Chapter 2: High-Spec Deadweights
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: High-Spec Deadweights
“Before we enter the Labyrinth, let’s start with some brief introductions.”
Even if we were only going to be together for the day, we’d be roaming the Labyrinth for several hours. It seemed right to at least know each other's names.
“First off, I’m Sion. As you can see, I’m a porter.”
I stated my name and profession first.
Considering social standing, I was at the bottom of the ladder as a porter, so it was better for me to go first.
It goes without saying, but there is a hierarchy among professions. It’s only natural that a porter ranks below a knight or a mage.
“I am Rika. The Young Lady’s guardian knight.”
“U-um... I’m... Rien. A witch. Hehe.”
“I am Erika, a lamb of the Goddess.”
“What? Do I have to introduce myself too? You don't know my name?”
The Margrave’s daughter asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
How the hell am I supposed to know your name?
Honestly, this brat. Talk about an ego. It’s almost funny how she assumes everyone should know who she is.
I suppose that’s what happens when you spend your whole life being pampered. Then again, if my father were a renowned Margrave, I’d probably be stuck-up too.
“No, you don’t have to. I’ll just call you 'Young Lady.'”
“Fine.”
Who cares if I don’t know her name? It’s not like I’ll ever see her again after today. I’ll just call her "Young Lady" for the day. Everyone else seems to, anyway.
“Now, before we enter the Labyrinth, we need to decide which entrance to take.”
There are four entrances to the Labyrinth in total, one located at each cardinal point of the city. Depending on which direction you enter from, you arrive in a different sector.
“The north entrance leads to the Underground Graveyard. The south leads to the Sewer Zone.”
“East is the Botanical Garden, and west is the Breeding Grounds, right?”
“You’re well-informed.”
“This much is basic knowledge.”
Fortunately, she wasn't a complete ignoramus.
“Then, Young Lady, which way would you like to go? For the record, I don’t mind any of the four.”
“Hmm.”
The Young Lady pondered for a moment before deciding on the Botanical Garden.
“The sewers smell, the breeding grounds are filthy, and the graveyard is full of creepy undead.”
And so, we headed for the eastern entrance. If she wanted the Botanical Garden, that’s where we’d go. The difficulty level was roughly the same for all four anyway.
“This is the entrance to the Labyrinth.”
I didn't have anything extra to pack. Everything was already stored in my Inventory. It was a simple mission: head inside, give them a four-hour taste of the Labyrinth, and come back out.
‘We don’t need to go deep. We’ll just stick to the upper levels, so there shouldn’t be much danger.’
The party consisted of a rare knight, a mage, and even a priestess. I wasn't sure what the noble girl’s specialty was, but her guards looked quite capable. I wasn't worried.
“Everyone, please step onto the teleportation circle.”
By standing on the circular teleportation circle together, we could enter as a group. If you enter separately, you get warped to different locations, so party members must always stand on the circle together.
“You might feel a bit dizzy.”
“How bad could it be?”
The Young Lady looked brimming with confidence. With her dismissive snort, we stepped into the Labyrinth.
We arrived inside the Labyrinth.
The upper level connected to the eastern entrance: the Botanical Garden.
True to its name, the walls and floors were covered in roots and weeds. It was a sector overgrown with vegetation, and most of the monsters encountered here were plant-based. If there was one advantage, it was that the air wasn't stagnant thanks to all the plants.
I was about to light a torch to secure our vision, but the priestess smiled and cast Holy Light on her staff.
Since the Botanical Garden was full of plants and highly flammable, Holy Light was definitely better than a torch. More importantly, the priestess’s faith must have been quite high, as the light was bright enough that a torch wasn't necessary at all.
“Uwaaaagh...!”
“Oh boy.”
The Young Lady started vomiting the moment we arrived. I guess noble pride is no match for motion sickness.
“W-what is this? You didn't say it would be this dizzying. Ugh...”
“It varies from person to person. You’ll get used to it after a few trips.”
I used to dry heave a few times in the beginning, too. It feels like your head is spinning the moment you teleport. I’ve heard some people even faint. It’s a phenomenon that disappears once you achieve Mana Adaptation.
“Porter, do you have water? Give some to the Young Lady.”
“Yes, one moment.”
The female knight demanded water. I was already planning on giving her some.
“What? You... you have a Subspace Pocket?!”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
“Wait, what? Why didn't you say so?”
The Young Lady looked stunned as I pulled a waterskin out of thin air. The others reacted the same way. It was understandable, given that it was one of the rarest and most useful abilities.
“No wonder. I was wondering what kind of porter shows up without a bag. Hmph.”
The Young Lady marveled as she rinsed her mouth.
“I’ve never seen a Subspace Pocket before. What did you say your name was?”
“Sion. It’s Sion.”
“Ah, Sion. I see.”
The knight even asked for my name again. She clearly wasn't listening during the introductions earlier. Well, she probably didn't think a mere porter’s name was worth remembering.
“U-um... how much can you fit in there?”
“Pretty much whatever I put in, it takes.”
“W-wow...!”
The witch’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Since people with Subspace Pockets are extremely rare, everyone tends to react like this.
“Let’s move for now. We’ll aim to take down a few Gardeners today for a light start.”
“Are you going to lead the way?”
“Yes. I know where the Gardener colonies are. I’m not confident in my fighting, so I’ll just act as your guide.”
I knew the upper levels of the Labyrinth like the back of my hand. Thanks to my mapping ability, I knew exactly where the monster colonies were and where the portals to the lower floors were located. I didn't even need a physical map to get around.
