Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 34
Only Noblemtl
Goalkeeper (2)
“What? What is it?”
“Shut up!”
Dennis gave short answers to his colleagues’ questions and stepped forward slightly.
No matter how strong the light from the headlamp was, the black fog in the maze did not penetrate beyond a certain distance, so it was only possible to see the passage by going out in person.
After a moment, Dennis opened his mouth.
“He is a human. He is alone.”
At those words, the group holding the weapons relaxed their shoulders. Of course, it only meant that they had relaxed, but they did not truly feel relieved.
The sound of footsteps grew louder and louder, and a person emerged from the fog. The exploration suit, made of special fibers and materials, was soaked in blood.
The man who appeared fell forward and fell limply. He didn’t move at all, as if he were dead.
Tension rose among the group that had been relaxed for a moment. While keeping watch in the front and rear, Celine, who was acting as a magic user and healer, examined the man’s body.
When the exploration suit was lifted, a horribly mangled body was revealed. It was clear that the body had been attacked with all sorts of weapons.
“Is this a gunshot wound? This one is blackened by a heat-ray weapon.”
It was difficult to tell whether it was the work of an automaton or a human being. The forms of automatons were very diverse, and the weapons they used were equally numerous.
Celine took out a rapid-acting styptic, similar to a syringe, from the first aid kit. When she squeezed it onto the wound, the white granules swelled with blood and stopped the bleeding.
Celine tried to wake the man up somehow, but failed. After a while, she shook her head.
“First aid has been completed. He is breathing, but he is bleeding too much to get up. I don’t know if he will survive to the surface.”
“That’s not important right now. If the things that attacked this guy come to us, will we be able to deal with them?”
At her colleague’s words, Celine examined the injured man again. She mainly checked the equipment he was wearing rather than the wounds.
“Even if we only consider the expedition suit, it’s more expensive than the one we use. That must mean they’re more skilled than us.”
“My head is starting to hurt.”
Equipment was soon a skill. If you have good skills, you will earn more, and the equipment will be more expensive, so this was a theory that applied to most situations.
His colleagues’ eyes naturally turned to Dennis. There was a trace of worry on his face as he raised his palm, as if he needed a moment.
Dennis’s party met horizontally, but when it came to making important decisions, there was a need to shorten the time, and in those cases, Dennis was the main caller.
During the reconnaissance, based on what I heard, there was at least a party of five people. There must be an entity or group lurking somewhere that has wiped out a party of similar numbers to theirs.
In such a situation, an explorer without a face, or even a wounded person who had lost consciousness, was worse than a load of luggage.
Dennis had a momentary evil thought.
‘Do we have any reason to take along explorers we don’t know? If the unidentified group is automatons, we can use the injured as bait…’
Not only the automaton, but also the monsters that appeared in the labyrinth attacked intruders without exception, regardless of whether the explorer was healthy or injured.
So, there were often cases where a monster that was too difficult to handle would appear, and when they ran away and met another party, they would deliberately pass it on.
‘No. They might be enemies we can deal with.’
Thinking about it that way, I began to feel ashamed of myself for even thinking about abandoning the explorer.
However, even though it was temporary, the leader had to prioritize the safety of the party above all else. Personal feelings had to be hidden for that purpose.
Alan looked at Dennis’ face. Even in the dark maze, his expression, which had always been bright, was now dark.
‘You must have a lot of worries.’
Life and death were not issues to be passed over lightly. Isn’t the ultimate goal of living things life? Exploring dangerous labyrinths was ultimately for a better life.
Alan stepped forward and loaded the injured man onto his cart. It wasn’t difficult, thanks to the help of his reinforced exoskeleton on his lower body.
“First, I’ll move it to my cart.”
“Still…, will it work?”
“The leopard is strong, so it’s okay.”
Dennis’ question had another meaning, but Alan answered anyway.
The leopard started to walk with a limp as the owner tapped its back with a cane. It was walking at the same speed as usual, so much so that it was hard to tell if the weight of an adult had been added.
“Look. It’s easy, right?”
Alan didn’t bother to use uncomfortable words. He just showed that he was easygoing.
Dennis watched the scene silently. He had momentarily forgotten about Alan, who was walking around the tenth floor alone. Perhaps he had looked down far because of his preconceptions about magic engineers.
After the cleanup, Dennis went out to scout again. The body was no longer there, having been swallowed by the labyrinth, and whatever had attacked the party had also disappeared.
As the group advanced, Kakda stayed close to Alan and whispered softly.
“Why did you pack it when you’re about to die?”
“It caught my eye and was within my reach.”
“You mean you have some free time even on the 10th floor? As expected of a solo explorer, you have a different level of confidence.”
“That’s not it.”
At Alan’s words, Kakda’s tail twirled around, almost like a question mark.
“I’m not doing it now, but should I do it later when I have the time?”
At those words, Kakda’s eyes widened.
“···That’s strange. Most people are busy protecting themselves.”
Kakda, who said that, seemed to not sympathize. Since Allen didn’t expect anyone to understand his actions, he didn’t provide any further explanation.
I had thought many times that someone in Lanka would come to my aid. But no one ever showed up, and Alan’s fate was locked in a necklace.
That’s why I reached out on my own. If there’s no one, why don’t you become one yourself? Even though my hands are very small right now.
‘It could just be self-satisfaction…’
Alan shook his head and snapped out of his thoughts. It was important not to let down his guard when he had company.
