“Not so fast, Quinlan. From this floor onwards I want you to have your mind involved in its entirety, don’t let your thoughts wander towards our impending mission of freeing Blossom in a few hours.
My level was high enough previously that I was confident in protecting you even if you made mistake after mistake but from now on we will be facing five level 5 opponents in some chambers, and depending on the monster types the battle might require my full attention.”
I nod, realizing just how greatly I was underestimating the labyrinth based on our previous successes. The fact that not only the level but also their number increases on each floor leads to incredible spikes in difficulty levels each time we descend further down. This, however, means that more and more loot and XP drops.
I can now understand why Ayame said that making a full career out of becoming labyrinth clearers is a commonly accepted and pursued career path combatants can take.
Clearing one’s way to floor 10 and then unlocking the option to teleport to floor 11 on subsequent visits allows explorers to just clear a few chambers made up of a dozen monsters, collect the drops and dip out of the labyrinth while they earn a tidy profit.
Though, of course, one first needs to clear their way up to reaching that point and then have to be strong enough to actually clear the chambers with so many powerful monsters. There’s a good reason Ayame said that Labyrinth clearing is a team effort, and that’s the number of monster opponents one must face on the lower floors.
With my analysis done I force my brain to focus on the upcoming battles. Ayame and I move from the first chamber which always appears to be a safe zone with the option to teleport to the labyrinth’s entrance or continue your descent, and enter the first monster chamber.
“What?!” My lovely partner shouts. Indeed, I’m confused as well.
“There’s no way this is real! What are the chances?!” Ayame shouts, dumbfounded. What riled her up so much is the variety of monsters that welcomes us.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing occurring before…” She states, shock still evident in her tone but she managed to quickly get her head back in the game.
“Frostbite, Emberclaw and Thunderfang wolves. Watch out, Quinlan, each of them have their own innate elements which they can summon forth in the form of spells.”
Indeed, what caused Ayame to be so shell-shocked was that all three monsters were wolf-types. From what I gather this must have an incredibly low statistical chance of occurring.
There are four of them in the chamber, with two looking identical. Meeting four right off the bat is pretty unlucky, as each chamber can have between 1 and the floor number’s equivalent amount of monsters in any variety, but I suppose I should have the mentality of being thankful that not five of them greet us in the first room right off the bat.
The first variant is the Frostbite Wolf. These creatures are larger than the average wolf, their fur a pale blue with white streaks that resemble icy veins. Their eyes glow with an eerie, cold blue light.
The second is the Emberclaw Wolf. These wolves have fur that looks like smoldering embers, glowing faintly with a reddish-orange hue. Their eyes burn with a fiery intensity.
The final variant is the Thunderfang Wolf. These wolves are muscular and have fur that crackles with static electricity. Their eyes are a stormy gray, and they move with a predatory grace that belies their power.
The wolves growl in unison and charge. Ayame leaps into action with fluid grace, her sword flashing as she engages the Emberclaw Wolves and the Thunderfang Wolf. She dances around their elemental attacks, her blade finding its mark with every opening. Her movements are precise and deadly, a testament to her unyielding character.
For some reason a single wolf detaches itself from the pack only to charge at me. I don’t understand the reason for its behavior as they would surely benefit from having its help in ganging up on Ayame, but a sudden realization hits me, possibly explaining their thinking.
If they all focus on her then I will be free to do whatever I wish, be that charge up a devastating spell (wish I had one) or just sneak attack them from behind while their attention is drawn to Ayame.
This way, the three of them can deal with their first opponent while the last one stalls me.
I accept the challenge and focus on the Frostbite Wolf. It lunges at me, and I narrowly dodge its icy fangs, feeling the chill as it passes by. It breathes out a cloud of frost, trying to encase me in ice. I roll to the side and The Frostbite Wolf doesn’t let up. It rears back and lets out a piercing howl, summoning a cascade of icicles from above.
I curse under my breath and jump back just in time, the icy projectiles missing me by inches. This isn’t going to be easy. I feel my frustration growing. A shitty level 5 monster is single handedly pushing me back just because of its large repertoire of spells and other possible arrays of attacks, while I can just thrust my pointy stick at my enemies. I’m in desperate need of several upgrades.
“Damn it, I want my magical spells too!” I mutter, barely managing to deflect another icy spike with the shaft of my spear.
The wolf capitalizes on my moment of distraction, lunging forward and swiping at me with its claws. I parry the attack, but the force sends a numbing chill up my arm. “I really need a new weapon as well,” I think bitterly. I’m just about done being a spear user.
It is too simple for my liking, the fact that it can only be thrust to deal piercing damage and not slash limits my possibilities of attack moves as well.