Chapter 17
I woke early in the morning.
I didn’t feel as if I’d slept very deeply.
Maybe it was nerves, but my body had woken quickly enough.
I got out of bed, straightened the blanket, and opened my connection to the swords.
[Lustful Demon: Aaaah, I want to fuuuuuck—!]
[Invisible Sword: Shut the hell up, you bastard!]
[Emperor Augustus: Gahahahaha! Charge ahead!]
The sword spirits were in exactly the same state as last night.
“I trust you all slept well.”
[Sword Master: Oh, the user’s here. You’re up early, aren’t you?]
“Yes. I woke up early.”
[Lustful Demon: We don’t exactly sleep, do we? Heh heh.]
[Invisible Sword: The rookie always starts by greeting everyone.]
[Sapier: I slept. Good morning, User.]
[Sapier: And as I always say, please restrain yourselves from making a scene just because you yourselves don’t sleep.]
The sword spirits were already bickering before the sun had even fully climbed the sky.
I wondered how they managed to coexist in there at all.
As their voices echoed in my head, I gathered my gear one piece at a time.
I’d already grown used to the commotion by now.
More than that, sometimes having those voices around made me feel strangely at ease.
It was a life in an unfamiliar place, but the sword spirits were always more or less the same.
I chuckled at their argument all the way down to the first floor.
“Ah, you’re up early.”
The inn’s first floor, early in the morning, looked very different from the noisy chaos of last night.
It seemed they were still preparing to open for business.
Mayrin, Bagon’s daughter, was sweeping the floor.
“Yes. Good morning. You’re Bagon’s daughter, correct?”
“Yes. My name is Mayrin.”
Bagon’s daughter introduced herself with graceful poise.
The place had a very different feel from the other inns I’d known.
Most innkeepers’ daughters were rough and loud from dealing with burly adventurers all day.
“My name is Ivan.”
“Yes, Mr. Ivan. Would you like me to prepare breakfast for you?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Mayrin finished cleaning and disappeared into the kitchen.
Before long, a meal of eggs, bread, ham, and the like was set before me.
“Please enjoy.”
“Thank you.”
The food Mayrin prepared was delicious.
I still had plenty of time, so I took my time and enjoyed breakfast.
But while I was savoring the quiet morning, Mayrin spoke again.
“Still, Mr. Ivan, you don’t seem quite like most climbers.”
“Pardon?”
“The way you eat is elegant, I suppose. It’s just... different.”
Even though I was an illegitimate son, I’d been born into the Dragan family; table manners were something I’d learned by heart.
It seemed Mayrin found my behavior unusual compared to commoners.
“Ah! I’m sorry. Father said it’s impolite to ask climbers personal questions, but—”
“It’s all right. If anything, I should be more careful.”
There were plenty of climbers with circumstances they couldn’t speak of.
What she’d just asked was practically a question about my past.
And yet, for me, that was actually useful.
It meant I’d learned that even a small habit like this could give away that I’d been born to nobility.
From now on, I’d have to eat like a proper climber too—rougher, less refined.
“Are you heading into the labyrinth today?”
“Yes. It’ll be my first trip in today.”
We kept talking as I ate.
It was still early, so only Mayrin and I were there, and the conversation came naturally.
[Sword Master: Nice to see.]
[Invisible Sword: I want to see Chiyo too.]
[Lustful Demon: See? I told you—you could’ve screwed around yesterday too.]
[Sapier: Please stop with the vulgar remarks. Still, even from a woman’s perspective, this is not exactly a common atmosphere.]
Please, could you all just be quiet?
Of course, the sword spirits were spouting nonsense again among themselves.
I silently scolded them in my head.
Then, just as I was nearly finished with breakfast, something powerful suddenly seized my shoulder with brutal force.
It felt like my shoulder was about to be ripped clean off.
I couldn’t suppress the scream that burst from the pain.
“Gahh…!”
“F-Father?”
It turned out the innkeeper, Bagon, had grabbed my shoulder with his hand.
His grip was so strong it felt like my trapezius was going to split apart.
“Hey, Ivan. What exactly are you doing with my daughter right now?”
“I-I was just having a conversation... More importantly, that really hurts...!”
I patted at Bagon’s hand as it continued to tear at my shoulder.
With that huge palm and those slabs of muscle, it honestly felt as if my arm might be ripped right off.
