Chapter 13
[Lustful Demon: What’s there to ask? Of course we go straight into the labyrinth.]
As soon as my Climber registration was finished, the sword spirits spoke up.
Go in right away? But isn’t the labyrinth supposed to be a terrifying place? Wouldn’t that get me killed…?
I asked back, a little flustered.
I’d assumed we’d stay here for a while after arriving, and that I’d spend some time learning swordsmanship from the spirits.
Besides, they’d been scaring me senseless just a moment ago, telling me how terrifying the labyrinth was.
[Sword Master: Of course the labyrinth is dangerous.]
[Sword Master: But exploring just the first floor should be within your abilities.]
[Sword Master: Most rookies die on the first floor too, but you’ve got a Stigma already, and most importantly, you have us.]
But is there really any reason to be this urgent?
[Lassu Feedwagon: There are two purposes to going in immediately.]
[Lassu Feedwagon: First, it strips off the rookie stink clinging to you.]
I apparently looked far too inexperienced.
I was the sort of fresh-faced Climber anyone would target at a glance.
Once I’d gone into the labyrinth and come back out, that rookie aura would be gone.
Their opinion was that it was safest to start only after I’d settled my nerves properly.
[Lassu Feedwagon: Truthfully, the real reason is the second one: we need a record proving you entered the labyrinth.]
The second reason was the more important one.
I’d made it to Babilgrid in an absurdly short time.
That was thanks to the money I’d taken from the precious metals in the secret passage, and to the fact that I’d run nonstop in the Tracker state.
By ordinary standards, it was impossible speed.
The Sapier family was probably searching for me right now, assuming I was hiding somewhere near their territory.
But if a record existed showing that I’d entered the labyrinth during that same period?
Then the false identity of “Ivan” would have an alibi.
It would become much easier to keep the Sapier family from closing in on me as Ivan.
I understand. Thank you for looking out for me.
[Invisible Sword: Good grief, what a completely obvious thing to say. We’re only explaining every little thing because you’re dense.]
[Quick-Draw Master: It’s better for us if the user survives safely as well.]
After hearing the sword spirits’ explanation, I accepted their advice.
I was grateful they’d considered details I hadn’t even thought of.
[Lassu Feedwagon: Then get yourself a party first, d’you hear?]
To enter the labyrinth, I needed to form a party.
Five people to a party was the norm.
I headed for the party-matching counter.
“Are you looking for a party?”
“Yes. I’m looking for a first-floor clearing party that needs a vanguard.”
“Please hand over your Climber tag.”
I repeated what the spirits had told me to say.
The receptionist took my tag, flipped through some papers, and said, “Please go to Tables 1, 3, and 11.”
I got my tag back and left the counter.
From there, I was supposed to go speak to people directly, gauge their opinions, and decide which party to join.
I took the stairs up to the next floor.
When I reached it, I found a space lined with tables.
I was supposed to approach the people at Tables 1, 3, and 11 and talk to them.
[Lustful Demon: From here on out, keep your wits about you.]
[Quick-Draw Master: You must always be cautious when forming a party.]
Choosing the people you would risk your life with while entering the labyrinth.
When selecting a party, you always had to be careful.
[Emperor Augustus: Nothing is more dangerous than an incompetent ally.]
[Sword Master: Especially when rookies form a party with other rookies, you need to be even more careful.]
The monsters that appear on the first floor are goblins, and only goblins.
People rarely die on the first floor because they lack combat power.
Most rookie parties fail because of mistakes.
They either slip up because they aren’t used to the labyrinth, or they panic and do something stupid.
In other words, if you kept your head, you could usually make it back alive.
But what about me? By that logic, shouldn’t the others be the ones avoiding me?
Now that I thought about it, I was the one who should be worrying.
I knew nothing about the labyrinth.
I was just as likely to make mistakes as anyone else.
And I’d never fought in a group battle before.
[Lassu Feedwagon: Still, you’ve got us, haven’t you? Even if you just do what we tell you, you’ll pull your own weight.]
[Sword Master: And with your level of ability, goblins shouldn’t be enough to get in your way.]
