World Strongest Rearguard – Labyrinth Country And Dungeon Seekers - Chapter 22
Translator: pinky onee-sama Editor: anirhapsodist
A Step in the Right Direction
“Senpai, are you okay?” Louisa’s junior repeatedly shook her senior who pa.s.sed out. She eventually came to, after a brief moment.
This senior who turned bright red as far as the ears from being told “I was worried about you, you know?”, showed me to a private room at the back. It was clearly different from the previous and the interior decors were totally different.There were a leather upholstered chair and a table of made of ebony-like material. It just makes me wonder where such trees could be taken.
After bringing a tea set filled with steaming herbal tea, Luisa sat on a seat across mine, then she began to speak after clearing her throat.
The “Named” orc, who recently appeared in the Plains of Dawn, was called “Yellow fang”. It got suppressed four months ago. The fanged orc’s body turns yellow when it gets excited. That surprised me much and not to mention, it seemed so popular during parties.”
“A demon attending a party?! Louissan, are you still unwell from being shaken? Enough that you’re saying peculiar things?”
“Huh? I’m sorry, I took charge of the guild drinking party this month and what I have thought of that orc was that it was very troublesome. The story was that its color and strength are different, but it is not much different in size from that of a normal fanged orc.”
It looks like that this is getting out of hand.Have I done something else that confused her recollections from the Juggernaut?
“Please compose yourself, Louissan. The named orc that appeared four months ago, is it the same as the Juggernaut?”
“T-that’s correct. Have I said anything strange? I’m very sorry if I did, but it was more muscular than I antic.i.p.ated.”
I am still confused. Is it some kind of abnormality? Maybe I need to explain a little bit more to calm her down?-But if I come in physical contact with her after I have explained everything, I’ll definitely place myself in an embarra.s.sing situation.
“Oh, I see, you’re right. As its name suggests, Yellow Fang is a yellow colored orc. It is said that when seekers defeat around 200 orcs in the second level, they appear to seek vengeance. It is a more powerful demon compared to the level 3 Redface. Last time it was spotted, we incurred 7 casualties. Then, a party of 16 people in proper formation finally subdued it.”
“That large number of people? That “Named” was also a brutal one, so I somehow understand But even so, I am convinced that the Juggernaut we defeated is a different individual.”
“It is as you said. “Named” can be categorized in two -The common ones, and those which rarely appear. As for the Juggernaut, it is a rare type of a named “Fanged Orc”. In our records, the last time it appeared was about three years ago. 11 named orcs were subdued soon after, but all those that appeared were “Yellow Fangs”.
Though I can’t fully comment on the subjugation statistics, I can confirm they were not insignificant. Because out of those thirteen encounters, two were juggernauts, I can deduce that the appearance rate results to 1:10 over a span of 3 years.
“This is just my personal opinion, but Bergen I don’t think that they’re the party who made the Juggernaut appear after killing 200 orcs. I’m certain their levels were low.”
“It was a separate party who made it appear. The named orc was way larger than a yellow fang, so we a.s.sembled 4 parties composed of 24 seekers. Sadly, they were annihilated. It is in the record that part of a surviving party that time was led by a seeker named Bergen. It was reported that he tried to desert the party he was in, so it was investigated in the guild. He gave us a testimony and said that they were just lucky to survive. Without sufficient evidence to indict him, the allegation against him was never proven.”
-It was beyond my imagination that he had such a deep root.
The Juggernaut couldn’t be defeated by 24 seekers. Bergen, together with two others, deserted. They did not return to the second level of the Plains of Dawn, and the Juggernaut which had been their target remained there without being subdued.
Being informed of Elysha’s arrival on the 8th-district, Bergen believed that he can use her to defeat the Juggernaut, so he took action. That’s how we arrived at that scene.
“So a “Named” can remain for a long period without being subjugated after they appear. And in some cases, there are a lot of sacrifices, even to the extent of collecting a large number of people just to defeat them.”
“You are right. Three of the 21 people that has fallen to the Juggernaut has turned demi-human. They became “Orc Man” in the later. They are currently placed at the mercenary guild. The other 18 seekers, however”
What happens to seekers when they fall to demons hands? I am curious, but the reality is so frightening. If not turning demi-human, you’ll end up dead.
