Chapter 118
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: 31. Ego Axe Bunny (2)
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After enjoying a hearty breakfast with the mother and daughter, Ellie and I headed straight to the Explorer's Union.
It was to pick up the reward that Professor Mangkostil had supposedly sent.
"But Ellie, why are you tagging along?"
"Hehe. Now that I don't have to rush to the academy for classes, I'm just bored. I've got the next two months off anyway..."
Last night, on the carriage ride back to the inn, Ellie had made up her mind about her future and told me and Diana.
She declared she would become a royal court mage.
Considering how other mages dreamed their whole lives just to serve as retainers to nobles—let alone royal court mages—Ellie was starting miles ahead of the pack.
Having accepted the royal scout's offer, Ellie was granted a two-month break.
In other words, she was currently just a bored layabout.
"I-If you don't want me to come, I'll just stay at the inn then."
"It's not that I don't want you to. I was just curious. Wanna come along?"
"...Hehe. Yeah!"
She'd been in full panic mode this morning when she caught sight of my dick and bolted out of the room.
But now, at the mere suggestion of coming along, Ellie had switched back to positive mode, beaming at me.
Squeeze...
She timidly clung to my arm and trotted along after me.
As soon as we stepped into the Explorer's Union, we saw crowds of people already hard at work bright and early.
"Are all those people explorers?"
"Most of them? Not all—there are clients too. But yeah, mostly juniors and mid-tiers."
From what I'd overheard at Diana's tavern, the serious high-tier explorers tackling the labyrinth were mostly holed up in Eden, the safe zone on the 15th floor.
'They've got an Explorer's Union branch there too, from what I hear.'
That's why it was rare to spot high-tier explorers at the surface branch.
Anyway, that's beside the point.
"Junior Explorer Balkan confirmed. Please pick up your package at the right counter."
I finished verifying my identity at the counter and collected the package.
I had no idea what was inside, but it was lighter than expected.
"It's from the professor, so probably something magical, right?"
"Dunno. He said it'd be something helpful for labyrinth diving, I think."
I was curious. What on earth had he sent?
We found an empty table and carefully unwrapped the package.
And what emerged was...
"...A backpack."
"...A backpack, huh."
It was an utterly ordinary-looking bag.
Not too big, not too small—a super lightweight backpack.
"That's it?"
A wave of injustice washed over me.
That old geezer calls this a reward? He didn't even give me proof of the outlaw subjugation to cover up the fact that an outlaw infiltrated the academy?
Really, was this all? I opened the backpack and shoved my arm inside.
Schlup.
My arm sank right in. Even jamming it in deep enough to poke through the bottom, my hand never hit the base.
"What the hell, Balkan! Don't tell me that's a spatial backpack?!!"
That's when a voice called out from behind me.
I turned to see Jubel and Joey Hogg approaching our table.
Ellie spotted them and whispered quietly to me.
"...Who are they?"
"My party members. The cow over there is Jubel, and the dwarf's Joey Hogg."
"Oppa’s coworkers...? Ah, hi! I'm Ellie! I-I'm a mage! Um, especially good with fire magic!"
Ellie shot to her feet, flashing a bright smile as she greeted them.
"Kuh. Pointy-ears, huh? But hanging around Balkan means you're one of the good ones. Name's Joey Hogg."
"I'm Jubel. Specialty: squirting milk from a distance. Hobby: tit development. Every morning, I start my day with a fresh glass of my own milk to wake up my mind. The first squeeze of the day tells me how the rest'll go."
"......Ah. Okay..."
Ellie nodded blankly, her face a mask of utter confusion.
I knew that feeling all too well. Just being around them made your head spin.
"What brings you two here all of a sudden?"
"A month's break left me all stiff and rusty. Came to see if there were any decent quests. Anyway—that thing a spatial backpack or what?!!"
Joey Hogg and Jubel made a huge fuss over the backpack from Professor Mangkostil.
"Is it really that big a deal?"
"Kuhuk! That's what noobs say! It's an artifact you can't buy even if you have the coin! Spent months combing every shop and black market in the outlaw district—zero stock!"
"It's got more limits than the personal spatial storages the real bigshots use, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Even when one pops up, top bidders snatch it instantly. Last one went for 30 gold, I think? For 20kg capacity."
An artifact backpack worth a whopping 30 gold pieces.
That was the true value of this backpack.
'I've been pinching pennies from my belt pouch, and my entire savings is 5 gold...'
The professor sure had scale. A bit burdensome, sure, but whatever.
Like he said, it was legit pay for my work.
I silently apologized in my heart for calling him an old geezer and examined the spatial backpack.
"Once you're aiming mid-layers or higher, you gotta haul so much gear. Krh. Lucky bastard."
"You tire out from the luggage before the monsters even show."
They naturally pulled up chairs and joined the chat.
"Time to decide our next destination anyway."
"Honestly, I think we can make it to the 12th floor."
I furrowed my brow slightly at Joey Hogg's words.
