Chapter 123: I’ll Begin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: I’ll Begin
“The sorrow of a developing nation, I suppose.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Roanmarie was incredible. There were magical automatic doors that opened on their own by sensing human movement, and magical lighting that flickered on the same way.
It was a shopping mall that felt only slightly inferior to the ones in my previous world. In the public restrooms, magical phonographs played soft classical music, and magical credit cards issued by the Central Bank of Roanmarie were so common that there was no need to carry cash.
“If only Calax were even half as advanced as Roanmarie.”
“Mmm... it certainly is amazing...”
I never imagined I’d be asked, ‘Will you be paying with cash?’ after coming to this world. While most people around us were pulling cards out of long wallets, Ravi and I were fishing coins out of our pouches.
Still, given the high number of visitors to Roanmarie, the staff seemed used to seeing people use cash.
“That’s 14 silver for the Happy Meal and 18 silver for the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese set. The total is 32 silver.”
“Right.”
Damn. I had my suspicions, but I was right. It seemed that what they had been diligently accumulating over their five hundred years of history wasn't just magical technology, but massive inflation.
I was aware that this was one of the more expensive, affluent districts in Roanmarie. It made sense, considering it was prime real estate right near the Teleportation Gateway, and the shop was on the first floor of the very building where Mother had booked our lodgings.
I heard there were a couple more gateways in Roanmarie, but this was definitely the wealthy part of town.
I had expected our accommodations to be something like the inns in Calax, but this felt exactly like a hotel you’d find at a luxury resort. The fact that there were shops on the first floor... how could there be such a massive gap within the same world?
Ravi, standing beside me, looked utterly shell-shocked.
“Ravi? What’s wrong?”
“Is it really okay for a single meal to be this expensive?!”
“Oh, that.”
“I thought for sure you’d have something to say about it, Aven! This is a scam!”
It wasn't quite that bad. It was certainly expensive, but it was within a range I could understand.
“At this rate, I’m going to starve to death in two weeks...!”
“How much did you bring?”
“Two gold coins and five 10-silver coins...”
That was 2.5 gold. Apparently, even this was money she had painstakingly saved up. I wondered if being an Appraiser didn't pay well, but then I realized it was probably just the location of her Sateria Appraisal Office.
“Well, for now... shall we head up to the room?”
“Hmph.”
Buildings that I would have considered tall back in Calax were lined up in rows here. The lodging Renart’s mother had secured for us was on the top floor of a massive eight-story building. Ravi made a huge fuss the moment she saw the elevator.
“W-we’re! We’re going up right now! Toward the sky!”
“Yes, we are.”
“Aren't you amazed?!”
“You probably won't believe me, Ravi, but I used to ride elevators in twenty-story buildings every single day.”
“Hmph, I don't believe you. You’re just lying to tease me again!”
I didn't expect her to believe me anyway. Eventually, we reached the eighth floor via an elevator that felt a bit sluggish by my standards, and we found our room.
“Room 802. This is it.”
“I’m so excited!”
Beside me, Ravi was hopping up and down in a frenzy. I understood. She rarely even visited the affluent Northwest District of Calax, and now she was in the heart of Roanmarie’s high-end district.
I took the magical keycard I’d received at the lobby check-in and held it against the magical door lock.
Click—
A sound that wasn't magical at all, but rather mechanical, rang out as the door opened. I guess door locks were mechanical in this world too.
“Whoa...!! It’s so huge! It’s like a rich person’s house!”
The moment the door opened, Ravi went into a state of hyper-excitement and dashed inside. I had expected as much from the look of the building, but thankfully, there was more than one room. Since an attendant from the Lymains was supposed to arrive this evening, they must have booked a spacious suite expecting us to stay together.
Thanks to that, it looked like I wouldn't have to deal with the awkward situation of sharing a bed with Ravi.
“Wow... to be in such a high place! Aside from the day we climbed Mount Mailbait, this is probably the highest I’ve ever been...!”
“Is that so?”
