Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 330

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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330. Preparation for Strategy

[You have defeated a formidable enemy. The probability of getting a dud from the limited shop roulette has decreased.]

Serena, freed from the rope, rubbed the parts where the rope had bound her.

‘Did the probability decrease a bit?’

Just in case, she checked the limited shop roulette, but there was still a large area of duds.

The Princess resolutely closed the gambling window.

“Yes! The subspace bag is mine, Olive!”

“Wait. The inner mouth skin of the Treasure Box Maw is precious material. Collect that first.”

The Treasure Box Maw was burned like it had been cooked on an electric grill, charred to the bone. However, the inside of its mouth, with high resistance to various attributes and physical defense, remained as fresh and moist as when it was alive.

“Cut it out as large as possible if you can. No, if you cut there it’ll be a waste!”

“If you’re dissatisfied, Count, do it yourself.”

Though Olive grumbled with her mouth, she diligently carved out the Maw’s mouth as Count Randy instructed.

After carving out the mouth from the Treasure Box Maw, whose mouth was everything, an unsightly torso remained.

Ralph found the truly small and pitiful Maw torso compared to its giant mouth fascinating, poking it here and there.

The charred exterior crumbled away, revealing white cooked Maw flesh.

Ralph’s eyes sparkled brightly as he looked at the white fish meat with steam rising from it.

“Can we eat it?”

“I’ve never eaten it.”

Even experienced Olive shook her head vigorously, saying she had no experience eating Treasure Box Maw.

“It’s dangerous, so it would be better not to touch it, Count Hanson. The habitat environment isn’t good either.”

“Ah, that’s true. I just saw the well-cooked fish meat and felt it was a waste without thinking.”

‘Hmm. My magic proficiency has increased. When I used it on the Lizardman, the outside burned but the inside didn’t cook, so it was blood red. This time the outside burned and the inside burned too, but there are still parts that cooked without burning.’

She was still far from achieving the perfect balance of crispy outside and tender inside, but she was gradually improving. Serena felt proud by herself.

The Alchemist stored the Maw mouth that the Guide had carved out in the subspace bag.

Olive opened her mouth wide and caressed the magic-grade treasure chest that the Maw had been carrying in its mouth.

Her touch was so tender that it seemed even her ex-lovers, abandoned by the wilderness winds, couldn’t forget that touch and still showed lingering attachment.

“Everyone knows what’s in here. I’m opening it~”

“Seven.”

Olive cleanly washed her hands stained with Maw blood, then respectfully opened the treasure chest with both hands.

Inside the magic-grade treasure chest was indeed a bag. Olive lifted the bag high up like a monkey celebrating the birth of a young lion.

“Subspace bag! You’re mine!”

“It might be a magic bag with other functions, so show it to me.”

“Aw, Count. What if you jinx it by saying negative things?”

Serena recited the contract conditions to Olive, who was clearly mistaken about something.

“Also, this bag doesn’t belong to you alone but to everyone. Since it was discovered while with the 2nd Group strategy team, remember that shares must be distributed to them as well.”

“What! Share with those kids too?”

Olive jumped as if hearing this for the first time.

“Even excluding Grey, the Hana siblings are my labyrinth strategy team following my orders. According to the contract, we naturally must share.”

“Ah~ If I had known this would happen, I should have suggested going with just the sewer experienced people! I was blinded by the thought of knocking down that old brat!”

The Guide, who had lost future great profits by chasing immediate pleasure, writhed in agony.

Normally she would have lain down and cleaned the floor, but she didn’t because it was the sewers.

“Knock down?”

Count Alpha was very displeased, perhaps misunderstanding due to his hometown’s promiscuous culture and Olive’s usual behavior.

Fortunately, Count Randy noticed faster than usual since it involved someone he was close to.

“Don’t misunderstand. She really means to make him fall down.”

“Kyahaha! That annoying old brat! I dunked him in the sewage three times!”

Olive laughed wickedly as if dunking a child in sewage was something to be greatly proud of.

‘Well done, Olive!’

Serena lavished praise inwardly. She really regretted not being able to see it directly.

Unlike the two adults with twisted personalities, Count Alpha, who had an upright character, was displeased again. Ralph also wrinkled his taut, wrinkle-free skin.

“You bullied a child?”

“Count Alpha is right. That’s too much.”

“Ah~ I can’t hear, I can’t hear~”

“Don’t worry too much, both of you. Is Grey the type to endure bullying? He’ll get his revenge on his own.”

“Count. Gray Young Master is a genius mage, but compared to Miss Olive, he’s too young and weak. Even if you’re not blood-related, I didn’t expect you to react so coldly.”

