CHAPTER 133: 133 - LABYRINTH OF THE NURTURER [5]

’Ugh, he looks like shit...’

Raven thought to himself, disgust clear on his face even though his eyes were closed.

Right now, he was sharing vision with Yuki, and through her eyes he could see Blake standing there, drenched in blood and smeared with chunks of rotting flesh from the buffed undead he had just killed.

The sight alone made Raven’s lips curl down. He didn’t want to see that, yet he couldn’t look away because of Yuki’s vision.

Anyway, Raven had also witnessed the last stretch of Blake’s fight against the buffed undead... and that memory made something click inside him.

Blake wasn’t just tough. He was a monster in his own right, someone who could one day match the main characters of the novel. Maybe even surpass them in raw endurance if he kept growing like this.

’Where the hell did Blake even come from...? He wasn’t in my novel, but why is he this strong?’

Raven wondered with a twinge of unease. It felt like there was a hole in his memory, like something important was slipping past him unnoticed.

’Any idea?’

He asked inwardly, almost hoping Sariel would provide an answer.

[Nope, no clue.]

Sariel’s answer was short and dry, offering nothing but irritation.

’Gah! Forget it, I’ll think about it later. His existence benefits me anyway.’

Raven thought again, forcing his face back into neutrality though an annoyed twitch lingered at the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile...

Alec, Curtis, Eve, Adelle, and Aoi were resting a short distance away from Raven. Their gazes kept drifting toward him because he had been sitting still with his eyes closed for some time now, his expression shifting oddly from frowns to grimaces.

"Is he sleeping?"

Alec whispered, lowering his voice instinctively as if afraid Raven would wake up.

"Looks like it. And judging by his face, seems like he’s having a bad dream too."

Adelle replied in the same hushed tone, tilting her head slightly as she studied Raven’s features.

The others didn’t see anything wrong with assuming Raven was asleep. He looked calm enough, his breathing even, and his heartbeat steady in the same rhythm that someone resting would have.

(Of course, that calm was only because of Calm Thinker.)

"He’s got nerves of steel to sleep inside a dungeon."

Aoi muttered quietly.

"Or he’s an idiot."

Curtis followed up bluntly.

"..."

Eve stayed quiet for a few seconds longer, her sharp eyes focused on Raven’s face. Then she opened her mouth softly.

"Maybe he just has that much trust in us... enough to be able to sleep inside a dungeon."

She murmured the words almost unconsciously, like she was voicing a simple thought rather than a compliment.

"Eh?"

The others froze and turned their eyes on her in surprise.

None of them had expected Eve, of all people, to say something like that.

"..."

Eve’s eyes widened slightly once she realized what she had said. Then a faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she turned her head away, embarrassed.

"..."

"..."

The group fell into silence. None of them knew what to say, so they began looking around at anything else.

Still, her words echoed in their minds. They couldn’t dismiss them so easily.

Because thinking about it carefully, Eve’s statement was more than possible. It was believable.

And that realization embarrassed all of them to some extent. None wanted to admit it, but the thought stuck stubbornly in their heads.

"Tsk..."

Curtis suddenly clicked his tongue, breaking the awkward air.

Without another word he began scanning the surroundings, searching for enemies. The others followed his lead, pretending to focus as well.

But deep inside, they had all reached the same quiet conclusion.

’He really does trust us, huh...’

That thought lingered in each of their minds, even as their expressions remained guarded and different from one another.

(Of course, Raven wasn’t sleeping at all.)

But the group wasn’t exactly wrong either. He could close his eyes and relax precisely because he trusted them to take care of any enemy that approached.

"Wow, how can he even sleep while sitting like that..?"

Adelle whispered, tilting her head slightly.

’Because he’s a weirdo.’

And the same answer echoed through everyone else’s head.

*****

After a few minutes...

"Hey! I’m here!"

Blake’s loud voice rang out as he finally reunited with the others, following Yuki back to where Raven and the group were waiting.

"Ugh, what’s with his appearance?"

"What the hell happened to him?"

The words slipped out instantly as the group caught sight of him. Blake was still drenched in blood, looking like he had rolled through a slaughterhouse. The foul stench hit them a second later, making their noses wrinkle.

