Chapter 45: We're an Experienced Party Now
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: We're an Experienced Party Now
It was about an hour and a half walk from the Berten estate to the magic university dormitory.
I had made a lot of money, so I considered calling a carriage but decided against it.
Walking at night is perfect for organizing your thoughts. It was exactly what I needed when my head was cluttered with so much new information.
And there was one more reason I didn’t call a carriage.
For Yernil’s skill practice.
“Hyaap!”
Her body sublimated like a heat haze, soaring into the air before transforming into a small, shimmering light.
She moved about ten meters and then reformed into her human shape.
“How was that?”
As soon as she put on the gloves, Yernil had naturally mastered the skill ‘Warden’s Redeployment’.
“You’re doing great.”
Warden’s Redeployment allowed for short-range teleportation like that.
For an archer like Yernil, whose close-combat abilities were only slightly better than a wizard’s, a movement skill like this was essential. Edward had chosen his gift well.
“Caleb.”
Yernil asked as she trotted over to me.
“So, are you going to kill the Labyrinth Master?”
“For now, my offer to team up with Isel was genuine.”
If killing the Labyrinth Master truly meant I could go home, then honestly, that’s what I wanted to do.
Being recognized and treated well in the upper echelons of wizard society was nice, but I was still a modern man at heart.
If someone were to ask about my identity right now, I’d say I’m on the side that wants to go home.
And then there was the biggest problem.
What do I do when I get old?
That was a truly serious issue.
I could delve into the Labyrinth regularly now because I was young.
But how long could I keep making a living like this? As I aged, my strength would wane, and my reaction speed, cognitive abilities, and thinking skills would decline, making it harder to fight monsters in the Labyrinth.
No.
A problem could arise even before I got to that point.
For instance, if I contracted some disease, or suffered a major injury that left me with a disability.
Just think about Avison.
He was in the process of regenerating a leg that had been blown off. Of course, he couldn't enter the Labyrinth during that time. How could he, when he couldn't even walk on his own and needed someone to push his wheelchair?
But what if Avison had been a Possessor?
He wouldn't be able to enter the Labyrinth for two weeks. If he tried, people would grab him and ask if he was crazy, and no party would have him.
So how would Avison convince them? By saying, I’m a Possessor, so let me into the Labyrinth if you don’t want to die?
And if he went in alone, that would be like sending himself to his own grave.
Living my whole life in this world won’t be easy.
A situation that threatened the two-week rule was bound to happen someday. It might even come sooner than I thought.
And by then, surrounded by the companions I’d grown fond of through our adventures, or a new family I’d made in this world, I would be praying to the heavens to let me die within two weeks. Begging not to become a burden to these people.
When I thought about it that way, it was right to challenge the Labyrinth Master while I was still young and healthy.
However…
Do other Possessors feel the same way?
Was everyone in a similar situation to me?
Were they eager to defeat the Labyrinth Master but lacked the ability and courage, so they sent people like Isel down to gather information?
And one more thing.
Are all of them still managing to abide by the two-week rule?
Was there really no one who had suffered an injury on Avison’s level, or was unable to move due to a serious illness or old age?
Not a single one?
How likely was that?
I didn’t know. I couldn’t even calculate the probability since I had no idea how many Possessors there were.
Or perhaps it was the opposite. Maybe the incident twelve years ago was a case where the Labyrinth finally erupted because the probability of such a thing happening wasn't low after all.
Either way was possible.
Maybe the Enver Club or Blackdog has an emergency measure to bypass the two-week rule.
If so, the method must be incredibly difficult to attempt.
If it were easy, the Possessor groups would have just come out, trading their Labyrinth knowledge for permanent residency in this world.
“So you’re on a team with Isel, but you might not kill the Labyrinth Master?” Yernil asked.
“We still have far too little information to attempt a strategy of the Labyrinth Master.”
I would make a long-term plan, but for now, I would start by deducing things one by one from the clues right in front of me.
For example…
“The next time we enter the Labyrinth, I’m going to investigate that stone monument first.”
The monument from the ancient text that Dalstream had confirmed.
I needed to see it for myself.
It was absurd to prepare for a Labyrinth Master raid based solely on someone else’s word. I had to see and confirm it with my own eyes.
Besides, I had a good idea of what that monument was.
A magical ciphertext containing random secrets of the Labyrinth.
Depending on the game’s difficulty, a random number of those would be discovered in random locations inside the Labyrinth.
Professor Dalstream’s work was likely a simple translation of the characters; it was highly probable that the text hadn’t been decrypted.
Since it was a monument I didn’t know about, it was best to check it out. As soon as possible, preferably before making contact with the Enver Club.
