Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 115
Only Noblemtl
The 24th floor plain passed easily without any major battles, but the 25th floor started off unpleasantly from the moment I entered.
Crash!
As soon as I entered, my legs were submerged in water up to my knees. The wet soil clung tenaciously to my feet, limiting my mobility.
“They’ve been drowning us from the start.”
“A fluffy, dry beard in the morning!”
“Senior···.”
Amidst the various reactions, Alan looked back, following the shadow cast over his head. Zion was looking down with his transparent eyes.
Zion’s height suddenly grew. That was an illusion, in fact she was not drained. She was standing on the surface of the water, and circular ripples were rippling around the soles of her feet.
He would have sprayed magical power from the soles of his feet, pushed away the water, and floated his body. Unlike magicians who solve such problems by creating or improving magic, he was a physical practitioner who solved problems with his body.
“Is this a product of experience? Or is it a know-how you learned? That’s amazing.”
The corners of Zion’s mouth and shoulders went up at the same time. He looked very pleased with the light compliment.
“Sister, you like compliments.”
“You don’t like Shiva?”
“No. My shoulders also shake when I hear compliments. I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t like sincere compliments.”
“Stop nagging and come help me. I need to build a raft.”
As Taylor’s manasod was digging into the tree, Zion and Allen looked in the same direction almost simultaneously.
Something suddenly popped out on the surface of the water, which was impenetrable due to floating objects such as dirt and leaves. A long, torn black pupil on a yellow background stared in this direction like a periscope.
As something lifted its head from under the water, water poured down. It was clearly far away, but its size defied perspective.
Purusaurus. It was a giant crocodile that lived in the primeval forest and was over 10 meters long. It weighed about 5 tons. Considering that a car called a 1-ton truck weighs around 2 tons, there was no need to explain how big it was.
A merciless predator charged. The momentum was so enormous that if a normal person were to stand in front of it, their flesh and bones would literally be torn apart after the impact.
As a creature that lives in water, the guy was not affected by the swamp environment. Of course, this guy was no ordinary person either.
“We’re having crocodile meat for dinner tonight.”
“Brother, can you fry it?”
“Do you think this is a bar? There are no eggs or flour, so of course it won’t work. I’ll use a frying pan to bake it, so be satisfied with that.”
Zion stepped forward as the two prepared to hunt. Where her feet passed, ripples remained.
“You handle it?”
“It’s the price of food.”
The knees bent slightly, the ripples became rough, and then the figure disappeared.
When she appeared again, the sword was already planted on the crocodile’s head. As she withdrew the weapon like a king pulling out a sword stuck in a rock, red blood flowed down the crocodile’s tough hide.
Zion returned, dragging the crocodile’s tail, but his feet still did not sink below the water’s surface.
“It’s fast. Are you able to record it well?”
“Yes. I’m sure it was a good idea to ask you. You’re better than any other control group.”
“Control group? Is there anyone else with sensors attached?”
Alan hesitated for a moment, but luckily Taylor’s attention was drawn to the alligator Zion had brought.
‘Waves are the basics of seniors.’
The beginning and end of her handling of the body. The occasional whistle has the effect of alerting the surroundings like the ultrasonic waves of a bat, and of immobilizing prey like the growling of a carnivore.
Originally, there were only speculations, but after permission was granted and sensors were installed, it became clear. Of course, as we learned more, so did the areas we didn’t know.
‘If I adjust the power suit, I can follow it by about 30%.’
It may seem like a small number, but it was very good even if it was just as Alan expected. There was something beyond recognition in Zion’s movements.
‘There are so many strange people.’
The deeper you go, the more likely you are to encounter such explorers or monsters. For Alan, the act of obtaining information through observation is simply enjoyable.
Alan took out his rune pen as he looked at the giant crocodile that still exuded an intimidating presence even in death. The leather was hard and good for drawing runes.
When [Floating] and [Buoyancy] were engraved, the corpse floated to the surface of the water. It was a raft made using a whole crocodile.
“It’s so big that four people can ride it with room to spare.”
“What are you going to eat for dinner? You shouldn’t play with your food.”
“This will do.”
Alan engraved [Preservation] in large letters.
“It’s not as good as a refrigerator or time series magic, but it should be enough to last you three days in a primeval forest.”
“More than enough.”
Taylor smiled with satisfaction. The three days that Alan had mentioned was not the time it would take for it to rot, but the period of time it would take to maintain its freshness after being caught.
Even if it was the same rune, its power varied greatly depending on who drew it and how much magic power was put into it.
Alan was different from the magical engineers who could only repair things by relying on brain extension devices. Strictly speaking, he was a driver, but Alan could make parts for his own vehicles and easily modify them.
As time passed, the crocodile became thinner, while the passengers’ bellies became fuller. Zion was especially satisfied.
“There’s a lot, so eat slowly. Did Francois or Jake give you a snack?”
“Call the chairman by his name?”
Zion’s eyes became sharp. Even the fork in his hand looked threatening.
“I quit my job. I’m not the one paying your salary, so he’s just someone you know in the neighborhood.”
“ah···.”
Zion immediately nodded in understanding, but his expression remained displeased as if he felt something was off.
It was perhaps a natural reaction to realize that the chairman who was held in high esteem like the sky was just an old man to some people.
After catching a glimpse of the alligator that had accompanied us on our short journey, we arrived at the 26th floor. Now it was Taylor’s turn to lead the way.
“Where are the ruins? Past the peak that juts out like a thumb…”
Even as they moved along the ridge, Alan opened up his study in his head. With Zion, he could leave the reconnaissance to her.
Then I bumped into Taylor, who had stopped.
“You have to be careful. If you fall, you’ll get hurt.”
