Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 40
Only Noblemtl
Cave (2)
The sixth group consisted of thirteen people: the leader, François, two direct explorers who took care of the oxen pulling the cart, and ten team members who followed them.
With roughly twice as many people as Dennis’ party, the passages in the maze felt cramped.
At least in the maze, having a lot of people was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
If the vanguard is as flabby as tofu, even the magic users and supporters in the back will be swept away, but on the other hand, if it is solid, there is no way it can be broken through, so you can just calmly focus on your own role.
This time, it was the latter. If the vanguard could buy a moment of time, the ranged attackers, including magic users, would quickly take out the automatons.
François at first just watched, but after watching them fight a few times, he nodded.
“There’s nothing more to see. Is there anyone in the group who thinks there’s something to learn from the maze? I’ve checked the reach level and accepted applications, so I guess there aren’t any.”
He had originally planned to quickly pass through the maze, because the applicants for this expedition were already at a level where they frequently entered and exited the maze layers.
It’s a bit too much to call it depth 1, and a bit too little to call it depth 2.
“Then let’s speed up a bit.”
With those words, François began to walk briskly. His pace was comparable to a slow run. No matter how slow the run, it was still several times faster than walking.
The explorers showed signs of difficulty due to the sudden forced march, but did not express it in words.
Alan followed closely behind them. He was lucky he had bought an exoskeleton to help support his legs and waist.
‘If I were naked right now, I would have gotten on the cart.’
It would be possible to mount it on a cart, but then the leopard would not be able to be used in combat, or another automaton would have to be built.
However, unless there were special circumstances, Alan’s behavior of just sitting there was extremely inefficient. He couldn’t rely on the cart forever, so he had to practice moving his body himself.
Alan stared at the ceiling in front of him. The fog dispersed and a manhole suddenly appeared.
The automaton that appeared with a squeaking sound stood in front of the 6th group with great anticipation, but was cut down by the explorers in the lead, regardless of whether they came in the form of a wolf rider, a buffalo, or a crayfish.
Even though François was only an explorer who watched and carried the luggage, it was the same.
The crew members, who were wondering if I, even if I didn’t know the leader, would be about the same as two people carrying luggage, all became quiet.
In the first place, Alan was too busy watching the battle to even think about it. It would have been the same even if he had the time.
‘If you’re a direct employee, that is, a full-time employee, then the porter isn’t just any porter. You never know what might happen, so you should at least be able to protect yourself.’
Group 6, who had reached the 10th floor, took a moment to catch their breath. They had been moving nonstop for almost a day, but François didn’t even show a hint of sweat.
He glanced down the passage in front of him for a moment and then asked his crew.
“If the goalkeeper comes out, is there anyone who wants to practice with you? ······No. Now, get up. It’s time to move again.”
The crew members groaned and rose from their seats. Kiki approached Alan and pointed to the cart.
“Can I ask you for a favor? If I keep doing this, my joints will get ruined.”
“If it’s a prosthetic leg, it’s stronger than a real leg.”
“My bloody lubricant is leaking out. Please!”
Kiki’s knees were fine. Despite the joke, Alan readily accepted. Although most of his body was replaced with magic wear, the goblin was only about 120cm tall. It was much lighter than the automaton from the maze.
Kiki, who had more free time thanks to the cart, spoke quietly.
“He’s not the kind of guy who comes out because he wants to see the gatekeeper. Where’s the explorer who meets the gatekeeper every time he goes down to the 10th floor?”
“······, and the competition is fierce.”
“That’s what I’m saying. But when the captain asked me earlier, why did you look like you had to pee? Did you want to fight?”
“···.”
“Are you really a magic engineer? I asked in jest, but you were serious. You’re a peculiar fellow.”
Alan just shrugged. To be honest, he wanted to test his skills, but he was in terrible shape after marching all day.
He was already weak, so it would have been a loss for him if he had pushed himself too hard to deal with the gatekeeper and not even experienced the cave. Alan’s goal was exploration, not the gatekeeper, who was just a transit point.
I’m about halfway through the 10th floor.
