An occupancy limit of sixty people. Not only that, but once you walked through the portal, there was no way to get back out.
Although those two features were definitely reminiscent of a Rift, there were other factors that made it difficult to classify this place as such.
First, there was a portal stone.
The stone portals were used specifically to connect different floors, and we had to activate one to reach this hidden area.
What's more, there had never been a new hidden area that turned out to be a Rift.
Whenever the term «hidden zone» appeared on the Stone of Honor, it usually meant that a new floor had been unlocked or, on rare occasions as with the Labyrinth of Larcaz, a new hidden map that was already part of a given floor.
And it's not likely that this is simply a new map hidden on the first floor.
For now, I have decided to consider this place as a completely new plant, since the hidden maps were closed at the same time as its corresponding plant. To open the portal and get here, we had to go to the third floor and spend a good part of our time collecting nameless fragments.
Considering how long it took us to get there, do that, and get back, it would take most adventurers six days to open this portal.
From a design standpoint, it didn't make sense to have a hidden map that people would only have a maximum of two days to explore. That's why I thought the chances of this place being a hidden map were rather slim.
So the most important question is, once again, when will this place close...
But we would find out that as the days went by.
«Versyl, are you done exploring them all?»
«Sí.»
Before beginning our full-scale expedition, I had Versyl investigate to determine how powerful the adventurers who had followed us here were.
«First», he began, «I will talk about the two strongest groups. There are twenty members of the Silver Lion Clan and nineteen of the Hektz» Clan.
«Looks like they're both missing members, then?». Clans usually traveled in as large a group as possible. Back when the maximum number of people who could join with a single binding spell was five, they operated in multiples of five. However, now that groups of six can be made, each of their groups should have added some multiple of six.
«Yeah. It seems that they are both missing quite a few between the two. Apparently, as soon as my barrier collapsed and the portal opened, everyone ran towards it madly.»
«I see. And the rest?»
«There are two groups of five members and a team of four».
Further investigation revealed that the four-person team was missing its leader and that one of the five-person teams was missing a warrior, completely ruining their comp match.
«Is there anything else you want me to ask? Everyone is cooperating right now, probably because they hope to lean on us in the future».
«No, this is more than enough», I replied. «Thank you».
«Oh, too...»
«¿Hm?»
When I tilted my head, Versyl added carefully: «The three smaller teams have asked if we would be willing to protect them. It seems that the other two clans are also interested in cooperating with us.»
«I understand that the two clans cooperate with us, but what do the others understand by protection?».
«Nothing special. Essentially, they are willing to do whatever we ask of them as long as we bring them with us».
Everyone eagerly jumped in here without a second thought, but now that they're really here, they must have come to their senses and realized how screwed they are. It must be even worse given that they are missing members.
«What do you plan to do?»
«What is your average skill level?»
«On average, I would say around the fifth floor.»
«That's all I need to hear. Tell them to take care of themselves». Given their level, they would only get in the way of a fight and couldn't offer us much.
Furthermore, even if we do not accept their request, I am sure that they will be able to take care of themselves. Or maybe they can take advantage of one of the two largest clans.
Not that I forced them to come here. I just opened the portal the way they wanted, and that was it. As such, he was unwilling to do anything else for them.
«Versyl, recast Linkage.»
«How do you want me to do it?»
«Make Emily and Auyen a team. The rest of us will be someone else».
For now, I decided to split us into two teams. To be honest, I was tempted to make a six-man team and leave Auyen out, but I decided it would be best to let him get some EXP too. Being a new plant, there were surely new monsters. This way, Auyen could sit back and get free EXP while Amelia took care of the monsters on her own.
«Emily, is that okay with you?»
«I don't care. I understand the circumstances».
«Okay, so it's decided».
Just in time, too, because Ainar seemed to be running out of patience. «Bjorn! How much longer do we have to wait here?»
«Everyone, get ready to go», I responded.
It was time to start exploring.
As soon as we set off, all the adventurers who remained at the starting point noticed. One of them gathered his courage and ran to ask me: «If you don't mind... Is it okay for us to follow you from a distance?».
In other words, they wanted to follow us because they were too scared to explore an unknown floor on their own.
Ha, don't these bastards have a conscience? Not only did I give them a free ride opening the portal, but now they want to follow us as we explore this place.
