Chapter 85: Chapter 85 - Labyrinth(Part 2)

Point-of-View: Argent Stryker

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Okay, so...those aren’t Orcs. They’re short and green, with pointy ears, yellow eyes and warty, leathery skin. They had sharp claws and hunched backs, and were eating a Slime. Based on their appearance, they’re Goblins.

"I’ve never seen it before, but I guess it’s true that Monsters eat other Monsters, huh?" I muttered quietly.

"Of course they do, it’s no different from how animals eat other animals," Responded Izzozon...without bothering to keep her voice down, instantly attracting the attention of the Goblins.

"Come on, seriously?" I sighed in exasperation, before stepping out into the open, as I chanted, "Manifest Soul Weapon: Dragon Fangs."

There’s seven Goblins, they’re all growling at me, baring their dirty, yellowed fangs at me. Two of them then shot towards me with vicious snarls, one of them leaping straight at my chest while the other sprang forward while keeping low, aiming for my knees.

I swiftly slashed my right blade straight up, splitting the higher Goblin’s face vertically in half, before swinging my foot out and slamming it onto the face of the lower Goblin and sending it flying back, skidding along the ground and crashing onto a pillar, slumping down with a dazed look on its face, as blood poured out of its nose.

"Now, take this...," I remarked, as I flung my blades up and pointed my palms forward, as the remaining Goblins warily kept their distance, "Elemental Flame: Double Mega Fire Blast!"

My flame blasts shot forward with a rapid, blazing roar, the air around them shimmering violently as they closed in on the Goblins, who began to scramble away with cries of alarm, before screeches of pain echoed out as my flaming projectiles hit them with fiery bursts.

I then caught my blades as they came spinning back down and shot forward, swiftly cutting down the Goblins that had survived my flames. I then put away my Soul Weapon, as I walked over to the remains of the Slime that the Goblins had been eating and picked up its core.

Goblins are considered to be like pests, no part of their bodies is of any real value, but they multiply at an alarming rate if left unchecked, so they have to be regularly hunted down and eliminated.

Because if their numbers grow too vast, they’ll end up spilling out of the Labyrinth and spreading out outside, where they’ll continue to multiply. The one use they have is that their claws can be used to make cheap, disposable throwing weapons like small knives, but there isn’t exactly a high demand for them.

I cut off each of their right hands, burning the stumps to stop the bleeding before tossing them into my bag. My quest may be to hunt down Orcs for their tusks, but if I cut down any other Monsters along the way and bring back proof, I’ll get paid an extra small amount for each one.

And then there’s this Slime core, which is a lot more valuable than any Goblin parts. Slimes are pretty weak and easy to kill, they’re gelatinous blobs that slither and spring about, but from what I’ve heard, they can’t actually hurt you unless they manage to wrap around your face and drown you.

Attacking them normally does no damage, you have to strike the core in the center, which controls the blob around it. The cores are a valuable material in crafting Magic Items, and the bigger the core, the more valuable it is.

This is just a basic Slime, the weakest type of Slime. Slimes usually feed on remains of dead Monsters or Adventurers, though they don’t actually need sustenance to survive. They eat to evolve, and there are multiple variations to what they evolve into.

If a basic Slime is left intact for a long period of time and feeds significantly, they can evolve into one of the following; Poison Slime, Acid Slime, Lava Slime, Electric Slime or Frost Slime.

All those types are Intermediate Grade in terms of Threat Level, and usually start appearing after the eleventh floor, and more prominently after the fifteenth floor.

They can further evolve into larger, more powerful forms, known as Giant Slimes, which are given a Threat Level of Disastrous Grade. And their final forms are called Mega Slimes, Catastrophic Grade Monsters. Those are way down in the deepest floors though, so they’re not a concern this high up.

"Why are you collecting their hands? To eat?" Inquired Izzozon curiously, as she walked over.

"What? No! Of course not! I can sell them once I return to town, I’m definitely not going to eat them," I frowned in response, before adding, "Oh, and also, when I’m trying to sneak up on Monsters, could you please keep your voice down? It wasn’t that big a deal with this group since they’re weak Monsters, but it would’ve been even easier if you hadn’t spoken up at full volume."

