Chapter 62
"So are you traveling alone, Luke?"
Excluding Novice rank, from Regular up, each rank used the ability to survive alone on each floor as a criterion.
Meaning, one earned the true Explorer Regular badge when they were judged capable of wandering the First Floor alone without major issues.
Therefore, a Senior Explorer should be perfectly capable of traveling the Second Floor alone.
But that was a standard assuming normal circumstances.
It became difficult to apply in exceptional situations like now.
"I'm out investigating this situation."
"Investigating?"
"Yes. I'm directly under the Union."
Being directly under the Union meant one of two things.
One genuinely belonged nowhere else or had no desire to, thus they only worked with the Union.
The other was the opposite—contracted directly by the Union to handle various Union tasks.
If Rei and Leaf were positive examples of the former, Luke was the latter.
"Hmm... they'd entrust something so important to a Senior rank?"
Rei openly challenged.
Though that could be anger-inducing, Luke calmly replied, "I understand. Your suspicion is warranted. But the Union has fewer available personnel than you might think."
According to Luke, the Union didn't have many people they could use freely, and even those were already deployed elsewhere, making immediately dispatchable personnel even more limited.
That was quite plausible, as Explorers had little reason to work under the Union, especially at higher ranks.
While the stability and support of being quasi-civil servants was advantageous, it felt more like shackles as one’s rank increased.
Besides, similar support comes from large guilds or schools, not just the Union.
They say active guilds provide more appropriate support due to better field understanding.
"And though it's awkward to say myself, I'm quite capable. From the Union's perspective, I was somewhat the optimal choice."
Convincing.
Moreover, despite having no need to fight, when he detected combat nearby, he chose to join rather than flee.
For a scavenger targeting dead Explorers' corpses...
His equipment is too proper.
Scavengers pack strictly for escape and evasion rather than combat.
Reducing weight and loading up with things like smoke bombs.
But Luke's gear was standard combat-oriented configuration.
"I understand for now."
When I accepted Luke's explanation, he brought up something else.
"More importantly, you're all Novices? If you just left the training center, your probation period for Regular promotion hasn't ended?"
"Correct."
Three-month probation period.
During this time, one couldn't apply for promotion regardless of skill.
Apparently, too many died rushing promotion based on skill alone, descending deep into the Abyss ignorantly.
So they forcibly set aside time to learn about the Abyss through experience.
"No matter how skilled, this place is dangerous for Novices. Sometimes there are situations that require experience to handle, regardless of ability."
Luke firmly stated this was especially true now.
"Go back up. I'll guide you. I've already secured a gate to the First Floor."
Looking after promising juniors was also an Explorer's duty.
Luke added words that felt more sincere for being completely emotionless, “Looking after promising juniors is also an Explorer’s duty.
However.
"Unfortunately..."
We couldn't accept that offer.
"We’ll have to decline."
"Why? If accompanying me is burdensome, I'll just provide a map. Though the Labyrinth's structure changes periodically, considering the cycle, there's still a month left, so there shouldn’t be a problem."
"We appreciate the kindness. But we've seen too little of the Second Floor to go up yet. We plan to look around more."
"...I see. An Explorer should make their own judgments, instead of being swayed by others. Understood. Still, I'll guide you to the gate. Never know what dangers lie ahead, and you might change your mind on the way."
At this point in the conversation, I briefly distanced myself from Luke, unable to resist the two's strongly signaling gazes.
As I stood up, they immediately followed.
As soon as we turned a corner not far away, Rei pressed, "Roman, do you really believe him?"
"Well, not 100%, but can't be 100% sure he's lying either."
"I agree with Rei. His insistence on accompanying us is suspicious!"
"Leaf, voice, voice."
"Ah, sor...!"
Rei and Leaf went from chattering to policing each other's volume.
They seemed convinced Luke had ulterior motives like our previous encounters.
"Let's travel with him for now."
"Again?"
"We need to secure a gate to the First Floor anyway. That's the biggest issue on the Second Floor. If Luke can really guide us to a gate, perfect; if not, we can turn it to our advantage like last time."
