《Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth》 Chapter 1 - Lost in the Otherworld Labyrinth Chapter 1: Lost in the Otherworld Labyrinth ¡ªSo dark. There was opaque darkness no matter where I looked, without a speck of light. The first thing that bothered me was the smell. It smelled so rancid that I wished I could cut my nose off. My throat felt like it was chocked full of mud. Startled by the discomfort, I jumped to my feet, and my eyes jolted open. ¡°¡ª!¡± The first thing that jumped into my sight was a dark corridor. It was a stony space that seemed vaguely luminous, despite there being no apparent sources of light. I looked around and saw a small mound-like structure sitting behind me. After taking a closer look, I finally recognized it as an altar, though it was so weathered down that it was about to collapse. On top of the uppermost stone was the lumpy residue of two candles; there was also what seemed to be an offering that looked like an animal skin with an old arrow stuck in it. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± For someone like me who often spoke to himself, those words naturally spilled out of my mouth. ¡°Th-this is insane¡­ I feel sick¡­¡± The more I spoke, the faster my heart thumped in my chest. My heartbeat was getting louder and louder in my ear. This is insane. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening. I had simply gone to sleep and then¡­ woken up? But there was no warm bed there. There was no noisy mechanical alarm clock, no morning sunlight that slipped through the curtains, no light bulbs on the ceilings. What there was, however, was a dirty, cold, stone floor. There was that strange odor that wanted to make my nose shrivel. And there was that faintly luminescent, stony space. I felt sick¡­ I covered my mouth and waited for the nausea to pass; then, I heard a distant roar¡ª ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª, ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± It was a wail without any shred of reason. It was an echo of fever and killing intent, akin to the fury of a wounded beast. ¡°H-hold on¡­ Wait, wait, wait, wait¡­!!¡± I didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, as I had no idea what was happening. I let myself be swept up in my own confusion and started running in the opposite direction of the roar that I had heard. ¡°Haah, haah, haah!¡± I ran through the stone corridor, my breathing ragged with exhaustion. The path turned several times, but I didn¡¯t put any of it in mind. as all I cared about was getting as far away as possible. My frustration mounted as every turn seemed to look identical. ¡­Then, I heard an uncanny crunching sound. It felt like I had stepped on something jagged, so I checked the sole of my shoe. What I saw was an insect the size of my fist, writhing and squirming as it let out a death cry¡ª ¡°U-uwaah!¡± I yelped at the terrible spectacle. It¡¯s not like I was bad with insects. That being said, I felt a strong physiological aversion to such large insects that no one would ever meet in a human city. The insect chirped. It sounded as if it was shouting for help. Suddenly, a chill ran up my back, and I looked up to the road ahead. There, peeking out from the next turn in the path, was an insect the size of an adult human. * * * Translator ¨C Mab Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * The size of the creature was unbelievable. Its jagged limbs, characteristic of insects, moved around with a crackling sound. At a quick glance, it looked almost like a stag beetle. However, its abnormal size and similarly abnormal dual horns were shaving away at my sanity. ¡°¡ª¡ª!!¡± I couldn¡¯t even scream. The monster would jump at me if I did, leaving me no choice but to run back the way I came. ¡ªI ran, and ran, and ran even more still. The thought of choosing which path to take didn¡¯t occur in my mind at all, as all I could afford to focus on was my own continued movement. I kept running until I hit the bottom of my stamina, and I naturally slowed down. Then, as I almost regained a modicum of reasoning power¡ª ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡¢¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The beast¡¯s angry holler struck my ears again. And it was much closer that time. I, in my stupidity, had ended up turning around somewhere in the maze-like pathways and sprinting back towards the beast. The color drained from my face. Confusion continued to brew inside my head. However, the closer I got to the angry roar of the beast, the more I could pick up other sounds in the same area. They were the sounds of human speech. ¡°P-people! The sound of people!!¡± Like a moth to the light, my body started moving in the direction of the voices. My slightly spinning brain was yearning for another person¡ªother ¡®humans¡¯. The closer I got, the louder the beast¡¯s angry roars sounded, but the sounds of speech became clearer as well. ¡°Keep it away! Keep it away and buy us some time!!¡± It was the deep voice of a grown man. The man sounded to be giving orders to other people nearby. When I arrived, the scene I witnessed was like something out of a fairy tale. Some wore leather armor and wielded wooden bows that you would usually see in a museum. Some brandished rugged iron swords with all their might. Some others spewed fire from wooden staves that didn¡¯t seem to have any mechanical inner workings. Those bizarre people were engaged in a struggling fight with a wolf two meters tall. I didn¡¯t have the courage to jump into the middle of it. I could only freeze at a distance and spectate as the battle unfolded. ¡°So long as we have time, we can pull through! Hold out!¡± The man with a deep voice, who seemed to be the group leader, gave his instruction to a greatsword-wielding warrior. The warrior swung his greatsword wide and tried to strike down, but the huge wolf hit him with lightning speed before he could finish his attack. The warrior was blown away like a bouncing rubber ball. The wolf¡¯s next target was a woman with a flame-spewing staff. When the other humans noticed this, they shifted their formation to protect the woman. As they did, the fight changed locations closer to where I stood. I was baffled at first. Then, I was terrified. If I had been calmer and had more thinking room, I would have been moving the hell away from there. But at that moment, all I could do was stand there in a daze. The eyes of the group leader, the man holding a rapier, met mine. ¡°Wha?!! Who are you?!¡± The man yelled at me, looking just as surprised as I was. ¡°I-I¡¯m lost¡­ P-please save me!!¡± I called for help right away. At best, my words were choppy, but my intentions had surely been conveyed. ¡ªThe man¡¯s response to my SOS, however, was extremely cold. ¡°¡­Oi. Save you, you said? What are you, stupid?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He hadn¡¯t given me a yes or no answer. He gave me contempt, as though the very idea of such a request was out of the question. In retrospect, I should have realized: Those people couldn¡¯t afford to help anyone. Their attire, their weapons, the crazed beast they faced, and that perilous situation¡ªhow could I not notice any of it? At that moment, however, I didn¡¯t have the ability to think that far. ¡ªThe man¡¯s next words were even colder. ¡°This is a Labyrinth, and we¡¯re in an ¡®Unauthorized Area¡¯. You should have your will in order already, brat!¡± Then, the cool iron of his rapier stroked at my thigh¡­ and slashed it open. ¡ºFirst Day in the Other World¡» ____ Chapter 2 - They Who Fought One on One Chapter 2: They Who Fought One on One As the cool blade passed through my thigh, a soaring heat pierced through my nerves. ¡°U-uwAAAAHH!!¡± When I realized that the tip of the rapier had cut me, I screamed and fell on my butt. ¡°Oi! Guys! There¡¯s a solo here! Everyone, retreat! We¡¯ll pass it to him!¡± The leader of the group called out to the people around him. I couldn¡¯t comprehend the meaning behind his words¡ªI didn¡¯t want to. First was the woman with the staff: she looked at me and then walked past me without saying a word. Next was the warrior who had been knocked away, then the rest of the group¡ª-they all stopped fighting and ran straight behind me. Obviously, the giant wolf that had been fighting them would try to chase after them. And there was just one person between it and them. In other words, the wolf ran straight at me, then¡ª ¡°U-UWAAaaaaaAAAAhhhHH!!¡± Terrified, I tried to jump to my right, but the pain of my slashed thigh was so intense that all I could do was roll around on the ground. Lured by my scream and movement, the wolf completely locked its sight on me. The people that had run behind me found themselves in a safe place as the wolf focused its attention on me. The wolf started to run towards me. I¡¯m going to die. I will be eaten by that huge, ferocious wolf and die. No, I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die, I doN¡¯T WANT TO DIE, I DON¡¯T WANT TO¡ª¡ª My thoughts raced. All sorts of bad premonitions scattered through my mind. My life flashed right in front of my eyes. Then¡ª ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 Some kind of ¡®Display¡¯ popped up in my vision. That was really not the time for it, so I didn¡¯t even want to try to understand the meaning behind the phenomenon. But at the same time that the ¡®Display¡¯ appeared, I could feel my head getting clearer. The rush of thoughts quieted down, the bad premonitions vanished, and I could entirely focus on what I had to do. I stood up, pivoting on my right leg, not using my other leg that had been cut. Just at that moment, the wolf pounced on me. ¡°!!¡± * * * Translator ¨C Mab Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * I jumped towards the wolf at a diagonal angle. However, I was much, much too slow. Even with the adrenaline rush, I couldn¡¯t keep up with the wolf¡¯s speed. The wolf¡¯s sharp claws tore into my right bicep as we passed each other. It was then that I heard the voices of the people who had escaped behind me. ¡°¡ªOkay! That¡¯s the position! Fire! Close the path!¡± A chill ran down my back. The wolf wasn¡¯t my only enemy. The humans were against me too. You used me as bait to get away! And that wasn¡¯t enough?!! When I looked behind me, following the chill on my back, I could already see the roaring flames filling the entire corridor. The wolf also noticed the roaring flame, but it was too late. The wolf that had tried to jump onto me to bite me to death was unable to evade the hurling flame. Of course, it was the same for me. ¡ªFuck those guys! They¡¯re burning me along with the wolf!! I cursed in my heart. The roaring flame then scattered¡ªand exploded. I protected my head with both of my arms and put my face down, jumping away from the explosion as far as I could. Nevertheless, a blast of concussive wind struck my back with the flame and blew me away. The flame scorched my entire body. It felt like I had been put under a burner. The pain was so intense it felt like my sanity was slipping away. I used the intense pain as a distraction to keep my head thinking. The pain served as a focus to keep my willpower ablaze. After being blown away and slammed into the ground, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. The flame that had filled the entire corridor had magically vanished. However, a wall of fire was beautifully erected in the direction where those people had escaped to. ¡°S-so¡­ ack¡­¡± So that was their aim. My burning throat wouldn¡¯t let me finish those words. Then, I reassessed the situation. The wall of fire had blocked the exit; all that was left was the giant wolf and me. I digested that bitter fact slowly. The wolf stood up, and so did I. However, from the looks of it, it seemed to have been exposed to the flames more than I was. It was probably due to the size of its body and the fact that it jumped up on me, providing some kind of cover for me. It was more damaged than I was, weakened. The wolf was breathing hard and appeared to be staggering. Its eyes, however, were still showing a murderous gleam. Its spirit hadn¡¯t waned at all, and it let out a grunt as though to say ¡°wounded wolves are the most dangerous¡± before it trotted towards me. I steeled my resolve. The position I had ended up in was strategically good. The wolf couldn¡¯t see it, but behind me was the greatsword that the warrior from before had used. If I tricked the animal and used the sword, however slim it might be¡­ I would have a chance of winning. Immediately, I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could. However, the moment I turned around, I saw the wolf preparing to pounce on me from the corner of my eye. The pain in my left thigh was intense, and the danger alarm in my head rang loudly. Nevertheless, I ran. Each step was a struggle as I forced myself forward with my feet that had gone numb. I had no time to determine the correct timing to counterattack. I couldn¡¯t predict how and when the wolf would be coming at me. Even so, I ran as fast as I could, picked up the greatsword, then turned around and used the momentum to swing the blade. The greatsword was so heavy that I couldn¡¯t even fully prop it up with both arms, but I simply used my momentum to swing it out with all my might, risking everything in a single swoop. With a raw, dull sound, I saw the blade bury itself in the wolf¡¯s neck. ¡°I-I did¡ª! gh-ghUAck!!¡± My counterattack landed true. And yet, the wolf pressed down on my body, even with the greatsword lodged into its neck. I managed to dodge the flailing fangs and claws, albeit barely, but being pressed down on by a two-meter tall giant was fatal. The unbelievable weight of the wolf bore down on me, forcing everything in my stomach to flow back up and be vomited out of my mouth. Furthermore, the wolf continued to try to devour me, despite its neck almost tearing away. It opened its huge mouth and tried to swallow my head whole. I pulled back my dwindling consciousness, twisted my body to its human limits, and dodged the bite. Then, I used its weight to bury the greatsword even deeper. ¡°AAa, aaAAAAaaAAAHHH¡ª!!¡± I screamed and waved my hands, trying to shove away the two-meter giant. Then, a small gap opened between the wolf and me. I used that gap to scramble away from under the wolf. Then, when I felt like the greatsword could no longer dig any deeper into the flesh, I let go of it and moved away. The wolf didn¡¯t follow me. No, it was trying to¡­ But its body wouldn¡¯t listen. The wolf bled profusely: its body was burned and battered. Because I could see the wolf properly, I noticed it. One of its eyes seemed to have burned out and gone blind. An arrow was lodged deep into its hind leg, making it limp. The greatsword must have reached its airway; the sound of its breathing made a whistle-like sound. It was obvious that it was much more injured than I was. ¡°Haa¡­ You are, already¡­¡± Those words spilled out of me. The wolf limped towards me, dragging the greatsword. I took every precaution to keep myself in its blind spot so that it wouldn¡¯t catch sight of me. It didn¡¯t take long until the wolf fell. Then, the giant body vanished, releasing a pale, emerald-green light. With a clank, the greatsword and the arrow fell to the ground. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Just like that, it had vanished. There was not a body left behind. The wolf was gone like a light, like an illusion. I was stunned by what I had witnessed. In the wake of the wolf¡¯s disappearance, a shimmering, green stone remained. ¡¾You have earned the title ¡®The Beginning of Deep Green¡¯¡¿ Strength is adjusted by +0.1 ____ Chapter 3 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 3: Other World System After killing the wolf, I hurriedly examined my surroundings. First, I found two corpses that had probably been ripped apart by the wolf. I scavenged the corpses to acquire tools and foodstuffs. I felt no guilt for the looting. Part of it was because I deemed it as necessary for my survival, but more than that, I felt numb to it. With my body still shuddering, I resolved to do my best to survive without sparing a single thought. I would take all that I could. And there, at that moment, I¡¯d judged that the possessions of those corpses were things that I needed. I slipped on the gloves I had looted, put on the cloak over my clothes, and slung the leather bag around my waist. I tucked an oddly-shaped knife (probably a throwing knife) into the belt of my jeans and took hold of a one-handed sword. But there were two dead bodies, and there was only one of me. There were a lot of things I couldn¡¯t carry. Finally, I put my hands together and made a motion of reverence towards the dead bodies. Then, as I walked in the direction opposite the flame wall, I looked at where the wolf had died and vanished. There was a greatsword casually lying on the ground. I would have loved to use it, but carrying around something that weighed twice as much as a one-handed sword wasn¡¯t practical. I made up my mind and gave up on the greatsword, but then I saw a glimmer at the edge of my vision. It was a glowing, green stone. There were a lot of similar gemstones amongst the corpses¡¯ belongings. In the state I was in, they served as nothing more than dead weight. I didn¡¯t loot them because I decided that bringing about dead weight could become a threat to my life. However, the color of that particular stone was similar to the color of the wolf¡¯s fur. Honestly, it was more because of sentimentality. Perhaps because we were both attacked by those same people, I felt somewhat empathetic to it. In the end, I picked up the stone and stuffed it into my pocket. ¡°What do I do now¡­?¡± I¡¯d done all I could do. Even if some hostile creatures appeared, I had the means to fight back. Next, I needed to choose whether I should ¡®wait¡¯ or ¡®move¡¯. The cut on my thigh was shallower than I had initially believed (maybe because I reflexively pulled my body away from the blade). However, even if the bleeding had been stopped by applying pressure, walking with it would be a hassle. There was no doubt that choosing to ¡®move¡¯ would make me bleed more and make me lose more stamina. However, to ¡®wait¡¯ was terrifying on its own. I had just experienced how terrifying it was to ¡®wait¡¯ for someone to save me. The wolf was traumatic too, but even more so, the fact that I was slashed by the person I had asked for help was rooted deep in my mind. That¡¯s why I decided I would ¡®move¡¯. ¡°¡­I should walk with this sword as a prop.¡± I held the sword in one hand to see how it felt. It really wasn¡¯t suitable to be used as a walking prop. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything better¡­ A good ¡®tool¡¯ I can use¡­?¡± When I looked around as I uttered those words¡ª¡ª ¡¾³Ö¤ÁÎï¡¿ ¤Ê¤· I saw such a ¡®Display¡¯ floating in the air. ¡°Eh¡­? What, the hell¡­?¡± A sense of unreality came rushing again. Then, a dry sneer formed on my lips. The ¡®Display¡¯ was clearly visible as though it was a piece of dirt stuck to my retina. Even if I moved my vision, the ¡®Display¡¯ didn¡¯t disappear from my sight, ¡°H-haha, it¡¯s as if¡­¡± As if it was a ¡®game¡¯. They were words that felt too vague to be vocalized. Illusion, Labyrinths, monsters, giant insects, giant wolves, adventurers, swordsmen, magician¡¯s flame, turning to light after dying, gemstones¡ªAll those things only existed in fairy tales and were frequently found in classic RPGs. The delusion of colors being inverted in my eyes along with a dizziness that made me feel like I was hanging off the ground hit me in waves. So, I readily admitted it. There was a part of me that felt better by admitting it. I could feel my perspective becoming more distant like I was watching a dream, but as long as it eased my fear, I was fine with it. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­First, I need to know about myself. Show me the ¡®Display¡¯ of myself.¡± For the time being, I let out whatever words sounded appropriate and hoped for it to work. * * * * * * ¡¾¥¹¥Æ©`¥¿¥¹¡¿ ÃûÇ°£ºÏà´¨œu²¨ HP4/51 MP72/72 ¥¯¥é¥¹£º ¥ì¥Ù¥ë1 ½îÁ¦1.01 ÌåÁ¦1.03 ¼¼Á¿1.01 ËÙ¤µ2.02 Ùt¤µ4.00¡ª¡ª ¡°Th-that¡¯s kinda hard¡­ Can¡¯t it be more readable¡­?¡± ¡¾Status¡¿ Name£ºKanami Aikawa HP: 4/51, MP: 72/72 Class£º Level: 1 STR: 1.01, VIT: 1.03, DEX: 1.01, AGI: 2.02, WIS: 4.00, MAG: 2.00, APT: 7.00 Constitution£º Confusion: 1.01 Bleeding: 0.52 EXP£º805/100 Equipment£º One-Handed Iron Sword Otherworldly Clothes Elven Cloak Leather Gloves Scorched Otherworldly Shoes Throwing Knife with a Spell Mark ¡°Ah, it changed to English.¡± The ¡®Display¡¯ had responded to my careless remark. It was a little awkward compared to Japanese Kanji, but readability was much more important. I figured I should read it in English letters. The first and foremost thing that bothered me was the ¡®³Ö¤ÁÎï¤Ê¤·¡¯ from before. If I took those words at face value, that meant that I was recognized to be in possession of nothing. ¡°I have beef jerky and a water canteen hanging around my waist, though¡­¡± And yet, this was what was shown: ¡¾Item List¡¿ Empty I checked again, but it seemed like I really was not in possession of anything. ¡°Well, I can more or less see the approach here¡­ I mean, I love games, so¡­¡± The point was whether or not I had met the conditions. There were very crude, inflexible, game-like conditions at play, and I happened to not meet those conditions. ¡°Perhaps Equipment refers to things that directly affect battle¡­ Things that affect the so-called parameters¡­¡± I felt like that meant that I shouldn¡¯t ¡®equip¡¯ anything that didn¡¯t change the parameters. Or, in other words, I shouldn¡¯t put it on or have it attached to my person¡ª ¡°Do I have cliched bags with infinite storage or something similar¡­?¡± I took another look at what I was wearing. I tried to pull things in and out of the waist bag and my empty pockets. But nothing happened. ¡°Then¡­¡± Enter¡­~ As an experiment, I held up a piece of jerky to the empty space in front of me as I prayed so in my heart. And when I did, the space twisted, and the dried meat was swallowed into the vortex. ¡°¡ª?! S-scary¡­!¡± I hastily retracted my hand. The sight terrified me to the bone, but perhaps that was the correct course of action. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s check the ¡®Item List¡¯.¡± ¡¾Item List¡¿ Beef Jerky ¡°Haha. Yup, very game-like.¡± What slipped out was half a laugh and half a fearful snicker. However, I then understood one of the rules of the ¡®Item List¡¯ storage. If I held up an item in the air and thought of inserting it consciously, it would be inserted into some other place. Yup. Some other place, somewhere¡­ ¡°¡­This should make things easier.¡± It looked like I would be able to loot more tools and foodstuffs that I had given up on earlier. With a lot of trial and error, I managed to put various things into that other place one after another. Incidentally, I couldn¡¯t insert the dead bodies or the small insect. Maybe because they were too big¡ªor maybe because they used to be living beings. They seemed to have been rejected due to some conditions. And thus, my ¡®Item List¡¯ had become: ¡¾Item List¡¿ Beef Jerky Water Canteen Hemostatic Potion Oil Numbing Needle(s) Antidote File Auria¡¯s Greatsword Leather Gloves Leather Shoes Clothes Bundle Wooden Bow Iron Knife Arrows without Mark Lighter Smartphone Pebbles Twig 10th Grade Magic Stone 9th Grade Magic Stone Incidentally, my lighter and smartphone were in the pair of jeans that I was wearing, so I put them in the ¡®Item List¡¯ after making sure I could take them in and out safely. I tried my smartphone¡¯s signal, but obviously, there was no connection. The date was off by a few years from the last time I had checked as well, so it might have been damaged during the impact. However, the flashlight and the clock functions were still working, which was a huge help. ¡°I¡¯ve put a lot of things inside, huh¡­ If anything, it helps me to have the names for things I don¡¯t understand. Won¡¯t this actually make the difficulty lower¡­ as a game, I mean. No, well, it is helpful, though¡­¡± My face slackened on its own when I saw the name ¡®Antidote¡¯ displayed on what looked to me to be nothing more than a powder. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot I can test¡ª¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª, ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Just as I was about to make a more serious attempt to test the system, the roar of a beast echoed in the corridor. ¡°B-but let¡¯s test it later¡­¡± I had been so lost in savoring the convenience that I had forgotten that I was still in the heart of a danger zone. I used the high-priority ¡®Hemostatic Potion¡¯ (I still didn¡¯t know how to use it, so I just smeared it on my wound after I rinsed it) and walked away while using my sword as a walking prop to distance myself from the roar. Don¡¯t be hasty and strain yourself too much¡­ Keep moving while carefully watching the surroundings. When I checked my status in the ¡®Display¡¯, I found that my ¡®Bleeding¡¯ had been eased, and my HP was naturally recovering. I walked down the corridors of the Labyrinth, sensing that my life was no longer in grave danger. ____ ____ Chapter 4 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 4: Magic Tutorial I couldn¡¯t organize my ¡®Item List¡¯ without stopping, but I could try other things while I walked. I was calm for some reason, so as I walked down the dark corridor, I muttered all the words that I could think of. ¡°¡ªStatus, Level, Map, Save, Log, Chat, Logout, Login, Skills¡­¡± I recalled some basic words at random, hoping to see a new ¡®Display¡¯ pop up. There was no response to the keyword ¡®Help¡¯, which was what I actually wanted the most. There was also no response to the words ¡®Log¡¯ and ¡®Chat¡¯ that you would find in online games. The only words that created a response were ¡®Map¡¯ and ¡®Skills¡¯. The ¡®Map¡¯ was a simple one made of a square display. However, it seemed to only show the areas I had already passed. While it was great that it meant I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting lost, it didn¡¯t help the situation at the moment. On the other hand, it seemed like I could get quite a lot of perks out of the ¡®Skills¡¯ menu. ¡¾Skills¡¿ Innate Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.01 Freezing Magic: 2.00 Acquired Skills: Dimensional Magic: 5.00 ???: ??? ???: ??? Two entries displayed ¡®???¡¯. At that point, the guy who created this system (I have no idea if they were a man or a god or what, but I¡¯ll tentatively call them the ¡®guy¡¯) seemed too reluctant to give me the full information. Or perhaps, they had other intentions. Also, there was ¡®Magic¡¯. Apparently, I had become a magician before I knew it. Obviously, what I did next was joyfully speak the words ¡®Magic¡¯ and ¡®Spells¡¯ and such to make a related ¡®Display¡¯ pop up. ¡¾Magic¡¿ Freezing Magic: Freeze: 1.00 Ice: 1.00 Dimensional Magic: Dimension: 1.00 I had been prepared for nothing. But when I saw that there were three magics listed on the ¡®display¡¯, I felt like jumping in joy. I didn¡¯t know why I could use magic at all, but I¡¯d use whatever I could. In terms of video games, there is nothing wrong with having a few initial skills. In terms of video games, that is¡­ I decided I should give it a try and choose ?Ice?. ¡°Errm, come forth! ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯, ?Ice?!¡± I shouted and held up my hand. I was expecting the sight of a block of ice shooting out from my hand. After vocalizing the magic, I felt that something was slipping out of my hand. Then, the palm of my hand became colder as something seemed to gather there. Well, ice did gather, but¡­it was too damn slow. What gathered were some small shards of ice. I guessed that meant that the water molecules in the air were gathering in my hand and that their molecular motion was suppressed, causing them to freeze. The ?Ice? magic that took ten whole seconds to finish only produced a palm-sized piece of ice. By the way, it didn¡¯t fly away from my hand. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn¡¯t offensive magic. ¡°¡­¡± Just, what is magic¡­? Grrrr¡­ Should I call this rumble in my stomach ¡®life magic¡¯, too? I had been expecting some kind of flashy attack to repel monsters, seeing how convenient the system had been, but it was a real disappointment. However, since I¡¯d already made ice anyway, I took out a bundle of cloth that I had looted from my ¡®Item List¡¯ box and cut out only the clean parts to make a simple ice pack. Well, I did make it, but when I pressed the ice pack on my burns, it caused a dull ache, so I immediately threw it away. Next, I tried using ?Freeze?. ¡°Magic, ?Freeze? !¡± The result was the same as before, though. All I could feel was the temperature around me dropping ever so slowly. The last magic, ?Dimension?, gave me quite a headache. The word ?Dimension? should mean something like plane or proportion. Based on the ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯ that I had attempted beforehand, I predicted that ¡®Dimension Magic¡¯ should bring about an effect related to the meaning of that word. I thought that maybe, using it, I could call forth some kind of Warp Zone and escape from the Labyrinth, but I doubted there would be any magic that lets you get away scot-free from a situation like that. As long as I couldn¡¯t fully picture what the magic might encompass, I refrained from using it. To put it bluntly, I was afraid that a black hole or something might appear if I wasn¡¯t careful. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of my magic trial-and-error. Since I was doing it anyway, I figured that I might as well imagine using different kinds of magic. ¡°¡ª¡ªErr, ¡®Recovery Magic¡¯, ¡®White Magic¡¯, ¡®Magic Acquisition¡¯, ¡®New¡¯, ¡®New Magic¡¯, ¡®First Aid¡¯, ¡®Burn¡¯, ¡®Heal¡¯¡­¡± I threw all kinds of words, and none of it stuck. I really wished I had some kind of recovery-type of magic¡­ It seemed like I had nothing of such convenience arranged for me. On the other hand, though, an interesting ¡®Display¡¯ appeared. ¡¾Point Allocation¡¿ Swordsmanship: 1.01 Freezing Magic: 2.00 Your current skill point count is: 0. Zero, eh. Perhaps I can accumulate more points as my level increases¡­ Level¡­? ¡¾Level Up Menu¡¿ 805/100 You¡¯ve met the requirements I remembered that when I was looking at my ¡®Status Display¡¯, there was a column for EXP and the numerator exceeded the denominator. Sure enough, it was possible for me to level up. However, the line, ¡°You¡¯ve met the requirements,¡± gave me a bad vibe. There was a high possibility that it wasn¡¯t an automatic level up system but rather a voluntary one. Furthermore, who¡¯s to say that the level up method wasn¡¯t severe. I made it my goal to find a way to level up for the time being. ¡°If possible, can you level me u¡ª! Ouch!!¡± Suddenly, my right arm felt hot. When I looked, I saw that my upper arm had been cut open and was bleeding. ¡°¡ª¡ª?!¡± Immediately I checked my surroundings. I caught something moving in the corner of my eye. It was a ¡®distortion¡¯. A ¡®distortion¡¯ the size of a human head was floating in the sky, swaying around with the sound of small wings flapping. Upon taking a closer look, the silhouette of that ¡®distortion¡¯ was similar to that of an insect. ¡°Monster?!¡± Instantly, I shifted gear in my mind. I could shift it because reality was not normal, and I was starting to lose myself. A shift from living a normal daily life to seeing reality like I was playing a game. My almost-numb brain had grown accustomed to seeing everything through game-tinted glasses. ¡°Damn you¡­!¡± Out of reflex, I slashed up with the sword in my hand. However, it was dodged right before it hit the ¡®distortion¡¯. After seeing my attack was evaded, I immediately broke into a run. I distanced myself from the ¡®distortion¡¯ as though I was going back the way I came. If my first attack was evaded or my enemy could just tank it¡ªdon¡¯t ever challenge it myself. ¡ªThat¡¯s what I had decided beforehand. I had taken that path before; I was going back to where I had come from. I heard the sound of wings flapping and chasing me from behind, so I calmly measured the distance between us. It was natural for an enemy to chase after me, but its position was right behind me. Which meant¡­ it was all about timing. With the resources I had in hand, I could fight back. I started to formulate a counterattack in my mind. Perhaps it all would turn moot since reality was a game, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t worth the try. As my enemy approached, I quickly took out the water canteen from my ¡®Item List¡¯ and poured its entire contents behind me. What came next was the sound of wings ruffling and a shrilling cry. I judged that any winged living creatures would likely be vulnerable to water. And, apparently, it didn¡¯t fail, despite the fact that it was an insect in a game. The ¡®distortion¡¯ began to unveil. Furthermore, the insect¡¯s movements were clearly beginning to slow down. After confirming such, I activated my magic under my breath. ¡°¡ª?Freeze?.¡± It was just a magic that would lower the temperature, but¡­ at that moment, my enemy should be vulnerable to temperature differences as well. I decided that the safest thing to do was to use my magic and finish them off at a distance. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hope for it to be completely frozen, just for it to fall to the ground¡­¡± The ¡®distortion¡¯ flew towards me in what seemed to be a vain attempt. Its movement was feeble, though, and it never did reach me in the end. To make sure I didn¡¯t miss out on anything, I put my ¡®focus¡¯ on it. * * * * * * ¡¾Monster¡¿ Darkling Fly Rank 2 Then, a ¡®Display¡¯ appeared. The ¡®Display¡¯ referred to the distortion and presented me with its information. ¡­Awful. Frankly speaking, it was awful. I could bet that the Darkling Fly was a type of monster that used its concealment as its weapon. And yet, the ¡®Display¡¯ continued to point to the location of the monster, without reservation, showing me where the monster was. Suddenly it didn¡¯t have much in the way of concealment. I used my sword to strike down the distortion that was getting slower as time went on, swinging it to hit places I thought vital. The fallen distortion vanished with a burst of light, leaving behind a dull, transparent stone. By the way, the ¡®Display¡¯ showed that the stone was a 10th-grade magic stone. I also checked the increase in my EXP and judged that Darkling Fly was a lower-ranked monster overall. ¡°Hm, hmm¡­ Was that a waste of resources and MP to spend on a rank 2 monster¡­?¡± My remaining MP was at 68. I still had plenty left, but I had no idea what would happen if I wasted it. I retraced my steps and continued down the unmapped corridor. On the way, I resumed my investigation into leveling up. However, after a few minutes of poking around¡ªconclusively speaking, I couldn¡¯t level up. It seemed like I needed to meet some kind of special condition in order to level up. It was vexing since I had accumulated an excessive amount of EXP and yet had nowhere for it to go. Finished with the investigation, I thought back to the battle. It was a surprise attack by a monster that was hard to perceive. Had it been a much more vicious monster instead of a rank 2 monster, I would have lost my life. Testing things out with the ¡®Display¡¯ is best done after I¡¯m sure I¡¯m safe. Otherwise, I could be distracted and caught off guard again. As I was walking along thinking about this, I heard a noise from far away. There was a huge insect standing at the far end of the direction I was going. It was the first monster I had encountered. I focused on the giant insect that had two distinctive and oddly shaped horns. ¡¾Monster¡¿ Ripper Beetle Rank 3 I think I could determine its means of attack from its name alone, but it would be best not to make a move with any preconceived notions. I positioned myself half-standing, ready to react in case anything did happen. The Ripple Beetle seemed to have noticed me and was closing the distance. It said it was a rank 3 monster, but I had no idea how much danger it had in store. However, after seeing how disappointing a rank 2 monster had been, I speculated that monsters ranging from rank 1 to at least rank 5 should be able to be dealt with swords and muscles. When the Ripper Beetle had closed enough distance, it suddenly lunged at me. However, its speed was much slower when compared to the giant wolf. As we passed each other, I swung my sword. ¡°Ei!¡± A high-pitched sound of steel striking steel echoed as the sword was flicked away from my hand. It might have been a bad spot to slash. But still, I didn¡¯t expect that such a heavy sword would be flicked away so easily. I even tried to play it cool and shouted ¡°Ei!¡±, but it seemed like I still couldn¡¯t cut it¡ªliterally and figuratively. However, in terms of the enemy¡¯s movement, it wasn¡¯t a problem. It was much slower than the giant wolf and even a bit slower than the pathetic Darkling Fly. I took another tool from my ¡®Item List¡¯ to implement a separate plan that I had formulated in the back of my mind. All the while, the Ripper Beetle kept rushing at me. I evaded its advances. Of course, I didn¡¯t just evade it. The first time I dodged, I stole a chance to douse it with oil, and the second time, I used my lighter to set it on fire. I thought it would take a few tries to successfully light the oil, but luckily, I succeeded on the first try. The Ripper Beetle caught fire and began to flail around. ¡°U-uwaah¡­¡± I watched as the Ripple Beetle lost its joints and limbs due to the high temperature. It seemed to be an invertebrate, so it was vulnerable to high temperatures. As soon as it stopped moving, I poked it in various places with my sword before it vanished in a burst of light. When it did, a stone fell. Then, as I focused on the stone the monster had dropped¡ª ¡¾Black Insect Stone¡¿ Unlike ordinary magic stones, this magic stone is made up of the magic power of the insect attribute. It possesses no rank, and it can be dropped by any insect monster. Th-there¡¯s some details that showed up¡­ This ¡®Display¡¯ also showed the details, huh. Too convenient. Immediately, I began to examine all the details of the items I didn¡¯t know about. First off, the equipment. Articles that had long names, such as the Elven Cloak and Auria¡¯s Greatsword, seemed to have some sort of blessings attached to them. The Elven Cloak gave protection against high and low temperatures, while Auria¡¯s Greatsword gave you a bonus if you faced an opponent of a higher rank than yourself. I didn¡¯t know how much of an impact those numbers had, but apparently, items have attack and defense values set, so I learned that looking through the details was important. After which, I looked at the details of the magic I had that I was most curious about. ¡¾Dimension¡¿ Consume 1 MP The foundation of ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯. Aids in perceiving the space around you. It was just a support magic. I kind of wished I could use some kind of Warp-like magic to return to my original world, but things just weren¡¯t that convenient. ¡°¡ªDimensional Magic, ?Dimension?!¡± For the time being, I should check out what it is¡ªthe moment I vocalized the name of the magic, all five of my senses were instantly sharpened. In addition, something that would be apt to be called a sixth sense, or ¡®a sense outside of the five senses¡¯ began to pick up information about my surroundings. I felt like I could grasp the space clearly in perhaps a radius of five meters around me. ¡°Th-this is good¡­!¡± I had various advantages already, but so far, that magic was the most wonderful. Above all else, I liked how it dramatically increased my ability to spot enemies. I could feel the danger to my life dropping dramatically. I proceeded through the Labyrinth, measuring the time of the effect of ?Dimension? and using its uncanny ability to spot enemies. Sometimes I picked things up, and sometimes I tried out new systems, all the while I continued walking. With ?Dimension? at work, I would never be caught off guard again. After all, I couldn¡¯t miss any critter that entered its area of effect. By making good use of ?Dimension?, I got a better grasp of the ¡®Map¡¯. It was updating that much faster. It also made me pretty negligent, leaving me feeling as if I could not get caught off guard. I got carried away with the overwhelming convenience of the magic. I was overconfident that I had thought through that game-like Labyrinth and gave all I could. It wasn¡¯t until thirty minutes into the walk that things turned for the worst. ____ ____ Chapter 5 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 5: Boy Meets Girl, Kind Of The Abnormal Condition ¡®Poisoned¡® was draining my strength. About fifteen minutes after I started using ?Dimension?, a fight with a rank 1 monster took place. I had been trying to avoid monsters, but I happened to find a monster that wasn¡¯t moving. The enemy was rank 1, and it appeared to be asleep. There was a large frog lying, not moving even a smidge, under some rubble that I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if I hadn¡¯t used ?Dimension?. The name of the frog was simply ¡®Big Frog¡¯, so I used my sword to smash it, thinking I could gain EXP without any danger. But then, when I smashed it, its bodily fluids splashed out¡­ The Big Frog itself was killed by the blow, but its bodily fluids got on my body. The important detail was my body was a wreck with open wounds all over. Hence, the fluid that got into my wounds caused me to gain the ¡®Poisoned¡¯ Abnormal Condition. When I saw the ¡®Poisoned¡¯ status, I paled and immediately used the ¡®Antidote¡¯ I had in my ¡®Item List¡¯. But ¡®Poisoned¡¯ wasn¡¯t lifted. When I checked the specifics of the remaining ¡®Antidote¡¯ I had, I realized how grave of a situation I was in. ¡¾Antidote¡¿ A common antidote available commercially. It is formulated to counter a Poison Bee¡¯s poisonous attacks. There is a 5% chance of success against all other poisons. Suddenly, my breathing became ragged. If the ¡®Display¡¯ was correct, that meant that there were different kinds of ¡®Antidote¡¯. Which meant I only had a 5% chance of the ¡®Antidote¡¯ I had working at all. And¡ªsure enough¡ªI didn¡¯t hit that 5%. After I¡¯d used up all of my ¡®Antidote¡¯¡­ ¡°C-crap. Crap, crap, crap.¡° I lost composure. I sweated profusely, and my strength dwindled. I took a mouthful of ice I had made with the ?Ice? for hydration, but there was no way to recover my HP with anything in my possession. I couldn¡¯t resist checking my ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 17/51, MP: 61/72 Level: 1 STR: 1.12, VIT: 1.01, DEX: 1.03, AGI: 2.02, WIS: 4.00, MAG: 2.01, APT: 7.00 Constitution : Confusion: 1.09 Bleeding: 0.21 Poisoned: 1.00 HP: 17/51 My HP, which at some point had naturally recovered up to 30, was at 17. The ¡®Poisoned¡¯ status shaved a point every few minutes, and not only did it sap my stamina, but it also chipped away at my spirit in the way of frustration. ¡°Haa, haa, haa¡ª!¡° My breath felt heavy, and my consciousness blurred. At that rate, I¡¯d kick the bucket soon. I tried to devise a way out in my mind. I did have a few ideas, but they all had a low probability of success. I chose one and decided to sacrifice my extra MP to make the ?Dimension? magic much more powerful. I had found that method when I was rehydrating myself with ?Ice?, but apparently, even the same magic would have different effects under different conditions, and the effect seemed to intensify depending on the strength I willed and the amount of MP consumed. ¡°¡ª?D-Dimension?!!¡° My perceptual range expanded many times over. Amidst all the characteristic monsters I sensed, I focused my attention on finding anything that could lead to a solution. And then, when my range of perception had increased at least fifty-fold, I found a corridor that greatly differed from the rest. The corridor was well maintained. The floor was cared for to some extent and was coated with some kind of mineral. There were light sources at regular intervals, making it look like a man-made path. I focused on this area and further expanded my senses. After which, I noticed that there were several groups of people walking along the well-maintained path. I immediately deactivated ?Dimension?. My remaining MP was in the single digits. ¡¾Status¡¿ HP 16/51 MP 9/72 ¡°Puhaah! Haa, haa haa¡­¡° I had found people. And those people seemed not to get into conflict when they passed another group of people. This was just my logic speaking, but¡­ I figured it was because that path was different from the one that I was on. I recalled the conversation from when I was attacked. That man had said, ¡°This is the Labyrinth, and we are in the ¡®Unauthorized Territory¡®¡°. That meant that the road I was on was outside the Authorized Territory; thus conflict could happen. The road I had sensed was inside the Authorized Territory, so conflict could not happen. Or, rather, I have no choice but to bet on that conclusion. ¡°With minimum use of ?Dimension?, I¡¯ll go all the way there in one shot¡­!!¡° I walked as fast as I could towards the well-maintained road. I stopped checking on my dwindling HP and just continued walking, looking for any sign of people. I had gotten the ¡®Antidote¡¯ from looting a corpse. Whether I would be given a new ¡®Antidote¡¯ or whether I would have to steal it, I needed to meet someone first. With my eyes bloodshot, I did my best to hold onto consciousness, dragging my legs to keep them moving. And then¡­ * * * * * * ¡°¡ªLet¡¯s go all the way until the 10th floor today.¡° ¡°Sounds good. We¡¯ve been on a roll lately. We should make a lot of money if we go that far.¡° ¡°I¡¯m in.¡° I eavesdropped on those three peoples¡¯ conversation from the shadows. From the content of their talk, it seemed like they were making a living by going through the Labyrinth. However, appearance-wise, none of those three looked like ordinary people. They looked like yakuza that would instill fear for respect back in my original world. It was a good decision to use the remains of my meager MP and pick up their conversation first with fortified ?Dimension?. That left me with four MP. I continued pondering what to do in the shadows near the well-maintained road. I set my preferences on a few criteria. For one, I wanted a one-on-one talk. I also preferred someone younger than me, a female that seemed kind appearance-wise. However, I couldn¡¯t be too picky. Even then, my HP was being reduced by the poison. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension?.¡° Using the last of my MP (though I was afraid of reducing it to zero, so I left 1 point left), I began to look for people who were close to my requirements. After searching the surrounding area for about 200 meters, I found four parties: The first was the party of three men; the next was a mixed group of men and women dressed in different outfits; the third was a party of four men and women dressed in the same silvery armor. Lastly, there was a group composed of two women. I made a quick decision and settled to go for the group of two women. They seemed to be reserved and kind, so they might be able to help me¡ªdepending on how we talked it out. However, since I was sandwiched between the group of five and the group with silver armor, I decided to stay in the shadows. I kept my breaths down and let time pass¡­ or that¡¯s what I had initially planned¡­ ¡°¡ªOi. Whoever is hiding there, you better come out.¡° The group of people in silver armor noticed that I was hiding. The five-person group hadn¡¯t spotted me, but the silver armor group seemed to be able to see me in my hiding spot for some reason. My heart started to beat faster. In terms of priority, that group was second on my list. I regained my composure and formulated a conversation in my head. Then, as I kept my one-handed sword hidden from view, I slowly made my way out and onto the well-maintained road. ¡°Hmph. Just a thief?¡° One of the men in silver armor commented on me as if I was nothing. The four people in silver armor seemed very well off, unlike the other people that I had seen. However, just one of them was a young girl who stood out. She looked like she was the same age as me and close to my height. That, and she was frighteningly¡ªYes, frighteningly is the correct word¡ªbeautiful. She had long, flowing hair that seemed as if it were glittering with gold dust and a well-defined face that even a doll wouldn¡¯t be able to replicate. Immediately, I cast my eyes away from the girl. The girl had a sense of unreality to her that made me feel like my own sense of reality was taken away. I had no choice but to turn my attention to the tallest and most sincere-looking man and talk to him. ¡°Umm, I¡¯m not a thief¡­ I wasn¡¯t feeling well, so I was resting there.¡° ¡°If so, you should have rested on the ¡®Main Road¡®. Don¡¯t tell an obvious lie.¡° The man immediately denied my story. I could feel a bit of anger from him. Apparently, the well-maintained road was called the Main Road and was suitable for resting. Me being overcautious and not waiting on it had turned into my own undoing. I had made a mistake in my approach, and I could feel my face getting paler. ¡°I-I have a reason I cannot rest here¡­ I mean no harm. Please believe me.¡° Having decided that lying was counterproductive, I decided to make a sincere appeal. The man in front of me looked annoyed that I had lied to him. If he was a sincere person like my eyes judged him to be, then it was better to go along with it. ¡°¡­Hm. True, it¡¯s unlikely to stage an ambush with just you alone.¡° The man¡¯s face softened slightly. The other men agreed with him. ¡°It¡¯s just a single kid. Whatever he¡¯s planning, he¡¯s no threat.¡° ¡°He most likely wandered off into danger or recklessly challenged a monster above his own capacity. Or maybe the party he helped as a porter was wiped out, and now he¡¯s all alone.¡° Those men interpreted my situation on their own. In the first place, with how battered and beaten I was, I was hardly considered a threat. I kept an eye on them so that their stories didn¡¯t blow out of proportion. ¡°Don¡¯t scare the kid too much, Heins. It¡¯s against our chivalry.¡° ¡°¡­I know that. But there¡¯s no danger in being meticulous.¡° An atmosphere of playfulness arose in the group. When I heard the word chivalry, an expectation that those people were of the good-natured variety swelled up. Their wealthy appearance suggested they had room for helping me. It might be a good time to take a gamble¡­ I made up my mind and voiced my plea for help with the poison¡ª ¡°E-excu¡ª¡° ¡°You are interesting.¡° My words were interrupted by the girl. The girl had arrived in front of me before I realized it. Then, those fantastical golden eyes of hers captivated me. They were too beautiful; they shaved away at my composure the more I looked. The men were surprised by the girl¡¯s sudden behavior and called out to her. ¡°E-err, Ojou-sama¡­ Is there something you want¡­?¡° ¡°Aah, forgive me. It¡¯s nothing of note.¡° Even as she said so, the girl kept coming closer to me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell at her to get away from me. However, my throat was too parched, too tense to speak. ¡°H-hold on¡­! Please refrain from making contact with other adventurers!¡° One of the men seemed panicked. ¡°This much should be fine. You won¡¯t let me touch virtually anyone else, so let me have a little chat.¡° ¡°Well, you¡¯re right¡­¡° The girl¡¯s words convinced the men, and their objections were cut short. And so, the girl came within my arm¡¯s reach, then¡­ ¡°You¡¯re really interesting, aren¡¯t you¡­?¡° She whispered so that only I could hear her. ¡°So interesting, I¡¯m envious. Really¡­ really envious, jealous even¡­¡° Those whispers, only I heard them. I looked at the girl¡¯s face. It was distorted. I could tell that was an expression face of true jealousy towards me. Because of the angle, I was the only one who could see it Therefore, the men could only watch her from behind. ¡°I want it¡­ I want it, I want it, I want it¡­¡° The girl continued to whisper as if to curse me. I could only just endure the curse being muttered from her finely shaped lips that rivaled even the Goddess¡¯s. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s the matter? Do those ¡®eyes¡® of yours see something in him?¡° the man asked. Perhaps he grew impatient. With that, the girl¡¯s face swiftly turned to a neutral expression. She put on a smile and turned to face them. ¡°Yes, I suppose so.¡° Her voice was clear and radiant, as though she hadn¡¯t just muttered a curse to my ear. ¡°Oh, is that so? So, did you find a Skill that might be interesting?¡° ¡°No, nothing of the sort. However, this one¡­ he seems to be poisoned, and his strength is dwindling. I thought I¡¯d cast some recovery magic on him.¡° The word ¡°What?¡° escaped my lips. Blood rushed through my near-frozen and cold body as though the sun was shining on it. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why.¡° ¡°Then, I will go and help him out of my own benevolence, okay?¡° With that, the girl turned to me again and began to chant her magic. ¡°¡ª¡®Sing to the caress of the sunshine. Untangled water is an illusion, while the blood shall never return, Shading the heaven and the earth¡ª¡° Pure, white light flowed over from the girl¡¯s hand and enveloped my body. As it did, the fatigue and the pain that had been clinging to my body began to ease. My body felt light, as though my recent struggles had all been a lie. All I could do was stare at her. As long as what she cast on me was ¡®Recovery Magic¡¯, I had no reason to resist. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Cure Full?. There, it¡¯s done.¡° The girl stopped the gush of light and smiled at me. There seemed to be no trace of the envy that she had previously shown me. The girl then examined me again, saying, ¡°let me see¡°. ¡°Hmm, heeh, hooh. ¡®Confusion¡¯ isn¡¯t a ¡®Negative Status¡¯, huh. Interesting. Ah, it seems like the burns were treated too late, so they will leave a mark.¡° The girl nodded admiringly. She had said ¡®Confusion¡¯. If she was honest, that meant¡­ ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 51/51, MP: 1/72 Level: 1 STR: 1.12, VIT: 1.03, DEX: 1.03, AGI: 2.01, WIS: 4.00, MAG: 2.01, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 1.00 The word ¡®Confusion¡¯ was still there. Also, is this girl able to see this ¡®Display¡¯ too? She might not be seeing the exact same thing, but she at least seemed able to perceive it in some way or another. Seeing me, the girl smiled thinly and spoke so softly that only I could hear her words. ¡°Let us meet again, Aikawa Kanami. My name is Lastiara. ¡° ¡°¡­Ojou-sama? What¡¯s the matter?¡° The knights, who had made sure that the ¡®Recovery Magic¡¯ was finished, jumped into the conversation. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Ah, helping out people feels good, doesn¡¯t it? Come, let¡¯s go deeper. We don¡¯t have much time.¡° The girl who introduced herself as Lastiara pulled herself away from me as if she had no more business with me. I quickly squeezed out a few words. ¡°Th-thank you very much¡­¡° ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. You will return the favor soon, anyway.¡° Lastiara responded with a smile like a predator hunting its prey. Of course, her face was angled in such a way that only I could see. ¡°See you later, kid. Be careful.¡° ¡°Go straight home.¡° ¡°You heard him.¡° The men also gave me a faint smile. But I didn¡¯t sense the same malice I had from Lastiara. They were probably smiles of relief and accomplishment at having protected something so weak. I didn¡¯t mind the knights¡­ But I should get away from that Lastiara person as soon as possible. ¡°Yes, thank you for saving me. See you later¡­¡° After saying that, I went the opposite direction of where they were going on the well-maintained road¡ªthe Main Road. I concluded that it should be the exit. The men saw me off and waved their hands at me. I answered them with an amiable smile and parted ways with the group. ____ ____ Chapter 6 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 6: Labyrinth Nation Judging them just based on the outcome of our encounter, they were nothing but a bunch of goody-two-shoes. That notion was prevalent in my mind; perhaps it was because I had been used as bait before. But there was still an indescribable sense of uneasiness about that group (mainly because of that Lastiara girl). I decided to go with the story that those goody-two-shoes made up and walked the Main Road brazenly. Soon, I passed by the two-women party. However, nothing happened. I was tempted to ask them if I was heading towards the exit but decided not to, as I was sure that I was headed the right way from the direction of traffic on the road. On the way, I passed various groups of people. One group looked at me as though to appraise me, but no conflict arose. And then, after a few minutes of walking down the Main Road, I reached the exit. ¡°I did it¡­ I did it¡­£¡¡± The sunlight singed my eyes. The breeze carried the spirit of the season.The clear smell that was incomparably better than the stink of the Labyrinth drifted into my nostrils. I was back above ground. As I was expressing my joy with my entire body, a well-dressed man who looked like a guard approached me. ¡°Oi oi, you¡¯re overreacting.¡± The man smiled at me amiably. But when I noticed he carried a sword, a lethal weapon, on his hip, I braced for the worst. He didn¡¯t seem to show hostility. From the way he was just standing by the exit, he was most likely just a guard. He was dressed formally. I immediately dropped my prejudice and suppressed my swelling emotion. ¡°Yes, I had quite a lot of trouble in there¡­¡± I replied blandly, testing the water. ¡°Hmm, you sure look like a wreck. I¡¯m pretty sure you can still use the aqueduct at this time of the day¡­¡± The man pointed to the distance with his thumb. ¡°¡­Thank you very much. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± I was inwardly elated when I heard the word ¡®aqueduct¡¯ while I bowed to the guard outside. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just doing my job.¡± I walked in the direction he had pointed. As I walked, I realized that I should have talked more with the man. He said he was doing his job. I don¡¯t know if that was an official job or not, but there was a good chance that he¡¯d be able to help me. After a certain amount of walking, I found a well. I had imagined something more modern when I heard the word ¡®aqueduct¡¯. Nevertheless, it would be a great help. It was the same mechanism as the wells from my world, so it didn¡¯t take much effort to bring the water up. The first thing I did was refill the empty leather canteen that I took out from my ¡®Item List¡¯ with water. The mud on my clothes was cleaned by wiping it with a wet cloth. I wasn¡¯t sure if washing a metal blade in water was okay, but I was more worried about the smell, so I rinsed it too. As I washed up, I thought about the talk I had with the guard. There wasn¡¯t much traffic, so there would be little chance of our conversation being overheard. The man¡¯s personality and looks didn¡¯t seem bad either, so I concluded that he would be a good person to talk to if I wanted to get information quickly. After simulating a few conversation patterns in my mind, I approached the man, feigning naturalness. ¡°¡­Man, I¡¯m feeling somewhat better. The aqueduct is a huge help.¡± ¡°Yup. The only entrance to the Labyrinth that got an aqueduct is this one, in the Whoseyards of the North.¡± ¡°Heeh. I didn¡¯t know. The other places don¡¯t have one?¡± ¡°Nope, thank the Knight Nation for that. We are the wealthiest of the five countries that cling onto the Labyrinth.¡± Words I had never heard before were casually thrown around one after another. To be honest, I¡¯d rather have talked about the modern-day¡ªin other words, my own world. However, this is a world where magic and stuff were flying about. There wasn¡¯t much hope in hearing about the country I was from, and asking about it would only make me look suspicious. I wasn¡¯t ready to bet everything just yet. I pretended I understood everything he had said and tried to wring out more information. ¡°Does living in Whoseyards require a lot of money?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. We¡¯ve got a lot of specialized facilities built for the Labyrinth. What, is this your first time in this country, kid?¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± ¡°Man, traveling between the five countries is so easy these days.¡± ¡°So, can you tell me if there¡¯s any place I can get to know the country better?¡± ¡°Hm, why don¡¯t you go straight ahead from here and head to the central square first. There¡¯s a map with signs there. From there, you can go to the National Library or the Public Agency to find out more. Once you get used to the place, I suggest going to the guild or the church.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you very much.¡± When I bowed deeply and thanked him, the man scratched his cheek embarrassedly and said that there was no need to thank him. ¡°No problem, just doing my job.¡± I didn¡¯t think I could stall the conversation any longer. I might have a chance to talk to him again, seeing how much he took care of me¡ªhis job notwithstanding. I decided to leave the place before he got suspicious. ¡°See you later, then¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, later.¡± I waved lightly and followed his advice to head straight to the central square. On the way, I turned around. Because I was some distance away, I was able to grasp the full extent of the Labyrinth behind me. The Labyrinth that I had come out of was a massive ruin. In the center of the ruin, a huge tree that seemed to pierce the heavens stood. Its branches were decorated with muddy gemstones; the gemstones were similarly massive. Maybe there was an open space inside, and there could be another Labyrinth, too, for all I knew. I turned my head and walked away from the strange ruin. I savored the fact that I had managed to make it out of there alive¡ª * * * * * * ¡ªThen, I reached the city. The landscape of the city was the very picture of a typical RPG itself. The culture tended to be Western, and the time period seemed to be around the Middle Ages. Uniquely enough, the road was oddly well maintained. The road¡¯s edges seemed to be decorated with beautiful minerals that looked like gemstones. Just like it was with the Main Road within the Labyrinth, the lines of gemstones stretched out without a break. Perhaps gemstones aren¡¯t so precious in this other world. As I continued walking along the road, I found many houses. They ranged from wooden to brick and were lined up irregularly. The people walking around the city were vibrant and diverse. Some were dressed in simple clothes, while others walked around with heavy steel equipment clattering about. People of various skin tones intermingled, with the occasional beast-like features in the mix¡ªI resonated that they must be those half-human half-beast races. Some of them bared their sharp fangs, and some had long ears, some had bushy tails, some others had a beautiful pair of wings¡ªI saw all sorts of fantasy races living there. The gap between this world and my original world was tremendous. Naturally, seeing this sight was like common sense and insanity were thrown into the same blender and mixed around like a smoothie. At the same time, I could hear the sound of something important within me crumbling away. There were so many people around, yet I felt so alone, as if there was no one else in the world. The sky was so big, and yet it felt so stagnant. It felt like the time I had gotten lost in a huge department store when I was a little kid. Aah, this isn¡¯t the world I¡¯m from¡­ Right now, I¡¯m-I am¡­¡ª¡ª ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 ¡°Ah¡­¡± The ¡®Display¡¯ announced those words. I looked at it with my mind eerily quiet. The symptoms were exactly as they appeared on the ¡®Display¡¯. I gained clear thoughts at the cost of frustration and anxiety. The ¡®???¡¯ thing made me feel uneasy, but all I could conclude was that the skill was helping me. Without it, I would have been in the stomach of a giant wolf. With my mind clear, I checked around again. There were no familiar faces or building around. Some tremendously believable, real, and enormous surprise project, some kind of attraction of a foreign country, or maybe some undiscovered land on Earth¡ªall those wishful theories had been stripped away. Yeah, there¡¯s nothing I can do. I was prepared for this. What¡¯s more important is to consider my prospects even if this isn¡¯t real. There¡¯s nothing to be gained by just feeling sorry for myself. I calmly formulated my next move in my mind. ¡°First, the signboard.¡± I regained my energy and walked through the city with a bold demeanor. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t look out of place in my attire. Some people were neatly dressed, but many adventurers were also equipped with mix-and-match getups of swords and cloaks. After a few minutes of walking, I found the square. It was the size of a baseball dome but with a fountain and stone benches. There was a big fountain in its center, and next to it stood a signboard. No one was looking at the signboard. Or rather, no one stopped and stood by in the square. Perhaps the land was the kind that would be reserved for public events and was just a road on any other day. The signboard had some maps on it; it also had some history of the country on it. In the fountain next to it stood a statue of a man. Maybe it was some kind of monument to the nation. I started looking at the signboard, trying to memorize all the information. ¡ªFrom what I could gather, it seemed like the country was a ¡®country for the Labyrinth¡¯. To be more precise, it was an allied country. The full portrait was that five nations that shared the same religion were following their teachings by surrounding the enormous Labyrinth and attempting to conquer it. According to the lore of said religion, if you managed to pass the ¡®100th Trial¡¯ of the Labyrinth, ¡®any wish will come true¡¯. I thought that it sounded just like a clearing condition. If I wanted to go back home, I would have to dive into the 100th floor of the Labyrinth. My brows furrowed a little, but I continued reading. The country I was in is called the Whoseyards country, located north of the Labyrinth. It¡¯s a country centered on nobility that valued chivalry, with a great knight as its founder. The map showed in detail where I was in Whoseyards. It seemed like there was a tradition in Whoseyards to divide the city into hundreds of numbered districts, and the smaller the number, the more the members of nobility lived in the area. I was in the 21st district. There was a shopping street down in the 22nd district, while the Public Agency was in the 20th district. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Relying on that information, I decided to first head towards the library that seemed to be in the 20th district. The library was a conspicuous building if I ever saw one; it looked as if it was the symbol of the city. Hence, I didn¡¯t get lost and reached it in no time. I walked into the building, hiding my anxiety. The attendant looked at me briefly but didn¡¯t stop me from entering. It was a large, wooden, western-style building. It was very quiet inside and looked no different from the public libraries I knew of. I picked up a few books that might help me with my situation and sat down at one of the tables provided. I opened the book and began reading it¡­ before I began to question the very act of reading itself. To be more precise, a fact that I had blissfully ignored came forward. ¡°Why¡­ I can read¡­¡± I muttered. In response to it, the people who had been quietly reading their books raised their heads and looked at me. ¡°Sorry.¡± I bobbed my head slightly. They soon lost interest in me and returned to their readings. It¡¯s also weird that my apology was conveyed to them. Some were blonde Caucasians; others had fluffy animal ears and tails. They weren¡¯t exactly people who had a knack for Japanese, and yet they responded to my Japanese. The book that I held was most particularly strange. If you looked at it closely, it was made of a strange series of symbols that couldn¡¯t possibly be English or Japanese. And yet, I picked it up because my mind recognized it as something that could help me better understand the world. Call it magic¡ªmaybe that¡¯s a better explanation. But if it were to happen in my original world, it would be a huge commotion. Since that meant I should have undergone a huge modification to my brain. My brain would have to be tampered with, and my memories and personalities would have to be added and subtracted and whatnot. Then, the image of scientific vivisection came to my mind. Horrible. Just, horrible¡ª ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 Again¡­ The fear sloshing around in my brain was suddenly swept away. I was no longer allowed to regret any repeated failures, and my head was clear once again. I¡¯m sure it helped me a lot, but it also brought about a bad premonition. The trigger seemed to be something in my mentality. I needed to limit my thoughts as much as possible and try not to be overtaken by too intense an emotion¡­ ¡°Phew¡­¡± I took a deep breath and calmed down. But perhaps that calm wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing, but rather, something else entirely. On the ¡®Display¡¯, the parameter of ¡®Confusion¡¯ under the ¡®Abnormal Condition¡¯ column kept getting higher and higher. And yet, contrary to the word ¡®Confusion¡¯, my mind was clearing up. It was an odd feeling. The skill ¡®???¡¯ itself might have the effect of disabling ¡®Confusion¡¯, but the status ¡®Condition¡¯, ¡®Confusion: 2.99¡¯ on the ¡®Display¡¯ was deeply unsettling. That being said, there was no point pondering about it further. I concentrated on my quiet, unperturbed mind. Then I read the book I had taken. This world, this country, this culture, this Labyrinth thing¡­ I needed to know about all of it. I resolved to endlessly learn about them, so long as time permitted. ____ ____ Chapter 7 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 7: Preparation and Level Up As the sun began to set, I stopped reading and asked the library attendant for directions. I had seen some people asking the librarian for directions when I was reading. I just did what they did to obtain information without looking too suspicious. It was only a few hours of reading, but I really gained a lot. I managed to grasp the basics of the world¡¯s history from a history book, and I learned about peoples¡¯ occupations and livelihoods from technical books and recent histories. Above all else, since it was a library of a Labyrinth city, there was a lot of information regarding adventurers and Labyrinths. I followed the path the library attendant had directed me to and arrived at an institution called a Cash Exchange. I took out a leather bag from my ¡®Item List¡¯ and lowered it to my waist in a manner nobody could see. From the information I got in the library, the existence of systems such as the ¡®Display¡¯ and ¡®Item List¡¯ wasn¡¯t recorded. This system was most likely uniquely mine, so I tried to hide it. When I walked in, I recognized the place as similar to an antique shop in my original world. There were old things and junk scattered all over the place. In the midst of it, I found a plump man who seemed to be the owner of the place, so I called out to him. ¡°Excuse me¡­ I have something I want to trade for cash. Can you take a look¡­?¡± I started the negotiation with polite words. At first, I thought of working my way so I wouldn¡¯t be looked down upon, but I decided against it. While my goal was to get cash, I wanted to gather more information whenever I could. Fundamentally speaking, I had a policy of not taking unnecessary risks. ¡°Mn, sure. Let me see.¡± ¡°Here.¡± The shopkeeper responded immediately. I couldn¡¯t find anything odd with how he carried himself. ¡¾Item List¡¿ Beef Jerky Water Canteen Hemostatic Potion Oil Numbing Needle(s) File Aurelia¡¯s Greatsword Leather Gloves Wooden Bow Iron Knife Arrows with no Mark Lighter Smartphone Pebble Twig 10th Grade Magic Stone 9th Grade Magic Stone First, I took out all the 10th grade magic stones¡ªtwelve in total¡ªfrom my ¡®Item List¡¯, pretending to take them out of my leather bag, and spread them out on the counter in front of the shopkeeper. ¡°Aah, magic stones from the shallow floors. They¡¯re all one copper coin each.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Please take them, then.¡± I agreed with the exchange rate immediately when I heard they all had the same worth. ¡°Here, twelve copper coins. You have an ID with you?¡± ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then put your finger here and press it,¡± said the shopkeeper, pointing to a black ink pad. I panicked when I heard something about ID, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t a necessity. Back in my world, how many years have fingerprints have been used in the Western world? Thinking such a strange thing, I pressed my thumb on a paper he gave me. ¡°So, seeing you went to the Labyrinth without an ID, are you a foreigner?¡± the shopkeeper asked me curiously. Perhaps my nervousness raised suspicion in him. ¡°Yes. Or rather, it was my first time going into the Labyrinth ever. I¡¯ve heard about the Labyrinth, so I came here from quite far.¡± ¡°Hou. This much for your first dive. Not bad. Where are you from?¡± Not bad indeed, except it was all looted from dead bodies, which was quite disheartening. However, the flow of the conversation wasn¡¯t bad, so I decided to take advantage of it. I chose a safe place from the information I had gathered in the library. I decided to set my hometown to be some faraway country. ¡®And it was quite a minor country amongst those faraway countries at that¡ªThe name was ¡®Fania¡¯, I think.¡® ¡°It¡¯s pretty far. A country called Fania, ever heard of it?¡± ¡°Fania, huh. I don¡¯t know much about it, but I know where it is. You¡¯ve come a long way for sure. What kind of place is Fania?¡± He was being pretty aggressive with his questions, was he bored or something? I resolved to just get down to business before the cat was out of the bag. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really have anything special. Anyway, do you have any recommendations on where I can stay for the night?¡± ¡°Mn, a lodging, huh. Whoseyards has public accommodation facilities; they¡¯re just a bit expensive. Then again, there¡¯s no cheap place in Whoseyards.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Whoseyards seemed to be a rather expensive country, but that was something I had dimly predicted from what I gathered from the guard. ¡°From the looks of it, you chose a country to travel to at random, eh? Whoseyards is the most good-looking country out of the five, so those who don¡¯t know about the Labyrinth will enter this country first. It is a good-looking and safe country, but everything is expensive here. We don¡¯t call ourselves a Knight Nation centered in nobility for nothing.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I ended up in Whoseyards completely by accident. However, the country seemed to be a country with sharp advantages and disadvantages to living in. It¡¯s a country for the rich by the rich. ¡°To be honest, unless you have a deep pocket, it¡¯s hard to explore the Labyrinth from Whoseyards. You can¡¯t even get a proper meal if all you can earn is a few copper coins. That¡¯s why most adventurers or Labyrinth explorers don¡¯t stay at Whoseyards unless they have a high level to back them up.¡± ¡°That extreme¡­ By the way, can you tell me what the rate is for a night¡¯s stay here compared to other countries?¡± ¡°So high you¡¯ll laugh at it. It¡¯s several times more expensive here. A night¡¯s stay in Whoseyards usually costs at least a few hundred copper coins.¡± ¡°H-hundred¡­?!¡± ¡°This is the kind of country where people just casually carry around gold coins in their purse. Sorry, but if you don¡¯t have the cash, I suggest you camp out outside the Line for the night and head east to Varte. That country is a bit unsafe, but it¡¯s a good place to start exploring the Labyrinth. I¡¯m pretty sure you could find a place to stay with just a few copper coins there.¡± Sleeping out in the open was the last thing I¡¯d do. That sounded like a prime condition for triggering the ¡®???¡¯ Skill. My mental exhaustion was already high as it was; I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I accumulated more stress. While indeed the skill helped me a lot, I had a feeling I shouldn¡¯t use it too many times. Not to mention, there was also the fact that I didn¡¯t have a firm grasp of that Line thing. From how the shopkeeper said it, I should avoid it even if I were to sleep outside. In a book I had read in the library, all it was described as was, ¡®a line of gemstones that transmits magic power¡¯, and I had no idea what that meant. ¡ªIn short, I couldn¡¯t hold back from liquifying my assets. For what it¡¯s worth, I bet on the shopkeeper¡¯s conscience, who¡¯d been helping out a first-timer like me. ¡°E-emm, then, could you take a look at all of my items? I want to know how much they can get me ¡­¡± ¡°Hm, so you have more. Well, let¡¯s see them, then.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I then stepped outside the store and pulled out the greatsword and other stuff from my ¡®Item List¡¯. I told him that an acquaintance of mine had kept them for me, but he still found it suspicious. He didn¡¯t pry into it too deep, though. Perhaps there are magic or tools that have functions similar to my ¡®Item List¡¯. Thus, I redeemed everything that could be worth money and kept only the bare minimum¡ª * * * ¡¾Item List¡¿ Levan Silver Coin(s) Levan Copper Coin(s) Iron Knife Beef Jerky Water Canteen Hemostatic Potion Oil Lighter Smartphone Pebble Twig I possessed 10 silver coins worth 100 copper coins each stored in my ¡®Item List¡¯. The named greatsword and the magic stone of the giant wolf alone were worth nine silver coins. Now that I had a brighter prospect of staying in Whoseyards, I asked the shopkeeper to show me some cheap accommodations within Whoseyards before walking there. It didn¡¯t take much time to get to that old inn, which was nothing to write home about. I confidently went to the front desk (or something I assumed to be the front desk) and rented a room. Since dinner and breakfast were included, I immediately went to the dining hall. The meal was served in a buffet with various unique dishes. As for etiquettes and unspoken dining rules, I shamelessly asked a nearby waiter to enlighten me. Perhaps it was because I was staying at Whoseyards; he was very attentive and polite. ¡­To be frank, the dinner tasted bad. It was a far cry from my world. There were no luxuries such as rice. It was mainly just mashed grains, potatoes, and tacky hard bread. I told myself that I couldn¡¯t get any safer food and stuffed it down my throat. ¡ªI finished dinner and went to my rented room. It was a simple room. It wasn¡¯t exactly clean by my own standards. But it was supposed to be one of the highest-rated in this world. That fact made me slightly dizzy, so I took a deep breath so as not to shake my mind too much. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I collapsed into the hard bed. Reflexively, I stretched my arms out. It is my first real rest of the day. It was quite a journey until I finally reached that bed. It was long, but eventually, I could rest. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Hence, I got careless. The gear in my mind shifted in a more normal direction. ¡ªIf you think about it, that whole day had been filled with nothing but abnormality. I had countless questions. And questions weigh the mind until they are answered. Just what the hell is happening¡­ What am I doing? I woke up in a Labyrinth, was attacked by monsters, there was magic and stuff, and the world somehow resembled a fantasy RPG¡­? I made a fool of myself. I bled out and almost died. I even looted dead people to the point of stripping them naked. I thought of nothing else; I just kept on struggling to survive. But I don¡¯t accept it. I don¡¯t understand any of it. Just what is this world? Where is my world? Where is my family? I have no parents, but I have a little sister. Did I disappear in that world? Is my little sister all alone in that house? That means I have to go back home as soon as possible. I have to get up early and make breakfast for the two of us in that room of ours. I have to escape from this false-looking world. The fact that there¡¯s a ¡®Display¡¯ that pops up is disgusting. Sickening. What kind of treatment must my retinas have undergone to have it? Think about it scientifically. There¡¯s a system that reflects my thoughts in a game-like status. How much do they have to fiddle around with my brain to make that happen? It¡¯s scary, too scary to think about. An obviously foreign language is captured perfectly. Experiencing it is as comfortable as watching a Hollywood movie dubbed in Japanese. Impossible things are hidden within impossible conveniences. Aah, this is sickening. What do they want me to do? Don¡¯t screw with me, don¡¯t screw with¡ªI feel sick. I can¡¯t even take a god-forsaken hot shower. Why? Why the fuck can¡¯t I? Fuck, I¡¯m pissed. Aah, aah, aaAAAAAHHH¡ª¡ª!! ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 My burning emotion was extinguished instantly. ¡°Aah¡­¡± I had done it again. ¡ªBut¡­ there¡¯s no other way around. I gave up; I¡¯d just go as the ¡®???¡¯ Skill guided me. Putting aside things I¡¯ve done, I have no other choice but to proceed by trying to make sense of this world and take action.¡¯ I must do my best.¡¯ Understanding and taking action: repeating those two is all I can do now. If so, then taking it easy and resting my body when I can is just as important. Yeah, let¡¯s rest¡­ Just, rest¡­ Everything ends if I die¡­ Everything¡­ Thus, I went out like a light, trying to rest my exhausted brain. I fell deeper and deeper into the bottom of a sludge-like rest. I had no room for dreams. I was wrapped in black, anxiety, and darkness. It went for hours in real-time. But it felt like some mere seconds. Such a deep slumber¡ª * * * * * * ¡°¡ªWake up!!¡± Then, in the middle of that sleep, I was knocked awake. All the air within my lungs was pushed out by force. The pit of my stomach was smashed, awakening me with pain. ¡°¡ª?!¡± ¡°Come on! Hurry up and awaken! Hurry, hurry!¡± I could hear a voice. A high, clear, young voice. That voice¡ª¡ª ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­¡± I opened my eyelids and saw the owner of that voice. It was the very symbol of unreality taking shape. ¡°I have something good for you, so wake up already!¡± The voice belonged to that eerie girl I had met in the dungeon. Her name should be Lastiara. She wasn¡¯t dressed in the armor I saw her in before but in a casual white silk outfit. It seemed like that Lastiara girl had hit me on the stomach while I was asleep. I couldn¡¯t keep up with how sudden it was. But¡ªperhaps because my cognitive ability was still far beyond me¡ªI somehow managed to talk calmly. ¡°This is my room, you know¡­¡± For the time being, I blamed her for trespassing. By the way, I had no idea if there was such a law in this world or not. ¡°O-ooh¡­ Impressive. You¡¯re not surprised¡­¡± ¡°I am. My mind just hasn¡¯t caught up with me.¡± I tried to treat that girl who looked younger than I was with polite words. Partly, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know who she was, and it¡¯s also because there was a high probability that she was a noble young lady. ¡°I see~ Well, I was thinking that you must be troubled. After all, you are still level 1 and haven¡¯t been able to level up.¡± Lastiara talked to me cheerfully. Her cheerful sight looked terrifying in my eyes. Her eyeballs were the size of ping-pong balls and emitted an alien feeling similar to that of a deep-sea fish. I couldn¡¯t tell if they were focused on something or nothing at all, and just looking at them made me feel terribly uneasy. ¡°¡­You¡¯re someone who can see levels.¡± I handled her matter-of-factly. Incidentally, I was aware that the concept of levels was common in this world. There were mentions of levels and statuses in various books I had read in the library. It was also written that there were only a few select people who could see such details. However, when I read that those select people were described to be ¡®religiously¡¯ chosen by God, I grew uneasy. ¡°I am, ¡®Aikawa Kanami¡¯. In this world, someone with enough luck will have the ability to see them; there are also the pious ones who gained the ability through long discipline. I would say priests who are in charge of leveling up the people in public institutions and churches and such fall in the latter category. I, however, belong in the former.¡± Lastiara answered a question I had in mind like it was nothing. She took my unfamiliarity with the world for granted. She even used the words ¡°in this world¡± casually. I gulped, surprised. I selected my next words carefully. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that¡­ Thank you. However, I still don¡¯t know what your objective is. I don¡¯t even know who you are, so I¡¯d like to call for someone to get rid of you now¡­¡± ¡°Eh?! Wait, wait, none of that! That will be troubling for me. I am here to save you. I came with good intentions to help you use up your accumulated EXP!¡± Raising her hand in overreaction, Lastiara expressed her good intentions to me. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯ve checked about levels in the library, and I know where the church is.¡± I denied her coldly. I didn¡¯t want such a suspicious character to do that to me. For me, a leveling-up event was quite important. ¡­Both from a practical point of view and from a game-maniac point of view. ¡°E¨Ceeh©`¡­¡± Lastiara¡¯s shoulders dropped. ¡°So please take your leave.¡± ¡°Normally, people would be more, you know¡­ Your reaction is too dull, honestly¡­¡± Lastiara talked to herself in a teasing tone. Apparently, the way I reacted to her was outside of her expectations. Still, I firmly and wordlessly urged her to leave. In response, Lastiara raised her head and looked at me as though she had just made up her mind about something. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll use force, then.¡± That was her brightest smile of the day. I looked into her eyes. My impression of them didn¡¯t change. I could only stare in awe into the depths of those golden eyes. Terrifying. I could only think of her as a monster in human skin. No matter how much expression she showed on her beautiful face, I couldn¡¯t sense any human warmth in her eyes¡ªthey were cold and reptilian, like those of a hunter locking onto its prey. Cowering in fear, I tried with all my might to get up from my bed and flee. Lastiara¡¯s action to counter me was to chant. ¡°¡ª¡¯Detested Wooden Box¡¯, ¡®Soundless Sky, Dull Songs¡¯, ¡®The Tangled Light¡¯¡ª¡± She waved her little hand like a conductor as she chanted her magic. Meanwhile, I headed straight to the exit. Confronting her would give me nothing; I need the intervention of a third party. First, I needed to get out of the room. Then, as I reached the exit, I put my hand on the doorknob-like protrusion of the door and¡­ it wouldn¡¯t move. It wouldn¡¯t even twitch. Like magic, the door was stuck hard, while the doorknob was glowing a light purple, I banged hard on the door, screaming for help. ¡°S-SOMEONE¡ª¡ª!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s soundproofed. Scream if you want, but I¡¯d rather have you behave.¡± Before I knew it, Lastiara was already behind me, stroking my throat from behind. I quickly brushed her hand away. However, I noticed that my throat and mouth were beginning to glow in the same light purple color. I shivered when I realized that the same kind of magic on the doorknob had been cast on my throat. ¡°¡ª¡ª?!¡± My vocal chord wouldn¡¯t vibrate. Lastiara confirmed it and then reached out to me with the same hand that had stroked my throat. I steeled my resolve and took her by the wrist. I put all my strength into it with the full intention of twisting her arm up to her back. ¡ªThe next moment, I was thrown into the air. I could see the top of Lastiara¡¯s head below me. I promptly understood: the hand I had grabbed had thrown me up instead. That was not physical strength befitting a girl who probably weighed less than 50 kg. I concentrated on breaking my fall with my rapidly cooling head fully occupied with plans. The mindset that anything could happen helped me from getting too surprised. I passed the ceiling and hit the floor. Luckily, I landed on both of my feet and my right hand¡ªthough the impact was still too much to handle. My face contorted with shock and pain, but Lastiara was right in front of me. I pulled a knife from my ¡®Item List¡¯ and readied it. Lastiara looked a bit surprised. However, her face immediately twisted into a grin; then she extended her hand as if to disregard my struggle. In contrast, I couldn¡¯t move. My conscience put a brake on the act of slashing the girl with a knife. I knew full well I was just being naive so late in the hour, so I just pretended I slashed at her while my free hand pulled the water canteen out of the ¡®Item List¡¯, planning to blind her with water. Perhaps anticipating my counterattack, Lastiara slapped away the water canteen I took out. Then, with frightening speed, she also flicked away the knife in my hand and then swept me off my feet. Finally, she held my head down, then chanted her magic. The moment I felt a light purple glow in my brain, my body stopped moving altogether. ¡°Hmm¡­ The way you break your fall and make instant judgments, you are just amazing. It¡¯s hard to believe you are still level 1.¡± I was completely out of my depth, and yet Lastiara assessed me as if I was something worth marveling at. She seemed to be truly astonished and continued her talk. ¡°I wonder if this is what they call ¡®Parameters outside of Parameters¡¯. Dear me, you are wondrous. How did you break your fall? Your strength and speed are just one-tenth of mine, you know? It¡¯s hard to apply magic on you, too. Talk about terrifying.¡± Perhaps because of the light purple magic, I couldn¡¯t answer any of her questions. If I couldn¡¯t move my body, I couldn¡¯t cuss at her. That situation brought me nothing but anxiety. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so worried. Believe it or not, I really do not possess any intention of harming you. I¡¯m just trying to level you up. No, really.¡± Saying so, Lastiara climbed on my back and pulled out an old-looking book from her pocket. ¡°Let¡¯s see, the chanting for leveling up is, hm¡­ ¡®Thou shalt behold and reflect¡ª¡ª¡± As Lastiara went into chanting, white light emitted from both of our bodies. ¡°¡ªt exists within me as the doest within thee¡¯¡­ That should do it.¡± Soon, the magic was over. If Lastiara wasn¡¯t lying, it would have raised my level. ¡°You are my precious ¡®Candidate,¡¯ I can¡¯t have you linger around at a silly level of 1 forever. With status as low as yours, you could have died at the drop of a hat, so I was worried sick. However, now I can be a bit more relieved.¡± Lastiara wiped her sweatless forehead as though she had just finished her work and then approached the window. ¡°Now, since I have scary people looking for me with their eyes bloodshot, it is time for me to leave. Ah, don¡¯t worry, you will be able to move soon. See you later~¡± Leaving those words behind, Lastiara leaped out the window. My body remained immovable. As I watched Lastiara storm away, I checked my own ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Aikawa Kanami HP: 119/121, MP: 71/141 Class : Level: 4 STR: 3.03, VIT: 3.15, DEX: 4.07, AGI: 5.05, WIS: 6.09, MAG: 8.08, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 4.29 EXP: 127/800 Equipment: Otherworld Clothes ¡¾Point Allocation¡¿ Bonus Point(s): 3 Skill Point(s): 3 have been gained. My level rose¡­ Still, what the heck was her deal¡­ It¡¯s already proven that the girl meant no harm¡­ But she was too self-centered. She¡¯s still someone I can¡¯t be careless around. The next time I see her, I¡¯ll run the other way, no questions asked. I should put some sand in my ¡®Item List¡¯ for the next time¡ª¡ª Since I couldn¡¯t move my body, all I could do was contemplate. In the end, even after the expensive accommodation fee I paid, I still slept on the cold floor. ¡®First day, finished¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 8 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 8: Against Going Into the Labyrinth When I opened my eyes the next day, I was able to move my body again. I was worried I would stay that way forever, but I was able to head east to Varte as I had originally planned. The innkeeper had told me about the route and precautions to take, so I wasn¡¯t particularly lost on my way there. I was resolved for a long journey across the country, but I easily reached the border before noon. Perhaps that¡¯s because the five countries shared territories surrounding the Labyrinth, and the closer one is to the Labyrinth, the closer the distance between the countries. Furthermore, there were no procedures required to cross the border, just a simple stone wall at the border. I wondered how they managed the entry and exit of people and goods, but when I saw the Line on the stone wall, I told myself they probably just managed it with some unknown technology. After a short walk through Varte, I immediately understood the stark difference between it and Whoseyards. The difference between the rich and the poor was noticeable, and above all else, the management was on entirely different standards. Most of the people that I saw were dressed as adventurers. Many of them carried blades, and those who made their living doing physical work stood out. Having arrived at a new place, I organized my objectives. My first goal was to ¡®Return Home¡¯. If I continued to stay in that weird and dangerous world too long, I would go mad sooner or later. I had to return for the sake of the family that I had left behind. However, there were just a few methods I suspected would be able to get me home. First of all, there was that legend where any of your wishes could come true that was associated with the giant Labyrinth that was basically screaming at me to challenge it. From a game point of view, challenging that should be the right answer. Otherwise, I needed to look into magic or culture that might hint at a return home, but¡­ that approach had little hope. I couldn¡¯t find anything about it at all in the library. I debated whether I should search for a way home or whether I should conquer the Labyrinth¡ªI needed money either way. Just eating or staying in an inn would cost me money. If I were to go into the Labyrinth, I would need to spend money on various tools. Or weapons, for that matter. Which meant I needed money. And the choice I made to accomplish that task was¡ª! * * * ¡°¡ªOi, newcomer. Take out the trash when you¡¯re done washing dishes!¡± ¡°Yes, understood!¡± I started working part-time at a tavern. Frankly speaking, I never wanted to enter the Labyrinth again. I didn¡¯t even want to see the Labyrinth. That¡¯s what I felt from the bottom of my heart. I judged that it was still too early for me to start making money off the Labyrinth. To be honest, I was scared. If possible, I wanted to stay away from the Labyrinth for a while. I was lucky enough to find a tavern near the entrance of the Labyrinth that was looking for employees while I was walking through Varte. My mind was overflowing with thoughts, but I decided to give it a try and took the interview. I spun some decent lies and¡ªunexpectedly¡ªpassed. I wasn¡¯t even subjected to any sort of background check, and there I was, working for paychecks. I was surprised how smooth getting employment in another world was. I wish I could share that ease with countries under recess back in my original world. By the way, I¡¯d worked part-time in a restaurant before. I was also confident in my cooking skills, as I did the cooking myself every day in place of my sister. Because I had the aptitude, I jumped into the job without much thinking, but¡­ I don¡¯t regret it since a tavern by the Labyrinth is a good enough location to gather information. ¡°Christ-kun, clean this table up, please¡ª¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Christ. I pondered a lot about it, and that became my name in this world. At first, I was about to say my real name, Kanami Aizawa, during the interview. But at that very moment, the face of that pervert girl Lastiara popped into my head. Using a name that was known to such a dangerous person would only increase my chance of encountering her. To put it bluntly, I was afraid. I was scared of that Lastiara girl. Pushed by that fear, I thought up a Western name on the spot. My first thought was to ascertain a place of my own under a pseudonym. Talking about possibilities, nobody said that there were no people from my original world in this world. And in case I met them, it would be better to have a really famous name so that they would immediately realize that we were from the same world. That¡¯s what I thought. It needed to be the name of the most famous thing in the world. A country name, or the name of a president¡ªno, it had to be something much more famous¡ªafter thinking such, I mouthed ¡°¡­I am Christ Eurasia. Pleased to meet you.¡± That was a drastic choice for something I decided on in such a short time. I took what was probably the most famous figure as a false name to live by. And once I¡¯d taken that name, there was no taking it back. I decided to live by that name in this world. ¡­But personally, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad. The name can be interpreted as the one who saves the continent. It scored 80 points in my style book. If my little sister was there, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d spend at least six months making fun of my sense style, though¡­ ¡°Hurry up! Christ-kun!¡± ¡°S-sorry!¡± Lynn-san, the tavern¡¯s tall poster girl, reproached me for pausing my work. This is no time to contemplate. This is also no time to feel uncomfortable with my pseudonym. From today on, I am Christ Eurasia, living in another world¡ª After saying that to myself, I resumed my work. It was the busiest time of the day: dinner time. Adventurers who returned from their exploration in the Labyrinth were filling up the tables. The place was bustling and crude but also full of vitality. I picked up information about the Labyrinth as I did my chores. ¡°¡ªHehe. We earned a lot today.¡± ¡°Sure did. I got cold feet when we ran into a herd of Soldier Ants, but they ended up as a fruitful hunt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all up to luck whether we can meet a herd or not, after all¡­ Well, it was dangerous for sure, but high risk, high return, right?¡± ¡°Conclusively speaking, yeah.¡± Conversations within the tavern were usually about the Labyrinth. Listening to them reviewing their exploration of the day and exchanging information was quite fruitful. As I wiped the dirty table, I continued to observe my surroundings. ¡°Yo. Newcomer kid. Did the guy before you quit?¡± And there were only a few who called out to me. Restaurants in this world were friendly to the staff, unlike the ones in my original world. ¡°Yes. I am¡­ Christ. I just started today. The person before me quit, apparently.¡± ¡°I can see why. This place pays you so little even though it¡¯s fucking busy every day.¡± The man who spoke to me smiled good-humoredly. ¡°So what if it¡¯s cheap!¡± the store manager¡¯s voice boomed from the kitchen, inviting more laughs from the man. The balance of power in the tavern was quite unique. It seemed like the manager of the place was originally a famous Labyrinth explorer, and he never backed down, even when dealing with the roughest of customers. I¡¯d heard him curse at customers many times as he did just then. If he wasn¡¯t the way he was, setting up a store so close to the Labyrinth wouldn¡¯t have been possible. For example, if Lynn-san, our female staff member, was about to be picked on, the manager would jump straight on the case and back her up. I¡¯d only met him a short few times, but he seemed to be a trustworthy store manager. However, after seeing how he hired me on the spot, I doubted his management skills. ¡°I wonder how long the new kid will last? This place has a lot of annoying customers, ya know. Me included.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. Everyone has been very kind. I feel comfortable working here.¡± ¡°Hou, you sure are used to it¡­ You got your way with words, unlike the guy before you.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? Well, thank you very much then.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t get too formal, ¡®kay? Take it easy.¡± As I continued to talk with the drunken man¡­ ¡°Oy, Crow! Stop holding up my newcomer! I¡¯ll beat the shit outta you!¡± A shout louder than before came from the kitchen. Apparently, the manager and the man called Crow were acquaintances. His threat was quite severe. ¡°Err, I¡¯ll go back to my duties then. The dishes won¡¯t wash themselves.¡± ¡°Heh heh. See ya later. I don¡¯t want to get the shit beaten outta me.¡± Crow-san raised one hand and nodded. After responding to him with a bow, I hurried back to the kitchen and began the task of washing a large number of dirty dishes. At any rate, for that day, my duty was to bring in dirty dishes and wash them, and I intended to devote my efforts to that. It was hard since I had to constantly move around, but the experience I had from my original world definitely helped. There was also the fact that I was constantly using ?Dimension?¡ªit helped me to get things done efficiently. Thus, the first day of work I had in another world proceeded late into the night. * * * * * * When the last customer left and the cleanup process was underway, the manager spoke to me. ¡°Phew¡ªthat¡¯s the last of it. Newcomer, how was work?¡± ¡°¡­The customers turned out to be quite a crowd; it was a rewarding experience.¡± ¡°Damn cheeky kid. From the looks of it, I¡¯d bet you¡¯ll come again tomorrow.¡± The manager smirked and arranged a schedule for the next day, but his words sounded upsetting. ¡°Eh¡­ Was I being cheeky?¡± ¡°No, not that bad? Just, you know¡­the way you speak so weirdly polite makes you sound kinda cheeky?¡± ¡°Right, I was told that I was being too formal today¡­¡± There might be a culture gap between the two worlds. I thought I was speaking in a way that wouldn¡¯t cause discomfort to others, but I was learning that such an approach might not be applicable in this world. It seemed like I needed to change my attitude a bit. I was going to try to be a frank and bold waiter like that customer had advised me. ¡°Well, don¡¯t beat yourself over that¡­ Just get yourself used to it bit by bit. I expect more from you in the kitchen than attending to the customers.¡± ¡°Eh, Christ-kun, you can work in the kitchen too?¡± Hearing the word ¡°kitchen¡±, Lynn-san, the poster girl, came up to me, shaking around the long, brown pigtail that suited her tall figure. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m thinking of using Christ in the kitchen too. His skills with the knife were unquestionable. He¡¯s dexterous, and he¡¯s been cooking for quite a long time, it seems.¡± ¡°Heeh. So that¡¯s why he was accepted on the spot.¡± ¡°From how he talked, he seemed a bit too polite and service-oriented to be left unused. I got no reason not to hire him.¡± But that doesn¡¯t mean you should just allow anyone to work in your tavern without any good explanation. Even if I thought so inside, it was hard for me to vocalize it. ¡°You¡¯re right. There was so little I needed to teach him.¡± ¡°Right? My eyes never miss their prey. Well, I¡¯m going to go into the back room. You take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Ye~s¡± Saying so, the manager left to clean up the kitchen. ¡°Isn¡¯t that great, Christ-kun? You need the money quickly, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a great help¡­ but I think I will mess things up a lot because of the way I did it in my home country, so please don¡¯t expect much of me, okay?¡± I didn¡¯t want them to put too much expectation on me, so I decided to take a precautionary approach. ¡°Aah, you came from a different country, right? Err¡­¡± ¡°Fania.¡± ¡°Right, Fania. I¡¯ve never heard of it. You sure came from quite far away.¡± ¡°I dreamed of going into the Labyrinth, and yet, this is how I ended up.¡± Saying so, I showed her the burn scar on my arm. In other words, I was playing the setting of ¡®a young boy from the countryside who challenged the Labyrinth, dreaming to get big, only to be brought down to reality on his first day¡¯. ¡°Uwah, that looks painful, but I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t lose a limb or an eye. You won¡¯t die like that if you¡¯re working here, after all.¡± Lynn-san said something so gruesome with a light tone. While we did have different world views, I guess she had seen her fair share of things¡ªworking in a tavern in the front of the Labyrinth. ¡°Yes. For the time being, I don¡¯t need to worry about my meals if I¡¯m working here.¡± ¡°Yup, yup, work hard. Onee-san is rooting for you. You¡¯re much more polite and knowledgeable than the previous guy, too!¡± Apparently, I had made a good impression on Lynn-san. As for courtesy, it was probably the difference in educational level between this world and my original worl. As for knowledge, it was all thanks to ?Dimension?, so¡­ being praised for it felt a bit awkward since it made me feel like I was cheating. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best. Now, let¡¯s clear the tables.¡± ¡°Okay~ I¡¯ll help you out~¡± Once the store was all cleaned up, I planned to discuss the details of the contract with the manager. I¡¯d been told that I would be given preferential treatment because they were short on staff, but depending on the details of the contract, I could deny that treatment from my own end. For me, a part-time job was just a means to an end, and I was still in the process of experimenting with a lot of things. But I can¡¯t deny that I liked the people there. ¡°¡ªAah, finally done! Christ-kun, go lock the entrance!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After finishing our work, Lynn-san asked me to finish up before she walked to the back door. I went to the front door as I was told to lock the large door with a wooden bolt. ¡ªThat¡¯s when I noticed it. There was a snag in ?Dimension?. There was someone outside the door. After checking on my MP, I reinforced my magic. ¡°¡­Yeah, I can afford it. ¡ªMagic, ?Dimension, Multiplied?.¡± I spent some extra MP to pick up more details about the situation outside. By the way, ?Dimension, Multiplied? was an application of the technique that I used to grasp a wide distance back in the Labyrinth¡ªit just increased the consumption of MP to make the magic more potent, but I also changed the name to make it easier for me to use. After all, the longer the name of the technique, the more exhilarating it is to use. Outside the store was a large bulletin board. Under the board, apparently, there was a kid about my age crouching down. ¡ªI couldn¡¯t shake it off my mind, so I stepped out. Outside, white flakes were falling. There were only a few flakes, but it still made for a pretty sight. Those white flakes are called ¡®Tear Rays¡¯ and apparently aren¡¯t like the snow that I know from my original world. They aren¡¯t crystals of ice that fall during winter, but rather crystals of magic power that have accumulated in the sky falling down. I learned about it in the library, but I don¡¯t know all about it. The kid under the board kept crouching with tear rays piled up on their hood, so I called out to them. ¡°Hey, are you awake?¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡± The hooded kid looked up and saw me. Their startled eyes met with my black eyes. The kid was a girl. When she looked up, her golden hair spilled out of her hood. Her hair was long and straight like warm sunlight. She had large, blue eyes and an innocent, androgynous face. The girl looked at me and stood up. She was probably close to my age, but she was two heads shorter. And quite petite. I got lost in admiring her for a while, but I soon snapped out of it and talked to her as an employee. ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake. We¡¯re going to close the store, you know¡­¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t stay here?¡± The girl replied quite bluntly, a bit ill-suited to her profile. ¡°Hmm. I think it¡¯s okay, as long as you don¡¯t do anything funny. Well, maybe.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? I¡¯ll stay around, then. Just tell me off if I¡¯m being a bother.¡± The girl then sat down. She acted more masculine than I was, but I still couldn¡¯t leave her be. (#TL/N: The kid uses Ore to refer to themselves, while MC uses Boku. Ore is a more masculine form of I, Boku is also masculine, but usually for milder/softer people.) ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ It¡¯s already midnight, and it¡¯s not safe for a girl to be out alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maybe I was just being a busybody without knowing her full circumstances. But the ethical points of view I carried from the other world carried my words. ¡°If you have somewhere to stay¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°I scooted over to a tavern since it¡¯s warmer here because I don¡¯t have cash.¡± She quickly dismissed my suggestion. A monetary problem, was it? There¡¯s little that I could say further then. All I could do was close the store and pretend I had never seen her. Even if a girl that was smaller than me was having a hard time finding shelter in a place that close to the Labyrinth¡­ ¡°¡­I see. Well, I¡¯m closing the store, then.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t have the luxury to help out strangers. With painful reluctance, I decided I should close the store. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m no girl. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Right before I closed the door, the girl spoke up. No, the boy. It seems like since he was a boy, I didn¡¯t need to worry that he would suffer things I could only imagine. I closed up the store, surprised at that fact. I didn¡¯t know if he lied about his gender or not. Either way, I decided that it was pointless to beat myself up for it, so I walked to the back of the store, where the manager and Lynn-san were probably waiting for me. * * * After work, the manager and I decided a lot of things about my contract. That being said, the contract wasn¡¯t as detailed as it would be in my world; it was something rather general. He said he would try testing me out on a daily basis. I was given ten copper coins for that day. He even offered me a meal and told me I could sleep in the corner of the tavern. I was surprised by how he treated me. Quite the contrary, it was me who gave him candid advice. However, even if I told him he was being careless, the manager said, ¡°I¡¯m confident in my judgment, it¡¯s alright,¡± and brushed me off. Lynn-san then said, ¡°If you do something bad, you will be tagged by the Line and soon get caught.¡± Apparently, this ¡°Line¡± thing that was drawn in various places of town had security and crime prevention functions. Maybe that¡¯s included in the treatment, too. Thus, I was able to wrap myself up in a blanket under a roof. Comparing myself to the boy from before, it felt like heaven vs. hell. ¡°Status, Skill¡ª¡± ¡¾Point Allocation¡¿ Skill Point(s): 2 Remaining. I rested in the corner of the tavern, trying out different things on the Display. Lastiara¡¯s raid on my room the previous day had increased my level and generated bonus points and skill points, so I took care of those. Bonus points were said to increase parameters such as Strength and Vitality, while skill points were said to be used to gain and grow skills. I didn¡¯t want to die, so I spent all my bonus points on increasing my HP. If it were a game, I would have given priority to Strength and Agility, but I gave priority to HP instead, taking into account that I mustn¡¯t die even once. Since one point gave me 10 HP, my maximum HP became 151. I allocated a skill point on ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯.When I did so, the notation was changed to something like ¡®Dimensional Magic: 5.01+0.10¡¯. When I used ?Dimension?, it showed just a slight change to my perception, so I put the remaining two skill points on hold. ¡°I might use it to get a new magic, after all¡­¡± Regardless of whether I wanted it or not, there was no doubt that I would be involved with the Labyrinth in the future. It would be appropriate to allocate those two skill points to a magic that would serve me in that purpose. ¡°I was told I only need to work at night¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll walk around the town and gather information tomorrow¡­¡± I calmly constructed my schedule. I was in less of a hurry now since I could expect a steady income. My confusion and fear towards this world were dampened by the ¡®???¡¯ skill, and I was careful to keep my mental health from getting worse. At that moment, it was important to make a rational move towards my goal of returning, one step at a time. First, I needed to spend a few days gathering information and acquiring common knowledge regarding the Labyrinth. After I mastered the use of ¡®Display¡¯ and magic and had my equipment and tools in order, then I would finally rechallenge the Labyrinth. I kept trying out and experimenting with ¡®Display¡¯¡­ and fell asleep in the middle of it. Hence, my second day in this world passed rather peacefully. ¡®Second Day Finished¡¯ ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 151/151, MP: 34/41 Class: Level: 4 STR: 3.03, VIT: 3.16, DEX: 4.07, AGI: 5.05, WIS: 6.09, MAG: 8.08, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 4.29 EXP: 127/800 ¡¾Skills¡¿ Innate Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.01 Freezing Magic: 2.01 Acquired Skills: Dimensional Magic: 5.01 + 0.10 ???: ???: ???: ???: ¡¾Magic¡¿ Freezing Magic: Freeze: 1.00 Ice: 1.01 Dimensional Magic: Dimension: 1.02 ____ ____ Chapter 9 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 9: Party If I could start an industrial revolution, I might be able to clear a Labyrinth like that in a jiffy. The one who had thought up such a thing after pondering a whole lot of things the previous night was none other than me. It was important to play to my strengths as an Otherworlder. By contributing to the cultural level of this world, clearing the Labyrinth using machines instead of magic sounded a good idea. But the reality was that I had neither the time nor the connections to make that happen. I doubted the law of physics would hold true to what I knew in the first place. Sure, I¡¯d want to test it out some day, but it wouldn¡¯t be possible without money. Thus, once again, I was confronted by a monetary barrier, so I reluctantly went out for a walk in the town. ¡ªThe world runs on money. I checked the culture of the town by basically wandering around public institutions. Other than that, I looked around stores unique to the world, such as weapon shops and tool shops. There were some shops called Magic Shops, basically shops for magicians, but their items were too expensive for my financial resources. It was plain information-gathering work, but if I thought of it as sightseeing, it didn¡¯t feel as tedious. Time soon passed, and my work at the tavern began. Just like the previous day, I would be doing my chores around the hustle and bustle of the busy tavern. The work remained the same, but I wasn¡¯t doing the exact same thing during the work. I tried a new usage of the ¡®Display¡¯. By focusing on a monster, I had managed to get the monster¡¯s information to show on the ¡®Display¡¯, so I tried to see if I could do it on a human¡­ and it succeeded. For example, if I focused on the big guy with a large scar on his face¡­ ¡¾Status¡¿ Alvin Colson HP: 165/172 MP: 0/0 Class: Swordsman Level: 11 STR: 6.72, VIT: 4.54, DEX: 2.01, AGI: 1.78, WIS: 1.32, MAG: 0.00, APT: 0.67 Information about the big man, Alvin Colson, appeared on the ¡®Display¡¯. There was no privacy before me. But it was surprisingly fun to do. I got carried away and checked the strength of every customer who came into the store. I had no reason to stop, as I was getting a better understanding of how to handle ¡®Display¡¯ in the process by observing different people. Also, I found out that I could put conditions on the ¡®Display¡¯ for me to look at. When the ¡®Display¡¯ showed a person¡¯s information to me, if I strongly desired to know only their name, level, and skills, this would show up: ¡¾Status¡¿ Alvin Colson Level: 11 Innate Skills: Sewing Skill: 1.10 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.23 Apparently, that big man was great at sewing. The gap between that fact and the bulk of his huge body teased a small smile from me. Just like so, I continued to observe all sorts of people¡­ ¡­Until I spotted a familiar face. It was the boy who looked like a girl that I had met. A hood hid his face, but I recognized him immediately since I always kept ?Dimension? up whenever I found the time. He ordered a light meal at the counter seat. Lynn-san took his order, it seemed. I couldn¡¯t talk to him since I was still at work, but I focused on him to check his name and skills. ¡¾Status¡¿ Diablo Sith Level: 1 Innate Skills: Holy Magic: 3.78 God¡¯s Divine Protection: 3.07 Judgement: 2.00 Concentration: 2.02 Attribute Magic: 2.09 Overcapacity: 2.00 Life Extension: 2.23 Aiming: 2.02 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 0.09 ???: ???: ¡°¡ªHeh?¡± I couldn¡¯t keep my mouth closed. I¡¯d seen about a dozen Statuses since that morning, and I had never seen one that had such a ridiculous amount of skills as that one. One or two skills per person was the norm. Sometimes, a skilled adventurer might have three at most. The numbers were all between 0.00 and 2.00, and none of them had more than 3.00, besides me. And yet, that boy had nine skills, and all of them were highly proficient. What¡¯s with him¡­ ¡°Hey, Christ-kun! Don¡¯t be idle! The manager wants you to wash the dishes in the back!¡± Lynn-san saw I was halted in my tracks and spoke up to me. ¡°Y-yes!