ALL NOVEL Chapter 60: Impulse
Buhiiiiikk
A loud screeching echoed loudly throughout the labyrinth as an Orc King fell towards the ground, making the ground rumble. A few moments later, the monster's corpse vanished into thin air, leaving behind a necklace and an ample amount of leather.
"Was that the last one, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Yep. I couldn't detect any more monsters around. There also aren't any treasure rooms in the vicinity." ［Grey］
After traveling for more than 6 hours, Grey and Yuna have finally arrived in the staircase leading to the 8th floor. Needless to say, on the journey there, they were able to collect a lot of quest items which can easily fetch millions of kiels in total.
With the amount of treasures from both the 6th and 7th floors, they have already acquired a total of almost 200 million kiels. It was equal to 3 years worth of a marquisate's profit.
"Alright, let's head to the next floor." ［Grey］
"Eh? We aren't going to have lunch yet?" ［Yuna］
"Ah, right..." ［Grey］
Just like the day before, Grey had once again forgotten that it was already lunch time. Luckily, Yuna was able to remind him before they go traveling the labyrinth on an empty stomach like before.
An appetizing smell enveloped the stairs as Grey and Yuna prepared a warm meal for lunch. Soon after, their faces were filled with satisfaction as they enjoyed their meals complete with rice, meat, soup, and dessert.
After lunch, Grey and Yuna descended to the 8th floor where A-rank monsters resided. It was also worth noting that the lower the floors are, the fewer monsters there are, but to compensate for that, the monsters themselves become much stronger.
Grey already knew how massive the labyrinths were, but seeing how the ceiling extended more than 30 meters upwards, he realized he was underestimating it. Of course, the lower one goes, the bigger the halls would become.
Upon their descent, the first monster which greeted them was a large tree-like creature which was equipped with a trunk more than 5 meters in diameter, which was more than tenfold stronger than steel. It also had 6 legs, spread out even on the base of its trunk.
It was a Canopeid Treant, an A-rank plant-attribute elemental monster capable of wiping out hamlets as if it was just a walk in the park. A creature which could threaten a whole territory if let loose.
Thud Thud Thud
Noticing Grey and Yuna's arrival, the Canopeid Treant went straight towards them. Although its speed was slow, its strength is nothing to scoff at. Just from the reverberations of its footsteps, one can easily guarantee that.
But Grey and Yuna didn't let it do just whatever it wanted to do. Before it could even reach them, Grey and Yuna quickly ran past it and delivered blows towards its wooden calves at the same time.
⟨⟨Magnum Caliber!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
⟨⟨Sickle Claw!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
Receiving the brunt of their attacks, the two of the enemy's legs broke down into splinters, making the Canopeid Treant out of balance. Taking that opportunity, Grey destroyed its remaining limbs with a fury of punches.
Crasshhhhh
With a loud crash, the once standing tall Canopeid Treant fell towards the ground helplessly. It tried to regenerate its limbs, but Grey manages to destroy them before they could even become usable.
Yuna didn't let Grey's effort go to waste. As soon as she saw the enemy fall, she hastily springed towards its head and with a swing of her daggers, she delivered the finishing blow.
⟨⟨Execution!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
With Yuna's attack, the Canopeid Treant's massive head was turned into fine dust, and soon after, its whole body followed, leaving only its drops behind. There was a small gem, a few crystalline fragments, and tons upon tons of lumber.
"Hm?" ［Yuna］
Yuna tilted her head in curiosity as she examined the small gem dropped from the Canopeid Treant. It was a deep green oval-shaped gem which could easily fit inside a child's closed palm. But even if it was small, it was very beautiful.
"So pretty..." ［Yuna］
"That's the 'Seed of Vitality'. Do you want it?" ［Grey］
"Can I...?" ［Yuna］
Rather than answering Yuna's question, Grey only nodded silently with a gentle smile on his face. It made Yuna very happy, but unlike before, she made sure to control her impulses to prevent suddenly hugging Grey again.
Just as Grey had said, the gem Yuna was holding was called the "Seed of Vitality". It's a very amazing item which boosts the stamina and recovery rates of whomever is wearing it by more than 35% and protects them from many diseases.
Being such an amazing item, it could easily fetch 50 million kiels. It was an item not even nobles could easily possess. It is considered a luxurious item even for the standards of royalty.