“I agree. If you raise a boy too harshly just because he’s male, he might go astray. Whether boy or girl, children are the weak and should be protected and cared for.”

For the crime of speaking correctly, Count Randy earned the title of heartless guardian.

Olive, who had been feeling satisfied remembering dunking the old brat in sewage, saw the Count’s wronged expression and burst into laughter again, holding her stomach.

“Puhahahaha!”

“Miss Olive! You shouldn’t laugh! Miss Olive who did the bullying is the worst!”

“Even if you have complaints about the child, protest to the guardian.”

“Hehe hehe. I, I’m dying. It’s so funny, I’m dying.”

Instead of rolling on the floor, Olive grabbed the Archer standing in proper posture and shook him.

The Young Knight looked at the Princess with upright, straight eyes filled with wind.

Don’t bully Grey.

He seemed to hope the Princess would scold the Guide sternly. Serena opened her mouth to protect the Young Knight’s innocence.

“Olive. Leave Grey’s discipline to Countess Randy.”

“Puhahaha! That, that’s good! I won’t touch him!”

Ralph and Count Alpha were satisfied that Olive promised to keep her hands off Grey and leave discipline to his guardian. Olive was also greatly satisfied.

The old brat would prefer being dunked in sewage five times rather than having his cheek pinched by Philia, but what could be done.

‘If he doesn’t like it, he can quit acting.’

Those who lie must take responsibility. Even if it’s unfair. The Alchemist, who had been concentrating on appraising the magic tool despite feeling wronged, announced the results.

“Ahem. This is indeed a subspace bag. The capacity is smaller than mine, but it’s usable.”

“Good. Let’s give this to the 2nd Group strategy team normally, and when the Count is too busy to participate in strategies like now, we’ll use it.”

“Sigh. Can’t be helped~ Got it.”

“Truly a wise decision.”

Unlike the 1st Group, which could use teleportation rooms because Serena was there, the 2nd Group had to use stairs and shortcuts to reach target layers.

As the layers got deeper, survival probability changed from lottery-level to dice-throwing level depending on whether they had a subspace bag, so Olive easily gave up the bag.

They had achieved their purpose for returning to the filthy sewers.

Heuji’s Labyrinth 1st Group strategy team returned triumphantly to the lobby. People in the lobby covered their noses and welcomed their safe return.

***

After that, the Alchemist continued to focus on crafting armor.

Meanwhile, Serena moved busily as a reaction to filling her princess power. First, she mined magic stones on the 3rd Layer.

Every time she used the pickaxe to mine magic stones attached to rocks, she felt like her barely filled princess power was being scraped away, but she endured it thinking of the daughter she had raised in the game in her previous life.

‘Even working part-time in a mine, you can still be a princess! And I was born a princess!’

Though guilt about the non-existent data lump daughter sometimes surged up, she endured this too.

‘It’s all because the King gives too little pension! How can you give a hero just a tiny pension without even one territory! I’ll give territories to national heroes!’

If there were no territories to give, she would at least provide a pension large enough not to worry about children’s private education costs.

If there was a hero coming to break through the blocked labyrinth entrance and rescue them right now, Serena was prepared to pay a pension even if it meant selling her assets.

“Hey! You’re not concentrating!”

Grey, who had filled his quota, stuck right next to Serena and chattered.

He noticed like a ghost whenever her concentration wavered, which was maddening.

‘Ugh, annoying. It’s strangely more annoying because he’s nagging after finishing his own work.’

Since he was already annoying, it would be nice if he played a flat villain role who neglected his own work to harass others, but this damn old brat had a really complex character.

Just look at now. Wasn’t he happily harassing Serena because Philia wasn’t there?

“How is the great mystery lately? Does it seem to be showing interest?”

“I’m not sure lately.”

“Haah.”

Grey let out a sigh so deep it seemed to sink into the mining site floor.

Serena felt like she had become a sibling who suffered every time she sighed.

“Since Your Highness’s learning is lacking, even the great wisdom doesn’t take notice. You should work harder before magic’s interest wanes.”

Grey struck Serena with his specialty – words that were annoyingly correct. Serena imagined poking the insufferable Grand Mage’s head with a pickaxe.

“And what about you.”

“I always train diligently, giving my absolute best.”

Serena shook her head. While shaking it, she stretched her shoulders and neck.

“I mean self-defense training, not magic. I believe Count Alpha and Count Ralph said they would teach you self-defense – what happened with that?”

