An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Hajime, however, didn't even look at the Frost Ogre.

Just when Guanghui and the others were speechless, the portal closed mercilessly.

Then there was an explosion in the distance and a vibration could be felt in the air.

"Hmm~ It's no ordinary key after all. I wanted to copy it, but... analyzing the magic circle and the flow of magic power inside would be very time-consuming."

Hajime put the orb beside him with a look of "What a waste!" and started working again as if nothing had happened.

"Oh~ That's the key. Ah, the fish balls are ready to eat. Come, Hajime-san."

"Oh, thank you, Shia."

Then, the two returned to their conversation as a couple.

Guanghui and the others watched Hajime's actions with cold sweats. At this moment, they seemed to have just woken up from a dream and began to criticize him together.

"No no no no, isn't that weird!?"

"That's not okay, right!?"

"The Frost Ogre is so pitiful!"

"Are you being too lazy!?"

“…What’s wrong with you guys?”

What's the problem? Why are you so emotional? Even if you're in a comfortable space and enjoying delicious hot pot, you can't suddenly get excited like you're at a party...

Hajime's expression seemed to indicate so, and Kouki and the others were seething with anger, veins surging on their foreheads.

Guanghui took a deep breath, managed to calm down, and then asked, suppressing his emotions:

"Nagumo, what was that just now?"

"Why are you asking... You saw everything, didn't you?"

"I saw it! But that's not what I'm talking about! I'm asking what you did!"

“…Are you really okay?”

Guanghui said that although he saw everything, he didn't understand what he did. Hajime looked at Guanghui as if he saw a dangerous person, as if saying: Is this guy mentally exhausted and starting to hallucinate?

Seeing that not only did Shi not understand what he meant, but also responded so rudely, Guanghui was on the verge of exploding. He wanted to overturn the table, no, overturn the warming table.

Ryuutarou grabbed Kouki from behind and urged him, "Hot pot is innocent!" Hajime ignored them and told Kaori that it would be best to get Kouki diagnosed.

Hajime said he didn't want to be caught in the fire of the unstable friendly forces, and Kaori could only look embarrassed.

Shizuku rubbed her temples and interrupted their conversation as if enduring a headache.

"Hmm~ So, that's what happened, right? Nagumo-san didn't deploy the cross floaters to defend the area, but instead sent them to retrieve the key to the door—that orb. And while the cross floaters successfully reached the orb, the Guardians sprang into action when they invaded the pedestal."

Shizuku glanced at Hajime, who nodded and replied that this was exactly the case.

Shizuku showed an even more agonizing expression and began to summarize.

"Then, you use the portal to retrieve the orb, leaving behind a bomb as a reward to kill the frost ogre who attempts to protect the orb."

"Yes, it's exactly as you said. You'll know after seeing it, right?"

"That's why I said that was weird! Normally, you have to fight the guardian head-on and defeat them before you can get the labyrinth's secret treasure, right?"

Kouki breaks free from Ryuutarou's restraints and makes a very normal and common-sense statement.

"No, it's good enough to be able to collect them easily, right? You don't want to run around all over the place just to collect three keys, do you?"

"That's true... What if this clearing method isn't recognized by the labyrinth?!"

Hajime was chewing a fish ball while answering Kouki's questions. Kouki looked at him and said, "Stop eating!", but Hajime ignored him.

"To avoid that, I'm manipulating the cross floater and advancing steadily through the maze."

"What does that mean?"

"Think about it. For example, an earth-attribute magician uses golems or dark-attribute magic to control animals or monsters to explore, and then engages in battle with the guardians. Is their approach any different from mine?"

“Th-That’s…”

There really wasn't any difference. Guanghui was speechless for a moment, but he quickly pointed out another problem.

"But using a portal to retrieve it wouldn't be recognized no matter what, right?"

"Yes, that's a natural concern, so I've been on guard from the beginning. If there's any reaction while retrieving it from the portal, I'll use the gravity magic of the cross floater to suck up the orb and bring it back."

Shizuku gazed into the distance, muttering, "Ahh, it's just like when I fell asleep in Feyalbergen." She hadn't forgotten the hatred that had caused her to be crucified.

