Chapter 9: The Wizard of Trust
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: The Wizard of Trust
“Avison!”
The beastman’s ears perked up.
“This is Avison’s backpack!?”
“You met Avison?!” the dwarf shouted.
“I knew it looked familiar! Where did you see his body?” the priest asked, her face lighting up.
“I didn’t find Avison’s body. I fought a team of slave wizards and got this as loot.”
I briefly recounted my encounter with the bald party.
“My goodness! So that’s what happened.”
“That’s incredible!”
Overcome with emotion, the priest and the beastman checked the contents of the backpack.
The dwarf, however, got straight to business.
“What do you want in return for finding the backpack?”
“I want the backpack.”
It was a rather funny answer.
But the dwarf had probably expected it.
After all, they were heading back to town and had no need for things like bacon, bread, or pots.
They would, however, want to keep Avison’s valuables, like his wallet and keys.
In exchange, I would get some more of the dwarf party’s consumables.
“Fine. You can have all our food.”
“All of it?”
“It’s all just dead weight to us now anyway.”
We began to exchange our packs.
As I handed back Avison’s handkerchief, keychain, wallet, and Bible, I asked, “You’re not planning on coming right back, are you?”
If they were just popping out to grab a resurrection scroll and return, they wouldn’t have given us all their food.
“That’s right,” the dwarf replied, handing me two loaves of bread, a block of butter, a dozen boiled eggs, and some seasoned beef jerky.
“It takes time to get a resurrection scroll. The administrative process is a pain in the ass.”
“That’s because we’ve already used one,” the priest added, helping to explain.
“A resurrection scroll?”
“Yes.”
I thought it was strange that they had cast Soul Preservation but didn’t have a scroll.
“What happened to it?”
“We already used it when Mr. Avison died.”
Seriously, Avison…
You should just quit exploring labyrinths.
“Anyway, we’re going to recruit a new wizard while we wait for the new scroll,” the priest said, handing over bacon, five cans of corn, a roll of toilet paper, and two water bottles.
“Then we’ll come back as a party of four, resurrect Avison, send him to the city, and clear the next exit room to get out.”
“I see.”
“Hah. To be honest, you, a slave wizard, are about thirty thousand times better than Avison.”
The dwarf slapped his forehead, apparently having had quite a headache because of Avison.
“Things would have been much easier if we’d recruited a wizard like you from the start.”
“There’s always next time. But my price will be high.”
I joked back and was shouldering the bag when it happened.
“Um…”
Yernil, who had been quietly focused on organizing her pack, suddenly raised her hand to speak.
Because Yernil had been the most incompetent (?) and timid one here, all eyes immediately turned to her.
And what came out of her mouth was truly shocking. Something that even I, a turn-based master, hadn’t anticipated.
“Then, can’t you take Caleb with you?”
What?
“There’s an extra spot at the gate…”
Yernil, have you lost your mind?
*
“The contract will still be fulfilled even if Caleb goes through the gate with you, right? Because all three of you in your party will have passed through. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Even the calculating dwarf was flustered by Yernil’s point.
“Priest!” This time, Yernil tugged on the priest’s arm, pleading.
“You said you were going to recruit a new wizard, right? Caleb can go out, receive his nine thousand five hundred gold, become a free man, and join your party.”
Her logic was sound.
“And with the money left over after becoming a free man, he can even get some proper gear. Can’t you let him join your party then?”
But the problem was…
“But… what about you?” the priest asked, horrified.
“You’ll be left all alone!”
If I went with the dwarf party, Yernil would be left here by herself.
“Even a talented wizard like Caleb would have a hard time surviving alone in the labyrinth. You wouldn’t last a single day!”
At the priest’s words, Yernil fidgeted with the hem of her pants, her lips trembling.
“I…”
She glanced at me once, then bit her dry, chapped lips. The corners of her eyes reddened as she dropped her gaze.
“Actually, back at the entrance to this exit room, when you said you only needed a wizard,” she said, sniffling.
“I think I should have said this back then, Caleb.”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t have the courage to say it then. Please, go with them.”
What was this?
Some kind of mental victory?
