Chapter 125: B-Rank Labyrinth — Tower of Trials (1)
[Tower of Trials] was a difficult but rewarding labyrinth.
You could go through a grueling expedition, steadily improve your skills, and even the rewards were fairly decent.
Was there another labyrinth this desirable?
What pleased me most was that even a Level-4 explorer like myself could personally experience the terrifying nature of a B-Rank labyrinth.
《Just what in the world did you experience in the past to end up this broken? I am honestly starting to get scared. :(》
And yet, contrary to expectation, [Tower of Trials] was extremely unpopular.
The fact that a B-Rank labyrinth was difficult to clear was obvious, so that could not be the reason.
There was another decisive cause.
“Here it is.”
Southwest of Cultist Town.
Our expedition arrived in a gloomy, chilly neighborhood sunk in the shadow cast by Pletika’s outer wall.
“It’s really quiet….”
Pendrick frowned as he surveyed the village, which was steeped in silence, almost like [Nightmare World].
“Even the neighborhood where Captain lives still felt at least somewhat like a place where people actually lived, but why is it like this here?”
“I was waiting for that question.”
When I answered while rubbing my palms together in a suitably cultist-like manner, Pendrick copied me and rubbed his hands as well.
“Hehe, I asked because I thought you’d like it.”
“As expected, Pendrick is the emotional pillar of the Moon Expedition.”
“Uh… wouldn’t that be you, Captain?”
“How could a frail cultist possibly become a pillar that supports people’s hearts?”
Pendrick was someone destined to become one of the Moon Expedition’s core combat forces in the future.
“The reason this place is quiet is because of the tendencies of the cultists who live here.”
“What kind of people live here?”
I covered Bartimir’s eyes, which were visible through the bandages, with my palm and answered.
“The Watcher of the Murky Rainbow. The cultists of Lord Radmie live here.”
“…Eek!”
Astrimia twisted her blade sharply.
“Then don’t tell me right now….”
“That’s right.”
I slowly turned in place once, looking around the neighborhood submerged in silence.
“From the moment we entered this neighborhood until now, they have likely been carefully observing our expressions, footsteps, and habits. Naturally, they have also quietly listened in on every conversation we have had.”
The specialty of the cultists of the Murky Rainbow was quietly watching people from hiding. In other words, spying.
It was not for the purpose of gathering and selling information like the Brites family.
They simply chose a life of secretly peeping on others because that was the sort of devotional life their Evil God desired.
“Because it simply feels unpleasant. That is precisely the decisive reason [Tower of Trials] is unpopular.”
“……”
The team members started scanning the nearby houses with wary eyes.
“What? That’s not a big deal at all.”
Only Bartimir strolled leisurely down the deserted street.
“When I was a test subject in the Black Mage guild, every word and action of mine was monitored. If they’re only spying on us, then I can just take it in stride.”
“I feel the same way. Shall we share secrets while we walk?”
“You go first, Mom.”
“I am actually a half-elf.”
“Gasp!”
As I had a cozy conversation with my kind-hearted demon daughter, we gradually drew closer to an unusual sight.
In the middle of the road near the outer wall, the upper half of an upside-down tower was abruptly lodged in midair.
《The entrance to [Tower of Trials].》
Even though this was near the entrance, there was not a single explorer around trying to enter the labyrinth.
When we approached a little closer, I saw a labyrinth-management priest sitting on a chair by the roadside with a blank expression.
“Huh?”
Marlin’s eyes widened.
It was because she was a priest we already knew.
“The priest lady we saw at [Fire Ant Nest]?”
“…Huh? Tiger friend!”
Reina, the overly energetic priest who had been in charge of [Fire Ant Nest], sprang to her feet and waved both hands vigorously at Marlin.
Then she spotted me and greeted me just as happily.
“Oh! Aren’t you Sir Kar, honored guest of the Harmony Church!”
“We meet again.”
“Have you come to clear [Tower of Trials]?”
