Chapter 37: Great Forest
This time, we decided to venture deeper into the labyrinth. Apart from a single encounter with a bandit party, I could now easily take down the Horn Rabbits. Other adventurers would usually learn to work together in parties or develop skills to read the movements of Horn Rabbits. However, since I moved faster than these creatures, dealing with them was simpler for me than fighting physically stronger goblins. There was no point in wasting time when there was nothing new to learn.
“Ah, right, Miss Lydia. I’ll try taking the lead today,” I suggested.
Lydia sighed more than usual but shook her head firmly. “…It’s still too early. Now is the time to hone your ability to detect ambushes and traps rather than finding our own way.”
I understood her perspective. Normally, it would be wise to restrain someone who had only entered the labyrinth a few times but claimed they could handle pathfinding just because they had fought some monsters. However, I was truly confident in my abilities. With my newly acquired pathfinding skill, Hesitation-Free Pathfinding, I didn’t think I would get lost on the 1st floor.
Shrugging my shoulders, I joked, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Have I ever made a mistake, except for that time with the Horn Rabbit?”
“You haven’t, but the labyrinth isn’t a place where you can survive just by being strong. Jonah still doesn’t know the real terror of the labyrinth,” Lydia cautioned.
“That might be true, but there’s one thing I do know.” I stared straight into her eyes. “Like with the Horn Rabbit incident, no matter what happens, Miss Lydia will help me.”
“Well, yeah,” she replied.
“Then, just this once, I ask of you. If I start going down the wrong path, it’s okay to stop me right away. From then on, I’ll obediently follow Miss Lydia’s words.”
“……”
“I trust you. My knight.”
“…Mmh.” Lydia’s face flushed as she swallowed her breath. After her gaze wandered for a while, she finally let out a sigh. “Hah… Jonah. That’s cheating.”
“Eh?”
“So, I’ll let it slide just for today. Don’t do that next time.”
“Wow! Thank you, Miss Lydia!” I exclaimed, running towards her with a bright smile, intending to hug her and bury my head in her chest.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Lydia stopped me in my tracks, catching me by the forehead.
“Why be so shy about a woman’s chest?!”
“And why are you, Jonah, so persistent about it? Like you said, it’s just a woman’s chest.”
“That’s… that’s…!” I had nothing to say. There was a lot I wanted to express, but I hesitated to spit it out.
Sensing my hesitance, Lydia smiled softly. “…Don’t be too hasty. Even if it’s not about a physical relationship, neither I nor Senior Ellie will abandon Jonah.”
“What?” I widened my eyes in confusion.
Lydia’s expression became even more affectionate, a sense of determination in her eyes. “It’s okay. There’s no need to rush into becoming an adult. That’s for me and Senior Ellie to handle. Jonah just needs to move forward at a pace that suits him.”
“???” Though I didn’t understand the sudden shift in conversation, Lydia seemed sincere, so I nodded. If I responded with ‘I dunno, what?’ to her serious words, it would only create an awkward situation for both of us.
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind,” I assured her.
“Right. Good boy.” Lydia patted my head with a proud smile. Though I didn’t quite understand, it seemed I had given the right answer. Smiling brightly, I stretched out both hands, but Lydia covered her chest.
“…No, not that. Please give me the map and compass,” I clarified.
“…Okay, but as Jonah said earlier, if it looks like there’s going to be a problem, we’ll return to the original format immediately,” Lydia said, nodding awkwardly as she handed me the map.
“Okie.”
After receiving the map from Lydia, I aimed for a spot between our current location and the World Tree as our destination. As soon as I made up my mind, I felt something sharp, like a stick, thrusting into my head. Although I described it as sharp, it wasn’t painful—just the sensation of a foreign object in that shape. The rod that only I could feel began to spin around and soon started to be drawn in one direction.
It was like having another compass created in my head, always pointing the way to the destination. Usually, one must rely on a special compass drawn to the remains of a god to find their way. It goes without saying, but this is an incredibly difficult and delicate task. One must accurately determine their current location, pinpoint the location of the remains, and then calculate the angle to head toward the desired safe zone based on those two points. Even a slight deviation in direction while moving could lead you astray, so it was necessary to check the compass and adjust your path constantly. It was something that could be done with familiarity, but becoming accustomed to it required a lot of time and effort. However, since this was the only method, everyone reluctantly stuck to this inconvenient approach.
