"The cheeks are fine too, isn't it?"

Kaori blushed and looked embarrassed, but her tone was surprisingly firm.

It seems that she thinks that if she wants to fight Yue, she must not back down at this time. Looking back now, Kaori was also quite active in Japan, and she was really active after she realized that she liked Hajime and confessed her feelings.

Hajime ignored the bunny-eared girl who was shouting "Ah, I want one too!" behind him and was about to refuse outright when an unexpected person preempted him.

"Myuu wants to kiss daddy, too~ Myuu wants to kiss daddy too!"

Myu innocently held out her hands to Hajime, and Kaori followed suit. Although Hajime tried to refuse, he couldn't forcefully approach Myu, and in the end—

"Does Dad hate Myuu?"

Myu said this with tears in her eyes, and Hajime was speechless.

As a result, Hajime, Kaori, Myuu, and for some reason, Shia, kissed each other on the cheek. This time, surrounded by many collapsed patients, Hajime inexplicably received sympathetic gazes, and then he set off to [Gulun Great Volcano] as if fleeing.

Incidentally, Tio had also requested a kiss, but seeing her breathing rapidly, Hajime couldn't help but slap her, which only made her even more excited. The sight of her still gasping for air even when she fell to the ground was simply disgusting.

【Gulun Volcano】——

Located approximately 100 kilometers north of the Principality of Ankaji, it appears as a massive rock formation, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter and approximately 3,000 meters above sea level. Unlike typical stratovolcanoes, it is not conical, but rather flat, like a volcanic dome. Rather than a mountain, it's more accurately described as a massive hill, though its altitude and size are both unusual.

As everyone knows, the Grun Volcano is one of the Seven Great Labyrinths, but unlike the Orcus Labyrinth, it's not frequented by adventurers. While this is due to the dangers and challenges within, unlike the Orcus Labyrinth's monsters, the rewards for recovering magic stones are low... The main reason is that few can even reach the entrance.

As for the reason——

"It's just Lapp 0."

"...Rada?"

Hajime couldn't help but speak, recalling a scene from a famous Japanese anime. Yue and the others looked at Hajime with confusion. Hajime shrugged and, from within Blije, gazed at the massive sandstorm ahead.

Indeed, just as the massive cumulonimbus cloud enveloped the city in the sky, the Gulun volcano was enveloped by a massive sandstorm. The sandstorm was so massive it completely obscured the Gulun volcano, more like a flowing wall than a tornado.

Furthermore, sandworms and other monsters lurk within the sandstorm, and in poor visibility, they will launch ruthless surprise attacks. No wonder they say that without extraordinary strength, even the sandstorm enveloping the Gulun Volcano cannot be broken through.

"I'm really glad we didn't go there on foot."

"Even I, a concubine, do not wish to enter this place in my flesh and blood."

Shia, like Tio and Hajime, looked out the window at the massive sandstorm and thanked and worshipped Briget.

This time, they couldn't leisurely explore the maze. Since there weren't many Silence Stones to be collected from the surface, they had to venture deeper, where no one had ventured, to obtain a large quantity. Once they reached the depths, they should find a shortcut to the outside world, just like in the previous maze, allowing them to escape the maze and return to Ankaji in one go.

As for the people of Ankaji, he didn't really care about their safety, but saving them would be best. At least it wouldn't cause grief to his companions, Kaori and the others, and Myuu wouldn't have to witness such a shocking scene.

While thinking, Hajime accelerated Britt in one go and rushed towards the huge sandstorm.

Inside the sandstorm lay a copper-red, enclosed world. Much like the fog in Hartrina's Sea of ​​Trees, it was nearly impossible to see what lay ahead. Because sandstorms exert physical influences, they were perhaps even more difficult to penetrate than fog. Trying to pass through this place solely by relying on magical barriers or covering oneself with cloth to prevent monsters would be incredibly difficult.

In the gray, almost sunlight-less landscape, the headlights of the Green Stone illuminated the darkness. The distance was approximately thirty kilometers. Based on the intelligence we had received, we should be able to break through in five minutes.

At that moment, Shia's rabbit ears suddenly stood up, and a moment later, Hajime also reacted and shouted "Hold on!" while suddenly turning the steering wheel.

Then, three sandworms opened their mouths wide and rushed out from directly below. Hajime drove the Britt in an S-shaped trajectory, avoiding the sandworms' surprise attack, and then fled without engaging them.

With Britje's speed, it would be better to get out of the attack range as soon as possible rather than fighting in the sandstorm.

