"W-, w-, what do you mean, wizard? Even if you two know each other, you can't just cover thing up like this…"
The investigator stuttered in a panic.
His tone wasn't just incredulous, it was close to denying the reality that stared at him in the face.
But the wizard was in no mood to coddle him.
"Oh, you calling me a liar?"
"Ah, no, that wasn't what I meant…"
"Then what did you mean? Because you got the authority to investigate some two-bit adventurers, even wizards don't look like much in your eyes anymore, is that it?"
Wizards from the tower were close to semi-nobles.
Although they were split into several schools, they were always united when it came to thoroughly protecting their rights and interests, so it was no wonder.
Hence the fact that the investigator, a junior employee of the guild, dared to doubt the truth of her words, was a problem.
The branch manager, who'd been watching from the sidelines, now cautiously interrupted the conversation.
"How about stopping here? Lady wizard, even you should understand, this sounds like nonsense for those who don't know the details of the situation."
Raven nodded as if in acknowledgment.
"Certainly, there's no precedent of a vampire sighting in a rift on the first floor."
Unlike when she'd been dealing with the investigator, now there was a friendly smile on her lips.
It was very fleeting, however.
"Thank you for saying that –"
"But ever since the labyrinth had been born, it's been filled with all sorts of unknowns. So what's all this talk about nonsense? Is that something a branch manager of the Adventurers' Guild should say?"
Harsh criticism poured out.
As expected of a wizard, perhaps?
Even the opponent's position as a branch manager of the guild didn't seem to matter to her.
"…"
The branch manager, who'd gone to battle but had come back defeated, chose to shut up.
Rap.
There was a knock on the door.
It wasn't a request to open it, however.
Before anyone could move, the door had already swung open.
"Are you that barbarian?"
"Who are you?"
"You can call me Nile Urbans."
Two men entered the room.
A middle-aged man dressed in a neat tuxedo, and a young man who seemed to be escorting him.
"R-, Regional Chief!"
"Father…?"
Julianne, who was being held hostage, and the branch manager both spoke up at the same time.
I, too, ratcheted up my muscles that had relaxed.
'… In the end, the regional chief came.'
The guild's operating system was simple.
Each of the hundreds of branch offices in the city had a branch manager, and there were thirteen regional managers to oversee them all.
The only rank higher than them was the 'guild leader', so one could actually consider the thirteen regional chiefs as the guild's second-in-command.
There was no doubt that this was bigshot, one a tier nine adventurer would usually never even catch a distant glimpse of.
But even they couldn't control how the world turned.
"You, so you were the one behind this absurd situation? Do you think this is a joke?"
Facing the regional chief's gaze that was full of displeasure, I grinned.
Absurd, was it…?
"Yeah, you guys might see it that way."
If only Hearth Young hadn't given false testimony.
Even then, if only the investigator hadn't been greedy and did his job properly.
No, if only the Adventurers' Guild was a fair organization that properly managed its staff…
Maybe I wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble.
But they didn't.
"It might seem like a very small thing for you."
But not for me.
For me, my life itself was at stake.
"So why did you do such a crazy thing?"
"Crazy?"
I retorted.
"Is it crazy to struggle to survive?"
"Hah! Didn't you have any other choice? You've caused too much trouble."
Any other choice? What bullshit.
Until I broke my iron cage and arrived here, the manager of this branch hadn't even known that I existed in this building.
And this was also true of this regional chief, who had the right to change the guild's internal regulations so that only level nine adventurers could be investigated.
"If you had done things right, none of this would've happened."
As I responded with cold sarcasm –
"You! How can you take that tone in front of the regional chief!"
The branch manager cut in on our conversation.
The investigator bastard and the regional chief's escort were also looking at me as if they were wondering what kind of madman I was.
Well, I felt the same about these guys.
Common sense couldn't explain this situation.
The regional chief sighed and shifted his gaze.
"What's your name, lady wizard?"
"I am Arua Raven."
"Alright, then, Miss Raven. How much would you want for that crystal ball, if you had to sell it?"
A conciliatory offer with no hesitation.
I hadn't thought he'd be so open about it.
My heart pounded for a moment, but…
"I will decline the offer."
"That's too bad."
"You aren't going to try and take it away by force, surely?"
"Haha! How could I? The master of your school wouldn't stand still if I did."
The regional chief brome into a cheerful smile.
"Why are you all so stiff? It was all just a joke. There're people out there waiting for the results, how'd I dare do something like that?"
It was a pretty shitty joke.
Cold sweat was still running down my spine.
"…"
This was why I'd tried to bring in a priest.
Forget that 'image of remembrance' magic or whatever, wizards could always be bribed according to their interests.
Maybe if I hadn't known her at all, she might've even accepted the bribe from the regional chief…
'So what if there's a crowd outside, what happens in here…'
Anyway, the results weren't bad.
She kept her word, so even the regional chief wouldn't dare to forcefully bury this incident.
In other words, now I only needed to prove my innocence.
Either way, it was time to end things.
"Alright, how about we slowly finish things up?"
I walked to the closet and woke up Hearth Young, who'd been sleeping inside.
"Wh-, why am I here…"
I could hear gulps from the surroundings.
Yeah, they were right to be nervous.
The moment I proved that this guy gave false testimony –
They really wouldn't be able to take it as a joke anymore.
"This man is lying."
As soon as Raven spoke –
A heavy silence descended on the room.
"Then what are you going to do now? Regional Manager?"
"Did you say your name was Bjorn Yandel? You are innocent."
Seeing the regional chief's forced smile, I answered.
"I hope you don't expect a 'thank you'."
This time, even the branch manager, who'd been standing next to me and listening quietly, didn't dare question the sarcasm in my tone.
He just trembled under the gaze of the regional chief.
"Then what do you want us to do now?"
"The usual. Punishment for the guilty and compensation for the victim."
"Right."
The regional manager nodded quietly as if he was running some mental calculations, and spoke.
"First of all, the investigator in charge of your case will be fired."
"R-, Regional Manager! I, I swear to God, I only made a mistake…!"
"Are you trying to pass on your incompetence to the guild? All the judgments you've made in the past will have to be thoroughly reviewed. And if any injustice is found in the process, you'll be punished accordingly."
"Y-, you can't!"
The arrogant investigator fell to his knees in despair.
Seeing him so afraid, he didn't seem to have led a life of integrity.
Well, looking at his past behaviour, I couldn't say it came as a surprise.
"S-, save me, please! Please…!"
'Shouldn't you beg me here instead of him?'
I thought he was barking up the wrong tree, but I didn't dare say it out loud. And anyway, things wouldn't have come to this point If he hadn't been such a bastard in the first place.
This was just how the world was like.
I, too, never had any regrets about attacking anybody.
I just regretted when the time came to pay the price.
"Then what about this guy?"
The other contributor to this case, Hearth Young.
When I asked a question looking at him, the regional managed answered without much thought.
"He's seriously jeopardized this investigation with false testimony. He'll face the same."
"Meaning?"
"Imprisonment and a thorough investigation."
A regional manager's words carried significant weight.
The investigation had not yet begun, let alone a trial, but it'd almost certainly result in a death sentence.
"N-, no…"
Hearth Young's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted dead away, but none of us paid him any attention.
"I wish you'd investigate the clan this guy belongs to, if at all possible."
"You mean the Crystal Union? They're a bunch of noisy rabble-rousers. Fine, we'll do as you say."
The regional manager readily agreed to my request.
He was a pretty smart guy.
He must've clearly recognized that he had no choice but to accede to my demands.
"Then, is the punishment enough?"
"Well…"
As I dragged the word and glanced to the side, the branch manager who met my eyes hurriedly avoided his gaze.
I smiled and nodded my head.
"If I want any more, here, I'd be overstepping."
"Thank you for considering this situation."
He didn't need to be thankful, though.
Because I planned to be repaid in a different way.
"Fine then, now that the punishment part is over, we should talk about compensation for our mistake. Is there anything specific you want?"
"What are my options?"
"First of all, we'll raise your rank to the seventh."
"A rank up, huh…"
It wasn't bad.
