"Now—let's start the lecture right away. First day—so basics. You might already know this, but it's important. Review it like that. Today: the monsters explorers fight."
Combat with monsters is unavoidable in labyrinth exploration.
Knowing their traits versus not knowing drastically changes survival odds.
So this is essential.
"First—the premise: monsters attack humans. No clear reason, but the leading theory is they target the dense mana humans accumulate by breathing ambient mana."
Monsters don't attack other monster species.
Yet—they breathe too, so presumably hold dense mana internally.
This theory's popular—but many counterpoints exist. No conclusion.
"That's why monsters prioritize crowded areas. But that's not the only factor. Monsters don't target each other... but they target magic stones."
Another behavior contradicting the theory.
Once a monster dies and becomes a stone—they try to absorb it.
Priority is extremely high.
One or two stones change nothing—but many proportionally strengthen them.
"If a small group and a lone person carrying stones are separate—the monster usually goes for the stone carrier. Not always. They also attack anyone fighting back. Natural survival instinct."
That's why attackers must carefully avoid over-generating hate.
Mindless aggression isn't good positioning.
"Defenders often equip stones, right? They exploit this—dangling stones in front while attacking to draw hate and tank hits."
"Ah—I get it."
Sophia murmured in realization.
"What?"
"N-No—nothing..."
She blushed—shy.
Her personality—I understood.
Normally—fine to leave it.
But not here.
"Even if wrong—say it. Wrong means you learn the mistake. Right means everyone benefits from shared knowledge."
"Y-Yes... You're right. Um—during the guided expedition... before the serious fight with the black dragon... you put on a necklace with a magic stone, right? Was that... to draw the dragon's hate to you?"
"...Correct. Impressive you noticed in that situation."
Genuine praise.
Newbies should have panicked.
Yet she caught my casual action—and remembered.
During the orc swarm—she handled numbers at her limit.
Sophia's field of view might be wider than I thought.
"Sophie—amazing! You even noticed Master's little moves!"
"Th-Thank you..."
She flushed—embarrassed.
Good—build confidence gradually.
"Back to it. Monster behavior—as described. Some explorers carry tons of combat magic tools. Don't."
"Because tools need stones—so more stones draw more monsters?"
Logan asked.
"Exactly. Combat tools let you cast attack spells easily—convenient. But stones attract monsters. Carry many—you become a magnet. If bringing any—be selective."
"But—couldn't you just store them in an artifact?"
"Storage reduces attraction compared to holding them—but doesn't eliminate it. ...Imagine stones emit a scent only monsters detect. Storage muffles it—but some leaks. More stones—stronger pull."
"I see... I didn't know. Master really knows so much!"
Logan gazed with reverence.
...Really throws me off.
Unrelated—but first impressions matter a lot.
"...A-Anyway—I dabble in a lot. ...Ever heard: 'The longer you're in the labyrinth, the more monsters appear as time passes'?"
"Ah! Yeah! 'The labyrinth gets serious once explorers tire out'—that one!"
Less-informed explorers say it.
Even I thought that early on...
"That's the same reason. Longer dives—more stones in storage. More stones—more attraction. Encounter rate rises over time. Judge return timing by stone count—not clock."
Side note—my personal artifact suppresses stone "scent" better than standard ones.
Grandpa's head must be insane.
Can't decipher the sealed formula at all...