“If a seeker manages to take down a “Named”, he is awarded the bounty. However, if the bounty is made public, some people will hunt them by using devious schemes like luring a party, thus making them the poor target of that “Named”. Hence, we do not publicize the bounty on bulletin boards so as not to invite a perverse pa.s.sion for mischief. In sharing you this, I should have taken into consideration your safety by informing you that the Juggernaut is yet to be subjugated Also, it is difficult for the guild to maintain order considering the various conducts it oversees. Although it’s difficult to be in charge of many things, it does not mean that we don’t care about your safety. Furthermore, we don’t know what kind of information is valuable when facing a “Named” of that level. We barely understand them.”
“If you say so, then I would be at ease as long as I’m safe. Really I’m grateful”
Louisa wipes the tears she shed that showed her relief knowing that we were all safe. She was aware about the horrors the Juggernaut had brought to the guild and though still recovering and seemly delicate, her behavior was genuine.
As Louisa took out her monocle, her shyness paints a faint red across her face, and she prepares to receive the logs from my license.
“Well then, allow me to check your activity logs in the labyrinth.”
“Please go ahead, thank you.”
Seeker’s Accomplishment
10 points awarded for reaching the Plains of Dawn – 2F.
20 points awarded to “Arihito” for reaching level 3.
10 points awarded when “Kyouka” reached level 2.
10 points awarded when “Suzuna” reached level 2.
75 points awarded for defeating 15 “Watadama”.
64 points awarded for defeating 8 “Dokuyaribachi”.
230 points awarded for defeating 23 “Fanged Orc”.
800 points awarded for subjugating “Juggernaut”.
Reliability of Theresa has increased. 50 points awarded.
Reliability of Kyouka has increased. 50 points awarded.
Reliability of Suzuna has increased. 10 points awarded.
Reliability of Elysha has increased. 50 points awarded.
30 points awarded for rescuing another party.
100 points awarded for rescuing “Misaki”.
90 points awarded for the capture of 3 criminals.
50 points awarded for obtaining “Black treasure chest”.
Seeker’s Contribution Points1649
8th-District Rank: 2
(Ah, three people leveled up. Even though Elysha was in the party, is the experience value we got from the Juggernaut really that huge?)
However, the rising difficulty in the labyrinths poses a great challenge so it might be best to match our levels soon and attain efficiency. Moreover, the efficiency of hunting only improves when I use my skills on the party. -To be honest, it’s quite annoying.
“Oh A Three-digit contribution is great and all, but if it was me, I won’t be able to go up 4 digits in just a couple days ”
With a blus.h.i.+ng face, Louisa got all enthusiastic as she clasped her monocle close to her chest.
Apparently, reliability gets carried over as part of contribution points. The limit seems to be 50 in a single exploration. I have also found out that activating “Support Attack” once, gives a contribution of 10 points. Suzuna’s health was not reduced, so “Support Recovery” has not been recorded.
“1,649, they’re outstanding numbers. In the total contributions, you came second in rank. 1,660 is the record for the 1st place party. A ma.s.sive outbreak of demons took place during that time, so they were able to hunt an insane number of watadama. For Atobe’s case however, you have exceeded 1,000 because you have managed to subjugate the Juggernaut”
“With this, you are now qualified to be promoted as a two-star seeker.”
“Congratulations! Will you purchase the remaining number of copper tickets today? The Juggernauts prize money is 100 gold coins, so you can get them exchanged.”
I have thought that it would be more tedious, but defeating the Juggernaut achieved our goal much faster than I had antic.i.p.ated.
“Since there are 8 remaining tickets with me, for the other 92, please let me purchase them for 276 silver coins.”
“Understood. With this, you can now take in Theresa as your companion. She is a demi-human, so you can have her in your party for as long as you want. But if you so choose to dismiss her, you’ll have to return her to the mercenary guild.”
“It’s okay. She happens to have an irreplaceable role in our party It might be near impossible, but ever since I met her, I have always wanted for her to revert as human.”
