Profits from Peril: Coffins and Chaos
I spent the time crafting several dolls. Whispers announcing stragglers occasionally reached my ears, and some returned to the clearing for a rest. I promoted the dolls to them and earned a few more points. But there was no news of anyone finding treasure. Instead, coffins began arriving here one after another.
The first one that came was riddled with holes and mangled all over, as if it had passed through several traps. Its legs—four of them—had been torn off, bearing gruesome traces of its ordeal. Yet despite that, the coffin on its back had somehow maintained its shape. We quickly recovered the thing that had barely made it to the clearing and pried it open. The inside was remarkably stable, unlike the battered exterior. And within lay a blood-soaked man. One leg had been ripped off, blood gushing from the wound, and a massive hole gaped in his chest—big enough to see straight through to the other side. I couldn't even imagine what kind of fight he'd been through.
The dolls pulled the man from the coffin. The moment he emerged, blood poured out of him. I hurriedly sealed all his wounds with mana. He'd already lost so much blood that his entire body was deathly pale. He half-opened his eyes and looked at me. I took his hand and smiled.
"Don't worry. Close your eyes for a bit, and you'll be good as new."
I drew a magic circle. A rough check showed his internals were half-destroyed. The preservation magic in the coffin had kept him alive this far, but death was just a matter of time. I gave orders to the dolls. The heart and lungs were the priorities. The dolls opened their own bodies and pulled out organs corresponding to the man's missing parts. All of them were artificial organs I'd prepared in advance. I fused them one by one with the man's mana. I had to find the ones that matched him best. Some triggered strong rejection, others didn't mesh with his mana's texture. We tested them quickly, one by one, until we found the right fits. Then we connected them to him.
On the outside, he looked utterly grotesque. Since all the artificial organs were external attachments, wriggling things clung to his body like they were devouring him. But inside, things were stabilizing. For a mage, only mana mattered. The body was just an accessory. These organs reduced the burden so his mana could handle the body fully. Soon, his faint mana surged strongly—from his tree, the flow began. It coursed through his body, enveloping the missing parts. Slowly, they regenerated. Bones grew from his leg stump, and the gutted cavity filled. His mana pushed out the artificial organs I'd attached, filling the voids itself. To aid the process, several dolls drew magic circles—recovery spells for growth and regeneration. With that, the man soon regained his original body.
He rose slowly from his seat, eyes closed as he gathered his mana. Then he bowed his head.
"Thank you. You saved my life."
"Nah, no big deal. If I'm getting precious points, I have to earn them, right?"
I helped him up and led him to a table I'd set up in one corner of the tent. I poured him tea and gave a gentle smile.
"Professor, take it easy for now. Plenty of time left."
"I'll recover my body a bit, then. Name's Jun. Call me that."
Jun. I searched my memory. I'd memorized all the student files. Seven years enrolled, still stuck on the 1st Floor.
"Jun, huh. I'm Ebron. Just call me Ron. Rest up."
I said that and stood. He nodded and closed his eyes. Mana from the surroundings began flowing into him—he was recovering. Meanwhile, I inspected the coffin doll he'd ridden in on. The main magic circles forming the coffin were undamaged. Reusable. I fitted it with new legs. Once I'd tidied the damaged body, it looked brand new. The thing tested its body, moving this way and that. Detecting no issues, it shrank and returned to my hand.
Jun, now recovered enough to move, watched from beside me.
"So, what do you think? This cute little guy brought you all the way here. Up for renting it again?"
I offered the doll. Jun nodded silently and held out his ring. I took the points through it and handed over the doll. He left the clearing again. Not even fully recovered, and already so impatient.
After that, it kept happening. They rented coffins again, and seeing others return safely, more took them out. Watching the points pile up made me grin. Alright, time for me to move too. Not leaving the clearing, of course. Was I crazy enough to abandon this safe zone? The dolls would do the moving. If no customers came, force-sell them. A thousand-point lesson from orientation. I had to emulate that.
I scattered dayflies in all directions, with various dolls following. They'd sweep the area and map the labyrinth for me. Paths split and merged repeatedly, forming an eerily complex maze. Even the ways I'd come were hard to track. I sent dolls only along traces of human passage. Traps were mostly disarmed. Sure, some dolls broke on leftover traps from those ahead, but overall, no big issue. The dolls scouted paths, searching for people. Some smashed them, others sent them ahead to check traps. In the process, I found someone on the brink of death—pierced through by tentacles from the ceiling.