Once I became a level seven adventurer, the money-changing counter would be less crowded, and there'd be many other benefits.
The investigator bastard wouldn't have been so arrogant if I weren't a level nine in the first place.
"R-, Regional Manager! He's only been an adventurer for two months, to promote to level seven at once –!"
The branch manager added that he was worried about rumours of favouritism arising from this, but the regional chief waved it away.
"This is how we're apologizing to him. So please don't disagree on this."
"… Understood."
The regional chief's attitude seemed like a politician who was apologizing sincerely.
Especially in how slick he was talking.
"Wait. This sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?"
As I was about to speak, Raven, who'd been quiet so far, joined the conversation first.
I was nervous about what she was going to say, but…
As it turned out, she was pretty impolite.
"How can a rank upgrade be called a reward? Isn't it the guild's actual job to give such benefits to adventurers if they have the ability?"
"But, as you just heard, it hasn't been long –"
"So what? Why does that matter?"
"Unprecedented –"
"Of course it's unprecedented!"
Interrupting the regional chief several times, she spoke like a rapid-fire cannon.
"How could there be another adventurer who ate the essence of a level five monster, a vampire rift guardian, after two months!"
"… So, what do you actually want to say, Miss Raven?"
"Well. It just seemed a little ugly to call it a reward when you're just doing what you're supposed to."
Raven looked at me and smiled.
I wasn't so ignorant that I couldn't eat when somebody set a buffet, so I quickly fell into step.
"I think I can expect real rewards."
"… What do you want?"
Well, since I'd suffered this hardship, I should get back something commensurate.
What did I want?
As if waiting, Raven spoke up again.
"Of course, it's money. Is there anything else the Adventurers' Guild can do for you?"
If you looked, you could indeed find other things.
Lifetime free bonding magic, or allow posting personal announcements on bulletin boards within the guild, etc.
'But at the end of the day, everything can be done with money.'
When I nodded as if in agreement, the regional chief sighed and raised the white flag of surrender.
"How much?"
Now all I had to do was to write the amount on the blank cheque.
I looked at Raven, feeling I could trust her on this.
I could believe in a wizard's rational judgment.
Fortunately, she read my glance properly, and spoke with a somewhat proud expression.
"You almost accidentally killed an adventurer with a bright future… "
As the sentence trailed off, she bit out after some suspense.
"Isn't five million stones the least you should reward?"
The regional chief nodded his head without saying a word.
"… All right, I'll pay."
It wasn't that surprising.
If it was just five million stones, it was quite a bit beyond the maximum I'd expected, but…
'Because she's the one asking.'
Without Raven, the transaction wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
Was this the true power of having an identity?
With a deep sense of realization, I wondered how I could repay her for the help I received today.
But then Raven spoke again.
"Ah, and my hard work costs one million stones, separately."
"Are you trying to make trouble? What do you mean? If it's the fee for your visit, the amount agreed with the tower is –"
"This includes the price of this crystal ball that recorded that joke of yours, Regional Manager. Even though it was just a joke… still, I think there'd be quite a few people interested in this crystal ball, don't you think?"
"… Ha ha ha, you're pretty funny."
"I'm not joking though?"
At her retort, the regional chief's expression hardened and distorted.
However, it didn't last long.
"Fine…"
The regional chief nodded.
This one million was the price for his own mistake.
'… I don't need to pay extra for her work, I suppose.'
Was this the true form of the tribe called wizards?
As I was admiring how quick she was to snatch others' money, Raven's voice resounded inside my head.
[Thanks to you, I got some pocket money.]
Hearing that, I stood still looking at her for a moment and thought –
As much as possible, I wanted to stay friends with her in the future.
-x-X-x-
"N-, no! Please, just one! Just give me one more chance!"
"What're you standing around for? Take them both away and put them in jail!"
After removing the investigator who was still begging, as well as the unconscious adventurer from the scene –
The compensation process was carried out swiftly.
As soon as we signed the non-disclosure agreement stating we wouldn't leak this outside, a total of six million stones was given on the spot, including the additional 'labour fee'.
And, well, that wasn't the end of it.
"Here're all your belongings."
"How is it, Mr. Yandel? Please check carefully."
Looking at the barbarian rummaging through his backpack, the wizard said with a curious look.
"Maybe something is missing?"
"… Missing?"
The barbarian hesitated for a moment, then smiled as if he understood.
"Oh, something really seems to be missing!"
"Oh my gosh, is there something missing?!"
"It's not a 'thing'… just, about a million stones in cash have disappeared."
They weren't very good at acting no matter which way you sliced it.
The branch manager, who'd been listening quietly, was about to faint because of high blood pressure.
What kind of people were they?!
"What do you mean! How could an adventurer who just came out of the labyrinth have such a large sum –!"
"Then are we lying?"
At the cold tone of the wizard, the branch manager flinched.
"Th-, th-, that's, obviously –"
"You got evidence?"
"How could there be –"
"Oh my god, are you again accusing people of lying without proof? Mr. Yandel, now that I see this, I think this branch manager should also be added to the punishment list, right?"
"Really. To call an honourable barbarian and a wizard liars, he must've not been taught well at home, growing up –"
"Stop it."
The regional chief, who'd been quiet so far, sighed and stepped out.
"… We'll also compensate you for the missing money."
"It's a reward that I definitely deserve, so I won't say 'thank you'."
If one ignored the fact that they weren't waving any weapons, what was the difference between this and daylight robbery?
It was so shameless that the branch manager could only stand frozen on the spot, because there was nothing else that he could do.
He could only watch what was happening in front of him.
"One million stones, here."
"Wow, as rumoured, the Adventurers' Guild seems to have a lot of money, right? You just say a word and it just comes out."
"… I think we've shown enough respect to the tower already. Do not cross this line."
"Ah, yeah."
"Then will you give me the crystal ball now?"
"No. I think it'd be better to give you this after confirming that the punishment was properly meted out. Of course, I promise I won't show it to anyone in the meantime."
"… That promise must be kept."
"Sure. Don't worry. Anyway, we'll see each other for a while. Please take care of the people gathered outside."
With those words, the barbarian and the wizard left.
And in the hall, a heavy silence fell as if a storm had passed.
"…"
"…"
The guild was deprived of another one million stones, but they didn't even get their hands on the crystal ball.
Also, the crowd gathered in front of the guild, as well as the people involved in this matter, had to be dealt with.
The regional chief, who'd been forced to smile in front of the two, was now looking cold as stone.
Feeling that suffocating chill, the branch manager struggled to speak.
"R-… R-, Regional Manager…? T-, thank you…"
"Thank me?"
"That, that… Didn't you agree to their coercion to protect me?"
"Because you belong to me, not anybody else."
"Oh! I won't forget what happened today! I'll work hard for the rest of my life to make it up to you – "
"So even if you do need a beating, it should be me who dishes it out."
The branch manager, who was showing off his determination to be forever loyal with an excited face, showed a puzzled expression.
"… Eh? Wh-, what are you… "
"You really are naive. Did you think you'd get away scot-free?"
"B-, but I really –"
"Enough. I'll take care of the rest, so if you want to save your own life, be on your toes until things calm down. Even if you have to die, you can't die in a way that relates to this case."
Without saying anything further, the regional manager turned and stared at his daughter.
"Daughter, you'll have to tell me later why you are here today."
"… Yes, Father."
"Then let's just go."
The office became empty in an instant.
Only the branch manager was left alone inside, thinking –
"Ha, ha ha ha…"
If only all this could be a dream!
A black spire soaring high into the sky.
On the thirty-first floor of the building –
"How is it? How does it feel to visit the tower for the first time?"
"It feels cramped, because there are no windows."
"Uh… Um, is that so… But we wouldn't have been able to build such a high-rise building in the city, if not for that."
I was currently at the personal laboratory of Arua Raven, a wizard belonging to the 'Artemion' school.
"Come, sit here."
As she also sat down, clearing the pile of documents that'd been randomly scattered on the chair, she offered me a drink.
… In a conical titration flask, no less.
"Oh, I don't have a cup."
I took a moment to observe the drink.
And came to a conclusion.
"… It's water."
