An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"Kyouki-kun, it's okay! So don't force yourself!"

Seeing that Guanghui was still trying to attack despite his exhausted magic power, Ling tried desperately to stop him. However, Guanghui ignored her and kept muttering to himself as if possessed by a ghost.

"I can do it too... I'll do it... Compared to Nagumo, I'm... I'm right... I'm..."

Even with a strong will, the light gathered in the holy sword was weak.

A glint of madness gleamed in Guanghui's eyes. Since this was the limit, then all he had to do was surpass it, because he possessed the power to transcend it.

"Extreme Strike—"

"Mr. Kouki, listen to me!"

Ling let out a mournful cry and hugged Guanghui.

If it were simply a case of mana depletion, recovery wouldn't take long. However, after using "Limit Break," fatigue would accumulate deep within the body, making it difficult to recover even with healing magic. Of course, regeneration magic could fully recover, but that would force Hajime and the others to expend a significant amount of mana.

Of course, for Hajime and the others now, consuming that little bit of magic power is nothing.

However, even so, it is not the case that you should force yourself to play a card when it is clearly not needed. The situation is not yet so forced.

Because Kouki is not the only one fighting.

"Mark it—'Claw Flash'!"

The Frosthawk tried to fly into the ice wall, but Shizuku jumped to its side.

With a clang, the black knife was unsheathed, and with just one swing, several sword lights flashed across, hitting the Frost Eagle that had absorbed the magic stone and began to deform.

The Frosthawk was chopped into pieces, and the magic stone popped out of its body.

"Break it—Break it!"

The magic stone was exposed, and Shizuku spun her body in the blink of an eye, following the momentum of drawing the sword. Holding the scabbard in her backhand, she swung the sword at the magic stone for the second time.

At that moment, deep blue magic light spread out in ripples, and a strong shock wave hit the magic stone.

—The black sword [Breakthrough].

This was the "Impact Conversion" ability attached to the black sword's scabbard. The impact completely transmitted to the magic stone, which crackled and crackled, and the cracks gradually widened. Finally—

"disease!"

As if adding insult to injury, Shizuku performed a roundhouse kick, completely shattering the magic stone.

Fragments of dark red crystals fell to the ground, shining brightly.

At the same time, the large number of monsters that originally filled this space collapsed together, and the whole room was filled with the sound of monsters turning into ice and collapsing.

"..."

Guanghui stared at the scene in bewilderment. Ling held his shoulder, watching him anxiously, but he still didn't notice. Then he heard a cheerful and cheerful voice say:

"Hahahaha! It worked, Glory! We won!"

"Eh? Ah, Ryutaro..."

"Oh, why are you looking so glum? We won, you should be happier! Oh, but speaking of which, Kouki's 'Divine Power' is truly astonishing! It was impressive before, but that move just now was truly powerful!"

Ryutaro said this with a bright smile. Although his vocabulary was limited, it was clear that he was sincere.

His friend smiled brightly and patted him on the back. Seeing him like that, Guanghui's distressed expression finally softened.

"Yeah, that's right. I... no, we won. We defeated the monsters in the Great Labyrinth."

"Yeah, we've been getting beaten up so far, it's really satisfying."

"Haha...it's definitely much more refreshing."

"Right? Now the day we catch up with Nagumo isn't far off."

"...I hope so."

Guanghui thanked Ling for supporting him, then stood up on his own, a wry smile on his face. Ryutaro's cheerfulness eased his depressed mood a little.

However, he still seemed to feel regret that his special move couldn't completely defeat the enemy...

"Shizuku..."

Shizuku landed next to Guanghui and the others. Guanghui couldn't help but want to glare at her sharply, but hurriedly concealed it.

"? Thank you for your hard work, Kouki."

Shizuku felt a little strange about Kouki's behavior, but since it was a rare victory, there was no need to spoil the fun, so she deliberately did not ask any questions and smiled to comfort Kouki. Kouki also tried his best to smile and replied:

"Yeah, thank you for your hard work, Shizuku. You did a great job covering the final scene."