“That is the plan.”
“Finally!”
Marlin, who had been watching the delighted priest with wide eyes, carefully asked, “Weren’t you in charge of [Fire Ant Nest], Priest? How did you end up transferred here?”
“I got disciplined!”
At Reina’s unnecessarily lively answer, Lucius, who belonged to the same Inquiring Lantern order, developed a crease on his forehead.
“…How did you end up getting disciplined?”
“I got swept up in the public mood saying we should go welcome Saint Seraphina, who had come to face yet another history, and I skipped work to enter the labyrinth! So now I’m getting thoroughly scolded for it!”
Lucius, who had been listening from the side, finally let out a very small sigh.
Reina somehow caught it immediately and shot one hand into the air.
“Wow, Brother Lucius! Hi!”
“…You’re working hard, Sister.”
“With Sir Kar here and Brother Lucius here too, I guess I can skip the detailed explanation of the strategy?”
When I nodded, Reina immediately unfolded the ladder that had been lying on the ground and set it upright.
Since the entrance was floating in the air, we had to climb up by ladder.
“The reset is scheduled to happen in about a hundred days. So please hurry!”
“Isn’t that plenty of time?”
Reina raised her right index finger at Pendrick, who had asked the question, then wagged it.
“Not at all. The longest time ever taken to clear [Tower of Trials] was a whole three years.”
“…It can take as long as three years?”
“If it feels like you absolutely cannot climb any farther, you can give up midway. Then you’ll have to challenge it again from the beginning, but at least you’ll keep your life, so bear that in mind!”
The energetic priest stepped aside after her explanation, then suddenly turned to me.
“But there are seven of you, right? You know this without my needing to say it, don’t you? The expedition limit is six people. Starting at seven counts as a violation of expedition law.”
“So we plan to split up and enter as groups of four and three. Will that work?”
Reina gave a bright smile without much thought.
“Of course!”
“Thank you. You are as generous as Arteine’s boundless magnanimity.”
“Flattery won’t get you anything!”
After exchanging pleasantries with Reina for quite a while, I called forward the members of Moon Expedition Group One.
The super-genius swordsman, the kind-hearted demon, the future monstrous thief, and the thoroughly prepared priest.
To Bartimir, who among them possessed the richest expedition knowledge, I handed over the paper I had scribbled on last night containing the strategy for [Tower of Trials], various tips, and homework assigned to each of them.
“You just need to do what’s written there. If you don’t finish your homework, I’ll spank you, so please do your best.”
“Yes!”
“Bartimir will act as temporary squad leader, so please lead the expedition responsibly.”
“Don’t worry!”
Perhaps because an expedition lay before her, Bartimir seemed a little excited. After sending the other team members in first, she entered the labyrinth as well.
With a hand resting on Abel’s shoulder, I watched them go.
“Sponsor, when will we enter?”
“In [Tower of Trials], the expedition composition of those who enter together is important. If we go in at too short an interval, we might get lumped together, so let’s wait a little more leisurely.”
“Understood.”
After nodding, Abel took two water bottles out of his backpack.
“Please try this. It’s tea made with a new formula.”
“Thank you. Is the other one for Lady Rosalia?”
“That’s right. I added poisonous herbs to it especially.”
“That’s what he says, so please try it.”
“……”
The assassin lowered the cloth covering her mouth slightly and took a light sip of Abel’s special poisoned tea.
Then her eyes widened a little.
“How is it?”
Rosalia stared silently at Abel, then shook her head slightly.
“It’s all right, but you wish the poison were more poisonous. Is that what you mean?”
Nod nod.
“…It was already poisonous enough that an ordinary person would be in serious trouble from even putting it in their mouth. Understood.”
Thanks to Abel, we spent a fragrant waiting period, and then Reina waved her hand.
“You may enter now!”
“Understood. Then it’s time for us to go too.”
