[With a Guide Map], Even Labyrinth Dungeons Are a Breeze!
“That’s the guy they say went on a rampage against a cyclops—the rumored Tabito.”
“I heard he’s seriously dangerous. More than just a promising rookie, some people say he’s savage.”
“His crystal was black too, right? I wonder what kind of magic he uses.”
Just like Milfie said, ever since the subjugation of that cyclops variant, I’ve been getting tons of attention.
Even in the vast royal capital, people whisper when I walk by, whisper while I eat, and in the Adventurers' Guild, the place is abuzz.
“Isn’t that Big Brother Tabi!? Off on a mission today too!?”
“Y-yeah. Morning.”
“How’s it going? Hello to you too, Big Sis Mil!”
“Hellooo~”
And then there’s that huge guy who used to pick fights with me—Gardus. Now he’s all hunched over, bowing repeatedly.
Apparently, after I saved his life and he saw me in action, he admired me as a man.
He even prostrated himself on the ground and offered to pay apology money—pretty serious about it.
“Gardus totally looks up to you… that’s wild.”
“Is he really that dangerous despite how he looks?”
Feeling super awkward, I headed out right away. He called out “Let’s grab drinks sometime!” as I left.
If you bring along some cute girls, maybe I’ll go.
“U-umm!”
“Yes?”
Just then, some boys and girls who looked way smaller than me called out to me outside.
Probably an adventurer party. They had that youthful sparkle, like kids who’d left their village chasing a dream.
They give off major “Hero of Light”-type vibes.
They’re also kinda fidgety.
“You’re Tabito, right!? Is that rumor really true!?”
“Which rumor…?”
“You crushed a cyclops into mush while joking about calling it ‘Pulverizops’ and just kept killing them!”
“That was so badass!”
Yeah… looks like the story's grown some serious embellishments.
“I did defeat it, but I didn’t go that far—”
“Whoa, so it *is* true!”
“You’re way too cool!”
“W-what kind of magic do you use!?”
What is this, getting hit with a wave of youth?
There’s no way I can tell them that my magic is looking at a map.
Like, “I drop pins and stuff”—way too embarrassing.
Still, giving dreams to the younger generation is the duty of us older folks.
Milfie was smiling brightly beside me.
Guess I’ll try to act cool.
“… Well, let’s just say this. I can’t go into detail, but when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you.”
I glanced over at them.
They were expressionless. Uh-oh—did I mess that up?
Or so I thought—
“Whoa! That’s so cool!”
“Yaaay! We wanna work hard like Tabito and Milfie!”
“Please teach us more next time! Alright, let’s go hunting!”
Looks like they were excited.
They left with big smiles on their faces.
Somehow, I felt a little guilty, but… maybe I gave them a dream.
“You’re amazing. Super popular.”
“Can this really be called popularity? Also, these rumors are ridiculous. Pulverizops…?”
“Well, honestly, it *was* kind of like that, though.”
“… Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Now that I think about it… I *did* have fun.
The moment a monster’s life ends, when I deliver the final blow—something about it just gets me fired up.
They say I killed the Death General, but maybe I just did it to test my strength or something.
“Come to think of it, even those kids are adventurers, huh. It really is a crazy world.”
“Yeah. But I saw their tags—they were all B-Rank.”
“Eh? B-buh—B-Rank!?”
They’ve already surpassed me!?
I totally acted all superior… gotta be more careful from now on. To my ‘senpai.’
I guess age doesn’t matter.
In the end, maybe it’s all about talent.
“Those with potential just grow fast. You’ll rank up soon too, Tabito.”
“I guess so. Anyway, we’ve finished checking our gear. Ready to head out?”
“Yup! This place isn’t like regular hunting grounds—way more dangerous, so let’s stay sharp.”
If Milfie says that, it must be serious.
Alright. First, let’s teleport to the Demonic Cliff.
◇
“Wow, so this is a dungeon? It’s huge!”
“Yeah, this one’s pretty big. No wonder it’s not that popular.”
After teleporting with a free pin, we walked to a dungeon on the outskirts of the capital.
