Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Lord of Kramis (1)
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Right to a Private Audience with the Lord of Kramis
It was one of the perks of the Pioneer title, but I hadn't actually planned on using it.
I wasn't in a position where I needed to ask for any favors, so there was no reason to meet the absolute ruler of the city.
I couldn't be sure, but a medieval lord sounded like some high-and-mighty noble.
Besides, just looking at the taxes levied on Summoned Beings, it didn't seem like he was very fond of them.
More importantly, most men in South Korea learn one thing in the military.
Nothing good comes from standing out.
I was going to let it slide, but Tae-soo insisted that I should definitely meet the lord.
He said that while it was true the lord disliked Summoned Beings, he gave Pioneers special quests with massive contribution points, along with gifts and various other conveniences.
It wasn't anything spectacular, but he said it was quite lucrative, so I decided to meet him.
As I walked and talked with Tae-soo, the entrance to the lord's castle came into view.
"Hey, little brother, I have a confession to make. Is that okay?"
"As long as it's not a confession of love."
"You're something else. The truth is, I've never met the lord either."
What was he talking about now?
"What? But you said you've been receiving contribution quests and support all this time?"
He even said he was accompanying me today to report on a quest...
"All the support and quests are handled through the lord's butler, not the lord himself."
"I see."
From what he said, the Lord of Kramis had never once shown himself, even in Elsia.
As long as it wasn't a wasted trip, I didn't mind.
No, in fact, it was better this way.
Meeting the butler seemed less intimidating than meeting the lord.
We arrived at the castle gate while we were talking.
I went through the verification process with the guards at the entrance, placing my hand on a crystal orb just like I did at the Magic Tower.
"You are the Pioneer. Follow me."
I followed the guard who seemed to be the highest in rank and entered.
It felt much larger on the inside than it looked from the outside.
There were also far more buildings than I had expected.
Without a guide, a first-time visitor would definitely get lost.
After about a ten-minute walk, the man leading the way stopped in front of a small, gray building.
"Wait here for a moment."
The man who had been guiding me went inside.
Of all the buildings we had passed, this was the smallest and most unimpressive.
Was it because the butler lived here, not the lord?
Before long, the guard emerged with a mustachioed gentleman in a navy suit.
"Hmm? Your companion has changed."
"My companion hasn't changed; the Pioneer has. This young man is the new Pioneer."
"Is that so?"
He looked unimpressed, as if a change in Pioneers was a common occurrence.
"Regarding the lord's last directive..."
"It has been fulfilled."
Tae-soo stepped forward, and soon, white spiderwebs began to pile up neatly on the ground before him.
"Three hundred strands of Arachne's silk from the 40th floor."
He glanced over them, then pulled a blue pouch from his coat. With a flash of light, the spiderwebs vanished.
"The quality isn't particularly good."
"Still, I did my best..."
"Whatever. The quantity is correct, so take this."
He took an orange orb from the pouch and tossed it to Tae-soo.
Fortunately, he caught it, but the gesture felt quite rude.
Tae-soo seemed used to it and didn't look offended, but this man was just a butler, not the lord, yet he was treating him like an inferior.
"Thank you."
"You, the new Pioneer?"
"Yes."
"What floor are you on? The 43rd?"
"The 50th."
I had already told Tae-soo, so he didn't react, but the butler looked slightly taken aback.
"Last I heard, the Pioneer was on the 42nd floor..."
"This young man is very capable."
"The lord did say he would meet Pioneers who reached the 50th floor personally. You will come with me."
"Oh? Then can I...?"
"Does someone of your level presume to meet the lord?"
He's really arrogant.
Anyone would think he was the lord, not the butler.
"Then I will wait here."
"You are no longer the Pioneer, are you? Wait outside. Hans, escort him out."
At the butler's shout, the guard who had guided us led Tae-soo away.
"You, follow me."
I didn't like him, but I followed the butler without showing it.
After walking for about ten minutes, we entered a magnificent building.
Despite its splendid exterior, the interior design was somewhat gruesome.
I'd seen a few at the Magic Tower, but those were just heads. Here, entire taxidermied monsters were displayed everywhere.
"Is the lord's hobby collecting monster taxidermy?"
"..."
He didn't even turn around, let alone answer.
I was just trying to break the awkward silence since we had been walking without a word.
"Is there any reason I must explain that to you? Just follow me quietly."
At this point, Rina was starting to look like an angel.
Did he get beaten up by a Summoned Being as a child or something?
He clearly didn't want to talk, so I didn't try again and just walked in silence.
We passed through a large hall, which seemed to be where the lord and his vassals usually held meetings, and came to a staircase leading to the second floor.
Knock, knock—
Thankfully, it seemed we had arrived, as the butler knocked on the door in front of us.
"My lord, it is I, Bahrain, your butler. I have brought the Pioneer who has reached the 50th floor."
"Send in only the Pioneer."
The door opened with the sound of a deep, dignified voice.
Stepping inside, I saw a plush-looking sofa and a table in the center of the room.
Further in, beyond countless bookshelves, a slender man sat at a large desk.
It felt like a chairman's office from a TV drama.
Of course, the furniture and design weren't modern at all; it was just the layout.
"Greetings. My name is Oh Hyeon-ung."
"A name I haven't heard before. A pleasure to meet you."
He stood up, strode over with a smile, and extended his hand, which caught me slightly off guard.