“Why did you stop?”
“See over there? This is···.”
Taylor pointed down the mountain with a puzzled expression. There were tents here and there, and there were many explorers.
“You said the ruins were originally hidden?”
“Then, what changed? It suddenly appeared like that. So, the maggots must have used it as a hideout too.”
At the center of the tent stood a small, dark-colored pyramid. Explorers entered and exited through a door at the top.
“That’s not all, it’s buried deep beneath the surface like an iceberg. But what do we do with it?”
“There are too many people, which is a problem. They tamed a primitive forest creature, and they rode it on the 23rd floor, where there were so many people, so it was inevitable that rumors would spread.”
The Essel Matap that obtained the dragon’s relics withdrew, and the annoying maggots were annihilated. The expedition team that usually passed the 26th floor quickly also swarmed in.
With so many people blinded by treasure, friction was inevitable. As Alan and his party descended, a nearby explorer shot lasers at them with his eyes as if he was looking for a competitor.
While I was debating whether to pitch a tent or go right in, three large men approached me. They were even equipped with golem bodies, which made me feel oppressed.
The man in the middle handed Alan a piece of metal plate with numbers engraved on it.
“Hey, take a number.”
“A number tag?”
“It would be a loss if friction arose between fellow explorers. That’s why our Roman Company stepped up to take charge of the ruins.”
“You are doing a good job.”
As Alan tried to receive it, the big guy withdrew his hand and held out his other palm.
“We have given up exploring and are trying to maintain order. If we could get some voluntary donations, it would give us strength…”
“How much?”
“10 million coins. You also get magic stones and other loot.”
Alan turned his head and looked at the box. Ten million coins and the knowledge that could be gained from the relic were placed on the scale. It was obvious which way the scale in Alan’s mind would tip.
Just as I was about to wave the box over, Taylor stepped forward.
“Where the hell are you talking about? Get out!”
“Hey, old man. Why did you come down here when you’re at the age to watch your grandson’s tricks? Did your son get hurt? This is hitting me in the wrong spot.”
“A treasure goblin that has only grown in size···.”
Treasure Goblin was a slang term for an explorer whose skills were poor compared to the magic wear they were wearing. The reason it was called treasure was because you could just defeat them and steal their magic wear. If there was a goblin nearby, you would also take area damage.
There was a warm and heartwarming exchange of greetings, but it didn’t lead to a fight.
“How long are you going to keep arguing!”
“Stick together! Stick together!”
There were so many onlookers and only a few light greetings were exchanged, so there was no need to grit my teeth and rush in.
Alan turned his eyes away from the never-ending confrontation. The area around the pyramid was controlled by explorers belonging to the Roman Company. It seemed that others accepted it as they were such a notorious group.
“So you’re going to ignore the order? There are explorers who came first, so take your turn!”
The big guy who shouted like that took a step back. The effect was amazing. Taylor, who had protested against the entrance fee, suddenly became a shameless pickpocket.
There were some disbelieving looks because the Roman Company’s track record was so splendid, but people were rational and yet irrational.
Taylor, feeling a great deal of hostility, turned away.
“Are you just going back?”
“Why are you going? Follow me.”
As they walked away from the pyramid, Taylor opened his mouth to Zion.
“Zion, don’t just watch. You have to help. Where are you going to sell the name Breaker?”
“Who is Zion?”
She had already finished her disguise. Perhaps upset that Alan kept revealing her Holoskin, she used a different magical tool this time.
“What about the doppelganger mask? No, that’s not the point. Anyway, those bastards Roman are no help.”
“I heard that the entrance fee is different for each expedition.”
“Alan, the easier it looks, the more expensive it will be. If a large corporation had come, I would have just let them in.”
“Do you have any good ideas?”
Taylor smiled at Alan.
“You said you found a shelf where the maggots keep their books? Who do you think dug a path to get there?”
“You must be an old man.”
“Yes, it’s me. Back then, there were a lot of dangerous traps and monsters, so I put a lot of effort into finding another way.”
“Trying to eat by yourself without looking?”
Taylor flinched for a moment at Zion’s words, but cleared his throat with a cough.
“Hmm! You want me to say that this is an effort to check if it’s okay? Anyway, there’s a back door leading into the ruins. Numbered tickets? Fuck that. Since when do explorers keep order? It’s always first come, first served here.”
“That’s true.”
Even Zion agreed. She stared at Alan, freckled thanks to her doppelganger mask.
“Did you really try to give me the magic stone?”
“I was planning to cheat them by carving runes on the stone. I didn’t have any intention of taking care of them since they weren’t honest money makers.”
“good job.”
She suddenly turned her head, making the expression of an adult praising a child.
“Wait, back door? There was no such information in the report. Did you omit it on purpose?”
“What’s wrong with you? Ask François. He knows about the existence of the training method, but he doesn’t know about the relics. And even if you report it, the statute of limitations has passed.”
“oh!”
Zion tried to argue, but Taylor lunged forward. Where his footsteps stopped, there was a huge rock covered in moss and vines.
“This is a secret passage.”
“This is evidence that the temple was prepared for external invasion. Was it a conflict between members of the same clan? Or a fight with another race?”
“Let’s talk about that later.”
Taylor interrupted Alan appropriately and touched the rock. Ten minutes later, Zion asked, holding back a yawn.
“When will it be? You came out so confidently…”
“It’s been a while. Why do kids these days have so little patience? Tsk tsk.”
Looking at the sweat on his forehead and the hardened expression, it was evident that Taylor was also flustered, contrary to his words. After a while, he smiled, as if his efforts had not been in vain.
“Okay.”
A rock that seemed to easily weigh dozens of tons opened up without a sound, revealing a passage filled with bricks.
End