199 From 198.64 layer.txt (2/2)

But why? I feel a sense of déjà vu.

It's as if we were doing the same thing we're doing now, even a thousand years ago. I feel like the result of that has something to do with the magical names of Tida and Arti and the others.

Well, well, it's just my imagination: ......!　Maybe ......!

Okay. I'll take it one step at a time. And if that's the kind of thing that makes you strong, it's a small price to pay.

'Yeah, just give it a try. Hopefully this will make you a little more survivable: ......

Yes.

I'm not recommending this to liners just for my own taste. This is a matter of life.

It's too late to regret that I should have told him this after the monsters in the labyrinth had fallen behind. If there is any chance of increasing your safety, it is only natural to share any information you have with your friends.

Therefore, the reason I'm inwardly gutted is not out of self-interest.

It's all for the sake of survival - and for Ryner's sake!

Thus, while I was teaching my magic theory to Ryner, we stepped through the sixty-fourth layer. Perhaps it was because this layer had a good match with Dimension, or perhaps it was because we were lucky, but we only had one battle.

And the search continues to the 63rd layer.

◆◆◆◆◆ ...

He immediately deployed the Dimension and went to grasp the entirety of the sixty-three layers.

However, the ceiling was high again, but there were no major features. If I had to say it was strong, the ground in the corridor was only emitting stronger light than usual. Even though we are in a labyrinth, it feels as bright as daylight.

And the path to the next layer was easy to find, and there seemed to be no need to enter any particularly strange areas.

However, I didn't want to be ambushed by monsters again, so I dare to fight only one monster and gather information like I did at the sixty-fiveth layer.

The name of the main monster that roams the 63rd layer is 【Pale Griffon】. Its upper body is a bird and its lower body has the shape of a beast. The compound eyes that warn the surroundings, and a sharp bill. It has wings that flap freely and four legs and claws as thick as a log. It was very close to the imaginary creature gryphon I knew.

As usual, the battle began with me and Ryner between us.

And, as a matter of course, the Pale Gryphon sensed our surprise attack in advance and intercepted us. In addition, they counterattack with wind magic as if they were breathing. It seems that in the 60th layer platform, detection ability and magic were standard equipment.

However, unlike the enemies until now, there was nothing they couldn't do.

It's true that they move fast, but they're not desperate. It's true that they are powerful, but there's nothing they can't catch. They also use a wide variety of magic, but nothing is outstanding. I thought it was a well-balanced strength, but that was all.

There seems to be no doubt that the enemies are getting a little weaker as we move back to the upper levels.

Me and Ryner are only using auxiliary magic. The rest of us are using our swords and using combinations to chip away at the opponent. In the middle of it all, there was enough room for Ryner to practice the teachings he had just given me.

''---Ma, magic, -- [WIND FRANBERGE]!

Reiner ......, a really good boy .......

He was using the magic name I came up with in a disciplined manner.

Ryner is definitely my best friend, shouting my cool magic name that I thought up, wearing the cool clothes I made, against the cool griffon that is an imaginary monster, wearing the cool clothes I made, and shouting my cool magic name.

''That's still sweet, Ryner!　Not enough image!　More awareness of being a blade of the wind!　And then you hit them with all the images behind the words, layered on top of each other!

Well, it's the magic Windward Flamberge.

'Oh!　No, that's very good!

The reopened liner shouted.

It was me who was surprised because the sharpness of the magic has really increased.

And, thanks to this new method of magical warfare, I'm almost ready to defeat the gryphon.

But just before the end, the Pale Gryphon jumped up into the sky and started barking with all its strength.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

I'm sure you're right, ....... I thought it was a bit weak ......

You don't need to see it in ”Dimension” to know that.

He's the usual guy.

He's the type of guy who runs away when it gets dangerous, but also calls for his friends.

'Christ, don't you chase him down!

No chase. Let's go back to the sixty-fourth layer once.

This type of chase was often able to escape by crossing layers. It was easy to return, as they had just fought their way up to the sixty-three layers.

As expected, the Gryphon's chase would be cut off by straddling the layers. The crowd of monsters that had gathered together also returned to their original position.

We know what he's capable of, so let's ignore them all and move on. We'll probably not be able to defeat them.

Yes, sir.

In the end, it was the same as usual.

