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Over the Infinite Chapter 23 Part 1

 

Volume 2 Episode 10 “Signpost”

 

-(-2)-

 

There is an adventurer named Arshelia Growentina. The origin of the Growentina family name is unclear. It dates back to three generations ago, used by her great-grandfather in a previous life when the Labyrinth City was not as it is today.

Arshelia was born as the eldest daughter of her family around the time the Labyrinth City’s administration was getting on track. Her birth coincided with the city entering a new era. Alongside her twin sister, she grew up healthy and rapidly, in sync with the city’s swift development.

Both her parents were adventurers. They started their exploits during the dawn of the Labyrinth City, long before the Infinite Corridor was significantly explored, and were among the earliest adventurers, founding members of the oldest existing clan, (War Arms). It was inevitable that Arshelia, having grown up watching her parents, would aspire to be an adventurer herself.

When Arshelia turned ten, she was approached by the already mammoth-sized Adventurer School, recognizing her potential. However, she declined, feeling that starting her expeditions as soon as possible was more important than academic learning. Conversely, her twin sister enrolled in the Adventurer School, while Arshelia embarked on her path as an adventurer a step earlier. It’s said that Arshelia wasn’t particularly good at studying.

Ten was an age normally not permitted for debuting as an adventurer. Without her parents’ understanding and likely the influence of the Dungeon Master, whom she knew through her parents since childhood, she wouldn’t have been able to cross that hurdle.

Arshelia was already anticipated as a promising new star by adventurers and industry insiders, eagerly awaiting her debut. Meeting those expectations, she prepared for the fastest conquest of the Trial Dungeon.

『Hey, hey, I’m going to be an adventurer too, 』 young Cloche declared, making Arshelia’s face break into an inevitable grin.

She loved adorable things. Her two sisters were so dear to her, and she even had a panda strap on her spear, a gift from a teammate. It seemed to be a recent trend in the Labyrinth City.

Nothing scared her. Her confidence was backed by real skill. Yet, even Arshelia, hailed as a genius, found her mettle tested in the Trial Dungeon.

She had prepared as much as she possibly could, so much so that others might have been taken aback. Her teammates were a warrior and a magician, both called geniuses like herself, aiming for the fastest record.

The dungeon conquest went smoothly at first. The Kobolds on the first floor were a bit surprising, but they were just Kobolds, no real obstacle.

Moving through the second and third floors, they found a mysterious rabbit-ear headband in a chest, which she wore despite it having no apparent use.

They managed to defeat the difficult fourth floor’s War Tiger, their team coordination now on par with other adventurers.

However, a brutal reality awaited in the unpublished fifth floor.

Just seeing the Minotaur’s massive figure made her legs tremble.

Her team members, easily ensnared by its roar, were one by one minced by its gigantic axe.

Before she could scream, the trial had descended upon Arshelia too.

…It was a harrowing experience, a severe baptism.

The ordeal shattered the spirits of the other two members. They weren’t incapacitated, but they certainly couldn’t participate in the retry available six days later.

The pain, more spiritual than physical, tearing and mashing their souls before reshaping them, was enough to break the spirit of a confident rookie.

The curse of death, it gnawed not just at the two but at Arshelia’s heart as well.

Even at home, the innocent eyes of little Cloche seemed to pressure her.

She couldn’t discuss the fifth floor with her school-going sister. It wouldn’t make sense; there was cognitive blocking.

Yet, her sister’s words, “I’ll catch up soon, so wait for me,” were encouraging.

Arshelia was the big sister. She couldn’t show her sisters any weakness. They would follow her, just as the other two would return to her side.

Triggered by the 5th-floor challenge, Arshelia used the training facility that opened for relentless training over six days.

It was a training that would normally be fatal, but not in this facility. “Even death isn’t a problem.”

She pushed her body to the limits, enduring excruciating pain.

By the day of the retry, she had grown so much she could be called a different person.

On the seventh day, Arshelia tackled the dungeon alone.

Even weakened, the Minotaur was still overwhelming. Despite her training, she lacked strength.