"Ah, yes? Oh, would you like some basilisk extract instead?"
"No, this is enough."
Of course, I didn't drink it.
I knew it was actually water, but it just felt disgusting to drink.
Not too long ago, it must've contained one of these colourful liquids and monster organ specimens that were scatter all around.
I got to the point.
"So why did you bring me here?"
"I've got something to discuss with you. You agreed to do me a favour, didn't you?"
So it was because of that.
I'd been in a hurry at the time and blindly agreed to her demand, but now that I was here, I was regretting it.
What if she said she wanted to do some kind of biological test?
"As I said back then, as long as it's possible."
"I like it! That's enough."
"So what are you asking for?"
"I want the rights to do proprietary research on the essences you've absorbed, Mr. Yandel. It'll definitely help you, too. Since there's no precedent, there might be something unusual to discover, right?"
The more she spoke, the more her eyes changed.
From the calculative eyes she'd had while dealing with the regional chief, to the zealous eyes I'd seen inside the rift.
It wasn't that I didn't understand.
Except for the variant rift we'd experienced this time, there were no records of a rift in which a vampire guardian had been sighted, throughout the entire floor.
"But what does proprietary research mean?"
"Oh, that? Basically, it means that you only provide samples to me. I want to submit a thesis in my name to academia."
Were the wizards in this world like graduate students?
I didn't completely understand the motive, but…
They say that scholars always crave honour the most.
Oh, wait.
"Is that why you asked me to erase the records about the vampire earlier?"
While writing the non-disclosure consent form in the guild, she'd asked me not to record the fact that I'd eaten the vampire essence.
Of course, I didn't expect such a thing to remain completely secret, but…
I'd also agreed, thinking that it'd be better to just leave it alone.
'They say that you should hide 70% of your abilities.'
To be honest, I was thankful that she was so mindful of even the smallest details…
The wizard awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"Uh, um, well… It's not that it's not really that… "
A double negative is proof of the positive.
Raven then abruptly changed the topic.
"Uhmm! Anyway, I'm not asking for much, you just need to come here once a week and help for about three hours."
Three hours a week…
"Total duration?"
"Well, I think half a year would be enough…"
"Three months."
"I see. So, are you going to agree to my request?"
"I will."
After the first agenda was settled this way, Raven immediately brought up the next one.
"Then, back again… Shall we start with the calculations?"
Calculations?
Was there still such thing?
Since my gaze must've made it clear I was asking what kind of bullshit was this, Raven also changed her demeanour.
Just like how she'd been in our fight with the regional chief, earlier.
"You didn't just survive because of me, you even got a total of six million stones for free, right? I don't think it's strange to claim my share."
Hah! Right, right.
This was what the tribe of magicians were known for.
If I was a simple man who only sought maximum efficiency, they were the ultimate money chasers.
So I decided to change my mindset, too.
"Give you money? You must be joking."
Just like how I'd smash a goblin's head when I saw it.
Our quarrel continued.
In a more intense tone than before.
"It would've been the same with any wizard, not just you."
"Oh? If it were someone else, I would probably have sold the crystal ball as soon as the regional manager suggested it, you know?"
"But the price has already been paid by the regional chief, right? A whopping one million stones!"
Rather, you only managed to earn that much thanks to me, so if anybody can claim a share, I swear to Behel-ra, it should be me.
"… Then give me at least the one million stones that you got with that backpack stunt in the end. That was purely thanks to my advice."
Did I ever say that I wanted to be friends with her?
I decided to cancel that.
Did barbarians look like pushovers or something?
"I refuse."
"I see. You agreed to help with my research, so I won't ask for too much. Just give me half, 500,000 stones."
"I refuse."
"Huh, then even if it's 250,000 stones –"
"I don't even need to hear it. Refuse."
I didn't make any compromises.
Anyone trying to inflict a loss on me was a fucking asshole.
And I never negotiated with assholes.
Whatever I earned, was mine.
"The story ends here."
"What? Do you know how much I lost because of you in the rift?"
Eventually, I made up my mind.
'I'll have to break this flag before the water gets more muddied.'
To be honest, it wasn't that I didn't feel grateful to her for this incident.
But aside from that, in order to have a long-term, friendly relationship, I needed to show her who I am.
If you just agreed with a smile no matter what the other party did, you wouldn't be the good guy in the equation, just a scoundrel.
'In the first place, she must've been so persistent not because she needs the money, but because she wants to subdue my pride.'
"Okay, let's move on to the next calculation."
"The next calculation?"
She tilted her head as if she could think of nothing else to discuss.
I spoke directly, as a barbarian should.
"You should give me five million stones."
"F-, five million stones? Why should I?"
"Because you fed me the essence of a corpse golem without my consent."
"What, what?"
She groaned as if she was feeling short of breath.
"H-, hey! I gave you such a rare essence for free, and then you're asking me for money instead? Do you think that makes sense?"
I did think that, in fact.
This wasn't some simple whim.
I didn't know why everyone around me lacked imagination, if you just looked at it in enough detail, it'd all make sense.
"Why do you think it doesn't make sense? You forcibly fed me that essence without my consent so that you could survive."
"Damn you, don't you know I was trying to save you too?!"
"Well, I can't actually know, and I didn't want it. So pay me ten million stones. I heard that it takes that much to remove the essence at the temple –"
"Why would you remove that precious thing! You crazy barbarian!"
"Because it wasn't the essence I wanted. You've done me some serious damage here."
Unlike before when she'd been negotiating a price, Raven's face was now flushed red.
To anyone looking at it from the outside, this might sound like extortion, but it did make sense in a way, so she must've gotten annoyed.
She took a moment to regain her composure, with only the constant sound of exhalations, 'whoo, hoo-woo'.
"… I've heard from adventurers before, that they want essences but can't find them. So this doesn't make sense. Rather, I'm the one who should get paid!"
"Isn't that your preconceived notion as a wizard? You can also ask other adventurers. How would you think you feel if someone else fed you an essence you don't want?"
"Hah! Are you saying you know adventurers better than I do? Wait a minute. I can ask someone right away."
The wizard was very excited as she took up the crystal ball on the desk, and operated as if pressing a phone number. The call connected soon after.
"Ah, is this Mr. Patsran?"
[Who is this?]
"Hello. I am Arua Raven, of the Artemion School. I was with my master when I met you last time?"
[Ah! Miss Raven! I remember. But why are you calling me out of the blue…?]
"I have a question for you. What do you think would happen if someone fed you an essence you hadn't planned to eat without your consent, Mr. Patsran?"
[Hahaha! I don't know why you're asking such a bizarre question, but if I had to answer… I'd be really angry.]
"… Yes? Angry? E-, even if it's a seventh-grade essence? Even if it's a very rare essence that only drops from a rift?"
[Even then. An unplanned essence means that it's an essence with only a negative effect for me. I don't know what happened, Miss Raven, but if somebody just picks up any which essence and eats it, they'd never reach the higher ranks.]
The wizard had initially held a triumphant expression as soon as the call had connected.
But after hearing the adventurer's kind reply, her face turned pale.
"That, that, I see. Assuming that's what happened… how should I compensate?"
[If it were me, I'd first ask for compensation in cash.]
"How much would that be…?"
[Fifteen million stones would be appropriate.]
"T-, t-, that much?"
[The more expensive an essence is, the more it costs to erase. I don't know why those god-botherers hanker after money so much…]
"Ah, uh, um, I see…"
As if she didn't have the strength to keep holding it, the telecommunication device fell from her hand and rolled on the floor.
I picked it up for her and put it back into her hand.
"I still have one question left to ask."
As I whispered into her ear, the blonde girl in her mid-to-late teens asked in a trembling voice.
"… Um, no, if the money can't be paid back, then what would you do, Mr. Patsran?"
[Um, well? If that happened and the other party was in front of me…]
The man on the other side of the telecommunication device answered with enthusiasm. [I think I'll probably shove their head down and cut it cleanly. Hahaha!]
-x-X-x-
Click –
The line cut off.
There was silence inside the laboratory for a while.
Heck, even I had never expected this to happen.
I was just trying to sponge some money off her, but how could I have known that things would turn out like this?
