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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Labyrinth Entry
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“You want to buy this useless piece of junk?”
“Excuse me? Useless? Can’t you see this brilliant light?”
I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the weapon shop owner’s words.
Though its craftsmanship was a bit crude.
With such a badass design and emitting this brilliant, unknown light, what else could it be if not a hidden or rare item straight out of a novel?
“Light? What light? Oh, come on, man. I may not be a dwarf, but I’ve been in the weapon business for over five years. You think I wouldn’t recognize this? It’s just an ordinary, no, even less than ordinary helmet.”
The weapon shop owner affirmed, frowning. Could I really have been mistaken?
Even after rubbing my eyes and opening them, the helmet still glowed with a blue light.
But perhaps it was the owner’s words, because the intensity of the light seemed to have diminished compared to before…
‘…No. I wasn’t mistaken. There’s something to it.’
Even if it were just an ordinary helmet, it looked to be in better condition than the tattered one I was currently wearing.
“Three silver coins. No more, no less.”
“Two silver coins. Honestly, this is practically helping you get rid of dead stock. Aren’t you being a bit too greedy?”
“Even dead stock has customers who want it, like you. Two silver coins and 80 copper.”
“Two and a half silver coins. I can’t pay more than that.”
“Hmm… Fine. It’s a deal.”
That filthy fly of an owner. He wouldn’t budge an inch, even though a little more haggling might have gotten me a better price.
Still, I got a badass and sturdy-looking helmet. I immediately ducked into a secluded corner and put on the new helmet.
The range of my vision was more restricted than with my old helmet, and breathing became slightly more difficult.
It really felt like wearing a tin can with just eyeholes and breathing holes poked into it.
“...?”
But then I felt a strange sensation.
How should I describe it? Like my eyes were closed, yet open? An animalistic super-sense?
It felt as if the sensitivity of my spatial awareness, which I’d honed while working at Diana’s tavern, had increased even further.
It wasn’t just a simple illusion. Even though my peripheral vision was more limited, I could clearly sense the movements of the many people passing by on the street.
‘…This is amazing. Is it some kind of magic-infused relic? Or an artifact?’
Relics. I think that’s what they called equipment that could be acquired with a very rare chance in the Labyrinth. Artifacts were man-made imitations of relics.
I didn’t know for sure, but it felt like I could now anticipate and defend against anyone trying to ambush me from the front or back.
“Oh, Balkan, you’re back… are you? …You changed your helmet?”
“Yes. Doesn’t it look cool?”
“Uh-huh. It does. …But where, how did you get it? Did, like, half-naked people with strange hair come rushing at you? Are you hurt anywhere? What exactly happened?!”
I arrived at the inn wearing the new helmet, but Diana’s reaction was somehow unusual.
She asked about my well-being in an incredibly worried voice, then immediately started grilling me about where I got the helmet.
Having stayed at the inn for over a month, I thought I had gotten a bit of a handle on Diana.
But this was a side of her I’d never seen before.
Diana had never shown such a strong reaction before; it was strange.
“Ms. Diana. I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
“…Really? You didn’t really meet any strange people or anything like that, did you?”
“No. I just bought the helmet from a regular weapon shop. It only cost me two and a half silver coins. Pretty good value for money, right?”
“If that’s the case, then that’s a relief, but…”
“It’s true. But, Ms. Diana.”
“Yes?”
“…Please step back a bit.”
“…Oh.”
Diana, realizing only then that she had been too close, flushed and quickly stepped back.
“…I-I’m sorry…”
Watching Diana bow and apologize to me as if she didn’t know what to do, I finally realized the critical flaw of the Great Helm.
‘Because of the iron plate covering the center of my vision, I can’t see Diana’s cleavage… Note to self…’
I decided to wear my old helmet for everyday use.
***
“Zirnier… What kind of trick is that vixen playing…”
***
Time flew by, and soon it was the day the Labyrinth entry portal would open.
It was the only day of the week, and the adventurer district became incredibly bustling.
*DRRRRRRRR—*
A dragging sound. The rumbling of carriages. The chatter of people.
Opening my eyes to the loud noise and looking out the window, I saw a long procession of well over a hundred people.
All those people were explorers, dragging their gear and heading to the Labyrinth from early morning.
Having watched that sight for over a month, I was gradually getting used to it.
A strange flutter of excitement came over me.
Excitement? Fear? Fifty-fifty. Exactly half and half.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I felt this way.
But one thing was certain: I was now part of that procession.
Since it was the week for the Labyrinth, I hadn’t worked at the tavern, thanks to Diana’s consideration. As a result, I had fully recovered my stamina.
I woke up late, stretched to loosen my body as usual, and washed my face with water from a bucket.
“Dagger properly fastened. Axe well-sharpened. Preserved food in backpack, check. Potions, antidotes, check. First-floor map, check.”
I double-checked the supplies I had organized last night. Everything was definitely packed.
“Lastly… the helmet. Check.”
I looked into the small mirror in the room and put on the Great Helm. I finally felt complete.
Finishing my preparations, I opened the door, and a savory aroma wafted out.
Naturally, I went down the stairs and sat at a table to wait. It was the bar table right in front of the kitchen, my usual spot.
After a short wait, a large bowl was placed on the table.
