To the Final Floor

The ninth floor was a jungle-like place.

Light poured down from the ceiling, and plants grew in abundance. There were hardly any animals or insects, and those that existed were small.

Having checked the map, Sei knew there was only one powerful monster on this floor.

"I've been here before."

Nero said this, and Chaos nodded.

"A hydra, huh…"

According to Sei's Identify, its level was high. Its regeneration ability seemed troublesome.

"Ordinary weapons and magic won't work on it. Well, if we use those weapons from earlier, we could probably damage it, but it's a monster that regenerates instantly."

"How do you defeat it?"

"Cut off all its heads and burn the wounds so they can't regenerate. But even then, it gradually regenerates, so it's a difficult monster."

Nero sighed and shook his head. He recalled the bitter past when they had no choice but to retreat.

Hydra. A massive serpent monster with multiple heads.

A disaster-designated creature capable of destroying a small town on its own. Those who defeat one are supposedly granted the title of 'Serpent Slayer'.

"Well, we'll manage somehow. But if I die, everyone should retreat."

"You're planning to stand at the front?"

To Chaos's voice tinged with fear, Sei answered lightly.

"I mean, I'm immortal after all."

There was a huge swamp in the center.

The undergrowth had grown tall, making visibility poor. For now, Sei burned away the plants with fire magic to create a foothold for battle.

Perhaps reacting to that magic power, a massive presence approached.

"Prepare for combat."

At Sei's voice, the two scouts fell back. They had crossbows ready just in case, but they probably wouldn't work on such a huge monster.

Eventually, with a splash, a giant serpent emerged from the swamp.

Not just one, but eight. The snakes were connected at the body. This was the hydra.

'Magical Barrier'

Hydras breathe acid and poison. To counter this, Sei cast magical barriers on shields and armor.

As expected, the hydra breathed poison at them. Sei, having poison resistance, saw this as an opening and closed in on the hydra.

'Elemental Blade'

This was another of the katana's gimmicks. It imbued the blade with a magical element.

Of course, in this case, the choice was fire.

Sei tried to sever the hydra's neck, but the scales were tough. The blade was stopped before getting even halfway through.

Using the Sharp Blade and Magic Edge gimmicks as well, Sei finally managed to cut off one head.

The severed surface was nicely charred. One down.

The hydra was a formidable enemy.

Setting aside the poison and acid attacks, its physical fangs and charging attacks were also powerful.

Chaos desperately focused on defense. Gunts, with his low center of gravity, deflected attacks with his shield and counterattacked with his battle axe.

Even so, he couldn't sever a neck in one blow, and had to deflect the counterattack with his shield again.

"Use your gimmicks!"

At Sei's voice, Mako and Gunts readily complied. At their current levels, there was no way they could defeat a hydra. This was the kind of monster that would normally require an army to subjugate.

They could deal damage with gimmicks like Penetration and Destruction. But the regeneration ability exceeded even that. The Gift of High Speed Life Force Recovery was no joke.

Even so, Sei steadily severed heads one by one.

According to Identify, life force recovered, but stamina did not. Once the stamina was depleted, the regeneration would probably stop too.

And severing heads and burning them dealt more damage than ordinary attacks.

Nero and Kukuri were steadily attacking the hydra's eyes from the rear. Even a momentary loss of vision made things easier for the front line.

The one having the hardest time right now was probably Chaos, who was taking the hydra's attacks head-on.

Due to blade length, only Sei could sever a neck in one strike. Mako's spear could extend, but only the shaft extended, not the blade.

'Long Blade'

Sei activated another gimmick of the katana. It absorbed magic power to form a longer blade.

Activating multiple gimmicks simultaneously, Sei severed another hydra neck. This was only possible thanks to Sei's abundant magic power.

It became a prolonged battle.

Mako fell back to heal Chaos and Gunts's wounds. When Sei needed to recast defensive magic, Mako would switch places with Sei at the front.

With Chaos and Gunts drawing so much attention, Sei could reliably target the necks.

Sometimes Sei took hits, but as long as it wasn't instant death, there was no problem. Combined with natural healing and healing magic, the damage was completely negated.

Methodically and reliably, Sei continued severing and burning heads.

By the time the hydra's stamina was nearly depleted, only one head remained.

It was an exceptionally large head. This was probably the hydra's main body.

First, Nero and Kukuri targeted the hydra's eyes with their bows. This was just a feint.

Magic arrows floated around Sei. About fifty of them were launched at the hydra from all directions.

But that too was just a feint.

Leaping into the air, Sei used the magic arrows as footholds to approach the hydra's neck from the side.

"Hyaaaaah!"

With a powerful slash, the hydra's final head fell.

Confirming with Identify, the hydra was definitely dead.

Sei checked that everyone was safe, then went about healing injuries and repairing warped equipment with restoration magic.

Then came the dismantling of the hydra, which was another ordeal in itself.

The hydra's blood contained poison. Therefore, only Sei, who had poison resistance, could do the work.

Dismantling the massive hydra under Nero's direction took far longer than the battle itself.