“Oh, Father! Mr. Ivan only woke up early, so I just made him breakfast!”
“Hrm, ahem. I see.”
It was Mayrin who saved me.
When she scolded him, Bagon gave a fake cough and let go at once.
I thought I was safe then, but Bagon leaned in close and muttered into my ear.
“Listen, Ivan. If you lay a hand on my daughter, you’ll disappear without a trace.”
His voice was genuinely chilling, like he really meant it.
For some reason, with Bagon, I could actually believe he’d do it.
[Quick-Draw Master: He’s a doting father, isn’t he.]
[Invisible Sword: Total daughter fool.]
[Sword Master: A man would have every reason to treasure such a proper daughter.]
A father who was a daughter fool, and built like a bear at that.
So the cute bear apron had been a gift from Mayrin too.
I had no interest in Mayrin like that, so the whole thing just felt unfair.
“More importantly, Ivan. This is your first time heading into the labyrinth today?”
“That’s right. I’m planning to conquer only the first floor.”
“Then you’ve prepared your gear properly.”
Mayrin went back to her work, and Bagon picked up the conversation.
He looked over my equipment at a glance and offered all sorts of advice.
Most of it was basic guidance for beginner climbers.
I’d already heard a lot of it from the sword spirits, but I listened carefully all the same.
“Thank you.”
“Come back alive, and visit us again. I’ll give you plenty of extras.”
“Yes. I’ll come stay here again.”
Bagon was a good man.
The sword spirits said it was rare to find someone who would give a rookie climber such sincere advice.
When I came back out of the labyrinth, I wanted to eat this breakfast again.
It felt like I’d found a place to return to.
“Then I’ll be off.”
“Have a safe trip. The first floor won’t kill you if you keep your head on straight.”
“Please take care, Mr. Ivan.”
Seeing me off, Bagon and Mayrin watched as I left the inn.
[Quick-Draw Master: What a wonderful innkeeper.]
[Invisible Sword: This is the first time I’ve seen an innkeeper tell someone to have a safe trip.]
[Sapier: Perhaps he saw something in the User.]
The sword spirits sounded impressed.
I was impressed too, and oddly warmed by it.
Holding on to that warmth, I headed for the labyrinth.
***
The labyrinth entrance was crowded in the morning.
Most parties entered the labyrinth at daybreak.
I pushed my way through the groups of climbers and looked for my own party.
“Mr. Ivan! Over here!”
Soon enough, I found the three childhood friends gathered together, along with Nierel.
Since they all had some labyrinth experience, they looked fairly well prepared.
There were lots of other beginner parties around us.
Compared to them, our party even looked like the best-equipped one there.
“You’ve come well prepared. I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
Kane looked at me with reassuring confidence.
The rest of the party seemed filled with trust in me as a one-Stigma swordsman.
I could only smile awkwardly.
Yes, I had one Stigma—but I was also a strange hybrid who’d never actually learned swordsmanship.
Still, I was confident I wouldn’t cause any trouble on the first floor.
We checked a few more things and lined up for entry.
“As you know, there’s no light once we go in. Skilled parties usually assign one person to handle the torch, but since we’re still beginners, let’s all light our own.”
We each had a torch strapped to us.
Floors one through five were known as the cave strata.
As the name suggested, they were cave-like environments.
The labyrinth changed terrain every five floors.
With that came major stratum divisions, and each stratum had its own rules.
The cave stratum’s rule was: Darkness takes everything.
They said that in places without light, the God of Darkness would gradually steal one of your senses over time.
Keeping a constant light source was crucial.
Before long, our turn came.
The labyrinth entrance was being managed by people from the association headquarters.
“Is this your first time using a teleport stone?”
“No. I’ve done it before.”
“I see. Go on in.”
I followed Kane, who had taken the lead, and headed toward the teleport stone.
The teleport stone served as the labyrinth’s entrance.
If you activated it, you could enter the labyrinth.
It was a mysterious stone with several functions, said to be a phenomenon that had arisen naturally along with the labyrinth itself.
The leader, Kane, was the one handling the activation.
“Everyone, place a hand on the teleport stone. That way we’ll arrive in the same location.”
The arrival point was random.
However, if you were all touching the stone when it activated, you’d be transported to the same place.
We all laid our hands on the teleport stone, and soon it began to glow.
“Then let’s go.”
The light swallowed us in an instant.
The world turned inside out, and I felt my body lift away from the ground.
