In this world, there are five labyrinths called the "Five General Labyrinths".
　They were created by the Demon King and are the stronghold of the Demon King's army.
　A powerful demon tribe called "Demon Generals" is in charge of guarding these labyrinths, and it is difficult to break through them even with a country's own troops.

　This "Abyssal Labyrinth" is one of the five generals' labyrinths.
　Many demons with power related to the soil have been created.
　The defense of the labyrinth core is also guarded by demons or demonkind called 'Earth Demon Generals'.

　There used to be fifteen layers of demons in total.
　It is a vertical hole that leads downward, and the ground is characterized by its fragility.
　If you give it a strong impact, the floor will collapse, so you have to be careful when fighting.

　I don't know if it's still fifteen levels, but we'll go down to the bottom for now.
　Using the magic stone, I activate the magic of body strengthening.
　At the same time, I use the magic of concealment to hide my presence.

''Gruaaa!''

　However, there are demons inside that have keen senses and are aware of us.
　The demon whose body is made of mud, the mud ogre, is approaching us with a bang.

''Hmph.''
''Gagaa!''

　I ducked the log-like arms and slashed off his head with my treasure sword.
　It's the sharpness of the sword that made the mud demon crumble to the ground with one swift stroke.

''At this level, you can take them down with just physical strengthening and swordsmanship.

　The movements of the demons I've fought so far are generally in my head.
　Thanks to the 'Strong Demon Ring' and the magic stone, I'm able to move a lot more than usual, and I'm able to fight well enough.
　I walk through the labyrinth, checking my current strength.

　Even if I use the magic stone, I can't use high-powered magic like I once did.
　It's not a matter of if it's a lower level demon, but it's only enough to dazzle a higher level demon.
　For the time being, I'll take the sword as my main weapon and the magic as my support.

　Ignore the demons that don't notice us.
　The demons that notice us will be defeated as soon as possible.

　Because the structure inside is different, it was a bit of a pain to find the stairs leading down, but we're progressing without much of a battle, so I'd say we're doing pretty well.

----.

"Gaaaah!
"Wow!

　It didn't take long for me to realize that.

　When I came down to the eighth floor, I encountered an unbelievable number of monsters.
　They were so numerous that you would want to rush in to see if it was a monster house or something else, but they were solidified around the stairs.
　Countless demons such as mud demons, skeletons and earth lizards (rock lizards) attacked at once.

''Tch.''

　They duck and slash away at the attacks.
　Each one of them is not very strong.
　Even I can handle them well enough now.

　It's their numbers that are troublesome.

...... troublesome.

　It was when I reached out to the porch to make my next move.
　Suddenly, the demons in front of me were blown up and crushed by crashing into the wall.

''Aaah, it's been a long time since I've been human!''

　The one that appeared was an exceptionally large mud demon.
　He approached with a lowly smile, shaking his fat body.

''Baboon. I would have preferred a young woman, but I don't care if it's a man. I'm going to crush you to a pulp.
A rare breed.

　Most of the demons are of low intelligence and cannot speak.
　However, on rare occasions, demons with high intelligence and the ability to speak emerge like this.
　Those rare species are stronger than ordinary demons.

You're in the way, small fry, you're in the way!

　While laughing, the mud demon slammed his fist at the surrounding demons.
　The other mud demons, who should be of the same race, were also involved and killed by being turned into mincemeat.

''Hey. Isn't that guy one of yours?
"Huh?　This useless trash is just fine with me.
Okay.

　This is what demons are by nature.
　With a few exceptions, they kill even their own kind just to satisfy their own needs.
　Even if they are intelligent, that won't change.

　Oh, what the hell.
　She's no different from us humans and demons.

　I'm sure you're aware of that, but for now.

"Well, this is a little uncomfortable.

　A mad ogre, striking at you.
　It's a blow that would turn an ordinary human into a lump of flesh with a single blow.
　You can use your treasured sword to repel it.

　This is a technique of the jujiken, a sword that I learned in the course of battle.
　This is the swordsmanship that I learned during my heroic days, the art of controlling with softness and cutting with softness.

"Huh?

　I'm not sure if he had absolute confidence in his own abilities, but the Mad Ogre was astonished.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

''Hee, geeaaaah!''

　With a decapitated scream, the mad ogre collapsed to the ground.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

''Geeee!''

　The rare species was hit, causing the surrounding demons to be frightened.
　I pierced the gap and left the scene.

◆

　Then, a few moments later.
　They had come down the stairs to the eleventh floor.

　However, the number of demons chasing after me behind me is only increasing.
　They are chasing us from behind like a hundred demons, zorozoing around like a hundred demon nightmares.
　It's a good thing that they were lightly armed for the sake of mobility, but if they had focused on defense and wore armor, they wouldn't even be able to see it.

''--Shaaaa.''