After sending Abel and Rosalia up, I said to Reina,
“Priest, in a little while some outlaws disguised as ordinary explorers will be coming in after us.”
“…Hmm. I’m sorry, but our Harmony Church does not control explorers’ entry into labyrinths.”
“I know. I’m not asking you to stop them. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
As I climbed the ladder, I briefly gazed at the quiet village.
“Please do not stop anyone who comes, no matter who it is, and do not let them wander off elsewhere. Guide them into the labyrinth.”
Opportunities to obtain a large number of living sacrifices were truly rare in this age.
[Tower of Trials] was a labyrinth that extended even into the wasteland surrounding the city where the tower stood, Disolum.
After entering the labyrinth, our Moon Expedition Group Two found ourselves standing in the bleak fields characteristic of the Northern Continent.
《B-Rank Labyrinth — Tower of Trials》
《Due to the labyrinth’s rules, explorers assume the status of trainees who temper body and mind. Even if they do not challenge the tower’s trials, they still cannot live comfortably.》
“It looks like Group One already headed for the tower. Shall we go too?”
Together with Abel and Rosalia, I started walking toward the city.
As we walked, I explained the labyrinth rules they needed to know in advance.
“In [Tower of Trials], explorers become trainees.”
As I spoke, I pointed to the green clover badges that had somehow appeared near all of our shoulders.
“This is the mark proving that status.”
《Leaf of Training》
《An item distributed under the leadership of Great Orc Chieftain and Fist King Graik, once the conqueror of the Northern Continent, signifying the status of a trainee. Aside from a function that distinguishes authentic pieces from fakes, it is just an ordinary ornament.》
“No, Lady Rosalia. You mean you do not know what a trainee is?”
“……”
The taciturn assassin immediately shook her head.
She was probably too shy to openly voice what was on her mind, so I decided to thoughtfully explain the part she was likely curious about.
“The time period of this labyrinth is right after the Valterium Empire’s Three-Continent Unification War ended. Back then, the Northern Continent had a custom where, upon turning sixteen, people would begin a wandering life of training. Those people were called trainees.”
It was a blazing training craze born from the painful past of being brutally trampled under the Valterium Empire’s military might.
Trainees wandered from place to place, fighting others, subjugating monsters, and entering labyrinths while tempering body and mind.
“I read about that in a book.”
Abel, who quietly spoke up, narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Once someone became a trainee, they had to keep wandering and training until they accomplished something that anyone would acknowledge.”
“You know your stuff.”
Unlike his older sister, Abel was steadily raising his “Knowledge” stat, so I ruffled his hair.
“But starting around two hundred years after this labyrinth’s time period, corrupted trainees started appearing one by one.”
That was why an enraged descendant of the Fist King later held a grand tournament to beat down every last trainee.
If we ever entered the A-Rank labyrinth in Zone 1 later on, we might even get to participate ourselves.
“As expected, Pletika’s labyrinths are truly diverse….”
Abel’s face flushed slightly with excitement. Even back when he lived in the slums, he had dreamed of becoming an explorer.
“I am curious why so many labyrinths formed only in Pletika.”
“Really?”
That was too welcome a thing to hear, so I stopped walking for a moment.
“You’re really curious? You want to know the detailed mechanism?”
When I asked casually, Abel hurriedly shook his head.
“…That explanation would surely be extremely long, so I will hear it later when we have time outside the labyrinth.”
“…Really?”
Feeling disappointed for no reason, I looked at Rosalia.
“Lady Rosalia, are you not curious either?”
“……”
The coldhearted assassin once again firmly shook her head.
“It’s really interesting… All right.”
With no choice but to leave it for another time, I kept walking, and before long we reached the entrance to the city where the tower stood, Disolum.
It was classified as a city, but it was not particularly bustling, so in reality it was closer to a somewhat large village.
“In the Northern Continent, there are no bleak procedures like inspections before entering a city, so we can just go in.”