¡± It seemed like the kitchen was getting busier. Curious as I was, I retreated into the back of the store. Then, after I winced at the sheer amount of dirty dishes that had accumulated, I went about my work. As I did, I couldn¡¯t get the Diablo boy out of my mind. His talents were so high that you¡¯d think he was a joke. A being who was, I dare say, a bit too privileged by the world. If I assumed that this world was indeed a game, then that meant that boy most likely had some pretty important role to play. Either that, or he was in the same boat I was. I couldn¡¯t wait to find the opportunity to introduce myself and talk to him about it. As I simulated the conversation I would have with Diablo in my head whilst wordlessly washing the dishes, a loud voice boomed from the tables. The tavern was already a noisy place, but Diablo¡¯s voice, which I had already heard, caught my ear, so I went to check on him. ¡°¡ªHa ha ha!! Working with a level one brat will give me nothing to gain. I¡¯d rather not have you hold me back and get me killed.¡± One man laughed out loud; a crowd formed around him. ¡°Sure, my level is low! But I¡¯m confident in my sword, and I know some simple magics!¡± In the midst of the crowd, a boy counterargued with a high voice. It was a boy with golden hair. I was caught off guard a little, but he seemed to be Diablo for sure. His hair was long and smooth the previous night, but he had cut it short to shoulder length since then. And since it was tied back in a bun, it gave him a different appearance, making him look more like a pretty boy. The adult woman sitting next to the laughing man explained it to the pretty boy, Diablo, in a pacifying tone. * * * * * * ¡°Aah, being able to use magic is indeed a huge deal. However, being a level 1 means you¡¯re even weaker than some random little kids. Or rather, it¡¯s not normal to be so weak. Even just by helping out your parents or leading a normal life, someone your age should be at least at around level 3. Nevertheless, seeing that you are at level 1, it¡¯s not unreasonable for us to think that you were either born holding a silver spoon¡ªnot knowing a single hardship all your life, or you¡¯re a kid with some kind of problematic background, no?¡± ¡°Th-thats¡¯s¡­!!¡± At the woman¡¯s reasonable answer, Diablo could only choke on his own words and fall silent. ¡°Damn right. It¡¯s near impossible you¡¯d be at level 1. Hahaha. If anything, finding someone at level one like you is much harder! Ahahahaha!¡± The large man, who must have been an acquaintance of the woman, saw that Diablo was unable to say anything back and grew even more delirious. It seemed like that man was having fun making a fool out of Diablo. Considering I was only level 1 until recently, his words hurt me as well. ¡°Sh-shut up! Don¡¯t make fun of me! I can fight, even if my level is low!!¡± Diablo became agitated and grabbed onto the man. The man, however, simply brushed him off, pouring salt on his injury. Diablo grew even more upset and went to lash it out, cursing at him like some little kid. Nobody stopped them. They probably thought that it was just some regular skirmish. But not me. That Diablo boy had a promising future waiting. I knew he was a promising material for me to profit from since I could steal a glance at people¡¯s talents. From the looks of it, Diablo was no match for the man. I thought that it was the perfect timing to make Diablo feel indebted to me, so I went to approach him, but¡­ Lynn-san couldn¡¯t watch it any longer and intercepted faster. ¡°Okay, okay. That¡¯s that. If you¡¯re here to play around, please go out. So immature, going against a kid.¡± Lynn-san, though she looked fed up, rebuked the man in an experienced manner. ¡°Oi, oi. We¡¯re just looking for a party to explore the Labyrinth with, okay? This kid poked around even though he didn¡¯t live up to standard, so I, as a senior adventurer, had to teach him how the world works.¡± ¡°Then he¡¯s learned enough. Come on. You should stop being so short-fused.¡± With that said, Lynn-san pulled the man and Diablo apart. ¡°Shit.¡± Diablo must have realized that he would gain nothing in chasing the matter any further. He gave Lynn-san the money for his meal and was about to leave the tavern. ¡°With your level, no one is going to take you to their party. You need to consider other jobs.¡± The man gave Diablo yet another spiked comment. Lynn-san, however, didn¡¯t reproach him for it. She, and most of the people there, agreed with him. Diablo clicked his tongue and left the tavern. ¡°¡ª?D-Dimension?.¡± I immediately casted the magic in a whisper. Pouring in most of my MP, I expanded the effect of ?Dimension? to its limit. Then, I concentrated on where Diablo was heading. I would not let him escape. He was a gem that could cut my Labyrinth exploration effort in half. ¡°Okay. Everyone, back to your tables. You too, Christ-kun, don¡¯t just look around; get back to your station.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± As I divided my attention between my work and Diablo, I returned to the chore at hand. The rest of the work was done in a haze, and the store finally closed. * * * After that, I confirmed with Dimension that Diablo had entered the Labyrinth. But seeing he soon came out in tatters, it was obvious he didn¡¯t achieve any luck there. After the restaurant was closed, I met with the manager to bounce ideas about some basic dishes; then, I was allowed to make a light dish. That dish then became a meal for me, so I just left it lying on the table. As planned, I went looking for Diablo, who was probably scooting up near some warm places by then. I used up the last of my MP and caught sight of Diablo crouching down. ¡°¡­I¡¯m hungry.¡± I was disheartened by how loud his stomach rumbled. I called out to him, pretending we had just met by accident. ¡°¡­We meet again, huh.¡± ¡°¡­?! Aah. You¡¯re that tavern¡¯s employee, right¡­?¡± ¡°Yup. Still no money today?¡± ¡°As you can see, I can¡¯t even eat now.¡± Diablo shrugged at his own words. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. We¡¯ve got some leftovers. Want to grab a bite?¡± ¡°Leftover¡­?¡± He seemed more than a little suspicious. I immediately responded with a line I had prepared. ¡°I practice cooking in that tavern after closing time. Today, I have some failed leftovers that I don¡¯t know what to do with, you see.¡± ¡°Aah, you mean that. I didn¡¯t know you were a cook apprentice. But¡­ are sure that¡¯s okay? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you can just give away to some random stranger.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­ Actually, I was there today when you caused that commotion, you see. As an employee, I should have admonished that guy ASAP, but I was so gutless I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­ So I felt bad for you, so¡­¡± ¡°Aah, you saw that? It didn¡¯t really bother me¡­Though, I¡¯ll take the food. Take what you can; that¡¯s the kind of guy I am.¡± After understanding my motive, Diablo stood up, looking relieved. I might have come off a bit suspicious, but the food seemed to sway him. We returned to the tavern while we had some light chat, and we both devoured our meals together. The food tasted good, and Diablo was surprised that I had made it. Perhaps culinary culture wasn¡¯t so advanced in this world. ¡°¡ªMan, this kicks¡­ Right, I heard you went to the Labyrinth before. The female waitress told me.¡± ¡°Kind of¡­¡± Sometimes, I wore short sleeves at work. My burn scar was visible when I did, which sparked interest in customers who then asked Lynn-san about it. It seemed like Diablo was one of them. ¡°How far did you go?¡± Diablo¡¯s interest lay in the Labyrinth. So, naturally, the topic drifted there. I chose my words carefully. I didn¡¯t want to sound too rushed. ¡°I tried to dive in alone and got seriously wounded on the first floor. I haven¡¯t gone in since.¡± ¡°Heeh, so you were a solo as well.¡± Diablo¡¯s face lit up. Perhaps he was glad he had found a kindred spirit. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lucky in finding a party, you see¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I carefully watched Diablo¡¯s expression. I anticipated what he was thinking and guided him in the direction I wanted. After that, we talked about our knowledge of the Labyrinth, our levels, and our statuses. After a few more such conversations¡­ finally, I succeeded in fishing out the long-awaited words from Diablo¡¯s own mouth. ¡°¡ªHey. If you¡¯re cool with it, why don¡¯t we go to the Labyrinth together?¡± Diablo invited me to join him, looking anxious and hesitant. If it had taken any longer, I would have invited him myself. I immediately accepted his invitation without any hesitation. ¡°Right. That doesn¡¯t sound bad. We¡¯re pretty close in terms of strength, and covering each other¡¯s downfall sounds good to me.¡± ¡°R-really?! Thank you¡­!!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m working in the tavern at night. I can only help out for a short time in the morning.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s enough! That¡¯s no problem at all! Man, you¡¯re a life saver!¡± Diablo continued to show his gratitude, smiling all the while. It seemed like he was delighted that his long, bitter search for a companion finally bore fruit. I didn¡¯t show it on my face, but I was actually celebrating deep inside. Above all else, getting an ally whose loyalty to me extended above an obligation was valuable. An ally who was knowledgeable about this world and the Labyrinth would make it easier for me to deal with the unexpected. ¡°Then¡­ can we start tomorrow?!¡± ¡°Yeah, we can. My name is Christ Eurasia. Feel free to call me Christ.¡± ¡°Got it. My name is Dia, no surname. Just Dia. Call me that.¡± We finished introducing ourselves, and he didn¡¯t seem to show any particular reaction to my name. I was lowkey hoping that he was someone from my original world, considering his ridiculous status and skills, but it seemed like things weren¡¯t that simple for me. Also, he named himself differently. His ¡®Display¡¯ obviously showed the surname Sith. Depending on how surnames were given in this world, it didn¡¯t seem like Dia was lying. It was possible that the ¡®Display¡¯ anticipated the name he would assume in the future when it showed his full name. This game-like ¡®Display¡¯. There seemed to be pitfalls for me waiting within it. ¡°Ehehe¡± Dia beamed with joy at having me for company. Combined with his androgynous, beautiful face, he was many times prettier than any random girl. I myself have a delicate, unmanly facial profile, but not as much as him. I tried to verify his gender through the use of ¡®Display¡¯, but ¡®Display¡¯ had no entry for gender. Either way, it wouldn¡¯t bother me much. If he himself said that he was no girl, then it was best to go with that. ¡°Erm, nice having you with me. Dia.¡± ¡°Ou!¡± And what was shown on the ¡®Display¡¯ next were these words: ¡¾Diablo Sith has Joined your Party¡¿ Party leader is Kanami Aikawa. After that, Dia thanked me for the food, and we parted ways normally. When I asked him about where he would sleep, he told me he would usually sleep out in the open, but there was nothing I could do about that. I couldn¡¯t have him stay inside the tavern after it was closed, so it was hard for me to help him any further. In the corner of the tavern, I thought about what would come in the morning. I fell asleep while working out my strategy. ¡ºThird Day, Finished¡» ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 151/151, MP: 2/141 Class: Level: 4 STR: 3.03, VIT: 3.16, DEX: 4.07, AGI: 5.05, WIS: 6.09, MAG: 8.08, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 4.26 EXP: 127/800 ¡¾Skill Status¡¿ Innate Skills: Swordsmanship : 1.01 Freezing Magic: 2.02 Acquired Skills: Dimensional Magic: 5.01 + 0.10 ???: ???: ???: ???: ¡¾Magic¡¿ Freezing Magic: Freeze: 1.00 Ice: 1.01 Dimensional Magic: Dimension: 1.03 ____ ____ Chapter 10 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 10: Finally Rechallenging the Labyrinth Early in the morning, I went to buy the essentials and such, then ate my breakfast in the tavern. Then, with plenty of time to spare, I made my way to the church where we were to meet. There I saw a priest reciting what seemed to be their version of Holy Scripture and a huge group of people praying; Dia was one of them. I found out that many people prayed to God in this world. A majority of them were simply religious, but even non-believing adventurers were praying fervently¡ªthat was because the very act of praying itself was part of the magic, ?Level Up?. Other than their usual teachings, the priest¡¯s chanting had the ¡®Level Up¡¯ techniques within them too, and people with various circumstances visited the church for that reason. It was quite different from the God of my world, who did nothing. If the religion offered you to ¡®Level Up¡¯ for free, it made a little more sense that the five nations allied with each other under the same religion. After finishing his prayers, Dia talked with the priest for a bit before seeing me and then walking towards me. ¡°¡ªChrist, you¡¯re here already?¡± ¡°Good morning. You¡¯re early, Dia.¡± ¡°I was just hoping I would level up¡­ but that didn¡¯t happen. Haah.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s too bad¡­¡± While I responded to his words, I off-handedly checked Dia¡¯s status. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Diablo Sith HP: 39/52, MP: 431/431 Class: Swordsman Level: 1 STR: 0.59, VIT: 1.12, DEX: 0.92, AGI: 0.88, WIS: 1.34, MAG: 23.25, APT: 5.00 Constitution: Divine Protection: 1.00 EXP: 89/100 From what it looked like, he was 11 EXP away from leveling up. And, as usual, his statue Perimeters were ridiculous. ¡­Especially in his ¡®Magic Power¡¯ department. We headed into the Labyrinth, conversing about how we would work together inside. ¡°So I just need to get the monsters¡¯ attention?¡± ¡°Sorry, but please do. I¡¯m not strong enough to deal any real damage to the monsters with a normal attack. That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯m going to use magic this time.¡± Apparently, Dia¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t kill any monsters. Perhaps that was why he was so obsessed with finding a companion. It made sense since he had the magic that could deal with monsters but couldn¡¯t effectively use it solo. But that¡¯s not being a swordsman? Shouldn¡¯t you leave your sword behind? I thought about it, but I wouldn¡¯t vocalize it. It seemed like Dia was serious about aiming to become a swordsman. ¡°Got it. But I will focus on evading them as a vanguard, okay? ¡­I¡¯d rather not get hurt.¡± ¡°Yeah, that will do. As long as you can play the vanguard, the hunt will be ours.¡± ¡°¡­Well. I guess that¡¯s our best formation. I¡¯m good at scouting and distraction, after all.¡± ¡°Once my level rises, I will be fighting with my sword, so please bear with me until then.¡± No, I think you really should focus on your magic, though. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t say it out loud. After all, if I did, he would ask me why I said so, and then I wouldn¡¯t be able to answer without explaining the ¡®Display¡¯. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be in the front and look for some enemies.¡± As we talked, we reached the entrance to the Labyrinth. Unlike the neat entrance that I had seen in the Whoseyards, the entrance there was in a state of disrepair. There was no guard standing by, either. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Thus, I tackled the Labyrinth for the second time. My mind was in turmoil. Anxiety and fear swirled out of control. I tried my best to cover them up. I have gathered as much information as I could until today. I have researched all about monsters from the books. I¡¯ve heard many stories about them from the adventurers in the tavern. I have the necessary equipment and tools. I have an ally who is talented and trusted, if a bit insecure. I can do a number of things even with the ¡®Display¡¯ up now. I¡¯m used to magic and can apply it how I wish. I am ready for the challenge¡ª I calmed my psyche by reaffirming things I had accomplished until that day before I proceeded to step into the depths of the Labyrinth. * * * The first monster I saw was a Ripper Beetle. I encountered it after we stepped off the Main Road and went a bit further away. I had expected to see that monster, as there were many insectoid monsters in the northern part of the Labyrinth, Varte included. Using the ?Dimension?¡¯s ability to search for enemies, I faced the flying monster using ¡®Applied Magic¡¯, ?Dimension Gladiator?. The magic was the combat-specific version of the image of ?Dimension?, which basically lowered the range and the other aspects of its scouting ability while greatly increasing the perception of distance and other attentions needed for battle. Magic changed as the visualization of it changed. That¡¯s a good way to put it. Using this applied magic, I would never lose sight of any of the monster¡¯s moves. ¡°Dia, this one is on its own. Stick to the formation.¡± ¡°Got that!¡± We moved in accordance with the coordination we had agreed upon beforehand. Dia began the chant to unleash his magic while I stood in front of the monster so that it couldn¡¯t see Dia, holding my sword to its face. I used my sword to repel, deflect and dodge the monster¡¯s attacks. While I concentrated on doing this, I was careful not to let the monster move towards Dia. As I did, the Ripper Beetle rushed at me. In response, I brought my sword down with all my might to stop its rush. Its movement was perceivable thanks to my magic. The monster¡¯s lethal twin horns didn¡¯t even manage to graze me. It had been a while since I fought that monster, but since I had fought it before, I managed to deal with it without getting nervous. Moreover, it felt like it was much weaker than before. Perhaps it seemed slower because my AGI had increased when I leveled up. With my STR increased, I also managed to crack its shell, whereas before I couldn¡¯t even scratch it. I wasn¡¯t as scared as I was before. But at the same time, that was the exact moment I realized just how abnormal the leveling system in this world was. ¡°Christ! I¡¯m shooting!!¡± The signal came. I immediately moved off to the side so Dia could see the monster. ¡°¡ª?Flame Arrow?!!¡± Dia completed his magic, and something flashed in the air. ?Flame arrow?. According to what I had read, it was the rudimentary fire attribute magic. It was Dia¡¯s one and only offensive magic, and it should be magic that shoots a magical arrow with heat properties. When I heard about it from him, what I imagined was an arrow made of fire being shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. ¡ªThe truth was far from that. That was no arrow; that was a beam. In that instant, a white line was drawn in through space¡ªa so-called laser light. Obviously, I couldn¡¯t follow it with my eyes. Just when I thought I saw something flash, the white line had vanished. And then¡­ the Ripper Beetle already had a gaping hole in the center of its body. All in a single blow¡­ ¡°Yosha!¡± Dia celebrated at the success of his shot while I was dismayed inside. He continued his cheerful celebration behind me while the Ripper Beetle that had been fatally wounded vanished in front of me. ¡°I defeated it! And so quickly, too!¡± It seemed like he couldn¡¯t see how taken aback I was. ¡°C-congrats¡­¡± I congratulated him in a monotone voice. ¡°Yeah, thanks! It¡¯s the first time I defeated a monster so big!¡± ¡°Good for you, then¡­¡± Cold sweat wouldn¡¯t stop pouring. Dia didn¡¯t seem to understand just how out of the norm he was. I had never heard of a magic like that, not from the books or from others. As I recalled, Dia¡¯s MAG should be 23, and his Magic Attribute was 2. Perhaps there were other factors at play, but I couldn¡¯t hide my concern that numbers of that magnitude could cause such a phenomenon. At any rate, for the upcoming battles, I would have someone with a laser gun behind me. Although I could trust his character, Dia and I had only known each other for a couple of days. I couldn¡¯t tell what he would do. Even if he had no malice against me, a stray shot would leave a gaping hole in my stomach as it did to the Ripper Beetle. I could feel my chicken heart starting to tremble. ¡°All right! Thanks to you, Christ, I can focus on my magic! Let¡¯s go at this pace!¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. Let¡¯s. But¡­ be careful when you¡¯re unleashing your magic. No, really, I mean it. Be careful.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know that! Leave it to me!¡± Dia seemed very excited after having defeated a single monster. My anxiety only accelerated at the sight of him. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go then. I¡¯m going to look for an enemy, so please be quiet. Also, in case of unforeseen circumstances, follow my instructions. Do not shoot magic on your own. Don¡¯t ever do it, ever.¡± Before I expanded ?Dimension?, I repeatedly reminded him not to let his magic go out of control. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. I¡¯ll follow your instructions. It doesn¡¯t seem like it will ever go wrong if I go by your words, Christ.¡± Dia dutifully agreed. It seemed like he put a certain amount of trust in me. Reassured by his words, I moved on to look for an enemy as I checked up on our EXP and the MP consumed. The EXP that we got was distributed between the two of us, even though it was Dia who ended the battle. I had consumed about 5 MP in total for the search and the fight, while Dia consumed about 3 MP. Dia-san¡­ truly terrifying. Such a low cost for such a high firepower. It was so scary since that single laser seemed to contain much more energy than a human being should be able to have within their body. It defied the law of conservation of mass by a wide margin. ¡°Ah, Dia. We will encounter another battle once we turn that corner.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I perceived a large monster through ?Dimension? and reported it to Dia. I checked the monster¡¯s name and rank on the ¡®Display¡¯ and compared it to the information that I had. After simulating how the battle would unfold in advance, I faced the monster. It was a spider-type monster. ¡°Dia¡ª!¡± ¡°Yeah! ¡ª?Flame Arrow?!!¡± With the same strategy as the last battle, Dia¡¯s magic was once again unleashed¡ªthat was all it took to defeat it without any danger. ¡°Ooh, Christ! We defeated another one!¡± ¡°S-so quick¡­¡± It was so easy it made my past self, who was scared shitless of the Labyrinth, look foolish. I used ?Dimension? for combat, so it didn¡¯t feel like I was even under attack. In game terms, it¡¯s like I had a buff to my abilities, giving me a huge correction to hit and evade. And Dia¡¯s ?Flame Arrow? was sure-fire since not only was it overkill, it really was lightspeed. I took the lead and scouted for an enemy; then, I positioned us in the most optimal position I could find. If the enemy didn¡¯t notice us, we¡¯d snipe it using ?Flame Arrow?. Even if he missed, the enemy wouldn¡¯t be able to reach our artillery (Dia) since I was there. If there were to be any shortcomings in our formation, that would be when I faltered in close combat. However, perhaps because there was a gap in level between the monsters and me after I hit level 4, I didn¡¯t feel like they could catch me off guard. Thus, we steadily defeat the monsters, one after another. ¡°¡ªAah. We safely defeated another one.¡± ¡°H-hey¡­ Christ¡­ Is the Labyrinth supposed to be this easy once you team up?¡± Dia, who was overjoyed before, finally expressed his doubts as he could no longer continue watching the monsters just be massacred one-sidedly. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. There are casualties even on the first floor¡­ and from what I heard from the adventurers at the tavern, we¡¯re the abnormal ones.¡± ¡°Does that mean we are strong?¡± Damn right. It was probably due in part to the fact that Dia¡¯s magic packed too much firepower. However, if I praised Dia so openly like that, I couldn¡¯t pitch my usefulness. If possible, I wanted a long-lasting relationship with Dia. ¡°Yeah. You have the talent for magic, Dia. There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± ¡°¡­I see. But that is¡ª¡± ¡°But¡­ I believe it¡¯s more because the compatibility between us is too good.¡± ¡°Compatibility¡­?¡± Dia looked surprised. Exactly. Above all else, the chemistry between us made our tactic seamless. * * * * * * ¡°I¡¯m a magician with Skills specialized in searching for enemies; that is why our encounters have always been so easy.¡± ¡°Now that you mentioned it¡­You kept finding more and more enemies, even in this darkness, Christ. You even found ones that were pretty far away, too¡­¡± ¡°The truth is, I am using my magic to find enemies. That is the reason why monsters never initiated an attack on us, and that is also why enemies cannot target the artillery-type magician of our party, you, Dia. Not to mention, we can begin the battle once I get you in a tactical position. In some cases, we were even able to snipe them down first. While you need to take time to fire, I am there to perfectly cover you. I believe that is what has been the formula to certain victory.¡± ¡°Right, when I was alone, the monsters always found me first; there never was a chance to fire my magic¡­ But how did you even find the enemies, Christ? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of a magic like that.¡± He would understand for sure if I told him everything. ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯, ?Dimension?; the ¡®Display¡¯ that popped up in my eyes¡­ It was all thanks to those two things that I managed to find monsters¡ªnot missing a single one. However, my ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯ was something that I couldn¡¯t find any mention of, even after several days of digging. Not to mention the ¡®Display¡¯, an ability unique to me. I didn¡¯t want to get into hot water if people were to know about those abilities, and¡ªabove all else¡ªit was hard for a coward like me to reveal potentially fatal information about myself. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s an ancient magic from my hometown. It¡¯s considered a secret, so I can¡¯t give you the details, but it makes it easier to spot monsters when hunting.¡± ¡°Heeh, I didn¡¯t know. So it¡¯s a Rare Skill.¡± Dia seemed to be satisfied with that explanation. It¡¯s natural for people who make a living off fighting to be against disclosing their cards to begin with, so maybe that¡¯s why Dia didn¡¯t pry further. ¡°But because of the high MP consumption, I¡¯m actually a hundred times more tired than you are, Dia.¡± ¡°I¡¯d bet. You constantly use that magic even when we¡¯re not fighting an enemy, and in battles, you need to kite the enemy for me.¡± Dia seemed apologetic. Good. It seemed like I¡¯d successfully pitched my power and usefulness. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯m about to run out of MP. Well, it¡¯ll reach rock bottom soon anyway, but I can¡¯t stay in the Labyrinth too long in the first place. I have my work in the tavern, so this was a good time to bring it up.¡± ¡°Okay, I got that. Let¡¯s go a bit deeper and hit one that looks strong!¡± ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ve heard about the monsters¡¯ allocation in the tavern, so I know where the strong ones generally are.¡± ¡°All right. Off we go.¡± Not to mention, I could see their ranks with ¡®Display¡¯. Seeing little chance of us meeting a monster above our capacity, I agreed with Dia¡¯s proposal and resumed our journey deeper into the Labyrinth. * * * After that, we repeated our formula over and over again, exploring the Labyrinth for about two hours. Then, after defeating 30 or so more monsters, my MP was finally running low. ¡°¡ªAh. I don¡¯t think I can keep the magic up too much longer.¡± ¡°Eh, already?¡± It wasn¡¯t even late afternoon yet. However, my MP was already low due to the continuous battle. ¡°I¡¯m getting out of here, but what about you, Dia?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ Wh-what do I do? Do you think I can do it without a magic scout and a vanguard?¡± A big NO! Or so I wanted to yell, but I spoke to him softly instead. ¡°Hmm. Since there will be a higher chance you¡¯ll get injured, I don¡¯t think it would be as efficient. I¡¯ve actually been burning through my MP during the fights, which means I was weakening during the close combat encounters.¡± ¡°Eh¡­ Christ, you¡¯re using your magic and a sword at the same time?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s an application of ancient magic, and I can sharpen my senses using it.¡± ¡°That means you¡¯ve been using magic this whole time¡­ I thought you were a swordsman since you¡¯re so fast when using your sword, but you¡¯re actually a magician at heart.¡± ¡°Yup. So, a magician who¡¯s run out of MP (aka, me) is no more than a sandbag now.¡± To be honest, I¡¯d rather not fight with zero MP. The probability of getting injured would increase, and the possibility of not being able to protect Dia would arise. Without the use of magic, it would take a great deal of time and energy to kill even a single monster. The more drawn out a battle, the greater the possibility of an unforeseen event occurring. The more opportunities you give the enemy to attack you, the more likely you are to be rendered defenseless by their special abilities and whatnot, making the battle completely unprofitable. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll walk you out, Christ. I¡¯ll be on my own after that¡­¡± ¡°Eeh¡ª¡± Dia, however, plunged headfirst to the opposite conclusion. I strongly opposed it in my heart. Wh-what is he even saying¡­ You¡¯re a magician who¡¯s too specialized in artillery, don¡¯t get cocky¡­! I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll be troubled if you die¡­! Burying those selfish thoughts, I stepped in to stop him. ¡°Hold on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Dia, don¡¯t tell me you want to fight in the Labyrinth alone?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said. I¡¯ve got time, and I¡¯d always been alone until today; it won¡¯t be too different.¡± ¡°On that account, how many monsters have you defeated alone?¡± ¡°Uu¡­¡± Dia instantly clammed up. ¡°If you really can do it on your own, I won¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°Uu¡­ Technically, I¡¯ve defeated a monster before.¡± ¡°I am sure you have. But¡­ how many? You¡¯ve challenged them time and time again, right? How many monsters had you defeated until yesterday?¡± ¡°O-one monster¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do this alone. I¡¯m worried.¡± A fast rebuke from me. It might sound harsh¡­ But I couldn¡¯t afford to lose someone who was willing to cooperate with me. ¡°But I defeated a lot of them today! I have the gist of it now!¡± ¡°You did, with magic. You struggled to defeat a monster since you didn¡¯t have the time to use magic, right? You should have known that better than anyone.¡± ¡°I have my sword!!¡± ¡°Again, I¡¯m reminding you, you couldn¡¯t defeat a monster since you can¡¯t use that sword.¡± I could see Dia¡¯s Status. That¡¯s why I knew more about Dia than Dia himself. Diablo Sith was a man who specialized in magic, so him using a sword would never produce a result. ¡°But I have no time¡­ I need power, fast¡­ I need money¡­¡± Dia muttered those words; his face looked grim. To which I responded just as seriously. ¡°I will be frank. No matter how much you swing your sword around, you will never be able to defeat a monster, Dia. I can understand if you¡¯re going to use your magic. If you¡¯re in a situation you can freely use magic, then I agree. But¡­ now is not the time.¡± ¡°No, magic won¡¯t do¡­ I had to resort to it today, but I want to be strong with the sword. Fighting with a sword in hand is my dream¡­! That¡¯s why I want to train the sword¡­!¡± Honestly? You have no talent with a sword! I really want to break his heart by saying those words. But I endured that and continued talking with Dia. ¡°¡­Why the sword? If what you want are power and money, you can just hone your magic and go around slaying monsters. You can make it big as a magician and get some decent money.¡± ¡°That may be true¡­ But I have to use the sword!¡± What a hassle. Dia was not a logical thinker, not even an ounce. He seemed to be attached to the sword on an emotional level. Our relationship would be too tenuous if I tried to convince him any further. ¡°No matter what?¡± ¡°Yeah, no matter what. I will train the sword.¡± I scratched my aching head and checked Dia¡¯s Status. He had already accumulated enough EXP to level up, but his HP had been reduced somewhat. ¡°¡­Haah, fine. If you have to use the sword no matter what, then I¡¯m not stopping you. Being good at sword and magic doesn¡¯t sound too bad either. But surefire preparations have to be made, so we should leave the Labyrinth and rest for now.¡± ¡°S-sure¡­¡± Dia seemed surprised. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d just agree like that¡­ No one has ever approved of me using the sword, after all¡­¡± Dia¡¯s swordsmanship must have been that terrible. I was the vanguard the whole time, so I couldn¡¯t confirm just how terrible he was with the sword, but by all accounts, it seemed to be at the level where everyone told him to stop touching the sword. ¡°¡­Maybe. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand how you feel.¡± I, for one, often chose to use swords when I played video games. It was partly because I found the charm of the sword as a boy and partly because, in this kind of world, those who use swords tend to be the main characters of the story. I understood the childish desire to be the hero and use a sword, even if that meant I had to push myself too hard. The truth is, I wanted him to fight using his magic. But if I forced him to do so too hard, I was afraid of losing his affection. Maybe it was because of such a dirty-minded calculation that my tone to him came out sounding condoning. ¡°Thank you¡­ Christ¡­¡± Hearing that, Dia scratched his cheeks in embarrassment. His reddish cheeks looked cute in contrast to his golden hair. And then, that cutesy gesture. I had an inkling suspicion that Dia might be a girl, but I decided against prying it. Finding it out wouldn¡¯t get me anything. Either way, I couldn¡¯t just ask him about it. For me, Dia was a collaborator in conquering the Labyrinth. Nothing more, nothing less. I used my remaining MP to avoid enemies on our way out. On the way, we talked about the monsters¡¯ drop loot. ¡°Come to think of it, how should we divide these magic stones?¡± ¡°From what I read in most party recruitment notes, it seems like loot is generally divided equally¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll divide it in half, then.¡± ¡°Mu. But you¡¯re the one who did the most¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s how troubles stem. We saved each other, so we go with 50-50¡ªfor now and from now on. It¡¯s easier that way, and it won¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± ¡°Mu¡­¡± If anything, I would have liked to give some of my share to Dia. I wanted him to eat well, rest well, and make sure his equipment and tools were ready to go. That would be the best, but a 50-50 split would be reasonable at that point. ¡°Also, when we¡¯re out of here, you should try going to the church.¡± ¡°Eh, I went there this morning, though?¡± ¡°You might have leveled up due to the series of battles, right? I think you should go to church frequently while your level is still low.¡± I knew for a fact that Dia would level up, so I strongly suggested that he go to the church. I also advised him to buy the necessary armor and tools for the Labyrinth and to keep himself in good physical condition. I recommended that he should refrain from going to the Labyrinth alone if possible and that he should try forming a party with someone other than me. After all, if he told others he had reached level 2 and displayed his achievements by showing the magic stones we obtained in the Labyrinth, he might be able to find more companions. ¡°¡ªI-I got it, I got it! I understand that you¡¯re telling me all that stuff for my sake¡­ But don¡¯t tell me the whole load of it at once. I can¡¯t keep up.¡± ¡°Remember it all. If you want to challenge the Labyrinth on your own, knowing all that I just said is the most basic of basics.¡± Dia gave me a bitter look for nagging him. However, he seemed to sense that every word that I said was a warning to keep him from dying. He listened to me seriously, even if he didn¡¯t want to. As we talked like that, we finally slipped out of the Labyrinth. Even after that, I continued to look after Dia until the time my shift at the tavern started. It was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t help him in the Labyrinth since I had no MP, but I still did everything I could think of to keep Dia from kicking the bucket. ¡ªSpeaking of personal benefits alone, what I did was excessive and completely wasteful. Dia was an extraordinary human resource. However, it would be a mistake for Kanami Aizawa to spend too much time catering to Dia¡¯s interests. And I painfully understood that. It was simple. Perhaps I¡¯d grown attached to him. If I thought about it astutely, Dia was just someone for me to use. I might even end up using him as a decoy, as he was a mere tool to survive. ¡ªBut Dia was the first acquaintance of the same age I had found in this other world. Above all else, I felt a sense of closeness with him after we overcame the dangers of exploring the Labyrinth together as a party. For me, Dia had become my first ever friend. In other words, in this alien world full of abnormality, I had, for the better or for worse, found a place I could anchor my heart onto. For the better, or for worse¡ª¡ª ____ ____ Chapter 11 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 11: Hunt After my exploration with Dia in the Labyrinth, my EXP had increased about 100 points. I had about 600 points left before I could level up. 100 EXP for two hours of grinding¡­ That¡¯s so damn slow I might as well yawn. However, seeing that thirty-something-year-old experienced adventurers were still at level 10, I would say that such growth was quite rapid in comparison. After all, I just needed to do the same thing for six more days, and I would reach level 5. At that rate, it would take me less than a year to catch up to those who would have been fighting for ten or so years. Underline ¡°in comparison¡±, as I was by no means happy with that rate of growth. My goal was to clear the hundredth floor of the Labyrinth. I fully engaged in my game-tinted glasses and created new, more efficient exploration plans for that goal alone. First, I needed to prepare all the necessary items for the exploration. I was too inexperienced to know right from left, but from my first exploration with Dia, I felt that what we needed first and foremost was the ability to continue fighting. I didn¡¯t lose any HP during our exploration; it was only my MP that was hitting rock bottom. In other words, as long as I had a way to recover my MP or conserve my MP better, I would be able to fight endlessly; that would lead to a higher yield of EXP. Next, I would need to know how to hunt monsters of the right rank for us. With Dia¡¯s firepower in abundance, it would be much more efficient to take on stronger monsters and step up the yield of EXP and money. It¡¯s a pretty common story. The bottom line is that I needed to secure a means of recovery and select my hunting ground more carefully. The most basic of basics for any leveling up work in MMORPGs. ¡°¡­My homework is obvious.¡± With that reaffirmation, I muttered to myself. ¡°Ara, what is obvious?¡± Lynn-san responded to my monologue. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. I just started to go into the Labyrinth again, so I was just thinking of how important it would be to know where the monsters are.¡± As a staff of the tavern, she should be very knowledgeable about the Labyrinth. I spoke of my thoughts to her without hiding anything, expecting to get some advice. ¡°Heeh. You said you were discouraged by it before, but now you¡¯ve already dared it again.¡± ¡°Yes, I have the time, after all. Whenever I have nothing to do, I always wander back to the Labyrinth for some reason¡­¡± ¡°You came all the way from Fania to challenge the Labyrinth, after all. I can¡¯t blame you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try not to get hurt so I won¡¯t inconvenience the tavern.¡± ¡°No, no, focus more on your dream than the tavern. This place will continue to open, one way or another. More importantly, you said something about monsters and whatnot. I suggest you go ask the manager.¡± I also thought the same. After all, his level was 15¡ªone of the highest level fighters I had ever seen. ¡°You¡¯re right. I have a lot of questions to tackle; I think the manager has the answers for them.¡± ¡°Yup, yup. You do that.¡± That was as far as we could go with our light banter. After that, the both of us were kept busy up to our necks with the huge number of customers¡ª * * * ¡ªAfter finishing my work at the tavern, the next day came. My second Labyrinth exploration with Dia began. After speaking with the manager the night before, I had a pretty reliable idea of where strong monsters appeared within the Labyrinth. I had also made a list of monsters that could provide us with as much EXP as possible that we could take on with our abilities. We were ready to go. ¡°Ahem. Today, we will target high-ranked monsters or maybe even a boss monster.¡± ¡°Ooh, boss! That¡¯s cool, really cool!¡± I met up with Dia at the church and presented him with my plan for the day, and he responded quite enthusiastically. ¡°From what I¡¯ve researched, it seems like we¡¯ll need an expensive item to solve the MP problem, so¡­ we will step up with our strategy instead.¡± ¡°Agreed. Let¡¯s go straight for the boss. BOSS!¡± It seemed like the one-sided massacre that we had done previously was not to his liking, after all. The desire to fight stronger enemies must have been swelling up in him. ¡°That means we will dive a little bit farther, so keep up with me.¡± ¡°Got that.¡± Then, I put the ¡®Map¡¯ on my ¡®Display¡¯. The ¡®Map¡¯ made it easier for us to explore the depths. We proceeded to the area where a boss monster was likely to be, relying on the information I gathered at the tavern. On our way there, I tried to conserve my MP as much as I could. Although I couldn¡¯t relax my search, I tried not to use ?Dimension? when fighting low-ranked monsters. I chose monsters we could defeat easily as we walked through the Labyrinth, and before long, the corridor gradually transformed. From the featureless stone structures to a vibrant green path, the corridor gradually grew in size and became overgrown with trees. Further in¡­ there was a forest. There were no longer any junctions of paths from one corridor to the next. What was there instead was a huge, dark forest that stretched out as far as the eyes could see. It was proof that we had entered a deeper, more special area. ¡°Ahem. We have now entered the area designated for those insects (beetles). Now, we will snipe the boss monster, ¡®Queen of the Forest¡¯.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I solemnly announced we would snipe the boss. Even though I had already told him he should shoot the boss from a safe distance whenever possible, Dia still looked puzzled. ¡°¡­snipe. Snipe, you know, snipe.¡± ¡°Hang on, hang on for a sec. Snipe when I can¡ªthat¡¯s what you mean, right? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ we can get a clear shot even from here?¡± ¡°Let me explain the plan.¡± ¡°Eh, wai¡ª!¡± When I saw the usually bullheaded Dia looked much more frightened than I had anticipated, I found him quite cute, so I continued my explanation without lending him an ear. ¡°If the information is correct, I should be able to locate the boss from where we are. Then, I want you to shoot your magic in the direction I point with all your might. The boss should die instantly then, probably. We want the drop items, too, so you shoot down all the small fry around the boss as well. I think some more small fry will come to us then, but you can shoot them down from a distance too. Then, in case they come close enough to be trouble, I will face them. In that case, I will disregard conserving my MP. I will fight as hard as I can, and you will be my cover fire. ¡ªThat¡¯s it for our plan. With our abilities, we should be able to carry it out with ease. Any questions?¡± ¡°Hm, mhm¡­? Can we really do it?¡± ¡°No doubt about it.¡± I spoke it out exaggeratedly to avoid unnecessary pressure on Dia, but I was sure the mission would be easy with our abilities. That was just how extraordinary my abilities and Dia¡¯s abilities were in this world. If there was even one ordinary adventurer between us, this strategy wouldn¡¯t be possible. It was only possible because I only had Dia, an exceptional adventurer, as a member of my party, and it was all thanks to my ability to see through talents. The power to see other people¡¯s abilities through the use of the ¡®Display¡¯ that I possessed was as much of a cheat as my other abilities. ¡°I got it. I owe you, Christ. I¡¯ll trust your words.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too uptight. If I have it right, this will really be easy. You¡¯ll see when it¡¯s over. You¡¯re really just that strong, Dia.¡± I encouraged him to lessen his mental turmoil. ¡°¡­Really, really?¡± ¡°For real¡­ Well, I¡¯ll start my search, so wait for a little.¡± I employed ?Dimension Multiplied? and extended my perception in the direction where the information I had obtained led me. I expanded my sight through the forest trees and¡­ found a monster about five meters long with its back resting against a huge tree. It was a bipedal monstrosity with butterfly-like wings and crustacean armor. Several other monsters that seemed to be its underlings roamed around it. I pointed to the place. Because of ?Dimension?, spatial information that could be pinpointed down to the millimeter was laid out within my mind. If there was no margin of error, then our estimated impact would be on the heart of the Queen of the Forest. ¡°Okay, I found it it. Dia, put your hand on top of mine. Then, shoot your magic to where I am pointing. Don¡¯t worry about wind or obstacles. Most things cannot affect your magic, and even if they do, I¡¯ll adjust the aim.¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± Dia looked bewildered, but he did as I instructed, placing his arm on mine over my shoulder from behind. ¡°Target is not moving. I don¡¯t think it will move unless we get closer to it. You can shoot it on your own timing, Dia, so that you don¡¯t burn my hand¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can shoot now.¡± With that said, Dia closed his eyes and began to concentrate. After a few seconds pause, he opened his eyes and then shouted¡­ ¡°Here I go¡ª! ?Flame Arrow?!!¡± A moment later, a flash of light bolted from his hand. I immediately moved my arm away from Dia¡¯s the moment I felt a strong heat from it. All that heat released and went straight ahead, boring a hole in the trees. ?Dimension? followed its trajectory. Then, that instant ended, and ?Flame Arrow? pierced the throat of the Queen of the Forest. * * * * * * ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºOne Related to Green¡»¡¿ STR has been adjusted by +0.05 We were actually aiming for the torso, but a slight misalignment had occurred, and the magic hit the throat instead. Nevertheless, that left the monster¡¯s head separated from its body, and our target died instantly. Apparently, Dia¡¯s magic became a bit off-target when unleashed at full power. As I was making sure that the Queen of the Forest was dead, I checked my and Dia¡¯s statuses through the ¡®Display¡¯. There was a huge amount of EXP added, and the distribution between us was 50-50. I had no idea of the details of the distribution formula for EXP between all concerned parties, but it seemed like a cooperating party would basically be given an equal amount of EXP for each member. I smiled at the result I had anticipated and moved to our next step. ¡°Yeah, okay. We beat the boss. Now, let¡¯s go and defeat its underlings. That being said, it doesn¡¯t seem like they know where we are. They are just roaming around left and right. Change of plan, we take out only the minimum number of enemies and secure the dropped items without lowering our guards.¡± ¡°Eh? That¡¯s the end of it?¡± Dia looked incredulous at how abruptly the battle ended. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s that, the end. Now, let¡¯s move forward with caution. We will be evading enemies, but I¡¯m sure we can¡¯t avoid battle altogether, so be prepared.¡± With that said, I probed around to get a better grasp on the situation around the loot. Half of the underling monsters were moving around to look for the enemy that had sniped down their master. However, the other half of them remained on the site. Dia and I spent a dozen or so minutes avoiding the enemies and got close to where the boss¡¯s drop items, well, dropped. It was only several hundred meters away. It took longer than expected from all the detours we had to make. Then, after making sure that we were safe enough, we took aim at the three underling monsters that were waiting in ambush around the dropped items¡ªI signaled Dia with my eyes, and he sniped on my command. The first one couldn¡¯t do anything, shot dead without knowing better. Two more remained. At that point, they seemed to notice the direction from which the magic was coming. The remaining two headed straight to where we were. Seeing that, I let Dia do the same thing as before. I had him aim at the monster that was coming to us in a straight line and shoot. Halfway through its tracks, the monster was pierced by ?Flame Arrow?. Then came the last one, which I confronted with my sword. That underling monster was of higher rank than the monsters we usually fought, so I fought it without conserving my MP. For me, the close-quarter combat with that one last monster was all the boss fight was about. The monster resembled a fighting mantis¡ªboth of its arms were sharp blades, one of which quickly swung down on me. I saw it with my eyes and shifted my body to dodge it. Before I could catch a breath, the mantis¡¯s other blade arm slashed up from below. I parried it with the flat side of my sword before I kicked the mantis¡¯s torso to keep my distance from it. That was when I was convinced of my victory. The monster didn¡¯t have any sort of special attack that could pierce through me, as all its attacks were slashes. It didn¡¯t seem to aim for Dia, who was behind me, either. I was on the receiving end, stalling for time until¡ª ¡°¡ª?Flame Arrow?!¡± The moment I opened our distance for the second time, the mantis¡¯s head was blown off. ¡°Phew¡­¡± ¡°You okay, Christ? Damn, that was one hell of a fast bug.¡± That was the fastest and sharpest attacking monster I had ever faced up to that point. But to be honest, I had no intention of losing out in terms of one-on-one fights¡ªmy magic was that powerful. My ¡®Dimension Magic¡¯ allowed me to grasp the space around me in a way that was unparalleled in melee combat. ¡°Something like that is still easy. Either way, now that¡¯s really the end of it.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s good then.¡± Dia and I both started collecting the dropped items. After securing the boss monster¡¯s magic stone and unique drop item, we fled the special area to avoid running into another underling monster. We carefully moved to the Main Road and secured our safety before I checked our remaining MP. Seeing that I still had more than half of it left, I consulted with Dia. ¡°Well then, Dia. Should we go and defeat the next boss monster?¡± ¡°Eh, there¡¯s another one?¡± ¡°One that is close to here should be in the Goblin Village. Goblins are bipedal, humanoid monsters, and they have one huge Goblin amongst them, so let¡¯s go defeat that one.¡± ¡°¡­Aah, got that. Just what I wanted.¡± Dia agreed, rolling the magic stone of the Queen of the Forest in his palm. We headed to the area that I had heard rumors about and repeated the previous steps. Naturally, even if we were dealing with Goblins, the result was the same. After only a few dozen minutes, another boss was defeated. Dia muttered in frustration. ¡°¡ªSomehow this feels a bit different from the Labyrinth exploration that I had in mind¡­ No, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s bad or anything. It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°I agree with how you feel. However, this is the safest and most efficient method that we can do with our capabilities¡­¡± Our battles, which relied on special abilities and unusual magic powers, were far removed from any normal battles. Even so, Dia and I repeated our formula. After all, we were able to defeat boss monsters, monstrosities that would have been able to take our lives easily in any other scenarios, without having to fight them, so we had nothing to complain about. ¡ªOn that day, Dia and I defeated a total of three boss monsters before we exited the Labyrinth. ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºthe Strength of Cowardice¡»¡¿ STR has been adjusted by +0.05 ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºTrample Down¡»¡¿ STR has been adjusted by +0.05 ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Aikawa Kanami HP: 119/151, MP: 25/141 Class: Level: 4 STR: 3.14, VIT: 3.21, DEX: 4.07, AGI: 5.05, WIS: 6.10, MAG: 8.09, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 4.27 EXP : 3442/800 ¡¾Skills¡¿ Acquired Skills: Dimensional Magic: 5.01 Innate Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.01 Freezing Magic: 2.02 ??? : ??? ??? : ??? ¡¾Magic¡¿ Freezing Magic: Freeze: 1.00 Ice: 1.01 Dimensional Magic: Dimension: 1.02 Inherent Magic: Dimension Multiple: 1.01 Dimension Gladiator: 1.01 ____ ____ Chapter 12 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 12: Slaves to Dreams, Dreaming Slaves ¡°¡ªSay¡­ Why did you choose to dive into the Labyrinth, Christ?¡± ¡°Why, you ask¡­ It¡¯s to live. Why else¡­?¡± On our way back from our highly successful Labyrinth exploration, Dia and I were having a casual chat. ¡°¡­To live? You¡¯re skilled, Christ. You didn¡¯t necessarily need to go to the Labyrinth to earn money, right? You can work in the tavern, and your cooking is superb.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not wrong, but¡­ Nevertheless, I have to dive into the Labyrinth, no matter what. How do I say it¡­ It is so I can live as myself, I think?¡± I must conquer the Labyrinth so I can live as Kanami Aikawa. I want to cast away this joke of a name, Christ, as soon as possible¡ªthat was my real answer, but¡­ seeing as I couldn¡¯t just say that so openly, my answer to Dia¡¯s question became abstract. ¡°Live as yourself¡­?¡± I couldn¡¯t blame Dia for looking so puzzled. I hurriedly asked him my own question, shifting his attention. ¡°How about you, Dia? Why the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°¡­Mine¡¯s simple. I want money.¡± Come to think of it, he did say he needed money before. That seems like quite a solid guideline to his life, seeing that he could answer without hesitation. However, our relationship was still too immature for me to ask for the details. ¡°That¡¯s quite the common dream¡­¡± ¡°Maybe. But that¡¯s what every man¡¯s dreams amount to, right? ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure about that¡­.¡± ¡°Oh no, I know that you want that too, deep inside, Christ. Swimming in money, living in a huge house, marrying a good woman, eating good food, living big¡ªhumans all have those desires in them.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s not wrong, but¡­¡± Maybe because I had my morals brought over from my previous world, I didn¡¯t entertain those desires that much. Over there, beautiful houses and tasty food were commonplace. Therefore, I valued spiritual fulfillment more than material fulfillment. Was it because I was mired in such an indulgent world that I believed that there were things more important than money and worldly desires? ¡°In my hometown, the guy with the money and power could do whatever crap he pleased. He had his own private army, so nobody could stand up to him. He was the feudal lord, so he could always squeeze out more money from his people. He threw his weight around with that money, buying off beautiful slaves to surround himself with. He could live as he wished, looking like the happiest guy in the entire town¡­ There¡¯re a lot of people like him, even in this country: the nobles, the powerful, those who¡¯ve won a fortune in the Labyrinth¡ªthe so-called wealthy folks.¡± Dia continued to speak as though to urge something out. ¡°I¡¯m going to join those folks. I will make it impossible for anyone to oppose me with that power. Then, everyone will have to recognize me. Only then can I finally recognize myself as myself¡­¡± Dia ended his monologue with a strong will. I might have misjudged Dia. I thought that he was some powerless kid who kept his ego afloat in vain. I thought wrong. Whatever his goal was, he looked straight at it and made moves towards it. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Dia¡­ You¡¯re not wavering at all, unlike me¡­¡± ¡°¡­N-no! I¡¯m not amazing at all! I still have no strength or power! I know full well I only could do anything at all because of your help, Christ!¡± Perhaps he thought he had gotten too passionate. He shook his head in embarrassment. ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡± When I felt just how sincere Dia¡¯s heart was, I was hit by a dizzy spell. His willful words eroded my unconscious mental precautions. I fully understood what Dia was saying. What he just said was, indeed, another path to happiness. It would be easy for me to get money or power in this world. Such a future wasn¡¯t so far off¡ªmy magic and ¡®Display¡¯ abilities were that much of a cheat, after all. If, or when, that future came¡­ When I had money and power, when nobody could oppose me, when I had position and honor, when I could pick any woman I wanted, when I had the life of luxury, when I could sate all of my desires¡­ Would I still want to ¡®go home¡¯? ¡ªWhile they had become a guideline for Dia, such human concerns were nothing but a shock for me. I was unaccountably greatly disturbed. ¡°Christ¡­? Are you okay? You look pale.¡± ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m good.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have asked about people¡¯s dreams so lightly. Reflecting on that, I mumbled the answer with great effort, as though squeezing the words out. Being exposed to Dia¡¯s humanity had caused a crack in my mental fortitude that had continued to analyze optimal behavior as though the world was a game. I almost misjudged my conditions of achievement in this other world. My most important condition of achievement right now is¡­ ¡°I¡¯m good, really¡­¡± Even if I repeated those words, the dizziness only grew stronger, so I hastily parted ways with Dia, citing my MP and my poor health and whatnot. ¡°See ya later¡­¡± I said to him as a brief farewell, and he replied, ¡°¡­All right, see you tomorrow! Rest well, Christ!¡± with a shout. He seemed to be pretty gung-ho to do it again the next day. After seeing off that goody-two-shoes with a fake smile on my lips, I walked to the town all by myself. I checked my ¡®Status¡¯ and found that I had accumulated enough EXP to level up. However, I had no intention of leveling up like I was in some sort of video game. ¡°¡­¡± Up until then, all I had ever thought was about clearing this ¡°game¡±. I had been looking at the town in order to clear the Labyrinth, I had gathered information in order to clear the Labyrinth, and I had worked at the inn to, again, clear the Labyrinth. That day, I wanted to look at the town with no such thing in mind. I knew it, myself. It was probably because I was exposed to Dia¡¯s, a full human being¡¯s, raw emotions. For that reason¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of place that young man I passed who carried a sword on his back was born in or what kind of dreams he had in his life. Or that beast woman who passed by¡­ I wondered what kind of personality she had and what the purpose of her outing was that day. ¡°Aah¡­¡± All the others whom I had always regarded as NPCs somewhere within my heart¡­ I understood that they, too, were just other humans with blood flowing in them. I felt sick. The sense of unreality was painted over by a sense of reality, and the sense of reality was painted over by a sense of unreality. And at the end of the clash of these feelings, I¡ª¡ª ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 * * * * * * ¡ªAt the same time the ¡®Display¡¯ popped up, my mood reversed, and my nausea subsided. I had no other choice. I knew that I had to stop looking at reality like it was a game one day. I just didn¡¯t expect that day to come so fast. I looked at the lively crowd of people in the town. I observed the people living as human beings, and not just through my game-tinted glasses that perceived them only from the numerical values the ¡®Display¡¯ showed me. That¡¯s right¡­ Today, let¡¯s have a change of pace and go to places I haven¡¯t gone to yet¡­ In order to embrace this other world, I decided to jump into the crowd of people. That was my first step to living in the other world, so I resolved to take my steps little by little. * * * During my first walk in the other world, after having my mood turned upside down from the ¡®???¡¯ Skill, I stopped by the church and properly finished leveling up. ¡ªThen, as I saw someone bound by chains, I stopped. In Dia¡¯s story, slaves were mentioned as a matter of course. Slaves existed in the history of my world as well. Likewise, slaves probably existed in this world too. I had dedicated the day¡¯s stroll to taking in the scene so that I could feel closer to the people of this world, but the existence of slaves brought to my mind a major clue to the Labyrinth. I hated that I tried tying everything to the Labyrinth, but I immersed myself in how practical my mindset became. I was able to think very clearly and rationally, perhaps due to the activation of the ¡®???¡¯ Skill from before. Even in this other world full of reality, I was able to come up with a rational assessment. I should be able to find a slave with the right talents for the Labyrinth by viewing their ¡®Status¡¯ through the ¡®Display¡¯. In other words, it shouldn¡¯t be a bad option to select slaves to help me achieve my goal of conquering the Labyrinth. It was a plan that really came out of the blue, but I believed it was worth considering. Immediately, I headed towards the less secure side of Varte, looking for a place where I could get information on slaves. I saw people who appeared to be slaves traveling in a wagon. I used ?Dimension? to determine their destination; they were going through back alleys and underground tunnels¡ªplaces one would normally have a hard time finding. I followed them carefully until I found a simple, old door in a stone wall. It was a building I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find unless I had known about it beforehand. I observed the interior with ?Dimension? and learned that it was a slave auction house, but I couldn¡¯t perceive too deep into the building as I didn¡¯t have much MP left. I spotted the person who was supposed to be in charge of serving the customers at the entrance and decided that I should enter the building, disguising myself as a customer. The inside of the building was as luxurious as the aristocratic mansions I¡¯d often seen in movies. There were corridors so long that I didn¡¯t know how far they stretched on both sides of the entrance. ¡°¡ªOh dear, Sir customer. How can I help you at this early hour?¡± A neat and trim man greeted me with a bow as I entered. ¡°¡­A friend of mine recommended this store to me. I¡¯m here just to see how it is.¡± For the time being, I decided to gather information by engaging in small talk. I had gained some confidence since I had explored the Labyrinth a few times already, so I was confident that even if things went south, I wouldn¡¯t have a problem with fleeing. Also, I had confidence in my acting skill to some extent. I would fabricate the aura of someone who had the financial resources to be qualified to go there despite my young age. My height was close to that of an adult¡¯s, so as long as I had the right attitude, I figured that I should be able to pull through. ¡°I understand. However, I am afraid we are only open late at night, so there isn¡¯t much we can show you while the sun is still high in the sky.¡± ¡°¡­I see. So, just to prepare for the night, can I have you explain to me a few things?¡± ¡°Ask away, sir.¡± I thought I would be treated badly since I was just window shopping, but I was allowed to ask questions more easily than I had expected¡ªmaybe it was because even a single customer would spend quite a lot on a single purchase. I chose my questions so as not to look suspicious. ¡°Right. There¡¯s this one thing I¡¯m curious about¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, about that¡ª¡± ¡ªAs I carried on with the conversation to gather information, I observed the surroundings. I was able to grasp the location of the slaves who were carried by the wagon within the range of ?Dimension?; it seemed that they were in the process of dressing themselves. They were being bathed, decorated with make-up, and given ornaments to enhance their appearance for the sale. The number of chained slaves exceeded several dozen. I continued to observe how the slaves were treated as I acquired information from the man serving me. Then, after a while, a slave appeared in the lobby where we were talking. I knew that the slave was lost in her way because I had been keeping track of her through the use of ?Dimension?¡ªshe had been walking about in the huge mansion all by herself for quite some time. She was a young, black-haired girl. Her dark eyes were vacant, and her body was too skinny. She was dressed in a shabby garment, basically a single sheet of cloth¡ªas if she had not finished her dress-up. ¡° ¡­Is that girl a slave?¡± I asked, fully knowing the answer. I then focused on her and peeked into her general ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Maria Disutrus HP: 39/41, MP: 35/35 Class: Slave Level:3 STR: 0.89, VIT: 2.01, DEX: 1.23, AGI: 0.73, WIS: 1.07, MAG: 1.91, APT: 1.52 Constitution: Confusion: 0.56 Lethargy: 1.02 Innate Skills: Insight: 1.43 Acquired Skills: Hunting: 0.67 Cooking: 1.07 Rarely enough, she had three skills and possessed magic power. She was average in terms of talents. However, when compared to myself or Dia, the difference between us was like heaven and earth. She was far below our standard. ¡°Ah, I¡­ I am¡­¡± It was Maria, the slave, who reacted to my question first. Color returned to her empty eyes as she stared at me. It was as if she had found something shining¡ªthat was the face she made. ¡°¡­Do forgive our sloppiness. Oi, anyone! Take that slave to the deeper rooms!¡± The customer service man also noticed her, and he then clapped his hand to call someone from the back. Nevertheless, the slave girl continued to stare at me. Then, falteringly, she muttered her words. ¡°¡­I am¡­ Maria. My name is¡­ Maria.¡± The slave girl and I were quite far apart, but I could still see her clearly. In her faint voice, she uttered a name that was common in this other world. I was puzzled by her sudden self-introduction, and¡ªperhaps out of habit I carried from my former world¡ªI answered her with a name of my own. ¡°I am Christ¡­¡± The moment I blurted my name, I realized how big of a blunder I had just made. There was nothing good about giving out my name in a place like that. I was bewildered by her sudden, brazen action, sure, but I shouldn¡¯t have been so careless. As I was regretting that fact, I saw the slave girl being carried to the backroom by someone else. Even as she was dragged away, the slave girl continued to stare at me. And for whatever reason, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off her. I didn¡¯t want to guess what her eyes wanted from me. The serving-man wiped his forehead and apologized. ¡°Our deepest apologies, Sir. You¡¯ve seen something so unseemly¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± I found myself to be more shaken than I had thought. Was it because of the vacant eyes of that Maria girl? Maybe I was too nervous about being in such a place? Or maybe I was still tired from the exploration in the Labyrinth? Either way, I had just confirmed that I could see the ¡®Status¡¯ of the slaves with ¡®Display¡¯. The next time I went there, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem finding a talented slave¡­ Which meant I shouldn¡¯t stay any longer. ¡°Then, for the next explanation¡ª¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ll take my leave for today. I¡¯ve learned all that I need to know.¡± ¡°¡­Very well, sir. We look forward to seeing you again.¡± I walked out of the store as the man was curtly bowing behind me. I had successfully learned about slaves, and everything had gone well from start to finish. However, I was not in a good mood. Seeing that the sun was setting, I headed back to the tavern where I worked. My feet felt strangely heavy. ¡ºFifth Day, Finished¡» ____ ____ Chapter 13 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 13: Event? The next morning, Dia and I met up in front of the Labyrinth. By the way, I¡¯d already finished my pre-exploration shopping. Now that I had some extra money, I¡¯d just finished getting the necessities and the armaments for the Labyrinth. My left hand was adorned with a cheap gauntlet, and I had a spare sword in my ¡®Item List¡¯. I also bought Dia a lightweight breastplate as a gift. At first, he was reluctant to take it, but I stressed that raising his defense was an absolute necessity, so he ended up accepting it. In other words, both of us had very different ¡®Statuses¡¯ than we did the day prior. ¡°Christ! I asked a priest, and he said I¡¯m level 6! 6!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that great, Dia? I¡¯m level 6 too.¡± Dia was elated that the result of our exploration had begun to take shape. I focused on him as I watched his smiling face and checked his ¡®Status¡¯ and my own. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 189/197 MP 262/262 Class: Level: 6 STR: 4.12, VIT: 4.21, DEX: 5.11, AGI: 7.24, WIS: 7.23, MAG: 11.43, APT: 7.00 Constitution : Confusion: 5.31 EXP: 1094/3200 Equipment: Iron One-handed Sword Otherworld Clothes Biggish Cloak Otherworld Shoes Leather Gauntlet ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Diablo Sith HP: 98/112, MP: 631/631 Class: Swordsman Level: 6 STR: 3.62, VIT: 3.43, DEX: 2.14, AGI: 2.98, WIS: 5.67, MAG: 34.35, APT: 5.00 Constitution: Divine Protection: 1.00 EXP: 321/3200 Equipment: Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword Fine Clothing Leather Breastplate Cloak Leather Shoes Both Dia and I had leveled up steeply, and all of our stats had nearly doubled. Incidentally, all my bonus points were allocated to MP to increase my capability of using magic in succession. Surprisingly, Dia¡¯s STR and VIT growth was good. This was a relief since he was so specialized in MAG that I suspected that he wouldn¡¯t grow in any other aspects. If there was one thing I was concerned about, it was the ¡®Class¡¯ field. I had it blank, while Dia had ¡®Swordsman¡¯ in his. Perhaps Dia¡¯s STR and VIT had increased due to the benefit of his class. If there was a thing such as a class bonus when leveling up, I would have been wasting that class bonus up to level 6. I needed to solve that problem as soon as possible. However, I still had no clue on how to fill the ¡®Class¡¯ field. It wasn¡¯t written in the book, and if I asked around about it in the tavern, they would ask me if I was talking about their professions instead. Dia claimed to be a swordsman, but when asked how he became one, he replied, ¡°You¡¯re a swordsman if you have a sword.¡± I could see the trend of what kind of people had what kind of class, but I didn¡¯t have a clear picture of the conditions to fulfill. As I wrinkled my brow and pondered about ¡®Class¡¯, Dia, in his excitement, made a suggestion. ¡°Hey! Since we¡¯re level 6, doesn¡¯t that mean we can dive even deeper than before?! Let¡¯s take our time exploring the depths!¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s. That sounds good. Today is my day off, too.¡± ¡°Oh, Christ. You¡¯re taking a day off from the tavern?¡± ¡°Three days work, one day off. They said Hihouri days are off days.¡± Hihouri day. It was, most probably, the equivalent of a weekday in my world. ¡°I see. Well, let¡¯s spend the whole day here and go as far as we can!¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡± I didn¡¯t disagree with that notion. I had already devised the plans for us to fight up until the 10th floor. Originally, anyone of the same level as us would be far below the appropriate level to challenge the 10th floor. However, the two of us, with our extraordinary growth in abilities and skills, didn¡¯t have that problem. At level 6, we had reached the parameters of a level 10 adventurer. I suspected that it had something to do with the value of the Aptitude. Other than Dia and me, not many people even had 1.00 APT¡ªI had 7.00, and Dia had 5.00. ¡°All right! Onward, onward, onward!¡± Thus, Dia entered the Labyrinth with great enthusiasm. That day, we would be taking the Main Road, the path that had been conquered by the country, so it would pose no problem if Dia lead the way. I followed behind Dia as if I were watching over a mischievous little brother or sister. * * * ¡°It¡¯s the 3rd floor!¡± After an hour or so, we reached the 3rd floor very easily. I didn¡¯t even feel tired yet, probably due to the increased VIT. While Dia was happily fussing about reaching the 3rd floor next to me, I didn¡¯t lower my guard in searching for enemies. To be honest, monsters rarely appear on the Main Road. This was because the country had set up barriers for humans using the magic stones. Since I had suffered a painful experience regarding Main Roads before, I had learned about this in detail from the people at the bar. In the Labyrinth, the shortest distance from the entrance of one floor to the next had been was the Main Road. In other words, if you followed that path, you could easily reach the next floor. Incidentally, the Main Road at that time extended up to the 23rd floor. It was the achievement of one Glenn Walker, who was said to be the strongest human explorer, that the Main Road had been established up to that point. However, it was said that the Main Road¡¯s continued progress had stagnated in recent years. The level of the enemies was on a different spectrum from the 20th floor onward, according to what I had heard. Furthermore, even though they had succeeded in placing the Main Road up to the 23rd floor, not all of the floors had been completely cleared. It was well known amongst explorers that Glenn, the supposedly ¡®Strongest¡¯ explorer, was unable to defeat the boss of the 20th floor and had been putting off defeating it for a long time. ¡°Dia, we can go even deeper, you know. From my calculation, we should be able to dive up until the 10th floor.¡± ¡°10th floor?! R-really?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re just walking down the Main Road, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. We can defeat a monster on each floor to get their general level.¡± ¡°¡­Got it. If that¡¯s what you say, Christ, then I¡¯ll believe you.¡± For some reason, Dia¡¯s trust in me was abnormally high. This was very helpful, so I proceeded with the conversation without paying particular attention to him. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to lead the way. Even if we¡¯re on the Main Road, it¡¯s not like enemies don¡¯t show up at all. In case of an emergency, I have to be a shield for you.¡± ¡°¡ª! No, you can still rest, Christ! Now that I¡¯m at level 6, I think it¡¯s time to show you my swordsmanship, so¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, up until the 5th floor then.¡± ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t! I know, but I still want to train the¡­ er, what?! I-it¡¯s okay¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just until the 5th floor.¡± I had anticipated Dia¡¯s request in advance and had prepared an answer. When I looked at Dia¡¯s status at level 6, I calculated that he should be able to fight with my support, at least up to the 5th floor. Dia¡¯s STR was already close to 4. Unlike when he was at level 1, there shouldn¡¯t be a situation where his attacks wouldn¡¯t connect. According to the information I obtained at the tavern, I had confirmed that a warrior with STR between 3 and 5 could fight up to the 5th floor. Besides, having Dia experience melee combat would be advantageous later down the road. If I thought of it as an investment for the future, it didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea. ¡°Christ! Thank you!¡± ¡°No, I only judged that it won¡¯t pose a problem if it¡¯s only up to the 5th floor, so I don¡¯t really¡ªWait, don¡¯t cling to me! You¡¯re too close!¡± Dia came up to me as if he wanted to hug me, grabbed my hands, and swung them around. I hurriedly shook his hand off. Dia had short hair and called himself a man, but his face was of a fair-skinned beauty. Being that close to him made me pay attention to things I had been trying not to be aware of¡ªmore than anything. ¡ªThat kind of exchange reminded me of my own little sister. That was the biggest taboo for me. Remembering the former world distracted me. Thinking of my family drove me crazy. It made me want to plunge headfirst to the 100th floor that instant, hell¡¯s care for eating or drinking. And that wouldn¡¯t be good. At that moment, I only needed to proceed with one floor a day. If I could reach the 100th floor within 365 days, I would be content. There was no point if I lost my cool and had to activate the ¡®???¡¯ Skill or took on a reckless challenge and got seriously injured. Don¡¯t think too much about your little sister until you get there. The Aikawa Kanami from the previous world doesn¡¯t need to show up here. At the very least, not for a year. All you need to focus on is getting to the deepest depth of the Labyrinth¡ªjust the deepest depth and nothing else. I repeated it in my mind and calmed myself down. ¡°Ha-ha! Alright! Let¡¯s get off the Main Road for a bit and fight some monsters!¡± ¡°Eh, I¡¯m not sure I want to detour¡­ It feels like it will waste our time¡ª¡± ¡°But at this rate, we might not meet any enemies until we get to the 5th floor!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, there¡¯s no helping it, then¡­¡± Seeing that it would waste even more time trying to convince the excited Dia, I reluctantly agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Dia stepped off the Main Road and went to look for a monster. I was right behind him, searching for an enemy with the use of ?Dimension?. A few minutes later, I detected one isolated monster. It was a large fish with wings that swam in the air. There were many lakes and rivers on the 3rd floor, and aquatic monsters were highly prevalent. Amongst them, that monster, Skyfish, appeared particularly frequently. That name alone would have raised a commotion if we¡¯d found it in my previous world. ¡°Dia, there¡¯s a monster beyond that corner. It¡¯s called a Skyfish. Basically, a fish that swims in midair; it can bite, so be careful.¡± ¡°Yeah, got that.¡± Just having that much information was enough to decide the outcome. It was no exaggeration to say that most battles were decided by the time either side grasped the information of the other. I recalled something like that was written in Art-whatever by Sun Tzu and confirmed it through the cheat-like ?Dimension? ability. ¡°¡ªEi!¡± Dia turned the corner and quickly closed the distance and slashed at the monster. However, perhaps because he exerted too much force, his first blow was dodged. The Skyfish moved to bite its sudden assailant; Dia caught it with the flat side of his sword. It seemed like he could see the movements of the Skyfish without any problem. I moved on to chanting attack magic, thinking that even if it hurt someone, it wouldn¡¯t be me. ¡°¡ªApplied Magic, ?Ice Quick Arrow?.¡± * * * * * * I concentrated and casted the magic to create ice in my hand. That was an application of ?Ice?, which was meaningless before because all it did was make a chunk of ice fall. However, the density of ¡®Magic Power¡¯ that I poured in was different from before. My level was low before, but above all else, my imagination was lacking. The most important thing was the image, or so I was told by the magicians who dined at the tavern. When I created the ice, I imagined something with a sharp point¡ªsomething long like an arrow with an ice arrowhead at the end. And after a few seconds, an ice arrow was created at the tips of my hands, just as I had imagined. However, I couldn¡¯t just shoot it like in a video game. If I did, it wouldn¡¯t be an ¡®Ice Quick Arrow¡¯, but just an ¡®Ice Arrow¡¯. The ¡®Quick¡¯ part was important. I picked the ice arrow in my hand and called out to my vanguard. ¡°Dia! I¡¯m throwing an ice arrow, so take half a step back!¡± ¡°Eh¡­? G-got that!¡± Dia pulled himself back a little. When he did, I threw the ice arrow while using the spatial awareness of ?Dimension?. ¡°¡ªGo, hit!!¡± My projectile, then at level 6 with increased STR and DEX, struck the Skyfish with frightening speed and accuracy. However, the Skyfish was not a monster from the 1st floor but a monster from the 3rd floor. It noticed the flying ice arrow and twisted around to dodge it. The ice arrow only grazed the wing of the Skyfish a little. However, it caused the Skyfish to lose its posture. Dia, the vanguard, took advantage of the opportunity and drew his sword close in on the Skyfish. His sword successfully cut the Skyfish in half. For Dia, whose STR had increased, the Skyfish only needed a single blow to be defeated. In front of the disappearing enemy, Dia mumbled, and his body trembled. ¡°I did it¡­ I defeated it¡­¡± He stared between the bisected monster and his sword in disbelief. Soon after, the Skyfish disappeared completely into the light. ¡°Congrats, Dia.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Thanks, Christ. How do I say it, well¡­ I¡¯m moved. I¡¯ve always dreamed about this moment since I was a kid. Slaying a monster with this sword¡­¡± Saying thus, Dia gripped the sword in his hand even tighter. He must have had some kind of attachment to the sword. The sword was old and worn, and its ornaments showed that it was more of a work of art. ¡¾Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword¡¿ Attack Power: 5 Add attack power equivalent to 20% of the user¡¯s Dexterity ¡°Then let¡¯s go with this pace and slay more monsters as we go.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Dia responded with a face cleared of doubts. I¡¯d rather not have him get a taste of sword fighting too much, but seeing him like this made me happy too. Thus, our third exploration of the Labyrinth proceeded. As I had expected, the monsters on the 3rd floor didn¡¯t fall too far below us. Although it did take some time and effort, they were all monsters that Dia could handle, even as a vanguard. We cleared the 3rd and 4th floors without any problems and proceeded to the 5th floor¡ª * * * We were in the middle of clearing the 5th floor. ¡°¡ªWatch out! Dia!!¡± ¡°Wah, sorry!¡± I quickly intervened in front of Dia and used my sword to catch the monster¡¯s attack. Dia, who was almost hit by the attack, rushed backward. After confirming that Dia had moved back to a safe distance, I switched my ?Dimension? to ?Dimension Gladiator? and slashed at the monster with all my might. Realizing that Dia could no longer cover me, I turned to the offensive. I evaded the enemy¡¯s attack with my sword and then aimed at its vital point and struck. The sword pierced deep into the monster¡¯s vital spot, and it finally turned into light and vanished. ¡°¡­Phew. That was close.¡± ¡°You saved me¡­ Thanks, Christ¡­¡± Dia looked at me fearfully, expressing his gratitude. From his position, it might look like I, too, was in danger in his eyes. ¡°No, it was no problem. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°But because of me, you were in danger too¡­¡± I was about to respond to Dia, but then another voice rang. ¡°Oi oi! You were just about to die, haha!¡± A throaty male voice interrupted our conversation. Dia reacted to it faster than I did. ¡°¡ª! You!!¡± ¡°Yo. Ain¡¯t you that level 1 brat. I was right. You were this close to dying facing an enemy beyond you!¡± A man carrying a greatsword appeared from the depths of the corridor. Surrounding him were about three explorers who appeared to be his party members. I actually wasn¡¯t surprised since I was able to sense them approaching through my magic. I hadn¡¯t paid them much attention, thinking that people of their levels wouldn¡¯t have a hard time exploring the floor. This guy, isn¡¯t he¡­ He¡¯s the guy who made fun of Dia for being level 1 back at the tavern. ¡°Shut up! I wasn¡¯t close to dying! I was only a bit careless!¡± ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t make me laugh! Just a little bit careless? In the Labyrinth? Well, ain¡¯t you a happy, carefree brat¡ªone that could die at the drop of a hat!¡± The man was not saying anything wrong, but his words had too many thorns. It seemed like Dia and the man weren¡¯t on very friendly terms together. They had been at it with each other for a while, leaving me alone. Incidentally, I checked the man¡¯s Status¡ªhis name was Arken, and I found that he was a level 9 swordsman. His friends were not so different, and they had nothing noteworthy in terms of talents. I watched their squabble from the sidelines, confident that I alone could handle their whole party in case a fight broke out. ¡°You son of a bitch! You want a piece of me?!¡± ¡°A piece? Hell naw, I ain¡¯t here for that. Even if we fought, that¡¯d just be bullying the weak. This place is close to the Main Road. A fight between explorers would be discovered in an instant. We don¡¯t want to get caught yet.¡± Arken basically said that a conflict on the Main Road would be found out. I knew it. The Main Road had a function like that, too. ¡°I¡¯m not weak! I won¡¯t lose even if I fight all of you!¡± ¡°Oi, oi, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s fanning the flame here¡­ Sorry, but we¡¯re not so free to deal with brats like you two. We¡¯re in the middle of a quest commissioned by the guild.¡± Arken shrugged his shoulders. Indeed, it was Dia who was picking a fight. He was quite conceited, even though his abilities were definitely not suited for interpersonal combat. It seemed like the unwavering belief he had since before was showing in a bad way. But what bothered me more was the phrase ¡®quest commissioned by the guild.¡¯ Guild. A community of explorers who had common interests and cooperated with each other. According to what I knew, there were various types of guilds, ranging from those established by the country to those formed by beginners. Seeing that Arken¡¯s guild was entrusted with a quest, he must belong to quite a large guild. A guild¡¯s quest¡­ As a vidya maniac, those words sounded really attractive. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m the same as before! What, you running away from me?!¡± ¡°Running away¡­? Now that you¡¯ve said those words, don¡¯t expect me to back down easily¡­ Right. How about we have just a bit of a race completing my quest?¡± Arken¡¯s face contorted as if to say he had an interesting idea. ¡°A quest race¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re being asked to slay some troublesome monsters. You know, the country often requests competent explorers to thin out monsters.¡± ¡°Hah. Competent explorers? Who, you guys?¡± ¡°Aw, don¡¯t jump at that. So, if you¡¯re not so weak as you claim, how about we compete on how many of that monster we kill? Sounds fun and easy to understand, yeah? That should show the clear difference in our abilities too.¡± ¡°Fine. Deal.¡± Dia agreed with the condition as is. I didn¡¯t intervene in that sequence of events. To be honest, I really thought it would be fresh and fun to see that kind of event happen. ¡°¡ªSo, what do you bet?¡± Arken¡¯s face contorted more and more wickedly. For me, that one word was just unacceptable. My whole body heated up. ¡°I bet anything¡­!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll give you anything you want. But yeah, there¡¯s nothing that we want from you¡­ Usually, we¡¯d bet money on it, but I doubt you even got the money.¡± ¡°Kgh¡­! Right, I don¡¯t have money¡­!¡± ¡°How ¡®bout this. If you lose, I¡¯ll have you make money even if you have to sell your body. You¡¯re tactless and rude, but at least you got the looks. If you know where you can sell, I¡¯d bet you could get some pretty sum. Haha.¡± ¡°Fine by me. Do what you want if I lose. But if you lose, you¡¯ll have to leave all the money you have; I don¡¯t care even if you wail or apologize or crap.¡± ¡°All right. That¡¯s a deal.¡± I wanted to respect Dia¡¯s wishes as much as possible, but I obviously couldn¡¯t overlook this. It¡¯d fine and all if he was just betting his pride, dignity, or other intangible stuff, but I wouldn¡¯t tolerate anything that might cause actual harm. ¡°Dia! ¡­You mustn¡¯t bet anything. It¡¯s a different ballgame if you do.¡± ¡°Aahn? What the hell, man? This is between me and this brat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I won¡¯t trouble you with this, Christ. This is a contest between these guys and me.¡± Arken glared at me, looking offended. While Dia was so lost in his temperament, he couldn¡¯t even see me. I wouldn¡¯t stop them if all they wanted to do was brawl after the race ended. So long nobody died, things would stay peaceful. It would be just some light-hearted event. However, I couldn¡¯t approve of a match like that. ¡ªDia is mine. I would never allow him to be preyed upon by men like Arken. ¡°¡­First of all, Dia. These people came here all prepared to do that quest, you know that? All four of them, all geared up for this one quest. That¡¯s a huge difference to make. Above all else, Dia, you fundamentally can¡¯t win against them. Sure, people have strengths and weaknesses, but they have the experience we are lacking. Their guild chose those guys as the most qualified for this quest, so it¡¯s a given that they are good at this kind of match. And yet, you even staked your own body¡­that is stupid. Really stupid.¡± I tried to persuade him quickly so that he wouldn¡¯t be taken away from me. ¡°Uu¡­¡± Hearing the severity of the conditions that I brought to his attention, Dia clammed up. I was relieved he lent an ear to my words without getting agitated. Perhaps because of his recent achievements killing monsters, he seemed to be unable to ignore my advice. ¡°And what¡¯s most stupid is that you didn¡¯t even consult me¡­ If you don¡¯t involve me, you won¡¯t even stand a chance to begin with.¡± Arken then interrupted in so neatly as though to appeal. ¡°¡­Ou. I see your point. We¡¯re not saying it¡¯s a match one to four; we can go with two against two. What else do you want to add?¡± The man seemed to see that I wanted to compete and suggested two against two. I, however, denied it. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m saying that we shouldn¡¯t do this kind of match in the first place. We don¡¯t have any chance of winning.¡± ¡°Wha?! Christ, that¡¯s not¡ª¡ª!¡± When I tried to be humble, Dia tried to argue. I restrained him with my hand, then I pulled him to me and whispered so that only he could hear. ¡°¡ª¡ªDia. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to reveal all of our cards before we start the match? ¡­I¡¯ll be frank, these people aren¡¯t worth it. Say we won¡­ Next they¡¯ll question how they could lose to some low-leveled nobodies. Our unique Skills should be kept secret as much as possible. If this were to trigger some kind of troublesome problem, it¡¯d be too serious even for a joke.¡± ¡°But¡­! I still want to beat these people with everything I got¡­ I want them to get back at them. That might seem too childish for you, but for me, being acknowledged is more important than anything else¡­!¡± Dia snapped back, albeit in a low voice. Being acknowledged. It seems like that was something he could not compromise, even at the cost of his own life. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I sighed. We should have backed down. The best thing to do was not to play with their games and get back at them with our own success in life. However, Dia couldn¡¯t accept it. With how long I had gotten to know him, I understood how he ticked. If Dia didn¡¯t get his acknowledgment right there, right then, he wouldn¡¯t be content. ¡°¡­Haah, fine. Fine. I guess there¡¯s a day like today too. Let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°Really, Christ?!¡± I was defeated by Dia¡¯s fervor and folded. It wasn¡¯t that I was smitten by Dia¡¯s face, which really looked like a beautiful girl¡¯s, with his teary eyes looking up at me¡­ I want to think it wasn¡¯t. I was also under no small amount of stress. In that case, I just thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to showcase our strengths and make Arken and his goons cry like little bitches and create an obligation from Dia at the same time. No, really. ¡°Oi! So how is it?! You gonna tuck your tails and run, or you gonna take it up?!¡± Arken yelled, seeming to grow impatient. I gave Dia a look that told him that it was best to leave it to me. Dia immediately nodded. ¡°¡ªSorry. We¡¯ll take it up.¡± ¡°If you won¡¯t¡ªwait, you taking it? You look like the clever type, so I didn¡¯t expect that.¡± It seemed like Arken was caught off-guard with my answer. He had been observing me closely. Above all else, he was the leader of his party in that deadly Labyrinth. ¡°Now, let¡¯s lay out the rules for the race.¡± I smiled and continued our conversation. At that moment, I caught Arken and his goons gulping. ¡°¡­Fine. Then, the match is¡ª¡± ¡°The match will be determined simply by the number of kills. So long as you tell us the characteristics of the monster in question, that will be enough.¡± ¡°You sure? That sounds like we¡¯re not giving you any leeway.¡± ¡°Ah, do give us some leeway¡ªjust one. Please let us set the time limit of the match. We want one hour.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ Just an hour won¡¯t let either of us defeat even a single one, you know?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure you people will have enough time to kill one within an hour, correct? The question is whether we can kill one or not in that time limit. So, let¡¯s make that the bet. Time is precious, after all.¡± Based on experience and the flow of the conversation, I proposed the most advantageous condition for us. It was appropriate to assume that one could spend an hour running around looking for a specific kind of monster and defeat it. They would have information on the distribution of the monsters¡¯ habitat, so they would surely find one. Then, using the speculation they had¡ªthat Dia and I wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat even a single monster, either way, I would make it a short battle. Even they couldn¡¯t afford to waste time on that mess. It was hard to think that there was no time limit on the all-important quests commissioned by the guild. ¡°Aah, you¡¯re right¡­ Yeah, time¡¯s precious. Fine, let¡¯s go by your proposal. So, what¡¯s the stake? You seem like the type to be fussy about it.¡± Arken seemed wary of me as I presented him my terms casually. ¡°Before that, though, are you guys really going to pay for it if you lose? I feel like, in this kind of thing, the stronger one can just feign ignorance and assume the match¡¯s all over even if they lost.¡± ¡°Aah. Right, you came from a faraway country called Fania, so you didn¡¯t know, huh? In big countries, if you swear an oath to fight a duel on the Line, it will be recorded in the national record. It makes it impossible for either party to flee, and if you did, you¡¯d become a major criminal. We can do it on the Line on the Main Road just fine.¡± Arken gave me a clear explanation. If he knew I was from Fania, he must have noticed that I was a waiter at the tavern. It was well-known in that tavern that the waiter with burn marks came to this country from Fania to make a fortune and got into trouble. As I was processing this explanation, I had my doubts regarding this duel and oath system. Although, I had no interest in pursuing the matter at that time. ¡°I see. Being in the allied nation sure is convenient. So, for our stakes, let¡¯s see¡­¡± ¡°For our stakes?¡± ¡°How about all the money we have at hand? As for what we¡¯re lacking, you can just have us work like what you mentioned earlier.¡± What I had to do was is give Dia the best victory he deserved. So, with a big smile on my face, I suggested that we should put all our chips in. ____ ____ Chapter 14 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 14: Consecutive Battles ¡°¡ªWell, let¡¯s get to it. For the record, once it starts, there¡¯s no taking it back.¡± ¡°Yes. We know.¡± In the end, my proposal was accepted. They were a bit skeptical, but I had successfully touched the pride of Arken and his team in their long history as explorers. As if to provoke them, I told them they could fight us two to four, and that settled it. They must have been convinced that there was no way they could lose to two kids whose levels were so low just a few days ago. I could see from their expressions that they were trying to show us the difference in power. According to the common sense of this world, it took years to raise even a single level. They must have never imagined that we would be at level 6 in just a few days. ¡ªWe took the oath and shared the information about the monster in question. The name of the monster was Hang Shadow. It seemed to be a black, liquidy creature that stuck to the walls of the Labyrinth like a shadow. Its characteristic was to surprise explorers from the shadows and hang them by the neck. Apparently, it was resistant to physical attacks such as swords; only magical attacks could deal a decisive blow. It had a unique drop item, and the number of the drop items each team collected would determine the winner. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± With that, Arken and his team split into two and broke into a run. I could see that they were serious. It seemed like just having us suffer a defeat wasn¡¯t enough¡ªthey wanted to crush us completely. But we, their opponents¡ª ¡°You understand, right, Dia?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± ¡ªDid not move from our spot. Arken and the others looked at us curiously, but that didn¡¯t make them come back. Once I was sure they were out of sight, I began the chant. ¡°Well, let¡¯s crush them. ¡ªMagic ?Dimension Multiplied?.¡± I searched the area, not thinking of conserving my MP. As I grew accustomed to the magic, I expanded my senses greatly for a moment, taking in a large amount of information. Amongst the information that was instantly picked up, I had my brain filter for only monsters with the specific shape I was looking for. By omitting superfluous information, I could suppress the unnecessary consumption of MP. It didn¡¯t even consume 10 MP. That wasn¡¯t so bad. ¡°Dia, I found several of our targets. They¡¯re right, these monsters may be good at lurking and hiding, but they¡¯re sitting ducks against me. There¡¯s no way we could lose this match.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Christ for you¡­ I kind of feel like there¡¯s not room for me to do much¡­ Well, I guess there¡¯s no helping it this time.¡± ¡°No, your magic will still be our main offense, Dia. Don¡¯t lose heart.¡± We exchanged a few words before we started to run. We took the shortest path to our targets, even in that intricate Labyrinth. When the target was close, I confirmed it once again with ?Dimension? and moved into sniping position. ¡°I found the first. Put your arm on mine like we did it with the bosses.¡± ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s do this¡­ ?Flame Arrow?!¡± A flash of light ripped through the darkness of the Labyrinth and¡­ our target died instantly. Immediately, we retrieved the dropped item and made our way to the next target. This tactic was very efficient, as the Hang Shadows seemed to be monsters that didn¡¯t do much moving around. ¡°Okay, next. Dia, shoot.¡± ¡°O-okay. ¡ª?Flame Arrow!?¡± Our second target also died instantly. It had only been about ten minutes. Looking at my remaining MP, I¡¯d say that we could hold for the whole hour. After making that calculation, I used the Magic ?Dimension? Multiple for the second time to grasp the locations of more of our targets. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s continue at this pace.¡± ¡°¡ª?Flame Arrow!?¡± We wasted no time in hunting the Hang Shadows. Sometimes we would get into a fight with a Hang Shadow that had escaped Dia¡¯s snipe, but I was strong against lurking monsters. As long as I had ?Dimension?, I could never be taken by surprise. Besides, if I focused on them, I could see their detailed ¡®Status¡¯, so I wouldn¡¯t lose sight of them. Within an hour, we had gotten ten Hang Shadow drops; we then went to the meeting place, the entrance room to the 6th floor, and waited for Arken and his group to come. * * * ¡°That¡¯s absurd¡­!¡± ¡°This is bullcrap¡­! It¡¯s just impossible!¡± ¡°Hey, Arken! It¡¯s your fault!¡± Both parties gathered in the same room in front of the stairs where one could move from the 5th floor to the 6th floor: it was a room with only two entrances from the Main Road. Arken and his party looked as if they couldn¡¯t believe what they saw; all four of them were in a frenzy. Well, I could guess why. In just an hour, they had lost all their money. On behalf of his party, Arken shouted. ¡°B-bullshit! You brats are playing foul! I mean, how is this possible?! Even if you¡¯re a veteran, that brat was just at level 1 before! But ten?! Ten?! That¡¯s impossible!!¡± Arken strode up to us as if he was about to grapple. ¡°No, we killed ten. It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Quit making accusations! We¡¯re strong¡­ Christ is especially! This much is obvious!¡± Dia was on board with my counterargument. For some reason, he also didn¡¯t forget to pitch me up. Even at a time like that, he was still too energetic. ¡°That can¡¯t be! The waiter guy is just some country bumpkin who got owned on the 1st floor! And yet¡­! This outcome is impossible!¡± Arken and his party parroted the word impossible. That was quite unexpected. I thought that they would make more accusations and say things like the dropped items we happened to pick up were invalid, or the ones I already had with me were invalid, or something along the line, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Perhaps they were losing their rational thoughts in the face of the unbelievable turn of events. ¡°Fuck! Hey, surround them!¡± This turn of events was expected, however: Arken and his party chose to act by force. They brandished their weapons and blocked our way out. I had called it. After all, a match like that was nothing more than the strong throwing around their weight. The strong deceiving and robbing the weak¡ªthat¡¯s all the match was for. There was no discipline in it. I bore some resentment to their disorder. The heat that had been smoldering in me grew. ¡°I knew it¡­ so this is how it¡¯s gonna be. You brought up the match since you thought you could trample us even if we were the ones who lost and snapped. And even if you guys lost, you could still overwhelm us. You just wanted to squeeze money from the ignorant weak. That¡¯s all you amount to¡­¡± I composedly reproached Arken and his party. * * * * * * ¡°So what?! Only the strong survive in this world!¡± Arken roared in response. ¡°Dueling oaths my foot¡­ That kind of thing doesn¡¯t matter if you just leave the country, no? It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re going to get rid of us here, skip borders, and take up a different lucrative profession.¡± ¡°Hah, you know your shit! The Labyrinth isn¡¯t the only source of money. Sorry ¡®bout this, but you brats will die here!¡± I thought so. That¡¯s why I had suggested they put all their money in. I needed that kind of forceful development. I gave up trying to butter up Arken and talked to Dia. ¡°See, Dia¡­ They¡¯re not worth it, right?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ It¡¯s going exactly as you said, Christ¡­¡± Dia had been downcast by the time Arken and his party decided to go with force. He must have believed that the odds were equal. He had dreamed that if he won this match, he would be recognized by Arken. He had a fleeting dream that, even if they did have a feud, they would recognize each other as long as he had the ability to back him up. Reality was different. All they had in store was violence in the name of bickering. Dia seemed to have a certain veneration for duels and oaths, so he seemed to be more shocked about the violation of this match than the others. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them all. You stand back, Dia.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll help too¡­!¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m good enough.¡± I brandished my sword. I had about 30% of my MP left. I predicted this would happen, so I had left some in reserve for this¡ªit was enough to wipe the floor with their faces. Then, I muttered. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?.¡± ¡°Damn brats¡ª!!¡± At the end of my chant, Arken slashed his sword at me. A beastman swordsman and a lightweight spearman followed suit. Behind them was the magician woman who had started chanting magic. I devised the most efficient path to suppress them based on that information, and I moved. ¡ªFirst, Arken¡¯s sword slashed only the air, almost grazing the tip of my nose. So slow. In my eyes, Arken was just too slow. He was someone of a higher level. And yet his DEX and his AGI were far below mine. Moreover, since ?Dimension Gladiator? was on, there was no way he could hit me. There was such an absolute difference that it seemed like we were moving in different time frames altogether. I lightly stabbed Arken¡¯s dominant hand with my sword, evading him, and wounded both of his legs as well. As I watched him fall to the ground, I made my way to the incoming spearman. I slipped past his thrust and slashed his right hand with my sword. Without stopping, I ran towards the magician. The beastman swordsman came roaring at me, but I stabbed him in the arm before he could strike his sword down. As he was howling in pain, I kicked him in the feet and stomped on his head to jump towards the magician woman. Finally, I had the blade of my sword trained on her throat, and she stopped chanting. ¡ªIn terms of time passed, it didn¡¯t even last a few seconds. I spoke with the heaviest voice I could generate. ¡°¡­What I actually wanted from this match was not the money. What I want is for you, the people who humiliated Dia, to never appear in front of us again. So, as long as you disappear from our sight, I won¡¯t chase after this matter.¡± ¡°I-Impossible¡­¡± Within seconds, the winner was decided. I¡¯d guess they had never experienced anything like that in their lives. They were stunned as they watched their magician under the threat of the sword. ¡°Make your answer quickly. Say that you will disappear, or you will force me to hurt you more than this.¡± Saying so, I brought my sword closer to the woman¡¯s neck. ¡°O-okay¡­ I give up. We¡¯ll be gone.¡± It was the magician woman who acknowledged her surrender. Following her was the beastman swordsman, then the spearman. ¡°God damn it¡­! We¡¯ve messed up right on the Main Road; we can¡¯t stay in this country either way¡­!¡± Finally, Arken also went on and talked about leaving the country. The difference in strength between them and me was crystal clear. Once I told them they could escape from further troubles, they had no choice but to go. Above all else, they seemed to have recognized my true intention. They understood that it wasn¡¯t about the money, and I could see that they were calculating that it would be better to obediently follow what I said. ¡°That¡¯s great. That settles it. Let¡¯s just say that we just had bad luck today.¡± Saying this, I urged Arken and the others out of the room with the tip of my sword. ¡°If we skip borders, you really won¡¯t chase after this matter, right?¡± ¡°Yes. But I will have to report this to the guild, so I suggest that you should leave Varte as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ Shit. Fine, we¡¯ll be gone¡­¡± Arken and his party then walked away. The beast/swordsman lent his shoulder to Arken, and the four walked out of the room together. On their way out, I could hear them quarreling in low voices from a distance. I kept my attention on them and only sighed when I could no longer perceive them. ¡°Phew¡­¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­ It became a problem because of me¡­¡± After things were over and the other party was gone, Dia bowed, apologizing. ¡°No, they pissed me off too. Seeing them so miserable just feels refreshing now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I wanted¡­ All I wanted was for them to recognize me¡­¡± I was able to relieve my stress by whipping Arken and his party¡¯s collective asses, but apparently, it wasn¡¯t the case for Dia. Dia, who, for better or worse, had a pure heart, had probably envisioned a scene where both parties would praise each other for a good fight if we won the match. But such a thing was a mere dream. Yes. No more than a dream. ¡°Unfortunately, that will be hard. It is just that difficult for people to mutually recognize each other.¡± For example, whether I recognize this world or not. That was a question I¡¯d have a hard time answering. ¡°I see¡­ So, Christ. What do we do now?¡± ¡°Well. My MP is low, so we better head back¡ª¡± ¡°Oh no, I can¡¯t have you leave now.¡± As I was about to suggest that we should get back, I was interrupted by a disembodied voice from overhead. ¡°¡ª¡ª?!¡± Surprised by the unexpected voice, I jumped backwards. ?Dimension Gladiator? was focused on Arken and his party; The room we were in was well above the Main Road; both of those factors made me careless in my surveillance. ¡°Forgive me. Did I surprise you? However, I can¡¯t have you leave right now. It¡¯s rare that I get to meet children like you two.¡± The owner of the voice was hanging on the ceiling of the Labyrinth. It was oddly shaped. The figure resembled the Hang Shadows we had hunted earlier, but¡ªsimilar though they might look¡ªit was something completely different. Hang Shadows would never take a humanoid form, and they never uttered a sound. This one, however, was a shadowy black liquid that took humanoid form and spoke with intelligence. Its body consisted of a writhing black liquid, a perfectly smooth, mask-like face. A monstrosity, through and through, talked to us. The soles of his feet were stuck to the ceiling, and his smooth face was directed at us the whole time. Dripping with cold sweat, I focused on it and confirmed the detailed explanation of the monstrosity. ¡¾Guardian of the 20th Floor¡¿ He who Stole the Principle of Darkness He was not a human. It didn¡¯t even show his rank as a monster. All that was written next to its Guardian notation were the words ¡®He Who Stole the Principle of Darkness¡¯. I was astonished by the odd ¡®Display¡¯ when the monster¡¯s featureless face laughed. ¡°Fufufu. I am the 20th floor¡¯s guardian, Tida, who Stole the Principle of Darkness. Pleased to make your acquaintances.¡± He then politely introduced himself as the guardian of the 20th floor. ¡ºOpening to Boss Fight¡» ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 189/197, MP: 127/262 Class: Level: 6 STR: 4.12, VIT: 4.21, DEX: 5.11, AGI: 7.24, WIS: 7.23, MAG: 11.43, APT: 7.00 Constitution : Confusion: 5.30 EXP: 2238/3200 Acquired Skills: Dimensional Magic: 5.02 Innate Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.02 Freezing Magic: 2.02 ???: ??? ???: ??? Freezing Magic: Freeze: 1.00 Ice: 1.01 Dimensional Magic: Dimension: 1.02 Inherent Magic: Dimension Multiple: 1.01 Dimension Gladiator: 1.02 Ice Arrow: 1.00 ____ ____ Chapter 15 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 15: Guardian of the 10th Floor and Guardian of the 20th Floor In this world, I am one of the strong. I don¡¯t know why, but the world had been giving me favorable treatments. Between my talent, my ¡®System¡¯, and my magic, I am strong. I figured that it was the case, seeing that I managed to get Arken and his goons to do my biddings after just a few days in this world. ¡ªSimply put, I was getting cocky. In just a few days, I had acquired strength that rivaled that of the skilled people of this world, and I arrogantly assumed that nothing could defeat me on the 1st floor. I was wrong. The threat to my life was right in front of me, and it talked. ¡°I sensed that some people hunted Hang Shadows at a pretty rapid pace, you see. I came to check on them. I had assumed it might be a party of six¡­ I guess I was wrong.¡± The black liquid human, who introduced himself as Tida, spoke to me as his body fell to the ground with a wet splotch. Dia and I were left speechless with how bizarre the situation was. A danger alarm in my head kept ringing. That thing is dangerous. A one-sided monologue is the characteristic of the strong, and it shows too little fear to us. It¡¯s a threat. ¡°And guess what? What I found was a pair of interesting-looking children. Well, how about it¡­? Would you like to take my trial here? Humans have reached all the way to the 23rd floor, but nobody has taken this up, the Twentieth Trial. If you can defeat me, you can become Heroes, you know?¡± The featureless face spoke to us with a chuckle. His invitation sounded like a deal with the devil; it made me want to turn my heels and run as fast as I could. However, I kept my anxiety reined in and devised ways to escape from that devil. In the meantime, Dia started talking to Tida on my behalf. ¡°S-so it¡¯s you¡­ You¡¯re the Floor Boss of the 20th floor that no one has been able to beat¡­?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Yeah, you look exactly as the rumors say¡­ It¡¯s well known that even mankind¡¯s strongest explorer, Glenn Walker, would keep himself away from the trials of the 10th and the 20th floors¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nostalgic name, Glenn-kun. The last time I fought him was a few years ago, I recall. He was walking down the right track, but he was lacking a little something.¡± Dia seemed to recognize that Tida monster. Apparently, he was quite the legend amongst explorers. ¡°Hotfoot it out of here, Dia!¡± There was no reason for us to take risks there. If that thing really was the boss of the 20th floor, it was only natural to even consider taking it on with full MP and excellent physical condition, and after leveling up a good few times too. We were only on the 5th floor. At the very least, that was not the kind of opponent we were ready to fight there that day. I shouted and headed to the exit at the same time. ¡°We are in the middle of a conversation. I won¡¯t let you get away. Alty, please do.¡± I saw a young girl standing where I ran to and stopped. ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡± The girl called Alty was as bizarre as Tida. She was a short, red-haired girl, and her body was wrapped around with a bandage-like article with inscriptions throughout its length. Above all else, her legs were not flesh and blood¡ªthey were fire itself. Greenish flames erupted from beneath the bandages and floated in the air. ¡°Road¡¯s closed.¡± The girl called Alty intently blocked us, emitting an odd, intimidating aura. I picked up the girl¡¯s information, not trying to force my way through. ¡¾Guardian of the 10th Floor¡¿ One who Stole the Principle of Fire ¡°¡­!!¡± I was left speechless. If the information was correct, that girl was the 10th floor¡¯s guardian. I¡¯m telling you¡­! This is the 5th damn floor¡­!! ¡°Christ, we have to do it. We can defeat anyone. I believe we can.¡± Dia¡¯s voice came from behind me. He understood that we were caught in a pincer, and he had already drawn his sword, looking determined. ¡ªNo. That is not true. Even if Dia is eager to take them on, I am not. This is wrong. If they really are bosses of the 10th and 20th floors, then it¡¯s wrong for them to be here. ¡°Hold on, Dia!¡± I couldn¡¯t bear to see him and shouted at him to stop. Then, I turned around and decided that I should talk to the monster named Tida. Yeah. We could converse with that monster. That meant there should be a way out of a fight. ¡°Excuse me¡­Tida-san, right?¡± ¡°No honorifics, please. You are a human, I am a monster. Do not be mistaken.¡± ¡°Forgive me then, Tida. We do not want to partake in this trial of yours. We want to get out of the Labyrinth as soon as possible¡­¡± I politely indicated that we had no intention of fighting him. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t want to fight me? But you see¡­ I am a monster and you are a human. It is kind of an unwritten rule of this world that, when human meets monster, they fight, no?¡± This bastard¡­! His words implied that he was merely inviting us to take in his trial, but in fact, he didn¡¯t give us any veto. My voice was trembling in front of Tida, whose liquidy body was bubbling with fighting spirit. ¡°In the end, you just want to fight us¡­ No questions asked, huh.¡± I approached Dia while maintaining the conversation. No matter how the die rolled, I had to coordinate with Dia. ¡°The Trials of the Labyrinth are for those who are worthy. You are worthy. I felt it.¡± Tida looked like a bird of prey who couldn¡¯t wait to get his hands on his prey. He praised us, and he looked very eager to lay us to waste. ¡°Just accept this fate, Christ. We¡¯re in the Labyrinth. This is common.¡± Dia was just the same. He was smiling in the face of Tida, a strong enemy. He didn¡¯t hide his fighting spirit as if to say that the only one who could face such an adversary was him. Dia¡¯s recklessness had been brought to light in the worst possible way. ¡°Ooh, the dainty one sure knows it well. Yup, you two are excellent. Very excellent. Your talents of course, but more than that, your faces too. The two of you look very similar to those Heroes.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, they do¡­¡± Tida was elated by Dia¡¯s fighting spirit while Alty mumbled something from behind us. ¡°Let us start, then.¡± Then, Tida uttered the ultimatum. Immediately, I stuck behind Dia and took up a position against Alty. Seeing this, Tida spoke up as though he just remembered something. ¡°Aah, we do not wish to fight you two on two. You need to fight a labyrinth boss one at a time.