Chapter 17: Magic University
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Magic University
Total income: 14,600 gold.
That was the total profit from selling all the miscellaneous items we had gathered, after deducting the Birtanen party's service fee. It was the sum from selling various magic stones, miscellaneous loot, and even the belongings of Back Attack, who was determined to be the exit boss.
Including the service fee, the total amount would have been over 20,000 gold, comparable to the earnings of a typical four-person party from a single run of the Labyrinth's first floor.
And out of that, Yernil's share was...
"Twenty percent."
The assistant instructor separated 2,920 gold from the pile of gold coins.
"Yernil's buyout price is 3,000 gold. Even including the 5 gold service fee from before, that comes to 2,925 gold. It's a little short."
Ah, for fuck's sake!
I knew it. Bad feelings are never wrong!
Yernil! Didn't you do a whole bunch of stuff? Why did you only get 20 percent?!
"2,920 gold...?"
The color drained from Yernil's face.
"That's correct, Yernil. Are you disappointed?"
"..."
"Your income is in the top 0.1% of all first-time Labyrinth runs in the history of the Magic University's Slave Management Department."
The assistant instructor lowered his voice, his tone serious.
"Normally, 90% of slave parties that enter the Labyrinth are wiped out. And the average income of the 10% who survive is only around 4,000 gold. That's for the entire team."
The reason was that almost no one in the slave parties actually farmed inside the Labyrinth.
Most of them were either desperately struggling to survive with their meager supplies or had given up and were wandering aimlessly like the bald party until they stumbled upon an exit room.
Then, after a desperate battle, a few would die, and the rest would barely escape.
It was mostly a matter of luck, and their actual income was usually limited to the magic stone and corpse from the exit boss.
So when they came out, their total earnings were a mere 4,000 gold, and the amount distributed to each individual was pitiful.
"Usually between 500 and 1,000 gold."
Compared to that average, Yernil, who had earned nearly 3,000 gold in a single Labyrinth expedition, was indeed in the top tier.
"The reason your income far exceeds the average is thanks to your ability to execute Caleb's strategies swiftly. The fact that you crafted and accurately fired poison arrows to inflict significant damage on Back Attack, used your sound-mapping talent to detect the pursuit of another slave party, located the goblin shaman, and spotted the invisible Back Attack. The value of those actions is 2,920 gold."
The assistant instructor, Jacob, was a rigid and businesslike man.
"Sending slaves into the Labyrinth is, for the Magic University, a form of punishment for criminals. Therefore, a slave's buyout price can never be paid by another's charity, nor can they be carried by someone else in the Labyrinth. Only when the money they earn through their own abilities exceeds their buyout price, proving they can be a benefit to society..."
Jacob continued.
"Only then can they become a freeman. The value of Yernil's abilities, which I mentioned earlier, is 2,920 gold. This means that if you were to enter the Labyrinth again with another ordinary party, that is the level of income you could expect. In my view, it is a fair assessment. In Caleb's case, he is judged to be capable of earning more than the remaining amount in a normal party."
"Yes..."
"This includes factors like the ability to plan the entire expedition and a spirit of self-sacrifice. Caleb was the one who grew the pie, and in the battle with Back Attack, Caleb risked his life and made a sacrifice. To put it bluntly, Yernil, all you did was shoot two poison arrows. And that was when you were ordered to. That's what it means to be in a replaceable position."
Hey, Assistant Instructor.
You can't just say it like that...
"Nevertheless, if you have any complaints about this profit distribution, state them now."
He was like a by-the-book judge in a courtroom, giving the defendant a chance for a final statement.
"I... I don't have any..."
Poor Yernil was completely dejected, her face flushed red.
She might have assumed the Labyrinth profits would naturally be split 50/50.
After all, most adventurers use an equal split as a standard contract. Even the dwarf had mentioned something about 25% to me.
So Yernil had probably imagined a romantic scene where we both became freemen and shared a drink at a tavern to celebrate our return.
She might have even prepared a line like, 'I'm happy just to be free from slavery, Caleb. You should take the rest. I think that's only right.'
But when the lid was lifted, the assistant instructor suddenly doused her with cold water and drove an ice pick through her hopes.
In terms of contribution, you firing two toothpicks and one flare arrow is worth about '5' gold.
The assistant's razor-sharp judgment, which started with that, was too cutting, and knowing Yernil's personality, she was probably incredibly embarrassed right now. That's why her face was red.
The shame of overestimating her own abilities and contributions, the self-loathing for her shameless desire (?) to become a freeman off a teammate's share. And on top of that, the creeping terror at the thought of being thrown back into the Labyrinth.
Oh.
What a fantastic feeling that must be.
So, Assistant Instructor.
Stop beating her down...
