Chapter 63: Into the Labyrinth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: Into the Labyrinth
“Then keep an eye on the house with Olivia for the next four days or so. You know where the Druid Club is, right?”
“Yep!”
“Good. Olivia’s vision isn’t great, so I want you to take good care of her, Marin. And don’t give her a hard time, okay? You two need to get along if you want to live a long life. Understood?”
“Yes, sir! Leave it to me!”
“Oh, and if you have to go out, make sure you use the parasol and wear your collar. Got it?”
“Understood!”
The collar was the mark of a slave.
With it on, others wouldn’t mess with her. Since Marin was a slime human, she could easily be mistaken for a monster and end up on the wrong end of a blade. A collar was essential for any outdoor activity.
“I’m heading out. Take care, everyone. Olivia, if Yuria comes back while I’m gone, please explain the situation to her.”
“Yes... I understand. Please... you must come back safely.”
“Of course. I’m only sticking to the upper floors, so nothing much will happen.”
Now that I’d left Olivia in Marin’s care, I could head down without worrying.
‘We agreed to meet in the morning. It should be about time to go.’
The sun had just risen—the perfect time to enter the Labyrinth.
‘Is there anything I forgot?’
I didn’t think so. I had my weapons packed. Everything was perfect.
‘Ah, the Heretics.’
Come to think of it, those Heretics who attacked me still hadn’t been caught. According to the Guild, they hadn’t managed to round them all up yet. However, I’d heard from Edwin yesterday that their activity had significantly decreased since the arson incident.
Furthermore, the Heretics were being held liable for all the damages from the fire. In short, if a Heretic was caught alive, they’d be worked to the bone in the mines until the debt was paid. It seemed the merchant associations that suffered losses had unleashed assassins to hunt them down. That was likely why the Heretics were keeping such a low profile.
‘I hope those bastards stay quiet.’
I could only hope for the best. It wasn’t like I could track down their hiding spots myself, and I couldn’t exactly give up on the Labyrinth just because I was afraid of them. I’d have to trust the city’s natural cleansing process to handle the Heretic hunting.
“Oh! Mr. Porter! Over here!”
“Hey! You’re late!”
“My apologies, Young Lady. It seems everyone else arrived first.”
I thought I was early, but everyone was already waiting for me at the Labyrinth entrance.
“Ugh... I don’t wanna go in...”
“Huff, huff. Isn’t this exciting?”
“Not really...”
Rien looked drained before the day had even begun, while Rika was bursting with energy.
“I’m nervous.”
“Me too.”
Priestess Erika’s hands were trembling slightly, while the Young Lady looked relatively composed.
“A four-day, three-night exploration of the Botanical Garden might be tough, but I’m sure you can all handle it.”
And then there was me, the one who would be leading them.
Now that the whole party was here, it was time to enter. This was the Young Lady’s Party’s second trip into the Labyrinth. As we moved together, I could hear the surrounding adventurers whispering.
“...Is that a harem party?”
“...That guy must be something else.”
“...It’s nothing but girls.”
The gender ratio was certainly extreme. The problem was that out of these four, only the Young Lady actually had feelings for me. The other three were just comrades. You could say there were no special feelings involved.
Rien was a sister-in-arms who had helped me rescue a comrade. Rika was just a gym buddy I worked out with. And as for Erika, I hadn’t even seen her that often. It was a dynamic where romantic feelings couldn’t really bloom. Above all, the other three weren’t so shameless as to try anything when the Young Lady was so openly displaying her affection for me.
“Well then, let’s head in.”
Enough idle thoughts; it was time to move. We gathered in front of the Transfer Stone. I stepped in first, and the others followed.
*
“Ugh... I feel dizzy.”
Lady Leah, who had only undergone mana adaptation once, looked a bit lightheaded. It was a common post-teleportation dizziness experienced when entering the Labyrinth. The symptom would disappear once she adapted to the mana a bit more.
“It’s been a long time.”
“It has.”
As I lit a torch, Rika whispered while looking around as if deeply moved.
The Botanical Garden could be accessed through the eastern entrance. It was a place where plant-type monsters crawled out, and it had the advantage of being relatively low in difficulty.
‘I don’t see any nest-like rooms, and there are no monster houses nearby where they’d be densely packed. Is this an outer zone?’
I used Map Creation to scout the surrounding terrain. Fortunately—or unfortunately—we seemed to have teleported to the outskirts of the 1st floor. Since our party had no intention of heading deeper immediately, the outskirts were actually better. It would allow me to create a rough map by circling the perimeter.
Moreover, since we were here for training rather than just a field trip, spawning in a less crowded area was preferable.
“Alright, before we move out, we’re going to light our torches. Everyone, take these flints.”
“I already know how to light a torch.”
“Aha. So Rika already knows. Then go ahead and light yours quickly.”
“Um, Mr. Porter. Is this... some kind of evaluation?”
“Exactly. Lighting a torch is the absolute basic of basics.”
“But I have Holy Light...”
“Holy Light? Are you going to cry in the dark when your divine power runs out?”
“Huh?”
When my voice sharpened slightly, the Priestess shrank back in surprise. Come to think of it, she had replaced light sources with Holy Light the last time we were in the Labyrinth. I knew that a Priest’s Holy Light was convenient and effective.
