As we parted ways with Gallard's Squad and proceeded down the east passage, we heard adventurers talking from the other side.

It seems that another new party has arrived here.

That eye-catching boss in the infinite corridor of the eighth layer, I don't think that thing is easy to find.

"Hahahaha, that's a joke... Hey, it's Alec isn't he! Long time no see!"

Jake, with his light blue hair standing straight up in the air, spoke cheerfully.

It's not surprising that Jake would be here, since he's also a top-notch swordsman at an A-rank party.

"Yeah."

"This guy defeated the Spectre Overlord on the fourth layer, you know? That thing was, level 86."

Jake's bragging about it to his buddies, but I'm sure they were there too.

"I know, Jake."

"We were there, too."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, sorry. So, how you doing, brother? I almost died over there a while back. No, We're screwed. We got these?huge?rocks rolling down on us."

Jake says with his hands outstretched in a big circle, but I guess there's a long straight corridor ahead of us.

"Yeah, I've almost died many times in the ninth layer. If you go north to the crossroads ahead, watch out for the Greater Demon. Even Gallard's squad lost few of his member. Well, they're challenging them to a rematch, so they may have beaten them already."

"Oh, I know what a Greater Demon is. We ran into one a while back and escaped. They're tough. There are four of them, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. ...... By the way Jake, how easy was it for you guys to find the main boss of Eight layer?"

I was curious, so I asked him.

"Of course not. When I heard that the ninth layer had been found, I asked Gallard how to get to it and looked all over that infinite corridor, but I couldn't find anything, so I bowed to Sarah and asked her to show me where the eyeball guy was."

I think Jake might have given her something in return, but I guess that's just another strategy.

I don't know what's wrong with Gallard and Sailor, but they're easy to tell someone.

I don't care, but I'm annoyed at Jake for winking and even giving a thumbs up and bragging about it.

"I see"

"That's right!　...... By the way, that young lady over there, excuse me, your name is Serina-san, right?"

"Yes, it is, but?"

"Next time――Ahem, would you like to have dinner with me at a restaurant with a night view?"

Serina also responds to Jake, who dresses up and cuts out with a straight face in an upright and immovable position.

"Fuu~, I'm sorry, but I'm Alec's woman, so I'll have to decline."

"No! Then, what about Ione-chan over there?"

"Fufu, I'm sorry, I'm Alec's woman too."

"Kkuhh! Damn it! That's ridiculous!?"

Jake looks surprised, but it's your thinking that surprises me. What made you think you could woo them?

"Leader, you're disgraceful. That's enough."

"That's right, you can only pick up girls in bars."

You're still the same bastard who never learns. The other day, you were rejected by a knight from Holy Kingdom, and you've only met her a few times, but you've got too much of a guts."

Jake's party members say with a dumbfounded look on their faces, but he seems to be light-heartedly asking out women all over the place. At this rate, the success rate is probably zero.

"Jake, don't try to pick up any of our members. No one is going to fall for that."

I'll give him a warning too.

"Boo-hoo, all right, Alec. See you later!"

Jake made a two-fingered salute and walked away with a smile on his face, and I'm sure Jake will pick up on our woman member again without fail.

I turn around and tell the party members.

"If Jake woo you up, tell me. I'll file a stalking complaint with the Adventurers Guild and the Royal Castle."

"Yeah, but I don't think he's the type to be so pushy."

If the sociable Serina says so, it must be true.

"Yeah, I think it's okay. I've been hit on before, but I said no, and then they stopped coming on to me."

Said Hannah. I think Jake's the type who thinks he can just hit a few at random, and with his A-ranked adventurer title, he'll probably hook up with some light-weight womans. ...... I don't care as long as he doesn't pick up anyone I know.

"Let's go."

I continued on down the east corridor.

◇　◆　◇　◆　◇

A week later, as I was relaxing at the inn, Letty came back.

"Uhmm, Alec-san, would you mind hiring me here again ......?"

I say to Letty, who looks embarrassed. Her pointy hat looks like it's wilted.

