TM-Chapter 46

Labyrinth 3rd Attempt

Aimus barely managed to get his wife’s permission, but he himself was full of worry.

“Caleb. To go to the 3rd floor of the labyrinth, not only must the person himself have good abilities, but the equipment level must also be good.”

It was because of equipment.

“From the 3rd floor onwards, there are even……”

He said.

“Adventurers who bring magic-grade artifacts!”

If I told him that Yernil and I already each have a magic ring and magic wrist guard, he’d probably faint.

But Aimus’s words weren’t wrong.

Even in the game, up to the 2nd floor you could manage somehow with roughly matched equipment, but from the 3rd floor onwards, the difficulty jumps significantly.

Especially at low levels like now, you need to use magic artifacts to supplement essential skills or magic to be able to proceed through the 3rd floor stably……

“Such magic artifacts are expensive and rare.”

These items usually can’t be bought at regular shops.

To purchase them, you have no choice but to go through someone you know, or through auction houses.

“We don’t have connections and the auction house opening is still far away.”

The lack of magic equipment is one of the main reasons why 2nd floor parties can’t go to the 3rd floor.

Usually, the party splits up.

The wheat gets separated from the chaff among 2nd floor parties. Among them, the ‘wheat’ receives recruitment offers from 3rd floor parties.

‘Hey. You there, Paladin. You seemed pretty good, how about abandoning that party and going to the 3rd floor with us? We’ll provide a Life Water Steel Breastplate for the contract period!’

Like that.

Then the 2nd floor Paladin says goodbye to his friends and goes to the 3rd floor.

Since the income is vastly different, with the hope that someday he’ll be able to buy a Life Water Steel Breastplate directly at the auction house.

Conversely speaking, since it’s good for recruiting players who are doing well one floor below in this manner, party leaders of each party are desperately focused on monopolizing magic equipment.

When auction houses open, they rush over and buy everything up, then use that to recruit adventurers who are poor in equipment but excellent in skill.

It can be called a kind of welfare competition happening at the party level.

“But Caleb doesn’t have anything like that, does he……”

Aimus asked worriedly.

“Will we be okay going with just regular equipment?”

“Big brother. There are quite a few companies that don’t sell magic items but only rent them out. There are especially many in the back alleys.”

Backstab suggested another option, but I immediately refused.

“Rental is too expensive. The cost-effectiveness doesn’t work out.”

I can’t waste precious money like that in the early stages like now.

“Then what are you planning to do?”

“Just watch and see.”

***

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

First, I visited Nataniel Temple to meet Bishop Azello.

“I heard everything from Bernard. Caleb, he said you practically handled all of Bernard’s mission by yourself.”

Bishop Azello said.

“We fairly evaluated Caleb’s party’s achievements. Here is Caleb’s reward money.”

“Could I possibly receive magic equipment instead of money?”

“Magic equipment?”

Usually this isn’t allowed.

Considering the scarcity of magic equipment, the quantity held is directly connected to an organization’s power.

“We don’t give equipment as rewards to outsiders.”

“Wasn’t this the reward that Bernard, not an outsider, was supposed to receive?”

“Ah……!”

Bishop Azello startled and panicked.

“I heard from our university professors that Bernard said to give his entire share to me.”

“That, that’s true, but……”

“He promised by oath to Nataniel, the god of fair contracts and trade, that he would give me my exact share.”

“……”

“Nataniel would probably see that I should be able to receive rewards here with the same qualifications as Bernard.”

“Ah.”

Bishop Azello struck his forehead with his palm.

“This is bad.”

“……”

“There’s no way out of this.”

The Bishop smiled bitterly.

“It can’t be helped. As a bishop serving Nataniel, I can’t create controversy over such a transaction. What do you want?”

Good.

I knew bringing up Nataniel would work.

“We need armor that this monk gentleman here can wear.”

“Follow me.”

Bishop Azello led us to Nataniel Temple’s treasure vault.

We carefully examined the items, tried them on Aimus, and chose a set of armor.

[Refuge Lamellar]

▶This product has been confirmed to contain magical power by the Magic University’s appraisal department and has received a ‘Magic’ grade.

▶This lamellar grants the wearer the ‘Steel Parasol’ skill.

“Thank you.”

“The temple has high expectations for Caleb too. Please become a wonderful adventurer.”

Next, we headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Hello. I came to receive the reward for subjugating the raider group.”

When I roughly explained about Sally’s team at the counter, the staff member quickly checked the records.

“There’s an eyewitness statement from Bernard, the Paladin of Nataniel Temple. Adventurer Caleb who defeated the raider Sally Group. That’s correct, right?”