The 3rd floor.
Isel had said that Dalstream found the monument on the 3rd floor.
“Caleb.”
Yernil suddenly leaned in close.
“Yes?”
“About what Isel said today. I don’t really understand it all, but.”
She smiled brightly and said.
“I’m sure you can even beat the Labyrinth Master!”
You make incredibly difficult things sound so simple.
“Because you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, Caleb!”
“…Thank you.”
“I’m so lucky I met you.”
Yernil fiddled with the lace near the tight-fitting collar of her dress.
“It’s so strange, isn’t it? Just a little while ago, I was barely scraping by day to day, carrying things for the Flandre Errand Center.”
She said.
“Then I was suddenly saddled with a 3,000 gold debt and became a slave, then I entered the Labyrinth, and just when I thought it was all over… all of this happened in just a few weeks.”
“…”
“I never dreamed I’d ever wear a dress like this. Something so expensive…”
To be honest, I had bought her that dress for somewhat selfish reasons.
I didn’t want Yernil to draw too much attention while she was tracking Enver at the party. So I just picked a reasonably priced outfit that would let her blend in with the other guests.
Her hearing turned out to be much better than I’d expected, so we didn’t need to do any stealth missions, but it wasn’t like I’d bought it just to make her happy.
“I never dreamed in my life that I would wear something like this and go to a party like that.”
But Yernil seemed incredibly moved.
“I ate so much delicious food, and we played games. It was so much fun. Thanks to you. And I even got a present…”
Overcome with emotion, Yernil linked her arm with mine.
“I can even follow you to the Deep Layer, Caleb. You can ask me to do anything.”
For her, there was something more terrifying than the Deep Layer.
“So please, take me with you. Wherever you go…”
“…”
“I’ll do a really good job.”
There was one more reason I had to defeat the Labyrinth Master as soon as possible.
If I’m going to leave, it has to be before I get too attached to the people here.
*
After returning to the dormitory.
“Caleb! Caleb!”
I went to my door after hearing an urgent knocking, only to freeze in shock.
“What… what are you doing…”
Yernil stood there with her dress half-off, one shoulder bare, covering her chest in a rather seductive pose.
Yernil! Were you always this provocative…?
“Help me! The zipper’s broken!”
It really was Yernil’s first time wearing such a dress.
It had been fine at the shop because an employee had helped her put it on, but back at the dorm, she must have messed something up while trying to take it off alone. The vertical zipper on the back was stuck halfway down.
“Can’t you… pull it down for me?”
This was quite the predicament.
Yernil. You don’t have any ulterior motives, do you? I honestly don’t think I can take responsibility.
“Hold on a second.”
I tried moving the zipper up and down and pulling it a few times, but it wouldn’t budge.
“It’s not working, is it?”
“I think I’ll have to use some force…”
“What if it rips?”
I gripped the fabric tightly and yanked the zipper with all my might.
Ziiiiip!
The zipper slid all the way down, but at the same time, Yernil’s dress slipped right off.
“Ah!”
Yernil hastily grabbed the falling dress to cover herself, and I tried to help her hold it, which put us in a rather awkward position.
It looked exactly like I was hugging her from behind, a perfect scene for anyone to misinterpret…
Click.
It’s my fault for tempting fate. Sorry, Yernil.
Back Attack had just walked through the front door and his eyes met ours.
“Uwaaah!”
Back Attack screamed and turned his head away, and Yernil screamed too.
“Kyaaah!”
She quickly pushed me away and rushed into my room.
“Hey, hyung-nim…! What is this…?”
Back Attack stared at me with a look of disbelief.
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“Hyung-nim, you look so innocent, but behind my back, you and that elf are already…”
“I said it’s a misunderstanding. Really.”
“You crazy bastard! What are you doing here!”
Yernil shouted, cracking open my door slightly.
“Hey, my bad. Was I interrupting you while you were making your move?”
“…No!”
“Why are you getting so mad? I’m the one whose eyes are burning. Hyung-nim, can you use some Undead Restoration on my eyes?”
Slam!
Yernil slammed the door shut.
“That’s my room…”
*
A little later, in the dormitory living room.
“You called for Caleb?”
Yernil asked, now changed into a t-shirt and pajama pants. For the record, she was wearing my clothes from my room.
“You called Back Attack? Here?”
“Yes. Back Attack has no money right now.”
And he couldn’t withdraw the money he’d saved from the bank.
That’s because the administrative process at city hall to reverse his registered death status would take a full day, it being such an unusual case.
“Besides, his lease on the room he was renting must have been terminated. I told him to come here if he had nowhere else to go tonight.”
