Chapter 17
Chapter 17
I’ll Kill You
I left the Holy District and entered District 4.
On the way to the guild, I asked Yeriel various basic questions.
For example, things that someone living here should know before gathering information about the area.
Step, step, step.
“Yeriel. So far, the places I’ve been are the area outside the labyrinth where the Adventurers’ Guild was, and the Holy District in District 3. Can you tell me how many more districts there are?”
“…Wow, so you’ve really just been using your body for the past two weeks?”
…Somehow, that had ended up being the case.
“Hmm. To put it simply, this is called a labyrinth city, but it’s basically a fortress surrounded by walls with eight city-level districts.”
Right, that much I remembered from when I first transited here.
“District 1, Arcadia. It’s located in the center of the city, and when the Great Labyrinth appeared, it was the surrounding city. The descendants of those who had gathered the people and everything else for power still reside there.”
Her words made me suspicious.
“Usually, in a labyrinth city, the Great Labyrinth is central, and then the districts are built around it, right?”
“I’m just a commoner, so I don’t know for sure. But maybe because they’re high-ranking people, they wanted to be at the center of the city to be built.”
Anyway, Yeriel continued her explanation.
“District 2, Esteban. This is called the Noble District.”
Aren’t nobles essentially the ones in power?
“When the people of District 1 settled at the center and organized things, the surrounding nobles were placed outside the center, and that became District 2.”
So District 1 was for the high-ranking nobles who significantly influenced the city’s founding.
And District 2 was for the ordinary nobles around them?
“You know District 3, right? District 4 is the mixed-use area we’re going to now, called Orarium.”
Orarium. I remembered seeing it in the Protector’s explanation.
“As the name suggests, it’s a total gathering spot: the entrance to the Great Labyrinth, the commercial district, the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters, and other guilds like the Swordsmanship Guild.”
For now, District 4 is probably the most important place for me.
“Districts 5 through 7 are the most populated plain areas called Remnants! They have lots of shops and local adventurer branches, but they’re not as good as District 4.”
She shook her head mid-sentence.
“District 8… is half-abandoned. It’s called the slum district Dezertum. I’ve heard that there are many underworld groups there.”
Right, Derek was in District 6, wasn’t he? Hm. I hope I never have to go to a slum.
We continued walking and talking for a couple of hours, and finally, the entrance to District 4 came into view.
Soon after, we reached the guild.
“The guild! Aren, you need to register as a new adventurer first, right?”
“Right. Last time, it was too hectic.”
I replied and pushed through the revolving door into the guild.
“Aren, I’ll just look around for a bit. Do you want me to wait until you finish registration?”
“Yeah. I’ll get it done quickly, so just wait a little.”
“Okay!”
Leaving Yeriel behind, I stood at the registration desk where the line was short.
Finally, it was my turn, and the clerk said,
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“I’d like to register as a new adventurer. Is that possible right now?”
“Of course! The registration fee for new adventurers is 10 silver coins.”
I remembered that I had received 25 silver coins as settlement from the third floor ordeal.
Ten coins for registration seems quite a lot for a beginner.
…Then again, this is a land of opportunity where outsiders flock, so if they let anyone register without any means, it would just increase unnecessary deaths.
Fortunately, I had more than enough money. I handed over 10 silver coins.
Clink.
“Yes, received! One moment.”
The clerk pulled out a form from under the desk.
“I’ll give you this form to fill out your personal details. Ah! Be careful not to lie, or you’ll face serious penalties later.”
Thorough. Good. Let’s fill this out.
…And that’s when I hit a snag.
Name and age were easy. But where I’m from? I got stuck.
Couldn’t I just pick some random village in the general direction I came from?
But if my fame grows later and someone checks, and the lie is exposed… hmm.
A direct approach is best.
“Is there a way to leave the place of origin blank?”
“Hmm? Well, some people do that occasionally. Can you tell me why?”
“The truth is, I… was found in the labyrinth a few weeks ago with amnesia. I temporarily joined Derek’s party on the third floor. Isn’t there a way to verify this directly?”
The clerk looked troubled.
“Amnesia? May I have your name?”
“Aren. Just Aren, no surname.”