“You’ve memorized the path without a map? Impressive.”
“Oh, I didn't memorize it. I have Map Creation.”
“What? Map Creation? Well, I’ll be.”
The knight marveled again. The way she looked at me now was completely different from before. This is why talent matters. Even a porter gets treated like a human being if they have good abilities.
“There they are.”
We soon arrived at a spot where a group of Gardeners was gathered.
Gardeners are the most basic monsters in the Botanical Garden. They are bipedal, man-eating plants that, despite being plants, have mouths and teeth. You could think of them as the plant equivalent of a goblin.
They fetch a decent price at the Alchemist Guild. Apparently, their stamens and pistils—their reproductive organs—are used as medicinal ingredients.
“Alright, please begin the hunt.”
“Aren't you going to fight?”
“If the porter has to fight, the party is already doomed.”
“Is that so?”
Yes. It’s a very important fact: a porter’s job is to carry things well. If a porter has to step in and fight, it means the party is on the verge of collapse.
Of course, it’s not that I can’t fight. It’s just that with four people who are supposed to know how to fight, there’s no reason for me to get my hands dirty.
‘Besides, I’m technically the guide.’
While it’s better to fight for the experience, I needed to gauge their skill levels first. That way, I’d have something to report to the guild later.
“They don’t look like much. I’ll handle them, Young Lady.”
The knight at the front drew her sword and cut down a charging Gardener. Her form was sharp. I could see the precision and solidity typical of someone who had trained for a long time.
She was definitely a knight. Unlike the warriors commonly seen in the Labyrinth City, her swordsmanship was systematic.
‘Her sword skills alone would hold up in the middle floors.’
Edwin’s words about them being quite skilled were true. However...
“Huh?”
She lacked the awareness that her opponent wasn't a human, but a monster. Her swordsmanship was specialized for dueling people. It wasn't suited for monster hunting.
“Blast it!”
The knight’s ankle was grabbed by the Gardener she had only half-severed. Monsters are tougher than humans. Many of them don't feel fear.
In particular, most of the man-eating plants in the Botanical Garden don't feel pain. As a result, unless you kill them completely, they will cling to you until their last breath.
“Fi... Fire Bo—”
“Wait a moment.”
“Eek?! Why...?”
“This is the Botanical Garden. Fire attributes are a bit problematic here.”
“Ah.”
The witch was about to fire a Fireball to help the knight. It was likely her most proficient spell. Seeing her cast it almost instantly without an incantation showed she was quite skilled.
But this was the Botanical Garden. It was a place filled with plants and plenty of things to burn. Fire attributes should be avoided. If a fire starts, we’ll suffocate. When flammable monsters catch fire in an enclosed space, the smoke is overwhelming.
“In times like this, you do this.”
I swung my sling and crushed the head of the Gardener lunging at the knight. The story of David crushing Goliath’s skull with a stone is famous for a reason. Slings have immense destructive power. In fact, it’s a technique favored by many adventurers.
“Phew. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“O-oh no... we made the porter fight... we really are deadweights...”
“Eh.”
The Young Lady’s face crumpled at the witch’s comment. She must have remembered my words about a party being doomed if the porter has to fight.
“By the way, Young Lady. What is your role in the party?”
“Me? Oh, I’m a Thief.”
“Pardon? If you’re a Thief...”
“My role is to open treasure chests.”
“Ah. I see.”
Now that I looked, her only weapons were two daggers. A Margrave’s daughter as a Thief, huh?
“So, do you not fight at all, Young Lady?”
The knight bristled at my question.
“It would be a disaster if she were to get hurt while fighting!”
“Ah. Right.”
They really were just here for a picnic. A knight who didn't understand monster biology. A witch who didn't consider her surroundings. A "Thief" lady with no combat ability. And a priestess who just stood in the back smiling.
“Wow.”
I decided not to think too deeply about it. They were just here for fun. They weren't adventurers who risked their lives in the Labyrinth. I just needed to fulfill my role as a guide for the day. They weren't the type of people who needed serious advice as adventurers.
They weren't here because they needed the money, after all. This was just a game for a young lady who admired adventurers.
“Well then, let’s look around a bit more.”
Once I stopped overthinking, I felt much more at ease. I’d just circle two more Gardener colonies and then head back up. I tossed the corpses of the dead Gardeners into my Inventory and prepared to move.
Or rather, I tried to move.
Rumble...!!!!
“Huh? Whoa! What is this?!”
“Porter! What’s happening?!”
“U-uwaah...! It’s shaking!”
“Sion! Is this normal?!”
The Labyrinth was shaking. This was a first for me, too.
“I-I’ve never seen this before either. Why all of a sudden?!”
In my six months of Labyrinth life, this was a first. An earthquake? No, wait. Could it be...
‘A Great Cataclysm?!’
I had overheard it once from a party I briefly joined. They said that occasionally, the Labyrinth twists. The very shape of the Labyrinth changes. Adventurers called it a Great Cataclysm.
“Everyone! Grab onto the person next to you!!!”
If you’re caught in a Great Cataclysm, you get flung to 'somewhere' in the Labyrinth. Since you’re literally warped to a random location, you’ll be separated if you aren't holding onto your companions...!
“Damn it!!!”
In a rush, I grabbed the Young Lady’s wrist. But I couldn't reach the knight, the witch, or the priestess.
Soon, darkness swallowed us whole.
We had been caught in a Great Cataclysm of the Labyrinth.
Shit.