Surviving in a Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage - Chapter 31

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 31: Second Exploration

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A flash filled my vision, and the air changed in an instant.

The stench of filth and rot filled my nose.

Humidity clung to my skin as darkness settled over us.

This place was...

“Starting in a sewer... Our luck is fucking terrible. Ha ha!”

The dwarf Gimlius held out a shield as large as his body and raised the torch he had prepared. Hans, the Scout, aimed a crossbow with its string already drawn. When no enemies appeared, he cautiously lowered it.

The most vulnerable moments in the Labyrinth were when sleeping and when entering a portal.

The two new party members reacted excellently, perhaps because they had so much experience.

‘They pass for now.’

“Ugh.”

Daisy staggered. She had adapted better than before, but portal travel was still difficult for her.

‘It feels shitty every time.’

My stomach churned too, but I caught Daisy as she swayed.

“Thanks, Ian.”

Gimlius’s torch revealed our surroundings.

An oval ceiling covered in moss. Ancient stone slabs stretched in a straight line beneath our feet. Dirty water trickled along the side.

This was the Sewer, another first-floor area.

The monsters here included zombies and Ratmen, with the occasional slime or crocodile. Of the three first-floor areas, it was the only one we had never visited.

‘There are torch brackets spaced along the walls of the Sewer.’

Beginners preferred it to the Warm Forest or the Ruins, but experienced Expedition Party members, at least 8th Rank, hated the Sewer most of all.

“The smell will soak into our equipment.”

Its stench was worse than in any other area.

“We don’t have much time. Let’s move quickly,” Hans said, taking the lead.

Today was October 6.

Roughly twenty-four hours remained before the first floor entered its Contraction Period. If we planned to go beyond the first floor and reach the second, we had to move before the Labyrinth’s terrain warped.

It usually took about a day to cross one first-floor area and find a portal. But that was for an ordinary party of 9th Rank Expedition Party members.

Our party had an 8th Rank dwarf warrior, a genius mage, a Priest, and a Scout who was a first-floor veteran.

We could break through in around twelve hours.

In fact, mid-floor parties and veteran members rushed straight for portals leading to the next floor when they entered the first floor, killing or ignoring monsters along the way.

“Gimli.”

“Don’t shorten a person’s name. I’m Gimlius.”

You’re not a person, you’re a dwarf, asshole.

“Put out the torch. Let’s save it.”

“Hm?”

Daisy had received Meia’s blessing when she visited the temple.

Thanks to that, she could now use Heal twice and had learned a new spell.

Shining Light.

It radiated the light of Divine Power in every direction, damaging impure monsters such as undead and aberrations while illuminating the area like an Arcane mage’s Light spell. It also lasted much longer.

‘It’s four in the afternoon.’

‘In about fourteen hours, it’ll be six in the morning, so I can use Memorize. Using a few spells won’t be a problem.’

“Daisy.”

“Okay!”

At my call, Daisy clasped her hands and began chanting.

A pure white light spread out, illuminating our surroundings.

Its range was...

“About five meters and twenty centimeters. It’s much brighter than a torch,” Hans said, calculating the distance precisely.

“How long does it last?”

“Um... I think about three hours.”

I felt a little empty inside.

Some people had to spend a fucking fortune and study their asses off to learn spells, while others learned them with a single click!

‘Being born with a god on your side really is the best!’

Priests had their own hardships, of course. Strict and arduous religious lives, and the gods withdrawing their favor if they committed evil.

“Tch. I wanted to be a gorgeous elf Paladin too...”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Hmph.”

Either way, Daisy made our speedrun faster.

Unlike a torch, Shining Light produced no heat, smoke, or smell. Our eyes and noses didn’t sting, so we could inspect the surroundings more closely.

Graaah!

“Three zombies ahead.”

It even inflicted an Intimidation status effect on undead monsters.

Hans pulled the trigger of his crossbow as the corpses stumbled merely from being exposed to a Priest’s light.

Crack!

The quarrel, launched with far more force than Narita’s arrows, pierced a corpse’s skull. It struck with such force that it embedded itself in the wall.

“Hey, what are you doing ruining arrows? Leave them to us.”

Gimlius and Elena easily dealt with the remaining zombies.

Thud!

Elena lightly dodged a reaching arm and split its crown with one swing of her axe. Due to his size, Gimlius chopped through another zombie’s thigh like firewood, sending its lower body flying before finishing it off.

