a world where each floor was separated.
In this twisted world, the fact that the investigator’s left eye fragment is fully operational means that the subject and the user are located on the same floor.
Sienna was now on the second floor of the labyrinth.
While chasing down the rebels with an unprepared advance guard somewhere in this vast scorching desert.
“Didn’t you say that the rebels’ final destination is the third floor of the Labyrinth?”
“That’s right. According to Vasilikov’s story, the sanctuary revealed by the devil is located on the third floor of the labyrinth.”
“Then the advance party will eventually head to the third floor of the labyrinth.”
Sasha nodded.
The rebel devil worshipers dispatched a force of one hundred and fifty men to the third floor of the labyrinth to sign a summons contract with Calchas of the Chain Throne.
Of course, unlike the special unit under one royal family, they are an organization divided into seven factions, each following their own prince and princess.
Even in peacetime, it is an organization that has difficulty gathering its full strength due to subtle internal checks. It went without saying in such a large-scale operation.
As a result, they are said to have divided into approximately ten small parties and headed toward the labyrinth.
Therefore, the mission given to the advance team that Sienna joined as a guide was twofold.
The first is to divide into groups of more than ten and chase down and kill the rebel explorer party, which is relatively easy to deal with.
And secondly, if possible, overtake them and block the entrance from the second to third floors of the labyrinth.
“let’s go.”
Dallen kept the glass sphere in his arms. And started walking ahead.
***
Two hours.
This was the maximum time that the elite special forces of the Iron Blood Army could march in the heat of the scorching desert.
“Whew. Phew….”
“It’s so hot.” “It feels like I went into a furnace alive.”
“Is the advance team still alive? “How can you survive in this heat?”
All the agents open the canteen and drink water.
I tried pouring it on my head and clothes to cool off the heat, but the leather canteen containing water was already hot.
“Tsk tsk, that’s harsh.”
“…You are saying too much. “Only the dwarves can survive this heat.”
“My people are resistant to heat and cold. “But aren’t there some human mercenaries just walking along?”
Bjorn pointed at Dallen. Dallen, who had been trudging along without much thought, glanced back at the sound.
“…I will make an exception for that person.”
Sasha shakes her head. Her face was also red from the heat, and beads of sweat were forming on the tip of her chin.
Dallen paused for a moment. He brought back some of his senses that were used to detect danger around him and looked at the physical condition of the special forces agents.
‘hmm.’
It was in a pretty miserable state.
Dry lips and blurry focus were common, and many people had already suffered minor burns and blisters on their feet.
Unstable heart rate, shortness of breath.
Trembling eyelids and limbs are probably the aftereffects of abnormally elevated body temperature.
It was a natural result.
Although all of the agents were excellent warriors who knew how to manipulate magic, not all of them could overcome human limitations.
And even for a superhuman, it is not easy to remain sane in the scorching heat of the desert.
Even in games, various abnormalities such as high fever, dehydration, hallucinations, and exhaustion come and go.
The reason Dallen is fine now is because he has a transcendent tolerance to heat as a result of awakening his full dragon blood.
[Kyuunung.]
Also, when the baby dragon that was attached to my left arm like a tattoo felt a little hot, I even had the good sense to blow some cool air on it.
Rather, the mental strength of the special task force that followed without falling behind was just amazing.
This is despite the fact that they are particularly vulnerable to heat rather than cold since their hometown is the Northern Tsarist Kingdom.
“Let’s rest there for a while.”
After thinking for a moment, Dallon pointed to a nearby sand pit.
A sigh of relief poured out among the special task force agents.
***
The camp was quickly set up.
It only took 30 minutes to cover the ground with a thin leather mat with magical heat dissipation properties and set up several tents on top of it.
In fact, when exploring the Scorching Desert, it was generally correct to rest during the day and move at night.
Even though I could deal with the cold by wearing layers of clothing, there was no answer to the heat rising from the sand.
It would have been better if I had a cold attribute magic tool wrapped around my body.
Of course, if you do that, the chances of becoming easy prey for monsters will increase exponentially.
Anyway, this was a slightly different case.
The means of transportation that Dallon was targeting was active only during the day.
And due to the nature of the creatures that nest in the center of the Scorching Desert, the probability of encountering them increases to a certain extent when you go deeper into the desert.
‘We’re completely outside the outskirts, so if you’re lucky, you might be able to meet at least one.’
While Dallen was mumbling his beef jerky and thinking, Sasha came and sat down next to him.
“By the way, this is the operation you mentioned yesterday.”
The blush on his face has subsided slightly, as if the heat has subsided.
“As you said, I haven’t told the unit members yet, but is that really okay?”
“What’s not okay?”
“I know it’s an effective means of transportation. But I wonder if it wouldn’t be too dangerous…”
Sasha trailed off. This is because I was a little embarrassed about the dangers of being part of a special task force.
The reality is that since you descended into the labyrinth in the first place, every moment is dangerous. She was fully aware of that fact.
So, instead of saying something, Dallen quietly got up from his seat. He said.
“The advance team probably couldn’t catch all the rebels. No matter how capable the guide is, it is impossible to defeat all the scattered rebel parties in this vast desert.”
By now, two of the rebel party would have already entered the third floor entrance. Dallen added, fiddling with the head of the axe.