***
“Ugh…”
When my feet touched the ground again, I complained of a mild headache.
Being transported into the labyrinth was a bizarre sensation.
For a moment, it felt as though consciousness had shut off and I’d been moved somewhere else while I was gone.
[Invisible Sword: Hey! Get it together! Light the torch already!]
Before I’d even had time to think, the sword spirit’s voice rang out.
Right—the moment we entered the labyrinth, we had to light the torches.
I tucked the torch I’d been carrying on my back between my legs.
Then I reached into my pouch and took out the flint.
I aimed at the torch tip and struck the flint together.
There was a sharp clicking sound, but the fire wouldn’t catch.
It wasn’t easy to strike a flame in the dark.
I needed to rub the flint precisely against the torch tip, but I couldn’t get the feel for it.
[Invisible Sword: Hey! Focus! If there’s no light, you die!]
[Quick-Draw Master: We must not be trapped by darkness!]
The sword spirits shouted without giving me a moment’s rest.
According to the stratum rule, exposure to darkness would cost us our senses.
I knew that already from what I’d heard, but still...
Whoosh—
Then, from one side, heat surged up, and with it, my field of vision returned.
When I looked up, the elf Nierel was holding a lit torch.
“I’ve got mine lit, so it’s okay. Don’t panic, everyone—just light the others!”
While I was still fumbling around in the dark, Nierel had quickly gotten hers lit.
She really wasn’t a ninth-grade climber for nothing.
Even little things like this showed the difference experience could make.
“Hah... As expected of a ninth-grade climber. You were fast...”
“Hehe. This much is nothing...”
Hena, the healer, said as she clapped her hands.
The other three childhood friends were almost ready too, but they still weren’t as quick as Nierel, the ninth-grade climber.
[Lustful Demon: See? I told you an elf would be useful.]
[Quick-Draw Master: ...As a ninth-grade climber, she does have her uses.]
[Sword Master: Lighting a torch in the dark is difficult at first.]
Nierel’s standing among the sword spirits rose a little.
Even I was starting to find her dependable.
“Hmm... this way should be fine.”
Dogo, our guide, checked the map and confirmed our position.
Most of the floors were twisted up like a maze.
It was the guide’s job to find the way to the teleport stone using the map.
“Good. Let’s move out!”
We formed up and began to move.
The stale cave air was heavy with tension.
Aside from our footsteps, there was only an awful silence.
To ease my nerves, I asked the sword spirits a question in my head.
By the way, do you all know the way through the labyrinth?
[Quick-Draw Master: Even if one isn’t a guide, the route on floors you’ve visited often enough does become somewhat visible.]
[Quick-Draw Master: But the labyrinth’s structure changes little by little on a regular cycle.]
I’d thought that maybe, with all their experience, they’d memorized the routes.
Apparently, the first floor’s structure had changed recently.
Whenever the structure changed, the Guide Guild would make new maps.
Then guides would buy them from the guild, and so on.
Just having a map wasn’t enough to find the way.
You had to receive training from the Guide Guild and learn the skill properly.
Even Invisible Sword among the sword spirits said he could act as a guide.
But if I, someone who wasn’t a member of the Guide Guild, started leading us around by finding the way myself, it would raise suspicion, so in the party I had decided to remain silent and only serve as a vanguard.
“Ah, there’s something ahead.”
Then Dogo, the guide, came to a halt.
At the same time, everyone drew their weapons.
We all held our breath and waited for Dogo’s next words.
“Goblins. Around seven to ten of them.”
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
As soon as Dogo finished speaking, Kane gave the order.
Dogo fell back, and Kane and I, the vanguards, took the torches and moved to the front.
My blood was already racing at the thought that this would be our first fight.
My face grew hot, and the helmet covering it suddenly felt stifling.
A wooden shield rested in my left hand.
In my right, I held the Military Command Sword one-handed.
With the appearance of one Stigma, my strength had increased.
Now I could swing the Military Command Sword with one hand.
But my swordsmanship was still lacking.
A sword swung one-handed felt clumsy and unsteady.
It felt strange to have something in both hands.
The sound of everyone’s throats bobbing echoed through the air.
But soon the noise was swallowed by something else.
A bizarre cackle and the patter of reckless footsteps came rushing closer.
There was only one path.
We couldn’t avoid the clash.
Out of the darkness, a horde of goblins burst forth.