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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Omen and the Scent
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I accepted Joy Hog's party's offer and left the inn.
They offered me a drink, but with my helmet on, it wasn't exactly convenient.
I waved them off and walked through the night streets, lost in thought.
The 6th floor. It's doable. Whether it's because of the fountain's influence or something else, they say the 6th floor is much easier than the 5th, which has a more unique environment compared to other levels.
‘Still, something's bound to happen, right?’
I dismissed the thought that nothing would happen. It was the Labyrinth, after all. Complacency was forbidden, no matter which floor I went to.
I returned to Diana's inn, pondering how to invest the resources I'd gained this time.
“Balkan. Are you perhaps entering the Labyrinth this week?”
Diana asked, seemingly assuming I had just discussed my next Labyrinth expedition with my party members.
But I had no intention of entering the Labyrinth this week.
For now, I'd likely be too busy with my sparring sessions with Edelbert, and my trip with Joy Hog's party was two weeks away.
“No. I'm not planning to go this week.”
“Oh? That's a relief.”
Diana, in a rare display of relief, sighed and patted her chest.
“What's wrong? Is something happening?”
“Hmm… it's nothing specific, but… it reminded me of a jinx from my explorer days.”
Diana's jinx from her explorer days? As I gazed at Diana with a bewildered expression, she spoke.
“The first day the Labyrinth opens after the New Year.”
Her face seemed to recall some unpleasant memory.
“Back then, luck was never on my side.”
***
“Tap, tap, *cough*, pl-please… let me go…”
I slapped Edelbert's firm thigh repeatedly with my hand, and only then did the crushing grip of her thigh around my neck loosen slightly.
I coughed for a long time, taking deep breaths. Insane. I seriously thought I was going to suffocate to death.
“You're quite the drama queen.”
“H-how is this exaggerating? I nearly died!”
“Training should always be like real combat. You never know what you'll face in a real fight, so you must prepare for all kinds of situations.”
Edelbert justified choking me with her thigh in such a way, then offered me a hand. I got my exhausted body up and left the training room.
Three days since our first sparring session. Now, simple sparring no longer caused muscle soreness. I even had a slight reserve of stamina.
It was proof that I was gradually adapting to sparring with Edelbert.
‘Of course, I still can't land a single punch.’
However, by taking hits directly, I felt like I was slowly grasping something.
‘My body is getting easier to control. Plus…’
A sixth sense? Intuition? Or perhaps a survival instinct?
It was beyond simply recognizing a situation.
It was a sharpening sense of how to move to dodge in this situation, or what actions to take to survive.
“Still, you did well. You're becoming more perceptive and sensitive. To have felt and dodged my fist twice already.”
Edelbert even praised me. The nuance of her words was… something, but it was definitely praise.
Anyway, in this sparring session, I successfully dodged Edelbert's punches a whopping two times.
Considering I'd just been getting relentlessly beaten every time I came to train, it was an astonishing improvement.
“Focus more on that sensation you're feeling now. In a crisis where you can't predict what's next, the only things you can trust are your own intuition and instincts.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Seeing as you answered so quickly, it seems you still have some energy left.”
Oh, crap.
“I can't have you walking out on two feet. Run.”
Edelbert pointed to the running track and the ankle weights lying in front of it.
“Those are ankle weights enchanted with gravity-control magic. They're an unparalleled artifact for developing explosive agility.”
Ah, so she's even using such a precious artifact for her disciple's training.
“D-do we really have to go this far…?”
“Lax repetitive exercises are meaningless. If you're going to do it, you must impose sufficient restrictions and run until you're on the verge of death. But don't worry too much. I'll run alongside you so you won't be lonely.”
Haha. Damn it. This unfilial disciple. I don't know how to repay my master's benevolence.
The moment I put on the gravity-control ankle weights artifact, immense pressure was immediately applied to my entire body, including my head.
“Aaaargh!”
The world began to crush my entire body right after I put on the ankle weights, and I immediately fell to the floor, flattened by the gravity.