"Thank you, Grey..." ［Yuna］
"No problem. But of course, let's have that stored first. I'll give you everything you want when we've finished the labyrinth." ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
With their agreement settled, Grey and Yuna then continued to traverse the labyrinth where they encountered a monster every 10 minutes or so. Some of them dropped amazing items while others were just ordinary drops.
While the monsters they fought are also A-rank, Yuna didn't have much trouble fighting against them as she was already on the pinnacle of A-rank. Just on a rough estimate, she was about 5 times stronger than them.
If there were just three enemies, Yuna would be able to handle them simultaneously all by herself. Anymore than that could become dangerous. Thankfully, she was wearing Divine-grade equipment which strengthened her defense.
"Oh? There's a treasure room up ahead." ［Grey］
"Where?!" ［Yuna］
Hearing the word "treasure", Yuna's ears perked up in excitement and her eyes shone brightly. She was mostly excited to find rare materials to use for her alchemy.
Upon opening the hidden entrance, what greeted them was a very small room guarded by two A-rank Ogre Warlords. Both stood more than 4 meters tall and were holding blades as they stood guard.
"Grey, I'll take them both on." ［Yuna］
"... Alright, just make sure to be careful." ［Grey］
"Un." ［Yuna］
A bold declaration came from Yuna, rang inside Grey's ears. Seeing her determination, Grey was left with no choice but to agree. Although he still remained vigilant for any dangers.
Soon after, Yuna utilized her "Nihility", and both her presence and figure vanished from the surrounding, blending in with the stagnant air. Even when she had entered the room, none of the enemies had noticed.
Not even the sound of footsteps or her breathing could be heard. She had become one with the surroundings, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Ugrruuuukkkkk
A loud scream filled the room as a sudden cut appeared on one of the Ogre Warlords. It didn't end there as soon after, more and more cuts appeared throughout its body.
Its companion was also alarmed, but it couldn't sense an intruder. All it could do was watch as its kin swung its blade recklessly like an enraged madman. No, rather than watch, it did its best to dodge its companion's rampage.
Crassshhhhh
As the unharmed Ogre Warlord saw a glimmer of light shine by the corner of the room, it immediately struck it without hesitation. But even when the smoke cleared out, there was nothing to be found.
It wasn't hallucinating. Yuna had used a little bit of light magic to distract the enemy, and as it was distracted, its madness-driven companion managed to land a blow towards its back, leaving a deep lashing wound.
The two danced in the palm of Yuna's hands as they recklessly struck every nook and cranny of the room in the sliver of hope of striking the intruder which neither of them could see.
With each blood Yuna drew, the faster and stronger she became. It was due to her dagger's enchantment, "Bleeding Edge", which temporarily boosts her physical attributes with every wound she creates.
⟨⟨Dice!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
As soon as the enemies were exhausted, Yuna immediately launched her final attack instantly turning the enemies into a pool of monster blood. With the amount of power she had accumulated, even the room was turned into fine dust.
Watching the scene unfold in front of him, Grey felt shivers run down his spine. While he was confident he could defeat Yuna, her way of fighting when she's serious was still scary.
With the enemies defeated, the room was suddenly restored to its former glory, and the treasure chest which suffered the full brunt of Yuna's attacks was also restored to its peak condition as if nothing ever happened.
"Gre～y! I'm done!" ［Yuna］
"Coming!" ［Grey］
Grey immediately stored the treasure chest's contents as soon as he identified them. Unfortunately for Yuna, there weren't any alchemy ingredients nor any potions amongst its contents.
A few moments after Grey and Yuna exited the treasure room, Grey found another one just a couple hundred meters ahead. There also weren't that many monsters so the two were able to arrive there pretty quickly.
Just like the previous ones, the treasure room was hidden behind a stone wall. The only difference this time was that it was much bigger than the ones they have previously encountered and had a very worrisome description.
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[Labyrinth]
[Name] Labyrinth of Death
[Structure] Treasure room
[Type] Trap
[Description]
A large treasure room with multiple hallways. Each hallway has a different trap installed in them that will be triggered upon entry. The traps will reactivate every minute unless the treasure is opened.
-----------------------------------
It was the first time they have encountered a treasure room with multiple traps installed in them. It was even more worrying when there were more than a dozen hallways present.
