Endless rolling hills and thick thickets of trees here and there.
　The bare slopes of large rocks and small plants with white flowers.
　A flock of birds in the sky and the sun fading in the distance.

　A moment of twilight, when everything shifts to a faint outline.
　It was just like the dusk that I had been forced to watch from the back of the wagon before arriving at the "Village of the Beginning".

　The view was nostalgic and soothing, and I gazed at it for a while.

.................. No, we're still underground.
It's true!

　When we took a closer look, we saw that there was a ceiling right above us.
　It must have been the time of day when the sun was setting on the ground.
　Because the sun rock that is linked to the sun was fading, the area around the ceiling became too dim and looked like a dark sky.

"The ceiling is really high .......

　When I looked up again, I saw that the ceiling was much higher than before.
　And the depth extends forever.
　I was overwhelmed even on the fifth and eighth floors, but even so, I could barely tell that I was in a labyrinth.

　But this is different.
　It really is a sight on par with the surface.

"How on earth did you ...... find such a place so deep underground?
"Yeah, it's really strange.

　"Yes, it's really strange," said Paula quietly as Etan's voice trailed off in surprise.
　Then, with a twinkle in her beautiful eyes, she murmured plainly.

All of this is now yours. ....... Oh, what a wonderful view!

　Yeah, I'll let that slide for now.
　But I agree that it is wonderful.

　I've been secretly hoping for this, but I have a feeling I'm going to hit the jackpot on this floor.
　This is a special floor (・・・・), and I can only say that I'm really grateful.

It's really huge. I'm sure people will mistake this for the outside. There are even birds flying around.
"Yeah, right. Even birds are flying over ......, yeah?

　I looked up at the sky as we talked, and noticed something slightly strange.
　Isn't the feather a little big for a bird?
　Rather than wings, they look more like insect wings.
　The way they fly is fluttering and irregular.

　The number of them is also strange.
　............ looks like it's filling up the sky.

"You!
No, run!

　I shouted in front of the black cloud-like mass that was rapidly heading towards us.


　I hurriedly turned around and jumped into the stairs behind me.

　When I was able to get back into the small underground space, I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to make sure everyone was okay.

"Hey, what was that?
It looked like a swarm of moths.
"Huh, probably big-eyed moths. They're not that strong, but there's too many of them.

　It's a moth with wings as long as my fingertips and elbows, and a large eyeball-like pattern on its back.
　Their physical attack power is low, but they have a lot of nasty tricks up their sleeves.

Okay, we're all here. Let's call it a day.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. Yoru and Kuu are so nice.

　Mia gazed enviously at the two sleeping peacefully on the blue slime, their earlier attack a thing of the past.
　To be honest, the thought of having to walk to the surface right now is almost enough to break my heart.

At least let's take the shortest route back .......

　The map of the ninth floor was only half full, so I headed back the same way I had come.
　It took about fifteen minutes to get through, but the next eight floors were long.

　It took us an hour to cross the middle in a straight line.
　At the top of the stairs, I said goodbye to the fairy scouts.
　They flew off into the trees, accompanied by their friends who had come to meet them.

See you later!
What do they do at night?
"There's a big cave in a tree in the west corner. That's where they roost.
I see. Wolves can't climb trees.

　Mr. Etan nodded lightly and asked me, looking into my eyes with concern.

I'd like to build a cabin here ....... Is that okay with you?
"Oh, that sounds great.

　It's nice to have a place to rest when it's late like today.

　The seventh floor is a maze of corridors that takes about twenty minutes to get through.
　The sixth floor is a fifteen-minute walk back along the underground salt lake.

　We returned to the fifth floor in less than two hours, where we were greeted by a bright glow.
　The sunstone on the ceiling had completely lost its light, but the white stones placed here and there in the village square were dazzlingly illuminated.

　As I was taking a breath of relief from the cheerful sound of drums and the laughter of many people, the village chief came running up to me with a panicked look on his face.

"Are you all right, Mr. Nino?
I'm sorry, it took me a while.
I'm sorry it took so long. We were just discussing whether we should go check on him.
I'm sorry to have alarmed you. I'm sorry.


"Oh, you're late, young man!　Where the hell have you been?

　Heimo, the blacksmith, was waiting for me with the others.
　Heimo, the blacksmith, seemed to be waiting with the others. He angrily and cheerfully pointed at the huge pile of bones.

"Look at that!　It's amazing!
"Oh!　Are you here by any chance?
Yes, just as Master Nino had predicted.
There are no injuries at ....... Have you used enough medicine?
No, sir, not at all.

　It seems that they were able to take out the flock of assault birds without us.
　Despite my misgivings, the village chiefs seemed to have lived up to my expectations.

...... is great. Thank you for your hard work, everyone.
It's a great honor to receive such praise.

　I hurriedly stopped the village chief from kneeling down and bowing to me.
　That's a little too much, or maybe it's just knightly behavior.

　As I entered the square where the goblins were making merry, I could smell a good smell in the air.
　Immediately, a crowd of women gathered around and served me a bowl of delicious poultry soup.

It's been a long night. Please enjoy your meal, Master.
"It looks delicious. Thank you very much.

　I took a wooden spoonful and sipped it, feeling the warm lump fall down my throat and into my stomach.
　It was only seasoned with salt, but it was delicious and soothing to my exhausted body.

............ Shall we stay here today?

　There was little energy left in me to get up and walk away.
　If you think about it, you've already run two floors today.

　It seems that the village chiefs had always intended to do this, and we all decided to spend the night in the goblin village.
　Until we fell asleep, we discussed the events of the day over a pot.

　As we took out iron ore and other items, Heimo said he wanted to open a workshop in the labyrinth.
　Mr. Etan agreed to provide the charcoal and other materials.
　As the two discussed the best place to set up their workshop, the goblins who had been their apprentices laughed and joined in the discussion.

　They showed Karina and the others some new ingredients from the eighth floor, and the discussion began immediately with the women alone.
　They were happily suggesting various cooking methods.

　And as for the large amount of meat from the assault bird, when Etan suggested smoking it, Red Feather took an interest.

　The rest of the conversation is about the tenth floor.
　He was very interested in the fact that it was bigger than the fifth floor.
　Various opinions were exchanged, and in the end, the village head gave a passionate speech about the future of the village until late at night.



　And so the long day came to a slow end.