¡± Tida reduced their advantage by half in the same light tone anyone would talk about fashion. The way he was trying to comply with some kind of rule made me ponder if there was any way to break through from there. ¡°Which of us should go first, Alty? If we follow the correct order, you should go first, since you are in charge of floors one to ten.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll pass. I still have things to do in this world¡­ I¡¯m close to solving that misgiving¡­¡± ¡°I see. I will do it, then. You can shut this room tight, Alty. Can you please seal it with that flame?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± As I watched the turn of events, shaking in my shoes, the two monsters were happily setting up the arrangements. I wanted to escape if I had the chance, but it was not easy to find any chance at all. However, from what they said, it seemed like I could avoid a two-on-two fight if we just waited. Alty spewed flames from her body, creating a wall of black fame that closed both exits of the room. ¡°We¡¯re on top of the Line, so it won¡¯t hold that long. Bye, then, Tida.¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you.¡± With that, Alty disappeared into the flames. The stomach-churning situation of being sandwiched between two bosses had passed. However, her souvenir had left us with no way out. * * * * * * ¡°Now, the arena is set. Going forward, this place is the 20th floor. The very floor that belongs to Tida, who Stole the Principle of Darkness. I apologize for the hasty formation, as I came here unplanned, but please do think of this flame-encircled space as the 20th floor. Hence, you shall partake in the Trial of the Twentieth Floor!¡± The featureless face laughed. He must have been serious that time. The magic power that surrounded Tida pulsated as the space convulsed. The last remaining bit of humanity in Tida was chipped away, and his body transformed. His arms became huge blades. His legs curved in a manner similar to a beast¡¯s hooves. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?!¡± I casted the magic. As I did, the black liquid that kept Tida¡¯s humanoid form bent like a jelly¡­ and he leaped. I grasped that, in a blink of an eye, Tida had approached Dia and swung his arm-blade at him. ¡°DIA!¡± I thrusted my own sword between them, protecting Dia from Tida¡¯s assault. ¡°¡ª! I knew it, you can see me!¡± I was bathed in a cold sweat while Tida was shouting in joy. I could see his movements, but my body couldn¡¯t keep up with them. The fact that I could barely match his speed, even with magic, made me shudder. ?Dimension? was the very foundation of my strength. If it didn¡¯t work, I had nothing left. Hence why deserting a fight was always an option for me. That, and removing the threat as soon as possible. Although, that option was no longer realistic if my opponent was faster than me, and I doubted that the wall of black flames was just an ordinary flame. Which meant¡­ we had no escape. ¡°Damn you¡ª!!¡± With a ray of hope, I swung my single-handed sword at Tida¡¯s black torso. However, what was heard was a metallic ring. My side-swipe blow was blocked by Tida¡¯s hard, transformed arm. Then, Tida made his move. He swung his hand along the flat of my sword. His aim was my hand. I let go of my sword, dodging his attack. My sword was flung into the air for a few moments. I quickly regained my grip on it mid-air and then struck Tida in the face. The attack occurred in a fraction of a second; it was probably my best trickshot with the use of ?Dimension?. And yet, Tida was looking closely at the blade and dodged it. He even laughed. ¡°Fu-fufufu! That Dexterity, that Agility, you¡¯re a golden egg amongst the humans! You are worthy, after all!!¡± ¡°¡ª?Flame Arrow!?¡± A flash of light pierced Tida¡¯s black torso. It was magic casted by Dia. who had been chanting as I pushed him all over the place. A hole bored in the black torso, and Tida stiffened. ¡°Eat this!!¡± Without missing the opportunity, I closed in on Tida and separated his head from his shoulders. ¡°We did it!¡± Dia was delighted that our coordinated attack was effective. We were able to open a gaping hole in the monster¡¯s torso and cut his body into two. He seemed convinced that we had won the battle. I, however, had my face distorted and kept my distance from the enemy. An abnormal amount of cold sweat hadn¡¯t stopped running down my back since then. ¡°¡ªHa, haha. It won¡¯t end so easily. I am a monster, after all.¡± Tida¡¯s featureless face perversely warped. The hole in his torso sealed, and the blades on his arms were further transformed. His arms joined, transforming into a large mallet, which had already struck my body with great force before I knew it. ¡°¡ªGhak!!¡± I was particularly adept at dodging slashes and thrusts by a paper-thin margin but was susceptible to wide-surfaced blunt attacks. I was caught by surprise by the sudden change of his weapon, and the edge of the mallet managed to graze my body. A graze though it was, my body was lifted into air and sent soaring from the incredible impact. I was blown several meters away, rolling on the stone-cold ground. A dull ache ran through my body for the first time in a while. Only then did I realize¡­ That was the first time I sustained damage ever since I started using ?Dimension?. Cracks began to appear in the solid faith I had in my magic. ¡°But wow, dainty one, your magic took a lot of me. You too, nimble one. Your attacks are superb. I think I died twice in total just then.¡± Tida unraveled the mallet arm and spoke in full joy, now swinging around his arms like whips. I checked on my own ¡®Status¡¯, then pondered the traits of my enemy. ¡ªYeah, those are the traits of a video game boss, alright. Does he have a main body separated elsewhere? Does he have a core, a weak point, that can only be crushed with special attacks? Or, judging from his dialogue, does he have to be killed repeatedly? No, this is more complicated than that. What a joke. Bosses in video games are designed to be defeated. This is no video game. To begin with, there are even enemies who are basically roadblocks that cannot be defeated at all. ¡°It seems like you are calculating methods to defeat me. How I wish to tell you the method, but seeing that this is a Trial, I regretfully have to keep it to myself.¡± Shit¡­ Talk about a guy who knows how to grind my gears. Fucking tell me if your ass wants it, damn it¡­! ¡°What do we do, Christ?!¡± ¡°What we always do! Riddle him with magic when there¡¯s an opportunity to!!¡± I instructed Dia and jumped with all my might. In the end, I had too little information. All I can do now is¡­ ¡°¡ª¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?!!¡± Slice that shit-eating grin into a bunch of dice! ¡°Faster!¡± Frankly speaking, my sword wouldn¡¯t do shit if I just swung it at him. My MP especially was not looking good. I have to keep the battle in my favor no matter what. And to do so, I had no choice but to take a gamble. I instantly zeroed the distance between us and lowered my stance. Then, I pulled my sword out from my left hip, gripping it with my right hand. That was all I did, but I put all of my strength into that one attack¡ªa single flash that gave devil¡¯s care about MAG or STR, it was borne purely out of my top speed. Tida saw this flash with his eyes and went to strike it down with his right blade-arm. He was just that fast. Thanks to ?Dimension Gladiator?, I perceived the world in less than one-tenth of a second; I was even able to grasp movement in space in units less than one millimeter. Time was compressed. It even felt like magic power was circulating around my body and a chemical reaction happened in my doped-up brain. Within the very definite¡ªand infinitely slow¡ªspace of time, I pondered, and pondered, and pondered further. What is my most optimal approach to win using this momentary attack¡­? First, I struck Tida¡¯s blade away from my sword with the back of my other hand. This technique was accurate down to a degree even smaller than the millimeters, so it was natural that his blade ended up slightly off my attack. Next, I twisted myself to the limits of what the human body could allow, maintaining my speed all the while. I succeeded in dodging Tida¡¯s blade-arm then, not letting it even touch me. ¡ª¡ªAs a result. Tida¡¯s stomach was split into two by my flash. ¡°More¡ª¡ª!¡± Even so, I didn¡¯t lower my guard or relax my grip. Tida, cut in two as he was, still tried to swing his blades. However, my brilliant senses allowed me to dodge them one after another, all by paper-thin margins. Finally, I slashed Tida¡¯s head up to down, then side to side, and then diagonally, and again, and again, and again and again and again¡ª¡ª ¡°YooouuUUUUUUUUUo¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± I slashed, and slashed, and slashed, and continued to slash. Tida¡¯s body was dismembered, dropping to the ground piece by piece. At the end of it, he was nothing but a bunch of black, gelatinous objects scattered on the ground, and he stopped moving, not even a twitch. ¡°Haa, haa, haaa¡ª¡ª!¡± I defeated it. If that didn¡¯t lay him down, then what would? Even so, I still had my hunches. The ice-cold grip on the corners of my heart wouldn¡¯t melt. One of the black gelatinous objects wriggled, forming a mouth, and spoke. ¡°¡ª¡ªkAh, KahA, hAHahA, i wAs nO mATch¡­ NOt mY aGIlity, noT My DeXtErity EItheR. iN tHAt CaSe, MAgic. I shall fight you with magic.¡± ¡°DIAA!! SHOOOT¡ª!!¡± I screamed in terror. ¡°Leave not a even a trace of dust!! ¡ª?Flame Arrow!!?¡± At the sound of my roar, Dia¡¯s most powerful magic was unleashed. The ?Flame Arrow? he shot was not the usual instantaneous piercing kind¡ªit had a wider range and a longer exposure time, making it almost like a different kind of magic altogether. The overwhelming amount of heat burned away Tida¡¯s body that had been scattered on the ground. However, unlike what his chant had implied, the magic did leave some dust behind. Some remaining fragments wriggled, gathering in one place. Then, Tida¡¯s chant was completed. ¡°Fu, fUFu. ¡ªmAGic, ?VaRIabLe cuRSe?.¡± The moment he finished casting, a black curtain draped over my vision. ____ ____ Chapter 16 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 16: Darkness, Paralysis, Fear, Silence, Chaos, Exhilaration, Rampage ¡°Shit, what the hell?!!¡± I was shocked by the sudden darkening of my vision. The illumination of the room didn¡¯t change¡ªI knew it through the use of ?Dimension?. However, the darkness that I physically experienced had increased dramatically. It was as if my reference to light and darkness had been tampered with. Seeing that the information I picked up through ?Dimension? was also veiled by some kind of thin, black curtain, I realized that the darkness was not a physical black-out but rather a mental black-out. ¡°My alias is ¡®He who Stole the Principle of Darkness¡¯. However, I wasn¡¯t called so because I can manipulate physical darkness. It is so because I excel at manipulating the darkness in peoples¡¯ hearts. I am a Monster who specializes in abnormal statuses and mental attacks.¡± Tida¡¯s boastful voice came from the depths of the darkness. He didn¡¯t go as far as talking about his weaknesses, but his loose-mouthed nature was quite welcome. It really ground my gears, but I thought that I might be able to bait him to lure out a method for us to win. Darkness. Abnormal statuses. Mental attacks. Immediately, I dug out game-like solutions that I could associate with those words. ¡°You touched me too much, didn¡¯t you¡­ Tida pointed out my downfall. Right after, the black liquid that was on my body began to wriggle. I brushed off everything my hands could reach, but while I did so, Tida had finished repairing his own body. In the depths of the thickening darkness, I saw a shadow. My vision lost its purpose. With the use of ?Dimension?, I managed to faintly sense that there was still a distance between that shadow and me. My video game-oriented thoughts raced, deciding on my next action. I focused not on the shadowy figure but on myself. ¡¾Status¡¿ Constitution: Confusion: 5.29 Mental Corruption: 1.00 Darkness: 1.00 I knew it. It¡¯s this kind of thing¡­! ¡°Now, young man. It is time for the second round¡­!¡± I wanted to contemplate my ¡®Status¡¯ more, but his voice and his figure were closing in before I could catch my breath. ¡°I can still see your silhouette!¡± I had no choice but to slash at the figure. ¡°Hmph. What a brilliant slash.¡± However, obviously, I felt no feedback of having slashed at the humanoid figure. What was there was the heat on my left shoulder. I promptly understood that I had been slashed by Tida¡¯s attack, and a groan escaped me. ¡°KGHHhh¡ª¡ª!¡± ¡°The conditions have been fulfilled again; I will be entering you again. After darkness, perhaps I should take your legs next. ¡ªMagic, ?Variable Paralyze?.¡± Having said so, Tida snapped his fingers. In that instant, I suddenly felt like my legs were no longer mine, making me crumble, falling to my knees. ¡°¡ª¡ªWHA?!!¡± I couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. The moment Tida finished his chant, I fell down to my knees. I tried to put strength into my legs immediately after, But how could I? ¡ªHow do I stand on my legs? I don¡¯t know! ¡¾Status¡¿ Constitution: Confusion: 5.30 Mental Corruption: 2.00 Darkness: 1.00 Partial Paralysis: 1.00 Bleeding: 0.31 As I was confirming my ¡®Status¡¯, Tida¡¯s silhouette was getting closer to me. ¡°I need to have my mud on you before I can activate such powerful magic, though. ¡­Nonetheless, it is the end of the line for you.¡± I had no way to fight back. My MP was running low after the series of battles before that one. ¡ªScary Dying is scary. This bizarre fear clings to my body, overwhelming it. The darkness that invades me only makes it even worse. Tida had said that what he took was my experience with Darkness. What I felt at that moment was like when I was bawling in the middle of the night as a child for no reason at all. The darkness frightened me to no end; I spent every night in anxiety, fearing death. It was such a huge, odd darkness that filled my heart. ¡°¡ªU-UWAAAaaaAAAHHH!! D-DON¡¯T COME ANY CLOSERRR!!!¡± I yelped like a little kid. ¡°So you finally folded to Fear. It seems like you, too, have a faint heart once you¡¯re consumed by darkness¡­ I had high hopes for your talent, but your spirit is not worthy of recognition.¡± An icy voice came in return. It wasn¡¯t the joyful tone he had used to talk to me before but rather the tone of a rancher ready to decapitate his livestock. ¡°?Flame Arrow?!¡± A flash of light flashed in the darkness as though to interrupt that voice. It was Dia¡¯s magic. ¡°Are you okay, Christ?!!¡± Dia rushed over to me, concerned about my devastated state. As if I am okay. I can¡¯t fight. Dia can¡¯t fight alone. We have to break Tida¡¯s magic, somehow. My head can comprehend that. But my body¡­ it won¡¯t stop shaking. ¡°Ah, here comes the dainty one. You fight by relying on others, all magic and less of others. You alone are not a threat. Indeed, if it is your magic, all I need is to take three words from you. I don¡¯t need to take your voice.¡± ¡°What are you blabbering about?! Get away from Christ!! Flam¡ª¡ª?!¡± I could tell that Dia was dismayed by the depth of this darkness. If Tida was true to his words, Dia had been given the Silence status. Against a boss centered on Abnormal Statuses, Dia, who specialized in magic, was not a good match. I need to hurry¡­ I need to counter this mental magic somehow, fast, this mental¡­ Mental¡­? Right, if this magic works on the mental, then¡ª ¡°Flam, Fla¡ªFuck, I could say it before!! Why can¡¯t I say it now?!!¡± ¡°A non-chantless Magician is no match for me.¡± It¡¯s dark. It¡¯s so dark. I am so dark right now. Dark dark dark dark¡ª¡ª Darkdarkdarkdarkdark¡ª¡ª!! Dark is scary, scary, scary. I¡¯m going to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to end, not in this hellhole, not leaving my only family behind, not my little sister. I don¡¯t want to die and leave her all alone!! This is unfair, don¡¯t fuck with me, don¡¯t fuck withmedon¡¯tfuckwithmeDON¡¯TFUCKWITHME¡ª¡ª!! ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 ¡ªThen, I could have just fed my anxiety and triggered that Skill instead. With that shown on the ¡®Display¡¯, the curtain of darkness faded, and my mind stabilized. The experience of using my legs didn¡¯t fully return, but I forced myself to move my feet. As long as my fighting spirit rekindled, I could still do it. I shoved my trembling feet into the ground and went to attack Tida. ¡°Get away from Dia!¡± ¡°WHAT¡ª?!¡± He was so surprised by me being able to move that he was unable to dodge a thrust from behind. My one-handed sword stabbed into his back. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Freeze! Ice!!?¡± Furthermore, I released all of my magic into ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯ and punctured it into him. The image of rapid freezing starting from the tip of my sword was imaged in my mind¡ªthe image of refining ice within Tida¡¯s body, freezing it all over. I put all the remaining MP into it. Naturally, my MP reserves soon reached zero. Nevertheless, the magic continued. I had never checked if magic could still be used with zero MP. It was then that I learned that what my MP lacked was covered with my life¡ªit was shaving away into my Maximum HP. ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 152/197, MP: 0/262 ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 152/190, MP: 0/262 ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 152/183, MP: 0/262 As those numbers continued to dwindle, I shouted. ¡°Freeze! Freeze, freeze, FREEEEZZZEEEE¡ª¡ª!!!¡± I bet everything on the magic. I squeezed all the strength I could and continued to envision the image of freezing. With the intention of creating a cold wave over the entire Antarctic continent, with the intention of suppressing all kinds of vibrations from every molecule, be it this monster Tida, be it myself, anything and everything¡ª!! The vision to absolutely freeze all that could ever be¡ª!!! Ice was generated inside Tida. The temperature in the room dropped rapidly, and the black liquid gradually transformed into a black solid. In hindsight, it also froze over my wounds. Sparks flew, filling my vision, and the taste of iron overpowered my throat. It was then that Tida¡¯s arm struck my unprotected cheek. ¡°¡ªKgh! You¡¯re not bad!¡± A distance opened between Tida and me. After being repelled away, I regained my stance, glaring at Tida. Both my vision and my mind were oddly clear, perhaps thanks to the ¡®???¡¯ Skill. The feelings in my legs were gradually recovering, too. I could feel that I was getting back in my top shape, omitting my HP and MP. The ¡®???¡¯ Skill sure was convenient. ¡°Fufu¡ªkuhahaha!! You truly are excellent¡­! How can you walk? How can you stand and face me? Aah, truly excellent¡­!¡± Tida crackled his body with jolting movements as he spoke. From his gestures, it was evident that my ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯ was working as intended. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be a decisive blow. He was trying to walk toward me, albeit awkwardly. Feeling that I had taken one out of him, I returned his gloat. ¡°It seemed like your oh-so-specialized magic¡­ isn¡¯t very effective on me¡­¡± Although I put on the front of someone having a huge advantage, the truth was that I was getting dizzy with fatigue to the point that I was sure the blood vessels in my brain could rupture at any second. Nevertheless, I gave my best bluff. ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t think so¡­ You were so flustered before, and I saw it took some time before you could disable it.¡± ¡°Well, I wonder¡­ Was it really¡­?¡± Tida closed in on me as he laughed. In the midst of our banter, I checked my ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 101/171, MP: 0/262 Class : Level 6 STR: 4.12, VIT: 4.21, DEX: 5.11, AGI: 7.24, WIS: 7.23, MAG:11.43, APT: 7.00 Constitution : Confusion: 6.61 Mental Corruption: 0.34 Bleeding: 0.31 My MP was 0. My HP had been reduced to almost half, even though I hadn¡¯t received a single direct hit. Recklessly using Freezing Magic must have taken a serious toll on my body. Nevertheless¡­ ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension?!!¡± I further shaved away at my Max HP. Using the minimum amount of magical assistance, I struck at the smiling Tida. ¡°Haha! What about this?!¡± A dagger swung at me. I only barely managed to catch Tida¡¯s blade with the flat of my sword. The outcome of ?Dimension? was lowered, but Tida¡¯s movement was also slowed down by my ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯. I still could hold my ground. ¡°You stopped it! But if you touch me, you won¡¯t be able to evade my mental magic! Next, I will take your hands!¡± Tida kept one hand on the blade while liquefying his other hand, sending the black goo my way. I was too busy trying to defend against the blade that some of the liquid managed to adhere to my skin. Then, as he declared, the sensation of using my hand went haywire. I focused on the hand that held my sword, then¡ª¡ª I¡¯ll die. I¡¯ll die if I drop this sword. I will die without doubt. I will die in an instant. I¡¯ll die. I¡¯ll die, I¡¯ll die, I-I don¡¯t want to die, I doN¡¯T WANT TO DIE!! ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 * * * * * * ¡ªI used the fear of death and regained my grip on the sword. And then, with a strong, renewed hold, I¡ª ¡°¡ª¡ªHyaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!!¡± ¡ªSlid my sword above Tida¡¯s blade, going for the neck. ¡°Kgh¡ª¡ª!¡± Tida solidified his other hand to stop it. However, it was too late. There was too big of a time gap before he could harden his body after he used his magic. I cut off his arm before it solidified. Tida¡¯s arm was cut off around the elbow, its stump frozen over. The severed arm danced in the air. As he swallowed that fact, Tida jumped away and retreated backwards. Then, he caught his own arm from the air. ¡°You¡¯re good! Ha ha ha, my magic really has no effect on you! This is why I can¡¯t stop doing this!!¡± Tida tried to liquefy the arm he had just caught to absorb it back into his body. However, the frozen parts didn¡¯t liquefy, and in the end, he only managed to salvage around half of it. The frozen part was discarded, raising a cracking sound unique to ice on impact. ¡°I see. You can no longer use the part when it¡¯s frozen¡­¡± ¡°Fufufu, I wonder? Why don¡¯t you prove your theory by fighting me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do!¡± I jumped in, sensing from Tida¡¯s figure that I had a chance to win if I attacked at that moment. ¡°However, I am used to having my magic resisted. Magic users like you are often only able to resist certain types of abnormal statuses¡­!!¡± Having said so, Tida held his blade up while he fired some black liquid from his other arm. Even if I fell into an abnormal status, I judged my ¡®???¡¯ Skill would be able to deal with it, so I let myself be showered in his attack. ¡°Your strength is one thing, but¡­ even more so, your level-headedness, craftiness, judgment ability, and observation skills are all a huge bother.¡± Tida laughed as he distanced himself from me. Then, something unusual happened. Suddenly, my dizziness cleared up, and my head felt sharp. I thought of using the ¡®???¡¯ Skill, but I judged against it. I was not in a fatal mental state. Even if I triggered it, there would be a small gap in my motion, so I didn¡¯t have to force myself to use it. Hence, I decided to roar, following the urge that welled up in me. ¡°I will carve you up!! Once again!! TIDA!!!¡± I stuck Tida with my sword. I slashed at him again and again, and he parried all of it with just one blade-arm. ¡°Straightforward, aren¡¯t we?!¡± Tida exploited the gap between my moves and kicked me away. I was that close to actually damaging him; it made my blood boil that I was kicked right then. With the same blazing emotion, I rushed at Tida, trying to swing my sword again¡­ ¡°Christ! Calm down!!¡± Dia, who was standing back, shouted. So damn annoying. I am this close to slashing this monster to bits, don¡¯t get in my damn way. ¡°I am calm!¡± ¡°You¡¯re obviously getting repetitive! His magic made you not normal!¡± Not normal? I suppressed my irritation just barely to check upon my Status. ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 92/169, MP: 0/262 Constitution: Confusion: 7.61 Mental Corruption: 2.35 Bleeding: 0.32 Exhilaration: 2.01 I confirmed ¡®Mental Corruption¡¯ and ¡®Exhilaration¡¯. I clicked my tongue and made my mind anxious with the fear of death in order to trigger the activation of the ¡®???¡¯ Skill. ¡¾The ¡®???¡¯ Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 That, however, didn¡¯t erase ¡®Exhilaration¡¯. The invigorated feeling in my mind didn¡¯t go away. The source of my will to fight continued to boil my head. ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 92/169, MP: 0/262 Constitution: Confusion: 8.61 Mental Corruption: 0.08 Bleeding: 0.32 Exhilaration: 2.02 The ¡®Exhilaration: 2.02¡¯ effect didn¡¯t go away. My ¡®???¡¯ Skill couldn¡¯t cancel it. No, perhaps it didn¡¯t recognize it as a negative status? It was all speculation and wishful thinking that it could cancel out negative statuses in the first place. The mysterious ¡®???¡¯ Skill only increased my ¡®Confusion¡¯ and left all others pretty much the same. Without having any idea of the details of the Skill, perhaps there might have been too much uncertainty in fighting with it as my main gimmick. ¡°¡­I knew it. You couldn¡¯t erase this one. Still, I won¡¯t give you time to calm down!¡± Tida attacked me in my confusion. He struck me with his blade arm while spraying black liquid with his other hand. It was impossible to fight while avoiding the liquid, so I ignored it and concentrated only on the blade. ¡°Are you sure? ¡ªMagic, ?Variable Paranoia?.¡± Magic permeated my body. Excitement built upon excitement, and all restraint was lost. My blood boiled, and I wished nothing more than to continue slashing away at the powerful enemy in front of me. ¡°Kgh!¡± ¡°I like those eyes! This is how humans are supposed to be!¡± My limbs kept moving forward on their own. My body was in too good a shape for me to consider even stopping. My brain shimmered, screaming at me to defeat my enemy. And sure enough, each swing gets faster than the last¡­! My attacks are getting more powerful too¡­! But I can¡¯t think of any feints or tricks or shit¡­! Just swinging the sword feels too damn good¡­! ¡°Well?! It is just the best, isn¡¯t it?! When sword meets sword?! When death is a mere stroke away?! This is what it means to be alive!!¡± Tida spoke as though he was singing. And there was a part of me that couldn¡¯t deny him. Right then, I was enjoying the fight. Even if it was what Tida wanted me to do, I couldn¡¯t stop myself. I felt so reluctant to part myself from that head-on confrontation. Even though I had no more HP or MP, I couldn¡¯t think of backing away. ¡°Fuhaha! Kuhahaha!!¡± Tida laughed; his black liquid invaded my body all over. It washed away everything. It was not harmful. If anything, it felt like a pleasant shower. It cleansed my mind comfortably. It erased plans, calculations, second-guesses, and such tactless things. There was no need for pretext, calculating advantages, evading harms, or any such shit. There was only one thing on my mind: the battle at hand. ¡°¡ªYou mustn¡¯t, Christ! Stop!!¡±¡°Get out of my way, DIAAaa!!¡± The voice behind me tried to stop me. But I reflexively denied it. I felt as if everything that interfered with that happy time was an enemy, and I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Christ!!¡± The voice approached. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t stop swinging my sword. My life was being drained away. The longer the bout continued, the more I chipped my sword, and the worse my situation turned. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t stop. Tida¡¯s blade kept blocking my sword, and it was him who was gradually gaining ground over me. And finally, I reached the very limits of my body after fighting without a care in the world. Tida¡¯s decisive blow was swung at my neck. The cost of my reckless attacks took their toll on my body, and I was unable to put any strength into my limbs. I was full of openings. Tida¡¯s blade glided in as if it was sucked into my neck¡ª¡ª And before it reached, Dia¡¯s body came in between. I could see Dia, unable to keep up with our too-fast give and take blows, plunge his entire body into the space between Tida and me to protect me. ¡ªI saw Dia¡¯s body jump in, and I saw the blood dancing in the darkness. The first strike slashed Dia¡¯s torso excessively. Still, Dia swung his own sword back at Tida. Naturally, his slow attack struck in vain, and it was his right arm, his sword arm, that was slashed away next. With his arm lost, Dia could do nothing but collapse. ¡°A-aAaah¡­¡± The exhilaration that had taken over me was extinguished in an instant. What replaced it was a chill so cold it felt like an icicle had been inserted into my spinal cord. I witnessed, in slow motion, that the anchor of my heart had been broken. In the midst of it all, the words I had been telling myself all that time screamed. Dia is a person of this other world. In the end, he¡¯s merely a tool. He¡¯s a meat shield for when things go south. It is wise to see him as a disposable¡ª ¡ªNO!! What I cherished the most, what I treasured the most¡­ is now about to be destroyed! I can¡¯t forgive Tida for slashing at Dia. I can¡¯t forgive myself for being protected by Dia. Two catalysts of rage shook my throat as I found myself shouting his name. ¡°DIIAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Then, at that moment. For just a moment, my eyes met Dia¡¯s. ____ ____ Chapter 17 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 17: He Who Stole the Principle of Darkness I saw myself reflected in his eyes. Was it Dia¡¯s eyes that were asking for help? Or was it my eyes that were asking for his help? I couldn¡¯t gauge it at that instant. But there was one thing I was sure of: it had always been me who had subconsciously been asking for someone, anyone, to save me. It could have been anyone. So long as I wasn¡¯t alone, it was all that mattered. I didn¡¯t want to be alone in this world, no matter how strong I became. That someone who walked into my life just happened to be Diablo Sith, that was all. I was one foot in my grave, so I reached out my hand to him, looking for comfort. And regardless of whether that was God¡¯s mercy or tricks, we became comrades. Had we taken it any other way, we would have been friends of the same age. If Dia, my only comrade, died there, I would be all alone in the Labyrinth again. And I didn¡¯t mean the dimly lit, suffocating Labyrinth. I meant in this infinitely wide Labyrinth called the other world, I would lose my only ally. Having experienced that time together with him, that horror multiplied many times over. Hence, I genuinely wished to help Dia, my friend. I wanted to protect my only place to depend on entirely out of my own self-satisfaction. Those two mixed feelings filled me to the brim; with nowhere else to go, they moved my body before I could think. ¡°GET AWAY FROM HIM¡ª¡ª!!¡± I parried Tida¡¯s third stroke that was aimed at Dia¡¯s neck using the same motion to slash his body, causing Tida to fall back. I then rushed to Dia, who had fallen to the ground, and looked over him¡ªmy heart leaping out of my chest. His eyes were vacant, devoid of life. Right next to him was his cruelly severed right arm, still clutching his treasured sword tightly. He kept staring at it, stunned and lost in a daze. A large amount of blood poured out from the severed stump. I could feel that every moment that passed was a moment closer to his death. ¡°I¡¯m surprised¡­ It is beautiful how humans help one another, and it is even more poetic with how vain and useless it is¡­¡± Tida yanked himself up, commenting on Dia¡¯s struggle. It seemed that this harbinger of doom found Dia¡¯s action to be noble. He approached us as though to applaud our comradery. He admired us, but it was evident from his killing spirit that he had all the intention in the world to harm us regardless. I readied my sword and thought to myself, I shall think of nothing other than killing this monstrosity. The only way to save the gravely injured Dia was to kill that monster as quickly as possible. Fortunately, all that ¡®Exhilaration¡¯ that was taking away my thoughts from me had turned into ¡®Fear¡¯. It wasn¡¯t ¡®Fear¡¯ of my own death but ¡®Fear¡¯ of my friend¡¯s. I may be raging with anger, but my body will never cower. I kicked the ground; my mind focused on shattering Tida¡¯s body once it was frozen. The odds were slim. Nevertheless, there was one more factor that could put Tida on the back foot. If I could bet everything on it without losing sight of myself, we still had a chance to survive¡ªI believe we do. ¡°¡­¡¯Excitement¡¯ has turned to ¡®Fear¡¯, I see. Then I shall put the magic on again and th¡ª?!!¡± Tida looked at my face, seeming to grasp my ¡®Constitution¡¯. However, in the process of doing so, he looked at me as though he saw something out of this world. No, more precisely, he was looking behind me¡ª ¡°¡ªHoly Magic, ?Zion?.¡± I heard a voice that was neither Tida¡¯s nor mine. Immediately, Tida jumped back, assuming a defensive posture. I checked behind me after making sure our enemy had moved a distance away. Countless bubbles of light¡­ Spherical bubbles of light several meters in diameter filled the space. ¡°Wha¡­ Dia¡ª?!¡± At the center of it all, Dia, bloodied all over, stood up. He stared at Tida, his eyes vacant. He swung his severed right arm to the side, paying no attention to the endless flow of blood that was pouring out of it. Fresh blood arced on the ground. Countless bubbles of light began to rage in tandem with it. The swarm of bubbles became a torrent, engulfing Tida and me. At the same time, the sheer pressure of its magic power held me down. The light bubbles themselves had no physical strength, but I could tell that they had the power to inhibit magic. ?Dimension?, that I had deployed around me, was distorted by the bubbles. And then, Dia casted more magic. ¡°¡ªHoly Magic, ?Cure Ful?l. Holy Magic, ?Starfield?. Holy Magic, ?Divine Arrow?, ?Divine Arrow?, ?Divine Arrow?, ?Divine¡ª¡± It was Holy Magic. Dia¡¯s strongest Skill, Dia¡¯s real magic¡ª And that magic was nearly indiscriminate. * * * * * * Dia¡¯s restorative magic stopped his own bleeding, healed my cuts, and even lit up Tida. And his offensive magic was unleashed all over the Labyrinth, regardless of friends or foe. Indiscriminate. Anyone could see that he was in a frenzy. Although I could sense his hostility towards Tida, his enemy, he held consideration for me, his ally. Understanding that much, I distanced myself from Dia. ¡ªAnd rejoiced at that golden opportunity. Whatever the case, Dia¡¯s bleeding stopped. I had no idea if there were restrictions on the use of Holy Magic or not or if he had never used it in the first place. However, it was made clear that Tida was now pressured to do what he normally couldn¡¯t. The magic power of the light bubbles had fully solidified Tida¡¯s liquid body. Even then, it was clear that he was desperately dodging the magic that was gradually filling the space. I took Dia out of my sight and ran straight for Tida. If any magic hit me, be it Tida¡¯s or Dia¡¯s, that would be the end of my line. I risked everything and launched my final attack. My vision was red, and my mouth tasted like iron. My legs were heavy as lead, and my arms were all but numb. If there had been a limit, my body had already far exceeded it. Nevertheless, I put my everything into those limbs that Dia had recovered. Tida saw me approaching rapidly. He realized that I had abandoned my own safety and thus took up a posture to fight back. I, on the other hand, jumped into the fray with vigor, not caring where Tida¡¯s blade would hit¡ªas long as it wasn¡¯t my sword hand. Tida saw through my thoughts and swung his arm-blade to my sword hand. I had gone all-in into that attack; I couldn¡¯t evade his blow. It was so much so that I was actually leaning forward just to gain more speed. ¡ªHence I was cut on the back of my hand, dropping my sword. Without the sword, I couldn¡¯t inflict a mortal wound on my foe. Tida understood this very much, his face contorted in a smile of triumph. ¡ªBut this was all within predictions. With my slashed hand, I clutched onto Tida¡¯s blade. Tida looked surprised. He tried to move his blade away, but it was gripped dead tight. And then, with my free left hand, I took out my spare sword from my Inventory. Using the same momentum from taking it out, the sword separated Tida¡¯s neck from his torso. Tida¡¯s head flew off. The feedback was not that of cutting water but that of solid flesh. The sword, which had been completely engulfed by my ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯ and Dia¡¯s ¡®Light Magic¡¯, conveyed a solid feeling to my hand. Tida¡¯s torso lost strength, collapsing to the ground. I slashed his limbs, then pierced his heart. Not knowing what to expect, I did what I could to prevent that killing blow from turning moot. Lastly, I turned my attention to Tida¡¯s rolling head. ¡°¡ªA-, ah, ¡ªy-you won this.¡± After declaring so, his magic that was raging in the enclosure subsided. I looked behind me and saw Dia on his knees, writhing in agony. Had he lost his rage after seeing his grudged opponent chopped to pieces? He was holding his head against the recoil of the magic. He must have gone over his limits. ¡°Haa, haa, haa¡ª! R-right, we won¡­!¡± I resumed the breathing that I had been holding in for God knows long, declaring our victory. Then I lifted my sword to finish my enemy off. ¡°Thank you. It was fun. That magic at the end was so nostalgic.¡± Tida smiled happily at his own defeat. The end was quick¡ªa surprise attack utilizing my ¡®Item List¡¯ system. Even Tida couldn¡¯t have expected that a sword would come out of thin air. ¡°Now, my wish has been granted¡­ I knew it. It is you two who would grant it¡­ If possible, I want you to grant Arti¡¯s¡­ ah, the flaming girl from earlier, you see, I want you to, grant hER wIsH, tOo¡­¡± Little by little, his head was visibly turning into liquid. His mouth became unable to form properly; his words were garbled and weak. ¡°We¡¯re mutual enemies seeking to kill each other¡­ How could you ask me such a thing¡­¡± ¡°Ha, hAha, yOu¡­ arE RigHt. It iS juSt OBvioUs, iSn¡¯t iT. HA, hAHa¡ª¡± Tida laughed. And with those last words, he became sand, which soon turned into light and faded away. After witnessing that, I lowered my sword. ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºRinse the Darkness¡»¡¿ Mental Magic is adjusted by +0.50 A single black gemstone remained at the end of the trail of light. I picked it up and looked at it. ¡¾Guardian¡¯s Magic Stone¡¿ The crystallization of Tida the Guardian¡¯s magic power. After confirming the disappearance of our enemy and securing my item, I took a breath and ran towards Dia. Dia was crouching down. Just like when we first met. As far as I could see from his HP that was on the ¡®Display¡¯, it was unthinkable for Dia to die anytime soon. However, there were quite a lot of puddles of blood in the room from his bleeding alone. It should have been impossible for him to be breathing at that point. It was obvious that he should be taken to a hospital for immediate treatment. I put my sword and other stuff in my ¡®Item List¡¯ and lifted Dia up. He was oddly light. I knew he was small, but that was not normal. It felt like the blood he had lost had drained the entire contents out of his body. ¡°C-Christ, sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± His breathing was labored, and his eyes didn¡¯t open, but he still seemed to sense my presence. Dia, in my arms, continued to apologize, his voice mumbled. ¡°First and foremost, we need to get out. God knows what could happen down here.¡± I looked and saw the black flame that had closed off the room had somehow vanished. At the same time, I realized that the boss girl who used the flame might be coming, so I decided that there was no time to stand still and talk. ¡°We are going to be out of here soon, Dia. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡± Hearing that, Dia stopped apologizing and lost consciousness. I panicked when he suddenly lost consciousness, but I was soon relieved when I confirmed that he was still breathing. Then I retreated a path back down the Main Road to the outside of the Labyrinth, not letting my guard down for a bit. My condition was poor. However, if I also fainted there, all the hard work we had done up to that point would be for naught. I kept my will strong and continued to follow the path smeared by the gems. On the way out, while I, unfortunately, encountered some monsters, I managed to deal with them using sword and magic after I lowered Dia to the ground. I¡¯d hate to die there out of stinginess, so I had no qualms about cutting down on my maximum HP in the process. As a result, Dia and I were able to escape from the Labyrinth without losing our lives. We surfaced after overcoming the Trial of the boss of the 20th Floor, the One who Stole the Principle of Darkness. ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 32/149, MP: 0/262 ____ ____ Chapter 17.2 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 17.2 Diablo Sith [TL Note: Dia uses Ore and Watashi interchangeably in this chapter. First person pronouns with an asterisk * indicates that Dia is using Watashi, female form of I.] For a moment¡­ Just for a moment, my eyes met with Christ¡¯s. Then, in the next instant, my body was sliced, and my right arm flew through the air. Burning pain lit up in my wounds, and bright, fresh blood spilled out. A large amount of blood was lost, and my life functions were beginning to see their end. I could feel that my Life Extension and Divine Blessing skills were fully engaged. However, my wound was too fatal for them to have any effect¡ª Then, I felt two emotions simultaneously: fear of seeing my end and joy for finally being liberated. I was afraid to die. But at the same time, I was afraid of this life with no future. As my body fell to the ground, my vision blurred and flickered. What they saw was a vision of some place, somewhere else. And then, I remembered. Ah. This is my life flashing before me. *** ¡­ This is the story of the past¡ªthe story of an explorer who now calls herself Dia. I had no name. When I was first born into this world, my mother feared me like I was a demon, and she had never given me a name. I was born with an enormous amount of magic power. And I don¡¯t mean something like a little bit gifted. I was a baby with enough magic power to make an adult human feel sick at just the sight of me. On top of it, my body was different from other human beings: I had a pair of small wings on my back. I was no ordinary human. I was clearly of a different species. It was no wonder my parents were terrified to have a child born between two pure humans like them. Thus I was abandoned, left in the care of the village church. Luckily, I was treated well after that. Father called me an ¡®Apostle¡¯ and worshipped me. An Apostle was an agent of God, in the eyes of the Levan religion, who would become the Bishop of this continent. Father kept praising me and raised me with great care. By the time I was five years old, the whole village had branded me as a miracle worker. And following the legend of the village, I was then called by the name ¡®Sith.¡¯ In the legends, Sith the Apostle was said to have been a messenger of God who descended from the heavens and brought miracles to the people who were suffering from poverty. At the end of the tale, Sith married a certain Hero, and their descendants were the people of the village¡ªor so it was believed. The villagers kept calling me Sith, hoping for said miracle to happen. By that time, my parents no longer looked at me with frightened eyes. However, they didn¡¯t treat me as their own child either; they worshipped me like I was a god with the rest of the villagers. ¡ªAnd I only did my duties as an Apostle, not knowing left from right. I was taught Holy Magic by Father and used it to heal injured villagers, I shaved off my own life to create a barrier to keep monsters away from the village, I spent every waking moment mastering magic¡ªall for the sake of children suffering from illnesses. My power truly was a miracle. Perhaps, deep down, I believed that, by putting in the effort, my parents would acknowledge me as their child. However, all that effort only served to further my deification. The villagers bowed to me; they were afraid to even look directly at me. My power had reached such a bizarre stage. It didn¡¯t take long for my own parents to start bowing to me too. And then, the story of a newly reborn ¡®Apostle Sith¡¯ became famous in many other countries. At the age of ten, I finally began to possess my own ego. I realized my mastery over magic and that I was only being ordered around, praised and revered, and worshipped, and that I truly was all alone. But it was already too late then. I was deprived of my parents, robbed of my way of life, and bereft of my peers. And next, it was the country that wished to be in possession of the ¡®Apostle Sith.¡¯ It happened in a blink of an eye. The village I was born in was too small in comparison to the country. I was given up to the state on the pretext of a small crop failure. Thinking back, that was when it all started. When the powerful want something, they get it, no matter what. That was the first time I became acutely aware of such unreasonableness. From then on, I was moved from place to place. I was to perform miracles in a lord¡¯s mansion. I became a freak show for the benefit of a powerful merchant household. I had to satisfy the curiosity of the aristocrats. Ultimately, I was even made to pray in the presence of a certain king. Miracles that should have been performed for the less fortunate were then only used by those in power who lined their pockets. I almost lost sight of what it meant to be an Apostle that Father had taught me to be back home. I lost track of what I lived for and of what I wanted. Thus, I asked the government to let me visit my hometown so that I could return to my roots. ¡ªIt was this year. What greeted me was a simple but warm village. Some villagers were poor, but they were all living strongly. Obviously, I went to see the house I was born in. There were my parents, living, smiling with an expression I had never seen before. And there was a child, walking hand in hand with them. That child was my little brother. I had no idea I had a little brother. His age didn¡¯t seem too far apart from mine. And yet, I had not been aware of him at all. My brother played around as any normal child would. He loved to play with toy swords, amongst other things, and he kept saying he would become a knight in the future. My mother smiled, saying, ¡°how reliable you are.¡± My father smiled too, saying, ¡°I will teach you the sword.¡± They smiled. ¡°I am so happy to have a son like you,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to teach my son the sword,¡± they said. ¡°You¡¯re a good boy,¡± they said. ¡°You¡¯re a strong boy; you¡¯ll be a fine swordsman like me,¡± they said. ¡°Of course, he is our most prized son, after all,¡± they said. ¡°Our treasured child,¡± they said. ¡°Our child,¡± they¡ª ¡°¡ªWhat about me*?¡± My heart was filled unrest. I mumbled. ¡°Hey, what about me*? I* did my best, you know? I* love bedtime stories too, I* want to be a strong knight too, you know¡­ But everyone keeps saying I* should learn magic, everyone keeps telling me* that an Apostle must work miracles with holy magic, so I* did my best learning magic. Dad, mom, you said that too. That¡¯s why I*¡­ I*¡ª¡± There were lots of books in the village: books of heroic tales and fairy tales were left behind to pass on many, many legends. Both in my house and in the church, books and more books. Books were my only entertainment as I fulfilled my duties as an Apostle. Or perhaps, they were the only source of entertainment in the whole village. That was why my little brother read those books as well, and I would say that was also why he yearned to be a swordsman as much as I did. ¡°I*¡­ I¡¯m* also¡ª¡± The next thing I knew, I made myself known to my parents. I had been reminded that I was only to watch from afar, but my body was moving before I could think. ¡°S-Sith-sama¡ª?!¡± ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± As soon as my parents saw me, they kowtowed. It was the moment the unrest turned into sadness. ¡°Mom, who¡¯s that pretty girl?¡± My brother didn¡¯t know me. Perhaps my parents had tried their darndest to hide my existence from him. They must have raised him so gently, telling him that he was their only child. ¡°Y-you see¡­ I¡¯m* your¡ª¡± I tried to spin my words, but. ¡°This person is Sith-sama. She is an Apostle sent from heaven.¡± My mother covered me with those words. * * * * * * ¡°¡ª!!¡± My heart was so broken. I wished I was dead. I reached the end of my* life as a girl, hoping to return everything to ashes. After that, I defected from the country. I had known that there really was no reason for me to serve that country from the beginning. I didn¡¯t think about what would happen to that small village because of my defection; I didn¡¯t want to think about it. I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be like my brother. I wanted to be born a man like him, growing up reading heroic tales, yearning to be a swordsman, and chasing my dreams in the love of my mother and father. Eventually, I would become a renowned knight and return to my parents as a brave hero of the sword. That was what I wanted. I knew what I needed to do for that to happen. In the end, only those with power can get everything. Money and power would give you anything you ever wanted. I understood that too early in my life. And at the same time, it was only a matter of time before the country tried to get me back. The country knew how useful I was. I had been their obedient tool all that time, so I managed to slip out successfully because of their negligence. However, with a country¡¯s worth of wealth and power, it wouldn¡¯t be long before I would be caught. I decided that I must amass money and power by then. Enough to fight back. ¡ªI went on a journey. I went to the place where the story shone the brightest among all the legends I had read. A giant Labyrinth that had materialized on the continent¡­ The heroes who challenged it¡­ Encounters and partings with comrades¡­ Adversaries that loomed around every corner¡­ The gold and silver treasures that awaited ahead¡­ The glory that was awarded¡­ With only my biased knowledge as my lead, I chose to go to the treasure chest called the Labyrinth. I set out on my adventure, not as Sith the Apostle, but as a boy with no name¡ªa nameless boy who yearned to be a swordsman. I couldn¡¯t use the Holy Magic, as it had taken away what was precious to me. I was nothing but a young boy, exemplary of most fairy tales. I had a faint dream that, perhaps, I might be allowed to start my life all over. I made a straight line to the labyrinth. I ran into bandits along the way. I was deceived by my guide. I was almost turned into a commodity by a merchant who offered me his hand. I was almost eaten by a monster. I ran out of money and had nothing to eat. And then, I reached one of the Labyrinth¡¯s Allied Nations: Varte. It was an arduous journey. Just getting there was enough to break my heart with how ruthless the world could be. ¡°Maybe, not¡­ I was already¡­¡± I thought back. Perhaps my heart had already been broken ever since the start. My mind must have become necrotic, rotten, and crazy after my* life ended. If it was money and power that I wanted, I could have used ¡®Holy Magic¡¯ as a catalyst. If I wanted to protect my dream, then there was no necessity to stick my head into the Labyrinth. My mind had lost its balance. In my foolishness, I wanted to have it all. I realized that, in the end, I was still a child. I wanted this; I wanted that, I wanted it all. I was greedy, self-centered, selfish, and above all else, shallow. I was stuck in an evil loop, and I couldn¡¯t move my body. I sat down and couldn¡¯t stand up. I crouched. I lost track of what was going on. Anxiety loosened my tear glands. However, I couldn¡¯t let them fall down my cheeks. I shouldn¡¯t, and yet, I was on the verge of¡ª It was then. I met him¡ªthat dark-haired, dark-eyed young man with burn scars visible on his neck. ¡°Hey, are you awake?¡± ¡°¡ª!¡± I looked up as fast as I could. Someone was watching me. I couldn¡¯t possibly show him my tears; I¡¯m not a girl. With how silly the entire situation is, I was feeling a little bit better about myself. White crystals fell, flickering, filling up my vision, and I resumed my fight as a boy. Yeah. It was that cold night with that magical snowfall. *** ¡ªThe flashes ended as I looked at Christ¡¯ face. I was back to reality. My right arm was sliced off¡ªand finally, Tida¡¯s returning slash went to cut off my neck. ¡°DIIAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª!!!¡± However, Christ, all battered and wounded he was, parried that blade to protect me. His strike was sharp¡ªlike the hero I saw in my dreams. Sword and sword clashed so fast that I couldn¡¯t follow them with my eyes. And despite knowing it was out of place, I found their battle to be beautiful¡ªand enviable. I crawled to get out of Christ¡¯s way, trying to keep my distance, painfully realizing that I had one less arm to lift my body. Right at that moment, I found my severed right arm, still clutching that sword. Aah, so this is how my life as a boy ends¡­ Hahaha¡­ My* life as a girl ended like that, and now my life as a boy ends like this, huh¡­ I stared dazedly at the pool of crimson created by my blood. I would be dead in a few more minutes. If I didn¡¯t do anything, that would be my end. And that was fine. I am fine with it. But I cannot forgive myself if Christ dies because of me. I was the one who forced Christ, a mere waiter peacefully working in a tavern, to go out of his comfort zone. No matter what the cost, I had to prevent him from dying. So I decided to save him with my life. But the life of someone like me wouldn¡¯t be enough to save Christ. I couldn¡¯t even make an opening in Tida¡¯s defense. ¡ªI have to choose. I treasured my dream more than I treasured my life. That¡¯s what I had resolved. But what about Christ? He was my first companion. He was the first person ever to acknowledge the boy named Dia. He was the one who gave me so much, even though we had only known each other for a few days. Aah. Then it¡¯s simple¡ªI treasure my dream more than my life, but I treasure Christ even more than that. Hence, I began to construct the ¡®Holy Magic¡¯ that I swore I wouldn¡¯t use even if I died. The light of the magic that I hated with a personal vengeance was generated from within my body. This nostalgic magic of my* female life that I should have long discarded. I repeated its process tens of thousands of times¡ªwith the sensation of my mind being gobbled up by it. ¡°¡ªHoly Magic, ?Zion?.¡± The Labyrinth was filled with the light of condensed magic. The ¡®Price¡¯ was so heavy that my vision almost went black. Not yet. I mustn¡¯t lose consciousness just yet. It wouldn¡¯t end before we defeated that monster Tida or whatever it was. Although he claimed to specialize in mental magic, I believed that his true strength lay in his amorphous body. I needed to harden it more like how Christ did with his ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯. And I had plenty of magic like that. I had a lot of ¡®Holy Magic¡¯ in my arsenal that I had cultivated since childhood that could be used in all kinds of situations. To be honest, I didn¡¯t have enough time to calmly pick and choose magic. Blood was not circulating in my brain. If so, I just had to choose by my feelings. My vision blacked out. The truth warped. Nevertheless, my eyes were on the enemy. Even if I died, I would defeat him: that¡¯s all I could think about. I have to protect Christ. I have to protect Christ. I HAVE TO PROTECT CRIST. And for that purpose alone, I constructed magic way past the limits of my body. My dreams were crushed. However, what I was given instead was the power to transcend my limitations. That¡¯s why I* have to protect him. From the bottom of my heart. With my life. Definitely, I will¡ª ¡¾The Skill ¡ºOvercapacity¡» Has Gone Berserk¡¿ A specific emotion has been intensified in exchange for some of your emotions. End of Book 1 ¡°the Start of the Challenge¡± Start of Book 2 ¡°the End of the Holy Birthday¡± ____ ____ Chapter 18 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 18: The Poisoned Two After escaping the Labyrinth, I made a beeline to the hospital. Without hesitation, I chose to enter the largest hospital in Varte. I went in to have Dia¡¯s body examined; he had a massive loss of blood, had used magic on the verge of death, and had aggressively mended his wounds. The doctor informed me that he needed to be hospitalized. I agreed to the hospitalization option, but I panicked when I saw the large sum of money needed for the treatment. I managed to pay the advance, but for the final sum, I didn¡¯t have that much on hand. I promptly went and sold the things I had in my ¡®Item List¡¯ to make money. ¡ªand the money problem was quickly solved. The magic stone that Tida had dropped turned out to be one of exceptional value. Apparently, that magic stone was much purer than the highest recorded magic stone, basically unprecedented. Even government officials came and attended the final negotiation at the time of exchange¡ªand despite the painful length it took to process the whole ordeal, Tida¡¯s magic stone was safely exchanged for a large amount of money. I immediately returned to the hospital and paid the whole bill. Thus, Dia was prevented from being kicked out, which was a relief. After paying, the receptionist took me straight to his room. Being the largest hospital of the country, the rooms were naturally of the finest quality. While indeed it was a wooden building, it was thoroughly cleaned; hence, I couldn¡¯t complain in terms of sanitation. Although there was still a world of difference compared to the hygiene standard of my original world, it was quite good by the standards of this world. Inside the room, I spotted some simple equipment for nursing care and magical devices I had never seen before. Techniques to heal magically were quite well-developed in this world, so those devices must be for the purpose of supporting those techniques. Beige curtains swayed in the wind, and a bed was placed beneath them. On that bed, Dia was lying asleep. His perplexion looked much better, all thanks to the doctor¡¯s treatment. Beside the bed, there was an elderly doctor sitting in a wooden chair. The doctor noticed me and then called out. ¡°Ah, you must be Dia-san¡¯s associate. I hope the payment is all sorted out, yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have caused you concern. I¡¯ve cashed in my belongings, so all is good now.¡± ¡°Excellent. Now, I would like to describe Dia-san¡¯s condition in detail, if that is alright with you.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± The doctor brought in another wooden chair, urging me to sit down. I sat in it and listened quietly. ¡°I will start from the beginning¡­ First, the missing right arm cannot be put back together. Even with the best magic in the most optimal environment, fully reattaching a lost limb would be too difficult. Too much time has passed since the dismemberment, and the wound has been mangled by the forceful magical healing. I know you are really concerned about Dia-san¡¯s right arm, but I am afraid that you have to give up¡­¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± I bit my lip. I had no clue about the level of medical care in this world, but seeing it was a world with magic and all that, I couldn¡¯t help but hold out for a ray of hope. However, even that seemed to be a pipe dream. If it were that easy to heal a missing limb, there wouldn¡¯t be adventurers who had lost an arm or a leg walking around the town. ¡°Next, there is a slash wound on the torso, extending from the shoulder to the waist. This one will leave a huge scar. The cause of the scar is the recovery magic that Dia-san herself performed. The magic that she constructed on the verge of death couldn¡¯t repair all the damage.¡± ¡°¡­A scar, is it? That¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Hm? Well, if you say so¡­ Next point, then. The next thing that we worry about is the deficiency of magic power purification due to blood loss. This can be treated with a special diet, and in the worst-case scenario, we can manage the treatment with the proper magical equipment. It will take about a week for Dia-san to fully recover, give or take.¡± Magic power purification deficiency? Maybe he means a slow recovery of MP? I read in the library that blood and magic power are closely related and that symptoms like this exist in similar cases. Seeing as I have little knowledge in the area, there is nothing I can do but believe in what the doctor says. ¡°Dia is in your care.¡± ¡°I understand. And last but not least, there is a concern that the loss of the right arm may cause an imbalance between the body and mind. This will undoubtedly be quite a shock for Dia-san as an explorer, seeing that it will interfere with her ability to use the sword and build up magical power internally.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it would¡­¡± ¡°I think the two of you should think it over and decide what to do from now on¡ªthat is all I can say. For now, we will assume that Dia-san will be hospitalized for one week. If you consider undertaking rehabilitation, please ask the receptionist, as you will need to go through a separate procedure.¡± My heart grew heavier the more I was confronted with the results that I, to be honest, had expected. ¡°¡ªOh, one last thing. Are you sure you are all right, Christ-san? I understand that your wounds are already mended with recovery magic, but you look like you are in a lot of pain.¡± ¡°¡­I am swell. I¡¯m just feeling down because of a separate reason.¡± I didn¡¯t lie. Both my HP and MP were already recovering naturally, and there was nothing wrong with me physically, either. But whether it was simply because my body was built strong or whether it was because something the System thingie had tampered with in my body¡ªI couldn¡¯t determine. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Excuse me, then.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The doctor finished up and left the room. I watched him leave in my chair. The room instantly became quiet, with only the sound of the wind coming through the window. ¡°¡ªHoly Magic, ?Cure Full?.¡± A voice was heard from behind me, and a warm light filled the entire room. ¡°Hah. That old man is exaggerating. Sure, I got my balance off, but it¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°You¡¯re awake¡­¡± Dia, having raised his body on the bed, used magic right away. I pointed to the light motes, then asked, ¡°Is this¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Christ. I¡¯ve been hiding this magic from you this whole time¡­¡± Dia bowed his head. I felt like running away from seeing him. I knew about it, and I let him hide it. However, for Dia, he must have felt he had been concealing the magic that could determine the life or death of his companion on his own accord. It didn¡¯t seem he would raise his head readily. ¡°N-no¡­it¡¯s okay, Dia! I mean, yeah, I was surprised, but that¡¯s all. There must be a reason for you to hide it, after all.¡± ¡°Reason¡­ reason, eh. It¡¯s just a stupid reason¡­¡± Saying so, Dia raised his head slightly and juggled around the magic light like it was some kind of beanbag. ¡°I was saved thanks to your magic. I¡¯m not in a position to complain. I just wish you will use it again whenever needed from now on.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll keep using it. From here on, I will always use it. I¡¯ve decided so.¡± Dia declared it strongly and crushed the light in his hand. ¡ªHe will keep using the magic he refused to use till now. * * * * * * Magic that he refused to use up until he was one foot in his grave¡­ What¡¯s the reason for him to make that decision? I might know. My eyes fell to Dia¡¯s missing right arm before I knew it. Dia noticed it, then spoke to me calmly. ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t the reason, Christ. I was prepared to lose a limb or two since we are delving into the Labyrinth, after all. So, don¡¯t look so sad because of this arm. I can¡¯t stand it if you¡¯re in pain because of me.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s your dominant arm¡­! Without it, you can¡¯t hold a¡­!¡± He spoke as if it was nothing. If anything, it was me that cared more. I, however, couldn¡¯t be as detached. I spoke up, but Dia himself interrupted my words. ¡°¡ªI¡¯m done with the sword.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I have the ¡®Holy Magic¡¯, after all. It will take some time before I can catch up with my old skills, but¡­ Well, as you can see, I¡¯ve no problem using it.¡± Dia continued to speak, disregarding me. ¡°If anything, this serves as a good opportunity for me to focus on my magic. It¡¯s perfect, since I need to rework my fighting style and my mindset. Right¡­ Pondering about all these things while I rest sounds like a good idea.¡± ¡°H-hold on, what?¡± It was an answer that seemed to have been a complete 180-degree turn from his previous statement¡ªan exact opposite of the mindset from before. As if he was hit by a spell¡­ Like how I changed after the use of the ¡®???¡¯ Skill¡­ It was bizarre to see him give it up so easily, with how adamant he had been about the sword. If it was the result of a change of mind after calmly considering it, then it was good and all. However, I doubted Dia was the kind of person to think realistically. It was disconcerting to see Dia being so calm about it. Dia¡¯s eyes were full of despair and emptiness as he gazed at his severed arm at the time. And yet, I couldn¡¯t see any of those emotions in his eyes. I don¡¯t think it was a lack of observation on my part. I am not a good judge of people, but Dia is still one of those people who is just that easy to understand. Sure enough¡ªDia really seemed to have given up on the sword. ¡°¡­?!¡± Would it be apt to say that a life-threatening situation had changed his way of thinking? That was quite a common story in books and stories. However, actually witnessing it in real life made me a little ill at ease, as if I had misplaced a button on my shirt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Christ?¡± ¡°¡­No, if you¡¯re okay with it, Dia, then I¡¯m with it too. For now, you need to take a good rest¡­ Don¡¯t concern yourself with the bill; stay as many days as you need. Ah, that¡¯s right! You know what, Dia?! When I sold off that Tida guy¡¯s magic stone, I made a massive amount of money, you know!¡± I reported to him on the result. Since one of Dia¡¯s goals for delving into the Labyrinth was money, I was sure he would be pleased by that great achievement. ¡°Huh, I see. But you should take care of it all, Christ. I¡¯m still bedridden, and I don¡¯t need it right away. If anything, you should use my share if you need it.¡± ¡°¡­Eh, but didn¡¯t you need the money, Dia?¡± ¡°Someday, I will. But not right now.¡± The firm will that I had previously seen in his eyes was absent. I couldn¡¯t feel his unwavering persistence in his words. Just what kind of emotional transition did Dia go through? The most likely explanation was that he gave up something important when he lost his arm. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What I need now is rest, you see¡­ But just you wait, Christ. I¡¯ll be up and running soon. Although, it pains me that I can¡¯t help you until then¡­¡± Dia¡¯s expression really showed how broken-hearted he was. That was the Dia I knew: the Dia who trusted me for nothing and looked apologetic for not being able to help me. ¡°No, without you available, I¡¯m thinking of taking a break from exploring the Labyrinth. I mean, it would be too much for me¡­¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not true.¡± Unexpectedly, Dia disapproved of what I said. There was a firm will in the way he looked. However, I couldn¡¯t discern what lay behind that will. ¡°I believe you can navigate the Labyrinth on your own, Christ. I know how you were terrified on the first day. But you¡¯re okay now, Christ. You are all right.¡± Dia said that I would be fine alone. I was puzzled by how confident he was with his statement. ¡°I¡¯m by myself¡­?¡± ¡°You can slay monsters on your own, Christ, and you provide mostly everything by yourself. Actually, let me ask you instead: why did you take me as your companion, even though you¡¯re already so strong¡­? It always bugged me out, but I didn¡¯t dare to ask you. After all, I needed you, Christ¡­¡± Why did I use Dia? Well, it¡¯s because¡­ he has the talent¡­ That is true. But now I can say for sure that it is not the only reason. The main reason was that I didn¡¯t want to go into the Labyrinth alone. ¡°I¡¯m a¡­ coward, Dia¡­ I don¡¯t feel safe all by myself¡­¡± ¡°Listen to my words, Christ. You are strong. This is a good time for it, Christ. I want you to reassess your own strength. And then, I want you to make up your mind, whether you really need me or not. Otherwise, I¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± I could tell that Dia had his own doubts and distress, and he was laying them bare to me. Being exposed to his straightforward feelings, I decided to accept him sincerely. ¡°¡­I got it. I will try going alone. I can¡¯t say for sure how far I can go, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m relieved to hear that. I¡¯d hate to bog you down, Christ. You have your own dreams, after all.¡± When I promised him so, Dia smiled. It was a heartfelt smile with no hint of hidden meaning. I could tell that he was earnestly thinking about me and was pleased with my growth. Dia then continued talking. ¡°Right. Please use this. I have no use for it any longer.¡± Saying so, Dia snatched his propped-up sword and threw it to me. I panicked and grabbed it from the air, then checked the sword¡¯s name on the ¡®Display¡¯. ¡ªAraith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword. The sword was supposed to be a sentimental item for Dia. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to, but are you sure? Are you really giving¡ª¡± This was nothing as simple as handing over a weapon; I knew that for sure. ¡°It¡¯s fine. If that sword can protect you in my stead, I will be happy.¡± Dia didn¡¯t seem to hesitate. If anything, his will was as firm as a rock. ¡°¡­Thanks. I will keep this for now.¡± Obviously, it would serve more purpose for it to be lent to me than having it in a bedridden patient¡¯s possession. There was no reason for me to refuse. I looked at the sword carefully. It was a well-worn, old-fashioned sword. It was engraved with silverwork that prioritized practicality but did not interfere with it. It was a simple yet beautiful one-handed sword. ¡¾Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword¡¿ Attack Power: 5 Add attack power equivalent to 20% of the user¡¯s Dexterity. ¡°¡ªI* will definitely protect Christ and Christ¡¯s dream. Definitely.¡± ¡°Huh¡ª¡± While my eyes were glued to the sword, I heard Dia mumble¡ªit seemed to be more of a self-monologue than him speaking to me. Rather than what he meant to say, I was more intrigued by how feminine the tone he talked in was. ¡°Welp, I need to catch some Zs¡­ I hope I can spring back up quickly, though¡­¡± Dia, however, acted like nothing just happened and laid down in the bed. I must have misheard it¡­ I would have liked to talk some more, but Dia himself said he needs the sleep to heal, which means we can¡¯t talk again for today. Even if I wanted to bring the subject up, doing it the day after sounds like a better idea. ¡°Got it. You rest as much as you need, Dia. While you do, I¡¯ll see how far I can go by myself. I¡¯ll report back to you in a few days.¡± Leaving those words, I left the hospital room. Then, as I walked down the hospital corridors, I began to calculate the plan for my solo Labyrinth challenge. I didn¡¯t devise it out of half-hearted measures and excuses that time, as I really calculated the means I could use with my true abilities. We needed to show each other that an injury of this degree wouldn¡¯t change anything between us, Dia and me. I believed that is what Dia wanted from me. *** ¡ªThe morning of the next day. I was standing alone in front of the Labyrinth. My physical condition was green. I thought I would suffer some side effects from having my Max HP reduced, but that was not the case. I was on top of my shape. Both my HP and my MP had recovered to their maximum by that morning. After all, I didn¡¯t bear any fatal wounds, for what it was worth. I was ready to go. My aim was to quickly return to my original world. Not to mention, I had a promise with Dia. There was no way I would die. I hadn¡¯t been alone ever since the first day I came to this world. I could still vividly recall the events of that day, but I was confident that this would not be a repeat of it. I could no longer afford to cower down like a child when I had to think about my future. Up until that moment, I had challenged the overleveled adversaries like I was in some vidya, but there really was no necessity for it. ¡®Parameters outside of parameters.¡¯ I strengthened my heart with those words and stepped forward. I dived into the entrance of the Labyrinth. ¡ºSixth Day Starts¡» ____ ____ Chapter 19 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 19: Reluctantly Challenging the Labyrinth The Labyrinth. In an area inhabited by insectoid monsters, I ran through the humid green corridor all by myself. I dodged the scythes that came at me from all directions, sometimes deflecting them with my sword when I had to. In front of me was a giant butterfly boss monster, and many other monsters¡ªall in the shape of a praying mantis¡ªwere surrounding me. I sorted the information provided by ?Dimension? in my mind and determined the shortest route to break through the situation. I left the swarm of scythes behind me and charged toward the giant butterfly¡ªthe Queen of Forest¡ªwithout looking aside. In response, the Queen of Forest shook her wings, generating wind scythes that glided through the air towards me. Not much of a threat, to be honest. The wind scythes were each only a few meters wide, effectively no different from any normal slash. I had no problem dodging them, getting closer to the boss monster as I did, until I finally brought my sword to the heart of my foe. The Queen of Forest shielded her chest with her shell-covered arms. However, I changed the path of my sword the moment she did so. My sword cleanly decapitated her head, and with the same movement, I also slashed the limbs that had lost their power. The clickity-clack noise of the surrounding mob monsters grew louder. They attacked me in their rage. But it was no use. Their vanguards were no match for me, especially after they lost the support of the Queen of Forest¡¯s long-range attacks. I slashed at the incoming mantises, one by one. That was how the battle ended in less than a minute since it started. The Queen of Forest and her underlings disappeared in a flash of light. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I let a sigh escape me. Conclusively speaking, it was a fight with too much leeway. And rightly so. My level was different from before. However, the accomplishment of defeating a boss all by myself that previously required two people to defeat felt undoubtedly rewarding. Immediately, I checked my ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 302/322, MP: 506/512 Class: Level: 10 STR: 6.19, VIT: 6.28, DEX: 7.21, AGI: 9.44, WIS: 9.33, MAG: 21.66, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 8.59 EXP: 17501/20000 Equipment: Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword Otherworldly Clothes Robust Coak Otherworldly Shoes Defeating Tida had earned me tens of thousands of EXP, pushing me up to level 10. My ability values had skyrocketed compared to when I was level 6, and I¡¯d bet I could keep up with Tida¡¯s movements with those numbers. However, my Confusion modifier had also increased dramatically. By the way, I¡¯d saved up my Skill points, while my Bonus points were allocated to HP. STR and MAG hadn¡¯t failed me just yet, so I dumped those points into HP for the time being since I¡¯d discovered that HP could make up for MP in times of need. Once raised to that level, the EXP the Queen of Forest provided became unsatisfactory. However, I felt like something in me that the ¡®Display¡¯ couldn¡¯t show had grown significantly. I stopped deploying ?Dimension?. I judged that there was no need to consume MP in the early stages. I knew the monsters and the trap layouts in the early floors, and there was little risk of dying because of them in terms of level difference. Above all else, ordinary explorers didn¡¯t have such a godly radar, namely ?Dimension?, at their disposal. I planned to refrain from relying on it too much so that I could cultivate my natural observation and attentive abilities. If I could conserve my mana with it, my capability to fight consecutive battles would improve too. I put the Drop Items into my ¡®Item list¡¯ and put the ¡®Map¡¯ on the ¡®Display¡¯. The paths I had taken were mapped out, and the shortest distance to the next floor was marked. I proceeded along the path and probed around, not by magic but by using my five senses. ¡°Aah¡­ It¡¯s actually scary¡­¡± I muttered to myself for the first time in a long while. However, that was not the same sad monologue as my first day in this world. It was a monologue to tell myself that everything would be all right. I walked down the corridor, trying not to miss anything, and talked to myself from time to time to keep my nerves steady. *** That day¡¯s goal was twofold. The first goal was to advance through the Labyrinth alone. However, there would be no point in proceeding only on the Main Road, so I set myself to defeat one boss monster on each floor. That was also to prevent ignoring too many enemies, as I might end up on a floor with monsters way above my capabilities¡­ Although, none of the boss monsters in the early floors were any match for me after I hit level 10. I passed the 2nd floor, 3rd floor, and 4th floor with no problem. And as I proceeded through the 5th floor, my feet brought me to a certain room. The last room separating the 5th floor from the 6th floor¡­ That was the space where we had fought Tida. That was also where I would look for Dia¡¯s severed arm, which was the second goal for the day¡¯s excursion. I looked all around the room, but I couldn¡¯t find it. I gave up on it at the time because it wouldn¡¯t enter my ¡®Item list¡¯, and we didn¡¯t exactly have any spare time, but from the looks of it, it didn¡¯t seem like I would ever find it again. Maybe someone took it away, or maybe the Labyrinth had some sort of mechanism to cleanse itself. There might even have been monsters roaming around that fed on filth and trash, for example. I couldn¡¯t ask for what wasn¡¯t there, so I continued down the stairs to the next floor. When I reached the 6th floor, I spread out my ?Dimension? to scout out the nearest boss based on the information I had obtained at the tavern, but¡­ ¡°¡ªUWAAAAHHH!!!¡± I was interrupted by a high-pitched scream. That was an ordinary thing down there in the Labyrinth. Everyone faced adversaries at their own risks, so I usually kept a cold heart and ignored them. That time, however, the scream was of a different kind. It was a high-pitched scream. In short, a kid¡¯s. * * * * * * Had that been the voice of an adult, I would have been able to willfully pass it by. But because it was a kid¡¯s, my conscience began to overcome me. I knew it was all hypocritical, but to continue to fight against my conscience was painful. Sleeping at night was already difficult as is. Intentionally letting them die there would make every night a sleepless one. I ran chasing after the scream, hating my own nature. ¡ªI¡¯ll just pop in quick and leave just as quickly. I spread out ?Dimension? and acquired information before arriving at the destination. A few hundred meters away, there was a party of four engaging monsters in a particularly wide corridor. There was a huge monster with countless tentacles rampaging in the center, and there were about ten octopus-shaped monsters, which appeared to be its underlings, surrounding it. One member of the party, a boy, was captured by the monsters. A girl with twin-tailed hair was trying to force her way in to save the boy. The other two were dealing with the octopus-shaped monsters that kept them engaged, so they seemed to be unable to support the former two. ¡ªIt was the worst. It was a party of explorers not too far below my age. They were women and children. If I left them to die, the stress would be too much. I kept running as fast as I could¡ªeventually, I could feel the humidity rise. Finally, when it felt like I was running in shallow water, I reached the battlefield. ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy! I¡¯m here to help!!¡± The first thing I did was declare that I had no intention of being hostile. I didn¡¯t want them to attack me in the case that they thought I was there to kill-steal. I approached the enemy as I made my declaration. Things were getting worse. The captured boy was being brought near the monster¡¯s huge mouth. Taking a closer look, the girl who was trying to defend the boy was also captured in the short time it took me to get there. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?.¡± The moment my magic was cast, the underling monsters noticed my intrusion and reached out to grab me. I dodged them with minimal movement, cutting down anything that stood in my way, and pushed forward towards the giant monster. First, I went to the girl who was caught by a tentacle and was about to be thrown into the air, and I slashed at the tentacle with my sword. I quickly resheathed the sword and caught the falling girl in my arms. ¡°KYAaa¡ª ¡­eh?¡± The girl seemed to have no idea what had happened. After a small shriek, she let out a small questioning yelp. Then, after a few moments, she realized that she was in my embrace, and her face turned beet red. I immediately set her down and broke into a run. The biggest problem was the boy. I couldn¡¯t keep attending to the girl forever. I arrived there right in time, just before the boy was thrown into the monster¡¯s gaping mouth. I quickly sliced open the tangled tentacles, held the boy in my arms, and protected him from falling into the monster¡¯s gigantic mouth. ¡°You okay?!¡± ¡°U-uhuh¡­¡± The boy seemed too frightened to speak properly. He was probably just a little younger than me. His face was pale, and his body was shaking. I¡¯d bet he wouldn¡¯t be able to move well. Seeing that, I patted him on the head. ¡°It¡¯s all right now. Don¡¯t worry. Just stay a bit farther away.¡± ¡°O-okay, I will¡­¡± I showed him the most gentle smile I could produce. Seeing that smile, the boy nodded, then retreated. After that, I turned my heel and faced the monster. Its underlings were octopi, but the main monster itself was something else altogether. Its countless tentacles were oddly similar to that of an octopus, but its main body reminded me more of a crustacean, making it look like an amalgamation of a shrimp-octopus. It made a weird clacking sound as it wriggled what looked like crustacean legs around its huge maw. It was probably about five meters in size. It was a monstrosity with most of its body consisting of a single mouth. ¡ªDefinitely one of the most disgusting monsters my eyes had ever laid upon. ¡°¡ª!!¡± I held my breath and leaped, using my sword to chip away at its offending mouth first. Its tentacles then gathered towards me, sensing that the main body was in danger. From the looks of it, the main body was dull, making the tentacles the sinew of the monster. I could see from its features that it was aquatic. However, it didn¡¯t seem to use any special aquatic ability. I slit the tentacles one after another before I finally sliced the mouth horizontally. Then I found what I believed to be its sensory organs, namely its eyes and respiratory organs, and crushed them. Then, when the monster shrieked and stopped moving around, I jumped on top of its huge body and stabbed my sword through its brain. ¡°Kii-kiiaaAAAAAAAAAAaaAAAAaaAAAAkkk¡ª¡ª!!!¡± The monster let out a screeching sound. I redoubled the strength I applied to my sword and sliced its brain vertically open. Sensing that it must be the killing blow, I quickly moved away from the monstrosity. The monster¡¯s bodily fluids erupted out of it like a fountain, and its massive body collapsed to the ground. The countless tentacles followed suit, and soon after, all of them disappeared in a flash of light. ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºThe Darkness of Ocean Depths¡»¡¿ Your Dexterity has been adjusted by +0.01 After witnessing the ¡®Display¡¯ give out its announcement, I turned my attention to the underling monsters. Those monsters didn¡¯t disappear even after their master had fallen. On the contrary, they would be enraged and attack the one who had killed their master, aka me. ¡ªWhich was welcome. Those monsters stopped fighting the party of four and headed my way, so I doubted there would be any risk of death on those kids¡¯ part. I started to cut down the monsters that were drawing closer to me. Their attacks made the best use of their elastic bodies, but their movements were just that slow. With ?Dimension Gladiator? up and running, they would never best me. The moment they were close enough to touch me, they were already slashed, crumbled, and disappeared as light. It didn¡¯t take long to exterminate them all. ¡°¡ªHaa, haa, haa!¡± Nevertheless, while I didn¡¯t take any damage, my breath was still ragged. As I regulated my breathing, I checked around by way of magic to make sure all the monsters were gone. All that remained in the area was the party of kids and a magic stone that had fallen into the shallow water. Somehow, I have a feeling I will be able to sleep peacefully tonight¡­ ¡°E-excuse me¡­!¡± As I was feeling at ease with the outcome, one of the party members called out to me. It was the first girl I had saved. She had long, golden hair in twin tails¡ªher fashion sense seemed quite outstanding. She was wearing an expensive-looking garment that looked too out of place to be seen in the Labyrinth. If anything, it looked like a school uniform. It was a fine, indigo-colored outfit designed for cleanliness and practicality. ¡°¡­Err. It looked like you were in danger, so I brought myself to save you. Was I a bother?¡± I had no idea what I was supposed to do after I saved them. Hence why the words that came out of my mouth were so strange. Hearing that, the girl shook her head, a bit panicky. ¡°N-never! It is preposterous to even think so!¡± P-preposterous? Even combining both this world and before, that was the first time ever I heard someone speaking like that. Well, no, I had heard it in stories and games, but seeing a real live person speaking in that manner was a surprise. ¡°¡­I see. That¡¯s good, then.¡± ¡°I am thoroughly grateful to you for saving us from such a grave situation. It still eludes me how you took down that ferocious monster in but an instant¡­ If you don¡¯t mind, would you please enlighten me with your name?¡± The girl¡¯s eyes sparkled as she asked for my name. Her cheeks were red, and her nostrils seemed to be slightly puffed up for some time. Simply put, she seemed to be in a state of excitement. Her neat and shapely profile, like that of a well-raised young lady, had been spoiled. ¡°E-err, I¡¯m not a man worthy¡ª¡± I decided that I probably shouldn¡¯t give out my name to avoid getting into trouble, but then I would have to use the phrase, ¡°I¡¯m not a man worthy of being remembered.¡± It was a phrase quite common in stories, but when it came time for me to use it, for some reason, it became really embarrassing to even say it, and so I was at a loss for words right in the middle of speaking. ¡°Please, I am begging you¡­ Just give me your name¡­!!¡± ¡°Ah, yes. It¡¯s Christ.¡± The girl¡¯s swarthiness pushed me to spit my name out. ¡°Oh dear, Christ-sama it is then. How beautiful it sounds.¡± The girl ruminated on my name, her expression ecstatic. ¡ªAh, this girl¡¯s a bad egg. That was my first impression of the girl summed up neatly. And then, soon, I would regret that I didn¡¯t just walk away without a word, as my impression of her hit the nail perfectly. ____ ____ Chapter 20 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 20: Academy¡¯s Assignment ¡°An exam¡­?¡± ¡°Indeed. We are challenging ourselves in the Labyrinth as part of the academy¡¯s examination.¡± The twin-tailed young missy, Franr¨¹hle Hellvilleshine, answered with pride. She was the leader of the party of four and gave me an approximate situation all by herself. By the way, for some reason, she forced me to call her by her first name, even though it was our first time meeting. Apparently, Franr¨¹hle and her friends were academy students from Eltheaulieux, a country located to the west of the Labyrinth. Eltheaulieux was a country rich with culture surrounding magic, and I remembered it as a country characterized by its industrious nature. It was a well-known story that one of the country¡¯s special features was that it had the largest educational institution on the continent, placed right next to the Labyrinth. That was their academy, it seemed. However, from what I had heard, it wasn¡¯t exactly an excellent institution. My impression of it was that it was a public school where those with money and authority prevailed. ¡°Oh, is that how it is¡­¡± Frankly, I couldn¡¯t care less. I was in the middle of an experiment to see how far I could go on my own, and I couldn¡¯t attend to their party the whole time. However, Franr¨¹hle wouldn¡¯t stop talking to me, so it was hard to find a good chance to say goodbye. ¡°Why, yes! Labyrinth Exploration is an exam that only the most powerful students of the highest classes are allowed to try. The qualifications to be a top-notch explorer cannot be obtained by the power of one¡¯s family background, after all!¡± That was something I¡¯d gladly hear more about in my spare time, if possible. Any information about this would be welcome, but the location was inappropriate for it. We were in the Labyrinth, and I wanted to concentrate on my own challenges first. I decided I should take my leave, even if a little forcefully. ¡°That¡¯s awesome. If you guys are that strong, you should be okay from here on out. Well, that means I should leave now¡ª¡± ¡°W-would you please wait for a minute! Erm, right, gratitude! Please let me give you a token of gratitude! You have saved my life. Not repaying you in any way would be a disservice to my status as an aristocrat!¡± Franr¨¹hle blushed, desperately trying to stall me. Even I, as obtuse as one could be, could tell when she was that blatant. It would seem that Franr¨¹hle wanted me to accompany her. Either she wanted to use me to pass her exam with ease or¡­ if I wasn¡¯t being too audacious, she had feelings for me, probably. ¡°This is my younger brother, Liner. He wishes to express his gratitude to you¡­ Come on, Liner.¡± The boy, who was one step shy from death not too long prior, came forward. He was dressed in a smaller sized uniform and had a classy appearance. ¡°You have my deepest gratitude for saving us from such a grave situation, Christ-san. I can see that you are a skilled explorer¡­ Well, our situation is as you can see. May I ask you to somehow convince my sister not to bet her life for nothing? Please tell her that an upright young lady such as her should be going home.¡± In a heartbreakingly exhausted voice, Liner-kun spat out ill words of his sister to me. Yup. The one guy who was almost dying sure knows different. ¡°How could you say that, Liner!¡± ¡°Nee-sama. What we need to do now is thank him with heartfelt gratitude. We should go back the way we came, leave the Labyrinth, and welcome him in our mansion. That is the best we can do to repay him. Let¡¯s just say we had bad luck and end the exploration for the day.¡± Liner-kun didn¡¯t seem to be keen on exploring the Labyrinth. He was trying to convince Franr¨¹hle to give up one way or the other. I¡¯d hate to be dragged away, though. Personally, I couldn¡¯t care less. Even if they wanted to welcome me or whatever, I¡¯d rather have continued on with my experiment. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m in a hurry to get ahead, you see¡­¡± ¡°Ah, wai¡ª please hold on¡­! If you¡¯re going to go away either way, please break my sister¡¯s heart before you go! I will repay you with whatever you want later if you can convince her to withdraw¡­!¡± Liner was just so desperate that he was actually clinging to my leg as I was about to leave. Liner-kun, has anyone told you you¡¯re brazen? He was trying to make the most of me and have me talk his sister out of it. ¡°No, Liner. I, Franr¨¹hle, will not withdraw. This exam is not just about me; it is also about the honor of the House of Hellvilleshine.¡± Nevertheless, Franr¨¹hle didn¡¯t show any sign of giving up. As I was stuck between the siblings, a third person entered the conversation. It was the sword-wielding beastman girl. That being said, she wore cloth headgear and loose-fitting clothes, so she really was no different from a normal human being. Her name was Erna. She had meat where it mattered on her body, and she spoke quite uniquely. ¡°Hey-nyaa, Onii-san. Since mew are an explorer, is it okay to make a request to mew?¡± ¡°Request?¡± It was a word I had heard for the first time, so I couldn¡¯t help myself from repeating it. I really should have just walked away, but when I heard the word Request, the vidya-freak part of Kanami Aikawa began to resurface. ¡°Nyaah, a request. Well¡­ I happen to have a piece of gold coin with me. I want to ask mew to guide us through the Labyrinth for this. Mew seem to be quite skilled, and this includes the bodyguard fee. We want to win first place in this exam competition, mew see. I just think that mew¡¯re a good fit for the job, Onii-san. ¡ªNyahaha. Excuse the accent.¡± In short, the so-called Quest event. My curiosity was lit a little. I was also curious to know what kind of ears would appear if I removed the cloth from Erna-san¡¯s head. From the fact that her accent was mews and nyaas, it was highly likely that they would be cat ears. I had yet to see cat ears in this world, so my curiosity was at an all-time high. ¡°Excellent suggestion, Erna! You¡¯ll agree with this too, won¡¯t you, Liner?!¡± Franr¨¹hle turned to Liner as if to say that a great revelation had just come to her. Seeing how excited Franr¨¹hle was, I realized I had to calm her down, so I interrupted their conversation. ¡°That is indeed easy to understand¡­ However, I don¡¯t think I am up to speed. You should look for someone older and more skilled. As you can see, I am still young and green; I¡¯m not fit to be a guide.¡± ¡°That is simply untrue! It is unthinkable to say that you are unskilled, Christ-sama!¡± Franr¨¹hle, however, with her blind trust in me, denied my refusal. I was starting to get scared, seeing how insane she was. Unable to watch it any longer, Erna-san approached me and whispered. ¡°P-please be meowr understanding, Onii-san. It seems like our lil princess is interested in mew. Just calm her down and be our merc before she starts rampaging around like crazy. I know she can be quite annyaing, so I¡¯ll give mew twice the reward. Outrageous, nye? Twice, nya know? Mew don¡¯t need to bother guiding us too. That¡¯s that dragonyewt girl¡¯s job. I won¡¯t be complaining if mew abandon us if something happens too, so just follow us for now.¡± Erna-san seemed to be about to burst into tears. She seemed to fear the lil princess¡ªa.k.a. Franr¨¹hle, running rampant. Right, there¡¯s no telling what she¡¯d do if I refused. That was exactly why I wanted to get away from there. I did, but two gold coins for it was most outrageous indeed. From their stories, I could guess that the four of them were children of some aristocratic families and were loaded. Their promised reward should be genuine. And the fact that it was the first time I had been asked to do something so intently made my heart shake. Thus¡ª ¡°I-I understand¡­ I have some business on the deeper floor, so I don¡¯t mind accompanying all of you up until the 10th floor. You have it hard too, don¡¯t you¡­¡± I compromised. I could try solo exploration anytime, but a deal as sweet as that hardly came by. As long as I was someone who made a living exploring the Labyrinth, it wasn¡¯t something I could ignore. I apologized to Dia in my heart. However, there was still a week left until he was discharged. I didn¡¯t have to focus on the challenge right away, or so I told myself. ¡°Thank mew, Onii-san. Being a poor aristocrat has its fair share of hardship, nya see?¡± Erna-san pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears and smiled. There seemed to be a wide range of variety even amongst the nobility. ¡°And that¡¯s final, Liner. It seems like Christ-san will be helping us. He¡¯s going to escort us up to the 10th floor. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± Erna-san immediately reported back to her party mates. ¡°Escort! How wonderful! Christ-sama will become my knight to protect me, then!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m no knight¡­ Anyway, for a little while, I¡¯ll be looking forward to working with all of you¡­¡± Pulling away from the excited Franr¨¹hle, I formally greeted them. The other three approached and returned my greetings. ¡°I am Liner. I¡¯m counting on you, Christ-san. Though, I really do want us to leave¡­ I guess there¡¯s no helping it. Worst comes to worst, I¡¯ll use my own body to shield my sister. That¡¯s the least I can do to be of any use, after all¡­ ha ha ha¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Erna, a beastfolk, and I¡¯m a warrior. The quiet girl there is Snow, jack of all trades, our scout.¡± ¡°¡­hey.¡± Those were quite the diverse introductions. ¡°I am Franr¨¹hle, the seventh daughter of the House of Hellvilleshine! Pleased to make your acquaintance, Christ-sama!¡± After Franr¨¹hle, presumably their leader, finished her introduction, we resumed our exploration. * * * * * * Thus, the newly formed party of five proceeded through the Labyrinth. Along the way, we discussed each other¡¯s tactics and objectives, and it was decided that we would head straight into acquiring the items that were the subject of the academy. Their task was to collect drop items from boss monsters on each floor. They said that only those who managed to proceed up to the 10th floor and returned safely would be recognized by the academy. Oddly enough, their objective was similar to mine. However, there was a huge difference between cooperating and working alone. Cooperating would be much easier in comparison. ¡ªEasier, yeah. I had thought so. I just couldn¡¯t foresee it happening. It was an exploration of a five-person party. Reasonably, that should mean one person would only need to give one-fifth of the effort, but the reality was different. I had fallen into a situation where I was five times more tired than I would have been had I done it alone. ¡°¡ªThis is your end!!¡± Franr¨¹hle¡¯s extravagant sword pierced the boss monster¡¯s brain. The boss monster, a giant bee, lost its floatation and fell. As it plummeted down, it turned into light, which obviously meant that Franr¨¹hle, who was on top of it, was freefalling through the air. I ran towards where the fall would be to save my employer, Franr¨¹hle. I sheathed my sword and caught Franr¨¹hle midair so she wouldn¡¯t hurt herself. It was like a repeat of our first encounter, and her cheeks were just as flushed. I immediately put her down on the ground and made sure everyone was safe. Liner-kun looked deeply exhausted from trying to support Franr¨¹hle. Erna-san put her own safety first and foremost, so she remained a distance away and faced off against the underlings. While Snow-san¡­yup, she¡¯s just not doing anything. ¡°¡­¡± I was speechless. It was simple, really. Those people just couldn¡¯t function as a party. Although each one of them was individually skilled, their movements together were too disjointed due to the lack of unanimity in their motivation and mind. The effort required to keep the four of them together was incomparable to the effort required to do it all by myself. ¡°We¡¯ve vanquished it! With this, we have cleared the 8th floor! Fufu, ever since Christ-sama joined us, our floor clearing speed has grown. As expected of my knight in shining armor!¡± ¡°C-congrats, Franr¨¹hle-san¡­ But please don¡¯t forget that your brother, Liner-kun, almost died because of this¡­¡± Liner approached then, breathing ragged, sounding like he was about to vomit blood. ¡°Haa, haa, haa¡­ It¡¯s all right, Christ-san. An adopted aristocrat like me can only find value in protecting my sister. If I can¡¯t be useful here, I¡¯ll be no different than trash. I¡¯m just trash, hahaha, hahahaha, ha, haa, haa¡­¡± With the face of a man on the verge of dying, Liner-kun gave me a smile. I had no idea how to respond to that since many of his comments showed glimpses of a very complicated family environment. I¡¯d lose if I got myself involved. For some reason, trying to probe around it gave me the image of sticking my feet into a quicksand, so I tried never to go into it. I decided that I would leave the party without hearing anything about their situation. ¡°Nyahaha. Wows, mew really are strong, Christ-san. I could fight my battle at ease.¡± ¡°You could have helped us out a little bit, Erna-san¡­ Or rather, are you really a friend of Fran and her brother?¡± ¡°Nylandering much? Mew see, the Hellvilleshine siblings¡¯ number one friend is me.¡± Erna-san, who had been fighting away in a safe zone, walked in closer. She was the most talkative person in the party, so I could tell immediately that she had no intention of playing along with the exam. She really put herself first and foremost. She would only help the siblings if she could afford it. Her frank attitude was proof that she was only doing her share of work purely out of her own interest. I liked her personality, and I knew we could get along well, but by no means would I want to entrust my back to her. ¡°¡­good work.¡± Timidly, Snow also grouped up. In fact, she was the biggest problem that we had. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Snow Walker HP: 511/533, MP: 211/240 Class: Scout Level: 14 STR: 10.22, VIT: 10.01, DEX: 5.24, AGI: 5.43, WIS: 7.91, MAG: 10.84, APT: 2.62 Innate Skills: ?Dragon¡¯s Blessing? 1.09 ?Optimal Movement? 1.89 ?Ancient Magic? 2.02 ?Mind¡¯s Eye? 1.07 ?Fresh Blood Magic? 1.00 Acquired Skills: That girl had the highest level and was the most talented one out of the bunch. Her basic ability was also high due to her race as a Dragonewt, and she had the most talent I had seen, second to Dia. Above all else, the fact that her abilities were comparable to mine at that moment was truly lucrative. Frankly speaking, I really wanted to have such a gifted individual as my ally. However, she was fatally unmotivated. She was supposed to have a high aptitude for magic, and yet she didn¡¯t use magic at all, merely attacking around with herself physical strength. It was hard to believe that she was taking the assignment seriously. When I asked Franr¨¹hle about her, she answered with, ¡°she¡¯s just to fill the number,¡± and when I asked Snow herself, she mumbled, ¡°¡­won¡¯t someone die already? I want to go home.¡± ¡ªA reckless young missy, a boy who only saw his sister, a beastfolk warrior who prioritized her own safety, and a dragonewt with a total lack of motivation. The stonks for that academy institute thing sure were goin¡¯ down. It was supposed to be an academy, so there must be people who teach there. Did those teachers see those four and thinkg, ¡°yeah, they could enter the Labyrinth alright¡±. If they asked me, I would have stopped them. I definitely would have. But since I had agreed to be their paid bodyguard, I couldn¡¯t back off. I shut my mouth and listened to Franr¨¹hle ordering everyone to proceed once she was done collecting the boss¡¯s drop item. ¡°Excellent work, Liner, Erna, Snow-san. Now, let us pick up the pace and head for the 9th floor. With this speed, aiming for the first rank is not impossible.¡± My employer started walking with enthusiasm. There were only two tasks left. We had to defeat a boss monster on the 9th floor and get the Eternal Flame from the 10th floor. Since there were no bosses on the 10th floor, it seemed like we really only had one task left. There was no worry in terms of ability as I still had leeway going that far¡ªit was the accumulated stress that was undoubtedly weighing me down. Having continued to play the most efficient meta gameplay in my original world and having had an ideal two-person party with Dia, manageable that he was, that disjointed teamwork was taking its toll heavily on my psyche. ¡­no, calm down. I just need to do one last thing. Just one last thing¡­ and this is over. I can test my strength and score a lot of money at once. Just calm down and see the positives, not the negatives. Yeah. I¡¯ve done well. This is a much more fruitful exploration than merely going to the 10th floor alone. Once this is over, this will be a good experience for me. It¡¯s a bit side-track from my original goal, but I could always try solo anytime. In fact, I should be glad since an opportunity like this doesn¡¯t come along very often. I regained my composure and walked ahead. I had already told the rest of the party that detecting enemies was my strong point, so it was Snow-san and me who walked in the front. ¡°Let¡¯s continue then¡­ Let¡¯s go, Snow-san.¡± ¡°¡­ok.¡± I glanced over to steal a glance at Snow-san¡¯s profile as she walked beside me. She wasn¡¯t so different from a human, despite being a dragonewt and all. She had bluish-black hair with small black horns and a tail covered with scales protruding from her waist. Her horns were decorated with ethnic ornaments, so they looked more like an extension of her hair ornament, and the tail was only seen in glimpses due to the long hem of her garment. If not for her languid, sanpaku* eyes, she would pass as a cool beauty in a traditional costume. ¡°¡­what¡¯s the matter?¡± As expected of a high-leveled scout. Snow-san noticed that I was spying on her. Despite some personality difficulties, she was the most decent ability-wise, so I tried to interact with her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just wondering why you¡¯re taking this exam.¡± ¡°¡­not enough credits.¡± ¡°Credits?¡± ¡°uuh, credits are, well¡­ aah, whatever. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Not some, a lot of personality difficulties. ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t say for sure, but I assume that credits are something required at the academy. You didn¡¯t have enough of them, so you took this exam to get some credits. Is that how it is, Snow-san?¡± I speculated, based on my own experience in my original world. It wasn¡¯t far-fetched to imagine it as school credits. ¡°¡­Ooh, amazing. You got it right.¡± It seemed I was right. Snow-san showed a surprised look. ¡°I see. So you¡¯re taking this exam because you had no other choice. That¡¯s why you look, well, unmotivated¡­ But is that okay? Wouldn¡¯t you have to pass the assignments to get the credit?¡± ¡°Not really, just taking on the challenge has its meaning¡­ it seems¡­ I get credits just by participating anyway.¡± ¡°Aah, that explains it¡­¡± That explains why she¡¯s so slack. I don¡¯t know why, but that sure reminds me of students back in my world. They attend lectures and classes for credit, but they spend their time sleeping in class since they¡¯re not actually interested in the lecture. She feels similar to them. ¡°Christ-sama! Snow-san alone is enough as our scout, so come this way!¡± As I was conversing with Snow-san, Franr¨¹hle¡¯s voice interrupted us from behind. I turned around and saw Franr¨¹hle, skulking and beckoning to me. Talk about a troublesome employer with a sour mood. If what Snow-san said was true, then I would have liked to fish out more information about the dragonewt, but I had no choice but to do as I was told and move back. I walked next to Franr¨¹hle as if I was protecting her. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± With our positions, I was protecting Franr¨¹hle¡¯s left flank while Liner-kun was protecting her right. Erna-san walked at the end of the line, on the lookout for an attack from the rear. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Christ-sama, don¡¯t you have anything for me?¡± ¡°Eh, anything like what thing?¡± ¡°Questions about me! What you wish to know more about regarding me, or what I occasionally do in my time!!¡± Franr¨¹hle¡¯s sudden outburst left me speechless. To be honest, I had no interest in anyone other than Snow-san. Franr¨¹hle was as talented as anyone else, but she simply wasn¡¯t a match compared to the languid girl. However, if I stayed silent, trouble would come my way, so I started trying to put Franr¨¹hle in a good mood. ¡ªWhile doing so, our party reached the 9th floor. ____ ____ PR/N: Sanpaku (Èý°×) is a Japanese term meaning ¡°three whites¡±. This expression applies to those people where the white of the eye can be seen at the top or bottom of the iris even if the person is staring straight ahead. Chapter 21 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 21 ¨C A Problematic Foreigner The Labyrinth¡¯s 9th floor. Apparently, the party had researched the locations of the boss monsters they were aiming for in advance, which was why Snow-san led us to the boss¡¯s area without hesitation. Gradually, the corridor lost light, and the footing became worse. As we proceeded along the cavernous, rocky path, I thought back to the information we had shared beforehand. The boss¡¯s name was Legion Bats. From what I had heard, it was first and foremost a swarm of giant bats. They even told me that those monsters all shared senses, and even if one of their numbers was fatally wounded, the others would bond with and heal it. It was essential to know how to deal with multiple monsters simultaneously in the dark without losing one¡¯s own source of light to fight it. But to be honest, with ?Dimension?, a boss like that would be easy. Just because it was dark didn¡¯t mean it would hinder my ability to perceive the space, so there was no problem. Depending on the situation, I might even be able to slay them all by myself. While my mind was preoccupied with such things, Snow and Erna, who were walking in front of us, stopped in their tracks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The beastfolk and dragonewt must have caught something with their keen sensory organs. I strengthened ?Dimension? as I approached Snow. ¡°¡­Someone¡¯s fighting. Probably up against our target.¡± Snow replied with a soft voice. Apparently, someone had already started facing off against the Legion Bats before we arrived. It was the Labyrinth, after all¡ªthat was common. In that kind of situation, unless something went horribly wrong, the unwritten rule was first come, first served. Interrupting their fight wouldn¡¯t be a good idea, as quarreling amongst explorers wasn¡¯t allowed. ¡°Err, Nee-sama¡­ What do we do in this case?¡± ¡°¡­We are to probe them out first. If they are just explorers, we can procure the drop item from them. If they are another party from the academy, then we will deal with them depending on the situation.¡± The Hellvilleshine siblings discussed between themselves. ¡­but still, if they would buy drop items with money either way, then I¡¯d rather have them buy from me instead. However, since I had already accepted the offer of being their escort, I¡¯d have to give up on that idea. Judging from Franr¨¹hle¡¯s face, I could tell that she really didn¡¯t want to resort to a buyout. We approached the scene of the battle, keeping a wary eye on our surroundings. The area was completely dark, with only the light sources we could rely on in each of our hands. We carefully made our way along the rocky path and rounded several corners, only to find flames waiting for us. Flames were rising from the ground, and using them as a light source, a group of people were engaging the Legion Bats. Judging from the smell, I could tell that they were lighting oil on fire. In the illumination of that inextinguishable light, swords and magic were flying around. ¡°Are those students of the Eltheauliux Academy¡­?¡± Liner-kun mumbled. It seemed like one of them was his acquaintance from the academy. ¡°It appears they have beat us to it¡­¡± ¡°Erm, Nee-sama. Please don¡¯t assault them, okay?¡± ¡°I will not!¡± From the looks of it, it seemed like their prospects of getting first rank had vanished. Once a boss monster was killed, it took time before the same boss monster respawned. We¡¯d have no choice but to wait until the Labyrinth rebuilt its ecosystem and the boss and its underlings were reborn. ¡°Oh meow, to think there are others that have made it this far. Well, can¡¯t be helped then¡ªlet¡¯s just watch them slay the boss. We won¡¯t finish first, but we¡¯ll be safe.¡± Erna gave her advice to the siblings. Indeed, watching the boss¡¯s attack patterns would help alleviate the danger of getting hit. If we could learn the oddities and quirks of the Legion Bats, that meant the fight had its advantages for us. ¡°You are most correct. Regrettably, we need to settle with being the second¡­ Erna, Snow-san, I take it that you two can see the battle happening from here?¡± ¡°Very mewch can.¡± ¡°¡­Easy.¡± Even with perfect eyesight, fully seeing the detailed movements of the battle would be demanding. Nevertheless, Erna and Snow-san seem to have a clear understanding of how the battle unfolded. Racial traits were advantageous even in that kind of situation, huh. ¡°We cannot get any closer, so I entrust it to you two. Please remember to share the information later so we can prepare better against the Legion Bats¡­ Now, Christ-sama, please come with me.¡± ¡°Ah, I can see the battle too, so I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°You can?! I-I would expect no less from you, Christ-sama¡­¡± I spread ?Dimension? to the scene of the battle and picked up information. I had never had the opportunity to closely watch how other people fought, so I wanted to use that opportunity as a reference. Also, I¡¯d do anything to avoid having a chat with the pair of siblings. With the image of splitting my consciousness, my magically constructed sensory organ filled the area. Concurrently, I was also alert to my surroundings. I had grown a lot in the handling of magic in the days leading up to that moment. At the end of the corridor, in an area illuminated by flame, the Legion Bats split into four and danced midair. They were simply a collection of huge bats, rudimentary speaking, but they still could fly around full of vigor even though it was clear that some of those bats had lost huge chunks of their bodies. It was obviously a boss monster that could take some hits. ¡¾Monster¡¿ Legion Bats : Rank 12 Opposing it was a party of four people close to my age; they gave off a different impression from Franr¨¹hle¡¯s party. Two of their members were wearing the same uniforms as our members, while the other two were wearing shabby clothes with simple protective gear. From what I could see, the ones wearing the fine uniforms were giving orders from behind, while the ones in the shabby clothes played the role of the vanguards. They were quite balanced as a team. It was so different compared to us that I felt like crying. I couldn¡¯t say that their individual levels were high, but they all understood their roles and stuck to them. The two vanguards drew the attention of the enemy and acted as a shield while the rear guard provided general support, and the last one was aiming at the monster with a long-chanting magic. It was such a perfect performance that I wished I could exchange them with the four I was with. Their seamless coordination allowed them to hit the Legion Bats with long-chanting magic. A huge fireball was created and hit one of the Legion Bats that had been stranded. Half of its body was lost, and it plummeted to the ground, losing its strength. Their faces broke into smiles once they realized they had broken an opening. The two in the vanguard attacked the remaining three Legion bats aggressively, while the rear guard began chanting to unleash more offensive magic. ¡°¡­!¡± I gasped. I knew of it because I was looking at the battle scene from a distance, from a bird¡¯s eye view no less. That was a bad move. The one bat that lost half of its body did not disappear into light particles. And yet, that party had removed it from their awareness, assuming they had defeated it. And that bad move, as expected, immediately worsened the situation. One of the vanguards was bitten from behind by that monster. The four-person balance was broken. The other three immediately moved to save him and somehow managed to rescue their bitten member, but the opening they had broken through seemed to have closed again. I wouldn¡¯t say that the wound was fatal. However, he was still gravely injured by the bite. It was best for them to immediately switch to a retreat maneuver. And yet, the leader of the group didn¡¯t seem to entertain that thought. On the contrary, they continued to use him as a vanguard. Strictly speaking, that meant that both ends had one wounded member, so that wasn¡¯t that much of a loss. I could also understand why they would continue the battle since there was still a chance to win. But that¡¯s just a cold calculation. If the battle continued, the kid wouldn¡¯t be able to stop his bleeding¡­ He¡¯d die¡­ Watching someone who wasn¡¯t yet an adult die was a burden on my mind. Not to mention, despite having the power to help, letting him die in front of me due to inaction on my part would make me feel the worst. The logical part of my brain knew that I would grow accustomed to giving up on people, children or otherwise, if it kept happening. However, the immature part of myself wouldn¡¯t allow it. The moral values that came with me from my original world were still up and kicking. ¡°¡­Sorry. I¡¯ll go and help them a bit.¡± ¡°That will be problemewtic, Onii-san.¡± Ema-san stopped me right away. ¡°Why did you stop me? Someone is going to die.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nyecessary expense. See, their leader is doing just that. That slave was brought here to be an expense, so getting involved with them now will be mewssi.