Chapter 196: Reward
A notification appeared, stating that an intruder had entered the Ancient Labyrinth.
At the same time, Kinogine Arachne’s voice flowed out from Iris’s crystal.
I briefly heard Kino’s situation.
Three giants had suddenly appeared.
At first, I considered installing a warp device immediately and moving to where Kino was.
However, after checking the intruders through the crystal, I changed my mind.
It wasn’t a dangerous situation.
The danger level of the three who appeared in front of Kino’s party was only A-rank.
‘So those guys must be the intruders.’
It was clear.
Three people appeared at the same time as the intruder notification.
The number matched exactly, and their danger level was far lower than the monsters of the Ancient Labyrinth.
Moreover, they resembled Drifters.
Even above their heads, the label ‘Intruder’ was floating.
Anyway.
After confirming that it wasn’t dangerous, I quietly observed the situation through the crystal.
Through this, I learned that the intruders had crossed dimensions in search of Merino Ula—they were ‘Alchemists.’
For reference, the Alchemist race ruled over Merino’s home planet.
And those guys, after arrogantly running their mouths, were instantly subdued by one of the rabbit staff members.
Their upper and lower bodies were separated.
【Pururu】—Oh… She’s strong too…
【Hwang Mir】—Sugoi…
【Bubble Bubble】—Even the rabbit staff members are all S-rank.
【Pururu】—But didn’t Geon say those intruders were A-rank?
【Pururu】—How can A-rank be that weak?
【Bubble Bubble】—Compared to S-rank, of course, they look weak.
【Luna-chan】—That rabbit staff member seems to have exceptional combat skills even among S-ranks~.
【Pururu】—Yeah, I get that.
【Pururu】—But isn’t it strange that they’re A-rank and still can’t assess how strong their opponent is?
【Yumi】—What’s so strange? It’s happened plenty of times before.
【Pururu】—Has it?
【Luna-chan】—Strength and the ability to gauge an opponent’s level are completely different things~.
【Hwang Mir】—That’s right. Even the monsters in the Ancient Labyrinth are S-rank, yet they often charge in without knowing how strong their opponent is.
【Mysticism】—😮 So it’s not that they didn’t assess, but that they couldn’t.
【Bubble Bubble】—For reference, being able to accurately gauge an opponent’s danger level, like Gauntlet, is actually unusual.
【Luna-chan】—Even Elise and I can only vaguely sense when someone is stronger than us~.
【Luna-chan】—And just because this instinct is strong doesn’t mean everyone has it~.
【Rizenova】—So, there are cases where one is strong but lacks a survival instinct.
【Luna-chan】—Exactly~.
【Luna-chan】—Like that monster over there getting beaten up by Elephant-chan~.
【Luna-chan】—It’s SS-rank but charged at an SSS-rank opponent~.
The monster Sage Lunaris referred to was ‘Exocid.’
Exocid was a monster we encountered in the Great Forest, guided by Willow Lace.
The moment it detected us, it launched an unprovoked attack.
Naturally, it was immediately subdued.
And now, the Elephant Merchant was currently beating it up.
［Don’t blame me. You attacked first.］
［Agh! S-Stop… I’m sorry…!］
［If you sincerely apologize for attacking us, I might consider letting you go.］
［Ugh, ugh! I said I’m sorry…!］
［I gave you a chance, yet you refuse to apologize properly… Well, someone like you wouldn’t surrender easily.
I have no choice. I’ll hit you a little more.］
［Huh? I apologized— AARGH!!!］
【Pururu】—Oh.
【Pururu】—I was so focused on Merino’s screen that I didn’t notice this.
【Pururu】—Now that I think about it, there were quite a few SS-ranks who couldn’t assess their opponent’s strength.
【Mysticism】—😶
【Pururu】—Like you-know-who.
【Mysticism】—🤔
【Hwang Mir】—But that Exocid monster apologized multiple times. Why is it still getting beaten?
【Yumi】—Yeah. Elephant Merchant is just ignoring it.
【Rizenova】—Probably because his clothes got slightly torn while dodging Exocid’s attack.
The entry for Exocid in the Monster Guidebook was created solely by Artpega Unibicorn.
