Eyes (1)
The pain was there, but tolerable.
"If you'd handled it yourself, that'd be one thing, but since I helped, I need to do a basic investigation. You agree?"
"I agree."
"I won't ask anything tricky."
True to her word, the woman kept her questions simple as they ascended to the surface.
On which floor did the incident start? Any unusual phenomena? How did the conflict with that group begin?
They were so easy to answer that Allen wondered if this really counted as an investigation. It wrapped up quickly, leaving long stretches of silence.
Once they reached the surface, Allen removed his mask. The fox had always insisted he wear it to avoid dust, but right now, the hazy air felt comforting.
Allen followed her up the fortress walls—a place ordinary explorers couldn't access.
Atop the landing pad sat a sleek-bodied air vehicle. Flying one inside Maze City required hefty taxes.
Allen asked her, "Is there more investigation left?"
"Ah..."
The silence stretched unusually long. The red light on the air vehicle bathed her cheek in crimson.
"You're already here—hop on. Destination's headquarters."
"I'm headed that way too. Thank you."
His usual cheap lodging was nearby anyway. The seats faced each other.
No signals or traffic jams in the sky meant they arrived swiftly.
Breaker's headquarters loomed behind the five-story building Allen frequented, the tallest in the area.
The woman stepped out first onto the rooftop pad, with Allen following. The sky was exceptionally clear tonight, stars shining bright.
She had her eyes open, tracking the stars. Her pupils clearly followed their paths.
She's not blind?
She met Allen's gaze and closed her eyelids again, then spoke casually.
"The special specimen—the knight—sell it to us."
"I'll do that."
It might have been a suggestion to her, but it didn't feel that way to Allen, so he agreed readily. After all, Breaker had saved his life; ungratefulness would be foolish.
His instincts screaming that the small bird inside the knight was the real prize helped too.
"See ya."
The farewell mood was set, but her destination was the first floor too, so they shared the elevator. It was utterly quiet inside.
Eyes (1)
Even after Breaker's medics treated his wounds, Allen's body demanded deep rest from the shock.
Rest is an extension of treatment. Or part of training. The saying wasn't empty. The body needed refilling to match its expenditure, or reckless pushing could wear away growth potential.
Warriors or fighters versed in body enhancement might manage, but Allen's frame had always been frail.
As a result, he collapsed onto the bed and spent two days cycling between sleep and wakefulness. The medics' care had sped it up; alone, it might've taken far longer.
Opening his eyes, he saw the cramped sleeping pod. Low ceiling, walls close enough to touch by stretching his arms. A capsule hotel charging 10,000 coins a night.
Can't keep crashing here forever. A house is out, but a studio or officetel... maybe.
His new Breaker explorer ID made it possible. Prices dropped toward the outskirts but rose near guilds or the labyrinth.
Allen tabled the thought and activated his eyes, logging into Samraman to search the incident.
[Orderly Labyrinth Explorers, Safely Protected by City Defense Forces!]
[Labyrinth Explorer ○○○'s Claim of New Path—Just a Scam?!]
Despite the deaths and arrests, news coverage was shockingly absent.
Either too routine for headlines, or someone powerful hushed it up.
Other headlines praised the defense forces lavishly—no room for contradictions there.
Allen closed the page and searched his burning question.
Breaker, black clothes, direct explorers...
Again, little useful info or news.
Combining keywords yielded scraps—short posts and comments from communities. Low reliability, but curiosity won.
Jake Marshall?
This search hit immediately—autocomplete filled his name at "Jei."
He was Breaker's chairman. Officially a guild under explorer association rules, but its scale made "chairman" the common term.
Chairman Jake Marshall establishes practical training for newbie labyrinth explorers. Visits bereaved families personally with compensation and condolences.
Rumors painted him a humanitarian, but Allen withheld judgment until firsthand.
Plenty wore sheep's clothing. If genuine, though, Jake Marshall deserved respect.
Blinking to log out of Samraman, Allen exited the capsule. Doubts unresolved, only deepened.
After gearing up, he packed his scant belongings and left for the bank.
It sat next to the five-story building where he'd registered, right by the road. It handled Breaker explorers' funds and items.
His turn came; he sat at the counter and handed his ID to the dwarf banker.
"Identity verified. How may I assist?"
"Balance check and retrieving my stored item."
"Under your name in the vault: one soul stone. Is that it?"
"Yes."
"One moment. Balance will display ahead."
Good—the leopard's soul stone had survived intact as requested.
A transparent barrier between Allen and the banker lit up with his balance.
10 million coins.
From near zero to this. The labyrinth had claimed the knight automaton, so the bird alone fetched that sum.
Half regret, half satisfaction at the sale.
Wanted to inspect the knight too, but oh well. More options now—focus there.
Gone was gone. Allen pondered uses for the funds as the leopard's soul stone arrived.
"Thank you."
"Farewell."
The ruined leopard needed a new frame. Leaving the bank, Allen ordered a feline predator automaton skeleton from the second-floor shop next door.
The clerk said stock was available and asked him to wait.
"Anything else?"
"Any nearby workshop rentals?"
Best to craft and tame his gear personally, but funds weren't there yet. Renting equipped facilities was optimal now.
The clerk nodded.
"Conveniently, basic magitech workshop in the basement. Not many seekers."
"Even basic?"
"For magitech engineers sticking to low layers like the maze..."
The clerk hesitated, but continued under Allen's gaze.
"They prefer off-the-shelf for price and performance over handmade. Higher-layer folks rent better or own."
"Basic setup's fine."
Tools mattered, but he'd improvise without. Labyrinth automatons showed no mercy.
"ID for eligibility check, please."
"Here."
The clerk's artificial eye glowed blue, scanning.
"Mr. Allen, you qualify newly. Tap ID at door for entry. Daily fee, so check balance first."
"Thanks."
As expected—no free rides. Gold ruled everywhere, especially Maze City.
Browsing the shop, the clerk's eye turned deep blue—communicating.
"Your automaton's delivered to the workshop."
"Thanks."
"We always prioritize explorers."
Allen hurried downstairs. Beyond the leopard, what knowledge lurked in the bird from the knight's torso?
Beep!
ID tap opened the solo workshop. Allen placed the automaton center-stage and sat at the magnifying desk.
From his pack, he unpacked the carefully wrapped bird and disassembled it cautiously with shop tools.
Chest splayed like a dissected real bird, the power source gleamed inside.
Mana stone's shattered, but soul stone's intact. No standout tech as hoped...
Gloved in latex, Allen extracted the soul stone gingerly and held it under the desk lamp.
"Oh."
An exclamation escaped. Ordinary soul stones held misty vapor in plastic; this sparkled like dusted gold.
Oparts-level.
Not all Oparts were wonders—a fruit knife could qualify. No hasty hype.
Allen rubbed mana-infused fingers over it in standard input pattern. It responded.
A new light source joined the lamp—tiny points clustered densely.
He'd thought the leopard's a galaxy; wrong. This was the galaxy; leopard mere star cluster.
Myriad Star Letters floated in void. Proof why the knight acted so vividly.
Could a human soul, structured, look like this? AI via soul stones suggests yes structurally. True humanity? Complexity beyond imagining.
Allen recalled a line: Man holds the microcosm. Perhaps someone's attempt to script souls in Star Letters.
Blinking, he refocused. Skipped unknowns, read familiars first.
Target designate. Flight—bird, obvious. Motion next—unknown. Manhole pointer?
Much unread, many mysteries.
Planning a bookstore stop, Allen leaned in, eyes nearly buried in the stellar river.
Bzzz.
His left eye vibrated. Startled, his lid snapped shut.
This is...?