Chapter 16 - Overcoming The Stereotype

Xar got off the airship under the lead of that commoner.

He did sense the siege earlier and the battle outside the corridor. It's good that these commoners were able to deal with it on their own. He really didn't want to use up some coins.

In the three dozen coins all of it can be used to strike an attack at the limit of this realm. That's three dozen peak attacks! Of course, if the attack option is used then the coin will disintegrate so there's only one count for each coin.

It can not only attack at the limit but also automatically defend against similar attacks. There's also the option of breaking the realm boundary and teleporting back to the empire. When most of the coins have been consumed this option is automatically triggered to ensure their safety. The reason why it ain't triggered at the very last coin is to be foolproof against the situation of being attacked mid-teleport.

That being said whether it be attack, defense or escape those are consumables so Xar prefers not to use it rashly. Only the enhancement and communication option is unlimited as doing so won't burn out the entire enchantments engraved in it. As long as all of it isn't consumed in an instant it can passively absorb Cosmium to keep itself usable.

Getting off the airship he could feel the temperature becoming much warmer.

In front of him stood a large stone gate integrated into the mountain wall. The moonlight graced at its desolate frame which gave it an imposing aura. Around this place was dense forest and in front of the gate was a large clearing made by the adventurers to land the huge airship as well as to build a base for lodging.

The guarding teams had already built the base so there wasn't any problem to settle down for the night.

"Lord Umbra, the council had earlier decided to let the adventurers enter at dawn of tomorrow. Shall this schedule be followed or changed?"

Orion informed him in a low voice before asking for instructions. Xar didn't reply but asked the other four: "Want to go now?" All of them nodded. There's no need to waste more time. Since they are already here and can regain their strength, why wait till tomorrow.

"We will enter."

He replied before adding, "Oh, do you even have enough influence among them to change the schedule? I don't want to see an argument breaking out over this."

"Please rest assured. Thanks to the earlier battle it should be sufficient for me to fulfill the esteemed noble's order."

Orion replied with a hint of confidence before setting off to make the announcement. Sure enough, there was no disagreement over it and it was decided that the adventurers will enter the labyrinth starting off now.

All the adventurers started forming groups of their respective ranks as they gathered in front of the stone gate. None tried to scoot over to the fives' location for any conversation. It seems that all of them have been informed by other S-ranks that they don't quite appreciate strangers approaching them for a chat.

Xar thought it was sensible for that commoner to consider this detail.

"Alright, everyone. Be quiet!"

Orion came forward and clapped his hands to quieten the noisy crowd. There were a hundred adventurers ranging from A-rank to D-rank and people in their twenties to those in their late thirties. All of them looked at him either in admiration, awe or curiosity. Of course, excluding Xar and the other four who were indifferent from the start.

He continued: "The stone gate in front of you is the entrance to the Orc Champion Labyrinth. All of you have already been informed of the basic outline of this labyrinth but I will still remind you one last time before you enter. The labyrinth only allows adventurers below S-rank so that means you're on your own over there if you face any fatal crisis. We can't barge in to rescue you unless we ruin the rank advancement opportunity of others."

"So, be careful out there and discard the hope that S-ranks outside will enter regardless of anything just because of the distress signal you send. Trust me when I say that other people don't want to see their children, relatives or disciples' opportunities be cut off in front of them."

This grim remainder dampened the boiling enthusiasm of most adventurers. They finally realized that when their own S-rank had previously warned them to be careful and rely only on themselves they really meant it.

In the guarding teams there were twenty S-ranks and along with the initial sixty who escorted them to the labyrinth there were currently close to seventy S-rank strongmen present in the scene. There were casualties during the siege otherwise it would have been exactly eighty of them.

So many S-ranks surely won't just watch by when another one of them tries to enter the labyrinth despite the public agreement. It can be said that it is hopeless to wait for rescue. They really only have themselves to count on.

"When you enter the labyrinth you will be separated in three different zones. An underground cavern, lakeside of an underground lake or directly near an orc settlement. In order to not be separated from your party members be sure to stay near each other as you enter. An adventurer party typically has five to seven members so this random teleportation will not affect you as long as people within this range stay near each other when they enter."

"After you enter one of the three zones, orcs and other monsters of your rank will soon appear near your vicinity. If you manage to kill all the opponents then you can enter the next stage where the number will increase and there will also be a slight increase in strength. As you all know, even among the same rank there are stronger ones and weaker ones."

"Be mindful of any sudden change in the terrain. Also remember that without eliminating all of the monsters you can't move out of the designated place as there will be restrictions from the labyrinth to block you. You can also choose to exit the labyrinth instead of progressing to the next stage after all the monsters of a designated place have been killed."