"From what I can see, Caleb was actually not aggressive in his testimony. It seems he was being considerate of your share, Yernil. Please remember that you were lucky in this aspect of your party as well."
"Yes..."
The gaslighting complete, Yernil hung her head low.
Hmm.
It's nice that my share is bigger, but is this evaluation system really fair?
I'm not so sure.
Honestly, I don't like this magic scale itself. The Birtanen party, where everyone trusts each other, does their best, and splits everything 25%, seems much cooler.
Click.
The assistant instructor opened the door slightly and gave an order to a junior mage outside.
"Take Yernil to the slave quarters."
*
So what would happen to Yernil now?
In the game, a slave who failed to become a freeman had one of two fates.
If they cleared the Labyrinth with a wand, they were deemed to have magical talent and were admitted to the Magic University.
If they came out with another weapon, like Yernil, they were sold to the Adventurer's Guild.
What about here?
"We'll sell her to the Adventurer's Guild."
When I checked with the assistant instructor, it was just as I knew.
Good. I can just go meet her at the Adventurer's Guild later.
"More importantly, Caleb."
The assistant instructor now got to the main point.
"Have you considered enrolling in the Magic University?"
For a slave mage, this process was simple. The infrastructure provided to Magic University slaves was pitifully meager, so they could be easily recruited with the promise of a warm room and balanced meals.
Of course, they wouldn't feel too kindly toward the people who threw them into the Labyrinth with a single wand and a potato to fend for their lives, but they had no choice but to enroll.
Then, through the university's rehabilitation and brainwashing, they would slowly become true mages.
But I was no longer a slave.
Furthermore, I had just made my debut as a once-in-a-generation genius wizard with the talent for incantationless and high-speed casting, who had beaten the crap out of Back Attack as part of a duo. Not that I intended for that to happen.
"In your case, Caleb, you can enter as a scholarship student."
The tables had turned.
The businesslike and rigid assistant instructor, Jacob, began to shake one leg anxiously.
The whole reason the Magic University threw slaves into the Labyrinth was to screen for talent and cultivate them into mages, all to increase the number of mages.
At least, that's how it was in the game.
The Labyrinth Eruptions had caused massive casualties, especially among mages, so they were in a hurry to fill their ranks.
They couldn't afford to let me go.
"What are the benefits of enrolling?"
"Everything, in every aspect. First of all, in your case, Caleb, your magical talent is outstanding..."
BANG!
Suddenly, the door to the small conference room was thrown open, and a red-haired human woman and an elderly Halfling appeared.
The woman was the assistant instructor who had been waiting at the gate when I came out of the Labyrinth.
And the Halfling was...
"Professor!"
Jacob shot to his feet.
"Is this the one?"
The Halfling mage looked me up and down with a very interested expression. Due to the height difference, he had to tilt his head almost all the way back to look up at me.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Meldini, an associate professor at the Magic University."
"A pleasure."
"Get rid of this trashy brochure!"
He swatted aside the brochure Jacob had given me.
"Dormitories this, scholarships that, curriculum whatever. We don't need any of that."
I kind of do, though.
I don't even have a place to sleep right now.
"To move true, hot-blooded wizards like us, you can't use stuff like this. You need to present a more noble purpose, for the good of all humanity. Right?"
Meldini clenched his fist.
Jacob slapped his forehead with a look of utter defeat, while the red-haired assistant instructor just shrugged.
"What is the mission of a wizard? To unearth lost magic? To exterminate Labyrinth monsters? To develop new methods of binding magic tomes? No! It's none of that."
Meldini dropped a bombshell.
"It is to eliminate the Otherworld Possessors who have crossed over through the game called 'Abyss of the Labyrinth'!"
Fuck.
What did this Halfling professor just say?
I can only hope I managed to keep a straight face.
Stay calm, stay calm. If I panic, it's over. Breathe slowly.
"I looked through the records the Slave Management Department has on you. And I also looked into how you came to have a murder conviction. You're from the eastern Labyrinth city of 'Wyndham,' aren't you? Originally a Labyrinth adventurer."
"..."
"And you claimed as much in court, didn't you? That the colleague you killed was, in fact, a Possessor from the Abyss of the Labyrinth."
What?
"And the evidence you submitted was quite persuasive. If I had been the judge there, I would have acquitted you."
"..."
"On behalf of the citizens of Wyndham, I express my gratitude for your noble sacrifice and brave decision. If you hadn't eliminated that colleague..."
Meldini said.
"The Wyndham Labyrinth would have erupted."
*
To summarize what the professor said, it was roughly this:
I wasn't the only one whose life was ruined by getting possessed while playing the game Abyss of the Labyrinth. There were quite a few others.
And if they failed to enter a Labyrinth for more than two weeks...
The nearest Labyrinth would erupt.
When that happened, almost all the monsters from the Labyrinth, even the Abyss Monsters that inhabited the master floor, would pour out.