«I care. Don't follow us». My firm answer does not allow discussion.
The man, however, refused to back down, apparently determined to ride the wave of our success. «Q-But... if you can help us even a little, then the number of people who end up dying in vain here will be significantly lower».
Seeing one of their own bravely make an appeal, other adventurers rushed to follow his example and support him.
«That's it...!»
«In emergency situations, adventurers have a duty to help each other...»
«And if you help us, it will certainly help improve your reputation even more...»
What are these idiots talking about? Do you think I'm faint-hearted because I opened the portal for you? «When did I tell you to go through the portal?»
Everyone fell silent.
«A true adventurer should be able to handle his own expedition».
«But many of us are going to end up dead...»
«Are you sure you knew the risks before coming here? This is an expedition, after all».
With that, I got going with my teammates. The other adventurers made no attempt to follow us, suggesting that my speech had worked.
«Ugh, I feel a little better now. They didn't stop talking nonsense».
«But captain, is everything really okay?». Auyen asked in a worried tone. «If they make it back alive, they might spread weird and false rumors about you...».
I just smiled and patted him on the back. «You worry about everything. If you keep this up, you're going to get headaches».
«Haha... As expected, you are amazing, captain».
«Alright, enough chatter, let's focus on the expedition. We don't know what awaits us».
We began our long walk away from the starting point, walking along the coast while trying to get a layout of the land. Surprisingly, it didn't take us long. The ground we walked on was not that big.
«I knew I heard the sound of the waves...»
«So we were on an island.»
More specifically, we were on a small rocky island whose perimeter could be covered in just thirty minutes. It was decent enough in terms of size for an initial island, as was Laemia on the sixth floor. However, a look around revealed that there were no monsters in this place. No, forget about the monsters, there was practically nothing here.
In Laemia, at least there were trees that we could cut down. But here, there is nothing.
It was a shame. If there was a special material that could only be obtained here, then we could have sold it at a high price.
Of course, it was still too early to give up hope. Our real search was at sea.
«Rockrobe, do you think everything will be okay?»
First I decided to ask our sailor's opinion before taking the boat out. Even a superficial glance suggested that this ocean was no ordinary one.
«Yeah. Although it looks different from normal seawater, that piece of wood over there is floating. We'll have to try, but I think our ship is buoyant enough to get ahead.»
«It's good to hear it.»
A silver wave hit the rocks on the shore. The ocean before us seemed to be made of liquid mercury, and floating above the water were a variety of strange objects.
¡Shaaaaaa!
Each wave of silver water brought with it a closet, a fireplace, a thick book, an old sword, a knight's helmet, and much more. What was that over there, socks? I didn't know what any of that was doing in these waters, but after listening to Auyen's professional opinion, we looked for a good place to take the boat out.
«Ohhh! The ship is floating!»
Fortunately, the boat was able to float on the water without problems, but just in case, we kept an eye on it for ten minutes before boarding. After confirming that the water had not damaged it, we got on board and prepared to leave. Now, the success of this trip was in the hands of Auyen.
"¿What? ¿Yo? ⁇
«Yeah. Think of it like the first time you went up to the sixth floor, when you still didn't know how to move».
At first, Auyen seemed concerned about the weight of this new responsibility, but my trust seemed to earn it. «So, we'll start by investigating the surrounding waters first...».
«Do what you think is best. And you don't have to ask me every little decision either. You are much better than me when it comes to navigation».
This is how we began our journey, carefully sailing the waters under the direction of our navigator, Auyen. As we slowly moved away from the island, Auyen began jotting down a map, checking the depth of the water as we went to make sure there were no obstacles hidden beneath. Amelia looked over her shoulder at him, very interested.
«I'm jealous of your talent», she said.
"...¿Which?"
«I say you're doing a good job. I'm sure your name and that map will go down in history. Just like Pikma's».
Now that she thought about it, Amelia had a strange obsession with that kind of thing. Was it because he had never been able - and never could - proudly stamp his name on an achievement?
...I'll have to find a way for him to use his real name again when we get back to town.
Since Auyen was handling the ship perfectly without me, I left them to their business and went up on deck. If Auyen was considered an expert in navigation, then I could be considered an expert in the maze itself.
Our field of vision increased.