“Grrr…”
“But we should stop hiding you in the dorm like this. Let’s find you a place outside soon.”
“Ugh…”
Yernil, looking displeased about something, glared at the side of Back Attack’s face before asking me.
“But when did you call him? I didn’t hear anything.”
“While you were in the room, with this.”
I waved the message-transmitting wand. Isel had given it to me when we left the Berten estate, saying we should keep in touch via messages from now on.
“A note just popped up right in front of me.”
Back Attack showed me the note I had sent. It had the dorm room number written on it, along with a request to leave the front door unlocked and to come in quietly without making a scene by knocking.
That’s how Back Attack had managed to waltz in despite the security magic, and how he’d caught Yernil and me in that compromising situation…
“Hyung-nim, you didn’t have to be so considerate. I can pick a lock like that in a jiffy.”
“Please don’t pick the lock…”
“Just kidding, just kidding. Anyway, I’m in your care. Aimus-hyungnim told me I had to join your party, Caleb, and now I finally see why!”
Back Attack said.
“That heart of yours, hyung-nim, showing such consideration for a dead man with no home, no money, and no access to his bank account! I’m truly moved. Does this mean I can join the party?”
“I’d be grateful to have you, Back Attack.”
“Thank you! I can fly through the 2nd floor all by myself, hyung-nim. From now on, I won’t let any monsters or plunderers get anywhere near you.”
“!”
Yernil flinched, as if sensing a threat.
“The Labyrinth reopens next week. I’ll contact Aimus and we’ll go in as a party of four.”
“Ah.”
Back Attack’s expression suddenly changed.
“Well… Aimus-hyungnim might not be able to come anymore.”
“Why not?”
“He died once, you know. Apparently, his wife gave him a hell of a time… She said she’ll never let him enter the Labyrinth again, no matter how much money he brings back.”
*
“Honey! Our eldest is starting school soon…! And when the kids get bigger, we won’t have space for their beds! We need to move to a bigger place!”
Aimus was desperately trying to persuade Mrs. Renick.
“I can’t afford it just by doing manual labor at construction sites like I am now! I have to earn money when I can.”
But Mrs. Renick was firm.
“Caleb. Thank you so much for saving my husband. But…”
She issued me an ultimatum.
“I have no intention of letting this man go into the Labyrinth anymore. I’m sorry. It doesn’t matter how much you offer as a contract fee.”
For a 4-person party on the 1st floor of the Labyrinth, the expected profit from a single run is about 20,000 to 30,000 gold.
After deducting various expenses and splitting it four ways, the net profit per person is about 3,000 to 4,000 gold.
Therefore, when forming a 1st-floor party, the party leader usually gives a contract fee of about 1,000 gold.
At the end of the adventure, that amount is treated as an advance and deducted before distributing the profits. But even if the adventure goes awry and an individual’s earnings are less than 1,000, the party leader doesn’t get it back.
That 1,000 gold is essentially the guaranteed income the party leader provides for one Labyrinth expedition.
“But even if you offer more than 1,000 gold as a contract fee, I have no intention of letting him…”
“How about 10,000 gold?”
The Renick couple froze simultaneously.
“Caleb! Ten times the amount…? As a contract fee?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the kind of money you’d make only if you went into the 1st floor three or four times over a month or two, and every single adventure went perfectly!”
“With… with money…”
Mrs. Renick barely managed to compose herself and reply.
“Trying to buy me with money…”
Don’t you dare! was what she wanted to scold, but it was too much money.
Mrs. Renick’s eyes darted around in a panic before she asked.
“Seeing that amount, I’m guessing it’s not the 1st floor…?”
“No.”
“…”
When I handed her a pouch containing 10,000 gold, Mrs. Renick let out a deep sigh.
“Ah, hyung-su-nim, don’t you worry so much.”
Back Attack started trying to persuade her from the side.
“Right here you have the former exit boss who flew through the 2nd floor, the one most favored by the Labyrinth Master.”
“…”
“And wasn’t I the best rookie in the Adventurer’s Guild before Caleb? The 2nd floor is a piece of cake for us. In fact, the 1.5th floor we went to before was harder because of the boss. The 2nd floor is nothing. With me, Caleb-hyungnim, and Aimus-hyungnim, the three of us can easily…”
“Back Attack.”
I needed to set things straight here.
“We’re going to the 3rd floor.”
Everyone froze.
“It’s fine. We can handle it.”
Really.
I had leveled up quite a bit after sleeping like a log upon returning from the 1.5th floor.
Plus, I had plenty of money, so we could get fully geared up.
“We’re an experienced party now. We can make a safe trip to the 3rd floor.”
In fact, with a party like this, we had to aim that high to make it worthwhile.