NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 45
Labyrinth Day 18.
Two days passed since I quietly attached the severed arm to the back of the one-armed monster.
Ding!
[Tamed Monster]
The list of tamed monsters has been updated.
I thought it took too long and figured it was because I removed the arm midway, but thankfully the guy isn’t too sensitive and seems a bit dull.
‘But it really took a long time.’
I never expected it to take two whole days.
It would be impossible for it to have taken this long due to the enemy.
The guy probably didn’t even know it was being tamed.
If it did, it would’ve torn the arm off.
‘Is it simply because of the high danger level that it took this long?’
If there’s neither enemy nor feelings of affection,
the average time for taming an actual danger level SS-class seems to be around this mark.
Anyway, I waited in the hideout, hoping the one-armed monster would come to find us like the fire slime.
Tamed monsters seem to instinctively sense my general location, after all.
But one, time passed, and the one-armed monster still didn’t show up on the list.
‘Am I supposed to go get it myself?’
After finishing my meal, I planned to find it.
As I chewed on the meat, I spotted a familiar doll emerging from the distant Cave No. 7.
Upon confirming the figure of the doll, I waved my hand in delight.
“Hey, you came!”
Pururu ─ Aaaah! A monster’s here!
Mysticism ─ 
I was relieved not to have to go looking for it.
Tamed monster number 013.
The one-armed monster, the Lone One, came on its own!
—
The Lone One’s name is Azelas.
Its ability is Heavenly Martial Arts.
Heavenly Martial Arts is one of the martial arts from the world it lived in.
“Is the world you lived in called Heaven?”
“Indeed… It’s the world of gods.”
Azelas nodded and replied.
And introduced itself as a half-human, half-god born between gods and humans.
“Half-human and half-god, in the realm of gods…”
Yumi ─ So, gods really do exist.
Rize Nova ─ Hmm.
Mysticism ─ 
Pururu ─ Have you met a god before?
“I’ve met something that claims to be a god. But it was too weak to be considered one.”
Pururu ─ Ooo? A weak god?
“Yeah, it had a danger level of A-class.”
Pururu ─ An A-class is on the same level as Rize.
Rize Nova ─ Hmm.
Pururu ─ Stop being so amazed or you’ll get hit!
“Gods are… not grand beings. They are just individual life forms with strong abilities… Without their abilities, they aren’t much different from humans.”
While I was conversing with the Assistants, Azelas chimed in.
I think so too.
Gods aren’t all that different from humans.
They are just a superior race born with special abilities.
Simply put, it’s a race with a higher baseline than humans.
And among the gods, those with even greater abilities are called transcendent beings.
I’ve never actually met a transcendent being, but…
If I were to guess the danger level, I’d say they’re probably SS-class or SSS-class.
Of course, this is just about strength.
When it comes to being just foolishly strong without any mysterious abilities, SS-class and above are a bit lacking to be called transcendent beings.
Like my former self… to be precise, like the self before being sealed.
I think a being must at least possess the ability to grant something like a status window to others to be considered transcendent.
In any case, it was fascinating to see a being born between gods and humans.
“Azelas, do you have any other special abilities besides martial arts?”
“Martial arts… aside from that… special, abilities… I don’t have.”
Pururu ─ That awkward speech really gets on my nerves.
Mysticism ─
I decided to overlook the awkwardness of the speech.
Most of the memories before becoming a monster have returned, but the intelligence hasn’t, as it said.
With time, being with me would likely lead to the development of its intelligence.
After that, I had various conversations with Azelas.
Azelas, stuttering, shared stories from its days as an explorer.
Stories about living in Heaven,
and how after being stripped of its explorer credentials, it continued to eat monster excrement out of habit, even though it didn’t gain strength from it, and so on.
It freely told me its past.
Like an old friend sharing stories over drinks.
Unfortunately, Azelas didn’t know the exact way to become the ruler of the labyrinth, either.
While I was having dinner and flourishing the conversation with Azelas,
Pururu ─ But is that a girl?
Pururu suddenly asked.
What on earth is it asking now?
“I showed you it might be an explorer because you were curious a while ago, remember? It said the Lone One is a girl.”
Pururu ─ I remember, but it looks way too much like a guy. Must be because of that monster lump on its head.
Yumi ─ Honestly, it does look androgynous. The voice is husky too.
Mysticism ─ 
Rize Nova ─ It might be genderless. It hasn’t claimed to be a girl, after all.
Pururu ─ We should ask it to be certain, then.
“Is it necessary to ask something like that…? ”
I sighed and looked at Azelas.
This felt a bit rude.
But I had no choice since the Assistants were curious.
“Azelas, you’re a girl, right?”
“······.”
For a moment, Azelas’s gaze wavered.
