The next day.

　Wiping away the overflowing night sweat, I slap my cheek and get up.
　I had a strange dream. It was a dream with no context and no reality. I only vaguely remember the content of the dream, but I know it was still a nightmare.

　Maybe it was because of the gloom and doom, but my body was strangely lazy.
　But I need to change my mind. I slapped my cheek hard again and left my room.
　Today is another day in the labyrinth. Unlike the past, the Shea Legacy Party has been exposed as a rival to the search, so we must put more effort into it.

　Everyone has been gathering on deck since early in the morning for the labyrinth search. Although the pace was disturbed in many ways, we can't let our daily labyrinth exploration stagnate.
　Before we leave, we work on leveling up. All the level bonuses were poured into magical power.

--Name Aikawa Uzumi HP369/370 MP520/920-400 Class Searcher.
　　　Level 20.
　　　Strength 11.55 Strength 13.12 Skill 17.11 Speed 20.86 Wisdom 17.12 Magic 46.44 Talent 7.00--

　Finally, I've entered the 20th level (one of the top tier) - it's a far cry from when I was summoned to the other world.
　Compared to the time when I was summoned to the other world, there's a huge difference. I was the weakest level 1 human being, but now I'm at the 20 level, which is said to be the limit of humanity. With this, he could now compete with the Seven Celestial Knights and other heroes of various countries.
　Of course, I have no intention of being satisfied with this.
　I'm in a position where I have to aim beyond the 20th level - beyond the limits of humanity. As long as the labyrinth has a hundred layers, this is where the real work begins.

''Alright, that's going to be good.

　I clenched my hands as if to confirm the power I had obtained.

　Probably all of my friends here will eventually make it past the 30 level.
　We're getting stronger. I'm sure we're growing.
　It should be fine, but--

　And yet, my clenched fist loosens.
　Hailey's words from yesterday cast a shadow. ''I don't think so,'' his voice reverberates in my ears.
　Maybe that's why I feel unspeakable anxiety, even though I'm getting stronger.

　It's as if leveling up isn't growth - it's more like a different 'something'.

　The skill 'Parallel Thinking' is set in motion to find out what that feeling is.
　If there is even a small amount of room for thought, the parallelism starts to rotate relentlessly, which is a problem. I consciously suppressed my thoughts.

　Leveling up is not necessarily growth.
　As I'm thinking to myself, the reaper reports to me, looking out to sea.

'The voyage is going well!　But maybe it's just because we're getting closer to the mainland, and we're passing more ships!

　I unfolded the map and checked the distance to the mainland.
　Indeed, the quality of the sea was changing, which is what I thought too. The climate had stabilized, and I had seen a few ships here and there that appeared to be merchant ships.

That's true. There are some ships trying to contact us, so be careful of the detention teams.

　I warned Maria and gathered the members of the labyrinth search.
　This time, the main focus is on breaking through the underwater area of the thirty-five layers. Therefore, Maria, who is incompatible with water, will be away from home.
　Maria, who was put in charge of the ship, replied with all her strength.

It's all right, Kanami-san. I will absolutely protect this ship. No matter what kind of enemy we're up against, this time we won't lose it--!
'Yes, no, I'm not. I'm not just worried about this ship, I'm also thinking about returning the person you've been in contact with in a civilized manner: ......

　I'm not worried about falling behind in a naval battle with the Maria. The only situation in which this Living Legend would be lost would be if one of us were to lose it. In fact, the only enemy of the Living Legend is Maria and the others.

　So I'm more worried about the ships that have made contact with them. Even if the other party is a friendly merchant ship, depending on Maria's mood, there is no telling what will happen.

''However, since the war zone is close, I think there will be bandit ships in this area as well. I'll do my best to deal with them then, right?　I will burn it off with no questions asked.
'No, go easy on the pirates, even if they're dealing with pirates: ....... Keep the dead out as much as possible .......
'It's sweet, Kanami-san. What are you going to do if you're going to shy away from a bad guy?

　She doesn't want Maria to get her hands dirty, but as a tough, otherworldly-born girl, she has little resistance to murder.
　If I bite back here, I'm sure she'll call me sweet again.
　I have no choice but to stop my rebuttal and face the 'connection'.

''Well then, today, me, Snow, Reaper and Dia, the four of us will go as far as we can go.
Yes. Have a good day.

　Maria walked me off with a smile.
　Then we dragged Snow, who was tied up, through The Connection.

