Chapter 141. Organization
After Gauntlet's victory over the Time Eater.
He returned to the deepest part of the dungeon, right in front of the boss room.
Of course, he had no idea that he had traveled to the future.
Opening the door using the spatial transfer method.
He thought he had transferred to another space, defeated the boss, and returned to where he originally was.
And then.
［...W-Who are you?］
"What?"
A monster stood before Gauntlet, terrified.
The place Gauntlet was in now was the boss room beyond the door.
The monster in front of him was the actual boss of this dungeon.
Of course.
Gauntlet didn’t consider the monster to be the boss.
After defeating the boss in the room he had transferred to via the spatial method, Gauntlet thought this monster was more like a bonus monster he encountered after returning to the regular space.
［I-I don't know who you are, but I surrender! So, please spare me!］
The true owner of the dungeon quickly knelt and pressed its head to the ground.
It was because it had immediately grasped that Gauntlet was on a different level than itself.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a dungeon monster surrender so quickly…”
［Hehe… For someone lowly like me, it’s only natural to submit to someone as noble as you…］
The dungeon boss acted in a servile manner.
Gauntlet stared at it, baffled, scratched his head, and turned to leave.
Even if it was a monster.
Since it showed no hostility, hadn’t harmed anyone, and was begging for its life by surrendering, he had no intention of killing it.
As he exited the dungeon, Gauntlet thought to himself.
‘SSS-class power… This feels dangerous…’
Gauntlet’s entire body was overflowing with strength.
It was a dangerous power, one that seemed like it could destroy everything if he wasn’t careful.
‘Can I even control this power?’
Gauntlet wondered if he could truly handle this overwhelming strength.
‘First, I need to suppress the aura radiating from my body. I can’t just walk around exuding such ominous energy.’
Gauntlet's current state was dire.
Even without the ability to sense danger, anyone could instantly tell that Gauntlet was a more dangerous existence than even an S-class being.
In this state, he wouldn’t be able to even hold a conversation with other humans.
That’s why he had to suppress his aura.
He needed to restrain his power so that to others, he would appear as an ordinary human.
‘Hmm… Is this enough? No, this still seems a bit excessive… Was suppressing my aura always this difficult? I guess I’ll need to spend at least a few weeks practicing suppressing it.’
Fortunately.
The continent Gauntlet was currently on had no humans living on it.
This was a land without humans, the Demon Continent.
It was a continent that had been conquered by the Demon Lords long ago.
Moreover.
It was located far from human settlements, and it was a place no ordinary person could step foot in.
If anyone below S-class came here, it was no different than coming to commit suicide.
‘Before I move on to another continent, I need to master aura suppression here. But before that…’
Gauntlet planted his feet firmly on the ground and leaped high.
Like a spring, Gauntlet’s body shot up into the sky in an instant.
Gauntlet soared high into the sky.
‘Let’s test my strength for a moment.’
From the sky, he looked down at the edge of the Demon Continent.
He lightly stretched out his arm, assuming the first stance of a secret technique.
‘Just in case, I’ll make this as weak as possible… Like gently caressing a newborn baby, I’ll remove all my strength…’
Thunk—
It was almost embarrassing to call it the first stance of a secret technique.
He flicked his finger lightly, as if merely giving a playful tap.
At that moment.
Paang—!
A shockwave tore through the space.
In an instant, half of the Demon Continent vanished without a trace.
The aftermath triggered a massive tsunami.
Waves, tens of meters high, began to crash over the remaining land, while deep within the continent, earthquakes split the ground and toppled mountains.
Moreover.
The massive earthquake shook the entire remaining continent.
Volcanoes awoke, spewing lava and ash high into the sky.
‘…….’
What? I definitely held back all my strength and only flicked lightly, right?
Gauntlet couldn’t help but feel shocked.
And he felt a sense of terror at the power he possessed.
Because he knew that excessive power, if uncontrollable, was a curse.
‘I'm screwed.’
From that day onward.
Gauntlet’s physical training took on a new meaning.
To adapt to and get used to his power, he constantly performed bodyweight exercises.
Training to control his strength.
Training to hit lightly.
Training to strike without causing collateral damage. And so on.
It wasn’t about becoming stronger, but about mastering his power perfectly.
