Companion Reroll
In the wake of Jun's declaration, guild staff bustled about, posting notices on every guild bulletin board they could find.
Even a fool could guess what those notices said.
Adventurers scrambled toward the boards without a second thought, and Jun, freed from their attention, was finally able to go about his business in peace.
First he sought out Pirbyon, had Firmus and Sil-iens serviced, sold off what few worn weapons he still had left, and purchased new ones. He bought cheap, fully intending to use them hard and throw them away — yet even so, the quality was incomparably better than anything from Primuni Village's forge.
In truth, the weapons Jun bought were not cheap low-grade junk. Under normal circumstances, each one would have cost a brand-new adventurer their entire life savings just to afford a single piece. That he could pick them up as if they were bargain-bin scraps was thanks to a perfect three-part harmony of discounts: his exclusive contract with Pirbyon, the Church's Special Protection Status, and the guild's concentrated support package.
"Insane!"
"Whoa∼"
"Kh!"
So fantastically effective was that triple discount that Tatsu — who had tagged along for fun — and a pair of novice adventurers who happened to be present all stood with their jaws hanging open, utterly dumbstruck.
Once the weapons were sorted, Jun turned to Carol's help and stocked up on every consumable, tool, and camping supply he would need in the Labyrinth, along with high-end camping gear and cooking magic tools destined for Dowonhyang. Carol shot him a meaningful look at the sight of a tent large enough for glamping and the cooking magic tools that went with it, but Jun turned his head and desperately pretended not to notice. The existence of Dowonhyang was something he intended to reveal only to his wives.
Next he meant to buy the daily necessities, medicinal herbs, crops, livestock, and fish he had planned for furnishing Dowonhyang — but even a guild shop that sold a wide variety of goods could not stretch that far.
So Jun went looking for Lawrence, an old acquaintance who worked for Lemumni's direct merchant company.
"Welcome, Jun. So you've really become an adventurer."
In the five years since they last met, Lawrence had risen high enough in the company that he no longer traveled with the caravans. He greeted Jun warmly after so long apart. But the moment he saw Carol trailing behind — there to help with price negotiations — the delight on his face took on a bitter edge.
It was only natural. For years he had hoped Jun would become a merchant. To have the boy show up as an adventurer instead could hardly fill him with pure joy.
To ease his mood, Jun revealed the existence of the Aura Core he had kept hidden for so long, then handed over a paper listing everything he wanted to buy.
"What! You had an Aura Core all this time?! Well, that changes everything."
A merchant ought to have cared more about the shopping list, yet Lawrence did not so much as glance at the paper. He simply let out a long sigh of relief — proof of how sincerely he had fretted over Jun's safety.
Warmed by that genuine concern, Jun told him enough about his actual skill so that this uncle-like figure would stop worrying. Sharp-eyed Carol helped by recounting, in detail, the duels with the Guildmaster and with Trichi.
At first Lawrence listened with the smile of a man hearing a younger cousin brag. Then the play-by-play of those fights, and the news that Jun had been granted Special Protection Status and concentrated support, wiped the smile away and left him serious.
"Looks like you're going to become someone truly important. You want everything on this list? Come on. This uncle of yours will help."
"Are you sure? Aren't you terribly busy right now?"
"Don't worry about it. This is an investment. When you make it big, just don't forget who helped you — and help me back. That's all I need."
With Lawrence's aid, Jun managed to buy quality goods without getting swindled. Carol's philosophy — If it helps with Labyrinth conquest, it falls under support — meant the miraculous triple discount applied here as well.
A few snags cropped up along the way: namely, finding a moment to slip the living chickens, ducks, and fish into Dowonhyang without anyone noticing. (Pigs and cows were still out of the question; Dowonhyang was not large enough yet.)
"Hey there, could I have a word?"
"How much is this item?"
Thankfully, every time the need arose, Lawrence and Carol drew the surrounding eyes toward themselves. Even more gratefully, they asked Jun no questions while they did it.
Living creatures cannot survive inside a subspace storage. Lawrence knew that from his long acquaintance with Jun; Carol knew it from the knowledge she had built as a receptionist. And still they pretended not to notice. Carol even leaned to Jun's ear and swore, "I swear before God that today's events will remain secret."
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Jun tried to treat them both to an expensive dinner. They refused again and again, but his resolve did not budge. In the end they gave in and accepted.