The clerk pulled out a large book as she did earlier.
When she touched the cover, a small magic circle appeared…
Magic item? Magical tool? Even in this awkward situation, it looked fascinating.
“Ah… Are you the Aren, vouched for by Adventurer Evelyn, the leader of the Silver Cross Knights?”
“Yes. That’s correct. She’s my mentor.”
Seeing the clerk surprised, I confirmed.
“With a vouch from someone of her stature, as long as your name and age are correct, your place of origin can be skipped.”
Relief.
“…All personal information is complete.”
I held my breath, worried about the next snag, but it went smoothly.
“New adventurers must also undergo basic training. There’s an extra fee of 3 silver coins. If you don’t have enough, you can pay later on credit. What will you do?”
I handed over 3 coins without complaint.
“Done. The session starts soon, so head to the second floor and go to the large room on the far left.”
“Wait. I have a companion. Can we go together? They might have already completed the training.”
“What’s your companion’s name?”
“Yeriel.”
“…Of course, that’s fine.”
Did she confirm that Yeriel was Evelyn’s sibling by touching the book? Fine by me.
“Thank you, then.”
I bowed and went to meet Yeriel, who was waiting a bit further away.
“Yeriel! They say all new adventurers must undergo basic training. Do you want to go together, or meet afterward?”
Yeriel smiled as if it were no problem.
“Hehe, let’s go together! It’ll be good to review the important knowledge again.”
I smiled back and we headed to the second floor.
When we opened the door, two people were there.
One seemed to be the instructor: a man with a prominent scar across his left eye.
The other… was a dwarf.
“Welcome. You’re here for training, right? My name is Bardus. Let’s have a good session.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Aren, and this is Yeriel.”
“Pleased to meet you, Bardus!”
“Just call me Bardus. By the way, someone else was supposed to join, but that’s odd.”
The scarred man, who had been listening quietly, spoke.
“Since they’re not coming, let’s start. I’m Berkel. Raise your hand if you have questions during class.”
Was the last person really not coming?
And so, the lesson began.
The training was useful.
Even on the first day, he explained the basics—like the ecology of floors, party composition, formations—using examples from his own experience.
By the time class ended, the door suddenly burst open.
“Oh, sorry! Haha! I was late due to unavoidable circumstances. From tomorrow, I’ll come on time!”
I turned, and my body froze. Nothing else entered my eyes except his face.
“Wow… Are you looking for a party, miss? If not, do you want to join mine? I have stats and traits that can beat most new adventurers!”
“No. I’m in a party with Aren, right here. I have no intention of being in a party with anyone else, so ignore me and go mind your business.”
“No, wait. Think again. Want me to give you all my information? It’s incomparable to that guy.”
Snap!
He subtly reached out to grab Yeriel, but I caught his arm.
“Gah! Let go of me?!”
This face… This is him.
“Aren, I’m fine…”
No. It’s not just because of Yeriel.
…
I got caught in the transit and fell into this world.
I was thrown into the labyrinth with nothing.
I had to struggle to survive.
I joined the third-floor party and committed murder for the first time, barely escaping death.
Even after that, I spent two weeks barely surviving.
The process to get here was too turbulent to dwell on one person’s face.
So I forgot.
…Or at least I thought I had.
Crunch.
If only you hadn’t crossed paths with me.
‘If it weren’t for you… my 2 billion, my house, my car, my future lazy life with plenty of money!’
“Aren, I don’t know why, but hang in there! At least for my sake… okay?”
Yeriel whispered quickly, sensing my mood was unusually bad, not thinking it was because of her.
“We shouldn’t fight here. Too many people are watching. Nothing good will come to you if you strike first.”
Damn.
She’s right. I have no justification, and there are too many eyes.
I have no connection with that guy here. And I can’t kill him just because he hit on Yeriel.
“Heh heh. Aren, you really love your partner, huh? And here you are, late, and flirting with another party member. Are you sane?”
Sensing something was off, Bardus intervened, siding with me and calming the situation.
Yeriel, preferring not to be misunderstood, stayed quiet.
“Ah, ouch. Haha! I didn’t know you were lovers. You’re just my type! Sorry about that!”
