In simple terms, speedrun ended up being a failure. When we reached our destination, the portal that connects to the second floor was already open and we were unable to obtain the Portal Opening achievement. And I really thought this time it would work.
«How much slower were we than the previous team?»
«About ten minutes».
What, so long?
The time it took would have been considered a speedrun in the game. It felt like we were playing in the big leagues now.
But if it's ten minutes... it should be possible to shorten that distance in order to accelerate.
Once our speedrunning capabilities became more reliable, it was very important to get going and start accumulating free XP with each expedition. That was probably the reason why that dragon tribe woman had asked to work individually.
I wonder if his speedrun was a success.
The last member of our team was the dragon Ravien. That woman had only participated in the opening ceremony and had left without enjoying the banquet, and had even entered the labyrinth separately. Her logic was that traveling alone was several times faster and we were going to meet her on the sixth floor anyway.
Ugh, honestly, if it weren't for the marquis...
His thought process clearly indicated that something was wrong in his head. I felt the need to fix it for her, but unfortunately I failed due to the intervention of the marquis. Apparently, he had made some personal promise to her outside of our mission, so I had to respect her autonomy. Then he told me that he wouldn't stop me from trying to control her, but he asked me to refrain from using force. Simply put, she asked me not to hit her.
What is it, a princess?
Of course, I wasn't going to give up on getting control just because the most convenient way to do it wasn't within my reach. Correcting his attitude would also make things easier in the future. So I would do it, no matter what the cost.
[You have entered the Goblin Forest on the second floor.]
[You have entered the Pilgrim's Way on the third floor.]
[You have entered the Tower in Heaven on the fourth floor.]
Anyway, even without our group member, the search itself was not difficult, so we proceeded as planned without any problems. We headed straight to the fourth floor, the weather being nice. Starting from the Tower, where it was no longer possible to avoid battle, we improved our mutual understanding by practicing teamwork. As a result, we naturally end up having a lot of conversations.
«Hmm, so it's true that the three of them lived in the same house...»
There was some such personal chatter in the mix, but no one said anything that crossed the line. For example, if my relationship with Erwen was like the rumors said, or something about my relationship with the marquis, how people like us could have gone unnoticed all this time, etc. Old Didi was curious about these things from time to time, but the wizard Ashed cut him off before he could express his questions out loud.
«But by chance...»
«Miss Raines, I've been wondering something after watching some of your battles: can your clones use Auras too?».
«No, it's impossible».
«Really? From what I've seen, clones can use your other abilities. Since it is such a rare essence, this awakens my passion for learning».
At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but now I was sure. This wizard stepped forward every time Old Didi tried to bring up an awkward topic.
Such an intelligent man.
I didn't know why, maybe because I was a wizard and a man, but Riard Ashed kept reminding me of Dwalkie. Of course, unlike him, Ashed spoke softly, said everything she wanted to say, and had many more social skills. His temperament was also different. He was witty and much more mature. But for that...
"¿What's happening, Sr. Schuitz?"
«I wasn't looking.»
As I looked at him, a thought suddenly came to mind. Riol Warb Dwalkie... If that guy had had the opportunity to grow up, over time, would he have felt the same way about him?
***
[You have entered the Great Sea on the sixth floor.]
It was the eighteenth day of our trip to the labyrinth. With the exception of the Tower in the Sky, we were able to quickly cross the rest of the floors to reach Laemia, the Island of Beginnings, which was very quiet. It was to be expected. As our team ran to get here, how many other people could be here at this point in the expedition? There was a military exploration team made up of people with quick feet, some elites from large clans who were waiting for the arrival of the rest of their members, and other teams from our expedition who only greeted us with a look, attentive to the eyes around us.
Wow, two teams had arrived before us.
I expected it from the Dwarf Woman team since it was made up of veteran adventurers, but I didn't expect Paladin Jun to be faster than us too.
«...Ah, there it is.»