As the saying goes, words become seeds, a large manhole was created and the water gatekeeper came out whole. It was different from the way he had been separated and chased after me when the whistle was blown.
Even though the goalkeeper appeared, François showed no signs of slowing down. The crew members followed him, flinching. It was because they believed that he was a direct explorer under Breaker.
30m, 20m, 10m.
François, who had not responded until now, put his hand into his bosom and took out something that looked like a thermos flask.
François suddenly disappeared.
Alan’s body, which was following him, did not react, but his eyes followed his movements clumsily.
‘The crimson liquid turned into an axe.’
Equipped with a pair of axes, François began to hack away at the enemy. It was so fast that it looked like a movie with frames constantly being cut off.
It didn’t seem like he was exerting much effort. When François moved his arms as if he was using a paintbrush, the goalkeeper’s limbs separated from his torso. The same was true for his head.
“stop!”
As soon as the assistant captains signaled to stop, the gatekeeper collapsed. They took the most valuable loot: the one-eyed man and the key parts of the blasting hammer.
François, who had hidden the axe, pointed to the goalkeeper’s loot.
“It was just a joke, but I didn’t know it would actually come out. I’ll give the eyes and parts as gifts to the two members who received the best evaluations in the cave, so do your best.”
He strode forward with a competitive spirit. The goalkeeper had collapsed in a matter of seconds, so there was nothing left to block the black-robed orc’s path.
Thanks to that, we quickly reached the end of the 10th floor. Sion’s 9th team was also there.
“I won.”
“This is not a competition. I have repeatedly emphasized that the safety and experience of the crew members are the top priorities.”
“I came first.”
“···.”
Was the blood vessels briefly visible on François’s neck an illusion? Alan looked beyond Zion. Her crew was sprawled on the floor, their faces exhausted.
François scratched his nose for a moment and asked Sion a question.
“Has the chairman already come down?”
“I guess so. You said you would eliminate the danger at the forefront. I’ll go down now too.”
“We are going to take a break and move around. You should move a little more slowly too. Don’t think that you will be walking around alone like usual.”
“The assistant managers will take care of the headaches. Now, everyone stand up!”
Her crew members, hearing Zion’s words, started to race. Alan thought he had come down very quickly, but now he sees that it was Francois who had adjusted the speed.
As the vivid cheers and the zombies following them disappeared, the 10th floor campsite became deserted.
Alan, who was preparing dinner, realized that the pound cake he had taken out was gone. It was melting into Kiki’s pan.
“What are you doing?”
“You nodded when I said I would show you how to make labyrinth cuisine.”
Allan just rolled his eyes. It seemed like that. He remembered that he had vaguely responded to Kiki’s question because he was so focused on the conversation between Sion and Francois.
The soup in Kiki’s pot was thick. There were pieces of pound cake, beef jerky, and biscuit floating around. It looked like…
“It looks like someone threw up. It may look like this, but it tastes good. Here, try it. Come on, come on.”
Alan, who received the bowl, moved the spoon while trying his best not to look down.
“How is it? Is it okay? How do you feel?”
“I wish they would just improve the appearance a little.”
“It’s difficult in the labyrinth. Due to limited resources, one must give up. And I can never tell you my secret seasoning.”
Kiki was excitedly talking about something that Alan hadn’t even asked about.
After the meal was over and everything was roughly cleaned up, they went downstairs. As before, the labyrinth tinnitus was bothering Alan. It was worse now, moving from the labyrinth to the cave, than simply moving from floor to floor.
Just then, my eyes met with those of Don François, who was walking behind me. He scratched his nose and opened his mouth.
“Does anyone have severe tinnitus?”
When Alan raised his hand, the assistant manager took out his terminal and wrote something down. Several crew members raised their hands at that sight.
“Please answer honestly, as I am not giving you any extra points. This is a survey for medical statistics.”
As François hammered the nails in, the hands went down again. Kiki was among them.
*
“Kkiak!”
A subterranean man leaping out of a cave wall screamed as he was impaled by a spear thrust out by someone.
As the underground man emerged, the cave walls returned to their original state. The bizarre sight of a monster being born from an egg sac seemed like a lie.
