Chapter 60: I Want to Enter the Labyrinth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: I Want to Enter the Labyrinth
I was discharged from the hospital as soon as the sun rose the day after the Villainesses visited.
After that, I rested quietly at home for about four days.
Yuria still hadn't returned. It seemed her external mission was running a bit long.
In the end, I spent those four days with Olivia in Yuria's house, despite Yuria's absence.
The past four days were peaceful, if a bit boring.
It had been a very long time since I’d spent time doing absolutely nothing since dropping into the Labyrinth City, so I found that resting quietly wasn't such a bad idea.
Of course, I couldn't stay idle forever.
The Young Lady and her party members were likely waiting for me with bated breath.
Since I had agreed to lead them as the labyrinth guide, it was about time we headed back in.
"I'm feeling much better now. I think it's time we enter the Labyrinth."
I gathered the Young Lady and her party.
Since I couldn't just invite guests into Yuria's house without her permission, I asked to meet them at a decent dessert shop.
"Really? Are you sure it's okay to go in already? You aren't hurting?"
"Yes. I'm fine. What about everyone else?"
"If you're okay, then I'm fine with going in too."
"Hmm. I was just starting to feel like going back in myself."
"I'm not really..."
"Hey, Rien. The Young Lady agreed. You agree quickly, too."
"Ugh... I agree..."
The Young Lady, Rika, and Rien all gave their consent.
"I'm fine with it as well."
Erika also agreed to the labyrinth dive.
Rika and I would take the front line, while Leah, the Young Lady, would act as the scout.
I expected we would move in a formation that protected the rear-line members, Rien and Erika.
"Then let's plan to enter in two days. Let's decide where we're going."
Alright, let's start preparing for the labyrinth dive in earnest.
Surprisingly, this would only be the party's second time entering the Labyrinth.
Rien, Leah, and Erika had already undergone Mana Adaptation last time, so they should be able to reach the 2nd floor without much trouble. Rika, however, had died once and hadn't completed her Mana Adaptation yet.
I figured our goal this time would probably be to explore up to the 2nd floor at most.
Regardless of individual skill, if you haven't properly adapted to the mana, the air starts to feel suffocating the deeper you go.
"The place we went last time was the Botanical Garden, right? Where are you thinking of going this time?"
"We could go back to the Botanical Garden. Or maybe the Breeding Grounds..."
"Ugh. Not the Breeding Grounds. It's too much for now. Just thinking about that place makes me want to gag."
The Young Lady recoiled in disgust.
Well, she did almost die in the Breeding Grounds, so it was natural for her to have some PTSD.
"Hmm. The Sewer has too many things to worry about, so that's out for now. The Botanical Garden or the Underground Graveyard would be better."
"Mmm... I think going back to the Botanical Garden would be good..."
"I agree with Rien. I think the Botanical Garden is a good choice."
"Then, Mr. Porter, how deep do you plan on going?"
"I'm thinking of going down to the 2nd floor if possible. Our party is still a group of beginners, and if we go down without proper Mana Adaptation, we'll just end up gasping for air. The 2nd floor is likely the limit of where we can move effectively."
"I see. So, is it a day trip?"
"Well, I'm actually debating that."
Usually, the upper floors are strictly day trips.
Since most of the paths are well-known, the standard procedure is to grab a map, head in, farm, and come back out.
However, due to the Labyrinth Eruption, the internal structure of the Labyrinth had changed far too much.
Maps had become useless, and for those without mapping skills like me, one could spend the entire day wandering the 1st floor and accomplish nothing.
I’d heard from the shopkeeper of the general store that back when maps weren't distributed, camping on the upper floors was a common occurrence.
Maybe I should give them a taste of camping this time? The Young Lady and her party probably haven't experienced a proper night out in the Labyrinth yet.
"Um, Young Lady. The guild hasn't distributed official maps yet, right?"
"I checked yesterday, and they said nothing's been properly made yet."
"As expected. Adventurers with the Map Creation ability are probably working on them now. They'll need to cross-verify them too. Since things are like this, why don't we take a map-making request ourselves?"
"A request?"
"Yes. The guild will likely issue requests to those with Map Creation. Since I have that Ability, let's take the request and draw the map. It'll be great for raising our reputation."
Reputation is important.
