Return and the Private Audience

“Ugh.” Here we go again. This nausea would probably get better the more I entered the Labyrinth, right? I steadied my churning stomach and looked around.

“Agh, this month’s been a total bust!”

“Daria, you okay? Since we made it back safely, why don’t you leave the settlement to me and go rest first?”

“Ehehe… Just thinking about how those guys who used to look down on me because of my trait are gonna have their faces twisted makes me feel so refreshed.”

“Muton! I’m starving! I worked hard holding up that shield, so treat me!”

Adventurers of all kinds crowded around the portal. I tore my gaze away from the other adventurers and called out to the two girls, intending to head to the Adventurer’s Guild together—only for both Yeriel and Lumia to flinch and start trembling.

‘It’s their traits!’

Our very first Labyrinth expedition as a party, and they both gained traits the moment we returned from the first floor? Was it because of how dense the events had been?

‘By that logic, why didn’t I get one? Is it telling me to be satisfied with my unique item and subjugation trait?’

Yeah. I hoped so too.

Oh, the name alone sounds impressive.

Thank goodness. A solid, good trait.

“Yay! I was worried, but I’m so glad!”

When I told her what I’d seen, she bounced around in excitement. She must be really happy.

Next was Lumia.

Whoa. That’s no joke. Is this really a D-rank trait?

“Hehe. It’s all thanks to Aren.”

When I told her the trait’s details and congratulated her, she smiled with the corners of her mouth slightly raised. It was nice to see her smiling now.

“Alright, now that we’ve roughly finished checking, let’s head to the guild for settlement and then rest at the inn.”

“Yeah! I am a bit tired.”

“Now that we’re back, the fatigue is hitting all at once.”

With that, we passed through the checkpoint and headed for the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Aren-nim, could you wait a moment?”

While standing in line for settlement and facing the receptionist, I held out my iron badge and was about to take out the monster byproducts when the receptionist, who had accepted my badge, suddenly looked startled and asked me to wait.

‘Something feels off.’

The receptionist brought a small communication magic tool to her mouth. Sure enough, she was whispering that I had arrived at the guild.

‘I can hear everything. That aside, why is she doing that? I didn’t do anything wrong, and what could a low-floor adventurer who just returned from the first floor possibly be blamed for?’

I waited with an uneasy feeling until she finally spoke.

“Aren-nim. The Guild Master is waiting for you upstairs.”

What? “Are you sure the Guild Master is waiting for the low-floor adventurer Aren? Not someone with the same name?”

“Yes. I’ve passed it along, so you may go straight up to the office.”

‘This is insane. The scale suddenly got way too big.’

‘Whew, I was going to keep living as an adventurer anyway, so I have to go. Can’t be helped.’

I nodded to the receptionist and returned to my party members to explain the situation.

“I don’t know what it’s about, but it’ll work out. I’ll be praying for you!”

“No matter how strong the opponent is—one of the city’s top powerhouses—I don’t think they’d try anything inside the guild building. Don’t worry and go on.”

Receiving their concern and encouragement, I climbed the stairs.

“Halt. Entry is prohibited from the fourth floor onward for anyone below high-floor adventurer rank. You don’t look that strong, so what business do you have coming up?”

“I’m the low-floor adventurer Aren. I don’t know the reason either, but I was told to come up to the Guild Master’s office.”

“I’ll check. Wait a moment.”

The guard, who clearly seemed to be at least a high-floor adventurer, took out the same kind of magic tool the receptionist had used earlier and reported in.

“You may go up. The office is on the fifth floor, so don’t get distracted and head straight there. You’ll see the biggest door right away.”

Completely stiff. Well, he was just doing his job.

From the fourth floor onward, the atmosphere was completely different from the third. ‘So this is the space allowed only to high-floor adventurers.’

A quiet, composed atmosphere, with large and ornate chandeliers standing out even more because of it. The reception desks, now noticeably fewer in number, staffed by receptionists dressed in far more luxurious attire than those on the first floor. Taking everything else into account, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a noble mansion.

Before my gaze could linger, I quickly headed for the fifth floor. ‘Someday, I too…’

I wanted to become a high-ranking adventurer worthy of others’ respect and freely come and go through places like this without having to watch my step.

When I reached the fifth floor, just as the guard had said, there was a massive door that anyone would recognize as the Guild Master’s office.

“Hoo.”

Taking a deep breath, I lightly knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

A heavy, weighty voice—somewhere between middle-aged and elderly—spoke the moment I knocked. I quietly opened the door and stepped inside, and my first thought was: the air is heavy…

‘If I let my guard down even for a moment, it feels like I’ll be picked clean to the bone. I need to stay sharp.’

After closing the door silently and smoothly behind me, I endured the oppressive atmosphere for a moment before forcing strength into my eyes and lifting my head to look ahead.

And the moment I took in the Guild Master—

Whoosh!

‘Guh.’