[Sword Master: You already fought and beat eleven specters by yourself. A first floor situation is hardly worse than that.]
Surprisingly, the spirits had a high opinion of me.
What worried me was that I’d never learned swordsmanship.
But according to them, my talent was enough that the first floor wouldn’t be a problem.
I’ll start with Table 1.
I decided to talk to people in order.
First was Table 1.
Four people sat there.
[Sword Master: One dwarf, one human priest, one archer. The guide is a gnome, I take it.]
[Quick-Draw Master: Doesn’t feel promising.]
[Lustful Demon: Go talk to them first.
Even before I’d said a word to them, the spirits were already acting like they didn’t like the look of them.
To me, they seemed rather dependable.
“Hello. I heard you were looking for a vanguard.”
I greeted Table 1 politely.
But no one greeted me back.
“...”
The four of them just stared at me silently.
I had greeted them, and yet they didn’t answer, only looked.
Their blank, fixed attention felt strangely eerie.
“Ah, hahaha! That’s right. We’re looking for a vanguard.”
“From the looks of it, is this your first time in the labyrinth?”
Just as I was beginning to sense something odd, the four of them suddenly laughed and spoke at once.
I thought maybe they’d just been sizing me up because I was new.
They smiled warmly and told me to sit down.
[Lustful Demon: Tch. This one’s done for.]
[Sword Master: Just make some excuse and leave.]
And yet the spirits were already clicking their tongues.
It had seemed a little strange at first, but the atmosphere itself felt fine.
“Yes. It’s my first time. This is a party for clearing the first floor, correct?”
“Of course. We only clear the first floor.”
“Looks like you’re a swordsman, which works out well. We were looking for a swordsman ourselves.”
Their attitude was practically, Join us right now the moment I sat down.
It was the first time anyone had ever been this welcoming to me.
“This looks like it’ll work out, doesn’t it?”
“W-wait a moment. Right now?”
I asked back, caught off guard.
Was it really going to be this easy?
“The first floor isn’t all that difficult. Let’s get moving quickly.”
“You’re worried because this is your first time, right? But there’s nothing to the first floor. Don’t worry, don’t worry.”
The priest and the gnome spoke with oily smiles.
They acted as if this really wasn’t dangerous at all.
The sword spirits speaking in my head, however, were reacting in precisely the opposite way.
[Invisible Sword: Of all the rotten luck, to get these guys right from the start.]
[Quick-Draw Master: What if we just kill them first?]
[Lassu Feedwagon: The user really does look like an easy mark.]
[Sapier: If they’d been in front of me, I’d have cut them down on the spot.]
The spirits hurled abuse at the four smiling people.
I still didn’t understand what was wrong, so I asked myself inwardly, puzzled.
They seem fine to me. What’s the problem?
[Invisible Sword: Damn it, what do we do with this innocent little idiot?]
[Lustful Demon: Get out of there first. Unless you want to disappear without a trace in the labyrinth.]
The spirits insisted again and again.
I had no choice but to stand up from the table.
“I’m sorry. I think I should look around a little more.”
“What? I told you, just join us.”
“What are you hesitating for? There’s nothing to it.”
“Come on now. Let’s just go!”
But Table 1 clung to me, sticky and persistent.
They were so reluctant to let me go that it almost seemed absurd.
That was when I finally felt the wrongness of it.
“I’m sorry.”
I quickly shook them off and left the table.
A moment later, I heard them muttering behind my back.
“Damn it… he was perfect.”
“We were just about to make a nice haul, too.”
Gooseflesh prickled across my back.
The people who’d been smiling a moment ago had changed in an instant.
Startled, I turned around, and Table 1 was grinning at me like fools.
...What was that?
[Invisible Sword: Hah. You innocent bastard.]
[Invisible Sword: They saw you as an easy target, so they were trying to fleece you. If you’d gone with them, they would’ve stripped you naked on the first floor, taken everything you had, and killed you.]
...What?
[Quick-Draw Master: It’s a common trick. They pose as a first-floor party, lure in a rookie, enter the labyrinth with them, steal the rookie’s gear and money, and then kill them.]