The staff member checked my identification and then handed me a certificate of appreciation first.

“You’ve done great work for order within the labyrinth and the safety of adventurers. On behalf of the Adventurer’s Guild, I give you our thanks.”

Then they told me to choose one between money and a magic item as a reward.

This is one of the Adventurer’s Guild’s policies.

Since raiders are such a headache within the labyrinth, they put strong incentives for defeating them.

Actually, this is natural.

The easiest way to obtain magic equipment is to raid the party that has it.

For the opposite case, the Adventurer’s Guild should naturally offer rewards of this level.

“Please give me a bow that this friend can use.”

Let’s choose Yernil’s weapon this time.

“Follow me.”

We followed the staff member to examine the weapons, had Yernil try drawing them, and then.

“Please choose for me, Caleb. I don’t know much about it.”

I chose.

[Magic Touch Bow]

▶This product has been confirmed to contain magical power by the Magic University’s appraisal department and has received a ‘Magic’ grade.

▶This bow grants the wearer the ‘Magic Touch’ skill.

The Magic Touch skill is used in combination with scrolls. It’s a skill for hitting targets at long range with scrolls meant for close contact.

For example, resurrection scrolls usually have to be used by sticking them right onto the corpse, but if you combine Magic Touch with a resurrection scroll and shoot the corpse, you can resurrect the target from long range.

“Thank you.”

“We’re the ones who are grateful. If you discover raiders again, please catch them. We’ll give you a reward as long as there’s proof.”

We left the Adventurer’s Guild and this time headed to the Magic University.

Because there was something I had left at the appraisal department there.

“You mean the dagger? It’s all done. Here it is.”

We had farmed a blank scroll and a dagger from the treasure room on the 1st floor of the labyrinth last time.

The blade was hot, so I had judged that it probably contained fire-type magic or enchanting, and I was right.

The quality certificate came back like this.

[Caleb’s Commission]

▶This product has been confirmed to contain magical power by the Magic University’s appraisal department and has received a ‘Magic’ grade.

▶This dagger ignites flames when it stabs a target, burning the target.

Next was Professor Isilof’s research lab.

“Caleb! I was waiting for you. As a reward for the last mission, I prepared something perfect for Caleb.”

Professor Isilof handed me a magic wand.

[Wand of Lightning]

▶This product has been confirmed to contain magical power by the Magic University’s appraisal department and has received a ‘Treasure’ grade.

▶This wand possesses the 1st-grade combat magic ‘Lightning Shock’.

▶This wand possesses the 1st-grade combat magic ‘Superconductivity’.

“Thank you.”

“You’re entering the labyrinth again?”

“Yes. We’re planning to go to the 3rd floor.”

“I see. I’m not worried since Caleb is so skilled, but still, take care of yourself.”

I greeted Professor Isilof and came outside.

“Now let’s just go to one more place.”

That place being the Magic University’s Labyrinth Exploration Support Headquarters.

Here you can rent magic equipment, but since it’s entirely part of the university’s internal welfare policy, they don’t demand expensive rental fees like outside.

Instead, something more demanding is needed.

Namely, ‘Club Mission Completion Points.’

You receive points by completing missions that professors give to club students, and use those to rent magic equipment here.

This policy has two effects.

The first is the effect of making students work harder under professors.

And the second is the effect of allowing students to hold their heads high when they go outside and form parties with external adventurers.

Like right now, for example.

“I see you have a record of completing a difficulty B-rank mission. Please choose equipment you want to rent within 5 points and tell me.”

There’s not much you can rent with 5 points. First, focusing on what’s essential for the 3rd floor.

[Torch Helmet] – 3 points

▶This product has been confirmed to contain magical power by the Magic University’s appraisal department and has received a ‘Magic’ grade.

▶This helmet possesses the 1st-grade utility magic ‘Torch’.

Let’s choose only this and save 2 points.

Done.

***

“So that labyrinth expedition at that time made this much money?”

Backstab couldn’t hide his shock.

“What on earth happened? This is the first time I’ve seen a Nataniel Temple bishop act like that!”

“……”

Aimus also seemed quite surprised.

Having been a party leader for a long time but never having properly earned from the labyrinth, the income that just poured in was beyond Aimus’s imagination.

“You caught raiders too? I don’t remember anything since I was in a corpse state. This is the first time I’ve seen this much income from the 1st floor.”

“There was even more than this.”

I told him the real total amount of profit to him who kept repeating his amazement.

