"Wake up. It's time."
"Ah, yes…"
Four hours had already passed.
The Young Lady and I shared a light meal: dry bread, thinly sliced ham, tomatoes, and lettuce, washed down with a bit of water. Honestly, for the Labyrinth, this was practically a feast.
"Now that we've eaten, it's time to move."
"Right. Let's get out of here quickly. It feels… strangely suffocating."
She was likely feeling the effects of being in the Labyrinth for so long without Mana Adaptation. Frankly, it was a miracle that a novice like her had endured this long on the 4th floor.
I'd hoped a rescue team would arrive while we slept. No such luck.
If we delayed any longer, breathing would become nearly impossible for her. I had to get her out before that happened. Carrying a fainted or collapsed noblewoman through the Labyrinth was a one-way ticket to an early grave.
"By the way, Young Lady. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"The good news."
"There's likely a teleportation stone nearby. We should be able to move up a floor."
"That really is good news! Then what's the bad news?"
"There's a staircase. We have to go down."
"Go down? Why?"
She reflexively shook her head, her face pale. It was an understandable reaction; the 4th floor was already pushing her to her limit.
"Because that's where the teleportation stone is."
"You mean we have to go down a floor to find a stone that takes us up? What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense."
Unfamiliar with the concept of Floor Division, she looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. I realized I needed to explain it simply.
"It's not that the floor itself changes. It's a Floor Division—a sub-section of the 4th floor."
"Floor Division? What's that?"
"It means that even if we take the stairs down, we're technically still on the 4th floor. Since we aren't using a teleportation stone to descend, the floor count remains the same."
When a floor actually changes, the environment and the monsters change with it. You don't notice it much on the upper levels, but from the 5th floor down, the shift is jarring.
"Oh. I think I understand. But why is that bad news?"
"Generally, the lower section of a divided floor is much harder. Nine times out of ten, we're going to run into a Bunnyman."
"A Bunnyman… the apex predator of the Breeding Ground?"
"Exactly. They aren't guaranteed spawns, but with a Floor Division like this, there's a 99 percent chance one is either roaming the lower section or camping right in front of the teleportation stone."
Unlike Horn Rabbits, which were everywhere, a Bunnyman was a rare threat. But in these conditions, it was practically waiting for us.
If an earlier adventuring party escaped this way, they might have killed it.
If not, the task fell to us. We were walking straight into the jaws of the one monster we wanted to avoid.
"Can we beat it?"
"In a head-on fight? Not a chance. Neither of us has the combat power for that."
"What about that slingshot of yours?"
"It's too fast. It would dodge every stone I threw, or I'd just plain miss."
The Young Lady's expression darkened.
"…Porter."
"Yes?"
"Let's just wait here until the rescue team arrives."
"That would be the best option. But…"
But, Young Lady.
You can barely breathe as it is, can't you?
"Ah."
"This is the 4th floor. It's impressive you've held out this long."
She either had incredibly potent noble blood or a constitution built for the Labyrinth. Most novices would have collapsed long ago without a single level-up to bolster them.
"If we wait any longer, you're going to faint. And I'm not confident I can carry you out while fighting off monsters."
"…Then… instead…"
"Instead?"
"If I collapse… just kill me."
"What?"
"Kill me and put me in your Aether Pocket. That works, right?"
She was dead serious.
"I can be resurrected anyway. Don't risk your life trying to get me out alive. If I succumb to mana poisoning, just put my body in your inventory and wait for the rescue team."
She was right. It was the most rational choice. If she died, putting her in the Aether Pocket would prevent decomposition, and I could just hunker down.
But that would tank my payout. I'd only get the full reward if I brought her back alive and breathing.
"Waiting with a corpse is an option, sure. We'll keep that as a backup. But I have another way."
"You do?"
"Yes. But… well… it's a bit…"
"What? Just say it."
"It's expensive."
"Huh?"
"I have a scroll. It's enough to kill a Bunnyman."
It was a 6th-circle lightning magic scroll I'd stumbled upon by sheer luck. My ultimate trump card. I didn't even want to guess what it was worth on the open market.
"What kind of magic is it?"
"Lightning Shock."
It was the high-tier version of the 3rd-circle spell, Electric Shock. One hit would turn a 4th-floor Bunnyman into a charred carcass.
"If it hits dead on, it might even blow the thing to pieces."
"A 6th-circle spell? But what about the mana requirement?"
"That's why I've been hoarding mana potions. I'll chug them until I hit mana backlash if I have to. One shot is all I need. What do you think?"
"…It sounds possible."
"Right?"
It was more than possible. It was our ticket out without anyone having to die. Now, it was time for the negotiation.
"The question is whether you can pay for the scroll and the potions."
As I'd mentioned before, nobles viewed resurrection as "impure." They believed a soul that had crossed over and returned was defiled. Plus, the cost was astronomical. There was a reason people sold themselves into slavery to pay off resurrection debts.
More importantly, there was no fixed market price for a 6th-circle scroll. I was going to set the price high—commensurate with the value of her "pure" soul.
"What's it going to be? Pay up and stay alive, or die and wait for a priest?"
"I'll pay. It's better to lose money than to deal with the fallout of a resurrection. If I die here, my father will never let me set foot in a Labyrinth again."
"Wait, you actually want to come back? Did someone hide a treasure chest with your name on it in here?"
"It's my dream… to reach the very end of the Labyrinth. Why are you looking at me like that?"