Looking around, I saw three beds. Unfortunately, there were only two rooms. I started unpacking my things for now. If the attendant coming tonight was a man, I’d have to share the room with two beds with him and let Ravi have the other room to herself.
“Aha, I get it! If a woman comes, I can just share a room with her, right?”
“Yes.”
“But, um... I wouldn't mind sharing a room with you, Aven...?”
“Really? Well, that works for me. I’m not too keen on sharing a room with a stranger either.”
Ravi, who didn't have much in the way of luggage, did some light unpacking, and I began pulling items out of my storage artifact.
“Whoa, you brought a lot of stuff.”
“Didn't you bring any other clothes, Ravi?”
“I was so excited that I forgot... but I think I can make it two weeks if I’m careful...”
Unbelievable. She was a nineteen-year-old girl in the prime of her youth, and she was claiming she could survive two weeks on a single outfit? I always thought she had a strange ability to stay perpetually scruffy in the same clothes, but this was something else.
“What about underwear?”
“...I’ll just take them off briefly when I wash them...”
“Truly a legend.”
* * *
“I’m going to go take a look around, so stay here and rest. You remember they’re sending someone from the Lymains, right? Open the door when they arrive.”
“Okay!”
In the end, it had been for nothing, but Ravi was exhausted from our attempt to sneak into the gateway this morning. She hadn't felt it because of the extreme excitement of arriving in Roanmarie, but once that adrenaline faded, it seemed all the strength had left her body.
As for me, I was interested in Roanmarie’s Great Labyrinth. I planned to head out of the affluent district and into the sector where the real explorers lived.
Better equipment, artifacts with incredible performance, stronger monsters. And more experience.
There was so much to gain during my two-week stay in Roanmarie. Just like in Calax, if there was a place where they dismantled monsters caught by others, I hoped I could scavenge something there.
“What kind of map is this?”
Roanmarie was much larger than Calax. Naturally, there would be far more explorers, and the Guild would be busy. From what I could see, they handled things efficiently using magic, but there were still physical limits.
Because of that, it was nearly impossible for every explorer in Roanmarie to use the single labyrinth portal in the city center. The headquarters of the ‘Page of Arcana’—the same scholar organization found in Calax—was located here in Roanmarie. Apparently, they had developed a way to replicate labyrinth portals, resulting in four portals scattered across the city, including the original.
Of course, it was just the number of surface portals that had increased; all four sent you to the exact same Great Labyrinth of Roanmarie.
It was similar to having a front door, a back door, and a side door for the same building.
“Yeah, this is what a Labyrinth City should feel like.”
I saw several people on the streets wearing armor or carrying weapons. This was the atmosphere a Labyrinth City ought to have. I didn't feel a particular sense of belonging to the profession of 'explorer,' but I did feel a sense of camaraderie.
It was that feeling of being fellow workers struggling in the labyrinth. It was the same thought I had when I worked at construction sites and saw older men whose names I didn't even know. Those guys must be having a hell of a hard time too, I’d think.
“This is the place.”
I had walked down diagonally from the Northern Sector—the tourist-heavy affluent area—to the location of the Eastern Labyrinth Portal. From what I knew, the Eastern Sector of Roanmarie was like the Southwest of Calax, a place where many low-rank explorers gathered.
As if to prove it, blacksmiths and clothiers were visible here and there, along with plenty of inns and eateries. If I had to pick a difference from Calax, it was that most of the buildings were quite tall, usually at least two stories.
And above all, while it was hard to find magic item shops in Calax’s beginner district, they were everywhere here in Roanmarie’s Eastern Sector.
As expected of the heart of magic.
Whirrr—
“Even the Guild has automatic doors.”
The massive Guild building was located in the Eastern Sector, slightly toward the inner city. I recalled hearing that the population difference between Calax and Roanmarie was nearly 2.7 times.
Naturally, there would be many novice explorers, and the Guild building had to be much larger.
—I’m telling you, it’s true! That guy said he got a great skill.