“We haven’t even disposed of the battle doll’s core, two-handed sword, knight’s helmet, gauntlets, etc. that we got from raiding Sally’s team yet. And…… Even if we sell all of that, it probably won’t match the value of the Manager’s Staff we got from the sanctuary.”

This level of profit isn’t something that should come from the 1st floor.

“……”

Shall I guess what Backstab and Aimus are thinking right now?

Backstab is probably thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have been a revival rescue target!’ ……

Although Backstab joined and was active in the latter half of that adventure, since he was already in a dead state when he entered, he can’t claim his share. It’s not that I’m being that way, but that’s how the Adventurer’s Guild regulations are.

And Aimus.

‘I shouldn’t have said 0% during the interview!’ is probably what he’s thinking, right?

No matter how much he’s a monk who attained enlightenment at Mountain Dalai, with all the family members he has at home, now that he’s confirmed our labyrinth expedition income was at this level, greed is bound to arise.

That’s right.

The armor I put on brother monk, Backstab’s dagger, everything belongs to me. These two people can’t claim any value distribution.

Conversely speaking, Yernil could request distribution, but……

‘I don’t know much about it, so just have Caleb handle everything!’

She said,

Indeed, Yernil is easy to deceive. How can her mind be such a flower garden.

Anyway, I decided to settle accounts with her later.

And……

‘By now, there should be a reaction.’

“The 3rd floor…… Just how much can you make there?”

There it was.

Aimus asked with a trembling voice.

“If entering the 1st floor was like this, what on earth do you bring from the 3rd floor, big brother……”

Backstab also seemed excited just imagining it.

Money is a powerful motivator.

Seeing the tremendous profit our party made from the 1st floor last time, both of them went crazy with greed.

If we go to the 3rd floor, just how much?

“I didn’t give you 10,000 gold as a contract fee for no reason.”

“……!”

“Aimus. Send your eldest to a good school.”

***

‘Crazy.’

Violet, the reception staff member of the Labyrinth Association, was dumbfounded by the completely transformed appearance of the team.

Let’s go back about a month ago.

When Violet first saw Caleb.

At that time, he had [Magic University Prisoner Slave] written in large letters on his back, carrying a single potato and a wand, mixed in with a gloomy slave party and thrown into the labyrinth.

And then?

He appeared wearing a Magic University uniform and formed a 3-person party with an Adventurer Guild slave dressed like a ranger and a monk carrying a giant iron rod. It was unusual that they brought along an undead.

And today.

In just one month, that party had transformed into a skilled party.

Even equipped with at least one, or up to two magic equipment items per person.

‘This party has an incredible growth rate.’

When you do reception work for a long time, you can estimate at a glance.

That party won’t be able to go down from the 1st floor.

That party will get stuck on the 2nd floor.

That party will soon disband and only the wizard will be absorbed into the 3rd floor.

And……

“Are you going down to the 2nd floor?”

Now, in Violet’s view, Caleb’s party was ready to go to the 2nd floor.

A party growing at this speed, even if it’s only the 3rd attempt, was ready to go down to the next floor……

“No, we’re going to the 3rd floor.”

“The 3rd floor!”

That team’s growth is too fast!

***

When you come down the stairs and pass through the gate, a desolate wind blows.

Dark and gloomy corridors.

The sound of monsters laughing or crying in the distance.

And a musty smell.

This smell is like what you’d get when opening a book that’s been gathering dust for a long time in an old bookstore.

‘Entering the labyrinth always feels terrible.’

Since we’ve never gone below the 1st floor, we can’t take the elevator.

This time we have to go down the stairs directly from the 1st floor.

Therefore, where we’ve entered now is the 1st floor of the labyrinth.

‘Even just entering the 1st floor feels terrible.’

Despite being vastly overpowered.

The comfortable bed and delicious food from the dormitory suddenly feel as distant as a mirage.

The enjoyable time playing games with the high-tier wizards at Berten Mansion also seems like a momentary dream.

Now I’m standing at the boundary between life and death again.

It’s the third time, but I still can’t get used to it.

That’s better.

It’s proof that I’m staying alert.

Never let your guard down in the labyrinth.

“Let’s go.”

Perhaps I’ll never get used to this sensation.

That’s better.

Because it’s proof that I’m staying tense.

“We need to find the staircase.”

We’re going to the 3rd floor this time.

In the first labyrinth expedition, I nearly died meeting Backstab as the exit boss, and in the second labyrinth expedition, I nearly died when Bernard’s party summoned the sanctuary Manager.

Please let this time end safely without any incidents!

Praying, I led the party forward.