But the Labyrinth wasn’t a convenient or fun playground. If you ran out of divine power, would a god come down and turn the light back on for you? I’d wanted to say something last time, but back then, I was the subordinate, so I’d kept my mouth shut.
But our relationship was different now. Now, I was the superior, and Erika was the subordinate. How dare a fledgling talk back to the instructor while they were supposed to be learning? I wanted to start a lecture right then and there, but since I was still a "kind angel instructor," I just smiled and repeated the command.
“Now, stop talking and use the flints.”
Since they had agreed to follow my lead entirely inside the Labyrinth, they all began glancing at each other before tentatively trying to strike the flints. I had to be firm about this. We weren’t here for a joke, nor were we just going to leave after a quick tour. They were going to be coming back here repeatedly. If that was the case, it was better to build a solid foundation from the start.
“Porter... doesn’t his smile... look a bit scary...?”
“I... I think so too... Only his mouth is smiling...”
“....”
“Um, did I get in trouble...?”
I told them to light the torches, but these little chicks couldn't stop chirping. Usually, when a man is alone in a group of women, he has to endure their chatter, but I wasn't going to let it slide. They were the ones who asked me to be their guide. They asked for training, so I was simply providing it.
“No talking over there.”
“Yes, sir...”
“Ugh.”
“Wait, you still haven't lit your torches? Are you turtles? Slowpokes?”
“There, I’m done. Look. It’s burning bright!”
“Good. Rika passes.”
“W-wait a second... it’s not working...”
“Rien. What are you doing? A monster’s going to show up at this rate. Do you want to be monster food?”
“Ah... damn it... just a second...”
“I’m done too. How is it?”
“Yes, well done. Leah passes.”
“Are you not going to use honorifics anymore...?”
“I’ll be skipping them in the Labyrinth. I’ll just call you Leah.”
“That might actually be better. Hehe.”
The Young Lady grinned when I called her by her name. But what on earth were Rien and Erika doing? They still hadn't lit their torches.
“You two, Erika and Rien. What are you doing? Are you making the torches from scratch?”
“N-no! I got it! I’m done...! Ta-da...!”
“Hmm. You’re late, but you got it. Rien passes. Now, for the last place, Erika.”
“Ah. Well, you see... I think my torch is weird...”
“I made that torch myself. I gathered the wood, wrapped the cloth, secured it with wire, and coated it with resin. I made it using the exact proper method. Are you implying I made a faulty torch?”
“N-no, that’s not it... Mr. Porter, you’re scary...”
Erika looked like she was about to cry. Did I push her too hard? No, using a torch is the absolute basic of basics. If you can't even light a fire with flint, you deserve to be scolded.
“Erika. Don’t let something like this scare you. Also, for this trip, Erika is in charge of the torches. Since you came in last, you’ll be the one lighting them from now on to improve your proficiency.”
“Ugh.”
I handed Erika seven spare torches. They weren't incredibly heavy, but they had enough weight that it would be quite a chore for the frail Erika. Of course, if things got urgent, I’d light them myself. Making Erika carry seven torches was a sort of penalty. People work harder when there’s a punishment involved.
When I first entered the Labyrinth, a Silver Badge adventurer had worked me just like this. Thanks to that, I could now light a torch with flint in under five seconds.
“Now, that was just a very basic evaluation. The Labyrinth is dark. You’re a veteran only if you can light a torch within five seconds. It should be as easy as eating spaghetti with a fork. Understood?”
“Yeah...”
“Got it.”
“Yeees...”
You have to secure a light source immediately upon entering the Labyrinth. Unlike monsters that detect enemies and allies through sound and scent, humans without search-related abilities become playthings for monsters the moment they lose their vision. In the Labyrinth, light is one of the most important factors of all.
“Alright, I need to draw the map from now on. Leah and Rika, take the vanguard and clear the path. I’ll tell you which direction to go. Rien and Erika, conserve your mana and divine power as much as possible. Got it?”
“Got it.”
The Young Lady stepped forward with a confident expression. She was a Thief. In the Labyrinth, a Thief is a guide, a scout, and a tomb raider. They are the ones who detect enemy movements first, disarm traps first, and scout the path first. I intended to evaluate those fundamental skills.
‘Rika is right behind her, so it should be fine.’
I took up the rear. I could handle any enemies approaching from behind.
“Sion, a fork in the road.”
“Let’s go right. We’re sticking to the outskirts today. Turning left will take us toward the center, so keep going right.”
“Understood.”
The Young Lady moved forward cautiously. I planned to continue the search like this for at least four hours.
“Um... wait. It’s a trap.”
“Let’s see. Arrows would have flown out. Young Lady, can you disarm it?”
“Yeah. I can do it.”
The Young Lady took out a few tools from the pouch at her waist and disarmed the trap. Her manual dexterity was quite impressive.
“How was that? Fast, right?”
“You’ve been taught well.”
“Yeah. My technical instructor was strict.”
“Good. Excellent work.”
“Hehehe. Thanks.”
The Young Lady couldn't hide her smile, clearly pleased by my praise. Her speed was actually quite fast—definitely in the upper tier for a beginner.
“Alright, let’s keep moving. It looks like monsters are about to appear, so everyone, get ready for combat.”
There was a fairly large room ahead. It looked like the kind of place where the gardeners who tended to this overgrown botanical garden of vines and grass would be gathered.