Now that I’ve ranked up, I can take collection quests for dungeon materials, so we decided to switch hunting grounds.
One last gear check in front of the entrance.
Milfie never skips daily maintenance on her weapons and armor.
I guess that kind of diligence is what makes an A-Rank.
It’s a valuable experience to see it up close.
After confirming that everything was in order, I called out to the capital soldiers stationed at the entrance.
"How do you do, these are our adventurer tags."
"Yes, yes—ah! Are you Lord Tabito and Lady Milfie!?"
"Ah, yes? That’s right."
"I’ve heard a lot about you. I understand you've accomplished some truly amazing feats."
"Not at all."
It seemed our names had spread even among the soldiers.
Still, I was kind of hoping someone might show up who actually knew the real me, but no such person had appeared so far.
Defeating the Death General and still having zero friends is just too sad. Was I a loner in my previous life?
"I’ve confirmed everything. This is a dungeon that also functions as a certification test for Explorers, so please be careful. Many people haven't made it back."
As the soldier said, this dungeon was one that adventurers tended to avoid due to its high difficulty level.
However, the reason for that likely wouldn’t be a problem for me.
First, as usual, I checked the [Reviews].
—
[Labyrinth Dungeon]
1.3★☆☆☆☆ (2,653 reviews)
B-Rank Adventurer
★☆☆☆☆
Lots of treasure and it’s full of dreams, but the paths are just way too complicated.
A mage with Forced Return magic is essential.
Adventurer Who Loves Exploring
★☆☆☆☆
The twisted, labyrinthine paths are tougher than the monsters.
A lot of skilled folks end up dying.
Adventurer Guild Staff
★☆☆☆☆
Came to inspect it for work, but gave up on the lower levels.
It’s way too dangerous.
C-Rank Adventurer
★☆☆☆☆
With detection-type magic, you can manage the lower floors okay.
Beyond that, you’re flirting with death.
A-Rank Adventurer
★★☆☆☆
Without an Explorer, conquering it is impossible.
—
I see. Just like the soldier said.
Apparently, an "Explorer" is a profession that guides parties through unexplored dungeons and dangerous cursed forests.
It’s said that every party wants at least one, but detection-type magic is rare, and supply can't keep up with demand.
This time, it's also serving as a certification test to be officially recognized as an [Explorer].
If I can reach the third level and return safely, I’ll be able to have the profession listed in my status.
Right now, my field only shows [Travel Bag], but thinking ahead, I want to add more.
Milfie and I agreed that my movement abilities are too overwhelming, so it's better to wait before listing that one.
We'll add a warrior and mage to that.
… Just from the way it looks written out, it already sounds amazing.
The entrance was a clean-looking door.
When I opened it, a cool breeze brushed against my cheek.
"—Alright, the map is expanding properly. Looks like it’s working fine."
"Then Tabito, you take the lead. I’ll watch the rear."
We had considered the possibility that mapping wouldn’t function, but it seems that won’t be a problem.
The hallway was about three meters wide and high, with rough stone walls.
The ground was like a regular path, making it pretty easy to walk on.
The next moment, many [!] [!] [!] [!] symbols appeared.
Thanks to the Guide Lens, I could now view the details by clicking.
A-Amazing… it’s like a lost-and-found paradise.
Wait, a mana core!?
Just then, the right edge of the guide map moved.
A monster.
"Milfie, on the right—"
"—Got it."
From the edge of the ceiling, a clearly oversized spider appeared.
One second later, she leapt and silenced it with a single blow.
Wow… she’s fast.
We moved on, and the path split into five directions.
I carefully checked each one. Some were dead ends, others had traps.
Apparently, the dungeon map displayed with more detail as we went deeper.
… Wait a second. Could it be that I’m actually—
"From the left. Monster incoming. Milfie."
"Meowrr!"
Another one-hit takedown.
And another item drop.
"Hey, Tabito."
"Yes?"
"… I knew it already, but you’re seriously incredible. If other adventurers found out about this, things would get insane. I mean, even more than they already are."
"Yeah… I kinda got that feeling too."
This ability is way too overpowered for dungeons.
What do you think about this chapter?