'Really, this lack of imagination seems endemic here.'
In fact, it wasn't that she didn't have any way to win the argument.
If she'd caught any of the ninth-grade adventurers scraping by hand to mouth and asked them the same question, they would've called it a lucky break.
Her argument definitely wouldn't have gotten dismantled like this.
But instead, she ended up asking an adventurer who seemed capable even at a cursory glance.
'If it's her teacher, she's talking about a master wizard. There's no way somebody who has a personal acquaintance with someone like that could be some ordinary adventurer.'
This served as the decisive factor[1] that resulted in her defeat.
So now it was her time to reap what she –
"Chuckle! A barbarian beating a wizard in a battle of words, it seems you're even more amazing than I'd heard, eh, friend?"
A white-haired old man with wrinkled skin opened the door without even knocking and entered the room.
Although his face showed his age, he had a straight waist without any sign of stooping that one might've expected.
After a moment of bewilderment at the sudden intervention, I was quickly able to infer the identity of this old man.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself yet. This old man is the master of the lady who you just made to cry."
"I, I didn't cry!"
Raven's teacher.
In other words, the master of the great Artemion School, that independently owned a whopping five floors inside the tower.
He was as much a bigshot as the regional manager I'd met earlier – no, in some ways, he was even more powerful.
"Anyway, I heard you two talking by chance."
"Eh? You heard us? I'm sure the soundproofing magic is still working –"
"Oh, it needs to be reinforced it a bit more. There're a lot of gaps in the technique."
From his way easy of speaking, he sounded like a normal old neighbour, but since he still sat in such a high position, I couldn't help but feel a bit daunted.
After all, this disciple of his that I've been dealing with – he seemed to cherish her a lot.
"Haah, you completely smashed my magic circle. It must've been difficult to do that without me noticing, no matter what you say… Why were you trying to snoop?"
The old man chuckled.
"My youngest disciple brought in a boy for the first time. Plus, it's been so long a barbarian's entered here alive; wouldn't you be curious?"
… Something was strange.
"Alive?"
As I mumbled unconsciously, the old man savagely grinned.
"Chuckle! They mostly come in as corpses! Or just their hearts get delivered!"
"…?"
"Look at your face, all red. It was a joke, a joke!"
Oh, I see.
Is this wizard humour?
I was also a barbarian who was an expert in reading the atmosphere, so instead of staring blankly, I gave a big smile.
"Hahaha! I want to smash your head!"
AKA barbarian humour.
"… Wh-, what?"
But why weren't they laughing?
Oh, I forgot the punchline.
"Hahaha! It was a joke!"
Whatever bullshit you spout, you just have to tack on that it was all a joke at the end, right?
"So don't look so red and smile. Old geezer!"
"Ol-, old geezer…?"
"Oh, that was a joke! Hahaha!"
"…"
The old geezer who happened to be the master of the Artemion School frowned at me as if he was uncomfortable with my sense of humour.
When I glanced at the side, Raven was also gaping as if she couldn't believe what was happening.
"… Mr. Yandel, are you a crazy bastard by any chance?"
Was this her being respectful or rude?
It was confusing because of the mixture of tones…
'I might've messed up a tiny bit.'
Seeing their expressions, I thought I might've exaggerated things a bit.
This wasn't normal, huh?
A damned barbarian playing such a crazy prank in front of the head of a school inside the tower?
"Haah… I should've known, seeing what you did at the guild…"
But it was still a little sad.
It might sound like an excuse, but hadn't this guy been joking about dead barbarians in front of a barbarian who somehow survived his imminent demise just this morning?
"I was feeling a bit sensitive, so I might've gotten defensive without realizing it. I apologize if I've offended you."
It was quite a succinct explanation, but Raven shouted as if she didn't accept it.
"You call that getting defensive?!"
"Offence is the best defence, after all."
This was my theory, which I'd clung to all my life since my early childhood.
'So how do I follow up?'
At a glance, I noticed that the old man was still standing still with a blank gaze.
As the silence continued, I was beginning to become genuinely concerned about my future well-being.
"Heh heh heh heh! That was great, my friend, great!"
The old man suddenly started talking.
I didn't know what he was going on about, but I went with the flow and laughed along.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Heh heh heh heh! You're funny, my friend, very funny!"
Anybody could tell that this old man was forcing himself to laugh, but…
If I did it right, I might be able to cross the bridge like this.
"Don't worry about it! The old man is different from those other little bastards who're sensitive to every word."
Although he probably still had some resentment left, from the way his lips were trembling…
But there was no need to bring attention to that.
'I can roughly guess what kind of a character he has.'
I had a sense of how to deal with it.
"Haha! Do you have some barbarian blood in you? I take back calling you 'old geezer'! To think you didn't even bat an eye at barbarian-style humour! This is my first time seeing a wizard as spry as you!"
Although wizards were scarce and hard to see in the first place –
But who cared about that?
"Chuckle, I'm not that old in the fist place. Somehow, it feels like we get along a little bit!"
"I agree!"
The bloody atmosphere seemed to dissipate.
Seeing us going haha hoho, Raven made an absurd expression.
"Haah… What is even going on?"
Well, I didn't know either.
And I was sure that even this old man had no idea what he was doing right now.
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel! Great wizard! I want to know your name!"
"So you're Bjorn Yandel! After seeing all those other little bastards for so long, you feel like a breath of fresh air! Good to meet you! This old man is Deian Tveherion!"
For some reason, the old man introduced himself in a loud voice.
However, the veins sticking out on his neck would make any observer worry about his health…
Let's pretend I didn't see anything.
"Awesome! That's the majestic voice of a real man!"
I, Bjorn Yandel –
– Was a barbarian who understood the mores of society.
"So, what I told those little bastards back then was –"
"Awesome!"
"Huh? I didn't say what I told them yet –"
"Must've been awesome!"
After a few minutes of such entertaining conversation –
Perhaps the old man regained his sanity after getting his fill of blowing his own trumpet.
"So, what do you think Aruen should do?"
"Aruen?"
"Oh, that's the nickname of my youngest disciple."
Arua + Raven = Aruen?
This kind of culture seemed to be multiversal.
"Anyway, those five million stones earlier, if this old man –"
"No bargaining."
Social life mode, off.
Seeing me stop talking, the old man clicked his tongue.
"Hnn, tch, who's talking about stiffing you? Rather, if it's fine with you, this old man would like to replace it with something else… "
Then it was different story.
"Something?"
"This."
The old man put his hand inside his robe and pulled out a box the size of a palm.
However, I was more interested in his robe than the box itself.
'Is there a subspace attached to the robe?'
Umm, I wonder if he'd give it to me if I asked for it…?
"What're you staring for? Come on, open it."
I opened the box and glanced inside as instructed. A ring lay inside.
"It's an item called the Ring of the Frost Spirit."
"Ring of the Frost Spirit?"
The old man continued to explain, but I didn't need to listen.
Because I already knew what it was.
"Even though it's from the 9000s, every adventurer knows. How precious a numbered item is."
Numbered items.
They are only dropped by rift guardians, and each one has its own special ability.
In fact, except for 'production' and 'discovery', in [Dungeon and Stone], the only other source of equipment is numbered items.
Of course, most of them are expensive regardless of their number.
But…
"You're really lucky. People usually can't get their hands on it even if they want to –"
"Well, it's not something anybody would actually use."
No. 9425, Frost Spirit Ring.
Frost Spirit Ring, which can only be dropped from rifts below the third floor, has only one unique ability.
It's not an ability that helps in battle, it just seals one of the essences absorbed by the wearer.
Of course, stat changes are still applied, and only the skills are sealed…
'In that case, it's cheaper to remove the essence from the temple.'
Consider the facts.
Levelling up becomes astronomically difficult as you go higher.
However, if you wear this ring, all of the skills you've acquired from an essence will be completely lost.
The skill slots disappear altogether.
Adventurers, considering their future, would rather choose to erase the essence at the temple and eat a new one, instead of wearing this ring.
"But it must be a very useful thing for you, isn't it?"
Well, there was some truth to that.