He laughed off his actions casually.
“But your gaze is fierce. Are you about to hit him? Let’s calm down now, shall we?”
[Chaos wants to sew that guy’s mouth shut.]
“Oh, it’s fine. An apology is enough. Why the sarcasm?”
Berkel and Berkel’s assistant, Berkel, chimed in.
“Just watching makes me want to fight. The name on the list, Isaac? If you don’t stop immediately, I’ll make sure you get kicked out and beaten.”
“Oh! I’m sorry! Just don’t expel me. My adventurer registration will be canceled!”
…
…
I decided. I have to kill that bastard.
Once my anger calmed, the reasons for killing him kept surfacing.
One: Although he hasn’t realized it yet, he is the only person who knows I’m a transited individual.
Two: Despite being strangers, he flirts with Yeriel.
If I let him grow stronger with the transited perks and stick like a leech… I’d have no face to see my mentor, who entrusted her to me.
Three: Similar to the first reason.
He made my eyes bleed with rage, yet I barely remembered his face. I couldn’t control my anger.
So it’s better to kill him whenever we cross paths.
After calming down and reassuring Yeriel, I kept my eyes on Isaac.
────
[Isaac]
[Strength: E-] [Agility: D] [Endurance: E-]
[HP: E] [Mana: F+] [Luck: E+]
[Traits] (collapsed)
Whisper of the Wind
Gale Rush
One Language
Beginner Swordsmanship
Beginner Serving
Beginner Cooking
────
He got a few traits through causality, like me.
That damn guy. Let’s see what he’s really got.
────
[Whisper of the Wind] [P]
The wind god Nepher, who summoned user Isaac, imbued his wind into the user’s body.
─Agility increases by three ranks.
─Wind enhances all movements for speed adjustment.
─Can summon a minor wind spirit. The spirit grows according to the user’s level.
────
Did he change his name from Kang Isaac to Isaac?
────
[Gale Rush] [A]
With the power of the wind god, the user charges like a gale at enemies.
─Using left foot forward, concentrates and consumes mana to use the skill “Gale.”
─Concentrating and striking with the right foot consumes mana to use the skill “Tempest.”
────
The rest are swordsmanship and lifestyle skills.
Judging by his traits, he seems to have worked at inns to earn money to register as an adventurer.
‘Okay, stats aside, is this really all his traits?’
Seeing the traits of another transited person confirmed it.
I really did hit the lottery with causality, even if I blew 2 billion.
I didn’t expect the gap between his and my traits to be this huge.
‘Killing him won’t be an issue.’
However… not in the city.
Think rationally. If I try to ambush him at night, will he die quietly?
His agility is higher than mine. If I fail to kill him instantly, he’ll go wild with Gale or Tempest.
Poor stealth? He’s a god-given transited person; it won’t work.
Lightning? I’d have to amplify it to kill instantly, but even if I did, I’d collapse from the headache and couldn’t escape.
Swordsmanship is combat skill, not assassination technique.
If I tried to kill him and caused a commotion, not only would Yeriel’s trust drop, but Evelyn would also be disappointed in me.
I still have to live in the labyrinth city after killing him, so I must consider the aftermath.
Conclusion: I’ll kill him in the labyrinth, preferably on the first floor.
I’ll have to explain things to Yeriel before entering the labyrinth to get her understanding.
She’s kind, so it won’t be easy to convince her to overlook murder…
The remaining problem: how to track this bastard in the labyrinth. Following him to catch him is impossible.
Right. First, I need to check the library or a magical tool shop in District 4 for information.
“Yeriel, let’s go. We have something to find.”
“Huh? Okay, I’ll follow you anywhere, Aren.”
“Berkel, Bardus, we’ll head out first. See you at the guild tomorrow.”
Berkel nodded, and Bardus stroked his beard and waved us off.
“Yeriel. Is there a library nearby? Somewhere we can gather information?”
Yeriel confidently replied, as if to say I should just trust her.
“There’s a large library just a bit further. I’ll guide you, so follow closely!”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Wash your neck and wait, Kang Isaac.
When the labyrinth entrance opens in a few days, I’ll find a way to kill you.
With that determination, I followed Yeriel toward the library.