In any case, it was easy to find people since it was not very crowded. I quickly located the dragonian Ravien, the woman who was added to our team as part of my deal with the prime minister, and a business partner whose full name I had not yet heard.
«Rest here for a moment». After telling my team to wait, I approached the woman, who was sitting in a chair in the shade, staring blankly at the shore.
As I approached, Ravien spoke without even turning his head. «Day eighteen... you have arrived earlier than I expected».
But what...? Do you have eyes on the back of your neck?
«Are you sure I said that the meeting point is in the eastern region of the island?».
«The departure date is the twentieth, anyway. It seems that the other teams that arrived earlier are also resting nearby».
Well, that was true. In reality, he had no intention of scolding her for where she had settled. «When did you arrive?»
«Two days ago».
That meant that the sixteenth day had arrived. He traveled from the first to the sixth floor in almost fifteen days. Aside from being upset about having such an individualistic team member, he had to admit...
«...i see why you wanted to travel alone».
At that speed, she must have succeeded in speedrunning all floors. From this woman's perspective, it made sense not to enter the maze with us. If I had, I would have had to give up a whopping twelve free EXPs.
This will make it more difficult to persuade her.
My problems got worse. The thought of forcing her to travel with us all the time just because we were a team made me feel like a boomerang.
«Anyway, get up».
"¿Because"
«We couldn't talk in the city, since you were very busy».
«Alright.»
I didn't know what he was going to say if he told me he was going to stay here until the 20th. But, surprisingly, he willingly accepted my request and headed to the eastern part of the island, where the meeting point with me was.
«I'm glad to see you again. It's the first time we've seen each other since the opening ceremony, right?», Ashed said.
«I'm sorry. There was a situation within my tribe. I will try to spend as much time as possible in the city from now on».
«I appreciate it. Should we call her Miss Ravien from now on?»
«Clear. Address me as you feel comfortable, Mr. Ashed».
The conversation was more fluid than I expected.
«Can I call you Miss Ravien?» Knowing that dragonians aged differently than humans, old Didi's tone was cautious when asking this.
Ravien nodded coldly. «And you two? How should I address you?» He turned to Amelia and Erwen.
«Emily, Raines, whatever you want».
«I'll go with Miss Raines».
«Yo soy Tersia».
When Erwen drew a line in the sand, her tone cutting, Ravien looked at her strangely and smiled. «Very good, Miss Tersia».
Okay, now that we've figured out the names... But why do we only find out the names on the sixth floor? Can this really be considered a team?
Even with those questions in mind, I got straight to the point. «We worked on our teamwork in the city, and learned more from each other on the way here».
«I know where you want to go. You want to know more about me too, right?».
«We have to know who we trust to cover our backs».
«Okay.»
Ravien took out the sword on his hip and demonstrated some of his skills, explaining what role he could play in battle. It seemed like he was leaving out a few things, but this was a common practice for those in occupations besides magician, priest, and special ability user, so it was nothing new.
«So where should I stand when we're on the move?»
«In the rearguard».
«And during the battle?»
«Emily will take my left rear and you will take my right rear».
«It's standard.»
«We don't know each other well enough to do something complicated».
I guessed I had noticed a hint in my tone because Ravien giggled.
«Are you going to continue doing that?». asked.
«I haven't said anything bad, have I?».
Well, let's end our battle of wills here.
After that, the mage and special ability user also went through the process of helping Ravien understand their roles. It didn't take long, but it was frustrating to watch. Why do something twice when it could have been done just once in town? Perhaps individualism was synonymous with inefficiency.
«You're here.»
«We can't be fooling around on the beach when the commander is here, right?».
Soon, Akurava's teams and the paladin, who were resting on the coast, joined us at the meeting point in the eastern part of the island. More time passed, and then...
«Team three just arrived».
As the eastern part of the island was at a slightly higher altitude, we were able to see in real time the next of our squadron's teams enter the sixth floor. It was the team led by James Calla, the deputy commander of the Sierra Teeth Clan.
«They look like a disaster».
«I guess they went too far trying to go faster».