Even though it was a match, the strength of the Pale Gryphon as a unit is the boss class. This is not an opponent that you can fight easily. We'll probably be outgunned just by having two of them together.

The only thing that would probably work is Distance Mute. However, this trump card cannot be ramped up due to its high MP consumption. And yet, the Pale Gryphon would probably call monsters throughout the hierarchy with a decapitating roar. That includes species other than Pale Gryphon.

In other words, fighting a pale griffon is not realistic.

I was hoping during the battle that it would be a relatively safe hunting ground, but it turns out to be the most undervalued hunting ground.

It's just like the Rio Eagle one day.

If you get hurt, the escape type monsters should perish.

Me and Ryner walk down the luminous corridor.

It's easy to avoid the Pale Gryphon. The other monsters also don't have the extensive searching ability like the green high elemental earlier.

But when they got to this point, there was another problem.

''Ha, ha, ha!''

Hah, hah, hah. ......

The shortness of breath has become more severe.

The symptoms are more pronounced in the low status strength liner.

He's already been walking for nearly four hours without a break. On top of that, he's also been fighting to the death, and even though he's been able to prevent the loss of HPMP, his physical problems can't catch up with him. Although it hadn't come to the surface yet, his mind was probably starting to chip away at it as well.

By continuing to avoid the monsters, he was able to safely get through the sixty-three layers, but it wasn't without paying any price.

Then, after catching his breath between layers, he entered the sixty-two layers.

Except for one thing, the characteristics of the layers were no different from the others. However, that one feature was too dense.

The ground's luminescence was more intense. And it wasn't just the ground, but also the walls and the ceiling were glowing.

The image of an open sky changed to that of a dazzling sun.

The light from all directions greatly restricts your vision. It's not that I can't see at all, but I can manage to pick up information about my surroundings by squinting.

I can use 《Dimension》, but the liner next to me is in danger.

''Ryner, can you fight here?''

'If you always use the Wound, I think you'll be able to locate most of the things. Of course, it's hard to fight and consumes a lot of MP.

I'll handle the moving part. You'll only use the wind for combat.

Sorry. That's all I ask.

Don't worry about it.

This would be the only affinity of the magic he was mastering.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you. It's just that my power is more effective this time.

While walking with Ryner, I gathered information with Dimension. There were monsters roaming everywhere in the shining corridor. They were bird-shaped monsters that were appropriate for the sun layer.

We quickly find the isolated monster and try to fight it - but just before it attacks us, we notice an apparent anomaly.

We were only a few meters away from the monster.

In front of us, a bird monster, dyed white, is walking - and yet

[Monster] Piercing Pigeon: Rank 60

Pierce Pigeon just walked with ease. Like a fish in an aquarium, he just kept walking without losing his style at all when he saw us.

'These guys don't even attack us when they see us ......?

It's like, Christ: ......

We got too close, and we met eye to eye. Still, the monster didn't show an ounce of hostility. It just gracefully groomed itself with its beak.

After looking at each other, Ryner and I look for another monster, thinking that we won't waste our time fighting and wearing it out. The next thing I found was a giant horn horse (unicorn) that was dyed pure white.

[Monster] Colorless Unicorn: Rank 59.

The body is white, probably because it's the camouflage color of this dungeon. It's hard to even find them without using magic. It must be a threat if it rushed at you with this body.

However, the Colorless Unicorn is not moving either. Although it is looking at me, it doesn't appear to be looking for an opening. They are just watching me. There's no indication that they're even going into battle.

'Hmm, hmm. Is it a monster that doesn't react unless you attack it ......?　Or maybe it's this layer of poor visibility, and if you're unlucky enough to have a physical collision with these guys, the battle begins - ......

”Then you shouldn't try to force it. With the Dimension of Christ, you can avoid the whole thing.

'Yeah, of course I'm going to do that, but ......'

But still, it's odd.

Compared to the other layers, it's strangely too easy. Compared to the previous wind layer, it's a cloud of difference. I can only assume that there is some other reason for this.

These white monsters are staring only at me. They're not looking at Liners, only at me.

I feel as if they are at ease with me. It's as if they've met a familiar face.

I can't help but think about it. Let's go, Ryner. I'm not going to miss it.

Back off the liner and keep your distance from the white monsters.

The rest is easy. All I have to do is pick a path with the 《Dimension》 and continue walking silently. Of course, I haven't let down my guard against enemy attacks. However, a silence that could not be considered a labyrinth continued to envelop us.