Once we entered the city, we saw buildings with rough appearances spread out in a free and unrestrained arrangement.
In the Northern Continent, land of wildness and struggle, orderly urban planning was a luxury.
“You said you would be dealing with outlaws.”
After looking around the city once, Abel tugged on my sleeve.
“Where and how are you planning to fight them? Will just the three of us be enough?”
Since he had not yet received any teachings related to combat, he seemed a little uneasy.
His tail was swaying unsteadily.
“Of course.”
To ease his concern, I boldly indicated Rosalia with both hands.
“With Lady Rosalia here, the strongest assassin and the Brites family’s Deep Shadow who protects Young Master Odilon, what exactly is there to worry about?”
“……”
Rosalia, who had been staring at me, shook her head back and forth.
It clearly meant, My, my, I suppose I’ll have to show some of my skill for our little brother.
Abel let out a small laugh and looked toward the city center.
“There is something Pendrick often says. That our sponsor would never push us into a dangerous situation without any plan.”
“I understand what you want to say, but that is a bad example. Our super-genius swordsman is the kind of person who would blindly trust even someone who had no ability worthy of that faith.”
If not for the suspicious Astrimia at least, by now he might already have been deceived by outlaws and dragged into an expedition as a mere shield for labyrinth clearing.
“…In any case, I will trust only you, Sponsor. Just as I always have.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
After thoroughly mussing Abel’s hair, I continued down the street.
Before Pierre and the Hyena Guild outlaws arrived, there was something I absolutely had to do first.
“First, shall we do a bit of shopping?”
One had to make complete preparations before receiving important guests.
We arrived at the market in the city of Disolum.
“…This is the market?”
As soon as we entered the street where the market was located, one corner of Abel’s mouth twisted upward.
“This feels more like… an arena.”
Crunch!
Before Abel had even finished speaking, an orc citizen collapsed while scattering blood.
“If you’re upset, try harder.”
The troll street vendor brushed off his hands and sat back down on his mat.
That was the result of an orc weakling daring to try haggling.
Similar scenes were unfolding all over the market in real time.
“The people collapsing right now are trainees.”
“I see… They all have marks like ours.”
Rosalia rolled the sprawled-out orc off to the side.
“What exactly is going on here?”
“Back then, there was a popular ideology that everything a trainee went through was training.”
Fist King Graik, who had led the great training craze, believed that training which did not resemble real combat was meaningless.
Because of that, trainees approached even ordinary trivial daily life as if it were training, and the citizens actively joined in.
Price bargaining was done not with words but through combat, meals were naturally self-supplied from the wild, and money was earned by beating down anyone eye-catching.
“In this era of the Northern Continent, nobody accused a person who beat a trainee half to death. On the contrary, they were showered with praise for helping with the trainee’s training.”
Simply put, the Northern Continent itself had become one massive training facility.
“What do you think, Abel?”
I straightened my shoulders proudly while taking in the chaotic market.
“Doesn’t it sound amazing? Daily life itself becoming harsh training?”
An era where every single day was filled with stimulation and dopamine, with nothing to make the heart grow dull.
It could truly be called the time when paradise descended upon the earth.
“Then does ‘corrupted trainee’ mean…?”
“Of course it refers to cowards who, while holding the status of trainee, turned away from a life filled with struggle and avoided both fighting and hunting.”
“……”
Abel’s ears drooped slightly.
“…So it was a labyrinth where you could not stay at ease even without entering the tower.”
“Correct. Smart boy. If it were Marlin, I would have had to explain it in two different ways before she realized.”
Labyrinths were not kind to explorers.
That was what made them desirable places.
“Now that we’ve had a fruitful history lesson, shall we go?”
First, we headed toward the troll who had knocked down the orc earlier.
“Hm. Strange combination. Very strange.”
The troll vendor stood up and looked down at us arrogantly.
“Me sell all herbs. Five gold.”
Looking at them, they were herbs worth at most 3 silver.
