This is a big place...


　We entered the fifth labyrinth. First, we went down the stairs at the entrance, and there was a wide hall of sorts. But, however, everything was made up of ice and the cold air was visible. Of course, we're wearing anti-cold equipment, and we have some control over our own body temperature through alchemy (as opposed to strict body temperature regulation).


　And as the four of us stepped forward, the ground suddenly began to glow.


''........Nah!''


　The voices overlap. And at that moment, I recognized it. This was a transference alchemy formation built into the ground. It wasn't that I hadn't thought of this possibility at all. I had invoked the Absolute Realm 《Sanctuary》 and all of us were on alert against the trap. Leif and Marie had trudged through the Third Labyrinth, and I and Fee had trudged through the Sixth Labyrinth. Therefore, we were well aware of this kind of trap.


　But we didn't notice it until it was triggered. The lack of response in my Absolute Realm 《Sanctuary》.......comes down to one conclusion. This was magic, and that the Akashic Materia was used. And I felt my right eye begin to tingle as I took the hand of the human who was nearby in a moment's time.


　At that moment, Marie and I's eyes crossed. A momentary moment, really. But that was enough. I take Fee's hand. Marie had taken Rafe's hand. Me and Marie knew intuitively. This interference was due to magic, and this labyrinth....must be....


　And we were enveloped in a dazzling light.


　◇


Yikes!
Oops....


　I caught Fee falling from above without panicking. I was in the form of a princess hug, but it was unavoidable.

Are you okay?
Yes ... and yet ...


　A narrow road spreads out in your eyes. The fifth labyrinth is a labyrinth of ice. The fifth labyrinth was a labyrinth of ice. That wasn't a mistake, but it wasn't the essence of it. Looking back, the Fifth Labyrinth had extremely little information... but that was understandable when one looked at this phenomenon.


　The essence of the fifth labyrinth is that it has this structure that should be called a maze. In the first place, the word 'Labyrinth', meaning labyrinth, is derived from the word 'Labyrinth', a maze, a labyrinth. In other words, in the true sense of the word, this fifth labyrinth is a labyrinth at the same time.


　Our preconceptions may be frightening, but we seem to have forgotten the commonplace fact that labyrinths are mazes.


　This is an ice maze.

　The lack of information means that no one has ever entered this maze. The person who wandered in here must be dead. I can still smell fresh blood, albeit faintly.


'Fee, are you aware of this?
You mean... this maze?
That's right. The Fifth Maze is not a maze of ice. The maze must be the essence of it.
We'll just have to move on, won't we?
Yeah. You smell the blood?
Are you going?
We'll have to go.


　Fearfully, I try to move on. First I go straight ahead, turn right, then go further and turn left. Then beyond that I see ... the remains of a predatory human being.


　Its limbs were scattered, and what looked like internal organs were being dragged out and eaten.

　The name of that monster is the White Wolf.

　It is reported that it lives in cold regions, and although it is a carnivore, there are those that particularly like to eat humans. I'm sure this individual is one of them.


I'll take care of it.
Okay.


　A dozen or so white wolves turn to us when they spot me and Fee. They seem to think they have new prey, with lazy blood pouring from their mouths.


　Then they all come at us at once, but I swoop in and cleave my right hand.


!!!!!


　It's already a fireball as it rolls along with a scream. And the flames gain momentum, bringing everything to nothing. I set fire to the wreckage of the predator as well, and I meditate.


　Please, be at peace.


　While praying for that, I decided to put the current situation in perspective for now.


'Do you know where we are, Fee?'
''.........The flow of the First Pledge, Primamateria, is pretty bad. It's like it's being deliberately jammed.
''Well I feel the same way. But maybe with my eyes I can get a little more accurate.
Are you sure?　If you use it.
'I knew the day would come when I would come to terms with this eye. That's what it means now. Don't worry, as long as you don't spend a lot of time with it, you'll manage.


　I make up my mind and remove the eye patch from my right eye in one fell swoop.


'.........Elemental Eye [Decoding Site].


　It is the structure of this world that we see through. The elemental eye, the decoding site, is the ability to visualize the First Quality, the prima donor material. And the First Material, the prima donna, is the foundation of everything. Strictly speaking, the Akashic Materia is the foundation of the world, but I can even perceive it now.


　The structure of this floor is what you'll see as you stare at it. You can also see the presence or absence of living creatures and even the structure of the floor below. But now, instead of conquering this maze, we have to figure out how many layers it consists of.

　There are two, three, four...ten, twenty, thirty, forty-nine layers....

　That's where the access is suddenly cut off with a mumble. At the same time, I suppress the activation of my right eye's ability and put on the eye patch.



"Elle, there's blood...


　The blood pouring out of his right eye creates a ragged puddle on the ice. But now is not the time to worry about it.


'The fifth labyrinth consists of a total of fifty layers. The creature's reaction is that the only demons and humans are us, Marie and Leif. But we didn't have time to figure out the exact location of those guys. At best, we know that they are still on the same floor, that's all we know.
'You can see that much... it's really amazing, your eyes...'
"But excessive use is still quite taxing, apparently. The pain in my eyes and brain is uncommon... haha... haha...


　It's not just the blood, it's also the fat sweat that won't stop. It's a gut feeling. This is an ability that humans have gone too far. How it manifested itself in me I don't know, but I'm going to take advantage of it at best. I might even get used to it one day. Right now I'm rewriting my own code, which increases my aptitude for alchemy. If I need to, I'll just rewrite it again. Even if it takes me farther away from the humans I have some work to do.


　If it's possible that a tragedy like that sixth labyrinth could be happening in other labyrinths, I'm not cold enough to ignore it.

　Talents, abilities, are surely best used for situations like this. Of course, my ultimate goal is to make my way in the world as a farmer. But there's nothing I can do if that world is gone.


　What I have to do, I have to do.


　That's all that made up who I am today.


"Elle don't be rash.
Yeah, I'm sorry. But we're running out of time. We have food, and water can be managed by melting the ice and boiling it. Even if we think we're seriously going to survive in this labyrinth, we can manage for a month. But from that point onwards, you'll be facing death in the truest sense of the word. It's a scene where you have to be this reckless.
Well....of course.


　I'm by no means optimistic about the situation we're in. Rather, I think we're in a pretty bad situation. There's probably only one way out. The only way out is to capture this labyrinth. There is no other way.


　And that means capturing this labyrinth all at once, without any outside support or replenishment.


''Fee, let's go. We're running out of time.
Yeah.


　Me and Fee lined up and moved on.