¡± Erna addressed the kid on the verge of dying as a slave. Now that she said it, I noticed that they were indeed shabbily dressed and given only minimal equipment, and upon closer look, I could see that they were wearing collars. More proof that they were slaves. However, that didn¡¯t mean anything to the Kanami Aikawa who had lived in the modern world before. Slave or not, they were just another living, breathing person. On the contrary, if they were heading to their death against their will because of their status as a slave, then more the reason for me to help them. ¡°¡­Even so, I can¡¯t let him die on my watch.¡± ¡°Eeeh¡­? But Onii-san, mew are hired to be our escort, so I think I¡¯d prefer it if mew followed what we said¡­¡± ¡°The terms of the contract are that I will guard you guys, and I will at any cost. However, there is no restriction about me saving other people¡­ I understand that I am being selfish. If you don¡¯t find it favorable, just break the contract from your end. I don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t need the money. I want to save him, no matter what¡­¡± I was spinning my words so desperately that I didn¡¯t even know what I was saying. For some reason, the mental image of Dia getting his arm slashed off replayed. The sight made my heart beat faster, and sweat poured down my forehead. ¡°What is the matter, Christ-sama, Erna¡­?¡± Franr¨¹hle noticed the argument between Erna and me and approached us from behind. ¡°Fran. Onii-san here said he wants to save a dying slave.¡± ¡°What, a slave? Christ-sama, why would you do that? Franr¨¹hle seemed to genuinely wonder about that question from the bottom of her heart. A slave is about to die. I want to help him. And you asked why? Her face said that she really couldn¡¯t understand me. There was no good or bad will coming from her, only the common sense that slaves were things that didn¡¯t deserve to be helped. Franr¨¹hle¡¯s eyes were straight. Her honesty was undoubted. It was as if I was the odd one out¡ªlike my mind became unstable. It was as though my values were eroding me and I wasn¡¯t myself anymore. No. No, this was unacceptable. If my mind grew more perturbed, the ????? skill would be triggered. ¡°¡­I just couldn¡¯t bear it.¡± I could only come up with such a silly reason. It was clear that the reason was the difference in values between the two worlds. There was no use arguing there. I just had to move on, thinking about keeping my identity with me. ¡°Christ-sama? It¡¯s just a slave who¡¯s going to die anyway. You don¡¯t need¡ª¡± ¡°Forgive me. I have to go.¡± I broke into a run, not listening to Franr¨¹hle until the end. * * * * * * ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?¡± What I needed to do was the same that I did when I helped Franr¨¹hle and her party. ¡°I am here to help! I¡¯m not going to harm you!¡± First, I leaped straight into the fire, shouting all the while. I deliberately chose the most conspicuous way to intrude in order to attract the Legion Bat¡¯s attention. Surprised by the sudden intrusion of a third party, the group of four retreated to assess the situation, while the monster, the Legion Bats, began to attack me as I took the vanguard position. Their huge bodies approached me from all sides. I found a gap between the giant bats and easily dodged the four of them. At the same time, I sliced off a wing of one of them as they passed by. One of them fell to the ground, but it quickly approached the severed limb and tried to repair the lost part by rejoining it. Meanwhile, the other bats attacked me relentlessly, leaving no room for me to stop the restoration. Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword cleaved through the bat¡¯s body like it was butter. The enemy was a rank 12 monster, but it seemed like I had enough ATK to deal with it easily. I daresay it must have been the sword¡¯s ability to increase attack power. That being said, there was no end to that enemy. No matter how much I slashed at it, they reconnected their bodies to each other, making themselves whole again. I couldn¡¯t help but ponder if I should freeze them solid like I did Tida. But then, I found something like a stone dully shining in one of their bodies. ¡°¡­!!¡± Immediately, I focused my attack on that one, shredding it to bits. When I did so, a dull, shiny stone was exposed to the air, which I promptly broke with my sword. The bats instantly lost their shape and finally dissipated into light. It was a pretty standard video game boss monster mechanic¡ªthey could be easily defeated when being hit in their weak point. ¡°¡­Phew.¡± The dull, glowing stone dissolved into light particles as well, which then reconstructed themselves back to become a magic stone. That would be the drop item of the Legion Bats. I picked it up and turned my attention to the four people that had engaged it. ¡°Forgive me. I saw you were having a hard time, so I brought myself to help.¡± I sheathed my sword at the same time I said my apology. A boy dressed in the uniform stepped forward to reply to me. However, he was far away and hadn¡¯t yet let his guard down. ¡°¡­I can see that you are a skilled explorer. I thank you for your assistance, but it was something unnecessary. You see, we cannot accept having our opponent stolen from us without prior negotiation.¡± The boy seemed prepared to engage me in battle if the situation called for it. He held his sword steadily, and his eyes fell on the magic stone I was holding. I soon threw the magic stone he needed at him. The young man seemed surprised and caught it in midair. ¡°My deepest apologies then. I saw someone was seriously injured and in need of immediate medical attention¡­ so I jumped in without much thinking. The fault seems to be mine, so the magic stone is obviously yours.¡± ¡°Hrk¡­ Our aim was this magic stone to begin with. Seeing that you¡¯ve handed it to us, I have nothing else to express but gratitude. Let me thank you once again.¡± The party of four trusted that I had no harmful intention, so they all put away their weapons. ¡°That is good to hear. That means you can attend to your wounds quicker.¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you for sympathizing with our slave. However, considering we have few means of recovery, his treatment will have to wait.¡± With that said, the boy fell back and began using the medicine they had to cure not the slaves but the two dressed in uniform. I was stunned to see them using and discarding slaves as a matter of course. The four of them then bowed to me and walked away to leave just like that, not treating the slaves. When I saw blood dripping down behind them as they walked away, I screamed out, unable to hold myself back. ¡°¡ªW-wait a minute!¡± The four of them turned around, wary of me calling out to them even though our discussion had been concluded. I was at a loss. If I coerced them, they might heal the slaves¡¯ wounds there. However, that would only be a temporary treatment. From the way Franr¨¹hle and the other academy students were treating the slaves, there was no doubt that those slaves would continue to be treated the way they were that day. I could see an unwarranted death awaiting them in the not-too-distant future. There really was no point in helping the slaves there¡ªNevertheless I reached into my waist pouch and pulled out an item from the ¡®Item List¡¯, then I tossed it to them. ¡°Just some cheap restorative medicine. I went out of my way to save him, letting him bleed out like that will haunt my sleep¡­¡± ¡°¡­Much obliged.¡± The boy who received the medicine from me must have sensed my intention, as he immediately used it on the slave. When the powder infused with medicinal herbs was applied to slave¡¯s wounds, I could see the bleeding stop. ¡­I breathed a sigh of relief. Next, I felt funny at myself for being so foolish. And then, I felt bitter at how sickening hypocrisy based off of self-satisfaction could be. I watched as the party of four left toward the stairs that went down to the 10th floor, and then I turned my attention in the direction where Franr¨¹hle and the others were. Those four students must have realized that the whole matter was over, as they were just then approaching me. Franr¨¹hle was walking in the lead and was the first to call out to me. ¡°Christ-sama¡­ Why are you so concerned with slaves¡­?¡± She must have seen it when I gave them my restorative medicine before they left. I could tell that it was a question that came from the bottom of her heart. ¡°No particular reason. Forgive me for acting out of the line.¡± I felt that there was no point in exchanging views, so I just apologized. ¡°Is¡­ is that so¡­ well¡­¡± Franr¨¹hle must have sensed that I didn¡¯t mean what I said. That was why she didn¡¯t seem to know what to say to me. Erna, who couldn¡¯t bear watching it any longer, interjected. ¡°Onii-san! Good god, mew can¡¯t do things on mewr own! Usually, this should mean a breach of contract, but we nyever wanted to make the contract that punctual. Instead, I¡¯d want mew to beat the next ¡®Legion Bats¡¯ in style like that again, meowkay?¡± It was obvious that Erna was trying to lighten the atmosphere with a light joke. Seeing that, Liner-kun got in on the act. ¡°She¡¯s right, Christ-san. Because of you, now it¡¯s guaranteed we will finish in second place, so please fight the Legion Bats by yourself.¡± ¡°Liner! You shouldn¡¯t say that!¡± That was probably Liner-kun trying to make a joke, but Franr¨¹hle took it seriously and even reprimanded him. Soon after, Liner-kun laughed, saying that he was joking, and then the air between us became lighter. I¡¯m being consoled. I saved a life, and yet they console me¡ªas if saving people was a mistake. I could only resign myself to that fact with a bitter chuckle. ¡°Hahaha, sorry about that. I¡¯ll give my all in the next fight, so do forgive me.¡± I also cooperated in trying to lighten the air. Seeing me smiling, Franr¨¹hle brightened her expression and scooted over to me. Then she started talking about her hobbies and skills and whatnot as if what happened earlier had never taken place. Erna-san cautioned Franr¨¹hle with a smile, saying that the exam was not over yet. We then began to discuss the cycle in which the next Legon Bats would appear and what we would do until then. From what they talked about, those students seemed to have an idea of the time when the Labyrinth would rebuild its ecosystem. In terms of classroom learning about the Labyrinth, I was no match for them. My knowledge of the Labyrinth was spotty and smattering, so I decided to follow their instructions. Apparently, the Labyrinth¡¯s magic power would transform into monsters in two hours¡¯ time, so it was decided that we would spend some time on the Main Road until then. We walked away from the boss area. We chatted and laughed with each other while we were there. ¡ªFor no reason, I looked behind me. The corridors of the Labyrinth were stained with the blood left by the slaves. I walked away, showing not a single care in the whole world. The first thing I had to do was part with that party as soon as possible. Until then, I would not let my mind waver and would only focus on finishing the task. With that in mind, I continued walking, staring into the darkness of the corridors. ____ ____ Chapter 22 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 22: She who Stole the Principle of Fire Two hours after I saved the slave, the Franr¨¹hle party vs the Legion Bats battle ended without a hitch. I had already learned that the Legion Bats had a core magic stone inside their bodies, so all I had to do was to act as a decoy and look for that core. As long as Franr¨¹hle and the other three didn¡¯t become viciously competitive with each other, there was no way we could lose the battle. Thus, in no time, we cleared the 9th floor and were on our way to the 10th floor. ¡ªIndeed, the 10th floor. I couldn¡¯t help but to recall the events of the previous day. Tida, who claimed to be the boss of the 20th floor, had been written as the 20th Guardian on the Display. If that was the case, I could predict that Alty, who was written as the 10th Guardian, would be the boss of the 10th floor. However, the mere fact that we were attacked by the boss of the 20th floor on the 5th floor rendered that prediction moot. Franr¨¹hle and her party of students had informed me that the boss monster of the 10th floor was not on the 10th floor, so perhaps doubting that prediction was the correct line of thought. After all, no matter what floor it was, dangers lurked at every corner in the Labyrinth. That was all there was to it. Although I was getting mentally exhausted from all the questions Franr¨¹hle threw at me, like what my hobbies or my special skills were and whatnot, we reached the 10th floor without any problems. The 10th floor was a special floor. The room where the stairs ended was filled with a brightness usually not to be found in a Labyrinth. ¡ªIt was a spacious room that stretched forever, with nothing but flames no matter how far the eyes saw. There was nothing else. This was all there was on the 10th floor. The flames weren¡¯t hot enough to scorch you. However, it was still a room full of raging fire, which made me hesitant to enter. We chose a path where the fire had been extinguished by the barrier of the Main Road and walked on. After reaching a suitable point, Snow-san pulled out a bottle and tried to capture the flames with it. It was an odd sight. A lick of the flame was sucked into the bottle, separated from the rest of the fire, and continued to burn inside of it even though there was nothing to burn. That was the end of their assignment. Finally, I could leave their party behind me. ¡°Congratulations. I take it that this is the end of my duty?¡± I spoke up to start saying my goodbye. ¡°Onii-san, mew¡¯re a huge help. We¡¯re really lucky to be able to cooperate with an explorer as skilled as mew. I was prepared to see one of us getting injured on our way down, mew see. Ah, here is mewr paymewnt.¡± Erna thanked me and handed me a gold coin. Franr¨¹hle then interjected. ¡°Christ-sama! Given the opportunity, may I suggest that you escort me to the surface as well?! Yes, given the opportunity! The House of Hellvilleshine would like to thank you and treat you to dinner! We have always wished to be associated with a young, strong, sincere, and kind explorer much like you are, Christ-sama! Please do consider my petition!¡± Even I, as dull as I could be to peoples¡¯ feelings, could clearly tell that Franr¨¹hle was deeply attached to me. Being liked by a good-looking young lady like her sure was a happy thing. However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like getting closer to her would only cause me more trouble. Partly because of our positions, but mainly because there was a gulf between our mindsets. ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry, Franr¨¹hle-san. My objective is beyond the 10th floor. I regret to say that I can¡¯t escort you to the surface.¡± I politely declined. I didn¡¯t forget to act as if I really regretted it. ¡°I-I see¡­ I cannot possibly force you to answer to my whims, not after you have saved me. However, please do remember that we, the Hellvilleshine siblings, always welcome Christ-sama to our home anytime. You can count on us whenever you need to.¡± ¡°Eh, me too? Well, if it¡¯s you, then you can always come and play, Christ-san.¡± Franr¨¹hle had decided that Liner-kun would welcome me too, perhaps out of her own initiative. However, Liner-kun didn¡¯t seem to be too reluctant with the idea. ¡°Thank you very much. I hope we may meet again.¡± ¡°Yes, let us meet again! By all means, please do visit Eltheaulieux Academy! Ah, Hellvilleshine Manor is in the third district of Whoseyards! You can see it as soon as you enter the district! Whenever you need aid, whatever it is, come to us¡ª!¡± Franr¨¹hle was reluctant to part, trying to appeal to me up until the end. Had we met in my previous world, she would have been the hardworking and likable type. However, I soberly decided that she wasn¡¯t someone I needed at the moment. Finally, there were only two people left to say goodbyes to. ¡°Onii-san, mew seem to be the gullible kind, so don¡¯t get fooled easily, mkay? See mew later~.¡± ¡°¡­The Labyrinth doesn¡¯t fit you. I suggest you change your occupation. That¡¯s that.¡± For some reason, the both of them bid me farewell with harsh words. We had watched over each other¡¯s backs, albeit for a short while, so I hoped they meant it out of concern for me. Thus, I said goodbye to the academy students¡¯ party. I was smiling when I saw that Franr¨¹hle kept looking back and waving to me time and time again. Finally, I was the only one left behind on the 10th floor. The sea of fire that filled the room made me drip sweat. I started walking along the Main Road to get to the 11th floor as soon as possible. I was finally alone, but then, I felt a strange solitude. It seemed like having someone as a party, regardless of who they were, created a sense of security for sure. However, I had decided that, from there on, I should go alone, all by myself¡ª ¡°¡ªHuh. You¡¯re alone now?¡± All by myself. Yes. I was supposed to be all alone. In that place where there shouldn¡¯t be anybody else, I heard a voice that wasn¡¯t my own. Immediately, I strengthened my magic. ¡°¡ªM-MAGIC, ?GLADIATOR?!!¡± I took a huge leap back, looking for the owner of the disembodied voice. ¡ªA vast space with only two entrances. An unexpected voice, blazing flames all around. It was just like that time. I used my magic to probe all around me. I checked the ceilings, the corners, the shadows of the flames, everywhere to determine if there were any enemies. But there was no enemy in sight. ¡°Forgive me, I must have startled you. I mean you no harm, so please remain calm.¡± And then I noticed that the flames imitated the shape of a mouth. ¡°¡ªfrom the flames?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m hiding in the flames. But if you¡¯re alone, then I have no qualm showing myself. Just wait a minute.¡± The flames spoke. I recognized that voice. The flames changed into human form, as it did, bandage-like objects with scriptures on them gathered from all over the room. The bandages wrapped themselves around the humanoid flames, functionally replacing clothing. Finally, its fiery head turned into a human one, specifically a red-haired girl that I had seen some other place. It was Alty, the 10th Guardian. ¡°¡­!!¡± I was at a loss. From a game¡¯s logic, she was supposed to be inferior to Tida, who was crowned as the 20th Guardian. However, I wasn¡¯t sure I should easily assume that. Unlike when I fought Tida, I didn¡¯t have Dia by my side. My side¡¯s attack power was much lower, but that also meant I had more freedom to withdraw from a battle without him. If it was just me and my high physical abilities, the range of tactics would be versatile. Above all else, I was level 10 and my AGI had increased, simply fleeing from the scene was an option. After much deliberation, I decided to continue conversing with Alty, who claimed to have no hostile intent. I could just run away when the situation called. I might even catch up with the students¡¯ party if it came down to that. I felt sorry for them, but if it came down to a melee, then having more options to take was always better. I¡¯d prioritize my life over a good night¡¯s sleep. * * * * * * ¡°You are¡­ Alty, right? Are you here to fight me?¡± I spoke to Alty, now that she had assumed a human form, without lowering my guard. Alty floated, then immediately shook her head. I was really at a loss with how human her appearance was. If we were to get into a fight, Alty¡¯s appearance would be a negative factor for me. She looked like a human child at a glance, really playing it foul. ¡°Nay, nay. I just told you I mean you no harm.¡± Alty¡¯s tone was pompous, despite her small figure. It felt really out of place. However, this feeling was a reminder to me that the little girl was indeed a monster. ¡°I don¡¯t buy it. It was just the other day that delightful monster Tida attacked us. You think I forgot that it was you who blocked our escape route?¡± ¡°I was only setting up the stage. But if you are angry because of that, then let me apologize. I am sorry.¡± ¡°Apologizing doesn¡¯t entitle you to my trust, you know¡­¡± ¡°Mumu¡­ I can see that your impression of me isn¡¯t the best one. That¡¯s a bit shocking. It¡¯s not like I attacked you or anything.¡± Alty¡¯s lips twisted into a pout. Aah, so she¡¯s like this too. Both her and Tida are the same. ¡°That¡¯s obvious. How could anyone have a good impression of monsters? When humans meet monsters, they fight to kill. That is the unwritten of this world. That was what Tida said.¡± ¡°Fufu. You don¡¯t have to take that to heart. Tida just made that rule up on the spot.¡± Alty remonstrated me, eyes mellow, like seeing a child who still believed in Santa Claus. It was annoying to be looked at like that by a girl who was at least two sizes smaller than me. ¡°Which means you don¡¯t want to fight me. Are you telling me to believe that?¡± ¡°I am. I¡¯m not like that battle junkie, I¡¯ve got no intention of taking this monster business seriously. That¡¯s why this room is always empty, it is so that you explorers can go to the 11th floor without worrying about procuring fire.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I don¡¯t think I can go to the 11th floor without worry, though.¡± ¡°Aah, worry not. Now that you have me by your side, those boss monsters are nothing. And I mean those who stay at places far away from the barriers of the Main Road.¡± ¡°¡ªWait. Wait wait wait.¡± ¡°Mn, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The headache wouldn¡¯t stop. That unilateral side of her was exactly like Tida¡¯s. She decided everything all on her own. ¡°Who said you¡¯re coming with me? That¡¯s not happening.¡± ¡°Hm, it seems like you have no trust in me at all. I am planning to prove to you that I mean you no harm by my actions. So I have decided just now that I will help you in your exploration.¡± ¡°Stop it. I can¡¯t fight with you behind me.¡± ¡°Then I will be in the front. I¡¯m also good with swords.¡± Saying that, Alty produced a flaming sword and repeatedly swung it and thrusted it into the air. Appearance-wise, she looked like no more than a child playing with a sword. But no. Flames were leaking out greatly from her hands, her feet, and many other places. I couldn¡¯t treat her like she was a human being. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Just having you near me makes me constantly high-strung. I couldn¡¯t explore the Labyrinth like this.¡± ¡°Mhm. However, this is a serious matter for me too. I am planning to stay close to you until I gain your trust. After all, building a relationship based on trust is most important. I will stick close to you, no matter how many years it will take.¡± Alty¡¯s smile was innocent. The way she spoke straight and without hesitation made me feel like she wasn¡¯t lying. For what it was worth, I couldn¡¯t sense any hostility from her. But maybe it was because I was too inexperienced. Her presence was a source of uneasiness. Just how much easier it would have been if she¡¯d just attacked me. The Anti-Guardian measures I came up with the previous night were down the drain. ¡°So, that means¡­ You¡¯ll just be hanging around me, always? Until I trust you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­Erm, can¡¯t I just slay you right now? You being a boss monster and all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty terrible against someone who is presenting friendly intentions. A pretty girl wants to be your companion; you should welcome her with open arms¡­ How cold, all I ask is for you to trust me, really. I have this small wish, you see, and I just want it to come true. And for that, I need a human¡¯s cooperation.¡± Alty raised her hands in a pose of surrender as she spoke. She waved her hands, insisting that she was harmless. I was about to take a slice out of her, seeing how full of openings she was, but a certain word that she uttered bothered me enough for me to hold back. ¡°¡ªWish? So you do have a wish?¡± I recalled a certain something. Tida, that battle freak monster¡¯s, last testament came to my mind. ¡°Oh, will you listen to it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Would it give me any advantage to hear it? Sure, I needed all kinds of information so I could conquer the mystery of the Labyrinth. However, was it really right to try to extract information from Alty there, at that time? ¡°Putting aside all the trusting business, there is one thing I want you to hear. I¡ª¡± ¡°¡­I will lend you an ear, but nothing else. You also said something that caught my interest before¡­ Something about having a misgiving left and not being able to fight. Tell me about that too.¡± Each and every word that Alty spoke, with her being on the side of the Labyrinth, would count as a spoiler for me. It was loathsome that, even then, I couldn¡¯t shake off those videogame-tinted glasses. And those glasses demanded that I listen more. ¡°Fufufu¡­ Sure, I will tell you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alty snickered bewitchingly and took her time to tell me her story. ¡°Right. Since we have the chance, let¡¯s start with the thing about my misgiving¡­ I¡¯m sure you will be interested in this. After all, you can kill a Guardian without fighting her.¡± Alty¡¯s smile was ever-present. Even though it was supposed to be a method to kill her, her expression remained the same. ¡°Actually, we Guardians are forced to guard the Labyrinth as monsters because we have a Lingering Attachment to this world. Just whatever will happen to a Guardian whose Attachment has been solved¡­ I have always had this suspicion, you see. And Tida, he cleared my suspicion up. It seems like we are beings that weaken and disappear once our Attachment is cleared. I guess that¡¯s why that nigh-immortal Tida died so easily.¡± From the way Alty talked, it seemed like she saw when Tida died. That and she seemed to imply that Tida shouldn¡¯t have died the way he did. He died because he got what he wanted, that¡¯s what Alty believed. ¡ªThat was news. I had never heard anything like that from anywhere. I felt like that it was information that no one in the allied nations, the four nations that were trying to conquer the Labyrinth, knew. ¡°Fufufu. Now, onto my wish¡­ What I wish for is only one thing¡­¡± Then, as though that bomb of a statement was nothing more than a preamble, Alty made her voice low and heavy as she spoke. What she would tell me was her wish. Which meant her forthcoming manner of death. ¡°¡ªI want to fulfill a love.¡± Arty spoke bashfully, then looked up into the air, only to quickly add ¡°How¡¯s that, romantic, eh?¡± then chuckled at her own words. ¡°¡­¡± My headache worsened. It wasn¡¯t a simple pain. It was a pain caused by a mixture of annoyance, madness, amusement, and a whole slew of emotions that would not normally mix together. Alty was looking straight at me. I endured the headache in my head and replied simply with: ¡°You¡¯re a pain.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 23 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 23: Smoldering Heart ¡ªI want to fulfill a love. After talking to her in-depth, I learned that Alty didn¡¯t really have anyone she was particularly fond of. Of course, it would be best if Alty herself could fall in love, fulfilling her own wish. However, she said that she wasn¡¯t someone who could fall in love. Her tone was self-deprecating, as though she was regretting something. So, as a compromise, she wanted me to introduce her to someone who was in love. She said that if she could see and feel someone in love and see that love come to fruition, she would be clear of any attachment. It was as juicy as it was fishy. However, Alty¡¯s eyes shone too bright for it to be a lie. When talking about love and romance, Alty was as young as she looked¡ªno more than a girl that had fallen in love with love itself. I mused about how I would respond to her wish. I pondered, and pondered, and reached a conclusion. I judged that the most appropriate place to start was for me to pretend I would undertake her request. And since Alty claimed that she had no desire to fight, I had decided against engaging Alty from my end. After all, I would feel ashamed to thrust my sword at Alty, whose face was that of a young girl¡¯s. Not to mention, there was the calculation that the longer I could stall my confrontation with her, the more I could gain levels, which would lead to a higher safety net. For the time being, I let Alty accompany me to the 11th floor, pretending that I would take on her request. Of course, I wasn¡¯t taking all that she said at face value, so I wasn¡¯t letting my guard down around her. Alty walked in front of me, and I always watched her from behind. We evaded strong enemies and chose weaker ones that wouldn¡¯t rob me of too much of my attention. ¡­Such a distorted, hastily-made two-person party. We talked as we continued progressing down the 11th floor. ¡°¡ªI am just saying. As a girl, I can¡¯t possibly just die without tasting love. Hence the lingering attachment.¡± ¡°¡­Are you even at an age to call yourself a girl?¡± ¡°At the very least, I¡¯ve lived for a thousand years¡­ supposedly?¡± ¡°A granny, then. Go and kick the bucket already. The faster you die, the better it is for everyone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so rude, Christ. How dare you grab such a lovely girl and call her a granny¡­ You can¡¯t treat women right, can you?¡± We made light introductions and called each other by name. Incidentally, no more flames were leaking out from Alty¡¯s body. The bandage with a flame-suppressing incantation was wrapped all around her body without gaps (and I had to help her wrap it, for some reason), and then she wore normal clothes over it. She also put on a cloak and covered her face with its hood. It was a good thing since I¡¯d hate to be seen cooperating with a flaming person. To a bystander, I should have looked like I was walking with a human girl. ¡°Hm? I spotted a monster up ahead, Christ.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s fight it then. I¡¯ll give you support from behind.¡± Then, for the umpteenth time, a battle against a monster took place. Of course, I chose which monster to fight with ?Dimension?. I decided on a path where we would encounter monsters that wouldn¡¯t require me to let down my guard around Alty as we fought. ¡°Here we go then¡­!¡± Alty attacked the monster with her flaming sword in hand. She moved with speed comparable to Tida and slashed at the monster with the characteristic herculean strength of a monster¡ªeasily fatally wounding it. ¡°¡ª?Ice Quick Arrow?.¡± I then launched an arrow made of magic to finish it off, and the monster turned into light and disappeared. Alty picked up the fallen magic stone and threw it to me. When I caught it, she showed a smug look. She seemed to want me to say something to her, so I decided I¡¯d off-handedly praise her. ¡°¡­yeah, yeah. You¡¯re oh so awesome. Come on, let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°Hm. You¡¯re cold to such a well-meaning ally as I¡­ Can¡¯t you give me a more honest compliment?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that as a compliment. You¡¯re a boss monster, so being awesome is just natural.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not very honest, Christ.¡± Alty dropped her shoulders, muttered, ¡°good grief,¡± and then continued walking as I told her to. As mentioned earlier, Alty remained cooperative. She might get talkative, but her actions showed her willingness to contribute to my Labyrinth exploration. However, that didn¡¯t mean I could easily trust her. As long as she was a monster, placing my trust in her would never happen, no matter what¡­ or so I had determined, but even that determination was gradually fading the more I came in contact with her. The ¡®Display¡¯ judged Alty to be a monster. She herself even identified so. If not for that, I would have classified Alty as some kind of a demi-human, seeing how prevalent they are in this otherworld. In this otherworld, beastfolks and dragonewts, whose very existence was as alien as monsters to me, were integrated into my daily life. If I didn¡¯t have my ¡®Display¡¯ system and Alty approached me in a friendly manner, without the nonsense of calling herself a monster, I would have accepted her as a party member without holding any suspicion of her. I would. She was just that close to a normal human being. She spoke with intelligence like a person, expressed feelings like a person, and even looked like a person. And that bothered me the most. It rattled my feelings and diminished my resolve. Is rejecting Alty really the right thing to do? Isn¡¯t that just the worst thing a person can do to another? Isn¡¯t this nothing more than a prejudice against a ¡®person¡¯ that can be talked to¡ª ¡ªyeah, let¡¯s stop there. If I beat myself over it, then the ????? Skill might go berserk. It would be foolish to repeatedly let it go berserk when I know the triggering condition. I don¡¯t have to be bothered by it. Monsters are something to be wary of, big or small. It eases me mentally and physically if I put it like that. Thus I reaffirmed my determination. I would not trust that monster called Alty until the day I died. I would pretend to trust her while keeping her away from me. I would pretend to take her offer as I bought time and raised my level to the point I would be able to defeat her for sure. ¡ªIf I ended up having to face her, then that would be that. That would be the future me¡¯s problem. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. It really becomes easier thanks to you, Alty. We¡¯ve cleared the 11th floor with no problem, so let¡¯s go to the 12th floor.¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ You¡¯re blushing, Christ. Just leave the 12th floor to me. Alty seemed like she was having fun. She joyfully let out a laugh and then went ahead. I followed behind her, trying not to look at her face, fighting the emotions swirling in my chest. * * * * * * ¡°Now, Christ!¡± ¡°I got it!¡± I threw my sword at the forehead of the giant gorilla-like monster. The sword, thrown with all my might, pierced through the monster¡¯s skull without missing its target. Alty, in turn, pierced the monster¡¯s torso with her flaming sword. The monster¡ªits brain and heart destroyed¡ªquickly faded into light. I retrieved my sword and the magic stone. I also checked the difference of my EXP on the ¡®Display¡¯; the EXP I received from the monsters of the 12th floor sure was different. It didn¡¯t seem like Alty¡¯s help decreased the EXP that I gained. ¡°Monsters on the 12th floor are such a piece of cake, eh?¡± ¡°I agree. And it¡¯s really easy to have you as our vanguard, Alty.¡± I pretended that I gradually opened my heart to her. I acted as if her devotion was moving me. ¡°Hah, that was nothing. Just count on me.¡± ¡°You can be commendable too, huh¡­¡± Alty seemed content, believing the words I spewed for her. She had been aggressively taking down monsters and stood her ground to prevent any of them from attacking me. But for my part, I didn¡¯t want to keep it up. It was tiring to always worry about my remaining MP so I could fight Alty at any moment. I wanted Alty to strongly assume I put my whole trust in her so I could end my exploration as soon as possible. So I decided to stage that breakaway event myself. The plan was simple; I would show an opening when facing a small fry monster and have Alty rescue me. Not only would that save time, but I might even find out her true intentions. If Alty saw that opening as a chance to attack me, then things turned simple. I would just strike at her after she bit the bait. After that, I would either fight or flee. If Alty saw that opportunity and went to save me, then the plan worked. I would praise Alty for rescuing me and pretend that my heart was completely open to her, then I would assure her that I would do what she wanted from me, then I¡¯d suggest that we should part ways. ¡°Well, let¡¯s defeat more monsters then. I need to defeat a lot of monsters from the 12th floor for my future plans.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s.¡± And so we proceeded to slay the monsters that dwelled on the 12th floor. Alty took care of most of the fighting as the vanguard, whilst I repeated the simple task of delivering the finishing blow over and over again. And then I spotted a monster suitable for my plan and went on about it. ¡°¡ªAlty! This guy¡¯s fast! We need to surround it!!¡± ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll close in from the back.¡± I suggested as we dealt with an agile-looking quadrupedal beast. The monster looked quite nimble, so Alty readily agreed. Alty sped up, and we splendidly encircled the beast. As planned, the monster was sandwiched between Alty and me. The two of us then went in and attacked¡ªor pretended to, in my case. I had no intention to give it all, not when Alty was watching¡­ but more importantly, that monster could easily be defeated if either of us wanted it. I would make the fight worse by appropriately interrupting Alty¡¯s movement, letting the monster slip by. Then, after confirming that Alty had taken a step away, I deliberately let my sword be swatted away by the monster¡¯s attack. ¡°Kgh¡ª!¡± I grunted after losing my weapon, exposing my defenseless body to the monster. At the same time, I put my right hand behind my back so that I could pull out the spare sword from the ¡®Item List¡¯ at any time. ¡°¡ªcrap!¡± I cursed and threw my gaze to Alty. I watched Alty¡¯s expression and movement as I pretended to ask for help. ¡ª¡ªAlty¡¯s response was as straightforward as it could be. ¡°CHRIST¡ª!!¡± She looked flustered and dashed forward as fast as she could. Not towards me, but the beast monster. She thrusted out her flaming sword with all her strength, practically slamming her whole body into the monster. That spared me from the monster¡¯s attack. I retracted my hand from my ¡®Item List¡¯, got up, and ran towards the sword that had been swatted away. Alty scuffled with the monster at practically zero distance. She sliced through the monster¡¯s torso with her flaming sword in her hand spewing flames. Naturally, that made the monster vanish into light and disappear. Having defeated the beast, Alty hastily turned to me. ¡°Christ! Are you okay?!!¡± No malice, no hostility¡­ Words of genuine concern for my safety. That was the answer Alty gave me. And that answer attacked me with pangs of guilt. I felt an uncomfortable feeling of pitch-black sludge oozing from my heart, filling me up to my head. I was the only one who was filthy in that place. ¡°¡­Y-yeah. I¡¯m all right. Thank you, Alty. You actually saved me¡­ Man, I¡¯m useless¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay¡­ Fufu, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s only natural for comrades to save each other, no?¡± Alty laughed, saying that it was obvious she¡¯d save me. Even though her bandages had ripped and her body was bathed in monster¡¯s blood, Alty went and saved me. I suddenly remembered the occurrence on the 9th floor: How those slaves were being used as disposables and how I had jumped in to save them, and how I had only been greeted with alienation after that. Had Alty been there, would she approve of what I had done? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I immediately shook my head, dismissing that line of thought as irrelevant. I had to pretend I trusted Alty, as originally planned. ¡°Haha, natural, huh¡­ Fine, I admit it. You just want me to fulfill your wish, and you have no intention of harming me at all¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Are you sure? I was prepared to be as patient as I needed to be, you know¡­¡± ¡°If I keep being stubborn even though you¡¯ve gone this far for me, then I¡¯d feel like I¡¯m being immature and miserable. I will trust you, just for a little.¡± ¡°A little, huh. No, that¡¯s enough. After all, I am a monster while you¡¯re a human.¡± Alty nodded happily. I watched her, feeling the most deplorable. ¡°But that¡¯s that for today. My MP is running low, and my concentration is waning.¡± The truth was I had more than half MP left. However, if I took having to potentially face Alty into account, that was the minimum. ¡°Mhm, I understand¡­ That¡¯s the end of it for today, then. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the Main Road¡­ Since we¡¯re here anyway, tell me more about that thing on our way back.¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll cooperate with my wish?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you I¡¯ll trust you a little? Come on, just say it.¡± I put my sword in its sheath and asked her as we went back the way we came from. ¡°Fufufu. Well, you see¡­ Like I told you before, I mainly want to watch over a girl who¡¯s fallen in love. Specifically, I¡¯m going to use my ability to haunt them undetected. I have the ability to be a parasite, you see.¡± ¡°Haunt? Will the girl you¡¯re haunting be harmed?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. I can assist them, depending on the situation, but essentially, I cannot harm them. I¡¯ll just be able to feel what the girl feels. I want to watch over a girl as I haunt them until her love is realized.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± In other words, if I could introduce her to someone who was experiencing a romantic feeling, then Alty wouldn¡¯t leave that person. In the meantime, I would be able to explore the Labyrinth in peace. ¡°Okay. If that¡¯s all, then I can try finding someone.¡± ¡°Ooh, really?¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯m good at, you know? I¡¯m not exactly someone who¡¯s good at love affairs, and I don¡¯t have the connections to look for one. If that¡¯s alright with you.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s good enough. I want you to clear me of my lingering attachments¡­ After all, you have the record of fulfilling Tida¡¯s wish. Moreover, I am a patient girl. If I wanted to, I could wait even for decades.¡± ¡°So if I do find someone, what do I do then?¡± We were approaching my main worry. If she said, ¡°I¡¯ll follow you around the whole time, Christ, so don¡¯t worry,¡± then that was the end of the deal. In that case, I would even consider fighting her. ¡°If you do, then, hmm¡­ You can just report it to the flames on the 10th floor. I will look for a candidate on my own, so I won¡¯t be there the whole time, but¡­ If you talk to the flames there, I can answer you from wherever I am.¡± So she wouldn¡¯t stick with me. I didn¡¯t know if that was out of concern for me, but for the moment, that was a relief. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll do just that. Or rather, Alty, when you said you¡¯ll search on your own, you mean in the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°No, in town. The barrier makes us much less powerful, but Guardians aren¡¯t bound by the Labyrinth, so we can walk around outside.¡± ¡°That¡¯s, well¡­ shocking to hear.¡± I had never heard that intel, not even in the tavern. It was probably information that had eluded even the allied nations. It was a good opportunity, I thought about what other information I could fish out from Alty. ¡°Even Tida put on a mask and wandered around the town from time to time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s frightening to even think about. Actually, that makes me wonder¡­ Are there other Guardians beside you two?¡± ¡°No, there aren¡¯t. Shamefully, humankind has only unsealed the Labyrinth up to the 23rd floor. I think that there¡¯s only one of us unleashed per 10 floors, so there¡¯s only two of us.¡± Alty showed a disappointed look and said, ¡°try harder, humans.¡± That was unexpected. I had thought that it was the boss monsters that interfered with us to keep us from advancing through the Labyrinth, but it seemed that it wasn¡¯t the case. From what Alty told me, it even sounded like the Guardians shared the same spirit with us rather than against us. As we talked about such details, we arrived at the 10th floor. The place was still ablaze with flames, quite a hard place for a human to stay. ¡°Are we going to part ways here?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to the surface too. You introduced me to quite an interesting girl, Christ.¡± ¡°I did?¡± I didn¡¯t recall ever introducing her to anyone. ¡°That Franr¨¹hle girl. That kind of clumsy, fiery love is my favorite. Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like it will bud, though. Fufufu, fufu.¡± Alty¡¯s face warped into a nasty smile. ¡°Ah, that.¡± That made me remember something I wished I didn¡¯t, making me dejected. ¡°Don¡¯t speak about her like she¡¯s an object. From the looks of it, she must be in love with you.¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡± Alty confronted me with a fact that I had been dimly aware of but didn¡¯t want to admit. ¡°Fufu, I know that you have no intentions of accepting her, but she still looks interesting. I¡¯m going to hang out near her for a short while.¡± ¡°Feel free to¡­¡± Personally, I couldn¡¯t care less what happened to that pesky Franr¨¹hle. I would give her up without any shred of conscience. However, I was a little afraid that Alty might help that girl fulfill her feelings. We walked to the surface, discussing how to realize Alty¡¯s wish. Our policy on the surface was basically to work separately. It was a good thing that we had agreed to report back to each other if we found a suitable person. Although that meant I would see Alty on a regular basis, it gave me a way to avoid fighting a Guardian and even allowed me to keep her away from me. Inside, I was pleased that my feign-trust strategy had succeeded, but I also felt the mud of self-loathing building up in the depths of my heart. The ????? Skill would surely make that feeling go away. However, I didn¡¯t want my Confusion modifier to exceed 10.00. My vidya-logic told me that reaching 10 could be a condition for something unknown. This emotion¡­ it¡¯s not something fatal, not just yet¡­ I told myself thus and kept walking. Alty and I¡­ Walking on the road leading to the bright surface. ____ ____ Chapter 24 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 24: Otherworldly Villa After reaching the surface, Alty immediately said, ¡°I might be patient, but I¡¯ll look for a candidate seriously. I¡¯ll be sure to thank you later,¡± then left. It seemed that her destination was the Eltheaulieux Academy, where Franr¨¹hle would be. I thought that her wish would be fulfilled on its own if she stayed in an academy, a place with a lot of students, but then she emphasized on giving those parting words. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I watched Alty walk off, then I sighed. The air on the surface sure was dangerous. There were none of the dangers of the Labyrinth there, and a sense of security enveloped me comfortably. However, just as the sun was setting, my feelings were also declining. ¡°Aah¡­¡± I had planned to challenge the Labyrinth solo whilst looking for Dia¡¯s severed arm, and yet I was met with one unexpected event after another. I walked to the hospital where Dia would be. Either way, I had made it to the 5th floor of the Labyrinth all by myself, so I thought I would report at least that. The moment I reached the hospital, I made a beeline to the room where Dia was supposed to be sleeping in. The room was filled with magical light, the same pale light bubbles that I had seen during the battle with Tida. ¡°¡­Dia? What are you doing?¡± ¡°What else? Rehab.¡± Dia sat cross-legged on the bed, emitting light from both of his arms. ¡°Why, you. The doctor told you to rest, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°He did. But, I wanted to get back on track as soon as possible. Arguably, this week is like a rehabilitation time for me¡­¡± ¡°Just¡­ take your time, all right?¡± With that, I placed the palm of my hand on Dia¡¯s head. He looked at my arm for a long time, then nodded. ¡°I understood. If that¡¯s what you say, Christ, then I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Do that. You don¡¯t want your stay in the hospital to get prolonged, do you?¡± ¡°Ha-ha, dang right.¡± Dia laughed joyfully¡ªand after the magic light fizzled out, he asked me how my progress was. ¡°So, Christ. Have you been to the Labyrinth since then?¡± ¡°I have. I made it to the 5th floor all by myself, no problem. I honestly think I could go further.¡± I didn¡¯t want to tell him everything. I wanted to keep quiet, especially about Alty. Partly because I didn¡¯t want to worry Dia, he was not in good shape as it was, but also partly because I felt like I could solve that Guardian problem on my own. Whether I fulfilled that thing¡¯s wish or defeated it, I could do it by myself. No, I must do it myself. That¡¯s what I told myself. ¡°Haha, see, I told you. You¡¯re fine on your own, Christ. You don¡¯t need me to be with you. You should be more confident about yourself.¡± ¡°Thank you. You were right, Dia. But, having you with me would have¡ª¡± I learned that there was a lot I could do alone. But at the same time, I was also certain that I would feel safer if I had someone else with me. I was about to tell him that having him with me would have made me feel much safer, but he interrupted me before I could finish my words. ¡°¡ªno, I can¡¯t stay the way I was. Just wait, Christ. I will return to a person worthy to stand beside you.¡± ¡°¡­Y-yeah. Okay.¡± I was caught off-guard, thinking that Dia had returned to his usual self, but I was suddenly overwhelmed by those eyes of his that showed firm convictions. ¡°My discharge is, hm¡­in six days, right? If I¡¯m correct, that¡¯s the day of the Holy Birthday. Right in the middle of the festival.¡± ¡°Festival?¡± Dia suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something. Apparently, there was a festival in the Allied Nations around the time of his discharge. ¡°Yeah. There will be a festival to celebrate the holy birthday of the heroes who founded the allied nations, centered on Whoseyards. The country will hold a festival a few days before the Holy Birthday, and on the day, a grand ceremony is held in the cathedral.¡± The vocabulary ¡®festival¡¯ sounded strange to me, and Dia explained it to me. ¡°I see. I¡¯m from a faraway country, so I didn¡¯t know that. But that¡¯s quite good timing. Once you¡¯re discharged, let¡¯s partake in the festival to celebrate it.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that. All right. That means I need to recover ASAP.¡± The topic changed to the festival, and the air in the room became cheerful. ¡ªAnd then, as Dia told me what the Holy Birthday was all about, time passed. Meanwhile, I had one question I wanted to ask Dia. It was a tug on my heart¡­ About the incident on the 9th floor. Regarding the treatment of the slaves at that time. Just, what kind of answer would Dia give me¡­ I was dying to know. However, I didn¡¯t want to ruin that cheerful atmosphere. I didn¡¯t end up asking it, maybe because I was afraid that Dia might turn out the same as Franr¨¹hle. Thus, my visiting hours to Dia ended with emotions swirling in my chest. *** I walked downtown all alone. I finished my exploration, and I had visited Dia, leaving me with nothing to do in particular. I thought about going back into the Labyrinth, but since my reason to leave the Labyrinth was that I ran out of MP, I didn¡¯t want to do anything that would make Alty aware of my presence. I tried to assemble a plan as I walked. Thanks to the money I got from selling Tida¡¯s magic stone, the options I had were limitless. However, I had already provided myself with daily necessities, and I also had stocked up on all the things I needed for the Labyrinth exploration. All the stuff I had brought that the manager of a tool shop had told me to buy was still in my ¡®Item List¡¯. Things such as the file, cutlery, needles, thread, saucepan, and leather bags remain untouched. In hindsight, those might not have been necessary. Thanks to my Item system, I could bring as many tools as I wanted. Therefore, I could overlook the various problems other explorers were facing, such as repairing my armor and tools and securing water and food. I could bring dozens of swords with me and stock up on many years¡¯ worth of consumables as well. In other words, Kanami Aikawa the explorer must not buy the same thing as many other explorers. As long as I had the ¡®Map¡¯, I didn¡¯t need any other maps. As long as I had the ¡®Item List¡¯, I didn¡¯t need a bag. What I needed to bring was not a means of repair but a whole lot of spares. I thought about it as I took the bag of gold coins out of my ¡®Item List¡¯. I jingled the bag and thought back to the time when I acquired that large amount of gold. Tida¡¯s magic stone in itself was worth 40 gold coins. The value of that magic stone was enough to buy a house, which showed just how valuable the guardian¡¯s magic stone was. It was so expensive that I wondered if it was an event item or a rare item, but¡­ since I still had to pay for Dia¡¯s hospital expenses, I couldn¡¯t turn my back on the offer. Of course, those important country officials had asked me where I got that magic stone. They even told me that the one magic stone would bring about years of progress in the Magic Stone Technology and, consequently, the Line, and thus I was held up for a long time. In the end, I just blurted out that I had defeated a strong-looking boss monster. They asked for more details, but I told them I was in a daze when that happened and pretended I didn¡¯t remember much and finally forced myself to leave by saying that my partner was gravely injured. Looking back, I acted quite suspiciously. I was in a hurry, so I had no choice, but that might end up biting me on the back later¡­ As I continued walking, absorbed in my thoughts, I ended up in a residential area away from the Labyrinth. Rugged wooden houses lined the streets, completely out of proportion compared to the houses near the streets with those magical gems. All around me, people were scurrying home, knowing that the sun was setting. Children tired of playing. A weary-looking old woman carrying her luggage around her. A swordsman, probably on his way home from the Labyrinth, limping as he walked. A woman, probably doing housework, taking the clothes that had been hung outside to dry back inside. I had been living only around the Labyrinth up until then, so it was the first time for me to see such a scene. Then it occurred to me. ¡°Enough to buy a house¡­right?¡± I strengthened my grip on the bag. I was given a corner space in the tavern, so I wasn¡¯t exactly in need of a place to live. However, I couldn¡¯t take advantage of the manager¡¯s kindness forever. It was the way of the explorers to take up lodging with one¡¯s own income. What I had was gold coins, a representation of my income. Enough of them not to just rent a room for a day or two but to buy a whole house. I restarted my walk. Not as aimlessly as before, as now I walked with a purpose. *** ¡ªAnd then, a few hours later. A wooden house which was a bit too big for one person to live in. A four-bedroom house, or so it would be called in my world. Inside the house, in one of the rooms that had been well-cleaned, the woman and I were facing each other. ¡°¡ªSo to make sure, you will sign a one-year lease for this property?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Since I had memorized most of the stores in Varte in my head, I soon arrived at a store that dealt with housing. When I presented the money I had in my possession, I was welcomed with open arms, and the conversation proceeded with aplomb. However, buying both the land and the house would have been too expensive, so I settled on a lease contract. I didn¡¯t intend to stay in this otherworld forever in the first place. I was living in the hope that I would return home in one year¡¯s time, so I chose to sign a contract to rent a house for only one year. ¡°If so, I will bring you the detailed contract later. You may start living here right away if you want.¡± The sales representative replied with a beaming smile. That salesman¡¯s smile was impeccable. As someone who also worked in customer service, I would have liked to learn from her. ¡°Eh, really¡­?¡± ¡°It has been paid, and the contract has been written. There is nothing to worry about. All that is left are a few minor options that come with it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Leaving those words behind, the real estate agent left. I was then left alone to double-check the state of the house. It was a single-family house property, and a first-class one at that, the kind that a single explorer wouldn¡¯t normally be able to contract. The house was said to have excellent resistance to earthquakes and heat. In addition, the Line was drawn to the inside of the house, and the house was equipped with magic devices that enabled flushing, boiling water, and igniting a fire using the magical power shared by the country. All of those items were expensive and were said to be special-order items ordered from Whoseyards. I tried out those magic devices in a kitchen that was much more luxurious than the one in the tavern I worked at. I lightly passed magic power through the gem-embedded artifact, and a fire was lit. Next was the lock. I went outside the house to check the high-class lock made of magic stone and iron. As a modern person, I was alert to locking up doors, so I was particularly concerned about the perfection of the lock. I opened and closed it again and again with the key made of magic stone. The thing itself was an ancient-looking, large padlock, but it closed the house securely. That was worth all the crazy requests I made at the real estate agency. I was able to get a property as similar to my original house as possible. The contract price was 10 gold coins. That didn¡¯t include maintenance or wear and tear costs. If I were to cause any property damage, I would have to pay more money, a considerably high amount at that. Nevertheless, I went through a series of detailed requests to make the private space as close to one I used to have in my original world as possible. I believed that this would, in turn, alleviate stress in the long run and make rest a quality experience. Most importantly, it would help with my mental stability. ¡°Haha, hahahaha.¡± It was fun. I had time to examine various items. Time to think about what I needed. Time to talk about what I wanted. All those opportunities gave me a most supreme pleasure. ¡°Haha, ha, ha¡­ haah¡­¡± Then, after a quick laugh, I let out a loud sigh. An overwhelming sense of weakness took me over, and all of it transformed into a feeling of regret. Simply put, I went too far. I was caught up in the moment. I realized that I was much more abnormal than I had thought. It must be because I had been working my nerves off trying not to use the ????? Skill since I had used that Skill too much in the battle against Tida. It seemed like I suppressed too much of my emotions. This was the result of keeping a lid on the bad feelings that kept pouring into me. My stress level must have exceeded what I could tolerate before I knew it, and that was my body trying to relieve itself on its own. ¡°I went too far¡­ All I needed was a roof over my head and a place to sleep¡­ the money should have been used to explore the Labyrinth¡­¡± I could have kept eating at the tavern. There was no point in cooking at home. I didn¡¯t even need to boil water. If I wanted to take a bath, it was more time-efficient to go to a bathing facility just for that day. The lock was the best example of it. What was I even protecting in that house? I could put everything I wanted into the ¡®Item List;, I had nothing to put in the house. It¡¯s a wooden house to begin with. Someone could just break the door open to intrude. I locked the house again and then looked where the agent left off to. ¡°She¡¯s something else¡­ She made me buy something I didn¡¯t even need so easily¡­¡± When I thought about it, that was a wonderful art of conversation. The reason she treated me so well in the store was probably because I looked like a kid with too much money for my stature. I sat down and stared at the road in front of my house. The house was perched on top of a windy hill, overlooking the residential area. It was a wonderful location. It had good access to sunlight and was close to the Labyrinth. However, the proximity to the Labyrinth was a negative factor for the general public, which was why the property remained. The sun had completely set. The activity in the town gradually lessened. ¡°Ha ha ha, I screwed up big time¡­¡± As I was reflecting on that on my lonesome ass¡ª ¡°¡­hm?¡±From the depths of the darkness, I heard the sound of an animal running. I listened closer and realized that it was the sound of something like a horse¡¯s hooves against the road. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension?.¡± For no particular reason, I decided I¡¯d probe around with magic. I sensed that the carriage was speeding, and I could even tell that it resembled the one that used to carry the slaves. ¡ªSlaves again, huh? I remembered the bloodied slave who was made to fight against monsters in the Labyrinth. He was definitely one of the factors that made me go on that spending spree. To be honest, it was probably a problem I couldn¡¯t handle on my own. As long as it had taken root in the culture of this world, it was futile for me to fret over it, even if it would be advantageous for me to. The head that been cooled down by that spending spree, was once again tightened when I thought of how to deal with slavery in the future. Right. There was no point, even if I helped him. Saving just one slave was hypocrisy. A deed of self-satisfaction. If I really was concerned about the existence of slaves, I should fundamentally unroot the problem from the country and the culture. If you asked me if I had the guts to do that, my answer was a big no. Make no mistake. I didn¡¯t have the luxury of worrying about such things. If anything, what I had to do was use the slaves to help conquer the Labyrinth. ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± I recreated the bitter laugh I made for Franr¨¹hle. Then, my logical part of the brain dug up a plan, one that I had conceived a few days prior. What a lousy plan it was, trying to find a talented slave. Replace the word slave with the word less-fortunate. In the end, it was about finding someone to do my biddings and using them as pawns. However, lousy as it was, it was still an efficient one. Then what differentiated me from others at spending my money? The ¡®Display¡¯ system, that was what. The ¡®Display¡¯ allowed me to see the details of things and people. It was a lead that even the most seasoned merchant couldn¡¯t get. It was easy to find a hidden talent. That was true for those who were leaders of some sort or those who had achieved status or prestige. However, to obtain the cooperation of such people, a large price was required. Getting them to help was harder than catching a fleeting dream. However, if the one I was dealing with was someone who wasn¡¯t utilizing their talent, then it would be much easier to take the initiative. They might have the talent but not the ability, or they lacked the confidence to use them. To put it bluntly, I meant people like Dia. Slaves could easily fulfill that requirement. I confirmed my remaining funds and finalized my plans. I put the key to the house in my ¡®Item List¡¯, got up, eager to make my next purchase a useful one, and walked toward the sound of the carriage that was carrying the slaves. I had spent a lot of money on the house. I admitted it. However, I would use the rest of the money for the Labyrinth. My plan was foolproof. I might regret choosing stuff that didn¡¯t have a status like a house, but there¡¯s no way I could make a mistake on something that did. However, that meant it was inevitable for me to go to the less secure areas of Varte. That wasn¡¯t much of a problem, though. My and Dia¡¯s levels had risen thanks to the battle against Tida, and I had enough HP and MP that came with it. If I ever got into trouble, I¡¯d be able to handle it. As I walked, I produced a large piece of cloth from my ¡®Item List¡¯ and wrapped it around me like a scarf. I hid my face as much as possible as I followed the carriage. And then, as the city fell deeper into the night and the darkness faded into midnight¡ªI arrived at a different place from the slave market I had visited before. It was a different establishment, but the main layout was similar. It had to be another place where slaves were bought and sold. I blended in, basing my conduct on the information I had obtained. ____ ____ Chapter 25 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 25: Slave Market I blended in, but I didn¡¯t immediately participate in the auction. I remained inert and decided to gather information first. At the first venue I ran into, I held my breath and observed the auction taking place from the back. That was to check if the intel I had obtained was correct. But all the while, the same discomfort that I felt when I saw the slaves in the Labyrinth built up inside me. That time, however, I disciplined myself with reason. I focused only on what was logically necessary for me and put nothing but the bare minimum amount of information in my mind. With great prudence, I managed to not buy any slaves in the first venue. Of course, I would have inserted myself in the auction if there was a slave that stood above the rest, but they were all average. Apparently, there were different types of slave markets. The first market was for beginners, which was why the transaction was comparatively clean. In other words, more special slaves who excelled in some way or the other wouldn¡¯t be sold there¡ªgoods like them would be exhibited in a darker part of the slave market. By the way, all of that was information I acquired from eavesdropping on all the chatter of the participants by using ?Dimension?. It was quite a crude trick, but I buried the shortcomings with a lot of MP. Among the chit-chat, I picked up the location and time of the special slave market that would be held later in the day. Many ruffians tried to mess with me since I was still young, but I was able to deal with them in places out of sight. Many of the attendees in the venue had escorts with them, and so I¡ªwho was participating alone¡ªstood out a little, partly also because of my youth. I went from one venue to another, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. That meant I was diving deeper and deeper into the depth of this world. Gradually, the markets turned from common ones to the more illegal ones. The price of their slaves rose, and individuals that were not simply prisoners of war also rose to the platform. There were daughters of some kind of rare beastfolk who had been kidnapped and children much younger than those who were exhibited in the general slave market. Other goods also had some peculiar constitution, like the loss of pigmentation in their skin and hair. There were all kinds of individuals. The primal enthusiasm of man in that infrastructure hit me hard, making me feel vertigo. I was supposed to know that already. I should have been prepared for it. However, there was a difference between what I had predicted in my mind and what I experienced in real-time. I didn¡¯t consider myself an upstanding person by any measure. I had gone that far with the determination to accept the culture of slavery. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t adapt to that space. A narcotic-like scent clung to my nostrils; every kind of human odor mixed with it. There was also the vulgar laughter of the wealthy who dominated that space. To make matters worse were the pathetic-looking slaves exhibited on the platform. I continued to watch them from one corner, hiding my expression. And what drove me crazy the most was the Constitution of the slaves. My ¡®Display¡¯ showed no falsehood nor trickery¡ªonly the truth laid bare. ¡°¡­!¡± My face contorted on its own. A slave auction held at midnight exclusively for the rich¡ªthere was nothing good about those venues. Nothing. Most of the customers there were looking for slaves for the sole purpose of using them up as disposables. I continued to check the slaves¡¯ talents even as my mind was being whittled down. I looked at their level, their ¡®Status¡¯, and their ¡®Skills¡¯ as if they were a task, and I didn¡¯t give a glance at their names. Never look at their names. I had to be thorough about it or I would be emotionally involved with them. And then, another slave was brought to the stage, and the man hosting the auction raised a loud voice that echoed throughout the venue. ¡°This brings us to our next item. Let me explain slaves number five through ten¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t lend an ear to the host, merely focusing on the slaves at my own discretion. Number five: parameters were low across the board, and Skills were average. Number six: parameters average, no Skills whatsoever. Number seven: high status and similarly high parameters, but no Skills. Number eight: good balance of parameters and four Skills, but suffering bad status on Constitution. Number nine: no parameters or Skills to speak of, and the Constitution was¡­ ¡°¡­I should stop.¡± I stopped myself. I thought I could push through with extra determination, but it was still not enough. I could still hold my own in the shallow end of the slave market. However, it didn¡¯t seem like I could keep my wit around and continue my search for an appropriate talent in that environment. The adults in the gallery all laughed and bid on the slaves without any remorse, and I would be no different from those well-off snobs. Once I realized that, my eyes refused to continue looking at the slaves. My dejection notwithstanding, the masked host introduced merchandise slaves one after another. It was an auction-styled event, after all, and goods were given prices at a fast rate. I wondered what would happen to the slaves that had been purchased. What would that fat man do to the red-haired young girl that he bought? I had gained the habit of observing people, hence why those questions popped up, despite my best wishes. It¡¯d be best if they were bought as servants or labor hands. However, no decent customers would buy slaves in a place like that. Those slaves might lose various parts of their bodies, depending on the tastes of their buyers. Those who fancied minors would be the worst of the worst. Some of those slaves perhaps wouldn¡¯t live to see the next day. It was depressing. They were all human beings. They¡¯re a person just like I am a person. That wasn¡¯t something unique to this otherworld. I knew for sure that the same kind of people had been doing the same kind of cruelty even in my previous world. The world was riddled with society¡¯s blind spots, after all. I just happened to, unfortunately, stumbled upon one that time because of the rule-breaking ?Dimension? magic. I couldn¡¯t bear watching that any longer. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go home.¡± It was a bitter experience but also a learning one. That was all that mattered at that time. I¡¯ve gained something invaluable. I told myself that and then slowly got up from my seat when¡­ ¡°Hm? Going back already, Onii-san?¡± Someone called out to me. Is it bad manners to abruptly leave one¡¯s seat? I was conspicuous enough with my young age. I seemed to have caught the eye of that man. He was a tall man. He was dressed like a merchant, and his profile was defined and masculine, unlike most customers there. I was surprised, but I quickly thought up a bland excuse for leaving. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not feeling well.¡± ¡°Aah. I guess this is too much for the young Onii-san, eh?¡± ¡°¡­not really.¡± There was no need for a lengthy chat. I went to leave the venue, parting with only those words behind. ¡°Ah. Haha, poor girl. That noble who bought her is infamous for his nasty hobby, you see.¡± The man spoke loud enough to allow me to hear him. I stopped in my tracks at those words. Then, I glanced at the slave girl, and she was shrieking. Perhaps she was aware of the rumors about the nobleman. She resisted bitterly, even saying that she¡¯d rather die than be bought by that noble. I casted my eyes away¡­ and looked at the smirking face of the man. ¡°¡­what¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°Nothing big. You just look like someone who¡¯s fun to poke around, Onii-san.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There were no good people there, after all. I sighed and decided not to deal with him before I resumed my tracks. ¡°¡ªAllow me to describe our next entry. Number 13: a girl from Fania with dark hair and dark eyes, a rarity in this world¡ª¡± As I was leaving, I heard the host¡¯s voice. From Fania¡­? Dark hair, dark eyes¡­? Having heard those bizarrely particular characteristics, something tugged me back. I had tried time and time again to leave that place, but my weak heart had kept me from leaving. I hated that weak part of me, but I compromised by deciding that it truly would be the last, and thus I glanced at the stage for a moment. ¡°¡­!!¡± It was a girl whose name I had unfortunately known¡­ The girl who had told me her name a few days prior. ¡°¡­I am Maria. My name is Maria.¡± Her voice haunted me, and her name occupied my mind. At the same time, my gaze was drawn to her vacant eyes as she stood on the platform. And by pure coincidence, she noticed me as well. We had met each other just once¡ªan encounter that lasted only a few seconds at that, and yet she seemed to remember me as well. A hint of spark flashed in her vacant eyes, and our gazes met. The gallery and the platform. That girl and I. We looked at each other, and we couldn¡¯t look away. ¡°Hm, Onii-san? Is there something about that slave?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± It was as if the man¡¯s words had never entered my ears. ¡°That face doesn¡¯t say ¡®nothing,¡¯ Onii-san. That¡¯s why people like me can¡¯t help but poke fun at you.¡± Despite the man¡¯s words, I kept my eyes glued on the Maria girl. She was an ordinary girl. Her ¡®Status¡¯ hadn¡¯t changed since the day I first saw her. She was good at cooking¡ªand was gifted with some talent. There were plenty of others with such a degree of ¡®Status¡¯. However, I had talked to her, and I even knew her name. That had fulfilled the conditions of empathy that I had feared. ¡ªThat was the worst. ¡°Oh, the auction is starting.¡± The man continued to speak as though trying to pry out words from me. At the same time, pent-up emotions began to swirl in my chest. I was starting to lose control of my feelings. Calm down¡­ Calm. Remember what just happened¡­ The slaves you met in the Labyrinth, in the end, their fate was never up to you¡­ Learn from that experience and grow, Aikawa Kanami¡­ ¡°Aah. If you leave this one, she¡¯ll be bought by that noble as well, you know¡­ I bet he¡¯s saved up to procure a lot of toys today. Hello, Onii-san?¡± But¡­ ¡ªBut Maria¡¯s circumstance was different from those slaves that I had met in the Labyrinth. And I couldn¡¯t help but notice. I couldn¡¯t do anything to those slaves because they belonged to someone else. However, the slaves there belonged to no one. I could easily scoop them up from that place. If only I could speak up there, I could prevent Maria¡¯s voice from ever being corrupted with grief. On the other hand, leaving her there meant leaving her to die. I doubted my immature mentality could bear the guilt. For good measure, I talked to the man. ¡°¡­Hey. How do you participate in this auction?¡± ¡°Hm? You¡¯re entering, Onii-san? If you want to bid, just raise your hand and speak up about your price. This place isn¡¯t much different from any other. Just copy the people around you, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± If I measured my actions, there was no way I¡¯d get it wrong. However, the logical part of myself kept pestering me to stop until the end. It makes no sense to try to save just one person¡­ That¡¯s nothing but ugly hypocrisy¡­ Indeed, it was attacking me with reasons. I fought it back with more excuses. It makes me feel better if I can save even just one person. Hypocrisy it might be, if I can literally shovel money to prevent the ????? Skill from going berserk, then why not? And what luck, I happen to have a huge amount of money. ¡°¡ªDouble that price.¡± I raised my hand and said it loud enough for everyone to hear. * * * * * * Maria, the slave girl, looked shocked. Her widened eyes kept staring back at me with the same curious gaze she gave me when we had first met¡ªlike she had found something. The entire hall erupted in a stir. Some looked at me with interest, some were amused and started to cheer, and some began to discuss curiously¡ªall those rich snobs, they studied me and murmured between themselves. ¡°¡ªand here comes a bid from a wealthy young man! And who¡¯d have guessed?! The price is now over a gold coin! Is there any other gentleman who¡¯s interested in this slave who has won over that young man¡¯s favor?!!¡± The host ramped up his speech. He raised his voice to enliven the gallery as though not to lose that heat. The man next to me laughed. ¡°Haha, you raised the bid too quickly, Onii-san. Copy that tactic without knowing better, and lo and behold¡­¡± The man smiled and pointed. His finger was directed to the nobleman who had been bidding on Maria before me. The nobleman shouted loud enough to be heard over all the noise in the venue. ¡°I¡¯ll double his price!¡± ¡°And Fevre-dono declares his bidding! Another price double! Only the finest of the finest has ever reached two gold coins! The item has jumped up to five times the market price!¡± The nobleman raised the price further, then looked at me. His seat was a bit further away, but even from the distance, his dislike of me was apparent. Meanwhile, the host looked excited and overjoyed at the raised price for his merchandise. The man next to me shrugged. ¡°See, they got agitated.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I had been thoughtless, alright. I was so impulsive I ended up doing something idiotic. Because of me, the others became interested in the girl, which in turn gradually drove up the price. The girl wasn¡¯t special whatsoever. It was those people who were idiots. The more the gallery worked up, the more I cooled down. ¡°You seem to be in trouble. I can win the bid easily for you if you want, Onii-san.¡± ¡ªThe man¡¯s sweet deal almost had me lose my wit again. ¡°¡­easily? Why would you lend me a hand?¡± I responded to him, choosing my words so he wouldn¡¯t belittle me. In response, the man only smiled. ¡°Nothing big. It just seems fun.¡± ¡°¡­If you can do it, then be my guest. My budget isn¡¯t that big.¡± ¡°I can do it alright. What¡¯s your upper limit?¡± The man stated he could do it simply and then asked me for my budget. I was swayed by his easy way of talking and calculated the money I¡¯d dare to spend in my head. ¡°¡­Three gold coins. That¡¯s all I can spend.¡± ¡°Mhm. I can tell that this one¡¯s gonna hit four. Watch.¡± ¡°I never said I¡¯d entrust it to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Just watch.¡± The man then joined the auction. He raised his hand, raised the price ever slightly, and placed his bid. I continued to watch in amazement. Even though he kept cutting off people to raise his own bid, he didn¡¯t seem to attract any attention. Although, he sometimes waved his hand to the host. Seeing him, the host also waved his hand back. It seemed like that man was well-known. In the end, he and Fevre-dono had a bidding war, but it didn¡¯t end badly, with the man winning the bid for three gold coins and a little more. ¡°And I won it.¡± He easily won the bid for Maria the slave girl. However, the winning bid price was over the budget I had offered. ¡°¡­I told you I can only spend three gold coins.¡± ¡°Did you? I guess I can talk to Fevre-dono to have him take her off my hands then.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that I had your help. I won¡¯t go back on my words.¡± ¡°Kuku, you¡¯re interesting. Pay me four gold coins then.¡± The man demanded his share as he was holding his stomach from laughter. I raised an eyebrow at his demand but quickly gave in with a sigh. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Oh? You sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯d just keep dancing in your palm either way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much fun if you give up this easily, though. You could¡¯ve let me have more fun, you know? Kuku.¡± With a sly grin plastered on his face, the man smirked and then got up from his seat before he beckoned me over. ¡°You can¡¯t bear watching it, right Onii-san? Why don¡¯t we leave the venue and get your goods early tonight?¡± ¡°¡­you don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± The man seemed to know exactly how I felt. Feeling that there was no use going against his words, I followed his advice. He and I left the venue behind us. We had a staff member that was standing by to lead us around to the back of the venue. There, the slaves who had been sold to the highest bidder were lined up in a narrow space. Maria was amongst them. Her eyes kept staring at me fixedly. The man finished the procedures with the staff and took Maria¡¯s hand with him. He then walked towards me and held his palm out. I took out four gold coins from my pocket and handed them over. ¡°Mhm, four gold coins alright. The registry on the slave collar is blank, so go ahead and fill it.¡± The man put the gold coins in his pocket and then handed Maria to me. He was quite eccentric, so I was expecting he¡¯d try to get more deals out of me¡ªhis not doing so threw me out of the loop. I immediately pulled Maria close to me and told him exactly what I had in mind. ¡°Since it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, I was expecting you¡¯d add your own terms.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m happy I can see you being so panicked up there. Don¡¯t think bad of me. If anything, I am interested in you, Onii-san.¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯ve bad taste.¡± ¡°And I saved your hide nonetheless, no? ¡­Or wait, can you say you wouldn¡¯t have been so at a loss without my interference in the first place?¡± The man continued to tease me, suggesting that he could peer into my inner thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m done. She¡¯s going with me.¡± Sensing that further contact wouldn¡¯t be a good idea, I tried to separate myself from the man. He, however, stopped me. ¡°Hold your horses. No need to be in such a hurry. Why don¡¯t we introduce ourselves before we part? I¡¯ll even take your complaints later.¡± ¡°¡­name yourself if you want. I won¡¯t.¡± I decided that I wasn¡¯t going to tell him my name, but hearing his name wouldn¡¯t hurt. In response to my words, the man smiled and began to introduce himself. ¡°My name is Palinchron Legacy. I am a knight of Whoseyards, and one of the Celestial Knights.¡± With that said, Palinchron made a gesture as if he were swinging a sword with his empty hand. His gesture was too fluid. It was so natural that I¡¯d have thought there was a sword in his hand¡ªa technique I intuitively understood could only be acquired through endless repetitive practice. Feeling threatened, I took a step back and checked Palinchron¡¯s ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Palinchron Legacy HP: 301/312, MP: 59/62 Class: Knight Level: 22 STR: 7.89, VIT: 9.86, DEX: 11.89, AGI: 5.67, WIS: 7.34, MAG: 4.77, APT: 1.80 Innate Skills: Observation 1.45 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.89 Divine Magic: 1.23 Martial Arts: 1.87 Sorcery: 0.54 ¡ªThe highest leveled human I¡¯d seen. Unparalleled in quality. Skills practical and of high values. I quickly understood that this Palinchron man wasn¡¯t someone to scoff at. My body strained, and I quickly deployed ?Dimension? without chanting, then I put my right hand behind my back, ready to pull a sword out of my ¡®Item List¡¯ at any moment. ¡°Ku ku, no need to get so nervous. I¡¯m here just for a look today.¡± Palinchron was amused by my response and indicated that he meant no hostility by showing both of his palms towards me. ¡°A look, you mean at the slaves¡­?¡± ¡°No, I mean at you, Onii-san. Trying to follow you unnoticed and procuring a seat near you was quite a chore.¡± Palinchron casually told me he had been tailing me like it was nothing. That absolutely astonished me, and I was convinced that he wasn¡¯t lying. Palinchron¡¯s parameters were that high, and his mannerisms were unusual. ¡°Why would you¡­ tail me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re our lady¡¯s beloved. I just had to take a look before anyone else did.¡± ¡®His lady¡¯s beloved¡¯? ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what you¡¯re talking about. This ¡°lady¡±, you mean Franr¨¹hle?¡± There was only one person that I could think of: Franr¨¹hle, whom I had met back in the Labyrinth. ¡°Franr¨¹hle? Nah, not her¡­ but whoa, I never thought I¡¯d hear the name of the daughter of the Hellvilleshines from you. You¡¯re amusing indeed, Onii-san.¡± Palinchron claimed that it wasn¡¯t Franr¨¹hle. However, I couldn¡¯t guess who else. ¡°I don¡¯t know who your lady is. I don¡¯t remember meeting any lady.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s weird. Well, that¡¯s good enough for me. I just came here first to have a look, is all. Nothing more. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Having said that, Palinchron turned his back on me. ¡°See ya later, Onii-san.¡± Palinchron raised his hand to say goodbye as he walked to the exit. He seemed to really be going away. I had no idea what was going on, and if I could, I¡¯d go after him and ask him about it. However, with how high his level was, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to. I couldn¡¯t see what would happen if I had to fight him. If he was going to leave, then it was better not to force myself to go after him. While I was lost in my own mind, Palinchron left me alone with Maria. I turned to the girl, and she was still looking at me. I realized that she must have been looking at me the whole time, ever since Palinchron had won her. My shoulders dropped, burdened by the oddity of having Maria attached to me and all the troubles that came with it, and then I grabbed her hand. ¡°Come with me¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Maria gave a small nod. In the end, I had taken in a slave because my emotions had gotten the better of me. I fully understood it then¡ªmy mental capacity would never be able to overcome the problem of slavery. That night¡¯s incident was the definitive proof. I vowed never to go to the slave market again and walked homeward, pulling Maria¡¯s cold hand along with me. ____ ____ Chapter 26 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 26: Assessing Each Other After parting ways with Palinchron at the slave market, Maria and I made our way back to my new house. The first thing I did upon our return was check the bathtub. The bathtub in the house was constructed with a lot of magic stones, and apparently, the heat for it was supplied from the Line that extended from the outdoors. But obviously, if I used that service, I¡¯d be charged for it later. I used my own magic power to turn the water in the tub into hot water. Maria had been cleaned up somewhat in the slave market, but she was still comparatively dirty, so I encouraged her to soak in the tub. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve got hot water running, so why don¡¯t you go into the tub? Just give it a quick soak.¡± ¡°Into the tub¡­?¡± Maria looked at the tub curiously. ¡°You don¡¯t know what this is for?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I mean you should take a bath. You fill the tub with hot water, and then you submerge in it to wash your body. That¡¯s what it is.¡± ¡°¡­Huh. I understand.¡± I answered her questions before she gingerly prepared to enter the bathtub. Maria only said the bare minimum. She seemed to be interested in me, but I¡¯d guess she was also wary of me. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of character she had. All I knew about her was that she was a good hunter and cook, and I only knew it from the ¡®Display¡¯. In other words, her numerical information. I left Maria in the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. Then, I took the food I had bought from my ¡®Item List¡¯. For the night, I decided I¡¯d make some simple sandwiches and salads. Maria, however, didn¡¯t come out of the bath even after I finished preparing the meal. I called out to her over the door between the bathroom and the living room. ¡°Are you not done, Maria?¡± ¡°Ah. No, I¡¯m done. But my body is wet¡­¡± ¡°Aah. Wipe it off with a cloth you have nearby. You can wear whatever shirt fits as well.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The bare necessities were always available in that house, so I recommended that she use them. I heard her rummaging through the clothes through the door. Soon after, Maria came out of the bathroom. Dressed in her new beige clothes, Maria approached me without saying a word. Just the mere thought of a girl fresh from the bath made me bashful, but I tried to keep my poker face so she wouldn¡¯t realize how flustered I was. Her black hair, cut at the shoulder, was still disheveled, and she was unable to wipe off all the water. I wiped Maria¡¯s head with the cloth I had at hand and asked her to join me at the table. ¡°Sit there. I know it¡¯s late, but it¡¯s dinner.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Maria replied distractedly. She seemed to find it strange that there was a meal and took a few unsteady steps to the table. I took a seat across from her. I began to eat, not saying a word, but Maria remained frozen with a sandwich in her hands, looking mystified. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, well, it¡¯s different from what I was told¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. What were you told?¡± Curious about what slaves were told, I asked her for the details. ¡°They told me my master would make me regret being born a female and that I would bite my tongue out in less than a day.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I regretted asking. I doubled my vow that it was better to stay out of all the slave business. ¡°You will rape me, toy with me me, and then break me, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not me, I won¡¯t. For the time being, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°For the time being?¡± ¡°I might sell you tomorrow. If it comes to that, you may need to be prepared for what you just described, so drop the topic for now. Taking you in today was a mistake. It was just a¡­ momentary lapse.¡± I had been thinking about what I would do with her. I wouldn¡¯t say that Maria had the right talent for the labyrinth, not even to flatter. I had only bought her on a spur-of-the-moment emotional bias, and depending on the situation, I should have considered selling her back to recoup my money. ¡ªThat was a logical solution. However, despite what words came out of my mouth, I also felt that I wouldn¡¯t be able to do such a thing anyway. The fact was that Maria the slave was here precisely because I was too weak-spirited to leave her be. ¡°Hm¡­ Then why did you buy me?¡± ¡°¡­Conversely speaking, why did you keep looking at me?¡± I responded to her question with my own¡ªpartly because I didn¡¯t want to give her an answer, but also because there was a good chance that none of that would have happened if Maria hadn¡¯t been staring at me in the first place. I glared down at her, almost as if I was about to vent my anger on her. ¡°¡­Because of your black hair and eyes,¡± Maria replied with a piece of sandwich in her mouth. That was a simple answer. It was true that black hair and black eyes were rare in this world. However, I was still a little let down that it was the reason. ¡°That¡¯s it? Aren¡¯t yours black too?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s why. My family was eradicated because of this trait of ours. My black hair and eyes gave me a high price tag. So seeing that you have the same traits¡­ makes me very, very curious.¡± Maria then combed her black hair with her hand. I felt like there was no lie in her words. She was speaking her true feelings through her story. Hearing those honest words, I decided that I ought to answer Maria¡¯s question as well. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry to hear that. By the way, I really bought you by coincidence. There was a strange connection between you and me. It made me feel more bitter than anyone else, so I bought you mainly for my own self-interest. That¡¯s all¡­ that¡¯s really all.¡± I repeated the same words twice as if to say it once for each one of us. The truth was that it had to do with something that happened earlier that day and the Skill that I possessed, but I wouldn¡¯t go into it since it would be a long story to tell. ¡°¡­Understood. However, does that mean you don¡¯t feel bitter for the other slaves?¡± ¡°I do. So don¡¯t bring that topic up. I don¡¯t even want to think about it.¡± ¡°I see¡­ However, while you may be fine ignoring them, it is me who now feels sorry for the other slaves.¡± The more the conversation progressed, the less reserved Maria became. As we talked more and more, Maria¡¯s personality became more and more apparent. Her outspoken manner of speech irked me a little. ¡°You¡¯re cocky for a slave¡­ Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll change my mind if you get on my bad side?¡± ¡°I have confidence in my judgment. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Maria spoke and then continued to gobble on her meal with confidence. I knew I was biased, but I doubted that was the right attitude for a slave. She had been quiet and obedient just a few minutes before. Did she manage to see through me in the last few dozen seconds we had talked? ¡°How can you say you¡¯ll be fine?¡± ¡°It is because you are one of those people who, when you see someone weaker than you, feel pity and relief.¡±: A straight answer. Maria had anticipated my question and answered it without missing a beat. I was stunned and speechless. She then continued. ¡°You are the type who gets a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from helping the weak¡­ All in all, you¡¯re too much of a pushover to rough me up.¡± Maria¡¯s eyes caught mine straight on. Those eyes were no longer the vacant eyes they had been. They had transformed into something similar to Palinchron¡¯s¡ªthe eyes that had seen through everything. ¡°¡­!¡± Maria¡¯s personal criticism of me took my breath away. No, perhaps saying that her words made me choke was a better way to describe it. Maria confidently described me in ways even I didn¡¯t understand. She understood me before I did, and that terrified me. Like a ritual of my own, the fear pushed me to look at her ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Maria HP: 31/41, MP: 35/35 Class: Slave Level: 3 STR: 0.89, VIT: 2.02, DEX: 1.23, AGI: 0.73, WIS: 1.07, MAG: 1.91, APT: 1.52 Constitution: Confusion: 0.42 Lethargy: 0.89 Innate Skills: Insight: 1.44 Acquired Skills: Hunting: 0.67 Cooking: 1.07 It was by no means a remarkable ¡®Status¡¯. However, there was one strength that she had that others didn¡¯t. * * * * * * In short, the core of her character was the one Skill that I found in her and nobody else¡ªthe ?Insight? Skill. Perhaps it was that Skill that allowed Maria to pick me out in that large venue. Even then she must have been using that Skill to strip me naked and create a situation that was to her advantage. I threatened her so that she wouldn¡¯t belittle me. ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t rough you up, but I still can sell you off, you know¡­?¡± ¡°Do it if you want. It will ease the pain in my heart for the other slaves that you didn¡¯t save,¡± Maria answered resolutely. I almost felt a glimmer of respect for her. She remained so resolute despite the fact that her life and her everything were in the hands of others. At the same time, I reflected on it. What¡¯s so easy about taking the initiative when facing a slave¡­ That can¡¯t be any more wrong¡­ One could say that Maria was special, but I originally was trying to get myself an outlier. I had no excuse. ¡°Haah¡­ I never thought slaves could be this much of a pain in the ass¡­ You sure are something else for a momentary lapse. I regret ever going there.¡± I let my face show the expression I had been careful not to show, perhaps from that sense of defeat. Maria, seeing my weak side along with the words that escaped my mouth, replied as if she herself just lost words. ¡°Th-that¡¯s, well¡­ I have my personal grudge against the city people who killed my whole family, you know¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it would have been much easier on me if you were meek and scared¡­¡± ¡°¡­You really love the weak, don¡¯t you? You deserve contempt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯d prefer it if you were more quiet and obedient¡­ Haah, I give, I give. Do whatever you want. I don¡¯t care. Once you¡¯re done with that, you can take that bed. We¡¯ll figure out the rest tomorrow, so don¡¯t wake me up.¡± With that said, I plopped down on a nearby couch without washing the dishes. I gave up on taking the initiative, and I prioritized resting for the time being. ¡°¡ª! ¡­A-are you not going to register on my collar?! Other people might steal me if you don¡¯t!¡± Maria shouted as if she panicked. I didn¡¯t know what made her so impatient. I looked and saw that she was pointing at her collar, blank of any name. I remembered the information I had gotten at the slave market. If a blood contract was made with the collar, the master-slave relationship became official. That would prevent the slave¡¯s escape, and sometimes pain was induced for it to be effective, or so I was told. ¡°Aah. Right, that exists. Stay still.¡± I picked up Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword from where it was sitting. ¡°Eek¡ª¡± Maria then shrieked. Her poker face from before distorted following the sight of the blade. ¡°Aah, sorry¡­ Are you afraid of blades? Don¡¯t worry. I have steady hands but stay still. ¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?.¡± Surprised as I was by Maria¡¯s unexpected reaction, I still deployed my magic. Then, I swung the sword down; it cut through the collar, and the collar only, without a single millimeter of room for error. I had heard that it was possible to remove a collar by going to a special facility, but for me, my own method was sufficient. Doing that to a contracted collar would raise a problem, but I had heard that non-contracted collars were okay to forcibly break. ¡°Kya!¡± Maria screamed, but she let the sword go past her as was told, not moving an inch. ¡°You can flee if you want.¡± I let the sword lean on the sofa as I lay down again. If Maria really fled after that, then there was nothing I could do. I¡¯d just think of it as buying emotional stability for four gold coins. If anything, I¡¯d rather have her run away from me so that I wouldn¡¯t have to beat myself up over her later. Maria, however, picked up the broken collar in surprise, then muttered. ¡°¡­there should be a limit to how much of a softy one can be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a softy. I¡¯ve forsaken too much for a single day, and you¡¯re right, I¡¯m just a coward who can only trust the weak.¡± ¡°That was meant to be a joke.¡± I had already shut my eyes and ears. I was in a perfect sleeping position, though my hand was on the sword just in case. Maria, however, continued to talk. ¡°I can flee¡­ was it? But there¡¯s no one in this country who can help me. There¡¯s no place I can go back to. That¡¯s why I became a slave. I have nowhere to flee to. A half-measured kindness will change nothing¡­¡± ¡°I know, I just don¡¯t care¡­ I¡¯m sleeping.¡± They who were bought in as slaves had to depend on their masters who bought them to survive. Maria herself told me thus. Suddenly, I thought about it. No one to help, no place to run away to¡­ ¡ªExactly like me. I might have a place to return to, but that place wasn¡¯t in this world. I began to liken myself to the slaves, mocking my own fate. I¡¯m but a slave to clear the Labyrinth. Then who¡¯s my master? Is it the Labyrinth, or is it the System? I don¡¯t know. I mustn¡¯t know. ¡°Good night¡­ my Master¡­¡± Beyond the darkness borne of my closing eyes, Maria¡¯s voice drifted into my ear. She suddenly called me her master then of all times. Good enough for sarcasm, I¡¯d thought. ¡°¡­snarky girl.¡± I heard her getting into bed behind me. When she finally fell asleep, I felt relieved. This long day is finally over. As usual, I drifted off while I was trying to plan for the days ahead. However, I was more tired than I had imagined, and soon I fell into the depths of darkness, the depths of a lukewarm slumber. ¡ªright before my consciousness left me, I felt as if I had heard Maria¡¯s voice. *** I had been up until midnight, but my usual habit had me get up early in the morning. I gave up my sleep time since I¡¯d rather not disrupt my rhythm by failing to start my activities early in the morning. I went straight to wash my face and prepare for the day. With my head cooled down, I mused about what to do with Maria. I decided to make use of her as a companion in our Labyrinth exploration, as I had originally planned. Of course, there was a high possibility that Maria wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with our battles. However, that ?Insight? Skill of hers was still a mystery for me, and there were things I¡¯d want to test in the Labyrinth using Maria. I told Maria, who woke up later than I did, something to that effect. ¡°¡ªAnd that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°Impossible. I¡¯ll die. I¡¯ll die in no time.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then run from here. But if you¡¯re going to live here, then you have to earn your stay. I¡¯m sure you understand that.¡± I was charging Maria for her stay. Maria stroked her neck, free of the collar, and seemed to understand the justification for it. ¡°I¡¯ll help around the house.¡± ¡°No need. I can do it myself.¡± ¡°There¡¯s little I can do. Is that a roundabout phrase to say I should pay with my body?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t. I recall a certain someone called me a softy.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s impossible for me to go into the Labyrinth. That¡¯s where even the experts put their lives on the line, right?¡± ¡°Just shut up and give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t go well, I¡¯ll find other alternatives. Right now, I only want help with the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ I thought you were some soft-headed stuck-up young master, to think you¡¯re actually a Labyrinth explorer instead. I may not have much time left to live¡­¡± Maria hung her head as if she had given up on something. However, her tone didn¡¯t have even a hint of sadness. She might have given up her life when she became a slave in the first place. She didn¡¯t seem to be too afraid of the idea of dying. ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you die, Maria. I won¡¯t even let you get hurt.¡± Seeing her like that annoyed me. It reminded me of Dia when his arm was cut off and the slave boy when his blood spilled in the corridor. ¡°H-huh¡­¡± At my fervor, Maria looked at me with wonder. She probably thought that it really was an impossible feat. It was a well-known fact that challengers die every day in the Labyrinth. Her eyes were convinced that if she challenged it, the frail girl that she was, it was obvious that she would die. I, however, wouldn¡¯t let that happen. I wasn¡¯t going to take Maria with me if I didn¡¯t have a chance of victory. And as for this chance of victory, I didn¡¯t mean the merits of exploring with me, such as my ability to detect enemies or my infinite load capacity. More than anything else, I believed that the Party system would greatly benefit both of us. I hadn¡¯t questioned how it worked up until then since I was partnered with Dia and our EXP share had been 50-50. However, we were outliers. Such a fair share didn¡¯t occur with other parties. Fundamentally, the one who delivered the last blow took all the EXP. From what I had heard from the more experienced explorers, they often said that it was difficult to raise the level of magicians who assisted with supporting fire from behind the line. And yet, when Dia and I had joined a Party system, it had been a perfect 50-50 split between us. In short, I had the privilege of bringing up the total levels of my party members. A good example of it was Dia¡¯s level. Perhaps, just by accompanying me in exploring the Labyrinth, Maria¡¯s level would rise as well. ¡°Maria, I know you¡¯re going to do ok in the Labyrinth, and I want you to follow me.¡± ¡°¡­understood.¡± Maria nodded, convinced by my confident tone. ¡°First, let¡¯s go shopping to get ready.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± I was about to step out of the house, but I stopped when I heard Maria address me the way she did. ¡°Master, you said¡­ Don¡¯t worry about how to address me. My name is Christ Eurasia. Call me however you want.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your slave. It¡¯s only natural that I call you my Master,¡± Maria chuckled thinly, insisting that it was the obvious thing to do. ¡°What are you even saying? You¡¯re not a slave anymore. You don¡¯t have the collar.¡± ¡°No, you see, I figured that my life would have been much easier if I were your slave.¡± ¡°Even so, don¡¯t call me Master. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°No, no, no, calling one¡¯s master as Master is the smallest civility a slave can enact. I must abide by it¡ª¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯re just trying to get under my skin.¡± I decided that Maria was messing with me when she began to talk verbosely about a slave¡¯s civility. ¡°Fufu. No, I¡¯m not. I really do it out of honor.¡± Maria, however, denied it with a chuckle. I couldn¡¯t read her true intentions. However, I was certain that those eyes were no longer empty like they used to be, so I refrained from commenting any further. With a small voice, Maria continued to speak behind me. ¡°¡ªI am your slave. That is what my heart settled on, so that is how it is.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I really wasn¡¯t familiar with the culture of slavery. I didn¡¯t have enough information to dismiss Maria¡¯s words out of hand, and I couldn¡¯t tell whether she was being serious or joking, so I let her remark be. After that, we stopped talking about slaves and proceeded to the shopping district, discussing our upcoming exploration. ¡¾Maria has Joined your Party¡¿ Party leader is Aikawa Kanami ¡ºDay Eight Finished¡» ____ ____ Chapter 27 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 27: Grinding Experiment First, we went around to stores in town to get equipment for the both of us. Naturally, I used the ¡®Display¡¯ to check if the goods we were buying were good or bad. That being said, there weren¡¯t many bargains to be found in stores that catered to the general public¡ªthey were just mass-produced goods lined up in a messy row. I asked the shopkeeper where I could get the more expensive weapons, and he told me that such items were only available at auction houses or special stores related to Whoseyards. However, since I was already using a high-quality sword, the Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword, I didn¡¯t want to go too far out of my way to get a more expensive weapon. I only bought an easy-to-handle dagger and some light and sturdy protective gear for Maria, and that brought the end of our shopping trip. ¡°Umm, even this knife feels heavy on my hand, you know¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay; you¡¯ll grow used to it soon.¡± Maria was only dressed in leather armor and holding the dagger with both hands, and she was already wobbling around. She would grow to it¡ªor rather, her STR would increase as she leveled up. Thus, having completed our preparation, we found ourselves standing in front of the Labyrinth, both of us in our top conditions. I thought back to Maria¡¯s level grinding plan that I had devised that morning, then put it into action. ¡°Okay, Maria. Get on.¡± I bent down and turned my back to her. I held my sheathed sword with both hands behind me so she could sit on it. ¡°Eh?¡± Maria let out a dumbfounded voice. I understood how she felt. We were right about to risk our lives in the Labyrinth, and yet her master wanted to give her a piggyback ride¡ªeven I would question my sanity if I were in her shoes. ¡°I am serious. Believe in me and get on my back.¡± ¡°¡­Hah?¡± To show how serious I was, I asked her to ride on my back once again with a more regal tone of voice. Maria, however, only responded curtly. ¡°I am thinking that we should skip all the way up to the 5th floor. I want you to get on my back since it will be much faster if I¡¯m the one who does all the running. Also, it is easier for me to protect you with you on my back.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see. Understoo¡­ no! No, no?! I¡¯ve never heard of anyone challenging the Labyrinth on a piggyback!¡± My aim for the day was the 5th floor, the floor where I judged Maira wouldn¡¯t die out of the blue. I wasn¡¯t confident enough to bring her further since I was using my shallow combat experience as my guide. Maria understood what I had said and almost nodded her head¡­ before she promptly shook it. So close! But that was one of the top entries on my ideas-to-try bucket list. I wouldn¡¯t back down so easily. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it either, but I want to try it. Just for a little while¡­In then out, nothing more. Please?¡± If my calculations were correct, it should be possible. The STR of a seasoned explorer¡ªand a large male swordsman one at that, was around five. The same went with VIT. Compared to that, the parameters of my STR and VIT had reached six. In other words, I had the same STR and VIT as a two-meter tall man who had trained hard all his life. I wanted to do an experiment to see how much effort it would take to carry a girl weighing around 40kg(88lb) with those parameters. I¡¯d assumed that going all the way to the 5th floor would be easy enough. ¡°Y-you leave me no choice¡­¡± Maria reluctantly and shyly got on my back. When I felt Maria¡¯s weight on my sword, I stood to my feet. The weight on both hands felt unusually light. That would have been impossible for me in my original world. The lightness proved to me that my assumption was on the right track. ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to run, so hold on tight.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± After making sure Maria had a firm grip on my shoulder, I deployed ?Dimension? and began to run. ¡°¡ªeEEK!¡± With Maria¡¯s scream as my background music, I ran through the Main Road of the Labyrinth. My AGI was 10. I had no idea how fast I was in this world. I didn¡¯t have anyone to compare it with, after all. ¡°¡ªW-wa-wait! Wait, please!¡± Right away, Maria asked me to stop. I dropped my speed and then spoke to her. ¡°¡­It¡¯s too much, after all?¡± Maria¡¯s breath was ragged even though she wasn¡¯t running. It seemed like just hanging onto me had taken some of her stamina. ¡°N-no¡­ I was just surprised by how much of a monstrosity you are, Master. My posture was bad¡­ I¡¯ll be fine now.¡± Maria then put her arms around my neck and clung to me with all earnesty. I found myself blushing due to the close proximity my face was to hers. ¡°I¡¯ll run again, okay?¡± I asked her again, not looking back so that she wouldn¡¯t notice my blush. ¡°Yes, do your worst.¡± I didn¡¯t hesitate to resume my run. The faster I ran, the tighter Maria clung to me. We passed other explorers on our way down¡ªthey were startled by my speed, but they chose to willfully ignore us. The speed I was going made it unlikely for them to easily recognize our faces. However, we stood out without a doubt, and there was no guarantee they couldn¡¯t identify us. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t stop. I had been avoiding being conspicuous until the day prior. However, I had given up on that ever since I sold Tida¡¯s magic stone to Varte. One of the reasons was that I had become too strong to hide myself, but another reason was that I could escape from most problems with my strength. ¡°Wow! So fast! It¡¯s like riding an Araunah!¡± Maria was getting used to the speed and seemed to be enjoying herself. This Araunah, was it some kind of animal? Perhaps she had an experience riding the animal. Maria was comfortable even at that speed. As I recalled, Maria had the Hunting Skill. She might have been a hunter riding some kind of horse-like animal before she became a slave. ¡°Don¡¯t speak too much. You don¡¯t want to bite your tongue.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Understood.¡± I warned Maria and sped up even more. And then we reached the 5th floor. It took us about 30 minutes. ¡°W-wow, we¡¯re really here! Master, we¡¯re here!!¡± ¡°Wheeze, wheeze¡­! Hark, haa, haa¡­!!¡± The price was significant, however. My plan didn¡¯t have ¡®Suffering for 30 Minutes Straight¡¯ in it. It seemed like, even with six VIT, I shouldn¡¯t have maintained a 30-minute sprint. Perhaps the vitality for VIT in this world wasn¡¯t directly linked to my endurance like how I understood it in my previous world. The nuance of the two words was close, but they were definitely not the same. ¡°Oh, are you okay¡­?¡± Maria timidly asked, looking concerned when she saw me on my knees with ragged breath. I nodded back at her with vigor. ¡°Haa, haa¡­ Yeah, I will be in a sec¡­¡± Some of the results were as predicted, but some I hadn¡¯t expected at all. It was a good thing to know that I could run with Maria in my arms. It gave me the assurance that I could evacuate with Maria in tow in case of an emergency. I caught my breath and set Maria down; then, with my arms free of her, I drew my sword before I walked away from the Main Road. ¡°We¡¯re moving already? Why don¡¯t you rest a little bit more?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to waste time. Even if I¡¯m out of breath, I¡¯m not out of my depth against monsters on the 5th floor.¡± ¡°Huh. As far as I know, the 5th floor is the place where even mid-level explorers are prone to losing their lives, you know¡­¡± ¡°I know, somewhat, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s in danger¡­¡± Maria¡¯s voice trembled. She had been thrilled when she was riding on my back like it was some sort of roller-coaster, but it seemed like she recalled where she was in the Labyrinth. * * * * * * I knew well about my capabilities and my ability to detect enemies through the use of the ?Dimension?, so I was confident that Maria wouldn¡¯t get hurt down there. For Maria, who didn¡¯t know me as well, however, she would be in a situation where she could die at any time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t have brought you with me unless I was sure of your safety. I will definitely protect you.¡± ¡°¡­Mh, is that so? But you seem like the type who fumbles at the most crucial time, Master, so I¡¯m worried.¡± Maria clammed up when she was faced with my confident statement, but she quickly regained her composure and admonished me. Perhaps due to her ?Insight? Skill, what Maria had told me seemed to pierce straight to the heart of the matter. I nodded my head at Maria, keeping her words in my mind. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be extra careful.¡± I deployed ?Dimension? over a wider area. I wasn¡¯t worried about my MP. After all, at level 10, my MP was almost double what it was when Dia and I had explored the 5th floor before. Not to mention, I memorized the ¡®Areas where Monsters were Likely to be Concentrated¡¯ and ¡®Areas which Boss Monsters Gave the Most EXPs¡¯¡ªin other words, ¡®Areas to Grind Effectively¡¯. Northeast, a few hundred meters ahead, was an area dense with monsters. That area was the closest one that fit all the criteria, so I prompted Maria to move. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go this way.¡± We moved a few dozen meters before we settled into a space with an open view. Next, I rechecked the monsters I sensed within a few hundred meters radius. That was also to make sure that Maria wouldn¡¯t be attacked by monsters while I was away hunting them. We were ready. Finally, onto the experiment. ¡°Maria, you wait here. I¡¯m going to go and hunt some monsters.¡± ¡°Huh?? No, no, no, no, hold onto that thought. What, you want to leave me all alone here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I have a ¡®Skill¡¯ to detect the location of the monsters, so if I see you¡¯re about to be in danger, I¡¯ll be right back. Just run in the opposite direction if you run into a monster.¡± ¡°I mean, obviously, I¡¯ll run, but¡­ I¡¯ll die if I get caught between two monsters.¡± ¡°Well, if you got flanked¡­ then just give up.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t give up on me!!¡± ¡°Jokes aside, you¡¯ll be alright. I really do know the location of all living beings in this Labyrinth.¡± Maria objected with her shouts, but I imposed my viewpoint onto her and forcefully convinced her. Although, rather than saying I had convinced her, evident with how she kept spilling her frustration on me and said, ¡°Haa¡­ In the end, I¡¯m kicking the bucket either way, aren¡¯t I? Eaten by a monster at that. All thanks to being picked up by such a stupid master. That¡¯s the second most disgusting way to die, after being burned to death.¡± Perhaps calling it something like ¡®she gave up¡¯ was more apt. ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, have a safe trip abandoning me.¡± Maria waved her hand dismissively as she sent me off. I hurriedly ran to the area where monsters were likely to be concentrated. Even though Maria wasn¡¯t that far away from the Main Road, there was still a chance she¡¯d get flanked between monsters and that I wouldn¡¯t be able to arrive in time to save her. I set my mind to slaying the monsters as fast as I could. ¡°Hmph¡ª!