Thanks to my pathfinding skill, I no longer needed to check constantly if I was going in the right direction. It was essentially skipping the most difficult part. Of course, the pathfinding skill wasn’t omnipotent. I planned to pass through several safe zones to rest in between, but the skill only captured the fastest route to the final destination, neglecting those parts. Being a 2-star, the mechanism of the ability was that much simpler. Naturally, there were workarounds. I could simply designate the safe zones to pass through directly, then repeat, moving towards the closest one as the target. That was how most adventurers moved when they consulted a map in the first place.
However, if this was how it activated, its limitations were clear. I must be aware of where I needed to go, the path that connected the way could not be set separately, and only the shortest route was shown. On the middle floors, which didn’t have a map, its efficiency would drastically decrease. It couldn’t be helped since it’s about finding a path, not pioneering one. Thinking of passing the middle floors and beyond easily with just a 2-star skill was pretty ridiculous on my part.
“Alright. Let’s go this way, Miss Lydia,” I said.
“Be a bit more cautious…no, never mind,” Lydia replied.
“It’s okay to give me some advice.”
“…Jonah, you wouldn’t know since you’ve only partied with me. Among other adventurers, there are a few unspoken rules. One of them is not to doubt the guide’s decision unless it’s necessary.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That’s necessary for the party to proceed smoothly. Right now, there are maps like these and various known tips. It’s somewhat manageable just by wandering around… but think about why a labyrinth is called a labyrinth.”
“Ah.” This was a setting I had really paid attention to when brainstorming, so I knew it well.
Frankly, wasn’t the term ‘dungeon’ more familiar to people? And isn’t a tower that rises into the sky cooler than tunnels going underground? However, Pangrave was called a labyrinth, not a dungeon or a tower.
The reason was simple. Pangrave was neither a place where treasures were hidden nor a place to overcome trials and move forward. It was just a place where the corpses of gods and the disasters named miracles they left behind lay dormant. A place where all sorts of powers intertwined and distorted entire concepts. Instead of high walls, twisted space-time confined the adventurers. And so, the Pangrave was a place where mortals were buried next to a god.
It seems not all people of the Pan Continent were fully aware of these settings… but they instinctively knew what was important. The reason why a labyrinth was a labyrinth. I think that was a phrase that penetrated the essence of the setting.
Anyway, it was a surprisingly pleasant feeling to know that many people recognized the effort I’ve put in. Barely holding back the smile that threatened to flow out, I spoke.
“I understand. Even if monsters don’t appear in the labyrinth, I’ll always be careful.”
“A commendable attitude. …But why are you smiling, Jonah?”
“I just thought of something good all of a sudden.”
“Hmm?”
Though she looked somewhat skeptical, it wasn’t something to make a fuss about, so Lydia took a half step back as she said and started to follow behind me. At first, Lydia seemed to be watching to see how much I could do with her arms crossed, but when I found the way without getting lost a single time, her jaw dropped in astonishment. She did look a bit foolish in many ways but since the only ones who saw it were me and the monsters (or what used to be monsters) we encountered on our way here, it should be fine.
Thus, by using the special compass and my pathfinding skill while slaughtering every monster we encountered, we arrived at the safe zone at the edge of the Horn Rabbit habitat. Lydia seemed a bit frustrated that we’d explored the maze much faster and safer than when she had led as the guide.
“This is cheating,” she remarked.
“My talent is a bit cheat-like. Are you jealous?”
“……”
Lydia kept her mouth shut, but her sullen look itself was an answer. I shrugged my shoulders once and then moved my feet towards the next safe zone. Not long after, the atmosphere of the forest began to change drastically. In reality, nothing had changed. The vegetation of the trees was the same as it was near the outskirts. However, the quality of the air had become heavier. That was the only way to describe the feeling.
We were being more cautious than usual, weaving through the trees. At some point, my pathfinding skill started to tingle sharply as if warning me of some danger ahead. Normally, I would just feel a bit reluctant, but this intense aversion was something else. There must be something there.
I picked up a suitable stone and threw it towards the direction the skill was indicating.
Whoosh…Thud!
“Grrr!”
The growling sound of a beast could be heard behind a tree. Perhaps it thought it had been discovered. A creature emerged, slinking out from behind the thick tree. The beast had a body as large as a bull and fur as stiff as steel. It also possessed sharp teeth and claws. The Iron Wolf revealed itself.
“Oh! A wild Ellie appeared!” I exclaimed.
“…Stop joking around and focus, Jonah,” Lydia chided.
It couldn’t be helped. Now, just seeing a wolf brought me joy, not just werewolves.
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