“Then the advance team has two choices. “They left 15 days late, didn’t know when we would join, and couldn’t even contact us due to the magic wind in the labyrinth, so they waited endlessly for us.”
“…Or maybe he went down to the third floor to try to block the ritual with even a little power.”
“exactly.”
Dallen nodded.
“If what I heard about the special unit’s loyalty is true, the advance unit would probably choose the latter. That’s why we have to hurry, even if it means risking it.”
The starting number of the advance team was 40.
No matter how active Siena was, it was impossible for there to be no casualties given the current situation where she could only use a portion of her own power.
Since he went through the labyrinth and went through a battle with the rebels at the same time, it would not be strange if nearly half of him died.
It was extremely reckless to attack the scene of a ritual with a demon with the remaining twenty or so troops.
‘It’s probably more dangerous because it’s a ritual that involves not just downloading the devil’s power, but directly signing a summoning contract.’
However, apart from their loyalty, the Tsarist special forces are called corpses.
They were not people who would hesitate to protect themselves when it was too late and their hometown would become the devil’s playground.
Sienna also has important business with Calchas, so unlike usual, she would not hesitate to join in an attack like that suicide charge.
That was why Dallen was in such a hurry.
He had to arrive at the entrance to the third floor of the labyrinth as quickly as possible and prevent the advance team and Sienna’s reckless choices.
“Thank goodness you’re lucky.”
“…yes?”
Dallon muttered. Sasha tilted her head.
At that time, Bjorn also took out a shotgun and came to the two men. He said.
“I agree. In other times, I would have been in a situation where I would have been unlucky, but now, like Dallan said, I feel lucky. “I feel strangely safe when I’m with this friend.”
“I have a good feeling it’s a dwarf.”
“That’s right, because there are many cases where we don’t come out of the ground for more than a century. “You’re amazing for feeling this sooner than me!”
“……?”
Sasha had no idea what the two were talking about. What is good luck and what is bad luck?
“…!”
However, it wasn’t long before she felt a subtle vibration even in her trained five senses.
“No way, this sound….”
“That’s not bad for a human, either. I’ll pass! Hahaha!”
Kurrrrrr.
The ground trembles. It was different from an earthquake.
When an earthquake occurs and the entire ground seems to shake, it feels like someone is knocking on the ground deep underground.
Dallen, who has lived in modern times, has felt a similar sensation to this.
Worked at a tunnel construction site as a safety manager. The vibration of a huge excavator digging into the ground.
The tremor that could be felt even inside the office was exactly the same as the current tremor.
Kurrrrrr…….
The sound is getting louder.
Soon, even the agents who were taking a break woke up feeling that something was not unusual.
The slopes of the sand dunes begin to flow, and the leather rugs and tents on them begin to move. Sasha shouted as she pulled down her rifle and reloaded it.
“Special task force! Ready for battle!”
At the command of Executive Officer Sasha, all members of the special task force quickly put on their uniforms and finished loading their rifles.
Cheeeee…!
Meanwhile, Bjorn closed his eyes, calculated the tremors of the ground, and ignited the wick of the stick explosive in his hand.
Dallon also pulled out his spear. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make a good scratch with a hatchet.
Kurrrrr! thud. Kuk-kung…!
Vibrations that are constantly getting stronger.
The entire tent collapses and even the body shakes.
Then, at some point, the trembling suddenly stopped.
“……?”
A few seconds later.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
The entire upper part of the sand dune in front of me disappeared and a huge pillar rose from the ground.
[Kyaaaaa!]
How many beautiful trees do I have to collect to match the thickness of that body?
The yellow-orange scales that cover the body, each tens of meters long, exposed on the exploded hill, are large enough to cover several men.
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
A snout with nearly ten layers that rotates in a circle and constantly rubs, like an ancient dwarven excavator.
The thousands of teeth protruding from its snout can effortlessly grind up even the boiling sandy desert bedrock.
In fact, it is one of the largest predators in this desert and a representative monster that usually comes to mind when talking about the second floor of the labyrinth.
“…Sandworm.”
Judging by its size alone, the majesty of a monster that overwhelms even a decent dragon stands in front of you.
Even the special task force agents who had experienced all kinds of hardships opened their mouths and their guns trembled.
Sereung-
“You arrived on time.”
After giving LeVeron Ahakim’s latest masterpiece a spin in his hands, Dallon jumped up in his seat with a wild smile on his face.
Kwaang-!
A jump with all my might for the first time in a while. A small pillar of sand rises up from the ground where my toes leave.
“Rhenia—Basak.”
By reciting a spell, he used the power of his big sword to surround his weapon with electricity, and at the same time struck the air a couple of times, taking just a moment to get close to the monster’s head.
At that time, the small scales surrounding the monster’s snout wriggled open.
Thousands of black eyes rolled over with their eyelids peeled and focused on Dallen.
[Kyaaaaaa!]
A wide-open snout with sparks flying from friction.
A powerful curse shot from your gaze.
[Uuuuuup!]
Immediately, the devil began to feast on his mouth as if it was about to burst, and began to moan happily in subspace.
[……?!]
The moment the intelligent beast’s eyes realized that the curse wasn’t working and felt that something was very wrong.
“What are you talking about?”
I’m going to go to the middle of the day!
Dallen lightly pushed the air and fired with the speed of an arrow, sinking the lightning-covered spear tip into the monster’s scales.