A Commonplace Story Of Overpowered Sorcerer

Eventually, they arrived at the twentieth floor, the floor that separated skilled adventurers from rank amateurs. Currently, the deepest floor people had managed to reach was floor sixty-five. However, that was a legendary feat that hadn't been replicated since, so in recent times anyone who made it past the first twenty floors was considered a highly-skilled fighter. Anyone who made it past the first forty was superhuman.

With Rio and Kouki at their head, the students were able to easily advance through the floors. Though they had little combat experience, their overpowered abilities and Hajime's unfair artifact more than enough to compensate. The most dangerous enemy the students faced was actually the traps scattered about. Some of them were even lethal.

The most common countermeasure for traps was something known as a Fair Scope. A Fair Scope was a handy tool that detected traps by reading the flow of mana. Most of the traps in the labyrinth were magical in nature, so a Fair Scope detected around 80% of them. However, the Scope possessed a very limited range, so it was only effective in the hands of an experienced user. Rio, however, begged to differ. In fact, he could feel all traps because of his cheats. Still, he said nothing to maintain his secret.

Even so, the real reason Rio and the students were able to descend so smoothly was because of how well their knight mentors were guiding them. Captain Meld also often reminded the students to never enter a room that hadn't been scoured for traps first.

"Alright everyone, from this point on, monsters won't come at you just one species at a time. They'll coordinate with each other and attack in large groups. Don't let your guard down just because we've had nothing but easy victories so far! Today's training will conclude once we clear the twentieth floor, so let's end things with a bang!" Captain Meld's voice echoed throughout the room.

While everyone was taking a short break, Rio glanced over to his group, and he saw Kaori who was fussing over Hajime, who was helping helpless expression, Kouki who looked at Hajime in pity, Shizuku who sent an apologetic look in Hajime's direction, and Ryutarou, Suzu, and Eri who snickered at Hajime's misery.

Rio then saw Hajime shuddering out of the blue and looking around with an expression with the mixture of confusion and wariness. Rio also detected the bloodl.u.s.t directed on Hajime and glanced at the source. He then saw Hayama who glared at Hajime with hatred.

That wasn't the first time Hajime was subjected by this gaze either. He'd been subjected to it multiple times since the day he became Kaori's boyfriend, but whenever he tried to look for the one who was doing it, they seemingly calmed down. Hajime was growing tired of it.

However, Rio knew who was that. He couldn't help but think that he needn't sabotage the expedition if Hayama was still deluding himself that he had a chance with Kaori. Thus, Rio made up his mind to see how it will advance.

Rio, the students, and the knights continued exploring the twentieth floor.

Each of the labyrinth's floors spanned a few kilometers in every direction, and new floors usually took a team of dozens anywhere from half a month to a month to fully search and map out. However, at present, all the floors until the forty-seventh had been mapped out, so they were in no danger of getting lost. Nor should they have been in any danger of falling into a trap.

The deepest room on the twentieth floor was like a limestone cave but made of ice. Icicles protruded from the walls, some of them melted, creating a complex topography. The stairs leading to the twenty-first floor was just past it.

Once they made it that far, their training for the day would be over. Sadly, while teleportation magic had existed during the Age of the Gods, it no longer did, so they had to walk back to the entrance… Or so they thought so. Nobody was aware that Rio could use teleportation magic, but this is irrelevant for the story at this point. The students had already begun to relax when a protrusion in the wall had prevented them from advancing in formation, forcing them to continue in single file.

Eventually, the three people at the head of their procession, Rio, Kouki, and Captain Meld, came to a halt. Puzzled, the students prepared for battle as they looked around. It seemed they had encountered a monster.

"It's camouflaging itself! Keep a close eye on your surroundings!" Captain Meld yelled out a warning to everyone.

An instant later, the thing everyone had mistaken for a protrusion suddenly changed color and began to move. The creature that had assumed the shape of a wall was actually a dark brown color, and it stood there on two legs. It began beating its c.h.e.s.t. Seemed the monster was a gorilla that could camouflage itself like a chameleon.

"A Rockmount! Watch out for its arms, they pack quite a punch!" Captain Meld's voice resounded throughout the cavern as Kouki's party prepared to engage the enemy.

Rio and Ryutarou repelled the Rockmount's enormous arms with their fists. Rio could do this fear because he enhanced his physical strength and body's durability with his mana. Meanwhile, Kouki and Shizuku shuffled to either side to flank it but were unable to properly surround it because of the rough terrain.

Realizing it couldn't get past the impenetrable wall that was Rio and Ryutarou, the Rockmount fell back and s.u.c.k.e.d in a deep breath.

"Graaaaaaaaaaah!!!" Seconds later, it looked back and roared so ferociously that the entire room shook.

"Guh!?"

"Uwaaah!?"

"Kyaaah!?"

Though the shockwave of sound that hit the students did no harm, it made everyone stiffen in fear. That was the magic Rockmounts were capable of using, "Intimidating Roar." It was a mana-infused roar that could temporarily paralyze all who heard it.

Kouki and the others, who took it head-on, found themselves unable to move an inch. Rio, meanwhile, faked his paralyzed state. He still kept his facade to the end. They expected to be attacked while stunned, but the Rockmount sidestepped past them, picked up a nearby boulder, and hurled it at the rear group group. And what a spectacular throw it was! It flew cleanly over the heads of the immobile front line and headed straight toward its intended target.

They all pointed their magic gun at the boulder and prepared to intercept. There was no space to dodge. However, they stopped midway, the sight of what was coming toward them shocking them into inaction.

The boulder the Rockmount had thrown was a second Rockmount! It somersaulted in the air and spread its arms wide, heading straight for Kaori. The way it spread its arms out resembled the Lupin Dive. The resemblance was so uncanny that one almost expected it to scream "Kaori deaaaaaaaar!" as it hit her. It even had the bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing down pat. Kaori, Eri, and Suzu all screamed in terror and forgot to keep chanting. Only Hajime who was in a good state and he pulled his magic gun trigger to end the life of the creepy Rockmount.

"Oy, what do you think you're doing in the middle of a fight!? And good job with staying calm in the middle of the fight, Hajime!" Captain Meld reprimanded the girls and praised Hajime's willpower and self-control.

The girls quickly apologized, but that must've been quite the disgusting sight to see, as their faces were still pale. In fact, Kaori was hugging Hajime's left hand for her dear life. A certain someone completely snapped when he saw how rattled the girls were. Amanogawa Kouki, the class's resident self-styled hero of justice.

"Bastard... How dare you hurt Kaori and the others... I won't forgive you!" He must have mistakenly thought their paleness came from their close brush with death, and not how disgustingly creepy the Rockmount had looked. Kouki flew into a rage over that rather cliched reason. Pure white mana began leaking from his body, and almost as if in response, his holy sword began to glow.