You have to consistently build it up to help with rank advancement.
Being skilled doesn't mean they'll automatically promote you to a Gold Badge.
You need to build up fame beforehand to receive a good evaluation.
"That's why it's better to raise your reputation as much as possible. If you try to raise it later, you'll have to do all sorts of menial tasks. It would be a bit embarrassing to have Gold Badge-level skills but be stuck cleaning sewers, wouldn't it? So, while you're still beginners and it's the time for odd jobs, it's better to build up your reputation in advance."
"Reputation is more important than I thought."
"Yes. For the record, in terms of reputation alone, I'm practically on a high-pass to a Gold Badge."
"High... pass? What's that?"
"Ah, it means going straight through without any stops."
"Aha. Wait, Porter, just how much reputation have you built up?"
"I've been stacking it up whenever I had the chance."
Before I met the Young Lady's party, I handled many different guild requests.
Thanks to my Subspace Pocket, I could easily solve 'difficult and annoying' tasks like transporting goods without any effort at all.
Participating in the recent Subjugation Campaign and occasionally recovering adventurers' bodies to hand over to the Church had also been a huge help to my reputation.
"Anyway, if you and the others want to climb to higher ranks, you need to start looking after your reputation now. Just follow me, and I'll make you rich in reputation within three months."
"Really?"
"There's a certain know-how to this. It's hard to learn this anywhere else, so follow my lead."
"As expected of a veteran."
"I don't want to work..."
"Rien! Show some enthusiasm!"
"Ugh... Rika, you're loud..."
Rien has great talent, but her lack of motivation is a problem.
On the other hand, Rika has plenty of enthusiasm, but her efficiency is a bit lacking, so to speak.
"Um, Mr. Porter. I think I might have already built up quite a bit of that reputation. Is that right?"
"Ah, that's likely. Since you've always been doing volunteer work, Erika."
Erika frequently went on volunteer missions, so her reputation likely accumulated automatically even without my help.
After all, reputation is an index of how much you've contributed to the Labyrinth City.
"Then we'll take the Map Creation request. Let's aim to stay inside for a maximum of four days and three nights."
"Great. Sounds fun."
"Ugh... camping... s-sounds... good..."
"Straighten your face, Rien. This is going to be your daily life from now on. You'll get used to it if you endure with grit."
"Rika... that's because you... can sleep anywhere..."
"Hehehe."
Rien groaned while Rika preached her philosophy of grit.
The Young Lady looked excited just at the thought of entering the Labyrinth, and Erika was smiling quietly.
As Rika said, camping in the Labyrinth is a daily occurrence.
By the time we reach the Underground City, they'll be used to it.
Besides, even though Rien grumbles like that, she always ends up following orders.
"This time, I'll teach you the basics: how to camp, how to start a fire quickly, how to find a safe spot, and how to maintain hygiene in the Labyrinth. And since the Underground Graveyard is quite difficult even among the upper floors, let's go to the Botanical Garden."
"Got it."
"Mmm-hmm..."
"Good. A re-conquest of the Botanical Garden, then."
"Um, Mr. Porter. Is there anything specific we should bring?"
"It would be good if you could double-check your weapons. Come to think of it, what is everyone's equipment?"
"I plan to go in with a longsword, a shield, and chain mail."
It seemed Rika was planning to dress quite flamboyantly.
Usually, beginner adventurers are so strapped for cash that they often go in with just a sword, but Rika's default gear was full plate armor to begin with.
"I have leather armor, two daggers, and six throwing knives. I also packed my lockpicking tools. Oh, and my teacher told me to bring this too."
The Young Lady showed me a thin thread.
Looking closely, it wasn't just an ordinary thread; it was a silver thread, like a spider's web.
"A teacher? Did you join the Thieves' Guild?"
"No. Not the Thieves' Guild. It's someone I met through an acquaintance. For your information, she's a woman. So don't worry, it's not a man."
"Huh? I wasn't particularly worried."
"It was written all over your face that you were worried my teacher might be a handsome man. How funny."
"No... really."
"Anyway, I've been learning from her recently. I think I can handle 1st-floor monsters on my own now. How about that? Isn't it impressive? Praise me."
"You're amazing, Young Lady. I'm so moved I feel like I might burst into tears."
"Hey, don't tease me."
