Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 72

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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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72. Perfect Clear

She thought she had slept for about 10 seconds, but a whole day had passed.

Serena tried to get up but gave up because her entire body hurt too much.

Her muscles and joints naturally ached, and whether from stress or fatigue, her one remaining eye throbbed painfully.

Her mouth was parched and rough, tasting of blood. Even her internal organs hurt.

The only part of Serena’s body that didn’t hurt was her left eye.

Which meant everywhere else hurt without exception.

‘Is this hell?’

After seven forced mountain climbs and climbing a thousand stairs, hell awaited at the end.

“Princess, if you’re awake, please move the hot spring location. It’s inconvenient having it in the center.”

When Serena turned her head with all her might, Olive was removing the wooden partition she had set up around the hot spring.

‘When did she build that?’

“We’re short on lumber, *cough*.”

Philia immediately brought water with lemon slices floating in it.

After moistening her throat, Serena moved the hot spring to a corner of the lobby.

“We used wood we collected from the 3rd Layer nest. Once you feel better, Serena, I’d like to bring a cart to collect more.”

“Ahem, do that.”

Serena lay back down.

Her entire body ached as if the pain from falling to her death was being maintained.

Her joints and muscles hurt so much she couldn’t move at all.

Just turning her head slightly almost caused cramps in her shoulders, neck, and chest.

She barely managed to calm them down, but with her entire body ready to cramp up, lying still was the best option.

‘First lobby expansion was 1 coin, second was 2 coins. Fruit tree was 10 coins and hot spring was 1 coin.’

Serena had used 14 shop coins yesterday. Now she had 3 shop coins remaining.

‘Let’s save these.’

If she collected just 2 more coins, she could purchase the Alchemist’s Workshop.

It came with cauldrons and furnaces for potion making, plus storage containers for materials.

The fact that materials in the storage containers wouldn’t spoil particularly captured Serena’s heart.

‘Count’s subspace bag still has time flowing slowly inside. The bag capacity is limited too, and having Count Randy make potions is better in both quality and quantity than getting them from treasure chests.’

The problem was herbs for potion ingredients. The herb garden, part of which was being used as a restroom, was more like a weed patch than an actual herb garden.

They were only stubbornly insisting they were edible vegetables since they wouldn’t kill you, and herbs since they had a tiny bit of medicinal effect.

‘Are there no herb gardens on other floors?’

Even if not on the 2nd Floor, the vast 3rd Layer seemed likely to have something like herb gardens or quarries.

‘I think I saw that bat droppings were useful as guano or something. If I collect that and spread it on the herb garden, maybe things will grow better.’

While pondering potion ingredient supply with her left eye open, Serena saw something new instead of notification windows, gacha windows, or spinning wheels.

‘1st Floor map?’

A floor plan of the 1st Floor unfolded in Serena’s left eye. She wondered why it was suddenly showing this, but then the herb garden, bread tree, fruit tree, fountain, bonfire, and hot spring began sparkling with lights.

[Tip. Facilities on perfectly cleared layers can be upgraded.]

[Upgrade available.]

Upgrading the herb garden would reduce the proportion of weeds and increase the probability of better herbs growing.

The cooldown remained 7 days, but with a second upgrade, the cooldown would decrease by one day.

‘This is obviously necessary.’

Upgrading the bread tree would increase the number of breads growing on the tree and diversify the types.

Like the herb garden, the bread tree’s cooldown would only decrease by one day after a second upgrade. The fruit tree was similar.

‘The bread seems fine for now.’

The bread wasn’t small loaves eaten one per meal, but meal-sized bread as big as Ralph’s helmet or a newborn baby, so there was enough to build up reserves.

The fruit was also purchased due to nutritional deficiency, so the current amount was sufficient.

The fountain, when fully upgraded, evolved into a fountain that spouted holy water.

It could also change water to alcohol midway. But the number of coins required to reach that point was considerable.

‘It needs 10 upgrades and requires 1000 shop coins for the final upgrade? Let’s give up.’

The bonfire and hot spring were similar. The final evolution showed sacred fire or holy water hot spring, but it was better to dismiss them as fantasies.

‘Let’s upgrade the herb garden.’

Serena spent 1 coin to upgrade the herb garden. This eased her worries about potion ingredients a little.

