The Labyrinth (1)
Today, in Edward's class, we actually received an item called a Magic Tent as a reward.
It was a class reward, something I hadn't received in a while.
If it weren't an essential item for the Labyrinth that every other cadet received as well, I might have been a bit more excited.
One day before entering the Labyrinth.
Because there was an enemy I had to eliminate inside, my heart wasn't fluttering with anticipation like the night before a school picnic.
Class ended early.
It was Edward's consideration, telling us to get plenty of rest since it would be our first time entering the Labyrinth.
“I’ll be taking a short trip with my wife.”
Edward's parting words came to mind.
Perhaps it wasn't consideration, but an excuse.
Since there would be no classes with our supervising instructors for the time being—replaced instead by Labyrinth activities—it could practically be seen as a vacation for them.
Not everyone got a vacation, though; they seemed to take turns resting.
Reina, whom I had run into on the street earlier, had a dark expression on her face.
She probably didn't get a vacation this time. No doubt she had lost a bet.
Reina was rather unlucky, after all.
After class, I was in the middle of preparing for my time in the Labyrinth.
The Labyrinth was teeming with monsters and traps.
However, the enemy I had to face this time was not a monster generated by the Labyrinth itself.
If I had to define it, it was more like an 'impurity' that had accidentally slipped into the Labyrinth.
Since the game's story had to progress, the Academy naturally realized this fact too late.
They would assume it was just a slightly stronger monster, delaying their response. It was designed to give the player time to shine.
But then again, it really did resemble a monster.
The enemy to face this time was a Lycanthrope.
The creature commonly known as a werewolf.
Part human, part beast, it was an existence easily mistaken for a monster. It didn't help that Lycanthropes were extremely rare.
With no proper eyewitnesses, injured cadets suddenly began emerging from the Labyrinth in droves. Judging by the wounds, the Academy simply assumed it was a wolf-like monster.
Of course, the game would create a sense of foreboding for the player, hinting that this was no ordinary occurrence.
I already knew all of this, so I didn't need any ominous foreshadowing.
This Lycanthrope was, in a way, the very first 'boss' the player would encounter.
Werewolves have an incredibly keen sense of smell.
While a strength, it could also be a weakness.
Because of their habit of sniffing out everything, mushroom powder with a paralyzing effect would prove fatal to them.
The Giddy Mushroom.
While this mushroom was used for medicine or hunting monsters, it was also occasionally used in crimes.
Due to its high utility, it wasn't easy to obtain.
But didn't I have quests?
Conveniently, there was a herbalist quest that provided an easy route to acquire the mushroom.
[“This Lady thinks our disciple is exceptionally thorough in his preparations.”]
Sierra, who was floating beside me, spoke.
She didn't question my actions.
She trusted me completely.
She believed her disciple wouldn't do anything pointless, at the very least.
She claimed it was too bothersome to pry into every single detail at this point anyway.
Looking past Sierra, my eyes fell on Ram, the son of Rumbo—the only herbalist operating within the Academy—who was walking beside me.
If you visited the herbalist Rumbo's house around this time, his son Ram, rather than Rumbo himself, would greet you.
This was because Rumbo, who was an outstanding herbalist, had fallen ill and was temporarily unable to work.
After speaking with the bedridden Rumbo, I had agreed to escort Ram, who had ventured out to gather herbs that would help treat his father.
Even though it was just the forest located inside the Academy grounds, meaning there wasn't much danger, a father's heart is always anxious.
Rumbo must have needed something to put his mind at ease.
As a reward, I could get one medicinal ingredient of my choice for free.
Escorting Ram, with a single medicinal ingredient as a selective reward.
This was the structure of the Rumbo and Ram quest.
As we walked, Ram turned around to look at me and spoke.
"Zeto Hyung! How do you walk around so well? Oops! Is it rude of me to ask something like this...?"
"Haha, it's fine. I get asked that quite often."
As we strolled through the forest, I explained Qi Sensing to Ram, who was walking ahead of me.
After hearing the explanation, Ram's eyes sparkled with wonder.