"No, you asked for praise, so I was just being a bit extra."
"Ugh. I said praise me, not be extra. Dummy."
Leah pinched my arm lightly.
Geez, I gave her the praise she asked for, and she still wants more.
But it really was a bit surprising.
To think she went out and found a teacher to learn combat skills on her own.
And someone who uses threads, no less.
Was there anyone who used threads as their main weapon?
I didn't recall hearing about anyone like that.
"Rika's gear is good, and so is the Young Lady's. What about Rien and Erika?"
"I... just need this staff and my pouch..."
"Um, you mentioned last time that it would be good to have a club or a mace, so I bought one. Will this do?"
Rien didn't seem to have any separate weapon, and Erika had apparently bought a mace from somewhere.
I picked up the mace Erika handed me, and it felt decent enough. Then again, since I’d only ever used cheap weapons myself, it wasn't like I had a great eye for them.
"It seems everyone has taken care of their equipment well. Finally, there's one thing I need to make clear before we go."
"What is it?"
"Inside the Labyrinth, I might stop using polite speech, I might get angry, or I might give one-sided orders. Please don't take offense, and for now, you must follow my instructions implicitly."
"Sure. I agree."
"If the Young Lady agrees, then I agree too."
"Well... the Porter is clever, so..."
"That's fine. Let's do that."
"Great. Then let's meet in two days. I'll take the request from the guild in advance."
Now that the general plan was set, it was time to part ways.
"Oh, right. Si-on, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it, Young Lady?"
"Some people from my family will probably come to visit in about a week."
"Oh, does that mean...!"
"Yes. I can finally pay you for my life. How about it? Are you excited?"
"Yes. I'm so excited my heart is racing."
"What kind of expression is 'racing'? Hihihi. Anyway, my father said he sent something big. You can look forward to it. My dad is quite generous to his benefactors."
"Wait, Young Lady. If you tell me to look forward to it that much, I'm really going to get my hopes up."
"Hihi. Get them up!"
What on earth did they prepare that she's telling me to look forward to it so much?
I wasn't sure what they were giving me, but I was certainly excited.
By next week, the labyrinth dive should be about finished.
"Then I'll be going for today. See you in two days."
"Yes, Young Lady. Get home safely."
"See you later..."
"Yes, yes. See you next time, Rien."
"Come to exercise tomorrow. Goni is waiting."
"Uh. Yes... I'll be there."
"You worked hard today."
"Yes, you too, Erika."
Everyone left.
Should I head home now too?
Before that.
There was a place I needed to stop by.
"Hm? What. You're back again."
"Yes. It's been a while."
I had come to the slave shop.
With no idea when Yuria would return, I couldn't leave Olivia home alone.
I needed someone to look after Olivia while I was away, but I didn't really have anyone I could trust to take care of a blind person.
So, I came here.
"Do you have any slaves? Surely you're not still out of stock?"
"Sigh. Don't even ask. Nothing. It's empty. It seems the Church has no intention of releasing any slaves."
"Eh? You still have nothing to sell? Why do you even keep the shop open if you have nothing to sell? It's confusing."
"I'm not sitting here at the counter like an idiot because I want to. I just opened up to clean the shop. And do you think I'm happy? It's been weeks since any stock came in. I'm dying here too."
"Haaa."
It seemed the slave supply still hadn't normalized.
Seriously, what is this? Give me back my slaves.
"This is driving me crazy."
I went around to all the shops.
As expected, there wasn't a single decent slave to be found.
What should I do?
Leaving Olivia all by herself was worrying in many ways. I also needed a slave to handle the housework.
It would mean another mouth to feed, but Yuria had already agreed to buying one more slave, so I had to get one.
"I can't believe I'm coming back here."
The slave shop near the entrance of the Black Market.
The place that kept slaves afflicted by the Curse of Transformation.
"Ugh! What! You're back again!"
"Hello. It's been a while."
"Guh... You here to buy a slave?"
"Yes. I need a domestic helper."
"Are you going to lowball me again?"
"Well, that depends on the condition of the slave."
"Ugh. Uuuugh. I won't be fooled this time. I let the last one go for 22 gold, but not this time."
"We'll see about that, won't we?"
"Dammit. Follow me!"
I followed him down into the basement where the slaves were kept.
I wondered how I should lowball the price this time.