Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: First Time (1)
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Rin paused for a moment on her way back from the shopping district to the inn and looked around the street.
Workers were lined up, hauling crates back and forth, while shops bustled about, stacking goods everywhere.
She had never paid much attention to who passed through the streets or how they went about their work before...
But Rin had a gut feeling that the atmosphere was different from usual.
As if something big was about to happen.
"Halt!"
Someone blocked the path of Rin, who had been walking with vague suspicions she couldn't quite pin down.
He stood in the middle of the intersection, blocking all pedestrian traffic, but since he was in uniform, everyone stopped and stepped back without a word.
Soon after, accompanied by a procession of countless soldiers, massive wagons larger than any Rin had ever seen filed past in a line.
It was the Labyrinth City's defense forces.
These soldiers mostly stationed at the walls, so they were rarely seen inside the city, but now an enormous column was marching through the streets.
Encountering these unfamiliar sights of the city several more times along the way, Rin walked a bit further and arrived at the inn.
At the tables on the first floor, everyone except Rin—including Ian—was gathered, waiting for her.
Rin set one of the paper bags she had been hugging down in front of Ian.
"I got it."
"Thanks. Good work."
Handing over the ink bottle Ian had sent her for, Rin placed the bag of bread she'd bought alongside it on the table and took a seat.
Then, suddenly recalling the odd atmosphere she'd noticed on the way back,
Rin brought it up, wondering if Ian might know something.
"The vibe was kinda weird today, though."
"How so?"
"Felt like war was about to break out or something."
"Ah..."
Hearing that, Ian glanced at the date.
The time had crept up on them before he knew it.
"Yeah, it's about that time."
"Huh?"
Rin, who had prompted Ian's response in the first place, jumped in surprise and asked back.
"You mean there really is gonna be a war?"
"War, yeah!"
Instead of Ian, the innkeeper chimed in with a laugh as he passed by.
He'd been running this place in the city for over ten years now, dealing with this every year, and his face showed weary amusement.
"Not even real wars are this much of a mess. You lot with Ian are all new to it, right?"
The innkeeper, who said this while stacking crates in the kitchen, was no exception.
Ian peeked outside the inn.
The chaotic tension from the city seemed to seep in through the door.
Ian explained to the three staring at him with tense faces.
"Monsters are gonna attack the city soon."
"Monsters?"
It was the main quest that hit Labyrinth City once a year.
The monster wave was about to begin.
The dungeon to the north of the city—commonly called the 'Labyrinth'—had periods where monsters surged in number periodically.
Overflowing with mana from the depths, the monsters filled the Labyrinth to the brim and spilled out, attacking everything nearby indiscriminately.
And the first target of that assault was the fortress built right in front of it: Labyrinth City.
Calling it a war with monsters wasn't wrong at all.
"That thing... was real?"
"You've all heard the stories, right?"
"I thought it was just a tall tale to scare newbies..."
It was a story that always came up when talking about Labyrinth City, so they'd all heard the rumors on their way here.
But actually experiencing it was another matter entirely. None of them had been here even a full year yet.
...Come to think of it, Ian hadn't either, if you counted real combat experience.
As she listened to the explanation, Rin suddenly remembered a story from her first day as a mercenary.
"Captain. So this means... emergency muster?"
"Yeah. We'll have to go out too."
Ian nodded.
All guild-affiliated mercenaries were obligated to participate in this defense.
Tanya, imagining hordes of monsters attacking the city, asked with a tense expression.
"So we're fighting monsters too?"
"No, we can't climb the walls."
Ian shook his head this time.
Only C-grade mercenary corps or higher could enter the Labyrinth.
The monsters that appeared there were mostly C-grade or above.
So the ones spilling out from the Labyrinth were naturally C-grade and up as well.
Sending E- or D-grades up there would just get them killed without contributing, so low-grade corps weren't even allowed near the front lines.
Only C-grade and above could ascend the walls and fight the monsters directly.
"Corps like ours handle logistics support."
Repairing walls before the invasion, transporting supplies.
Shuttling goods around the city during the battle—that was the main role for low-grade mercenary corps like theirs.
"So we have to haul crates?"
"Ugh..."
Rin recoiled at the mention of carrying loads.
Mika's face darkened the most.
Rin had the highest overall stats thanks to her levels, and Tanya was already specialized in porter work.
Mika, with the lowest stamina and strength, was in the worst spot.
It was grueling labor she truly dreaded, but Rin let out a sigh of relief inwardly at the mention of a monster invasion.
Just hauling crates inside the city would be far safer than the walls.
"Well, guess that means no real danger. Was hoping to show off a bit."
"That's why I prepared something else..."