Was it out of guilt for holding me back? Or was she making a preemptive move, afraid I’d abandon her later? Or maybe she was worried I’d resent her?
I couldn’t easily guess the psychology behind Yernil’s absurd proposal.
“To be honest…”
But it turned out, surprisingly, to be the result of her own rational analysis.
“I don’t think the two of us can clear another exit room…” she said, her voice filled with despair.
“Your magic is incredibly powerful, Caleb, but I… you saw. My arrows were completely useless…”
It was a rational resolve, a cold judgment. One born not of courage, but of terror, forced out between sobs. But it was a solemn decision nonetheless.
“If we continue on like this… we’ll just die in the next exit room… Please don’t let that happen because of me.”
A brief silence fell.
This wasn’t like a game. A situation like this doesn’t exist in a game. Suddenly, the chilling realization that this was reality, not a game, hit me anew.
“Elven lady,” the dwarf sighed softly.
“Everything you just said is correct. To be honest, I want to recruit Caleb and take him with us right now.”
“…”
“But trying to recruit a member from another party inside the labyrinth is not proper etiquette.”
“B-but, at the entrance to the exit room…!”
“At the door, we didn’t care because you were ‘convict slaves.’ Nobody cares if you live, die, or what happens to you.”
It was cruel, but true. I had suspected as much.
“But my perspective on you two has changed. So, to respect both your positions, let’s do this.”
The dwarf turned his gaze to me.
“Caleb. On behalf of my party, I formally extend an offer of recruitment. If you join us, you’ll receive a 25% share of the profits, and we will pay you the nine thousand five hundred gold as per the contract we made at the entrance.”
He glanced at the priest. “You’re okay with that, right, Emma?”
“Yes. That would mean we’ve fulfilled our contract.”
At that, Yernil grabbed my hand tightly.
“Caleb, please join their party. I’ll be fine. You’ve already saved me three times. First with the goblins, then when I stepped on the trap, and again when we met that other slave team.”
“…”
“Honestly, I should have been dead long ago. I was no help in this exit room, either. I know my place.”
Though her words were solemn, her limbs were trembling.
Of course she was scared. Volunteering to be left behind here alone? It was insane.
“It’s better if I die alone; I don’t want to drag you down with me. We can still part with a smile right now.”
“The choice is yours, Caleb,” the dwarf said, giving his ultimatum.
“Please, let us say goodbye with a smile.” Yernil wiped her tears and forced a smile.
And then.
Ting! Ting!
The hourglass shook and chimed like an alarm clock.
[Hourglass Expansion Opportunity!]
▶If you stay by Yernil’s side now, her Trust will reach 100%.
▶As long as you maintain her Trust at 80% or higher, you will be able to issue commands to Yernil during your turn.
▶After you end your turn, Yernil will carry out the command of her own will.
What’s this now?
When I encountered the bald team. When I received the dwarf’s offer at the exit room entrance. And now.
Faced with a test involving Yernil for the third time in a row, I had discovered a hidden option for the hourglass.
*
In the game Abyss of the Labyrinth, special abilities could be added upon leveling up or expanded to a higher tier.
For example, a special ability like ‘Corpse Devour’ would blossom into a new dimension with frequent use, gaining additional options.
Where it originally only restored health by eating a corpse, it might also start restoring skill cooldowns.
Or grant additional status buffs, or allow you to glimpse some of the victim’s memories by eating their brain.
That’s what the special ability expansion function was.
It seemed this function still applied now that the game had become reality.
The expansion for my ‘Turn-Based Hourglass’ special ability was ‘Command Party Member’.
How did it work?
‘I issue a command during my turn, end the turn, and Yernil carries it out?’
Could she carry out any command? What would happen if I gave her an impossible one?
If I told her to hold her breath for two hours, would she suffocate? Or would she eventually take a breath?
Long-term commands were probably impossible. For example, an order like ‘Obey me absolutely for the next fifty years’ was unlikely to work.
The commands I could issue during my turn were likely simple actions. For instance… something like, ‘Drop your shield and go hit the spider!’
To use Action Points as an analogy, it would be like a one-point action.