I understood his thought process. The meeting date was the 20th, but they probably thought that being the last team to arrive would be seen as indicative of their skill level. This was also a kind of battle of wills.
I hadn't realized that I was leading a Tang Dynasty army.
Healthy competition within the group? This was a good leadership tool, but it would only have a positive effect after we established unity. As things stood now, competing with each other would only lead to infighting.
How can I join them?
As I spent time thinking about things that all leaders were meant to contemplate, the day came to an end. Team Five, the team led by Kaislan the Knight, arrived at that moment.
«Damn...!» Although he had arrived two days ahead of schedule, he clenched his fists angrily as he realized that he was still last.
Huh, had this guy gotten out of control again?
«What are you doing there? Come sit here, quick».
«...O-Okay.» When I gestured to him, he jumped up and walked over. Getting angry like that only left wrinkles.
Tap, tap.
I patted Kaislan on the shoulder to cheer him up, and then used him to support my weight as I stood up. «I know we have two more days before the official departure date, but since everyone is already here, I see no reason to waste time».
«Oh wow, are we finally going to know what our missions will be now?».
«Oh, wouldn't it be better to leave others out of this discussion?»
«Okay, it's nothing we should hide. Also, it's not like they can leak the information to anyone else, considering everyone is constantly together.»
At my words, the other members of our squad, who were exchanging awkward glances nearby, approached the circle. Since they had my permission, they must have thought they could listen with more confidence.
«Now, tell us. What is our mission to keep it so secret? As a leader, you're the only one who knows the mission, right?». I could see Akurava's curious eyes through the flickering bonfire.
I really wish the dwarves wouldn't sit in the chairs. Look, I can't even see his face properly because of the bonfire. The fire isn't even that big. Anyway, that's not important.
«Ahem-hem.» Clearing my throat for the sake of my dignity as commander, I said: «Everyone has asked themselves this same thing before. If Noark is reaching the Dark Continent through portals, where are those portals opening?».
«Yeah. If they have been given a specific starting point like the Crystal Cave, they are surely using it as a base of operations».
«Did the palace finally find out where it is?»
«Yeah.» When I brought up the top secret information the marquis gave me, the group began to murmur. However, it was not yet the time to be surprised. «Our mission is to attack your fortress».
In military terms, we were a mobile strike force, attacking and destroying key enemy troops or bases while our main unit distracted them on the battlefield.
«...Um, there's one thing I don't understand. If that's our mission, why have we set such a tight schedule?».
«Could it be that we have to cross the Vengeful Spirit Canyon on our own?».
«That's ridiculous! Unless we join the main unit and travel together, we won't be able to cross that canyon with a single ship!»
Huh, I haven't even finished talking yet.
I assumed that another similarity to the Tang Dynasty military was that local news came to life every time I spoke a single word. Before the misunderstanding could get worse, I clarified. «We will not cross the Revenge Spirit Canyon».
«That? You said we would attack their base of operations in the Dark Continent, so...».
«This is your last warning. Stop cutting me.»
Ugh, now it's nice and quiet.
In the peaceful silence, I explained our mission in detail. «The Vengeful Spirit Cannon is not the only way to the Dark Continent».
«Ah! Could be...?»
Yeah, I figured they realized now. Why did they think we had met in the eastern part of the island in the first place?
«We headed to the Ice Rock in the east.»
The Goblin Forest, the Beast Lair, the Rock Desert, the Land of the Dead... Just as the four separate zones that made up the second floor were all connected to the Pilgrim's Path on the third, the Continent Dark was not the only area of the seventh.
«Afterwards, we will enter the Dark Continent through the eighth floor and attack them from behind when they let their guard down».
The mission was like a piece of cake... that was frozen. It was hard to swallow and sometimes it made your teeth numb.
«If someone doesn't understand it, let them talk».
There was no response.
«I'm glad there don't seem to be cowards here.»
Although there were going to be many moments where we questioned whether we really had to eat the cake like this, however, the end result would be sweet.