The labyrinth had a total of 34 layers.
If floors 1 through 11 were the upper layers mainly used by junior explorers,
Then the 12th was where the lower-end mid-tier explorers hung out.
In other words, the gateway to the mid-layers.
It wasn't like there was a 'no juniors allowed' sign, but on average, you needed mid-tier skills to operate comfortably there.
"Isn't that jumping the gun a bit? We only hit the 8th last time."
"That's exactly why. Floors 8 to 11? Same monster types and terrain overall—exploration difficulty doesn't spike."
"Gellen's party was near mid-tier too, and they made it to 12."
Gellen—that guy who'd tagged along to the 8th, got wrecked by outlaw ambushes and trolling, turning into a total retard.
Hearing even he reached the 12th filled me with some inexplicable confidence.
'If that asshole did it, what do I have to fear?'
But in the labyrinth, impulsive overconfidence was always a massive risk factor.
You had to objectively assess your own and your party's power, without pointless arrogance.
"We've scored blessings, upgraded gear, fought that abomination and nearly died only to gain enlightenment. With specs like that, challenging mid-tier territory is totally doable."
"Hm..."
But Joey Hogg had a point.
Through all the incidents in the labyrinth, our party had grown stronger.
Even without me, they were already top-tier juniors.
"Above all, you officially joining the party makes the biggest difference. You feel it too, right? Your level's already beyond standard juniors."
"......"
"In my three years as an explorer, I've never seen growth like yours. Monster."
"Feels like yesterday we fished you out on floor 5."
Joey Hogg and Jubel's words brought back the fight with outlaw Karino.
A life-or-death brawl with a mid-tier-level outlaw.
I hadn't even been wearing my main gear then.
You couldn't directly compare PvP and monster fights, but I'd held my own pretty well regardless.
"Hmm."
As I pondered, Ellie—seated beside me—let out a quiet hum.
Like she was begging for a little attention.
And Jubel took the bait.
"What is it, Ellie? You into the labyrinth too?"
"Hehe. Well, it'd be a lie to say no."
"...Wait a sec. You're that academy kid, aren't you? The one who melted the Minotaur!"
Damn. Underestimated Jubel's smarts.
I figured he'd forgotten, but he remembered Ellie's big moment crystal clear.
"Ah, right!"
Joey Hogg perked up too, memory jogged by Jubel's words.
The looks they gave Ellie changed.
That was the glint of wanting to recruit a rolling gemstone.
"Hands off."
"Kyaa?!"
I grabbed Ellie's shoulders as she started slyly inching away and yanked her back toward me.
"Mmph...!"
Ellie slid right into my arms. Her face buried deep into my pecs.
"You wanna drag a barely-adult girl into an unfamiliar layer? Are you all right in the head?"
Ellie might be a layabout for the next two months, but soon she'd be a royal mage.
No need to pull someone with an easy shot at the straight and narrow into the unpredictable explorer world.
Sure, she'd be a huge help if she came, but worry outweighed that.
"Krhum. Well, we're not saying recruit her right now..."
"Just keeping our options open. Her spell power alone could smoke mid-layer monsters easy."
"Hngh...!"
Ellie huffed through her nose at their words. My pecs tickled.
Her shoulders trembled. Her flapping elf ears smacked my hand.
"Ah, sorry, Ellie."
In my haste, I'd hugged too tight.
Finally releasing her shoulders, Ellie's flushed face slowly peeled away from me.
"Haa..."
She dazedly exhaled, and red liquid trickled from her nose.
Nosebleed.
Looking down, I saw a faint bloodstain on the chest of the T-shirt Diana bought me.
"You okay? Tissues here."
"...Ah. Th-Thank... N-No, thanks for the tissue, Oppa."
I grabbed a few tissues from the table dispenser and pressed them to Ellie's nose.
"Ah, I can do it... Uw..."
"It's fine. Stay still."
I gently wiped her nosebleed while glaring at Joey Hogg and Jubel.
"Anyway, I'll handle her better than you lot, so don't even think about touching our Ellie. I'll think positively about the 12th floor thing."
"Uh, yeah... Sure..."
I told them we'd reconvene later and left.
Ellie didn't look so hot, so I figured I'd drop her back at the inn.
"...It's like watching a doting dad with his precious daughter."
"Heeeng. Papa... Semen jo... Baby milk... Papa, lemme have your kid... Knock me up with your cum, Daddy... Ngh—uuuugh. Cummingcummingcuuum...!"
"Jubel. Please... Just snap out of it... I'm so embarrassed to be seen with you..."
I pretended not to hear the voices behind me.
A few days later, I headed to Zirnier's workshop.
Last night, the manager of Zirnier's forge had come to the inn.
—Are you Balkan? Zirnier Besil wants to see you.
There was only one reason the blacksmith would summon me.
In her words, her "sex friend."
Or the child she'd birthed.
The weapon forged from the [Gluttony] soulstone was finally complete.