‘Just need to find three more stairs. Then I’ll buy the workshop first.’

The dark 4th Layer where undead appeared.

Would it be harder or easier than the 3rd Layer, whose difficulty increased due to the dud?

Lavenda and Philia stayed close to the princess who couldn’t move while lying down, gently massaging her body.

Olive picked watermelons from the tree as she had wished, split them, and distributed them to the party.

Count Randy cut the watermelon into bite-sized pieces for his beloved wife, removed the seeds, and brought them right to her lips.

Philia received the watermelon and gave it to Serena first, then readily accepted and ate the subsequent watermelons without refusing.

“Wow, so sweet. Really sweet. Be happy.”

Ralph removed seeds and collected them in one place. Seeds and stems from other fruits they had eaten were also gathered there. Something about planting them in the herb garden.

“While Serena recovers, we plan to explore the 2nd Layer.”

“We barely explored the 2nd Layer. We want to search around for treasure chests and see if there’s anything useful.”

When the alchemist and guide reported their exploration plan, the princess approved.

“If possible, we’ll try to perfectly clear it like the 1st Floor.”

“But is perfect clearing good? I don’t understand how it’s different from regular clearing.”

Lavenda, who was diligently loosening the princess’s muscles, was curious. Olive spat watermelon seeds into the bowl where Ralph had collected seeds while answering.

“If Miss Potpourri is curious, I should tell you right away! There’s a big difference between regular clearing and perfect clearing. Perfectly cleared floors have much slower monster respawn rates. In Bieta’s Labyrinth, monsters appear maybe once every two years?”

“Yes. About once every two years, they don’t accept tourists and guards inspect the traps. I heard they capture and breed any Labyrinth Rats that appear.”

The Labyrinth Rats that served as the party’s daily protein in Heuji were apparently living plump lives running on wheels in Vieta.

Even Labyrinth Rats’ lives were random draws.

“Since this 1st Floor is perfectly cleared, we can travel comfortably now. Traps won’t activate and no Labyrinth Rats will appear.”

No more Labyrinth Rats that had been responsible for the party’s animal protein.

What would they eat when the jerky made from rat meat, frogs, bats, and condor meat stored with ice in buckets ran out?

Philia turned pale thinking about the monsters that appeared on the 2nd Layer, the most accessible from the 1st Floor.

“I hate spiders!”

“Unfortunately for the Countess, we’re going to the 2nd Layer, so the only meat we can bring back is spider!”

“No, I hate spiders! Serena! Next time, please ask God for a tree that grows meat! Please?”

‘If I upgrade the fountain to produce alcohol and buy a meat-growing tree, that would complete a land of wine and meat.’

Lavenda, watching Philia’s reaction, realized something.

“Perfect clearing isn’t necessarily good.”

“Miss Potpourri got it exactly right! It varies by labyrinth, but for labyrinths where monster byproducts are the main source of income, it’s better not to perfectly clear them.”

Listening to Olive’s explanation raised additional questions, so this time Serena spoke up.

“I know that defeating floor bosses means you’ve ‘cleared’ that floor. That’s all I know, but how do regular clearing and perfect clearing differ?”

“Oh, that’s… what do the educated people call it.”

“Exploration progress.”

When Grey suddenly spoke, Olive snapped her fingers as if that was exactly it.

“That’s it! When the exploration progress of a floor or layer exceeds 90 percent, it’s called a perfect clear. Since the labyrinth judges this, people can’t easily tell, so it’s roughly around that much?”

“Then why do they say you’ve cleared it when you defeat the floor boss?”

“Defeating the floor boss fills at least half the progress. Things that help with clearing, like stairs to the next floor or floor bosses, fill a lot of progress. Going further, when you complete the map to that level, you’ve perfectly cleared that floor!”

Thinking of it like revealing dungeon maps in games made it easy to understand.

Others who were novices to labyrinths also seemed to understand immediately, finding it easier than space-time explanations.

“But even filling just half the progress slightly reduces that floor’s monster and trap restoration rate~ So Labyrinth Explorers are broadly divided into two types.”

The talkative guide pointed to herself and the taciturn archer.

“Zero and I are clearers. Since defeating boss monsters makes exploring that floor easier, we quickly progress to the labyrinth’s depths while investigating the labyrinth and opening paths. Then there are explorers. These guys come into floors that clearers have opened and thoroughly search them to raise exploration progress.”

