To the Wind Labyrinth, Part 3

After descending the stairs, the three emerged into an open area.

Azu readied the Sealed Sword Grungaus.

Its beautiful blade caught and reflected the light.

She'd been taking good care of it ever since Master taught her how to maintain it.

She'd used it continuously since acquiring it, and the sword had become an extension of herself.

At first, its weight had thrown off her balance with every swing.

Now she wielded it with ease.

Imitating the Ash King's swordsmanship had strengthened her core, and all the monsters she'd slain had raised her abilities considerably.

And now, as of moments ago, a magical connection had formed between her and the Sealed Sword Grungaus.

"Three incoming."

Alexia's detection picked up monsters.

They seemed to be approaching through the corridor.

For the test run, the other two fell back and let Azu take the front alone.

Azu gave the sword one wide swing, then raised her right hand high, blade pointed toward the corridor.

The Ash King's stance. She waited.

The sound of something running toward them echoed through the passage.

What came charging out was a pack of three Wind Wolves, their bodies wreathed in gusts.

They were faster than ordinary wolves. The stronger wind element on this deeper floor had bolstered them.

The three wolves coordinated, circling to surround Azu as the one in the lead lunged to bite.

Azu thrust her sword straight into the wolf's open jaws.

The instant it made contact, power flowed from Azu into the Sealed Sword Grungaus.

The blade pierced through the wolf's mouth and punched clean out the back.

Next, she caught the wolf trying to flank her with a diagonal slash across its neck. The last wolf went for her belly, so she leapt sideways.

Fangs clacked shut on empty air, and she cut open its exposed flank.

Blood dripped. She flicked the sword to clear the gore, then wiped the spatters from herself.

Then she stared at the blade.

"That's… incredible. The cuts felt so light."

"Not bad. Those were fairly strong monsters, too."

"You handled being surrounded like it was nothing."

"Yeah. But it's a little tiring."

Azu swung the sword experimentally a few times.

"Your magic power only just hit the bare minimum, so practice switching it on and off consciously."

"R-right."

Following Alexia's advice, Azu focused on the sword.

It was more sensation than anything she could put into words, but she could definitely feel something inside the blade that she could toggle on or off.

When she switched it off and severed the flow of magic, the connection she'd felt with the sword vanished.

The faint fatigue she'd noticed after the fight eased.

"Overusing your magic power will leave you unable to move. Be careful."

"A trump card, then! Azu-chan, so cute."

"I want to be able to use it all the time as soon as possible."

"At this pace, slaying monsters as we go, it shouldn't take too long. You grow fast, Azu, and that master of ours works us to the bone."

"Ahaha… yeah, that's true."

Afterward, they collected the stones from where the wolves had fallen.

The monster corpses had been absorbed back into the labyrinth.

What they found were Wind Elementals. Compared to the ones from the first floor, both the size and the brilliance were in a different league.

"These should fetch a good price. They're clear and beautiful."

"Attribute elementals are used in jewelry too. Unlike magic stones, they're easy to work with."

"Let's keep going～"

The three pressed deeper into the Wind Labyrinth's third floor.

Without any side quests this time, they made fast progress.

Master had said that taking delivery quests here would lock them into fixed prices and wouldn't be worth it.

Wolves were the most common encounter, followed by palm-sized Giant Bees that attacked in swarms.

Azu and Elza handled the wolves while Alexia incinerated the Giant Bees with magic.

The deeper they went, the more the bees multiplied.

"I bet there's a nest in here. Let's crush it."

"The numbers are really climbing. Those stingers are massive and scary."

They reached a fork in the path.

When Alexia extended her detection over a wide range, she sensed a mass of monsters from the right passage.

"Right side. There's probably a large chamber. I'll charge up a spell, so hold the line until I'm ready."

"Okay!"

"Understood."

They advanced down the right passage.

Giant Bees rushed to intercept, but despite their speed, their movements were predictable. Time them right and they went down easy enough.

But the deeper they went, the thicker the swarms became.

Azu cut down Giant Bees relentlessly while Elza swatted any that slipped through.

There was no time to pick up the magic stones falling at their feet.

"Isn't this a lot?!"

"It is a lot! I can see the chamber up ahead. Get me there and I'll let loose, so hold on!"

"This is fun!"

"It is NOT fun!"

Just as Azu's arms were reaching their limit, they finally broke through into the chamber.

Inside sat a beehive large enough for a person to fit in, with Giant Bees circling it on patrol.

Larvae wriggled visibly from within the nest.

A strange sight, given there were no flowers for nectar in here, but there was no point questioning monster logic.

"Enough magic power. Here goes. Fire Storm!"

A fiery tempest consumed the entire chamber.

The heat alone forced Azu to stagger back.

Giant Bees and hive alike were engulfed in flames, crumbling and burning away.

"There we go. Wiping out this many at once, you really can feel the power boost."

"Magic really is amazing. Could I learn to do that?"

"You'd be better off growing as a fighter… Well, fine. I'll teach you when we have some downtime."

"Yes!"

"Both of you. Not yet."

Elza was watching the dying Fire Storm.

Beyond the fading flames, something had swatted the remaining fire aside.

What emerged from the other side was… a bear.

Its fur tips were still smoldering, but a roar from the Bear Monster snuffed out every last ember.

"It's angry."

"Well, can you blame it?"

"You would be too, wouldn't you?"