Damn it. Run in this state…? I can't even get up!
“Master! Th-this isn't training, it's abuse! Abuse!”
Thump. Thump.
Perhaps she was under an immense gravitational force incomparable to mine, but every step Edelbert took shattered the running track as she approached me.
Swoosh—
An axe was in her hand. Its design was similar to the battle-axe I used before.
But it was an entirely different item.
The sharply honed axe-blade boasted a curve so elegant and keen it was incomparable to anything I'd seen before.
I didn't know much, but it looked like just touching that axe to a 1st-floor Goblin's throat would be enough to cleave it.
Whoosh—
It swung in Edelbert's hand.
Ah. Now, for some reason, it felt like it could cleave a person's neck too.
“Whether it's abuse or anything else, it hardly matters. Combat is, by nature, about survival.”
Whoosh— Whoosh—
“Try to survive. Diligently.”
I ran like hell.
Gravity or whatever, with a monster wielding an axe chasing me from behind, I somehow just kept running.
***
“...Ugh, ughhh…”
How many laps did I run? Thirty? Forty? I don't know. My legs feel like they're about to shatter.
I was utterly exhausted, passed out, and woke up to find my head resting on Edelbert's thigh.
Maybe it's because my brain isn't getting enough oxygen, but strange thoughts kept popping into my head.
‘Waaah. Big boobies. Gimme milk!’
“Here. Take it.”
She then handed me something else.
I instinctively gripped the axe's handle. It fit perfectly in my hand with a pleasant friction, the grip felt remarkably good.
Even at a glance, it wasn't an item worth just a few coins.
From blade to handle, it was a superior item, incomparable to my old battle-axe, which I'd bought for a mere 17 silver coins.
“Y-you're giving me something like this?”
“It's for the axe you broke last time. Using too good a weapon isn't necessarily beneficial for someone at your level, so I chose one that should be effective up to the 8th floor.”
“Thank you, Master!”
Was this the fabled benevolence of a master I'd only heard about?
Even if her methods were a bit rough and unrefined, I felt her concern for me and was a little touched.
Wait, come to think of it, Edelbert was the one who caused the axe to break in the first place, so maybe I don't need to be *that* grateful?
Still, my 17-silver-coin axe had been replaced with a much higher-grade one, so it was a gain for me.
...
Edelbert, without a word to my heartfelt thanks, swayed her tail like a whip, then suddenly spoke.
“Disciple. Don't enter the Labyrinth this week; continue coming here to train instead.”
And with a remarkably serious expression.
Only then did I get a premonition that something unusual was about to happen.
‘First Diana, now Edelbert…’
With two people of such extraordinary strength exuding such a strange atmosphere, I, a relatively insignificant weakling, naturally grew tense.
“...Diana also mentioned something similar. Is something going to happen this week?”
“Diana mentioned that?”
“Yes. About some jinx…”
“Hmm… if it's a jinx, then it is. Actually, it's not something to worry about too much. An omen hasn't occurred for nine, no, ten years now.”
An omen. I had heard that word before. Was it when I was waiting to enter at the Labyrinth entrance?
– “The New Year is almost here. I wonder if the omen will begin?”
– “It hasn't happened for nine years already. The Labyrinth must be calming down now.”
It seemed that experienced-looking explorers had said something like that.
“Omens bring change and disaster to the Labyrinth. The last omen was ten years ago, but there's no harm in being careful.”
It seemed both Edelbert and Diana had unpleasant memories associated with omens.
That's why they were wary of this phenomenon called an omen, which hadn't occurred for ten years.
“I'll keep that in mind.”
If I had no information, it would be one thing, but having heard warnings from those far beyond me, I was right to be cautious.
‘Not that I was going into the Labyrinth this week anyway.’
“Alright. That's all for today's training. You worked hard.”
Anyway, that concluded today's training.
***
Another three days passed.
My diligent days continued, consisting of intense training with Edelbert in the mornings and working at Diana's inn pub in the evenings.