¡± I slashed at my enemies with the sword Dia had entrusted me with. The monsters in that area were basically all beasts and insects. Sometimes there were special monsters such as Hang Shadows that were immune to physical attacks, but I could use Freezing Magic to solidify them and smash them to pieces like what I did to Tida. All of them were defeated in practically a single blow. My ATK, reinforced by Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword, had reached a level that was beyond the norm for the 5th floor. Monsters were shredded to pieces like I was cutting butter with a red hot knife. Incidentally, it was my policy not to pick up any drops other than magic stones from boss monsters. I still had nearly ten gold coins saved, and I prioritized time on saving and EXP grinding over picking up magic stones that, at best, were worth a few copper coins. All in all, the hunt was more of an experiment and less a practice. The first question to tackle: how easy would it be to raise Maria¡¯s level? Depending on the result, I might decide to concentrate on leveling others instead of exploring the Labyrinth solo. It wouldn¡¯t be out of the question to delegate more and more people whose levels I had raised into the Labyrinth. Another important thing to tackle was to measure the distance at which the Party system functioned. If it reached far enough, then I could just have Maria wait on the Main Road the whole time. It was impossible for it to be as far as reaching the surface, for sure, as that would mean that Dia, who was being hospitalized, should gain the EXP as well. After a few minutes of hunting, I decided it was good enough time to return to Maria. I walked my way there, trying to catch my breath. Seeing my carefree return, Maria shouted. ¡°Please, just run here! Can¡¯t you just run here already?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Maria, looking worse for wear, complained to me desperately. She seemed to have lost a lot of her composure in the past few minutes. Which, now that I think about it, when I was level 1, I too had lost my mind just by walking through the Labyrinth. It wasn¡¯t that long ago, but somehow it felt like an old memory. ¡°Haa haa, haa¡­ Despite how I look, I am, to be honest, very scared right now¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, it seems like you are. And here I thought you¡¯d be cool with it, Maria.¡± ¡°H-how could I be¡­ I¡¯m just a frail little girl. What else do you think I am¡­?¡± After presenting me an earful, Maria grew dejected and feeble. Despite feeling bad about what I did to her, I still wouldn¡¯t want to stop the experiment. I immediately checked Maria¡¯s Status to see if her EXP had gone up. ¡¾Status¡¿ EXP: 1521/400 Even though the battle was about 100 meters away, her EXP was increasing. ¡°Then let¡¯s have you wait on the Main Road next.¡± ¡°H-huh, Main Road? Well, that¡¯s better than here. Is there even a point in me coming with you?¡± ¡°There is. You¡¯ve saved me a lot.¡± ¡°I fail to see how I¡¯ve saved you and from what.¡± Maria complained but still followed my instruction. I guessed that she knew that the Main Road had barriers that warded monsters away. She seemed somewhat relieved and started to walk along. Maria and I stayed close to the Main Road as I searched for more monsters. What was important was the distance from the Main Road to the monster¡¯s territory. I¡¯d try a 300 meters distance next. If she gained EXP even at that far away, that meant I could leave my companions at the Main Road whilst I was away grinding for them. ¡°Experiment, restart¡ª¡± ¡ªThe morning hours of the day were thus consumed by the experiment alone. Maria was that close to bursting into tears after I left her all alone in various places, but I was confident in her security due to ?Dimension?, so I didn¡¯t lend her complaints an ear. And thus the result of several hours of the experiment: EXP was distributed equally regardless of the difference in level. The distance limit for the EXP distribution was around 100 meters. Under special conditions, such distance varied in places where there were barriers, such as the Main Road. ____ ____ Chapter 28 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 28: Four Peoples¡¯ Lunch ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Maria HP: 92/92, MP: 102/102 Class: Slave Level: 7 STR: 2.92, VIT: 3.12, DEX: 2.25, AGI: 1.75, WIS: 3.07, MAG: 4.91, APT: 1.52 Constitution: Confusion: 0.28 Equipment: Iron Knife Robust mantle Light Leather Armor Leather Gauntlets Silk Garment ¡°They told me I was level seven¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, congrats.¡± After doing a lot of experiments, we returned to the surface and did the level-up first and foremost. Upon learning the result, Maria stared at her palms, wincing. I sipped the soup, which tasted a bit bland to my liking, and gave her my blessing offhandedly. We were seated in a corner of the tavern, eating a light meal. It was lunchtime right after we were done stopping by the church. ¡°But I¡­ didn¡¯t do anything¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the kind of ¡®Skill¡¯ I have. It¡¯s a ¡®Skill¡¯ that raises the level of my companions that I bring with me. That¡¯s why I brought you to the Labyrinth, Maria.¡± Maria was mortified with my choice of action before, but now she would understand the justification of it. ¡°This is weird! Even adults back at my village are at most level five, you know?! But I got to level 7 so easily in just one day, it¡¯s wrong¡ª!¡± Even after confirming that her level had actually gone up, Maria seemed to have a hard time believing the fact. She raised her voice and slammed the table. ¡°Be quiet. It¡¯d be troublesome if people knew.¡± I held my index finger to my lips. To be honest, I¡¯d rather not have had anyone know about that power. For example, if the ability to grind people¡¯s level were to be known by the higher-ups of the country, I was certain that a detaining order would come my way. Even if that were to happen, I wouldn¡¯t get caught so easily anymore¡ªmy level had steadily increased since day one, and I was literally an order of magnitude stronger. ¡°F-forgive me, Master. I lost control¡­¡± Maria looked at me and immediately grew meek from guilt. ¡°I told you, don¡¯t call me master¡­ At any rate, I¡¯m sure you now know that you can explore the Labyrinth with me, Maria. Due to my ability, you¡¯ve become much stronger in the last few hours than most adults out there.¡± ¡°That ¡®Skill¡¯ of yours is a foul play¡­¡± Maria, by then more composed, made her remark as she began to eat. ¡ªFoul Maria¡¯s ?Insight? judged it to be a foul. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m with you on that.¡± I agreed and continued to eat. With that ¡®Party¡¯ system at play, I calculated that I could produce one skilled explorer per day. And assuming my level continued to rise in the future, I should even be able to produce several above-standard explorers in a single day someday. I would say that the experiment was a success. Understanding how the System worked had exponentially increased the number of options I had. I reaffirmed the importance of comprehending the ¡®Display¡¯ and the System. By repeating those kinds of detailed experiments, I wanted to dissect and exceed the intentions of the Guy who had prepared all those things for me. If I did so, I should be able to reach the Deepest Depth of the Labyrinth in no time. ¡°Welcome!¡± While Maria and I were quietly eating our meal, I heard Lynn-san¡¯s cheerful greeting. The tavern was supposed to be deserted during the day, but it seemed to get some odd customers that day. I peeked to see the faces of the customers who¡¯d gone for drinks while the sun was still up, but the moment I recognized them, my face pulled into a tight line. ¡°¡ª!! Maria, cover your face without looking suspicious.¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, yes.¡± I quietly instructed Maria. She was surprised at my sudden instruction but quickly turned her face down. I held my breath and let the customers pass by us. Maria looked at me curiously but still sipped at her soup without saying anything. Then her eyes moved, catching something. Her gaze stopped behind me. ¡°Heya, Christ. What a coincidence.¡± My pleas were in vain when I heard the voice calling my name from behind me. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s calling you.¡± Maria shook the spoon in her hand, urging me to respond. I really wanted to pretend I hadn¡¯t noticed them, but because Maria had reacted, I couldn¡¯t possibly keep pretending. I had no choice but to turn around. ¡°What do you want, Alty?¡± ¡°How cold. Aren¡¯t we partners in cooperation? ¡ªAah, forgive us, pretty, but you¡¯ll have to share a seat with us.¡± I turned around to see Alty wearing an Eltheaulieux Academy uniform (just how did she get it¡­). Furthermore, there was one more girl accompanying her. ¡°Eh, eh? Is that Christ-sama I see?! It really is!¡± It was Franr¨¹hle. ¡°L-long time no see, Franr¨¹hle-san¡­¡± ¡°I am overwhelmed! Alty said she¡¯d take me to a wonderful place, and guess what?! I never thought I would meet you so soon, Christ-sama!!¡± Neither did I. Really, why is it this soon? She¡¯s supposed to be at the Eltheaulieux Academy in the northwestern part of the Allied Nations. ¡°Come on. Move it, Christ.¡± Alty motioned me to move so she could sit with us as if it was obvious. Reluctantly, I moved next to Maria, making room for the two. They sat down with gusto and then began to say their order to Lynn-san. The four of us were restless and cramped over that one table. I looked at their faces and began to devise ways to get out of the situation. As I looked into her face, I noticed that Alty was paying attention to Maria. She didn¡¯t know her name, so I wondered if she was looking for a good time to introduce herself. As for Franr¨¹hle¡­ yeah, it wasn¡¯t Maria that occupied her mind. ¡®I should probably do the introductions for now.¡¯ ¡°Aah, right. This is Maria. She¡¯s just become my exploration companion.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Maria.¡± Without backing down from the two in uniforms and their peculiar presence, Maria decisively curtsied. ¡°I¡¯m Alty. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°I am the seventh daughter of the House of Hellvilleshine, Franr¨¹hle.¡± Alty curtsied lightly while Franr¨¹hle puffed her chest up and declared her name with arrogance. ¡°So what do you want, Alty? I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Fufu, I just met you here by coincidence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not buying that. It¡¯s just not possible we happened to run into each other while I was having lunch here, and I never told you about this tavern to begin with. You must have some ability of your own to locate me.¡± Alty shouldn¡¯t have known that I was a waiter at that tavern. Even if she did, it would be strange for her to go there at that time of the day to look for me. In other words, it was highly likely that Alty had the skill to find my whereabouts. From how she spoke previously, I¡¯d say that she could expand her hearings in the presence of flames. ¡°You guessed it. I can increase my range of perception with fire.,but it really was just luck that I was able to figure out what you were up to today. Yes, this is fate. And that fate, more precisely, is business with you. You know what I mean, Christ.¡± Fate was her business. In other words, she brought Franr¨¹hle to me for the love-fulfilling business. I dealt with Alty as coldly as possible. I wouldn¡¯t give her even a stretch of hope in that case. ¡°You said yourself that this fate has no hope of budding. Give up and look for another girl.¡± ¡°Fufu, one still needs to try all they can.¡± We used abstract expressions to talk about her love request. Franr¨¹hle and Maria looked like they had no idea what we were talking about. ¡°Come on, Alty, just be good and wait. I have my own business to deal with. Don¡¯t rush me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no helping it then. It¡¯s against my intention to disturb you. Then I¡¯ll keep it to myself from now on.¡± With that said, Alty went quiet. When she did, it was then Franr¨¹hle¡¯s turn. She had been waiting for an opportunity. She immediately leaned forward and bombarded me with questions. ¡°Christ-sama!! I have some questions of my own!! Ermm, first¡­¡± With staggering zeal, she tried to pry out every little detail about me: where I lived, where I ate, where my favorite places were, etc. ¡°Aah, I always sleep wherever is nearby. I also usually eat whatever at hand¡ª¡± I, on the other hand, told her a big lie about not having a fixed place to stay. I answered her questions, making sure not to give Franr¨¹hle any information about me. As I chatted with Franr¨¹hle, the topic of conversation naturally turned to the Labyrinth. Partly because I was only interested in the Labyrinth, but also because Franr¨¹hle didn¡¯t seem averse to talking about the topic either. To make the occasion as meaningful as possible, I gathered information from what she said while we were eating our meal. Suddenly, Alty interjected as if something was bothering her. ¡°¡ªEh, you ran with Maria-chan on your back all the way to the 5th floor?¡± Alty inquired curiously about my exploration method. ¡°I did. Should I not have?¡± Alty, who had been trying to stay out of Franr¨¹hle¡¯s conversation as much as possible, interrupted and was even curious enough to ask. ¡°No, I¡¯m just surprised. You¡¯re a dimensional-attribute magician, right? Why didn¡¯t you just use teleportation magic?¡± ¡°Hold on. How did you know that I¡¯m a dimensional-attribute magician?¡± While there were other words of concern, that was the first thing that mattered. I had never said anything that hinted at it, and I had never actively used ?Dimension? in front of Alty either. ¡°Aah, you¡¯re keeping it a secret? Then I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m quite familiar with the way you fight, you see. It¡¯s exactly like an old acquaintance of mine. I recalled that he made a spatial transition¡­ I think he did¡­ supposedly.¡± Alty let her words fall flat. She looked like she couldn¡¯t believe the words she said herself. ¡°What? Make it clear.¡± ¡°No, I just suddenly remembered the past. Why did I¡­ Either way, ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯ can allow you to shorten the travel time in the Labyrinth¡ªIsn¡¯t that right? Our top-ranked student, Fran-chan?¡± Alty then turned the conversation over to Franr¨¹hle. She might have meant to have Franr¨¹hle take the credit, but the girl seemed troubled. ¡°Eh. D-dimensional magic¡­? Indeed, I recall that there might be a minor attribute as such¡­ However, even I don¡¯t memorize every single attribute of magic that doesn¡¯t show up in the test¡­¡± ¡°Eh? ¡®Dimension Magic¡¯ is a minor attribute in this age?¡± ¡°Yes. There isn¡¯t a single academy student that has that attribute.¡± ¡°Uwaah. I feel a generational gap from that.¡± * * * * * * Alty looked genuinely surprised, but for my part, I was more concerned that she had been using expressions that an old boomer would use without reserve. From the way she talked, she seemed to have informed Franr¨¹hle she wasn¡¯t the age her looks assumed. I was curious about what kind of relationship Alty had with her, but I didn¡¯t want to get too involved with them, so I decided to keep quiet. Alty realized that Franr¨¹hle didn¡¯t know about the matter and began the explanation herself. ¡°Since Fran-chan doesn¡¯t know, it is my part to explain. You see, the characteristic of ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯ is that you dominate space; that means comprehending, manipulating, and connecting space. Eventually, it can even create space and destroy it. Amongst all of its functions, it has the magic to connect two points of space. If I recall correctly, it¡¯s called ?Connection?. If you can use it, you won¡¯t have to run around carrying Maria-chan.¡± ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± The phrase ¡®destroying space¡¯ took me by surprise. I knew that my magic would grow more and more extraordinary as I raised my level, but when I heard it could even destroy space itself, my body shook. ¡°It sure is. Why don¡¯t you try imagining it? Imagine a door that connects between two points of space and construct ?Connection?. If it¡¯s you, Christ, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to do it¡ªif it¡¯s you.¡± Looking excited, Alty told me to construct magic. Skeptical that I was, I created the vision in my mind as Alty instructed. But then, Franr¨¹hle and Maria shouted. ¡°Wait, Alty! You can¡¯t simply construct magic!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! Creating magic is something straight out of fairy tales!¡± Their voices startled me and fogged up the image I had. Alty and I then looked at each other. ¡°Eh, Christ, people can¡¯t construct magic in this time and age?¡± Alty backed away from the two¡¯s glare and tossed the hot potato to me. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. All I know is that magic is something that naturally comes to you when you level up.¡± ¡°The same goes for me. What I know of magic is that it is the norm for it to be invented through talent and ideas.¡± Unexpectedly, we shared a common ground. Hearing both of our opinions, Maria quickly refuted us. ¡°That¡¯s not true. It¡¯s basic knowledge that you can¡¯t learn to use magic on your own. The only exception to that is children of a family of magicians, who may recall and use the magic of their ancestors, but that is far cry from constructing magic. Magic can only be obtained by imprinting the wisdom of our ancestors in our blood. Magic cannot come from nothing.¡± Following Maria, Franr¨¹hle continued. ¡°More precisely, it is by swallowing the magic formula engraved on a magic stone that one¡¯s blood can memorize magic. Since it is memorized in the blood, a family of magicians will have children who can use magic from the time they are born. However, this is also based on the assumption that their ancestral parents swallowed magic stones. In other words, there is no other way to become able to use magic except by swallowing magic stones. The kind of magic the two of you are thinking of simply of does not exist.¡± Franr¨¹hle supplemented Maria¡¯s explanation with terms she learned at the academy. That was information that I hadn¡¯t heard being discussed by the explorers. It seemed that Maria and Franr¨¹hle had a deep knowledge of magic. Trying not to provoke the two any further, I worked out a reply. ¡°I-I get it¡­ Thanks for telling me about magic. Erm, so, swallowing a magic stone with a magic formula on it¡­ is the right way to learn magic?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Maria and Franr¨¹hle nodded at the same time. I had answered correctly, it seemed. Seeing it as the perfect cue, I proceeded with the topic of magic stones. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we go and buy this magic stone thing¡­?¡± After confirming that both Maria and I had finished our meal, I made up an excuse for us to get out of there. Maria agreed, not wanting to prolong her meal with strangers. ¡°That sounds great. Now that our bellies are full, we should go.¡± Maria and I got up from our seats to go shopping. ¡°I-if so! Let me show you around, Christ-sama! I happen to know a store that stocks the finest magic stones¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, hey, Fran-chan. We have business today, remember? We¡¯re already shaving it close by going to this tavern. I¡¯d suggest you give up.¡± ¡°Hnggh. You¡¯re correct¡­ I¡¯ll have to give up for today¡­¡± As it turned out, the two of them didn¡¯t have that much time to spare. Franr¨¹hle was about to follow us, but Alty stopped her. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave first then. You two can take your time enjoying your meal.¡± I paid Lynn-san so I could leave the tavern behind me ASAP. Maria also thanked them and left just as quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s meet again, Christ, Maria-chan.¡± ¡°Christ-sama. Should the opportunity appear, we shall meet again!¡± After saying our goodbyes for the last time, Maria and I left the tavern. I reviewed the location of the stores related to magic and strode there. Maria followed me as I started to walk, calling out to me. ¡°Huh, we¡¯re really going to buy it?¡± She seemed to think that buying the magic stone was merely an excuse to escape. ¡°Just in case. I¡¯m getting interested.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re just interested in it, but magic stones with the formula for magic engraved in it are expensive. They might be just an afternoon purchase for those who go to the academy, but their prices are merciless for the average person.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have the money.¡± Apparently, learning magic costed you a lot of money. I, however, still had my money left over. I had spent 10 gold coins for the new house and 4 gold coins for Maria, but I still had 7 gold coins left. I had no intention of touching them, but I was also holding Dia¡¯s share of 20 gold coins, so I shouldn¡¯t worry about money shortage. A single gold coin would be enough to get by for the foreseeable future, so that would leave us with a budget of about six gold coins for learning magic. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see for now. If possible, I want you to learn magic, Maria.¡± ¡°What?¡± Maria¡¯s priorities were higher than mine. I had more ATK using my sword, and I could wield it easily¡­ not to mention, even if I were to learn new magic, most of my MP would be used for my ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯. It was hard to imagine any run-of-the-mill magic could overwhelm the applied strengths of ?Dimension?. That was why I said Maria should learn Magic. ¡°Me? Magic?¡± Maria replied with a look of incredulity. ¡°I¡¯m going to have you explore the Labyrinth with me. This is a necessary investment.¡± Because she was at level seven, I was going to have her help me with some simple combat. As far as her ¡®Status¡¯ was concerned, Maria¡¯s MAG was outstanding. Once she learned magic, no ordinary explorer would be able to catch up to her. ¡°Did it occur to you that I might just run away after I learn magic?¡± ¡°¡­It didn¡¯t. That being said, you don¡¯t have anywhere to run to, do you?¡± Maria didn¡¯t seem to be keen on the idea; on the contrary, she suggested to me that she might run away once she learned magic. I lightly denied her words. ¡°That is the case when I was powerless. I have a high level now, and if you add magic on top of that, then it¡¯s different. If I were to run away and sell information about your abilities, Master, and then use the money to get on my own feet¡­ what would you do?!¡± In response to my lighthearted attitude, Maria raised her voice. Her point was certainly valid, but even if that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t mind. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you run from me, but I¡¯d hate to have my intel leaked out¡­ In that case, can you please keep it to yourself? Please?¡± ¡°¡­O-once I¡¯m free of you, you¡¯re nobody to me, Master!¡± ¡°I have a feeling you won¡¯t do it to me, Maria¡­ just a feeling, though.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Maria was speechless at how casual I had been. It was a difference in point of view. Personally, I was fine either way. No matter how the dice rolled, it was still a problem I could handle. That was why I was casual and off-handed in my handling of her. Maria, on the other hand, thought that it was a mortal sin for a slave to disobey his or her master. She believed that it was natural for her to serve her master with all her being¡ªthat was why she was serious about the matter. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Even in her silence, Maria continued to reproach me. I could go on at length about her freedom again, but that would be a repeat of the day before. Maria, with her ?Insight?, would be able to derive what I would have said in that silence. That was why I found no reason for me to say anything. ¡°Haa¡­ honestly¡­ You should¡¯ve said it with more confidence, Master¡­¡± It was Maria who broke the silence first. As I had expected, she seemed to have guessed what I would have said with her ?Insight?, so she attacked me for my lack of confidence when I contradicted myself. She seemed to have decided that it was useless to pursue the differences in our points of view, just like I had. ¡°I don¡¯t know you well enough to be confident about it, Maria, but people who warn others about the harm they would do are the people who won¡¯t actually do it¡­ I think.¡± ¡°What kind of logic is that? That¡¯s just naive.¡± It was knowledge that I had gained from movies and comics I had enjoyed in my previous world. It was what a lot of storytelling theories were about. ¡°I know I¡¯m being naive. I won¡¯t change my policy, though. I am going to buy magic for you, Maria.¡± ¡°You¡¯re naive¡­ really naive¡­¡± Maria kept on muttering as she walked along. She complained a lot but seemed to follow my policy for the time being. I deduced that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But to be honest, my deduction meant nothing. I didn¡¯t have what it took to judge people, after all. For me, who could see others¡¯ ¡®Status¡¯ through the use of ¡®Display¡¯ and valued them based merely on their numerical values, perhaps I would never be able to. ¡°Haha.¡± As I was resenting my own history, I showed Maria my laugh and walked to the store with her. ____ ____ Chapter 29 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 29: Let¡¯s Learn Magic Stores that dealt with magic and its arts were commonly called Magic Shops. It was like calling a hardware store a weapon shop. ¡°Welcome~¡± Maria and I walked from the tavern to the magic store and entered together. The word ¡®Magic Shop¡¯ made me think of a house inhabited by witches in a fairy tale, but in fact, it was nothing like that. The closest thing the shop resembled was a bookstore. The bookshelves were arranged in such a way that they didn¡¯t disturb customers¡¯ movements, and the walls were lined with more books. I talked to the woman sitting at the counter. The clerk was a tall elf with prominent, long ears. ¡°Excuse me. We¡¯re here to buy magic stones to learn magic.¡± ¡°Magic stones? Of course. Well, our stock is actually getting low these days¡­ Hm, here¡¯s the catalog. Please choose from here.¡± The clerk then pulled out an old catalog from under the counter. I skimmed through it casually and found there were a lot of magic spells listed in it. However, there were sticky notes everywhere stating ¡®Out of Stock¡¯. ¡°These ¡®Out of Stock¡¯ notes¡­¡± ¡°Exactly what they say. All four countries are running low on stock these days. We never had much, to begin with, but now the tournament and various other events are coming up. Frankly speaking, none of the good ones are left. Even if you make a reservation now, you probably won¡¯t receive it until the tournament is done. This business has scarce materials and slow production, you see.¡± There was something called a Battle Arena in this world. As an extension of it, supposedly, there was an event called the War Dance Tournament to determine the top individuals who made their living through combat in such an arena. Apparently, it was around the time for those who would participate in that tournament to procure the magic they would use. Disheartened by the bad timing, I looked through the catalog. Even at a quick glance, there seemed to be thousands of magic spells, ¡°I see. Let me take a better look.¡± Offensive magic, recovery magic, attribute magic, and auxiliary magic¡ªfrom basic magic spells that I was familiar with to daily magic and even ceremonial magic, there was a lot of variety. Speaking of which, Maria was looking around the store with a marveled look on her face. ¡°You give it a look, Maria. If you find one that you fancy, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Understood.¡± I called Maria, who was wandering about, and asked her to help me choose the magic she¡¯d learn. It was then that the clerk panicked and stopped us. ¡°P-please wait a minute. Are you, by any chance, going to make the little girl learn magic?¡± Apparently, buying magic for a child the size of Maria was quite unusual. I was tall enough to avoid being treated like a little kid, but with Maria¡¯s height, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°Uh, is there a problem if she learns it?¡± ¡°No, well, she might be a little bit too young¡­ You might want to check if she has the foundation to use magic or not first¡­¡± I¡¯d guess she didn¡¯t want to teach magic to children if she could help it¡ªI could tell that she was trying to have us back down in a roundabout way. The clerk pulled out various items from under the counter such as crystal balls and papers containing incantations. ¡°Are those going to help?¡± ¡°Yes. If you put your hand on the crystal ball, it will tell you the quality and amount of your blood. With that reading, I can measure the type and the capacity of magic that can be learned.¡± I observed the magic devices closely, thinking such tools in this world were sure convenient. Perhaps a world with developed magic such as this one would require those kinds of devices to be developed. Then I considered the ¡®type and capacity of the magic¡¯ that she had mentioned. Perhaps that meant that there was a limit to the magic someone could learn. That was disappointing. I had hoped that I could completely learn all of the magic in the catalog with enough money like I was going for some sort of Achievement. ¡°Well, Ojou-chan. Would you touch this for me?¡± The clerk offered Maria a magic device. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Maria then held up her hand. As she did, a red haze began to form in the crystal ball. ¡°Eh? Ooh, a-amazing¡­ that¡¯s middle-class magic power, and it has two attributes: fire and void.¡± Maria was categorized as middle class, it seemed. What about Dia or me, then? I immediately became afraid of touching that crystal ball. The clerk, perhaps excited to find an uncut gem, began to praise Maria in rapid succession. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Ojou-chan! I have been in this business a long time, but it¡¯s hard to find someone with this much magic power at such a young age!¡± ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± Embarrassed, Maria hid her face behind the catalog, perhaps because she wasn¡¯t used to being praised. ¡°Well, it¡¯s Onii-san next.¡± The clerk then offered me the crystal ball. I hesitated for a moment, but I decided to put my hand over the crystal ball. The change was immediate. The entire crystal ball became more transparent¡ªit had always been transparent, but the slightest trace of impurity or cloudiness had disappeared, making it completely transparent. ¡°¡ªH-huh? What does this mean? I¡¯ve never seen this happening, the color too. What does this color mean?¡± The clerk then took out a thick book that was nearby. She seemed to look up what was happening in that book. I had a general idea of what was going on, so I stopped her. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t need to¡ª¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll find it soon. This transparency indicates ¡®Dimension Attribute¡¯, it seems. It¡¯s a really, really minor attribute. Since it was transparent, I couldn¡¯t tell your magic capacity¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The clerk bowed her head, looking apologetic. But I already knew enough. Based on my ¡®Status¡¯, I wouldn¡¯t be short of magic. Rather, it would be more reasonable to say that I had more magic power than what could be measured by that crystal ball. After all, Maria¡¯s magic power was categorized as middle-class, and my MAG was several times greater than hers. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Just knowing what my attribute is will suffice.¡± ¡°Hmm. I wish we had a measuring tool other than a crystal ball, but there isn¡¯t one in this shop. I¡¯m sorry. For the time being, I¡¯ll give you the catalog for dimension attribute magic, okay? There should be a catalog for minor attribute magic right around here¡­¡± Saying so, the clerk took out a thin catalog and handed it to me. A quick glance later and I found ¡®Star,¡¯ ¡®Sun,¡¯ ¡®Moon,¡¯ ¡®Light,¡¯ ¡®Darkness,¡¯ and so on and so forth. There were especially few dimensional attribute magics among the catalog for minor attributes¡ªthere were only two kinds. Even if I bought both, I would have money left over. ¡°Dimension Magic, ?Connection?. Dimension Magic, ?Foam?. Just the two of them¡­¡± ¡°Th-they¡¯re pretty few¡­ Ah, but we do have them in stock. Or should I say, there are far too few people who have the dimension attribute; these just won¡¯t sell.¡± ¡°Then please give me both of them.¡± ¡°Eh? Are you sure? We still don¡¯t know your magic capacity, you know?¡± ¡°Well, if they turn out to be useless now, maybe I¡¯ll be able to learn them later. Right? ¡°How easy. Onii-san, are you rich, perhaps?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy enough for me to buy these two magic spells.¡± ¡°How enviable¡­ Well then, I¡¯ll go in the back and grab them in a jiffy. Please wait.¡± The clerk got up from her seat and retreated to the back of the shop. I decided we should focus on Maria¡¯s magic in the meantime. ¡°How is it, Maria? Do you find anything interesting?¡± ¡°None of these are good. All practical fire-attribute offensive magic is sold out. However, there are some good void-attribute ones left¡ªperhaps because of its few users.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I looked at the catalog Maria was looking at. She was right¡ªall the fire attribute spells were out of stock. There wasn¡¯t even the basic ?Flame Arrow? . I looked at the ice-attribute list while at it, and it was pretty much the same. That being said, I was more focused on dimension magic, so I¡¯d do just fine without any ice-attribute magic. ¡°Why don¡¯t we choose this ?Firefly? spell?¡± ¡°Eh, this one?¡± I picked it at random when my gaze fell on it. It was written that the magic, obviously named after firefly insects, could blind people with fire; there was also a warning that it had no attack power due to its weak heat. ¡°I never wanted you to be our attacker, Maria. I want you to assist from the back.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what you meant¡­ Ah, ?Impulse? is recommended for void-attribute magic. It¡¯s quite a decent offensive magic.¡± Maria then pointed to ?Impulse? from the void-attribute column. It was described as a short-range vibration magic. It was written that it could blow away an enemy several meters away if hit at a close range. ¡°Let¡¯s buy these two then. Their prices are reasonable. Maybe I¡¯ll also throw in one of the ice-attribute ones for myself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± * * * * * * ¡°Haah. You¡¯re really quick to indulge.¡± Maria glared at me, looking fed up. ¡°I gained this money by putting my life on the line. Not using it up is a waste.¡± ¡°Normally, people put it in their savings, you know¡­¡± Maria was directly opposing my opinion. I, however, made my movements precisely because I didn¡¯t want to linger in this world too long. The idea of savings didn¡¯t really strike me as necessary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the wait. Here are your magic stones, Onii-san.¡± While I was quarreling with Maria, the clerk came back. ¡°Thank you very much. Also, we¡¯ve settled the magic we¡¯ll get for her. Please give us fire-attribute magic ?Firefly? and void-attribute magic ?Impulse?. Oh, and please give me one ice-attribute magic ?Little Snow? too.¡± ¡°?Firefly?, ?Impulse?, ?Little Snow?, is that right? They¡¯re all meager spells, so I can prepare them right away. However, ?Little Snow? does not fit with either of your attributes, so you can¡¯t learn it, you know?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind it. Just a rich boy lightening his wallet.¡± The result of the crystal ball test didn¡¯t show any aptitude for the ice attribute. However, it was already proven that I could use ¡®Freezing Magic¡¯, so I had to try it. ¡°Lightening your wallet, huh? Well, I am happy I can sell my goods, though.¡± ¡°Let me pay for them first.¡± ¡°Aah, yes.¡± The total cost was less than two gold coins. ?Impulse? was a little expensive, but the other spells were of specialized uses, so they were cheap. As usual, I pretended to take two gold coins out of the bag behind me while I actually took them out of my ¡®Item List¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re really quick to throw money away.¡± Maria looked at me like she couldn¡¯t believe it. I wished that she¡¯d stop giving me that look every time we were talking about money. I handed her two gold coins, and she handed me a silver coin in change and two magic stones for dimensional magic. The magic stones for dimensional magic had quite a mysterious color. The stones themselves were the same as the magic stones I could find in the Labyrinth, but the workmanship on the stones was very different¡ªeven the insides were engraved with a magic formula that completed the strange beauty of the stones. ¡°So beautiful. Swallowing them feels like a waste.¡± ¡°There are people who put them on their bodies, you know? I heard these can be turned into accessories.¡± Maria shared her knowledge with me. She then said that some people used divine magic stones as wedding rings to pray for good health. While I was listening to her talk, the clerk brought Maria¡¯s magic stones. ¡°Thank you. By the way, can we swallow them here?¡± ¡°Of course. Should I bring you water?¡± ¡°Please do. This is our first time, so it¡¯d be great to have an expert nearby.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± The clerk, looking pretty familiar with the procedure, brought each of us a glass of water from the back of the store. After which, Maria and I downed the magic stones with the water we were given. I took three, including the ice-attribute one, while Maria took two. Although I wasn¡¯t comfortable with the act of swallowing stones, after seeing Maria, a girl younger than I, swallow them without a single complaint, I felt like I shouldn¡¯t be one-upped. ¡°Congratulations, Ojou-chan! Now you can use magic too. But please don¡¯t do it in the shop. Ah, as for you, Onii-san, we still don¡¯t know if you can use yours or not.¡± ¡°I understand that¡­ What do you think, Maria? Can you use them?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to tell? This is my first time using magic.¡± Maria stared at her palm and didn¡¯t seem to know what had changed within her. ¡°Miss Clerk, we¡¯ll go outside and test them.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got no other customers, so let me follow and take a look.¡± The clerk was considerate and willing to look at our newfound magic. We were led outside to the shop¡¯s yard. There was a straw doll target set up, telling me that it was a common practice for customers to try shooting magic at it. ¡°Now, Ojou-chan, please try to imagine it¡­ The magic power that is traveling all around your body is now gathering in your palm, and as the heat of that magic surges, flames spill from your hand. And then chant it, ?Firefly?!¡± ¡°¡ª?Firefly?!¡± Fire rose from Maria¡¯s hand. The clerk was used to it. She had probably taught magic to many different people. Maria was in good hands with her. ¡®I should test my own magic.¡¯ ¡°Amazing, Ojou-chan! Wow, you¡¯re a bundle of talents. Now let us test for the next magic. Please imagine a colorless magic power gathering. This colorless magic power is now trembling on your palm, trying to jump out. You suppress this trembling, suppress it, and suppress it more, and then chant it, ?Impulse?!¡± ¡°¡ª?Impulse?!¡± As I caught the straw doll blown away in the corner of my eye, I continued with my work. ¡¾Magic¡¿ Freezing Magic: Freeze: 1.04 Ice: 1.06 Dimension Magic: Dimension: 1.42 Connection: 1.00 Foam: 1.00 Inherent Magic: Dimension Multiplied: 1.02 Dimension Gladiator: 1.04 I checked the magic available to me through the ¡®Display¡¯. Despite the increase of ?Connection? and ?Foam?, ?Little Snow? wasn¡¯t added. The aptitude diagnosis conducted in the shop certainly didn¡¯t show an element of ice-attribute. Was I only capable of learning Dimensional Magic? If so, then I couldn¡¯t understand why both ?Freeze? and ?Ice? were available to me. Another reason could be that I didn¡¯t have enough of that capacity thing, but I couldn¡¯t say for sure. The diagnosis taken in the Magic Shop was vague at best, so I had no choice but to try various things on my own terms. I would figure out the unknowns later, but for the moment, I prioritized grasping the details of the magic I had acquired. ¡¾Connection¡¿ Consumes 100 MP High class Dimensional Magic. Connects dimensions according to the user¡¯s ability. ¡¾Foam¡¿ Consumes 1 MP Basic Dimensional Magic. Bestows Time-Space concepts. The details weren¡¯t much different from what I had read in the catalog. Naturally, I had high expectations for ?Connection?. If what was written was true, I thought that I should be able to return to my original world with it. While I was checking my magic, Maria, who had finished practicing hers, approached me. ¡°Master! I can use magic too!¡± ¡°¡­don¡¯t call me that outside. Also, be silent. I want to try my magic.¡± Maria looked overjoyed and excited. However, if I could return to my previous world through the use of ?Connection?, it would be me who would be more overjoyed and excited, so I left her be and casted my spell. I Imagined it. The only wish I ever had: the wish to return to my world. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Connection?!¡± I held up one hand and constructed the image with the intention of pouring all of my MP into it. The magic power that interfered with dimensions gushed out from my palm. It engulfed the air all around me and then condensed it in my palm; the condensed air then constructed a wall using orchid-colored magic power. The wall was an irregularly shaped door made of magic, and it looked as if it were a shimmering, watery surface. I put my hand on that door. If my image was correct, the door should lead to my original world. I pushed the door, trying to open it¡ª ¡°¡ªit doesn¡¯t open.¡± It wouldn¡¯t open. I was pushing and pulling and did everything I could to the door when the clerk approached me with a marveled look. ¡°Hoo, this is the first I¡¯ve seen it. So this is dimensional magic. It¡¯s so exciting to see with my own eyes the magic I¡¯ve only seen in books. But it won¡¯t open like that, you know? You have to cast it one more time and make it into a ¡®pair¡¯ to work.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Come on. Cast it again.¡± The clerk seemed to know more about the magic than I did. I decided it was better to follow her expert advice and casted the magic again. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Connection?¡± I did as I was told and created another door nearby. ¡°Okay. Now there should be a connection between this door and that door¡ªif the books are correct, that is.¡± In other words, it was a manually installed Anywhere Door. I understood how the magic worked with that. ¡°I see¡­ okay, Maria, go.¡± ¡°Eh, no way. That¡¯s suspicious. It¡¯s scary.¡± It¡¯s scary for me too. Even though it was a door of my own making, it took courage to go through the light purple door that was clearly immaterial. With no other choice, I pushed the door open with my right hand, my wariness at an all-time high. That time, the door opened without resistance. Then the other door opened, and my right arm came out of it. Yikes¡­ ¡°The books are correct! Congratulations, Onii-san.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°But please remove after them. They¡¯re a bother.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± I put my hand back where it belonged and let my mind conjure up the image of the doors disappearing. They, consequently, disappeared with no problem. It didn¡¯t seem to be a means to go home. If it were a game, the magic would be more like a token to set up a warp zone. The only way for me to go home would be if the door was set up in my original world. Of course, if I could do that, then I wouldn¡¯t have gone through all the trouble. I got myself together and thought about having the clerk take a look at my other newfound magic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can you please teach me about my other magic too?¡± ¡°Your other magic¡­ ?Foam?, is it? Hmm, ?Connection? is easy to understand since its illustration is clear, but ?Foam? isn¡¯t well documented. All we know is that it is an ¡®appendage¡¯ to dimensional attribute magic.¡± Unfortunately, I had to completely fumble around to learn about the other one. ¡®No choice but to try it, then.¡¯ ¡°Let me cast it for now. ¡ªMagic, ?Foam?.¡± Without even thinking much about the image to construct the magic, I released the magic power into the air; what appeared was an orchid-colored bubble. ¡°A bubble, is it?¡± The clerk curiously poked the bubble with her fingertip. It didn¡¯t pop like a soap bubble. Instead, it was lightly bounced away. ¡°A bubble, alright.¡± I also felt it looked just that, but only I knew that there was more to it than what I assumed. It was something only I, the one who was in control of the bubble, who intuitively understood it, could grasp¡ªthat bubble was a deviation. Obviously, since it wasn¡¯t water-attribute magic, the outline of the bubble couldn¡¯t possibly be made of water. It was a deviation in the dimension that created a round outline. It was a bubble unique to the dimensional attribute magic. I didn¡¯t know what the phrase ¡®appendage to the dimensional attribute¡¯ really meant, but I was certain that the bubble had the dimensional attribute and was under my control. ¡°What do you think, Onii-san? Do you know anything about this?¡± ¡°No, not much¡­ It¡¯s just a bubble. That¡¯s all I can tell¡­¡± If I explained the magic feel of the bubble to the clerk, an expert in the field, she might be able to tell me how to use it effectively. However, I had obtained magic that few people in this world used. I wanted to keep it as secret as possible, so I lied. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see any uses for ?Foam?¡­ But thank you anyway. This is a first for both me and this girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job, think nothing of it.¡± I thanked the clerk while she only shook her head. And then I called out to Maria, who was having fun poking around my bubble. ¡°Are you done, Maria?¡± ¡°No problem with me. I¡¯ve got the hang of it.¡± She was confident. I¡¯d say she was flattered by the clerk¡¯s praise of her talent. ¡°Excuse us then. Thank you very much. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be back again.¡± ¡°Yes, good bye, Onii-san. You too, Ojou-chan.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help. Goodbye.¡± We said goodbyes to each other before Maria and I left the Magic Shop. The clerk waved at us until she could no longer see us as we left. And thus, Maria and I had learned new magic. ____ ____ Chapter 30 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 30: Diving Again into the Labyrinth A crustacean as big as a bear came at us with the speed of a wolf. The red monster, shaped like a crayfish, swung its scissor-shaped hand at me. I flicked away its attack with my sword and aimed to slash at its joints. ¡ªBut I failed. It twisted its body in the nick of time, and my blade hit its armor instead. ¡°Tsk¡ª!¡± Too many factors in that battleground that made me want to click my tongue: the footing was muddy, and anything I did was accompanied by discomfort. In contrast, despite the mud, the crayfish monster was agile, making the battle not worth the struggle. I was about to choose to retreat when Maria¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°¡ª?Firefly?!¡± A thin film of flame coiled around the monster¡¯s head. Reflexively, it brought both arms to its face to swat away the blinding flame. I wasn¡¯t one to miss such an opportunity. I zeroed in on the monster and succeeded in targeting its joints and slashed off both of its arms¡ªit was easy to aim at the joints of a confused monster. Losing both of its arms, the crayfish shrieked. I followed by attacking its vital points, other joints, thin limbs, and sensory organs; I crushed them all, as I couldn¡¯t find any obvious weak point. ¡°¡ªgYAAaaaAAAaaaAAAAAaaAAA!!¡± At last, with a final death cry, the monster vanished into light. I looked over at where the monster had been, my breath ragged, and my lips curved with a sense of accomplishment. ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºOne Who Lurks in the Swamp¡»¡¿ MAG is adjusted by +0.05 ¡°¡­Haa, that was a drag.¡± ¡°Congratulations, Master.¡± ¡°I told you, don¡¯t call me Master¡­¡± Maria, who had been assisting from a distance, approached and congratulated me. Having learned magic, we delved into the Labyrinth again. Since Maria¡¯s level had increased, we were going even deeper than we went that morning, and our goal was to go to the 10th floor to try to install the ?Connection? magic there. As of then, I had just defeated a boss monster of the 8th floor, cooperating with Maria. I scolded Maria for calling me Master while I picked up the drop item. Maria, however, didn¡¯t take it to heart and continued. ¡°You looked like you had a hard fight. Was there a problem?¡± ¡°Not really. I just hadn¡¯t thought that fighting with bad footing would be this hard. Your magic saved me, Maria. That was excellent timing.¡± ¡°No, no, that¡¯s all I can do to be of help during a boss fight.¡± Saying so, Maria gestured peevishly. I guessed she wasn¡¯t satisfied when I instructed her to stay in the rear and cover me just before the battle started. She must have been growing more confident because she had been defeating small fry monsters with her dagger until we reached the 8th floor. She probably thought she was able to help against that boss monster as well. It seemed like a sudden increase in level took away any semblance of reasonability from a human being, after all. Even Maria, thoughtful and measured as she was, became agitated and off the ground. Gaining more than double STR and VIT in just a few hours seemed to invite a lot of problems. I couldn¡¯t say I wanted to let Maria participate in a battle against stronger opponents. While, indeed, I was watching the monster¡¯s every move with ?Dimension?, there was a possibility I wouldn¡¯t be fast enough to protect Maria from some special ability I had never seen beforehand. ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m sure you can defeat that boss too, Maria. However, we can¡¯t tell what it could do. I say you should level up a bit more.¡± ¡°When we are fighting against an opponent like that, you should treat me like the disposable slave I am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a slave. Also, I don¡¯t like that saying.¡± Maria couldn¡¯t understand that If I did what she said and let her die as some kind of disposable pawn, it would be me who¡¯d die from self-loathing. Actually, no. Perhaps she said it because she understood¡­ ¡°Haah, you¡¯re as naive as ever.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just allocating the right person for the right job, and you have your own job that I have in mind, Maria.¡± ¡°Lies and more lies. You¡¯re just overprotective.¡± Saying that, Maria played with the dagger in her hand. She twirled it around in her hand and tossed it around like juggling it. Her DEX must have increased after she reached level seven¡ªshe had been fidgety that whole time. I tried to warn her about her attitude. ¡°I¡¯m not overprotective either. Even I can clearly see that you are lacking composure right now, Maria. The thing is, if you die right away, I¡¯m the one who loses money. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I want you to work hard and at least cover the four gold coins I used to buy you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re full of lies. You keep saying things that you don¡¯t mean. It wasn¡¯t long ago that you said you wouldn¡¯t mind if I ran away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Right, I did say that¡­¡¯ I recalled my own words, unable to argue back. Our Labyrinth exploration then continued in much the same manner¡ªI talked to Maria to a certain extent but never won an argument against her. It was one thing that Maria had a way with words while I was fumbling at best, but above all else, it was her ?Insight? that was the problem. She often pointed out things so accurately that I almost feared she took her words straight out of my mind. Feeling down as I was after losing the argument, I sensed a monster with ?Dimension?. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a monster in the right corner ahead. I think you can handle this one, Maria.¡± ¡°Finally. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± It was a common quadrupedal beast-type monster. Knowing that beast-type monsters on the 8th floor had no special abilities, I assigned it to be Maria¡¯s sparring partner. A rank 8 monster, a Bounce Dog¡ªIt was a monster that a level 7 explorer would have difficulty defeating unless they surrounded the monster with their party. ¡°Here I go¡ª!¡± Maria, though, went to the offense with nothing but a dagger and her own body. I followed her from behind to give her cover fire. The Bounce Dog reacted agilely to the human who ambushed it from the corner. It retreated and dodged Maria¡¯s opening attack with its characteristic beast-like movements. It then absorbed the momentum of its own retreat with its four legs and went to bounce off towards Maria, who only attacked air. I was calm as I saw that happening. Maria also saw and understood that Bounce Dog¡¯s headlong charge was imminent. She leaped when the Bounce Dog lunged at her, jumping over the monster with her hand on its back. She even managed to slash it during that interval. The Bounce Dog repeatedly rushed towards its nearest enemy, not at me, who was at a distance. It was a rush of speed that no ordinary human would be able to catch. Of course, it was much faster than what Maria¡¯s AGI allowed her. However, it still couldn¡¯t catch Maria. At level 7, Maria¡¯s STR was only average or below. Nevertheless, she was able to compete with the speed of the Bounce Dog thanks to her Skills. The ?Insight? Skill detected the psychology of the Bounce Dog, allowing her not to miss its behavior, and the ?Hunting? Skill led to efficient body movement and attack methods¡ªthe two Skills worked in tandem to allow her to accurately strike the monster¡¯s weak points. By the end of several thrusts, the Bounce Dog was a wreck. Its vaunted speed had fallen to the ground in front of Maria¡¯s fighting style, where she would aim at its tendons and various crucial muscles. In the end, Maria burned it with fire magic, severed all of its tenons, blinded it, and stabbed it through the heart. Maria was strong, despite her ¡®Status¡¯. She was nothing compared to Dia and me, but she was several degrees stronger than your run-of-the-mill explorers. Maria defeated a monster on the 8th floor without my help. ¡°¡­haa, haa. I¡¯m sorry, it took some time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. This is amazing for your first day.¡± ¡°No. I should have been good at dealing with beasts like this one. That being said, I had only ever dealt with small animals in my village¡­¡± ¡°I see. That explains it.¡± That explained why she had the ?Hunting? Skill. ¡°In the past, even if I could see the game, my body couldn¡¯t keep up with my vision, but that¡¯s no longer the case. My body feels light, and I can feel strength welling up. This is amazing. I managed to fight such a terrifying beast on my own.¡± Maria seemed to be enjoying herself, swinging around her bloodied dagger, spraying blood drops everywhere. She seemed to feel a sense of accomplishment in defeating monsters. She must have been suited to the act of Hunting in the first place. Because she had received the perks of level 7 and a body that could move as she envisioned, her talent seemed to be blossoming. After that, the exploration didn¡¯t pose any problems when left to Maria either. Even when dealing with unique enemies with total resistance to physical attacks, her ?Insight? Skill told her to attack using magic. In fact, the more unique enemies popped up, the more Maria¡¯s capability was demonstrated. The way she used her ?Insight? to select effective attack patterns was similar to my tactics. Thus, our new party passed the 8th floor and reached the 9th floor. However, the monsters there proved to be a much bigger challenge for Maria. With ?Insight? as her only leverage, Maria couldn¡¯t do anything against monsters when none of her attacks affected them. In such cases, Maria would turn to take the supportive role and cover me with ?Firefly? while I fought. I hunted monsters at random, making sure that Maria showed her use for me before we proceeded to the 10th floor. ¡ªThe floor that Alty guarded. A room of blazing sea of flames. After confirming that there was nobody around, I approached the flames to conduct my experiment. ¡°Alty, can you hear me? Alty?¡± * * * * * * I talked to the flames as if I were on a telephone. I could feel Maria looking at me like I had gone crazy, but I gave her no mind. ¡°Hey, Alty. I¡¯m serious, can you¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, I hear you. That is my home after all.¡± The flame that spoke to me took the form of a mouth. Maria¡¯s dumbfounded ¡°eh?¡± was heard behind me. ¡°I had my doubts, but you really do respond, huh.¡± ¡°Yeah. My main body¡¯s a bit busy right now, though. Sorry, but make it short.¡± ¡°Got it. I¡¯m thinking of setting up my magic here. Do you mind?¡± ¡°The ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯ we talked about earlier, right? Sure. I¡¯ll give you a place.¡± When Alty said so, a corner of the flames disappeared and a path was formed. ¡°I made a space with no flames at the end of that path. Try your magic there.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± I walked on the newly made path and casted my magic in the space without flames. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Connection?.¡± I envisioned it¡ªa mass of purple magic constructing the magical door. Magic power leaked out from my palm and gathered, forming the shape of a door¡­ and promptly disappeared. I simply couldn¡¯t keep the magic in place. ¡°Kgh¡­ Alty, the magic power in this room is too strong, I can¡¯t make the door.¡± ?Connection? being a brittle magic was also true. I couldn¡¯t place the door on the Main Road since the barrier would break the magic down, and if I put it outside the barrier of the Main Road, monsters would destroy it. That was why I had set my sights on the 10th floor, where there was no barrier or monsters¡­ my expectations were not met, though. ¡°Hmm. For my part, I¡¯ve been trying to ward off magic power from that area, but it¡¯s not going well. This very room is proof of my existence, after all. Flames aside, creating a gap of magic power in that room will be hard.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you do something? Having a door here would make all the difference.¡± For me, the Labyrinth was becoming less and less valuable from the 1st floor to the 10th floor. I had made use of them that time because I had Maria with me, but I probably wouldn¡¯t have the need to visit them next time. I wanted to shorten the travel time as much as possible. ¡°Hm¡­ Sorry, but that¡¯s impossible. You are basically telling me to end my own life.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Alty apologetically informed me of such before she came up with a new proposal. ¡°But I think you can set it up in Tida¡¯s room. It no longer has its owner, after all. There is a high chance that it has lost its magic power.¡± ¡°Tida¡¯s¡­? Which means¡­ the 20th floor, huh. That¡¯s a bit far¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s you, Christ, the 20th floor should be quite close for you, no? Why don¡¯t you go there and try it out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound easy. I have Maria now, and time is of the essence for me.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Still, let me try that tomorrow. Thanks for today.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. I only do what a collaborator should. Do rely on me again whenever you need.¡± With those as her last words, the mouth-shaped flame disappeared into the sea of flames. I had failed to use ?Connection? on the 10th floor. My next goal was the 20th floor. ¡°Are you done, Master?¡± Maria called out to me after staying silent the whole time. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve done all I could for today.¡± ¡°That voice¡­ was that Alty-san?¡± While it came out of a mouth made of flames, the tone of her speech was still the same. Given that I had called her by name, there would be no fooling Maria. ¡°Yes, that was Alty. She¡¯s a specialist when it comes to fire magic. She can do something like this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the level of a mere specialist¡­ Just who could she be¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. She¡¯s something of an enigma, but there¡¯s no doubt she has much knowledge under her belt. There¡¯s no one better than her when it comes to the Labyrinth, so she was a good choice for a consultant.¡± I kept it to myself that Alty was a monster. We were supposed to be collaborating with each other, so we should refrain from spreading information that could jeopardize each other. Above all else, I feared what could happen if we were discovered. ¡°Huh¡­ a consultant¡­¡± Perhaps she sensed that I withheld information about Alty from her. Maria only gave a short response. Well, if she was okay with that, then I wouldn¡¯t explain further either. I casually checked my ¡®Status¡¯ and decided to end our exploration due to my remaining MP. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get back home.¡± ¡°Eh, we¡¯re going back?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have much MP left.¡± ¡°I see. Let me defeat the monsters on our way back then.¡± Maria seemed to have a lot of excess energy in her. That wasn¡¯t surprising since both ?Insight? and ?Hunting? Skills were constant, passive skills that didn¡¯t use MP. I envied her a lot because of that, considering ?Dimension? always ate up MP. ¡ªAs she had declared, Maria took on most of the monsters on the way home. There were a few close calls, but with my help, we made it to the surface without serious injury. Soon after, we headed to cash in the day¡¯s loot. Maria was astonished to see the money we had exchanged. We had earned the equivalent of several months¡¯ worth of living expenses in just one day¡¯s exploration¡ªsomething that would have been unthinkable under her common sense. ¡°W-whoa. I do know that magic stones from the Labyrinth sell for a high price, but I never thought it would be this high¡­ So this is the reality of the rumors that explorers make big money¡­¡± Maria muttered as she looked at the bag of redeemed money in her hand. ¡°Right? It¡¯s weird that earning money is this easy, right¡­?¡± Hearing Maria¡¯s words, I realized that I shouldn¡¯t have earned that much on my own, and since she was with me, I¡¯d share the feeling with Maria. ¡°Half of that is yours, Maria.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve helped, after all, so you should have half of that¡­¡± ¡°No, no no! That¡¯s weird! I mean, you did all the work, Master! We earn this much precisely because of you, Master!¡± Maria shook her head, handing me back the bag of money. But that small amount of money didn¡¯t appeal to me. The money I had gotten from hunting bosses and the money I received from defeating Tida had screwed my monetary senses. Taking the opinion of Maria, someone from the bottom ring of society, was better. ¡°I guess halves aren¡¯t common¡­ Then how much do you want, Maria?¡± ¡°No, I am your possession, Master. I am not entitled to wages. Staying around is all I ever want¡­¡± Maria refused the money like it was what was obvious. She still didn¡¯t want to change her stance as my slave. I had lightly waved it off that morning, but I couldn¡¯t have her be that stubborn. With no other choices left, I revealed my inner feelings to her. ¡°I am the one who doesn¡¯t like it. I¡¯m sure you understand me already, Maria. I am not a big enough person to have slaves under me. That¡¯s why I want a more casual relationship between us.¡± ¡°¡­That is not true. You are a huge person, Master. So much so that you¡¯re not normal.¡± I was honestly pleading with her, but she just wouldn¡¯t accept it. As a person, I couldn¡¯t possibly be as big as Maria made me out to be by any stretch. If I were, Maria wouldn¡¯t be there. However, I could predict that I would lose to her if we were to fight with words¡ªlike how I did in our endless arguments throughout our Labyrinth exploration. ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s take the middle way, then. You¡¯re fine with that, right?¡± ¡°Middle?¡± ¡°You put your life on the line to support me, Maria. I can¡¯t possibly not pay you for that¡± ¡°If you put it that way¡­ This morning, especially, was dangerous.¡± ¡°Right? So let me pay you for it.¡± ¡°¡­Understood. If you insist that much, I¡¯ll take some.¡± Maria made up her mind to accept the salary. She then took a big breath, trying to look as insolent as she could, and offered the amount. ¡°Then¡­ Give me five copper coins.¡± Five copper coins. Just enough for one meal. She doesn¡¯t understand how to act insolent, does she¡­ Maria responded to my silent objection with a sly grin. Actually, maybe she knows what she¡¯s doing. With my shoulders trembling, I took up her invitation to the negotiation¡ªI mean, banter. ¡°No can do. I won¡¯t give you copper coins. It will be a couple of silver coins.¡± ¡°What kind of aristocrat do you think you are? At most I will settle with 10 copper coins.¡± ¡°One silver coin. That is the minimum.¡± ¡°11 copper coins, if you insist.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just one extra copper coin¡­ Split the differences better, will you¡­¡± ¡°Hm. 15 copper coins then.¡± ¡°Take at least 80 copper coins. Remember, you risked your life for this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I risked my life, hence 15 copper coins.¡± ¡°No, no, raise it more. We are talking about taking it in the middle, after all¡­¡± ¡°You leave me no choice. 20 copper coins¡ª¡± ¡°See, now you¡¯re finally starting to get it. Well¡­¡± The half-joking negotiation went on for a long time. Maria, perhaps enjoying that kind of talk, persisted until she reached the limit to what I could tolerate before we reached home. Finally, she accepted the copper coins from me with a dumbfounded look on her face, and I reassured her that she could do her personal shopping with that money. I then left her at home. Just before I left, Maria asked where I was going. I answered that I¡¯d be working at the tavern, to which she gave me the most fed-up look of the day. ¡°You¡¯ve made so much money. Why would you go and do chores to earn a little change¡­?¡± That was a good argument. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, though, for some reason. I told Maria about the importance of gathering information at the tavern and headed off to work. She was stunned until the end. ____ ____ Chapter 31 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 31: Celestial Knights I left Maria at home and went to the tavern. It was the first day of work after the vacations, but there was no particular change. I greeted the manager, Lynn-san, and the customers briefly and went to work. As usual, I was working mainly on cleaning up and washing dirty dishes. However, as I was working for the first time in a long time, my dish-washing speed had become abnormal mainly due to my higher ¡®Status¡¯. I had to be careful to keep my hand speed down so as not to look suspicious. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t neglect gathering information during my shift. If there was a customer I judged I could chat with, I would broach the subject with him or her. There simply wasn¡¯t enough information regarding the 20th floor if I only listened in with ?Dimension?. That day, I was getting my intel from a certain familiar warrior Onii-san, Crow-san. ¡°¡ªHuh. So there aren¡¯t many monsters on the 14th floor?¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s the total opposite of the wetlands of the 13th floor; the 14th floor is a barren land¡ªit¡¯s a vast expanse of desert with no water at all. It doesn¡¯t have many monsters, and it has a few area bosses as well. Few people go there to explore or hunt monsters. Usually, they just take the Main Road and go straight to the 15th floor.¡± ¡°I see. Desert sounds hot, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Exactly. The temperature on the 14th floor robs your body of water. That¡¯s why there are so many unexplored areas on the floor.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Crow-san was someone I had a close relationship with ever since he had called out to me on my first day on the job. He was usually drinking when I was working. Thus, I found time between chores to ask him, a seasoned explorer, about such things. However, if I chatted too long with Crow-san, the manager would take notice of me. I had obtained enough information about the Labyrinth for the day, so I decided to end the chat early. ¡°Thank you, Crow-san. You¡¯ve told¡ª¡± It was then that an unusual group came crashing into the store. I didn¡¯t recognize any of them. Their attire wasn¡¯t crude, as was often the case in Varte, but rather well-crafted, beautiful, and clean. Above all, they looked well-off. That was my first impression. The woman walking at the forefront of that wealthy-looking group was a beastfolk. I felt something particular to the strong from her, so I focused my gaze on her. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Serra Radiant HP: 256/256, MP: 101/101 Class: Knight Level: 21 STR: 6.22, VIT: 7.91, DEX: 8.89, AGI: 10.02, WIS: 5.60, MAG: 7.77, APT: 1.57 Innate Skills: Instinct: 1.77 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 2.12 Holy Magic: 0.89 A level in the twenties¡ªa visit from one of the best and the fiercest of the Allied Nations. She was a young beastfolk woman with bluish silver hair. She had a tuft of hair tied in a knot to the left, and her hair was down to her waist in the back. Both of her ears were animal ears, and she had a tail resembling a wolf¡¯s, making her a beastfolk. She wore comfortable clothing, minimal silver armor, and had a sword hanging at her waist. Above all else, her eyes were distinctive. The sharp, slitted eyes revealed the rigor of the woman. She passed her gaze throughout the entire tavern, seeming to be looking for something. The other customers were beginning to notice the group, wondering what was going on. Perhaps she grew impatient; she began to speak loud and pronounced enough that everyone all around could hear her. ¡°¡­A man named Christ is supposed to be working here.¡± ¡°¡ª?!!¡± My heart leaped out of my chest. She had named me. I hadn¡¯t expected that at all. A single sentence from her and several of the customers passed their attention to me. It was inevitable since the regulars knew my name. Their gazes led her eyes to fall on me, and beastfolk then called out to me. ¡°Are you Christ Eurasia?¡± With a much sharper gaze, the woman glared daggers at me. I was at a loss for an answer. The problem was that I couldn¡¯t see her agenda. This atmosphere was nowhere near normal, and the armored men she brought with her screamed danger to me. I wanted to play it cool as much as I could. But even if I lied, someone else could have confirmed my identity, and that¡¯d be the end of me. I had no choice but to tell her that it was my name. ¡°¡­yes. I¡¯m Christ, a waiter here.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The woman, after confirming my identity, took a breath and continued her words solemnly. ¡°My name is Serra Radiant. I am one of the Celestial Knights of Whoseyards. I have only one matter of business with you: I have come to challenge you to a duel.¡± With those words, she lifted her sword, still in its scabbard, to indicate her intention to fight. The bar was buzzing. Some were astonished to see Serra Radiant in person, whoever she was, as well as her sudden challenge to a duel. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. Why challenge me?¡± I tried my best to remain calm and inquired about her true goal. I remembered I had received advice from a knight named Palinchron before. Still, I didn¡¯t understand why I was in that situation at all. ¡°Why, you ask¡­?! You dare to ask with that mouth of yours¡­?!!¡± Radiant-san, perhaps not pleased with my response, grew furious. Crow-san then stood up for me. ¡°Oi, you hold your horse. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a knight from Whoseyards or my arse; you can¡¯t just rear your heads here and act like you own the place. This is a tavern. Don¡¯t mess with the waiter.¡± Other customers with whom I regularly interacted stood up as well. It looked like something important was about to happen. One by one, customers who seemed to know how to hold their grounds stood to speak up as well. ¡°I only watched ¡®coz I thought this was gon¡¯ be fun, but if you gon¡¯ hurt one of ours, then we talk together.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you can make a fool of Varte.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know each other much, but Christ boyo is no stranger to us.¡± Many other voices went on to condemn Radiant-san. They were agitated for my sake, making my heart flutter. It seemed like, before long, I had been recognized in my own right. ¡°Ain¡¯t that right, Manager?!¡± One of them shouted. Before I knew it, the manager had come out of the kitchen and was standing behind me. He spoke over my head. ¡°Don¡¯t get too crazy, you dang fools. This Whoseyards Ojou-chan ain¡¯t gonna go berserk in the store right now¡­ But Ojou-chan, remember that this¡¯s a tavern. A store. You interrupt my business¡­ things gonna get messy for both of us.¡± The manager was also a man nearing the 20th level. He didn¡¯t take a step back against the dangerous group of people. ¡°Do forgive me. I guess I was a little over my head. I apologize if I was interrupting your business. However, we have a mission we must fulfill on our part. That is to duel with that man and get our lady back.¡± Radiant-san bowed and talked with the manager calmly. She had seemed agitated earlier, but she turned out to be quite the reasonable person by nature. The manager listened, cracked a smile, then asked me. ¡°Hou, that sounds amusing¡­ Oi, Christ. You seduce some noble lady or something?¡± ¡°Eeh¡­ Do I look like I would?¡± ¡°I mean, surprisingly, it¡¯s slender guys like you who tend to¡­ well, you know?¡± ¡°I know¡­ what? I didn¡¯t.¡± The atmosphere was bleak and high-strung not even a second before, but as soon as it was clear the whole thing was about some lascivious affair, the manager shifted to a lighter tone. ¡°Radiant whatever girl. You heard what our Christ said. But¡­ well, this sounds sensitive. I¡¯d bet you want to talk it over. If a duel is what you want, can¡¯t you wait until this guy takes a break?¡± ¡°¡­Indeed. I didn¡¯t mean to cause trouble to the store either. You¡¯re right. We shall rest until that guy¡¯s break time. Of course, we will order in.¡± With that, Radiant¡¯s group took their place at the larger table. ¡°And that¡¯s that. These Whoseyards knights came for a meal. You lots don¡¯t need to mind them. Go back to your plates.¡± ¡°Oi, oi. You sure about this, manager?¡± ¡°Sure or not, this got nothing to do with the store. It¡¯s Christ¡¯s problem. It don¡¯t look like some baseless resentment, so we just gotta wait and see.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong¡­¡± * * * * * * The manager hushed the customers. That was not good for me, though. I wanted everyone to help me more. ¡°No, manager. This is baseless. I don¡¯t remember ever doing anything wrong.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­! You still want to feign ignorance¡­?!¡± When I spoke up, Radiant-san glared at me with a frightening expression. ¡°The knight missy sure sounds convincing, though¡­ Just talk it over, Christ.¡± The manager put an end to the conversation, making it sound like I was reaping what I sowed before he retreated to the kitchen. ¡°Fufu. Your time is numbered. Prepare yourself.¡± Radiant-san muttered loud enough that I could hear her. ¡ªJust the thought of having to work with that murderous stare clinging to me until break time made me let out a huge sigh. ¡°Haa, what the hells¡­¡± Still, I had no choice but to do my job as usual, up until the end of my part-time shift, though¡ª *** ¡°¡ªSo, who is this lady you speak of? Is it Dia?¡± After enduring the work hours like I was walking on a knife¡¯s edge, I took my well-earned break and sat down at the same table as Radiant-san. Her fellow knights stood behind me, blocking my escape route. Through Palinchron, I had confirmed that what they meant by their lady was not Franr¨¹hle, so for good measure, I brought up Dia¡¯s name. After all that was said and done, I still couldn¡¯t believe Dia was being honest with his gender, and it wasn¡¯t hard to believe that he was actually some kind of runaway noble lady. ¡°Dia who? Don¡¯t play dumb. Who else but our lady Lastiara-ojousama?¡± Radiant-san¡¯s voice turned one pitch lower when she mentioned the name Lastiara. She probably didn¡¯t want the name to spread. ¡°Lastiara¡­? Aah, that troublesome girl.¡± With those last few days that had been condensed with events, it took me a while to remember the girl I had met on my first day. The girl was still high on my list of dangerous individuals, although her freaky impression had faded with the arrival of Alty and Franr¨¹hle in my life. The whole debacle was caused by that girl. ¡°Troublesome, you said¡­?! You dare to call her like that after you kidnapped her¡ª?!!¡± ¡°Hang on. Me? Kidnapped Lastiara?¡± ¡°Yes. Our lady has gone missing, and on her memo, she said she¡­ she¡­! E-el-elo-eloped with the crook that is you!!¡± ¡°Haah. Eloped, you said.¡± There was no way she had eloped with me. I had never even seen Lastiara since that night. It was a clear case of false accusation, and it was Lastiara who threw me in the hot water. The next time I saw her, I¡¯d beat the hell out of her. With my level, I figured should be able to. Radiant-san was so agitated she wasn¡¯t speaking clearly, but she still kept on taunting me. ¡°Ourladyourladyourlady¡ª! Our most precious and kind lady!! All she ever talked about in the cathedral was you! How she happened to meet you by chance in the Labyrinth, what kind of man you were, all the things you had done, she kept talking about you every day, every single day with that beautiful smile on her face, and us Celestial Knights who had to listen to your wretched name from her lips again and again and again¡­ do you even know how we feel?!!¡± ¡°Calm down. Have some water.¡± ¡°This is no time for water!! Spit it out! Where did you hide our beloved lady?!!¡± ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I haven¡¯t seen her since running into her in the Labyrinth. She¡¯s the one who lied to you. I mean, it¡¯s her we¡¯re talking about¡­ I bet she ran away from home just for the fun of it.¡± All I ever thought of Lastiara as was some kind of freak who took delight in her mischief. I did feel sorry for Radiant-san, but screaming at my face wouldn¡¯t give her anything. ¡°Fu-, fufufu¡ª You mean our lady did it just for fun? Running away from us? For fun? How could that modest and caring lady of ours do such a thing? She would never. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know when you¡¯re trying to pull the wool over my eyes. That is why we must duel. I will deal with you through the duel. We can look for our lady at ease after you¡¯re gone¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no reason to accept your duel, though¡­¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t accept it, you and our lady will never be united either way. You must defeat all of the Celestial Knights, or we will hunt you for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Lastiara isn¡¯t with me, even if you hunt me down. You can come to my house to make sure of it if you want. She¡¯s really not with me.¡± ¡°I know how your perverse mind works. You¡¯re trying to distract me with false information, aren¡¯t you? Hah, you won¡¯t deceive me. I will catch you by the tail no matter what.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± We weren¡¯t even on the same page. I hadn¡¯t the foggiest what happened, but Radiant-san was hellbent, convinced I was behind it. I could continue to plead my innocence, but I¡¯d hate to be followed around all the time. I wanted to keep as much information about me hidden as possible. Grinding levels for Maria, for example. By the looks of it, she was willing to chase me around the clock, following me even when we explored the Labyrinth. I calculated the gain and the loss in the corner of my mind. I judged that taking up the duel itself wasn¡¯t a bad idea. My tolerance margin for risk had increased with the rising of my level, after all. ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s duel then. If I lose, I will tell you everything. I don¡¯t know Lastiara¡¯s whereabouts, but I swear I will cooperate fully in your search.¡± ¡°Hou¡­ Finally, you gave up. Actually, no, I¡¯d say it¡¯s more apt to say that you¡¯ve realized your sin and are ready to take the punishment for it.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t kill me off, please. I accept your duel, but let me give it a rule of my own: Nothing that will result in a grave or permanent injury. You kill, you lose. You win only when your opponent admits defeat. After all, peace is best.¡± ¡°¡­Mhm. Very well. I never fancied violence myself. Right, why don¡¯t I start by beating you until you give up on doing evil ever again.¡± The beastfolk knight claimed she had never fancied violence in the same breath that she declared she¡¯d beat me into submission. I found it hard to believe she hated violence at all. She was someone I¡¯d prefer to avoid contact with if at all possible. ¡°If I win, don¡¯t show up before me again.¡± ¡°Sure. The duel, of course, will be a one-on-one match.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking as well.¡± ¡°Good resolve. Fufu. Bring this outside.¡± With a single command, the knights lined up behind me and cleared the way for us. I got up to walk outside, finding the worried looks from people around me. Lynn-san, who had been eavesdropping as she did her waitress chores, tried to talk me out of it, but I turned her down. ¡°Ch-Christ-kun¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lynn-san. We¡¯ve already made the decision. Worst comes worst, I won¡¯t die.¡± I answered her with a smile, my voice loud enough to be heard by the manager and the customers. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right, but¡­ Be careful, Christ-kun¡­¡± My smile didn¡¯t crack even when Lynn-san showed her worry. After all, that wasn¡¯t exactly a bad Event. If anything, it was a good Event. I had always wondered¡­ I had managed to defeat Tida, even when humanity as a whole had a hard time fighting him. If so, then just how strong was I compared to the rest of humanity¡­ And then, conveniently, someone with a level in the twenties had appeared before me. She was enraged at the moment, but her personality seemed to be one that valued civility and humanity. She even accepted the lenient rule I had proposed to the duel. It was too good an opportunity to affirm my rank in terms of strength at the moment. My level was at about half of Radiant-san¡¯s. However, I wasn¡¯t inferior to her in terms of ¡®Status¡¯. Any slight numerical differences could be covered with ?Dimension?, and I could read her tactics from her parameters. I also had some new magic I wanted to try. It wasn¡¯t wrong to say I had my own interest in that one-on-one match. Yes, thinking positively¡­ Her group had come all the way to the tavern for me. I couldn¡¯t possibly miss out on the advantage. With that rational answer, I walked away with a thin smirk on my face. ____ ____ Chapter 32 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 32 ¨C Swordsmanship vs. the Lack of it I designated the location for our match to be out of the public¡¯s eye. Radiant-san and her fellow knights didn¡¯t have any reason to refuse, so the duel was easily set up behind the tavern. We pledged our mutual desire to duel on the Line, then drew our swords. My sword, by the way, was something I had borrowed from one of the knights and not Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword. There was no need to use a weapon with such a high ATK for a match that was likely to be cut short. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?, Magic, ?Foam?¡± I murmured, then felt the magic sensation spreading out. Several magic bubbles also overflowed from my sword. The first of the magic tactics that I wanted to experiment with¡ªthe practice of using ?Foam?. In fact, as a result of continually experimenting with ?Foam? in the Labyrinth when I had some time to spare, I had found some use for it. There were many instances of me using ?Dimension? and ?Foam? together. When that happened, I realized that ?Foam? was assisting ?Dimension?. On its own, ?Foam? didn¡¯t produce much effect. However, when it was used together with another Dimension-attribute magic, it showed its true value. In other words, the bubble made of magic allowed me to grasp space even more strongly. In terms of magic feel, each bubble managed to store the entirety of ?Dimension? within its boundary. That was its general idea. When combined with ?Connection?, the magic that normally would take time to create a door within a limited range from me, it was then possible to create a door much farther away without taking much time by containing ?Connection? within the bubble. Of course, in that duel, I used the bubbles to aid ?Dimension?. First, I put bubbles containing ?Dimension? on my sword. That alone increased my spatial comprehension of my sword, allowing me to understand more precisely how the sword was moving and what vector force was being applied. It was as if the sword had become one of my own organs. I took the kendo stance with my sword engulfed in bubbles. Seeing that, Radiant-san laughed scornfully. ¡°Heh, is that supposed to be enhancement magic¡­? Still, not only is it not the Holy Magic of our Founder, but your stance is also sub-par. Someone so shallow poses no threat to me.¡± Saying so, Radiant-san casted her own magic. ¡°¡ª?Growth?.¡± A white light illuminated Radiant-san¡¯s body. It was similar to the Holy Magic Dia performed. It probably had the same attribute. As I watched her, I casually checked on her ¡®Constitution¡¯ through the ¡®Display¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Serra Radiant Level: 21 Constitution: Physical Enhancement: 1.00 What an easy-to-understand effect. If anything, I felt sorry for Radiant-san since she had to deal with my Dimensional Magic for the first time. ¡°Let¡¯s start then.¡± ¡°Ready when you are.¡± Radiant-san took half a step back, the one-handed sword in her right hand was pointing to the ground. That was a peculiar sword stance. It looked quite disadvantageous from my point of view. However, considering her ¡®Swordsmanship Skill¡¯ was quite high, there was no way that it was just an appearance. I built up strength in my axial leg, trying to increase the internal pressure in my muscles. From the looks of it, the female knight didn¡¯t seem to set up a trick. I could guess that she intended to tank what feeble attack she thought I could muster. I didn¡¯t mind if we continued locking gazes like that, but wasting time was against my beliefs. ¡°Hup¡ª!¡± I exhaled, released the compressed strength I built up in my legs, and closed the distance at once. My sword, moving in tandem with me, went straight towards her right hand, but she dodged the flash with a wide margin. In the same evading motion, she swung her sword up to my neck. It was one fluid movement that happened in an instant¡ªa brilliant counterattack that showed a glimpse of tireless effort behind it. My eyes, however, caught it with no problem. Due to the nature of my magic, it was simply impossible for me to miss it. I quickly pulled my body back and created a distance to evade the blow to my neck. After a brief exchange of blows, I quickly distanced myself and returned to my previous position. I looked at Radiant-san, and she seemed surprised that I had managed to evade her attack. ¡°¡­Hou. You¡¯re not half-bad for a crook.¡± She appraised me condescendingly. I wouldn¡¯t blame her. After all, it was her who pulled her punch earlier. I replayed our brief exchange in my mind. Then, I realized. I had aimed to open a wound on her hand, but Radiant-san was going to stop exactly before her blade touched my neck¡ªshe had the skill to do that. I gulped. Not because of fear, no. It was a longing that almost took my breath away. It was a sensation I didn¡¯t feel when I faced Tida. It was probably because Tida hardly had any technique in his movements. He did wield blades, but there was no technique behind them. He relied on pure strength based on his overwhelming STR and AGI. That duel was different. The strength was almost a work of art¡ªa thoroughly refined craftsmanship. How she carried her feet, how she rotated her waist, how she shifted her shoulders, how her elbows became so flexible, how her wrists turned so stiff. The fact that her perfected swordsmanship stole my gaze gave me a sense of euphoria. That quick exchange with Radiant-san was just that: beautiful. My dreamy, vidya-freak nature that lay at the root of my identity freaked out with excitement. And I, for my part, quickly defused that excitement. My goal wasn¡¯t to appreciate Radiant-san¡¯s swordsmanship. There¡¯d be a huge chance for me to lose if I took my time defeating her. Conversely, I could also say that she wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me if I put up my guard. My objective was to measure my own strength and drive her and her goons back without fail¡ªnot to play around. I suppressed my desire to continue drawing out Radiant-san¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you not coming?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just pondering.¡± The beastfolk knight seemed to be wondering why I fell into silence. I quickly made an excuse to make her think I was devising plans to attack her. ¡°Hohou¡­ Looking at your movement, I can say that you¡¯re no ordinary fool. It seems that you¡¯ve seen through my strength with that brief exchange alone. No wonder, for someone who kidnapped our lady.¡± She took the liberty of giving me credit, fully believing her own words. ¡°No, no, that¡¯s a false accusation. Really.¡± ¡°Fufu, I haven¡¯t had such an amusing foe in a while. Right. Why don¡¯t I be the one on the offense next.¡± She didn¡¯t even lend an ear to my denial. However, it didn¡¯t seem like her ears were clouded by anger that time since they were clouded because I struck a new interest in her. I could feel her zeal tingle on my skin. Her intimidation made me feel numb. She was one of humanity¡¯s best swordsmen, and she was coming at me. ¡ªRadiant-san¡¯s whole body shook. That was a body-movement art that spared no useless movements. If I hadn¡¯t foreseen it, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch up with her speed. That being said, I knew in advance that she was a knight who specialized in AGI, and that made all the difference. I followed her steps with my eyes. I had also seen that she struck with her sword from below. I received the strike with the center of my sword, producing a high-pitched metallic sound as both swords met. My sword bounced up from the collision while Radiant-san¡¯s was swatted down. At that instant, I put her sword as another object to cling the dimensional bubbles of my magic ?Foam? onto. The speed at which I obtained information about my opponent spiked up. I switched from environmental awareness to a spatial understanding that focused solely on the movements of both my sword and hers. ?Dimension Gladiator? was sharpened by orders of magnitude, telling me the most minute movements of our swords down to the millimeter increments. * * * * * * ¡ªgood. The experiment was a success. I had learned how effective the magic was against a sword-user once applied. There was nothing else to experiment with. What I had to do next was cut the battle as short as possible while concealing my own true ability as much as possible. I momentarily enhanced ?Dimension? with enormous magic power. Then, as I etched every movement of the swords into my brain, I calculated the most optimal course for my body to move. On our third exchange of blows, both of our swords missed each other by paper-thin margins. On the fourth exchange of blows, our swords grazed each other, sending sparks flying. And the fifth exchange of blows was the final one, as her sword cut through empty air while mine rested at her throat. ¡°WHA¡ª¡ª?!¡± Radiant-san stared at the sword, disbelief in her eyes. ¡°I guess I won.¡± Ultimately, I came out with an overwhelming victory. However, had we taken account in terms of simple competence in swordsmanship, then I would have been significantly inferior to her. The critical point was the difference in the amount of information each of us possessed. I knew the detailed, numerical values of Radiant-san¡¯s ¡®Status¡¯, while Radiant-san had no idea what kind of abilities I had in store. Negligence and mental fortitude might have also played a part, but the sheer disparity in the amount of information between the two of us gave me a huge leg up against her. And the most important factor was that Radiant-san wasn¡¯t even aware that there was such a disparity. The Celestial Knight was one tempo too late behind my top speed when she executed her art. Had it been a real fight, her head would have been flying off. Ironically, the ¡®Display¡¯ showed its true value in an interpersonal fight instead of a battle against monsters. The other knights all groaned in unison once they understood the outcome of the duel. Some of them even rested their hands on their swords. Seeing them, I slowly backed my sword away from Radiant-san. I remained silent, waiting for my opponent to speak first. ¡°¡­Kgh, I lost indeed. A knight does not struggle in vain. Boys, don¡¯t ever draw your swords!¡± She noticed animosity of the knights and warned them. ¡°¡­phew. Thank you.¡± I took a breath of relief since she had owned her defeat in earnest. With the remaining amount of MP I had left, being surrounded by that many people made me anxious. Even if I tried to escape, I couldn¡¯t guarantee I wouldn¡¯t suffer some wounds fighting my way out. ¡°How humiliating¡­ to be defeated by a crook¡­¡± ¡°Please keep your words and get out of here. Preferably, right now.¡± ¡°Kgh, ggrrrrh¡­! Argh, the oath of a duel is absolute for a knight. I shall do as you say.¡± How understanding. I wasn¡¯t very familiar with knights and their business, but she seemed averse to going back on her words. I hoped the rest of the Celestial Knights would be as easy to deal with. Then again, Palinchron came to my mind, and I realized just how exceptionally earnest Radiant-san was in comparison. ¡°H-however!! What we promised was for me not to show myself before you again! Isn¡¯t that right?!!¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ Technically.¡± ¡°Which means the other Celestial Knights may still appear before you! Don¡¯t you get carried away just because you bested me!¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡± Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯d call a struggle in vain¡­? ¡°I shall leave it at that for today!¡± Leaving those words behind, Radiant-san turned her back and left the vicinity of the tavern, and the other knights followed suit. Thus, the boisterous group took their leave. Looking at her back, not that I wanted to jinx it, but should there be a next time, I thought to myself that I wouldn¡¯t put my faith in the duel system ever again. Should I have phrased it that their group was never to get involved with me again next time? If there was a next, I should work out my conditions more carefully before laying it out. Yup, I made up my mind. I then extinguished ?Foam?. The experiment was a great success. The last three blows of the exchange wouldn¡¯t have gone as smoothly without it. Being able to minutely grasp the movements of the swords was too OP. I couldn¡¯t think of a bigger advantage for a sword duel. I took a satisfied breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead¡ªthen I heard an applause. ¡°As expected of you, Kanami.¡± It came from the roof of the tavern¡ªa girl with golden hair fluttering in the moonlit night with her smile so bewitching. The root of the commotion, Lastiara, was there. ____ ____ Chapter 33 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 33 ¨C Bargain ¡°As expected of you, Kanami. Oh no, you go by the name Christ now, don¡¯t you?¡± A voice came from above my head. Just like with Tida¡¯s case, my attention to places above me was lacking. That bad habit was quite pronounced, especially after I put all of my focus on a battle. I was on high alert, my eyes glaring at her, when Lastiara jumped down from the roof of the tavern. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Have I kept you waiting?¡± She approached me, her long golden hair flowing. She wore the same outfit as the night she had assaulted me¡ªa light outfit made of fine cloth. ¡ªWith only one stark difference: a silver sword at her waist. My eyes meet Lastiara¡¯s. ¡°Not really¡­ I can¡¯t say I waited for you at all.¡± I retorted dauntlessly, continuing to look directly into her deep, golden eyes. I was a different man than I was on my first day there. I had grown accustomed to how the world worked and acquired the abilities to fight it. I didn¡¯t feel as much pressure from her as I did before. I focused on her, fully prepared for all hell to come loose. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Lastiara Whoseyards HP: 670/689, MP: 312/315 Class: Hero Level: 15 STR: 11.01, VIT: 10.56, DEX: 6.78, AGI: 7.89, WIS: 12.38, MAG: 8.78, APT: 4.00 Constitution: n/a Innate Skills: Armed Combat: 2.12 Magic Combat: 2.27 Swordsmanship: 2.02 Blood Arts: 5.00 Pseudo God¡¯s Eye: 1.00 Holy Magic: 1.03 Acquired Skills: Reading: 0.52 Body Principles: 1.00 ¡¾Celestial Sword Noah¡¿ ATK: 7 Consumption Rate: -99% Details about Lastiara that were unknown to me before flowed into my mind. Her level, her ¡®Skills¡¯, her weapon¡ªthey were all first-class. However, it was still within the tolerable limits. Indeed, Lastiara had been ten times stronger than me when I was at level 1. However, with the way I had grown, I would be able to fight her pretty well. ¡°How cold of you. I have always waited for this day, you know?¡± ¡°Cold, you say¡­ Are you not aware you just threw me into trouble¡­¡± ¡°But that much of hiccup was nothing to you, was it, Kanami?¡± ¡°H-hiccup¡­?¡± Lastiara likened a sword duel with one of the strongest of humanity to a hiccup. ¡°More importantly, your tone. Let¡¯s not be strangers. We¡¯re supposed to be lovers, after all.¡± Lastiara smiled, saying that there was no need to have a distance between us. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s been established,¡± she added, her smile brazen and imposing. I grew warier¡ªthat self-centered demeanor of hers had gotten me thrashed around one too many times. ¡°Sure. I never wanted to be courteous to someone like you either.¡± ¡°Fufufu. Look how confident you¡¯ve become after your level has risen¡­ Ah, I suppose I should shift my tone as well. Such ostentatious mannerisms aren¡¯t appropriate when I¡¯m talking to you, is that right, Kanami?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it clear: I will not play by your book. I¡¯ll no longer lose, even if you attack me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t attack you, no. I always treat others with virtue and goodwill, you know?¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how you got Radiant-san attached to you?¡± ¡°Quite useful, isn¡¯t she?¡± Lastiara spoke as if there really was nothing wrong. There wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of distress in her. She seemed to genuinely believe that the duel was no more than a hiccup. My position in the tavern, the fundamental danger of dueling with swords, the impression the knights would have of me¡­ She thought nothing of it, nothing. ¡°Hell, if she is¡ª¡± ¡°If you truly perceive this as me falsely accusing you of a crime you didn¡¯t commit, then you would have chosen to patiently explain your innocence, no? And yet, Kanami, you chose to accept the duel. ¡®This Celestial Knights lot is no more than a hiccup, not a threat for me. At most, they¡¯re convenient to test powers on,¡¯ is what you thought, or am I wrong?¡± ¡°¡ª?!!¡± Those golden pupils. That Pseudo God Eye or whatever ¡®Skill¡¯ must have seen through all of me. At the very least, I was sure it read my thoughts to some extent. I felt like I had been dealing with people with eye-related ¡®Skills¡¯ a lot lately. It was hard to do anything with them. I missed Dia¡ªhe was so pure and innocent. Seeing that I didn¡¯t deny what she said, Lastiara continued to talk. ¡°Exactly. You and Serra-chan are completely different. The density of the soul dwelling in her body is different from yours. A gap between levels is nothing to you. I wanted to teach you that, and I wanted to share this feeling with you. I, too, feel that she is someone convenient.¡± Lastiara spoke with her cheeks taut and her nostrils flaring. While her eyes, they were brilliant with madness. Her tone became more and more theatrical, revealing that she was intoxicated with herself. ¡°Kanami and I, we both are at a higher stage in this world, much closer to the spotlight of this story. We are loved, we are gifted, and we are blessed by the world. We are chosen beings. Soon we will be alone, and we will only have each other by our side¡ªSo, let us join hands. That¡¯s all I am saying.¡± Lastiara finished her speech and extended her hand to me. I spun my words carefully and resolutely so I wouldn¡¯t be swallowed by her madness. ¡°¡­Maybe you have a point, but that¡¯s some narrow-minded narrative you just said. ¡­So, in the end, what do you want?¡± ¡°H-huh? That¡¯s a flat reaction. I¡¯m pretty sure my invitation was pretty thought-provoking.¡± When I gave my response without being carried away by her momentum, Lastiara displayed her confusion. ¡°See? You¡¯re doing this half for the fun of it, after all. That¡¯s why I only listened to half of what you said.¡± ¡°Nn~, right, I admit that half of the words I said I picked for my own taste¡­ But I want you to believe that the other half is fully serious. With all honesty, I am looking for someone to party up with. To sum it up, I want you to add me to your Labyrinth exploration¡­ Will you please let me be your companion?¡± ¡°Nope. Nuh-uh¡± I didn¡¯t even give it a thought; my mouth moved on its own. ¡°That¡¯s quick. Eeh, give it more thought. You replied too quickly.¡± Lastiara waved her hands in panic. On the other hand, I was calm when I dealt with her. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You¡¯re too big of a mystery for me.¡± ¡°Being a mystery from the start is much more interesting, right? Like, the more time we spend together, the more you reveal who I am, isn¡¯t that what you¡¯d call interesting?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not really chasing after what is interesting, you know¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Then why do you delve into the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s to go home.¡± There was nobody in the vicinity. Nevertheless, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if even the ground had ears, so I didn¡¯t specify where I would go home to. Lastiara, however, should have known that there were two worlds, so the meaning behind my words should have gotten through to her. ¡°Eh, you want to go home?¡± Her response implied she didn¡¯t expect my answer. ¡°Obviously, I do. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever thought about, this whole time, ever since that day.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Hmm. Then all the more the reason you are going to need me.¡± I understood what she meant. Indeed, the exploration would be much easier if I had Lastiara¡¯s help. On top of her talent which was on par with Dia¡¯s, she had the abilities suited to be a vanguard. To be frank, I wanted to have her strength so badly that it was unreal. After recognizing her value, my words to her naturally softened. ¡°You¡¯re right. Having you as a companion would be reassuring, but¡­ you¡¯re too much of an enigma. I cannot accept you unless I know that your interest is aligned with mine.¡± ¡°Interest, huh¡­ I think our interests are aligned, you know?¡± ¡°Tell me yours then. What is your aim?¡± * * * * * * Lastiara¡¯s aim¡­ On my first day, she had healed my body, and then she had gone through the trouble of assailing me in the middle of the night to forcibly level me up. Then the Celestial Knights hunted me because of her, and she had even made me duel a knight named Radiant, basically selling me off to her. Unless I knew the reason behind her actions, I would forever perceive Lastiara as an enemy. Perhaps she could sense my determination not to back down; Lastiara¡¯s expression changed drastically before she dropped a few words. ¡°My aim is only one thing: I want to have it¡­ an Adventure.¡± Her eyes were, as ever, straightforward and mad. However, unlike before, there was human longing dwelling in them. ¡°You want to have an adventure?¡± ¡°Yep, a heart-throbbing adventure. If possible, one where I can have fun exploring the Labyrinth with these things called companions. Ah, while I do say companions, I won¡¯t accept anyone who treats me like I am special, okay? Also, I can¡¯t accept anyone who can¡¯t get up to my standard either. Those two points are important.¡± ¡°Right, and I fit both criteria¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been bored, you see¡­ I had always been in my cage since I was born. No stimulation, nothing. It was a prison where I had to be given everything by hand, so I envied those heroic tales, those adventure stories, and most importantly, the people in them. I was jealous of the lives that could be lost or gained depending on the strength of one¡¯s will¡ªI wanted this so bad it hurt me.¡± Lastiara spoke with unstoppable emotion. Her words were clear and straightforward. Her voice sounded like a cry from the heart¡ªa cry of childish and naive envy. It was no more different than a child throwing a tantrum, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was nothing false about her sentiment, and she also sounded pretty similar to a certain someone. ¡°¡­I understand what you meant, more or less.¡± ¡°If you do, then I want you to take responsibility. I used to be able to curb this feeling before I met a delightful fellow like you, you know? And yet, not only do you have the Skill ¡®Foreigner,¡¯ you were riddled in wounds, you were one foot in the grave, you were all alone in the Labyrinth, and you were at just level 1¡ªMy envy of you made me lose control of myself. Just¡­ what protagonist of what kind of story are you? What kind of adventure will unfold before you¡­? All these questions haunted me. So please, I want you to include me in your story. I¡¯m begging you, please¡­¡± What started as a request ended up being a plea. It was as if her standing was never consistent. It was obvious that Lastiara¡¯s emotions shifted with every second that passed. The more we talked, the more it was revealed how unstable Lastiara¡¯s character was. So terribly unstable. She was no more steady than a card tower that could collapse at any moment. A very immature mind unbalanced to her ripe body and grown level¡­ Should I guess it from her story, it was probably the typical girl locked in a box syndrome. The gap between her mentality and her actual strength gave the impression of a child crushing ants under her boots for fun. ¡°¡­Haah, at least now I know very well how childish you are.¡± ¡°I am serious, Kanami. I will help you in your aim to go home, so I want you to help me achieve my dream too. Please.¡± Hearing my frank opinion of her, Lastiara was indignant and continued to bargain with a serious look on her face. Appearance-wise, I could confirm that she was also of age. It was clear that Lastiara remained a danger to me. However, as mysterious as she was, I had many uses for her in my mind. The bargain itself wasn¡¯t bad. If I could control Lastiara¡¯s childishness, then there was no one better than her, and that was a fact. On the contrary, the disadvantages of letting her go would be much greater. If I let her to her own devices, there was always the possibility of her leaking information about me¡ªwhich meant it was only appropriate to keep her where my eye could see her. In that small window of time, I quickly weighed the pros and the cons before I slowly chose my words. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. A collaborator is always welcome. I can put you in my party on a probation¡ª¡± ¡°Yay, thank you!¡± Before I could finish my words, Lastiara joyfully shook my hand. While I let her do whatever she pleased with it, I laid out the conditions for her to follow my party. ¡°But no funny business, or else you will talk to my fist. I will make you unable to move and kick you out of the party right away.¡± The moment I judged I couldn¡¯t control her, I would silence her. That was the one thing I had to make up my mind to do. However, I wasn¡¯t sure how much I could do to keep her mouth shut. ¡°That¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine. All I want is to play in the Labyrinth with you, Kanami. I won¡¯t do anything funny.¡± ¡°Also, clear up the misunderstanding you made with Radiant-san and the other knights.¡± ¡°Eh? Hmm, let¡¯s keep that one brewing. I think if we establish our relationship as lovers, they¡¯ll be less likely to send pursuers after us. Those people deify the concept of love, after all, so it¡¯s more convenient this way.¡± Deify the concept of love? True, I also thought that love was precious and noble. However, I also thought that such a way of thinking simply didn¡¯t suit this world. ¡­thinking brings me nowhere. That was not what was important. The pursuers¡­ that was what was important. ¡°Hold on, so you and the pursuers are already a set?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s me get, and it comes with sparring partners too! Wait, Kanami, I¡¯m not some discount sales, you know?!¡± They were going to keep coming, it seemed. She was right; at my level, opponents at the caliber of Celestial Knights could only be regarded as sparring partners. I felt like I was being taken for a ride by Lastiara, but¡­ well, I had to exhaust all options. If push came to shove, I wouldn¡¯t mind throwing everything behind me. Above all else, it was already proven that dueling with a knight was a real learning experience. They were neither far too weak nor far too strong and yet they possessed a lot of expertise. We would be protected by rules, so there would be no killing. I had chosen to have a short duel in my fight against Radiant-san, but perhaps I could take my time observing my opponent¡¯s arts when the time came. ¡°Haa¡­ whatever¡­¡± ¡°There! You nodded! You definitely nodded! Don¡¯t say you didn¡¯t later, okay!!¡± Seeing that I vaguely accepted her, Lastiara took the opportunity to grasp my hand tightly and wave it around. ¡¾Lastiara Whoseyards has Joined Your Party¡¿ Party Leader is Kanami Aikawa And there came the ¡®Display¡¯ indicating that Lastiara had joined my party. I had been using the party system for a while, but it seemed like the conversation we just had fulfilled the conditions for her to join my party. I wouldn¡¯t know the detailed conditions until I tried it out, but for the moment, it seemed like it was enough if both of us vocally agreed that she would join. ¡ªThere were then four people in my party. I gained two more members in just two. Perhaps having more wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, so that was okay¡­ Maybe¡­ ¡°Now, let us go to your base of operation, Kanami. Oh man, I can¡¯t wait to start the adventure tomorrow.¡± ¡°Wait, hold on, you want to go to my house right now?¡± ¡°I do¡­ why?¡± Lastiara responded as if it was the most obvious thing, with a smile to boot. That was one damned feminine smile if I ever saw one. It wasn¡¯t androgynous like Dia¡¯s, nor was it childishly innocent like Maria¡¯s. It was of a girl of my own age, about the same height as me, no less. I couldn¡¯t possibly be conscious of it. ¡°W-wait a second¡­! Let me think¡­!¡± I panicked and tried to keep my emotions under control. Lastiara wanted to make my house our base of operations. I had no idea how other people of the same party stayed with each other in this world. Was it common for all members to share the same roof to sleep under? It made sense if it was some novice explorer with no money to spare. Saving money was essential. With companions, helping each other was pretty self-explanatory¡ªbut if she could afford it, wouldn¡¯t it be natural for her to stay in other places instead? I mean, I did say that I would make her my companion, but I wanted to keep her away as much as possible in my downtime. She wasn¡¯t someone weak like Maria was. ¡°Not yet, Kanami?¡± ¡°I was just taken aback a bit¡­ But can you not stay at my house? I don¡¯t know how relationships work in this world, but in my world, it¡¯s embarrassing for boys and girls of age to sleep under the same roof. Why don¡¯t we sleep in different places? You have the money, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how this world and your world works, Kanami, but¡­ in the books I read, companions always sleep under the same roof, you know? I think it¡¯s more fun that way, and it¡¯s not like my money is infinite. A copper saved is a copper earned¡ªthat¡¯s what I think.¡± Lastiara didn¡¯t seem to know the common sense of an adventurer either. However, she seemed to have learned some things from the books she read. If that was how adventurers do it in the tales of this world, then that was probably how the adventurers of this time did it too. A copper saved is a copper earned. The very same monetary sense I had. ¡°Is¡­ is that so¡­ That¡¯s how it works, then¡­?¡± She had assailed me in my sleep before, but she hadn¡¯t taken my life. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being killed by her in my sleep then, probably. If that was the case, then it should be okay to lend her a place to sleep. The rest was a matter of my embarrassment. The main problem was I would be in the proximity of a beautiful girl named Lastiara for many hours a day. As a man, sure, that brought me joy, but it was also the truth that such feelings were useless for me right then. ¡°Is it really something to worry about¡­? Can¡¯t you just take it more casually¡­?¡± Lastiara interjected, unable to understand why I kept agonizing over it. ¡°¡­fine. Just follow me. I¡¯ve got a lot of empty rooms.¡± ¡°Eh, rooms? It¡¯s not an inn?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a house. I just bought it yesterday.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s lucky for me. Although, I was looking forward to some rundown inn like in those adventure tales. Like the one I found you in before, Kanami.¡± ¡°By before, you mean my first day? That¡¯s the most expensive inn around, you know?¡± ¡°Hou. You mean there are even more cramped and rundown places than that one? That sounds fun.¡± Lastiara seemed to have a yearning for a life of poverty. If people who were truly suffering from poverty heard what she said, they would surely be outraged. That kind of insensitivity must have been one of her shortcomings. We concluded our conversation and started our walk to go home. ¡°Aah, and lastly, stop calling me by the name Kanami. I go by the name Christ Eurasia in this world.¡± ¡°Hmm. I got it, Christ. ¡­By the way, what¡¯s the meaning of that name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the name of the most famous teaching and the name of a continent in my world. It will surely trigger anyone who recognizes it.¡± ¡°I see, so it¡¯s a convenient name to look for someone from your hometown. Fufu, coincidences can be funny. My name is also the same.¡± ¡°Now that you say it, your surname is the name of the country of Whoseyards. Does that mean you have the blood of royalty? I¡¯d rather not be with you if you do.¡± ¡°Hmm. While that¡¯s true, having the name of one¡¯s country isn¡¯t that rare for people of the Allied Nations. After all, there are over a hundred powerful people and nobles who adopted the name of King. The Allied Nations have a lot of kings who run the government. It¡¯s a bit of a remnant of the past when the Allied Nations took in a heck of a lot of small countries like crazy.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I don¡¯t really know about this world, so it sounds interesting to me.¡± ¡°The bellwether of the Great Nation Whoseyards at the time was a fool beyond help¡ªit¡¯s amusing. His story was one of my favorite epic tales. After stealing the whole country, he didn¡¯t kill the king; he extolled him instead. Because of that, he kept failing time and time again, but this fool never gave up. He fought on for decades on end, hoping only to make the people smile. And then¡­¡± Lastiara seemed to be enjoying herself a lot when she began to talk about heroic tales. We walked home as I listened to her storytelling. She wasn¡¯t tired of talking, even on her feet. Learning more about the history of this world didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea, so I continued to listen to her story for a long time. And then, I thought about what to do once we reached home. After all, Maria was waiting back at home. While indeed, the party became a party of four; Dia, Maria, and Lastiara¡ªthey all thought that they were in a party of two with me. It got a little too complicated, so I immediately halted all thoughts about how to explain it to each of them. They would probably end up lightly introducing themselves to each other anyway. It was no big deal. Thus, without any hesitation, I walked to the house where Maria was waiting for me. ____ ____ Chapter 34 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 34 ¨C Three-Person Party As we reached my house together, Maria opened the door for me. At first, she was bewildered to see Lastiara fumbling with her words as she greeted me, but she then promptly treated her as a guest. And that led to the next moment. Maria, Lastiara, and I shared the table to have our dinner. Maria¡¯s homemade dishes were lined on the table¡ªthey were simple but elaborate dishes. I¡¯d guess that Maria used her own money to buy the ingredients and spent a long time preparing them. ¡ªObviously, there was only enough for two. I couldn¡¯t possibly take Maria¡¯s food from her, so I passed the dish before me to Lastiara. While it was true that she had become a member of our party, Lastiara was still a guest in that house. The guest should always be offered first. However, when I passed my dish to Lastiara, somehow, I felt like the temperature dropped a few degrees. I felt especially cold from Maria¡¯s direction. When I looked at her, a brilliant smile greeted me back¡ªa smile so wide it almost touched her eyes, the eyes which wouldn¡¯t stop glaring at me. ¡®Th-that smile means it¡¯s okay, right¡­?