　A huge demon appeared as it stood in front of me.
　It's called an earth spider, a demon with the lower half of a spider and the upper half of a golem.
　In this abyssal labyrinth, it was a high level of danger.

''Giiiiii!''

　As the mouth of the earth spider opened, a white ball was spat out from inside.
　It was an earth spider's thread that had a powerful adhesive force.
　It landed on the ground in succession, jumping up and down and blocking the passage.

'...... It can't be helped,'

　From the pouch, he took out multiple magic stones at the same time.
　While evading the attack of the earth spider, I let the magic power within the magic stones in my grip run amok.

"--"Break Magic.

　The runaway magic stone was thrown at the demons approaching from behind.
　The magic stone emitted a dazzling light and immediately afterwards exploded with a roaring sound.

　The demons engulfed by the explosion were blown away.
　However, the demons that come in one after another are still unable to be defeated with this alone.
　This is when the other demons are going to step over the wreckage of their friends and rush towards you.

''Gruooh!''

　With a thumping sound, the ground collapsed with great force.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good time.

　In order to escape from the earth spider that was approaching from behind, I jumped into that hole with great vigor.
　I used additional magic stones to enhance my physical abilities and leapt onto the demons and rocks.

"'Whirlwind'."

　As the next level of ground approaches, I create a whirlwind with the magic stone.
　He loosens the impact of his fall and manages to land on the ground.

''That was a little too reckless. ......

　The wreckage of the upper levels and the fallen and crushed demons were lying around.
　Among them, there was also a spider that was probably chasing me.

　With this, I was able to reset the situation where I was being chased by a large number of demons for the time being.
　It's too dynamic, but the shortcut was also a success.

''That was a move I couldn't have taken if I hadn't been alone.

　This is the twelfth floor.
　It's possible that the number of floors has changed, but if it's the same as before, then there will be three floors left.
　The labyrinth core and the earth demon general guarding it are also close.

　The demons in this labyrinth can handle it as long as they don't get surrounded.
　With the use of a large number of magical stones and magic power-granting items, it is possible to take advantage of an opening in the earth demon general's mind and steal the labyrinth core.

''Hn......, that's...''

　A white sphere the size of a softball was lying near the crushed and dead earth spider.
　Come to think of it, the earth spider should have been able to extract a "cocoon ball" containing an extremely viscous liquid.
　It's difficult to handle, but I shove it into my pouch as it might be useful for something.

'Okay, ......'

　In addition, after checking the number of magic stones left, I started walking towards the next level.

　The more I advanced, the more the magic element in the air became quite dense.
　The magic element shone brilliantly in the air, creating a kind of fantastic scene.
　However, there is no time to admire it.

''--......''

　Magnesium is a gas that produces demons, and at the same time, it is like oxygen, which is necessary for action.
　In the lower levels where the magic element is dense, more and stronger demons are active.
　In order to avoid being found by a large number of demons when I descended the stairs - I was more vigilant than ever before and proceeded ahead carefully.

　In moments like this, I'm glad I learned other skills without relying solely on the power of a brave man.
　Swordsmanship and how to walk a labyrinth like this has come in handy here.
　Though I feel terribly depressed when I think of the guy who taught me .......

　I make my way past the earth spiders that lightly shake the floor as I walk, and then I walk towards the one where the magic element is more dense.
　It took me some time, and I finally made it down to the thirteenth floor.

'We're almost there.'

　In the lower level of the labyrinth, there is a transition station that leads to the outside as well as the labyrinth core.
　It's a one-way street to the outside, but we can use it to escape from the labyrinth.

　First of all, confirm the location of the labyrinth core and the transference camp.
　After that, I'll take the labyrinth core while dealing with the earth demon general.
　Immediately step into the transition zone and leave the labyrinth.

　As a strategy, this would be the best way to go.

　When I was here before, a huge golem calling itself the Earth Demon General was guarding the labyrinth core.
　It was quite strong, but its movements were slow and its intelligence must not have been that high.
　Last time, he fought the Earth Demon General head-on, but this time, as long as he got the labyrinth core, he could escape immediately.

　Due to the many uncertainties, I'd like to use the labyrinth nucleus after we escape if possible, but in the worst case scenario, it would be unavoidable to use it on the way to regain our strength.

　We simulated and developed some patterns of strategies.

　It was time to gather some thoughts and move on.

'----'

　Grari, the ground shook.
　No, no.
　A tremor ran through the entire labyrinth.

''This is--''

　Soo, the air in the labyrinth changed drastically.
　The painful roars of the demons echoed from the surroundings.
　I had experienced this phenomenon five times before.

The labyrinthine core is gone.

　What timing.
　Someone has beaten me to it.

　A series of explosions could be heard from the lower levels.
　Perhaps someone was fighting with the Earth Demon General.
　Both sides seem to be fighting while moving, and the sounds of explosions are gradually getting closer.