Stats are more important in the early game than skill combinations. Moreover, even though the corpse golem has poor skills, its stats are quite high.
'If I take the ring off at any time, I can use the skills again, so it's not a bad item by itself.'
I finished my mental calculations.
In fact, I never even considered rejecting in the first place.
That's because this ability was only a fraction of the true value of this ring.
'No matter what, since you haven't mentioned it at all… You really don't know about 'that', do you?'
Wizards were the best intellectuals in this worldview.
However, in the 'Blood Citadel', Raven had no idea how to obtain the 'Tear of the Goddess' hidden under the statue. That was what convinced me.
Yes, in my eyes, they were all newbies.
What could be easier than playing with a newbie?
"What're you so worried about? To be honest, this ring isn't worth five million stones. But it's not something you can get even if you want to."
"Right."
I nodded as if in agreement.
Even in the game, the auction house price was only about 1.5 million stones, but numbered items hardly ever went up for sale, so I got my hands on this ring less than once in ten.
'But did I get such a precious thing just like this?'
In the first place, I'd never expected to get the full five million stones.
This old man also took this out with the intention of foisting some useless stuff off me.
He was probably laughing at me inside, calling me an idiot barbarian.
"Thank you, I got something good. I'll use it well."
Uhm, and I was in the exact same situation.
"Chuckle, think of it as a gift from an old man."
I thought, as I looked at the old man who smiled kindly.
If I did well, perhaps there'd be a lot more things I could mooch off him in the future.
As much as possible, I wanted to stay friends in the future.
"Mr. Yandel, a lot has happened today, hasn't it? You must be tired. Shall we meet again in two days for the rest of the discussion?"
"I was just going to say that."
After a quick arrangement of the detailed time and place, Bjorn left the laboratory.
After that, Raven looked into her master's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Master, because of me…"
"It's fine, it was something that'd have gotten sold anyway. That barbarian, he might get quite heartbroken when he finds out later how much that ring costs."
"… Is that so?"
Fortunately, he didn't seem to be particularly angry with Bjorn whom she'd brought here.
So Raven could more comfortably try and confirm what she was curious about.
"But why were you like that today?"
Her teacher's attitude today was very abnormal.
He usually hated rude people.
And he'd never joke about his fellow mages, either.
"Oh, there's just something I need to check."
"Check?"
"You don't need to know."
She shut her mouth with a subdued expression.
Clearly her master had some kind of intention behind matching Bjorn's pace, but…
Since he'd spoken like this, there was no way for her to find out the details.
"Anyway, he's an odd duck. He's so unique that I'm kind of looking forward to what he does next. I hope I'm on the right track…"
"Are you going to keep doing this? If you're going to tell me, just tell me!"
"I'll tell you later, when the time is right. Oh, and make sure you write down what happened with that barbarian and give me a report."
"Aren't you going to tell me why?"
"I'll tell you once I'm sure."
Her teacher left the laboratory with a gentle smile as usual.
Looking at the empty place, Raven felt a bit uncomfortable.
'What the hell is Master thinking?'
She wondered if bringing Bjorn here had been a mistake.
Because the people her master had such interest in never ended up well, from what she remembered.
'Oh, but maybe Mr. Yandel will be different?'
Thinking of the mess he'd left at the guild as just a level nine adventurer, she became somewhat anxious.
'Ah, I'm just overthinking it. The Magic Tower isn't as small-time as them.'
The tower was completely different from the guild.
It wasn't a place that could be shaken up by a single barbarian.
Certainly, indubitably.
Editor's Notes:
[1] 패착 (pachak) is a term that comes from Go, meaning the move that was the root cause of a defeat. It's used in more modern contexts these days, like in strategy games.
-x-X-x-
"Oh! Bjorn son of Yandel!"
After leaving the tower, I headed towards the barbarians-only dormitory.
Had it already been two months?
More than half of the familiar faces had disappeared, and new barbarians were filling the void.
I'd heard that it was an implicit tradition to leave this place as soon as you made enough money to do so…
'Among those absent, there're probably a quite a few who'd died this time.'
Since I was born as a barbarian, this might also be my destiny.
Unlike the fairies, who have their veterans help their newbie members up, the barbarians prefer to leave the newcomers to fend for themselves once they grow up.
"Is Ainar in there?"
"Ainar? She left for the sanctuary first thing in the morning!"
Yeah, that did sound like her.
I didn't show my face for two days after leaving the labyrinth, so I came here in a hurry, but in the end it turned out to be a waste of time.
"Oh, by the way, have you heard the rumours?"
"What rumours?"
"The Barbarian of Liberty! The whole city's shaken up because of him, didn't you hear?"
Instinctively, my body trembled.
"… I haven't heard anything. Do you maybe know his name?"
"Oh? I do not know! Strangely enough, nobody knows who he actually is!"
Fortunately, the guild seemed to have preserved my anonymity.
"Anyway, to think we have such a person among our people, I feel proud! He beat down hundreds of people by himself, and proudly torn apart the guild's conspiracy against him! Amazing, huh?"
"… Hundreds?"
On my oath, nothing like that ever happened.
All I did was take the daughter of the regional chief hostage and lodge a complaint.
And yet were there already such rumours spreading?
I was quite worried about the future, but…
'… It'll all calm down soon. Those guys at the guild aren't idiots.'
"I'll be back tomorrow morning, so will you let Ainar know when she comes back?"
"Of course!"
I left and headed towards the inn.
But what was this now?
"Y-, you…! W-, weren't you dead?"
The innkeeper looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Or rather, from his point of view, that was what happened.
I didn't even have to dig deep, he confessed very quickly that he'd cleared out my room thinking I was dead.
"What happened to my luggage?"
"I cleaned it all up…"
"I'd paid for the next three days in advance, right?"
My voice that had unconsciously become annoyed, enough that the innkeeper's face began to turn white.
'I can't let this go –'
No, wait.
When the hell did I start thinking like this?
My body trembled at the sudden feeling of discomfort that I'd noticed so late.
'… Maybe it was from the first day.'
In fact, looking back, all of it was a little strange.
As soon as I opened my eyes, even though a man was decapitated right next to me, my mind was at peace.
It was the same with my first murder in the labyrinth.
I thought it was something I had to do, but the process was far too easy.
It wasn't even a gradual change or anything.
From the first day I'd woken up from this body, I'd been a radical brute like every other barbarian.
'Today was the same.'
Organizing a jailbreak?
Of course, I could've come to the same conclusion after a lot of deliberation, but it was strange how little I'd hesitated.
And the same way I'd started an argument with that old man in the tower.
Did I get angry just because I heard something I didn't want to hear?
Lee Han-soo, the 29-year-old office worker, would never have done that.
He hadn't been timid, but he hadn't been outrageously bold either. At his core, he'd been a sceptic, who always observed everything for a long time before putting it into practice.
'But what about now?'
Up until now, I'd thought my new, special environment the root cause behind my changes.
But the feeling of incongruity was getting bigger and bigger.
'Surely –'
I was convinced.
Just like how the brutish instincts engraved on this body came out to play during a battle –
My mind, had also transformed.
No, it'd be more correct to call it harmonization rather than transformation.
"I, I told you, I told you I'm sorry! Please stop staring at me like that!"
Having finished my contemplation, I sighed.
I'd changed. There was no refuting that.
It was strange to have noticed it so late, but I was now at least certain.
But what could I do about it?
'If I want to survive in this place, it's better this way.'
I decided to do the best I could with the hand I was dealt.
Well, that was the barbarian way.
"… For thirty thousand stones, I can let it go."
Although the innkeeper's behaviour had been atrocious, I decided to end it with a reasonable compensation.
Considering the fact that the most expensive item in my missing luggage was the clothes I'd bought for 2,500 stones…
The greatest desire was to take a break while arguing.
"Thirty thousand stones! For those few pieces of junk that sold for chump change –"
"Didn't you say you'd thrown them away?"
"…"
"Fine, if you don't want to pay, that's okay. I'll just tell everyone here what you made me go through."
"… How about staying here till the money covers your rent?"
"Absolutely not."
I had no intention of staying at this kind of an inn in the future.