"Yuna, I'll handle this one, It's quite dangerous so make sure to stick to me closely." ［Grey］
"Un, understood." ［Yuna］
⟨⟨Horde: Goblin⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Hearing Yuna's affirmation, Grey immediately summoned a large amount of goblins which equaled the amount of hallways present. They were to become test dummies which would activate the traps for Grey and Yuna's safety.
It was already the 8th floor where A-rank monsters would spawn. Grey couldn't afford to risk Yuna's safety from both the traps and the labyrinth monsters. It was best to keep help close and protect her upon any signs of danger.
Bzzzzzttttbbzzzzzttttt
The moment the first goblin stepped foot on the room, electricity came crackling down out of nowhere and turned the goblin into ash. Even the bones of the goblins were charred into charcoal.
Seeing that scene, Grey and Yuna were able to understand the gravity of the situation. The traps were on a completely different caliber from the ones in the previous floors. The electric trap alone was capable of killing a B-ranker in an instant.
One after the other, Grey sent the goblins to trigger the traps, and each and every time, the goblins would be mercilessly killed by the hidden traps. Each of the traps were different from one another.
There was a trap that scorched the whole room, there was also one that released extremely poisonous gasses, and even one which exploded the whole hallway. If it weren't for the summoned goblins, Grey and Yuna wouldn't be able to pass the traps and safely arrive at where the treasure was.
"Grey, I'll open the treasure chest." ［Yuna］
"Oh, sureー No, wait! Yuna, stop!" ［Grey］
Yuna was about to open the treasure chest when Grey stopped her midway with a desperate voice. While it was very sudden, Yuna managed to stop herself and back off from the treasure chest.
"Is there something wrong?" ［Yuna］
"Yes, please stand back a little bit." ［Grey］
"O... Okay..." ［Yuna］
Following Grey's instructions, Yuna tucked herself in the corner of the room away from the treasure chest. Contrary to her actions, Grey approached it, and when it was at his arm's length...
⟨⟨Megaton Shotgun!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
... Grey pulled his hand and then delivered a strong attack towards it, obliterating it immediately after the attack connected to it. Soon after, it vanished into thin air, leaving a few items behind.
"The treasure chest vanished...?" ［Yuna］
"It wasn't a treasure chest, but a monster." ［Grey］
"Eh?! A monster?!" ［Yuna］
"That's right it was a mimic which took the form of a treasure chest. If you had touched it, it would have lunged straight at you." ［Grey］
"How nasty..." ［Yuna］
Yuna's low voice resounded throughout the room as she gazed upon the spot where the mimic was previously stationed at. She would have been a victim of it if it wasn't for Grey's warning.
The mimic Grey had just defeated was the highest variant of a mimic, an Alluring Mimic, which like the name implies, not only mimics things but allures unsuspecting victims into approaching it.
While the Alluring Mimic was only at B-rank, with a sudden surprise attack and Yuna's guard still down, she would have been hurt from it. After all, it was a monster which brought demise upon adventurers throughout the whole world.
Piiisshhhioooo
Soon after the mimic vanished into thin air, another treasure chest appeared. This time, Grey did not take any chances and appraised the treasure chest for any possible dangers.
"Is it safe?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah. This one's an authentic treasure chest. Go ahead and open it." ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Like before, Yuna excitedly opened the treasure chest like a little child excited to learn what her christmas present was. It didn't even look like she was almost attacked just a few moments ago.
When Yuna opened the treasure chest, wonderful treasures greeted their eyes. Just the contents of that single treasure chest alone was already worth more than what we got from traveling all this time in the labyrinth.
Along with 8 Moon Crystals (10 Million Kiels), there was only one other item inside the treasure chest. It was "Soul Eater's Amulet", a Peak-tier Superior-grade item which could fetch a billion kiels.
The amulet's ability is to store the souls of deceased beasts or mana from the monsters killed. It's similar to a mana bank where the user could store up to 10,000 units of mana. It was especially useful for S-rankers whose average mana capacity is about 3,000.
"Uuu... There aren't any potions..." ［Yuna］
Well, even with how valuable that item was, Yuna was still crestfallen that there weren't any alchemy materials inside. She hoped to get ingredients better than the "Vampire Lord's Blood", but luck wasn't on her side.
After storing the treasures, Grey and Yuan then continued their way inside the labyrinth. It took them more than 8 hours, but they were able to find the staircase leading to the 9th floor.