We arrived at the 60th layer in less than an hour. Nothing happened.

We walked up the stairs without hesitation.

And just as we expected, the light shines on us.

The specialties became even darker, and a dazzling light filled the corridor.

The ceiling is no longer the sun. We couldn't keep our eyes open and had to close our eyelids tightly. Still, the light burned my eyeballs and my black vision turned red.

I pull away from Reiner's hand and explain only the bare minimum.

'...... It doesn't look much different from the layers we just saw. Let's keep the policy intact and move on.

Yeah, that's painfully bright.

I just don't want to stay long. If I continue to be exposed to the light, I'm going to have some kind of abnormality. This light wasn't as easy on the eyes as it might seem.

''This brightness, light ....... Perhaps the guardians of the sixty layers (guardians) seem to be 'the ones who steal the reason for the light .......'

''Oh, come to think of it, the layer near the id that was 'The One Who Stole the Reason of the Tree' was full of nature. After all, a guardian (guardian) will appear that matches the surrounding layer?

'I guess the power of the guardians (guardians) affects the layers around them. But still, 'the one who steals the reason for light'? You mean an expert (specialist) in sacred magic?

'I don't think so. There's a difference between sacred magic and light magic.

As long as Ryner, a Levantine knight who is familiar with sacred magic, says so, the next guardian (guardian) is probably not specialized in sacred magic.

He is likely to be a user of one of the minor attributes, light magic.

There's not much information about light magic in his head.

I can only tell you a little about the tendency of magic.

You'll find many light magic that is paired with dark magic that also affects the mind. But unlike the dark magic that causes abnormality, the light magic is all about restoring normalcy. It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

It's true that it's not intended for combat.

However, like Rowen and Tida, guardians (guardians) can be strong regardless of magic. If possible, I'd like to face them in the best possible condition.

With that in mind, I avoided the enemy with the 《Dimension》.

The sixty layered monsters are the same as before, and they have no hostile intent at all. I found a fluffy white haze floating around, so I 'gazed' at it, but the abnormality was only noticeable.

[Monster] Holy Element: rank 62.

Even though it's a high rank, the roaming spirit-like monsters don't show any interest in us.

It's so easy that it makes me feel uneasy.

I thought about following that anxiety and stepping back. But there's nothing out of the ordinary about our bodies; we've got plenty of HP and MP to spare. As long as it's a layer that we will definitely have to go through at some point, we can't put it off.

Without a doubt, the Holy Elements are aware of our presence. As these countless spirits continue to stare at us, we traverse the 60th layer.

Then we reach the front of the stairs.

Since we didn't have any battles for two layers in a row, our physical condition is not bad. Just to be sure, we break the ”dimensional” ring and replenish our magic power so that we can recover our MP.

He also succeeds in placing the Connection before the 60th layer. I thought it would be impossible in this light, but it was easier than I expected. The light was bad for my eyes, but it wasn't particularly magical.

There was no reason not to try the sixty layers.

It's almost as if the layers of light - the sixty layers and the sixty-two layers - were calling me in.

'Christ, aren't you going ......?'

I'm going. I'm going to challenge you and invoke the guardians (guardians). But I have a bit of a bad feeling about it: ......

But if you don't try here, you won't get above ground anytime soon.

I know. ......

Reiner's right.

We're running out of time. We're running out of time, and we can't afford to take a second look at our condition.

With his encouragement, I finally decide to take a stand.

Okay, let's split up. Reiner, you'll be waiting in front of the Connection. I'll go to the 60th layer and talk to the guardians first. If you feel that the conversation is going to be complicated, I will retreat to the Connection as soon as I feel that it's too late.

...... Got it.

It was a plan for the worst.

Ryner seemed to be complaining, but he nodded honestly. He would actually want to enter the 60th layer himself. However, I know with reason that it would be safest for me, who has the means of departure called 《Default》, to join the discussion. That's why I didn't argue with him.

I can see that the sermon from a while ago is working in its own way.

'Don't worry so much. A guardian is a human by nature. Just talk to them and they'll understand.

I hope it's a friendly one with the 'Original Kanami' like Lord: ......

Otherwise, it will be a battle.

You have to be prepared for that.

I'm out.

Thus, I proceed.

Sixty layers of the labyrinth.

To the level where the one who steals the truth of light is waiting.