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Chapter 0014 Fight in the Miasma Labyrinth

Translator: Tseirp

 

While advancing through the swamp area on the 28th floor, I heard something like voices from ahead.

 

When in a labyrinth, I’d often hear howls and growls of monsters, but what I just heard were clearly human voices.

 

“Are there adventurers here besides me?”

 

In the Miasma Labyrinth that constantly caused negative status ailments unless you can completely nullify it with a unique skill like mine?

 

It sounded strange coming from me, but anyone diving into such a labyrinth must be quite an oddball.

 

I wondered what kind of adventurers were they.

 

If there were adventurers, I would simply like to talk to them, but also exchange some information.

 

Thanks to my unique skill, I was confident that I could explore every corner of the floors better than other adventurers.

 

I was sure we could exchange useful information.

 

As I approached the direction of the voices with such faint expectations, the sounds I heard changed to something dangerous.

 

I could hear voices cursing each other, high-pitched sword clashes, and explosions.

 

I knew for sure that wasn’t the sound of them fighting together against a monster.

 

“Could it be that the adventurers are fighting each other?”

 

Adventurers who can dive into the depths of a labyrinth rarely fight each other, but there are rare cases where a fight develops if they are competing for rare monsters and treasures.

 

If that was the case, I preferred not to get involved.

 

I wanted to turn around and make a detour, but when I searched for a path with [Sound Wave Perception], it seemed that I couldn’t proceed forward without entering the area where they were fighting.

 

It would be boring to come all this way and turn back.

 

“I guess I could see how things are going for a little bit…”

 

Whether I choose to move forward or retreat, it would be best to pick up information on what was going on.

 

I didn’t want to be falsely accused of fighting just because I was in the same labyrinth.

 

While sighing, I activated [Stealth] and sneaked closer.

 

I hid behind the rocks in the Poison Swamp and peeked to see four men dressed in black robes attacking a green-robed magician.

 

It already looked suspicious.

 

I thought it was a battle between adventurers over prey and treasure, but it didn’t look like that.

 

The black-robed ones looked like a group, while the green robe was clearly alone.

 

Were they committing a crime in the labyrinth using the advantage of numbers? In any case, it was not a peaceful atmosphere.

 

As I watched intently, the battle situation changed.

 

The magician’s knees buckled, appearing to have lost their strength, probably due to their lack of magic power.

 

Taking that as an opportunity, the men drew their swords and rushed towards them all at once.

 

Even while kneeling, the magician chanted and shot something like a light bullet from their staff.

 

I thought it would just fly straight but it split midway and struck the attackers.

 

Three swordsmen were blown away by direct hits, but one swordsman managed to avoid it by twisting their body, who then closed the gap and cut the magician’s shoulder.

 

Fresh blood splattered from the magician’s shoulder.

 

The magician’s hood flipped up when they fell backward, revealing their face.

 

It was a woman.

 

Golden hair and emerald eyes.

 

And the most distinctive features were the long ears shaped like pointed leaves.

 

–Elves.

 

A race that often lives in nature such as deep in the forests and seas of trees, and they rarely appear in areas where humans live.

 

They are characterized by their longevity far exceeding that of humans and outstanding magical talent, but it is their appearance that attracts the most attention.

 

Female elves in particular are the most outstanding, and there are so many reasons why groups would form to attack them like this.

 

“Leader, I can’t hold back anymore. Can we just take her here?”

 

“Oi oi, you want to do it in the labyrinth? We should properly condition her before doing it.”

 

“Don’t be stupid. This kind of thing can be sold at a high price because it’s a virgin. Why would you lower our profits?”

 

“But hey, we’ve been chasing this woman’s ass for so long, you know? I can’t stand it anymore.”

 

“Don’t be swept away by temporary pleasures. Once we get a lot of money, you can have beautiful women to your heart’s content.”

 

“Even so, there aren’t many women of this quality, you know?”

 

In fact, the men were talking about how to make use of the elf.

 

Enjoy her themselves or sell her at an auction without touching her for a higher price.

 

Truly vulgar thinking. It was no longer a conflict between adventurers.

 

……What should I do?

 

The best way to avoid getting into trouble was to ignore them.

 

However, it was too one-sided and I couldn’t ignore it.

 

Would I watch the elf get assaulted in front of me, or will I silently watch them get taken away?

 

I would probably be left with a sour taste in my mouth either way.

 

If I ignored it, I may have regretted it for the rest of my life.

 

“I won’t silently overlook a woman being attacked.”

 

There was no way someone who overlooks such a scene would be able to become an S-rank adventurer and protect others.

 

As I walked out of the shade of the rock and approached, one of them quickly turned around, indicating that they probably had a perception-type skill.

