Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 33
Only Noblemtl
Goalkeeper (1)
The Roman Company’s men went downstairs, and Alan, who remained at the campsite, stayed there for a day.
It was a repetition of hunting and repairing. The income from repairing magic tools was better than expected, so I thought it would be nice to settle down here for a while.
‘If your body and mind are too comfortable, there is no progress.’
Alan believed that the drive to rise and develop comes from discomfort. He meant that you have to intentionally push yourself to move in a better direction.
Of course, the campsite was comfortable, but it was also a maze, so you never knew when a manhole would pop up. Still, the fact that it was comfortable was an indicator that Alan had adapted quite well to this place.
So I put down the business sign and got up.
Although there were explorers who felt sorry for him, Alan’s ultimate goal was to gain knowledge through labyrinth exploration, not to repair it.
As I entered the black fog that had gathered on the downhill slope, a gurgling sound rang in my eardrums. Tinnitus was something I could not easily get used to.
Alan, who had set foot on the 10th floor, scanned the branching passageways.
‘Once the goalkeeper is defeated, he won’t come out for two days, that is, at least 48 hours.’
Since it was cleared yesterday, there were about 30 hours left, and with Alan’s skill, if only the goalkeeper was gone, he could slowly explore the 10th floor.
‘I don’t think something unusual will happen again.’
The word ‘peculiar’ is attached to the word because it is rare to experience a special phenomenon. So, it would not be a big deal to go around the 10th floor.
Alan first planned to get familiar with the route by walking around. There was a big difference between knowing it on a map and experiencing it firsthand.
Intersections weren’t always shaped like a cross. Sometimes, there were roads that were slanted like the letter ‘X’, and others that were shaped like the letter ‘ㅈ’.
That’s not all. There were also places where the ceiling heights were different or the width of the passageway changed drastically.
Alan made a plan. First, he would slowly wander around to familiarize himself with the maze’s terrain, and then he would take on the automatons himself to test the limits of his enhanced exoskeleton’s capabilities.
‘And then let’s go up to the ground, get properly prepared, and then come back down.’
Although he stayed at the campsite and repeated repairs and crafting, Alan saw that he was very short on equipment. There were no rune cards, no staffs, and no panthers.
You might say I’m being overly cautious, but since exploring the maze itself is a life-threatening activity, this was appropriate.
Alan stroked the head of the leopard walking beside him. The eye of the goalkeeper he had obtained last time had been transplanted, but it was still unstable.
‘The power is a bit weak, and there’s a very high chance that it will break if you shoot it once. The probability is over 90%?’
While I was trying to reduce the sense of disparity by examining the map and the terrain at the same time, I heard a faint sound of air escaping.
It was the sound of an automaton popping out of a manhole, a sound that had become so familiar that I could immediately recognize it.
Sometimes explorers are fooled, but not this time.
A human-like automaton fell from the ceiling with a thud. Flames shot up as it struck its two short clubs together.
‘one?’
The enemy appeared alone. He was in human form, like a goalkeeper, making him the perfect opponent for future preparations.
Alan stood in front, trying to stop the leopard from charging at any moment. He was more nervous than he thought when dealing with people, having only dealt with animals before.
He held the long cane out in front of him, taking care not to lose his balance.
‘The blow won’t do much anyway.’
It was not a living being that could feel pain. Furthermore, it was armored, so it was not an automaton that could be broken with a few swings of Alan’s staff.
‘So now let’s focus on evasion···.’
Alan’s thoughts did not continue. He ran forward with his body slightly bent forward.
The weight of the automaton and the thumping sound of the maze floor were not audible. All Alan could see was the rapidly growing figure of the automaton.
The enemy’s first strike was simple: he just pushed in, making full use of the kinetic energy from his mass and charge.
Alan’s eyes clearly captured the enemy’s movements.
‘I guess he’s thinking of striking with his left shoulder and swinging his right arm.’
As expected, a heavy wind blew past my ears. It missed by a span.
Despite his successful evasion, Alan was not satisfied.
‘I should have made the distance at least two or three times wider.’
The reason why it couldn’t do that was, of course, because of its weak body. Even though it had reinforced its movements with an exoskeleton, it couldn’t properly follow the reactions of its eyes and brain.
What can you do about something you were born with? There is some hopeful news that things are getting better thanks to the blood-sal flower, but the fundamental cause, excessive magic power, remains.
This time the club passed near his cheek, the flames streaming across the surface warming the air entering Alan’s mask.
Now was not the time to think about anything else. He needed to concentrate. Alan leaned back and almost fell over, but he barely managed to keep his balance by using his cane.
This time, the automaton spread its arms out to the sides. It seemed as if it was going to thrust in with its body, leaving no room for evasion, and then strike straight away.
Alan regained his balance and held his cane out. The tip of the cane slid down onto the floor.
The staff slipped between the legs of the charging automaton, and Alan continued forward, holding the other end of the staff.
thud!
The automaton, with its legs caught, flailed and fell forward.
“attack.”
At Alan’s command, the still panther appeared in an instant and bit the automaton’s neck. The prone enemy was unable to move due to the panther’s weight and was crushed.
Hot breath lingered inside Alan’s mask. I wanted to take it off and breathe in the cool air, but the plant filter had a calming effect, so I left it on.
‘It’s hard because it moved a little.’
Still, I consoled myself with the thought that things were getting better little by little and recovered my loot.
By continuing to advance and utilizing the reinforced exoskeleton in the same way, I was able to dodge it with relative ease.
Of course, that’s just Alan’s standard, if other explorers saw it, they would judge it to be precarious.