In the ruined Demon Continent, Gauntlet spent six grueling months training to control his power.
As a result.
He gradually gained the ability to control his strength at will, learned techniques to subdue opponents without inflicting fatal damage, and could unleash powerful, concentrated attacks without harming the surrounding environment.
Moreover.
He succeeded in suppressing his dangerous aura.
Now, even with light contact, he no longer released any power, allowing him to live a normal life like any other person.
During this process, Gauntlet also created a technique called “Secret Technique, Dimensional Collapse.”
Afterward.
Even after leaving the Demon Continent, Gauntlet continued his relentless physical training and delicate power control exercises to avoid harming innocent people.
With the belief that great power comes with great responsibility.
***
72nd day in the Labyrinth.
I had a dream.
A dream of that day when I faced the strongest monster I had ever met, the Time Eater.
The day I risked my life on a one-punch attack with that SSS-class creature and finally won, gaining SSS-class power.
Why did I suddenly dream of that day?
There was only one reason.
‘...So, that's why Chrono Knight's voice sounded so familiar. It’s the exact same as the Time Eater’s voice from back then.’
Could this really be a coincidence?
Was there perhaps some connection between the two?
As those thoughts swirled in my mind.
I slowly opened my eyes.
And I saw Merino's face come into view.
Merino was in the middle of stuffing food into my mouth.
Naturally, I chewed and swallowed it before asking Merino.
“…What are you doing?”
“Yay! I'm feeding you. Chew well, chew well.”
“Wait… Why are you feeding me while I'm asleep?”
“You looked hungry.”
I truly couldn’t understand this creature.
Well, she did it out of concern for me, so I had no intention of scolding her.
“…You haven’t been feeding me every time I’ve slept, have you?”
“I’ve done it every day! You were eating so well in your sleep!”
It seemed I hadn’t noticed because Merino didn’t emit any hostility.
I can sense hidden hostility, but.
Pure actions without any hostility don’t register while I sleep because I’ve adjusted it that way.
I could sense every little action if I wanted to, but…
If I sleep that sensitively, I never wake up feeling refreshed.
Of course.
My S-class body doesn’t actually require sleep.
I just sleep regularly because I enjoy resting.
Ever since I was young, my desire for sleep has always been stronger than my desires for food or anything else.
“From now on, don’t feed me while I’m sleeping.”
“Yay! I’ll stop starting today!”
Merino nodded her head eagerly as she answered.
Though her actions were bizarre.
She was at least obedient to my words.
After that.
Having unexpectedly finished my breakfast, I sat up.
Then I turned on the broadcast.
And continued my day as usual.
***
Starting today, the construction of the underwater village officially began.
The interior work for the desert village wasn’t completely finished, but since Omega had no real involvement in the interior work, it didn’t matter.
The monsters moving from headquarters to the underwater village were the Necro Puppet Master.
And Necro’s puppets, except for Niara.
‘Hmm. It’s starting to get a bit confusing now.’
Unlike when they were all gathered at headquarters.
Now, the monsters I’ve tamed were scattered across various places.
The Dog Spider group and the Jellyfish group on long-term expeditions.
Poison Apple, the manager of the apple farm.
The desert village.
The underwater village.
The machine factory.
With so many monsters scattered around, it was becoming harder to keep track of who was where.
‘I need to organize a summary.’
So, I decided to create a summary that would allow me to see everything at a glance.
There was no need to draw it all over again.
I had a copy machine that Omega had sent me.
I could make the drawings smaller and copy them as well.
‘I’ll exclude the entries that aren’t necessary.’
The Assistant encyclopedia would be excluded.
So would the encyclopedia for those from another dimension.
And the Drifters who had left the labyrinth were also excluded.
After all, they weren’t beings who remained in the labyrinth.
Oh, of course, Merino Ula was added to the summary.
Since she would remain in the labyrinth, it was only natural to include her.
And while I was at it, since I had dreamed about it today.
I decided to add the Time Eater as well.
Though it wasn’t a monster that lived in the labyrinth, there might be a chance that its kin resided here.
Mysti stopped by our house, took a framed photo, printed it, and sent it to me.
Apparently, she had been nearby.
Anyway.
With that, I finished compiling the summary list of the encyclopedia book.