Even if it was just stealing a dead adventurer's belongings, couldn't he at least be moral enough to wait till the promised date?
"Whoo. You have to promise not to tell anyone about this."
"Naturally."
With an additional income of thirty thousand stones, I headed to the other inn I'd been eyeing before.
Although the meal had an average cost, and the rent per night was twice as expensive…
It was well worth it.
'Now this is the life, even if just a little.'
First of all, the room was about a half larger than before.
It had windows, and even a private bathtub in the bathroom.
That it was much closer to the Dimensional Plaza was a bonus.
After scrubbing my body hard for about an hour to wash away the grime from the labyrinth, I threw myself on the bed.
It was fluffy.
In fact, it made me wonder if people lived for this kind of momentary happiness.
But was it worth it?
Suddenly, the events of the past few days, starting from the labyrinth, till returning to the city, unfurled in my mind like a panorama.
"Fuck."
Why was it so difficult to get a good rest?
As soon as the dawn broke, I went and bought everyday clothes from the first clothing store I saw was open.
And then I headed to the barbarian-only dormitory.
"Bjorn!! Where have you been all this time?"
"I had some business. Sorry for worrying you."
"Worry? What do you mean! There's no way I'd worry for you! Bjorn, even if you get thrown into hell, I'm sure you'll be able to survive and return on your own!"
I see, is that how I look in your eyes?
Well, I liked this much better than some clumsy melodrama[1], anyway.
Since neither of us had had breakfast, we went to a nearby restaurant.
"Oh, did you hear?"
As soon as we sat down and ordered from the menu, Ainar started off with a question.
I wasn't particularly surprised, because I'd been expecting it this time.
"Ah, the Barbarian of Liberty?"
"Huh? Barbarian of Liberty? What does that mean?"
Uh, so you weren't asking about that?
"… It's nothing. What were you trying to say, again?"
"Ah!"
Returning to the original topic, Ainar ducked her head and spoke with a low voice.
"I heard from the elder… that someone stole our Genesis Treasure[2]!"
"Genesis Treasure?"
I was floored.
There were six of them in total.
For reference, in the game, they'd been divided equally among the six races: the dwarves, the barbarians, the fairies, the beastmen, the dragonkin, and the humans.
And the problem was…
'You can't enter the last floor without them!'
The Genesis Treasures were key items in [Dungeon & Stone].
To reach the game's ending… no, honestly, I didn't even know if such a thing really existed, but in order to open the 'Gates of the Abyss' at least, you needed to collect all six.
But was one gone?
"Who the hell did something so grand?"
"I don't know either. Apparently, we got robbed on the day of our coming-of-age ceremony. The elder said that the other races might be in a similar situation."
"… I see."
It felt like someone had smashed the back of my head with a hammer, but I still quietly finished my meal.
'Fuck, do I have to live here for the rest of my life?'
In a way, it was as if the most hopeful route I had before me had just disappeared.
Still, it'd take at least several years for the Genesis Treasures to become relevant for me.
'… It's not something to bash my head against, when I haven't even reached the third floor yet.'
In the end, I still had work to do.
When the moment came for me to make a choice, I had to be strong enough to have as many options as possible.
Besides, who knew?
Perhaps the thief who'd stolen the Genesis Treasure would get caught soon.
"But, Ainar, are you free today?"
"Yeah. I decided not to visit the sanctuary today."
"Good."
After the brief meal, I headed to the business district with Ainar in tow.
"Is this Commelby? It's my first time here! So many people!"
Commelby.
Sectors 2 through 5, which encircle the first sector, Karnon, like a belt.
Commonly called, the Free Market.
As such, it's the most thriving and commercially active area of the city, full of shops of all kinds. The middle class of Rafdonia mainly reside here, and the place is filled with artisans.
It was here that I'd stopped by along with Erwen, the other day.
'Come to think of it, is she doing alright?'
Belatedly, Erwen came to mind.
When I'd first met her, she always used to visit my inn the first thing in the day.
But now that I'd left the inn…
It'd become quite difficult to meet her again.
I couldn't even remember exactly where the fairy-exclusive dormitory she stayed in was, even though I'd been there once before.
'Well, it's not that I can't find it if I really look for it… '
But I wondered if there was any need.
As long as her older sister was still alive, there was no chance of the two of us going into the labyrinth together.
'We'll meet again if fate allows it.'
To be honest, after the sufferings of these past few days, my memories of Erwen had also faded a lot.
We hadn't had that deep of a relationship in the first place.
"Ooh! Look over there, Bjorn! People are eating clouds on skewers!"
What? Did they even have cotton candy here?
Intrigued, I bought one and passed it on to Ainar after taking a bite.
By the way, it was real cotton candy.
"Oh, I can't believe it! Are humans this clever? To make food like this!"
"Stop admiring it and start walking."
"D-, don't leave me alone! I mean, I can't find my way home alone!"
Quickening the pace, we reached our destination in no time.
Where I'd disposed my equipment in the past.
This time, I disposed of all the equipment that had landed me in prison, as well as my own equipment that'd turned into scrap metal.
The selling price was about 800,000 stones.
I didn't dispose of the 'item' I got just before leaving the rift, but…
'Let's price that at 500,000 stones.'
"Ainar, this is your share."
"I, I, can I have this much? You even got me an essence…"
"Don't make a fuss, just take it. It's you fair share."
For reference, the ratio was 8:2, as promised.
Still, among the barbarians of our batch, this should've been the biggest when it came to earnings.
"I promised you, didn't I? If you follow me, you'll make a lot of money."
"Still, 300,000 stones! Isn't that too much! How many cloud sweets can I even get with this?!"
It seemed that cotton candy had risen to be another monetary unit for Ainar.
"By the way, I'm feeling a bit peckish."
Was it because of the corpse golem essence, with its 'appetite +9'? My hunger cycle seemed to have quickened a lot.
"Already? It hasn't even been three hours yet!"
"So you're not coming?"
"Of course I'm coming! Today is my treat! I'll buy you meat!"
After quickly disposing of the equipment, we stopped at a nearby restaurant for a bite.
And as we finished up and were about to leave –
"Thank you, Bjorn."
Ainar looked straight into my eyes as she said so.
Her lips were still stained with sauce, but her eyes were much more serious than usual.
But all that served to do was make me feel even more awkward.
"It's fine. Like I said –"
"I'm not talking about the money."
Eh? Then what're you talking about?
"It's just… I just wanted to thank you for treating me the same as you used to."
I heard her nonsense, but I didn't understand at all.
However, Ainar's expression was much too serious for me to tell her that.
So I simply watched her, silent, as she struggled with her words.
"It's… well, it's my appearance, it's changed a bit, you know. Others are now avoiding me because they don't think I'm a warrior."
"That's –"
"And these days, wherever I go, humans keep sticking to me and flirting! Nothing like this has ever happened to me before…!"
Clearly, this was a serious concern for her as a warrior.
To be honest, I couldn't really sympathize.
It must've been because my nature was different from that of a barbarian.
As I listened quietly, Ainar cried out in a voice that burned with anger.
"Bjorn! Be honest! Am I that ugly?"
… What?
"I've decided! Bjorn! I can't enter the labyrinth with you anymore!"
No, no, wait.
How the hell did you come to that conclusion?!
While drinking lukewarm beer –
I sat alone on the first floor of the inn where I was staying.
"Whoo…"
How could beer be this fucking tasteless?
I made a bad choice with the inn.
The food was pretty good, but the owner couldn't brew alcohol worth shit.
"Whew…"
I took a deep breath to shake off the bitter taste.
My conversation with Ainar during the day came back to my mind.
After her bombshell of a declaration, we had a long conversation, but the result didn't change.
"I'm alone, again."
Ainar left.
Due to the nature of barbarians, she wasn't shy with her words, but from what I heard, it wasn't just a matter of appearance.
[Actually… yesterday, I received an offer from the elder, about becoming his heir.]
The elders of the sanctuary –
One of them, a rarity with a strong reputation as a swordmaster, favoured Ainar.
And today, she'd made a decision.
To learn swordsmanship in earnest under the elder.
[Can't you go into the labyrinth anyway, isn't it just one day on the outside?]
