Chapter 25: Search for the Sacred Sword Part 2

No ones eyes lit up after hearing about the Sword of Bonds.

They all looked puzzled.

Whats that? Tianna, do you know?

Ive never heard of it.

Karan and Sem also shook their heads, and Wilma smiled as she looked at them.

Of course you dont know, its a legendary artifact that can only be found in the Labyrinth of Bonds. It concentrates the strength of people bound by trust and multiplies it. It truly is a sacred sword for the ideal adventurer party.

Hmph.

Nick let out a sigh of disinterest.

What? Arent you interested?

Honestly, increasing strength based on your bonds or the level of trust just sounds like random gossip.

In their hearts, Nick and the others knew how fantastic such a thing was.

Tianna, Karan, and Sems hearts didnt flutter, and they had the same expression on their faces as Nick.

Ahh You guys are so cold, even though your line-up is perfect.

What?

Nick, have you been to the Labyrinth of Bonds?

Nope.

And whys that?

All Martial Arts was full of muscle heads, and people said the lower floor would be difficult without a sorcerer and a priest. Not like we had a reason to go in the first place, since we couldnt get materials anyway.

Thats what I figured, but now your party has the perfect balance in terms of jobs In fact, the Labyrinth is built in such a way to show how the perfect party should be structured.

I dont know about the labyrinths circumstances, but did you call us here because our composition is good?

Its not like its just you, weve sent a few parties already, and they even reached the bottom floor. They found some mass produced artifacts, but the Sword of Bonds is still missing.

If its not in the bottom floor then thats the end of that isnt it?

No, an ancient artifact makes it so some floors are generally hidden.

If you do find it, well buy it at a high price.

This was Wilmas proposal.

What if we dont find anything? Do we get nothing?

We have a fixed fee in place, thirty thousand dinnar for each party.

Thirty thousand?

That was seven thousand five hundred for each party member.

It was a nice sum for F rank parties, but Survivors could make more if they explored another Labyrinth.

But it was a different story when you added treasure to the mix, and Nick thought he and his partners had to discuss it.

What do we do?

Hmm What makes it tricky is thinking about how far it is and how long it would take to explore. Is it close?

Wilma answered Tiannas question.

You dont have to worry about stuff like travel expenses, because its inside the main office of the adventurer guild, and its about a thirty minute walk away from here. It takes around three hours to get to the bottom level, but you can spend the whole day exploring if you want, the guild will pay you as long as you reach the final floor.

Well, it makes sense that the training artifact isnt outside the city In that case, I think its worth it.

Karan and Sem agreed with Tianna, and after seeing that, Nick turned to Wilma.

Well then.

Are you going?

No, we need to hammer out the details. I dont want to pick up a magic sword or whatever, get here and hear its not the one we want or its in bad condition, and receive less than what we agreed on. We need a more concrete deal.

Youre a distrustful fellow arent you? You should become a merchant.

Dont give me that. Going adventuring on uncertain terms is more unreasonable.

Wilma sighed, but in the end they got their conditions in order.

A floor plan, information on the enemies that appeared there, and on places that were fully explored and ones that werent completely explored.

Information about the magic sword and whether its condition mattered.

Would they buy other items they found?

Wilma was used to dealing with troublesome adventurers, but even she was getting fed up by the amount of information Nick was dragging out of her.

Its not a bad job is it?

Nick nodded, and so did the other members.

Alright we accept.

Id be angry if you rejected it after all that. Get going.

And thus, Survivors set out to conquer the Labyrinth of Bonds.

So this is the Labyrinth of Bonds It does feel more like an ancient ruin than a labyrinth.

Survivors had just entered the Labyrinth of Bonds, and Tianna was mumbling to herself as she stepped on the stone pavement.

The meticulously arranged grids couldnt have been made by stonemasons or carpenters of the time. It wasnt just the pavement on the road, the doors opened and the candlesticks lit automatically when people approached them. It was very obviously ancient technology.

Ive heard about this, but its still a little strange. Ive never been in a place like this. We received some information before we got here, but it looks like were going to be feeling our way through. Sorry.

Well, thats how labyrinth exploration is like in the first place. I dont know anything about ruins either but Ill do my best.

Yes. This kind of exploration is very adventurer-like.

Nick murmured dejectedly, but Sem and Karan responded with words of encouragement.

Yes. Well, we have a map and information about the monsters I mean, golems, so we shouldnt have a problem if we proceed with caution.

As Nick finished his sentence, the four of them started moving, and it didnt take long until they reached a wide room where something was waiting for them.

Grorororo

Thats a golem.

How should I put this, it doesnt feel alive does it?

Nick and Sem murmured. It was very unshapely, almost like a pile of wood shaped like a human.

These were the golems that the Labyrinth of Bonds created.

A wood golem on the first floor, just like we expected. Karan.

Yes.

Karan took a step forward. She then took a deep breath, and exhaled.

Gugaaaah!!!???

Wood burns easily

Karans fire breath was all it took.

The golems on the first floor were only a little stronger than goblins, and Survivors had no trouble dealing with them.

All done.

Alright, lets keep going.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep