Reunion with Teacher Inoi
“Teacher Inoi?”
“Do you know me?”
“I’m Dorne from Hailock Orphanage.”
Dorne and the priestess Inoi widened their eyes and pointed at each other.
“Dorne! How do you two know each other?”
Eresa playfully rammed her body into Dorne’s hip and asked. (Ever since Inoi had brushed Dorne’s elbow, Eresa’s eyes had narrowed into triangles. To the Dorne Party, Dorne was their mental, physical, and social pillar.)
Dorne steadied Eresa’s shoulder—she’d bounced off after hitting him first—and answered.
“Yeah, she volunteered as a teacher at the orphanage where I grew up. I heard she got dispatched somewhere else right before I aged out and went independent… And here you are?”
The priestess Inoi was stunned that the Dorne from the orphanage she’d parted with months ago was the same person as the giant explorer standing before her.
“Dorne, you… how did you grow this much already…”
“I got lucky. Great comrades and harsh trials made me strong.”
Dorne pictured the god of opportunity, Kairos, not just brushing past but leaping straight into his arms. (The one with the bald back of the head, yeah.)
Originally, he’d planned to recruit Lucian first, then try for a priestess. But now, enlisting a priest felt one step closer. With their prior connection, Inoi might even help persuade Lucian.
“Everyone. You’ve arrived. Let’s get along well from today onward.”
The final member of the temporary exploration party ‘Dorne Party plus 2’ had arrived.
The six-member temporary exploration party was on the first floor of the Western Labyrinth.
Though Dorne and Inoi’s unexpected and joyful reunion was heartwarming, this party had been formed at Lucian’s request. They needed to accommodate him. So, for now, they’d put off their reunion stories and Dorne’s schemes to recruit them both, focusing instead on exploring the labyrinth.
The Western Labyrinth had a different atmosphere from the east. Unlike the somewhat carved-out cave feel of the Eastern Labyrinth’s first floor, this place resembled a vast, meticulously constructed temple. The ceiling was extremely high with windows. Eerie moonlight streamed through the skylights—windows set into the ceiling, absent from ordinary homes. Spotlights of moonlight fell through the sporadic windows, keeping the place from total darkness. Yet shadows still clung to the corners of passages and the spaces between windows.
Eresa activated the lantern Lucian had given her.
It didn’t make a whoosh sound, but it felt like it did. The lantern, handmade by Lucian, rivaled the one from the Carolph Party she’d seen before. Its powerful beam pierced the gloom between several windows.
“Whoa! It’s super bright!”
Before entering the labyrinth, the Dorne Party had visited the labyrinth guild in the Western Labyrinth city. According to their pamphlet, skeletons and vampires appeared on the first floor. They rarely showed up together, and vampires were usually sealed in stone coffins. However, if someone had fallen to a vampire, it might grow stronger from the blood and wander the temple freely.
“Pick a direction that feels right, Lucian.”
Eresa’s ability pointed perpendicular to the temple corridor.
“Then let’s go this way first.”
Lucian, still dressed in his sensual attire, chose without much deliberation. His earrings glinted, reflecting the moonlight.
The temporary party explored without much tension, observing the architectural style of the ceiling windows and scrutinizing everything temple-like.
Grooooaaaan…
Lucian had been studying a wooden door mounted sideways on the passage wall for a while. Once he finished his observation, Dorne opened it. The ancient hinges screamed in protest.
Clack clack clack…
Now it was time for battle. Five skeletons lurked in the dark room. Eresa’s lantern illuminated their white bones, scattering light across them.
As Dorne charged in, the lantern beam lit the back of the giant over 230cm tall. His horizontal hammer swing crushed the skulls of three skeletons at once. An afterimage, born of moonlight reflection, trailed the hammer’s path belatedly.
Raon used 【Fighting Spirit】 for a powerful shove that turned one skeleton into a bone pile. Lilia, mindful of Lucian’s voracious curiosity, had left one alive—barely.
“Interested in this one too?”
“My, how considerate of you.”
Lucian sidled up behind Lilia to inspect the fleshless skeleton. No muscles, no ligaments on those white bones. Yet it moved smoothly, like an average adult man. Bizarre.
“Hmm…”
Through the eyes of a magic researcher, it seemed mana was substituting for ligaments, tendons, and muscles. So, was the Western Labyrinth’s magic at work? What principles drove this skeleton’s actions? Why those principles? Why did the first floor only have manageable monsters? And so on…
As unanswered questions piled up, Lucian cast one of his few attack spells.
Shooom—
The magic missile from his hand sliced the air and struck the skeleton. It crumpled like the one Raon had smashed, skull shattered.
Skeletons seemed to die(?) once enough damage accumulated past a threshold, regardless of the target spot.
A magic stone glowed amid the bone pile that had once been a skeleton.