Earlier, the dwarf and the beastman didn’t move until I was about to burst with frustration, but Yernil would jump out the instant I gave a turn-based command.
“…”
Nice.
No, isn’t this incredible?
I knew better than anyone how much of an impact giving a party member a one-point action turn could have on a battle.
“Well?” the dwarf pressed for an answer.
Just wait a second. I need more time to think.
1. The hourglass expansion and the talented archer, Yernil.
2. Nearly ten thousand gold, a chance to escape the labyrinth immediately, and a spot in an experienced party.
Honestly, Yernil’s plea had shaken me, but I set aside my emotions and thought rationally.
Abyss of the Labyrinth was a game where every single choice, big or small, mattered. Every trivial event could return as a massive butterfly effect in the late game.
I put these two options on a scale and weighed them.
Make a mistake here, and I’ll end up like the bald guys.
Which choice would yield the greatest profit? What should I choose?
“Caleb.”
Sorry, dwarf, but I need to think. Just sixty seconds.
[Your Turn.]
[Action Points: ■■■■]
*
“Please proceed as originally planned, just the three of you. Yernil and I will escape on our own.”
An answer even more shocking than Yernil’s self-sacrificing plea dropped like a bomb in the exit room.
“…Uh… wha…”
Without exaggeration, Yernil actually staggered. She was that stunned.
“Huh…”
The dwarf’s and the beastman’s eyes widened, and the priest gasped, covering her mouth.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am.”
There was too much missing information to judge which option was more profitable.
What if this were the game? What choice would I have made in the game?
Thinking of it that way, the answer was 100% Yernil.
A spot in an experienced party and ten thousand gold were great, but considering the final clear of the labyrinth, raising Yernil from this point on was more profitable.
Defeating the Labyrinth Master without that kind of long-term investment was impossible even on lower difficulties.
Let alone on developer difficulty? Absolutely not.
Of course, there were things that worried me.
Yernil, whom I’d struggled to bring out, could just say, ‘Goodbye, everyone! I’m off to the fairy forest to find my happiness!’ and run off.
Or I could get a safe job in town and stop adventuring in the labyrinth altogether.
Because this was reality and not a game, these possibilities plagued me.
The latter was an especially strong temptation. If I became a free man with nine thousand five hundred gold, that could really happen.
But for now, it was best to keep all possibilities open and approach this broadly.
And above all…
I’m not that cold-hearted.
With twenty seconds left in my turn, I looked at Yernil’s face, and my mind was made up.
It wasn’t out of some heroic desire to protect her. I’m more of an ordinary citizen than a hero, far from being a knight in shining armor.
I just wasn’t heartless enough to abandon Yernil in a situation like this.
Humans are surprisingly like that.
When a single lion attacks a herd of buffalo, a hundred of them will flee, abandoning the straggler. But humans are creatures of madness who will run into a hail of bullets on a battlefield to rescue a fallen comrade.
Surprisingly, humans aren’t ruthlessly rational.
It was more comforting to just say, ‘Ah, screw it, follow me!’ and clear it together. If I left her now, could I even sleep soundly at night?
“C-Caleb!” Yernil, oblivious to my inner thoughts, grew frantic.
“Caleb! Are you crazy!? Why aren’t you leaving!?”
I’m stressed enough as it is, so could you please be quiet?
“Now I covet that personality of yours, too.” The dwarf was genuinely and deeply moved.
“You’ve got loyalty. In the labyrinth, that level of trust is a talent on par with ‘High-Speed Casting’ or ‘Chantless Casting’.”
“…”
“The Magic University really found a gem this time,” the priest said, pleased.
“Assuming you escape, that is. But everything Yernil said was right,” the beastman rogue added.
“Yes. Honestly, it won’t be easy for the two of you to find an exit room and get out,” the priest chimed in, agreeing.
“Caleb is strong, but how do you plan to defeat the next exit boss with just the two of you?”
“Speaking of which, can we have the Venomic Spider’s corpse?” I asked abruptly, cutting through the emotional atmosphere.
The dwarf tilted his head.
“The corpse?”
