GILF Hunter

Chapter 370 Observation

Rin, who had been observing the interior for a long time to see if there were any suspicious points, cautiously took a step into the room.

Although it was for a short period, she was the only member who had received trap-handling training from an A-rank mercenary. Rin took the lead and entered the room first.

Rin looked around the room, inspecting the floor and walls here and there, then nodded toward the members who were watching from the passage.

Receiving Rin’s signal, everyone cautiously stepped into the room.

’Is there really nothing?’

’It doesn’t look like there is, as far as I can see. There doesn’t seem to be any space for a mechanism to fit in either.’

’It’s suspiciously obvious, though...’

’They said that in places that are obviously suspicious, there are actually no traps!’

Rin answered confidently toward Mika, who had a look of disbelief on her face.

In any case, it was something Frey, an A-rank mercenary, had taught her. When she brought out the logic learned there, the fledgling B-rank mercenary who had just been promoted recently had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.

Regardless, once it was revealed that there were no traps, everyone looked around the room with curious faces.

It was good that there were no traps, but the reason why such a space existed underground was still unknown.

No matter how much they examined the interior, it was difficult to guess its true identity.

’What is this place?’

’Is it a dungeon...?’

A dusty, old space. There were almost no items left inside, and the only noticeable thing was a large statue standing on one side.

The members examining the room naturally gathered in front of the statue.

’What is this?’

’It doesn’t look like a human, so what was it carved into?’

Since it was such an old statue with many damaged parts here and there, it was hard to recognize what it was originally carved to be.

Looking up at the statue, Rin suddenly felt like she had seen something similar before.

Pondering, Rin turned her head toward Ian and asked.

’Captain. Isn’t this a divine statue? It looks similar to the one we saw before...’

’A divine statue? No. Usually, what comes out of a place like this is...’

In the middle of Ian’s answer, Tanya, who had approached the statue, suddenly let out a loud voice.

’Kyaaah!’

’What’s wrong?’

Hearing Tanya’s startled voice, everyone hurriedly picked up their weapons.

A flustered Tanya stepped back a few paces and glanced around.

’That voice just now... did you not hear it?’

’A voice?’

Everyone exchanged glances with puzzled expressions.

Tanya realized that it was a voice only she had heard and glanced at the statue.

As she traveled with spirits, she seemed to be gradually adapting to these sudden occurrences.

’You heard a voice?’

’Yes. It’s asking who we are...’

Ian also asked Tanya, sounding curious.

He didn’t know this statue was an object that could speak. It seemed it was an object related to spirits after all.

’It, it seems to be angry. It says it’s noisy...’

Everyone fell silent after hearing the statue’s words relayed by Tanya.

...Should we leave? With faces saying exactly that, they silently exchanged glances and tried to back away slowly.

When it seemed everyone had misunderstood the meaning, Tanya flusteredly relayed the words again.

’No, not us. Because of those monsters outside.’

’Ah... those things?’

That... it’s enough to be noisy.

Everyone nodded quietly as if they understood.

They were on the verge of hysteria after being inside for just a few days; they could only imagine how the statue felt, not knowing how long it had been here.

Especially since they were constantly digging up the ground and even pierced a hole in this room like this.

’....’

Tanya, who had been quietly listening to the statue for a moment, looked at Ian and relayed the statue’s words.

’Um, it’s asking us for help. To find a certain item... what should we do?’

Tanya couldn’t precisely understand what the spirit residing in the statue was talking about, but Ian knew what that item was.

What Tanya was conversing with was one of the special objects in the Labyrinth. The Altar of Fire.

If you find a key item located somewhere in this Labyrinth region and bring it back, the altar becomes activated.

The effect of the Altar of Fire is to eliminate every single monster within the nearby area.

Since the eliminated monsters don’t suddenly reappear, a considerably wide area could then be utilized as a safe zone without worrying about monsters.

Ian looked up at the statue. Seeing as he couldn’t hear any voice, it seemed conversation was only possible if one had spirit affinity.

Originally, one only had to bring the key item to the altar’s room for it to activate automatically without any need for conversation, so it was quite unexpected that this statue was someone communication was possible with.

’Tell it we’ll help.’

’Yes.’

Tanya nodded and muttered softly while looking at the statue.

It looked as if she were speaking the language of spirits, but if you listened closely, she was simply repeating Ian’s words exactly.

Communication with spirits was just reading their will, so there was no need to speak directly, but Tanya still seemed awkward about sending her will without speaking.

After a while, Tanya, who had been quietly listening in front of the statue, relayed it to Ian.