　By the end of the trip, Snow protested that she didn't want to go, but no one helped her.
　After all, she was the strongest in underwater combat, so it was no use.
　After teaching everyone how to swim, I observed her and discovered that Snow was clearly the only one who was outstandingly good. I asked him about it, and he replied that it might be because he had the blood of a water dragon in his veins.

　Afterwards, it was unanimously decided that Snow would be in charge of the underwater area.
　There were no extenuating circumstances, as Snow had tried to hide his swimming skills to the end.

　After passing through the Connection, we emerged at the 30th level.

　This time, I'm going to avoid unnecessary battles.
　Since it's easy to deal with normal monsters, there's no need to forcibly raise the level of the game. If I do level up, I'll go to the 39th level, where I have the most experience, and deal with the easiest enemies to fight. That would be the most efficient way to level up in the current situation.

　Use the Reaper's dark magic to reduce the number of encounters with monsters and reach the front of the staircase submerged in water.
　As planned, you will remove your upper garments and have only the minimum amount of armor and swimwear.

　I'm going to try this style until the water gets murky and small aquatic creatures spring up.
　Before entering layer 35, I make one last check.

Okay, I'm ready to go. Basically, I'm in the lead, and the Reaper is in charge. Dea must hold hands with Snow at all times. ...... Snow, it's up to you to protect her. Don't slack off, okay?

　Snow shakes Dia's hand with a dark face.
　By the way, it's not a flesh-and-blood arm that she's holding, but an odd-shaped prosthetic hand made out of wood. It's an oddly shaped prosthetic hand that was carved out of wood. I made one just to hold hands with Snow in time for this search.
　It's a hooked shape that fits Snow's hand, so he can't let go of it for a second.

There's no way to skip this position, even if you want to: ......

　If you slack off, it's a direct result of Dear's life or death.
　Knowing this, Snow hated it with all his heart. But now that I've been entrusted with it, I'm sure I'm trying to do my job.
　I know that, so I made this arrangement. I'll have Snow working for me no matter what.

　However, Deah looked terribly apologetic because of her protected position.

I'm sorry, Snow. If I were a better swimmer: ......
No, no, no, it's fine!　I'll do my best for Dear!
Thank you, Snow.

　He seems to have shifted his thoughts to selling his favor to Dea. Snow begins to sell his flirtations to Dia.

　After all, as long as you bring him here, Snow will work properly. It's hard to bring him over because of his laziness, but he has a greater sense of responsibility than most people. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so trapped in the bonds of nobility.

''Alright, let's go.''

　After the four of us made a final check, we took a deep breath and jumped into the water.
　We dive downward and enter the thirty-five layers.

　First, I slowly let the 'Dimension' permeate into the water to assess the situation around me. Of course, the passage of magic power in the water is poor. The area that can be searched for is less than one-tenth the range of the enemy.
　I'm going to check the safety of my surroundings with the dimension and then open my eyes. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of situations where you can rely on your eyesight because the effect of the dimensional magic is weak.

　The thirty-five layers were in a bad condition, underwater, but there was nothing more special than that.
　It just looked like the usual stone corridor filled with water. It wasn't particularly wide or narrow, and there was no three-dimensional path through it. Therefore, you can not only swim, but also kick your way through the water as if you were going through zero gravity.

　You can use Dimension to figure out the path as you move deeper into the game.
　In underwater exploration, knowing your companions' status is the most important thing. If one person is out of breath, the formation will fall apart. You must always know that everyone is following you in the dimension.

　And periodically, you must take out a leather bag filled with air from your "belongings" to catch your breath. When it comes to battle, you won't have that kind of time, so do it frequently with plenty of time to spare.

　As the search progresses, Snow's abnormal lung capacity becomes more and more noticeable.
　Where we needed to hold our breath three times, once was enough for Snow. It's not that he's pushing himself too hard, judging by his expression. I encourage him to hold his breath more often, so he's doing it anyway.

　Our current activity limit without breathing is about 10 minutes. Ten minutes while swimming without breathing, and it's no exaggeration to say that we're still very much human.
　But Snow is on a different level.
　He has the luxury of time to spare, and if he's not careful, he could swim for hours.

　As I was keenly aware in the lava region, the dragonite race is fundamentally different from humans.
　We humans cannot adapt to life under water, but snowflakes can live in the air and on the ice, whether it's a volcano or an iceberg - in theory, they can live in both air and water.

　The snow is the keystone of underwater warfare, after all. And it's also been confirmed that you'll have to work hard for the labyrinth exploration from tomorrow.

