I'll Pass on the Poison Pill Clause
Kamiris slid a single sheet of contract across the table with a casual flick of her hand.
“What do you think? These terms.”
She curled her crimson lips into a bright, sunny smile.
In the face of that smile, I was sweating bullets.
…Is it summer right now?
No. It wasn’t.
It was just the monstrous amount of mana this woman radiated, hot as a sauna.
I lowered my head and scanned the proposal.
Benefits Upon Joining:
— Full support for combat training
— High-ranking Valak explorer escort for 4th-floor raids
— Free top-grade equipment and potions
— Direct instruction from a Valak S-rank
“Ah… yeah. Looks good. I mean…”
It really was good.
No, honestly, it was insane.
What kind of lunatic would offer a C-rank these kinds of terms?
Any normal C-rank would have emptied their brain and signed on the spot.
But I was a fifteen-year veteran explorer who had rolled around the bottom of the labyrinth until I was practically pickled in it.
The sweeter the offer, the more likely there’s a fatal penalty written in tiny letters somewhere in the corner.
There’s no such thing as free in Labyrinth City.
The better the deal, the higher the interest you pay later.
I rolled my eyes down to the very bottom of the contract.
— All achievements acquired belong to the guild
— Real-time reporting of all skill and imprint information required
— Mandatory cooperation for detailed safety inspections upon acquiring or activating new imprints
— Absolute obedience to orders from the Guild Master and senior representatives
…So they basically want me to become their dog.
The poison pill clause demanding I hand over all my skill information especially caught my eye.
(Poison Pill Clause: A hidden trap that unilaterally disadvantages one party.)
The moment they found out I had turned from a man into a woman, I would stop being an explorer and start being a lab rat.
“…Well, it’s not bad, but…”
As soon as I set the proposal down, Kamiris smiled with satisfaction.
“You’re sharp.”
She lightly snapped her fingers.
With a soft whoosh, a small flame bloomed and vanished.
“That makes me like you even more.”
“Ahaha…”
I forced a laugh and subtly leaned my body back.
After that, the proposals the representatives shoved at me piled up on the desk like a mountain.
“The signing bonus is five thousand gold coins.”
The ledger keeper, Berkman, looked at me with a relaxed smile.
“F-five thousand gold coins?!”
“How about it, rookie? You might never get a chance to touch this much money in your lifetime.”
On top of that, they offered private quarters, free access to all leisure facilities, and discounts on daily necessities.
It was the height of luxury.
But Midas was still Midas.
All the support funds were prepaid loans that would be deducted first during settlement.
If I left midway, I would owe ten times the signing bonus as a penalty.
Ownership of any equipment acquired while affiliated with the guild would belong to the Midas Financial Union.
These Midas bastards are so transparent it’s almost refreshing.
Behind the scent of gold coins hid the blade of loan sharks.
If I signed something like this, I would be rolling around as Midas’s slave for the rest of my life.
Next came the White Star Arcana’s analyst, Astrape.
…Did that thing even have facial expressions?
“Mana stabilization. Body modification. Combat power enhancement. All can proceed without issue.”
A male voice echoed from behind the mask.
Body modification, though…
“…Isn’t that just a fancy way of saying you’re going to dissect me?”
“Negative. Not dissection. Modification. Further study required.”
“……”
Their proposal was blatantly filled with the intent to experiment on me.
Support for imprint auxiliary devices and free distribution of mana stabilizers.
Monthly research grants for rare skill studies.
But the real kicker was the final paragraph.
…Mandatory cooperation with biological examinations, constant wearing of a mana emission measuring device, and consent to isolation measures under the pretext of safety when necessary.
I had heard the rumors about Arcana’s human experimentation endlessly back when I was D-rank.
The moment they discovered the mutation in my body, I would clearly end up on one of their dissection tables.
Next was the Blue Star Siren.
Lanya Aquarius of the Blue Sea put forward her connections with patrons as her selling point.
“Nyan. If you have ties with nobles, you can enjoy a truly comfortable life, nyan!”
“Comfortable life…?”
“That’s right, nyan! You just pick one of them, make him your slave, nyan!”
She clasped her hands together and looked up at the ceiling.
“Sucking up all the sweet nectar from a rich butler, nyan. Just imagining it makes me happy, nyan!”
