Chapter 20: Formation of the Underground City Raid Force (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: Formation of the Underground City Raid Force (3)
“Burrel. It’s me.”
“Hm? Sion! You’re alive too!”
A man with a generous, stout impression greeted me.
It was Burrel, the owner of the Clearance Weapon Shop.
True to its name, the shop operated on a high-volume, low-margin basis, selling things off cheaply. There was a reason penniless novice adventurers flocked here in droves. It felt like a place that prioritized quantity over quality.
It was a shop I frequented often. It wasn't one of those high-end weapon shops where dwarves forged the blades; it was just a plain old shop selling gear made by humans.
The prices were low, but in exchange, the items broke easily, the iron quality was poor, or there were minor defects. Still, they served me well. If a sword snapped, I could just pull the next one out of my inventory.
I wasn't a warrior trading blows with monsters on the front lines, anyway. Cheap, disposable weapons were more than enough for my needs.
“Old man, give me everything you have left over again.”
“Did you smash them all already?”
“Yeah. Every single one. I even lost a few.”
“You certainly lead an eventful life. Well, there’s a pile over there, so take a look.”
Swords were shoved haphazardly into wooden barrels. Not a shred of respect for the weaponry could be found anywhere.
That was exactly why I liked this shop. Those dwarf bastards were so excessively proud of their work that their prices were astronomical.
“Care to take a double-edged axe I made recently?”
“A double-edged axe?”
“Here, this one. How is it? Give it a swing. It’s got some weight to it.”
The moment I picked up the axe, I could tell the weight was well-balanced. This looked like an excellent tool for splitting monster skulls. It was heavy enough that carrying it would drain one's stamina quickly, but that didn't matter to me since I had my subspace pocket.
“You made this well. I’ll take this too.”
“Heh heh. Put it to good use.”
“Oh, and give me a helmet and some armor as well.”
“Want the leather armor?”
“Yes. Leather armor and a shield too.”
“Heh heh.”
Perhaps because he’d made a big sale for the first time in a while, Burrel was beaming.
“I’ll be back again.”
“Right. Come back in one piece.”
With that, I had all my equipment ready.
I’ve already spent 10 gold.
After buying various supplies, I had used about 10 of the 30 gold I’d received from the Young Lady. Replacing what I’d lost and buying extra necessities had drained 10 gold in one go.
It’s enough to make me lose my mind.
Earning 10 gold was incredibly difficult, but spending it didn't even take a full day. If I had bought better equipment and supplies at full price, it probably would have cost twice as much. Thinking of it that way, I felt I’d gotten a good bargain.
Now, the remaining tasks...
I just needed to check in with the Young Lady and then head back to the guild.
I made my way to the luxury inn I’d visited yesterday. Just like before, I was busy stuffing my inventory with free sugar cubes and cookies in the parlor when the Young Lady and her party members came downstairs.
Everyone looks alright.
The Young Lady, who had looked haggard over her missing comrades, had regained her lively appearance. Rien, whose face had been streaked with grime from not being able to wash, looked much cleaner. Even the priestess, Erika, who had been on the verge of a mental breakdown and was constantly whimpering, seemed normal. And the female knight, Rika, who had once died in the Labyrinth, was standing there perfectly fine.
“It feels like it’s been a while since we were all gathered together.”
“It does. It’s the first time since our first day in the Labyrinth. I’m so glad everyone is safe!”
I thought we’d just run the Labyrinth together for a bit on the first day and then part ways. Somehow, it looked like I’d ended up looking after them. I usually preferred not to get involved with nobles. How did I get so deeply entangled?
“Excuse me... Sir Porter.”
“Yes?”
As I was lost in thought, the female knight standing behind the Young Lady bowed her head to me.
What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?
She’d had such a high-and-mighty attitude on the first day. Now she was calling me 'Sir Porter.' I mean, if she was going to add a respectful title, couldn't she just call me 'Sir Sion'? 'Sir Porter' sounded a bit strange, didn't it?
“I truly wished to offer my thanks. I am in your debt.”
“Uh, yeah. Well. The Young Lady said she’d pay me. And there’s no need for the formal speech.”
“I see. I intend to protect the Young Lady until the very end. And I will become stronger.”
“Pardon? Ah... right.”
This woman was showing me respect, but she wasn't actually listening to me. She just said what she wanted to say—a typical, stubborn knight.
“I tasted my own powerlessness in the Labyrinth. Monsters are different from humans. I wish to overcome the weakness I only realized after experiencing death.”
“I see... okay.”
Why was she suddenly making a vow like that in front of me? Whether she protected the Young Lady to the end or not didn't really concern me. Yet, the knight seemed to be feeling some sort of sense of duty. She probably felt a sense of kinship with me since I’d agreed to help the Young Lady’s Labyrinth expedition.
But to clarify one important thing: I wasn't the Young Lady’s vassal. I just planned to help them conquer the upper levels so they wouldn't die pointlessly.
“Um... excuse me...”
“Yes?”
“I... I’m going into the Labyrinth too... I’ve become interested in mana adaptation and abilities...”
Following the knight’s declaration, Rien spoke up in a small voice, saying she would enter the Labyrinth as well. I thought Rien would never set foot in there again, but it seemed her desire for power was greater than I’d expected. Well, once you get a taste of mana adaptation and abilities, it’s hard not to get hooked. Many people entered the Labyrinth for no other reason than to gain great power.
“I also wish to enter the Labyrinth again. For in that deep darkness, I feel as though I witnessed the form of the Goddess.”
The priestess suddenly clasped her hands and offered a prayer. She likely believed the Goddess had a hand in her surviving and escaping. There were occasionally people like that among the clergy. They were the type whose faith deepened after returning from the brink of death. Such people continued to enter the Labyrinth to seek religious enlightenment and light. They were imposing trials upon themselves—they had become ascetics.
