Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Out of the Labyrinth (1)
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth the entire way back to the battlefield.
‘Even after stabbing and killing a human, not a monster, he didn’t seem too shaken. Looks like he’s already become a citizen of this other world.’
As I walked, I silently offered my condolences for Scarlet.
Poor girl… I hope in her next life she grows up in a loving family, meets a good man, and lives happily.
By the time I arrived, I took in the scene: traces of destruction everywhere and party members lying around, resting.
“Aren!”
Erielle, who had been scanning the area, suddenly jumped up and ran toward me.
“Ugh.”
Her legs seemed to give out from exhaustion, and she tripped, so I quickly rushed over and steadied her.
“You must be exhausted. Why risk running like that? I saw you over there struggling and panting earlier.”
Erielle smiled awkwardly, rolling her eyes.
“Hehe, you saw? But… I just couldn’t stay still knowing you were the one who had it hardest. Good job, Aren.”
At that moment, Deric, who I hadn’t noticed arrive, spoke up.
“Yeah. Good work, Aren. …So you came back alone, huh?”
I nodded heavily at Deric, who hesitated, unable to continue.
“Yeah… I guess so. Sorry. It’s all my fault. Nothing you heard earlier was wrong. Someone like me has no business dating or leading a party.”
Seeing Deric suddenly slip into self-blame, I felt awkward but spoke up.
“Come on, Deric. You clearly made mistakes too. But just because something like this happened…”
It’s not all his fault, at least.
“Even if it’s about romantic issues, the party he formed by advising each member as an experienced adventurer doesn’t lose its meaning.”
I met his gaze and spoke calmly.
“There were mistakes on Deric’s part, mine, and hers. Pointing fingers won’t bring Scarlet back alive, apologizing. It’s over now, so let’s not blame anyone.”
Deric lowered his head, staying silent for a moment. Then he lifted it with renewed energy and shouted:
“That’s right! Until we leave this labyrinth, as the leader, I have to keep my mind sharp. Sorry for the pathetic display earlier! Rest well and then let’s go take care of the goblins!”
Good. His mental state seems restored. That’s more like the Deric I saw on the first day.
Bernard and Hans were still asleep. Only now did I realize that while the three men had woken up, I hadn’t gotten a single moment of sleep last night.
I found a reasonably good sleeping bag and lay down.
“Aren. I’ll take the night watch, so get some rest. I’ll wake the others in turns, so don’t worry.”
Just as I was about to close my eyes, Erielle approached, fiddling with her fingers.
“Uh… Aren. The tent’s broken, so… can I sleep next to you? I don’t mean anything else, I just feel safe sleeping next to you.”
Ah… now with four men and one woman, it’s going to feel awkward. But with Hans around, I guess I should stay close.
“Of course. Lie down next to me. Get some rest, and let’s leave tomorrow feeling good.”
“Okay! Good night, Aren.”
Erielle laid out her sleeping bag beside me and closed her eyes.
‘I should sleep too. Chaos has worked hard keeping an eye on me today.’
Thinking back on today, I realized I was still very inexperienced.
What if I had been hit by magic, felt the pain, but failed to awaken my mana?
What if I had failed to teach Scarlet’s final spell by chance?
She would have burned alive. Just imagining it is horrifying.
‘I feel so careless and reckless, making everyone worry. I’m sorry.’
[Chaos says you’re cute, like a son who knows he did wrong and wants to apologize later.]
Hehe, Chaos really has some quirky insights.
A mother… If I had a kind mother, maybe things would have been different.
Stop the unnecessary thoughts and sleep.
[Chaos hesitates, saying he wants to be called something else, not like “mom.”]
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Aren. Aren… it’s time to wake up. We need to get ready and leave.”
Thump. Thump.
“Oh! I know you were tired, but are you seriously struggling to wake up?”
Hmm.
Enjoying the rare feeling of a full night’s sleep, I sat up—and found Erielle’s face right in front of me.
“Eh, uh, ah.”
Cute.
“Cute.”
“──!”
…Oh, right.
“That’s not it, I just… I was thinking it.”
Her face was bright red.
“Haha, Erielle, your face is going to explode like that.”
[Chaos laughs, saying what kind of conversation this is.]
After yesterday’s chaotic events, my head wasn’t fully functional. Note to self: focus.
“Come on, let’s quickly get ready and check in with Deric!”
“Yeah, just you, Aren. Let’s go!”
I didn’t really have anything to fix—my sword was broken.
I quickly put on my gear and walked with Erielle, still blushing.
The three men were already assembled, having finished their checks.