At this moment, two more sandworms attacked the speeding Britje from either side, their attacks perfectly timed to collide with the car's body. While a mere collision wouldn't damage the car, it could potentially cause it to flip. Using his "breath sense" to predict the attack, he attempted to dodge the attack with a tailspin, but was stopped by Yue and Tio.

"... Yeah, leave it to me."

"Leave it to me, Master."

Hajime, hearing the two people say this, kept the steering wheel in place, and drove forward without hesitation. Then, a giant earthworm burst out from the copper world.

However, the sandworms that tried to attack from both sides could not touch Brije at all.

““——Wind Blade.””

Yue glanced at the sandworm on his left and whispered two words. Suddenly, a wind blade appeared outside the car and flew towards the sandworm. The flying sand and dust in the air drew the wind blade's trajectory, and the sandworm that flew towards him was instantly severed in half, its body separated from the top and bottom, and blood and flesh splattered out.

The same scene also appeared on the right side where Tio was in charge.

"Hmm, as expected of the moon, a nice breeze."

"...The sandstorm has wind already there, so there's no reason not to use it. Tio is also very capable."

The two instantly chose "Wind Blade," a wind-attribute attack magic. Though classified as elementary, the Wind Blade had the power of an intermediate level, thanks to the intense storm outside. They didn't just rely on their magical powers to unleash powerful spells; they also took advantage of the situation and environment to choose the most appropriate spell. It was easy to say, but difficult to execute. Yue and Tio's skills were exceptional, after all.

However, the three sandworms from earlier were still chasing him, slithering underground at a remarkable speed. Hajime, growing annoyed, activated the Britt's mechanism. A "click!" rang out from the rear of the vehicle, and the hull partially opened, revealing several round, black objects.

The moment those objects collided with the sandworms chasing Blije from behind, a massive explosion erupted. The impact ripped a massive hole in the ground, sending the sandworms, previously lurking underground, scattering blood and flesh as they burst forth. At that moment, several more black objects—grenades—rolled past, causing another massive explosion. The sandworms were severed, their upper bodies flying out, spinning several times in the air before disappearing into the sandstorm.

"Wow~ That's amazing! Hajime-san, how many functions does this Britjet have?"

Shia asked, watching the shattered sandworms from the rear window. Hajime smiled mischievously and replied:

"This car will eventually transform into a humanoid all-purpose weapon—a giant golem."

“““…”””

Although I thought it was impossible, if it was Hajime, he would probably actually put it into practice. Not only Shia who asked the question, Yue and Tio also looked around the car in silence.

Although Hajime said with a wry smile, "I'm just kidding, this car doesn't have that function...that's my dream," Yue and the others were sure that Hajime would make it sooner or later.

Afterwards, giant copper-colored spiders and ant monsters appeared one after another before Hajime and the others, who were calm and composed. However, they were powerless against Blige's weapons and Yue and Tio's attack magic, and were all shattered, unable to stop Hajime and the others from advancing.

Thus, Hajime and his companions ignored Shia, who was frustrated at being of no use in the back seat, and easily broke through the sandstorm that was blocking the path of many adventurers.

With a whoosh, they burst out of the sandstorm and saw a mountain that looked like Ayers Rock, several times larger. The place they arrived after escaping the storm was completely silent, surrounded by a wall of wind created by the sandstorm. Above them was a clear blue sky, like the eye of a tornado.

The entrance to the Gulun Volcano is located at the top of a rocky mountain. I started by climbing the slope in my Blijet, pushing as far as I could until the Blijet could no longer drive. The exposed rock walls were a dark red, and steam was emanating from various locations. Although this was an active volcano, it had never erupted. This uncanny quality was truly characteristic of the Great Labyrinth.

Soon, the slope of the mountain road reached a level where Britje could hardly drive, so Shi and the others got off the car and walked towards the top of the mountain.

"Wow... It's so hot."

“Hmm…”

"Indeed... Compared to the desert sun, this is a different kind of heat... Now, regardless of time limits, we must quickly clear the maze."

"Hmm, this temperature is just right for me... I didn't expect the heat to be so unbearable... What a shame."

"...I'll push you into the lava in a moment."

As soon as they stepped out of the car, the heat hit them in the face. Everyone except Tio wore an irritated expression. They must have felt even hotter after being in the cool, air-conditioned room. They were supposed to be adventurers in another world, or travelers, but now they were experiencing the pain of modern Japanese otakus...it was all their fault.

Due to limited time, despite complaining about the heat, they still climbed the rocks lightly and continued to move towards the top of the mountain, reaching the top in less than an hour.