After wandering around for a while, Alan was able to meet a familiar face. Dennis, who had gone ahead of the main force for reconnaissance, was sticking his head out from the corner of the intersection.
“what are you doing?”
“I was practicing evasion.”
“Really? I thought you were dancing.”
“hmm···.”
It meant that he was still lacking in many ways. Thinking of Dennis, who used his nimble body movements to evade all of the goalkeeper’s attacks and even attack, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Don’t be too upset. We have different specialties. If a magic engineer is good at handling his body, what would I be?”
“I want to do well in everything.”
“Uhhh… If so, that would be better.”
Dennis scratched his head and stared at the automaton lying at Alan’s feet. It still bore the marks of a cane tap.
“Wouldn’t the original method be more refined? Throw the cards around and when the automaton loses its balance, you can either inflict a critical hit, or shoot a magic bullet from a distance.”
“Because I plan on dealing with the goalkeeper.”
“You want to join the party? When I tell you to join us, you say no… Are you planning on doing it alone?”
“I’d like to try it.”
“Isn’t it dangerous? Well, it’s the kind of look that won’t listen even if you try to stop it.”
While we were talking, Dennis’ colleagues also appeared quietly.
Kakda, who was hoping to get a job at a large company, wags his tail, and Alan responds.
“hello.”
“We are returning. When you are finished exploring, do you want to return with us?”
“I was just about to clean up.”
The explorers raised the corners of their lips at Alan’s words. If they traveled together, they could benefit from Alan’s services. For example, free magic tool repairs.
Alan also had something to gain. Dennis’ party had gone down to the 11th floor and had been given new magic wear, so there was quite a bit of equipment that Alan had never seen before.
As we turned and headed towards the entrance on the 10th floor, we talked to each other. Alan was the one asking the questions most of the time.
“How was the 11th floor?”
“It’s no joke. The automatons actually look cute. Even though they’re clearly the same guys, they’re twice as hard to deal with because they’re controlled by an underground person.”
Dennis frowned as he recalled the memory. There were certainly more scratches on his prosthetic leg than usual.
“I guess it’s the difference between a rookie and a veteran? I didn’t know that my power would increase to that extent.”
“What does the underground person look like? Is it like a photograph or video that reproduces memories?”
This time, Kakda answered. He was just walking, so he got between Dennis and Alan.
“His skin was really white.”
“Why did you leave out the story about it being as rough as a rock? Even though it’s cracked like a turtle’s skin, it’s still smooth by Lizardman standards, right?”
“Did you hear? I told you this kid is secretly a racist.”
“You tease me by calling me a hairless monkey too.”
It was a joke that could be made when you were close. If you said something like that when you first met, a fight would break out, and it was more likely that you would raise a gun rather than throw a fist.
Alan stepped between them and asked the question again.
“I think Kakda is bored, so please explain. What about the underground people?”
“First of all, the pupils are similar.”
“is it so?”
“If they had lived in caves, their pupils would have dilated or they would have sacrificed their eyesight to make the most of the limited light, but there was no sign of that. That would be natural, since they also use magic stone lanterns.”
“Aren’t they creatures created by the Creator anyway? Is there a need to go into such detailed settings?”
Dennis shuddered at the thought of academic conversation.
“I said that wizards and magic engineers are the same. Ugh, the smell of ink.”
“Ignore him. Do you have any more questions?”
“How do underground people fight?”
“I guess it’s because they’ve only been to the 11th floor, but like Dennis said earlier, they mostly use automatons. Some of them even use magical tools left behind by labyrinth explorers.”
“How do you know who the original owner of a magic tool is?”
“I know because they have the company logo on them. The Six Stars, the Big Dipper, and other things.”
Alan nodded. The labyrinth itself was an incomprehensible phenomenon and place. No one knew why the labyrinth was created or who did it.
So, it was nothing to worry about the underground people stealing the explorers’ weapons.
“Then, are there manholes in caves too?”
“No, the automatons and the underground people are jumping out of the cave walls. I saw it myself, and it looked like a monster tearing out its intestines.”
The sight must have been bizarre because Kakda’s tail was twisted at a strange angle.
Alan glanced at the cart they were pulling. It was loaded with automatons and magical tools that were probably used by underground people.
“So, how was the 11th floor? I heard about the battles, so what about the profit?”
“It’s true that the price of loot has gone up, but since we’re fighting so hard, our net profit has gone down even further after deducting the cost of repairs and purchasing expedition supplies. So I’m debating whether I should just go through the maze for a while or get used to the caves.”
Alan understood Kakda’s feelings. He would rather go down than seek exploration or knowledge, but the party was originally a group that had gathered for profit.
So, even Kakda, who was trying to get into the labyrinth as a typical employee, had to follow the opinions of his colleagues. He couldn’t go it alone like Alan.
Kakda, who had been trimming his scales for a while, narrowed his eyes.
“There are fewer explorers than I thought. What’s going on?”
“That’s right. When I was staying at the campsite, I saw that a lot of people came down because there was no goalkeeper.”
“Did they all go to the 11th floor?”
“Considering the condition of the equipment and supplies, it wasn’t that way. Now that I think about it, there was no sign of people when I was walking around alone earlier.”
While we were talking like that, Dennis, who had gone out to scout, returned.
“There’s a three-way intersection ahead. There are many sounds beyond the black fog over there. They’re fighting.”
At those words the party waited for a moment.
The unwritten rule of the labyrinth is ‘do not approach others without permission’, and you must be especially careful when your opponent is in combat.
If you get close at this time, you will be unconditionally regarded as an enemy and attacked.
As the noise and gunfire died down and disappeared completely, the party began to move again, but Dennis’ words put the brakes on.
“Wait a minute, something is coming.”
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