They say you can judge a man by his servant. Since the butler was so arrogant, I had naturally expected his master to be extremely prickly.
"Hmm? Are you a germaphobe, perhaps?"
"No... Not at all."
I quickly took his hand but almost let go reflexively.
There was no power struggle in his grip, but his hand was so cold it felt like I was touching ice.
"Your hand is quite warm."
"Are you unwell, my lord?"
"No. I'm always like this, so don't mind it. Let's go and sit over there."
"Ah, yes."
He smiled kindly, not at all like a nobleman.
I sat on the sofa, and he even brewed me a cup of tea himself.
"I trust you wouldn't lie to me, the lord, but do you have any proof?"
"Proof...?"
"Proof that you've reached the 50th floor. We can confirm you're the Pioneer, but we can't verify the floor separately."
That was a bit disconcerting.
I had gotten a few claws after killing the Gold Lycanthrope, but they were junk items, so I sold them all.
"I did kill the Gold Lycanthrope, but its byproducts are already..."
"I heard one of the general stores bought some Gold Lycanthrope claws recently. It seems you were the one who sold them."
"Yes."
"Then do you remember which general store you sold them to?"
"Yes. It was Arnold's General Store near Kabisa."
He grinned and nodded, so it seemed I had passed.
"That's proof enough. Impressive. I thought it would take at least another six months for a Pioneer to reach the 50th floor."
"Haha, I had some luck on my side."
"You can't clear the 50th floor on luck alone."
He spoke as if he'd been in the Labyrinth himself.
The residents can't enter the Labyrinth... No, wait a minute.
"You're quick on the uptake, just as a Pioneer should be. I, too, was once a Summoned Being."
"Wh... How..."
I had never imagined the lord could be a Summoned Being.
His clothes, his appearance—he looked completely Western.
Of course, I knew there were foreigners, and I'd heard there were some in other guilds before choosing my starting point, but...
"Which country are you from?"
"Ah, I think you're misunderstanding something. I'm not from your... Earth, I believe it's called? I'm not from there."
If not from Earth, did he come from another world?
"The place I lived was called Jeita. Well, that's not important, so let's move on. I called you here to inform you that you have a choice."
"What kind of choice, my lord?"
"For a Summoned Being, the choice is obvious, isn't it? Whether to descend deeper or to stop."
I didn't quite understand what he meant.
The Labyrinth was never compulsory to begin with.
Of course, there were taxes in Elsia, and you needed money to live.
But once you earned enough, you could choose not to enter the Labyrinth.
No one forced you; as long as you didn't walk into the Labyrinth entrance zone, you wouldn't be dragged in.
In fact, I'd heard that not every member of the Golden Lion Guild went into the Labyrinth every time.
"Could you explain in a little more detail?"
"There's no need to overthink it. If you don't stop, you continue descending the Labyrinth as you have been. If you do stop, you no longer have to go."
"What exactly does 'no longer have to go to the Labyrinth' mean...?"
"Summoned Beings who reach the 50th floor are given the opportunity to become residents of this world. You would no longer have to pay the exorbitant taxes you currently do."
There was no merit in that at all.
Anyone who could make it to the 50th floor would be skilled enough that the taxes wouldn't be a significant amount.
Starting from the third year, it was 10 gold, and from the tenth year, 20 gold—not a small sum, but a 50th-floor Summoned Being should be able to afford it.
"You don't seem to think there's much merit in it."
Ah, I must have been so flustered that my thoughts showed on my face.
"To be honest, yes. For someone at the 50th-floor level, the taxes are..."
"From the 51st floor onward, the difficulty spikes incomparably. And hmm... well, since you're the first, I'll tell you this much as a bonus. The benefits increase every 10 floors."
Lord Almondeu began to explain calmly.
At the 50th floor, you gain the status of a freeman and 100 gold. At the 60th, the rank of baron and 300 gold. At the 70th, 1,000 gold, the title of count, and a fiefdom. The 80th floor grants the title of duke, the Lord of Kramis.
He said he didn't know about the 90th floor since he'd never been, but if it was above a duke, I guessed it would be something like an emperor or a grand duke.
And this choice was offered only once every 10 floors.
If you didn't choose on the 50th floor, you would have no choice but to continue challenging the Labyrinth until the 60th.
It seemed like a pretty good deal for living in this world, but something felt off.
"If you stop once, does that mean you can never challenge the Labyrinth again?"
"Impressive. That's right. If you give up, you can no longer enter the Labyrinth or use the Summoned Beings' shop. And if you stop below the 70th floor, your memories will gradually fade."
"I see."
Just as I thought. If there was something to gain, there had to be something to lose.
"Although, personally, I think it's better to be without the memories."
I could sense a hint of bitterness in the lord's smile.
After asking a few more questions, I learned that your equipment and gold wouldn't disappear.
The magic and skills you learned, and even the mounts you owned, would also remain. The inventory would still be usable, but that was it.
You couldn't gain experience from killing monsters outside the Labyrinth.
Even if you had items like magic tomes, you couldn't learn from them.
"That should be enough of an explanation. You may only be at the 50th floor, but you are the first to arrive, and frankly, I'm ready for a break. How about you stop now and become my successor?"
A system window appeared.
[Do you wish to cease challenging the Labyrinth?
―Y, as a Pioneer benefit, you have received an offer from Almondeu Syupereuteu, the Lord of Kramis. (Lord of the Labyrinth City Kramis, title of Duke)
―N, No reward.]