The top of the mountain is a place with complex terrain, with rocks of all sizes standing in a disorderly manner. There are both sharp and protruding rock walls and rocks with smooth and shiny surfaces. It is like a display of strange ornaments, and it feels very close to the top of a sandstorm.

Among the piles of strangely shaped rocks, there is a particularly huge rock. It is about ten meters long and has a curved arc shape.

Hajime and the others reached the rock and discovered a large staircase beneath the curved rock, leading to the interior of the Grun Volcano. Hajime paused before the staircase, looking back at Yue, Shia, and Tio, one after the other. With a confident expression, he gave the order to challenge the Great Labyrinth.

"Let's get to work!"

"Um!"

"yes!"

“Hmm!”

The interior of [Gulun Great Volcano] is a more amazing place than [Orcus Great Labyrinth] and [Lesin Great Labyrinth].

What's amazing is not the difficulty, but the internal structure.

First, the lava flowed through the air. Unlike the demihuman nation of Feyalbergen, there were no waterways built into the air to channel water. Instead, the lava simply floated in the air, forming rivers. The scorching, bright red lava snaked through the air, like a giant dragon dancing in the sky.

In addition, there is of course lava flowing throughout the passages and halls, and maze challengers must pay attention to both the lava on the ground and above their heads.

and--

"Wow!"

"Oh, are you okay?"

“Wow, thank you, Hajime-san. The magma erupted suddenly… and it was completely unnoticed beforehand.”

Just as Shia said, lava would suddenly erupt from various parts of the wall.

Because it was so sudden and without any warning, it was difficult to detect, making it a natural trap. Fortunately, Hajime possessed the skill "Heat Sense." Otherwise, to be wary of traps, he would have had to proceed cautiously, which would have slowed down his progress.

The harshest aspect was the scorching heat—no, scorching. Lava flowed through the passages and halls, so of course it was hot. It felt like being in a sauna, or even on a scalding frying pan. This was the most challenging aspect of the Gulun volcano.

Hajime and the others sweated profusely as they dodged the lava dripping from the ceiling and gushing from the walls. After walking for a while, they came upon a hallway with traces of excavation. Perhaps from the impact of a pickaxe, the walls were scarred and pitted, and in some places, tiny, pale pink minerals could be seen.

"Oh? That's the Seiin Stone, right...?"

"Yes, that's right, Master."

Shi asked for confirmation, and the knowledgeable Tio confirmed. Apparently, adventurers who broke through the sandstorm and entered the Grun Volcano dug here.

“…So small.”

"The Jing Yin stones found elsewhere are only as big as small rocks..."

As Yue had said, the remaining jingyin stones were almost all smaller than a little finger. The fact that they were nearly completely mined was certainly one reason, but the ore itself was also quite small. The efficiency of recovering jingyin stones from the surface was truly poor. It seemed that if they wanted to obtain a large amount of jingyin stones at once, they would have to venture deeper into the maze.

Hajime used the "Mineral Exploration" to check for any static stones, storing only the easily accessible ones in the "Treasure Vault" and then urged Yue and the others to hurry on.

In the oppressive heat, they descended seven floors. This was the deepest level ever reached by adventurers in recorded history; no one had ever returned alive from descending any further. With full alert, they descended the stairs to the eighth floor.

Instantly, a strong hot wind blew over, and a huge flame suddenly appeared before their eyes, attacking Shi and the others, and an orange wall rushed over in a spiral shape.

“—『Absolute Disaster』.”

Yue cast a spell against the incoming flames, and a spinning black sphere appeared before Hajime and the others. It was gravity magic, but the purpose of this spell wasn't to crush the target.

While the flames of death could easily reduce a person to charcoal, they were instantly dissipated by the spinning black sphere, approximately sixty centimeters in diameter. To be precise, the black sphere, which swallowed up even the aftermath, did not extinguish the flames. The spinning black sphere—the gravity magic "Absolute Disaster"—was a shield, capable of drawing everything inward through its own gravitational pull.

Just as the flame bombardment was completely swallowed up by the moon's super-gravity vortex, the attacker's true face was revealed on the flame ray.

A bull, its entire body covered in lava, stood in the lava. It had a pair of sharp horns, and every time it breathed, flames erupted from its mouth. This monster made Hajime and the others want to complain: no matter how heat-resistant one is, there must be a limit.

Seeing that its own unique magic - flame bombardment was easily resolved, perhaps feeling angry, the magma bull stepped on the magma under its feet with its hooves and made a move to rush forward.

Yue snapped his fingers at the lava cow.

