Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Adventurer's Association
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"......"
I could roughly predict it with this.
No matter what, the fact that there was a suitable spot for installing a save point here... meant there was a high chance this Slumber Labyrinth was the one I was looking for.
Otherwise, why would a perfectly timed suitable location for a save point just happen to be here?
...Is someone interfering with the quest?
Or is the system assigning quests on its own?
Well, it's something I can't figure out no matter how much I think about it right now.
Either way, it provides some convenience, so I'll take it in a positive light.
‘Where is it?’
The system kindly provided a navigation function.
Shifting my gaze along the arrow, I spotted a two-story building that looked like a clothing shop.
‘That building?’
But as the carriage moved and the arrow's direction shifted, I realized it wasn't.
It seemed to be giving a rough indication of the direction to the suitable save point installation spot.
Still, the hotel comes first.
Save point installation isn't urgent right now, and with navigation available, I could search for the spot leisurely.
For now, I'd secure lodging and plan the rest slowly.
Fortunately, I wouldn't have to trek all the way back just to return to my original world.
That alone brought me a bit of relief...
The hotel Marie guided us to was even larger and more luxurious than the one in Laventa.
Slumber Hotel.
Of course, there were other hotels nearby, but Slumber Hotel was by far the biggest and flashiest.
It reeked of serious money thrown around.
According to Marie, it was run by Slumber's lord.
Which probably meant it had the highest room rates, as expected.
I had plenty of money and no intention of skimping on costs.
A comfortable bed mattered more.
The carriage parking area looked spacious, and the amenities seemed well-maintained.
"Master, I, I wonder if it's really okay for someone like me to stay in a place this nice..."
Assigning Marie—who was just the coachman—a room on par with ours was generous treatment.
But she was one of mine now.
My woman, even, so she deserved some care.
"Don't worry about it—you worked hard getting us here."
"Thank you, Master."
I patted Marie's apologetic rear.
We gathered at the hotel restaurant for a light meal and discussed our next moves.
"For Slumber Labyrinth... Aila and Luna will go in. What about you, Liliana?"
"Well... Hmm... I can play games inside anyway... I'm curious about this Slumber Labyrinth myself. Mind if I tag along for a look?"
"Master. Could I join you too?"
Marie eyed me cautiously as she spoke.
"You too?"
"I'm lacking compared to the others, but I don't want to be separated from you, Master. Even as a porter is fine—just please take me along."
Apparently, there was a "porter" job here too, for adventurers and mercenaries delving into labyrinths.
Porters obviously made monster hunting easier.
And in a world that didn't give a damn about human rights, I could only imagine how brutal the life was.
But I had an inventory.
No need for porters.
Still, Marie's determination not to be separated from me was admirable.
She was my woman, after all.
No real reason to leave her behind if she wanted to come that badly.
I'd planned to just scout near the entrance and head back on the first trip anyway.
"We'll rest today. Tomorrow, everyone heads to the Adventurer's Association. Word is they issue labyrinth entry permits there."
Preparations were needed to enter Slumber Labyrinth.
First up: the labyrinth entry permit.
Even a mage or knight's status meant nothing inside.
We had it better than most.
Commoners paid to enter the city—and paid again for labyrinth access.
Double paywall.
Nobles were something of an exception... but they still needed the Slumber lord's permission, same as anyone.
Permits were issued at two places:
Slumber Labyrinth Adventurer's Association.
And the Mercenary Guild.
I ruled out the Mercenary Guild.
It was a den of lowlifes.
Mercenaries in this world were basically ordinary folk who could swing a sword decently.
Bad reputation to boot.
Guys who'd do anything for a paycheck.
That was the image.
And it wasn't entirely unfounded—some even turned bandit for quick gold.
Plus, aura practitioners or mages among mercenaries? Almost nonexistent.
You might find one if you looked hard enough...
Being able to wield aura marked you as a superhuman beyond common grasp.
Like awakeners back home.
It was also a ticket to rising status.
Of course, mastering aura wasn't easy.
Knight houses with aura secrets had a leg up.
For an ignorant commoner, it was near impossible without freakish talent.
That's why any territory would grant knight status in exchange for a contract term to aura users.
Knight qualification? Quasi-noble already.
Master sword aura on top? Full noble status.
Post-contract, your choice:
Pledge loyalty to the lord and become his knight.
Or go free knight.
No aura wielder in their right mind would skip knighthood for mercenary work.
Mages were even rarer and harder.
Adventurers were different, though.
They weren't numerous to begin with.
Typically, they were nobles' backed explorers raiding remote dungeons for curios.
Not hugely profitable.
And noble patronage wasn't easy to snag.
Strictly speaking, Erpu's elf hunters qualified as adventurers too.
Elves counted as rare loot.
But their numbers were pathetically low compared to mercenaries.
Slumber was the exception.
Slumber Labyrinth's emergence drew hordes of adventurers here.
An unconquered maze for over a decade.
Mana stones pouring out.
Tempting bait for nobles and adventurers alike.
No Adventurer's Association originally.
So many adventurers formed parties just for this labyrinth that it sprang up.
Adventurers had a better image than mercenaries, naturally.
Even nobles registered and partied up sometimes.
Noble-backed groups packed heavy hitters: mages, knights aplenty.
In one word: higher-class vibe than mercenaries.
The next day.
At dawn, we headed for the Adventurer's Association.
The Labyrinth Adventurer's Association was a massive four-story building.
Small plaza out front.
Armed folk clustered in small groups. Adventurers, no doubt.
We parked the carriage in front of the building and disembarked one by one.
Peeking glances at us were a familiar annoyance by now—utterly ignorable.
Stepping inside, every eye in the place locked on us. The chatter dipped like a lowered speaker volume, then swelled back.
Plenty of armed types inside too.
-Murmurs swelled.
We drew every gaze as we made for the labyrinth entry permit counter.
The clerk was a young woman.
"Need a labyrinth entry permit."
"Registering as an adventurer? It's a 1-gold discount."
"Adventurer?"
"Yes! Folks who take labyrinth-related requests and clear them."
Adventurer, huh... Do I need to bother?
No plans to make a living off it.
"Those requests—mandatory?"
"No requirement... but wouldn't pairing them with monster hunts be more profitable than hunting alone?"
She had a point.
Hunt monsters, knock out requests on the side—double benefits.
Discounted permit fee.
No obligations.
Zero downside.
"Registering as adventurers, then."
"Right away."
The clerk seemed mildly surprised to register even Liliana but said nothing.
Figured her for a noble sponsor tagging along for the sights.
Nobles adventuring wasn't unheard of, but her obvious noble-lady getup made it noteworthy.
Maybe chalked it up to noble whimsy.
We checked the adventurer request board too.
Mostly monster parts, plus assorted others—all labyrinth-sourced, it seemed.
‘Feels a lot like hunters...’
Still clueless about the place, no requests for now.
Adventurer registrations and labyrinth entry permits in hand, we headed straight for Slumber Labyrinth.