I joined a party called the [Red Hammer Squad].
There was Garon, a vanguard and tank.
Ariel, also a vanguard.
Ronabelle, a long-range support archer.
And finally, Levan, who handled traps and navigation as the scout.
Though it was a small party of just four, they were seasoned adventurers here in Sveline—experienced enough to be active on the fourth floor.
Step, step.
“Gillian, you’re slow!”
“I—I’m coming!”
“If you lose sight of us and get lost, you’ll either be eaten by monsters or starve to death. Got it?”
“Ugh, yeah…!”
Clatter.
I answered Ariel and adjusted the heavy pack on my shoulder, which groaned in protest.
Then I quickened my pace.
Even calling myself a beginner adventurer felt like a stretch, but thanks to my connection with the Red Hammer Squad, I had managed to join their party—
As their ‘porter.’
“Huff… huff…”
“Oho! Gillian, good job. Time for a break. Hahaha!”
“Y-Yes…”
Thud.
I sank down against the glowing blue wall of the cave.
Just keeping up with them is exhausting…
It had been a week since I joined the Red Hammer Squad.
In that time, the only thing I’d done was carry their luggage.
…That’s all.
Not that I felt wronged.
Even if I had saved them once, I was still just a powerless novice.
If I tried to jump into battle, I’d only end up getting in the way.
That’s why Garon proposed an adventurer training plan that began with: “Start as the porter first!”
Until I got used to the labyrinth, my job was to follow behind them and haul their gear.
“Still, thanks, Gillian. It’s really lightened the load.”
“I’m glad I could help… Ronabelle.”
“Hmph. If you can’t even manage that, you’d be the luggage yourself. Don’t fall behind! It’s dangerous!”
“…I’ll be careful.”
Fortunately, they were all kind to me.
Maybe it was because I’d helped them before—but even so, they were definitely on the friendlier side, especially for adventurers.
Compared to the guild I first knocked on after leaving the orphanage, the difference was night and day.
Of course… there was that sharp-tongued blonde girl my age who scolded me every chance she got.
But to be fair, most of what she said made sense.
So I couldn’t say things were bad between me and Ariel.
“Are you going to keep using that knife as your weapon?”
During a break, Levan asked me casually.
“Yes.”
“Any particular reason?”
Whenever we had downtime, I learned how to use a knife from Levan.
No one in the party handled blades better than him.
“It’s… a memento from my parents.”
“I see.”
“……”
“Oho? What’s with that face, Ariel?”
“W-What?! What face?! Don’t say weird things, Ronabelle!”
Clang! Clang!
Our combat training usually consisted of one-on-one sparring with Garon.
He wielded a giant hammer and shield, while I used my knife.
After our sessions, Levan would go over improvements and give me tips.
“You’re doing pretty well.”
Despite his gloomy appearance, Levan was actually the most easygoing person in the party.
He always offered his critiques with a healthy dose of praise.
“It’s only because you’re a good teacher, Levan.”
“No, really. You pick things up fast. At this rate, you might be able to assist in actual combat soon.”
“Really?”
“Hahaha! Absolutely! Even I can tell—you’re improving fast!”
“Garon too?! I think I’m starting to feel confident!”
Thanks to Levan and Garon’s guidance, my combat skills steadily improved.
On days when they praised me like that, I felt like I could actually fight and defeat a real monster.
But of course—
Boom!
“Guh…”
“That was sloppy. If that had been a real fight, you’d be dead.”
Whenever I got too confident, Ariel would challenge me to spar.
And those days always ended with me eating dirt.
She was incredibly skilled.
Surprisingly so, in fact.
Of all the members of the Red Hammer Squad, Ariel might have been the most talented.
Even while getting beat up, I learned a lot from her.
As a result—
Clang! Clang!
“Hup!”
“Ugh…!”
Whoosh!
After nearly a month of living as a porter, I could finally hold my own against Ariel in a spar.
“Not bad, Gillian. That last move was solid.”
“Really?! Master Levan!”
“Yup. Ariel, don’t you think so too?”
“…Well, it wasn’t bad.”
That day, having earned both Levan’s and Ariel’s approval—
I was finally freed from my porter role.
“Hahahaha! I still can’t believe it, Gillian! You tripped right there! Bahahaha!”
Thump! Thump!
“Guh! Oof!”
“Garon, that’s enough. Are you trying to break Gillian’s spine?”
“What? Come on! Levan and I didn’t train him to be that soft! Isn’t that right, Gillian? Hahahaha!”
“Y-Yes sir! That’s right, sir!”
After I joined combat duty, I finally felt like I was really part of the Red Hammer Squad.