"Is that so? But compared to me, Kouki's Kamui is far more formidable... its destructive power is beyond imagination."

"That's what I said! What a shocking blow!"

“It’s alright, that’s nothing…”

Shizuku briefly mentioned her own achievements, then gazed at the damaged ground and the gaping hole in the ice wall, praising Kamui fervently. Suzu's expression seemed a bit anxious, and she joined in the fun, praising Kouki frantically.

Guanghui couldn't help feeling shy after receiving such great praise from the two girls. He scratched his cheek and turned his head away.

At this time, someone from behind called Guanghui and others.

"Hey~ It's okay to bask in the afterglow, but it's almost time to leave!"

Hajime carried Meijerai on his shoulders. Standing on the small hill of ice, he shouted to Kouki and the others.

If the ice mountain was made of ice transformed from monsters, then there were probably no fewer than a thousand monsters. Despite this, Hajime's breathing remained steady, and his expression was remarkably relaxed. Yue and the others standing nearby also looked unfazed.

Shi put away Meijiele and pointed at a point.

Looking in the direction he pointed, I saw that a huge arched cave had opened up in the ice wall without me noticing. It seemed that a way forward had appeared.

Kouki and the others nodded to each other and ran over to where Hajime and the others were.

"Congratulations, that was a pretty tough enemy... Looks like you can fight the boss monsters in the Great Labyrinth without any problems."

Unexpectedly hearing Hajime's blessing, Guanghui and the others were dumbfounded, their eyes looking as if they had discovered a rare animal.

Perhaps feeling irritated by their gazes, Hajime's eyes narrowed. Seeing this, Shizuku quickly replied:

"Yeah, I finally defeated him. And...thank you, Nagumo-kun."

"Hmm? Thank you for what?"

"You backed me up, didn't you? That precise shot... honestly, it gave me the creeps."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I've always found it strange. Could it be that Nagumo-san actually has two vocations? I can't believe your vocation isn't a combat vocation. Your second vocation must be 'Gunner,' right?"

"How is that possible... Humans can unexpectedly achieve anything if they work hard enough."

Hajime seemed to recall the tragic past and looked into the distance with nostalgia.

For some reason, Yue, who was standing next to Hajime, had a smug look on her face. As Ryuutarou thanked Yue, Shizuku, who was standing next to him, smiled a smile that was half sympathetic and half trusting.

"By the way, Nagumo. Is it okay for you to leave the monsters to us to defeat, Mom?"

Guanghui seemed a little unhappy. He asked in a slightly stronger tone, as if trying to change the subject.

"Hmm? You mean, will we not be recognized as having a strategy?"

"right."

"As for the theme of the maze, I think this is fine."

"What does that mean..."

Kouki and the others tilted their heads in confusion, while Hajime looked at Tio, as if to confirm with her.

Tio nodded in agreement.

"Regarding the battle just now, the potentially freezing cold, the endlessly regenerating monsters, and the fortress-like main-level monsters were certainly a challenge. But if it were just about fighting powerful monsters, I could have gained experience in Orcus, right? I don't think the content of the trials will be repeated, so I'm afraid the real highlight of the ice cave will be next, right?"

"I agree with Tio. So far, we've only been screening challengers to determine if they have the minimum strength to challenge this great labyrinth. If it's just about defeating them, it wouldn't be that difficult, so I guess the trial just now wasn't taken that seriously."

"Basically, we've defeated at least three digits."

"Overwhelmingly defeating nearly a thousand monsters, I think I can pass."

“…Yeah, no problem.”

Kouki and the others had no reason to deny Hajime and the others' analysis and speculation. Their relaxed demeanor completely belied the strength they had demonstrated after surviving a massive human wave, and their extensive experience in exploring and conquering the Great Labyrinth proved their speculations were correct.

Shizuku, Ling, and Ryuutarou thought to themselves, "I see," and expressed admiration for Hajime and the others. Only Koki felt a surge of unease.