"Qi Sensing...! That's amazing..."
To Ram, Qi Sensing seemed incredibly cool.
Even if he possessed a vast knowledge of herbs like his father, he was still just a young child.
Since there weren't many children in the Academy city, his innocence was a rare sight.
"Ram, do you want to grow up and become a herbalist like Mr. Rumbo?"
The forest was quiet and a bit lonely, so I asked Ram to fill the silence. Usually, kids his age have at least one grand dream.
"Well... I want to become a cool Academy cadet like you, Hyung, but 'cadet' isn't a job, is it? Right now, I'm learning a lot about herbs! Looking at my dad, it seems like there's no problem making a living with it."
"..."
I was left speechless by Ram's realistic answer, which was hard to believe came from a mere nine-year-old child.
[“Ho... For a mere child, he gives quite a commendable answer.”]
Sierra, who had been listening to our conversation, muttered.
Ram certainly seemed full of filial piety.
Perhaps it was because he had lost his mother at an early age.
"Zeto Hyung, what are you going to do after graduation?"
Ram asked as he hopped over a protruding tree root.
*Graduation?*
In the game's happy ending, the epilogue showed the player's character attending a graduation ceremony.
Would I be able to return to reality?
Or would I have to keep living here?
I didn't know.
There was a mountain of things to take care of before the ending.
Because I had been moving so busily, I hadn't even had the luxury to think that far ahead.
"Graduation... Well, maybe I'll join some wealthy family and become their knight?"
I deflected Ram's difficult question with a joke.
"Puhaha! Money really is the best."
Ram's laughter echoed loudly through the forest.
Was this truly a conversation with a nine-year-old boy?
It was while I was strolling through the forest with Ram like that.
Suddenly, Ram dashed off somewhere with incredible speed.
He ran like a beekeeper rushing to catch a hornet trying to harm his precious bees.
Though I didn't know the reason, I was his escort, so I hurriedly chased after him.
Following him to where he had run, I found him crouching in a corner of the forest, harvesting the surrounding grass.
"...You shouldn't just run off without saying a word."
"We're inside the Academy anyway, what could possibly be dangerous? It's just that my dad worries too much... More importantly, I found it."
"The herb to treat Mr. Rumbo?"
"Yes! ...This should be enough. Of all times, Dad had to fall ill just when we ran out of these..."
Ram only then stood up from his crouch, muttering as he placed the gathered herbs into his basket.
"Phew... Well, my business is done... Zeto Hyung, what did you say you needed?"
"...Giddy Mushrooms. Can we find them around here?"
"Giddy Mushrooms? They're hard to find, but fortunately, they do grow around here."
"It won't take too long, right?"
"Of course not! I am Ram, the son of the legendary herbalist Rumbo!"
Ram flexed his arm and spoke to me in a confident voice.
"Let's see, if it's the Giddy Mushroom..."
Muttering the Giddy Mushroom's name in his own unique way, Ram began searching the surroundings.
And so, Ram and I wandered a bit deeper into the forest to find the Giddy Mushrooms.
"By the way, why are you looking for Giddy Mushrooms?"
Ram, who had been searching for the mushrooms, suddenly asked.
Looking at his wide, curious eyes, he seemed genuinely curious about their use.
"Hmm... I have an enemy to defeat, and I want to make the process a bit less exhausting."
"Heh~. Well, Giddy Mushrooms are really effective against monsters... Ah, come to think of it, the Labyrinth opens tomorrow, right?"
"How do you know that?"
"Dad told me that when you do business inside the Academy, you have to know what events are happening and when to make selling easier."
"Ah..."
It felt similar to how stationery store owners in front of schools in my past life always knew what classes were being taught so they could stock the right supplies.
Faced with Ram's overly pragmatic answer, I couldn't think of anything else to say.
A long silence followed.
Since there was no real danger, it felt more like a leisurely stroll than an escort mission.
The sound of birds chirping.
The fragrant scent of grass refreshing my nose.
The soothing green hues scattered everywhere.