"...Huh?"
Rin sensed something off and looked up.
It was that same feeling from when Ian had suddenly told her they needed to hunt Night Tails.
The monster wave was a prime chance for massive contributions and cash.
For Ian, who needed to grow as much as possible, it was something he couldn't miss.
But reaching C-grade in time for the first wave to join the defense was no easy feat.
Even for Ian, it would take considerable luck, so instead of banking on chance, he'd planned a more reliable Plan B.
"There's a way we can fight monsters."
"Wh-what is it?"
Ian placed a document from his possession on the table, and everyone leaned in to read it.
Underground Sewer Defense Plan.
"...The sewers again?"
It wasn't recruitment time yet, but since it wasn't classified, he'd asked the staff for an advance copy.
"You can apply early for which sector to defend."
Whether approval came down to guild review, but Ian was confident they'd pass.
No other corps had navigated the sewers as much lately.
Worst case, bribe with coins for a slot, but it probably wouldn't come to that.
"We're applying for the Underground Sewer."
"Monsters come through the sewers too?"
"The Labyrinth has slimes, and they ride the sewers in."
While only C-grades could fight on the walls, there was one exception: the Underground Sewer.
Due to its structure, only slimes could pass through, so even during invasions, only slimes showed up.
Thus, D-grades could participate in its defense.
But there was one catch to consider...
Ian's monster expansion mod.
This mod added new monster types to the game and introduced special variants with unique traits among existing ones.
It was one he'd installed to ramp up the game's difficulty.
...One he'd desperately want to disable if given the chance, but in this situation, it offered an opportunity.
Thanks to it, invasions now featured not just regular slimes but various special types.
In other words, rare high-level slimes unique to the Labyrinth depths would appear this time.
A D-grade zone that used to only spawn worthless regular slimes would now host special ones dropping premium loot.
"Slimes again?"
"Haa..."
But the members, Rin included, hung their heads and sighed softly at the prospect of fighting slimes in the sewers yet again.
The mercenary guild's interior bustled with more people than usual coming and going.
As a key pillar of the city's defense, the guild was in full swing ahead of the monster invasion, with every staff member rushing about.
Warehouses began filling with supplies, and employees darted in and out nonstop.
On the third floor of the mercenary guild amid all this,
in a place off-limits to regular mercenaries and staff without special business, a meeting of the guild's leadership had been ongoing for days in preparation for the invasion.
"They want to fully shift Underground Sewer defense to our side."
One staffer picked up a newly arrived document and addressed the meeting room.
"Backup will be two guard companies."
"That's it?"
The vice guildmaster, leading the meeting, scowled.
Defense assignments varied yearly based on circumstances, but this request was unusually abrupt.
"Where are they pulling troops from?"
"Last invasion damaged the west district, so they're using that as excuse to draw more guard forces there."
Camilla looked up from a document and replied.
"The mayor gets funding from that area, right? With reelection funds needed soon, he's playing to their favor early."
"Pushed military downsizing, cut standing troops... Guess they'll strip the easiest target: sewer guards."
"Damn bastard."
The vice guildmaster grumbled as usual while listening to the guild members, but there wasn't much they could do.
The guildmaster in the city hall meetings was essentially on the council's side anyway.
By the time word reached here, it was basically decided.
In situations like this, the guild's job was always the same: squeeze gold out of the city.
"Wring every coin out of the budget."
"Shouldn't be hard. Damage in the city center before elections would tank reelection. Mayor can't skimp this time."
The topic wrapped up as Camilla and the vice guildmaster set down their papers.
Fine, they'd have to accept this one.
But now a new issue needed solving.
The vice guildmaster glanced toward the mercenaries gathered on one side and spoke up.
"Alright then. Time to decide who's handling the Underground Sewer..."
The guild's direct-affiliated mercenaries in the meeting room.
They'd become defense commanders under the guard once the invasion hit, directing other mercenaries.
The vice guildmaster scanned their faces.
"Anyone want two sectors?"
"......"
"Yeah, figured. Pass."
He hadn't really expected takers.
Someone cautiously raised a hand with the simplest solution.
"Just conscript a C-grade and shove 'em in?"
"Force 'em into the sewers, and they'll riot."
Sure, guild orders had to be followed,
but the invasion was the biggest payday of the year for corps.
No one would take getting stuck in a slime-filled sewer lying down.
"Got any C-grades we can blackmail? Rebecca, go beat one up and drag 'em here."
A face popped into Rebecca's mind at the vice guildmaster's question.
Could they... handle something this big?
After a moment's thought, Rebecca spoke up.
"Delegate the sewers out?"
"What, got a C-grade boyfriend?"
"It's D-grade."