"If you do exit then you can't enter this labyrinth for a month. Since you all know that the core crystal has been damaged, you should just assume that there won't be a second chance to enter it again. Of course, this reason shouldn't be the cause of your stubbornness. Only when you're alive can there be other possibilities."

"There is also an achievement function in this labyrinth. You will be automatically informed of it after passing the first stage so I won't add on it. The more achievements you complete there the better bonus experience point you can get per kill. There are also treasure chest rewards or item rewards so look out for those if you're interested."

"Alright, I won't say more. Enter at your own discretion."

Orion said in a deep voice and then headed towards Xar's location. His tone suddenly changed as he said humbly: "Esteemed nobles, the final boss of this labyrinth is the Orc Champion, at the top of A-rank in strength. Of course, that alien is nothing more than a slightly bigger ant for the nobles. The monsters in the labyrinths of Azure Planet can respawn from the core crystal and so can those rewards which are given out."

"As long as Cosmium is present the core crystal can continue to operate so they can be treated as renewable resources. For the future development plan of this secret realm, I have received instructions from the empire to fix the core crystal of this labyrinth. My five teammates are among the A-ranks who will enter. If there are any inconveniences that appear in the labyrinth they will promptly deal with it so that the five nobles can completely focus on regaining their strength."

Wuryan, who was standing beside Xar understood what Orion wanted to say after such a long-winded explanation so he took the initiative to reply so the guy can stop beating around the bush: "I will keep the locator option open for them. No need to continue."

Orion expressed his gratitude and also apologized for the trouble.

Wuryan felt strange in his heart. It was just to better serve them but this guy still apologized just because he made a noble take action so the five commoners could later find them. Imagine apologizing just so you can get to do your work in an efficient manner. This was really nothing but exhausting

He deeply felt the cruel social hierarchy that has been the norm for countless years of the empire's history.

Batches of adventurers started entering the large stone gate. They disappeared in the darkness behind it. The random teleportation brought Xar's party to the lakeside of the underground lake. There were more adventurers besides them who also appeared here.

When the five of them appeared a fifty Yircil (square meter) radius transparent dome enveloped them. At a glance all the other adventurers were also in a similar dome. This should be the designated place where monsters of their rank will appear next.

Xar looked at the vast lake. There were ripples and bubbles on the surface.

Soon hordes of monsters such as giant spiders, two-headed wolves, large snakes, colorful scorpions etc surfaced from the lake and rushed towards the adventurers. Behind those monsters were three Cil (meter) tall creatures.

Their skin was dirt gray and they were humanoid in shape. They had large yellow fangs protruding upwards from their mouth and their eyes had red iris but black sclera. There were sparse amounts of straw thin yellowish hair on their scalp. The entire body was full of muscles and they wore leather or half-plate armor with melee weapons such as swords, clubs, battle axes and maces on their hands.

Orcs! The true ruler of this labyrinth.

They were seen commanding the monster horde and all the monsters obediently entered the dome of the adventurer parties of its rank. The orcs didn't enter though. They were observing from a distance. The next stage should be when they take action.

Ryonen waited patiently for those monsters to enter the dome but the duel prompt still didn't trigger. He became disappointed. The prompt only triggered once since he entered this realm. He was looking forward to this labyrinth where monster hunting is greatly simplified and is the main focus but it seems the probability of triggering a prompt might still be low.

He then looked at Xar, especially at the sword on his waist. He asked curiously: "Now that I think about it, you took the path of illusion but you actually carry a sword around instead of a wand which can amplify the illusion's power. Did you learn swordsmanship to make up for the close combat weakness of this path but gave up the wand control skills for amplification in exchange?"

Xar shook his head as he replied with a smile, "I did learn swordsmanship but who said that only a wand can amplify illusion power. It's just a stereotype. A sword can also amplify the power of illusion. Here, let me demonstrate it in person."

He unsheathed the longsword. There were many people near them so no one bothered to upgrade the weapon grade as it wouldn't be pleasant for the secret of those antique coins to be known to so many local people. Too much commotion isn't conducive to their current objective of regaining strength as fast as possible.

Nine giant spiders, eight two-headed wolves, thirteen large snakes, six colorful scorpions, eleven four-winged bats and five vine-pattern bears entered their dome. They were all at D-rank. The labyrinth can detect the level and rank of the adventurer.

Even it had judged their combat capability as D-rank.

Xar looked at the dense gathering of six different monsters in this fifty Yircil space. The simple longsword in his hand was gripped lightly as he took the initiative to attack for the first time since entering Azure Planet.

The last one was a counterattack pursuing kill speed but this time it's different.