For the first time in a long while, I felt a sense of healing.
"Ah!"
As I slowly followed Ram, he cried out as if he had spotted something.
Immediately after, Ram dashed forward once again.
Now accustomed to Ram's sudden movements, I calmly pursued him.
Where I caught up with Ram, there was a fairly large boulder.
Beneath the boulder, a narrow crevice was visible.
"Giddy Mushrooms grow well under rocks like this. You have to be careful because there might be venomous creatures nearby."
"Venomous?"
"Giddy Mushrooms absorb a little bit of the venom secreted by those creatures. Isn't that fascinating?"
Ram explained kindly.
As Ram smiled brightly, I noticed something silently slithering toward his leg.
I immediately drew my Yodo and struck down, piercing the creature's head.
"Whoa...!"
Startled by the sudden movement, Ram tumbled backward onto his rear.
Looking closely at the creature, it resembled a snake. However, it was covered in numerous legs that no snake should have.
Its legs squirmed and wriggled.
It was a highly grotesque sight.
"Th-this guy is also one of those creatures that secretes venom like I mentioned... It won't secrete any more now that it's dead, but... you can't eat it."
Ram continued his explanation, seemingly trying to calm his racing heart.
Secreting venom... Since the flora and fauna of this world were entirely different, everything felt incredibly novel to me.
I flicked the creature's blood off the Yodo and sheathed it.
"Thank you... I didn't even feel it approaching... Qi Sensing really is amazing. But, could you keep this a secret from my dad...? He'll definitely scold me to death."
Ram bowed to express his gratitude, then made his request with a wry smile.
"It was nothing. That was my job, after all. Just be more careful next time."
Still, perhaps because he was still a child, he lacked caution. He would have to learn more from his father in the future.
"But if this guy was here, then..."
Ram cautiously scanned the surroundings, then bent down to peer under the boulder, muttering.
"...Just as I thought! You'd better cover your nose from now on."
Ram pulled out a tong-like tool from his waist, covered his nose with one hand, and reached under the boulder.
I covered my nose as Ram instructed.
He had likely found the Giddy Mushroom.
Ram then stood back up.
At the end of his tongs was a mushroom with a strange yellow pattern.
Keeping his mouth tightly shut, Ram pulled a small pouch from his breast pocket and placed the mushroom inside.
He then pulled the drawstring tight, sealing the pouch.
"Phew... Done. Here's the Giddy Mushroom you wanted, Hyung. Carrying it like this will prevent any powder from leaking out."
Ram exhaled the breath he had been holding and handed me the pouch.
"The service is quite excellent."
"Then please buy lots of herbs from us in the future!"
"Haha, I will."
I shared a hearty laugh with Ram.
Ram was a kid with a great personality and excellent social skills.
When he grew up, he might be even better at business than Rumbo. Rumbo, after all, was rather blunt.
With our tasks complete, we made our way back to Rumbo's house. Escorting him safely back home was the end of the quest.
"Ah, right. If you're planning to use it on monsters, you should probably prepare a cloth to cover your nose and mouth. We have some good ones at home... Want me to give you one? As a thank you for earlier... but keep it a secret from Dad."
"That sounds great."
Fortunately, there was an extra reward.
I had actually been planning to prepare a mask or some kind of cloth anyway.
While the Lycanthrope was vulnerable to the Giddy Mushroom due to its keen sense of smell, my own senses were also highly heightened due to my Great Senses.
Judging by his words, it would be a cloth used professionally by herbalists... so it would be far more effective.
We chatted about this and that as we walked through the city.
Just a little further, and we would reach Rumbo's house.
Along the way, I ran into someone I knew.
As she tilted her head, her pink twin-tails swayed along with the movement.
It was Kaen.
*Was running into her here a coincidence, or was it by her design...?*
I wondered when she would finally take off that ditz mask. She would show her true colors eventually.
Kaen approached me naturally, greeting me as if she had only just noticed me.
"Oh, Cadet Zeto?"
"...Miss Kaen. It has been a while."