''What to do......''

　The labyrinthine core is essential to regaining power.
　I don't know who did this, but I can't let them take it with them.
　However, if we're fighting the Earth Demon General, it's going to be troublesome.

----.

　A chill ran down my spine and I leapt backwards as if it were a pop.
　A moment later, a huge rock stake pierced the place where I had been standing.

''Nah,''

　At the same time as he was startled, a crack spread out in a circle around the pile.
　It spread in the blink of an eye and the ground collapsed immediately afterwards.

''d*mn it!

　The same wind magic as before is used.
　It reduces the impact of the fall and lands on the level below.　
　I'm not going to be able to get it right.

''...... Looks like a featherworm was mixed in with it.''

　A voice that seemed to resonate from the depths of the earth, and a wooden spirit in the labyrinth.　
　As soon as I heard it, I realized that it was not a rocky mountain in front of me.
　What is in front of me is not a rocky mountain.

...... rocky cave dragon (earth dragon).

　Two huge eyeballs the size of a human head, a hollowed-out nose, and a huge mouth lined with sharp fangs like stakes.
　And a huge mouth lined with fangs as sharp as stakes.
　The dragon's entire body is covered in rocks, and it is so large that it could be mistaken for a rocky mountain.

　It was incomparably intimidating compared to the golem earth demon general he once fought.
　Fighting him from the front is indeed a troublesome opponent.

''One after another, troublesome.''

　They stood blocking the aisles, making it impossible for them to escape forward.
　When I turned my gaze to the rear, I was fortunate to see several passageways opening up.
　It was the moment I thought we were leaving for the moment.

''There, human, take cover!''

　A girl's voice rang out from behind the dragon.
　There is a wall in the direction the voice came from.
　Apparently, the owner of the voice was trapped in the wall.

''Tch, you're so petty!''

　At the same time as the dragon shook its body in frustration, the dragon's body suddenly exploded violently.
　The girl across the street must have attacked it with magic.
　Perhaps she was the one who stole the labyrinth core.

''I don't want you to die with the Labyrinth Nucleus in your possession. ......

　I made an instant decision and took out the magic stone.

"Dragon, look at me!
"?!

　You will be able to use the magic stone that you have grasped and activate your magic.
　I'm going to use lightning magic.
　It's a good idea to make sure that you have a good time.

''Gu......!''

　Although it's not very powerful, the golden lightning is dazzling.
　Covered by the cobwebs, the dragon's movements slowed down for a moment.

''That's it!''

　A moment later, the owner of the voice passed through the gap between the dragon and the wall at high speed and ran to our side.
　And then, as we passed each other, he forcefully grabbed our hands.

"Come with me!
The girl's hand is not in the same place as mine.

　The girl, without saying a word, tries to run.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find the best way to get the most out of this article.

It's not just a matter of time before you get away, it's a matter of time before you get away.

　I'm not going to be able to get rid of it.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it.

''Ku--''

　It was as if it had exploded, and soon afterwards the ground shattered with great force.
　Cracks spread, and soon after, the scaffolding began to collapse.

'Nu......'
Uh-oh.

　The girl's grip on my hand delays my reaction for a moment.
　When I feel a floating sensation, I'm head-first, head down, head upside down.

''d*mn it!''

　The ground is rapidly approaching, just before it collides with my head.

'Yo.'

　Something soft wrapped my body in something soft.
　When I looked, the girl who had fallen as well, caught me.
　In that state, the one holding me landed lightly on the ground.

　Without any magic, is this guy really human......?

''Hm. I think our positions are reversed in this kind of thing.

　Hearing the girl's dumbfounded words, he looked up, wary of the chase.
　He couldn't see the dragon from the hole it had fallen through.

''That big guy won't be chasing us up here either.

　The girl also looked up and muttered that as she held me in her arms to see if there was any basis for it.
　There's no sign of a dragon chasing us, and there are no demons around.
　It seems that the danger is over for now.

I'm sure you're not going to be able to get away with it. Are you eating properly?

　The girl lifted up my body and said such a thing to me.
　You are a very easy woman.

　I mean, how long are you going to hold on to it?

...... drop me off.
Oh, yes.

　I nodded as I remembered, and the girl finally lowered me to the ground.

'Thank you ...... for the help. Thanks.
No need to thank me. I'm the one who saved you, you know. You came down at just the right time and we were able to break away. Thank you for your help, I'll give you credit.

　She had an over-the-top, over-the-top attitude while crossing her arms.
　Who the hell are you, I inwardly prodded, and for the first time I saw the girl's figure firmly in my mind's eye.

　And then I froze.

"Oh ...... you.

　The smooth silver hair that reaches the waist, and golden eyes that make you feel somewhat dignified.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Although the figure is close to human, the magic power she radiates is that of the demon race.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of this.

''Hmm?''

　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

　--I'm not going to be the only one.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.