When we finished our dungeon expeditions, we’d sit down for a meal together, laughing over what happened that day with whatever money we’d earned.
Then we’d go back to our lodgings to rest.
And here’s the part that truly surprised me—
The Red Hammer Squad actually had their own place to live.
I found that out two weeks after officially joining the party.
Having a shared residence meant they had fully accepted me as one of them.
I’d heard the house was originally purchased by Garon as a marital home.
…Naturally, I didn’t ask how that marriage turned out.
I was just grateful to have my own room.
For the record, my room had originally been a storage closet that they cleaned out and converted.
It was a two-story building, with the women upstairs and the men downstairs.
Honestly, this is nicer than most guilds.
A little over a month had passed since I joined the Red Hammer Squad.
Lying on my bed, I gazed out the window at the dark sky and the silver world tree in the distance.
I thought back to that day—sitting in the alley behind an inn, clutching a crust of bread and some cheese, completely lost in despair.
Back then, I couldn’t see any future at all.
And yet now…
I found myself quietly grateful to the thief who had stolen that gem.
Because of it, I’d met these people—this strange and wonderful fate.
Smiling to myself, I closed my eyes.
And the next morning—
At the hour when the silver world tree turned gold,
We woke up early, geared up, and set out for the labyrinth once again.
“Shall we finally head down to the third floor—our main hunting ground?”
“……”
At Garon’s serious tone, I swallowed hard, nerves tightening in my chest.
Up until now, we’d stayed on the first and second floors, so I could build experience as a beginner.
Stepping into the third floor meant one thing—
I was ready.
“From the third floor on, you’ll start seeing monsters that use Magia for poison-based attacks. Be extra careful.”
“Magia… is that the stuff that makes the World Tree’s roots glow?”
I asked as I ran my fingers along the glowing blue roots that lit up the cave.
A soft, cerulean light.
Thanks to these roots, the upper levels of the labyrinth—the cave areas—weren’t completely pitch dark.
“That’s right. Magia is the mysterious force that naturally exists within the labyrinth. The deeper you go, the denser it becomes, and the more monsters there are that wield it.”
“Heh, did you know? Humans can use Magia too.”
“Wait… humans? Don’t tell me—you can use it, Ronabelle?”
“Of course not. Those who manipulate Magia are called mages, and they’re extremely rare. I’ve only ever seen a few—and that was back when we were affiliated with the Fenrir Guild.”
“I see… So it’s different from the healing miracles of the Divine Tree Church?”
“Totally different. Miracles borrow the power of the World Tree. Magic draws from Magia—the force of the labyrinth itself.”
“Hm…”
Ever since I’d started fighting alongside the others,
I’d had the chance to learn all sorts of things about the labyrinth from my teammates.
Thanks to that, my growth as an adventurer had been rapid.
The biggest area of growth, of course, was combat.
Clang! Clang!
Whoosh! Crack!
“Guh—Garon!!”
“OOOOOH!! Hold it right there, kid!!”
Our first battle after descending to the third floor.
Clinging to the head of a ‘Stone Anaconda’, I stabbed my knife into its skull and shouted for help.
Garon came charging in, raising his massive hammer high above his head.
The sheer size of it cast a shadow over me and the monster below.
KA-BOOM!!
With a thunderous crash, Garon’s hammer smashed down on the creature’s spine.
“KIIIIISHH!!”
The rocky plates covering its hide shattered under the force, and its back snapped in half.
It died instantly.
But there was no time to celebrate.
“Ariel! It’s down!”
“I’m fine—go help Levan!”
“On it!”
Tap-tap-tap!
Garon and I rushed toward the back lines, where Levan was under attack.
A swarm of bat-like creatures called ‘Evil Eyes’ had surrounded him.
Thwip!
I dove into the fray and slashed one down with a clean swipe of my knife.
In this well-balanced party—with front-liners, rear support, and ranged backup—my role was close-range support.
While Ariel and Garon took care of the tougher monsters, Levan and I focused on the smaller threats that swarmed around them.
Ronabelle, stationed at the center of the field, fired arrows with uncanny precision, offering support to everyone while keeping an eye on the overall flow of battle.
“Whew…”
“That one took a bit out of me.”
“Let’s rest for a minute.”
“I’ll take first watch, then.”
“Huh? Haha! You’re always so eager, Gillian. Must be your youth—still full of energy even after a fight! Haven’t seen anyone bounce back that fast since Ariel.”
As always, I volunteered to scout while the others rested.
Garon let out a hearty laugh and clapped me on the shoulder.
“…I’ll come too.”
Ariel stood and joined me without much fuss.