“…No, from the start, that kind of lifestyle isn’t really…”
Lanya looked down at me and said,
“Nyan. Even a noble wild cat sometimes needs a home, nyan. With your looks, it’s more than possible, nyan.”
“No, I already have a house…”
Even if it wasn’t actually mine.
Lanya completely ignored my words and strode right up to me.
“I’ll give you this headband, so wear it all the time, nyan. It’ll look great on you, nyan.”
She placed a headband with cat ears on my head.
“Ah… hahaha…”
“So cute, nyan. Not quite as good as me… oh, nyan.”
Next was the Black Star Morgana’s black viper, Velenosa.
“This dagger. The guild master gave it to me when I rose to S-rank.”
She held out a dagger that radiated black energy.
I slowly took it in my hand.
Incredible. Just looking at it makes the back of my neck go cold.
It was perfect.
The smooth finish that didn’t match its ferocious killing intent.
And that grip that fit my hand like a glove.
“That dagger is my personal weapon, so I can’t give it to you. Instead, I’ll give you a Basilisk Venom Dagger.”
“Basilisk… you mean that ridiculously huge snake monster?”
“Correct. It’s a ruler-class monster on the 8th floor.”
She took the dagger back from my hand and continued.
“How about it? Does it catch your interest?”
She also included several commission slips that would let me deal with anyone who annoyed me inside the labyrinth.
Not that I’d ever held a grudge against anyone in particular.
“I see a future where you sit upon the throne of the labyrinth, yes!”
“…Excuse me?”
But the most ridiculous one was the representative from the Purple Star Lucid.
The moment she saw me, she pressed both hands to her cheeks and screamed.
“So you must stay by my side! Let’s meet every night in my dreams, yes!”
Her eyes, decorated with heart symbols, approached me, and I genuinely got goosebumps.
She’s scarier than Kamiris…
You know the type. The kind where no amount of logical arguing will ever get through to them.
The woman standing in front of me right now gave off exactly that vibe.
All the offers from the Seven Stars guilds looked flashy on the surface, but their true nature was the same.
They want to buy me cheap and work me to death.
Treating me like a high-efficiency asset instead of a human being.
Wasn’t this a bit much?
“…Are you still here?”
At that moment, a woman slowly entered the room.
“Uh… hello.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
The executive of the Green Star Gaia and candidate for the next guild master.
The Priest of the Root, Iris Belforest.
But the person I actually met was a completely different kind of human from the rumors I had heard.
“Thank goodness… you hadn’t left yet.”
“Ah, yeah. Well.”
Iris glanced nervously at me as she perched on an empty chair.
“As I said earlier…”
She swallowed hard before continuing.
“I didn’t actually come here to scout you.”
“…Then why did you come?”
Iris fiddled with the hem of her wrinkled skirt and said,
“The guild master forced me to come see you…”
“Ah…”
But Iris quickly straightened her posture.
“Our guild’s Patron Star, Gaia, has spoken…”
There was a faint tremor in her voice.
“She said you are a special child.”
“Special?”
“Yes.”
Well… I suppose I am special.
Suddenly turning into a woman and even gaining some weird divine protection.
“I don’t know exactly how the other guilds approached you.”
She continued in a detached tone.
“But I find myself a little interested in you as an explorer. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Gaia speak so highly of someone.”
I pulled my chair closer and asked,
“Just what exactly is this Gaia? I’ve never even heard of a Patron Star or whatever it is.”
“…When the day comes that you stand on the same line as us…”
She whispered in a very low, secretive voice.
“You will learn the true nature of the labyrinth, and you will inevitably come to understand what the Patron Stars are.”
“…The true nature of the labyrinth?”
The true nature of the labyrinth.
A money-making machine crawling with monsters.
Or an altar that grants wishes.
Wasn’t that the end of it?
But the way she spoke made it sound far more ominous and vast.
“Wait a second. What exactly do you mean by the true nature of the labyrinth?”
“It’s still too early.”
Iris shook her head and stood up.
“…Still, I hope we can meet occasionally and talk.”
“With me?”
“Yes… You seem like a kind person.”
“I look kind?”
“Yes. At least compared to the humans who were drooling over you just moments ago.”
To think a black-hearted old man in his mid-thirties would look kind.
I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or depressed about that…
“Well then. See you next time, kind person.”
With those words, she quietly left the branch manager’s office.