Naturally, the surface world would be devastated.
It was a strange phenomenon that had been occurring for quite some time, and the mages investigating its cause had discovered one crucial fact.
The Abyss Monsters that came to the surface all moved in a specific direction.
As if they had a common target.
That target was an Otherworld Possessor.
"We don't know why the Labyrinth tries so hard to exterminate Otherworld Possessors. But one thing is certain: the Abyss Monsters will, without fail, eliminate that one target."
Can I live a safe and peaceful life on the surface after gaining my freedom?
That hope of mine was shattered. I could not escape the Labyrinth.
"The Labyrinth is a place of profit, but the threat of an eruption is a danger to us all. The best way to prevent that is, in the end..."
And the surface was more dangerous than the Labyrinth.
"For us to find and eliminate the Possessors first."
The truly bizarre part of my past was also tied to this.
"You've already killed a Possessor. A colleague you lived and worked with for years."
What was my relationship with that Fox Spirit woman?
If we had spent years as Labyrinth adventurers, she must have known. That Otherworld Possessors were the cause of Labyrinth Eruptions and were therefore targets for elimination.
So her identity must have been a critical secret, not to be revealed to anyone.
Then how did I find out?
Please don't let it be some horrible story where she trusted me as a colleague and confessed, only to be betrayed.
It must have been a four-person party there too. What happened to the other two colleagues? What do they think of me now?
My head is going to explode. Shit.
"Caleb."
My mind was more at ease when I was fighting Back Attack.
"Join the Possessor Elimination Club I lead at the Magic University. Let's protect our city by eliminating all the Possessors in it."
"..."
"Surely you're not a Possessor yourself, are you? Hahaha! Right? Are you, by any chance, a Possessor?" the professor asked jokingly.
I almost laughed along and lied, saying no.
If I had, I'd be dead.
Because the Lie Detection Magic was still active on me!
"..."
This is bad.
This is checkmate. A situation where even turning on the hourglass won't help.
I feel like I'm in a circus show, sticking my head inside a crocodile's wide-open jaws.
What did I do wrong?
Was it a mistake to come straight here after waking up in the temple?
Should I have investigated more about Otherworld Possessors through Emma before coming?
No. If I had done that and was found out later, they might have become suspicious about why I was snooping around for that information.
Was coming out of the Labyrinth itself a mistake? Should I have gathered more information about the outside world before leaving?
No, what's the use of thinking about that now? If this Halfling presses me for an answer even once, it's all over.
Can I just laugh this situation off?
If I agree to join his club, will he just let it go? Or will he try to verify for sure if I'm a Possessor since I'd be on his team?
It feels like I'm standing on thin ice, watching it crack in real time.
And just then.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door of the Slave Management Department office.
It was the same mage I had seen when I first came out of the Labyrinth. His name was probably...
"Clorence."
"Good day, Professor."
Clorence greeted the Halfling professor, then bowed his head to the assistant instructors. And...
"I was waiting outside for Caleb to come out and unintentionally overheard, Professor. But isn't it a bit early to be recruiting for your club?"
"If you want to harvest a good crop, you have to pick the seeds yourself from the moment you plant them."
"You have a point. However, Caleb," Clorence said.
"You don't need to decide right now. There are many clubs at the Magic University."
"Is Professor Isilof also interested in this young man?" the Halfling professor asked.
"Of course. And... do you really need incantationless, high-speed casting talent to hunt down and eliminate Possessors?"
"..."
"I believe he is a talent more specialized for Labyrinth exploration. Caleb, the Labyrinth Exploration Club would like to invite you. Would you be willing to meet with Professor Isilof?"
"Ah-"
The assistant instructor, Jacob, who had been listening from the back, stepped between me and Clorence.
"Why are you professors getting so ahead of yourselves? He hasn't even signed the enrollment papers yet. Right, Clorence? At this rate, you'll scare the boy off from enrolling at all."
"...He's brave enough to forsake a chance to escape the Labyrinth alone and challenge Back Attack with his colleague, isn't he?" Clorence said.
"By the same token, he's a person with a strong sense of camaraderie. Imagine how heartbroken he must have been when he had to kill a colleague who was a Possessor. Is there really a need to reopen old wounds by assigning him to similar work?"
Clorence moved next to Jacob, took my hand, and gently pulled me.
"Why don't you go and meet Professor Isilof? Caleb, now a freeman."
I followed his lead, trying my best to remain calm as I walked outside.
Right now, I felt like I'd willingly go back into the Labyrinth if it meant getting away from that Halfling.
Seriously, that little bastard is a hundred times scarier than Back Attack.
Click.
Beyond the softly closing door of the Slave Management Department office.
—That insolent brat, talking back to me like that.
I heard the Halfling's quietly seething anger.