"This is an incredibly long staircase. It looks like we could do some stair climbing training here."

While making such absurd commentary, descending down, the exit finally came into view.

I'd say it was far longer than descending all the way to the bottom of the school's staircase. We must have gone down for about a hundred meters.

"……Incredible. You wouldn't think this was inside a labyrinth. The first layer was already impressive, but this one is in a completely different league. Who could have built this?"

Beyond the stairs lay a green garden.

The sky was overcast.

No, strictly speaking, it wasn't a sky at all. It just looked like it was shrouded in mist, smoke (fog) — a haze of fog.

There was an odd light source, not so dark as to be two layers deep.

It seemed the entire level was dominated by thick fog, making visibility poor.

Visibility extends only about a hundred meters ahead. I see now why it's called the "Mist Enchantment Great Garden."

Whether my magic meshes well or poorly with this place, I can't yet determine.

"Then, I'll begin the exploration."

I'm casually narrating as if relaxed, but in truth, I'm quite nervous.

A completely unknown floor.

I deliberately didn't research what kind of monsters might appear.

I didn't prepare any barrier stones.

Since the only thing I can do to boost viewership is risk my life.

　

"For now, I'll start checking around the stairs..."

Compared to the second floor, the third floor is significantly brighter.

Reflair and Grapeflour said this floor seemed compatible with my magic, but it'd look unnatural if my technique caused thick darkness to emerge.

Could it be that our compatibility isn't good...?

That's what I'm feeling.

Holding my newly drawn, brand-new, ( utterly fresh, ) pristine short sword, I cautiously advance step by step, ready for combat to begin at any moment.

The Mistbound Grand Garden truly resembles a vast garden, as its name suggests. Along the way, there are structures like remnants of a stone fountain and staircases with about ten steps—layered designs reminiscent of Western-style gardens.

After walking a bit further, the stairs I descended from have disappeared from view. Even if I had been mapping the area, I'd surely get lost now.

And I, of course, haven't been mapping anything.

"There's something over there,"

a monster. One that's quite large, too.

If I get too close, it might notice me.

It's important to observe from a certain distance. You don't know what kind of opponent you're facing.

"That one... looks like a fat big man. I haven't looked into the three-layer monsters beforehand, so I can't tell what kind of monster that is, but it's large in size... seems very strong. If you get hit by that log-like club, you'd be finished instantly..."

The guild has a large sheet posted on the wall, detailing the characteristics of all monsters appearing up to the fifth layer, available for anyone to view.

From the guild's perspective, monsters and spirit stones are equivalent. There's no point in hoarding that information. Efficient strategies for defeating them are also written down, so there's probably little thrill left in the process of discovery.

I've heard about this from Refrea, but I deliberately avoided looking at the information until now.

I'm not just casually exploring the labyrinth, but the fact that I'm investigating and learning this information means viewers will also learn it. Would an adventure where everything is known in advance be interesting to watch? Would it be fun to see me effortlessly avoid danger?

That wouldn't be entertaining at all. An adventure with plenty of safety margins is no better than a stroll around the neighborhood.

"The weak point of monsters, generally speaking, is where spirit stones form—around the base of the neck, apparently. It's harder to tell with amorphous monsters, but those resembling vertebrates tend to have more obvious weak points."

I had learned this from Refleia. I had unconsciously been targeting the neck area as a potential weak point, and when I first discovered that it was indeed the weak spot, I was genuinely surprised.

I don't know why that particular spot is vulnerable.

I'll ask Reflair about it later.

"Well... how should I tackle this? Trying to bypass the spell is obviously out of the question, so I'll just go with my usual method."

I approached the monster while still enveloped in the darkness of Dark Fog.

The opponent was a giant, nearly two meters tall. My height is just under 170 centimeters—just barely tall enough to aim for its neck.

If I ever face a monster even bigger than this, maybe I should ask the guild how to handle it.

(Well, will this one notice me or not?)

Whether it's oblivious or alert—only time will tell.

It would be easier if all monsters were oblivious, but that's not realistic.

(Did it notice me?)

It was too unnatural for the darkness to be approaching, so the opponent was clearly focused on us. If hit by that massive club, which was fifty centimeters in diameter, there’d be no saving oneself—it would be fatal.

A fat, jiggling giant whose face was completely buried in excess flesh, yet his crimson eyes were sharp and clearly wary of us.

Now, what should be done?

I began moving in a circle around the monster.

Yet the giant never looked away from me, as if he could see me perfectly.

Still, he didn’t launch any aggressive attacks.

He seemed simply perplexed.

Now, the real question was how to fight.

Given the nature of my attack, any monster would likely take damage if it starts thrashing around. Even just swinging a weapon in circles would send me flying, caught unawares in the darkness.