“It’s not going to be easy. But if it’s Atobe-sama, then maybe Anyway, I have heard that it should be possible if you go back and forth in the 4th-district by entering and exiting the Great Sanctuary. If you acc.u.mulate enough achievements, your wish will be a reality within a few months.”
(The Great Sanctuary in the 4th-district Now this is some intriguing development!)
Depending on the district, there may be some major facilities in the country. And as a country, a governing body will naturally exist – I would like to know more but would that be so much to inquire at this time?
“Louisa, excuse me, but I have another question. Is this country governed by a King?”
“No, the founding families have long been banished from the 1st-district. Now, it is the G.o.d of the Great Sanctuary who has the real power and it includes us, your mentors at the guild.”
“Hmm So we are exploring because it is by the intention of the country? That means that you have no choice but to become a seeker, right?”
“Yes. As you may have noticed, the labyrinths in this country are all located in a distinctive spot somewhere in this world. The only entrance is the gathering point for reincarnated people near the country’s wall But I am not in a position to know why it has been decided like that.”
In other words, there are various types of labyrinths, not just plains. The required skills and equipment will also change, and unless the seekers adapt themselves flexibly to the labyrinth’s environment, they could be stuck.
To do away with that, a party with lots of members is needed. Five or six people in a party should be the most effective to adopt that flexibility. If there are no restrictions on the number of people to support, then in some cases, having more than ten people could readily challenge a formidable enemy.
“Thank you for telling me lots of things. Louissan, lets change the topic. How about our rankings?”
“Each’s contribution points are calculated separately, but that depends on one’s role in the party. Atobe-sama is in the 8th-district it’s amazing, 2nd place A single digit. Igaras.h.i.+-san is in 438th place, Suzunsan is the 435th place, and Elyshsan is 115th place in the 5th-district of around 12,000 people. Congratulations, you can now change your accommodations to a “Royal Suite”. There are preparations needed though, so it won’t be ready until tomorrow.”
Royal suite – that is more s.p.a.cious than a suite. If that’s the case, then Igaras.h.i.+-san, Theresa and I, the three of us can live without any problems.
Igaras.h.i.+-san also jumped up the ranking with these contribution points. In other words, the possibility of her staying at a stable is gone. It is no longer necessary for her to stay at my house.
(You even told us that you were going to make a bentoI hope that you can find time to cook, even if we have to live separately Yesterday night was just an exception, so I won’t expect it to be the same every time.)
” Atobe-sama, would you rather choose to remain in your present accommodations?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it. I will go to see the new room tomorrow, so please allow me to change rooms if I find it suitable.”
“Certainly, I will then request an appointment to the landlord so that you can check the place in private. Also, with regards to unlocking this “Black Treasure Chest”, you would need to remove its existing trap. I will introduce you to a skillful “Box Maker.”
“Box Maker? Is there a specialty shop for removing the traps on treasure chests?”
“Yes. Because the job called “Trap Master” hardly fails in unlocking a box. Only in an unlikely event that it would be difficult to open a treasure chest. There are several valuables inside there, no doubt. So it’s worth it to be safely opened, even if you pay a fee.”
I was able to purchase tickets. I was able to confirm the rankings and I also had a recommendation to a “Box Maker”.
I really have been indebted to a lot of people now, and I also want to convey my grat.i.tude towards Louissan for being in charge of me, one way or another. I know that may be extremely difficult, but I hope she allows me to invite her to a celebration party.
“Thank you for everything. Thank so much. Louissan, until what time are you working today?”
“The guild is open till late, but I will not be on s.h.i.+ft. I will be out soon.”
“Uhm If it’s okay, would you like to have dinner with us, I’m sorry to invite you so suddenly, but I would really appreciate it if you join me.”
“Well I guess it’s okay? If you don’t mind, Atobe-sama, I would certainly love to partake in this opportunity with you.”
-At this moment, I just really wanted to share with Louissan this feeling of accomplishment for a job well done.
Adults will drink alcohol to a certain extent, but Suzuna, Misaki, Elysha are still minors. Let’s just visit the tavern
What changes will happen to Igaras.h.i.+-san when she gets drunk and how does Luisa act when she gets sick? It never occurred to me what would happen if it would actually turn out that way.
