Chapter 222 — Part 1
The large gathering of adventurers that come when there is a massive outbreak of fire-type monsters in the labyrinth is known as the “Harvest Festival,” and is recognized as a regular event in Mazelinth.
Because of the considerable strength of the labyrinth monsters and that they are too numerous to hunt them all, this event was a great way for adventurers, who had recently graduated from being beginners, to gain more experience and earn money. Dreissen and the others, who were still low level adventurers to the public, would also be participating.
In truth, there was actually more than just one labyrinth where a large outbreak of monsters was occurring. Since multiple labyrinths were connected to each other, there was a large number of monsters inside, so likewise, a large number of adventurers had to cooperate in order to deal with them.
Every year, the merchants would stock up on fireproof weapons and armor, as well as medicines for burns, and make a lot of money selling those to adventurers, who were waiting in anticipation for the fierce battle ahead, and were dreaming of the rewards at the end.
On a plain filled with hundreds of adventurers, and also Mazelinth soldiers who were there on standby as insurance in case the monsters breached through to the city, Luskrow was there with his guest Beginala, together with Dreissen, Hanma, Dowben, and Quinn.
This was the Hirataira Plains, just beyond one of the mountains to the north of Mazelinth, near a large port.
The area near the mountain was green, but due to the influence of the three fire-type labyrinths that exist to the northwest, north, and northeast, there was less green the further north you went, and instead, the ground became more reddish, barren, and the rocks and plants also took on fire attributes.
Traffic regulations were established on the roads leading to the three labyrinths in preparation for the Harvest Festival, and the merchants and other ordinary people who usually used the roads were nowhere to be seen. Now the streets were crowded with adventurers, including Dreissen and his friends.
Even though it was the Harvest Festival, they were still wearing their usual equipment, but Luskrow was fully decked out in anti-fire monster gear that he had been keeping in a rented warehouse.
He wore a steel breastplate and steel gauntlets blessed by a fire spirit, a helmet made from the bones and beak of the firebird, Flame Pick, and he had a short spear and two daggers blessed by the water goddess, Aquoria.
Whether it was exploring a labyrinth, or subjugating monsters, gathering information beforehand and being prepared is the most basic of basics for an adventurer. Luskrow was always saying so to Dreissen and the others bitterly.
But even so, the fact that they were still wearing the same equipment as usual must mean that the basic functionality of their equipment was high.
Dreissen and the others were so far above all the other beginner adventurers in both ability and equipment, that things that should have been common sense would not apply to them.
As Luskrow looked on nostalgically at the newcomer adventurers who hadn’t gotten their equipment together in time, and were instead taking countermeasures like wearing cloaks soaked in water over their heads, or keeping buckets of water nearby, he spoke to Dreissen and the others.
「From what I heard from the city knights and the temple priests guarding the labyrinths, the sources of the Harvest Festival this year are three labyrinths. The first labyrinth is “Vasharkan’s Mercy,” created from a contract with a high ranking fire spirit, the second is the “Great Fire Wall,” left behind from the tests of the fire god Jambordai, and the third is the “Purple Flame Disaster,” which was created by the evil god with a body made of purple fire, Lu Volta」
As Luskrow named the three labyrinths one by one, he pointed in the direction of each of them, and looked around at each of the adventurers gathering there, and the battle formations they were all taking.
Dreissen was the one who responded to Luskrow. He was standing with a long-handled battle axe slung over his right shoulder, giving off a solemn atmosphere that made one think of the trials waiting for the adventurers deep inside the labyrinths.
「I’m sure that city knights are here in case of an emergency, but it seems there are also some very talented people here who don’t need to participate in the Harvest Festival」
Dreissen was pointing out that there were several people among the adventurers who clearly had equipment of different quality and appearances, and it was obvious they were advanced adventurers.
Advanced adventurers could dive into more difficult labyrinths, where there were more rare materials and remnants of miracles, and they could earn literally magnitudes more money than beginner or mid-level adventurers.
They are the successful personifications of the dreams and desires for many of the adventurers in Mayslinth. For them, the Harvest Festival is a memory that once sustained them for a while, but now there was no need for them to participate in it anymore.
「Yeah, some of them were probably hired by the mayor or by the guild leader, but there’s only a few of them. There are factions among the adventurers, so most of them are probably here to look after those who are participating in the Harvest Festival for the first time. If the city knights are the last line of defense, then the advanced group are the first defense before that one」
「Fumu, so even adventurers who claim to be free can’t escape creating factions. It’s probably out of necessity, but I guess there’s no escaping the urgency or harshness of reality」
「Well, there are a lot of lone wolves out there, but it’s a great mental support to have someone to rely on. I can’t say that that’s a bad thing」
「Hmm, hearing you put it that way, I apologize. I didn’t mean to show any contempt toward adventurers, I spoke wrongly」
「Hey. It’s fine, so long as you understand. Even I have my doubts, sometimes the powerful factions get in trouble because they don’t get along with the guild union, so there are pros and cons to the factions」
Before he got stuck in his bog of laziness, Luskrow had not been a member of a faction, but rather, he had been in a neutral faction and he could be used as a helper in times of need, along with all his allies from back then.
The connections he had made at that time were still going strong even until now. Many of his acquaintances had welcomed him back when he restarted his activities as an adventurer, and they were even eyeing Dreissen and the others with cunning gazes, seeing their practical worth as adventurers.
「Well, if this year goes as normal, it’s not very likely that the advanced adventurers will get involved. Some of the beginners weren’t able to get their equipment together, but the temples have sent out medic teams out of good will, and the mayor also hired doctors to be here too.
The Harvest Festival has become a tradition, and ways to deal with it are already established, so no one will be dying any time soon」
「The advanced adventurers, huh? The guild has those from rank ten to eight as beginners, seven to five as mid-level, and from four to two as advanced. Were the rank one adventurers their own special class? Are any of them here today?」
「The special class is Mazelinth’s trump card. There’s no need to take them out since the mid-level adventurers are good enough. Hmm, from the looks of it, the strongest one here is the rank three adventurer over there, Akari」
Dreissen went, “fumu,” and Luskrow watched as he stroked his chin in thought. It seems Akari was looking after a group of four innocent-looking beginner adventurers.
There was a male lion-person, with the head of a black lion and a strong physique, a scorpion-man with a brown shell and a tail that had a sharp poisonous needle, a Dark Elf woman with tan skin, long ears that resembled bamboo leaves, and long silvery white hair, and lastly, there was an ape-woman with a wagging slender tail.
The lion-man was a heavy warrior with two double-edged greatswords and a breastplate made of shining mithril, and the scorpion-man was a lighter warrior with two adamantite knives and his own shell as armor. The Dark Elf was a spirit user with a sacred wooden staff that contained as little metal as possible, and the ape-woman with the club that emits powerful magic was probably a martial artist or a fighter.
From Dreissen’s point of view, they were probably among the top two most talented people he had seen since arriving in Mazelinth. Their demeanor showed that they were still relaxed, which made Dreissen think that their personalities were not so bad either.
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