The two knights had stepped forward to teach self-defense, perhaps worried that the old man might be oppressed by the Guide.

But somehow, after one lesson, things had been quiet since then.

“When I showed them the self-defense techniques my father taught me, they said I didn’t need to learn anything new.”

Ash-colored hair and gray eyes. Pale skin from spending more time indoors than outdoors.

A beautiful boy with a cool, intellectual impression who seemed to suit glasses and books well, whose main habitat would likely be a library, shrugged his shoulders.

Serena looked at Ralph to confirm the truth. Ralph nodded in affirmation.

“Yes! Gray Young Master’s physical techniques are excellent! Though he lacks muscle strength, he’s working hard on exercise, so Count Alpha and I have nothing to help him with!”

‘Tch.’

The Empire’s Grand Mage was indeed a superhuman who combined literary and martial arts as he claimed. His lack of flaws made him even more detestable.

‘Well, I suppose. Count Randy’s excellent basic fitness and survival skills are all thanks to this guy.’

Without the Empire Grand Mage’s keen insight(?), Count Randy would have remained in the lobby making potions with alchemist-level stamina and survival skills, unable to join the attack team.

‘Hm? That might have been happier for Count Randy though?’

Instead, the attack team would have been unable to borrow the alchemist’s knowledge and various tools, making the conquest much more difficult than now.

Serena ultimately had the same regret she always had since falling into the labyrinth.

‘I should have studied magic harder!’

“The studying you do as a child may be burdensome and difficult at the time, but it all helps later. How could you, with that talent- blah blah yammer yammer chatter chatter.”

‘I should have learned physical techniques. Then I could have broken the old man’s neck with joint locks.’

The Princess truly regretted it.

***

Finally, the day came for Serena’s liberation from the Empire’s old-fashioned lecturer. The Alchemist had finished crafting the equipment.

“There are still some lacking parts, but I think we can supplement them while observing the labyrinth environment. We have plenty of materials.”

Count Randy smiled contentedly looking at the remaining abundance of Great King Labyrinth Worm leather.

Serena marveled as she put on the new clothes. She had imagined something like leather armor when he said he was making defensive gear, but what came out was leather clothing.

‘Even though I watched him make it, I can’t tell it’s worm leather.’

The leather pants made from worm leather had excellent comfort. They were excellent equipment with high resistance to all attributes except electricity and good physical defense as well.

“It really feels reassuring wearing it under my armor!”

“Thank you so much.”

Count Alpha, armed with expensive Empire-made armor, also seemed to find the new leather clothing reassuring.

“Oh, this is similar to the equipment I used to wear?”

Olive, who frequented the labyrinth depths, also gave the worm leather clothing a generous evaluation.

“Good! Now that we have new clothes, let’s go conquer the 12th Layer! Yo!”

“It’s not the 50th Floor yet, but it’s no exaggeration to say it’s depths-level difficulty. Please be careful.”

“Ah, that was my line but the Black Knight stole it!”

The Guide and Imperial Knight headed toward the teleportation room. Serena praised the Alchemist’s hard work while worrying.

“Are you really sure you don’t need more rest?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Serena nodded and touched the deity statue while pretending to pray.

‘I wonder what kind of place the 12th Layer will be.’

Originally, the labyrinth depths start from the 50th Floor. But Heuji’s Labyrinth is a whopping Grade 10 labyrinth.

From the 40th Floor, it already gave off a depths atmosphere. The 12th Layer at the 46th Floor would certainly start with openly depths-level difficulty.

Serena’s heart beat rapidly with fear of the unknown. Serena earnestly tried to calm her excitement by reminding herself.

‘It would be scary to go without preparation, but I prepared hard. I didn’t skip magic training, and I got new defensive gear. Ralph has a new shield too. It’ll be okay.’

It wasn’t just Serena who was nervous – Olive walking down the stairs was also quiet.

The Guide, who always walked ahead of the group, shared what she could see before descending the last stairs to the 46th Floor.

“There’s a really big wall. Yo. It looks like we need to go inside there.”

Olive couldn’t finish her words and disappeared. It wasn’t just Olive who disappeared.

The presence of Count Randy, who had been walking right behind Serena, vanished, and Ralph who had been in front was gone too.

‘Crazy.’

Moreover, Serena’s location had changed.

She had definitely been going down stairs, but suddenly dirty, blackened stone walls came into view.

All these changes occurred the moment the Guide set foot on the 46th Floor.

‘This crazy! Again?’

Serena clutched her head in anguish.

‘Another party random teleportation layer! The difficulty is too much!’

The Princess screamed silently.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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