And since there weren't that many people who will reach the 8th floor, Yuna and Grey decided to try out all of the treasure rooms, making the amount of treasures they obtained soar much higher.
When they reached the 9th floor, it was much quieter than the 8th, and even with Grey's "Divine Eyes", he could only detect a single monster. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that there were more safe zones than monsters on the floor.
"I think this is how far we'll go for today." ［Grey］
"Mmm... Then it's time for dinner!" ［Yuna］
"Alright, alright, let's cook ourselves some dinner, shall we?" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Without even having a single fight on the 9th floor, Yuna and Grey decided to stay on the staircase. And since it was about 8 o'clock already, the two of them decided to have dinner.
Their dinner consists of rice, curry, skewers, beef soup, and pudding for dessert. Needless to say, the both of them enjoyed it very thoroughly. There weren't any leftovers even though they cooked quite a bit.
"Fuaah～ that was a delicious meal! I want to eat ice cream right now!" ［Yuna］
"Eh? But we just ate pudding. If you continue to eat sweets, you're really going to gain weight." ［Grey］
"Grey, stop teasing me! That won't work on me anymore!" ［Yuna］
"Aww, too bad... Looks like I won't see your shocked expression today..." ［Grey］
"Grey!" ［Yuna］
Yuna protested to Grey's provocations by stomping her left foot in an adorable way as she pouted to show her dissatisfaction. Grey on the other hand only chuckled as he observed the cute being called "Yuna",
Yuna then tried her best to not look at Grey's direction as she continued to show her dissatisfaction. Even when she grabbed a cup of water for herself, she made sure to not look at Grey.
Ba-dump Ba-dump Ba-dump
The more Grey looked at the pouting Yuna, the wilder his heartbeats became, it was racing to the point that it might explode any moment. It was as if he was losing his sense of self at that moment.
It was especially difficult to contain when Yuna was illuminated by the light of the dungeon torchstones. In such a dark labyrinth, she shone brighter than anything else, and more beautiful than any treasures Grey had come across.
"Yuna." ［Grey］
"No! I'm still mad at yoー" ［Yuna］
"I love you." ［Grey］
Yuna didn't even finish her words. Grey's confession resounded clearly inside her ears. The shock from Grey's words was too much for her to handle that she dropped the cup she was holding onto, spilling the water inside it.
"Wh... What did you just say...?" ［Yuna］
"Sorry, that was very sudden, wasn't it? It's just that the more I look at you, the more I realize how much I've fallen for you. My heart is just beating so erratically that I couldn't help myself but blurt it out. At this point, I don't even care if I get rejected, I just wanted to convey these feelings to you." ［Grey］
"It's better to do something than regret not doing it". Those were the words of Kris which continued to echo inside Grey's mind. No matter what the outcome may be, Grey didn't care anymore. He only wanted to tell Yuna that he loves her.
Yuna who received Grey's sincere confession was at an utter loss of words as she hung down her head, preventing Grey from seeing her face which expressed the emotions she was feeling at the moment.
Disbelief, relief, joy, fear, shock... There wasn't just one emotion swirling inside Yuna's heart the moment she heard Grey's words. She was very happy yet she wanted to cry a lot. To her, it felt like it was a dream that it was scary.
"Don't worry about it, Yuna. You don't have toー" ［Grey］
"Dummy." ［Yuna］
This time, it was Grey whose words were cut off. As Yuna raised her head to look at Grey. She revealed a face as red as one could be along with tears of joy and relief forming in her eyes.
"Who said you were getting rejected? I'm the one who gets to decide that!" ［Yuna］
"Huh? Does that mean..." ［Grey］
"Un... I love you too..." ［Yuna］
Hearing Yuna's words, Grey's heart was filled with extreme happiness he didn't even know was possible. It was the happiest moment of his life, and before he realized it, his body had already moved on its own.
Grey's hands gently wiped away the tears on his beloved's faces. Even when she was crying, to Grey's eyes, Yuna was still the most beautiful lady there is. Be it in this life, the previous one, or whatever the future holds, he was sure that that would never change.
To see the man she loves bear the same feelings as her, Yuna's heart became filled with happiness that her love had finally bore fruition. She closed her eyes tight as the distance between her and Grey shortened with the passing of time. It wasn't long until their lips touched one another's.
The light from the torchstones shone ever so brightly, and the crackling of the fire filled the labyrinth with music as the hearts of two people became one.
CHAPTER 60 END