What a bizarre dream.
"Fine, whatever. Let's move. There will be plenty of Vorpal Rabbits down there, so wrap your scarf tight. It might save your throat from a graze."
"Understood."
I helped her secure the scarf. It wasn't much, but it was better than bare skin.
Shield's ready.
I strapped the shield to my left arm. Since I'd need to trigger the scroll the moment we saw the Bunnyman, I kept it ready in my left hand. I also clipped three high-grade mana potions to my belt for easy access.
The unwritten rule is that there's only ever one Bunnyman on the 4th floor.
Even with a Floor Division, I doubted the Labyrinth would spawn two bosses in the Breeding Ground.
Please, just one. If there's a second one, we're both dead.
The Young Lady's breathing was getting heavier. We had to move. If she fainted now, I wouldn't be able to use the scroll effectively while protecting her.
"Watch your step."
"Okay."
We reached the lower section—the "4.5th floor." The air grew thick and heavy. Her gasps were becoming ragged. I pushed forward, my mapping ability highlighting a likely spot for the teleportation stone. The closer we got, the more certain I felt. Just a little further…
Thump.
Thump-thump.
"Hup!"
"Kyaa!"
The moment I heard the sound, I yanked her behind me. A Vorpal Rabbit lunged for her throat, missing its mark as I slammed it away with my shield. I wanted to finish it, but it wasn't alone.
Shit. Three of them.
The difficulty spike was real. Vorpal Rabbits were usually solitary hunters, but the Floor Division had packed them together. One slip-up and my throat would be open.
"Young Lady!"
"Ugh… huff…"
She was spiraling into mana poisoning. She was losing focus, her eyes glazing over. This was bad.
Thump.
Thump-thump.
The three rabbits attacked in a coordinated rhythm. I couldn't block them all. I tucked my chin, protecting my neck at all costs. My arm was going to take a beating, but she'd be paying the medical bills anyway.
Damn vermin!
I parried one and drove my sword into the second. Pain flared in my arm, but I ignored it. I smashed the face of the third one with my shield and pinned it down with a knife.
No time to retrieve the blade. I pulled another from my Aether Pocket and hurled it at the first rabbit as it lunged again.
Thwack!
"Damn it."
The rabbits were dead, but my shield was shredded. I unstrapped the useless hunk of metal and tossed it aside, then shook the Young Lady.
"Young Lady! Wake up!"
"Ugh… retch…"
"Move, we have to move!"
"S-sorry… hic…"
She dry-heaved but managed to stumble to her feet. The teleportation stone was right there on the map. Just a few more steps—
"I knew it."
I'd expected this. The Labyrinth never gave you a free pass. It loved to dangle hope just to snatch it away at the last second. I was used to its malice. If you always expect the worst, you're never surprised.
"Squeal!"
The Bunnyman emerged. It burst from the shadows at the worst possible moment, charging us with terrifying speed. I let go of the Young Lady and downed a high-grade mana potion in one gulp. Half of it spilled down my chin, but I didn't care. The monster was closing in.
No time to aim. No time to think.
"Lightning Shock!"
I tore the scroll.
A massive discharge of electricity erupted. The recoil was so violent it sent me flying backward. The lightning incinerated everything in its path. The sheer power of a 6th-circle spell was staggering—I'd seen 4th-circle magic before, but this was on an entirely different level.
The Labyrinth lit up with a blinding flash. The surrounding Vorpal Rabbits fled in terror. The static in the air made my hair stand on end as dust and ozone filled the corridor.
"Squea—"
Thud.
The Bunnyman collapsed. Half of its torso was gone, its pristine white fur scorched black. It was a one-shot kill. If a 4th-floor monster survived a 6th-circle spell, I would have retired on the spot.
"Cough! Ugh…"
Blood—or something like it—welled up in my throat. My vision swam. Chugging mana potions without a proper circuit had triggered a massive mana backlash. My limbs were trembling, and the world was spinning. I could barely stand. I wasn't a mage; a mere porter forcing a 6th-circle spell was bound to suffer internal damage.
"Cough… Young Lady… damn it… get up… drag me to the stone… please…"
Thump.
My legs gave out. I hadn't expected the backlash to be this crippling. I felt like I was going to vomit and pass out at the same time. But we couldn't stay here. I could hear the faint sounds of Horn Rabbits approaching. Dying to trash mobs after killing a Bunnyman would be the most pathetic death in history.
Get up, Young Lady. Please.
"Ugh… damn it all…"
Finally, she stirred. She looked terrible, gasping for air through the poisoning, but she was moving.
"Th-that way? Is that it?"
"Yes… straight ahead…"
She stumbled over, grabbed my ankle, and began dragging me toward the teleportation stone.
The Bunnyman…
As I was being dragged, my hand brushed against the scorched corpse. I didn't know if any parts were still salvageable, but I wasn't leaving empty-handed. I shoved the carcass into my Aether Pocket. I'd paid for those supplies with my own hard-earned cash; I was taking everything I could. Every scrap of loot was a step toward staying alive another day.
"Haa… haa… retch…"
She stopped to heave several times, but she didn't let go. She dragged me all the way to the stone. I had to hand it to her—she had grit.
"Hey… is it… is it blue? It's not red, right?"
"Bl-blue…"
"Okay… here goes."
She dragged me through the blue gate. Behind us, the shadows of the Breeding Ground were closing in. We made it off that hellish floor just in time.