A completely absurd markup.
Naturally, this murderous pricing applied only to trainees.
At times like this, “haggling” was necessary.
“Noona.”
“……”
Rosalia’s figure vanished for a moment, then immediately reappeared beside the troll.
Smack!
A roundhouse kick landed cleanly in his side.
The troll vendor could not even scream before collapsing on the spot.
“…Amazing.”
The troll got right back up and smiled brightly.
“I give all for 1 silver!”
“Thank you.”
Combat shopping, something that could only be enjoyed in [Tower of Trials].
When I was raising “Berserker Ymir,” I used to enter often just because I could not forget this thrill.
“Abel, choose some useful things. We’ll use them for cooking.”
“…Yes.”
So we made one round around the market and bought all kinds of ingredients at cheap prices.
“……”
In the meantime, Rosalia stopped in front of a pet poisonous insect monster stall.
The poison-crazed assassin stared fixedly into my eyes.
“No. If the young master finds out, he will scold you severely.”
“…Your house.”
“You want me to raise it at my house? Hmm….”
“Ugh, I refuse.”
“That’s what he says.”
“……”
Rosalia’s ears tilted down slightly.
“We’ve finished shopping.”
After fully enjoying some aggressive shopping, subspace was filled richly with all sorts of ingredients.
《Now even more varied-tasting offerings can be made! :D》
“Now we’ll go wait quietly at the place where we’ll lure in the outlaws.”
I led the team onward again.
Our destination was a certain restaurant near the outskirts of the city.
Aside from the fact that both the exterior walls and the indoor floor were made of earth, showing the wild charm characteristic of the Northern Continent, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
“Welcome.”
A human employee with a sullen expression approached us, then suddenly swung a mace.
Crack!
Before he could even come close to us, Rosalia had already reacted and struck his jaw with an upward kick.
The employee, who had fallen backward, staggered back to his feet.
“To think you would deliver such a brisk strike…! All dishes will be discounted by half for you, customer.”
“…The Northern Continent of this era is truly not easy to adapt to.”
After patting Abel on the shoulder at his quiet mutter, I placed our order.
“Four whole onions coated in nose-piercing sauce. Three plates of any well-grilled meat. Five bowls of spirit herb salad with poison added.”
“…Understood.”
The employee flinched for a moment, then hurried off toward the kitchen.
Tap.
Rosalia lightly nudged me, then tilted her head.
“You’re asking why that person was startled just now? It was a kind of code.”
The hidden piece outside the tower in [Tower of Trials].
Ordering food at this restaurant in a specific quantity combination.
“In the order we requested them: 4-3-5. That number combination starts the Hidden Piece.”
“…It did not matter what dishes we ordered?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why the whole onions coated in nose-piercing sauce…?”
“Because they’re delicious.”
It would have been even better if they were whole raw onions slathered with wasabi, but unfortunately the Northern Continent of this era had barely developed any food culture at all.
“Customer.”
Soon the employee returned and placed three small ornaments on the table.
They bore an upside-down clover emblem.
Badges with the [Leaf of Training] symbol flipped upside down.
“If you carry those and go, it will work.”
“Understood.”
“We will also prepare your food quickly!”
After waiting for the employee to hurry away, I handed the upside-down clover badges to Abel and Rosalia.
“This labyrinth really is full of things to wonder about. What is this now…?”
I pinned the mark right beside my [Leaf of Training] and answered.
“Beneath this city lies a gigantic underground waterway, a remnant of an ancient civilization. This is a kind of ticket that lets you enter it.”
“…An underground waterway?”
“That’s right. Its official name is….”
Just then, the food we had ordered arrived.
I bit into my share of the purple-sauced onion and spoke.
“[Trial Sewers]. A C-Rank labyrinth.”
A small labyrinth that could be entered only from inside a specific labyrinth.
In other words, a hidden labyrinth.
“While the other team members climb into the sky, we’ll be going down beneath the ground.”