“Mooo… Milk… I'm going to… I'm going to… I'm peeing milk!”
“Aaaargh! Jubel! That crazy female bovine!”
“Everyone run! That female bovine is peeing milk again!”
“...Haaah… Jubel. I'm the one who has to clean all of this up.”
“...Mooo… I like milk… Milk… I want to pee more…”
While dealing with drunks who couldn't hold their liquor, including the crazy cow Beastkin Jubel who was spouting milk from her nipples, I noticed an odd sense of calm today.
I subtly looked around and saw that the usually bustling inn had fewer customers.
“It's the day the Labyrinth opens, so there's a bit more free time than usual.”
Even Diana, who was always cooking tirelessly by the kitchen fire, occasionally appeared in the hall.
That's right. Today was the day the Labyrinth opened for the first week of the New Year.
At the same time, it was the day when the omen, which Diana and Edelbert had warned about, might appear.
‘Should I be glad it wasn't me, or feel sorry for them?’
Their warnings were not misplaced.
“Did you hear? They say the Labyrinth was a complete shitshow this time.”
“The omen, you mean? Damn it. Why did something that hasn't happened in ten years suddenly start up again?”
“Apparently, quite a few young explorers who didn't even know about the omen died. Tsk. The old-timers know their knees ache around this time and avoid the Labyrinth on their own, don't they…”
“We have to enter the Labyrinth to make a living, too. Still, it's a relief that the Labyrinth is expected to stabilize starting next week.”
For two days after that, the Labyrinth City's fiery vitality somewhat subsided.
In the inns and pubs, always filled with eating, talking, and the sounds of people, the voices of some individuals who were heard daily had vanished.
Perhaps it was because I worked at Diana's inn, where most patrons were explorers, but that sense of desolation felt even more profound to me.
***
Two days later.
“Diana. I'm going to the temple for a bit!”
Having finished my morning training, physically squeezed dry by Edelbert once again, I decided to visit the temple during the free time before the evening's business.
I wasn't going for a Blessing check.
‘Since the only libraries in the Labyrinth City are at the Academy and the temple.’
My objective was the library.
While I could gain knowledge just by listening to the rumors customers spread at the pub, there were many baseless rumors and incorrect information.
I'd been thinking about it for a while, but I needed to accumulate more accurate general knowledge and information about this world.
“The Grand Library of the Academy is only accessible to Academy students or their companions, but the temple's is open to everyone! See? Doesn't that make the Mother Goddess cult, which cares for all, feel great again?”
“Here are 10 copper coins.”
“You naturally scoff at it. Thanks!”
I handed the copper coins to the coachman. The temple district was surprisingly far.
It wasn't impossibly far, but walking all the way would waste too much time, so I took a cheap carriage.
The ride quality was, predictably, awful. My butt is still numb.
Stepping out of the carriage, I looked around the entrance of the Grand Temple.
The last time I visited the temple, explorers who had been turned away due to the Purification Ritual were expressing their full dissatisfaction.
“Ughhh… I can't feel my legs…”
“My arm, my arm… Ugh… The temple can fix it, right? Please, please…”
“What kind of Blessing could it be? Or a Curse? Damn it. I'm scared shitless.”
“Just not a Curse. Please, just not a Curse…!”
This time, it was filled with explorers who had just returned from the Labyrinth.
There were those who had suffered severe injuries, like severed limbs, and had come to the temple for miracles or healing, and also explorers with tense faces, hoping to confirm their Blessings or Curses.
‘By ratio, it's about 8:2, I guess?’
Perhaps due to the omen's influence, there were quite a lot of injured people. Labyrinth delving usually carried such risks, but this time seemed particularly brutal.
‘Not my problem, though.’
I felt that not entering the Labyrinth this week was truly a good choice.
I immediately headed for the temple's counter.
“What is your purpose for visiting? Are you here to receive a miracle? To check for Blessings or Curses? Or…?”