I'd asked.
It was just one day every month.
So it might've been alright to take a day off every month to visit the labyrinth.
But Ainar only looked troubled.
[I wanted to, too, but… I heard that there's a special training method, so I won't be able to leave the sanctuary for six months.]
Special training, huh?
If so, it was understandable that we couldn't go to the labyrinth together for six months.
I knew what a great opportunity this was for her.
[I won't ask you to wait. I won't ask you to unconditionally accept me back when the time comes, either. I'll train hard, and I'll definitely come back as a great warrior who won't hold you back.]
So I couldn't hold onto her.
Even on this last expedition, she'd been forced to swear an oath under duress, to a pillaging criminal.
Also, what about the rift?
A wizard, a dwarf, and even I, her comrade, had contributed, while she'd been helpless in comparison.
'Actually, that must've been the decisive factor behind her decision.'
I couldn't say for certain, but the change in her appearance might've only been the last straw.
"Whoo…"
I gulped down another sip of lukewarm beer to quench the unfamiliar thirst brewing within me.
The bitter taste covered my throat.
'In the end, I can only find a new colleague.'
I'd been hoping to take a little break and prepare better, this time.
Damn, why wouldn't these daily quests end?
Editor's Notes:
[1] 신파극 (sinpageuk, lit. new wave), originally came from Japanese and meant plays and theatre with Western influence. As such, they often dealt with the lives of the common people. In Korea, however, new wave cinema and dramas were created while under the Japanese colonial rule, and as such once the Koreans got their independence back, the term 'new wave' naturally became almost taboo. In modern context, new wave (perhaps undeservedly!) is used to denote forced, melodramatic development without rhyme or reason. Find more at Namu Wiki.
[2] 보구, in FATE franchise this stands for Noble Phantasm.
-x-X-x-
'But do I even need any colleagues?'
That had been the first thought that'd come to my mind when Ainar talked about leaving the party.
After all, I was now different from who I'd been two months ago.
'Now, I think I could even hunt a group of deathfiends all by myself.'
I'd eaten the essences from a corpse golem and a vampire rift guardian.
My basic stats, including strength, had increased tremendously, and considering my new regenerative skills, it was safe to say that I was virtually unrivalled on the second floor.
'There's nothing there that can stop me, I'm pretty sure.'
Although I wouldn't be able to take any breaks.
There'd be nobody to turn to for help in case of an emergency.
But I still judged, objectively.
Even taking all of that into consideration, at my current level, a solo playstyle would be stable enough.
'Of course, the third floor would be unreasonable.'
[Dungeon & Stone] is basically a game that forces party play. No matter how strong your character is, it's impossible to be an invincible lone wolf, due to how the game itself is structured.
As such, party composition is crucial, and the higher you go, the more fatal would the absence of a specific position become.
For example, the Goblin Forest, where having a scout is essential.
It's an obstacle a barbarian in the 'tank' position can't overcome alone.
'From the third floor onwards, the monsters also change in scale.'
After a lot of deliberation, I finally made my decision.
I'd find a new colleague at my level.
If you couldn't find one, I'd join a similar team.
And together, we'd hunt monsters on a higher floor, and aim for the top.
'It's more efficient than wasting time alone on the second floor.'
Of course, this would also be quite troublesome.
I'd have to worry not only about the combat power and team composition of the party, but also about how to make sure that they were trustworthy.
'Huff, where the hell can I find such people?'
It looked like this month would be pretty busy for me.
In fact, except for Erwen and Ainar, I didn't have a single acquaintance in this world.
"Keh…"
As I poured down the rest of bear down my throat and was about to go up to my room –
"Hey there, yes, you, barbarian! What do you think, brother?"
A party of adventurers, who'd been chugging down alcohol at the next table for a while, called me.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you didn't hear? This young friend here has been saying some adorable things."
Well, it didn't look like they were trying to strike up a quarrel.
When I nodded indicating my interest, an adventurer in his mid-twenties explained the situation.
In short, it was as follows –
Recently, there'd been talk of a barbarian of liberty. Naturally, the adventurers had gotten excited hearing the story and started liberally slandering the guild.
But then a young adventurer had bucked the trend and praised the guild instead, asking the others how they could believe such nonsense.
The adventurers who'd been listening had then started making fun of the kid, ridiculing him.
"So, I wanted to hear what you think. What's your opinion? Do you think the guild is trustworthy, too?"
Fuck, say that earlier.
"If you think that, you might as well believe that pigs can fly."
"Ahahaha! I knew you'd say something like that, brother! One look at your eyes is enough to tell that you've got your shit together!"
The man grinned like a cat that's got the canary.
But a young boy who'd been crouching in a corner suddenly got up, face red.
"Wait a minute! Can you really call yourselves adventurers? Did you ever consider, without the guild, who'd protect us in this city? You should be grateful instead!"
His outburst led to a spell of silence that lasted for a while.
But before long, everyone at the table burst into laughter.
"What? Grateful? Puhahahahaha!"
"You little punk! And you wonder why people treat you like a kid wherever you go!"
Apparently, distrusting the guild was an ancient adventurer tradition, and you couldn't be called a full-fledged adventurer without it.
"You all, what's even the point of this? Wouldn't he realize it himself once he gets a little more life experience? That nobody can protect you other than yourself!"
"Keh, now that really strikes a chord!"
"Let's have another round!"
After the brief incident, the adventurers started drinking again.
I was about to leave, but the man who'd spoken to me first approached me with a friendly expression.
"I'm Hans."
"Hans…?"
"Haha! Is the name too common?"
I couldn't really say, but it did seem that way.
The first man I'd killed in the labyrinth had also been called Hans.
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"I see! It's fate that we've met like this, so if you aren't too tired, why not join me for a drink? My treat, of course!"
Hesitating for a moment, I finally nodded.
Although I'd eavesdropped on other adventurers before here and there, I'd never had many direct conversations with them.
"So, what kind of trouble are you in, that you're drinking here all by yourself?"
Maybe I could get some unexpected advice, so I frankly lay bare my concerns.
"My team has disbanded and I'm looking for new colleagues. But I don't know where to start."
Hans, who'd been listening intently, went, 'Huh?' He tilted his head as if in puzzlement.
"If that's the problem, isn't it easier to just go to the guild?"
"The guild?"
"Haha! It's true that those bastards are hardly trustworthy, but shouldn't we use every available resource? Just how much money do you think they mooch off our taxes!"
Well, it certainly made sense.
Adventurers are inseparable from the Adventurers' Guild.
In the game, it'd been easy to find colleagues through the guild.
But…
"I'm worried whether the people I meet there can be trusted."
"Hahaha! It looks like you haven't used it properly yet? It's very different from how it used to be. Because there'd been a lot of cases of betrayals in the past, it's now mandatory to wear a video recorder."
Really?
There'd been nothing like that in the game.
"Trust me and go check it out. Whatever you're worried about, won't happen."
Since he said so, it might not be a bad idea to visit once.
Next morning.
Waking up with a slight hangover, I headed straight to the tower.
"You can't enter without a visitor's pass."
Aren't you supposed to ask first if I have one?
It was annoying to start off the day with an episode of racial discrimination, but once I showed the card Raven had given me, the staff let me in without saying anything else.
Ding–!
And I soon arrived on the 31st floor.
Once I set foot into Raven's private lab, a far more bustling interior than two days ago was there to greet me.
"Oh, are you here already?"
It seemed that a lot of books and documents that'd been cluttering the space had been cleared away, but in their place, the room had been crammed with gruesome-looking devices.
"… Where are you going to use this?"
I pointed out the one that looked the ghastliest, and asked what it was to be used for.
"It's nothing special, it's just a magic tool that makes it easier to collect blood."
Her answer was a double surprised.
The first surprise was that it wasn't intended for crushing people's skulls. And the second surprise was that this savage-looking instrument was a magic tool.
"Then, you ready?"
"… I don't think so, um, not yet."
"Eh, you serious? C'mon, come here."
"… Fine."
At first, I was half suspicious and half worried, but surprisingly, all of the diagnostic tests using the magic tools turned out to be quite humane.