Without teammates to back her up, any mistakes had to be countered alone.

But every time her spirit nearly broke, her sisters’ words and images pushed her forward.

Gritting her teeth to the point of breaking, she repeatedly thrust her spear into the Minotaur.

Blood flowed, and her strength waned, but so did her adversaries. The opponent was, after all, a living creature like herself.

Its massive body was a threat. If this had been outside the Labyrinth City, as a woman, she might not have been able to fight this far.

But this was the Labyrinth City. The system, the skills, they were on her side.

The confidence she had felt during her first attempt was mere arrogance. There was still so much room for her to grow.

Here, she could become a hero. She could stand alongside the parents and Dungeon Master she admired.

Her beloved spear, thrust with all her might, pierced the Minotaur, breaking as if having fulfilled its purpose.

That was the final act of her last companion in battle.

With that strike, the Trial Dungeon was conquered.

Though she had failed once, it was still an unprecedented achievement. No one had ever slain the Minotaur in just two attempts.

The record time was substantially improved. It wouldn’t be easy for anyone to surpass it.

She had lost her companions and her spear, but she had achieved her goal. She could proudly debut as an adventurer.

 

-(-1)-

 

The Dungeon Master, whom she met in audience, looked terribly tired.

However, seeing a child he had known since birth achieve such a great record and make her debut brought a smile to his face, belying his age.

His wives, whom she didn’t know very well, also celebrated her achievement.

Moreover, for breaking the record so significantly and completing the solo conquest, she even received a bonus.

The Crimson Lance Gungnir. A spear modeled after a myth from the world where the Dungeon Master hailed from. It was handed to her as if it were a mere toy, but apparently, it was a prototype crafted by the Dungeon Master himself.

This blood-red spear, possessing the mysterious power to return when thrown, was like something out of a legend. The original in the myth supposedly never missed its target, but since this was just a prototype, it lacked that feature. Additionally, its combat performance was said to grow alongside its wielder, meaning it wouldn’t fully express its power with the inexperienced Arshelia. It was an irreplaceable gift, imbued with the hope that she would grow alongside this spear.

And there was one more thing, the real crux of the matter: a skill that she could learn. Though there were no particular restrictions as far as the Dungeon Master’s abilities allowed, Arshelia chose a skill that would grow with her, just like the spear. She acquired a wide-ranging skill that deployed multiple spears of light. Considering her future growth, she decided to limit its use to twice a day, and the skill would render her immobile while active, in exchange for enhanced attack power. It was an aggressive skill, prioritizing the certainty of annihilating enemies over her own survival. She wished to be able to fight alone until the others, including those two and her sisters, could catch up.

This skill, named ((Meteor Impact)), was recognized by the Labyrinth City’s system and became a unique power for Arshelia.

Arshelia’s rapid ascent didn’t stop even after her debut. She fondly remembered battling a Circus Panda on the tenth floor; its cuteness had been a small relief, despite her tears as she defeated it. She realized later that it was the model for the strap she had received.

In the rookie battle, though merely to make up numbers, she teamed up with two talented members and defeated Lizardman Gwuar from the oldest clan (War Arms), once affiliated with her parents. Gwuar was strong, and his ((Dream Blade)) sword skill posed a great challenge, but she found a way through with ((Meteor Impact)). She knew she still had room to grow stronger; there was more to her spear and ((Meteor Impact)).

The conquest of the Infinite Corridor progressed. With a semi-permanent party, she cleared the 20th and 30th floors, overcame challenges, and was promoted to an intermediate rank before half a year had passed.

Arshelia’s rapid success brought loneliness. The two companions from the trial still struggled with mental issues and hadn’t debuted. Cloche was still too young, and her twin sister was a student. Her peers couldn’t keep up with her swift growth, and most remained at the lower ranks. Even after advancing to intermediate, her party members changed to match her rank. Still, she adapted well to unfamiliar teammates, and though it took time, she managed to break through the challenging 31st and 51st floors. She was undeniably advancing to the front lines at an unprecedented pace.