Their party had originally planned to take the entire corpse through the gate. They could make some money by harvesting its byproducts.
“I may be moved by you two, but this is another matter entirely.”
Tsk.
I tried to ride the mood, but no dice, huh?
You’re all business, aren’t you, dwarf?
“Then sell it to us.”
“The corpse? And how do you plan to pay?” the priest asked with a smile.
“Put it on our tab of nine thousand five hundred gold.”
“Kuhaha!” the dwarf laughed heartily.
“Alright, let’s do that. Fifteen hundred gold. How about it?”
“Thirteen hundred.”
“Fifteen hundred is already a bargain.”
“Understood. Fifteen hundred it is.”
In truth, the fact that he was letting me buy it on credit was something to be grateful for. After all, the dwarf was the one who had bet nine thousand five hundred gold on me dying.
“Good. And… Elven lady,” the dwarf asked Yernil. “What’s your name?”
Wait a minute, dwarf. You didn’t even know her name until now? That’s just harsh.
“Ye… Yernil.”
“Yeyernil.”
“No! Yernil.”
“Noyernil.”
“No…”
What are they doing…
The two of them suddenly broke into a brief stand-up comedy routine.
“Yernil. I think you were incredibly brave as well. Thanks to you, I got to see something even more impressive than a four-shot, high-speed Fireball.”
“…”
“Don’t you dare die, don’t let go of Caleb, and make sure you return to the city together.”
The dwarf gave Yernil four healing potions.
Emma the priest lightly touched Yernil’s forehead.
“Nathaniel’s blessing upon you.”
A white light enveloped Yernil’s body.
In the game, it was a blessing that lasted twelve hours, gave +1 to all stats, and granted immunity to curses and corruption.
Though I didn’t know what it did in reality.
“Nathaniel’s blessing upon you.”
The priest cast the blessing on me as well.
This was why having a priest in the party was so convenient.
“Well, I don’t have anything to give you. But I’ll buy you a beer if we meet in town!” the beastman said, pointing toward the gate.
“If we manage to escape and get to town, where can we find you three?”
I asked the three of them, and the priest answered. “Come to the Temple of Nathaniel and ask for Priest Emma. I’ll pay you your reward immediately.”
“Thank you.”
“Well then, we’ll head to town first. We wish you both the best of luck.”
The priest, Emma, bid us farewell and stepped through the gate.
Kwagwagwang!
The gate’s color changed from blue to green. It was beginning to collapse.
“Hey, rookie wizard. My name’s Jikal. Remember it.” The beastman rogue, Jikal, ruffled my hair.
“Let’s definitely meet again in the city.”
As he passed through the gate, its color changed from green to yellow.
“Alright, then. Since you two aren’t crossing.” The dwarf warrior, Birtanen, took the E-Grade magic stone he had pocketed and rolled it through the gate.
Kwang!
The gate’s color changed from yellow to red.
He had used the magic stone to register it as ‘one person’s worth’ crossing over.
This was proper etiquette in the labyrinth. If fewer than four people were crossing, you were supposed to use a magic stone to make the gate close faster, which allowed a new gate to spawn sooner.
“When you get to the city, look for the dwarf warrior ‘Birtanen’ at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
The dwarf thumped his chest and stepped through the gate.
*
Kuuung!
The gate vanished completely.
Now, only Yernil and I remained in the exit room, along with the numerous charred spider corpses.
Thud.
Suddenly, Yernil collapsed to the floor.
Her calm smile as she told me to go on ahead had been a bluff after all.
“Why… why didn’t you go?” she asked, her head hung low.
“How are the two of us supposed to clear an exit room…?”
“Stop crying and come here.”
Yernil.
Don’t worry.
I, a veteran of this game so experienced I’m practically fossilized, have already calculated every angle before making my move.
“Let’s harvest the spider’s poison fangs.”
You may have only fired two toothpicks this time, but in the next exit room, I’ll have you firing deadly poison arrows.
You will deal enough burst damage to make up for both the dwarf and the beastman, and we will escape together.
[Yernil’s Trust has reached 100%!]
[You can now issue commands to Yernil during your turn.]
The hourglass shook like an alarm clock.