"Having said that, I originally thought it wouldn't be a problem, considering Yue was also hindered when he used the portal to save Sakagami. I figured as long as we don't try to take a shortcut through the maze, we should be fine."

The Guardian was indeed killed, and there was actually no problem.

"...Is this okay? Is this what you call clearing a maze?"

Hajime seemed to be saying: Rules exist only to be exploited. Kouki, on the other hand, had an angry expression on his face, muttering something to himself.

Ryutaro gently patted Guanghui's shoulder, his expression like a bodhisattva who had attained enlightenment.

"Koki...worrying too much will make you bald, you know?"

Seeing Bodhisattva Ryuutarou, Ling showed a fearful expression and kept a distance from him.

"Shizuku-chan, Ryuutarou-kun's expression is so strange..."

"He's almost losing common sense, isn't he? But Nagumo-kun is synonymous with ignoring common sense, so maybe Ryutaro can't be blamed."

"Sulli must cherish common sense. In order to avoid being corrupted by Nagumo-kun, Suzu must remain strong and maintain her own identity. Ah, I see. That's why Kaoru-chan has become so hopeless..."

Kaori was unexpectedly caught in the tail of the typhoon and looked at Ling in shock. Ling looked at Kaori with a very sad look, as if to say... the Kaori who still had common sense was gone.

Hajime frowned, saying, "You're really harsh on me, never mind...", and then continued to talk to Shizuku and the others:

"The other two orbs have also been found, and the traps and guardians are the same. The only suspense is if I collect all the orbs, will anyone other than me be allowed to participate in the raid? To be on the safe side, for the remaining two orbs, you should split into Team Tianzhihe and Team Yue, and each recover one orb."

“…Yeah, I understand.”

"Okay, got it."

Yue and Guanghui each nodded in agreement. However, Guanghui had a strange look on his face, as if he was both powerless and unable to accept it.

Not long after that, the tent was folded up, and in front of the magnificent double doors, Kaori said worriedly:

"Are Shizuku-chan and the others okay?"

Two precious orbs have been embedded in the carving on the door behind Kaori.

That was the yellow orb that Hajime had obtained effortlessly, and the red orb that Yue and the others had obtained by defeating the guardians in the normal way.

There was only one left, and that was the orb that Guanghui and his companions had gone to retrieve with the cross floater.

Perhaps because this was the first time they were alone, Kaori was deeply concerned about the safety of her childhood friends. She hadn't been able to calm down since earlier, and she stood up several times, thinking she should just go along.

But every time, Yue would joke that "...Kaori's mother is too overprotective", which made Kaori speechless and she gave up the idea.

"Hashi-kun..."

"Don't make such embarrassing noises. With their current strength, against an enemy of that level... Ah, look, the fight is over before I even finish my words."

Hajime had been checking the situation through the 『Far-Seeing Stone』 and the Mystic Eye Stone inside the cross floater. With a wry smile on his face, he told Kaori the good news.

"Really? Is everyone okay? No one's hurt?"

"Yes, they're all fine. They just had a rough fight, but they don't have any obvious injuries. Sakagami seems to have some frostbite, but Taniguchi has treated him."

"That's great~"

Kaori put her hand on her chest, as if she was relieved from the bottom of her heart.

Not long after, Guanghui and the others came back under the guidance of the cross-shaped floater, with cheerful and happy expressions on their faces.

Seeing this, Shia tilted her rabbit ears and wondered:

"You guys seem pretty happy. The enemy should be weaker than the Frost Turtle. Do you feel that great of an accomplishment?"

"Rather, they're probably moved by the fact that they can finally conquer the maze normally. You know, they complained a while ago that the Master's methods were too reasonable and deviated from the normal path of adventure, right?"

Tio smiled as Kouki and the others articulated their accurate hypothesis. Not only did Shia agree, but Hajime also nodded in agreement. Hajime, being a boy himself, loved the more conventional adventures. He had never considered enjoying the Great Labyrinth, so now he finally accepted the "common sense" Shizuku and the others had just spoken of.