"Hehehe."

Oblivious to their expressions, Blake strolled toward them with a goofy grin plastered on his face, as carefree as ever.

"...!"

"!!!"

The five exchanged wide-eyed looks, and then their gazes snapped toward Raven almost at the same time.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Raven opened his eyes again and met their looks with a flat expression.

"[Improved Cleanse]"

He muttered the spell casually, flicking his fingers toward Blake.

A glow of magic wrapped around Blake’s body in an instant.

Swoosh~

Blake froze mid-step as the magic surrounded him. A few seconds later, all the blood and filth vanished from his armor and skin, leaving him completely clean. Even the disgusting odor was wiped away without a trace.

"Thanks, Raven!"

Blake grinned widely, his face lighting up with gratitude. His body felt lighter, his mood instantly improved.

"Phew..."

The others all let out a collective sigh of relief at the same time, their shoulders visibly relaxing.

They turned grateful eyes toward Raven too. Even if he hadn’t done it for them directly, they appreciated not having to endure the stench.

Raven, however, only frowned slightly at their looks.

’What’s with these weirdos...’

He thought. He would’ve cleaned Blake regardless of their complaints. It wasn’t for them. He simply couldn’t stand filth sticking around near him.

"Yuki, come here."

-Kyuu!

Raven called out softly, shaking off unnecessary thoughts. Yuki fluttered down and landed gracefully on his head, chirping cheerfully.

"Here, drink this."

Raven flicked a small vial toward Blake, his throw precise and casual.

"Huh?"

Blake caught the potion, blinking in confusion as he looked at it, then at Raven as if silently asking a question.

Raven already knew what he wanted to say.

"It’s a stamina potion. We already rested while we were waiting for you."

His tone was calm but firm as he continued.

"We need to move now. We’ve already wasted too much time."

"Okay."

Blake nodded without further argument and downed the potion in one gulp. A faint light spread across his body, easing the fatigue in his muscles.

"Anyway, how do we reach the deeper floors of the labyrinth?"

Alec asked next, looking around.

"There should be an entrance or a path somewhere."

Eve answered calmly, stepping forward.

"Based on the structure of this floor and how dungeons work, it should be over there."

She pointed toward the direction the army of undead had originally come from.

"Then that’s our next destination, right?"

Raven asked as if confirming.

"Then let’s go."

He added quickly, not bothering to wait too long.

Bam!

In the next second, Raven dashed off in the direction Eve had pointed, not hesitating for a moment.

Raven didn’t know exactly where the entrance was. He hadn’t bothered writing those kinds of details into his novel. So now, he relied on his main characters who had studied dungeons far more thoroughly than he had.

"He’s really impatient, huh..."

Eve muttered softly, watching him vanish ahead.

"Let’s go."

She said next.

"Okay!"

The rest chimed in, and together they followed after Raven.

On the way they encountered scattered undead, but none were worth mentioning. Every single one was dispatched effortlessly.

As Eve had said, Raven was indeed impatient.

...

...

*****

20 hours later, after Raven and the others had entered the labyrinth...

"We should rest here."

Raven suggested in a calm tone, scanning the area carefully.

It was quiet here. No monsters nearby, and the terrain provided natural cover that made the spot fairly well hidden.

The others didn’t immediately respond. Instead, they all just looked at Raven with complicated expressions. Their eyes reflected mixed feelings.

Because after all this time, Raven was the one telling them to rest.

They were currently inside a swampy forest, that was the theme of this floor. The air was damp, thick with the smell of mud and rot. Strange calls of swamp creatures echoed in the distance.

The monsters they had faced here so far were mostly Mud Golems and Swamp Monkeys.

Both were E+ rank monsters, stronger than the previous floor’s undead.

Anyway...

The important part was that they weren’t in the second floor anymore. No, Raven and the others had already reached the middle of the third floor of the labyrinth.

"We made pretty good progress today, right guys?"

Raven asked with a small smile, clearly satisfied.

The others stared at him. In their eyes, he looked more like a demon than a comrade.

’Pretty good progress..? This is just ’pretty good’ to him?’

They all thought nervously at the same time, unsure whether to laugh or what.