We walked a little ahead of the group, keeping an eye on the path forward.
“You holding up okay, Ariel?”
“I’m used to this. What about you? You’re still new—aren’t you overdoing it? You’re not a porter anymore, you know. You don’t have to push yourself.”
Her voice was as cool and clipped as ever, but beneath the sharp tone, I could sense her concern.
By now, I’d gotten used to her mannerisms.
Smiling, I answered easily.
“I’m fine. Ever since I started fighting, I’ve noticed something strange… After a battle, I feel energized.”
“…You too?”
“Huh?”
Ariel blinked at me, surprised.
Her eyes widened slightly.
You too.
Which meant… she felt it as well.
“That’s rare. I’ve never met anyone else like that before.”
“Maybe it’s like Garon says—we’re just young?”
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s just how we’re built. You know that feeling, right? The rush after taking down a monster?”
“Haha. Yeah, I do.”
The biggest change after I joined combat?
I actually got to talk to Ariel.
“Ever notice? The bigger the monster, the more fired up you feel afterward.”
“Huh… So the size matters too…”
Back when I was still a porter, Ariel had been a bit overwhelming.
She constantly criticized me, scolded me, and seemed annoyed just by my presence.
But now that I’d become a proper member of the battle team, she’d started to acknowledge me in her own way.
Still sharp. Still cold.
But when we stood watch together like this, we’d end up chatting surprisingly easily.
We were the same age, after all.
We shared little things in common—like the odd, unexpected exhilaration after a fight.
I began to wonder…
Maybe Ariel and I got along better than I thought.
And just then—
[KUUUOOOOOHHH—!!]
“…Did you hear that just now?”
“A monster…?”
The cry echoed through the wide-open cavern, coming from the direction ahead.
Beyond the fading glow of the World Tree’s roots, in the shadowed stretch beyond the light’s reach— a deep, guttural roar rumbled from the darkness.
“Is it up ahead…? Or maybe…”
“First, we should report it to the others. Let’s go.”
“Ah, right.”
At Ariel’s suggestion, I turned back with her, returning to regroup with the others.
Apparently, the cry we heard hadn’t gone unnoticed— even those further back had caught a faint trace of it.
After we shared what we’d heard, Garon fell silent, thinking.
Then, he spoke.
“Now that I think about it… There was a job posted at the guild board— a bounty to take down a ‘Stone Troll’ spotted on the third floor. A big one.”
“A hunting commission?”
Garon gave a short nod in response to my question.
“Yeah. Official extermination request. Came straight from Lord Sveline himself.”
He gave us that familiar, booming grin and looked around at the party.
“If I remember right, the reward was generous. What do you all think?”
We exchanged glances in silence.
One by one, we each locked eyes, gauging each other’s resolve.
Then, in unison, we all nodded—smiling.
“Heh, looks like we’re eating well tonight.”
“…If we manage to bring it down.”
“Levan, you always say the least inspiring things. Try sounding like a man for once.”
Ronabelle gave him a playful elbow to the ribs, and just like that, our goal was set.
We checked our gear, weapons and armor clinking lightly, and headed toward the direction of the roar.
It was our first full expedition into the third floor.
And our first time facing a large-class monster.
My body tensed from nerves, but I wasn’t panicking.
After watching our party over the past month, I could say for sure: we weren’t perfect—but we were experienced. Steady. Reliable.
We’d be fine.
And even if things went south, we could always retreat.
With that belief, I followed the strong backs of my teammates and stepped boldly forward.
But then—
Something we never expected happened.
In the middle of the battle, the ‘Stone Troll’—which had been hanging from the ceiling all along— dropped down.
One of its arms was shattered from Garon’s earlier blow, and it gasped for air, staggering.
It was the textbook definition of cornered prey.
We had it.
I smiled, certain the fight was over.
But lately, as I joined more and more battles…
…I kept learning that the labyrinth always had something new to teach me.
SWOOSH—!!
WHOOM—!!
“KUUUOOOOOOHHH—!!”
In our very first large monster hunt…
…I learned a priceless lesson.
Never let your guard down.
Not even for a second.
KRRAAAASHHH—!!!
The troll crashed its massive body into the ground— and the floor beneath us gave way, collapsing under the weight.
Luckily, it wasn’t trying to crush us.
It was trying to flee.
The creature landed with a thud in the open chamber ahead.
But the impact—
“Kyaaaaaaaa—!!”
Ariel, who had been at the front of our formation, lost her balance as the ground crumbled beneath her.
In the chaos, I barely registered what was happening before instinct took over.
“ARRRIEEEEEEEL—!!!”
I lunged forward and grabbed her hand—just in time.