“I've come to use the library. I am Balkan, a low-rank explorer.”
After a brief identity verification process, just as I was about to head to the temple library.
“Wait. Who? Balkan, you said?”
From inside the counter, a Paladin in golden armor and a helmet, standing silently with a sword, called my name.
“Ah. Yes. I am Balkan.”
“Balkan? Are you truly Balkan? Hmm… Your appearance is exactly as I heard.”
That unknown Paladin moved her head, scrutinizing me from head to toe as she spoke, then nodded to herself and quickly ran off somewhere.
“...What was that about?”
“That is one of the temple's Paladins. They always protect us in case anyone causes trouble at the counter.”
‘But why would someone like that react that way upon hearing my name?’
Did some rumor spread?
‘Come to think of it, people *do* whisper something about me whenever I go to the Explorer's Guild these days…’
But surely such talk wouldn't have reached the temple. Hmm. No matter how I thought about it, nothing came to mind.
“...Can I go to the library now?”
“Ah, yes. The Paladin left without saying anything else, so you may. Here is your entry pass. Just show it to the librarian when you go in.”
Thus, I safely obtained the library entry pass.
I realized that my confident steps towards the temple library were gradually slowing.
‘Me, studying…?’
It's nothing to boast about, but I can confidently say I've built a significant wall between myself and those monstrous creatures called books throughout my life.
The thought of me, with a mere 0 Wisdom, having to accumulate knowledge already gave me a headache and made my heart tremble, but there was no choice.
Knowledge is survival. I couldn't afford to die, unable to react competently, if something beyond my understanding happened.
As I began to walk confidently again, the massive library building gradually came into view.
Just as I was about to take a tense step.
“Hngh…”
From within the library, a repository of knowledge and a sacred space for learning, an utterly lewd groan drifted into my ears.
My head naturally turned towards the source of the sound.
The first things that caught my eye were pure white hair, white cat ears, and a softly swaying tail.
Next came the strangely familiar red eyes I'd seen recently. And then.
Bzzzzzzzz—
A suspiciously suspicious cross necklace, vibrating madly on her ample chest like a personal massager.
“W-we meet again, Mr. Balkan… Oh, my. What a coincidence…”
Seraph Adeline, a High Priestess of the Mother Goddess cult, was there.
And in the distance, a Paladin in golden armor was watching us.
Though out of sight, I could sense their presence with my recently expanded perception.
‘...Did she go to tell Seraph I was here?’
I didn't know for sure, but circumstantially, that's what I inferred.
“You, uh, hadn't visited for a while… I thought you'd forgotten about me.”
“How could I forget you, Seraph? It's just that I've been busy lately and haven't had a chance to enter the Labyrinth.”
“Oh, w-was that it?”
For now, I set aside a few questions and responded to Seraph as naturally as possible.
“What brings you to the temple library…?”
Seraph's expression, as she looked at me, gradually began to contort.
...?
“...Seraph. You don't look well. Are you feeling sick?”
“Oh, no. It's not that… Just, just a moment…?”
Sniff, sniff.
Seraph's prominent nose twitched slightly.
Sniff. Sniff.
Seraph, who had suddenly closed her eyes and was inhaling deeply, gradually approached me.
Twitch. Twitch.
Her fluffy ears twitched nervously, and her tail wagged wildly as if excited.
Bzzzzzzzz—
The holy power pouch—no, her chest—vibrating even more intensely with each step she took towards me.
No, wait, her… necklace.
Seraph drew closer and closer to me, until she finally stood right in front of my nose.
Sniff, sniff. Sniff. Inhale. Inhale.
Seraph subtly bent her waist and neck, bringing her nose close to my neck and inhaling my scent.
Seraph's neatly closed brows furrowed completely.
Her expression was like a cat whose favorite comfort object had been marked by another.
“Mr. Balkan.”
Seraph looked up at me, who was tense from the sudden situation, and asked.
“By any chance, have you met Edelbert Adeline?”
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