Seeing us, Deric spoke.
“You’re here. Something feels off. Nothing happened, right?”
“Of course. Everything’s fine. Oh, the sword broke yesterday—do we have a spare?”
“I told Hans to get one just in case. Hans! Hand the sword to Aren!”
As I sat down and exchanged glances with Bernard, Hans handed me a spare sword.
Not the best quality, but it would do.
Deric then gathered everyone’s attention.
“Alright! Now that everyone’s here, let’s start the briefing. If we go down this hill a bit, we’ll reach the goblin village. The escape portal is at the center of the base.”
Getting through to the center is going to be the challenge.
“Most of the inhabitants are goblins, though there might occasionally be special units, like goblin archers or shamans.”
Deric pounded his chest, implying I could trust him for the rest.
“As long as you watch out for the archer’s first attack from hiding, I can handle the shaman’s primitive magic or light curses, so don’t worry.”
Archers’ first shots are dangerous from experience.
‘Primitive magic… is that just the magic shamans use, or is it really some ancient magic?’
I asked Chaos, who explained clearly.
[Chaos says primitive magic manipulates elements like fire or wind directly, more destructive than standard magic, but weaker in other ways.]
Just what a monster would use.
[For example, magic could make a basic flame larger and stronger, but you can’t cast Fireball.]
By the time Chaos finished explaining, Deric cleared his throat and continued.
“The important thing is, the closer to the center, the more likely you’ll encounter a chief-level hobgoblin.”
Hobgoblins… Their strength in subculture varies wildly.
“They’re adult-man sized, and being chief-level, each has unique, random traits.”
Deric raised his index finger in warning.
“You won’t know which traits they’ll use to attack, so never let your guard down.”
He shrugged mid-sentence.
“Sometimes, a multi-trait individual appears… but very rarely, just be aware.”
‘When they say that, it usually means a cliché will happen… I feel uneasy.’
Curious, I asked out loud instead of keeping it in my head.
“I’ve wondered—if the escape portal is in the village, and there are other adventuring parties on the third floor… could we just take them out and leave together?”
Deric snapped his fingers, saying it was a good question.
“Aren, maybe you’re forgetting, since you lost your memory, that we can’t judge adventurers so lightly just by appearances.”
Hmm.
“Unless there’s a need to cooperate or form alliances in upper floors, other adventuring parties and your party are entirely separate.”
He made a dramatic gesture, like warning us.
“Adventurers are people who chase profit to extremes. They enter the labyrinth risking their lives to gain traits, wealth, experience, knowledge. Unless absolutely necessary, they won’t cooperate with another party to reach the portal quickly.”
Ah… he’s right.
“The adventurers who seem kind here are the ones you need to watch most. This place is basically a lawless zone where only strength matters.”
Deric shook his head.
“Let your guard down, and most of the time, you’ll get stabbed in the back. At best, they take your possessions. At worst, you could die without a trace.”
He mimicked cutting his throat and sticking out his tongue.
“Nobles? Other races? Unless you take special precautions, dying here means your body can’t even be recovered. The labyrinth swallows you and uses your corpse to create monsters.”
‘Creepy… the labyrinth “swallowing” people.’
“Most adventurers are here for growth or profit, not escape. Remember that.”
Wow… I realized how stupid my assumptions were.
I fell to the third floor to escape, but other adventurers weren’t thinking the same.
They’re here to grow stronger and earn money, so gathering to hunt together just to escape doesn’t happen—they’d have to split the loot.
I guess it was a stroke of luck that our party, focused on escape, was the first I encountered.
“Alright, to summarize: mostly goblins, always be wary of archers hiding. I can handle shamans’ primitive magic. For chiefs, we’ll adapt orders according to their abilities when we meet them.”
Deric pointed at each party member.
“For exploration, Bernard and I go up front. Aren and Erielle in the middle, Hans at the back carrying supplies.”
Nodded.
“In combat, Aren will be the front-line dealer, Erielle in the rear, with Bernard and Hans protecting her. That’s it! Let’s go!”
As the briefing ended, Deric spoke to me.
“You’ll need to cover the gap left by the mage’s firepower. Bernard said your mana has strengthened since a few days ago—can you handle it?”
“Of course. Even when I couldn’t sense mana, I’ve been dodging and cutting through goblins by sight. Now? I’ll get it done, don’t worry.”
“Good. We don’t have enough dealers, so you’ve got no choice. Sorry to make you carry the heavy load. I’m counting on you.”
‘Right. The mage’s gap is mine to fill, with my own power.’
With preparations complete, we set out toward the goblin village.