　As we progressed through the labyrinth around poor Snow, who believed that if we worked hard today, we could be lazy tomorrow, we would finally be unable to avoid the monsters.
　I immediately look around to see if I can find a way around. However, even if we changed our path, another monster and a battle were likely to occur. We had no choice but to get ready for battle.

　I can't explain aloud.
　We use our body and hand gestures to inform the rear of the enemy's numbers.

　At the same time, deformed fishes are approaching from behind the corridor.
　Unlike the Gulfred Jerry's consort we fought yesterday, they are flat fish like stingrays. However, their horizontal fins are as sharp as blades. If it was a direct hit, it's easy to imagine that it would be cut in half as it crossed paths with you.

　The battle begins as soon as you see the enemy not through the dimension but through sight.

　There are four enemy shadows. They are equal in number, but they have the disadvantage of being underwater.
　I made up my mind not to let them pass behind me, and as I held my sword at the ready...

Magical impulse

　-- even though it was underwater, a roaring sound hit my eardrums.

　A vibration follows, hitting his entire body.
　I quickly unfolded the 'Dimension' and confirmed that the cause of the vibration was Snow's magic behind me. Earlier, Snow said that he was good at vibration magic. However, due to the presence of Dia and Maria, who are substandard wizards, he didn't see her as an expert (specialist) wizard.

　But the sight that changed that assessment was reflected in her retinas.
　The labyrinth trembled. Like a blurry photograph, the vision distorted.

　And the movement of the fishes, which had been swimming briskly, was disrupted.
　They lost their sense of balance and speed, like people walking through a great earthquake.

　But for some reason, I'm in the vicinity and I'm unaffected. My vision is slightly reduced, but that's all.
　I marvel at the accuracy of Snow's vibrational magic.

　And I slash all four of my enemies, who have slowed down, with my sword.
　It was easy to cut off the unrestrained opponents.

　Lowered into two pieces, the monsters disappear into light.
　I picked up the fallen magic stones, surprised at how much easier the battle was than I had planned.
　Just as I was about to praise Snow in the rear, the Dimension detects a new enemy. The monster here might have been the type of enemy that would call for help. They're coming towards me from all sides.

　I was trying to alert Snow behind me of the new enemy's approach.

Hmm, I know. Three from the other side.

　Snow was the first to answer it. Even though he was underwater, Snow spoke normally.
　Of course, it's not her mouth that is speaking, but she's using a method of vibrating magic to make sound directly into her eardrums. I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.
　I opened my mouth and was dumbfounded.

''Hmm, hmm ......?　Oh, well, the reason I know this is because ......, it seems that when you're underwater, you can tell where someone is by the return of the vibration. Also, is it very easy to pass magic?

　No, that's not what I'm asking.
　If you're going to talk underwater, you should tell me that first.
　I'm sure you'll be surprised at how suddenly only one person starts talking.

It's just like the same one from before, so I'll use vibration magic to interrupt you again.

　But my frustration doesn't get through to Snow. It's only the 'connected' leapers that get the message. He's smiling bitterly behind Snow's back.

　I have no choice but to intercept the enemy's reinforcements with Snow's support.
　Just like Snow said himself, the vibrating magic in the water is a great backup.

　A wide variety of fish-shaped monsters approaching, one after another, were lowered into two pieces.

　They weren't a match for them at all.
　They could be defeated in almost an instant, so they weren't even a hindrance to their progress at all. You succeed in getting through the enemy's encirclement easily.

　Occasionally, enemies will appear from behind, but they can be dealt with by Reaper and Dea's magic.
　He uses the Reaper's darkness to confuse the enemy, and Dia's sacred magic wards to keep them away. There was no one better than the two of them when it came to avoiding enemy encounters.

　They were advancing through the thirty-five layers at a brisk pace.
　On the way, they heard a strange laugh from behind them.

''Heh, heh, I didn't know ....... Could it be that I'm good at underwater ......!''

　It's a snowflake.
　She swims as lightly as a mermaid, smiling and laughing. Her dragon's tail acts like a fish's fins, which is why her swimming level is so different from ours. That's why her level of swimming is not the same as ours.

　Indeed, in underwater warfare, Snow is better than anyone else. It's not just simple swimming skills, but also the ability to apply vibrating magic.
　I'm not going to be the only one who can do this.

...... ahehe, I knew it?