One stroke of luck: Jun had only just arrived in Lemumni and did not know the city. Meeting each other's eyes in silent understanding, the two of them led him to a restaurant — a high-value, low-cost place known only to locals. The atmosphere inside told Jun exactly what it was, but he chose not to call them on it. Pressing the point would only make them uncomfortable.
Having repaid their kindness that way, Jun returned to his room inside the guild, then headed straight into Dowonhyang to sort the purchases with his two wives.
"Unnie, please look after the chickens, ducks, and fish."
"Okay!"
"My lord, please set up the tent and build a house for the chickens and ducks."
"Got it."
They pitched the tent, arranged beds and furniture inside it, organized supplies into storage cabinets, built fences and livestock shelters, and planted herbs and crops. Three days of decorating Dowonhyang like a newlywed home had passed when Carol came looking for him.
"Jun, the first round of screening is finished. Please look these over and make your selections."
She held several documents in her hands.
The guild's central plaza.
Carol found Jun in the middle of a casual chat with Tatsu and Emili. After a greeting, she handed him several sheets of paper — self-introductions, each packed with an adventurer's information.
"Uh... is this all?"
Jun asked, puzzled. The stack she had given him numbered fewer than ten pages — far fewer than he had expected.
She said there were so many applications she'd screen them first, but this is still way too few, isn't it?
Had the screening standards been that high?
Jun ran through the criteria Carol had taught him.
...There's one that's pretty strict, yeah.
The moment that particular standard surfaced in his mind, his head nodded of its own accord.
So which criterion had earned that nod?
Strength?
No. His own reputation kept the bar from being empty, but the requirement itself was not especially high — minimum Navy, anything above preferred. Same as any other party's recruitment standards.
Equipment?
Not that either. Gear could be assembled gradually as they explored the Labyrinth. For anyone with outstanding skill, Jun was even considering lending equipment.
Position?
No again. Jun himself was an all-rounder capable of filling every role, so he had given no preference to any position and recruited evenly.
Strength, equipment, position — the three standards other parties usually made the most demanding. If none of those were the problem, then what on earth did Jun consider so strict?
It was this: Must be a stacked, well-proportioned beauty with common sense installed.
Thinking about it now, this is insanely embarrassing.
Most of the screening criteria had been the wish list Jun had once rattled off to Carol about ideal party members. Naturally, "stacked, well-proportioned beauty with common sense installed" was on that list too. As a man planning to fill his entire party with wives, he had had no choice but to say it — yet having his private tastes laid bare still left him mortified.
What had the guild staff thought while reviewing applicants against those standards? Just imagining it made his ears burn.
Perhaps she sensed his feelings. Carol leaned close to his ear and whispered.
"Yuna and I handled the screening alone, so please don't be too embarrassed. And the reason there are so few self-introductions is that I only brought people who can adventure with you starting from the first floor. When we reach a floor level that matches other promising adventurers, I'll recommend them then."
"...Thank you. I'll treat you to another meal soon."
"Hehe. I'll be looking forward to it. Anyway, pick two or three from these. With your skill, you'll want the smallest possible party until the thirtieth floor. More people only raise the Labyrinth's difficulty and create freeloaders. Oh — personally, I recommend these three."
Carol plucked three sheets from the self-introductions spread across the table and handed them to Jun. After reading them carefully, he wore an ambiguous expression.
It was not a problem of skill, equipment, or position. All three had grown up under adventurer parents, attended training halls from a young age, and possessed Blue-rank cores. One had even awakened a double core. All three were brand-new adventurers like Jun himself, and their positions did not overlap. They were, without question, the sort of people Carol would recommend.
The reason for Jun's ambiguous look was simpler: the one who had awakened a double core was a man.
"Carol. Why this one?"
"The three of them are childhood friends and refuse to be separated. So include him for now and try exploring the Labyrinth together."
"Wouldn't it be better for them to just form a party with someone else?"
"Jun, don't be afraid of stealing party members. If you want people you like, you have to be willing to take them."
It was an entirely reasonable opinion. Perhaps that was why Jun found himself thinking Carol had recommended these three precisely so he would put that opinion into practice.
If I'm right about this...
Then Carol was forcing him, right now, to transform into a golden sun who stole women without a drop of blood or a single tear of mercy.