Kaori celebrated their triumphant return and was being sweet and affectionate with Shizuku, while Kouki, standing beside them, came to the door holding a green orb.

"Nagumo, can we just stuff it in here?"

"Yes, that should be enough."

Guanghui seemed a little nervous. He swallowed and placed the last orb into the carving.

In an instant, there was a bright light, and the three gems each emitted light of their own color.

The three-colored light flowed through the carved thorns like water in a waterway, and in the blink of an eye, it dyed the entire door with color.

The yellow gem transforms into sunlight, illuminating the entire door; the thorns are dyed green; and the red brings the breath of life to the flowers. This is truly an elegant and artistic mechanism.

The orb's light grew even brighter, and then the solemn double doors rumbled open on their own. Perhaps due to the wind pressure, the snow and smoke overhead were slightly stirred.

Ling was cautious and peeked into the passage behind the door, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Wow, what's going on here...it's like a mirror maze."

"It's basically made of ice, but...it's almost a mirror."

Indeed, behind the door is a world of mirrors.

The opposing ice wall was like a mirror, forming an infinite corridor. The clear reflection was more than just a vague figure. If it weren't for the chill emanating from the wall, it would be impossible to tell it was an ice wall.

This is no longer a metaphor, but a true "ice mirror".

"Come on, don't let the mirror fool you, okay?"

At Shi's command, the group stepped into the magical ice mirror maze.

The inside truly resembled a mirror maze. Whenever light shone through it, it would reflect infinitely, casting countless shadows of them on the walls on both sides.

The sky was completely covered with snow and smoke. It was darker here than the previous journey. Walking here, my mood became even more gloomy.

The footsteps of Hajime and the others on the ground sounded exceptionally loud. It was as if not only the light but also the sound was being reflected.

"...I feel like I'm being sucked into the mirror."

Yue, who was walking beside Hajime, said this while looking at her reflection in the ice mirror.

Indeed, the worlds of the ice mirrors intertwined endlessly, like the entrance to an abyss. Gazing into the darkest reaches, where light cannot reach, one feels drawn in by some horrific entity of unknown origin, as if being dragged directly into the mirrored world.

Yue casually reached out her hand towards her own reflection in the mirror, but before her hand could touch her own phantom, she felt a warm sensation enveloping her. With a start, Yue suddenly woke up and pulled her consciousness back to reality from the world of illusion.

"It's okay, because I won't let you get sucked away."

"……Um!"

The eyes of the beloved were gentle yet strong-willed. Yue's mood was as light as a balloon, and she responded with a sweet and touching smile.

In front of the nervous Guanghui and others, the two stopped and looked at each other affectionately.

"Can't you guys be less affectionate?"

Shizuku complained on behalf of everyone with a cold gaze.

This bastard was just like that when we were resting in the tent just now. He would flirt with us whenever he had the chance... Her cold eyes seemed to represent everyone's protest.

However, if one of their status values ​​was "Love," their values ​​would definitely go off the charts, and they might even be forced to shut down to avoid malfunctions. Therefore, such a verbal warning wouldn't hurt them at all.

"Sorry, Yue is so cute."

“…Um, sorry, Hajime is so handsome.”

Shizuku sighed deeply, Kaori puffed up her cheeks with anger, and Tio and Shia smiled wryly, indicating that they were used to it.

Having said that, thanks to this display of affection regardless of the occasion, Guanghui and the others, who were originally nervous about the strange maze, felt a lot more relaxed after this.

Hajime and the others encountered neither monsters nor traps along the way. Guided by the compass, they advanced smoothly for quite some time.

About thirty minutes later, a change occurred among the group that had been silently moving forward. Guanghui suddenly stopped and began to look around.

Noticing Kouki's unusual behavior, Hajime ordered everyone to stop. He looked at Kouki with a surprised expression. Shizuku also asked with a questioning expression:

"Kui? What's wrong?"

"Ah, no... didn't you hear that sound just now? It sounded like someone whispering in my ear."

"Hey, Kouki-kun! Stop scaring me!"