All that stood before me was a stern-looking middle-aged man with dark brown hair streaked with white. But the moment I met his gaze, I saw a ferocious-eyed monster filling the entire massive office.

‘No, rather than just a monster… a crouched giant? A colossal beast?’

Startled for a moment, I hurriedly closed my eyes as Chaos instructed.

“Would you mind sitting there and waiting a bit? I have some urgent matters to handle.”

While I was calming myself with my eyes closed, the man—still focused on his documents with his head lowered—told me it would be over soon, so I shouldn’t be nervous and should just sit comfortably.

“Yes. Understood.”

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and answered calmly.

…What the hell was that just now?

The fact that he continued focusing only on his documents even after sensing my strange reaction—whether he was being considerate of a newbie adventurer like me, or whether it was simply because he was such an overwhelming powerhouse that this kind of reaction was familiar and thus not worth mentioning, I couldn’t tell.

‘Damn it, it doesn’t seem like he’s deliberately spreading his presence to test me either. Having too good eyes is a problem too.’

Deciding against looking at information through Chaos for fear of encountering something even worse than before, I walked straight over and sat on the sofa by the table.

After waiting stiffly for about ten minutes, he finally approached, took the head seat, and spoke.

“Well then, let’s begin our conversation. You’re the adventurer Aren, correct? Just as I heard, you’re tall and have a good appearance.”

“Thank you for the kind words.”

“I merely spoke the truth. Now, the reason I called you all the way to my office despite knowing you must be tired after just returning from the Labyrinth is this.”

He looked me straight in the eye.

‘Why is he setting the mood like this just to say something?’

“Aren, you’re the one who subjugated the Floor Guardian on the first floor, correct? This is just a verification question, so answer honestly.”

…So that’s what it was about?

Among the adventurers who participated in the subjugation in the central district, word must have spread from those who returned to the city before our party.

“I’m aware that besides you, the subjugation party also included the adventurers Laysia Yuzpel, Victor, Heinz, and others.”

That wasn’t it. If he’d only heard from low-floor adventurers, there was no way he’d know the names of those three.

“You look surprised, like you’re wondering how I know. I’ll tell you if you answer first. Speak clearly. Is it true?”

“Yes. It is. To be precise, while we were all subjugating the Floor Guardian that appeared on the first floor, I delivered the final blow. I was lucky.”

“How modest. It wasn’t luck.”

He tapped the table with his index finger.

“Looking at the Labyrinth Record’s latest first-clear achievement section, your name is engraved at the very top, which tells me your contribution was the highest.”

“The Labyrinth Record, you say?”

Was it like the Akashic Records that occasionally appeared in various media settings?

“Indeed. In the depths of the first district exists a device from another dimension called the Labyrinth Record.”

‘So what is that supposed to mean?’

“It contains records of dangerous incidents that have occurred within the Great Labyrinth to date, as well as great achievements accomplished for the first time by someone.”

The Guild Master began explaining the situation in a low voice.

“Those strong enough to enter the first district, high-ranking nobles, heads of large organizations, and other stakeholders can, through proper procedures, view the Labyrinth Record’s past entries to a limited extent.”

He pointed to himself with his thumb.

“Especially someone in the position of Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild can be informed of major anomalies without even going to the first district.”

That made sense. After all, this was Labyrinth City and the Great Labyrinth—the man standing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the very top of the adventurers who made their living by entering it.

“Floor Guardians… Because countless adventurers can be slaughtered the moment one appears, information about their summons is strictly managed.”

He made a quiet throat-slitting gesture and continued.

“Few know how to summon one. At the very least, it requires numerous adventurers—including those stronger than the floor’s level—to gather, so records of Floor Guardians being defeated are extremely rare. Summoning one without going through the proper procedures can even result in the death penalty.”

It was similar to what Berkel had taught during training. Procedures—probably meaning applying to the Adventurer’s Guild and the first district for subjugation permission, controlling and evacuating adventurers on that floor before the subjugation so they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wouldn’t get caught up in it, things like that.

“But then, out of nowhere, a first-floor Floor Guardian appeared—something without precedent since the Great Labyrinth’s creation—and a rookie adventurer supposedly subjugated it together with a few mid-floor adventurers and other low-floor adventurers.”

He chuckled dryly, as if even he, as Guild Master, had been quite flustered.

‘The buildup is a bit long. So in the end, he’s nicely asking me to explain everything that happened up until I defeated it, right here.’

“Should I tell you everything I know about it?”

“Haha! Was my rambling too long? I’d appreciate it if you did.”

He added with a hearty laugh, “I don’t particularly like being coercive toward growing saplings.”

Having a low-floor adventurer face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Guild Master in his office was already out of the ordinary.

“I know that just having a private audience is intimidating enough. Don’t feel too pressured and tell me slowly and in detail.”

‘Alright. I’ll stick to the facts as much as possible, but leave out what needs to be left out.’

After that, I spent a long time laying out the entire story of the subjugation incident.