The next morning. On my way to the labyrinth to defeat the level guardian of the third floor as mentioned.
Suddenly, I recalled yesterday’s events and glared at Lydia.
“What’s wrong with your nose, Lydia?”
“Suddenly?”
“How can you say I smell like sweat?! I only smell good! Right, Benny?”
“Huh? Uhh? I-I don’t know….”
Benny shook her head in panic. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her toward me.
Squish.
She came over without resistance, burying her head around my collarbone.
I whispered into her ear, which had stiffened in surprise.
“So, do I smell like sweat?”
“No….”
“Rather, it smells good, and you want to smell more, right?”
“Yeah….”
Benny repeated her empty responses like a zombie. Seeing her clothes starting to get damp, she must be drooling as well.
Having easily turned Benny into a yes-man, I smiled at Lydia.
“But I said I smell like sweat; I didn’t say it smells bad.”
“What?!”
Lydia nodded nonchalantly. I hesitated to ask cautiously.
“Could it be that you liked the smell of my sweat, Lydia?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm. Then I can’t help it.”
Feeling a bit better, I nodded and placed my hand on the monument leading to the labyrinth.
“Then let’s quickly take care of this so Benny can join us!”
“It’s not as easy as you say.”
“Oh, come on, Lydia. Since it’s a summoning type, if we fail, we can just summon again.”
Lydia made a stern face, while Benny chuckled. As they both held my hand, my vision shifted dramatically.
A world of steel and steam unfolded before me.
*
The god buried in the third floor is the God of Mechanical Devices.
Born from a technology evolving through war, this god displayed unmatched technological prowess.
Based on this, he sought to witness the end of the tedious Destruction War.
He failed, but…
His technology was undoubtedly remarkable, and the average combat power of his followers ranked among the top tier of mortals, yet…
His divine strength was somewhat lacking. Being a god with production authority, it might be considered a given.
However, to put it another way, even with his deficient power, the God of Mechanical Devices survived till the very end through the power of various devices.
When all the gods except the Goddess of Love willingly decided to bury themselves in the labyrinth,
Other gods left sacred artifacts and messages, comforting the remaining followers, but…
In contrast, the God of Mechanical Devices recalled all sacred artifacts and commanded them to forget their teachings.
It’s understandable since he’s a god born from war, and his knowledge ultimately pertained to weaponry that kills people and undermines gods.
He judged that if such things remained, war would persist even after the gods were buried.
However, as Pangrave became a labyrinth, some of the technology from that time was released, significantly aiding the advancement of civilization in the new world.
…In other words, the third floor is a level made up of relatively lower-priority technologies hidden by the God of Mechanical Devices.
Indeed, the technologies seen in the third floor are all developments centered around the single theme of “artificial bodies.”
Alloy refining technology for durable metals that exhibit no rejection reactions.
Delicate knowledge of magical engineering to connect brains and nerves, artificial muscles designed to withstand metals heavier than bones, a synchronization feature to replicate the skills engraved into the original body.
And prototypes of artificial limbs hidden in secret underground laboratories.
The third floor is not a place where technologies meant to kill are buried. Conversely, it holds technologies meant to save.
In fact, most of the monsters here are retired soldiers, discarded soldiers, and a few knights guarding half-collapsed castles.
Though they have been mechanized and made stronger, their average combat power pales in comparison to the documented records of the followers.
That’s why they’ve settled in the relatively shallow third floor rather than deeper places.
However, even if it’s not an outpost but more like a residential area or a hospital, they can’t escape the sparks of war.
Consequently, the God of Mechanical Devices stationed special guardians to protect the surrounding area.
The Clock Tower at the center of the third floor, the massive fortress known as the Clock Fortress, is one such guardian.
The loyal follower of madness, the Lord of the Clock Fortress, who does not forget his mission, is another.
“That’s the guardian of the third floor.”
“Oh, I see.”
“What document mentioned that? So far, it was said that the Lord of the Clock Fortress is a genius magical engineer who led mechanization experiments.”
Lydia nodded absentmindedly, while Benny tilted her head in confusion.