¡¯ ¡°Wah, amazing¡­! This is what I meant! This kind of dish is what I always wanted. Oh, so warm. Hey, hey, can I really have this?¡± Lastiara gleefully asked for permission to eat. Maria¡¯s home cooking hit right in her strike zone, it seemed. Perhaps that kind of commoner food was just that unusual for some sheltered young lady like her. ¡°Eeermm¡­Well, I think you can? Right, Maria?¡± ¡°¡­why, of course. Help yourself.¡± I timidly sought Maria¡¯s approval. Maria¡¯s smile was as flawless as ever to the point of alarming, seeing that it was Lastiara who was crashing in as our guest. ¡°You heard it, Lastiara.¡± ¡°Well, then, I won¡¯t reserve and help myself.¡± Lastiara put her hands together before she reached out to a wooden spoon. Maria then spoke up. ¡°However, this would mean the Master won¡¯t have anything to eat. Master, please eat my por¡ª¡± ¡°You prepared it with your own money, Maria. I can¡¯t have it if you don¡¯t eat it. I still have my emergency rations stacked up, so don¡¯t mind me and help yo¡ª¡± ¡°Exactly what I thought you would say, Master!!¡± She interrupted my interruption. Her tone was unusually harsh. I could guess that she didn¡¯t like my response. Well, sure, I understood that she¡¯d get disgruntled if I ended up not eating the dish she did her best to cook for me. but she didn¡¯t have to get so angry about it¡­ ¡°Hmm. It sounds like I shouldn¡¯t eat it, after all.¡± ¡°No, please don¡¯t mind us and enjoy the meal, Lastiara-san.¡± Unable to watch us any longer, Lastiara stopped her hand from picking up the spoon. Maria replied to her, saying that it was okay for Lastiara to eat. ¡°Right. It¡¯s bad to leave someone out. As companions, we have to avoid compromising each other¡­ Well then, Christ, why don¡¯t we eat together? Sharing what little food there is with one¡¯s own companions is something the adventure tales often depict too, you know?¡± ¡°W-wait a minute. You mean the two of you are going to share one dish together?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. From what I know, it¡¯s common amongst companions. Also, it sounds fun. Come on, Christ.¡± Saying so, Lastiara pulled her chair and the dish closer to me. It seemed like she didn¡¯t question the common sense those adventure tales told her. ¡°If¡­ if that is the case, then let me share my dish with my Master! Lastiara, please enjoy your food! We can¡¯t be so rude to the Master¡¯s guest!¡± ¡°Oh, you, a guest, you said¡­ If anyone, it¡¯s you who shouldn¡¯t be reserved with me. We are going to be companions, after all.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Companions?¡± I could see that Maria thought Lastiara was going to be a guest who¡¯d crash in just for the night. Lastiara, however, was ready to see the both of us as companions who¡¯d go through thick and thin together. That was a good chance. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you two share with each other? You two still don¡¯t know each other much; it can be good to get to know each other. As for me, since I am being treated as the host of this house, I will enjoy myself with my dish.¡± With that, both Maria¡¯s demand and Lastiara¡¯s demand could be fulfilled at once. I sure came up with the best ideas. ¡°Nice suggestion, Christ!¡± ¡°Haah?! Wait a minute!¡± As if to say that everything had been solved, Lastiara stood up and moved next to Maria. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s eat together, Maria-chan!¡± ¡°No, thank you, I should¡ª¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so shy. Come on, let¡¯s feed each other!¡± ¡°Hah?!¡± It looked like they had finally come to terms with the dish. That was a relief. If they could continue to get along well, then all the best. I started with my own food leisurely as I watched the two girls be merry with their meal. ¡°I like her~ She¡¯s so small and so cute~ And then, even though she doesn¡¯t have the collar, her class is¡­ fufu, her class is¡ªufufu, fufufu, so interesting~ Oh, you loveable creature, you¡ª¡± ¡°Uwah! Wait, don¡¯t tickle me, please! Ah, don¡¯t touch any weird places¡ª¡± Wonderful. I thought that the more party members there were, the more trouble came. I was glad I was wrong. As it stood, Maria¡¯s troublesome aspects were offset by Lastiara¡¯s troublesome aspects, leaving my hands free of their individual troubles. I could concentrate on my meal alone and think about the Labyrinth without being disturbed. ¡ªThus, by leaving those two girls who became much closer than I thought, I finished my elegant dinner alone. Seeing that I came back late, we decided we would go to bed right away. Right then, like it was the most obvious thing, I made a suggestion to Lastiara. ¡°Right, Lastiara. Why don¡¯t you and Maria sleep together? Companions sharing the same room and chatting is like a common trope for a story, don¡¯t you think? There won¡¯t be a problem since you¡¯re both girls.¡± * * * * * * As a result, Lastiara abducted Maria with the most radiant smile she had ever shown. I had a feeling that Maria, that girl who always had her wits around, was seeking help from me, but I pretended not to see it. With that, I could rest easy. Besides, that would deepen their relationship. What a win-win. I chose the room farthest from theirs, leaned my sword against the wall, and succumbed to bed. I was running low on MP, so I couldn¡¯t experiment with magic before bed. I drifted off to sleep, focusing only on healing my physical exhaustion. *** Early the next morning. While I was experimenting with magic in the living room, an emaciated Maria showed up and greeted me in low spirit. ¡°G-good morning¡­ Master¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, morning.¡± I would not pry too deeply as to why and how she could become like that. That being said, she¡¯d bore a hole on the back of my head with all the staring, so I decided I should probably try to somehow get her into a good mood later. Seeing that Maria had woken up, I ended my magic experiment. For the time being, I was able to fix ?Connection? in the corner of the room, so the experiment was a success. However, I did not expect that my MP would be drained all the time to maintain the magic. Just maintaining one door, my max MP was reduced by about 100 points. It seemed that there were various conditions for the use of the magic. Just when I thought Lastiara had gone so early in the morning, she returned a little later with a large jute bag with her. Apparently, she had packed the tools she assumed she¡¯d use in the Labyrinth. I wondered how much I should tell her about my ¡®Item List¡¯ system. Dia might have been aware of it the whole time, but even if he was, I hadn¡¯t actively told anyone about that ability. At the very least, I didn¡¯t want to reveal all of my cards to Maria and Lastiara just yet. However, judging from Lastiara¡¯s motive, I could predict that there would be a time we were stuck in a prolonged battle down in the Labyrinth at some point in the future. When that time came, there would be occasions when I had to make use of the ¡®Item List¡¯ system in front of both Lastiara and Maria. If that was the case, it would be better to present a part of the whole truth ahead of time to avoid any trouble down the road. ¡°Lastiara. If your luggage is too bulky, give it to me.¡± ¡°Mn?¡± ¡°My bag is a Magic Item Bag that is quite spacious inside. You can entrust some of your less important items to me.¡± I didn¡¯t reveal the whole truth, just a part of it. Through the proxy of my bag that I dubbed as Magic Item Bag, I demonstrated the power of my ¡®Item List¡¯. ¡°Huh, hmm¡­ Magic Item, huh? I¡¯ve never heard of an item like that, you know¡­¡± ¡°¡­Are you or are you not going to entrust your items to me?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll trust you. It¡¯s good to have your hands free, after all.¡± I guessed that she was aware of the true nature of my lies. However, she didn¡¯t pursue it further and only took out water and food from her jute bag and handed them to me. I put them in my ¡®Item List¡¯. Added with Lastiara¡¯s belongings, the number of supplies in my ¡®Item List¡¯ was enormous. With that amount of supplies, both Maria and I shouldn¡¯t have any trouble exploring the depths of the Labyrinth. With that, we were all set. I called my party members to set out to the Labyrinth. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Maria.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Master.¡± I had Maria get her equipment ready, and we both headed out of the house together. Once we were out, Lastiara followed us. ¡°¡ªHey, Christ. We¡¯re bringing Maria-chan with us?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± ¡°Mn, as far as my ¡®Skill¡¯ can see, it will be hard for Maria-chan with her ¡®Status¡¯ like that. Seeing that she has the ¡®Cooking Skill¡¯, I had thought she was your housekeeper¡­¡± While I had no idea if it worked the same as my ¡®Display¡¯ system, Lastiara was able to see ¡®Statuses¡¯ too, and she seemed to be anxious when she looked at Maria¡¯s ¡®Status¡¯. ¡°Maria is a Labyrinth exploration companion.¡± ¡°But her talent is really lacking, you know? She doesn¡¯t have that many ¡®Skills¡¯, and the most important parameter, ¡®Aptitude¡¯, is also low. She won¡¯t be of any use as soon as we hit the deeper floors. Is that okay with you?¡± Lastiara nagged me for my choice of companion. I could sort of tell that she was implicitly recommending that I should leave Maria back at home. ¡°I didn¡¯t choose people solely on the basis of their talent. There are things that even Maria can do in the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ is that right? Well, I¡¯ll do as you say. Don¡¯t blame me if Maria-chan dies, okay?¡± Lastiara casually, off-handedly spoke that she wouldn¡¯t care even if Maria died. I would have taken issue with her view of life and death, but¡­ the cold truth was that it was Lastiara¡¯s strict mindset that was more appropriate to explore the Labyrinth with. I took her advice head-on, then replied willfully. ¡°I won¡¯t let her die. No matter what.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s good too, I guess. I fancy that kind of dramatic stuff a lot. I love both bad ends and good ends, you see. Ufufufu.¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re nasty.¡± ¡°Putting that aside, do we have an actual goal for the Labyrinth? Diving in thoughtlessly doesn¡¯t strike me as fun, so I hope we get to about the 30th floor.¡± ¡°The 30th floor is basically a world foreign to humanity as a whole, you know¡­ For the time being, we¡¯re aiming for the 20th floor, but considering Maria¡¯s level, it might take several days to reach there.¡± ¡°Several days¡­ That¡¯s a bit troubling for me. Personally, enemies up to the 20th floor don¡¯t really give me any fun, you know, so I want to go further than the 20th floor as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Well, I want to progress our exploration too, but¡ª¡± ¡°If so, why don¡¯t I give you an idea?¡± Lastiara smiled and picked up the sword at her waist. The entrance to the Labyrinth was close to my house, so it didn¡¯t take us long to get to that big, ostentatious hole. Lastiara drew her sword out of its scabbard in front of the entrance and declared. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with all the small fry. Christ, you and Maria just need to watch.¡± With that declaration, Lastiara took the lead, and we entered the Labyrinth. ¡ºTenth Day Starts¡» ____ ____ Chapter 35 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 35: Hero and Midwinter Snow Countless beasts crammed into the wide corridor. It was a Herd. It was a scene I would never encounter if I wanted to since I had the means to look for them. Being attacked by multiple monsters at the same time would cause me to be at risk of losing my life, even if I was above the floor¡¯s appropriate level. I had heard stories of a terrible encounter with a herd of monsters before in the tavern, and ever since then, I had been careful to never encounter a herd. ¡°Fu, fufu¡ªAHAHAHAHA!!¡± In the middle of that herd of monsters was Lastiara, fighting all alone as she laughed. She took on the violence of numbers without a second thought. I watched from far behind with Maria. I picked up Lastiara¡¯s battle with ?Dimension? and observed. Wearing only a thin robe that provided no defense whatsoever, she smoothly dodged the claws of the beasts. Then her sword flurried at them as her body dodged. Rinse, repeat. Despite her high ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ ¡®Skills¡¯, her actual swordsmanship was crude. Occasionally, she would show a spectacular flash of the sword, but it was far more often a haphazard sword slash than actual technique. Her moves indicated not so much that she was good with the sword but rather that she was excellent at mastering her own body. She might be able to use magic, but even if she could, it didn¡¯t seem like she would use it at all. As I analyzed Lastiara¡¯s tactics in fighting monsters, I also observed one other person. ¡°Wh-what in the world¡­ is she¡­¡± Maria was watching the battle unfold in stunned disbelief. I looked at Maria¡¯s ¡®Status¡¯ through the ¡®Display¡¯ and checked her EXP. It was an important information analysis. I would say that it was much more important than analyzing Lastiara¡¯s tactics. That was the first time I challenged the Labyrinth in a three-person party. If it were a game, the change in the number of party members would cause a fluctuation in the distribution of EXP. Would it be a penalty, a bonus, or would it be a completely different distribution method? I had to make sure. With Lastiara in charge of grinding EXP, I continued to observe the changes in the EXP columns between the three of us. ¡°Master, who is she¡­?¡± Maria asked me the question as I was analyzing. As my brain continued to calculate the differences, my mouth answered her question. ¡°I don¡¯t know much either, but I know for sure she is someone special. For now, though, you just need to see her as nothing but a knight girl who loves going into the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± It seemed like Lastiara had finished her extermination as I was talking with Maria. She walked to us with an easy gait, shaking off her blood-soaked blade as she did. Incidentally, there were hardly any drops of blood on her person. Still too easy for her. ¡°Haa~ Finally got the last one~ That took some from me~¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you we need to detour.¡± ¡°Detour means we gotta take the long road, and I don¡¯t want that. We need to go deep and fast.¡± ¡°Geez¡­¡± Lastiara didn¡¯t like being on the shallow floors and had single-handedly cut through a herd of monsters that were blocking the shortest path to the next floor. I had suggested a detour to avoid the herd, but it actually helped me too. She provided me with a lot of EXP, enough to derive an analysis. Thanks to her, while tentatively, I had confirmed four rules: Even if there was only one person doing the fight while the other two only watched, the EXP was still divided among three people. The range of the party system didn¡¯t change much, even with three people. There was a slight penalty added if the party had multiple members. The EXP distribution wasn¡¯t different; it remained equally divided amongst all members. Also, I could say I was starting to catch on to the trends of the party system to a certain extent. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s head to the next floor.¡± ¡°Lets~ I¡¯m on the front~¡± With that said, Lastiara once again took the lead as we moved through the Labyrinth. She was walking briskly, perhaps because she wanted to get to the depth of the Labyrinth as quickly as possible. I followed behind Lastiara, who was looking like a child on her way to a toy store. But then, I suddenly noticed something was off about Maria. Lastiara¡¯s fast-paced walk was quite imposing. Any normal person would get run out of breath trying to go at her pace. I was fine, but with Maria¡¯s ¡®Status¡¯, it might have exhausted her. Thinking so, I turned my eyes to Maria and saw that her face had turned pale. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong, Maria¡­?!¡± Maria walked right behind me, her hand seemed ready but hesitant to grab the hem of my clothes at any moment. ¡°Master¡­ Don¡¯t you think something is wrong? When you looked at Lastiara-san¡­?¡¯ It seemed like Maria was stuck with oppressive fear after seeing the fight that had just taken place. Right, to someone of lesser ability than her, Lastiara would appear to be nothing but an overwhelming bundle of violence. I, too, had once had an eerie, apprehensive fear of Lastiara. ¡°You¡¯re right. Lastiara can be a little bit scary¡­ But she has an innocent heart, despite how she implied, she isn¡¯t exactly a bad person.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but think how funny a manner of speaking could be. She wasn¡¯t exactly a bad person, sure, but a troublesome one? Absolutely. ¡°Innocent, that is why she is scary¡­¡± Even after she listened to my defense, Maria couldn¡¯t seem to shake off her fear. She even described that Lastiara was scary precisely because she was innocent, like she was the type of person who would innocently step on an insect and squash it. And I understood what she meant. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Whatever happens, I¡¯ll protect you. I¡¯m strong enough to protect you from Lastiara.¡± ¡°Eh? Master, you can win against her¡­?¡± ¡°Not easily, but I think I have an advantage over her. She has a lot of air in her head, and I don¡¯t think my swordsmanship is any less than hers. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± I spoke softly, padding my odds of winning in order to reassure Maria. To be honest, there was probably not much difference between Lastiara and me. If anything, it would be the circumstance where I would be fighting while protecting Maria, automatically putting me at a disadvantage. If I was free and could fight for my own, then I¡¯d say my odds of winning were around 50% at most. Either way, I needed to have Maria be at ease, so I continued to act like I had the advantage. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case¡­ It should be me who protects my Master¡­¡± At the very least, it seemed like she believed that Lastiara wouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as I was around for the time being. Her fear had considerably lessened. ¡­supposedly. Maria was skillful at pretension and putting a bold front, so I couldn¡¯t trust my own judgment. Next, she began to mull over her own position. I quickly gave her my words, afraid that she would bring up the whole slave or friendship debacle all over again. ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to. If anything goes wrong, Maria, you should mind your own safety.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to¡­? Master, you mean¡ª¡± Hearing my retort, Maria looked like she had arrived at a conclusion, but her expression quickly reverted, and she shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Oh, how I wanted to read her mind. Whenever that happened, I couldn¡¯t tell at all what was going on inside her head. Maria shifted gears and then smiled as she talked. ¡°In the end, it boils down to my powerlessness¡­ Isn¡¯t that right? Also, now that I think about it, I should also know very well that Lastiara-san is not a bad person at all. If anything, she¡¯s quite a good person.¡± ¡°Eh? Sh-she is?¡± While it was me who had said she wasn¡¯t a bad person, I somehow couldn¡¯t accept saying that she was a good person either. ¡°Last night, I shared the bed with her, and we chatted endlessly. I think I know her character much more than you do, Master. I mean, she seems to like me too much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ She does seem like she fancies you a lot¡­¡± Her steps grew lighter as we talked. She came forward and began to advance through the Labyrinth in front of me. ¡°That means we must be quick, or else Lastiara-san might leave us behind.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± I looked at her back and continued through the Labyrinth. With me behind her, I couldn¡¯t see the face that Maria made. No, I could easily see her face if I used ?Dimension?, however, I would never be able to see what kind of expression her heart made. I wasn¡¯t assertive enough a man to force someone to speak out their mind. However, I promised myself that, no matter what happened, I would always protect Maria. And then, I walked on¡ªto the depths of that otherworldly Labyrinth¡­ * * * * * * After challenging the Labyrinth so many times, I became accustomed to dealing with the monsters. I especially felt that notion as we approached the 20th floor. The monsters themselves weren¡¯t exactly something entirely alien to me. Having played many games in my previous world, not many of those monsters came to me as something new. I had seen something similar to the majority of them in some certain works or titles. While I was at first taken aback by the unreal existence of the monsters, at that point in time, whenever a new monster popped up, I could afford to think ¡®Oh, this one looks like a monster from that game.¡¯ On the contrary, Maria and Lastiara were surprised from the bottom of their hearts whenever a new monster appeared looking all odd and weirdly shaped. As we fought a wide variety of monsters, we thus reached floors deep enough to render Maria a complete non-combatant. I wanted to warn the others that we might have gone too deep, but I kept missing my timing until we reached the 19th floor. I mean, Lastiara always instantly killed the monsters that occasionally appeared before us. On top of that, the three of us were still unharmed thus far. I wanted to stop moving deeper, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything persuasive enough. As the three of us were walking along the Main Road of the 19th floor, a monster so huge it blocked the whole passageway appeared. It stood on two hoofed legs, its lower body covered with dark brown body hair, its upper body almost looked human, albeit all the muscles, while its head was the shape of a bull. It had an evil glint to its eyes and its hands clutched a giant battleaxe. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks A minotaur¡­? ¡°Ooh~ What¡¯s this? What a weird monster.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s revolting to look at¡­ And big¡­¡± Lastiara and Maria were appalled by the monster that they were apparently seeing for the first time, while I didn¡¯t say a word and simply looked at the ¡®Display¡¯. ¡¾Monster¡¿Carmine Minotaur: Rank 20 I passed the information I had obtained to Lastiara. ¡°It¡¯s a monster called a minotaur. I think it¡¯s a power-type, maybe. Who¡¯ll fight?¡± ¡°Maybe I should protect Maria-chan this time? I need to replenish Maria-chan¡¯s affection rate for me since I think it¡¯s gotten dangerously low now.¡± Surprisingly, Lastiara ceded the battle to me. She used to give any and all monsters unknown to her the sword treatment, but it seemed she had finally begun to realize Maria was drawing away from her because of that. Hearing that, Maria turned her down with a snap. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯d rather be left alone.¡± ¡°Oof! She hates me so much so suddenly! We were close enough to sleep together last night, you know!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather use the word abduction.¡± ¡°Hmn. Seeing you thorny like that makes me all the more eager, you know.¡± Lastiara approached Maria as she spoke and threw a hug to her. ¡°Wha! Wait, why are you hugging me?! Know the proper TPO!¡± ¡°All good now. That one is yours, Christ.¡± For Lastiara, that was what she meant by the word protect. Messing around with companions in the Labyrinth was one of her goals. She must have been having fun. Lastiara was holding down Maria, who looked to really be hating every second of it, with one arm. Maria¡¯s STR had increased considerably, but she was still helpless before Lastiara¡¯s high ¡®Status¡¯. With her being restrained, it was unlikely for Maria to jump into the fray after mistaking me for being in danger. With a sense of relief washing over me, I turned to the minotaur. The huge monster was already so close, prominent with its heavy breathing. Rank 20¡­ That would be the first time I would face a monster at such a high rank. In my experience so far, it was safe to assume that the existence of Ranks represented the adequate level to face it. The ranks that appeared in the ¡®Display¡¯ were always close in number to the appropriate level of the explorers who faced the monster, a piece of information I had obtained by scouring intel from the tavern and putting two and two together. In other words, the minotaur was a monster normally only an explorer at level 20 or over would deal with. While indeed my level went up the previous day, I was still only at level 11, so there were still nine levels worth of gap. However, my ¡®Status¡¯ was comparable to that of an individual at level 20. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?, Magic ?Foam?.¡± A huge axe, about three meters in size, swung down at me. I dodged it just in time while constructing my ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯. I wasn¡¯t daring to aim at dodging by paper-thin margins. At that deep a floor, I didn¡¯t have much margin of error. If I were alone, I would take my time grinding level and only fought with 100 percent confidence in my odds to win. That time, however, I had Lastiara with me. If things got dangerous, Lastiara, who was as powerful as I was, would give me support. What was even more important was that Lastiara could use recovery magic. Although she wasn¡¯t fond of magic and rarely used it, I felt secure in the knowledge that she would heal me in case of injury. Before, I had no other choice but to return to the surface in case of injury. That time, though, we could continue our exploration even if we were slightly injured. In other words, I was willing to take some risks. I dived under the minotaur¡¯s axe, avoiding serious injury. At the same time, I attached a huge amount of ?Foam? to its body. I was able to generously spend my MP because I had split my battles with Lastiara. Man, parties are convenient. With the ?Foam? adhered to its body, the minotaur lost all possibility of catching me. The more that magical bubble adhered to its body, the more potent my ability to grasp space, as I had already confirmed during the previous day¡¯s battle against Serra Radiant. After confirming that the axe no longer posed a threat, I performed my next magic experiment. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Foam?, Magic, ?Freeze?.¡± A large bubble was created, and within it, magical cold air was trapped. ?Freeze? used to be nothing more than dropping the temperature of the room a few degrees, but with the increased consumption of MP and condensing it within the bubble, it became incomparably colder. I finished constructing the magic as I fought. I then blended it in with the other bubbles and slowly moved it to the minotaur¡¯s feet. The minotaur didn¡¯t pay attention to every single one of the countless bubbles, hence the new magic landed on its foot without any problem. The cold air sealed inside gushed out, freezing and gluing its foot to the ground. As its foot was suddenly restrained, it lost its balance. A combination technique of ?Foam? and ?Freeze?¡ª ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Daytime Snow?.¡± ¡ªappropriately named. I was glad it was a success. I was a bit frustrated that I had failed to acquire the Freezing Magic ?Little Snow? the previous day, so I had come up with something similar. With that, all experiments so far were done. I jumped on the minotaur, very much defenseless at that point, and went to cut off its head. My sword managed to get in up until it caught the monster¡¯s cervical spine. I was worried that the blade might not be able to pass through its skin due to the sheer difference in level, but it was still okay, it seemed. The power of the sword itself was great, after all. I gave up on cutting off its head and resorted to cutting a blood vessel. With a snap, I saw the blood begin to gush out of the minotaur¡¯s neck like a geyser. Having been attacked, the minotaur swung its giant axe in a fury. However, perhaps due to its anger, the attack was lackluster. It had the power, but it lacked the technique and was comparably slower. That time, I deliberately chose to dodge by paper-thin margins, then crushed both of its eyes. The end of line¡­ I focused only on dodging the minotaur, which was losing more blood as time passed. Its eyes had been blinded, and its movements became so chaotic that evading became that much easier. If anything, I paid more attention to not being hit by its splattering blood. I delivered a series of light attacks as I spied an opening before the minotaur finally ran out of steam. As usual, it disappeared as light, and then a red magic stone fell. The monster wasn¡¯t as good as Lastiara, but it was still a good result against a rank 20 opponent. I checked my EXP. ¡¾EXP¡¿ 7122/25000 Once we reached the deeper floors, I could get hundreds of EXP with a single monster, even if I had to split the EXP between the three of us. Next, I picked up the magic stone and checked its details. ¡¾Semi-3rd Grade Fire Magic Stone¡¿ A highly-concentrated Magic Stone with the power of Fire within. Dropped from monsters of the Fire Attribute. ¡®Fury¡¯ is dwelling within it. I might learn magic if I swallowed it, but it was raw, so to speak. That thing was too terrifying to swallow. While I was looking at the Semi-3rd Grade Fire Magic Stone, Lastiara and Maria came walking up to me. ¡°Good work, Christ. You said it¡¯s too early for you to go to the 20th floor, but look at you slaying.¡± ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t slaying it per se. It was an equal match. I need to be more overwhelming¡­¡± ¡°Eh? More than you already are¡­? That¡¯d be no different than reaping wheat from its stalk, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my minimum standard.¡± ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± I would reach the Deepest Depth of the Labyrinth with the ease of reaping wheat from its stalk. When she heard my ideal, Lastiara looked at me like she couldn¡¯t even fathom how my mind worked. ¡°I know that it doesn¡¯t fit with your ideal, Lastiara. But¡­ that is precisely why we fit each other.¡± ¡°No, no, if our ideas don¡¯t fit, that means we don¡¯t fit either.¡± ¡°Say we explore the Labyrinth together and I hand you everything that I think is dangerous. That way, I will be safe while you take my share of the fun. See? Nobody loses.¡± ¡°W-well, that¡¯s true¡­ but, mn~, I feel like something¡¯s not quite right¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what reality is all about.¡± ¡°Eeh~¡± I joined them, exchanging light banter, and we proceeded further down the Main Road. Maria looked relieved and then checked to make sure I wasn¡¯t injured. I wonder if she intended to make that check every time I fought¡­ ¡°Maria, I¡¯m not hurt. You don¡¯t need to be so worried again and again.¡± ¡°N-no. I¡¯m not exactly worried or anything..¡± From my point of view, I could see that Maria was unusually concerned about my safety. Was she perhaps thinking she would lose her bulwark against Lastiara if I died? I patted Maria¡¯s head and smiled, telling her not to worry. Maria¡¯s face turned beet red, and her eyes glared at me. Perhaps she was angry that I treated her like a child. I hurriedly parted my hand from her head, then turned to face the depth of the Labyrinth again and spoke to Lastiara. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re about to reach the 20th floor, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Just a little bit more.¡± All that time, Lastiara had been leading the way. The reason for that was not only because of her temperament; it was also because she had experience in entering the 23rd floor, the depth limit of humanity, all by herself. Of course, while it was the basic to go by the Main Road, there were still monsters that intruded on the Main Road, as was the case right then. The deeper the floor, the stronger the tendency. Still, her having the experience of reaching the 23rd floor was reassuring. Guided by Lastiara, Maria and I walked along. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only We were attacked by monsters several more times on the 19th floor. However, those monsters always appeared alone, so Lastiara or I could handle them without any problem. After overcoming several monster attacks, we finally reached the 20th floor. I set up my ?Dimension? so that I would be ready for anything to happen. Thus, we slowly descended to the 20th floor. ____ ____ Chapter 36 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 36: Two Groups Going Crazy There was an old stone space at the bottom of the stairs. Much like the 10th floor, that floor was simply an open space. Unlike the 10th floor, however, it was absent of magical flames. As Alti had predicted, it was a perfect space for my magic experiments, as it had zero vestiges of magic power. It was optimal as spaces went, but there was one¡­ problem, per se. Two unfamiliar men were waiting idly in the center of the room. One was a good-looking man with immaculate golden hair who seemed a little older than I was. He looked like a silent, well-reserved knight. The other was an older man with grays mixed amongst his hair. He wore an ochre-colored cloak and had long, matted hair that he must have tended to a lot. A silver sword was visible through a gap in his cloak, so assumed that he was a knight as well. I immediately focused on them. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Hein Hellvilleshine HP: 321/333, MP: 34/102 Class: Knight Level: 24 STR: 10.21, VIT: 8.95, DEX: 9.29, AGI: 11.88, WIS: 12.21, MAG: 7.77, APT: 1.98 Innate Skills: Optimal Movement: 1.21 Wind Magic: 1.77 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 2.02 Holy Magic: 1.23 ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Haups Jokul HP: 253/282, MP: 0/0 Class: Knight Level: 20 STR: 4.41, VIT: 6.25, DEX: 11.72, AGI: 8.21, WIS: 13.41, MAG: 0.00, APT: 1.12 Innate Skills: Armed Combat: 1.89 Handicraft: 1.45 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 0.78 Holy Magic: 0.00 The blonde was Hein; the one with grays was Haups. Not only did both of them have high levels, but they were also knights with first-class abilities. When I looked at them more closely, I realized something¡ªthe blonde one looked familiar. I was pretty sure he was the one who had gone to the Labyrinth with Lastiara on my first day. He hadn¡¯t said much at the time and didn¡¯t particularly stand out, but I was sure it was him. I turned to Lastiara and told her there were people who knew her. ¡°Eh?¡± Lastiara shouted in surprise. In response, the two knights approached us and then bowed. ¡°We have been waiting for you, Ojou-sama.¡± It was the blonde man, Hein, who spoke first.¡± ¡°Eh, Hein-san?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Hein. I have come due to my job.¡± I knew it¡ªhe and Lastiara were acquaintances. But that Hein person, he put Lastiara aside and turned his attention to me. ¡°You¡¯re that boy from before¡­ I see, so you are our lady¡¯s beloved.¡± He murmured, ¡°our lady¡¯s beloved.¡± In short, the same kind of trouble as Radiant-san. Hein-san¡¯s face was calm when he looked at me, however. He didn¡¯t glare at me like Radiant-san had, on the contrary, I could sense a kind of expectation in the glint of his eyes. I couldn¡¯t tell what was going on in his mind. Either way, I had to correct his misunderstanding first. ¡°No, I¡¯m not really Lastiara¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°That is right, Hein-san. Forgive me¡­ I need to be by Christ¡¯s side no matter what¡­ I need to live together with him¡­! As you may know, my time is limited. Is it a sin if I want to spend what little time I have with the person I love so much?¡± Lastiara spoke over me, trying to bury me when I tried to plead my case. She returned to the formal tone she used when we first met, and her fake lament was just that much more theatrical. I knew she¡¯d go and do that. I¡¯d rather have avoided it if at all possible, though. Hearing her words, Hein-san slowly pulled out the sword from his waist. ¡°Fuh¡­ Your lies can no longer deceive us. However, be it for true love, be it for falsehood, or be it for your own enjoyment¡­ our job does not change.¡± ¡°I am sad, Hein-san. Are you perhaps saying I am a liar? Falsifying love, a shameful thing it is¡­I would never do such a thing!¡± Lastiara¡¯s acting was so true to life that she even had tears in the corners of her eyes. Hmm. Yeah, she was the one at fault, no doubt there. Inside, I would have liked to fully support Hein-san¡¯s standing. However, I needed to be calculating there. In terms of talent, Hein-san was inferior to Lastiara. Besides, from the looks of it, Hein-san seemed like the type to immaculately complete his job to the t, while Lastiara was more like a free spirit. If I had to think which one would be more useful to me, Lastiara was the obvious choice. ¡°Because of you indulging in this love, the higher-ups are in havoc. We cannot make any huge movements, and it will take a month of council just to decide how to respond to your sudden absence. Haah¡­ Levant¡¯s precepts can be troubling.¡± ¡°Aah¡­ It must be because I chose the word Love, is it not? What a sad misunderstanding it has become¡­¡± Apparently, Lastiara was making use of those Precepts or whatever to her benefit. That seemed to be what she referred to when she said there would be fewer pursuers if we established ourselves as lovers. The more problematic thing was that I heard keywords I¡¯d rather not hear, such as ¡°higher-ups¡± and ¡°one month of council¡±. Lastiara had said she wasn¡¯t of great status, but from what Hein-san said, I had an inkling feeling she wasn¡¯t just another sheltered young lady. ¡°Therefore, Ojou-sama, as a knight, I would like to request for you to return to the cathedral by way of a duel. We will not violate any of the precepts if we go by this procedure. Now then, Haups-san. Please.¡± Hein-san called out to the gray-haired knight who had been stationed behind him. Haups-san came forward, a faint smile on his lips. This man looked a little bit mischievous. ¡°Gotcha. But Hein-kun, are you not going to do this yourself? I feel like this is more your duty.¡± ¡°This is no one¡¯s duty but the entirety of the Celestial Knights¡¯ executives. Not to mention, I need to have my eyes on our lady. We cannot lower our guard around her, after all. It has been only a few days since she went missing, but there is still the possibility that she has reached the same level as the Celestial Knights.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that you¡¯re more suited to keep an eye on lil¡¯ lady¡­ No other choice then. Hey, lady killer-kun. You, me, duel.¡± And thus the hot potato was thrown back to me. I drew my sword as I gave my reply. ¡°Let me make it clear before we start. As far as I¡¯m concerned, Lastiara is not my beloved or anything of the sort, but she is my companion, and thus I want to grant her wishes. That¡¯s all.¡± That was all I wanted to say. First off, when it came to love affairs and whatnot, the hurdle was big for me. I couldn¡¯t act like Lastiara, and I wasn¡¯t confident I could keep up with their conversation, so I made my standing that I was ignorant about the whole love affair thing. ¡°O-ooh¡­ Got that. Cool aren¡¯t we?¡± When he heard that naive comment from me, Haups-san got awkward and told me I was cool. I¡¯d rather have not been told that since it made me feel embarrassed as well. Then, as I tried to hide how shaken I was, I continued. ¡°Also, I never wanted any duel in the first place.¡± ¡°Well, too bad. You don¡¯t accept the duel, we keep hindering your exploration. We¡¯ll chase you around even after you leave. Shameless, yeah, but it¡¯s part of the job. Really sorry about that.¡± Haups-san scratched his head. He showed no pretense, and he looked really apologetic about it. His face told me how much he found the ordeal a pain. Even so, I could certainly see a glimpse of professionalism in his eyes, the duty of wanting to carry out his mission. If he declared that they would keep interfering anyway, then I needed to ward off the spark before I caught fire. I¡¯d liked to have avoided it if possible, but it wasn¡¯t possible, so I shifted gear and perceived it as no more than a sparring match. ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re only doing your job, I can¡¯t exactly criticize you for your choice of action. If this is the condition I need to fulfill to make Lastiara one of us, you must know that I am prepared to clear it¡­¡± Having said that, I walked forward. It was time to start the sparring match. Even if I lost¡­ well, that would only mean Lastiara would go back home. I wasn¡¯t that inclined to win. Of course, I had no intention of losing either. ¡°It¡¯s time to duel then. The match is on the lil¡¯ lady. Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re gonna kill each other, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Understood. I don¡¯t want that either.¡± Haups-san also drew his sword before we bowed to each other. The exchange of vows took place on the Main Road, so the duel was pretty much legitimate. The air between Haups-san and I grew tense. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?, Magic, ?Foam?.¡± If things went smoothly, I should get the victory. Hein-san aside, with his ¡®Status¡¯, Haups-san had no hope of catching up with my speed. However, there was a ¡®Skill¡¯ called ¡®Handicraft¡¯ amongst his ¡®Skills¡¯. If that was something more than I thought it was, then my chances of winning would be a little bit less likely. Bit by bit, Haups-san and I closed the distance between us. I was in a neutral pose, amateurish. Haups-san wasn¡¯t that much different¡ªhe faced his whole body to me, only naturally holding his sword in his right hand. We continued inching closer until the both of us reached each other¡¯s sword distance. ¡ªOur swords flashed together. We started our move at the same time. To my eyes, however, it looked like Haups-san deliberately matched his timing with mine. Our swords struck each other on the same trajectory. The stone room was filled with the metallic sound of the blades colliding. Then, the second strike flashed. Once again with the same trajectories, and the sound rang again. Then the third strike, yet again our swords flew on the same trajectories. And the next, and the next, and the next one too. And then again, and again, and again and again, the same sound kept ringing¡ª ¡°¡ª?!¡± Only then did I realize. * * * * * * Haups-san¡¯s sword style was to receive. While indeed he had some talent, he was by no means on par with Hein-san or Radiant-san. He didn¡¯t have his own style of swordsmanship unique to him. What he could do was adapt to his opponent based on his accumulated experiences under his belt. Which meant that what he did was take his time and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. Without haste, I increased the speed of my sword strikes. My opponent was vigilantly waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, so there was no need to hurry. What I should do was simple; exceed him, overpower him, show no gap, and not rush it¡ªthat was all. Haups-san lacked base AGI. Although his finesse with swordsmanship was far superior to mine, ?Dimension Gladiator? turned it moot. All in all, I had no reason to lose. My sword flashed faster and faster. Haups-san kept on managing to keep up with me. But soon, he hit his limits. What we were doing was essentially the same, but with such a difference in speed, the end would come sooner. It didn¡¯t take long until Haups-san failed to parry one of my strikes that ended up resting at his throat. The sword fight that had taken quite long finally came to an end, what it left was only the echoing metallic sound in the empty stone room. I declared victory. ¡°¡ªI won.¡± ¡°Man, really¡­? I lost¡­ Ah, sorry, Hein-kun.¡± Haups-san raised both hands and declared his defeat, then he apologized to Hein-san as an afterthought. Seeing that, I returned my sword back to its sheathe. ¡°You did well, Christ. I expected no less of the knight I¡¯ve always admired. What do you think, Hein-san? Christ the Knight has offered me his victory.¡± Lastiara congratulated me on my victory, all ladylike. Yup. Seeing her like that felt nasty. Hein-san responded to her without looking any less cheerful, though. ¡°Indeed he has. I guess we will have to retreat for today. Haups-san, come this way.¡± ¡°Hyup. My bad, my bad. Man, that felt like I couldn¡¯t win head-to-head at all.¡± Hein-san moved away from the center of the room and beckoned Haups-san to join him there. I guessed I could take it as him no longer wanting to block our path. ¡°Hm. It seems he has the minimum standard of strength.¡± ¡°Oi, oi. Defeating me is the minimum standard¡­? Even this old man can get hurt, you know.¡± ¡°This means we can leave the lady to Christ-kun for a little bit longer.¡± Hein-san ignored Haups-san¡¯s remark and turned to me. His eyes showed the same composure. ¡°Well then, Hein-san. Would you challenge my knight as well?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°There is no need for that. Putting aside Haups-san, I have to model discipline and strictly adhere to the precepts, after all¡­ Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter whether this is an unrequited love for you, Ojou-sama, as it is still a proper romance. As an educator, I wholeheartedly support you.¡± ¡°I am glad that my zeal is conveyed to you, Hein-san. You have my deepest gratitude.¡± Even though their mouths both spoke pleasantries, the sparks between Hein-san and Lastiara were as clear as day. Both were polite in their words, but neither let the other get the better of them. It was just that. Haups-san then murmured ¡°I¡¯m being put aside? That¡¯s cold,¡± from the side, and then became dispirited. I kind of felt like I could see his standing. He was supposed to be their elder, and yet he was their sandbag. ¡°It is different now that we know Christ-kun possesses ability on par with a Celestial Knight. The higher-ups will be relieved once they hear of this. Not to mention, Ojou-sama, it¡¯s not like you are going to ruin the ceremony either, are you?¡± ¡°Obviously not. I will return once for the Holy Birthday.¡± ¡°If so, Christ Eurasia shall be treated as a hero whom Lastiara has fallen for at first sight. I will go back at once to report with those words.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I have been saying ever since I talked about him in the cathedral. Please make your exit already.¡± Lastiara shooed Hein-san away, both with her mouth and her hand gesture. The two knights chuckled at that and walked towards the 19th floor. Then, as he passed by me, Hein-san quickly muttered something to my ear. ¡°¡ªI leave the lady in your care.¡± His voice was tender. The tone was a complete opposite of the stately manner of speaking he used before but rather a voice of compassion that must have come from the depths of his heart. Surprised by his gentle tone, I turned to see his face. He was smiling. His beautiful, fairy-tale-prince-grade profile accentuated that smile. Even as a guy, I couldn¡¯t help but admire that smile. I could only nod lightly in return. After confirming it, Hein-san nodded back and left for the stairs leading to the 19th floor. Once they were out of sight, Lastiara sighed as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. ¡°Phew¡­ I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d wait for me down here. That was surprising for sure.¡± The mask she had been wearing up until then vanished like mist, and she returned to her usual Lastiara self. Maria, who had been watching from a step behind and was unable to swallow the situation, came up to me. ¡°A-are you okay, Master?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. This is nothing more than playing around.¡± ¡°Who were these people? And what is the l-lover thing about¡­?¡± ¡°They are people from Lastiara¡¯s house, I think. Also, this whole lover debacle is just a huge, fat lie, so don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°A lie, is it¡­?¡± Maria stared into my eyes as she ruminated on my words. It was like she was trying to pry around the true meaning behind my words, which was useless since I had only said the facts, plain and whole. ¡°Yes, a lie. Whenever knights like those people appear, you can just stand back and watch us like you are watching theater, Maria.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Maria nodded, though I wasn¡¯t sure she was really convinced. ¡°More importantly, ?Connection?. Let¡¯s try that magic here.¡± I walked to the end of the room to set up the magic, which was our original purpose for going there. Lastiara heard what I said and came up to me, looking interested. ¡°Ah, the thing you talked about.¡± I had already explained the magic to Lastiara on our way there. She seemed to be looking forward to seeing what the higher rank ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯, ?Connection?, was all about. ¡°It¡¯s quiet here and there isn¡¯t much magic power in the air either. It¡¯s perfect. ¡ªMagic, ?Connection?.¡± I spent my magic power to generate the magical door. The magic had fizzled out quickly back on the 10th floor, but there on the 20th floor, the construction of the magic went swimmingly. I had grown accustomed to the image of the construct, so I could successfully perform the magic in a considerably smaller amount of time. A magical door a few meters tall stood by the wall of the room. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a success.¡± I pushed open the magical door and saw that my living room was beyond it. ¡°Huh, so this is the magical door~ Let me pass through. Ooh~ Amazing.¡± Lastiara was amused and went back and forth through the door. Her handling of it was so rough that I had to wear down my MP to reinforce the door. ¡°Don¡¯t be rough with it! The door is fragile!¡± After opening and closing the door for the nth time, the door in front of me suddenly turned into a mist and vanished into thin air. It happened just at the moment when Lastiara stepped through, leaving me behind. ¡°Eh. Master, isn¡¯t this actually dangerous?¡± ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Connection?!!¡± I had no choice but to cast the magic once again. I prayed that the door on the other side hadn¡¯t disappeared while I reconstructed the door on my side. I could see my remaining MP was decreasing at a tremendous rate. After which, I tried to see if the door was still connected to the house. I slowly opened it, and I saw Lastiara in a cold sweat. ¡°Ah, Christ. It suddenly refused to open, it scared me¡­¡± ¡°You destroyed it¡­¡± ¡°I-I did, after all? Erm¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Come on, get back here.¡± I pulled on Lastiara¡¯s hand, she was looking apologetic as I did, and moved her to our side of the door. ¡°But why didn¡¯t the door in the house disappear as well? It feels firm, too¡­¡± ¡°I poured out a lot of magic power and time to make that one¡ªit¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s more complete than this one.¡± ¡°Ah, I see now.¡± ¡°Haa, that took more than half of my MP¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really, really sorry. I¡¯m reflecting on it.¡± Lastiara looked unusually low-spirited and sullen. It was then that Maria interjected. ¡°If you¡¯ve lost that much MP, why don¡¯t we get back home for now and rest for a while? ?Connection? just has to be successfully fixed in place, after all¡­¡± Maria had a point. While the Main Road was a straight path, it still took us some time until we reached the 20th floor. Physically speaking, it was a good time to call a day. But Lastiara wouldn¡¯t agree with that. For her, the fun was only beginning. ¡°E-eeh. That¡¯s troubling for me.¡± She tripped on her words when she disagreed with the notion, to which Maria promptly counter-argued. ¡°Not to mention, we need to go to the church to see how much EXP we¡¯ve accumulated. If I don¡¯t get to a higher level, I won¡¯t be of any use to my Master.¡± ¡°Ah, I can level you up just fine if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. I can even play a priest role.¡± ¡°Eh, you can, Lastiara-san¡­? But having the man of the cloth doing it for us is much more reassuring, so¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! I¡¯m the one who leveled Christ up after all!¡± Forcibly, you mean. I recalled the forced level-up on my first day here and smiled bitterly. That expression didn¡¯t escape Maria, and she looked at me with concern. ¡°Master¡­¡± Even though she had laid out her own arguments, in the end, she left the decision-making authority to me. I thought about it for a while and then answered. ¡°Have her level you up. What she said is the truth. As for my MP, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s completely down to zero. We can still go, at least until my shift in the tavern. Let¡¯s progress a bit further.¡± ¡°I see¡­ If that¡¯s what you say, Master¡­¡± I took the middle way. Maria muttered ruefully, as it seemed she was hoping we¡¯d return home soon. Seeing her like that, Lastiara made an effort to speak to her cheerfully. ¡°We won¡¯t be disturbed down here, and it¡¯s just perfect to raise your level. Come over, Maria-chan~¡± I checked Maria¡¯s EXP and confirmed that she had accumulated enough to level up. Lastiara had a skill with similar functions to my ¡®Display¡¯, so I¡¯d guess she could tell that too. Maria looked a little sulky while she walked to Lastiara. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°C-come on, don¡¯t get mad, Maria-chan. You¡¯re leveling up, you know, level up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad.¡± ¡°Y-you are mad¡­¡± From my position, I couldn¡¯t see what kind of face Maria made, but I could judge from Lastiara¡¯s expression that she was in a bad mood. After a while, a white light enveloped both Lastiara and Maria. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ve leveled up~¡± ¡°Thank you very much. With this¡­¡± Maria clasped her fist strongly. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Maria HP: 102/102, MP: 112/112 Class: Slave Level: 8 STR: 3.42, VIT: 3.52, DEX: 2.66, AGI: 2.01, WIS: 3.55, MAG: 5.71, APT: 1.52 Constitution: n/a EXP: 512/10000 With her level having risen, Maria showed her gusto. But to be frank¡­ The difference between her ¡®Status¡¯ and mine was just so apparent. I was only three levels higher than her, and yet there was such an overwhelming gap between our capabilities. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 350/352, MP: 221/553 Class Level: 11 STR: 6.69, VIT: 6.78, DEX: 7.74, AGI: 10.12, MAG: 24.07, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 8.12 EXP: 7122/25000 Equipment: Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword Otherworldly Clothes Robust Cloak Otherworldly Shoes Maria must have not wanted to lose her place in the Labyrinth. When Maria¡¯s face, who was happily exploring the Labyrinth with me, flashed through my mind, I became unable to say what I had to say to her. ¡°Master! Let us proceed. I must have gotten stronger too. This time for sure, I will¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Both Lastiara and I could see it, so we knew. Maria couldn¡¯t see it, thus, her bravery. As we walked down to the 21st floor, Lastiara, who was walking behind me and Maria, covered her mouth with her hand the whole time. ____ ____ Chapter 37 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 37 ¨C 21st Floor For the explorers, it was the norm for the difficulty to spike from the 21st floor and on. The Allied Nations spent less than a year to conquer up to the 20th floor, and yet it took them more than ten years to conquer the 21st to 23rd floor. One of the reasons was that they apparently lost many of their elites to Tida on the 20th floor, but above all, the main reason was that the very nature of the Labyrinth had completely changed from there on. There were no large monsters appearing on the shallow floors, but once you got past the 20th floor, countless large monsters sprung up. Constructing the Main Road whilst fighting off such monsters would prove to be extremely difficult. Obviously, the Allied Nations began to ease up on their conquest. It was simply ¡®not worth it¡¯ to proceed past the 20th floor. At the same time, the issue of funding was coming to the fore, and the teachings of the continental bishops were no longer enough to push people forward. ¡ªThe Allied Nations changed their mind. Those who had reached the deepest floor of the Labyrinth would be granted legendary honors¡ªbut after they learned that it was obviously impossible for anyone to proceed further, they decided on something more concrete. As far as locations went, this land was great. It was right in the center of the lands open for reclaiming, close to the sea, and had a friendly climate. Thus, the Allied Nations built around the Labyrinth. Everyone decided that it would be better for the countries to take advantage of its economical boost instead of simply conquering the Labyrinth. The lure of the sweet treasures of the Labyrinth attracted people, and there were countless ways to take advantage of people¡¯s attraction. The comings and goings of people were fatal for a vibrant economy. This land met all such conditions. The kings of each country began to focus more on economy instead of strategizing a conquest for the Labyrinth. It was no exaggeration to say that the entire Allied Nations had changed direction. Once that happened, it was all over. The conquest by the countries was completely discontinued after the 23rd floor. All I could derive from that story was one thing. It all boiled down to one simple thing: The 20th floor and down were ¡®not worth it.¡¯ Anyone who chose to fight down there was either a freak beyond help, an idiot, or someone loved by the heavens¡ªthat was common sense for the Allied Nations. And yet, there on the 21st floor, there was a girl dancing around happily against monsters while shouting for joy. ¡°Aha, AHAHAHAHA¡ª! So strong! Oh no, oh no no!! Ah, they¡¯re going your way, Christ! HAHAHA!!¡± A freak beyond help, an idiot, and someone loved by the heavens all in one, Lastiara. We were in the middle of exploring the 21st floor of the Labyrinth. Two monsters that slipped by Lastiara were coming toward me. Both were large monsters. I had a hard time with a single minotaur not that long ago, and yet there came two monsters much stronger than that. ¡°Maria, don¡¯t ever move from behind me! We have multiple enemies incoming! It¡¯s dangerous to move away from me!¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Our enemy was a four-armed, four-legged monkey wrapped in jet black fur, Fury. They were slow, but they literally had more arms than I did, making them a really bothersome enemy. I met the oncoming powerful arm of one of the Furies with a flash of my sword. I continued striking the sides of the arms with all my might to parry, and at times, I retreated with Maria in my arms. I couldn¡¯t fully utilize my mobility against them. On that floor with a high rate of monsters, I couldn¡¯t keep Maria far from me. Inevitably, I had to fight while covering for Maria. ¡ª¡°Don¡¯t blame me if Maria-chan dies, okay?¡± Lastiara¡¯s words before we departed came to my mind. I judged that I couldn¡¯t be sparing with my MP. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?, ?Multiple?, ?Foam?, ?Ice?, ?Freeze?!!!¡± I unleashed all of my magic. What came forward was a torrent of magic orders of magnitude different from my first day. A large number of magical bubbles were released, giving me every little detail of the space around me. Of course, I also mixed in bubbles containing Freezing magic. The purpose was to freeze the enemies whenever there was an opportunity. At the same time, I lowered the temperature of the entire space. The aim was to transform the space into one that was conducive to Freezing Magic. By doing so, refining ?Ice Quick Arrow? and ?Daytime Snow? would be much easier. I parried the four arms of an oncoming Fury with a flurry of my sword. I hadn¡¯t swung my sword that aggressively since my fight with Tida. I rarely resorted to brute force due to the nature of my magic. That situation proved that I was losing my advantage. I had no advantage¡ªwhich meant that the next reasonable thing was to use Maria as bait to escape. ¡°Kgh¡ª!¡± My heart twinged at the thought. It wasn¡¯t that long ago that I was ready to sacrifice others for my own sake. I was able to calmly calculate the gains and the losses in pure numerical values and made my move calculatingly. But I found that I no longer could. ¡®Since when? Why am I so concerned about Maria¡ª?¡¯ I became much more frustrated with the newly budding problem right when I was in dire straits. The irritation slowed me down, letting one of the Fury¡¯s arms scratch at my shoulder. ¡°OW¡ª!¡± A mere scratch and it was enough to tear the cloak, peel my skin, and send blood flying. It was dangerous to continue on. It was physically and mentally demanding. If I felt any more threatened, the ????? Skill would be triggered. My ¡®Confusion¡¯ would increase again, even though it had been naturally lowering. My impatient, mixed thoughts and hesitation clouded my judgment. ¡°MASTER¡ª!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Maria! Lastiara will sort it out soon enough!¡± I looked at Lastiara fighting in the distance. There she was, slaying monsters one after another like a god of destruction. That was alright with me. It was a fight that could be won by stalling time. There was no need for the ????? Skill to clear up my doubts. I could wait until Lastiara, who was free of burden, eradicated them all. Lastiara continued weeding out Furies all by herself. If I could buy time, she would break through this crisis. So hold your ground and get ready for a prolonged battle. I thought to myself, concentrating on parrying only, but the two Furies sandwiched me. However, their positions were good for me. I activated some of the ?Daytime Snow? bubbles that were near my enemies. The Furies¡¯ bodies suddenly froze and they lost their balance. The two giant monkeys collided with each other with the same momentum. In the meantime, I scooped up Maria and distanced us from those two, then shouted to Lastiara. ¡°Not yet, Lastiara?!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Sorry for the wait~!¡± At last, Lastiara turned all the Furies she fought into light and rushed to our aid. From there on, it was just a matter of seconds. The two Furies were completely defenseless to Lastiara¡¯s sword after their movements were blocked by my Freezing Magic. Lastiara¡¯s sword pierced the Furies¡¯ vital spot. Lastiara relentlessly pursued the screaming Furies. She made her sword dance like a whirlwind that clung to her. Her speed was too fast for the Furies to keep up¡ªher sword hit every single vital spot of its target. Soon, the last two Furies fell, splattering a large amount of blood. After confirming that all hostiles had vanished into light, I immediately sent out my order. ¡°¡ªWe¡¯re retreating!! Retreat! To the 20th floor!!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!!¡± Without bothering to pick up any magic stones, we went back the way we came and headed for the 20th floor. Lastiara complained with an ¡°Eeh¡±, but I ignored her. ?Dimension? helped me avoid enemies, so we ran to the empty space of the 20th floor. ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡± ¡°Haah, haah, haaah¡­.!!¡± Once we reached the safe zone, Maria and I sorted our breathing. That was where Lastiara came in with her frustration. ¡°Heey. Why did we retreat?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me the enemies would be that strong¡­¡± ¡°But I did? I told you to be careful since they¡¯re going to be a bit stronger.¡± I was a fool for taking her words up front and had thought to grind Maria¡¯s level on the 21st floor. More than ever, I realized I had to keep in mind that her values were way off the mark. ¡°That¡¯s not a bit. That¡¯s a lot, a whole lot.¡± ¡°A lot? Is it, really¡­?¡± ¡°Either way, the 21st floor is something else entirely, so we¡¯re done for the day. Maria can¡¯t participate in a battle like that.¡± ¡°Hmm. Don¡¯t you think it would be better if we have Maria wait at home after all?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°¡­Maria is a companion. I can¡¯t leave her behind.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t? Really, Christ?¡± ¡°¡­¡± My words stuck in my throat. * * * * * * My brain understood it. If only Maria weren¡¯t there, those Furies would be just right as far as enemies came. I also understood that if my goal really was to conquer the Labyrinth, then it was correct for me and Lastiara to challenge the 21st floor¡­ Hence, unable to answer her question, I fell silent. Maria looked vexed. Her voice was small, but it was carried out clearly. ¡°I-I¡¯ve leveled up¡­ My level isn¡¯t that different from Master¡¯s, but I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± Maria was growing rapidly at a rate that shouldn¡¯t have been possible. In just a few days, she had reached the level of a top-class explorer. However, that was in the category of ordinary¡ªfar from the non-ordinary Lastiara and me. She couldn¡¯t reach us. There was an absolute, gaping difference between her and us. We were almost at the same level, and yet she couldn¡¯t partake in our combat. That was the difference in talent. That was the difference of ¡®Aptitude¡¯ between those who were blessed and those who weren¡¯t. Unable to see Maria get more depressed, I put aside Lastiara and called out to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Maria¡­ If your level goes up even higher, even you will be able to fight¡ª¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re right. As long as my level goes up¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s the other way around.¡± Lastiara, however, brought herself into my conversation with Maria. She continued speaking as if she couldn¡¯t bear watching us. ¡°The higher our levels, the harder it will be for Maria-chan to keep up with us. Maria-chan will never be able to catch up with us.¡± Lastiara flat out declared it. She told Maria a fact that I was dimly aware of but couldn¡¯t put into words. ¡°¡ªEh?¡± Maria seemed unable to immediately swallow what Lastiara said. ¡°There is an overwhelming difference in growth rate between Maria-chan and us¡­ That¡¯s why, the higher our level, the further we¡¯ll become. There will never come a time where Maria-chan can save Christ from a crisis. On the contrary, Maria-chan will only drag Christ¡¯s feet and may even put his life in danger.¡± Lastiara pressed on Maria, who grew much more confused. I couldn¡¯t bear to look at them. ¡°Wait a minute, Lastiara!!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t wait.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s little by little, Maria is getting stronger for sure, and there are also jobs we can entrust to¡ª¡± ¡°I thought I could bear watching Maria getting more tragic because of you indulging in your delusions, Christ, but¡­ you know what? I¡¯m done. It seems like I like Maria much more than I thought I would.¡± Me? Delusions? That¡¯s¡­ ¡­not something I want to admit. And yet, Lastiara¡¯s dead seriousness wouldn¡¯t let me off the hook. ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­ that¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°You can see Maria¡¯s Aptitude too, Christ. If her Aptitude is low, then there¡¯s nothing we can do. No matter what, the base rate that our power increases at is just that different. Taking Maria around the Labyrinth despite that is nothing but insanity. Why do you do it? Do you even know it yourself, Christ?¡°That¡­¡± I knew. I had noticed that APT was involved in the increase of parameters. It was obvious when I compared my and Dia¡¯s growth with Maria¡¯s. Maria majorly lacked APT. Nevertheless, I brought Maria with me because¡ª ¡°It¡¯s¡­ enough¡­ don¡¯t say it¡­¡± Before I could fully answer Lastiara¡¯s question, Maria stopped me. Her face was white as a sheet. That was a look that understood what I was about to say. I knew about this too. When Maria saw Lastiara fighting, when she saw me battling¡ªshe understood that she was no longer useful. I had been pretending not to notice it the whole time. Lastiara was right¡ªI was indulging in my own delusions. Maria turned her face down, dejected. Her eyes were as dark as the bottom of the sea. Her gaze was empty, like his that one time. Aah¡­ stop, don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s a trauma. I don¡¯t want to remember the time he lost it. That was probably why I had always favored Maria. I had been selfish, and my self-satisfaction had gotten the better of me again. And that time, I was doing it while unknowingly deceiving myself¡­ I¡¯m really a coward, stupid, and disgusting¡­ ¡°Fufu, fufufufu¡­ Hm, hm, I see now. Aah, how enviable. The two of you really are enviable. I¡¯m so jealous¡­ Fufufu.¡± Maria and I were devastated by the answer we had arrived at, and yet Lastiara began to express how envious she was of us with excitement. Those golden eyes of hers were the same innocent, merciless eyes that I had seen on day one. Those inhumane, inconceivable eyes. With those eyes, she watched us, envied us¡­ loved us. ¡°¡­You¡¯re really nasty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault. Who told you to live such a barely interesting life?¡± ¡°Sorry then¡­ for being barely¡­¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what makes it interesting. The two of you are so good at deceiving yourselves, I can still enjoy it much more. But be at ease. I¡¯ll be watching from the side to make sure neither of you dies or breaks down!¡± Lastiara smiled at us, madness in her eyes. I had thought I was getting to know what Lastiara was thinking, but it seemed like I still had a long way to go. However, I was getting a little used to her madness, so I sighed before replying. ¡°How can I be at ease with you around¡­?¡± ¡°¡­I suggest you learn some prudence, Lastiara-san.¡± Maria, next to me, responded with the same expression as I did. Although the fact that had been presented to her shocked her, she seemed to have enough energy to talk back to Lastiara¡¯s audacious words. ¡°Aha. Yup, yup, that¡¯s good. Both of you can still abuse me with words, so it¡¯s still all good¡­! I mean, I¡¯m pretty sure it would have gotten so much worse later down the road! If anything, both of you should be thankful since I have more experience being in a party thanks to reading the adventure stories!¡± Lastiara laughed her heart out, not caring about what we said. ¡°Like hell I can be thankful after all you just said¡­¡± ¡°There is obviously no chance for me to thank you¡­¡± Maria and I talked back to her at the same time. What Lastiara dragged out of me wasn¡¯t just a broken heart, but also a bitter smile that far surpassed my exasperation with her. Perhaps it was her ruthless yet innocent cheerfulness that such a smile needed to show up. Lastiara had made me despair, but it was for sure her as well who helped to lift me back up. With the bitter smile refusing to leave, I opened up my mouth, trying to keep that slight moment of blithe from disappearing. ¡°Haa, geez¡­ You¡¯re as scary as ever¡­¡± ¡°Eh, wait, I¡¯m scary?¡± ¡°You have zero common sense, are crazy, and don¡¯t know any self-control. So yes, from my point of view, you are scary. Right, Maria?¡± With a faint smile, I light-heartedly turned the conversation to Maria. ¡°Y-yes¡­ I can¡¯t tell at all what you¡¯re going to do, Lastiara-san, so it makes me nervous all the time.¡± ¡°Eh~ Not you too Maria-chan¡­¡± Maria adapted to my pleasantries. The three of us gradually brightened up the atmosphere, exchanging light banter, even if it was only in a spirit of cheerfulness. Problems were piling up, but somehow, my spirits were getting lighter. ¡°¡ªWell, let¡¯s go home. Lastiara, you can stay here if you want.¡± ¡°NO, I don¡¯t want to do it alone! I¡¯m going home too!¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Fufu. For someone so strong, you¡¯re quite the lonely person, Lastiara-san.¡± After that, we successfully turned our despondent feelings around by continuing to make jokes about Lastiara. Thus, through the use of ?Connection? on the 20th floor, we were able to return home safely with a smile on our faces, fake or not notwithstanding. ____ ____ Chapter 38 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 38 ¨C Interval After escaping from the 21st floor, each of us began to rest. Maria retreated to her room and laid down, while Lastiara went out right away, saying she had something to do. I could have used that time to talk with Maria about her future prospects, but she bluntly refused me, saying that she wanted to be left alone. I had something I wanted to think about myself, and I didn¡¯t want to force myself on her, so I agreed. After that exploration, there were really a lot of things to ponder. I had to consider more about ¡®Skills¡¯ and magic, as well as my and Maria¡¯s immaturity. The new magic, ?Daytime Snow? was working fine, ?Connection? had been a success, and I had also covered the door I placed on the 20th floor with black cloth for camouflage, so it shouldn¡¯t have been broken anytime soon. No high-level explorer would search every nook and cranny of the 20th floor unless they really had to do it, after all. More importantly, the ????? Skill. After a few days of not using the ????? Skill, the abnormality of that power became much more noticeable. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have been so optimistic to think that the ¡®Display¡¯ would show everything that the ????? Skill took away from me. By using the ????? Skill, my doubts cleared and everything became much more logical and rational, but that meant that my own values would be changed by it. I hadn¡¯t thought how terrifying the idea that my very own identity could be changed so easily without my own consent or knowledge was. I had been avoiding using the ????? Skill so that my confusion wouldn¡¯t reach the 10.00 milestone, but I gained one more reason not to use it. That being said, I probably wouldn¡¯t use it unless there was a fight as hard as my fight against Tida¡¯s had been or topics regarding slaves were brought up again. As long as I didn¡¯t lose my cool, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for someone as strong as I was to get out of a tight spot. I finished formulating my future plans for magic and ¡®Skills¡¯ and checked the time. It was still a little early in the evening, but I decided to go to the tavern to work anyway¡ªtime wouldn¡¯t be wasted if I used it to gather information. I told Maria I would be going out, changed into fresh clothes, then headed for the tavern. Nothing happened on the way there, but just as I was about to enter the tavern, I bumped into Lastiara, who was just coming out. She opened her mouth, looking surprised. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Eh, Lastiara? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Ah! Right, I¡¯ve got something to do. Laters.¡± Lastiara strode away. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t supposed to meet me there. I thought about going after her, but I decided against it. I didn¡¯t know what she was doing at the tavern, but if I chased after her, I might miss my shift. I had no choice but to leave her be, so I just went in through the tavern¡¯s back door. ¡°Christ-kun? Ehh? Why did you come?¡± Lynn-san was preparing in the back room. She looked at me questioningly as I came in. ¡°Am I not supposed to come?¡± ¡°Err, I was told that you¡¯re going to be taking a leave starting from today¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Who told you?¡± ¡°The manager.¡± ¡°¡­I should go and ask him about it.¡± ¡°You should.¡± ¡®Taking a leave starting from today?¡¯ I had no plan to take any long-term leave. But I had a feeling that Lastiara had something to do with it. I walked past Lynn-san and went to the manager in the kitchen¡ªhe was there preparing food. ¡°Manager. Lynn-san told me she was told I was going to take a leave¡­?¡± ¡°Whoa! Dang it, Christ. You scared me.¡± When I called out to him from behind, the manager answered in surprise. He must have been so focused on the pot that he didn¡¯t notice me approaching. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. So, about you taking a leave. That Ojou-chan from Whoseyards told me that you were going to. Are you?¡± ¡°By that, you mean Lastiara?¡± ¡°Lastiara? That¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you at least ask her name?¡± ¡°She told me she couldn¡¯t reveal her name, y¡¯see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you, please don¡¯t trust people who act like that.¡± That smelled like Lastiara doings. There was also the fact that I had just passed her, so I was sure that she was the one who spoke to the manager. ¡°No, well, she called herself the lady from Whoseyards that you seduced, so I couldn¡¯t ask any further.¡± ¡°That bitch¡­¡± ¡°She said it saddened her that her people brought troubles to the store, so she suggested that you, Christ, should take a leave until her people settle down. Well, I don¡¯t want people like that Radiant lass coming around too often either, so I agreed right away. She was polite and knowledgeable about the situation, so I knew it was a no-brainer.¡± ¡°Aah, I see.¡± In other words, that wolf bitch covered herself in sheep¡¯s clothing to win over the manager. What could I say, the manager had a soft sport for beauties. Radiant-san for one, Lynn-san for another¡­ everyone who was close to the manager knew about it. He must have been touched by Lastiara since she was beautiful and didn¡¯t bother to ask deeply enough. I understood the situation, but then, I had to think about why Lastiara acted that way. Perhaps it was to extend the time we would have exploring the Labyrinth. She did seem dissatisfied when I cut off our exploration for work, so there was no doubt about it. And one more thing: She might also have done it to cut off the source of where I collected information. She did have the tendency of disliking spoilers. It was possible that she didn¡¯t want me collecting information up to the 23rd floor that might reduce her enjoyment. What a pain in the neck. But the real troubling thing was she probably wasn¡¯t fully aware of those two reasons, and she thought she had done it with all the best intentions for me. The more time I spent with her, the more I learned a little more about how her mind worked. I could bet Lastiara was thinking ¡®spending time in the Labyrinth is much more efficient than spending time working in the tavern,¡¯ or ¡®if he got too used to collecting information beforehand, challenging the 23rd floor and beyond would be dangerous.¡¯ I let out a deep sigh, then continued the conversation. * * * * * * ¡°Yes, she is the lady from Whoseyards. What she said wasn¡¯t wrong either, so let¡¯s go with that¡­¡± ¡°Oh? You said it. I¡¯ll have you take a leave, as per the lady¡¯s suggestion.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The level-up on my first day, matching me up with the Celestial Knight, participating in my party, and giving her mind on Maria, all of it had started from her own good intentions as well. While, indeed, what she did was unnecessary, once I realized that, I was hesitant to reject her good intentions. That said, I would still reproach her for being so selfish. I knew she ran away from me because she knew she was being overbearing. ¡°Well, I guess I have some free time now¡­¡± ¡°Ou. Sort out your affair first, lady killer.¡± That¡¯s a title I¡¯d hate to bear¡­ Which reminded me, one of the knights had also called me with that in the Labyrinth, huh¡­ Putting aside all the other troublesome things Lastiara brought me, that one dishonorable title alone was something I should make sure to return the grudge of. I vowed it to myself. *** I looked for Lastiara after I left the bar, but she wouldn¡¯t rear her beautiful head, perhaps out of guilt. Maria also wouldn¡¯t come out of her room. With no other choice left, I decided to go where the last party member, Dia, was. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks I walked past the hospital reception area to the ward where Dia was admitted. As I walked down the corridor, I noticed the area looked different. Mainly, about how it was full of holes¡­ After timidly walking down the newly well-ventilated corridor, I entered Dia¡¯s room, and it was in a much worse shape. Despite all the differences in his ward, Dia was still relaxing on his bed. ¡°Dia¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, Christ.¡± Dia and I exchanged greetings. He didn¡¯t even seem to care about the disastrous scene. ¡°Uh, Dia. What happened?¡± ¡°O-oh, this room¡­? Sorry. It looks like you need to pay for the repairs because of me. Can you pay it to the receptionist from my share?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, it¡¯s your share to begin with. More importantly, can you tell me what happened here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ enemy raid?¡± Dia asked me back, half believing his own words. Well, even if you ask me. ¡°An enemy came to the hospital?¡± ¡°Yeah, that Alty girl. You know, the one who was watching in the back when we fought Tida. I fought her.¡± ¡°Ah, her.¡± That made sense. Only guardians could move outside the Labyrinth, and Alty¡¯s magic was fire-based¡ªthat would explain the scorching of the floor and walls. ¡°Alty attacked you?¡± ¡°Eh, erm¡­ She didn¡¯t exactly attack me. All of these are from my magic attacks.¡± ¡°I knew it¡­¡± If so, then it wasn¡¯t a fight. It sounded to me that Dia overreacted to Alty¡¯s attempt to mess with him. Come to think of it, when I tried to place ?Connection? on the 10th floor, she had said her main body was a bit busy. Perhaps she had been in the middle of dodging Dia¡¯s attacks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We settled, but by then, it was already this much of a mess.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t blame yourself. It¡¯s my fault too for not explaining about Alty.¡± I was too optimistic to think Alty was only interested in me. But on second thought, I wasn¡¯t the only one who defeated Tida, Dia had too. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she approached Dia, as he also had granted Tida¡¯s wish, to negotiate with him. As I regretted my inadequacy, I asked Dia what Alty was doing there. ¡°So¡­ what did Alty want?¡± ¡°Hmm. We chatted about some stuff, and she even taught me some magic. She was a nice person.¡± ¡°Magic?¡± ¡°She said she couldn¡¯t bear watching my flame magic and all that. The scorching in the room is mostly from practicing flame magic.¡± ¡°Well, she is an expert at flame magic, but¡­¡± But from the looks of it, she probably didn¡¯t say anything about the love fulfillment thing. Perhaps, knowing Dia¡¯s personality, she decided he wasn¡¯t the kind of person she could discuss love with and whatnot. ¡°So, is there a change to your magic?¡± ¡°Yes, a huge change. I can now adjust the firepower of my ?Flame Arrow?. I¡¯ve also regained my senses for ¡®Holy Magic¡¯ back. I¡¯m not the same person I was before.¡± ¡°Ooh.¡± Adjusting the firepower¡­ Since Dia had an inexhaustible supply of MP, he could always shoot as hard as he could, but it was always better to be able to adjust firepower. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I got carried away with my practice, the doctor scolded me and said I¡¯d die from the Magic Power Deficiency if I kept it up.¡± ¡°I already told you, don¡¯t push yourself too hard¡ªyou¡¯ll only prolong your hospitalization period.¡± ¡°Uu¡­ I don¡¯t want that. I¡¯ll try to be as calm as possible.¡± Dia became much meeker when I told him his stay could get prolonged. It seemed like he didn¡¯t want to be there any longer. After that, we passed the time by exchanging updates on each other. During the conversation, I broached the subject of our companions. ¡°¡ªAh, right. We have new companions, I¡¯ll introduce them to you once you¡¯re out.¡±¡°Companions?¡± ¡°Yeah, we have more people helping in our exploration now. I wanted to tell you as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Ooh, that sounds great!¡± Dia was happy to hear we had gotten more companions. When we had first met, he was strangely insistent on a solo challenge, so I thought that he might object, but it seemed my fears were unfounded. From how he looked, he seemed to have a mild yearning for a large party, perhaps because he couldn¡¯t get a party together before. However, since his long-awaited companions were those two with their problematic personalities, I decided to lower the bar so as not to create undue expectations. ¡°But they¡¯re quite a bit quirky, so don¡¯t expect too much.¡± ¡°They are the people you chose, right, Christ? Then of course they will be wonderful companions for me as well.¡± As always, Dia put his trust in me for the whole length. He was just so different from the bitter Maria and the crazy Lastiara. His naive eyes on me just felt comfortable. ¡°¡­They have problematic personalities, so I¡¯m worried you won¡¯t get along with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to get along with them. I need to polish my magic for their sake too.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s the Dia I know¡­ But don¡¯t push yourself, okay?¡± He¡¯s just too dazzling¡­ What a good kid. Thank you, God, for letting me meet Dia. ¡°¡ªbut if they are going to interfere with Christ¡¯s dream, then I will have a little talk to them.¡± As I was thanking God, I overheard Dia¡¯s little murmur. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Yeah, if they¡¯re going to interfere with our exploration, then we¡¯re talking on a different page.¡± ¡°A-aah. That¡¯s obvious.¡± If I hadn¡¯t misheard it, he had just spoken about ¡®my dream¡¯. I knew Dia was a thoughtful guy, but that expression made me a little bit uncomfortable, just a little bit. ¡°Christ. Since we¡¯ve got new companions, does that mean your exploration has gone further, then? Tell me about it.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± But soon, Dia begged me to talk about our exploration, I didn¡¯t have time to pin down the discomfort. Sharing information about the Labyrinth was a high-priority matter. For a magician as talented as Dia, I needed him to be able to cooperate as soon as he recovered. I began to talk slowly and carefully about the monsters up to the 20th floor. There was much to talk about. I explained what kind of monsters we fought, the characteristics of each level, the situations in which I struggled, and various other information in bite-sized pieces. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only By the time I spent all I could talking about the Labyrinth, it was already dark outside. Lastly, I left Dia¡¯s room with a promise to bring him a gift the next time I visited. On my way out, I paid for the damages to Dia¡¯s room and returned home. ____ ____ Chapter 39 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 39 ¨C Interval (2) ¡°Welcome home, Master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m home. Also, stop calling me master.¡± When I returned home straight from the hospital, Maria greeted me. I warned her about her way of addressing me, but I was on the cusp of giving up on that front, so I was indifferent to it. ¡°Are you okay now, Maria?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m all right now. Having my level go up made me get carried away. I didn¡¯t know my place and I put too much expectation on myself.¡± Maria looked calm when she bowed her head to me. As far as I could tell, she didn¡¯t seem to be bothered about what Lastiara told her anymore. ¡°No, it was a lapse in judgment on my part. I was overconfident in my plan and misjudged when we should have retreated.¡± ¡°Fufu. I knew you would say that, Master. Thank you very much.¡± Maria snickered, then thanked me. ¡°Why would you thank me? It was my mistake. It was my fault that you were in danger, you know?¡± ¡°But you made that mistake because you were thinking of me, right?¡± With the same smile, Maria continued. No, no I wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t something that noble. I had forced my own ideas on Maria for my own safety. I was only subconsciously avoiding imagining that scene playing out one day. ¡°You¡¯re being too self-conscious. I don¡¯t have the luxury to think of others.¡± ¡°I digress. Master, you didn¡¯t want to make me sad, so you couldn¡¯t decide when to leave, isn¡¯t that right? You hesitated since you didn¡¯t want to destroy my dream, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maria made me out like I was some kind of decent human being, but that was an invalid assessment. While, indeed, I donned the mask of a good person, it stemmed from my lack of determination and mental strength. ¡°I told you, you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± ¡°Fufu.¡± Maria smiled at me as I continued to deny her. But then, her expression suddenly darkened. ¡°¡ªBut I¡¯m sure I can no longer be of help in the Labyrinth. Now that I know I¡¯m only bringing you trouble, I don¡¯t know what I should do¡­¡± She spilled more of her thoughts than I thought she would. I was surprised by how different she looked. I hadn¡¯t seen Maria so crestfallen before. I knew it was impossible for the matter not to bother her. There was no way she could sort out her feelings in just a few hours after returning from the Labyrinth. ¡°Calm down, Maria¡­ No one said you can¡¯t do anything. You can take your time and find what you can do here.¡± ¡°I am¡­ allowed to be here?¡¯ When I said the word ¡®here¡¯, Maria asked anxiously. I asked her back. ¡°¡­Do you want to get out of here?¡± ¡°I will definitely return the favor, but there¡¯s no reason for me to be a nuisance in this house any longer¡­¡± ¡°Hold on, hold on¡­! Where¡¯s your usual bravado? Don¡¯t get too depressed, you idiot.¡± She was so full of arrogance just a few days ago, but there was no sign of it in that conversation. I could only deny her strongly, as the difference in attitude made me panic. ¡°That bravado¡­ is nothing more than a facade¡­¡± Maria replied with self-mockery. I had no means of knowing what was making Maria so pigeon-hearted, but I knew that, at least, I didn¡¯t want to see Maria looking so sad¡ªit reminded me of when I had first met her. I needed her to stand firm, for my own sake. I wouldn¡¯t mind letting her go if she looked as lion-hearted as before, but if she left with her face looking like that, I would vomit from all the regrets and worry. ¡°You have things to do here. You can cook for me. The house is in your care, Maria.¡± That was why I tried to give Maria whatever significance I could. The best I could come up with on the spur of the moment was cooking. With her skills, there was no doubt she could handle the housework. ¡°But you said I don¡¯t have to cook¡­¡± ¡°That was just an excuse to bring you with me into the Labyrinth. I was being callous since I really wanted you to come with me.¡± That was no lie. At the time, I had really thought of her as more of a potential fighter than as someone to fix me meals. ¡°Did you really¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ let me be the one asking now. I want you to cook for me every day in this house.¡± After what had happened, it was I who brought up the topic. When I pleaded to her seriously, Maria answered with a troubled look on her face. ¡°E-every day, you say¡­ Haah, you always say the dumbest things, Master. That was a really embarrassing line, you know? Even if you didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m getting embarrassed after saying it.¡± Maria looked at me with the same dumbfounded look she always gave me. How she looked at me didn¡¯t matter as long as she got back to her own feet. ¡°I will gratefully take up on the job, then. Thank you very much, Master.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in your care.¡± We smiled at each other and renewed our agreement. She wasn¡¯t as crestfallen as before, though I wouldn¡¯t say my eyes were good enough to see through her pretenses, so I didn¡¯t feel it was safe just yet. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Well, then, since we¡¯re on the topic, let¡¯s cook together.¡± ¡°Together?¡± Thus, I decided to watch and see how she would fare as we cooked. ¡°Yeah. I want to see how good you are. I¡¯m quite confident with my skill, but I¡¯m probably not as good as you.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m no match for you, Master.¡± ¡°No, no, you have the knack for it, Maria. I can see talents, remember? I can see that you have the talent for cooking.¡± ¡°Talent for cooking?¡± ¡°Yes, and I don¡¯t doubt it. Be more confident in yourself.¡± ¡°Talent for cooking¡­¡± * * * * * * Maria¡¯s face somewhat brightened. It¡¯d be great if she could solidify her raison d¡¯etre with that. I scrupulously began to teach Maria my culinary knowledge in order to make her love cooking. While Maria, in turn, taught me about the cuisines of this world. Our culinary conversation became much livelier than I expected. We kept the conversation up as we began preparing dinner in the kitchen. Maria was cheerful during the cooking. I was relieved that my choice wasn¡¯t the wrong one and enjoyed cooking with Maria. For a time, the Labyrinth slipped from my mind as I became more absorbed in the task at hand. *** ¡°I¡¯m back. Oya? Something smells incredible.¡± Lastiara came back at the perfect time just as we were about to finish preparing dinner as if she had been watching us. I left the rest of the work to Maria and walked over to Lastiara. I thought I caught Maria¡¯s expression shifting a little then, but there was nothing I could do about it. ¡°Oi, Lastiara. I have a lot I need to say to you.¡± ¡°N-no, wait, wait wait wait! Please listen to what I have to say first!¡± When I irately called out to her, Lastiara immediately spat out her excuses. She strung words together in a panic. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you off work without thinking, Christ. I gave it a lot of thought. I also thought that you were doing it since you want to reduce their workload anyway¡­ so I spoke to them in your stead. I mean, you can be oddly indecisive, Christ.¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right, earning money there isn¡¯t that efficient, but I have other businesses there¡­ collecting information, for one. Besides, the tavern can¡¯t run if they suddenly lose an employee.¡± ¡°I thought about those points too. I have the info up until floor 23, and Maria-chan can work there if the tavern needs a helping hand.¡± She seemed to highlight that she held the information that I needed to get away from the mess she made, but she couldn¡¯t dictate what the tavern needed at her own convenience. ¡°I¡¯ll give in in terms of gathering information. However, you can¡¯t just tell someone to do someone else¡¯s work. Also, who says Maria is going to do it for you?¡± ¡°Eeh. But all you did was wash dishes, Christ. Anyone can do it. Maria would be better at helping the tavern with her Cooking Skill. And most importantly, it¡¯ll be good for business if the staff is a cute girl, don¡¯t you think? As for consent¡­ Hey, Maria-chan, will you do it?¡± Lastiara called out to Maria, who was still cooking. ¡°If it¡¯s for my Master, absolutely.¡± Her reply was too spiritedl. Hearing that, Lastiara turned to me with a ¡®See!¡¯ look. ¡°Kgh¡­!¡± Her brilliant get-away attempt made me snarl. I could have gone on and on, but there was no reason to go that far. She was, in some respects, correct. That was for sure. Seeing that I didn¡¯t say anything back, Lastiara continued. ¡°This way, if we ever need to gather information, we can ask Maria-chan to do it. See, there you have it: a brilliant division of roles. Even you wouldn¡¯t be so overprotective to object to that, would you?¡± If possible, I¡¯d rather not have Maria work in the tavern. The reason was that there were a lot of rude customers, but Maria¡¯s high level should solve that problem. She was no match for us, but her abilities were on par with those of a skilled explorer. If I objected, I would inevitably be branded as overprotective. With no other choice, I shifted the subject. I just couldn¡¯t let Lastiara get the win. ¡°Even so, we¡¯re not done talking just yet. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that you did as you pleased at your own convenience, and you only asked Maria post de facto. Your selfishness hasn¡¯t been forgiven. ¡°A-all right, what¡¯s for dinner~?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind scolding you while we eat. A meal is tastier with a side of scolding.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll make my meal taste bad, though¡­¡± Lastiara sensed that things had just gotten uglier for her and tried to change the subject further, but I would have none of it, and I followed Lastiara, who fled to the table. Maria put down the finished dishes as she watched us. ¡ªThus, our second dinner together began. All the while, I continued to scold Lastiara endlessly for her selfishness. Maria, our resident silver-tongued girl, backed me up so Lastiara wouldn¡¯t push me back. In the end, Lastiara gobbled up my and Maria¡¯s scolding and ultimately bowed her head and gave a small apology. With that, the day came to an end. All three of us parted to get to our beds, a smile on each of our faces. The gloomy atmosphere from the agony in the Labyrinth was all gone by then. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only At the very least, it was for me. ¡ºTenth Day Finished¡» ____ ____ Chapter 40 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 40 ¨C From the 20th Floor to the 23rd Floor The next day, Lastiara and I, the two of us, were back in the Labyrinth to challenge the 21st floor again. ¡°¡ªWell! Finally, we can start the real exploration, right Christ?¡± ¡°Right. Just so you know, though, my definition of real exploration and your definition of real exploration are wildly different.¡± We took a shortcut to the 20th floor via the ?Connection? that we set up in the house. Being on the 20th floor so early in the morning was quite a fresh sensation. Behind me, Lastiara was walking happily, her body relaxed. Unlike the day before, I was the one leading the way. I had returned to my original role as a scout, making the most of my ability. I probed for enemies as we walked on the 21st floor, but Lastiara wouldn¡¯t stop yapping so loudly behind me. ¡°Christ! Let¡¯s aim for the 30th floor!¡± ¡°¡­No, I say we should go one layer at a time and see how things go. First, we limber up on the 21st floor, then set up a camp somewhere at the end of¡ª¡± ¡°Your story¡¯s too long, Christ!¡± As I was presenting her with my plan of action, Lastiara brushed it off in a sulky manner. When it came to the course of actions within the Labyrinth, we weren¡¯t on the same page. We¡¯d discussed it since early in the morning, but even after we entered the Labyrinth, we still couldn¡¯t consolidate our plans. ¡ªWhich was pretty okay in itself, to be honest. I knew from the start that it would be difficult to control Lastiara. I had no choice but to adapt to her, but if I gave in to Lastiara and spoiled her from the start, she would get carried away. Ideally, there should be a balance between Lastiara, who was the gas pedal, and me, who was the brake pedal. Therefore, it was just right that neither of us should yield to the other. ¡°My story might be long, but I don¡¯t think I said anything wrong since the context is the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°More like you said something boring, especially since the context is the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t similize being right with being boring. Also, I¡¯m not here to have fun to begin with.¡± ¡°But Christ, that¡¯s a breach of contract, you know? I am helping you with your goal of conquering the Labyrinth, so you are obligated to help me with my goal of having fun in the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. ¡ªThat is the contract. That¡¯s why we take the middle way. You can have your fun, Lastiara. But don¡¯t forget that I have my own goal. Also, I¡¯m asking you, please try to refrain from taking things into your own hands.¡± ¡°Aah¡­ So, you¡¯ve been so pig-headed since morning to nail that warning, huh¡­¡± I just couldn¡¯t be at ease with someone like her around unless I firmly warned her like that. She was a completely different type of person from Dia and Maria. ¡°Blame your own behavior. Ever since we met, you¡¯ve always¡­ oops, no more time to chat.¡± ?Dimension? caught the presence of a monster while Lastiara and I chatted. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve got incoming already? God, your searching ability is convenient, Christ.¡± ¡°There is one enemy ahead. It¡¯s the same giant monkey as yesterday. I¡¯ll jump in first and kite it. After that, you come in. I¡¯ll match with you on my part.¡± ¡°What, you think I¡¯m a boar or something? Well, I¡¯ll go along for now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go¡ª!!¡± We ran at the same time I made the call. Despite the fact I pushed up to my speed limit, Lastiara was following right behind me. Yep, I knew I was in good hands in terms of abilities. As I rounded the corner, I found the strange-looking monster. It was the same monster as before, a fury. The fury noticed my approach and intercepted me with its four arms. I dodged through the four powerful arms, passed under the fury¡¯s legs, and got behind it. To attack me further, the fury opted to twist its body around, but Lastiara wouldn¡¯t let that happen. The fury stopped Lastiara¡¯s sword with two of its arms before it extended its remaining arms towards me. I dodged the attack and moved my body to enter its blind spot once again. Not wanting to lose sight of me, the fury turned its face but gave up due to Lastiara¡¯s overwhelming presence. It must have realized that turning away from Lastiara would mean receiving a fatal blow. Its first priority was to crush Lastiara. It left me alone and swung its open palm onto Lastiara. And our victory was decided. Just as its arm was about to reach Lastiara, my sword sliced through that arm¡¯s shoulder, stopping it for a moment. Lastiara didn¡¯t miss that moment, she evaded the incoming attack and slashed through the fury¡¯s torso. The monkey bellowed in rage, intent on crushing Lastiara. I swung my sword again in time with its breathing. Naturally, that momentarily stopped the fury¡¯s movement again. End of line. As long as I was behind it, the fury couldn¡¯t make any proper attack. It was a feat that could only be done because ?Dimension? was constantly informing me of the movements of Lastiara and the enemy. Lastiara slashed at the monkey, who repeatedly showed an opening. At last, her sword sliced through its neck, and¡ªin response¡ªI stabbed its heart from the back. The fury let out a roar of despair, spurting out blood and disappearing in a flash of light. I picked up the fallen magic stone, then checked up with Lastiara. ¡°Are you injured?¡± ¡°The blood isn¡¯t mine. That was easy. If anything, I felt sorry for the monster. It couldn¡¯t do anything at all¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens if we give our best together. A tedious work with a certain outcome is what I like.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ but it¡¯s not interesting if we¡¯re too overwhelming¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re only starting with the 21st floor. ¡ªMagic, ?Dimension?.¡± I expanded my magical senses. What made the 21st floor unique was that monsters with immense power sprung forth in great numbers. The roar the fury unleashed must be a part of this mechanism. I grasped every monster within the area the roar I assumed had reached. As I had expected, all those monsters were coming at us. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Exactly as predicted. It seems like if we defeat one monster, the monsters around us will hear it and come after us.¡± I didn¡¯t have the leeway to take the time for a wide-area search before, but it was different with just Lastiara. I had time to grasp their movements. ¡°I see. The more we defeat them, the more they¡¯ll crowd us, right~?¡± ¡°But this kind of team play is useless against me. With my magic, we won¡¯t be surrounded. Follow me.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Are we gonna isolate and defeat them two-on-one like before?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s our main tactic, but if it¡¯s becoming a pain, we can strike all of them at once. If it¡¯s us, we¡¯ll be alright, even if they surround us.¡± ¡°You bet.¡± Lastiara followed me, smiling as she answered. In truth, both Lastiara and I were typically solo fighters. Our true strength truly shone in a one-against-many. As proven before, we were definitely strong when we cooperated, but that was because we were pretty close to each other in terms of strength and fighting style. By all rights, there was nobody who could match Lastiara¡¯s movement. And she knew that painfully well, which was why she wanted to become my companion. ¡°We¡¯ll reach one shortly. We can attack from its back this time.¡± ¡°Got that¡­ Ah, hunting monsters is good and all, but we are going to the 22nd floor, okay?¡± ¡°If we have the leeway to.¡± As a matter of fact, we had a lot of leeway. With our speed, we would never be surrounded unless something really bad happened. That was why we could chat. The furies had given us a hard time the day before, but to be honest, they really posed no threat. No wonder, since one of their strongest characteristics was attacking in groups, and that had no effect on me. We repeatedly slew furies individually as we made it through the 21st floor. Although we had to leave the Main Road and take detours to avoid being surrounded, we managed to reach the stairs to the 22nd level without any problems. All in all, it took about an hour. We vanquished 10 furies in that time. * * * * * * After reaching the stairs to the 22nd floor, we kept a wary eye on our surroundings as we were recovering. While I did say we had a lot of leeway, mistakes were bound to happen if we were outnumbered. We were caught surrounded several times, so we weren¡¯t completely unharmed traversing the 21st floor. The injury wasn¡¯t serious, but it required recovery magic. ¡°¡®A world of Immaculate Purity¡¯ ¡®Let the Pale Sun shine on you¡¯. ¡ª?Cure Full?.¡± Lastiara chanted, gathered magic power, and casted recovery magic. I stared at her and asked my question. ¡°The¡­ chanting you do before casting the magic, is there a meaning to it?¡± ¡°Chant? Aah. Hmm, it just helps me imagine the magic, it doesn¡¯t have to be chanted. You can say it¡¯s kind of a habit.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± It seemed like different people had different habits, even with the same magic. With different methods to bring up the image in mind, different chants were bound to exist as well. Since the magic formation was within the magician¡¯s body, I¡¯d guess it shouldn¡¯t be a surprise. ¡°Okay. You¡¯re all good now.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± While we both checked our MP, we also checked our EXP. Since I hadn¡¯t had any proper hunt since my fight with Tida, traversing the 21st floor alone had caused me to accumulate a lot of EXP. As expected, the EXP per monster ratio for deeper floors was very different. That and the fact that I was hunting on a floor deeper than the floor appropriate for my level was probably a huge factor. Both Lastiara and I could fight at a deeper floor than what we were supposed to due to our extraordinary APT. Even that battle-freak Tida had told me that I had the strength of a level 20 for someone at level 10. I fought high-level monsters as someone with a low level, so it was obvious that my EXP would accumulate faster than usual. ¡°Let¡¯s raise our levels while we¡¯re at it. Christ, stay alert.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lastiara must have seen my EXP. She decided we could level up and casted a level-up magic. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 321/372, MP: 334/623-200 Class: Level: 12 STR: 7.12, VIT: 7.45, DEX: 8.55, AGI: 10.92, WIS: 10.88, MAG: 26.91, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 7.93 ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Lastiara Whoseyards HP: 670/709, MP: 283/325 Class: Hero Level: 16 Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks STR: 11.71, VIT: 11.11, DEX: 7.12, AGI: 8.39, WIS: 12.97, MAG: 9.12, APT: 4.00 Constitution: I allocated the generated bonus points into MP. The reason for that was because keeping up ?Connection? had made the MP available to me decrease. I still had some skill points left over. ¡°I still have enough MP. Although, Christ, how come you¡¯ve so little MP?¡± ¡°Those magic gates are cutting on my maximum MP by 200. Also, my MP is actively being used when I search for enemies, and I¡¯m using supporting magic during the battle, so it¡¯s going down even more.¡± ¡°Wow, your consumption rate is bad¡­ Save up some.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to die out of carelessness.¡± ¡°Hmmhm. Right, if you die, I will be troubled as well¡­¡± Discussing magic with Lastiara reminded me of something that had been bothering me for some time. Seeing that as a good opportunity, I asked her the question. ¡°Come to think of it, what¡¯s with the ?Foreigner? skill you spoke about? It¡¯s been bothering me.¡± ¡°Nn? From my perspective, Christ, you have five skills; ?Swordsmanship?, ?Freezing Magic?, ?Dimensional Magic?, ?Foreigner?, and ?????, you know?¡± ¡°That ?Foreigner? Skill is ????? in my eyes. Are your eyes on a higher level than mine, Lastiara? This ?Foreigner? Skill, is it helping me right now?¡± ¡°Even if you ask me, I don¡¯t know anything about it. Isn¡¯t it just some kind of title given for someone who isn¡¯t from this world?¡± ¡°Is that how it is?¡± We descended to the 22nd floor as we talked. We could have looked for a boss monster on the 21st floor, but since there was no detailed information for a floor that deep, we gave up the idea. Not many of the explorers who came to the tavern had ever made it to the 20th floor. The stairs to the 22nd were a long way down. That was to say, the ceiling of the 22nd floor was high. ¡°Well, we reached the 22nd floor. I almost died the last time I was here, but it¡¯ll be a cinch for the two of us.¡± ¡°You almost died? I knew you were alone, but it¡¯s hard to believe you were driven into a corner by a normal monster.¡± ¡°I was at level 10 when I reached down here. I thought I had gotten too strong to be rivaled, you see. Oh man, that was a lot of fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more scared of you, trying to clear this floor at such a low level. Are you suicidal or something?¡± Lastiara had no qualms with such a huge level handicap, even though it was her own life on the line. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to die either. Despite what I said, I understand the value of life. I don¡¯t like seeing someone losing their life.¡± ¡°For that part, you looked ecstatic when Maria and I were about to die.¡± ¡°What can I say, I like seeing someone fighting for their life. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll definitely save you before you die.¡± Lastiara wasn¡¯t afraid to talk about things that I¡¯d bet Maria would stop talking to me for if she heard me saying it. I proceeded through the 22nd floor, astonished by Lastiara¡¯s unusual values. Unlike the 21st floor, the 22nd floor had narrower corridors and higher ceilings. It was several meters wide and several tens of meters high. While each floor had its own characteristics, that was the first time such a large change had occurred. The deeper the floor, the more distinctive the characteristics might become. As I was musing about the corridors and such, I found an enemy with ?Dimension?. It was a bird-shaped monster. Flying monsters in the Labyrinth tended to have small bodies, but that monster was different. It was several meters tall, with hawk-like wings and talons. It had three compound eyes on its head. I could spot its ferocious eyeteeth, so we had to watch out for both claws and fangs. ¡¾Monster¡¿ Leagle: Rank 20 ¡°Lastiara, I found a monster that looks like a bird.¡± ¡°Aah, that guy. It¡¯ll skedaddle once it gets hurt, so it¡¯s best if we kill it in one shot. Just ignore the ones that don¡¯t come down, counter only the ones that do.¡± ¡°Monsters that run away, huh? That sounds like trouble. But from your phrasing, I guess this is also a swarming type of monster?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like the monkeys on the 21st floor have turned into birds. Although, fighting them is a completely different experience¡­ Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be okay, Christ.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with your uselessly high trust in me¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s because you are the Protagonist to me, after all¡­¡± Lastiara answered meaningfully. I was about to respond off-handedly, but then I noticed the leagle gliding onto us, so I shifted my attention from her to the enemy. ¡°¡ª! Here it comes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dark up there, I¡¯m surprised you can tell.¡± I readied my sword and intercepted the descending leagle. Lastiara followed suit, offering her carefree comment. The leagle aimed at my throat with its claws at a speed incomparable to the furies. I caught the attack with the flat of my sword and tried to slice through the monster¡¯s body in retaliation. However, I was hit by the inertia of the descent, pushing my body back. When I regained my stance, the leagle was already out of my range. Unable to stop the leagle from gaining altitude after harassing me once, I could only see it off¡ªbefore a flying sword pierced its side. It was the sword that Lastiara had thrown. The leagle disappeared as light, and Lastiara picked up the magic stone and her sword that were dropped and then smiled. ¡°They¡¯re a real hassle to fight one on one, but with the two of us, not so much. The moment one of us gets hit, the other can deliver a blow.¡± ¡°Seems like it. But it won¡¯t be that easy if we¡¯re dealing with multiple enemies at once.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She handed me the magic stone. I put it in my ¡®Item List¡¯ and asked her what her plans were. ¡°So, what do we do? Do you want to fight them?¡± ¡°Nope, they¡¯re a huge pain to deal with. Let¡¯s pass the 22nd floor.¡± Indeed, they were fast and clever with tactics. Dealing with them had to be extremely nerve-wrecking. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to notice the raid from the air because of how dark the ceilings were. Even if they did, the leagles¡¯ overwhelming speed would make it impossible for them to defend themselves. And even if they managed to defend, they couldn¡¯t fight back easily due to the inertia of the descent. And if the leagles failed to attack, those monsters would disengage to repeat the process. They even opted to run away in case of being wounded, definitely making them one of the most troublesome monsters I had encountered so far. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like these guys either¡­ They¡¯re not worth fighting unless we have a long-range means of attack¡­¡± ¡°We both specialize in short to medium range, after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± As swordsmen, the only long-range attack that Lastiara and I could make was throwing our swords. If we missed, our beloved swords would be far outside our reach, and even if we prepared throwing swords for that, they would only slow us down. Simply put, we were not suited to take on enemies at a distance. If I made use of the ¡®Item¡¯ system to the fullest, I would be able to handle monsters like that, but I was not willing to reveal such a strong card against that monster. It would be much easier if we had Dia, but with just the two of us, it would be better to ignore them. Quite unusually, Lastiara and I agreed with each other, and we decided to move on, avoiding the leagles as much as possible. But after walking around for a few minutes, I learned that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Christ?¡± I analyzed the information ?Dimension? presented for me and clicked my tongue. I knew the surrounding creatures were heading our way after we defeated the leagle earlier. I had chosen a path so as not to be surrounded, but they were trying to block our escape and surrounded us with a speed of movements incomparable to those of the furies on the 21st floor. Two of them slipped through and were coming close. ¡°Sorry, Lastiara. We¡¯ve got one from the front and one from the back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. If we¡¯re pinched, then let¡¯s watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± ¡°Got that. But we¡¯ll get crowded if it gets too long. Let¡¯s finish this up as fast as possible. ¡ªMagic, ?Daytime Snow?, ?Foam?.¡± I refined five ?Daytime Snow? spells and let them scatter. As for ?Foam?, some of them clung to my sword. ¡°Those bubbles with cold air within¡­ I¡¯ve never seen or heard magic like that before. Did you invent it?¡± ¡°Rather than invent, it¡¯s more like I combined two magics as one. They¡¯re traps, so don¡¯t touch them. They should slow down anything that touches them, so use them to your advantage.¡± ¡°Yes si~r.¡± As we finished our preparations, the two leagles above us began to glide towards us. Lastiara and I were back to back, each taking on one monster. I used my ?Dimension Gladiator? to grasp the leagle¡¯s movements. I successfully spotted its attack and parried it. However, my counterattack was inevitably delayed by one step, and my sword only met air. The same seemed to be true for Lastiara behind me. However, I succeeded in adhering ?Foam? to the leagle. My grasp of that one monster had improved dramatically, and I was confident that the next time it swooped down, I would be able to slay it. But then, as though to mock me, the leagle that received the ?Foam? fled far away. ¡°Eh? It fled just because of the magic bubble?