Because even after defeating a boss-level monster like the Frost Giant Turtle, he still felt that he had witnessed the "gap" between himself and Hajime. However, Guanghui did not show this thought outwardly, but forced it deep in his heart, and a look of approval appeared on his face.

"Amano River, is your magic power okay?"

"...Yes, I've already taken the recovery potion, so I'm fine."

Guanghui pretended to be fine. He smiled and thought that it was impossible for him to have ugly feelings in his heart.

Shizuku felt a vague sense of unease when she saw Kouki's smile, and she wanted to say something to him, but...

As a result, while she was still hesitating about what to say, they were already about to set off.

They left the deserted square and walked along the dim road.

It's like leaving behind a troubled heart and heading towards the dark future.

Volume 9, Chapter 2: Whisper in the Ear

Below is the big maze within the big maze.

This is the view you see after walking through the passage of the Frost Giant Turtle's room.

The passage ended at a balcony overlooking the entire maze. From there, Hajime and the others stared at the spectacular view in amazement.

It's normal that they couldn't help but stop and look, because the maze is so complicated and vast.

The maze's depth, just within the visible area, was a kilometer. Furthermore, the front was obscured by snow and smoke, making it impossible to discern where it led. Considering its width was nearly four kilometers, it wouldn't be surprising if the depth was the same.

It is so majestic that it is indeed suitable to be the second trial of the Great Maze.

"Well, since we can't find the other side of the snow smoke, there seems to be no point in making a map."

"No matter how much time is needed to record such a complex maze, it wouldn't be enough."

"Yes. But with a compass, keeping records is pointless."

It is a very useful compass that makes all kinds of trials seem like nothing.

Tio gave a wry smile, and Hajime responded with a wry smile, then continued:

"Now that I think about it, that guy Freed didn't have a compass, so he probably just challenged it the normal way... I wonder how long he walked. I didn't realize he had such perseverance."

Thinking of the conqueror of this great labyrinth, the Demon General Fried Bagua, Hajime couldn't help but praise him, and then—

"...Hajime, you can't praise someone like that. It'll turn him into an ugly man."

"That's right, Hajime-san. He must have ordered his men to explore using a massive human wave. What a despicable fellow."

"...Just how much hatred did that guy have on you? It actually makes me think he's quite formidable."

Regardless, Fried had always managed to escape them, and the Vampire Princess and the Cheat Rabbit seemed to have some complaints about him. Their eyes were terrifying, and even standing nearby, one could clearly sense their murderous intent.

In a sense, he is a rare existence as he can make these two people so resentful (cursed).

Hajime urged the frightened Kouki and the others down the stairs leading from the balcony. The ice staircase drew a gentle spiral, and at the end was the entrance to the maze, an arched door without a panel.

After walking down the stairs, Ryutaro, who hated trouble, began to complain:

"We know the path, but it's a huge maze, so it's going to be very troublesome to just walk around normally. We're going to have to go around in circles anyway, right? It's so annoying."

"What can we do? This is also a test, Ryuutarou. Just not getting lost is good enough."

“…But it’s Glory.”

"Hehe, Ryuutarou has always hated mazes and puzzles. Even if he tries them, he'll quickly yell, 'Ahhh, I can't do this anymore,' and just throw them around."

"Yeah, that's right. That's why I stopped doing puzzles in front of Ryuutarou because he would even throw away my share."

Ryuutarou frowned, seeming to be genuinely troubled... or perhaps disgusted. Kouki gave a wry smile, while Shizuku laughed out loud, seemingly amused.

Being laughed at by his childhood friends, Ryuutarou pouted his lips in displeasure. Seeing his annoyance, Kaori and Suzu also laughed unintentionally.

Walking down the stairs and reaching the entrance to the maze, Ryutaro seemed to be feeling increasingly uncomfortable. He glared at the maze with anger... and then, he cried out, "Ah!"

He seemed to have come up with a good idea.