’Um... it says it’s okay to rest here.’

’Here?’

This was an area where monsters did not enter. However, in the game, it was a space where a camp could not be set up, so it seemed Tanya had received permission.

They were able to secure an unexpectedly safe resting space.

After relaying words of gratitude through Tanya, Ian pondered for a moment while looking at the statue.

It felt like a good idea was about to come to mind.

’Hold on...’

’Hm? Why?’

Rin, who had been stealing a glance at Ian’s expression from the side, spoke to him with a look of disgust.

’No, it’s just that every time you make that face, you seem to be coming up with some strange plan...’

’Everything has worked out well so far.’

’Please deny the part about being in the middle of making a strange plan...’

Rin, recalling her past experiences, shuddered.

＊　＊　＊

Next to the room where the altar was located, several empty rooms were connected.

It was a place that had almost become a ruin, but it was a pleasant location incomparable to the interior of the beast burrows they had been traveling through until now.

First of all, the fact that a flat stone floor was laid down alone was enough to give it a high score.

Ian and the members set up a simple camp and explored the surroundings centered around that place.

’Ah, I see something ahead there.’

’That is...’

While Ian was leaving a marker on the wall of the fork, Rin, who had briefly checked the front, returned and informed Ian.

Ian and the members, who followed Rin down the path, were soon able to confirm the thing Rin said she had discovered.

A path leading to the outside of the cliff. There, a structure of a slightly different shape from before was stretched out.

’Is this perhaps... a bridge?’

’Eek, we have to cross using this?’

A path where large tree roots and vines were long entangled.

It was a bridge that allowed passage to the cliff on the opposite side of the canyon.

Rin, who was at the very front, cautiously poked her head outside and surveyed above the cliff.

It was an obvious thing, but Harpies were flying above.

- Skreeee!

’Ah...’

The cry of a Moler was heard from the opposite side.

A Moler that happened to lock eyes with Rin from the other side of the bridge let out a shriek and began running across the bridge.

And, naturally.

Before the running Moler could even cross half the bridge, it was snatched by the talons of a Harpy diving from above and carried into the sky.

’....’

’....’

The members, who watched that scene from beginning to end, silently turned their heads to look at Ian.

It was an expression filled with the question: ’Do we really have to cross here?’

The Harpies currently drifting above the bridge were probably about ten in number.

The Harpies circled leisurely in the sky as if waiting for Ian’s group to cross the bridge.

’Even if we don’t want to, we have to cross and check it out.’

’I suppose so...’

At Ian’s answer, everyone gave up and prepared their minds to cross the bridge while packing their weapons.

Fighting Harpies while crossing a wooden bridge hung on a cliff; if they brought this story up at a pub, they could probably get free drinks until closing without paying a single cent.

Mika, who was pondering slightly while looking at her staff, first made a suggestion to Ian.

’Should I try setting up a barrier while we pass the bridge instead?’

’Eh? Can you cast a barrier that large?’

’I just didn’t cast it because it takes a lot of mana if it’s large. Until now, there was no need for something that big.’

Mika glanced down below the cliff and immediately turned her gaze back.

She couldn’t guarantee whether she could properly maintain a barrier in time while crossing such a bridge.

If she made a mistake, someone might be snatched by a Harpy or fall below the cliff.

’Last time you said something like that was a waste of mana.’

’It’s better than just crossing here normally.’

Rin also agreed with that opinion, so she didn’t argue further.

Ian surveyed the distance to the other side of the canyon. It was certainly a distance with some length to it.

And the method Mika suggested wasn’t actually a very bad method either.

Against opponents one didn’t want to fight or in an overly disadvantageous environment, ignoring the monsters and passing through like that could be the answer.

’It’s a good method, but it is a bit of a waste of mana. We might have to fight on the other side, and we have to come back as well.’

’I suppose so...’

To cast a barrier of that scale, she’d probably have to use an amount of mana equivalent to fighting several battles.

However, there would be monsters on the other side as well, and they had to consider returning across the bridge. It was better to save mana as much as possible when it could be saved.

In the end, Mika also gave up and gripped her staff tightly.

But Ian also had no intention of dangerously fighting Harpies while crossing such a narrow bridge.

Ian, who was roughly measuring the distance to the Harpies while looking up at the sky, turned his gaze toward Airi and spoke.

’Then shall we try some pulling practice in advance?’

’Eh? For what?’

Airi, suddenly receiving Ian’s gaze, shrugged her shoulders.

She didn’t understand what Ian was talking about, but this was definitely an expression that meant he was about to entrust her with something extremely important.