A short time after Margurus suddenly announced that new party members would be joining us, we were heading to the transition camp to get to the lower levels of the labyrinth.
As soon as we walked from the Adventurer's Guild, we saw the sturdy looking, but still old stone building.
That was the building where the Transition Camp was set up, the only entrance to the labyrinth from this city.
But even when I got there, I didn't let my guard down to the newcomer to the party, a warrior man.
After all, the man looked like a bundle of suspiciousness to me.

The man certainly has a large, well-trained body and appears to be quite capable of doing so.
...... However, the man has a mask over his face and has not spoken a word until now.

It's hard not to be suspicious of that.
Besides, the fact that the receptionist had repeatedly told me that this warrior man was capable of doing this was adding to my distrust.

I do not have a good image of that receptionist at all.
So I couldn't help but feel that there was something about this man that this receptionist had introduced me to.
It was because of this feeling that I initially disagreed with the Margulls who suggested I go to the lower levels.

Indeed, if I could get a good warrior into the Sword of Lightning now, I would be able to dive deeper.
If the demonic beasts could be properly stalled and Aamir was able to show his true colors, the lower levels would be less of a threat.

...... But that's if this warrior was really good.
Honestly, we don't even know if this man is really strong.
I'm not a connoisseur of what the first person I met today has the ability to see.
So it's normal to confirm this man's strength at least at the middle level that we can handle.
It seems that my thoughts and Aamir's were the same, and we tried desperately to persuade Margulus and the others.
However, Margulis would not listen to our words.
On the contrary, he called us cowards and then dragged us into the room where the transfer station was set up and began to manipulate it.

''Huh!''

As I stared at the back of that Margurus, I couldn't hide my anger.
But I took a few deep breaths to calm my mind.
If this masked warrior was completely useless, or if he was going to cause something detrimental to the Sword of Lightning, the first ones to suffer would be the vanguard, Margurus, and Surberia.
If that's the case, then I can abandon Margurus and the others and go back even if they are in danger, I tell myself.

Then, having calmed down a bit, I looked at the masked man again ......

Huh?

Then I felt a sense of déjà vu in the man.
The sensation caused me to try to search my memory.

'Wait a minute!' Leader, why are you trying to go to such a deep place!

' Aamir, you shut up!

...... But the next moment my thoughts were interrupted by the screeching voice that Aamir gave.
I looked towards the direction where Margulus and Armia were arguing, wondering what the sudden commotion was about.

'If it's this deep, it's going to be boss! We need to get back up there as soon as possible!

Is ......?

And in the next moment, Aamir's words left me speechless.
My thoughts stopped for a moment at those words.
It was only then that I finally realized that Margurus was standing there, hiding the hierarchy with his body, and he spoke up.

'What, you're doing!'

Tsk!

At my words, Margulus twisted his face and let out a tongue-lashing.
However, even after taking our point of view, Margulus still did not try to change the hierarchy of transitioning.

''Sarvelia, you pull your Aamir out! I'll pull Lila out!

What about ......?

On the contrary, it shouted at me and tried to force me and Armia out of the room with the transition formation.
For a moment I tried to resist it, but there was no way I could resist a warrior with physical enhancements, and I was about to be dragged out of the transition camp by force.

''Huh!''

Seeing me about to be taken out of the transition camp, the masked warrior reaches out his hand, but he hesitates on the way.
If humans with physical enhancement skills pulled people against each other without physical enhancement skills, there was no telling how much damage would be done to the human body.
Thinking about that, the masked warrior must have discouraged himself.

With that scene as the last thing I saw, I ran out of the transition camp: ......





◇ ◇ ◇.





You guys can go to ......

As I leave the transition team, I try to reveal my anger to the Margulls.

...... eh?

The scene in front of me made me forget my anger and slump down.

''Ruaaaaa!''

......... because in front of those eyes we descended, the boss of the labyrinth was present.

The being in front of me, it was a huge bird, a phoenix, wrapped in flames.
And in front of its intimidating presence, I was stunned and prepared to die myself.
The hierarchy in which the bosses of the labyrinth exist is never fixed.
I'm sure you'll find that the boss appears below a certain level, and in that level, the boss's magical power causes a malfunction in the transference field and makes it impossible to open the door where the transference field is set up.

...... In other words, there is no escape route.

But for some reason, Margurus and Surberia had a smile on their faces.

''Hahaha! Good! Phoenix! Then I can go!

As Amherst said, there was a boss on this level!

Huh!

...... And when I heard those words, I understood that the Margulls had deliberately brought us to this hierarchy with their boss.
But knowing this, I couldn't even get angry.
I couldn't remember feeling anything other than fear of the beings in front of me.
Margurus and the others laughed at me even when I was afraid and unable to move.

'We could go with that warrior! If you're as strong as Hydra, you can add another warrior to the mix: ......

'Yes! We're strong enough without a Roust or ......, oh, and that warrior?

...... but in the next moment, impatience appeared on the faces of Margurus and the others as they realized that the masked warrior wasn't on this level.

''Huh, you've got to be kidding me! I don't know why he's not here! I gave you the money to sign the contract! If we don't do this, we're going to have to go to Phoenix: ......

And Margurus and the others paled, but that was a natural result.
Perhaps Margurus and the others had also tricked that warrior into bringing them here.
And there was no way that the masked warrior wouldn't notice that the masked warrior had been tricked in that transition camp.
If that was the case, there was no need for me to honestly follow Margulls' story.
Thinking about this, I still feel a desire to kill Margulus and Sabelia for involving me and Armia in such a suicidal act, even after all this time.


RA-a!

Huh!

...... but Phoenix didn't even give me time to complain.
Revealing his fighting spirit towards us, the next thing I knew, Phoenix fired a fireball at Aarmia, whom he deemed the most threatening.

'Aarmia!'

And the moment I saw it, I reflexively covered it over to Aamir.
The fireball was as big as a person's upper body.
And that huge fireball would burn up Aamir, as well as the wall that was me.
But even though I knew it was futile, I still couldn't abandon Aamir.

'Really, stupid.'

I scoff at myself for being so helpless and close my eyes, ready for the shock.
At the very least, I'm praying for good luck to happen and Aamir is the only one to survive.

'...... Really, no...'


But it didn't take long for the shock to hit me.

"...what ......!

Fearfully, I looked up and was left speechless by the sight of a single person standing in front of me.
It was that masked warrior there.

He was standing there with his rugged back to us.

Then I realized that he had prevented the fireball I had just seen.

'Oh, you are ......, why!

Something pops inside me at the sight of it.
With that impulse, I shout to its back.

But the masked warrior did not answer the words.
Instead, the warrior told me in a powerful voice.

'It's late. It's all right now.

Woohoo!


At that moment, for some reason, I was sure I had been saved: .........