I had no time to care about Exocid since I was focused on Merino’s situation.
■ Exocid
— Danger Level: SS-rank.
— Abilities: Curse, Life Drain, Distortion.
After verifying Artpega Unibicorn’s drawing, I set up a warp device at the location Willow Lace recommended.
Then, I decided to return and join up with Merino’s group.
“Willow Lace, Exocid. Don’t even think about removing my hand and running away.
If you run, I’ll chase you down no matter what.”
［N-Never! I would never remove it…!］
［N-Not… If I do, you’ll hit me again… I hate pain…］
“Good. Then I’ll trust you and head back.”
Even without placing a guard, I didn’t think they would run away.
Still, just in case, I attached five of Iris’s crystals to each of them for surveillance.
The Elephant Merchant retained memories of intruders.
Intruders.
Different from Explorers and Drifters, they were those uninvited by the Labyrinth.
In other words, they were unwelcome guests who forcibly broke through dimensions to enter the Labyrinth.
［Intruders are different from Drifters. The Ancient Labyrinth treats uninvited beings as pests or viruses.］
【Mysticism】—😮 So Drifters are considered invited guests.
【Yumi】—I never knew that.
［That’s why intruders must be eliminated as soon as they are discovered.］
【Luna-chan】—Gasp.
【Luna-chan】—I was thinking of forcing a portal open and crossing over someday, but I guess I’ll have to scrap that plan~.
Most intruders were dealt with directly by Crocodile Merchant, the official Wandering Merchant.
If an intruder was deemed a threat to Explorers, a warning notification would appear, telling them to evacuate.
However, if the intruder was something the Explorers could handle, no warning would be issued.
This was the additional information provided by the Elephant Merchant.
“So last time, the intruders must have been ones I couldn’t handle, which is why the warning appeared.”
［That must be the case. Back then, Gauntlet’s power was also sealed.］
Well, there were just too many intruders that time.
Unlike now, where it was just three, back then, there were over thirty thousand.
I don't know, but at the very least, there must have been multiple SS-ranks included.
“But what happens if we deal with the intruders instead of the Crocodile Merchant?
From what I've heard, the Ancient Labyrinth doesn’t seem to have an issue with it.”
［Of course, it won’t be a problem. Instead, it will be grateful and give you a reward.］
“A reward? What kind of reward?”
［That, even I don’t know.］
It didn’t matter even if I didn’t know.
I figured I’d find out today anyway.
【Pururu】─Hey, Elephant.
【Pururu】─I’m curious about something. How did a bunch of A-ranks even manage to infiltrate the Ancient Labyrinth?
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Bubble Bubble】─That’s what I’m wondering too. I doubt the Ancient Labyrinth's dimensional security is that weak.
【Yumi】─Maybe they’re A-ranks, but their dimensional movement skills or abilities are exceptionally advanced?
［That could be the case, but I think this time, the intruders were just lucky. Most intruders usually stumble upon the Ancient Labyrinth's coordinates by sheer luck. If their tracking target happens to be inside the Ancient Labyrinth, the probability of stumbling upon it increases even further. Only a very few actually have superior dimensional movement skills that allow them to infiltrate on purpose.］
【Pururu】─Oh, I see.
【Rizenova】─Still, wouldn’t they at least need some basic dimensional movement skills or technology?
［Of course. Those without any skill can’t infiltrate the Ancient Labyrinth, no matter how lucky they are. The only ones who end up here by pure luck are the Drifters who get caught in the Dark Portal.］
【Hwang Mir】─Does that mean Drifters are lucky?
【Mysticism】─🤔
［Ah. Now that I think about it, that’s not lucky at all. If they come to the Ancient Labyrinth, they’re as good as dead. Anyway, these intruders were just fortunate. I distinctly remember hearing that the Crocodile Merchant had been restoring the Ancient Labyrinth’s Dimensional Barrier lately.］
【Pururu】─Okay, okay. Thanks for the explanation, Onion Ring.
【Hwang Mir】─But aren’t these intruders also unlucky?
They ended up here just to die.
【Luna-chan】─That’s true~ If they hadn’t infiltrated the Ancient Labyrinth, they wouldn’t be in this situation. o_O
【Yumi】─Geon hasn’t said he’s going to kill them yet.