The door closed with a soft thud.
“…What was that about?”
I sat there in a daze for a long time.
Iris Belforest.
She seemed the most normal, yet at the same time, she was the most suspicious woman of all.
It was long after all the guild representatives had left.
“Hey.”
Gallidus, the branch master, entered the room with a pipe in one hand.
“Have you made up your mind?”
I shoved the proposals away roughly and answered,
“Made up my mind about what?”
“Which guild you’re joining.”
“What… I’m pretty sure I already told you I have no intention of joining any guild.”
Gallidus burst into hearty laughter.
“Must be old age. My memory’s starting to slip. Heh heh heh!”
I glared at him silently.
What a sly old fox.
He eventually stopped laughing and looked at me.
His eyes were quite serious.
“Still, think about it. To survive in this city, it’s much easier if you have one big shade to stand under.”
“I’ll think about it.”
I gave a half-hearted reply, but my head was spinning.
My goal was clear.
Reach the deepest part of Astaroth and pray for my original body back.
To do that, I needed immense power and information.
Joining a major guild, sucking up all the benefits, and then bolting was certainly an attractive option, but…
…A wish, huh.
I pointed at the proposals and asked the branch master,
“Branch Master. Do you happen to know what the Seven Stars guilds’ ultimate goal is?”
“Ultimate goal?”
“The wish. The wish.”
Gallidus stared at me with a strange look.
“Are you the one with dementia?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t I tell you before? Most explorers, the moment they hit their limit, settle right there.”
“What does that have to do with the Seven Stars?”
Gallidus lightly tapped one of the proposals with his fingertip.
“From the start, those bastards have no intention of attacking the deeper floors.”
The air in the room grew cold.
“In cruder terms, they’re a massive gathering of losers.”
He lit his pipe and continued.
“Hoo… Just as you said, they’re an interest group obsessed with protecting their vested rights and filling their bellies. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I couldn’t say anything.
My head felt like it was ringing.
“They threw away any thoughts of a wish a long time ago.”
“…That’s really ironic.”
The great labyrinth that grants wishes if you reach its deepest part.
Yet the rulers of this very city had given up on it.
They no longer looked upward.
They simply used the labyrinth as an industry and squeezed the explorers dry.
So that’s why they wanted to put a collar on me.
To cut off any sprouts trying to climb upward and keep them tied at their feet.
“However, even in this rotten city,”
Gallidus added quietly,
“there are heretics who refuse to settle and constantly try to climb higher.”
“The Z-rank explorers.”
“Exactly.”
Gallidus nodded.
“They aren’t guild accessories. They’re real monsters who move outside the city’s rules.”
Gallidus looked straight at me and said,
“At this point, even I’m curious. Just how far can you climb, when you’ve managed to catch the attention of that entire group of losers?”
I stayed silent for a moment.
Then I gave a light shrug.
“Who knows. I’m curious about that myself.”
District 3 shopping area.
I headed to Mina’s shop with Lucia in tow.
Lucia stuck close behind me, constantly looking around.
“U-um… Miss Nixie.”
“What?”
“You said she’s your cousin… Is she very strict?”
“Yeah. She’s playful and laid-back, but she’s not a bad person.”
Lucia tilted her head and studied my expression.
“People don’t usually call their cousin ‘that woman,’ do they?”
“……….”
Hmm. I missed that small detail.
Since I couldn’t confess that I was actually a man in his mid-thirties, I had no choice but to dodge the question.
“…I don’t know. Just follow me quietly.”
Lucia seemed even more anxious at my answer and fidgeted with the hem of her robe.
“What if… she hates me?”
“That won’t happen. She’ll probably like you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She’ll tease you like crazy, though.”
“Tease me…?”
“That woman—no, that sister has a personality like that.”
Lucia’s face turned deathly pale.
It was so cute that I let out a small chuckle.
After walking for quite a while, I finally saw the familiar wooden sign.
Appraisal Shop Ocelot.
I walked up to the door and pounded on it roughly with my fist.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Mina! Open up! I’m off work!”
A moment later.
A sleepy voice drifted out from inside.
“Who is it… this early in the morning.”
Click.
The door opened.
“…Oh my. Did our cute little Nixie pick up a baby kitten?”
Lucia flinched and tightly grabbed my sleeve.
Beads of sweat began forming on her forehead.