"What are you talking about? Don't worry, I just let you infiltrate them, I didn't mean to throw you out."

"Oh, that's great. I was hoping they might treat me better than here, but they didn't. It's not like we have the same policies. ......"

It seemed that Letty was seriously planning to switch up to Gallard's squad, but Gallard had some problems of his own.

"What exactly was it that you didn't like about them?"

"Weell, they talk to each and every one of us and listen to our opinions, but in the end,..... Gallard is the only one who has the right to make decisions, and even if it's a little dangerous, he'll go forward with it. So, I had a strong feeling that if I stayed there, I might die too. When a member dies, there's always a funeral, though."

"Well, there's a lot of people gathering there, so they're prioritizing speed of attack even if it means taking risks. It's high risk, high reward. Then again, maybe the party members are just pawns and may not be considered as friends."

"Ah, now that you mention it, maybe you're right."

I'm sure Gallard doesn't think it's okay for his party members to die, but his priority is to conquer the Labyrinth of No Return. I think he really believes that sacrifice is unavoidable in order to get ahead of others.

"Also, it's not so much about Gallard as it is about the atmosphere."

"Atmosphere?"

"Yes, the atmosphere. It's like everyone is desperate to become a regular in the first team. Even within the group, there's a lot of pulling each other down, trying to kick each other down whenever there's a chance. When Gallard finds out about it, he smiles and says, "Let's get along," but he doesn't seem to have any intention of really stopping the pulling."

First-team, huh.

Clearing the ninth layer is a feat that even the first king of Grandsword couldn't accomplish. If you clear the ninth layer, you'll surpass the royal family and leave your name in the history books.

The question is whether or not you're one of the first team members. Because it's right in front of your face and within your reach, you're willing to push yourself.

"You've memorized the skills and the characteristics of his members, right?"

"Leave it to me. I've done a full [Appraisal] of the situation. But the members on the other side are constantly changing, and there are so many of them, it's probably useless to try to remember them. There are a lot of?newcomers?who are recruited from other parties or sold to join by themselves. And a lot of people quit."

Since there are many other people who die, it is natural that there will be a lot of replacement.

"Yeah, well, all right, tell me about Gallard's skills."

"Yeah, the amazing ones are [All Parries] and [Iron Wall], [All Parries] perfectly repels all of your opponent's swords."

"What? Perfectly everything?"

"Yeah, I checked with the old members of the Gallard Squad, so there's no doubt about it. I've heard that it prevented the adventurers with the [Thousand Slashes] and [Must Hit] skills from attacking him before."

"If that's the case, there's a good chance that Serina's【Starlight Attack】won't work. ......"

"I'm not sure. But magic works, so with me and Alec, there's plenty of room."

"What about the [Iron Wall]?"

"Yeah, it's the Knight's guard technique. It's not invincible, but it will protect the rearguard no matter if it's magic or not, so that might be more troublesome."

"Hmm, it'll be bad if they have a healer in the back and have to fight a long battle."

"Yeah, yeah."

I asked about the other skills, but there were many and they were all high level.

"That's what I'd expect from a top A-ranked leader. But then again........that's a lot of skills."

"Ah, that's because he has the rare skill of [Inspiration], and he says that his skill increases when he fights strong enemies."

"What? I see, so..."

The reason why Gallard tried to fight the Greater Demon, even if he had to, was probably to use that skill to increase his own skills.

"So, Alec, when are you going to do it quickly?"

"No, I'm not planning on doing a PK."

"Ehh? Then why did you let me infiltrate them?"

"I thought it wouldn't hurt to know what our rivals are up to."

"That's it? You know, I almost got raped by a guy named Pedwick to get Gallard's secret."

"What? I didn't ask you to push yourself that far."

"Yah, I'd like to talk to him alone, too. ...... I tried to seduce him a bit and ask him in the inn room, but he got really into it. I screamed, and the rest of the team rushed in, and I got away with it."

"That's your mistake. But you've been looking into their skills. I'll reward you with some points."

"Ooooh, I've been waiting for it! Uheehee."

Letty rubbed her hands together and got a lustful grin on her face.