Not only that, the process was so quick that it didn't even take long to finish.
But looking at the results…
'There's nothing I hadn't already figured out while I was stuck in prison.'
"First of all, there's no significant variance compared to other guardian essences. Oh, do you know what I'm talking about?"
"I know."
Essences dropped by guardian monsters have two characteristics.
First of all, the basic stats are 1.5 times higher than the essence that the monster would normally drop.
"You know, it might be better to just see for yourself."
Raven showed me a piece of paper that summarized the stats of the vampiric essence, which she'd estimated using the various magic tools.
It didn't really mean much.
As expected, instead of hard numbers, the paper had rough guesses like (high), (medium) and (low) written on it…
Whereas I myself was able to calculate the exact numbers, by multiplying the stats of a normal vampire by 1.5.
[Vampire]
Natural Regeneration +45[1], Strength +15, Agility +15, Magic Resistance +30, Physical Resistance +12, Soul Power +21, Mana Sensitivity +30, Dark Resistance +12, Solar Resistance -12
Some might think the stats too low for a level 5 monster.
That's definitely true, from a certain perspective.
The corpse golem essence, which is only rank 7, gives much higher stats of +70 pain resistance and +55 skeletal density, in comparison.
And even these pitiful stats are what you get after multiplying by 1.5.
And yet…
'Natural regeneration, magic resistance, physical resistance, soul power, and mana sensitivity…'
Different stats have different values.
Even in the game, these precious stats tended to be low on average.
Because if you could stack them high, a monster would be born.
"This isn't my first time thinking this, but, Mr. Yandel, you're really very lucky. Even a regular vampire essence is rare as hen's teeth, but you got one from a guardian."
In fact, lucky wasn't enough to describe it.
Guardian essences of the fifth rank or higher could even be treated as essences that let a newcomer graduate into an expert.
It definitely wasn't something you were supposed to get in the early game.
"If you've taken it all in, check this, too. In case you don't understand, I've put together all the characteristics. There're four in total."
Suddenly, the corners of her lips curved up.
"Four…"
That's the second characteristic of a guardian essence.
Normal essences bestow only two skills: one passive and one active.
But essences from a guardian are different.
(P) Dark Origin — Resist death as long as your heart is intact.
There's the basic passive skill, of course.
(A) Mark of Sacrifice — Temporarily increase your physical abilities based on the number of marked beings within a certain radius.
(A) Eternal Life — Temporarily gain a significant increase in regenerative power based on health lost.
(A) Master of Blood — Temporarily absorb one of the target's skills when directly drinking their blood.
And alongside that, all possible active skills are attached.
Originally, to get [mark of sacrifice], you'd need to eat a yellow vampiric essence, and to get [master of blood], you'd need to eat a red vampiric essence…
But a guardian essence bypasses all that.
Even though it's tough to acquire them, they're worth it.
'Now that I've got this on top of the undying imprint, is it safe to say that I'm done with the regeneration side of things?'
This was some incredible growth rate, even for a ten-year pro at the game like me.
While feeling satisfied by myself, I heard Raven talking.
"Okay then, this is all for today. Thank you for taking the trouble. Come back for the next check-up anytime next week, at your convenience. I'll be here, anyway."
"What else is there to check?"
"What're you talking about? We need at least ten more surveys before this essence data can be registered officially with the society."
… I see.
"I asked because I didn't know, so don't be angry."
"I'm not angry. Anyway, I'm going to check on the corpse golem essence when I have the time, so don't even think about running away."
"… Got it."
I'd been pretty much naked during the examination, so I put my clothes back on.
But before I had to leave, I had one more question.
"Raven, do you have any plans to enter the labyrinth in the future?"
"Well? Probably not for a while… why?"
"Oh! Wouldn't it be better to go together with people you know?"
Although I tried to act cool, she seemed to see right through me.
She grinned as if I was being an idiot.
"Oh, but we really don't each other that well, right?"
"Alright, alright, pretend I never said anything."
"Oh, should I?"
Her voice suddenly became harsh.
Now that I remembered, she did have this kind of a personality.
Even though she kept calm most of the time, if somebody touched her pride, the arrogance buried in her bones would burst out and pierce the heavens themselves.
"No, how dare you think you can ask me to join a team with just two barbarians?"
To be honest, it wasn't two anymore.
One had resigned yesterday.
Of course, I had more sense than to say that out loud and turn the atmosphere any bloodier.
"… That's why I told you to pretend I never said anything!"
"How do I pretend I didn't hear it when I heard it already?!"
No, is this worth raising your voice so high?
While I was pondering over how to react to this sudden burst of temper –
"Haah…"
She let out a long sigh, as if forcefully calming herself down.
"Mr. Yandel, even if it's not me, if you're going to make such an offer to any other wizard, please make a team properly, first. Well… it'd be nice if everybody is level 6 or higher, and there should be a priest, too."
Motherf… you don't say?!
If things had been going that good, do you think I would've come to offer you a spot?
"Yeah, alright."
Really, wizards were such snobs.
"Then see you later."
"Ah! Wait a moment!"
Raven caught Bjorn who'd been just about to leave.
Because she remembered something she'd been planning to ask.
"At the end! What was that? You know, you put something in the mouth of the vampire while he was stunned? I think I felt a flash of divine power… "
It was a question that'd risen while she'd been recording the past events, to pass on to her master.
What the hell had that thing been?
No matter how one looked at it, it wasn't something a level nine adventurer could carry around.
"Oh? No idea what you mean."
"Eh?"
"Didn't you see it wrong? It was such a crazy situation, after all."
"See it wrong? I couldn't have. I'm sure I felt ma–"
"Sorry, have to go! Got some urgent business to take care of."
"Hey! Wait a moment! Wait—"
Bam!
Bjorn slammed the door closed and left without saying anything else.
'Huh, are you hiding something?'
Breaking her gaze on the door he'd hurried through, Raven frowned and headed to her study room.
Once there, she pulled out a thick book from the shelves.
[Rift Records III].
It was a compilation of various recorded information on rifts.
Just like its plain title, the old book didn't even have the author's name written on it.
As a child, she'd accidentally bought this book at the Free Market, and surprisingly, it contained knowledge that was not even recorded by the society.
"What page was the Blood Citadel on again? …"
As she was flipping through the pages, her finger stopped at one place.
A map of the dungeon area.
The exact location of the hidden passage.
A page with advanced information about the Blood Citadel, such as how to obtain the 'Necronomicon' inside the 'demonic shrine'.
Unfortunately, there were parts that were not readable.
Two of them.
[Tear of the Goddess]
Location: ——————.
[Golden Mask]
———: ——— —.
Two items, whose descriptions and locations had disappeared with the passage of time.
She'd gone through the rift with a fine-toothed comb to find them herself, but in the end she hadn't been able to.
Raven tilted her head as she again felt the taste of regret.
'Wait, I think I've heard of the Tears of a Goddess somewhere… '
Where was it?
Trawling through her hazy memories, she pulled out a few books on religion and quickly flipped the pages one by one.
How long did it take?
Finally, her hand stopped turning the page.
[Tears of the Goddess]
A consumable relic of unknown origin.
When destroyed, it has the effect of spreading powerful 'grace' on its location.
150 years ago, during the Dimensional Collapse, Cardinal Androne had used all three to save the pope, and they've since disappeared.
"A holy relic?"
Amazed, Raven even checked the illustration drawn on the next page.
It was too early to be certain because she'd only seen it from afar, but the shape and size seemed to roughly match.
Even the method of using it, and the effectiveness. It all matched.
"…"
Raven was feeling confused.
Just looking at the shape of things, this didn't look like some simple coincidence.
But if it wasn't a coincidence, then what?
How could a barbarian who'd just become an adult know where the [Tear of the Goddess] was hidden, and even made a plan to use it right away?
'Maybe, Mr. Yandel…'
One possibility popped into her mind, and her eyes lit up as she gripped the book tight.
'I'll have to check it out.'
No matter how long it took –
It'd be worth it in the end.
Editor's Notes:
[1] This seems to be a typo in the raws as the chapter where Bjorn got the essence showed it at +40.