Dorne was glad the skeletons were clearly dead—no need for confirmation kills. Eresa scooped up the stone and commented.
“But these guys seem weaker than the Eastern Labyrinth first floor ones.”
“Not really. The three of us are warriors with excellent combination abilities. Raon’s attack that felled the skeleton? In raw terms, it could disable two goblins.”
“Huh? That strong?”
Strictly speaking, Eresa didn’t know how Raon and Lilia—with their 【Fighting Spirit】—fought or how strong they were. This was their first real battle since acquiring it. Until now, training had been light sparring among party members and basic weapon techniques from warrior combos. So Eresa had no way of knowing.
“That skeleton fighting Lilia seemed pretty smart. Against an average party, they’d cooperate and follow their own strategies.”
“Huh… Not pushovers, then!”
To Dorne, they were trivial. With his long arms and legs swinging a massive hammer, skeletons wielding bone clubs had no counter.
Lucian was more curious about Dorne than the skeletons. He forcibly shifted his focus.
The room where the skeletons had waited was spacious, full of things to examine. Walls held rusted wall sconces with melted candles and occasional paintings. Deeper in, stone coffins lined up.
“Can we open these coffins?”
“No problem. The pamphlet says there’s a low chance of valuables or vampires inside.”
Dorne had Raon cover him for any openings while opening one.
Grrroooowl…
Dust from the empty coffin billowed. Eresa shone her lantern inside closely; Dorne moved to the next without disappointment.
Grrroooowl…
A shape flickered in the coffin’s shadow.
“Eresa. Something’s in here.”
Eresa scurried over and lit it up: a silver ring and necklace.
“What? What is it?”
Being short, Eresa couldn’t see well inside. She poked her head over the edge and lit up with joy at the sight.
“Whoa! These are super rare! We’re so lucky!”
Her fluffy tail, wagging excitedly, brushed Dorne’s calf. Lucian watched the scene like a fond uncle and approached.
“Pardon me. Mind if I take a look?”
“Sure!”
Eresa stepped aside, angling the lantern perfectly.
“Hm. It’s so bright it’s hard to see details. Let me show you how to dim it.”
After sharing lantern tips with Eresa, Lucian examined the jewelry minutely. Patterns on the ring? Inscriptions? Inside checks, size, historical matches. One clue could unlock labyrinth secrets.
(Though with nothing revealed so far, the odds were slim.)
“Hm… No idea. Want to hold onto them, Eresa?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Eresa pulled out a separate pouch from her 【Inventory】 for valuables. Lucian eyed the 【Inventory】 closely too. Current magic engineering couldn’t replicate it, let alone match it. Efficiency issue? Or unexplored? Either way, cracking it could make his name legendary.
He realized 【Inventory】 owners were too rare for study. Its rarity and utility made hiring them tough. They’d stumbled into one by sheer luck—like a cow backing up and catching a mouse.
Lucian felt his curiosity about the labyrinth, exploration drive, fascination with 【Inventory】, and personal fondness for these four humans growing. An irresistible future loomed.
Heh heh.
Still, he planned to resist to the end.
It had been three days since they started exploring the labyrinth. Priestess Inoi had measured with a flipped hourglass, so it was roughly accurate.
(Lucian had treasured his pocket watch upon seeing his same-age friend flip a sandglass. That’s what friends are for.)
The temporary party sat in a now-safe room after clearing skeletons, eating a meal. The aroma of warm stew filled the space, satisfying their stomachs too.
Haaa… Slurp, nom nom… Haa…
Third day of the same food, yet meals in a labyrinth carried a special thrill. Like hangover soup after heavy drinking? Campfire meat? Cup ramen after night guard duty? An irreplaceable savoriness born of circumstance.
Dorne finished his larger portion, eyes closed.
Stamina was the resource for warrior abilities like 【Fighting Spirit】, as well as a person’s physical vitality.
Dorne’s warrior abilities weren’t ‘active’ ones that consumed stamina. 【Fighting Spirit】 and [Danger Sense] were ‘active-type abilities.’
Anyway, with a sturdy door isolating the room and Eresa’s hot meals each time, Dorne wasn’t just conserving stamina—he was building it up during the expedition.
Lucian finished with his last spoonful of stew. Eresa gathered the clean bowls into her 【Inventory】 and rinsed the spoons with water before stowing them.
They’d bought food in bulk from the Oren Labyrinth Merchant Group’s annex but skipped bowls to save money—planning to return them later. The servant had happily agreed. Couldn’t portion out stew from a whole pot otherwise.
Who knew? Once used to 【Inventory】, maybe she could dispense water or stew like a faucet, no containers needed.
Lucian rinsed his mouth with water and asked.
“The downward portal’s not far now, right?”
“Yeah! Probably about three hours.”