And honestly, Luke didn't seem like a fraud to me.
"If Roman says so..."
"...Okay. But we move immediately if anything seems off? Got it?"
Thus, our temporary alliance with Luke was decided.
§
Time was hard to track on the Second Floor.
Being inside the Labyrinth, one obviously couldn't tell by the darkening skies, and the ceiling blocked the stars and moon.
But there were ways to tell time on the Second Floor.
Light.
Actually, the Second Floor got brighter at night.
"These are luminous mushrooms."
Luke pointed to greenish fluorescent mushrooms growing on the floor.
"They start glowing in the evening, increasing in brightness over time. They don't emit light during the day. That's why people switch their schedule when entering the Second Floor, moving during outside night hours."
Changing schedules was quite tricky.
But better for Second Floor activities, he said.
Though Light Emission or torches worked fine, they still consumed some mana.
It was more efficient to move at night when path-growing luminous mushrooms provide lighting.
"Pretty bright. Can't we use these instead of Light Emission?"
As Rei reached to pick a mushroom, Luke stopped her.
"They stop glowing when picked. They won't die immediately, but they’ll only last about an hour, and they’re not unusable. It’s better to only use them when necessary."
"Because others might need them more urgently?"
"That too, but these mushrooms are poisonous. Usually fine, but they secrete toxins when picked. It isn’t too difficult to endure once or twice, but accumulated poison gets quite painful. Average Novice Explorers die after picking about five."
Shouldn't that be "lethal" rather than "quite painful"?
Luke seemed knowledgeable and explained well, but something was slightly off about him.
"Really? Wonder how many I could handle."
Is he better than a muscle-brained beast-folk taking lethal dose numbers as a measure of strength?
We moved while having such conversations.
"Monsters are scarce. Must be because of that annihilation. This makes my theory more likely."
"Theory? What is it?"
"Well..."
Luke hesitated, wondering if he should share.
But soon revealed his theory.
"I suspect this situation is caused by a Floor Outbreak."
"Floor Outbreak?"
That term referred to monsters moving between floors when they normally wouldn't.
Also called floor breakthrough, it occurred through shortcuts rather than gates, making it a kind of natural disaster that Explorers couldn't prevent.
"But is that possible? The Third Floor..."
"Oh dear."
"What?"
Luke suddenly spoke before I could finish my question.
Then sighed.
Instead of answering, he pointed to a section of wall.
A deeply carved wall.
Faint powder sparkled there.
"Sentinel traces. This wasn’t its territory until recently. Someone must have drawn aggro."
"Sentinel? You mean Ceramic Centaur?"
"That's another name for it."
It wasn’t "another name"—Ceramic Centaur was the official name and Sentinel was the field term.
What happened to all that fundamentalism you were preaching?
Though thinking about it, the official name was given by Abyss researchers, while Sentinel was named by Explorers who actually explored the Abyss, so maybe the latter is more fundamental?
Rei's excited voice pulled me from my dilemma, "Sentinel? That thing? One of the strongest monsters on the Second Floor!"
"Not the strongest, but generally among the top. There's individual variation."
"Anyway! It's strong, right? I want to fight it. Roman, what do you think?"
As team leader, the decision about our group's actions lied with me, not Luke.
Though Luke acted somewhat like a teacher, he was ultimately just a guest.
"Judge wisely, Roman. Sentinels are formidable opponents. There’s no guarantee we can win with these numbers. I know a detour. Better to avoid it. Curiosity is exploration's essence, but sometimes it threatens life—don't forget that."
Luke's tongue moved elaborately, seemingly very uncomfortable with Sentinels.
My heart was split.
Rationally, I knew Luke's judgment was correct, but the desire to face it once strongly asserted itself.
If I defeat such a strong opponent, would my level rise?
The easiest way to raise one’s level was by battling strong enemies.
One could raise it through meditation and reflection too, but that path was too long.
"Um... Roman."
"Yes?"
"Well..."
Leaf carefully approached and whispered something in my ear.
Leaf's words tipped the scales in my mind.
"We need to go."