"Hehe, you recognized me just by my voice. Who is the boy next to you...?"
"This is Ram, the son of the herbalist Mr. Rumbo."
"Heh! Mr. Rumbo had a son?"
Kaen covered her mouth, putting on a surprised expression.
She seemed to know Rumbo as well.
Well, since Rumbo was the only herbalist inside the Academy, it was only natural.
"Zeto Hyung, you must be really popular. Earlier, those female cadets were staring at you, and now we run into a girl you know on the street..."
Feeling Kaen's gaze, Ram put his hands behind his back and looked at me with envy.
[“This Lady agrees with the boy. Women do seem to flock to our disciple quite a bit...”]
Sierra, who had been quiet, narrowed her eyes and chimed in, agreeing with Ram.
"We are just ordinary friends."
"Right... Just friends."
Kaen went along with my answer.
It was a bit ambiguous to call us close, but she seemed to understand my intention to just brush it off.
"More importantly, your sword has changed...?"
Kaen kept her head facing forward but glanced sideways at the Yodo as she asked.
"Ah, it's a sword passed down by my master... I've only recently become skilled enough to use it."
"Aha... Your master..."
I felt this every time, but Kaen's acting was rather clumsy.
While she might not know about Reverse Heaven, she had undoubtedly already observed from afar that my sword had changed.
Perhaps she had many other questions, as she began to pry further.
"What is that pouch at your waist?"
"This is..."
"I got that for him! Zeto Hyung said he needed Giddy Mushrooms!"
Suddenly, the quiet Ram raised his hand high and shouted.
"Giddy Mushrooms...? Do you mean the Giddy Mushrooms? The ones with the paralyzing effect..."
Kaen questioned Ram's shout.
She seemed to know what Giddy Mushrooms were.
"Yes! He said he has an enemy to defeat, and using Giddy Mushrooms would make it less exhausting!"
Ram's innocent reply followed.
...He wasn't wrong.
Giddy Mushrooms were just hard to find; possessing them didn't break any laws, so there was no issue.
However, upon hearing Ram's answer, Kaen's eyes began to waver.
[“Hmm? That woman, Kaen, has a gaze filled with suspicion. Considering how she has been watching our disciple from afar lately... she is highly suspicious.”]
Sierra, observing this, tried to read Kaen's intentions.
If Sierra realized this early on that Kaen was the Sword Saint's disciple, I didn't know what kind of demands she would make of me, which would be troublesome.
"An enemy to defeat... Ahaha, you must mean the Labyrinth that opens tomorrow, right...?"
Fortunately, Kaen seemed to make sense of it belatedly, scratching the back of her head as she spoke to me.
"Indeed."
I replied with a shrug.
Judging by the look in Sierra's eyes, it would be best to leave this place quickly.
I had nothing more to discuss with Kaen anyway.
We weren't in the same class, nor had we talked much before.
"Well then, I have some business to attend to, so I shall take my leave."
Saying so, I naturally tried to go our separate ways.
Just as I hurried to leave, Sierra's quiet voice echoed in my head.
[“This Lady is curious about something, so just a moment...”]
In the end, Sierra floated backward, away from the direction I was walking.
She was heading toward Kaen.
*What is she trying to do...?*
Sierra's actions were completely unpredictable.
But I couldn't exactly stop and shout at her on this busy street.
Since Sierra couldn't stray too far from my side, I had no choice but to walk as fast as possible.
As I walked, Sierra eventually returned to my side.
[“This Lady truly cannot fathom what that woman, Kaen, is thinking.”]
Sierra, who seemed to have been observing Kaen, threw a low, meaningful remark at me.
I couldn't answer her right away.
She knew that well, so she continued speaking even without a response.
[“She stood there with a deadly serious expression, muttering about her grandfather's swordsmanship while whispering things like, 'At this rate, I'll be ravished,' or 'My purity will be stolen'... Do you happen to have any idea what she meant?”]
Sierra's subsequent words left me deeply bewildered.
*Purity? Ravished? By whom?*
Something... seemed to be going terribly wrong.