[Quick-Draw Master: Killing someone in the labyrinth leaves no trace, after all. Sometimes cheating one foolish rookie is easier and more profitable than fighting monsters.]
“If they die in the labyrinth, there’s no evidence,”
the Quick-Draw Master added in a voice full of contempt.
...I was the fool, then.
Only after learning the truth did I finally come to my senses.
[Lustful Demon: Now that you know, keep your head on straight.]
Yes. I suppose I was far too naive.
I admitted my own mistake.
I had been too careless.
It was a relief to have the sword spirits with me.
I’d almost paid an expensive tuition fee for that lesson.
That didn’t mean everyone was bad, of course.
I understood now that I needed to judge things for myself and not be deceived by mere kindness.
Hoo. I’ll try Table 3 next.
I drew a deep breath and moved again.
Next was Table 3. This one was made up of three young humans.
“Hello. I heard you were looking for a vanguard.”
“Ah, yes. Please, have a seat.”
One of the three—a man with a sword at his hip—stood up to greet me.
He seemed to be the leader.
The other two smiled awkwardly and lowered their heads.
The atmosphere was clearly different from Table 1.
There was a faint tension in the air, but they didn’t seem to want to show it.
“Hmm… first of all, is this your first time in the labyrinth?”
The leader asked.
The mood was different, but the question was the same.
To anyone looking, I probably seemed like a total labyrinth rookie.
[Lassu Feedwagon: Tell them it’s your first time, but that you have one Stigma.]
[Lassu Feedwagon: Even if you’re a rookie, if you’re a swordsman with a Stigma, they’ll take you more readily.]
Then Lassu spoke in my head.
Table 1 had only told me to get out.
It seemed this party would at least let me pass the first impression test.
“Yes. But I do have one Stigma.”
“...! You’re a 1-Star Stigma swordsman?”
“Ah…!”
At my answer, the man’s expression brightened.
The other two, who’d been quiet, also relaxed visibly.
“Yes.”
I hadn’t actually learned swordsmanship yet, so calling myself a swordsman was generous.
Still, the mood at the table quickly turned friendly.
[Lustful Demon: Hm… I’m a little uneasy here.]
[Invisible Sword: Is this one a dud too?]
This time, however, the spirits were reacting in the opposite direction.
I genuinely couldn’t tell what was wrong.
Unlike Table 1, there was no feeling that they were trying to con me.
They were only level-10 Climbers, but unlike me, they clearly had experience in the labyrinth.
And unlike the first table, they’d been wary when they first saw me.
They seemed like perfectly decent people.
“Then the first floor won’t be a problem. I’m Kane. I serve as the vanguard and leader of this party.”
“I-I’m Dogo. I’m the guide.”
“I’m Hena, the priest and healer of the party.”
The three of them introduced themselves as the atmosphere warmed.
“I’m Ivan.”
“Ivan! Nice to meet you.”
Kane held out his hand after I introduced myself.
A little awkwardly, I shook Kane’s hand.
The other two also looked relieved, as though things were going well.
I still didn’t really know how valuable a 1-Star Stigma swordsman was, but I could feel their desire to have me along.
[Lustful Demon: Hey. Ask these guys what their relationship is.]
That was when the Lustful Demon cut through the atmosphere and spoke.
Following his instruction, I asked the three of them.
“By the way, what’s your relationship to each other?”
“Ah! We actually grew up together in the same village. We came to the labyrinth city so we could become Climbers together.”
So that was it. No wonder they were about the same age and seemed close.
They’d come to the labyrinth leaning on one another, friends entering together.
I was thinking that it was a nice thing to see, but the spirits’ reaction was completely different from mine.
[Invisible Sword: Shit like this is the worst.]
[Lustful Demon: Tch.]
[Quick-Draw Master: Not surprising, unfortunately.]
Why are you all reacting like that?
[Invisible Sword: Damn it, no rookie party should be made of childhood friends!]
[Lassu Feedwagon: One of the biggest things a beginner Climber has to watch out for is a childhood-friend party.]