Published: January 22, 2026
"Orraaah!"
I swung my sword with all my might, venting my frustration as I struck down the demonic beasts.
Somehow, I managed to defeat them all.
(Damn it! This is so frustrating.)
The biggest reason for my irritation was Philly, who just joined the party today and kept letting the buffs run out.
At first, I was excited about her support magic, which had effects far surpassing Orun’s.
But when your senses keep getting disrupted repeatedly during battle, frustration inevitably builds up.
When the support magic buff wears off, of course, your physical abilities revert back.
And it’s not a gradual return—it happens instantly.
When standing still or walking, it’s one thing, but during combat, you’re making intense movements.
When the buff fades at those moments, it feels like you’re suddenly weighed down by a heavy load all over your body.
It feels light as a feather, then after a while, like you’re carrying a heavy weight again, then light as a feather once more.
Repeating that cycle is quite a burden both physically and mentally.
Philly, on her very first day of using support magic, managed to stop letting the buffs drop within an hour of exploration.
It’s already been several hours since we descended into the Great Labyrinth.
"I-I'm sorry. I'll get the hang of it soon!"
Philly apologized with a downcast look.
...Indeed, her adaptability was remarkably high, to say the least.
I had to acknowledge that.
Maybe it would take a bit longer for a normal enchanter to stop dropping buffs.
"Alright. I’m counting on you. Also, Derrick and I are frontliners, so we have many blind spots. Tell us the next moves of the demonic beasts in our blind spots. Since enchanters see the whole battlefield, that shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?"
"N-no, I can’t! Right now, I’m barely able to handle support magic alone..."
This was Philly’s first exploration with the party. And I was well aware that my own magic resistance was high.
Though she’s an excellent enchanter, expecting her to perform the same duties as Orun, who had been exploring with us for almost ten years, might be a bit harsh.
Not wanting to blame Philly, I shifted the focus of my frustration to Aneli, who was also irritating me.
"Aneli, this is the deep layers! Even if the goal is to check our coordination, don’t you realize this isn’t a place to play around!?"
Aneli hadn’t properly defeated a single demonic beast so far today. Although she was casting offensive magic, every spell was so weak that just dealing some damage to lower-layer beasts was considered lucky.
That burden was falling on Derrick and me.
"I’m doing my best! Like always! So why!? Why can I only cast such weak offensive magic!?"
Aneli shouted hysterically.
Her attitude seemed genuine, so what was going on?
"Don’t take it out on me, Oliver. You’re not in top form today either. Well, neither am I. Is this what they call a slump? Three out of five of us hitting a slump at once—can’t say we’re lucky."
Derrick’s words were true. My attack power had dropped. The sword I normally swung decisively could cut through even the toughest foes easily.
But today, I just couldn’t do it.
My physical abilities should have been significantly enhanced by Philly’s support magic—so why?
Even Derrick, who never lost his stance no matter the attack before, was now easily shaken by the demonic beasts’ blows and even taking some hits.
"Damn it! I haven’t even skipped my daily solo explorations! So why am I this weak!?"
As the party leader, I tried not to show weakness, but the frustration was boiling inside me, and I ended up muttering a complaint.
"...Don’t you even understand that?"
Luna, who hadn’t spoken since the welcome party two days ago, asked in a tone full of genuine exasperation.
"Luna, do you know why we’re off today!? ...Now that you mention it, you’re the only one who’s been normal."
Derrick quickly responded to Luna’s remark and asked her.
If she knew the cause, we definitely wanted to hear it.
I had to clear this Great Labyrinth.