—Is this quest for real? 30 silver for 5 liters of slime essence?
—I’m so jealous...! The Western Sector? You’ll be rubbing shoulders with high-rank explorers then.
—How is it? The performance is insane, right? It’s a dagger with a Mending Enchant.
The lobby was packed with low-rank explorers, just like the Southwest branch in Calax. Although the lobby was much wider, the population density was even higher. How nice would it have been if I’d been born in Roanmarie?
“No, I might have died immediately since I wouldn't have met Auntie.”
According to what I’d heard from Theodora, these explorer plates were first created in Roanmarie and were now used by almost every Labyrinth City. I was told the rank plates used in Calax would be valid here as well.
“Welcome, Explorer! How can I help you?”
“I’d like to enter the labyrinth. I usually operate in Calax, but I’m in Roanmarie for a short time on business.”
“Ah, uh... hmmm...”
The Guild receptionist looked like she’d been on the job for only a few days. I was a difficult customer for a novice to handle, but she seemed to want to solve it herself. She agonized over it for about thirty seconds.
“If you’re unsure, why don't you ask a senior staff member?”
“Ah! I-I’ll do that.”
The receptionist jumped up to find a senior and returned with a man. He had long green hair and a fierce expression.
“Did you come from Calax?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Is your purpose for staying here an expedition into the labyrinth?”
“Not exactly. I came with an acquaintance who has business here, and I wanted to check out Roanmarie’s labyrinth in my spare time.”
“I see. Could you show me your explorer plate?”
I pulled the plate from my pocket and handed it to the senior receptionist. He slid it under a machine sitting on the desk.
“A Gold Grade plate. And your name?”
“Aven.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The senior receptionist disappeared somewhere, leaving the rookie standing awkwardly in front of me. I wondered if Guild receptionists got paid well. I should tell Ravi to quit being a broke Appraiser and try being a receptionist at the Guild later.
“Where did your senior go?”
“I-I’m not sure! I’m sorry!”
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
It was obvious she’d been trained to maintain eye contact during a conversation. It was awkward as hell, but she kept her eyes wide and fixed on me, even though she clearly felt the awkwardness herself...
“Explorer Aven, would you mind coming with me for a moment?”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
“Have a safe trip!”
The staff training here was certainly thorough.
In any case, I followed the senior receptionist to a large training ground next to the Guild building.
“You don't need to be so tense. The specific promotion requirements for Roanmarie and Calax differ slightly. We’ve verified the authenticity of your plate, but...”
“Ah, I see.”
“This person here is also a Gold-grade explorer.”
So they wanted to verify my skills.
Standing before me was a woman holding something resembling a metal baseball bat. Her outfit was quite bold. With blonde hair and tanned skin, she wore a white tank top and hot pants—a sight for sore eyes.
“Pfft, isn't Calax just a total backwater?”
“You’re right. I didn't realize it before, but I see it now that I’ve come to Roanmarie.”
“But you’re kind of handsome, aren't you? You said you were Gold Grade in Calax?”
“Yes, that’s right. By the way, do you get paid for doing this?”
“Not really. I do it because I like it. Every now and then, I catch someone who doesn't have the skills they claim, and I get to give them a good thrashing.”
In smaller Labyrinth Cities, it was difficult to perfectly catch cases of rank manipulation, like point-padding. There were people who reached Gold Grade in rural labyrinths but would barely qualify for Iron Grade in Roanmarie.
They didn't bother checking up to Silver Grade, but from Gold Grade onward, they were relentless. Even if Calax wasn't that much of a backwater, verification was a matter of principle.
“Alright, I understand.”
“You’re Gold Grade, right? If not, speak up now.”
“I am.”
“You said it yourself. I’m going to fight you like I’m fighting a real Gold Grade, okay?”
“Sure.”
She was the talkative type. I pulled my sword and shield from my storage artifact and took a stance.
“Sword and board? What a boring loadout.”
“I suppose it is.”
After checking the equipment of both sides, the senior receptionist spoke.
“Then, let us begin.”