 

At the same time, the remaining three also turned around and raised their guard while holding their weapons.

 

“……Who are you?”

 

A man with a fearless look and a scar on his eye asked while staring at me.

 

“I’m an adventurer.”

 

I checked the faces of the remaining three, but they were faces I had never seen in Barona’s Adventurer’s Guild.

 

They didn’t look like adventurers going with the flow either. They were probably something like mercenaries hired by someone or good-for-nothing from the underworld.

 

“You all don’t look like adventurers, but what are you trying to do to that female elf in the depths of a labyrinth like this?”

 

“…………”

 

“Run away! These guys are ‘Adventurer Hunters’! Even if you can come to this floor alone, you don’t stand a chance!”

 

The scarred man didn’t answer my question. Instead, the elf bleeding from her shoulder answered.

 

I’d also heard of the title Adventurer Hunter.

 

Mercenaries who make a living by hunting famous adventurers.

 

Once you become a high-ranking adventurer, you might annoy a rival adventurer or incur a grudge from unexpected places. Adventurer Hunters receive requests from such people and specialize in assassinating high-ranking adventurers.

 

I never thought I would encounter Adventurer Hunters in a place like this.

 

Name: Farzas

Race: Human

State: Suffering from Miasma

LV 65

Stamina: -32

Strength: 2–

Tenacity: 2-1

Magic: 18-7

Spirit: 1-67

Agility: 27-

Skills: —

Attribute magic: —

 

 

When I tried [Appraisal] on the scarred man, only a part of his status was displayed.

 

I only knew his name, race, state, and level with certainty.

 

That was probably because he had a high-level [Concealment] skill that interfered with [Appraisal], or he was wearing a special countermeasure magic tool.

 

When I tried [Appraisal] on the other men, I couldn’t read all their statuses as well, so the latter was more likely.

 

Anyway, all I knew was that all their levels were higher than my current level.

 

I may have bitten off more than I could chew.

 

“What are we going to do, Leader?”

 

“… Kill him.”

 

When a frivolous-looking man asked, the scarred man replied without showing any hesitation.

 

The emotionless look in his eyes was proof that he had no hesitation in killing people.

 

“Hihi! Well, you heard the man, die!”

 

The man with a frivolous look approached me with a sword in his hand.

 

He was the fastest adventurer I’ve ever faced. But not as fast as the monsters in the abyss.

 

Firmly recognizing his movements, I caught his sword with the greatsword I pulled out from behind me.

 

The strength of my opponent was slightly higher, so I was pushed back a little.

 

But that was it. My body and greatsword didn’t have a single scratch.

 

“Oh? Why aren’t you dead?”

 

Dissatisfied with his attack failing, the frivolous man furrowed his brows.

 

“Is it because you’re weak?”

 

“Don’t get carried away, you stinking old timer!”

 

When I provoke him, the man went into a frenzy and pushed his sword with all his might.

 

“Guh!?”

 

“Hyahahaha! Just give me your head and die!”

 

“[Poison]”

 

While my opponent was displaying his sadistic feelings, I opened my mouth wide and activated the skill.

 

The poison produced in my body covered the man in front of me.

 

As he was completely caught off guard, he couldn’t dodge it.

 

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! My eyes!!”

 

The pain of the poison penetrating through his mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose, and mouth must be unimaginable.

 

While he was screaming and exposing a huge gap in his defenses, I swung my greatsword to the side with all my strength and sent the man’s head flying.

 

Sorry for the cowardly way of fighting unlike that of an adventurer.

 

But my opponent was at a higher level than me. It was not the time to keep up with appearances.

 

“Zaryusu!?”

 

“How dare he…!”

 

“… Calm down.”

 

“But!”

 

“He may look like that, but he’s a high-level adventurer who can explore this floor alone. Don’t take him lightly.”

 

“Oh, yes. That’s right.”

 

“… Sorry. I got over-excited.”

 

The two of them tried to rush in with anger because one of their companions was killed, but they were restrained by the scarred man named Farzas and calmed down.

 

Tch, it would have been easier if I could have defeated them one by one while they were agitated.

 

“But what was that skill just now?”

 

“Did he just spit out poison like a Poison Frog?”

 

“Don’t be silly. How could a human use a monster skill?”

 

Correct. It was the skill that I got from eating the Poison Frog just now.

 

“There is a possibility that he possesses a unique skill. Three of us will attack together.”

 

At Farzas’ words, his two companions nodded with serious looks.

 

There was no contempt or carelessness in those eyes. They were the eyes of hunters hunting their prey.

 

The man from earlier was completely caught off guard, so I was able to easily kill him, but it didn’t seem possible to do so for the remaining three.

 

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