Instantly, the previously widening supergravity vortex erupted towards the magma bull. In that instant, the compressed flames transformed into artillery fire, flying in a straight line towards the magma bull at high speed. The artillery fire from the gravity vortex was like a laser, but due to its compression, it was even more powerful than the magma bull's artillery fire.

The magma bull that was about to rush out was hit head-on and was hit directly by Yue's return fire.

The explosion resounded, shaking the air violently. The lava where the magma bull stood flew up as if bombarded. It was flung backwards by the impact, flipped upside down in the air, and crashed into the wall. However, with a roar that was unclear whether it was a cry of grief or anger, the magma bull immediately stood up and charged forward with all its might, attempting to drive out the intruder.

"Hmm... Fire-type is ineffective after all."

"You can tell from the lava covering it... There's nothing we can do about it."

Yue, who counterattacked with a fire bombardment, seemed quite dissatisfied. Hajime smiled bitterly and was about to draw the Donar, but Shia stopped him.

"Mr. Hajime, please leave it to me!"

I saw that Shia had already picked up Druken and was snorting excitedly, looking very motivated.

Seeing that Shia was more active than before, Hajime felt puzzled, but when he saw Shia injecting magic power into Drukken with the Magic Eye Stone, he understood that she wanted to test the new function, so he waved his hand and agreed.

Shia shouted with great vigor, "Excellent! I'll show it how powerful I am!" and with light steps, she leaped towards the lava bull, which was now several meters away.

She somersaulted, harnessing centrifugal force and, with perfect timing, swung her Drukken at the charging magma bull. As if drawn to it, the Drukken struck the bull squarely on the head. In that instant, pale blue magic energy radiated from the impact site, followed by a powerful impact. The bull's head exploded as if blasted.

The corpse of the magma cow followed the law of inertia and slid forward as it fell. Shia used Deluken as a fulcrum and did another somersault in the air, flying over the magma cow and landing gorgeously.

“Oh, oh! Hajime-san, this new function is so powerful that even I, the one who did it, am scared.”

"Yes, it seems so. I was wondering what kind of magic 'Impact Conversion' was, but I didn't expect it to be quite so powerful..."

Shia's attack was incredibly powerful, and not only Hajime, but Yue and Tio couldn't help but admire it. This was all thanks to the unique magic "Impact Conversion" that Hajime mentioned.

"Impact Conversion" is a unique magic that Shixin obtained. It is derived from magic conversion and its effect is as its name suggests, which is to convert magic into impact.

This ability was possessed by the horse-headed monster that Hajime had shattered to pieces a few days ago in the Great Labyrinth of Orcus. Hajime gained this ability by eating the horse-headed monster's flesh when he recovered the Pile Bunker.

For Hajime, eating ordinary monster flesh wouldn't even increase his stats, let alone gain abilities. However, Hajime was able to track down the location of Kouki and the others due to the fluctuations of Kouki's Limit Break, so he knew that Kouki's Limit Break was quite powerful. Kouki, however, was unable to defeat the horse-headed monster, so Hajime thought that eating its flesh might be effective, so he tried... and sure enough, while his stats didn't increase significantly, he gained the horse-headed monster's unique magic.

He used Generative Magic to add "Impact Conversion" to the ore, adding this function to Deluken.

Hajime watched the exploding head of the magma bull with great interest, but decided to hurry on at Yue's urging.

After that, the variety of monsters increased with each floor. There were bat-like monsters that sprayed lava from their wings, fiery whale-like monsters that burst out from the melting walls, hedgehog-like monsters that fired countless flaming needles, chameleon-like monsters that poked their heads out of the magma and swung their lava-covered tongues like whips, and snakes as fiery red as the lava that swam in the gravity-defying lava rivers above...

Normal magic is ineffective against the lava and fiery flesh of these monsters. They also hide within the flowing magma, launching surprise attacks on Hajime and his companions, making them extremely difficult to defeat. After all, even a mere charge from a monster can inflict fatal damage to a human, and most of their attacks utilize the surrounding magma, giving them a virtually unlimited arsenal of weapons. Furthermore, in dire situations, they can simply flee into the magma to ensure safety.

No wonder even adventurers capable of surviving the sandstorms couldn't return safely from the monster-infested eighth floor and below. Even if they defeated these monsters, the magic stones they received were no different in size or quality from those found on the fortieth floor of the Orcus Great Labyrinth. The precious mineral, Silence Stone, was practically identical to that found on the surface. No wonder no one wanted to challenge them.

The most troublesome thing is the temperature that gradually rises over time.

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