¡± ¡°They¡¯re really such cowardly monsters, aren¡¯t they? Just a slight of oddity and they¡¯re up in the wind.¡± The leagle that had fled further away then cawed at a distance. No matter how I thought of it, it had to be calling for reinforcements. As I expanded the range of ?Dimension?, I could perceive that the monsters in the distance had taken notice of us. Amongst them were monsters other than the leagles. At that rate, we¡¯d have to deal with all kinds of monsters. ¡°Yikes. And it¡¯s even calling his friends¡­¡± ¡°I knew it. The last time I was here, I ran as fast as my legs could bring me. What about you, Christ?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll do the same.¡± ¡°I concur. They¡¯re tough, but they¡¯re smart, so it¡¯s not that much fun fighting them.¡± Lastiara and I looked at each other, nodded, and started running at the same time. The leagle that Lastiara had missed attacking was about to pounce on our backs, but my magic had no blind spot. I pointed my sword backwards as if to insist I could see behind me. Just by doing so, the leagle backed away. Leaving the leagles behind, Lastiara and I skedaddled as fast as we could towards the 23rd floor. Since we chose the path with the help of ?Dimension?, there were few enemies along the way. However, as the monsters on the 22nd floor were all cautious, we repeatedly had them flee on us just before we could finish them off. As a result, I wasted a lot of MP and gained no EXP. ¡°Haa, haa, haa¡­¡± ¡°Haa, haa, haa¡­¡± With our breath ragged, panting for air, we reached the 23rd floor. Lastiara didn¡¯t reserve herself in grumbling. ¡°Haa, the 22nd floor is such a pain.¡± She seemed to have lost a lot of stamina. She followed me, her shoulders rocking. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only As we descended the stairs, the monsters that had been chasing us pulled back. Apparently, monsters couldn¡¯t cross floors. After putting that useful information in my head, we descended to the 23rd floor. ____ ____ Chapter 41 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 41 ¨C The Heat of the Labyrinth, the Heat of the Battle We walked down the Main Road of the 23rd floor while trying to catch our breath. However, the more we walked, the more we lost strength. The breath we wanted to take wasn¡¯t being regulated well, as the temperature on the 23rd floor was abnormally high compared to the 22nd floor we had just walked through. Lastiara was flapping the front collar of her dress, her face scrunched. Even from a distance, I could see that she was sweating several times more than I was. Apparently, she was a profuse sweater. ¡°Hot, hot, hot, hot¡­ Christ, water.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I used my back to take a leather canteen out of my ¡®Item List¡¯ and handed it to her. Lastiara gave it to me that morning, and it was quite solidly built. Without a moment of hesitation, she gulped down the water. As I mused about how the way she drank mirrored her personality, I brought up my question about the 23rd floor. ¡°Hey. Why is the 23rd floor so hot?¡± ¡°Nn. It¡¯s because there¡¯s magma on the 24th floor.¡± ¡°M-magma? You¡¯ve seen it?¡± ¡°No, I heard it from the explorer who came and visited me. I only know as far as the 23rd floor.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acquainted with an explorer who had gone to the 24th floor?¡± ¡°His name is Glenn Walker. The guy who¡¯s called the strongest explorer.¡± Glenn Walker¡­ As I recalled, that was the name of the person who held the record of the deepest Labyrinth conquest. However, according to what I heard, he only explored the Labyrinth up to the 23rd floor. ¡°I heard he only went as far as to the 23rd floor, though?¡± ¡°To be precise, the Main Road only goes as far as the 23rd floor.¡± In other words, the rumor on the street actually addressed the Main Road. It seemed like Glenn-san, the strongest explorer, could go deeper if he didn¡¯t have to construct the Main Road. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so knowledgeable. You¡¯ve heard a lot from the world¡¯s number one explorer.¡± ¡°Nn, well, it¡¯s true that what I know is mostly from what he told me.¡± ¡°So, what kind of person is he?¡± I got excited and asked her about Glenn-san. It seemed like the Strongest title was my weak spot. As a person who loved games and romance, that Glenn-san really struck my interest as a character. ¡°If you ask me¡­I can only describe him as the kind of pitiful guy that fits my taste. He has such an interesting life, one where he can never find the one thing he wants no matter how far he goes¡­ If he had any talent at all, he¡¯d fare much better¡­¡± To Lastiara, Glenn Walker was one of the less fortunate. I had thought that he was someone overflowing with talent, loved by the world, and had everything go the way he wanted. It was the complete opposite of what I¡¯d assume the Strongest would be. ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s timid, bad at giving up, and a huge masochist. He¡¯s helpless as a person, but¡­well, he¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t sound like someone strong.¡± ¡°In fact, he¡¯s not that strong, you know¡­¡± I could hear the image of the Strongest in me crumble. It seemed that the strongest person in the world wasn¡¯t going to live up to my expectations. While I was crushed by reality, ?Dimension? found the end of the Main Road. Our trip across the 23rd floor went smoothly since no enemies came close to the Main Road, and Lastiara and I reached the end of it without encountering a single enemy. ¡°So this is the goal. I guess we¡¯ve achieved our goal for the day.¡± That made me feel some kind of achievement. I was on par with the limit of mankind. ¡°Alright. Next, let¡¯s aim for the 30th floor¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s a no from me.¡± I stopped Lastiara in her tracks. Although the time passed from the 20th floor to that point was short, I was getting exhausted from the many battles I had encountered for the first time. I was physically averse to going deeper into a world that had never been seen before. I informed Lastiara of that, but obviously, she didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Eeh, we can still go deeper! Look how energetic I am!¡± ¡°I knew you would say that. Then¡­¡± In the end, we decided to take the middle way and focus on exploring the 23rd floor. When I told Lastiara that, from that point on, we had to map out the area ourselves since the Main Road could no longer be used as a guide, she reluctantly agreed. With that, Lastiara and I walked on. I filled in the map of the 23rd floor relying on the ¡®Map¡¯ system. Fortunately, none of the monsters on the 23rd floor posed a threat. Perhaps the huge monsters that appeared on the 21st and 22nd floors couldn¡¯t live on that hot floor. The monsters there were all specialized to withstand high temperatures, so they weren¡¯t really a trouble. Above all, Lastiara¡¯s high offensive power gave the exploration an advantage. That was because, no matter how sturdy the enemy was, it was meaningless in the face of Lastiara¡¯s stupidly high ATK. After putting two and two together, I judged that the main aim of the floor was to wear out explorers with high heat. Stalling explorers with enemies that focused on durability, depriving them of moisture with high temperatures, and ultimately draining their strength. Depending on how one thought about it, that floor might be more problematic than the 21st and 22nd floors. ¡°A-aah¡­ Christ, water¡­¡± Lastiara consumed a lot of water every few minutes. I was also thirsty and hydrated every now and then, but not as often as her. Her bad stamina consumption had made the 23rd floor her worst enemy. ¡°H-hold on, Lastiara¡­ Do you really, rea~lly need to drink? At this rate, we¡¯re going to run out of water.¡± ¡°I rea~lly, rea~~lly need to drink so badly.¡± After several hours of walking around, I dared myself to ask Lastiara, but she wasn¡¯t fooling around, she pleaded with me for water with a dead serious look on her face. ¡°If you drink any more than this, we¡¯ll need to go back home.¡± ¡°Did I drink that much?¡± ¡°Yeah. Your face looks dazed when you gobble all that water.¡± The speed at which water was being consumed was such that we needed to rethink our exploration plans. The 24th floor, where we would be heading, was a magma zone, so the water we had on hand was far from enough. I¡¯d rather not get fatally wounded because my head was cloudy from dehydration. ¡°Nn. Is it because I sweat a lot?¡± ¡°It seems like it. We need more water than we had planned if we want to continue the exploration.¡± I, personally, really wanted to go home. I didn¡¯t want to fail due to some unforeseen circumstances, but failing due to a predicted physical condition was no worse. ¡°¡­we¡¯re going home already?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have no water.¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t be helped then.¡± Lastiara wasn¡¯t very happy about it, but she really couldn¡¯t handle the thirst, and her face clouded at the thought of exploring without water. ¡°But I¡¯ve got the general layout of the 23rd floor. We gained something from this.¡± ¡°I left the mapping to you, Christ, but are you sure we can make it back?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± It would be too long to explain the whole ¡®Map¡¯ system, so I just told Lastiara that I could memorize the path. Lastiara was walking around in a daze and seemed to be anxious because she wasn¡¯t sure how to get back home. My gait was sure as we retraced our steps, as if to counteract Lastiara¡¯s anxiety. * * * * * * After we concluded our exploration, we headed for the ?Connection? on the 20th floor. We encountered a lot of monsters on our way back, but we could deal with them all, so there was no problem. The problem was that there was supposed to be nothing on the 20th floor. There was one young girl knight and one wolf with bluish fur. A knight who could reach the 20th floor¡ªprobably one of the Celestial Knights. I extended my magical senses from the 21st floor and focused on the duo. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Ragne Kikuora HP: 152/153, MP: 34/34 Class: Knight Level: 16 STR: 3.22, VIT: 3.91, DEX: 11.23, AGI: 5.22, WIS: 7.12, MAG: 1.52, APT: 1.12 Innate SkillS: Magic Power Manipulation: 2.11 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 0.52 Holy Magic: 1.02 ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Serra Radiant HP: 252/256. MP: 43/101 Class: Knight Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Level: 21 STR: 6.23, VIT: 7.92, DEX: 8.89, AGI: 10.02, WIS: 5.60, MAG: 7.77, APT: 1.57 Innate Skills: Instinct: 1.77 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 2.12 Holy Magic: 0.89 The girl knight was named Ragne and the wolf was named Serra. ¡°Eh? That wolf is Radiant-san?¡± It surprised me so much that I blurted it out. ¡°Why are you stopping, Christ?¡± ¡°No¡­ There¡¯s a wolf who¡¯s like Radiant-san on the 20th floor. Also, a girl named Ragne.¡± ¡°That¡¯s two of our girls. Break a leg out there, Christ.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I want to lose¡­¡± Lastiara probably thought it was no big deal. In fact, so did I. We ascended to the 20th floor with light feet. We entered the 20th floor, and the knight who was stationed in the center of the room bowed. The same as the day before. ¡°Are you all right, Ojou?¡± The knight, a girl with a bob cut, lightly curtsied and expressed her concern for Lastiara¡¯s safety. She was a lively-looking girl, a little shorter than me. I wouldn¡¯t call her a peerless beauty, but she had a tidy face and was pretty for her age. She was wearing a short-sleeved high-quality shirt on top and an unusually long skirt underneath. The skirt was wrapped with several layers of loincloth, so her lower half looked very heavy. ¡°Long time no see, Ragne-chan.¡± Lastiara called the girl with the name Ragne-chan. Since she looked younger than me, I probably should call her Ragne-chan too. Both girls then continued their conversation. ¡°Ragne-chan, what brings you here?¡± ¡°I heard it from old pops Haups. The boy in question is an explorer and can be found on the 20th floor.¡± ¡°Aah, so that¡¯s what.¡± I didn¡¯t miss Lastiara mumbling in a small voice ¡°that old fart, saying unnecessary things¡­¡± ¡°Maan, I¡¯d rather laze around in the cathedral, though¡­¡± Ragne-chan looked at the wolf next to her and smiled bitterly. Feeling her eyes, the wolf looked back and barked. ¡°Eh? Ah, fine. I¡¯ll do, I¡¯ll do. Right away.¡± Having been barked at, Ragne-chan sensed the intention and quickly drew her sword. Out of curiosity, I asked Lastiara in whispers. ¡°That wolf is Radiant-san, right?¡± ¡°Yup. Radiant is a thick-blooded beastfolk. She speaks to Ragne-chan using magic. I have my eye, so I know for a fact it¡¯s her, but it¡¯s amusing, so I¡¯m pretending that I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do the same.¡± I¡¯d rather not have her bark at me if I pointed it out. I guessed that¡¯s what she meant by not showing up in person. I¡¯d just leave her be. I drew my sword and stood in front of Lastiara. When I did, Ragne-chan, right in front of me, pulled out something resembling a memo from her pocket and began to read it out loud. ¡°Eh, ermm, I am Ragne Kaikuora the knight. Christ Eurasia, I challenge you to a duel on our lady. The rules are the same as the ones you¡¯ve had with Serra Radiant. Now, let us duel¡ª¡ªyups.¡± Yep, she¡¯s got zero motivation. It was kind of like the atmosphere in athletic clubs where the juniors were forced to do things by their seniors. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go with that. But there¡¯s one change I want to make. Can you add the reward for me that you don¡¯t bring any more knights with you?¡± ¡°Ah, yea, sure. Also, let¡¯s end it with a single injury. Ion wanna get badly injured from this.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ragne-chan readily nodded and added her own rule. She really wasn¡¯t getting on board. In response, the wolf growled. You¡¯d frighten Ragne-chan, so please stop that. ¡°Then, we start now?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªPlease hold on.¡± Ragne-chan had just pulled her ill-fitting, sumptuous, one-handed sword when Lastiara interrupted. I looked at Lastiara, questioning her action. She whispered to me. ¡°Christ. Did you just accept the rule to end with a single injury? That¡¯s a huge disadvantage. That¡¯s her specialty, you know?¡± ¡°Eh? But her parameters are low?¡± Ragne¡¯s parameters were lower than any of the Celestial Knights I had faced before. I couldn¡¯t even sense anything that would make Lastiara¡¯s expression grim like that. ¡°She¡¯s an irregular who can do things outside of what her parameters allow her¡­ I¡¯ll give you too much leverage if I say more, but just don¡¯t lose on the first attack.¡± Lastiara¡¯s eyes were serious. She had always looked optimistic in the previous two battles, but it seemed she couldn¡¯t be as optimistic after I received the rule that whoever who got hurt first lost. First attack¡­ Ragne-chan was an irregular, and her first attack seemed like it would exceed what her ¡®Status¡¯ had made me assume. That¡¯s a huge amount of leverage¡­ I couldn¡¯t lose after being told so much. I focused on fortifying ?Dimension Gladiator?. ¡°Can we start now?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay now.¡± We confirmed with each other, drew our swords, and bowed. And thus, the battle began. Immediately, I opted to deploy my auxiliary magic, but¡ª ¡°Magic, ?Fo¡ª?!!¡± A mysterious blade reached for my throat. I had sensed it when it started rapidly growing with ?Dimension Gladiator?, so I managed to evade it by raising the sword in my hand, deflecting it. Then, I confirmed the identity of the blade. The magnificent one-handed sword in her hand didn¡¯t even waver. It was from her other, free hand that a blade made of solidified magic power was extending out. I hadn¡¯t used my eyes when I evaded it; I had noticed it because I had a bird¡¯s eye view of Ragne-chan through the use of my magic. If I had fought normally, my eyes would have been focused on her sword since she was a knight. However, thanks to my magical senses and Lastiara¡¯s advice, I was able to avoid being wounded. Ragne-chan immediately retracted her magic power blade, panicking. ¡°Keh. That got evaded cleanly.¡± Without a moment¡¯s time to catch a breath, Ragne-chan¡¯s second and third blows struck. I deflected them with the tip of my sword, parrying them away. She was about 10 meters away from me, and yet it felt as if she was fighting right under my nose. It was like dealing with a laser gun that was constantly discharging. However, Lastiara was right, it was only her first attack that I had to watch out for. As long as I could tell the origin of her attack, she was no match for me. Ragne¡¯s swordsmanship technique itself wasn¡¯t as refined as it came. Simply put, she had no tact. She didn¡¯t have the sense of aiming. As I began to get used to her blade, I started to close the distance between us as I repelled her attacks before she immediately raised both hands. ¡°Aah, I can¡¯t. I lost. I think this is the first time I¡¯ve lost after having such an advantage.¡± It seemed like she decided that she had no chance of winning if the duel continued. Ragne-chan crudely tossed her luxurious sword to the ground, indicating her resignation. ¡°Yeah, it was an interesting match. Thank you.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s all yours.¡± We then walked up to each other and shook hands with good smiles on each other¡¯s faces, it somehow felt like after a sports tournament. Further back though, Radiant-san, Ragne-chan¡¯s senior, was barking at us, but I paid it no mind. The wolf kept on complaining to Ragne-chan, so she answered with a half-smile. ¡°Eeh, what can I do? Onii-san¡¯s strong and kind and cool, what¡¯s the problem anyway? If the lady wasn¡¯t with him first, I¡¯d be the one snatching him for myself, you know?¡± But the wolf continued to bark. Ragne-chan interpreted it out loud. ¡°Eh, ermm? ¡ª¡±The lovely, beautiful, pure, innocent young lady who¡¯s really like a flower made of the virgin, unsullied first snowfall should not fall to such a man¡¯s spells¡± you said? Eeh, but the lady¡¯s can be quite black-hearted, y¡¯know.¡± Hearing that, Lastiara replied. ¡°Ah, Ragne-chan, you¡¯re terrible. I always speak honest and true, and yet you call me black-hearted¡­ you¡¯re going to make me cry¡­¡± Lastiara pretended to be hurt by Ragne-chan¡¯s words and faked breaking down crying. Seeing that, the wolf bit Ragne-chan. ¡°O-ow! Stop that, senior! See?! This is what I meant when I said that the lady¡¯s black-hearted!¡± After some play-biting between the wolf and Ragne-chan, Lastiara made sure Ragne-chan would keep her oath. She swore that, as a knight, she wouldn¡¯t break her oath. Then, as she was calming the agitated wolf, Ragne-chan turned to leave. ¡°¡ªWelp, Ojou, laters. You too, cool Onii-san. Laters.¡± She walked straight to the 19th floor, looking all refreshed. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Since we had another means to leave the Labyrinth, we didn¡¯t follow her and only waved our hands until she was out of sight. Thus, I cleared the third Celestial Knights event. ____ ____ Chapter 42 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 42 ¨C The Nightfest Four Days Before The D-Day After seeing off Ragne-chan and Radiant-san, we headed home. Maria, who was cleaning and doing the laundry, noticed our return and looked troubled. ¡°Welcome home, Master, Lastiara-san. The both of you sure are early. I haven¡¯t prepared a meal yet¡­¡± Apparently, our return was too early. With that much spare time, I planned to go shopping and visit Dia on the way, but Lastiara caught me in my tracks. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the festival, then?¡± Lastiara seated herself in the living room when she invited me to join. ¡°A festival?¡± ¡°Yup. Whoseyards is in the middle of the festival week. We will celebrate the annual Holy Birthday in four days¡­ So, the whole country will be celebrating for the whole week until the D-day.¡± ¡°Aah, I¡¯ve heard that before.¡± From Dia, if I recalled correctly. I had promised to hang around with him that day, as that would be the day of his hospital discharge as well. ¡°I¡¯ve never gone to the festivals themselves, so I¡¯m very interested.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t interest me either.¡± I did have an interest in a festival of a different culture. I didn¡¯t go to festivals much in my previous life¡ªI couldn¡¯t go even if I wanted to; that was why festivals sounded really attractive to me. ¡°Which means we¡¯re going. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yeah. We need to buy more water anyway.¡± I agreed with that notion. It might turn out to be a meaningless event, but it would be a nice fill-in for the spare time. We only needed to refill our water canteens, anyway. Maria stopped her cooking prep when she heard me casually agree to Lastiara¡¯s invitation. ¡°W-wait. Doesn¡¯t that mean¡­ you two are going to have a d¡ª¡± But then she stopped mid-sentence. I turned to Maria and, for a moment, I saw her face looked vexed, but that expression disappeared as soon as it showed. Was she thinking that we would leave her behind? Lastiara stifled a laugh and didn¡¯t try to say anything to her. Leaving me the only one to say anything. ¡°Come with us, Maria. Get ready.¡± ¡°Eh, can I?¡± ¡°Of course you can.¡± I wouldn¡¯t be able to call her my friend or companion if I didn¡¯t invite her. ¡°But I need to cook¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat out today. All three of us.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± I insisted. I even pulled her by the hand all the way past the front door. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Show us the way, Lastiara.¡± ¡°Fufu. Sure thing.¡± Lastiara stood to her feet, grinning all the while. It¡¯s good that she was having fun, but she couldn¡¯t be much more annoying. I knew she wanted to invite Maria too, and she decided not to say a word about it. She even bothered to make me invite Maria for her own enjoyment. ¡°Less snickering and more guiding.¡± I hand-chopped Lastiara on the head, and we left the house behind. My house wasn¡¯t that far from Whoseyards. Being close to the Labyrinth that was at the center of the four Allied Nations meant that it was also close to the other countries. The festive atmosphere was immediately noticeable after an hour¡¯s walk. There seemed to be no doubt that Whoseyards was holding a country-wide festival. Its enthusiasm was tremendous, even at the edge of the country. As we entered the main streets of the city, we found many stalls lined up in a row. The shopkeepers were shouting and trying to attack customers. Some of them were selling food, some were selling trinkets, and many various genres of attraction. The food culture in this world intrigued me, thus, naturally, my eyes fell on the lined-up food stalls. There were some easy pastries similar to what I¡¯d see in my world, but there were also many dishes I had never seen before. There were also some cooking utensils I didn¡¯t recognize. When I noticed that the stalls used magic stones as a heat source and knives that seemed likely to have some magical effects, it seeped into me that I really was in a whole different world. Baked goods I¡¯d never seen¡­ Assorted weird nuts¡­ Grilled unique meat skewers¡­ Loaves of bread so huge no one should be able to walk around carrying them¡­ Naturally, all of those foods were new to me. With all those foods which I couldn¡¯t begin to imagine the taste of, my excitement got the better of me. ¡°Master, we¡¯re only at the food stalls¡­¡± I had been scurrying around restless like a country bumpkin, and Maria warned me for it. ¡°W-well, it¡¯s kind of a rare sight, so¡­¡± ¡°Holy Birthday festivals happen everywhere annually. The food stalls are the standard, you know¡­¡± It was, apparently, a familiar sight for Maria. She seemed to be unfazed by the marvelous sight. For me, however, it was not the case. Maria didn¡¯t know about my situation, so she didn¡¯t understand why I found the sight so fascinating. ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t have festivals like this in my hometown, so it¡¯s very new to me.¡± ¡°Eh, but you¡¯re from Fania, aren¡¯t you Master?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. I lived on the edge of Fania, where the festivals didn¡¯t reach, so this is my first at a festival.¡± ¡°The edge¡­?¡± Maria parroted my word. She didn¡¯t sound convinced, but the longer I continued to talk about my hometown, the more my lies crumbled. Pretending to be taken in by the festivities, I steered away from Maria. As I observed my surroundings, I passed a group of people in costume. They were wearing animal pelts and headgears, probably dressing up as wolves or bears. There might be some meaning in dressing up like that in the festival. I turned to Lastiara, who seemed to know a lot about Whoseyards, and asked her about it. ¡°Hey, Lastiara. What is the meaning of dressing up in a costume like that?¡± Lastiara, who had been leading the way, turned to me and answered excitedly. ¡°Dunno!¡± ¡°Eh, you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yup. I told you this is my first time.¡± Lastiara was looking around just as much as I did, her voice all over the place. Maria looked startled when she heard it as if she just saw a ghost. ¡°Is this really your first?¡± ¡°Shamefully, yeah. I had things holding me up, so this is actually the first time I¡¯ve gone to the festival downtown. Which means Maria-chan¡¯s the most experienced between the three of us.¡± ¡°U-unbelievable¡­ Not one, but two¡­¡± ¡°That costume also piqued my interest. Tell us what it means, Maria-chan!¡± Lastiara fell back and moved next to Maria. As the three of us began to walk side by side, Maria began her explanation. ¡°The costume you just saw is a costume to pray for good health. The origin is a myth common in the continent¡ªby dressing up as one of the companions of the legendary saintess Tiara Whoseyards, we are hoping for her blessings. It is said that the closer we are to the date of her birth, the more of the saintess¡¯s power will return to the continent, so many people spend the time during this festival in costume.¡± ¡°Aah~ Yup, yup, I recall even hearing that.¡± Hearing the explanation, Lastiara clasped her hands together as though to recall it. ¡°Come to think of it, you have a similar name to the saintess, Lastiara-san. Did your parents give it to you hoping for the blessings of the saintess?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Maria-chan for you! Yup, you got it right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an auspicious name.¡± Like it was nothing, Lastiara lightly affirmed it, and Maria smiled at it. That was, however, not a smiling moment for me. Maria didn¡¯t know, but Lastiara¡¯s surname was Whoseyards. Thus, I couldn¡¯t help but have a sneaking suspicion that there might be some circumstances at play surrounding her. We walked through the streets of Whoseyards while listening to Maria¡¯s explanation. The festival was most active in the center of the city, so our feet naturally went in that direction. If I were to say which street, it would be street number 50. ¡°All right. Maria-chan, let¡¯s buy and snack all we can!¡± ¡°Eh, I¡¯d rather not. Food at festivals is expensive and wasteful.¡± ¡°¡ª?! But then, what¡¯s the point of coming here if we don¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine just watching.¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡± Maria certainly had a point. Even I, terribly unfamiliar with market prices in this world that I was, could tell that the items in the stalls were overpriced. Maria was used to the festivals, so for her, the things there were just expensive for no added value. I¡¯d pity Lastiara if that continued, so I threw her a lifeboat. ¡°Give it up, Lastiara. I¡¯ll accompany you.¡± ¡°No choice then¡­ I gotta make do with Christ.¡± Lastiara seemed to want to play with Maria more than me. She looked dejected and reluctantly agreed. Either way, we decided to head to the heart of the festival, eating and shopping as we went, but along the way, it turned into a game of getting Maria to buy and snack, which she was reluctant to do. *** ¡°¡ªOi! Lastiara! Look, they¡¯ve got something weird here!¡± ¡°Uwah, that¡¯s awesome! What is this?!!¡± And within an hour, between Lastiara and I, our excitement peaked. At first, I was trying to play it cool, but there were just so many novel and unusual things that I couldn¡¯t contain my elation. Lastiara reacted to the festival in the same way I did, so we couldn¡¯t help but get excited together. ¡°That¡¯s a child¡¯s game, you know?¡± Behind, the unfazed Maria was looking at us like we were some poor thing. I, however, had grown accustomed to Maria looking at me coldly, so I floated along without caring. We continued on our way, buying and snacking on anything piquing our interest until we arrived at the main square in the center of the town. There, we found not only stalls, but also something like amusement park attractions. That said, they weren¡¯t the modern, luxurious ones, but simple ones such as target shooting and cookie cutting. But they were enough to excite me. I had never experienced those kinds of games even back in my previous world. And since they also had games that couldn¡¯t possibly exist in the modern world, my interest was only growing and wouldn¡¯t stop growing. At the moment, I was intrigued by the target shooting this otherworld offered me. It seemed to be a game where you shot animals inside a fence with an arrow wrapped in cloth instead of an arrowhead. The cloth was coated with paint, so you could decidedly judge whether you¡¯d killed the animal or not by the paint. That kind of game wouldn¡¯t be possible in my world due to safety issues and animal rights concerns. The animals flock around nimbly. Their agility almost made me think that they were more monster than an animal, but my lack of knowledge made it impossible for me to judge. There wasn¡¯t much in the way of prizes, but my body tingled at the sight of a target that wouldn¡¯t be an easy shot. But Maria was right, the grown-ups were not trying to play the game. However, I spied there were kids around my age who do it with no problem. In short, the problem was that since Lastiara and I were taller than average, it made us look like adults playing a kid¡¯s game. I recommended that Maria do it first, so I wouldn¡¯t look bad if I participated after her. ¡°You¡¯re still a kid, Maria. Why don¡¯t you play this first? That way, the both of us can also play it much more naturally.¡± ¡°I-I am not a kid! I¡¯m already thirteen!¡± I thought Maria might have a word about my pathetic idea, but she objected more to her age than the idea. She seemed upset that I was treating her like a child. Still, it was surprising to hear that Maria was thirteen years old. She was older than I thought she would be. To me, though, 13 was well within the range of being a child. I didn¡¯t consider myself to be an adult, and it was natural that I didn¡¯t consider children younger than me to be adults either. ¡ªBut that was an extension of the values I brought with me. So, I confirmed it with Lastiara. ¡°Lastiara, is 13 considred an adult?¡± ¡°Mn, here, that¡¯s past the coming-of-age.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± After confirming that the age of adulthood was lower in this world, I apologized lightly to Maria. Then, Maria asked us a question like it just occurred to her. ¡°Come to think of it, how old are you two?¡± How old was I, huh. There should be no significant difference between the two worlds in terms of the calendar, depending on the accuracy of the translation I had, that is. It should be safe to answer with the age counted in my previous world. ¡°I¡¯m 16. Maybe.¡± ¡°Sixteen?!¡± Maria was surprised to hear my age. I was tall, but I had a childish face appropriate for my age, so that was the first time she had been so surprised. * * * * * * ¡°Is it that strange?¡± ¡°No, I thought you were around twenty. You¡¯re tall, and besides, you have a gentle demeanor, so¡­¡± It seemed that Maria thought I was much older. However, of all things, I didn¡¯t expect it was because of my demeanor. Lastiara, then, also answered. ¡°I¡¯m sixteen too, supposedly.¡± ¡°Eeh?!!¡± Maria was once again surprised. Although she wasn¡¯t as tall as me, she was also on the taller side. She was also proportioned like an adult, making her look older than average. Maria probably thought Lastiara was much older. ¡°Eh, Is it so surprising?¡± Lastiara looked at me, curious. I smiled thinly and shook my head. I, for one, wasn¡¯t surprised. Maria, however, couldn¡¯t contain her shock. ¡°Just a three years gap, but, so much difference¡­ The height¡­ the breasts¡­¡± Her body trembling, Maria compared her own body shape to Lastiara¡¯s. It was hard to believe that they were three years apart¡ªthere was that much difference in the degree of growth. As I looked at Maria with pity, she noticed my gaze and regained her wit back, calling out a warning to us. ¡°P-putting ages aside! You two look like adults, you¡¯ll be laughed at if you play it!¡± In the end, it came down to looks. If you looked old, your actual age meant nothing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it that much¡­¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you feel those lukewarm gazes?! It¡¯s embarrassing!!¡± Certainly, there were eyes that looked at us and smiled as we made a ruckus, but those were the eyes that were directed at people excited at a festival, not at people deserving pity. And if anything, most of those gazes were in admiration of Lastiara¡¯s beauty. Lastiara attracted people¡¯s eyes just by being there. Her appearance didn¡¯t allow her to be buried in the crowd. That was probably why there was a lot of jealousy towards me for accompanying her. At first, I tried to be inconspicuous, but I gave up early because of it. ¡°Fufu. It gets me much more excited if you¡¯re that embarrassed, Maria-chan. Do you think just because some people see me would stop me from doing what I wanted?¡± Relishing in Maria¡¯s embarrassment, Lastiara enthusiastically walked to the reception desk for the target shooting game. Maria tried to stop her but finally gave up when Lastiara got even happier the more she tried to stop her. Soon after, Lastiara received a bow and arrows from the person manning the reception desk, and the game began. The game was to see how many animals in the field could be killed from a fixed position. Prizes were given according to the number of animals killed in a given time. Lastiara put an arrow to the bow and carefully fired one shot at a time. Everything she did was fluid and precise, perfectly the image of an archer from heroic tales. If the person doing it was as beautiful as Lastiara, it was inevitable that she would attract attention. At first, it was the children who were amazed and curious as the archer methodically shot through the animals one after another, before long, the adults around them were caught up by her presence and were riveted to the scene. By the time the last grain of sand in the hourglass had fallen, most of the birds and beasts released into the field had been killed. ¡°Phew¡­ This is actually fun.¡± Lastiara murmured in satisfaction. She twirled her bow with the grace of a dancer and struck a pose to excite the gallery. She proceeded through the applause to receive her prize from the receptionist guy, whose face was drawn back. However, Lastiara was aware that she was an outlier, so instead of choosing a pricey prize, she picked a pretty necklace that she could get with even with a low score. It was mostly made of wood, but it had a single magic stone in the center, so it didn¡¯t look too cheap or too luxurious. After receiving the necklace, Lastiara walked closer and put it around Maria¡¯s neck. ¡°This is my present for you, Maria-chan.¡± ¡°A-aah. Thank you very much¡­¡± Maria gave a stifled thank-you, and the people around us looked at her smilingly. I see. Since, seemingly, she turned it to be a gift for a child aka Maria, she was able to counteract her adult image. She didn¡¯t have to feel embarrassed for playing a child¡¯s game. It would be conspicuous to challenge her in that situation, but because Lastiara had stood out so much, we couldn¡¯t not be conspicuous, so I decided I¡¯d do what I wanted to do too. ¡°All right, I won¡¯t lose. I¡¯ll have to put my skills to the test to get a present for Maria.¡± Really, I just wanted to do it for my own amusement, but to excuse myself to the people all around, I said it loud enough for them to hear. ¡°Ah, no. You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get it started!¡± Without letting Maria finish her refusal, I walked to the reception desk. After Lastiara¡¯s handiwork, I just had to do it too. The reception area was empty because it would take a lot of courage to play after the divine work she had just done. I received my bow and arrows, and after the paint on the animals had been washed, the game began. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?¡± Inconspicuously, I deployed my magic. It took a lot of skill to notice the magic being deployed, but Lastiara, ungodly skilled that she was, noticed it and burst out laughing. Since I couldn¡¯t do it as beautifully as Lastiara, I focused more on surpassing her score. However, my lack of experience with the bow caused me to miss my first few shots. Even with the benefit of magic and a ¡®Skill¡¯, I couldn¡¯t seem to do as well as Lastiara. After a few adjustments, though, I got used to it. My sensory organs and ¡®Skills¡¯ allowed me to aim true. I shot continuously, letting my parameters dictate my aim. Perhaps because I poured a wasteful amount of MP and gave it my all, I succeeded in slightly surpassing Lastiara¡¯s score. The people watching around me applaud, and the heat of the place grew more intense. When I went to pick up the prize, I was torn between the available choices. Maria would have been happy with anything I gave, but when it came to accessories, there weren¡¯t that many to choose from. I had no choice but to accept a bracelet similar to the necklace Lastiara had just given her. I walked toward Maria and handed it to her. ¡°Here you go, Maria.¡± ¡°You¡¯re childish¡­¡± With a dumbfounded look on her face, Maria took it and immediately turned her back to leave the place. Perhaps she didn¡¯t want to stand out any more than she already was, or perhaps she simply wasn¡¯t comfortable with all the noise. ¡°H-hold on, Maria-chan. I want to surpass Christ¡¯s score, let me do it one more time!!¡± Behind, Lastiara was shouting out her competitive spirit. Maria, however, didn¡¯t give it a thought and strode away. I had a feeling it would turn into a mudslinging contest if we continued, so I gave Lastiara my own words. ¡°Come on, Lastiara. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Eh, you dare to leave when you¡¯re ahead¡­¡± Lastiara was reluctant to leave the scene. We followed, trying not to lose sight of Maria, who herself was trying to blend in with the crowd, and we ran past the curious eyes of the people around us. By the time we caught up to Maria, there was no one paying attention to us anymore. We had attracted a lot of eyes, but it was just one of the many attractions the festival offered. Once we were in the crowd, there was no one looking at us except those who were gazing at Lastiara. Maria had been walking ahead of us, and Lastiara called out to her. ¡°You¡¯re not playing, Maria-chan? I can pay for it. I¡¯m the one who suggested it, after all.¡± ¡°¡­Haah. As if I can play it after you two. I¡¯m fine, I did it a lot when I was little.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ve done it. Well, okay then.¡± Saying so, Lastiara walked ahead of Maria. Her eyes were busy searching for something interesting as she made her way through the festive crowd. After a certain amount of walking, the riverside came into view. There was a large crowd there, and it seemed that some kind of event was being held. ¡°They have something going on by the river!¡± ¡°It seems like they¡¯re doing something that needs the water.¡± I followed Lastiara with great anticipation, remembering the goldfish scooping game from my previous world. I grabbed Maria¡¯s hand, the one that Lastiara wasn¡¯t holding, so that we wouldn¡¯t get separated. Then, the three of us walked together to the riverside stalls. The river was netted upstream and downstream, and a large number of fish were released in between. ¡°I guess it¡¯s the kind of game where you can eat as much fish as you can catch¡­?¡± I had seen that kind of game back in my previous world, so it was kind of a letdown. Lastiara, however, had her eyes sparkling and was up for the challenge. ¡°Let¡¯s do it! You won¡¯t beat me this time, Christ!¡± She even wanted to compete with me. Her earlier defeat had annoyed her, it seemed. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. It won¡¯t be much of a challenge for you if I didn¡¯t join, after all.¡± While I had indeed seen it before, I had never actually participated in one. I really had no reason to back down. We got in line to wait our turn and started chatting about some trivial things. Maria and I taught each other about fish dishes that we knew, and we asked Lastiara what kind of fish dish she¡¯d want to eat before someone called out to us. ¡°Huh? Is that Christ and Maria I spy?¡± A girl with a beast mask nesting diagonally on her head spotted us and came over. It was Alty, the Labyrinth guardian, wearing several layers of clothes. I looked around a little more vigilantly. When I was sure that Alty was alone, I waved my hand in response with a sigh of relief. Maria also responded curtly. ¡°Alty. Why are you here?¡± ¡°Why? Is it bad for me to come out and play?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not saying it is.¡± Not that it was catastrophic or anything, but seeing a Labyrinth boss wandering around so openly was just not good for the health of my heart. ¡°I was just hanging around with my friends from Eltheaulieux Academy. Rest assured, your tough-to-deal Fran-chan isn¡¯t here right now.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡± As Alty and I were talking, Lastiara, who was positioned behind me, started laughing. With an uppity attitude, she scooted over. ¡°Boy, was I surprised. Just when I thought I saw someone so capable with such a cute face, I used my Fake God¡¯s Eye, and boy, what a surprise¡ªfufufufufu.¡± The cheerful mood had vanished from Lastiara, replaced with clinging wariness. Perhaps she had seen through that Alty wasn¡¯t a human but rather a very powerful boss monster. I put myself between Alty and Lastiara, offering my explanation. ¡°Hold on, Lastiara. She is my collaborator, don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I can see that there is no tension between you two. Hm, Alty-chan, right? My name is Lastiara. Nice to meet you¡± Lastiara interrupted me and greeted Alty on her own terms. ¡°Hoo. So you¡¯re the rumored¡ªI see. I can see the two of us getting along. However, being called chan by you makes me feel a bit embarrassed, I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t. I¡¯d rather have the two of us call each other on a first name basis.¡± ¡°Of course, Alty.¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯m glad to know you, Lastiara.¡± They shook hands and offered each other smiles. I watched them with trepidation. To be very honest, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they started killing each other right there and then. In which case, I would scoop Maria and retreat home using ?Connection?. Perhaps noticing that I was looking at her that way, Alty snickered and turned to talk to me. ¡°Someone¡¯s being nervous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being normal. So what¡¯s your plan, Alty?¡± ¡°Right. Why don¡¯t I hang around with you for a while? Not that I can play around for long.¡± ¡°Well, just playing around wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­¡± I really, really would rather have her go the hell away, but it would be too cold-hearted of me as a collaborator to treat her so callously like that. I allowed her to accompany us, albeit reluctantly. Hearing this, Lastiara became even more joyful. ¡°I like the sound of it. Let¡¯s have a competition between the three of us. I want to see how much you amount to, Alty-chan.¡± She was looking forward to competing with Alty, a Labyrinth guardian. Alty, however, refused with a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯ll have to pass. I¡¯m bad with water, so I¡¯ll just cheer from the side with Maria-chan.¡± With those words, Alty declined to participate. Theoretically speaking, as a fire monster, Alty would be bad with water. She fell back and started talking with Maria. Our turn came up after that, so it was time for Lastiara and me to compete. I planned to do my best to beat Lastiara since I knew that it was what she expected me to do. After all, what Lastiara always wanted was to be able to play with her all. She knew she could let loose with me, and that was why she had come to my side. I was obligated to entertain Lastiara¡ªthat was the kind of contract I had made with her. Perhaps playing around like that was one of her dreams of enjoying adventures. I could somehow tell it from how she looked. However, it wasn¡¯t all from a sense of obligation. Somewhere in the depth of my heart, I also wanted to enjoy the adventure this otherworld could offer. Playing along with Lastiara wasn¡¯t so painful. As long as I could enjoy myself and secure Lastiara¡¯s strength, then I wouldn¡¯t complain. ¡®I shall use my ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯ to the extreme to win this game.¡¯ In the end, the degree of the competition between us drew in the customers more and more and made the owner pale, and Alty had to stop us by force, and we ended up eating up Maria¡¯s sermon for a long time. Even so, Lastiara seemed like she had a good time. I, too, had my fun. I also realized that we clicked with each other so perfectly even without the element of the Labyrinth, and I thought was a bit of a waste that, in the end, that was all our relationship added up to. ____ ____ Chapter 43 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 43 ¨C Three Days before The D-Day ¡°It¡¯s about time I head home.¡± The sun was setting and the night was falling, and Alty expressed her intention that she didn¡¯t have much time. With puffed-out cheeks, Lastiara responded. ¡°Eeh, let¡¯s play some more.¡± ¡°No, no. I have to show up for my class at the Academy tomorrow. I can¡¯t play out for long.¡± Alty answered apologetically. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going home too. There¡¯s nothing I can do here, and I can walk home with Alty-san.¡± After having a meal once, Maria didn¡¯t spend any money at all. Perhaps that was why she spent so much time talking with Alty, who also didn¡¯t want to spend a single coin on the stalls. Maybe she wanted to go home together because they became good friends during that time. ¡°Fumu. I¡¯ll take the responsibility of sending Maria-chan home. The two of you can enjoy the festival a bit more.¡± Alty offered to take her home, which Maria accepted with a smile. Apparently, while Lastiara and I were competing, a friendship had developed between the two of them. Lastiara still made some fuss after that, but Alty and Maria managed to leave for home without any trouble. Being left alone, Lastiara called out to me with a grin. ¡°Now that Maria-chan isn¡¯t here, wanna go crazy?¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, I¡¯m getting a bit tired¡± My base stamina had been fortified due to my high level, but even that had its limits. ¡°I bet. So am I. Why don¡¯t we look for a funny-looking food to snack on while we chat a bit then?¡± ¡°That sounds like a plan¡­ Right. If possible, why don¡¯t we talk some more about this world? I can¡¯t ask this kind of question to anyone but you, so there isn¡¯t a better time.¡± ¡°Sure, we can, but¡­ This is because you hide the fact that you¡¯re a ¡®Foreigner¡¯. You don¡¯t have to hide it that much, you know?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no precedent to this. I¡¯m being cautious since I don¡¯t know what will be done to me if people know¡­ so please don¡¯t say that word in such a crowded place.¡± Lastiara had uttered the word ¡®Foreigner¡¯ openly in a crowd. In my world¡¯s past, there were things like witch hunts and pagan hunts. Even in the modern world, if extraterrestrials were discovered, there was a high possibility that they would be used as guinea pigs. Even with my limited knowledge, I knew that ¡®Foreigners¡¯ were no better than extraterrestrials. It was enough of a possibility to make me step back in fear. So I appealed to Lastiara to refrain from using the word. ¡°You¡¯re really spineless, Christ. I got it. I¡¯ll refrain from using the word as much as possible, but I think it¡¯d be better to break it to Maria as soon as possible.¡± ¡°To Maria? Why?¡± ¡°Why else? She¡¯s your companion, right? Companions tell each other secrets.¡± ¡°She is my companion, but that¡¯s a separate matter from this.¡± ¡°Ah, huh¡­ So that¡¯s what you are, Christ. Fufu, if that¡¯s what you say, then very well.¡± Even if they were my companions, I wouldn¡¯t reveal my secrets to them so easily, but when I expressed that idea to Lastiara, she nodded her head repeatedly in a happy manner. The more happy Lastiara was, the more uneasy I felt. Whenever she looked happy like that, that meant she was up to something no good. I asked her to pry out what she was thinking. ¡°What is it? Is it bad?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not bad. If anything, it¡¯s good. You¡¯re right, there are things that can¡¯t be talked about, even amongst companions.¡± When she said good, it meant it was good for Lastiara, aka very much not good for me. If Lastiara happily endorsed the idea, that meant it was best to avoid it as much as possible. I had only known her for a short time, but I had learned that much. So I retracted my previous statement. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll talk to Maria when there¡¯s a chance. She¡¯s a companion, after all.¡± ¡°Eh, you will? ¡­Well, that¡¯s good too, I guess.¡± She looked a bit dejected, but she quickly bounced up and brightened up her face. And then she began to talk about this world, as I first suggested. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s talk more about this world, shall we? That being said, I don¡¯t know where to start, so it¡¯s a bit hard. She had a point. I would have a hard time trying to explain my world as well. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me everything about it. I¡¯m sure it will be hard, and I¡¯m not confident I can understand everything at once. Just start from something we have at hand and expand from there. For example¡­ let¡¯s expand from the story behind this festival. From there, I can learn a little bit about customs and common sense.¡± ¡°This festival, huh¡­ That¡¯s easy to talk about. I don¡¯t have much experience in the festival itself, but I have a good knowledge of it.¡± With a compassionate gaze, Lastiara looked at her surroundings, her eyes reflecting deep affection. ¡°The festival is a prelude to the Holy Birthday of a certain person. It lasts about a week, and on the day of the Holy Birthday, a huge ceremony will be held in the cathedral of Whoseyards. It is said to be a festival of thanksgiving to God, and all the merry is to attract good things in life.¡± ¡°I see now. We have something similar in my world, so I understand that. Does this kind of event take place several times a year?¡± ¡°Yes, it does. There are a lot of saints in the orthodox of the Allied Nations¡ªthe Levantine Church. We have three holy birthday festivals, and a lot of minor festivals, to honor God. This one is one of the big ones.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Although the customs were different, it was similar to what we had in my world. Even with different planets and roots, people still think the same way. ¡°This time, we are celebrating the birthday of the saintess Tiara Whoseyards. She is a saintess who¡¯s said to have laid the foundation for the magic that has been handed down across the continent, and¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on. It bugged me for quite a while, but¡­ isn¡¯t the name, well, a bit too similar to yours?¡± I promptly stopped her talking. Lastiara was already suspicious as hell, even as she was then, her having practically the same name as the saintess gave me a bad feeling. ¡°Well, of course. That saintess is me, after all.¡± And to my surprise, Lastiara answered my bad feeling. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I managed to dampen the utter shock of that bombshell of a confession because I suspected that that was the case. However, there was no doubt that it meant she would bring so much trouble to the table. I let out a sigh, then asked Lastiara to continue. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not the person herself. She is several hundred years old, after all. This body itself is her body, but the spirit is totally not.¡± ¡°The body, you said¡­ That¡¯s terrifying in its own right. What, you can do that using magic whatnot in this world?¡± ¡°Yup, you could. Apparently, with a huge enough amount of money, time, and magic power, you can recreate the body of the legendary saintess. Oh, dang, the deeds of humanity can be scary!¡± It was equally scary as it was dismaying. Ultimately speaking, it worked on the same idea as the technology of cloning and cell manipulation back in my world. Even with different civilizations, our ideas ended up in similar places. ¡°Magic can do something like that¡­ So, what is the purpose of regenerating the body of Saintess Tiara? There has to be a purpose, right?¡± ¡°Well, there are a lot of purposes, sure. But I can¡¯t tell you further. After all, that will spoil the fun of exploring my mysteries yourself.¡± When it came to explaining things about herself, Lastiara began to become evasive. It was mentioned before, but she seemed to be romanticizing the idea of revealing her true identity little by little. However, I was curious as to what she really kept from me, so I used her own words at her. ¡°Oi. I thought you said companions were meant to tell each other secrets?¡± ¡°Yup, I did. And I meant it. So, this is how it is going to be: if you tell Maria-chan your name is Kanami, I will tell you the whole thing about me being Tiara.¡± ¡°Kgh, So that¡¯s how you want to play¡­¡± While I had said that I would talk to Maria when the time was right, I hadn¡¯t decided when that time would be. The deal was a tough one, so I tried to stretch it out if possible. ¡°Fine. But I decide when, and I think It¡¯ll be quite a bit later. ¡°Why not just tell her today? You¡¯re such a bum, Christ.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. And it¡¯ll confuse Maria if I told her right away. Maria is under a lot of turbulence right now. She became a slave, she lost a lot of things, telling her my circumstances would only bring her trouble.¡± ¡°Fufu. If you say so, Christ, so be it. Stall it as long as you want.¡± As I was bringing up Maria¡¯s situation, Lastiara looked at me lukewarmly. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I want. But when I do, you will tell me your secrets too.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± After I made my promise to Lastiara, we found a weird food stall. They sold deep-fried nuts with a spicy smell. I hadn¡¯t eaten something like that before, so I suggested to Lastiara that we get in the line. We both ate the nuts as Lastiara continued to walk and chat. She wouldn¡¯t talk about herself, but she liked to talk about history. ¡°While I can¡¯t speak about me being Tiara right now, I can tell you about Tiara in the past. After all, learning more about the great people of the past is tantamount to learning more about this world.¡± ¡°Huh, so saintess Tiara was such a prominent figure?¡± * * * * * * ¡°As prominent as one can be. She was the one who created the foundation of many things. She created the first magic, she was also the one who built Whoseyards.¡± ¡°That is indeed amazing¡­¡± ¡°The other saints are just as amazing. Most of them either built nations, saved the world, or changed the course of history.¡± ¡°Saved the world, huh¡­ Those saints are human, right¡­?¡± ¡°They are. Although, apparently, they could hear voices that couldn¡¯t be heard by others. Those voices taught them knowledge that didn¡¯t belong to this world, and using that, they brought miracles to the continent, saving a lot of people as a result, so there¡¯s no wonder people call them saints and worship them.¡± The definition of a saint seemed to be similar to what I knew. However, to be honest, I didn¡¯t exactly remember what made someone a saint in my world. I only had a vague idea that a virtuous person might be called a saint if he or she fulfilled certain conditions. In this world, that condition seemed to be ¡®people who could hear the unheard voice.¡¯ ¡°Is this voice¡­ the voice of God or something?¡± ¡°No, what these people heard is the voice of the huge tree that grows in the middle of the continent¡­ supposedly. It is called the World Tree, and apparently, the Saints can hear voices from that tree¡ªOr rather, maybe both you and I can hear those voices too, Christ. You know, we are quite that after all.¡± Indeed, the both of us were quite special, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it turned out that we could hear the voices too. I would be tempted to try listening to the voices if I had the chance. If I could gain knowledge from that voice, it was well worth a try. ¡°So, where is this World Tree?¡± ¡°Quite far from here. What¡¯s more, the Allied Nations are located pretty much on the edges of the continent. It¡¯s in the heart of the mainland, in the suzerainty of Whoseyard. It¡¯d take dozens of days to get there.¡± As I recalled from my library knowledge, there was a considerable distance from us to the suzerainty of Whoseyards, not to mention it was a cross the ocean. It was so far away that I would have to prepare for a trip for many days. Incidentally, the suzerainty, or the home country of all five Allied Nations, were all far from the Labyrinth. Since they were all large countries, it was simply not possible to have their capitals at the edge of the continent. In effect, the condition for joining the Allied Nations was that one must not lay hands on each other¡¯s vassal states. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. And here I thought I could get some miraculous power if I could hear this voice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. And as for me, maybe I can receive the knowledge of the basis of all magic, much like saintess Tiara.¡± Lastiara and I dropped our shoulders. I was half-joking, but Lastiara seemed to be talking on the assumption that we really could hear that voice. Lastiara was discouraged for but a moment, as she quickly looked up and continued her story. She recovered quickly, as usual. Her emotions were all over the place, making her someone uneasy to be with. ¡°Since we talked about saintess Tiara, let¡¯s talk about the nine attributes of magic that she created next. For people like us who live in the rough of battles, knowing more about magic is crucial.¡± ¡°As someone who has to use my own senses to use magic, I¡¯m glad you chose this topic. After all, back where I¡¯m from, there¡¯s no such thing as magic.¡± Although, strictly speaking, the idea of magic did exist in video games and other forms of entertainment, learning about its history in this world would be refreshing. ¡°¡ªMn, Christ, there¡¯s no magic in the place you¡¯re from?¡± ¡°Yeah. No magic, no monsters.¡± ¡°Whoa! Now I want to hear about that more!¡± ¡°Eh, I¡¯d rather have you teach me more about magic, though¡ª¡± ¡°But your story sounds more fun!¡± I wanted to hear more about magic, but Lastiara¡¯s interest had turned completely to my previous world, leaving me at a loss for words. It was hard to persuade Lastiara after that. I had no choice but to start talking about the science and technology of my world as opposed to the magic in this world. After talking about science to some extent, I next told her about the heroes of my world. Lastiara seemed to prefer epics and heroic tales, so she listened to the stories I told with zeal. It made me that much more enjoyable to tell stories when someone listening to it was enjoying listening to me. As a result, I got carried away and kept on telling Lastiara about the history of my world instead. *** The next morning after the festival, while we were having breakfast in the living room, with a determined look on her face, Maria asked me to bring her to the Labyrinth. ¡°Please let me go to the Labyrinth too¡­!!¡± ¡°Eh, huh? I thought the deal was Maria would prepare the meal for me at home?¡± I was puzzled. Maria¡¯s role had finally been finalized after we consulted. Her suddenly wanting to be involved with the Labyrinth again was a surprise. ¡°J-just for a little while. Please, let me try it. I¡¯ve gotten stronger in the past two days, after all¡­¡± ¡°Stronger?¡± Did that mean she was training behind my back? Had Maria never given up the idea of exploring the Labyrinth? As usual, I couldn¡¯t read what was inside her mind. People say that a girl¡¯s mind is an enigma, but how am I supposed to solve it if it changes every second? As I was puzzled over that, Lastiara called to me with a whisper from behind. ¡°Christ, look at Maria-chan¡¯s ¡®Skills¡¯¡­¡± As was told, I focused on Maria. ¡¾Status¡¿ Innate Skills: Insight: 1.45 Acquired Skills: Hunting: 0.67 Cooking: 1.08 Fire Magic: 1.00 ¡°F-fire magic¡­?¡± There was an addition to her ¡®Skills¡¯, and it was ¡®Fire Magic: 1.00¡¯. She didn¡¯t have that ¡®Skill¡¯ the last time I checked. It surprised me deeply. I had seen a lot of ¡®Skills¡¯ of a lot of people in this world, but I had never seen someone whose number of ¡®Skills¡¯ increased. As far as I had heard, it was said that an increase in ¡®Skills¡¯ might happen only once in a lifetime. Seeing that there was a separate column with the name ¡®Acquired Skills¡¯, I had thought that it shouldn¡¯t be impossible for Skills to increase, but I hadn¡¯t expected Maria to increase her ¡®Skills¡¯ in just a couple of days. Seeing my jaw drop, Maria began to talk about the fire magic. ¡°Ah, right, I forgot you can see it too, Master¡­ That¡¯s right. I was taught fire magic and practiced it for quite some time¡­¡± ¡°You were taught¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Alty-san taught me.¡± ¡°By her?¡± That cleared the doubt in my mind. Alty could even teach Dia. She should be able to teach Maria and Lastiara too, given the chance. ¡ªBut there was no worse timing for this. Her giving a shine of ray to Maria right when she had finally given up on the Labyrinth was past the line of a small trouble. No thanks to her, Maria was all gung-ho to follow us. ¡°Alty-san taught me magic that will be effective even on the twentieth floor. She also taught me a lot of other magic tips and tricks.¡± She¡¯s overstepping her bounds¡­! If she wants to teach someone, she could have taught me¡­!! ¡°By taught, you mean you can use more spells?¡± ¡°Yes. I can use more than just ?Firefly? now.¡± ¡°That means she gave you a magic stone, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. I received a magic stone.¡± I almost caught her mumbling her last words. Was she feeling guilty about receiving the magic stone because she knew how expensive it was? ¡°Well, if you have more to your arsenal, then I too want to see what it is¡­¡± Depending on what kind of magic she received, we might have a means to counter the leagles on the 22nd floor. It wasn¡¯t realistic to bring Maria through the 21st floor, but I did have a method to summon her when and only when we reached the 22nd floor. I could activate ?Connection? when we reached the 22nd floor, bring Maria out, and return her home through the same magic right when we reach the 23rd floor. It might save us a lot of trouble, depending on her newly found magic¡­ but still¡ª ¡°I¡¯m begging you. Please let me try challenging the Labyrinth. If it turns out to be no good, I¡¯ll return right away.¡± Maria pleaded, her eyes reflected a strong will. I looked at Lastiara, at a loss for a response. She looked amused, smiling, and was not going to say a word. I mused. What would happen if I gave a yes? What would happen if I gave a no? I tried to calculate the profit and loss of both options, but inevitably, a certain emotion manipulated the scale. I gave up on trying to choose the optimal solution and presented a compromise. ¡°¡­Fine. But I will see how your newly found magic performs on the shallow floors first, and only then we¡¯ll formulate an effective tactic. Also, as soon as I deem that you are in danger, you leave. Is that clear?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than enough.¡± Maria nodded emphatically. There was the will to be useful in the Labyrinth reflected in her eyes. I racked my brains to figure out how to extinguish that will. I couldn¡¯t help but get annoyed when Lastiara giggled behind me. If she wasn¡¯t going to give advice, then she should be quiet. Maria told me further about the fire magic she had, and I was surprised by how convenient it was. It was a power that couldn¡¯t be dismissed with excuses such as ¡®it¡¯s useless¡¯ or ¡®you still can¡¯t follow us.¡¯ Thus, reluctantly, I took Maria to the Labyrinth. Again, to the Labyrinth, with Maria in tow¡­ ¡º12th Day Finished¡» ____ ____ Chapter 44 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 44 ¨C Fire Magic 19th floor¡­ Lastiara ran nimbly through the corridor, heat filling the air. A minotaur chased after her, swinging its axe at her. Its powerful blow ripped her body apart. As in, the blow ripped Lastiara¡¯s distorted body, leaving nothing. Obviously, it was Lastiara¡¯s body double. Her main body was running far away, unharmed. Beside her was Maria, chanting her magic. ¡°¡ª?Firefly Mirage?, ?Firefly Phantom?¡± Maria, dripping with sweat, once again deployed her newly found magic. The Lastiara that was ripped apart before was an illusion made of magic constructed by Maria. ?Firefly Mirage? was a magic that refracted light using temperature differences, distorting the sense of perspective. ?Firefly Phantom? was a magic that created the illusion of human-shaped flames. The combination of those two types of magic caused the minotaur to miss its attack. With Maria¡¯s magical aid, Lastiara kept on running around the minotaur without being in danger. As planned, Lastiara was only trying to distract. She would not attempt to turn to attack. The purpose of the dive that time was a test operation. We had to check Maria¡¯s magic. And we had to wait until she finished building her maximum firepower magic¡ª?Midgard¡¯s Blaze? Incidentally, I was Maria¡¯s guard. That being said, with Lastiara in front and kiting the enemy and the magic causing mirages here and there, the minotaur¡¯s attack would not reach Maria. ¡°¡®Blazing Will¡¯ ¡®Delusions Tottering as One Pleases¡¯¡ª¡± Maria was chanting verses I had never heard before. It must¡¯ve been the aria for her magic. She had never done it before. Perhaps Alty had suggested it to her. The more she chanted, the higher the temperature around her seemed to rise. Then, as the verses reached their end, she unleashed her magic. ¡°¡®Swallow the world¡¯¡­! ¡ª?Midgar¡¯s Blaze?!!¡± With those words, Maria¡¯s magic power that had been compressed twice and thrice and more was converted into flames. A pillar of fire rose up from behind Maria, and the flames took the form of a giant snake. The flaming serpent opened its fiery jaws wide as it swam through the air like it was alive. Feeling the heat of the magic, Lastiara moved away from the minotaur. The minotaur also noticed the flames, but it was too late. The bull monster braced itself to withstand the magical flames with its sturdy body, and the flaming serpent bit into it mercilessly. The fangs of the flame gouged the minotaur¡¯s flesh, and its long torso wrapped around the monster¡¯s body, constricting it. As it tightened, it scorched the flesh, finally consuming its entire body in a blaze of karmic fire. The minotaur crumbled after turning into charcoal, screaming in grief. The cinders then faded away, leaving only the magic stone in its wake. ¡°Haa, haa¡­ How was it, Master¡­?¡± Maria breathed on her shoulder, turning to me for an opinion. That magic must have taken a lot from her. Upon taking a closer look, I noticed that the magic shaved away even her HP¡ª ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 82/102, MP: 102/122 My impression of it was just one: Abnormal. I might say it despite my own abnormal growth, but that was not the kind of magic that could be learned in a short period of time. It was too strong, and the price was unusual. Her application of ?Firefly? was unusual enough, but that magic, ?Midgar¡¯s Blaze?, was especially weird. An abnormal amount of ATK not commensurate for her level¡­ Not to mention, the change in Maria¡¯s physical condition after use. Normally, regardless of how high-leveled the magic was, people wouldn¡¯t lose so much HP just by using it. I had, indeed, casted magic before at the expense of my maximum HP, but that was different. I didn¡¯t have any MP left at that time, so I had to burn away my maximum HP as an alternative. However, that ?Midgar¡¯s Blaze? magic was consuming her HP even though she still had MP. It was a kind of magic that shaved away HP by design. Even though it didn¡¯t decrease Maria¡¯s maximum HP, the kind of magic that reduced HP just by using it normally was something I had never heard of. That magic was too peculiar for me, so I turned to Lastiara to ask for help. Lastiara felt my gaze and responded. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never seen that magic either. Also, this is a practice I¡¯ve never heard of before. I can see it as well¡­ this magic consumes not only the MP.¡± Lastiara¡¯s answer told me she had the same impression as I did. Hearing that, Maria began to explain her own magic. ¡°That¡¯s right. The two kinds of magic Alty-san gave me, ?Midgar¡¯s Blaze? and ?Flame Flamberg?, consume both HP and MP. That being said, I will die with a single blow if an enemy¡¯s attack hits me anyway. I don¡¯t need to be concerned about my reduced HP.¡± Well, theoretically, it was a sound strategy. If it were a game, a player could choose to sacrifice HP for maximum efficiency. However, Maria was flesh and blood. She was alive and in the moment. After releasing the magic, she was actually suffering from some kind sickness. I could see that her HP was decreasing as if she was rushing to her death. So, I argued. ¡°Well, that may be true, but¡­ It¡¯s not realistic. From what I can see, it leaves you in poor physical condition. Your concentration and judgment will be impaired and hinder your ability to fight. It will be too late if something irreversible happens. This isn¡¯t magic that can be used repeatedly over and over again.¡± ¡°My job is to build up my magic in the rear. I am not fighting in the front every time like the two of you, so a slight change in my physical condition won¡¯t affect me. To begin with, the idea of not losing HP in the Labyrinth is too naive.¡± Maria took a stab at my argument. She was right. That made more sense. If I wanted to explore the Labyrinth much more efficiently, that was the right thing to do. My argument was nothing more than a naivety. ¡°¡­!¡± However, I had no intention of backing down. I glared Maria down, and she glared back at me, and that was when Lastiara stepped in between us. ¡°Christ, Maria has a good point.¡± ¡°That she does¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. She¡¯s only up to the lowest minimum standard. Don¡¯t worry, she is nowhere near strong enough to jump into the fray.¡± Lastiara coldly laid out her evaluation. Even after seeing the powerful magic Maria had just performed, Lastiara¡¯s assessment was that she was nowhere near enough. In other words, she judged that Maria couldn¡¯t keep up with the battle past the 20th floor. Maria bit at that. ¡°Then try me. Let me go to the 21st floor again. My participation will make both of you more efficient in the exploration.¡± Maria¡¯s will was firm, and she wanted to fight on the front lines¡ªto which Lastiara readily agreed. ¡°Yes, of course we will. Soon, we¡¯ll see that you¡¯re still not enough.¡± Saying thus, Lastiara proceeded to the 20th floor. She probably intended to take Maria to the 21st floor. With resolute strides, Maria followed along. * * * * * * I didn¡¯t stop her, for I knew what Lastiara was thinking. Maria would come to her senses if she saw it herself. After all, Lastiara and I had seen it, and Maria would come to the same conclusion. ¡ªWe got some shots left. Considering Maria¡¯s absolute limits, I repeated the simulation for the retreat fight firmly in my brain. I slowly followed the two of them as I formulated a tactic to get through the upcoming battle unscathed. *** We reached the 21st floor and adopted the formation we had planned in advance. Just like in the test battle on the 19th floor, Lastiara would play the vanguard while Maria would concentrate on magic in the back, and I would be Maria¡¯s guard. That time, there would probably be enemies who could pass through the wall that was Lastiara. In such a case, I would take Maria, who was concentrating on chanting, under my arm and skedaddle. With complete trust, Maria said, ¡°I entrust my life to you,¡± which meant I had to protect her life, as she would focus more on her chanting and less on her surroundings. As we proceeded, I found an isolated fury with my ?Dimension? magic. We took the most optimal position, readying to snipe. It was a rehash of the coordination I had done with Dia from way before. The distance to the target was several hundred meters with only one corner between us. Maria¡¯s magic was very maneuverable, so she could at least turn one corner. I verbally explained to Maria the location of the target and the corridor¡¯s structure and had her cast the magic. ¡°¡ª?Midgar¡¯s Blaze?!¡± After dialing down her magic power a little, Maria¡¯s flaming serpent pushed its way through the corridor. I kept feeding Maria detailed information that I obtained through ?Dimension? so that the flame serpent didn¡¯t miss its target. And the package was delivered with no problem. As per my instruction, the flame serpent bit into the slow-moving fury, burning it. However, the monster didn¡¯t die instantly. It let out a desperate scream, trying to summon other monsters. Then the real work began. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s one down, but it called for other monsters with its voice. Let¡¯s move.¡± I reported the result and urged the two to move. Maria was pleased to hear it. ¡°Haa, haa¡­! I-I did it¡­!¡± Her breathing, however, was ragged. She lost HP along with her MP, so it was only natural. She was wobbly on her feet. Lastiara looked at her giddily whilst my eyes were cold at such a sight. And my cold reasoning churned. After a few more encounters, we had to take a position where we could retreat to the 20th floor at a drop of a hat. The outing should never turn serious. ¡°This way.¡± I took Lastiara and Maria and ran to the point where our next scheduled encounter was to begin. After a few hundred meters, unable to shake off the swarming monsters, we were caught between two furies. Immediately, Maria deployed her ?Firefly? magic for support. I was about to use my ?Daytime Snow? magic too but stopped when I realized that the heat from Maria¡¯s magic made it difficult to deploy. Maria opted to chant ?Midgar¡¯s Blaze?. I left one of the two to Lastiara and tried to stop the other one myself. Of course, I also kept an eye on the whole situation. The furies were aiming those immediately in front of them, not Maria. However, as Maria¡¯s magic power swelled, the priority in their mind fluctuated. Just as she was about to complete the magic, the furies ignored our attempts to stall them and went for Maria, determined to strike her down. Maria manifested the flame serpent as we moved, her under my arm. She had it attack the fury that was hot on our heels. The four-armed monkey had no way to avoid the magic, and thus the flame serpent struck it true. The fury was engulfed in flames and, like the minotaur, struggled to its last breath. But the flame serpent didn¡¯t stop in its tracks just yet. Maria maintained the spell and let it head for the fury Lastiara was facing. Maria was sweating profusely. I could see that she was breathing erratically and wringing out all of her concentration. And above all else, I could see through the ¡®Display¡¯ that her HP was decreasing. I approached Lastiara, who was holding the other fury back, and called for her to disengage. ¡°Lastiara! Magic incoming, duck!¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± Lastiara, who had been pulling her hand in the battle waiting for the magic to arrive, was able to distance herself with room to spare. Right then, Maria¡¯s flame serpent struck. Just like the last three times, the fury vanished after a single blow. With that, the extermination was complete, for the moment. Still in my arms, Maria gazed at the remains of the burned monster with satisfaction. However, I knew the fury was able to attract even more monsters nearby when I heard its scream. At that rate, we would be surrounded by monsters in exponentially increasing numbers. I determined the enemies¡¯ positions and calculated the route¡ªa route back to the safety of the 20th floor. After carefully examining the route we would take, I called out to Lastiara, who was retrieving the magic stone. ¡°Reinforcements will be here soon! We need to move!¡± ¡°Gotcha~¡± I started running with Maria in my arms. She declined to keep being in my arms, but I couldn¡¯t possibly let her run around when she was out of breath. After some progress, we were blocked by three furies. We weren¡¯t surrounded that time, so Lastara and I stood in front while I kept Maria in the back. I coordinated with Lastiara and fought to keep the furies behind us. Since the corridor was straight and the monsters were in a good position, we finished them without any problem. Maria¡¯s magic also succeeded¡ªa flaming serpent swam through the air from behind us and headed forward. Since I had ?Dimension?, I managed to time my withdrawal perfectly. Lastiara, however, had no means to see behind her back, so her timing was a little off. I regretted not calling out to her. She always managed to move beyond what I ever could imagine, so perhaps I was too confident in thinking she could match the timing without any problem. The flaming serpent caught one of the furies, but after that, the coordination between me and Lastiara broke down. One of the furies ran toward Maria, taking advantage of the gap in coordination. I immediately tried to chase after it upon noticing, but another fury stopped me in my tracks. ¡°Kgh¡ª!¡± Lastiara bounced off her feet to intercept, but Maria prevented her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lastiara-san! ¡ª¡®Rush the Flaming Hour¡¯!!¡± Maria let go of the flaming serpent that was restraining one of the furies and began on a different chant. Whilst she was prevented from attacking, Lastiara kept on running to Maria just in case the worst came to worst. Then Maria finished her chanting and unleashed her next magic. ¡°¡ª?Flame Flamberge?!¡± Flames erupted from Maria¡¯s arm that instantly condensed and took the form of a sword. The flaming sword then gathered even more flames, extending forward to the oncoming fury. It pierced the fury¡¯s torso in an attempt to burn it alive. But it lacked firepower. The chanting was short, but it seemed to simply be less powerful magic than ?Midgar¡¯s Blaze?. All that remained was the fury I was facing. Lastiara and Maria joined in, and we took care of it safely. After defeating the three furies, we collected the magic stones. ¡ªMaria, however, couldn¡¯t move an inch more. ¡°Haak¡ª haak¡ª haak¡ª!!¡± She was absolutely out of breath and couldn¡¯t take a single step. I called out to her. ¡°Maria¡­ let¡¯s return to the 20th floor.¡± ¡°¡ª!!¡± She couldn¡¯t even say anything back. She wanted to argue, but her disoriented breathing wouldn¡¯t allow her to say a word. She was too physically drained to reply after only three encounters. I immediately scooped Maria up and headed for the 20th floor with Lastiara. Maria was still trying to say something, but none of her words reached me faster than we reached the 20th floor. ____ ____ Chapter 45 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 45 ¨C To the 24th Floor ¡°¡ªAnd that¡¯s that. Using magic that doesn¡¯t fit your stature will only make you run out of MP sooner. In short, you lack the ability to continue fighting, Maria-chan.¡± Lastiara laid out the reflection points to Maria, who was sitting in W position, out of breath. The place was on the 20th floor, right in front of the ?Connection? magic. ¡°Haa, haa¡­ Y-you¡¯re right¡­ This doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± Maria agreed, hanging her head. She was acutely aware of what Lastiara was saying. There was no way she could argue back. With a smile, Maria slowly stood up, and then spoke. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t work just yet, so I should return. I¡¯ve held you back today¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Her face was smiling. However, not only was it pallid, the smile was eerie. What kind of emotion she went through when she made that smile, I could never know¡­ As I was trying to find the correct words to reply, Lastiara replied in my stead. ¡°Yup, see you later¡­. Maria-chan, I¡¯m thinking of meat dishes for today. Like a folksy, tasty, hearty one, please?¡± ¡°Fufu. Understood. I¡¯ll cook something delicious and wait.¡± They both laughed as they decided what to have for dinner. After that conversation, Maria went home through ?Connection?. Lastiara and I were left on the 20th floor. She stretched her body lightly and threw me a question. ¡°Whew. That was pretty amusing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­It gave me a fright.¡± ¡°With that sword-like fire magic, Maria-chan should be okay if even a monster from the 21st floor comes close to her, so isn¡¯t that more reassuring than before?¡± ¡°Her having a half-assed means of defense is much more frightening. I felt more reassured when she couldn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± Despite having access to powerful magic, Maria¡¯s ¡®Status¡¯ wasn¡¯t suitable for the 21st floor. Maria couldn¡¯t keep up with the furies¡¯ speed, she couldn¡¯t tank their attacks, and of course, one misstep could lead to death. There was no way I could watch that with any peace of mind. I took a breath and strode towards the stairway to the 21st floor. Lastiara followed me, and she reaffirmed our goal from thereon. ¡°So, are we still going to the 24th floor today?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯d like to hunt monsters on the 21st floor the whole day.¡± ¡°Oh, are the monsters so strong that we need to level up?¡± ¡°Well, not really.¡± I didn¡¯t feel anything wrong with the monsters¡¯ strength. Just, for some reason, I had never received a clean hit the whole time I was in this world, so I wanted to prepare, just in case. ¡°If you want to level, then let¡¯s do it after we go a bit deeper. It¡¯s easier to level up after we know the approximate level of our next target enemy, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ There are better ways to say it, you know¡­¡± Lastiara only wanted to go deeper, I¡¯d bet. I could tell she was trying to make excuses so that we would advance to the deeper floor. Even so, I folded to her enthusiasm. There was no enemy that could endanger me around there, and that was a fact. ¡°¡­Fine. We¡¯re going further.¡± ¡°Attaboy.¡± Lastiara and I descended to the 21st floor and proceeded deeper into the Labyrinth. *** We met nothing unusual on our trip from the 20th floor to the 23rd floor. Since there were only a few types of monsters on these floors, we didn¡¯t encounter any new monsters, thus allowing us to proceed along the Main Road without problems. We avoided enemies as much as possible so that we would have enough energy to explore the 23rd floor. With plenty of extra energy, we began to explore the 23rd floor but were still unable to find the staircase leading to the 24th floor. ¡°¡ªN-not here¡­¡± ¡°Yups¡­ Aargh, this is vexing¡­¡± Since that was our second exploration, I thought we would find the staircase pretty soon, but things didn¡¯t go as well as we had hoped. It had been two hours since we started walking around, but there was no sign of any staircase. Lastiara¡¯ s frustration was mounting. Impatient, she shouted. ¡°Christ! Widen your detection magic!¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± That was a method I¡¯d rather avoid if possible, so I snarled. My ?Dimension? magic only extended a few meters around me as of then. I even cut it off in some cases. I used the wide-area detection only to check on the monsters all around at regular intervals. Saving up on MP was part of the reason but also because being lost like that wasn¡¯t exactly a bad thing. While I did say lost, the ¡®Map¡¯ was filling up nicely, and I still could fight reasonably well. Going nowhere like that was eating up our time, but in exchange, I gained EXP and funds, so it was nothing to complain about. But not so with Lastiara. The heat and humidity of the 23rd floor had boiled her frustration over her head. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time here!!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m wasting my MP away. What¡¯s wrong with walking around? It¡¯s filling up my ¡®Map¡¯, and we¡¯ll reach the staircase eventually.¡± ¡°Well, to begin with, are you really, really memorizing the path we take, Christ?!¡± ¡°Yeah, no doubt about it.¡± I hadn¡¯t explained to Lastiara my ¡®Map¡¯ system in detail. I had only told her that I would never forget a path I¡¯d taken once, so it seemed that Lastiara had her doubts about my mapping abilities. We had several fierce battles along the way, and yet, she might find it hard to believe me if I told her I could remember exactly what happened chronologically. While I was sure she would be convinced if I told her more about the ¡®Map¡¯ system, I was not going to tell her all of my cards. Even if she didn¡¯t believe me, she would be convinced of the accuracy of my mapping ability after we went through the area repeatedly over a few days. ¡°No doubt about it? Really? Really, really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lastiara, however, was skeptical and repeatedly asked me for confirmation. Her desire to quickly reach the next floor utilizing my ?Dimension? magic was apparent. ¡°Will we really, really, reaally eventually reach the staircase, no doubt?¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± I assured her. I looked straight into her doubt. ¡°Haah¡­ If you say it that far, then I¡¯ll believe you¡­ Water, please.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I took water out of my ¡®Item List¡¯ and handed it to Lastiara. While the temperature on the 23rd floor was high, the water in my ¡®Item List¡¯ was cold. Not as cold as a refrigerator by modern standards, though it was cold enough to be helpful. Thank goodness outside temperature didn¡¯t affect the temperature inside my ¡®Item List¡¯. Then, I suddenly thought about the ¡®Item List¡¯. I had been using the system without thinking much about it, but now that I had started applying it to combat, there was a need for me to understand it better. First, the temperature inside the ¡®Item List¡¯ was not affected by the temperature outside, and that indicated that it was an isolated space. Second, there was no need for me to grope around to take something out from that space. It naturally let me grab what I imaged in my mind. It was different from trying to reach for a specific object in a large space. Every tool had its own space, and when I thought of that particular tool, I was connected to its particular space. That showed that the ¡®Item List¡¯ was not a single large room, but rather, a system of countless smaller rooms. The laws within the Item space had also become clearer. I thought it would ignore the laws of physics since it was a subspace, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Time also flowed within the space¡ªfor example, a bloodied sword would rust if left unattended. Likewise, water could spoil. Not almighty, but convenient¡ªthat was my impression thus far. I could use it for more than just storage, depending on how it was used. As we walked through the 23rd floor, I proceeded to check how to put things in and out from the ¡®Item List¡¯. As I did so, I sensed a herd of monsters. Red elementals, an irregularly shaped monster that appeared on the 23rd floor, were gathering in one place in large numbers. Red elementals were basically Hang Shadows with flame attributes¡ªa monster that was resistant to physical attacks. They were troublesome opponents for the two of us, as we had to either slice and dice them to crush their nuclei or use magic attacks. I opted to avoid the herd, and as I observed the movements of the red elementals, I spotted a large red elemental in the center of the herd. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a boss.¡± Just in case, I reported it to Lastiara. Personally, I would have preferred hunting the boss rather than going any deeper. Although the risk was higher than hunting non-boss monsters, it wasn¡¯t as risky as going deeper, and for that part, it had a definite return. ¡°Eh, boss?! Really?¡± When I announced it, Lastiara¡¯s ennui was instantly lifted and her eyes lit up. ¡°Those flickering fire monsters, red elementals, their boss is here. It seems like we entered the red elementals¡¯ territory before we knew it. No wonder it¡¯s getting hotter.¡± It seemed like we had wandered into the area controlled by a boss because we were walking through the Labyrinth without any idea where to go. That kind of situation was likely to increase from that floor on since there was no Main Road. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s take it down.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s going to get hotter the more we get closer, you know?¡± ¡°Which means it¡¯ll get cooler if it¡¯s slain, right?¡± It seemed that Lastiara prioritized fun over heat. * * * * * * Once we decided to defeat the boss, we began to strategize how to fight it. The strategy, however, was a simple one. Fighting hand-in-hand wouldn¡¯t boost power for us, so we would simply spread out and attack the boss at the same time. Considering our enemies¡¯ traits, we would be using magic attacks as our main offense. I told Lastiara the boss¡¯s position and said, ¡°Charge in one minute. I will attack from a different direction,¡± and went to find a different position for the assault. After finding one, I quickly constructed my magic. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?.¡± My dimensional magic was shifted into one suited for combat, and then I prepared offensive magic. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Ice?, magic, ?Foam?. ¡ªMagic, ?Ice Flamberge?.¡± I used the composite magic I had newly developed and applied it to my sword. The treasured sword I held was then filled with cold air and coated with ice. It was an imitation of Maria¡¯s new magic, ?Flame Flamberge?. Creating a sword made of magic purely out of magic power was difficult, but I managed to create a similar magic by using the sword I already had. Since the image of the magic already existed, it didn¡¯t take long for me to create. With that, I could attack with cold air. At the same time as I completed my ?Ice Flamberge?, I magically sensed that Lastiara had broken into a run, and so I started running toward the boss myself. The closer we got, the hotter it got, and the corridor transformed into scorched rocks. Both Lastiara and I charged blindingly fast. At least not a single monster on the 23rd floor could keep up with us. The red elementals were unable to process the sudden onrush, allowing both of us to pass by. We then confronted the boss. The size of that one enemy was five times the size of the red elementals, and the heat its body packed was magnitudes hotter. Its external features were the same, only, it was much bigger. ¡¾Monster¡¿ Flame Squall: Rank 26 Its name was Flame Squall. Lastiara and I ignored its underlings and rushed to slash at the boss monster. Our swords both caught the Flame Squall and sliced through its flickering flames, and yet, we felt no response. We lost our balance at how little resistance we felt from it. Both Lastiara and I had added our own magic to the swords we wielded. I had expected to feel at least a slight twitch when I slashed at it, but it seemed my expectations were betrayed. I guess it meant that a sword with that much cold air was not good enough for a boss-rated monster. The Flame Squall didn¡¯t miss the chance to counterattack us when we fell down¡ªit formed two arms made of flame and swept away its immediate surroundings. We evaded a direct hit from it by taking a large leap back. However, while we weren¡¯t directly hit, the residual heat scorched our clothes and burned the air. I felt a sharp pain in my throat just from breathing. Realizing that it was in a different league than red elements, I singed my burnt throat and screamed. ¡°Lastiara! Do we retreat?!¡± I proposed a retreat. For both of us, our mobility was our best strength. Our greatest advantage was that we could always retreat if we wanted to. Lastiara, however, refused to back down. ¡°No, I have an idea! Back me up!¡± With that said, Lastiara began to distance herself, constructing some kind of magic. With no other choice, I held my sword up against the Flame Squall to get its attention. ¡°I¡¯m here! ¡ªMagic, ?Freeze?!¡± I cast the magic to lower the ambient temperature and shouted to make my presence known. I thought it would be unpleasant for the flame monster to have the temperature lowered, so I cheaply harassed it. Seeing that, the Flame Squall put its arms together, formed a huge hammer made of flame, and swung it down at me. I leapt to the side, dodging it. As long as I could see the flames and I had my agility, a direct hit would be out of question. The red elementals all around also shot their fires at me, but the flames of non-boss monsters didn¡¯t pose a threat. When I thought I could just evade the flames forever, the Flame Squall drastically changed its shape. It inhaled the air around it and expanded its body. That gave me the bad feeling, and thus, I moved away. And then, thinking that a wide-area flame attack might come based on the experiences I had of vidya games, I produced water and cloth from my ?Item List? and made a soaking wet robe. As I had expected, flames erupted from the Flame Squall¡¯s massive body. It was a wide-area attack that engulfed the entire corridor like a tidal wave of flames. A bit happy that my prediction hit the bull¡¯s eye, I spread the soaking wet robe in front of me. There was no way to evade that kind of attack, regardless of my speed. I focused my ?Freeze? magic on an area a few centimeters around me and used my wet robe as a shield against the flames. I managed to hold off the flames, as the wide area of effect meant the firepower had been compromised. I took a breath and looked anxiously at Lastiara, who was probably focused on chanting her magic. There she was, unharmed, with a glowing magical wall deployed around her. Lastiara rarely used magic, but she had a great deal of Holy Magic in her arsenal. She probably had plenty of magic to prevent flames of that level. She kept on chanting without any problem. Feeling that degree of safety between us was unfair, I thought about just leaving her behind and fleeing on my own. Feeling my gaze on her, Lastiara gave me a thumbs up with a smile that basically said, ¡°That¡¯s Christ for you! Hang in there a little longer!¡± I sighed and turned to Flame Squall. The monster, after deciding that the AoE attack would not be decisive, extended both of its flaming arms to me. I kept on dodging. Dodging was easy because I didn¡¯t have to think about counterattacks. However, what was painful was the aftermath of the attack¡ªthe residual heat. It scorched my skin, and the air I inhaled turned into a deadly weapon. Gradually, my breathing became labored, and just when I thought it was time to retreat, help finally arrived. ¡°¡ªHoly Magic, ?Zion?!¡± Lights of magic invaded the corridor filled with flames. It was Lastiara¡¯s Holy Magic. I realized that it was the same kind of magic Dia had used some time ago. Just like that time, spheres of magic flooded the Labyrinth, solidifying the Flame Squall¡¯s magic power. ¡ªwould our attack reach now? I fixed my sword¡¯s position and turned from evading to attacking. My sword easily sliced through the giant flame arm. The Flame Squall, not knowing what had happened, let out a muffled cry and trembled. Having lost the advantage of its flaming body, the Flame Squall no longer had a chance to win. Unable to cope with the high-speed slashes Lastiara and I delivered, the monster was diced. A few moments later, the Flame Squall was completely dismantled and then disappeared as light. ¡¾You have earned the title ¡ºFlickering Flame¡»¡¿ ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ is adjusted by +0.01 I received a title. However, since I had no ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ Skill, there was no change when I displayed my ¡®Status¡¯. The same would probably be true for Lastiara. I picked up the magic stone dropped by the Flame Squall and shifted my attention to the surrounding monsters. Lastiara was already sweeping them up with her sword added with ¡®Holy Magic¡¯. I could have joined in, but then I would use ¡®Ice Magic¡¯, which I was not accustomed to, so I restrained myself to conserve MP. Within a few minutes, the sweep was over. Exhausted, Lastiara handed me the magic stones she picked up with a smile. Perhaps thanks to the boss battle, she seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°Phew. That was pretty fun.¡± ¡°I was this close to being grilled whole, you know?¡± I took off my burnt coat and cloak and threw them away. The clothes I wore from my original world were exposed underneath, so I quickly took out a new cloak from my ¡®Item List¡¯ to hide them. When Lastiara saw my clothes, she looked at them with interest. ¡°Huh. Are those clothes from the otherworld? They¡¯re quite exotic and nice. I wish I could wear them.¡± ¡°What are you saying? It¡¯s one of the few things I have from my hometown. No.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll look good in them. I am beautiful, as you know.¡± ¡°These are men¡¯s. Give it up.¡± I put on my cloak to hide my hometown clothes from Lastiara¡¯s curious gaze. Then, to change the topic, I brought up the battle we just had. ¡°More importantly, that Holy Magic you used¡­ ?Zion?, right? You could¡¯ve told me you could use something like that. It would have been a lot easier if I had included that in my calculations from the beginning. I was hiding a lot of different cards in my hand from Lastiara, but¡­ probably, Lastiara had more cards hidden than I did. ¡°Mn~ I didn¡¯t really want to use it, you see. This magic just gobbles MP like crazy.¡± Lastiara spoke before she urged me to check her ¡®Status¡¯. I focused on her and did as asked. ¡¾Status¡¿ HP: 621/709, MP: 121/325 ¡°Uwah¡­ that¡¯s really a lot¡­¡± ¡°It is pretty advanced, even amongst Holy Magic, you see. I¡¯m not a big fan of using magic to begin with, so it¡¯s exhausting.¡± Lastiara¡¯s breathing was a little disordered as she explained. That might¡¯ve be the first time I had ever seen her breathing so disrupted. ¡°You mean you don¡¯t want me to depend on that magic?¡± ¡°Exactly. We¡¯ll never get to the depths if we rely on this.¡± Lastiara was great at giving plausible reasons. I had a feeling she was trying to cover up the fact that she just wanted to fight with a sword. However, what she said was reasonable, so I had to nod my head. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Sure you do. My magic is a last resort.¡± The conversation came to an end, and we started walking in search of the 24th floor. Looking at how the ¡®Map¡¯ was filling up, it was about time we find the stairs to the 24th floor. When I told her that, she became more excited and quickened her pace. We found the stairs a few minutes after defeating Flame Squall. ____ ____ Chapter 46 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 46 ¨C Capturing the 24th Floor When descending to the 24th floor, what surprised me first was the size of the space. Until then, the Labyrinth had been living up to its name, and there had never been a large space outside of the boss¡¯s room. However, the 24th floor defied that. There were no corridors on the 24th floor, but rather, it was a wide space like the 10th and 20th floors. However, it wasn¡¯t a space with a clear view. There were numerous rock pillars standing, giving the entire floor the impression of being inside a cave, with its most distinctive feature being the lava¡ªboiling lava flowed and made several red rivers. The 23rd floor was unbearable for ordinary people as it was, but the 24th floor, where lava flowed on the floor, was already a hostile temperature. No, perhaps an ordinary person wouldn¡¯t even be able to breathe down there. We were able to stay on our feet because both Lastiara and I had received the benefits of our elevated levels and our bodies had been consequently strengthened. ¡°Ch-Christ¡­¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Please tell me you can find where the staircase is¡­¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Instantly, with few words, we finished deciding on a course of action for the floor. Neither of us objected to skipping it through. Both Lastiara and I were united in our desire not to linger. I deployed ?Dimension? over a wide area and searched for the location of our flight of stairs. However, after not finding any staircase within a radius of one kilometer, I figured we had to move some distance further to find it. ¡°There¡¯s no staircase nearby. Let¡¯s go deeper.¡± ¡°Yesh¡­¡± With Lastiara unable to respond properly, we proceeded through the 24th floor. Lastiara was sweating like a waterfall, so we really needed to find those stairs soon. We walked faster, avoiding the lava. The number of monsters on the 24th floor was extremely small. Fortunately, the only thing to watch out for was the lava, so we were able to proceed without running into any obstacles. About 500 meters from the starting point, I stopped to cast the magic again. ¡°I¡¯ll use the detecting magic again, okay?¡± ¡°Yesh¡­¡± As I passed the water to Lastiara, I concentrated on the magic. At that instant, I heard a sound like bubbles in boiling water popping nearby. When we weren¡¯t paying attention to our surroundings, a monster jumped out from the liquid lava nearby, catching us off guard. The monster looked like a lizard, but it was dozens of times larger than the lizards of my world. With the momentum of its leaping out, the lizard tried to slice at the distracted Lastiara with its claws. ¡°¡ª!¡± Lastiara dodged the claws just in time. She also dodged the lava that scattered as the monster appeared with her amazing reflexes. The lizard monster, after having been dodged, stared at us from a distance before expelling colored breaths. I calmly focused on the monster to verify its details. ¡¾Monster¡¿ Poison Salamander: Rank 23 Seeing that it had Poison in its name, it gave me the idea that it posed a danger of poisoning. Its breath was the most suspicious, so I told Lastiara about it. ¡°Lastiara, it¡¯s possible that its breath has poison¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯ve inhaled quite a lot.¡± Being in closer proximity to the poison salamander, Lastiara stood in the breath of the oncoming enemy. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t able to hold her breath as quickly as she was able to fend off the incoming attack. I checked Lastiara¡¯s Constitution, and¡ª¡ª ¡¾Status¡¿ Constitution: Poisoned: 1.00 I confirmed that she was poisoned. After a closer look, I could see that her face was paler. The unusually high temperature had made her ill, and then she had to inhale the poison on top of that. Even someone like her would be in pain. In order to reduce Lastiara¡¯s burden, I slashed at the poison salamander at full speed. However, the monster had been alerted by my onrush and immediately retreated into the lava. Of course, leaving behind its poisonous breath. By then, neither of us had any means to attack it; we couldn¡¯t even get close to it. Leaving me no choice, I tried to locate the poison salamander with ?Dimension?. However, the magic didn¡¯t penetrate well into the flowing lava, and I couldn¡¯t get a clear picture of its movements. For the moment, I covered my mouth with the edge of my cloak and approached the pale Lastiara. ¡°Shit, I can¡¯t get to it if it dives¡­ Lastiara, how are you with the poison?¡± ¡°Mn, I¡¯m feeling a bit dizzy. Maybe it¡¯s the heat that makes the poison worse¡­ But I¡¯m fine. I can cure it with magic right away¡­ ¡®untangled water is an illusion, while the blood shall never return¡¯¡­¡± Lastiara casted her magic and tried to cure the poison, but as though to prevent her from finishing her magic, the monster jumped out of the lava again¡ªtwo of them that time. I pulled a spare sword from my ¡®Item List¡¯ and struck at both of them so they wouldn¡¯t get near Lastiara. After which I quickly tried to give chase¡ªbut of course, those damned lizards once again distanced themselves. After glaring at us, they exhaled their breaths and fled into the lava, leaving a poisonous fog behind. Gradually, the fog around me and Lastiara thickened. ¡°¡ª?Cure?.¡± Lastiara finished casting her magic, but it was moot at that point. Even if she was cured of poison, she would be poisoned again with all that poisonous fog around us. ¡¾Status¡¿ Constitution: Confusion: 7.90 Poison: 1.00 Even I, who was holding my mouth with a cloth, couldn¡¯t seem to escape the poison in the middle of that fog. ¡°Lastiara¡­! We won¡¯t be able to recover well if we can¡¯t shake these guys off. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Sadly, you¡¯re right¡­ Just so you know, I can finish them off the next time we meet them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that there will only be two of them. My magic has a hard time penetrating the lava, so I don¡¯t know exactly how many there are.¡± ¡°Mn. I guess we have no other choices then¡­¡± The both of us then started to run back the way we came. However, as if to say they wouldn¡¯t let us leave, the poison salamanders attacked us the moment we showed our backs. I had expected that, so I used my sword to strike down the poison salamander that had popped out. I could deal with them from any direction they thought was my blind spot as long as it wasn¡¯t the lava. After fending off the pursuit, we continued running. We could see that the poison in our bodies continued to reduce our HP as we ran. I thought about retreating to the 20th floor, a safe zone, but there was little lava and few enemies around the stairs connecting the 23rd floor and the 24th floor, so we decided to recover there. ¡°¡ª?Cure Full?. Once again, ?Cure Full?.¡± After Lastiara¡¯s magic removed the poison, she repeatedly cast recovery magic to restore her HP to the maximum, but at the cost of losing a lot of MP. There was also that battle on the 23rd floor, she had relied on magic so much that her MP was about to run out; I didn¡¯t have a lot left either. ¡°We¡¯ve both lost too much MP, should we head home¡­? I can deploy ?Connection? here and we can go home right away.¡± ¡°I guess we should¡­¡± I thought Lastiara would whine, but it seemed that fighting with no MP was not what she wanted. Perhaps her usual composure and confidence had something to do with the amount of MP she had left. After that, Lastiara took vigilance of the surroundings as I built my magic. Heading through the hastily constructed door, we concluded our exploration for the day. * * * * * * ¡°You¡¯ve returned early again¡­¡± We went back from the 24th floor to find Maria waiting for us, in the middle of preparing a meal, just like the day before. ¡°¡­Yeah. It didn¡¯t go quite as well as expected.¡± I complained to Maria about our unsuccessful exploration. Hearing that, Maria laughed and replied. ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± She then pointed to our attire. The cloak I had worn was gone, and both Lastiara and I were burnt and tattered in various parts of our clothes. From Maria¡¯s point of view, it must have looked like we had escaped from a bad beating¡ªwhich was exactly what happened. Lastiara threw down her tattered clothes and changed back into her changes. While she didn¡¯t go as far as taking off her underwear, I wished she would stop doing that kind of thing, as it made me troubled as to where to look. Maria also hurriedly stood between us so I wouldn¡¯t be able to see her. Lastiara then sighed deeply and took her place at the table in the center of the living room. ¡°Haa, that was hot~ I¡¯m tired~ That was hot~¡± It seemed that the hot 23rd and 24th floors were the devil¡¯s gates for Lastiara. She seemed to have run out of steam and nodded languidly on the table. ¡°Lastiara. I¡¯m going to go and procure some items to counter heat. Want to come with?¡± If we were to rechallenge those floors, we would have to buy a lot of things. I also wanted to gather intel about the lava fields, so I wouldn¡¯t stay idle in the house. I asked Lastiara if she wanted to go shopping with me. ¡°Hmm, I guess I should go with you.¡± Lastiara staggered out of her seat. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself, just tell me what to buy¡­¡± ¡°No, I still can move around.¡± Lastiara and I left the house while Maria was preparing our meal. At first, we went to the stores to procure more water and foodstuff, and then to the tavern and library to find out how to capture the lava zone. The shopping itself went without a hitch, but we didn¡¯t get any good information on how to capture the lava zone. No matter what we asked or researched, what we got was a warning to stay away from the lava zone and that there was no information that would be useful on the 24th floor. If there was any lead at all, it would be from Glenn Walker, the most powerful explorer and an acquaintance of Lastiara, but meeting him wouldn¡¯t be so easy. In the end, it seemed that the only strat we could do was ignore the monsters altogether and just plow through the area. And when we were about to head home, having finished shopping and gathering information, Lastiara made a suggestion. ¡°Maybe we can try asking Alty about the lava zone? She is a fire boss monster, right?¡± Lastiara spoke about it like it was a good idea that just came to her, but it was a means I had been shoving into a corner of my mind. I didn¡¯t know how to respond. It was probably because I had been beaten black and blue by Tida, a Guardian just like Alty, that I wanted to have as little to do with her as possible. But it was indeed an idea that could work. It was as if she was an NPC who was specially designed for us to overcome this roadblock. If it were a game, the first thing I would do was go talk to Alty. But in reality, my feet refused to go to her. ¡°Alty, huh¡­¡± ¡°Eh? I thought it was a good idea? Is it bad?¡± Rather than a good idea, perhaps it was the correct idea. Since we finished our exploration of the day, we had time to go to the 10th floor where she resided. Besides, I had some questions I wanted to ask her about, mainly the matter of teaching magic to Maria and Dia. I had no reason to refuse Lastiara¡¯s proposal. Reluctantly, I nodded to it. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ let¡¯s go¡­¡± With that, I decided to take Lastiara to the 10th floor from the entrance of the Labyrinth. Since both of our MPs weren¡¯t ideal, we chose to go on foot from the entrance, which was less difficult than from the 20th floor. ____ ____ Chapter 47 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 47 ¨C The Sane Decision to Lose Sanity When we reached the 10th floor, I spoke to the flame and contacted Alty. After which, I informed her about our situation, and she gladly offered a solution. ¡°¡ªI see. If so, I will teach you the magic to avoid lava. I should also teach you the magic to ward off heat. That high temperature is deadly for humans, after all.¡± The flame in front of me, Alty, answered. Lastiara, standing behind me, hooted with delight. ¡°Big thanks, Alty! Heat is the last thing I¡¯m good at, you see!!¡± Lastiara met it with a huge thanks and zero questions. I, however, wasn¡¯t as easily pleased. My anxiety wasn¡¯t cleared. There was more to what she offered. ¡°¡±Alty, who are you going to teach it to? If possible, I¡ª¡± ¡°Someone other than you and Lastiara.¡± And true enough, my anxiety found its answer. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°First off, you are not suited for it. I¡¯m not trying to pull your leg, you are too specialized in ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯, so it¡¯s simply impossible.¡± I specialized in ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯, so Alty refused to teach me. That was something I was dimly aware of from my previous experience with magic. I had no aptitude for anything other than ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯, and it was possible that I would never learn any magic other than ¡®Dimensional Magic¡¯. I gritted my teeth and brought up the next candidate. ¡°Well, what about Lastiara then?¡± ¡°Lastiara doesn¡¯t have any more slots to learn magic. She is already completed, so it¡¯s impossible. And I¡¯m sure Lastiara herself is aware of this, no?¡± Alty¡¯s flaming mouth also made a point about Lastiara. Lastiara looked surprised but readily approved. ¡°Huh, wow. I¡¯m surprised you know. You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t learn magic. There is no more room in my blood to write a new formula.¡± That information was new to me. I was even more surprised to hear it than Lastiara, if only Alty didn¡¯t follow up with an even more outrageous idea. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking of teaching it to Maria, how about it?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± How about ¡®hell no¡¯? That was the worst suggestion. I had no idea that both Lastiar and I were actually so inflexible in terms of learning magic, even though we were so versatile in using magic. However, I quickly regained my composure. There was still one other person I could trust in terms of magic. ¡°H-hold on. Stay off Maria. If you wish¡­you can teach it to Dia. I¡¯m sure you can, right? Maria simply doesn¡¯t suit the Labyrinth.¡± I hesitated for a moment to mention Dia¡¯s name. Even so, I wanted to avoid further strengthening Maria, even at the cost of Lastiara learning of Dia¡¯s existence. I actually wanted to set up the meeting between Dia and Lastiara with great care and discretion, but things weren¡¯t so convenient. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯m going to teach Maria.¡± ¡°But why?!¡± Alty interjected right away. ¡°Why? It¡¯s because Maria is in love with you, why else? I have to support her, putting aside whether her love is pure or otherwise.¡± ¡°¡ªeh?¡± Not only did she cut in, but she dropped a bomb on top of it. My mind went blank for a moment. I couldn¡¯t process her words, and I couldn¡¯t say anything back. And yet, Alty continued to talk, ignoring my state of mind. ¡°I am supporting Maria so her love will be fulfilled. And for that, I wish to get your cooperation¡­. My dear collaborator, Christ¡­¡± Alty¡¯s flames flickered as though to laugh at me. But that wasn¡¯t the time for that. Maria was in love with me, and that statement was much more than I was ready for. I tried to comprehend it, but my body did everything it could to refuse to even process it. I didn¡¯t want to admit it. I couldn¡¯t believe that Maria had such a feeling for me. I didn¡¯t want to believe it. Maria had scorned me ever since the first time we spoke. She was always defiant and never seemed to have any affection for me. She was always harsh, brash, and she never showed any signs that she bore such an emotion. I was the one who had known Maria the longest amongst the three of us. There was no way Maria was in love with me and I just happened to be unaware of it. No way. Never. Such a thing is¡ª¡ª ¡°ALTY! How could you!! Maria-chan did her best to hide her feelings! You can¡¯t just say it so casually in a place like this!!¡± My frantic reluctance was drowned out by Lastiara¡¯s animated shout. ¡°Nevertheless, Lastiara. Sometimes, meddling from a third party can make the coupling happen. At the very least, I don¡¯t have the hobby of watching a girl trying to do her best with hiding her feelings for the rest of her life.¡± ¡°Well, I do! That kind of never-ending love that makes a girl frustrated, that makes her feel so powerless she wishes she could just run away, it¡¯s just great, you know¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve bad taste. You seem to have different sensibilities than I do.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Their conversation entered my ears. Lastiara didn¡¯t try to deny Maria¡¯s love for me either. On the contrary, it almost sounded like she had known about it for quite some time and had been staying silent the whole time. Which meant¡­ which means¡­ From Lastiara¡¯s point of view, Maria¡¯s yearning for me is true¡­? Then, how do I react to this correctly? How am I supposed to respond to this correctly? Let¡¯s weigh the loss and gain¡ªno, I should prioritize my stress level¡ªno, this is about my morals and Maria¡¯s feelings¡ªno, no! No! No! No no no no NO¡ª¡ª!! My aim is to go home. Going Home is everything. I have a reason to go home. Don¡¯t think about it, just evade it, don¡¯t try to go any deeper¡ªI have a definite reason to go home. That¡¯s right. I have to go home¡­ If I don¡¯t, my one and only family, my sister will¡­¡­¡ª ¡ªNo. Don¡¯t think about that either. Don¡¯t let your mind wander any further. ¡°Haah¡ª! Haa, haa, haah¡­!¡± I would lose control if I thought about it. It would be a repeat of the first day. The ????