"Hm? You need to sneak up on Monsters of this low caliber?" She replied incredulously.

Okay, ouch.

"Well, I guess not, but that doesn’t mean I should be careless, you know," I pointed out.

"If you say so."

"Mhm, I do say so. Anyway, let’s keep going...we shouldn’t be much further from the second floor, hopefully there’ll be some Orcs there," I remarked with a wistful sigh, as I finished gathering the Goblin hands and Slime core.

I then continued following the markers on the walls, while she trailed behind me with a blank look on her face. It almost seems like she’s daydreaming or something, she’s so carefree.

After a short while, during which I encountered a few more Common Grade Monsters, but no Orcs, the path leading to the second floor came into sight.

Along the way, I encountered a Monster species called Sprouts, which are green creatures that had one large eye and a mouth with sharp teeth, plus ten long, wiry tentacles.

They’re called Sprouts because they often stay still and balled up, resembling a plant. And also because their tentacles look like vines. They’re not very fast or strong, and are easy to kill, though if they manage to wrap their tentacles around you, they can cause some damage by biting.

I also encountered a Monster species called Mimics, a pretty bizarre creature. Whenever they encounter something that they see as prey, they proceed to assume the physical appearance of their target.

However, they don’t gain the abilities of the target they transform into, and they’re really weak. Their default appearance is like that of a stick figure, and when it comes to color, they range from shades of grey to black.

I ran into a group of three of them, two transformed into me and one transformed into Izzazon. She didn’t like that, walked over to it and flicked at it with her finger...killing it instantly.

I didn’t have any trouble killing the ones that transformed into me either, I just sort of punched them, and not even at full force. The way they usually kill is by fooling a person by transforming and then catching them off-guard and strangling them to death.

Of course, they’re not very intelligent creatures at all, and often transform right in front of their target. It’s rare, but not unheard of for a Mimic to kill a person...it mostly happens with large groups of people.

After all, when you’re with a large group, it’s hard to keep track of everyone, so as long as no one notices the Mimic transforming, it has a pretty good chance of blending into the group and then attacking someone.

Anyway, I’ve found the path leading down to the second floor of the Labyrinth...it’s a sloped, twisting path, and slightly steep too. It’s not very wide, being attacked by Monsters while heading down could be bad. It looks a pretty tall drop from up here...

"Come on, let’s go," I remarked, as I began heading down the path.

I’m sensing a whole lot of Monsters down there, this could be it...

"I’m tired of walking," Sighed Izzazon, as she spread out her wings and flew after me.

"Hey, have any Monsters ever attacked you while you were staying in this Labyrinth?" I asked her curiously.

"Occasionally, if they’re starving. But usually, they can instinctively tell that I’m above them on the food chain," She replied with a shrug.

"Uh...do you eat Monsters?" I responded in bemusement.

"What else was I supposed to eat while I was down here? None of them taste very good though...Slimes are probably the best, since they don’t really have a taste but are still pretty filling. I recall eating some human food before I came to this Labyrinth, I don’t remember the taste but I do remember enjoying it," She mused thoughtfully.

"You, uh, haven’t ever eaten human meat, have you?" I inquired warily.

"I have. I didn’t care for it, it was okay but I’ve had better. White Stag and Unicorn meat were my favorites...it’s been so long since I’ve had those," She gulped as she wiped at the corner of her mouth.

"Okay, then...how about this, after I’m done with my business in the dungeon, what do you say to getting some White Stag meat? I know a place where we can get some in the nearby town," I suggested, before adding, "But, uh...maybe you could avoid eating any people? Oh, unless it’s a person that I say is okay to eat. People like those Knights who captured you."

"Yes to the White Stag meat, but like I said, I don’t care much for human meat," She responded, as we began to reach the bottom of the path and onto the second floor.

There’s a group of Monsters just a few meters up ahead, and-...

"Oh, great...it’s just more stupid Goblins," I sighed to myself in disappointment...

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