Olive put the hollowed-out watermelon half she had scooped out to make fruit punch on her head like a crown and showed off.

“Exploration is what beginners do. True Labyrinth Explorers should be clearers challenging unknown floors no one has ever been to. Like explorers taking their sweet time searching labyrinths saying they’ll find all the secret doors too~”

The guide declared proudly.

“It’ll probably take a week for the Princess to recover, so I’ll thoroughly search the 2nd Layer during that time! Just trust this Olive!”

“Speaking of which, Sister Olive.”

“Yeah~ Young Master. What is it?”

“I picked up these stone tablet fragments while wandering around the 1st Floor.”

Grey showed her the broken stone tablet pieces. Olive immediately acted like she knew about them.

“These are the kind you pick up when there’s really nothing valuable and sell to the Empire.”

“Yes, I know. Grandfather is the main buyer. Anyway, if you find stone tablets, please bring them back or copy the patterns. All patterns on doors, walls, ceilings, floors – everything.”

“Eh. That’s annoying.”

“Since you’re going to search thoroughly anyway, think of it as a side job. I’ll match the compensation to the reputation of Winds of the Wilderness.”

“I don’t~ work without advance payment~”

“Uncle!”

“Here I am.”

The alchemist opened his wallet at his nephew’s request. Once again, it was an amount she couldn’t refuse.

“Why ask me when you could just have Uncle do it?”

“Uncle has terrible handwriting.”

Grey showed Count Randy’s notebook as evidence.

Letters more illegible than the patterns carved on stone tablets were scrawled messily across the pages.

“My handwriting isn’t pretty either, but the Count’s is seriously bad. Got it.”

Olive immediately understood and pocketed the advance payment.

“But you know these aren’t letters, right? If you’re going to waste effort trying to read them, you can do that after leaving the Labyrinth.”

“There are strange patterns carved all over the Labyrinth. Those are all hints to help conquer each layer. What’s carved on the stone tablets are hints for solving codes.”

“They’re all codes? Then what about the ones that were sometimes written in plain text?”

“That would be the Labyrinth’s kindness for those with intelligence like Sister Olive’s, who can’t recognize codes even when looking at them.”

Olive’s eyes sharpened. Grey didn’t care.

“Or it might be intended to disrupt the unity of those conquering the Labyrinth. Usually those easy-to-understand clues are mostly conditions for unsealing Sealed Doors. Most of the content is unethical. Though there are actually other conditions too.”

As if something came to mind, Olive fumbled through her memories and spoke hesitantly.

“Now that you mention it… most of the content was dirty. Things like lying to someone precious, or even experiences of killing family members…”

“Yes. Sealed Door unsealing conditions usually have five or more requirements, but they deliberately only reveal those kinds of conditions. Sinister, right? The first condition is even always the same.”

The first condition among all Sealed Door unsealing requirements is identical? Olive’s round eyes widened.

“What is it?”

“That’s something Grandfather spent his lifetime researching to discover, so I can’t tell you.”

Grey narrowed his eyes and smiled smugly.

“Who knows? If Sister Olive performs my request sincerely without deceiving me, I might tell you.”

“Haha, look at this Young Master.”

“Hahaha.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Hahahahaha.”

The childish power struggle between the two ended when Ying finished checking her bowstring and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“Zero! Let’s go together!”

“My lady, I’ll be back.”

“You must return safely.”

“Uncle, have a safe trip!”

“Mm.”

“I’ll be going as well.”

“Sir Ralph, please be careful too.”

“Yes!”

Serena mustered all her strength to wave her hand.

‘Maybe I’ll lie down a bit more then go to the hot spring.’

Hot water is the best for getting rid of muscle pain.

A light presence was felt beside Serena.

Grey sat down next to Serena with sparkling bright eyes.

His gaze was a bit too bright.

“Shall we start with theory lessons then?”

‘What?’

“I don’t know what Your Highness’s level is, so please answer my questions.”

“Philia is.”

“Aunt is sensitive to mana but strangely has no talent for magic. So I want to focus on Your Highness.”

Grey smiled brightly, seemingly pleased with having a student who couldn’t move and therefore couldn’t escape.

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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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