Watching and listening to the conversation between Elephant and the assistants,
I used the warp device to arrive at the Undersea Village.
My purpose for coming here was simple.
I was just making a quick stop to bring back the Necro Puppet Master, who could use mind-reading.
There was no need to explain the situation separately to the Necro Puppet Master.
He had been observing everything through the crystal as well.
With that, I took the Necro Puppet Master and used the warp device again to move in front of the hotel.
***
Three intruders.
The Alchemists had been restrained using Kinogine Arachne’s silk.
And their severed bodies had been stitched back together using the Medical Angel’s liquid.
【Pururu】─Nice stitching.
【Mysticism】─😮
Being split in half hadn’t killed them.
The Building Creator, who disliked grotesque things, had found it unsettling,
and I, too, found it somewhat disturbing, so I had them treated for now.
Anyway.
I had already heard everything about how they ended up here.
All of Merino’s kin had been wiped out.
The data on the Sheep Beastmen had also been lost,
so they had come here to produce new Sheep Beastmen again.
That was the rough summary.
There was no need to hear any more useless chatter.
“P-please spare us…”
“We won’t take Merino Ula with us…”
“We’ll never set foot in this world again…!”
The Alchemists, who had initially been so arrogant,
were now nowhere near as confident.
They had finally realized the gap between us.
Still bound,
they kept pleading for their lives with pitiful expressions,
as if trying to invoke our sympathy.
But their begging did not work on us.
［First, they’ll pretend to be pitiful to gain sympathy, then wait for an opening to grab Merino Ula and escape. They’re secretly activating their return device right now.］
The Necro Puppet Master spoke while looking at the Alchemist on the left.
［…I knew this was a high-level dimension, but I didn’t expect there to be such powerful beings. We should’ve just killed Merino immediately instead of trying to persuade her.］
Next, the one in the middle.
［We should have brought a combat power gauge and some weapons… I can’t tell how strong they are, but maybe if we had weapons, we could at least stand a chance…］
Finally, he looked at the Alchemist on the right and finished speaking.
I had read all their thoughts using mind-reading.
Besides that.
Their plan to kidnap Merino Ula.
Their plans for revenge against us.
All of their inner thoughts were exposed for us to hear.
【Bubble Bubble】─I thought they had finally realized the gap between us,
but they still think they can win against Gauntlet’s monsters.
【Luna-chan】─Seriously, they’re so dumb~
Are they really a high-intelligence species?
【Rizenova】─They know we’re stronger than them, but they can’t grasp just how much stronger. How pitiful.
【Hwang Mir】─No matter what weapons they bring,
they won’t win.
【Hwang Mir】─Either way, we can’t let them live.
【Bubble Bubble】─Even if we say nothing, they’ll die anyway.
Gauntlet has no mercy for scum like them.
I had never intended to let them go in the first place.
I felt like an idiot for even briefly considering what to do with them.
Never mind the curiosity about what the reward for eliminating intruders would be.
It was obvious that the right choice for Merino’s safety was to kill these Alchemists.
They weren’t a significant threat to us,
but even a small danger couldn’t be ignored.
“There’s nothing more to hear.”
I had just wasted time for no reason.
Saying that, I gave a glance to the Necro Puppet Master.
The Necro Puppet Master gave a small nod and stepped forward.
［Intelligent, fresh corpses… I like it.］
【Hwang Mir】─They’re not corpses yet.
【Yumi】─But they’re about to be.
【Pururu】─So, it’s time to kill them? I’ll close my eyes.
【Mysticism】─😵 Me too.
“Baa… I should close my eyes too…
I hope in your next life, you’re born as good sheep that don’t exploit the weak… baa…”
The Alchemists pleaded even more desperately.
They begged for their lives, promising they wouldn’t touch even a single hair on Merino Ula again.
Not that they could hide their true thoughts.
［I’ll put your brains to good use.］
Puuuk-!
The Necro Puppet Master mercilessly snuffed out the Alchemists’ lives.
『Intruders completely eliminated.』
『Thank you.』
『Reward granted.』
『Vending Machine Tracker has been issued.』
『Reward granted.』
『My favorability increases.』
「 ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌ ) 」