I chuckled at their contrasting reactions and shoved my greatsword through the gap created by the Human Golem blocking our path.
Thrust!
With my significantly enhanced physical capabilities and refined swordsmanship, I struck much more accurately and quickly.
In no time, my Minotaur Greatsword tore through the protective metal covering the Human Golem, and as I drew aura to swirl around its inner brain, that sturdy Human Golem fell helplessly.
It’s clear it has vulnerabilities, even if it’s tricky to hit.
Despite Lydia stiffening at my suddenly improved swordplay, I avoided her anxious gaze and continued.
“The Lord of the Clock Fortress leading the experiments for artificial bodies on the third floor, being an excellent magical engineer, and modifying his own body to the extreme is true. What I mentioned is ‘why’ the Lord of the Clock Fortress did such things.”
“…I see. You see things differently from clerics, huh? Jonah is closer to the perspective of a god.”
“You could say that. I heard this fact not from a book but directly.”
I grinned and shrugged.
In reality, I didn’t hear it from the Goddess of Love but made it up myself…
But thinking about it, it does tiptoe around the perspective of a god.
“Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. It’s about summoning the Lord of the Clock Fortress.”
“Why summoning? The method has already been revealed.”
That’s true. The third floor isn’t completely untouched; a considerable part has been conquered.
The summoning conditions for the Lord of the Clock Fortress, a summoning-type guardian, are well-known.
“Defeat the Gear Knights of the Clock Fortress, take the core parts from their hearts, and use them as keys to open the audience room door, right?”
“Yeah. I thought everyone already knew this. Why bring it up suddenly?”
“Well, Benny…”
I stood on my tiptoes, puffing my chest out in front of the puzzled Benny.
I began to tower over her by about half an inch, reveling in my height.
“Because there’s a secret about summoning the Lord of the Clock Fortress that no one knows!”
“Really?!”
Benny feigned surprise and jumped up, but upon closer inspection, she had laid Shadows beneath her feet to match my height.
Should I call that cute or cunning…?
Dumbfounded, I chuckled and stepped back down. Then I threw myself toward the bottom of the moat.
Suddenly, a dense scent of decay hit me. Sticky mud enveloped me.
Thinking that this bottom would be the last, I smiled and brought my greatsword down onto the head of the Gear Soldier, which was puffing out vapors.
Of course, it’s so sturdy that one hit couldn’t take it down.
Crash! Crash! Boom!
As I swung my greatsword repeatedly, it could only take the blows without proper defenses.
Although its brain had perished, all that remained was a mechanized skeletal frame to eliminate enemies. Perhaps because it mimicked a human’s movements when it was one.
Its combat power was strong, but its structure, range of motion, and fighting style inevitably resembled a strong, sturdy person.
And the technique I acquired this time was for dueling.
This means it would unleash its full power against this type of monster.
Holding a weapon, I smashed its wrist, then, when it tried to swing its fist, I broke its ankle, toppling it over. If it attempted to spew out corrosive fluids, I used divine power to prevent it from touching me.
Crash! Boom! Smash!
Having uncovered its patterns and honed more effective swordsmanship, I obliterated it in an instant.
Benny’s eyes widened at the sight of me taking down the previously troublesome monster effortlessly.
“W-What?! How did you take it down so quickly?!”
“Um, well…”
How should I explain this? Would “epiphany” work?
While I hesitated, Lydia, with a serious face, grabbed Benny’s shoulder.
“Benny.”
“Yeah?”
“The secret of Jonah isn’t new. Don’t pry too much.”
“Huh? Uh… okay….”
Benny nodded, but her head kept tilting in disbelief.
With Lydia silencing Benny, she sent me an awkward wink.
Wink.
“?”
I didn’t know what it meant, but since it was true I had received help, I smiled in a daze.
Then Lydia stood beside me with a proud expression, yet secretly a bit concerned.
Together with the two, we passed through a path I had previously breached much more simply, entering the basement of the Clock Fortress.
*
“Help me, Bennyemon!”
“Hey! Didn’t you say you were confident enough to fight alone?”
“I thought it was a one-on-one match!”
I didn’t expect them to swarm out like this.