Hm, I'd seen him in the clearing before, but he hadn't bought from me. The tentacles were sucking mana greedily from the mage's body. The dolls approached cautiously. The tentacles just writhed idly despite them. But the moment a doll tried to touch the mage, the ceiling split, dozens of tentacles pouring out. They skewered the dolls in an instant. All their defensive magic crumbled before it. Red patterns emerged on the dolls' bodies, draining their mana and drawing a massive magic circle on their backs. The tentacles sensed danger and tried to destroy them, but the circles activated first. The dolls detonated in a massive explosion, using their bodies as the catalyst.
The tentacles were caught in the blast, scattering. But no real damage—just shaken by the shock. I hadn't expected much. Just enough gap for the coffin doll to snag the student. Using the explosion's momentum, the coffin shot forward. It grew huge in a flash, slamming into the tentacle feeding on the mage. The impact dropped the mage to the floor; the doll swiftly encased him in the coffin. The robbed tentacle raged and lunged, but the doll scurried away on its four pairs of legs. It returned straight to my clearing.
Opening the coffin, he was half-dead, like Jun earlier. A bit more mana drain, and he'd have been out. I treated him quickly, just like Jun. Mana restored his body; consciousness returned, and he opened his eyes. I met his gaze and smiled.
"You're safe here. It's the labyrinth's starting point."
"Ugh... thank you."
I waved off the thanks. Just providing service—why take gratitude? I held out my hand. His right, with the ring. He stared blankly. I grabbed his limp hand. His ring gleamed.
I pressed my ring to it.
"Rescue fee's 10 points."
Confusion crossed his face.
"What was used to save you, priced out."
"Renting the doll was definitely 2 points..."
I cut him off and presented the bill. Detailed: efforts to find him, mana to transport, dolls expended. All tallied to 10 points.
"That's just basic rental. Here, it's search effort, transport mana, consumed dolls, etc. Adds up to 10."
I offered the coffin doll that brought him.
"Might happen again. Rent one preemptively? 2 points."
He took it with a sour look. Submitted 12 points total, headed back in. I grabbed him again.
"Oh, and struggling with maze navigation? Got something for that. How about this doll? Super useful for rescues—like the ones that tank traps and explode..."
Squeezed another 3 points. Watching him go, I smiled in satisfaction. Danger breeds opportunity, as expected. These outcall transports were the easy money. Lots of coffins, even more people.
About six hours passed. Not a mountain of points, but a solid hill. Each glance made me happy, though a bit bitter. Recovering coffin dolls wasn't easy. Over 10% didn't return. Signals wouldn't track. Expected losses, but regrettable given value. Each coffin was turtle-shell fragment equivalent—materials alone over 10 points.
I spread the map: simple labyrinth structure from dolls. Most uncharted, but clearing surroundings fully mapped. Maze changed, but not drastically—just paths added, removed. Progress over halfway. Traps cleared, few stragglers now. Unease crept in. Would professors let it go this easy? No way.
The moment I sensed it, I summoned the turtle. It grew cart-sized, lay down before me. I moved the tent atop. Ready to bolt. But no big incident. Maze revealed more; dolls neared zone's end. No treasure anywhere. Anxiety grew. Packed gear minimally into space pouch, tent interior to minimal dolls.
Then, the unease became reality—the labyrinth quaked violently. Thought it like before, but no. Quakes intensified, beyond previous. Ground and ceiling flipped; paths shredded. My clearing too—ground split, rocks rained from ceiling. Turtle dodged frantically. More rocks poured, mana-charged, targeting me precisely. Damn, professor's doing. Didn't like me lounging comfy.
Turtle ran, evading, but rocks curved midair toward me. No dodging in clearing. Had to enter churning paths. The entrance I came through sealed—rocks smashed it. No breath, my spot bucked wildly. I gripped tent with mana, endured the rumble.
When quakes ended and maze stabilized, I checked outside and wryly smiled. Familiar layout gone; new maze enveloped us. Wider, denser mana. Surely packed with far deadlier threats. Beyond paths, murderous intent loomed. Monster? Unclear. But dangerous, and closing in. Overwhelming—flee before noticed. Turtle bolted. Traps unknown, but had to move. Professor's malice seeped from every corner of this new maze.