That's why I must make sure it doesn't come to that.

I rapidly expanded the reach of the darkness, swallowing the giant whole.

The monster, startled by the sudden darkness, panicked, darting its eyes around in search of light.

Seeing its reaction, I steeled myself.

Summoning all my courage, I whipped my trembling legs and charged forward, determined to collide with the enemy.

At the very instant the opponent noticed my footsteps and tried to lash out blindly—

"——Shadow Bind!"

Darkness wrapped around its massive body, restraining its movements.

In the end, this technique is what makes the difference.

Spread the darkness of Dark Fog, rush in with a dash while the monster panics, and deliver Shadow Bind at close range.

A lethal sword, designed to finish the enemy with a single strike before the bind effect wears off.

"Uoooh!"

Summoning my courage, I suppress the instinctive fear I feel toward the two-meter-tall giant.

Charging straight at it, I drive my short blade deep into the giant's throat.

The 35-centimeter blade reaches the monster's weak point, landing a ( critical hit ) that seals its fate.

The giant vanishes, and a slightly larger spirit stone falls to the ground with a clank.

A stone of earth.

"…I was scared, but I managed to defeat it. Shadow Bind is truly excellent."

Even as I narrated, my voice trembled.

Facing such a massive opponent head-on, even in the darkness, was bound to be terrifying.

My defense was as fragile as paper. Even a single punch could prove fatal.

Shadow Bind's duration was short.

Having practiced coordinating timing with Reflair countless times, I managed to adapt that skill to myself.

Just a fraction—any delay of even one second could mean my defense would be broken.

If that happened, I'd be overwhelmed by a relentless counterattack and lose.

This was an attack that couldn't afford failure. But when it succeeded, its effect was immense.

"This new weapon also feels powerful and easy to handle. It really is best to have the blacksmith craft it for me."

Above all, it's good that this sword doesn't look like it'll break.

Since I'm not carrying a shield, I have no choice but to block with the sword, and just knowing that's possible gives me considerable peace of mind.

...Actually, I might be better off preparing a small round shield, just in case.

"Then, let's continue our exploration."

The Mist-Enshrouded Great Garden was quite spacious.

When one thinks of a labyrinth, they usually imagine a tightly divided maze, but this place is more like a town on the first floor and a garden on the third.

While there are areas blocked off by plants or structures, overall it's mostly open space.

The corridors are wide, and it feels more like a place designed for enjoying battles with monsters.

I can now somewhat understand why explorers tend to fight more on the third floor than the second.

Above all, this place isn't dark like a two-layered space. Just not needing torches or lanterns should make things considerably easier.

"I've found some monsters. A large goblin and another creature, somewhat resembling a little demon."

Three large goblins were screeching loudly and annoyingly. The little demons had small wings, making it seem like they could fly.

"I'll check them out using a summoning spell. Summon Knightbug."

Thanks to its increased rank, Knightbug can now summon more insects at once.

While each individual strike is light, the sheer number of attacks creates a powerful offensive effect.

Moreover, it can distract the opponent's attention.

Incidentally, Knightbug possesses sufficient killing power against weaker creatures; goblins and orcs, for instance, can be defeated solely by its presence.

What about the goblins (large) and the minor demons?

The Night Bugs swarm over the monsters, chipping away at them.

It seems neither the large goblins nor the minor demons are particularly formidable, as they clearly take damage.

Perhaps we could just keep firing Night Bugs from afar and win easily, but then the minor demon took an unexpected action.

'Gravel Mist'

It used a spirit spell!

Responding to the voice, spiritual energy surged, and countless small stones and pebbles materialized around the demon.

It was the same earth spirit spell that a previous explorer had used.

(Seriously...? There are actually people who use spirit magic...?)

*Crack, crack* — the countless floating pebbles violently collide with the Night Bugs, annihilating them one by one.

Being "fast" and "small" has the drawback of being hard to hit, but it's weak against techniques that summon countless small obstacles.

Before I knew it, their numbers had dwindled to just a few.

A large goblin might be taken down by the Knight Bug alone, but that little demon would be better dealt with quickly through physical means.

I expanded the range of Darkness Fog and dashed forward.

"Shadow Bind!"

Both the large goblin and the little demon were suddenly enveloped in deep darkness, floundering helplessly. With the bind added, the danger was virtually eliminated.

After dealing with the little demon, I eliminated the large goblins one by one.

I was surprised by the monsters using spirit magic, but they seemed lacking in physical resilience—once I paid attention, they didn't seem particularly dangerous after all.

I picked up a spirit stone larger than usual and walked deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.

The exploration had only just begun.