Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World - Chapter 077

The Wand’s Limit

At the moment, I am fighting Rub Shrubs on the 13th floor of Tare’s labyrinth.

“Are there only Rub Shrubs on this floor?”

I asked Roxanne.
I don’t think that would be the case though.

“Well, that seems to be the case for the small groups.”
“That’s fine then.”
“I can smell a monster we haven’t fought yet. I think it’s the monster from the 12th floor.”
“Information about the 12th floor of this labyrinth wasn’t available in the guild back then.”

Sherry doesn’t know about it.
I could have asked the explorer at the entrance, but I didn’t care about it that much.
Maybe I should have?
It would have been better.

“I smell a Collagen Coral.”
“It’s the monster from the 10th or 11th floor.”

Did the explorers guild have information up to the first nine floors?
The monsters from up to the ninth floor probably won’t appear here.

“Are they few?”
“yes, I think one, or maybe two.”
“Take us there.”
“Certainly.”

I should try fighting some monsters from the lower floors.
Rub Shrub requires three [Rush] attacks, is it because it’s Lv13, or because it’s a Rub Shrub?

After moving for a while, we get to the Collagen Coral Lv13.
The level seems to go up like normal, even for monsters from the lower floors.

I prepare, and then use a [Rush].
I use another one straight away.
The collagen coral is defeated after two [Rush] attacks.

Two [Rush]’s.
One [Rush] is enough for the 11th floor, so that’s probably a normal increase.
It’s possible that I could defeat it with one [Rush], and a Durandal swing.
It’s not unreasonably stronger.

Two [Rush]’s were not enough for the Rub Shrub.
Is the strength of monsters from the 12th floor onward 1.5-2 times more than the lower floor monsters?
I’ll need to check it.

“Can you find the monster from the 12th floor? It can be in a group because I’ll use magic.”
“Ok.”

I asked Roxanne, and she took us to the monster whose smell she had not previously smelt.

Pig hog Lv13

Two Rub Shrubs and a Pig Hog appeared.
It’s not a monster from the first 11 floors, so it must be the monster from the 12th floor.
It’s a pig the size of a piglet.
It has grown tusks, but no whiskers.

I use [Meteor Crash].
The two Rub Shrubs are defeated.
The Pig Hog is not.
Is [Meteor Crash] classified as fire attribute magic?

I switch weapon from wand to Durandal.
I run towards the piglet.
It might have a long distance attack, but probably not.
It did not shoot as I approached.

[Rush] is blasted into it.
It did not fall.
It calmly shrugs it off. I use [Rush] again.

It finally fell down.
Two [Rush]’s?

The monsters from the 12th floor onwards are definitely stronger than the monsters from the lower floors. I’m not sure by how much, since I was cautious and used [Rush].
If I consider that [Meteor Crash] is fire attribute magic, and does double damage to the Rub Shrub, the Pig Hog should have taken at least half as much.
The Collagen Coral Lv13 took two [Rush]’s, so do monsters from the 12th floor and higher have twice as much strength?

Is [Meteor Crash] only barely able to kill a Rub Shrub?
Does [Meteor Crash] only have the same power as two [Rush]’s?

“The monster from the 12th floor is Pig Hog.”
“Do you know about it?”
“Just that. I don’t know any details.”
“The Pig Hog is an earth attribute monster. It has a resistance to earth magic, and can use earth magic. Water magic is its weak point.”

Sherry gives us explanation.
I only knew the name because of [Appraisal], I don’t know anything else.
Also, its dropped item is pork ribs.
The ingredients for tonight’s dinner have been decided.

I need to recover a bit with Durandal, so we went to the 11th floor of Haruba’s labyrinth.
I slaughtered some Minos and recovered MP.
Why doesn’t Mino leave beef ribs?
They might be sold at a butcher’s shop.

I calm down after recovering some MP.
Beef ribs would be nice.
Where would they come from?

I can fight on the 13th floor with [Meteor Crash] and Durandal.
As a general rule, I should fight stronger monsters to improve myself.
But in my case, I need to consider experience value skills.
I’m forced to sacrifice some to use Durandal, alchemist’s [Plating], and warrior’s [Rush].

Over using [Meteor Crash] is also undesirable.
There is a chance of being seen by someone.
Wizards can use [Fireball] and [Water Storm], so people who saw it would just think I was a wizard.
[Meteor Crash] doesn’t exist here and is like a cheat.