"So this is the hydra's magic crystal…"

The magic crystal that Chaos gazed at with deep emotion was fittingly massive for a hydra.

They also skinned the hydra and extracted its fangs. A large amount of meat and organs remained.

"Hydra blood is poisonous, so we can't eat it."

Nero said this, but Mako ignored him and started grilling the hydra meat.

"Hey, you'll die."

"Hmm, my Gift's level went up, so I think I'll be fine even with poison. Just detoxify me if something goes wrong."

And so Mako's gluttony began.

She ate the grilled hydra meat one piece after another. She ate the organs without issue too. Even the liver, which would normally be a mass of poison, she ate without concern.

Apparently, the taste itself was delicious.

"Oh, my poison resistance went up… Looks like I got High Speed Life Force Recovery too."

According to Sei's Identify, her stamina and life force caps had also increased dramatically.

If one could deal with the poison, hydra meat and organs seemed to be very efficient for boosting abilities.

Though that was probably only possible thanks to Mako's Gluttony Gift.

All the meat from the massive hydra ended up in Mako's stomach.

Chaos and Nero gaped once again, but they had nothing more to say at this point.

How could a hydra that was definitely larger than Mako fit in her stomach?

That was probably just fantasy for you.

There was a single narrow path leading to a mirror in the center of the swamp.

The tenth floor. The path to the final floor.

"I never thought we'd actually reach the last floor…"

Nero murmured with deep emotion, and Chaos nodded.

The final hurdle would be a vampire. Apparently a different monster used to rule here, but for the past eighty years, it had been a vampire.

And in those eighty years, no one had conquered the vampire.

"I think we'll be fine, but…"

Before the mirror, everyone shared information.

Vampires were nearly immune to physical attacks. They also had strong resistance to magic.

They could fly, use powerful magic, and confuse opponents with their charming gaze. Close combat abilities varied by individual, but they were invariably superhuman in strength.

And they drank blood. Fortunately, being killed by having your blood drained didn't turn you into a vampire, but it apparently caused psychological damage.

Some who had been killed by the vampire reportedly became unable to continue as explorers.

"Come to think of it, Sei, what happens to your immortality if you're killed here?"

To Mako's simple question, Sei had no answer.

Resurrect even if killed. Get ejected if killed. Which took priority?

"I won't know unless I'm killed. At least I don't die from having my heart destroyed, so I'll be careful about defending my head."

Not dying even from heart destruction. That was Sei's Gift of Super Regeneration, obtained during training.

When Ria had destroyed Sei's head, that had definitely been death, but apparently even the destroyed parts regenerated, so perhaps staying in this labyrinth was possible after all.

"Well, first we need countermeasures against the charming gaze."

Considering mental attacks, the group held a strategy meeting.

Upon teleporting through the mirror, they found themselves in a pale blue glowing cave.

There was one staircase leading down. There was nothing else here.

"There's a spiral staircase… and at the bottom is a vast space. Vampire spotted… It's not an Undead King. Just a regular vampire."

"Level?"

At Nero's confirmation, Sei hesitated slightly.

"One hundred twenty-five…"

The highest level in the party was Chaos. Even so, he was only 85.

"But the actual stats are about the same as mine and Mako's."

"Still a monster though."

Nero chuckled. With companions this outrageous, they'd probably manage somehow. He had that feeling.

"Let's go then."

No one objected. With Sei in the lead, the party descended the stairs.

"By the way, Nero, were you serious about retiring as an explorer once we clear this labyrinth?"

At Chaos's question, Nero nodded lightly.

"I've earned enough to live modestly. After this, I'll be wealthy."

If Sei died, that would all be for nothing, but this girl didn't die even when killed.

"… What were you being an explorer for in the first place?"

"At first, I had a dream… But now, it's just to make a living."

I've even forgotten what that dream was, Nero murmured.

"We should start thinking about what gift to ask for when we clear this."

Kukuri said happily. The goddess said to be the master of this labyrinth would grant the wish of anyone who conquered it.

Having a god directly grant your wish. It wouldn't be something weak like divine magic.

"Counting your chickens before they hatch."

Sei muttered quietly, and Mako giggled.

"What, none of you have thought about it?"

When Kukuri said this sullenly, Mako immediately answered.

"I've already decided."

"Indeed, as have I."

Mako and Chaos said. Chaos's wish was to be able to use water magic. Modest, but important to him.

"What should I wish for? I'm having trouble deciding."

Kukuri put his hands behind his head. Having too many wishes was the problem.

"What about you, Sei and Nero?"

"I want a tool that'll be useful for this journey. The way things are now is too inefficient."

Traveling the world to find heroes. They had already found two, but that was just luck.

"I'm going to have an orichalcum sword made."

Nero's wish was practical.

"Then I'll have the governor buy that sword and display it at the government office. So that no one ever forgets that I conquered this labyrinth."

That was the remnant of a dream.

To become famous, to become rich, to live happily. Nero wished for such ordinary things.

"Well, first we need to defeat the enemy in front of us."

Before the party stood a massive gate.

A massive gate leading to the floor master's chamber.

"Alright, prepare for combat."

At Sei's words, everyone nodded.