The underground people look similar to humans. The only difference is that the dead skin cells on their white skin look like stones.
That’s why the explorer who killed the first living creature lost concentration. The automaton was a machine, so it felt like a monster, but the underground man looked like someone who hadn’t washed in a long time.
“Ugh···.”
As the explorer with the spear shrank back, the underground man whose abdomen had been pierced tried to force himself forward and cling to him. The spearhead turned red as he moved.
Whirl, swish!
An axe flying through the wind slammed into the head of an underground man trying to bite the explorer’s neck.
François’s scolding fell on the adventurer who was covered in red blood.
“Wake up! They won’t give up until they’re out of breath!”
The battle, disguised as a training exercise, was conducted under strict control. Upon entering the cave, François stood back and watched his men fight, intervening only at dangerous moments.
After the battle, Alan wiped the blood from the leopard’s mouth with the Underworld’s clothes. There were also pieces of flesh stuck to it, making it look ugly.
“I don’t know who created the labyrinth, but I can tell they don’t have good taste.”
“For someone who says such things, you seem strangely calm. Do you have any experience?”
The experience Kiki speaks of, of course, was murder.
When Alan looked at him blankly, he waved his hands desperately.
“I didn’t mean to scold you. In the Goblin Autonomy, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t have experience with killing. I thought you were a sane person, but the atmosphere has changed so much, it’s scary. Anyway, he’s in big trouble.”
At the end of Kiki’s gaze was François, urging Jo-won.
“What were you thinking just now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t you know? Do you think exploring the labyrinth is a joke? If I die, my companions will die too. You have to stand with that mindset!”
“···.”
“If you plan on going through mazes your whole life, then it’s okay. But if you aim for lower levels, you’ll need to fix your weak mind.”
François dabbed some blood on his finger and held it up to the explorer’s eyes.
“Don’t avert your eyes. If things get too bad, you may need to drink this blood. Before the body disappears.”
After the explorers were gone from the area, the labyrinth absorbed the remaining material after about 30 minutes to an hour. This was the reason why the labyrinth remained clean even though explorers kept coming and going.
Alan paid more attention to the mention of drinking blood than anything else. Judging from François’s aura, he seemed to have some experience.
After a battle, the 6th group rested again. Unlike the labyrinth where campsites were set up at the intersection of floors, the cave had cavities in the middle.
While Alan was analyzing the soul stone of the automaton coming out of the cave, Kiki spoke to him.
“Do you know how to use the special characters? Uh… I’m not bothering you, am I?”
“yes.”
Alan answered briefly, moving the star characters around. Kiki, who was watching the movement, disappearance, and birth of the stars, was amazed.
“I only know how to use runes. That’s amazing.”
“I’ve heard that there are a lot of magicware related to star letters for brain expansion.”
“Of course. But if you had additionally equipped it with magic wear, its head would have been twice as big as it is now. It’s not even a doll, what does it look like?”
Kiki’s words were not a joke, but serious. There are various types of magicware that are responsible for brain expansion, but their fundamental purpose is to assist the brain.
The center was the brain. No matter how good the magicware’s performance was, if the brain couldn’t handle it, it was just bread in the picture.
If the center is not the brain but the magicware, should it be called a human or a golem?
Alan looked at the star characters with his left eye and glanced at Kiki with his right eye.
I would still flinch whenever I suddenly saw Kiki while I was concentrating on something else. She looked like an automaton that resembled a goblin.
Alan felt the atmosphere was a bit heavy, so he brought up a different topic.
“If fever is a problem, take off your clothes and walk around···.”
“What are you talking about! Clothes are meant to be worn while walking around. It would be sad if you got shot because of a misunderstanding.”
“Have you ever experienced it?”
“There was something like that in the maze before. I don’t know if it was really a mistake or if they tried to rob him but it wasn’t easy so they said it was a misunderstanding.”
While I was adjusting the star letters here and there, another group came in together. It was a labyrinth exploration team belonging to Hextech.
François and the captain, who had been linking arms from the beginning as if they knew, talked quietly.
To others, it might have seemed like they were coordinating their opinions to avoid overlapping lengths, but to Alan, it felt different.
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