Unwanted Undead Adventurer - Episode 39

As the name implies, an Orc is an inhuman creature with the head of a pig – in other words, a monster. Near the city of Malt, they live in the forest and in the Labyrinth of the New Moon. In other words, if I accept a request about Orcs, I’ll either have to go to the Labyrinth of the New Moon or go into the forest to find them and defeat them, but it’s obvious which I would choose.

At any rate, the Orcs that live in the forest tend to live in packs, and many of them are long-lived. Therefore, it is said that they are stronger than the ones that spawn in the labyrinth. This is true, and in fact, the Orcs that appear in the forest will even fight in groups. It’s a bad matchup for a solo fighter.

However, the Orcs in the labyrinth are, as their appearance suggests, extremely stupid. First of all, they have no idea how to fight together as a pack. In addition, the Orcs of the forest are usually armed, but the Orcs of the labyrinth only wear rags, and their attack and defense capabilities are very poor. In fact, this logic also applies to Goblins, but it’s especially true for Orcs, which is why hunting Orcs in the forest is not worth it.

So I enter the labyrinth. 

That’s why the entrance to the Labyrinth of the New Moon, which I haven’t visited in a while, is very crowded. It’s a far cry from the Labyrinth of Moon’s Reflection, where I was hunting until yesterday. The reason for this is that hunting in this labyrinth is more efficient, whether you’re just starting out or you’re more experienced. The only condition is that the adventurer must not be a solo.

Because in the Labyrinth of the New Moon, it is not uncommon for monsters to attack in groups. The path is about twice as wide as the one in the Labyrinth of Moon’s Reflection, so it’s easy to get surrounded if you’re fighting alone. The monsters themselves are also slightly more powerful than those in the Labyrinth of Moon’s Reflection, and it is said that this is because the Labyrinth of the New Moon is a higher-ranked labyrinth, but I don’t know if this is true or not.

As I walk towards the entrance of the labyrinth, I see people who seem to be chatting with each other in parties. It’s not that they’re messing around. They’re going over their strategy of how each member will act in the labyrinth one last time. This is not uncommon for adventurers with a certain amount of experience, but here in Malt, even those who are just starting out do it.

This is something that the veteran adventurers of Malt have been steadily spreading for many years. There is a clear difference in survival rates between those who do this and those who don’t, which is why they have always taught newcomers to consult with them about how to navigate the labyrinth. I guess that’s why I’m here. From what I’ve heard, there are still almost no adventurers in other areas who do this, so I’d say the adventurers in the city of Malt are doing rather well.

Incidentally, as I walk past the party of adventurers, I get some slightly concerned looks. It’s not that they’re staring at me, but there aren’t many adventurers who enter the Labyrinth of the New Moon alone without any party members. It’s not that they don’t exist at all, it’s just that only those who are skilled enough to deal with being surrounded by monsters can do so.

If you’re wondering if I’m one of them… I’m not sure. It could go either way. I believe that I have become reasonably strong by absorbing monsters’ power, but that judgment is just a feeling I got from dealing with Skeletons, Goblins, and Slime. I’ll have to try it out to see how much I can do when I go up against monsters like Orcs, which are much more powerful.

However, even in the Labyrinth of the New Moon, in the earlier levels, there are familiar monsters such as the Skeletons. You’ll have to go a little deeper to find something like an Orc. For now, it would be a good idea to test my abilities in the early levels and then gradually go deeper.

With that in mind, I enter the labyrinth.

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…In the end, it’s only recommended for parties.

Some time after entering the Labyrinth of the New Moon, I sincerely believe that. Because right now I’m fighting while surrounded by monsters.

They’re not that powerful. Rather, they’re a group of Skeletons and Slimes, which I’ve fought many times, and I can almost call them friends. However, even at that level, it’s still not going to be as easy to win as it was in the past.

When I dealt with them one-on-one in the Labyrinth of Moon’s Reflection, I was able to immediately exploit their weaknesses and win, but when they come at me in groups, it’s difficult to find an opening to exploit their weaknesses. Each of the monsters attack me without stopping, and it’s hard to avoid them. Even if I swing my sword, I can’t hit my target. The fact that my only option is to outlast them and wear them down is harsh. If I use up all my magic and energy here, I’ll run out of fuel when it comes time to fight the Orcs. This is where I need to save my energy and keep at it. I’ll try my best to keep my strength down to the point where I can recover along the way instead of relying on one-hit kills.

Well, I can still fight them just fine, since the number of Slimes is decreasing one by one, and in the end, I’m able to win almost unscathed, so it’s not a problem. The Slime’s Acid Blitz doesn’t melt my robes at all, confirming that it has high durability, and my sword doesn’t get a single chip. This is a great way to make sure that I can fight the Orcs…

With that in mind, I collect the magic stones from the Skeleton and Slime that I’ve defeated, and shove them into the leather bag on my waist. The volume of the bag is obviously less than the volume of its contents, but since it’s a magical item, it’s possible for the internal space to be larger, within limitations. It has been in my possession since before I died, and it was quite expensive, but with five years of saving, an adventurer like me could buy it. The capacity of the bag is not that large. At most, it contains the volume of up to five or six normal-sized backpacks. If I’m only collecting magic stones, it’s not a problem.

I’ve heard that some expensive ones can hold something the size of a dragon, but there’s no way I can afford that no matter how hard I try, so it doesn’t matter to me right now. I’d like to be able to afford something like that someday, but… it’s just a pipe dream. I’m not going to quit chasing my dream, though.

I finish collecting all the magic stones and proceed through the labyrinth. The Labyrinth of the New Moon is the type of labyrinth where the internal structure changes drastically with each level, and I believe the next level is…

I go down the stairs leading to the next level, looking forward to seeing it, as I’m about to step into a place I’ve never been before.