Sword of Gluttony Queen - Chapter 22 - Surrounding the Gold Maimai

Chapter 22 : Surrounding the Gold Maimai

A while later, I sensed that those three adventurers were chasing after that Gold Maimai too.
The Gold Maimai was getting farther and farther from the three adventurers such that they couldn’t find its position.

But, the three of them persistently chased after that Gold Maimai.
Not only that, the Gold Maimai moved in a way that was as if it was aware of the fact that we’re chasing after it too.

Though I wished that those three adventurers would lose sight of that Gold Maimai as soon as possible… it seemed that those three have noticed our presence as well.

「… does their party have the Rule? There should be no adventurer who can use 《Search》 in Romburgh’s Adventurer Guild and I get the feeling that they’re not from the army either but…」

We have no choice but to back down if the Army used their authority to hunt down that Gold Maimai.
It was already an open secret for the Adventurers of Romburgh that they shouldn’t make an enemy of the Army.
Magic inspector aside, I couldn’t even defeat a mere soldier of their organization.

If I was marked as a wanted criminal or a rebel, their soldier who can use many different kinds of magic and are stronger than those Mouse [Battle Rat] on average would chase after me and hunt me down, no questions asked.
I doubt I could survive for more than one day if they were chasing after the current me.
Though they wouldn’t go as far as marking me just because of a small feud over our hunting target, it was far better to not involve myself with those guys from the army.

「I don’t think that Gold Maimai can escape this far if it’s hunted by the Army. I mean, they’re at best a D-rank Demon Beast. Those guys from the army could easily overtake the Gold Maimai’s speed.」

Mani pointed out that fact to answer my doubt.

「I think those people would rather go along with their Environmentalist to the UG 4th floor which provided a better amount of money and Odo to level up rather than wasting their time chasing after a Gold Maimai. Moreover, their party are usually composed of a six-man party, one leader and five subordinates.」[Proofreader: Environmentalist is actually a type of mage that uses atmospheric type magic]

…. When I reconsidered those matters, it was indeed unlikely for those three to be a member of the army.
Yes, I might be overly worried about this.

And then, a while after that, we were following the Odo signs of the three adventurers and the Gold Maimai from some distance but… the situation suddenly took a sudden turn.
The Gold Maimai’s Odo was moving towards the lower floor.
It might even try to move into a lower floor.

The movement of the three adventurers in front of us has also stopped.
… I also have to reconsider our original plan to chase after the Gold Maimai.

I mean the number of dangerous beasts on the UG 3rd floor increased dramatically.
We’re definitely going to meet a number of D-rank demon beasts, and in the worst case scenario, surrounded by them.

I mean…. Even veteran adventurers still get cold feet when they have encountered a brutal C-rank demon beast.
（Gold Maimai was classified as C-rank demon beast due to huge amount of Odo in its body but, its power is that of lower D-rank demon beast at most.）
The suffocating atmosphere in UG 3rd floor was also a huge minus for humans since it directly affected our bodies.

「I might be able to move just fine for a while in UG 3rd floor but… It’s still too dangerous for me. Let’s just give u–」

Right before I finished my sentence… the Odo of the three adventurers were moving down towards the UG 3rd floor to chase after the Gold Maimai.
it seemed that those three adventurers chose to take the risk.

「What the hell is wrong with those guys… are they that confident with their skills?」

I felt anxious when I saw them.
I might be too cowardly as an adventurer.

I suddenly recalled the words of the great hero which I heard in my childhood.

『The key to becoming a great adventurer is the courage to move forward, power, and wisdom to seize the victory.』

… Those were the words of the most famous hero in this world, Sword Saint Zelios.

The Sword Saint Zelios wasn’t a protagonist of a fictional novel, he was a real life historical figure.
Thousands of years ago, the Wicked Twin-Headed Ancient Dragon who destroyed countless civilizations in 《Ilmis》 was broken free from its seal.
The hundred years that followed that Twin-Headed Ancient Dragon’s revival was widely known as the《Dark Era》.

Sword Saint Zelios was an orphan born near the end of that 《Dark Era》who quickly became famous due to his power, wisdom, and bravery, and soon enough, people began to call him a hero.
After receiving the Divine Protection of 《Imu》 called “WisePedia”, he along with the bow master Riella then went to challenge the Twin-Headed Ancient Dragon and sealed it at the end of 《Lilar [Dream World]》.

Though you might say that I’ve become an adventurer because that’s one of the extremely limited options that were available to me, I was in fact yearning to become an adventurer like Sword Saint Zelios.
Before I met Mani, I experienced a bitter childhood after my father’s death. The story of Zelios was recognized by other people despite being placed in a similar situation as I was one of my few beacons in the darkness.

「What shall we do next, Dean? That Gold Maimai’s speed is clearly slowing down. The main reason might be due to the wound inflicted by your sword. And according to your story just now, those three adventurers fought that Gold Maimai a while ago too. We can aim for the moment where they’re exhausted from the previous battle you know.」

… I was more than aware of what she meant.
She told me to use 《Imu》 on the Gold Maimai in our next encounter.
Moreover, I still have 《Petit Demordi》.
Though I wanted to keep it as my trump card when we’re cornered… I guess I’ll have to use it on this hunt to ensure our success.

Letting this opportunity to slip was bound to create more trouble for us later on.

The options of places that I could traverse also increased along with my level.
That was why this was a huge chance to increase my level.
And this made me feel scared since the probability of this chance was simply too much of a coincidence.

I calmed my mind from unnecessary thoughts and then closed my eyes.

「…. Let’s go. We’re heading to the 3rd floor of 《Romburgh’s Underground Ruin》」

Mani let out a smile when I replied:

「Alright, since there’s no objection, let’s not allow this chance to slip away… But, let’s advance at a slower rate than before since the floor below is far more dangerous than the previous floor.」

My experience of diving into UG 3rd floor could…. Be counted on one hand.
Despite its harsh environment, it wasn’t a major hindrance even for me as long as we’re not diving for more than three hours.