“So that’s how it is. Everyone says they’re going back in.”
None of them were sane. No matter how good the power or mana adaptation was, I couldn't believe they wanted to go back into that insane Labyrinth.
“You told them all the conditions I set, right?”
“Yes. They all said they agreed.”
“Understood. I don’t know how long our journey will last, but let’s do our best.”
I shook hands with the Young Lady. I intended to look after them until they could navigate the upper levels freely. We could discuss what happened after that when the time came.
“By the way, when are you heading in tomorrow?”
“Probably sometime in the morning.”
“I see... You must come back alive. Even if you happen to die, don't worry, I’ll cover the resurrection costs.”
“Haha. Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. I’ll be going now, then.”
“Okay. Be careful. Oh, and take this.”
The Young Lady handed me a scroll.
“This is...”
“It’s not on the level of a Lightning Bolt, but it should be helpful.”
“The spell inscribed on it... is Fireball...”
“Did you make this, Miss Rien?”
“Yes... the Young Lady gave me the material costs... I made it in a hurry, so the effect isn't incredibly strong, but...”
“Thank you.”
Scrolls were great. They were obscenely expensive, but they were excellent for creating variables in a crisis.
“May the Goddess’s blessing be upon your path, Sir Porter.”
“Oh. A blessing.”
“Yes. It’s a blessing for increased stamina. It should last for about a day.”
The priestess bestowed a blessing upon me. Vitality surged through my tired body.
“I shall lend you this. It is a ring I received from my uncle.”
“Isn't this enchanted?”
It was a heavy ring that looked like it was made of cast iron. Judging by the mysterious characters engraved on it, it seemed to be enchanted.
“It holds a spell for pain resistance. It will lessen your suffering.”
“Wow. This is great. Thank you.”
A scroll and a ring. Between those and the blessing, my fatigue was vanishing rapidly. This was excellent.
“I’m really going now.”
“Right. See you later. Make sure you come back alive.”
The Young Lady gave me a sudden hug. It happened too fast to refuse, so I ended up receiving her embrace awkwardly. Rika, who was watching us, looked extremely flustered, while Rien, for some reason, glared at me again. And why was Erika wearing such a devious expression?
Regardless, I left the inn with the Young Lady’s enthusiastic support. Now I just had to stop by the guild and finish the final preparations.
“Sion, here. This is the payment for the monster carcasses.”
As soon as I arrived at the guild, Edwin handed me a pouch filled with silver coins. This was the income I’d earned from this Labyrinth run.
I’d made roughly 1 gold and 80 silver. Even though I’d only left a few carcasses at the dismantling shop, the reason I received over a gold was likely because the Baek-ak’s corpse sold for a high price. Since I received 10 percent of the Baek-ak’s purchase price as a transport fee, a single Baek-ak must have been worth about 10 gold. They were especially expensive because of their hides.
“Oh, by the way, Sion.”
“Yes?”
“The Guild Master’s daughter might be joining the raid force tomorrow.”
“Ah.”
I was on somewhat awkward terms with the Guild Master’s daughter. It wasn't anything major, but she thought I’d seduced her mother. I had no idea why she’d come to such a misunderstanding, but she viewed me as some sort of Casanova. It was best not to get involved with her. It would only lead to trouble.
“Sion! Over here!”
“Ah, yes.”
When I went to the pub inside the guild, Rohan called out to me. Besides Rohan and Hachi, three other people were sitting there. It seemed they had gathered the team members while I was out getting supplies.
“These are the people who will be transporting the bodies with us.”
A bearded mage, a slant-eyed healer, and a furry druid?
“I am Lewis, an earth mage.”
“I’m Yata, specializing in healing magic.”
“Horaru, who serves the Ancestral God.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sion.”
All three were silver-badge adventurers. Perhaps because it was a makeshift party, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
“If you have anything you want me to carry, please hand it over. I have a subspace pocket.”
“I’ll hand over my luggage tomorrow.”
“I prefer to carry my own things. Just handle the food for me.”
“I have nothing to entrust.”
“Ah, okay.”
Everyone seemed fine for now. Lewis appeared a bit arrogant but didn't say much. Yata looked a bit gloomy but seemed like he was just shy. As for the druid, Horaru, I couldn't read his expression at all.
Is he a bear?
Horaru was a bear beastman. He had brown fur and a fairly large build. I couldn't really tell his gender.
“Since this is my first time heading to the Underground City, is there any information I should know?”
“Nothing too specific, but according to the rescue team that returned yesterday...”
Rohan shared the information he’d gathered about the Underground City after the Great Upheaval. To summarize: the map of the Underground City had completely changed, the number of monsters had surged, and monsters that hadn't been seen before were starting to appear.
How should I put it? It felt as if the Labyrinth had been updated.
“And they say traces of heretics have been found.”
“Heretics?”
“Yes. Those bastards who were thought to have been wiped out after the mass purge four years ago. For some reason, they’ve returned.”
The mass purge four years ago. He was likely referring to the massacre of heretics who had been hiding in the Underground City. Apparently, the heretics who had vanished back then had returned through this Great Upheaval.
“You must be careful. A surge in the number of monsters means those bastards have more sacrifices to work with.”
Lewis, the earth mage, chimed in.
“Sacrifices?”
“Those heretic scum often gain power by offering sacrifices. They’re filthy.”
“Aha.”
This was my first time dealing with heretics. Since they’d been eradicated before I was transferred to this world, there hadn't been much information circulating about them.
There’s too little information on the heretics. I should probably do some separate research.
You need to know your enemy to form a countermeasure. I needed to gather more information on the heretics and the monsters of the Underground City.