Is it better to stay on the 11th floor?
It might still be too early to go to the 13th floor.
The 11th floor is a better hunting ground.
Since I’ve already collected some planks, I continue hunting on 11th floor of Haruba’s labyrinth.

We finish exploring, then sell of our items and return home.
We got planks from the Rub Shrubs again today.
Sherry needs them to make new equipment.

Next equipment is club.
Sherry’s skill is catching up with our equipment.
Maybe that’s bad?

The strength of monsters from the 12th floor and up is double.
Currently, seven spells are required to defeat a monster on the 11th floor.
It would be 14 if it’s double.

14 spells is too much.
Even thread is instant if used.
Fire magic is the Rub Shrub’s weakness, so I’d only need half the spells if I used fire on it.
If other monsters are mixed in, it won’t be good.

Defeating monsters on the 12th floor and up seems to be quite difficult.
We can do it, but it’s not easy.
I think it’s time to increase our power, especially upgrade the wand.

What do parties do without a wizard?
Do they just get more people?
If they have someone on recovery job, like a priest or monk, then they can probably do it even if it takes a while.

I’m filling the recovery position in our party.
There is no problem with recovering after the fight has ended.
The problem is recovering during a fight.

Defeating monsters also depends on my magic.
If I recover during combat, it delays defeating monsters.
Taking longer in a fight against something like a Green Caterpillar would be bad.

Should I switch Roxanne or Sherry to recovery?
When I take out Durandal, a priest could respond to emergencies.
Things would be a bit easier with a priest.

Is it bad to make a recovery position if I don’t have enough vanguards?
The number of people isn’t enough.

“…Master. …Master.”

Roxanne’s voice fades in as I think about it.
I hadn’t noticed it.

“Sorry. What’s the matter?”
“There was a message on the door. It’s from Luke. He seems to have made a successful bid on a Rabbit Monster Card.”

While we were in the labyrinth, a messanger seems to have come from the broker, Luke.

“Oh. Rabbit? Rabbit Monster Card gives [Incantation Delay], right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”

Sherry confirms it.
It can become [Incantation Interruption] if fused together with the Kobold Monster Card.

If I put [Incantation Interruption] on Sherry’s weapon, it’ll help my strategy.
She will be able to cancel the spell from the Green Caterpillar Lv11 as well.
The long distance attack from the Rub Shrubs can’t be prevented though.

There’s nothing we can do about long distance attacks.
The skills and magic can be prevented after we get close.
Even that much would be good.

Next morning, we went to Quratar’s labyrinth first.
We have the long awaited chainmail.
It’s time to try it out.

I’m not sure how well we can fight while covered in thread.
Some risks can’t be avoided.
We can’t make it to the next floor unless our safety has been ensured.

Green Caterpillar Lv11 doesn’t use thread too often, so Sherry doesn’t have to worry much, but there’s always a chance.
This is the reason I improved her armor.
I’m still worried about it a bit, but that’s normal.

“We’ll go to Quratar’s 11th floor first. I want to see how we do with the chainmail.”
“Um, then should I recieve an attack?”

Sherry asks.
I see.
Should she take an attack?
If we wait for a random thread attack, there might be unforseen danger.

It’s an unpleasant thing to recieve an attack from an enemy.
Being hit, I’m not sure about it. Painful things are painful.
I’d hesitate if it was me.
Sherry’s rational behaviour helps me.

“Sorry. I’ll leave it to you then.”
“Try and find a place with a small number of Green Caterpillars.”
“Preferably without Escape Goats, since I will have to use six attacks and they will run away.”
“Understood.”

Under Roxanne’s guidance, we encounter two Green Caterpillars and an NT Ant.
The ant is killed because of four [Water Storm]’s
I use two more.

After the sixth spell, Sherry takes a step to the front.
She’s bent slightly at the waist.
Even though she knows what to do, she has to resist the urge to dodge at the waist because the impact will be different.
It’s painful, and I can understand wanting to run away.

Green Caterpillar rams into her body.
Sherry doesn’t parry it with her club and receives the attack fully.
I immediately shoot seventh magic attack.
The Green caterpillar collapses.

“How was the attack?”

While casting [Heal], I ask her.

“As you would expect, their attacks are strong. Thank you, I’m fine now. I can probably hold for up to four magic attacks, I think.”

Two [Heal]’s were enough this time.
So, is she fine with getting caught up in its thread by the time I close distance with it?
We can’t be certain until it happens. It doesn’t mean, however, that I want it to happen.
In any case, this seems to be the only strategy available against Green Caterpillars Lv11 for the time being.