It was a dish similar to a rice bowl, piled high with a mountain of meat. Six kinds of side dishes and a clear soup were a bonus.
“Hey, owner. Is this right? Is this the same dish you get for the same price—”
“Heh heh…”
“Never mind…”
A customer next to me grumbled, but his complaint was swallowed by Diana’s silent smile, her face looking haggard from the past day or two.
“It’s even more generous today, isn’t it?”
“The saddest thing in the Labyrinth is not being able to eat what you want. So chew it well and come back safely.”
Indeed. For the next five days, I’d have to ration only preserved food. A dreadful future. I savored Diana’s cooking as much as I could, slowly tasting it.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll be back!”
“Oh, Balkan. Wait a moment.”
Diana pulled a small box from under the table and opened it.
“…A watch?”
“It’s a watch I used to cherish. In the Labyrinth, where there’s no day or night, it’s even more important to maintain a regular daily pattern.”
Indeed. Once a person’s biological rhythm is disrupted, it’s not easily restored.
A disrupted biological rhythm leads to a decline in condition, which in turn leads to carelessness and mistakes.
I had only been thinking about fighting monsters and worrying about food, so this was unexpected advice.
Diana carefully reached out and fastened the watch onto my arm.
“Thank you for the advice, Ms. Diana.”
“If you want to repay me, just come back safely.”
I waved goodbye to Diana, who saw me off with a worried expression, and left the inn.
I walked down the somewhat deserted street, heading towards the Labyrinth entrance, a stark contrast to when the morning explorers made their mass exodus.
“Low-grade explorer Balkan. Confirmed. You may enter.”
Security at the Labyrinth entrance was strict. Since it was a crowded day, the guards were keeping a sharp eye and controlling the surroundings.
It suddenly occurred to me that it was a miracle I had managed to break through this security before.
“Oh. You’re here. You’ve come early.”
“Yes. When did Mr. Adolf arrive?”
“I just got here myself. Ah, and there come the others.”
I greeted Adolf, the Dwarf priest standing by the portal, and then looked back.
In the distance, a haggard-faced boy and a smooth-faced girl were approaching.
“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep because of nerves…”
“He couldn’t sleep, so I played a round with him until he passed out, and then he slept just fine.”
“Anya!”
“What? It’s true. You weakling.”
“……”
Is this the level of conversation between childhood friends? The bar was too high, I couldn’t possibly keep up.
“It’ll be troublesome if you’re distracted in the Labyrinth. Will you be alright?”
“Yes. It won’t hinder our first expedition.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine, but try to restrain yourselves inside the Labyrinth.”
“…Yes.”
Adolf scolded Jeremy and Anya.
He wasn’t wrong. If they got complacent and, say, got intimate during their watch, it could mean a party wipe.
“Alright. Everyone, hold hands. Hold on tight. It’ll be a big problem if you get separated in the Labyrinth.”
We stood in a line and held each other’s hands. The reason for holding hands was simple.
‘If we go one by one, we’ll be dropped in random locations.’
Stepping through the Labyrinth entry portal drops you into a random spot on the first floor.
If a four-person party enters the portal one by one, all four will be dropped into random areas, scattering the party.
However, if you hold hands, you’re treated as a single party, preventing you from being scattered and allowing everyone to cross the portal together to one location.
We stood so that I was on the far left, followed by Adolf, Jeremy, and Anya on the far right.
“Alright. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
“We’ve been ready.”
Thanks to a hearty breakfast, I was brimming with energy.
My body felt great, my mind was calm. There were no fluctuations in my condition. It was truly my peak state.
‘Still, complacency is forbidden.’
Even though game-like elements such as the Status Window appeared, I couldn’t approach this with the lightheartedness of playing a roguelike game.
In reality, I only had one life. No save-loads or extra lives.
A single mistake could cause my one and only life to crumble.
To prevent that, I needed an almost excessive amount of preparation and vigilance.
I had completed all preparations to the best of my ability. I tightened the tension in my mind and reinforced my vigilance.
Now, into the Labyrinth.
We cautiously surrendered ourselves to the portal.
***
Immediately afterward, I was hit by the thick stench of blood.
“Mother.”
For a moment, time slowed to an extreme crawl. Feeling a strange state of awakening, I scanned my surroundings from inside the helmet.
Alright. Stay calm. My right hand was still tightly gripped by Adolf.
I quickly darted my eyes around to assess the situation.
We had been teleported directly onto corpses. Fresh corpses of explorers who had just engaged with Goblins and lost.
Immediately visible Goblins were one to the left, two to the right.
As I expanded my perception, the enhanced senses from wearing the helmet picked up faint footsteps.
From a place absolutely invisible to limited human sight, unmistakable footsteps were detected.
Two behind to the left, three behind to the right.
Eight in total. They’d really gathered quite a crowd.
The ones on the right were far away and posed no immediate threat to me.
The immediate danger was the two behind me to the left.
The silver lining in this worst-case scenario was that the Goblins were also startled by our sudden appearance.
I had to move fast. This was my chance.
By the time I finished thinking, the combat situation hadn’t changed in the slightest.
In a situation where everyone was too startled to move, the first to act was…
*CRACK!*
…me, as I drew my axe from my waist like lightning.
A fountain of blood erupted from the Goblin’s neck.
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