Standing on the rocky island, we could only see about a hundred meters in front of us. But now that we were sailing, our visibility was gradually expanding. The sky was quite dark, so we still couldn't see very far, but at least it was noticeable that what previously limited our vision had now disappeared.
«Versyl, have you found anything yet?» Like the mage she was, Versyl was fishing for any floating objects she could get her hands on.
«No. Since I have no information about any of this... For now, I have decided to focus on collecting samples instead of studying them».
Unfortunately, I hadn't found anything particularly interesting so far. «I see...»
If Raven were here, would things have been different?
Although the thought came to mind, I didn't feel terribly disappointed. What was really the point of studying, anyway? We were adventurers. Our job was simply to find something and sell it for a high price.
Then I'll leave all that to Versyl...
I went to see the rest of the members of our group. Erwen was on the observation deck, using her keen eyesight to play lookout. Meanwhile, Ainar and I were handling the sea much better than before and Missha was standing to the side, apparently enjoying her time alone. Just as I was about to approach her to talk to her, a voice rang out.
«An island! It's an island».
We had discovered a new area.
It was our first discovery since we arrived at this hidden area. Excited, we quickly turned the boat in the direction Erwen was pointing.
But then, still at a good distance from her, we all froze. The reason was simple.
«Un m-monstruction ...»
No era and the same.
«... What should we do?»
«Oh! Are we going to fight him? Isn't that the first monster we found here? It could be weaker than we think!»
«You're crazy? You have to be ridiculous to try to fight a monster that size!»
A monster had appeared so huge that we mistook it for an island. The only ones who seemed to recognize how dangerous our situation was were Amelia and me.
«...Yandel.» Amelia, of all people, definitely had an idea of how strong that monster was thanks to its Crisis Detection ability. However, according to her, it didn't give her much information other than a rough estimate of the monster's range. «No, Auyen Rockrobe. Quick, go around the ship right now. We have to stay away from that thing as much as we can».
«Wh-what? O-Oh! Okay.» Auyen hurriedly followed Amelia's orders without question.
Amelia then turned to me. «Do you know what that is?»
I knew.
That huge black shell, that elongated neck and that dragon-shaped head, and that long beard attached to his snout...
«Tol-Lapupa. Un monster de rank uno».
«¿In series ...? ¿Eso es un monster of rank unit?»
It made sense that it was the first time the rest of the team had seen a monster like that. After all, 80 percent of all rank one monsters, including Tol-Lapupa, could only be found on the tenth floor. Of course, none of them would have information about their appearance.
On top of that, it is a monster that only appears on a hidden map.
Even on the tenth floor, you had to enter a hidden area to find it.
Shit...
Even after we managed to turn the ship around and escape Tol-Lapupa, a chill continued to run down my spine.
I can't believe there is a rank one monster in this place...
My mind was spinning at full speed. How is it possible that the first monster we saw down here was that thing? And how strong would the other monsters we would come across be?
If we fought that beast, they would annihilate us in a second. Rank one monsters were even stronger and harder to take down than any Top Floor Lord.
Does that mean we should go back to the rocky island...?
The thought surged in my mind before I could stop it, but I decided it would be too pitiful to give up now.
Thus, we continue our journey.
[00:01]
The seventh day was over. That meant the first floor had closed.
Alright, so that confirms that this place is not a hidden map connected to the first floor...
As I thought, this must be a completely new apartment. As for what floor it had to be...
Floor one of the Basement.
Since the second floor already existed, I assumed that this floor must be some kind of basement. But then, what was his name? Normally, when a new plant was inaugurated, the official name was written on the Stone of Honor.
I guess I'll find out when I get out of here and see it.
As we continued sailing through the open waters, my monster-related worries slowly began to fade.
«¡Kyaaaaaa!»
That was, until Versyl suddenly let out a screech while fishing for samples.
«¡Un monster! Es un monster!»
I ran to his side and looked over the railing. Sure enough, there was a monster climbing up the side of the hull.
«Hey? What is that?», asked Ainar, who had also run there after hearing Versyl's scream, very confused. «He doesn't look like a Murloc or a Frogman».
However, he had no answer for her. After all, we were in a new apartment. I had thought there was a possibility of this happening.
¡Crrros! ¡Crrros!
It was a new type of monster, whose rank, classification and name were a complete mystery.