The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: The Boy Who Was Expelled from His Party Awakens to His True Power [Weapon Master] and Eventually Becomes the World’s Strongest

Extra chapter thanks to Piper

Forbidden Six Labyrinths – Haise’s Journey 2

The day after Haise’s conversation with Balgan, the clan master of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Haise was summoned to the guild master’s room at the Adventurer’s Guild.

Inside were Guild Master Chante and…

“…………”

“You… got some business with me?”

It was Balgan.

Eyes closed, arms crossed, sitting on a sofa.

Haise questioned him, but there was no response.

Chante told Haise to sit, placing him across from Balgan.

“Chante-san, I’d like to head to the Infinite Labyrinth of Delmadrome right away, so let’s keep this brief.”

“Ah, I’d like to, but… it’s Balgan who called you here. I’m just sitting in.”

“I see… so, what is it?”

“You’ve got no manners, kid.”

“I don’t need a lecture from you.”

Balgan finally opened his mouth.

Haise snapped back with sarcasm.

The man was one of the Four Great Clan Masters. Yet Haise didn’t back down an inch.

Chante, thinking “this kid’s something else”, still felt tense.

“Balgan. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Haise owes you nothing and is ready to leave for the Infinite Labyrinth of Delmadrome. Once he goes, you won’t see him for months.”

“…I’ve got just one piece of advice for you.”

“?”

Balgan uncrossed his arms and rolled up his shirt.

“What…!”

Chante gasped in shock.

On Balgan’s abdomen was a massive, gaping scar, as if it had been hollowed out.

“Overconfidence leads to death. The fact I’m alive is a miracle… That place isn’t somewhere one person can handle alone. The monsters there are nothing like the ones here.”

“…………”

“I’ll admit it. Yes, I ran away. They call me one of the Four Great Clan Masters, but I’m the coward you say I am. All I can do now is craft weapons for adventurers to increase their survival chances. Kid… don’t overestimate yourself. If you don’t want to die, run, even if you have to crawl to do it.”

“…………”

Haise smiled faintly.

“Correction. You’re a coward, but not a spineless one.”

“What?”

“Balgan, Clan Master of the Four Great Clans, The Count of Monte Cristo. I appreciate your advice.”

“…………”

“I won’t die. I can’t die. I’ll live and aim for the peak of adventuring. If it means surviving, I’ll run, crawl—whatever it takes.”

“….Arrogant brat.”

Balgan smirked faintly.

Haise smiled back and stood up.

“Well, I’m off. That was a good talk.”

“…If you conquer the labyrinth, we’ll celebrate with the entire clan.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Haise gave a light wave and left the room.

Chante turned to Balgan.

“You’re so awkward… You could’ve said all that yesterday.”

“……I’m not good with kids.”

“Haise isn’t a kid. That’s why you went out of your way to see him, isn’t it?”

“…Maybe so.”

If it’s Haise, maybe.

Balgan and Chante shared the thought as they watched the door Haise had exited through.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

The Infinite Labyrinth of Delmadrome.

One of the Forbidden Six Labyrinths, managed by the desert nation of Dizara.

Taking a carriage provided by Dizara, Haise arrived at a high vantage point overlooking the labyrinth.

It seemed to be a tourist attraction. From the high ground, numerous adventurers and tourists gazed at the Infinite Labyrinth of Delmadrome in awe.

Haise looked out over the labyrinth from the viewpoint.

“Massive…”

A giant ruin in the desert.

The description fit perfectly.

According to gathered information, the visible ruins were just the surface. Below lay an expansive dungeon teeming with dangerous monsters, so vast it surpassed the borders of a single nation.

His goal was singular:

Retrieve the dungeon’s “core”, and the labyrinth would vanish.

It was rumored that unimaginable treasures lay within its depths.

“…Alright.”

Haise vaulted over the railing of the viewpoint.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

The carriage attendant scolded him.

Haise showed his adventurer’s card and replied.

“S-rank adventurer, Darkstalker Haise. I’m heading into that dungeon now.”

“S-S-rank adventurer?! And Haise, at that… U-understood. Please be careful!”

This act would later spark the story spreading across Dizara:

[Haise of the Heiberg Kingdom challenges the Forbidden Six Labyrinths.]

Haise began walking toward the Infinite Labyrinth of Delmadrome.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

He reached the ruins.

No one was there. Approaching the entrance boldly from the front.

“These ruins are ancient…”

Upon closer inspection, the ruins weren’t made solely of stone.

Iron was used extensively, with metal rods protruding from the stonework.

“I see. A framework of iron, reinforced with stone. Hm? What’s this…”

A strange metal rod lay on the ground.

Attached to it was a box with three round glass lenses aligned.

“…Somewhere before…”

Haise’s eyes widened as he pulled out an ancient document, flipping through its pages.

He stopped at an illustration he recognized.

“It’s identical… Could this be a… ‘traffic signal’?”

A traffic signal.

The three-eyed object buried in the sand resembled the “traffic signal” described in the document.

Many other metal objects were scattered around.

“This must be a car… and this, a bike.”

Odd items were buried everywhere.

If the entrance was this way, what lay within?

Haise murmured.

“The Infinite Labyrinth of Delmadrome… could it be related to Isekai?”

With that thought, Haise stepped into the labyrinth.