Published: January 22, 2026
After a long battle, we finally defeated the giant serpent and arrived at the 94th floor of the Great Southern Labyrinth.
“Ah! It’s white! So cold! Haha!”
Lucre was frolicking like a child in the blizzard raging on the 94th floor.
“After using that much magic, she still has the energy to be so excited...?”
Will muttered in disbelief as he watched Lucre’s high spirits.
I had to agree with him.
Though not quite as much as Ms. Rain, Lucre had cast magic an incredible number of times.
Her count must have been well into double digits.
Even if she hadn’t overburdened her mind with massive parallel constructs or prolonged activation waits, she must still be extremely exhausted.
Yet, she remained so energetic—proof that she was incredibly tough.
Given that the other four of us, excluding Lucre, were pretty worn out, maybe she was the toughest of us all...
By the way, the 94th floor is an extremely frigid environment.
There are similar floors in the lower layers, but this one is incomparably harsher.
The blizzard constantly rages, reducing visibility to just a few meters.
Moreover, the storm can disorient your sense of direction. If you get lost in this vast deep layer, the subzero temperatures will drain your stamina and lead only to “death.”
Even the golden dawn guild hasn’t conducted a thorough exploration of the 94th floor, so I myself know very little about this floor.
“We’ve finally made it—the 94th floor.”
Ms. Rain, smiling warmly at Lucre’s excitement, glanced around before speaking.
“Yeah. Now we’ve caught up to Dawnlight. All that’s left is to surpass them.”
There was a strong resolve in Ms. Selma’s voice as she responded.
Information on the 94th floor was almost non-existent, and the path ahead was physically invisible.
It was easy to imagine that conquering this floor would be far more difficult than anything before.
There was even a real chance some might drop out.
Still, only by conquering the highest reached floors and stepping into uncharted territory can explorers earn the title of “heroes” from the public.
Though there must have been anxiety, Ms. Selma looked straight ahead, unwavering.
(Maybe it’s this about her that draws people in...)
Then, the four of them, including Ms. Selma, registered their guild cards on the crystal at the entrance to the 94th floor and returned to the surface.
â—‡
By the time we emerged, the sun had already fully set.
“Ah! The silver rabbits of the night sky are back!”
A large crowd gathered near the Great Labyrinth’s entrance, and someone spotted us first, raising their voice.
Judging by their appearance, the crowd was mostly civilians, with some explorers mixed in.
Come to think of it, this morning’s newspaper issued by Blanca had prominently featured our attempt to conquer the 93rd layer.
We were immediately swarmed with questions.
Though honestly, we were exhausted from the 93rd floor’s conquest and wished for some respite, I reminded myself it was our duty as explorers.
Wearing outward smiles, I answered the barrage of questions one after another.
News of our success on the 93rd floor quickly spread throughout Tsutolairu, and the entire city erupted into a celebratory mood.
It really hit me again how much the fall of the golden dawn had impacted the citizens.
That was why I wanted to keep being an explorer who could meet the public’s hopes.
From the following day, we were busy with newspaper interviews and sponsor-hosted parties, and before we knew it, only a few hours remained in the year.
Finally, the first squad found a quiet moment together, spending peaceful time as five.
“This year, with Orun joining us, we’ve made great progress. Orun, thank you again for joining the silver rabbits of the night sky.”
“Thank you, Orun-kun.”
“Thanks!”
“Much appreciated!”
Suddenly, Ms. Selma spoke in a very gentle voice, expressing her gratitude, and the other three quickly followed suit with smiles.
“...What brought this on all of a sudden?”
“It’s the end of the year. I just wanted to say my thanks again. There’s no doubt that we wouldn’t have made it this far without you, Orun.”