“...”

Hans collected the damaged quarrel and Mana Stones while glancing at me.

Despite the obvious excess firepower, I could guess why he had fired the crossbow on purpose.

‘He wants us to see his value.’

‘A crossbow really is powerful.’

If not for its long reload time, it would work even on the second floor.

‘So far, he seems fine...’

A Scout’s role was simple.

Reconnaissance, trap disarmament, and finding the optimal route to the destination.

The Labyrinth’s environment changed randomly, but certain structures and mechanisms remained fixed. A Scout found clues in them, minimized risks, and mapped the shortest route.

Naturally, they needed broad knowledge of the Labyrinth, good night vision, accurate distance judgment, and sharp senses.

That was why many capable Scouts were elves. Their hearing, vision, agility, and other abilities surpassed those of other races.

“Yaaawn.”

Just look at Elena, yawning beside me. Even without specialized training, she had been the first among us to notice an enemy’s presence on the first floor.

‘A skilled Scout is valued as highly as a mage or Priest.’

Squeak!

After we dealt with the zombies and moved on, Ratmen sprang from the darkness.

They were dull-furred rats the size of children, armed with helmets once worn by Expedition Party members, wooden shields, and spears.

In some ways, they were more troublesome than the first floor’s monster spiders or Karakans.

“I’ll handle them!”

Elena didn’t even need to step in.

Gimlius easily blocked the stones and crude spears they threw with his shield, then smashed their heads one by one with his axe.

Thud! Crack!

Screech!

Despite wearing heavy iron armor, he hadn’t broken a sweat.

‘Dwarves lack mobility, but their strength and stamina are excellent.’

I had wondered whether there was some problem with him, but his skills were as clean as expected of a second-floor Expedition Party member.

“Stop. There’s a trap.”

We came across what looked like a Ratman trap.

It was nothing remarkable. Sharp spearheads had been planted between broken stone slabs and covered with a mound of dirt.

Crude, but traps were vicious by nature.

With their vision limited by the darkness, inexperienced newcomers occasionally fell for them. Then the fecal poison infected their wounds, forcing them to cut off their feet or die from a fever.

The zombies we had encountered with missing limbs were unfortunate people who had suffered that fate.

Click.

Hans casually disarmed the trap and led us onward.

“It was so hard last time...”

Just as Daisy said in surprise, it was easy.

The exploration was swift and safe.

Unlike our previous expedition, I hadn’t used a single spell yet.

The Coin of Fate hadn’t appeared either.

After carefully reviewing each party member’s abilities, I made my decision.

At this rate...

‘We can handle the second floor too.’

“Hans.”

“Yes?”

“You have information on the second floor, right?”

“I gathered as much as I could through the information guild.”

Hans handed me a small booklet.

It contained information on every area of the second floor. Beside it, Hans had written small notes about what he needed to do and what he could do.

‘He’s a low-floor Expedition Party member, but he can read.’

The uniformly sized characters packed tightly together made his obsession with the Labyrinth seem almost insane.

“Ha ha! Are you thinking of going to the second floor? I agree! It would be a waste to stay on the first floor with this kind of force!”

Gimlius, an 8th Rank Expedition Party member, approved.

“I’m also well informed about the second floor’s conditions.”

Honestly, as long as Hans could disarm traps well, the rest didn’t matter.

Even without Gimlius, I had the ecology of every second-floor monster and the dangers to watch for in my head.

I asked the others.

“I’m thinking of going to the second floor. What do you think?”

“Sure. It’s been way too easy anyway.”

“Y-yeah! Okay!”

Elena and Daisy didn’t object.

In the end, we unanimously decided to go to the second floor.

Considering that ordinary newcomers wandered the first floor for months or even years, this was an incredible pace.

To move quickly, we jogged through the Sewer.

“Huff! Huff!”

“Oh dear, our Ian. Are you tired? Want your big sis to carry you?”

“Fuck... off. Huff.”

Along the way, we encountered more than just monsters and traps.

Some Expedition Party members had become corpses. Others were speedrunning toward another area like us, while some were in the middle of battle.

“Hey! Move aside and stop blocking the path!”

The dwarf Gimlius roared at them.

Judging by their equipment, the people in front of us were a newcomer party...

“Who the fuck...”

Tense from the Labyrinth’s darkness and their battle, they turned with scowls on their faces. Then they saw us and quietly moved aside.

