The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 22
“Celesti, stop it.”
“But…”
Maria scolded Celesti, making her shrink back. Garm, too, looked disheartened after being reprimanded.
“I’m sorry. But this place is a monster’s den. We can’t protect everyone while fighting. I need you to understand that.”
Maria spoke with a serious gaze, and Van responded.
“I understand. Besides, we never expected you to protect us.”
Sophia, Amber, and Clay, standing behind him, nodded in agreement.
“Sure, we may be C-rank, but that doesn’t mean we’re weak! The only weak one here is that old man!”
“W-What!?”
Garm was outraged by Clay’s words.
“Who are you calling weak!? Who!?”
“I just stated the truth!”
“What did you say!? You oversized brute!!”
“Oh yeah!?”
As Garm and Clay glared at each other, growling like beasts, Maria chuckled softly.
“You’re right… Rank and strength don’t always match. I apologize for underestimating you.”
Clay turned red and averted his gaze at Maria’s honest apology.
“O-Oh, as long as you get it.”
“Then, we’ll go ahead. It’s not that I doubt you, but still—be careful.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Van appreciated Maria’s warning and watched the backs of “Minazuki” as they walked away.
Celesti, the last to leave, stuck out her tongue at Garm, teasing him. Garm fumed alone, frustrated.
“Damn it, I don’t even know who the real kid is here!”
Watching Garm, Clay grumbled. Then, with Van leading, the “Great Eagle” party quickened their pace deeper into the dimly lit cave.
“But seriously, why did you buy such a cheap sword!? It’s embarrassing!”
“Hey, it was pretty expensive! Damn it, that weapon shop tricked me!”
“You just have no sense for good weapons, Garm!”
“What the hell!? I’m the victim here!”
Sophia and Garm argued as Clay, walking at the very back, observed them.
Clay couldn’t understand why Van trusted someone like Garm. He didn’t seem competent at all.
More than anything, what really bothered him was how Sophia and Amber also respected Garm.
—What do they even see in that guy?
Clay felt irritated, but he also knew Van wasn’t someone who spoke carelessly.
—Damn it! Whatever. I just don’t have to acknowledge him. Then things will go back to how they were… just the four of us.
As they advanced through the labyrinth, Clay kept these thoughts to himself.
An hour had passed since they entered the labyrinth from the tunnels. As they continued heading downward, they fought off the insect-like monsters along the way.
As the guild had assessed, they were creatures manageable for B and C-rank adventurers. However—
“The magic energy is getting thicker… It feels like we’re getting close to the labyrinth’s depths.”
Makos, leading at the front, voiced his concern, and the other members of “Albatross” nodded. The monsters appearing were clearly growing stronger.
From the dark depths of the cave, a massive centipede crawled along the walls.
“Here comes another weird one!”
Macaus swung his battle axe at the wall, but the centipede dodged at terrifying speed. As it landed on the ground, Golem slammed his hammer down.
However, the creature moved too quickly and evaded the attack.
“Stop squirming around!”
Golem growled, veins popping on his forehead.
Felix, another member of “Albatross,” swung his greatsword. Cutting off the centipede’s tail, it writhed in agony, letting out a silent scream.
Not missing the opportunity, Davi, another “Albatross” member, clenched his fist. His hand was covered in steel knuckles.
With his powerful arms, he delivered a crushing punch to the centipede’s head.
A deep dent formed in the ground, and the centipede’s body twitched violently before going still.
“This is the place.”
Davi’s gaze locked onto a massive hole leading into pitch-black darkness ahead.
Makos and the others were certain—it was the final destination of this labyrinth.
“The air is thick with miasma.”
Rosa grimaced as she peered into the cave’s depths.
“We’ve fallen behind Albatross a bit… We need to hurry.”
Maria took the lead, and the four members of “Minazuki” jogged forward through the cave.
Unlike other parties, “Albatross” had been moving ahead without coordinating with anyone else.
The corpses of defeated insect monsters lay scattered across the path.
—With their strength, they should be fine, but… just in case.
As she was thinking this, Maria suddenly stopped in her tracks. A chilling presence emanated from ahead.
The tension spread to the rest of the group as Maria raised her right hand, signaling them to halt.
Proceeding cautiously, they reached an open space. Holding up a torch, they tried to see into the darkness, but it was too deep to penetrate.
“Celesti! Give us some light!”
“Got it!”
Upon Maria’s request, Celesti raised her staff high.
“Oh spirits of light, lend me your power!”
A crystal at the tip of her staff gathered light, forming a glowing orb that floated upward.
As it neared the ceiling, it exploded into a radiant glow, illuminating the entire space.
The members of “Minazuki” gasped.
It was a dome-shaped cavern. Covering the ceiling and rock walls were countless white spiders—easily numbering in the hundreds.
“W-What is this…? So gross!”
Celesti covered her mouth, her face twisting in disgust.
Maria, Rosa, and Calvan felt the same way.