The immediate priority is to reach the ground safely. If the people on the wagon survive that process, that’s even better.
While Alan and Kakda walked behind, the rest of the group looked at the map, looking for the best route.
“How about turning right at this intersection?”
“It takes about 4 hours to get to the 9th floor even if you go straight, but if you go around, it will take at least 2 hours longer.”
“This road has relatively few intersections, so we can minimize variables.”
Ultimately, the decision came down to Dennis.
“If other explorers have trouble, they’ll take the shortest route, so let’s go straight.”
“Let’s join forces? That sounds good.”
“Of course, the best case scenario is that our worries turn out to be nothing more than unnecessary concerns.”
The party, moving along the shortest path, encountered another group of explorers. Their equipment was covered in soot and scratches, as if they had been through many battles.
A man with a shaved head stepped forward, and Dennis greeted him.
“Did you meet him too?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“There were maggots.”
It was a term referring to a group of people who committed crimes against explorers in the labyrinth. Maggots swarm even on corpses.
As the two exchanged brief conversation, Alan’s eyes scanned the skinhead.
Name: Unknown
Race: Human
Features: Roman Company
It was only then that I remembered who the skinhead was. He was an explorer from Roman Company who had come down while the ninth floor campsite was being repaired.
“eww···.”
At that moment, the wounded man on the cart groaned. It was a painful sound to hear, but it was so quiet that only Alan could hear it.
The faces of the wounded on the cart were calm. Even though they were groaning in pain, they seemed to have found peace in the end.
The most likely wound that ended his life was a burn mark running along his shoulder and down his chest.
Suddenly, Alan’s eyes moved again. They went to the waist of the skinhead who was talking to Dennis.
Name: Hitting Sword
Characteristics: A weapon that emits high heat. Effective against living tissue.
In Alan’s eyes, a lot of data was stored through repairs at the campsite and exploration of the workshop, and among them was the heating sword.
Could this really be a coincidence?
Alan deliberately called Dennis loudly.
“Vito finally died!”
“What? That… Just a moment.”
Alan borrowed Vito’s name, which came to mind on the spur of the moment. Vito, who was looking for his family, would understand.
Dennis gave the skinhead a look of bewilderment, then asked for his understanding for a moment, thinking that it was Alan who had spoken.
Dennis came closer and looked inside the cart. Then he asked quietly.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Don’t look back, just listen. Do you see my wounds in this person?”
Alan pointed to the blackened marks and lowered his voice even further.
“There’s a heating sword hanging from that bald guy’s waist.”
“That alone···.”
“And that guy. He’s from Roman Company.”
Dennis’s face immediately changed. He had been an explorer longer than Alan, so there was no way he wouldn’t know about the bad rumors that always went around about the Roman Company.
“Wait a minute, so you’re saying they’re maggots?”
Dennis continued the conversation, pretending to wish his companion on the cart a happy repose.
“It is quite possible.”
“I know they have a bad reputation. But why here? Is there a reason it has to be on the 10th floor?”
“back!”
Alan pulled a card from his belt and threw it forward. The runes written on the card were [Magnetism] and [Attraction]. It was a combination that could pull metal much more strongly.
The card flew so far that it almost hit the ceiling.
Doo doo doo doo!
The gun barrels of the adventurers belonging to the Roman Company also moved upward. They were originally aimed at Alan and Dennis, but their attempts were in vain.
The skinhead’s expression was full of displeasure. Originally, he had intended to lower his guard and stab the knife while pretending to join forces.
As the conversation between Alan and Dennis dragged on, it was a good decision to notice something suspicious and order an attack, but it was fruitless.
As soon as the gunshot was heard, or rather, as soon as the muzzle was seen, this side also began to respond. The vanguard’s defensive shield generator created a blue shield, and the surfaces of the magic users’ shrimp, including Kakda, flashed.
Now that the shield has been deployed, there is no need to worry about blind bullets until it breaks. From now on, the battle will be about who can break the shield first, focusing on long-range strikes.
The skinhead’s response was different. He reached into his bosom and pulled out a blackened whistle. It looked like it was made of mist from the labyrinth.
“It’s a little disappointing, but I think this is enough.”
The skinhead’s cheeks bulged and he blew his whistle loudly. No distinctive sound was heard.
“Why are they like that?”
Dennis, who was very nervous, lowered his mana sword. It was a natural reaction, as the skinhead suddenly turned around and ran away with his group.
But don’t worry, the skinhead must have worked some magic, and a manhole appeared where he had been standing.
“Why is it so big?”
A manhole of a size I had never seen before gaped open and spat out a hammer. It was something similar to a revolver magazine hanging from the end. It was very familiar.
“The goalkeeper appears like that? Retreat!”
Dennis’s judgment was quick. Not only was the method of appearance unfamiliar, but it would have been difficult if a gang of skinheads had made a surprise attack while dealing with the goalkeeper.
But retreat was impossible. A manhole opened above Dennis’ head, leading the way, and spat out the goalkeeper’s limbs.
Clang, clang, thud!
As the combined goalkeeper from above stepped on the floor, a heavy vibration shook the surroundings. Then, a hammer that had come out of the manhole was caught in the goalkeeper’s hand.
“I didn’t expect this kind of appearance···.”
A manhole could appear anywhere in the maze, so if the gatekeeper moved by disintegrating his body, escape would be impossible.
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────