After fighting only once in Quratar’s labyrinth, we move back to 11th floor of Haruba’s labyrinth.
We continue to explore until breakfast.
It’s a relief that we can take on 11th floor without much trouble.
After leaving the labyrinth, I deliver the mirror and then have breakfast.

“Now that we have upgraded our armors, we should work on weapons.”
“Weapons?”
“Rabbit Monster Card is availabe. We have no pressing problem on current floor either. However, Rub Shrubs on 13th floor are quite strong.”

I start the conversation while munching on rabbit meat which Roxanne grilled.

“But master’s magic can take them out in one hit.”
“To be honest, it’s not that easy.”
“I see. It must be trump card.”

In my present condition, I can’t cast two [Meteor Crash]’s conscutively.
If i take into accout efficiency of MP consumption and the risk of getting exposed, it’s not a good idea to go around shooting meteors.
It should be reserved as trump card against bosses or when we are surrounded.

“That’s true. Monsters from 12th floor onward are quite strong. From 23rd floor onward, monsters will be even stronger.”

Sherry says in support.
Monsters from 12th floor onward will be a lot stronger in comparison to first eleven floors.
And the difficulty level will increase again from 23rd floor.
Well, the point is, the higher we move, the stronger the monsters become.

“I need to upgrade my wand. Incidentally, is there a monster card that increases power of magic attacks?”
“There is, Goat Monster Card.”
“Goat huh? I’ll ask Luke to arrange that one. Next is Sherry’s club.”

Until now, I haven’t asked Luke to arrange for a card that increases power of magic attacks.
Don’t fix that which isn’t broken.
But now it’s broken.
So, I have to fix it.

“My club?”
“[Incantation Interruption] should be attached to Sherry’s weapon. Roxanne can dodge attacks herself, so what remains is your club.”
“But we need Kobold Monster Card for [Incantation Interruption].”
“[Incantation Delay] will be of no use if only Sherry’s weapon has it.”

I have my Durandal.
Roxanne can dodge even magic attacks and skills.
Only Sherry is left. Therefore, I’ll have her attach [Incantation Interruption] to her weapon.
Roxanne can take on the monster from front as vanguard while Sherry can hit it from the side with [Incantation Interruption].

“Thank you. Still, it’s a waste to attach [Incantation Interruption] to a club. If it were attached to a war hammer or a flail, it would sell for good price.”

War hammer? Flail?
both these weapons and club are all classified as hammer, it seems.

“Hammer is good but how about spear?”
“Spear?”

Sherry can use both hammer and spear.

“There’ll be merit in attaching [Incantation Interruption] to a spear, for it has long reach.”
“I see. That’s certainly true.”
“Currently, there are not many situations where we are surrounded by monsters, so there’s not much need of swinging a club.”
“That’s right. However, we have been fighting mostly against NT Ants and Escape Goats. I have no idea if it’ll be same against other monsters.”

There is another reason why I’m insisting on spear.
Oh well.
I’ll have to spit it out, I guess.

“We will eventually have more party members. the more the party members, the less the opportunities you’ll have to swing your club.”

I have to stress on the need for more party members.

“Okay.”
“The more party members we have, the more options we have for vanguard. Sherry can then drop behind vanguard and attack with spear. In that case, you can also take on the role of healer. If you use spear, we can afford to have more flexible strategy.”
“But I’m not a shrine maiden.”

Ah, that’s right.
I have yet to tell her that she has shrine maiden job.

“It’s alright. You’re a master smith already, so don’t worry.”
“Okay… I’ll do my best.”
“As for healer, vanguard can take on that role.”

When Sherry nods in affirmation, albeit forced, Roxanne interjects.

“Really?”
“Yes. monk or shrine maiden is not necessarily a job for backline, especially when the party is small.”
“Because they can use [Heal] if they receive attack?”

If party is small, it’s not a good idea to have distinct vanguard and rearguard roles.
Monks and shrine maidens can act as vanguard too.

“To be able to hold monsters from front and heal party members in the back — this is what people, who enter labyrinth, aspire to be.”

Like the Goddess of Liberty who led masses during French Revolution?
Roxanne is perfect for this role.

“Well, the role of healer will be for later. My healing is enough for now. As for Sherry’s weapon, spear will be best in my opinion. it’ll allow us be more flexible in our approach.”
“I understand.”

In any case, spear will be best for Sherry.
And now that she has consented to it, Sherry’s weapon will be spear from now on.