　Proudly, Snow puffs her chest out.
　I'm glad she's on top of things. I nod over and over again and continue to cajole an embarrassed Snow.

　Finally, I gesture to her and tell her, "Well, you'll take the lead.
　Then, instantly, Snow becomes weak.

You can find out more about this at .......　It's really hard to move and I feel like I'm starting to have trouble breathing. Yeah, I can't fight at all, I'm not good at it!'

　My strategy of cajoling him to work has failed.
　I'd like to say it's okay if that's all you can afford to say, but I don't have the confidence to convince a stubborn Snow with gestures alone. More importantly, it would be a waste of effort, so I give up.

　I take the quieted-down Snow and move further in.
　This member of the team had a good ability to communicate, and the underwater exploration was smooth.

　Then, around the center of the 35th layer, we find a strange side hole in the corridor. As far as the "Dimension" confirmed, the space beyond was not filled with water.
　We thought it was a special area where the boss lives, but we couldn't find any danger no matter how much we looked into it in Dimension, so we went into the hole.

　The space is a cul-de-sac.
　But an invisible wall was blocking the water. We are able to enter it without difficulty.
　It reminds me of a nostalgic memory from my childhood. This is the phenomenon that when you submerge an upside-down tub in the bathtub, no air leaks out. This is the same situation in this space now.

　As I recall, I have heard that the air mass is kept in the water because of the relationship between water pressure and air pressure.
　However, the fact that there is a space where I can breathe so conveniently makes me feel uncomfortable. The balance between water pressure and air pressure in such a special space can only be considered as if "someone" has been involved in it.
　Someone went out of their way to create this space for the searchers who were challenging the 35th layer.

　-- or, as I predicted, 'someone' must have a hand in it.

　The "parallelism" affirms my guess.

　You can also force yourself to be convinced because it's a labyrinth in another world. However, the words I spoke with Rowen in the past convinced me of the existence of "someone". At that time, Rowen said, "Someone who is kind to humans made the labyrinth with an uncharacteristic imitation.

　In the end, he didn't tell us who that "someone" was because it was a rule, but the way he spoke, we can be sure that there is someone who made the labyrinth.
　That 'someone' made this 'resting point' so that it would be easy to clear this thirty-five layers. When I think about it, it explains the reason for this space.
　Just like Rowen said, that 'someone' must be kind to humans.
　And that 'someone' is--.

　--whoever it is (・・・・・). Whoever that 'someone' is, it doesn't matter what I do now.

　The only thing that matters here is what Rowen has guaranteed.
　A great power - a miracle - awaits in the deepest part of the labyrinth. That the makers of the labyrinth are kind, and the labyrinth itself is also kind. The further you go in the labyrinth, the stronger you become.
　If that's all there is to it, it's more than enough for me.

''Hey, Kanami. If you want to take a break, why don't we have a bonfire here?

　As I'm lost in my thoughts, Dia speaks to me from the side.
　I've been absent-minded, and I freak out and shake my shoulders.

　Even though we were in the middle of exploring the labyrinth, I had been distracted. If this was a surprise attack by the enemy, I would have fallen behind.
　What am I doing when I just regretted being careless yesterday?
　It's ridiculous to die thinking about things I can't help but think about.
　I refocused my attention back to capturing the maze.

...... No, let's catch our breath, refill our bags with air, and get going right away. There is only one way in and out of this place, so there's no place to run when the monsters attack,
All right. Then we'll cut the break early.

　Dia nods back and helps me pack air into the leather bag I took out of my 'belongings'.
　And soon we finish our break and jump back into the water.

　The formation is slightly altered.
　I reversed the position of the Reaper and I to spread the burden of the search for the enemy. This was to avoid a situation where only one of us was extremely low on MP.

　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

　By using the Reaper's dark magic well, we can head straight to the next level without taking a detour.
　Of course, we can't avoid all enemies, and the occasional battle will occur. However, we didn't have any leverage, as Snow was stronger than expected in underwater battles. Against the fish monsters, it was safe to say that vibrating magic was a weakness. Its ease reminded me of the fishing method of catching fish by hitting rocks, which was forbidden in the original world. Maybe yesterday's battle against Galfrad would have been a crushing victory if Snow had been there.

　But no matter how dominant we are, I'm not going to just fight the boss. We were hurt too much yesterday. Unless there was something very bad, he wouldn't be conducting a boss fight in his first layer.

　Thus, after exploring the 35th layer without letting his guard down until the end, he had found the stairs to the 36th layer.