>> Skill would be repeatedly activated. Of course, activating the Skill once there to cool off wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Even if I was anxious the ¡®Confusion¡¯ would reach 10.00, I had recovered enough so that it wouldn¡¯t hit the 10.00 mark in a single activation after patience over the past few days. If there was urgency, the ????? Skill wasn¡¯t such a bad means to get rid of all that distress and some in one single swoop. It would calm all of my emotions and give me a rational answer. It wasn¡¯t a bad tool to reach an end. It wasn¡¯t, but¡­ my body shook at the thought. It didn¡¯t sound like the right thing for a person to do. If activated, I would definitely not accept Maria¡¯s love for me at face value. After all, rationally speaking, her love was completely unnecessary for me to go home. A girl¡¯s love would end because of something as silly as that Skill. That would be the most dishonest and disgusting thing I could do. If Maria really had feelings for me, then it was something I must think through and answer on my own. My shallow life experience of a dozen or so years had led me to such an answer, and it would keep me from sinking deeper into ¡®Confusion¡¯. It wasn¡¯t something I had to brave myself to. There was no urgency in that matter. It was still all right. ¡°Phew¡­¡± After having repeatedly taken quick, shallow breaths, I exhaled heavily and calmed down. Alty saw that and spoke, looking impressed. ¡°Oh, you seem to have calmed down.¡± I replied, trying to remain in my right mind. ¡°I am not calm. I¡¯m standing on edge.¡± ¡°You sure look calm for that.¡± ¡°Either way, I understand that Maria may or may not be in love with me. That also explains why you are not going to give up teaching her. This is something outside my power¡­ I do not want to interfere with your wish, Alty, so you can teach Maria if you want. But promise me you are going to teach the same magic to Dia. I have a policy of keeping Maria out of the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ Very well, I¡¯ll teach Dia too. After all, I am their mentor.¡± ¡°Mentor, you said¡­¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been meeting them behind your back, you see. We¡¯re close enough that they start calling me Mentor.¡± Once again, I was confronted with information I didn¡¯t wish to know, leaving me almost disoriented. However, I kept my mind clear and continued the conversation. ¡°Also, keep in mind that Maria¡¯s hopes for her love to be fulfilled are slim. I won¡¯t say it will be as cold as Franr¨¹hle, but¡­ It still stands to the fact that I have zero interest in such a thing. It¡¯s not about Maria, it¡¯s about me having no time for romance. I have to go to the deepest depth of the Labyrinth¡ªthat takes precedence over everything.¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that. What, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to force you and Maria together, Christ. It¡¯s all about mutual feelings in this kind of thing, you know?¡± ¡°¡­Good, so we¡¯re not going to force each other. Let¡¯s go with this arrangement.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± Great, I overcame it. I managed to avoid agitating anyone and turning the whole conversation south. I finished negotiating with Alty and moved on to when she would teach Maria and Dia magic. But Lastiara, who had been quiet the whole time, started to poke at me. ¡°Hm, hm. So, in the end, what do you feel about Maria-chan, Christ?¡± ¡°Well, if you ask me¡­ I quite like her, as a companion. However, she¡¯s quite younger than I am, and I don¡¯t see her in that light.¡± ¡°Huh. Are you going to tell Maria-chan that once we¡¯re back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I can¡¯t guarantee that Maria is 100 percent in love with me. The two of you only spoke because it looks like she is. If I told her that, then she said to me she didn¡¯t like me like that, it would be embarrassing and make things bitter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s 100 percent in love with you, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give her my answer if Maria herself comes up to me with her feelings, but I won¡¯t say anything from my end outside of that. We will act like always, and interact like always.¡± ¡°Mhm, mhm¡­¡± Lastiara nodded her head repeatedly as I gave her my answer. Then, after a while, she spoke up with a huge grin on her face. ¡°That¡¯s very you! And it¡¯s not bad, me-wise. It¡¯s delicious¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, whatever.¡± * * * * * * I left Lastiara to her own devices and settled down to talk with Alty. She said she would teach Maria and Dia the magic that day and the the next. It wouldn¡¯t take long for them to learn, or so she told me. ¡ªThen, after making the detailed confirmation, I thanked Alty, and we left the 10th floor. On the way back to the surface, Lastiara asked me many questions. She asked me about Maria, but she was also intrigued about Dia, whose name I had mentioned earlier. I had no choice but to explain to her about my other companion. ¡°¡ªHuh, I see. So before you teamed up with Maria-chan or me, you teamed with this Dia person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not like I keep it a secret. He¡¯s hospitalized and we don¡¯t know when he can walk out, so I¡¯m not sure whether to tell you or not. He¡¯s someone with great magic power, you know?¡± ¡°Still, a magician that you trust so much, huh¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, a top class at that. He¡¯s lacking in the level department, but I¡¯m sure he can chase after us quite fast. He has the talent to reach us.¡± I gave Dia unreserved praise. In terms of simple numbers alone, he was a talent that surpassed even Lastiara. And above all, he had a good personality. A good personality¡ªthat¡¯s what is important. ¡°However, there shouldn¡¯t be that many people as talented as we are.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s true¡± ¡°No, no, your assessment is too naive, Christ¡­ Yup. At times like this, I should take a look and give this person a fair assessment.¡± With the words ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be best,¡± Lastiara walked forward. Apparently, she wanted me to introduce her to Dia that day. ¡°Haah, fine¡­¡± Since they would meet sooner or later anyway, I just nodded. We had some free time, to begin with, so it was decided that we would head to the hospital Dia was staying in. I guided Lastiara along the way, calming her down as she was filled with anticipation. The hospital wasn¡¯t far from where we were. It took less than an hour from the entrance of the Labyrinth to reach Varte. The sun had not yet set when we left the Labyrinth for the hospital. Taking Lastiara with me, I walked to the wing where Dia was hospitalized before I suddenly recalled the devastation that took place the last time I was there. Dia¡¯s room was full of holes, and the damage spread even to the hallway. I entered the wing, wondering how much had been fixed in the past two days¡ªonly to find that the destruction was left the same as it was before. To be precise, there were some signs of repair, but the state of the corridor had stayed the same following further destruction. We walked down the airy corridor and entered the room of the person who was probably responsible for the holes. Lastiara, who had been looking at the devastation with amusement, followed suit. The room was as devastated¡ªif not more devastated¡ªthan before. ¡°Hey, Dia. Isn¡¯t the room more broken than the last time¡­?¡± My first words were not a greeting, but rather an inquiry into the reason for that state of swiss cheese. ¡°Ah, Christ¡­! Th-there is a deep, deep reason, you see¡­!¡± Dia, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, noticed me and hurriedly made up an excuse. Putting aside him being flustered at my sudden visitation, Lastiara and I entered the room together. I was about to introduce Lastiara when Dia¡¯s words were interrupted. ¡°¡ª?!! Why are you here?!¡± Dia spotted Lastiara behind me and looked aghast. In response, Lastiara greeted with a flutter of her hand. ¡°Long time no see, Sith-san.¡± Lastiara said ¡®long time no see¡¯ and changed to her calm demeanor as though she were dealing with one of the knights. It seemed that they knew each other. That was so unexpected to me that I was at a loss for words. Dia was equally surprised, but unlike me, he responded back. ¡°Eh¡­? Wh-why are you here, Lastiara-san?¡± Lastiara put on her perfect mask and spoke calmly while Dia was the exact opposite. Dia was flustered and confused and even got up on the bed as if to get ready to get down and dirty. ¡°I¡¯m just as surprised. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here myself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me! You¡¯re here to bring me back?!¡± ¡°Calm down. I¡¯m here as Christ¡¯s companion. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re Christ¡¯s companion, Lastiara-san?¡± While Dia was ready to cast offensive magic, Lastiara approached with a gentle tone and took his hand with a soft movement. ¡°Indeed. It is nothing that you may think, Sith-san. Rest assured.¡± ¡°R-really¡­?¡± ¡°Really.¡± As Lastiara offered her gentle smile, Dia relaxed his body as though he was lured by it. As usual, Lastiara was an expert at playing her perfect lady¡¯s role. She had Dia¡¯s guard down in no time at all. Seeing that their conversation had come to an end, I jumped in. ¡°Dia, it¡¯s the truth that Lastiara is one of my companions. ¡­I¡¯m actually more surprised you two knew each other. How did you meet?¡± I asked, looking at their faces. Lastiara was about to answer, but Dia hurriedly interrupted. ¡°¡ªW-we¡¯re acquaintances from our hometown! We don¡¯t know each other that well, though!¡± It was so unnatural that I turned to Lastiara for confirmation. Lastiara had a strange expression flash for a moment which quickly turned into her usual jovial smile. She then tuned in to Dia¡¯s story. ¡°Why, yes. We just happen to know each other, Sith-san and I.¡± ¡°Yeah, just an acquaintance. But Lastiara-san¡­ I call myself Dia here, so please address me as such.¡± ¡°I see. I understand, Dia-san.¡± Something felt odd about their conversation, but I didn¡¯t pursue it. From the looks of it, it was something that Dia didn¡¯t want me to know. If possible, I¡¯d rather not do anything that would put him on the spot. ¡°That¡¯s great to hear then. We are going to be companions who explore the Labyrinth together, after all.¡± I pretended not to notice and went on with the story. When Dia heard the word ¡°companions¡±, he raised his voice and held his hand to shake Lastiara¡¯s. ¡°¡­Since you¡¯re Christ¡¯s companion, you¡¯re my companion, too. Don¡¯t be stiff. Call me Dia without any embellishments.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. As we are companions, I should stop speaking so formally¡ªbest of luck, Dia-chan.¡± Lastiara shook DIa¡¯s hand back. She squeezed it tightly, refusing to let it go. ¡°N-not with chan either¡­ W-with who I am, you should address me as is¡­!¡± ¡°Aah, my bad. You look so pretty, it just slipped out my mouth. If so¡ªperhaps, Dia-kun fits you better. Oh, but then¡­¡± ¡°Just Dia, please!¡± ¡°Fufu. Got it, Dia.¡± Looking at Lastiara¡¯s attitude, Dia¡¯s self-proclaimed ¡®I¡¯m not a girl¡¯ statement was only becoming less legitimate. However, I had no intention of interrupting their conversation, as I intended to continue treating Dia as a guy. After all, having to interact with him as the other gender then of all times would be¡­ tough. I thought the two of them would repel each other due to their different personalities, but my fears were unfounded. I sat down in one of the chairs and watched them discuss. After that, I told Dia that Alty was coming to teach him magic. With that, we also explained the situation on the 24th floor of the Labyrinth. The two of them seemed to be thinking about how to conquer the 24th floor together. I didn¡¯t know much about the magic they used, so all I could do was listen in the background. Even if I did, though, I didn¡¯t really understand. All I heard were words I had never heard before, so I busied myself with thinking about what to do once we werere back at home. Maria had probably finished cooking the meal by then and was waiting for us. However, things would be a bit different than before. All because of Alty¡¯s troubling comments, I wasn¡¯t sure I could treat Maria the same way I had always been. I didn¡¯t do some image training then, my attitude might leak out. As they continued to talk about magic, I continued to endlessly stimulate the conversation I would have with Maria. *** Since we were done preparing for our next exploration, after our visit to Dia, we went straight home. As usual, Lastiara, Maria, and I ate a meal prepared by Maria at home. However, there might have been some awkwardness at the dinner table because of Alty¡¯s problematic comment. Lastiara¡¯s wry grin increased by 30%, I was somewhat distant from Maria, and Maria was watching me closely to find out the reason for it. Every time Maria turned her eyes to me, I couldn¡¯t help but turn my face away. Maria was indeed young and short, she was pretty and tidy. While it was true that she wasn¡¯t looking very good the first time we met due to her environment, after keeping herself clean every day, I had no problem calling her a beauty. And unlike Dia and Lastiara, her cuteness was grounded in reality. The fact that she had dark hair also made me feel closer to her, almost making her look like a Japanese person I had known my whole life. Once I thought about romance, it was difficult for me to ignore her attraction to me. However, using ?Dimension Gladiator?, I managed to end the dinner without incident, avoiding eye contact the whole time. Then, in the usual fashion, each of us went to sleep in our own rooms. Even if Maria had romantic feelings for me, I should be able to handle it well, or so I told myself confidently. ¡ªThe wind was strangely noisy that night. And then, the next day¡­ ¡°¡ªHave a good day, Master.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m off¡­¡± Perhaps it was because I was still reeling from the previous day¡¯s conversation, but Maria¡¯s ¡®have a good day¡¯ was enough to make me restless. I tried to not look at Maria¡¯s face as much as I could and headed for the 20th floor with ?Connection?. Lastiara followed suit. Lastiara¡¯s attire was heavier than the previous day¡¯s. She liked to run around in light clothing, but she wore several layers of cloak to protect her from the heat. Hanging from her waist was a bottle of water and an antidote, ready to drink at any time. As we were about to proceed to the stairs to the 21st floor, I noticed someone standing with his back to the stairs. It was Heins-san, the handsome, blonde knight. Haups-san wasn¡¯t there that day, and it appeared that he was alone. To add, his clothes were stuffy. Before, he was equipped with only one silver one, but right then, he had two swords at his waist. He also wore a large silver bracer in his left hand. Although he wasn¡¯t wearing any heavy equipment, it seemed he had been equipped with a fine array of weapons. What stood out, in particular, were the ten rings on his fingers. It was hard to miss when a man wore a huge number of rings. ¡°I have been waiting¡­ Ojou-sama¡­¡± As before, Heins-san bowed. That gesture gave me a chill in my heart. Something was different. It wasn¡¯t the number of people or what he wore, but something more conclusive. And without being able to notice the difference, Heins-san and Lastiara began to converse. ¡º13th Day Finished¡» ____ ____ Chapter 48 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 48 ¨C This Story¡¯s Turning Point Lastiara put on her social mask and greeted Hein-san back. ¡°Good day to you, Hein-san. Are you alone today?¡± ¡°I am.¡± I used ?Dimension? to probe anyone who was hiding around. Lastiara looked at me, so I nodded to confirm that Hein-san was indeed alone. Understanding it, Lastiara continued along. ¡°Are you here to once again challenge my knight Christ to a duel?¡± Hearing the word ¡°duel¡±, Hein-san stiffened a little. He then immediately affirmed with many small nods. ¡°Indeed, a duel. But first, there is a little talk that we need to go through.¡± ¡°A talk?¡± ¡°Yes, between your knight and me.¡± Having said so, Hein-san turned his head to me. I walked forward to hear what he wanted to say. ¡°What do you want to talk about, Hein-san?¡± ¡°Ah, you see, it¡¯s not like we always have to fight. For example, I can offer you what you want, and you can admit defeat in return.¡± In a soft tone of voice, Hein-san appealed to me for non-violence. Certainly, if the matter could be solved with negotiation, I would prefer it that way. ¡°You¡¯re right, we could.¡± Then, without showing a single gap in defense, Hein-san started the negotiation with a smile. ¡°In that regard, would you tell me what you want?¡± ¡°What I want, is it¡­¡± ¡°Money, honor, whatever it is, I can prepare it for you. If you yearn for amusement much like my lady, then I will provide as much amusement as you desire¡­ So will you please lose the duel?¡± It was a very reasonable proposal. But alas, I wanted nothing he could provide. I wanted only one thing, and that was to return home. I wanted to go back to my one and only family. Nothing else. At the moment, the only possibility to fulfill that desire lay in the deepest depth of the Labyrinth. I had found no other possibilities in all the information I had gathered. If so, the only thing I wanted was a talent that could bring me to the deepest layer of the Labyrinth. So far, there were only three people who seemed to possess that talent; Lastiara, Dia, and Alty. There was no reason for me to give up even a single one of them and conceded victory to Hein-san. ¡°¡­What I want is not something you can provide, Hein-san.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± ¡°What I want is in the deepest depth of this Labyrinth. Therefore, you cannot provide it for me.¡± I turned down his deal. Raising a brow slightly, Hein-san continued to negotiate. ¡°That miracle¡­ What you want is that miracle that lies at the deepest level¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Right, that isn¡¯t something I can provide¡­¡± The moment Hein-san learned of my objective, he held his head and turned his face down. Then, after some thought, he blurted a few words. ¡°The worst¡­¡± His words were shaky. No longer was it the gentle and soft voice but a gravelly one that leaked from the bottom of his stomach. After which, Hein-san slowly raised his face, revealing to me a grieving face. There wasn¡¯t any hint left of his perfect smile, as it was the face of a banal person undergoing a most saddening event. The sudden change in expression unnerved me. Hein-san, however, didn¡¯t care about my dismay and continued the talk with a sad face and a hoarse voice. ¡°This is the worst. Your wish is the worst for me¡­ There is nothing wrong with wishing for a miracle. However, not in this Labyrinth. Not here. Aah¡ªwhat a bad place to be.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of what Hein-san was trying to say and tried to ask back. ¡°You left me no choice. Let us duel.¡± But Hein-san didn¡¯t answer me and demanded a duel. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t back down from a duel, but¡­¡± ¡°As always, if you win, I won¡¯t show up before you again. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. But¡ª¡± I felt uneasy, as if a bug was crawling up my back, and tried to stop the conversation from going further. But Hein-san was having none of it. He continued to rattle off one word after another, never pausing. And then he threw me the final sentence. ¡°Then, if I win, you and the lady must leave the Allied Nations.¡± His expression returned to a smile when he uttered those words. With a fawning smile and the kindest tone he ever had, he declared our sanctions. ¡°Huh?¡± I didn¡¯t immediately understand the meaning of his words. From how everything had been going up until then, I had thought that Lastiara would just go back to wherever she came from if he won. However, Hein-san wanted something completely different. That would be a completely different deal. I tried to walk a step forward, wishing to turn the deal down, but¡­ That step never took place. My feet didn¡¯t reach the ground, and I felt suspended in the air. ¡°¡ª?Shearing Wind?¡± Hein-san pointed his right hand at me and his left at Lastiara and casted his magic. At the same time, one of his rings shattered and a streak of soft wind caressed my cheek. The next moment, the scenery in front of me was distorted, and a huge mass of air hit my eyes, forcing my eyelids to close. There was enough pressure to blow my body away that slammed into me. It came from Hein-san. However, my vision was blocked and I couldn¡¯t see what the pressure was. Instinctively, I curled my body and prepared for an elevation of the situation. ¡°¡ª?!!¡± I was blown backward. I lost all sense of up and down during the process. At that point, I finally understood that I was being blown away by a gale made of magic that far exceeded human knowledge. Hein-san¡¯s good-natured atmosphere had caught me off guard, leaving me late to respond. Indeed, I felt a touch of discomfort, but there was nothing that had indicated that he would produce such a spell. Still being carried away by the wind, I deployed ?Dimension Gladiator? and picked up information on my surroundings. In that instant, I spread my magic around and built a means of response based on the information it fed me. In less than a second, I knew where I was in the air and where the wall where I was about to be slammed against was. In response, I prepared to break my fall. First, I put both arms and legs against the wall to absorb the impact. As I was attached to the wall, I let ?Dimension? permeate the entire room. In the far distance, Lastiara was knocked unconscious against the wall. She might not have been dead, but a glance at her was enough to reveal that she had broken an arm. It seemed she was unable to break her impact as well as I was. It wasn¡¯t that Lastiara¡¯s reaction time was any worse than mine. If anything, it was because she had stood in the wrong place. I had more than ten meters before I reached the wall, but Lastiara had no time to think because the wall was right behind her. I judged then that Lastiara wouldn¡¯t be of any help. I had no choice but to leave Lastiara behind and concentrate on the enemy. Right when I reached that answer, I saw Hein-san drawing his silver twin swords and closing the distance to me. I put my feet on the ground while also drawing out my sword, the Treasured Sword, from my ¡®Item List¡¯. I constructed my magic, taking advantage of my position before Hein-san arrived. ¡°¡ªMagic, ?Foam?, ?Daytime Snow?!!¡± I created countless magic bubbles. * * * * * * Seeing that, Hein-san casted a spell of his own. He turned one of his silver swords at me, and as he did, one of his rings shattered. ¡°¡ª?Settling Wind?.¡± The moment he spoke the name, a soft wind was created from Hein-san¡¯s silver sword. It didn¡¯t have as much pressure as the previous attack. However, it went ahead and swept away all the magic bubbles I had created around me. Realizing that my magic bubbles wouldn¡¯t be effective against Hein-san, I stopped mass producing them. I then decided to concentrate on the sword, attempting to put more energy into ?Dimension?¡ªonly to realize that my magical senses were disrupted. ¡°¡ª!!¡± The gentle wind Hein-san created was disturbing the magic, and thus it was incapable of properly feeding me information about my immediate surroundings. Gritting my teeth, I intercepted Hein-san. His twin swords attacked me from both sides. I caught one of them with the sword in my hand as I dodged the other by twisting my body to its human limits. It was sheer luck. I had no experience against dual wielders, so I had to use nothing more than my reflexes and intuition to survive the attack. I warded off his opening attack, and as I moved out of his range, something within me told me that I would regret it if I didn¡¯t exhaust all of my options against him. I put my hand behind my back and was ready to draw my spare sword to take Hein-san by surprise. Once again, his twin swords came at me from both sides, and that time I blocked them with my own dual swords. Seeing an extra sword, the blonde knight showed a slight surprise. I wasn¡¯t one to miss that moment, as I swiped my swords outward and kicked him in the torso. The kick itself wasn¡¯t that powerful, but it was enough for me to bounce away from him. I kept my distance and focused on Hein-san, trying to gather all the details I could¡ª ¡¾Ring of Quake Wind Magic Stone¡¿ A ring that holds the power of Quake Wind ¡¾Ring of Scatter Wind Magic Stone¡¿ A ring that holds the power of Scatter Wind ¡¾Ring of Divine Wind¡ª Ten rings, of which The Ring of Divine Wind Magic Stone had shattered. ¡°¡ª?Shearing Wind?.¡± With that, Hein-san sucked the air in the surrounding, compressed it, and released it en masse at me. The unleashed storm easily lifted my body, blowing me far backwards. However, I had seen it before. I didn¡¯t lose my balance and broke my crash perfectly against the wall. Seeing it, Hein-san stopped. With the distance open and the attacks stopped, I regained some composure and called out while strengthening ?Dimension?. ¡°Hein-san!! What is this all about?!!¡± As he was gathering the wind around him to build another magic, Hein-san answered. ¡°What else¡­ it is a duel. However, this isn¡¯t some senseless duel with silly oaths on the Line. This is a duel in its real form, where one imposes violence on another to obtain what they want.¡± His voice itself was gentle, contrasting the horrifying thing that he kindly told me. After being assaulted so clearly, I knew that words wouldn¡¯t resolve anything. I clearly understood that a ray of hope had been cut off. ¡°Shit¡­! ¡ªMagic, ?Dimension Gladiator?!!¡± The only way to settle the situation was to attack him from my own end. However, as I tried to construct a tactic¡­ I found myself frozen. I realized that it was the first time I had ever been in an all-out match against a human opponent, and I felt uneasy about what I had to do to accomplish my victory. How far was I willing to go to attack? Should I aim to stun him? That would be best if I could, but he wasn¡¯t anywhere weak enough for something so lukewarm. Then should I tell him to be prepared to lose a limb or two? That might be a good idea if I was confident to actually sever another person¡¯s limb. Could I? No, that wasn¡¯t the problem. The problem was¡ª ¡ªThe problem is that this is a kill or be-killed battle against a human opponent. My conscience wouldn¡¯t be hurt if I was against a monster. Even if it was a humanoid, I could make excuses to myself that I was facing a monster, but if I slew a human being, no amount of excuses could save my mental health. I was fully capable of constructing a sound strategy in an instant, but I couldn¡¯t come up with an answer to that predicament right away. My body stiffened, and I was incapable of taking the appropriate action. Meanwhile, Hein-san¡¯s magic was completed. ¡°I will have you listen, even if you lose a leg in the process¡­!¡± His determination-ridden words echoed. The air around him was distorted. Countless lines of distortion floated in the air, and soon, the sound of something cutting through the air reverberated through the 20th floor. The Knight pointed a silver sword at me and chanted. ¡°¡ª?Ray Wind?.¡± A line of distortion ripped through the air, flying at me. I focused my magic in that direction in order to dodge it. However, as I tried to concentrate, the soft breeze that filled the room disturbed my magic. It didn¡¯t completely offset my ?Dimension?, but it created a slight deviation, and any slight deviation could be fatal. Judging that relying on ?Dimension? could be dangerous, I grabbed a bag of flour from my ¡®Item List¡¯ and threw it at the distortions. The bag was torn open, and a large amount of flour was scattered. The cloud of flour formed shapes in the air, making the distortions clearly visible. In its wake, it restricted my own vision, but that wasn¡¯t a problem if I had my magic. I ran as fast as I could, dodging the distortions ripping through the air as I approached Hein-san. ¡°¡ª?Wind?¡± The knight chanted his next magic and blew away all the flour. But by then, I had already dodged all the distortions and used my momentum to attack him. I wasn¡¯t ready to go for the kill. However, since he said he¡¯d cut off my leg, I swung my sword with some mental preparation¡ªthat was the best I could do. Swords clashed, and sparks bloomed. I would keep my distance no more. I was a fish in a barrel for his wind magic. Even if I tried to set tricks and traps and stayed at mid-range, his wind magic would blow everything away. My only option was to stay close and personal. His unique twin-swords technique was a threat, but not so much that it could settle the match right away. I kept striking down his slashes as if my swords were locked to his. I poured more of my MP into ?Dimension Gladiator? and tried to pry open up any chance to win in a close-range battle. By the time our swords clashed a dozen times or so, Hein-san¡¯s expression changed. He moved away from me and uncharacteristically clicked his tongue. I tried to go after him but stopped myself. I knew why he had backed away. His bitter face was pointed towards Lastiara, whom I saw groaning. She seemed to be regaining consciousness. With relief, I readied my swords. The tables would turn if Lastiara woke up right then. Even the mighty Hein-san would have no chance of winning if she joined the fight. Which meant I just needed to keep my ground until she awakened. Seeing that I adopted a defensive posture, Hein-san sighed heavily. After which, he put his twin swords back into their sheaths and slowly spun his words. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be this strong, Christ-kun¡­ My plans have been foiled¡­¡± Hein-san spoke ruefully¡ªand somewhat happily. From what I could see, he seemed happy that his plan fell through. With growing alarm, not at all sure of what his true intentions were, I replied. ¡°Why are you doing this¡­?¡± I wanted to know the truth. I wanted to know what he was trying to accomplish, even if he had to literally sweep us off our feet. ¡°¡­It is because you¡¯ve seen my lady having fun.¡± He replied weakly. ¡°Lastiara having fun¡­? What of it¡­?¡± Why did that lead to the desire to kick me and Lastiara out of the Allied Nations? With the information I had, I couldn¡¯t see the connection. Hein-san laughed fleetingly in response to my question. ¡°I was wrong.¡± And then, with a distorted expression, he blamed himself. All I could do was watch in bewilderment. Hein-san appeared sane, however, what he said was fundamentally off. I felt a tinge of instability as if I were dealing with Lastiara in her heightened mood. I couldn¡¯t find any words to say back. In the meantime, he continued to talk. ¡°If this continues, my lady will die. Please, Christ-kun. Let her escape¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Lastiara will die¡­? My heart jumped out of its cavity. Hein-san continued to talk like a broken dam. ¡°None of my words will reach her by now, so I have to bring her out of here, even if by force¡­! Christ-kun, never¡­! And I mean, never ever listen to a word my lady says to you¡­! Her words will sound sincere, but all of it is made-up. Her expressions, her emotions, her thoughts, everything of her is made-up. I was complicit in it, so I know for sure. Listen to the true feelings of the girl in there, and not that distorted, unstable, and inhumane being called Lastiara¡­!!¡± I didn¡¯t understand a word he was saying. It was too abrupt and too abstract. Made up, he said? Does that mean Lastiara isn¡¯t saying her true feelings? While I was unable to gauge the true meaning of Hein-san¡¯s words, I caught sight of Lastiara trying to get up at the edge of my field of vision. So did Hein-san, thus he spat out a parting threat as he retreated to the stairs to the 19th floor. ¡°Bring her out of here, no matter what¡­ Take her far, far away¡­¡± His eyes shimmered darkly, enchantingly. The blonde knight¡¯s good looks only gave me goosebumps. With those words, he disappeared into the darkness of the staircase. ____ ____ Chapter 49 Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth Chapter 49 ¨C Three People Going Down The Wrong Paths As soon as Hein-san went away, Lastiara, who had regained consciousness, called out to me. ¡°Damn it¡­ ¡ªChrist! Christ, you okay?!¡± Lastiara staggered towards me, holding her arm. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Calm down.¡± Seeing her arm bent in a way it shouldn¡¯t be was painful. I assisted her with my hand while she forced herself to walk. ¡°Ouch¡­! It¡¯s really broken, damn¡­! Where¡¯s Hein, anyway?¡± ¡°I managed to drive him away.¡± When she learned I had fought off Hein-san, Lastiara expressed her relief. She then casted a recovery spell and began to repair the fracture in her arm. ¡°I see, that¡¯s good¡­ What was his deal¡­?¡± She seemed relieved to know that the crisis was over for the time being. But soon, she started to complain. ¡°I have no idea¡­ Hein-san said some weird things and then just left¡­¡± ¡°Weird things? What kind of weird things?¡± I was at a bit of a loss. However, based on how we had interacted in the past, I decided that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to answer, so I told her what I had been told. ¡°First of all, Hein-san wanted us to leave the Allied Nations if he won.¡± ¡°He wanted us to leave the country for his duel¡¯s reward¡­?¡± Lastiara raised her eyebrows. ¡°Then, he said that you were just made-up¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m just made-up? That¡¯s a given. It¡¯s too late for any of that!!¡± After healing her arm with recovery magic, Lastiara scratched her head with her healed arm. She was, uncharacteristically, irritated. ¡°So do you admit that you¡¯re just something made up?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be offended by being described as made-up. It piqued my curiosity, so I asked her. ¡°I already told you before. This body was created in the image of Saintess Tiara herself. It¡¯s only obvious that it¡¯s a made-up body. I won¡¯t deny it.¡± Lastiara said it herself that she was made-up. However, it had a different nuance to what Hein-san meant by ¡®made-up¡¯. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think Hein-san meant your physical body. He hinted more in the spiritual sense. He said that your thoughts and feelings are made-up.¡± ¡°Spiritual¡ª? My thoughts and feelings are made-up? I mean, of course I am being influenced by my surroundings to a certain degree, but who isn¡¯t? I am who I am.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Witnessing Lastiara expressing herself so firmly, I found it hard to believe that her spirit was made-up. However, after Hein-san had appealed so desperately to me, I couldn¡¯t just ignore his words. There was an inexpressible uneasiness building up at the bottom of my mind. And so I chose to utter the sentence that stirred my anxiety the most. ¡°Also, he said that you are going to die at this rate, Lastiara¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to die¡­?¡± When presented with the word ¡®die,¡¯ Lastiara looked as if she couldn¡¯t comprehend what the word meant. ¡°I heard him clearly.¡± ¡°Die¡­?¡± She repeated the word again before she casted her eyes down. She mumbled as if yearning for confirmation. ¡°I see¡­ Hein said that¡­?¡± Slowly, she turned her head to me. I could only give her a short nod of the head. Seeing that nod, a dark depth deepened in Lastiara¡¯s eyes. The madness that had quietened down as of late leaked out. Lastiara mumbled. ¡°Why now, of all times¡­ why now, when I¡¯m this close to¡­ though I must admit, that¡¯s very typical of him¡­¡± She mumbled away, putting her hand to her forehead in thought. She was acting strange. It was strange she could stay calm after being told she was going to die, she was still acting strange nonetheless. To be told that she was going to die without any evidence and then fall into such a deep thought¡ªit was as if she had an idea of what the warning of her impending death was about. I approached Lastiara to ask her what all of it meant. However, before I could get close enough, Lastiara began talking in a hurry. ¡°R-right. Sorry, Christ¡­ I was just a little startled. It¡¯s nothing. Hein likes to say weird things out of the blue, you see.¡± The more she spoke, the more Lastiara¡¯s face returned to its usual color. The unrest disappeared, and she was pretending that the long thought she just had never happened. I didn¡¯t know what to do. Should I pry into Hein-san and Lastiara¡¯s situation? Or should I follow Lastiara¡¯s wishes and pretend I didn¡¯t see her just losing herself? ¡ªI knew it was an important decision to make, and I wasn¡¯t sure which one I should choose. As I was struggling to choose an answer, Lastiara kept on speaking cheerfully. ¡°At any rate, the problem is that fool Hein chose to use an underhanded means. I need to go back to Whoseyards for a quick while and talk about his stupid silly outburst¡­¡± Saying that, Lastiara approached the magical door ?Connection?. By the looks of it, it seemed that she had given up on the day¡¯s exploration. ¡°Should I go with you to Whoseyards?¡± ¡°No, no no. It¡¯s my family¡¯s problem. Actually, I¡¯m sorry. The duel was supposed to be nothing more than a¡­ sideshow¡­¡± Lastiara stopped me from accompanying her because it was a family matter. Even so, I was still uneasy about going separate ways there. If I were to be attacked by Hein-san again while she was away, I had no idea how to tackle it. It was also questionable if Lastiara alone could handle Hein-san. Personally, I wouldn¡¯t have a problem, as it would be difficult for me to be hit by a surprise attack due to the nature of my magic. I would also have been able to escape with my own life. I didn¡¯t before because I didn¡¯t feel comfortable leaving the unconscious Lastiara behind. Hein-san had even threatened to cut my leg off. His impassioned words wouldn¡¯t escape my mind. I couldn¡¯t help but worry about her if she was all by herself. ¡°Lastiara. It will be dangerous if Hein-san comes attacking again, so it¡¯s better to stick together¡ª¡± ¡°No, I was only taken off guard because he was a relative. I can overwhelm him any other time. Take a glance at our ¡®Statuses¡¯ and you¡¯ll know right away.¡± Lastiara claimed that Hein-san was not a threat and even beckoned me to check her ¡®Status¡¯. * * * * * * Indeed, ¡®Status¡¯-wise, she was overwhelming. Most of her parameters were much higher than his, and there was a huge difference in ¡®Skills¡¯. The only thing she lagged behind him in was technique finesse. In any normal fight, Lastiara would have won. However, Lastiara lost, and it wasn¡¯t a normal fight. The fact stood that, as long as he had the means to catch Lastiara off guard, Hein-san had the power to defeat Lastiara. Seeing that I couldn¡¯t shake off my uneasiness, Lastiara spoke with a serious look on her face. ¡°Worry not. I won¡¯t let my guard down. So just wait for me.¡± Saying so, Lastiara passed through the magic door. I followed her, and we returned to my house. Maria was surprised at our sudden return. I couldn¡¯t blame her. It had been less than an hour since we departed. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t this too fast?¡± Maria stopped washing laundry in the kitchen and walked up to us. Lastiara answered as if nothing serious just happened. ¡°I just remembered something I needed to do at my parents¡¯ house. I¡¯m going back to Whoseyards for today. You two can play together, hunt monsters, or go shopping if you want.¡± As she answered, Lastiara approached the window of the house. Then she raised her hand to wave once. ¡°Bye.¡± With that, Lastiara slunk away from the window. She left no time for me to speak to her. Maria, obviously suspicious of Lastiara¡¯s odd behavior, asked me if something was wrong. I lied and told her that it was nothing serious. I didn¡¯t want to worry Maria. I really wanted to keep her out of trouble if possible. After Lastiara went away, Maria listed her plan for the day. ¡°I¡¯ve been summoned by Alty-san. What about you, Master?¡± ¡°Summoned? Alty came here?¡± ¡°She spoke to me over the fire I used to cook this morning¡­ It¡¯s almost time for my appointment.¡± ¡°She¡¯s everywhere¡­ Don¡¯t mind me, you should go see her by yourself.¡± Apparently Alty had made contact with Maria via the kitchen fire at my own home. Reminded of her cheat of an ability, I declined Maria¡¯s invitation. It was possibly about teaching Maria magic. There¡¯s was nothing for me, even if I went with. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll head out then.¡± ¡°Yeah. Have a good day.¡± Maria left the house, and the house became quiet. I sat alone at the living room table, sorting out my mind. I was whacked out of my element by Hein-san¡¯s unexpected attack. I had to get my nerves under control first and foremost. Slowly, I took a deep breath. It had been a long time since I was all by myself. There had always been someone next to me. I was tormented by an endless sense of loneliness when I first arrived in the other world, but I felt that loneliness had become a source of comfort. Finding that self-indulgent side of myself dismayed me, but I also thought that it was what it meant to be human. Always asking for what we don¡¯t have and finding what we do have to be cumbersome. I was acutely aware of my immaturity. After all was said and done, I was but a child. A child who was too occupied with himself. If I were more of an adult, with a lot more composure, I wouldn¡¯t have let Maria keep her love for me a secret forever. I wouldn¡¯t have let Lastiara go to Whoseyards all by herself. There wouldn¡¯t have been such a rift between Alty and me. I would have understood Hein-san¡¯s desperate plea. And most of all, Dia wouldn¡¯t have lost his right arm. But all that had passed. I could hardly believe I made the best choices. Even now, I regret the fact I didn¡¯t tail Lastiara, even if she didn¡¯t want me to. At the same time, I was questioning whether it was right for a stranger like me to intrude so deeply into the affairs of Lastiara¡¯s relatives. It was all simple. I simply lacked the composure and strength to make my choices. ¡ªI have to get much stronger. Once I realized it, rather than regretting the past, I pushed myself to grow, even if only a little. I passed through the ?Connection? and entered the 20th floor alone. Obviously, I wouldn¡¯t pioneer the deep floors all by myself. Not that I saw myself as lacking the strength to do so, but it was definitely more dangerous alone. Above all, I knew that Lastiara would complain about it later if I proceeded with the exploration without her. I decided to hunt monsters. Mental immaturity couldn¡¯t be solved overnight. Physical strength, however, was something that could be gained overnight in this world. If so, it was only a natural thought to try to cover my lack of resolve with physical growth. It was all so that I could make the best choices¡ªto avoid regrets. There was nothing wrong with getting stronger. Next, I had to select my hunting ground. The strongest monster that I could solo without any problem at my level was the furies on the 21st floor. However, the furies weren¡¯t the most efficient enemy. Indeed, they had a lot of EXP, but they were also durable. If I calculated the amount of EXP I could get compared to the time it would take to defeat them, they weren¡¯t the most efficient. With the gaming experience I had cultivated in my original world, I looked for the best solution. The ideal monster would be one that would die exactly with a single swing of my sword. Also, the short time it took to find them and their number in a single place was also important. The less chance of irregularities, the better. Thinking back to all the monsters I had fought, I tried to find the floor that fit those criteria. However, I couldn¡¯t be sure of the actual efficiency until I tried it. For the moment, I headed for the 15th floor, where many of the monsters fit the bill. I would hunt various monsters on the 15th floor and continue to accumulate EXP and magic stones. There was no time limit. My enemies could be defeated with a single swing, so MP consumption was low. Above all else, the natural recovery of MP would also increase as the maximum value of MP increased as I leveled up. I would search for monsters and slay them one after another on a semi-permanent basis. Without uttering a single word, I continued grinding my level. I kept on until the sun went down, and it felt like I was playing a video game for the first time in a long time. As if to escape from the problems that had piled up, I grinded my level by myself. ____ ____ Chapter 50 [Translator ¨C Mab ] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy ] Chapter 50 ¨C Their Devotions Each After the hunt in the Labyrinth, I walked back to my house. The amount of EXP I gained in that one day was more than ever before, and the requirements for leveling up were met. I would have asked Lastiara to level me up, had she been here, but unfortunately, she seemed to be away. She was going to a country next door, after all, she probably wouldn¡¯t be back anytime soon. With that in mind, I next looked for Maria. However, Maria wasn¡¯t at home either. Learning that new magic probably took a lot of time. No one was there. I felt a little lonely. I had become someone vulnerable to loneliness, it seemed. I looked out the window, pondering whether I had returned too soon. The sun was beginning to set, and a beautiful sunset was shining into the house. A strange feeling of sadness washed over me, prompting me to leave the house. With my EXP accumulated, I decided to go to church to level up to fill in time. It would save a lot of time to have Lastiara do it, but leveling up sooner would be better. I also had an accumulation of magic stones, so I needed to redeem them for cash. However, it would be conspicuous if I redeemed a lot of magic stones at once, so I¡¯d do it at the minimum amount necessary, after which I¡¯d do some shopping for a change, and then perhaps go visit Dia. I descended the hill and entered Varte¡¯s downtown, firming up my plans. I walked along the streets lit by sunset that filled my entire field of vision. The edges of the jeweled streets gleamed a pale red. I headed to church as I was enjoying the extravagance of this world¡¯s roads with my eyes. When I entered the building, the priest was just chanting, and the citizens were in the middle of their prayers. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should join their prayers in the middle, so I just sat down on the edge of the bench in the back and imitated the prayer that I saw. Time was moving at a crawl. Every now and then I opened my ¡®Status¡¯ screen to see if I had leveled up or not, and when I knew I hadn¡¯t, I prayed again. The leveling up process in the church was much longer than when Lastiara did it. I passed the time by checking my ¡®Status¡¯ and looking at the stained glass windows¡ªthey were so sparkling that I couldn¡¯t help but focus my gaze on them, and I was surprised to learn that they were made of gemstones. After probing around the church, the priest finished chanting and took a bow; then the praying people also bowed, stood up sparsely, and began to leave. I remained seated and checked my ¡®Status¡¯. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 345/372, MP: 221/653-200 Class: Level: 13 STR: 7.82, VIT: 8.02, DEX: 9.35, AGI: 12.01, WIS: 11.73, MAG: 29.78, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 7.79 EXP: 20235/35000 Equipment: Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword Otherworldly Clothing Sturdy Cloak Otherworldly Shoes After confirming that my level had risen, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do with the bonus points. Up until then, I had been allocating them to HP and MP out of necessity, but it might¡¯ve been time to consider other parameters to allocate. The next important thing after my durability and ability to keep on fighting would be firepower to defeat monsters. If I were being simply honest, STR or MAG should directly lead to more firepower. I gave it some thought, and then I chose MAG. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Kanami Aikawa HP: 345/372, MP: 221/657-200 Class: Level: 13 STR: 7.82, VIT: 8.02, DEX: 9.35, AGI: 12.01, WIS: 11.73, MAG: 30.08, APT: 7.00 Constitution: Confusion: 7.79 EXP: 20235/35000 Equipment: Araith Household¡¯s Treasured Sword Otherworldly Clothing Sturdy Cloak Otherworldly Shoes When I increased my MAG by 0.30, my MP also increased, though only slightly. I was hoping for a 1.00 increase, but it didn¡¯t seem to increase that rapidly. I had to try with other parameters to know if the next bonus point would also increase 0.30. I determined that I should allocate to STR next to determine whether the increase was the same all across the board. Next, I pondered on the basis of how much MP was increased. Perhaps it was a linkage I commonly found in games. A fraction of MAG was added to MP, that or MP was given a bonus compensation for the added MAG. It was a small increase for sure, but it was an increase still. Happy that my level up had made me stronger, I got up from my seat. I went to walk out of the church, but then I stopped in my tracks. There was a familiar knight just outside the church. I sensed him with ?Dimension?. Good thing I had been on alert after Hein-san¡¯s attack thay morning and thus increased the output of my magic. Thanks to that, I was able to notice the knight before I stepped outside. I strengthened my magic and dug up more information about the knight. ¡¾Status¡¿ Name: Palinchron Legacy HP: 311/312, MP: 42/62 Class: Knight Level: 22 STR: 7.90, VIT: 9.87, DEX: 11.89, AGI: 5.67, WIS: 7.34, MAG: 4.78, APT 1.80 Innate Skills: Observation: 1.45 Acquired Skills: Swordsmanship: 1.89 Divine Magic: 1.23 Martial Arts: 1.87 Sorcery: 0.54 The knight¡¯s name was Palinchron. As I recalled, I met that knight at the slave market a few days ago. I dug up my memory and remembered him. He was the type of person who would deceive others and whistle with his lips. I gave up going out through the entrance and tried to find another exit. When I did, Palinchron suddenly made his move and entered the church. He opened the door, revealing his tall stature to me. As usual, he didn¡¯t look like a knight at all and more like a merchant with all those bulky clothes that made it difficult for him to move. It was only because of the sword at his waist that Palinchron could pass as a knight. He approached me, his muddy brown hair swaying. ¡°Hey, what a coincidence to meet you here, Onii-san.¡± He greeted me, brushing it off as a mere coincidence. I was sure it was no coincidence at all. He had been waiting for me outside the church. The only reason he entered the building was because I had deployed my magic over a wide area to look for a different exit. ¡°Yes, what a coincidence indeed. Have you been stalking again? Knights sure have a lot of free time.¡± I responded with a stern tone of voice. I had always treated knights with respect, but for some reason, I didn¡¯t feel the need to with Palinchron. Not to mention, the place we first met wasn¡¯t exactly the best. ¡°Dang, you caught me red-handed¡­ You have quite a good detection ability, too, Onii-san. I sure was surprised when your magic power suddenly swelled up, so I stepped in.¡± Palinchron said ¡®I too.¡¯ This should mean that there was a high chance he had a detection ability similar to my ?Dimension?. The ambush and him tailing me before must¡¯ve been done with said magic. Perhaps it was related to his Sorcery Skill. I had never heard of it in all the intel I had gathered so far. It was an unknown genre of magic ¡°So what do you want? A duel?¡± ¡°That sounds dangerous, oi. I¡¯m just here to talk. Onii-san, you fought off Sera, Ragne, and Hein, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯m not going to be a match for you, then. I¡¯m basically fighting with old man Haups for the bottom, y¡¯see.¡± Palinchron shrugged his shoulders in jolly. I, however, didn¡¯t let my guard down. I kept a constant distance from him and watched his every movement. ¡¾Iron Sword¡¿ ATK: 2 An iron sword with no special features. He had no other equipment that he could use in a battle other than his iron sword Palinchron noticed that I was focusing on his equipment with heightened vigilance and tried to calm me down with a light tone. ¡°No, I mean it. I¡¯m just here to have a little chat. I picked up this sword at random from a knight¡¯s quarters.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I was only ambushed after chatting up lightly this morning, you see¡­¡± ¡°Haha, I heard about that. Hein, am I right? I heard about it, that is why I¡¯m here to have a look-see.¡± As he laughed, Palinchron sat on the opposite end of the bench from where I was sitting. The crowd around me was getting less and less populated. The priest had finished his work and thus retreated to the back of the church. Unnaturally, Palinchron and I were left all alone in the church. ¡°If you¡¯ve heard about it, then guess. The credibility of you knights is in the gutter right now. You don¡¯t want to enter my sword¡¯s range.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, I promise¡­ So let¡¯s chat, okay?¡± He then indicated his unwillingness to fight by placing the sword at his waist on the floor. I found his straightforward response to be, on the contrary, suspicious. There was no doubt he had the means to fight without a sword. However, it would be dishonest of me to not even talk to him after he went so far. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have my own questions regarding people from Whoseyards, Hein-san included. I sat back down on the bench. Of course, I kept my distance. ¡°Fine. Talking won¡¯t hurt¡± ¡°I appreciate it. I would¡¯ve been in real trouble if you refused to chat, you see.¡± Saying, ¡°yep, yep¡± to himself, Palinchron continued talking. ¡°So how is it? Have you defeated all seven of the Celestial Knights?¡± Then came a question that I hadn¡¯t expected. Seeing no reason to lie, I answered truthfully. I was sure he could get the information himself if he wanted to. ¡°No, not all of them. I fought¡­ Radiant-san, Haups-san, Ragne-chan, and Hein-san.¡± ¡°I see, I see.¡± Palinchron asked happily about his own people¡¯s defeat. ¡°My turn to ask. Do you know why Hein-san did what he did?¡± ¡°Yup, I know.¡± He answered without a pause. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so honest, so it took me off guard. He looked at me, surprised, and laughed. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t get surprised. You answered my question honestly, so I¡¯ll be honest with my answers, too.¡± ¡°Tell me then.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll give you the short answer. It¡¯s because¡­ I fanned him. Throughout the past few days, I¡¯ve been putting on a fake front and saying, ¡°Aah, the lady sure is having the time of her life with Christ-kun. She¡¯s laughing as if she¡¯s just an ordinary maiden¡±, or, ¡°Poor her, being deceived from the moment she was born, fated to disappear without knowing a shred of happiness¡­ I know it¡¯s for the country, but don¡¯t you feel sorry?¡± And I kept on tormenting him until I finally drove him half-crazed, then he went to save his master. Ha-ha, a job well done.¡± Palinchron replied, a smile not leaving his face. It was like an innocent laugh of a small child, happy his prank was a success. The gap between his laugh and what he laughed at left me stunned. ¡°Y-you did what¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty well known for how agitating I can be, you see. Many of the magic I mastered are of that spirit, too.¡± ¡°¡­Wh-why would you do that?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s fun. Also because I want to bring Whoseyards some detriment, but it¡¯s mostly because I find it fun.¡± Palinchron laughed while I was speechless. I had never seen someone so proudly and brazenly talk about his evil, but that was a pretext. He was too pure in his malice for me to know how to respond to him. The fact that there were people who could drive others crazy with such ease was terrifying. As I was silent in my stunned disbelief, Palinchron continued. ¡°My turn to ask. Nii-san, do you have any intention to save the lady¡­ Lastiara?¡± S-save Lastiara¡­? Does that mean that Lastiara is in a situation where she needs to be saved? Palinchron¡¯s words were like poison narcotics that were hard to get away from. After all that he said, I was wary of whether he was using mind magic, so I checked my own ¡®Status¡¯. However, I found nothing out of the ordinary. That was all just Palinchron talking. Just talking and he¡¯s already given me such a headache¡­ ¡°Saving in what context?¡± ¡°Oh, Hein didn¡¯t tell you? Well, can¡¯t blame you if you didn¡¯t know then. Let me lay it out for you, consider this a freebie. Let me tell you Whoseyards¡¯ secret and the lady¡¯s secret. Yup, can¡¯t blame you for this.¡± Disingenuously, Palinchron continued. ¡°I¡¯ll make it brief¡­ Lastiara Whoseyards is the sacrifice for the Holy Birthday. She is the vessel for the Saintess Tiara to possess, and she was created for that sole purpose. And if such a thing descended into her body, obviously, Lastiara¡¯s ego would disappear. In short, in two days¡­ she¡¯ll die.¡± And he said it, Lastiara would die. He was saying loud and clear that she would die at the current rate. My heart beat uncomfortably fast. I¡¯d felt that before, on that day¡­ He was doing the same thing he did to me back then at the slave market¡ªhe was pushing me. He pointed at a girl about to fall into misery, and with that thin smile on his face, he fanned me. Are you going to let it happen? Are you going to turn a blind eye? Are you going to let that poor girl die? Are you¡­? ¡°Is¡­ is that true¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t lie. Well, the decision¡¯s in your own hands, Onii-san.¡± I had no reason to believe him. A liar wouldn¡¯t call himself a liar. However, if I considered everything that Lastiara and Hein-san had told me, it all added up. ¡°Tell me more.¡± I wish I could say he was just a liar. I had to find any inconsistency in his story, thus I asked him for more details, wishing I could say it was just a lie. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll tell you as much as you want. You have the right to know, Onii-san.¡± Palinchron¡¯s lips curved up and he leaned in a little closer to me. His smile was like that of a spider grinning at its prey. It wasn¡¯t the bloodthirsty smile of a mammal or reptile, but rather the cold, unfazed smile characteristic of an insect. ¡°First off, know that Lastiara is not a human being. She wasn¡¯t born from a human womb and isn¡¯t even a proper living being. She is a human made of magic stone created by kneading human flesh and gemstones. We call a creature like her a Jewelcruz. Did you know¡­? That brat is three years old at that size.¡± He lightly revealed that Lastiara wasn¡¯t a human to open up. But I already knew that. Lastiara herself had told me. I was surprised that she was three years old, but I had a dim feeling that she might be around that age. Her body and mind not in a proper balance was already Lastiara¡¯s identity. It would explain her mental immaturity. Nevertheless, I still had something to ask in that regard. ¡°Lastiara herself said she was around sixteen.¡± ¡°Ah, we establish that her physical age is sixteen. It would probably confuse people if we frankly said she¡¯s three years old, so we chose an age close to how she appeared.¡± At the festival, Lastiara added ¡°supposedly¡± when she answered she was sixteen. Inwardly, I noted that Palinchron was probably right about her age. That wasn¡¯t yet a major contradiction. ¡°Go on¡­¡± ¡°As for the reason why Whoseyards are making those Jewelcruz dolls¡­ it is to reincarnate the great men of the past.¡± Palinchron continued to talk happily with his hands outstretched. Every word of it stabbed me in the heart. ¡°The blood of the Saints from the past is preserved in its entirety in the cathedral. Apparently, Saintess Tiara, the founder of magic, tried many things in order to come back to this world once more. What caught her attention was the nature of the blood of a magician. Blood could retain many magic formulas. If so, she wondered if she could retain her personality in her blood as a magic formula. She¡¯s tenacious, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± I felt no respect for the saints from Palinchron. Of course, neither from myself. From how this story unfolded, this blood¡ª ¡°In other words, the mission of Lastiara the Jewelcruz is to drink up the blood of Saintess Tiara and surrender her body to her. The blood that circulates through her body right now is chock full of the formula for receiving magic formulas. She was born to be the vessel of someone else¡¯s rebirth.¡± ¡ªwould be the blood to kill Lastiara. Already, Saintess Tiara was an enemy of mine. ¡°The rebirth of Saintess Tiara is prophesied in the Levant Holy Scripture, and it is this year. Whoseyards is acting accordingly. The citizens of Whoseyards are also looking for the prophecy to be fulfilled. This year¡¯s Holy Birthday will be a touch different, and with it coming up in two days, the lady¡¯s life is running out! What shall you do, Christ Onii-san?¡± Palinchron finished his coherent explanation, turning his clutching eyes to me, expecting my response. I squeezed out a vital question. ¡°¡­Is Lastiara fully aware of all of this?¡± ¡°She should have been told that she¡¯ll become one with the Saintess, at the very least. It was ambiguous, but I¡¯m sure she anticipated being fully annihilated. Her educator was Hein, so I don¡¯t know the full details, but¡­ eh, I¡¯m sure it was easy enough to brainwash the lady when she was innocent and had just been born.¡± Palinchron suggested the possibility of brainwashing while stifling a laugh. Lastiara must have fully accepted to become Saintess Tiara during the Holy Birthday. She wouldn¡¯t be so carefree in our exploration if she hadn¡¯t. Anyone with normal, working sensibilities would have run away right away. Hein-san was right, we should have gone far, far away. ¡°Are you saying that Lastiara has no qualms about accepting the ritual?¡± ¡°To be more precise, she¡¯s been conditioned to? Lastiara¡¯s life is already set by the great plan, and it is her fate to have her life adjusted to the plan.¡± ¡°Adjusted¡­ fate¡­.¡± Something about those words stuck with me. It is because I, too¡ª ¡°This is all according to Whoseyards¡¯ plan, you see.¡± Palinchron continued to talk, paying no heed to my fluctuating facial expression. I shook off the feeling and concentrated on what he was telling me. ¡°Plan? What plan?¡± ¡°Aah, open up your ears wide. This is such a fun plan, I just can¡¯t help but want to share it. This is how the plan goes: ¡®Lastiara oh so happily partakes in the ritual and thus becomes Saintess Tiara, and she will be unveiled at the peak of the Holy Birthday to the delight of the public. What follows is truly a heroic tale. With her miraculous power, she pioneers the Labyrinth, extends the Main Road, and inherits the title of the Strongest from Glenn. By the way, Glenn will become her ally. Later on, Saintess Tiara will win the championship in the Wardance Tournament. She will have made a name throughout the continent and triumphantly return to her home country. Whoseyards, exhaling her miraculous power in various places. She will partake in the much-awaited war in the northern part of the continent, and the living legend, the Saintess, will descend on the front lines as the general-in-chief. With all her prestige and power, victory belongs to Whoseyards! Wow, what a hero!¡¯ ¡ªHaha, that would be a great story to tell, and the plan is already set in stone.¡± Palinchron described the future that awaited Lastiara as if he were recounting the life of a hero. The plan sounded exactly the kind of epic that Lastiara liked to hear. At first, I thought that Lastiara must¡¯ve be glad to know about it, but then I realized how oddly convenient it was. It made me suspect that Lastiara¡¯s preferences were tailored. Perhaps¡­ Lastiara didn¡¯t want to be a hero because she admired heroic tales but because she was born a hero and might have been educated to admire heroic tales. If so, that would be¡­ sickening. ¡°A life planned like that is wrong¡­ it¡¯s not right¡­¡± I absentmindedly muttered my discomfort. ¡°Right?!¡± When I did, Palinchron agreed with me loudly. With the same momentum, he invited me to join him. ¡°That¡¯s why, Onii-san, let¡¯s save Lastiara!¡± With a big smile on his face, Palinchon came forward with a proposal and a good heart. As for me, I was afraid. I was afraid as it was the malicious Palinchrone who made such a well-meaning proposal. I retorted violently, trying to shake off my fear. ¡°And that¡¯s how you goad me¡­! What¡¯s your objective¡­?!¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡°what¡±? I want to save a life, what else? I want to give my lady a real, human life! I want to save her from the delusional sacrifice for a monster like Saintess Tiara!¡± Palinchron replied, a twinkle in his eyes. I could tell that he genuinely thought that Lastiara¡¯s fate was trivial. He found that it was boring to just go along with the established plan as it was. He thought it would be fun to give Lastiara a helping hand. That was all. That is all he is. What an obvious desire for chaos. ¡°I want you to prevent the rebirth of Saintess Tiara. To be more specific, I want you to destroy the biggest festival of Whoseyards, Saintess Tiara¡¯s Holy Birthday.¡± Destroy it¡­ so he invited me. However, that was against my policy. I was angry when I learned about Lastiara¡¯s situation. That was a fact. However, there¡¯s only so much I could do. I had no room for such an adventure. ¡­None. ¡°Doing that only warrants me getting captured. Even if I have goodwill, that still makes me a criminal.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get captured. You have a real ability to stay in the wind. You¡¯re strong enough to fight off the Celestial Knights, the strongest personnel Whoseyards have, countless times and come out unscathed.¡± ¡°Even so, the whole country will target me, and I will have to live as a criminal¡­ Too much impact on my life.¡± ¡°If that happens, just flee the country. You will be safe in a country hostile to Whoseyards, where Whoseyard¡¯s influence cannot reach you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Labyrinth explorer with no relatives. I don¡¯t want to leave here, and I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go.¡± ¡°You will be okay in any of the two southern countries. Even Valte has bones to pick with Whoseyards. Someone as powerful as you won¡¯t run out of places to shelter you.¡± ¡°The very idea of having to be a fugitive and hop shelters is crazy. I can¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°Aah, you mean you could save her, but you don¡¯t want to because you treasure your own safety more?¡± Palinchron laughed disgustedly. He poked me exactly at the sore spot. My face contorted at his apt point. I had no choice but to admit my narrow-mindedness. ¡°Yes, exactly¡­ You are exactly right¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t argue. So what? Everyone put themselves first. But then Palinchron looked at me in disappointment. ¡°¡­Guess I can¡¯t bait you so easily this time. It was easy back then with the slave, though. Is my lady not to your taste? Or is the slave actually more special to you?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± And that time, he aptly poked me at the very bottom of my heart, a place no one else had noticed. Trying to mask my agitation, I answered. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve heard my answer. Back then, I could solve it easily with money, but now¡¯s different. You guessed it right, I don¡¯t like Lastiara that much.¡± Upon hearing my answer, Palinchron observed me closely as if his eyes were glued to my skin. With a gaze that appeared to see through me, he was trying to see past my lie. After a while, he replied with a laugh. ¡°Ha-ha. Well, I¡¯m the one who absurdly asked you to be prepared to make enemies of a country. I won¡¯t force you. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I got Hein to lose his mind, so this is still a great success for me. I shan¡¯t be greedy. But then¡ª¡± On the surface of his words, he seemed to have given up on me. ¡°¡ªI thought you¡¯d make a run for it, Onii-san.¡± But Palinchron still looked at me as if I were prey in his web. With those words, Palinchron stood up. ¡°Well then, time to go into hiding. My creed is secret maneuvers, you see.¡± With that, Palinchron gave me a small wave and turned to leave the church. I hadn¡¯t expected such an anticlimactic ending. I had expected him to be more persistent in soliciting me. Or did Palinchron think I would make a move on my own if he told me that much? The guy had already shown his back to me. I couldn¡¯t see his expression, so I couldn¡¯t gauge his true intentions. Thus, in the quiet of the church, I exhaled deeply. I dragged my body, heavy like lead, and turned my feet to head home. Every limb felt as heavy as my heart I was unable to bring myself to go shopping or visit the sick. I went straight home and looked for Lastiara. However, Lastiara wasn¡¯t home. No matter how much I looked for her, she wasn¡¯t there¡­. The only one who was there was Maria. She approached me with a concerned look. It was a commendable bearing. However, once I thought that her bearing might be due to her love for me, I found it hard to deal with. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Master¡­?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I should tell Maria about Lastiara. From what I had seen, they got along well. Although Maria often shunned Lastiara with cold words, I saw it as communication between close friends. I wondered if Maria already knew about Lastiara. Perhaps they had talked about it when they were alone. ¡°No, you see¡­ In two days, Lastiara¡­¡± ¡°Two days? What¡¯s with Lastiara-san?¡± ¡°On the day of Holy Birthday, she¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Maria waited for me to finish my words. She didn¡¯t show any particular emotion when I mentioned ¡®two days¡¯ and ¡®the Holy Birthday.¡¯ It seemed that she knew nothing about it. ¡®Should I tell Maria the details?¡¯ Maria and Lastiara were friends. As friends, it was only right for Lastiara to announce it herself. Not to mention, the information I gained wasn¡¯t from Lastiara. I heard it from Hein-san and Palinchron. ¡­ No, those are all but excuses. It¡¯s just that I was feeling overwhelmed. I was too languid to explain it all. Just like when I met Maria in the slave market, it was a painful topic to bring up. I swallowed the words I was about to say and produced a lie in their place. ¡°She invited us to hang out again on the day of Holy Birthday.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. That sounds good.¡± Hearing me covering it up, Maria simply nodded her head. Her eyes were still seeing straight through me. Perhaps Maria pretended to buy the lie I told her. After all, she knew what I had in mind and would choose not to pursue it. She often took a step back in consideration of me. When I thought that it was also due to her affection for me, I felt ashamed of myself. I limped to my bedroom, dragging my even heavier body with me. Various things swirled around in my head, making me feel sick. I wrapped myself in a blanket, hiding. That day, even after dinner came and the night passed, Lastiara didn¡¯t come home. ¡ºDay Thirteen Finished¡» Chapter 51 [Translator ¨C Mab ] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy ] Chapter 51 ¨C The Battle Spirit Kanami Aikawa Obtained The day before, Hein-san had ambushed me, and in response, Lastiara had left for Whoseyards. She hinted she would be back soon, but she never showed back up, even though I waited until nighttime. It was the day before the Holy Birthday. I could hear people¡¯s voices coming from outside my house, even though it was still morning. It seemed that the town was getting excited for the climax of the Holy Birthday. I get out of bed to quench my parched throat. I moved my sluggish body and headed for the living room. I opened the door leading to the living room¡ªand right then, I saw a girl trespassing through the window. It was Lastiara. I was surprised, and she looked just as surprised as well before she collected herself and waved her hand at me. ¡°Oh. M-morning, Christ¡­¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ Morning.¡± She probably didn¡¯t expect to meet me that early in the morning. Lastiara entered the living room in a hurry and walked to the storage room in the back. I watched her, trying to calm down my heart from thumping a mile a minute. I could tell that she was scavenging for bread for breakfast. With a piece of bread in each hand, Lastiara settled at the living room table. I joined her at the same time and called out to her just as she tucked into her bread. ¡°Lastiara, we need to talk¡­¡± ¡°M-mhm? Talk? Sure.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the day of the Holy Birthday.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Lastiara nonchalantly urged me to keep on talking. Calmly, I looked at her straight-on and asked the most important question. ¡°Are you going to¡­ give your body to Saintess Tiara tomorrow?¡± Lastiara¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t change. Her perfect, peerless, manufactured beauty didn¡¯t contort whatsoever. ¡°Yup, I am.¡± She affirmed it, her tone light and cheery as usual. Hearing that, my face contorted. My emotions swirled so hard that I couldn¡¯t even tell what I was feeling. I tried to keep my composure intact and responded. ¡°So you say¡­ I heard your identity will disappear if you do.¡± ¡°Ah, I knew someone told you about it. I¡¯d guess it was Hein¡­ or someone else?¡± ¡°Since you didn¡¯t deny it, I¡¯ll take it as the truth, then¡­¡± How I wished for Lastiara to deny it. I wanted her to laugh it off and tell me it was just a lie. Only then would I be able to continue my exploration of the Labyrinth with peace of mind, just as I had done before. ¡°Aw, I kept it a secret because I wanted to surprise you, though.¡± ¡°Surprise¡­? That¡¯s not even the problem here¡­!¡± ¡°I wanted to see what kind of face you¡¯d make when you knew Saintess Tiara was suddenly your companion.¡± ¡°See, you said¡­ You won¡¯t even be with us by then. You know that¡­¡± I had to squeeze out my voice, and I could feel it trembling. Lastiara kept on smiling and speaking as if it was usual, and it annoyed me to no end. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Saintess Tiara is me, and I¡¯m her. Even after I become her, I will keep being your companion, Christ. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Lastiara thought my irritation was because her becoming Saintess Tiara would hinder our exploration, and her misguided statement only irked me even more. ¡°YOU¡¯RE WRONG!! That¡¯s not the point! I¡¯m saying that your consciousness will vanish and you¡¯ll disappear once you become Saintess Tiara¡­! Do you even understand that?!¡± Unable to hold the dam back, my voice came out loud. ¡°So I heard. I understand that.¡± And yet, she shrugged it off casually. Her face was calm as if she were a single leaf rocked by the wind. ¡°So you heard¡­?! You¡¯re okay with that?!¡± ¡°I am¡­ My whole reason to live is to become Saintess Tiara. I revere the Saintess. Heroes like her who saved a lot of people are wonderful, and I love their lives and their epic. If I can become that very hero, then I can¡¯t ask for more. I won¡¯t go against it. If anything, it¡¯s an honor.¡± When I heard her excessive faith, Hein-san¡¯s words echoed. ¡ªMade up He was right. Her belief in Saintess Tiara was so pure and insane that it could only be made up. ¡°Are you sure it isn¡¯t because you were educated to think like that? Any normal person would at least resist a little if they were told that they were going to disappear. From what I see, it¡¯s almost like you¡¯ve been brainwashed.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I can¡¯t blame you. I know that already. I know I¡¯m skewed, but that is still me. Educated, brainwashed, it doesn¡¯t change, it¡¯s still me. What about you, Christ, will you deny everything of me, this sham, made-up life of me? This life is all I¡¯ve ever known, and yet will you still deny me?¡± Lastiara claimed that it didn¡¯t matter, even if it was due to her education or brainwashing. There wasn¡¯t a shred of doubt in her voice. She had a clear will of her own. I could see it¡ªher supple ego that had a strong core. ¡°¡­!!¡± I was at a loss for words. I couldn¡¯t tell where the line was. I had no idea where the made-up Lastiara ended and the real Lastiara started. That was why I knew I couldn¡¯t deny anything that she said without determining where the line was. If I tried to deny the made-up aspect of Lastiara but ended up denying the real Lastiara, then I wouldn¡¯t be any better. The only thing I could do was respond with a few strained words. ¡°A-are you sure? Are you really sure you¡¯re okay with that?¡± Shamelessly, I only repeated my own words. Lastiara took it firmly, looked me straight in the eye, and gave me her answer. ¡°Of course. I was born and raised as the vessel of Saintess Tiara. There is no doubt that my only reason to live is¡­ to become¡­ Saintess Tiara. That is¡­¡± ¡ªAnd yet she only repeated her own words, and her face darkened as she spoke. ¡°That is¡­ what¡­¡± Lastiara looked anxious. Suddenly, she wasn¡¯t accepting what she was saying and was anxious. I had seen her like that before¡ªwhen we had become companions at the tavern, she had changed her mind as we talked. Right before my eyes, Lastiara was losing confidence in what she was saying and was drowning in self-doubts. Like an unstable, stagnant sky repeatedly clearing up and clouding up in a matter of minutes¡ªthat was the kind of person Lastiara Whoseyards was¡­ Her ego, which was so supple and firm before, was shaken and looked nothing like it previously did. ¡°That is what I¡¯m supposed to do¡­¡± Lastiara mumbled those words and retreated into silence, her eyes swimming. When I looked at her, the reason for her instability dawned on me. The made-up Lastiara, and the real Lastiara, both aspects of her were encroaching on each other, throwing her into a sea of confusion. ¡°Supposed to¡­?! You¡¯re not even sure about it yourself. You¡¯re wavering, confused, and you don¡¯t know what is right, or am I wrong?¡± Thinking that it was an opportunity to make Lastiara reconsider, I threw words at her one after another. But the next instant, I saw Lastiara showing a cheerful face. ¡°¡ªFufufu. That¡¯s not true. I¡¯ll become Sainteess Tiara, you know. I¡¯m going to have that exciting adventure, defeat strong enemies, meet and part with a lot of people, and become the hero everyone dreams of! I will, me! It will be so wonderful!¡± Leaning to one side, Lastiara grinned with her eyes glinting with insanity. Flabbergasted, I flinched. Even though I knew it, I was still at a loss for words when I saw her sudden change as if she was possessed. ¡°It must be¡­ so wonderful¡­¡± And sure enough, Lastiara was feeble again. ¡°S-see! You¡¯re not confident about it. You¡¯re afraid of being sacrificed!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I don¡¯t fear death. You know how I fight in the Labyrinth, don¡¯t you, Christ? I¡¯m not so fragile as to cower from that.¡± Next, she became cocksure out of the blue. I sensed certain conditions. Any attempts I made to deny the ritual would fish out the made-up Lastiara. Nevertheless, it was going in circles. No matter how much I repeated myself, I would never be able to persuade Lastiara, as everything would lead to the ritual. ¡ªLastiara was conditioned to become like that. Witnessing what Palinchron meant by being ¡®tailored¡¯ right in front of my eyes, I weakly repeated my question. ¡°¡­Are you really okay with this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just my problem. It¡¯s for everyone in the cathedral and everyone in Whoseyards! They are waiting for the real Saintess Tiara! Peoples¡¯ thoughts are filling this body!¡± Lastiara shouted with a smile, gave her answer, and then quietly expressed her will. ¡°That¡¯s why I will undergo the ritual.¡± ¡°¡­I still think you should refuse.¡± I offered her the opposite. I knew it to be useless, but I couldn¡¯t not say it. However, Lastiara would never bend her will no, matter how much we glared at each other. I knew since I had been with her long enough to know her. Once she made that expression, Lastiara would never back down. She would carry out whatever she had in that fractured, mad mind. Even if I didn¡¯t want to, I already knew that I couldn¡¯t persuade Lastiara. Then, after a lifetime of silence, I was about to give up on the discussion when Lastiara broke the silence. Her determined look changed to one of desperately clutching at me. I thought it was just another emotional swing. However, it looked different. ¡°¡­Then are you going to save me, Christ? Are you going to follow what Hein-said and take me to some place far, far away, just the two of us?¡± Lastiara looked at me with a sweet, upward gaze like a begging puppy. That was the first time ever I saw that Lastiara act out like a girl her age. My eyes widened in surprise. She looked like a child, I thought. At the same time, I hoped that it was the real Lastiara speaking and not the made-up one. But of course, only then did she give me a question I couldn¡¯t answer. I had to reach the deepest depth of the Labyrinth so I could return home. Us going on a journey far away from there wouldn¡¯t allow that. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Seeing me stammering, Lastiara pressed on with more questions. ¡°Can you turn against all the knights of the Allied Nations? Can you make an enemy of the country of Whoseyards? Can you destroy the ritual tomorrow on your own? Will you even risk everything to help me?¡± All those questions¡­ they sounded less like questions and more like pleas. And then I heard hallucinations. ¡°¡ªWill you become the protagonist of my story?¡± I saw her, a little kid, crying. There was no doubt about it. It wasn¡¯t anyone else¡¯s, it was Lastiara¡¯s voice. If I could answer her, I could bring out the real Lastiara. If I did, I could talk with the real Lastiara, and I should even be able to persuade her. I firmly believed that. That was the one chance for me to talk her out of it. That was the only time. It was the only time, and yet¡ª I couldn¡¯t give her my answer. I couldn¡¯t even answer a single one of her questions. Just as Lastiara had a purpose and meaning in life, so did I. Return to home¡ªprotecting my one and only family, that was my raison d¡¯etre, and her pleas were the direct opposite of it. Remorse, morality, obligation, selfishness¡ªall kinds of thoughts pulled me into all sorts of directions, tearing me apart, locking my body in place. Seeing that I didn¡¯t even flinch in my seat, Lastiara¡¯s face clouded over. It was only for an instant, a fraction of a second that was only enough time for a shooting to star to flash. ¡ªAnd when that instant ended, I knew my words could no longer reach her. Lastiara went back to her usual jovial expression. Then, as usual, she laughed it off. ¡°Ha, ha ha, just kidding¡­ You don¡¯t have to do any of that. I know you can¡¯t afford to do that, Christ¡­ You already have too much on your plate, after all.¡± It ended¡­ I couldn¡¯t answer it. I can¡¯t reach her. Even after Hein-san¡¯s warning, I can¡¯t say anything to her. ¡°You¡¯re a Candidate, Christ, so I won¡¯t ask you to do anything you can¡¯t handle. You have no obligation or responsibility to do so.¡± She returned to her usual routine and threw the remaining bread into her mouth. It was the usual unstable, restless, unfocused, and quick-to-change standing Lastiara. ¡°W-wait, Lastiara. We¡¯re not finish¡ª¡± ¡°Heck, it might turn out to be okay in the end. I might end up crushing Saintess Tiara¡¯s consciousness instead, who knows? I¡¯m pretty strong, after all.¡± She was hopeful and optimistic as she talked about what might happen with a smile on her lips. She wouldn¡¯t lend an ear to me anymore. Then, after finishing up her breakfast, Lastiara stood up. ¡°Thanks for the meal. I have to prepare for tomorrow, so I¡¯m going to go now. I probably won¡¯t be able to help you explore the Labyrinth for today, so go and play with Maria. Also, give her my best wishes.¡± ¡°We need to talk some¡ª¡± We needed to talk some more, but before I could even finish my words, Lastiara had already turned her back to me as if she was done hearing what I had to say, and as she did, she bade me farewell. ¡°I think, by tomorrow night, I will come back here, so wait until then¡­ Bye-bye¡­¡± Leaving those words behind, Lastiara left the house. Should I stop her even if I had to fight her for it? I didn¡¯t know. Lastiara quickly left while I was still thinking, leaving me behind, all alone. ¡°Ah¡­¡± When I thought that those words would be the last Lastiara would say to me, a feeling of helplessness almost crushed me to smithereens. Right then, I heard a door opening behind me. On the other side of it stood maria. She looked at me with her expression as grim and serious as mine. I realized that she had heard our conversation. ¡°Did you hear that¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She didn¡¯t try to hide it. Perhaps she¡¯d seen us talking with a heavy mood in the air and thus found it difficult to enter the living room, so she¡¯d just stayed behind the door and listened in. ¡°Where is¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone. You heard it.¡± I weakly pointed to where Lastiara had gone. ¡°Is this all right, Master¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. This is bigger than me¡­¡± I spoke honestly and said that it was beyond anything I could do. That was all it was, in a nutshell. ¡°So when Tiara-san comes, we¡¯ll treat her as Lastiara-san, and everything will be the same¡­?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not Lastiara, that¡¯s someone else. There¡¯s no way it will be the same.¡± If everything that I heard was true, then Tiara would be a different person in Lastiara¡¯s body. I had zero intention of treating a stranger whom I couldn¡¯t care less about as if she was Lastiara. If anything, she would be an enemy. ¡°At the very least, she will never be my companion¡­¡± When she heard it, Maria¡¯s reaction was pronounced. ¡°Thank goodness¡­ Really¡­¡± No hint of sadness or anger in her words. Maria was, from the bottom of her heart, relieved. When I saw her smiling like that, I felt a chill freeze in my heart. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The reason for her relief was lost on me. I thought she would be more sad about parting with Lastiara, but it was quite the opposite. Was I mistaken in thinking that the two had seemed to get along well? When I questioned why she was relieved, her answer came pretty quickly. ¡°I thought you loved her, Master.¡± That was her answer; her thinking that I loved Lastiara. I didn¡¯t know what she meant by that, so I couldn¡¯t say anything back right away. Nevertheless, Maria continued. ¡°Well, Lastiara-san has her quirks, sure¡ª¡± Maria said that I loved Lastiara. I understand those words, but I didn¡¯t understand what they meant. Her answer was so abrupt that it disturbed me. Speaking of love, wasn¡¯t Maria supposed to be in love with me? Why are we talking about who I love all of a sudden? ¡°But she¡¯s such a beauty¡ª¡± Yeah, Lastiara is a beauty. She embodies such inhuman beauty that even the word beautiful can¡¯t encompass her. She¡¯s so gorgeous that not a single celebrity in my previous world could hope to compete with her. ¡°She¡¯s so strong and cheerful¡ª¡± She is physically stronger than anyone, that is for sure. Her own existence breaks the rule. She has a wealth of Skills and an eye that¡¯s similar to mine. She is cheerful when she wants to be cheerful. Barring her instability and insanity, she is such a positive and bright girl. She is a mood maker who can pull people around her with her cheerfulness, making them smile. ¡°She can be mean, but she¡¯s friendly at heart¡ª¡± Exactly. She is dangerous like that. She is addicted to thrills and drama, and yet that doesn¡¯t make her put others in danger for no reason. If anything, she has been the thoughtful voice for both Maria and me. She will play the devil¡¯s advocate for our sake. ¡°She is a dreamer, and yet also the ideal explorer¡­¡± Her yearning for dreams was probably due to her environment. Lastiara was induced to prefer stories about heroes because she would be a hero. Dreamy, heroic tales occupy most of Lastiara¡¯s short life. That is why she has more enthusiasm for adventure than anyone else, making her an excellent Labyrinth explorer. ¡°She¡¯s so similar to you, and the two of you hit it off well¡ª¡± I hit it off well with Lastiara. The only reason I was being so cautious with everything was because this was a different world and I had a reason I couldn¡¯t die. If it were not for that, I would be just as dreamy and game-oriented as Lastiara. Even though I kept going against what she said, deep down, I clicked with her. ¡°Because she¡¯s such a wonderful person, I had thought that you loved her, Master, but you don¡¯t, do you? Do you?¡± Do I? Do I love her, Lastiara, romantically? If I truly prioritize my exploration, it was only obvious for me to cut Lastiara out of my life. However, I was still trying to get a grip on her and even talk her out of it. Why is that¡­? To begin with, it¡¯s strange that, as a man, I felt nothing towards such a perfected beauty. Was I unable to admit the fact I was attracted to her just because of her first impression and circumstances? But then, why else am I so panicked when I know Lastiara is about to disappear? Why am I churning my head, trying to find a way out?. Am I actually¡ª ¡¾The ????? Skill Has Gone Berserk¡¿ Your mind has been stabilized in exchange for some of your emotions Confusion is adjusted by +1.00 ¡ªhuh? The ????? Skill was activated, and the heat in my heart cooled down as if I had been doused with cold water. My heartbeat slowed down, and the information swirling in my head was neatly organized. At the same time, I realized that I had lost something that had my heart racing. Something important that the ????? Skill had selfishly taken away from me. With a cold heart, I analyzed. I knew what that something was. Supposing that the Skill had infringed into my thoughts, that something should be love, affection, or something similar. That, I knew with my mind. But my heart was so cold that I had a hard time believing it. A dry chuckle escaped me. From what I knew, there were only two conditions to trigger that Skill. One was when my emotions ran wild. At first, I had assumed it was the trigger that time, but it clearly stood apart from the previous cases. I wasn¡¯t so confused that I lost control of my mind. Rather, I was trying to reach an answer by logically organizing my thoughts. Which meant it had to be the other condition¡ªWhat, did I have to restructure my thought pattern since I was about to die? ¡°Ha, haha, hahahaha¡­¡± So what, the ????? Skill determined that love and romance were a life-threatening thing? Would I die if I fell in love with Lastiara or something? I admit it. Yeah, I might die, sure¡­ But that doesn¡¯t mean you can rob that feeling from me! It¡¯s mine¡­! The flame of anger was burning. The calmness the ????? Skill granted me went up aflame, fueling the intense rage from the bottom of my heart. Don¡¯t fuck with me. This is past the limit. My heart is not a toy. It¡¯s not something for you to play around with. I could feel my emotions spiking. A rage far surpassing anything I had ever experienced burning was ablaze in my heart. And yet, the ????? Skill showed no sign of activating. I should be nowhere near as calm as I was before, and yet the Skill still wasn¡¯t triggered. Which meant I was dictated to never innocently think of love, and yet feeling enough anger to take human lives was well within the okay boundaries. And that only fueled my rage further. ¡°What¡¯s the matter¡­? Master¡­?¡± I bursted out laughing for one second, then my face scrunched up for the next, warranting dismay on Maria¡¯s part. But she was not inside my mind. I thought back about the ????? Skill. I recalled that, when I had first met Lastiara, the Skill had activated both before and after I met her. I also remembered it was also triggered before and after our second encounter. No wonder I was unable to recognize my own feelings. No wonder my feelings for her couldn¡¯t properly develop. The seed of it had already been cut short from before it could ever spurt. My encounter with Lastiara couldn¡¯t be any worse. The sheer anger forced me to laugh. ¡°Haha¡­ No, it¡¯s a bit of a crazy thing, you see¡­ You¡¯re right, Maria. I don¡¯t love Lastiara. You guessed correctly.¡± ¡°E-eh? I see¡­¡± Maria was surprised at my answer. Apparently, she didn¡¯t expect me to say that. She even looked deeper into my face to confirm the truth, but it was futile. She wouldn¡¯t find any shred of love left¡ªit had been rid of. ¡°More importantly, you said something interesting. You said Lastiara and I are similar¡­ I¡¯m surprised you knew.¡± Maria¡¯s ?Insight? Skill sure was a convenient thing. It enabled her to know things even the people themselves were aware of. ¡°More importantly? ¡­I-I can¡¯t really put it in words, but it feels like you two have similar roots? From how I see, both of you are so perfect without any sign of defect as if you two were made up.¡± I let out a big dry laugh at Maria¡¯s apt point. It was funny because it was true. If Lastiara was a made-up thing created by her environment, then I was a made-up thing arranged beautifully by the ????? Skill. Maria seemed to understand it intuitively. ¡°I see¡­ Our roots are similar, huh.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Maria backed away from me, who wouldn¡¯t stop laughing. Even her ?Insight? couldn¡¯t seem to see through my abrupt change and thoughts. It was a testament to how much of an oddity the ????? Skill was. Ah, it was nothing, really. I was just as unstable and insane as Lastiara, is all. I understood a little better how Lastiara felt. It was the feeling of knowing that something was afoot, and yet your heart couldn¡¯t put a finger on it. Perhaps Lastiara knew that it was wrong to undergo the ritual, but her heart couldn¡¯t agree with her. That was why she couldn¡¯t be confident with her actions. She was lost and confused and the only thing that kept her grounded was her trust in her duty as she walked down every step of it. The only thing that kept Lastiara on her toes was undergoing the ritual. ¡ªBut what about me? I, too, learned that I had feelings for Lastiara, feelings that I wasn¡¯t supposed to bear. Would I do the same as her, do nothing about it, and walk down every floor of the Labyrinth out of obligation? I mustn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t keep a blind eye to my own shortcomings, not after I criticized Lastiara so much as though I was above her. My anger against such injustice wouldn¡¯t allow me. ¡°Maria. I¡¯m going out for a bit. I¡¯ll be back at noon.¡± ¡°What, eh¡­? Where are¡ªMaster?!¡± I left Maria behind and headed outside. Time was of the essence. Much like Lastiara, I exited through the window. ¡ªWhat am I going to do about it, then? I kept my rage ablaze at the bottom of my heart while my head cooled so as not to trigger the ????? Skill. Frankly, I knew what needed to be done, but I wasn¡¯t confident in that decision. Having someone else to reaffirm it was vital. Maria wouldn¡¯t be appropriate¡ªshe was too emotionally involved. ¡ªSo I looked for someone else. Not someone with an unstable mind like mine, but rather, someone who had a strong grip on their own identity, a certain friend of mine¡ª Chapter 52 [Translator ¨C Mab ] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy ] Chapter 52 ¨C Collaborator I walked past the reception area and towards the wards. The breezy path had been patched and was just barely functioning as a corridor. Proceeding through such an unattractive space, I entered Dia¡¯s room. Inside, Dia wasn¡¯t alone, there were also some unknown faces. ¡°Visitors, Dia?¡± I asked Dia, who was sitting on the bed, then I turned to the three unfamiliar men who were standing around in his room. Those three visitors were dressed like priests. I focused my gaze on them, and sure enough, their classes also stated Priest. Over their clean, light-colored garments, they wore what looked like patterned stoles draped over their shoulders. Parameters-wise, they were a bit stronger than the average person. ¡°Christ¡­?! Ho-hold on a minute.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± I replied calmly and stepped out. I was still angry, but no thanks to the ????? Skill, I wasn¡¯t in a hurry. After spending some time in the hallway, the three priests came out and greeted me as they left. Seeing that, I entered Dia¡¯s room. ¡°Heya, Dia.¡± ¡°Christ, it¡¯s rare you come over this early in the morning¡­¡± DIa looked troubled. He probably didn¡¯t want me to see that scene. I¡¯d guess that Dia was tied by a lot of circumstances himself, seeing from the fact that he was acquainted with Lastiara. To begin with, Dia was marginally more talented than Lastiara. It would be strange if someone like him suddenly existed out of a vacuum. Putting that in mind, I started talking. ¡°Were they priests from Whoseyards?¡± ¡°Uuh¡­ They¡¯re not from Whoseyards, but you guessed pretty close.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll spill it. Those Fathers are from my country¡­ They came chasing after me.¡± Dia didn¡¯t even try to hide it. He probably thought he could no longer hide it¡ªeither because I learned he was an acquaintance of Lastiara or because the Holy Birthday was coming up¡­ I had no idea. ¡°Chasing after you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I kept it a secret. Actually, I was someone important in a certain country and am a fugitive from said country¡­¡± Dia told me honestly what had happened to him. An important person¡­ I knew it, he must have had some special circumstances around him. Otherwise, there was no other explanation for his talent surpassing even the artificially perfected being that was Lastiara. Dia might think he was telling a shocking truth, but for me, I was finally able to see some sound reason. Unable to see Dia looking so guilty, I answered him gently. ¡°¡­I see. But don¡¯t beat yourself over it. Whatever happens, Dia is still Dia.¡± ¡°Christ¡­!!¡± Dia looked at me, awestruck. I assumed he was prepared to be condemned to some degree. But I was having none of it. My freezing rage urged me to quickly move on to the next topic. ¡°So, Dia, you¡¯re not going back to your own country right away?¡± ¡°No, I am supposed to, but not right away. I have to attend the ceremony of the Holy Birthday tomorrow. I was assigned to represent a religious faction.¡± The fact that Dia belonged in a higher position than I expected raised my heart more than a little. I couldn¡¯t blame it. Dia had looked nothing more than a ragged little girl about to starve to death when I¡¯d first met him. First impressions really were important. I suppressed my desire to ask for more details and talked only about the technicalities of his situation. ¡°Are you going home after you attend? Is there anything I can do to help?¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t go home, of course. I¡¯ve decided I¡¯ll make a killing here. Besides, I don¡¯t need your help to convince them, Christ. I don¡¯t want to bother you. I want to handle it on my own, at least for now.¡± Dia expressed his intentions clearly. He was very different from a certain person. If only she and I had been as honest about our feelings and as decisive as he, things would have been much easier. ¡°Got it. But I want to help you as much as I can. You can count on me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, Christ. Thanks.¡± The trouble Dia might have had been concluded in just a matter of seconds. Of course, that shouldn¡¯t be all Dia had to deal with, but the immediate problem had been talked over. I got right to the point then. ¡°And so, I¡¯m really sorry to trouble you with this, but¡­ There¡¯s something I need to ask you.¡± ¡°Ask me?¡± Dia wasn¡¯t insane like Lastiara and I were, and neither was he trapped by strong personal feelings like Maria. Not to mention, there was the difficult situation of Dia as the only person in this other world I could trust. ¡ªAnd thus, I wanted to ask for his opinion. That was the purpose of my visit. For that, I began to explain the relationship between Lastiara and the Holy Knight. Dia, with a quiet look, listened. ¡°¡ªI see now.¡± After giving a general overview, Dia examined the information I¡¯d provided him with. He wasn¡¯t at all unfamiliar with the Holy Birthday of Whoseyards and readily embraced the ridiculous story. He then went on to express his opinion. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all on the part of her education. There must be some kind of mental magic involved. A spell that has been casted on her since she was little. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be so stubborn.¡± Dia pronounced just how far worse Lastiara¡¯s condition was than I had thought. He was the one who was most familiar with Holy Magic, and he seemed to have a spell in mind. However, I had checked Lastiara¡¯s ¡®Constitution¡¯ in her ¡®Status¡¯. At the very least, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything odd there. If I had to guess, I would say that her ?Doll? and ?Fake God¡¯s Eye? Skills would be the most sketchy. ¡°If she was indeed under some kind of mental magic, would you be able to break it, Dia?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. If it was something obvious, I would have disabled it the first time we met. My guess is that it¡¯s a level of magic finesse that is ingrained in her flesh and blood. Whoseyards¡¯ higher-ups should be able to do something like that with ease.¡± Dia spoke so surely as though he had Lastiara in front of him. ¡°Which means I¡¯ll have to give up on breaking it¡­¡± ¡°But I think they will disable it before the ritual of Saintess Tiara¡¯s descent. It¡¯s hard to think they would give a body riddled with a spell that makes you think lightly of your life to a great person of the past.¡± ¡°Before the ritual, is it¡­¡± If so, then the ideal would be to take Lastiara out of there after the magic was disabled. Failing that, the only other way was to get someone who knew how to disable the magic somehow. ¡°So what are you going to do, Christ? I¡¯ll help you out. I¡¯m back in top shape, you see.¡± After Dia finished listening to me to the end, he asked me what I wanted to do. He even hinted that he was willing to cooperate, despite himself going through a hard time. As always, he was such a good kid. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have any concrete answer to his question. No, to be precise, my answer had been changed by the ????? Skill. ¡°¡­Dia. Can I ask something weird?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± ¡°What would you¡ªno, what would someone in their right mind do, normally? Would you help her?¡± I asked the bare question. I no longer trusted my own judgment. Everything I had ever had in my mind seemed to be decisions manipulated by the ????? Skill. ¡°Huh? Me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Even if I have an obligation that takes precedence over everything else¡­ Should I still go to save Lastiara¡­?¡± Dia was startled and looked at me as if he was looking at something odd. However, he then took a breath and gave his question with a serious expression. ¡°Right¡­ As for me, even if I had an obligation that needs to take precedence, I would go to save the person irreplaceable to me. No matter what¡­ But that¡¯s me. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the normal thing to do.¡± Dia insisted, looking at me passionately. ¡ªDia would go to save them, but he didn¡¯t know if that was the right thing or not, huh¡­ I had gained an answer, but not enough to make my own. With no other choice, I spilled the beans. ¡°Then¡­ Say, what if¡­ Just, what if I loved Lastiara, then should I go and save her?¡± ¡°Eh¡­? H-hang on¡­? EH?? Christ, you love Lastiara?¡± Dia suddenly panicked and tried to get confirmation. Yeah, it was understandable to be surprised when he was suddenly presented with an analogy like that, but I had to know the answer with love as an added presumption. ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­ love her. Just what if, just a hypothetical question, what¡¯s the answer then?¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ A hypothetical question, huh¡­¡± ¡°Yes, hypothetical. Hypothetical is fine.¡± ¡°Then¡­ If you loved her, then I think you¡¯d go and save her. If you loved her, then regardless of your obligation, you¡¯d go running to her side, normally, I think¡­ Hypothetically speaking, that is. Only hypothetical!¡± Without a cloud of doubt, Dia answered. As I had guessed, if I loved her, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate and would go and save Lastiara, no matter what I¡¯d lose in the process¡­ That must be why the ????? Skill erased that emotion from me. ¡°¡­Got it. I¡¯ve decided I¡¯ll save Lastiara then¡± After confirming that my thoughts and Dia¡¯s opinion matched, I made up my mind. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to the cathedral in the Whoseyards for a bit.¡± I leaped to my feet. Perhaps I had always known the answer that whole time. Even with my lacking experience in life, I had found my answer. It was not normal to abandon the person you love. It was only right to save her, step through the Labyrinth, and return home to my family with a chest filled with pride. It wasn¡¯t rational, but it was the right thing to do as a rational person. ¡°Wait, Christ! That¡¯s too sudden! Going there now won¡¯t help! I just told you that the mental magic will be dispelled right before the ritual! Lastiara might fight you back if you force yourself to bring her out, that¡¯s what this Hein person worried about, isn¡¯t it?! What would you do if the spell caused Lastiara to change suddenly and she said she¡¯d undergo the ritual, no matter what the cost?! Could you handle her then?!¡± Right. That was why Hein-san had set me up and tried to get Lastiara out of the country, even if he had to chop my leg off in the process. In that situation, I would be in danger of being confronted by Lastiara herself. Seeing as though I just recalled it, Dia sighed. Then, muttering ¡°there¡¯s no helping it,¡± he continued. ¡°Now I¡¯m painfully aware of how much you want to save Lastiara, Christ¡­ If so, what you need to do is wait.¡± Dia told me not to take action. He continued. ¡°¡ªI will be the one saving her,¡± Dia declared with as much determination as I did. ¡°You will, Dia¡­?¡± ¡°I can be right where she is right before the ritual is completed. At the moment of the completion of the ritual, I could collapse the cathedral and approach Lastiara in the confusion. I would ask Lastiara, after she¡¯s unbound by any of her obligations, what she really wanted. If she has any wish to escape, the both of us will head to you immediately.¡± What a bold and reckless plan. However, it was also true that it was the only time when Lastiara would not be bound by any ties of obligation. ¡°If I succeed, Lastiara and I will surely be hunted by Whoseyards. We¡¯ll immediately flee to the maritime nation of Grillades to the south, and we can start exploring the Labyrinth together again.¡± Dia continued to talk matter-of-factly. He was so casual about it that I almost couldn¡¯t believe my ears. Still, I couldn¡¯t understand why he would go to such lengths. I wondered if Dia and Lastiara were closer than I thought. However, seeing how both of them were being reserved to each other just the other day, it didn¡¯t seem likely. When I began to question Dia¡¯s reason, he noticed it and spoke up. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just an extension to my own fugitive life thing¡­ Not to mention, someone as strong as Lastiara is reliable to have as a companion, too¡­¡± ¡°But if you help Lastiara, you¡¯ll have more enemies. A huge enemy, in fact. Dia, are you really resolved to save Lastiara, even if it means making an enemy out of a country¡­?¡± ¡°Resolve? I have my resolve. If she is a companion that you are willing to go to such lengths to save, then she is obviously someone I need to save, too. I¡¯m fine with making an enemy of one or two countries, don¡¯t you worry about it. Our exploration in the Labyrinth is just beginning, you see.¡± Dia immediately answered with a smile. Even though he himself had the dream of making a fortune in the Labyrinth, he still decided to help Lastiara, fully knowing that it would increase the obstacles to that dream. I felt incredibly small in front of such a large character as a human being. I was so ashamed of myself, I froze from all the self-pity. Dia was too dazzling. How I wished I could be like him. ¡°Thank you, Dia¡­ But you don¡¯t need to do that, Dia. I will. That¡¯s my role, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Christ?¡± ¡°Let me be the main culprit. I¡¯ll jump in just before the ritual is completed and kidnap Lastiara. I can¡¯t have you go that far, Dia.¡± I copied Dia and pretended to be confident in my answer. Hearing that, Dia simply said, ¡°that¡¯s the Christ I know,¡± showing no sign of disagreeing. As always, he seemed to have an excessive amount of trust in me. ¡°¡ªGot it. If that¡¯s what you want, then let¡¯s do it that way.¡± Thus it concluded. After that, I asked Dia for as much information as possible about the cathedral. However, Dia wasn¡¯t very much informed about it either. As a guest of honor, he only knew the schedule of the ceremony and the minimum floor plan. However, that information would make a huge difference. It told me when and where to jump in. It was many times better than raiding the cathedral while I was in the dark. After exchanging as much information as we could and confirming each others¡¯ plans, I parted ways with Dia and headed off to Whoseyards, alone. Chapter 53 [Translator ¨C Mab ] Chapter 53 ¨C Hushed Talk The cathedral of Whoseyards¡­ Its huge and majestic building was one of the most representative symbols of the country of Whoseyards. It was located on the 9th block and surrounded by many public institutions. When I heard it was a cathedral, I had thought it was a larger version of a western church, but my vision of it didn¡¯t match its real-life counterpart. If I had to describe the cathedral using one word, it would be ¡°fortress¡±. An area the size of several Tokyo domes enclosed by a man-made river and further surrounded by tall coniferous trees and an iron fence to hide the interior. At the center of it all was a tall construct that overshadowed even the conifers¡ªa fortress tower. To enter the castle, one had to pass through a huge drawbridge over the man-made river. There was only one place where the drawbridge lowered. That meant that, fundamentally, the whole place had only one entrance. The huge drawbridge, fifty meters wide, hadn¡¯t been raised and remained lowered throughout the day. Dia had told me that it wasn¡¯t customary to draw the drawbridge, so there seemed to be no need to worry about being forced to cross the river. That said¡­ the drawbridge was heavily guarded up for it. There were several dozen knights standing guard over the drawbridge at all times. At the end of the bride was a huge gate, and on either side of the gate was a raised platform. I could spot small garrisons near the platform. It was clear that they were determined to not let any sketchy character pass, no matter what. I contemplated how to cross the river. At that moment, there were knights standing guard every ten meters around the perimeter of the river. There would be even more guards the next day. Therefore, I concluded, entering wouldn¡¯t be as easy as freezing the water and climbing over the fence. Above all, it would be difficult to find a way inside other than through the main gate. All I knew was the way from the main gate to the cathedral that Dia had told me of. If I took different entrances, the time loss would be less predictable. ¡®Should I go through the main gate, or should I cross the river¡­¡¯ It might be better to decide after comparing the thickness of the security on D-day. If the security around the rivers didn¡¯t change the next day, I¡¯d choose to cross the river. As I was simulating my intrusion, I caught a peculiar presence with ?Dimension?. It was easy to tell to whom that abnormally high-temperature body belonged. ¡°¡ªHeya. You¡¯re hard at work, I see.¡± Alty the Guardian called out to me from behind. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I already knew the situation. So, I¡¯m here to check on you. Alty talked with her eyes that seemed to see through everything. Maybe she¡¯d heard of Lastiara¡¯s circumstances from either Dia or Maria. Or perhaps she perused her cheat of an ability to eavesdrop on either of us. And she had a question for me on that front. ¡°Check?¡± ¡°What is the reason for you to save Lastiara? If it is love, then I must prepare to assist you.¡± Still a fan of romance, as always. She seemed to really make everything about romance. She was right on the money that time, though. I mused a little, then shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not driven by love or romance. I¡¯m here for a simpler reason.¡± After all, that emotion was already gone. Such a beautiful thing no longer dwelled in my heart. Something that I didn¡¯t have couldn¡¯t be a reason. It would be disrespectful to Lastiara, and I couldn¡¯t accept it either. So what I had left was a very simple reason. ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°It ticks me off. I can¡¯t stand being played around like this. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll break all of Lastiara¡¯s ties.¡± By that, I meant it was frustrating to be played around by this other world, by the Skills, by the magic, by the countries, by the cultures, and so on, and so forth. One must have free will. I couldn¡¯t continue my exploration if my free will was taken away from me. Thus, I would go against the ????? Skill and help Lastiara, and after all was said and done, the two of us would explore the Labyrinth with Maria and Dia. ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t really get it, but¡­ If you tell me it¡¯s not out of love, then it will be hard for me, one who lives for love, to help you out.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything. If your presence is discovered, our position as collaborators will be in jeopardy. If you want to help, help us in the Labyrinth, not in the towns.¡± ¡°Mhm, got that. I don¡¯t want to do anything that might jeopardize Maria-chan, the girl I¡¯m rooting for right now, so I¡¯ll just sit it out for this one.¡± Alty was surprisingly understanding, and with a very kind look on her face, she added: ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to die. Light a fire if you think you¡¯re in danger. As long as there¡¯s fire, I can help you out. I¡¯ll keep myself open for you and companion, Christ, so feel free anytime.¡± With those words, Alty turned on her heel. ¡°You have my thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. We¡¯re collaborators, after all.¡± Alty¡¯s voice was trembling when she replied¡ªnot from sadness or other negative emotions, but from joy. She was smiling, albeit a small one. ¡°Fufufu, a little more¡­ Just a little more¡­¡± With such a disheartening laugh, Alty disappeared. She looked suspicious, but I couldn¡¯t put a finger on it. Alty was a monster, so there must be something only she could understand. It was exactly the same laugh as Tida¡¯s, after all. There was not enough time to try to understand her, not then. I had to start with Lastiara rather than wasting my brain power on her. I shifted the gear in my mind and moved on to the next step. The next step was shopping and researching at the library. Shopping was for tools and weapons I would use. While at the library, I would look into Whoseyards and its Holy Birthday. However the die rolled, it was always better to know the chances. ¡ªI didn¡¯t get any information that was particularly noteworthy, though. All the library offered was all I already knew. I had no choice but to look into magic, which was my next objective. There was a high possibility that I would face battle, facing a large number of people. I looked for the spells that I might need to leverage. Of course, researching the spell didn¡¯t mean I could get my hands on it. Nevertheless, I kept digging into the books and looked. I read the details of the spells I laid my eyes on again and again until I memorized them. Why did I do that? ¡ªIt was so I could make them. Sometimes ago, Maria and Franr¨¹hle had told me it was impossible to create spells. At the time, I didn¡¯t argue with them back, but in reality, I had already created quite a lot of spells. While they were only extensions of an application of their base magic, I¡¯d made five new spells: ?Dimension Gladiator?, ?Dimension Multiple?, ?Ice Quick Arrow?, ?Daytime Snow?, ?Ice Flamberge?. Maria said that creating magic was only a thing of fairy tales, but all along, I had been thinking that this world was very much like a fairytale. I knew that only ¡®a handful of people,¡¯ like heroes in epics, could create magic. Which was precisely why I was confident that I could create magic, too. I finished my research on magic and left the library. As I walked around, I envisioned my new magic. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯m part of those people¡­ ¡ªMagic, ?Dimension?, ?Freeze?¡­¡± With a small murmur, I mixed the two invoked spells together. The image of the spell was already solidified. I¡¯d researched it in the library for that reason. Creating an image from nothing was difficult. However, if the image of it already existed, then creating similar magic was easy¡ªthat had already been proven. ¡ªI carefully worked out the magic. If possible, I prefered to practice in the privacy of my home, but a second spent not practicing was a second wasted. The path behind me was slightly frozen. It was such a small freeze that anyone had to stare to notice it. With small icicles growing out from my footsteps, I walked back home.