“Hm, did they recognize the majesty of this genius mage?”

Elena Ride Mode.

Exhausted by my pathetic stamina, I was cradled in Elena’s arms like a princess as we moved.

“I think it’s because that dwarf was covered in blood and waving an axe at them first...”

“I think so too...”

“That’s how ordinary people think.”

The objections came at once, but I ignored them.

Under Hans’s guidance, we soon reached the portal without difficulty.

When Elena, Dize, Daisy, and I explored the first floor together, we had been chased by monsters all night, and it had taken us a full day. This time, with different members, it took less than twelve hours.

We were barely tired, too.

The portal.

The blue portal led to another first-floor area or back to the city, while the red portal beside it led to the second floor.

No other parties were in sight. There were multiple transfer portals, after all.

“Let’s rest before the Contraction Period begins, so Daisy and I can replenish our spells before entering.”

We decided to rest comfortably here before heading to the second floor.

Buzz.

“Urgh.”

We were eating, but aside from Elena and Hans, Gimlius, Daisy, and I all looked miserable.

The sewer stench drifting in from every direction had killed our appetites.

Still, in the Labyrinth, you had to eat when you could eat, rest when you could rest, and shit when you could shit. There was even a rumor that high-floor Expedition Party members carried portable toilets.

“Daisy, you need to eat.”

“Ugh... okay.”

Gimlius was barely picking at his own food, yet he started acting superior again.

“If the Salt Cave appears, this will seem like nothing. The moment you smell that stench, you’ll throw up everything you ate. So it’s best to eat moderately and keep your stomach empty.”

Gimlius tore at jerky and bread while repeatedly sipping water from his waterskin.

Oddly, it was made of metal instead of leather.

Elena sniffed the air and tilted her head before asking, “What if another area appears instead?”

“Then you’re unlucky.”

“...What kind of bullshit is that?”

“Hahahaha! I’m talking about the Labyrinth’s randomness! Listen carefully! It’s advice from your senior!”

This dwarf talked a lot.

He liked showing off too.

I made a mental note of each new party member’s traits. Things were relaxed now, but I needed to understand each person’s tendencies to reduce variables that might arise in a crisis or situations like this.

‘Hans, the Scout, asks for my approval first no matter how minor something is.’

‘He may be watching his behavior because he joined a party whose capabilities exceed his own, but on the surface, he’s polite and values discipline.’

Daisy, who had barely finished her meal, opened a book of scripture.

Oh, she was serious about this.

A party member’s desire to improve was a good thing, so I watched her.

“Priestess Agape told me to read it whenever I have time.”

Then Daisy carefully asked me, looking embarrassed.

“Um... Ian, could you read this for me?”

Daisy still couldn’t read.

“Alongside the sacrifice of the Seven Kings, those who first extended a hand to the creatures of the earth included Meia...”

I read the densely written scripture aloud, then laughed.

“You need to learn how to read first.”

“Yeah...”

Smack!

“Ah!”

Daisy jumped.

An outstretched hand had suddenly closed the book of scripture.

When I looked over, Elena had her ears raised and an annoyed look in her eyes.

“Ha, did you come to the Labyrinth to play house or something?”

“S-sorry, Elena...”

No, why the fuck were you making a fuss?

Daisy, our uncivilized medieval person No. 1, wanted to become educated.

Kkan! Kkan!

Shaking my head at Elena picking a fight, I lay down in my sleeping bag.

Gimlius wore a fond smile, as if thinking it was nice to be young. Hans seemed to feel the same.

“Heh heh.”

Those people definitely didn’t know Elena’s true nature yet.

“We’re near a portal, but this is still the first floor. How about we take turns standing watch? If anyone hears footsteps, wake everyone immediately.”

“Let’s do that.”

After smelling the foul odor for so long, I adapted to it.

My nose was probably just numb, though.

“Mm.”

“Whenever I see mages, I’m always amazed. How do you wake up at exactly this time without an alarm?”

Six in the morning.

I had even asked the sentry to wake me, but my body woke naturally the moment it turned six.

“Daisy, wake up.”

“Mmm...”

Daisy and I sat cross-legged and used Memorize.

‘If it’s the Salt Cave, this spell will be perfect. If it’s the Burning City, this spell will fit perfectly. If it’s the Rotting Swamp...’

Spells were powerful, but limited.