It fiddled with the monster lump on its head.
“Could it be because of this… that I don’t look like a girl…?”
It murmured timidly.
It is a girl, though.
Feeling as if I’d inflicted a wound, I hurriedly added my reason for asking this question.
“No, I thought you were a girl from the start. But with how the Assistants insist you look like a guy, I had to ask.”
“Assistants…”
Azelas gazed into the void.
It seemed to be silently cursing the invisible Assistants.
By the way, Azelas also knew about the Assistants’ existence.
And the Assistants were currently…
Pururu ─ See? I told you she’s a girl. Ha Yumi keeps doubting she looks like a girl. 
Yumi ─ ??? When did I ever say that? You were the first to say she looks masculine.
Rize Nova ─ I always knew she was a lady from the start.
Mysticism ─ 
They were quick to deflect, as if they had never doubted.
Those Assistants really change their attitude fast!
—
Labyrinth Day 19.
The existing exploration team 2, which had been exploring Cave No. 7, changed their exploration site to Cave No. 5. Cave No. 5 is where the vast underground world inhabited by Poison Apples is located.
Azelas was assigned to exploration team 4 with Iris, who was on standby at Cave No. 5, and their assigned exploration site was Cave No. 7.
Since Cave No. 7 was where Azelas originally came from, it should be familiar.
“Ugh… drawing a map is hard…”
Pururu ─ When you were a kid, you looked like you could draw maps on a blanket!
Mysticism ─
In Iris’s eyeball screen,
Azelas was frowning while trying to draw the map.
It seems the diminished intelligence was making map-making a struggle.
But it had to be done.
To help its regressed brain develop again.
Pururu ─ Hey, can’t we just take off the monster lump on Azelas’s head? I hate to say this, but it looks quite grotesque. Let’s remove it and have the Medical Mushroom treat it. She might want that since she’s a girl.
“Forget it. That’s part of her body, and it’s bound to hurt if we forcibly remove it.”
Yumi ─ That’s true. Unless that part is like keratin, it looks like flesh, and it would hurt a lot if we cut it off.
Rize Nova ─ It’s a reference, you know. If you keep watching, you’ll get used to that appearance.
Pururu ─ I suppose so.
Pururu ─ Then let’s at least regenerate her arm.
“I tried that last night, but it didn’t work. Maybe it’s been too long since she lost it; the Medical Mushroom’s liquid didn’t help at all.”
Pururu ─ That’s too bad.
Rize Nova ─ I suppose old wounds can’t be healed.
Yumi ─ Isn’t that natural? Azelas said she lost her arm over 100 years ago. Coming back from something lost a century ago doesn’t make any sense.
While I was communicating with the Assistants,
Azelas on Iris’s screen came to a halt.
In front of Azelas lay a wall blocking the way.
“What’s this? A dead end?”
“No… there is, a way.”
Standing tall, Azelas slowly looked upward.
Then the screen of Iris also turned to show the sky.
Pururu ─ There’s no ceiling?
Yumi ─ Wow…
A gigantic hole opened up in the ceiling.
It stood tall, so high that you couldn’t gauge the end.
Rize Nova ─ The path has shifted from horizontal to vertical.
Pururu ─ Is it really right to call that a path?
Yumi ─ Looks like we have to climb the walls.
To continue exploring from here, we needed to fly.
I asked Azelas,
“Azelas, can you fly?”
If she lacked flying ability, I’d plan to return her for now.
Then after meal time, I’d ask the Jellyfish for Levitation Magic and explore again.
But that became unnecessary.
“Just jump… and go up.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Azelas began to ascend into the sky with light steps.
Instead of stepping on the wall, she seemed to be gently pushing off against the air as if an invisible platform lay beneath her feet.
Pururu ─ A martial arts master! 
Yumi ─ Wow, I can’t believe that’s possible… It’s incredible!
“Impressive.”
I praised her, but I wasn’t astonished.
I could do that much too.
Assuming I’m not in a sealed state, of course.
As Azelas continued rising,
“……….”
She lightly stepped on the air and came to a standstill.
Then she pointed diagonally with her finger.
“Over there, monsters… are fighting.”
At her words, Iris shifted her gaze there.
Then the scene Azelas saw was broadcasted onto the screen.
Roar!!!
A winged orangutan.
Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!
A giant chicken.
The two monsters were locked in a fierce battle.
“How about… we just ignore them?”
Azelas waited for my command.
I didn’t hand over the severed arm.
In other words, secretly taming wasn’t an option.
That’s why I didn’t want to engage in unnecessary combat, but…
“Azelas.”
“Yeah…”
“Do you, by any chance, like chicken?”
While the orangutan was a no-go, I had to catch the chicken.
I simply couldn’t give up on the chicken meat!