TM-Chapter 23

I Am Not a Possessor

Has there ever been such a noisy party formation for 1st floor adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild throughout history?

Bernard, the wizard paladin who came to the Adventurer’s Guild heavily armed with excellent equipment, power, and divine magic, thought the situation was taking a rather strange turn.

“No way, that can’t be.”

“An exit room appearing inside an exit room.”

“I remember that. Some third-rate party was attacked, so Backstab jumped into the gate.”

“Were you the one who survived back then? Monk?”

Because of the monk’s emotional appeal, the entire atmosphere of the scene had shifted to Backstab and his story!

“Caleb! Choose the monk! We need to give him a chance to correct his mistake!”

The emotional swordsman Hijikata shouted.

“If the price is right, wouldn’t it be humane to let him help retrieve Backstab’s soul?”

Virtanen also cleared his throat and lent support to the monk’s side.

Oh!

This is not right.

Bernard flicked his eyeball with his tongue.

“To dare mix emotions into sacred monetary transactions and contracts…”

Lord Nataniel would be enraged if he saw this!

“Let’s have them do interviews!”

Bernard shouted.

A paladin of Nataniel does not avoid this kind of challenge. He will face the interview battle head-on.

And Bernard will definitely win.

Why?

Because that monk was trash from Backstab’s one-tool party.

He was a guy who couldn’t even pull his weight there and caused the party to fall apart, so there’s no way he could get in here.

And the monk, as a close combat specialist, fits the front-line position Caleb is looking for, but his characteristics are a bit different.

Monks are agile, but weak in strength, you see.

“Try lifting an oak barrel first!”

The test itself is poison for the monk.

“You broke the oak barrel…”

Hijikata shouted as if it were unfair.

“How about trying to lift me instead?”

Virtanen puffed out his chest full of muscles.

“Without my armor, my body weight is similar to an oak barrel used in taverns.”

“Then take off your armor…”

“It’s fine.”

The monk leaped forward, grabbed Virtanen’s belt and shoulder guards, and lifted him up like a weightlifter.

“Uwaat!“

“I’m slow but ridiculously strong.”

“What the hell is that…”

“Why does a monk have that much strength?”

“What’s with those forearms?”

“What kind of monk has such monstrous strength…”

Adventurers murmured from all directions.

Certainly, Aimus Lenik is a pathetic monk who struggles even on the 1st floor.

He doesn’t have passive skills like ‘Mysterious Evasion’ that monks can basically do, nor attacking skills like ‘Iron Bird Fist’ that delivers consecutive strikes.

‘Because he’s too slow.’

He had encountered the fountain on the 1st floor many times, but Aimus Lenik hadn’t received the same skill blessings as other monks. Because he lacked the qualifications.

Adventurers who knew him called him this,

A strength monk who’s only strong.

***

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Caleb! Now you just need to choose one!”

Be quiet, dwarf. Let me think.

‘Venomic Spider exit room with Virtanen for immediate escape vs Yernil.’

This is the biggest choice trial I’ve faced since then.

This really isn’t easy.

A slightly loose-screwed wizard paladin and a mid-40s strength monk.

It’s the finals of today’s tank ideal type world cup.

Really golden balance.

Both have slightly disappointing aspects. From my perspective, the strength monk is naturally better than the paladin, but unfortunately, the paladin is younger.

Moreover, mentally, the paladin seems more suited for the front line. Can that 40-something monk really step forward and tank courageously?

If this were a game, it wouldn’t matter since I’d just position him in front.

But since it’s become reality, I have to consider personality and age too.

I don’t know how many more years I’ll have to do labyrinth work here.

From what I can see, the monk is already married and has children, so what if he gets older and his family stops him, making him quit?

If I knock on the paladin’s door then, he’ll probably be too offended to come.

This really feels like interviewing job applicants for new hires.

Hmm.

At times like this, price negotiation is the best.

“You two, what percentage of the settlement do you want?”

“As a paladin of the order, staking my honor on it, I will absolutely not covet more than 25%. I swear by Nataniel, the god of monetary transactions and contracts.”

The wizard said confidently.

Then the monk also answered.

“I don’t need to receive anything.”

“Monk, you’re hired!”

“This is blasphemy!”

When I raised the monk’s hand, the wizard had a seizure from joy.

“Zero percent! Such a settlement ratio cannot exist! Blasphemy, blasphemy! How can you work without receiving money!”

Ah, that’s called passion pay, wizard.

But actually, I don’t really plan to use him completely for free.

“Instead, I’ll provide you with equipment.”

A strength monk with monk leather armor and fist weapons? Oh my goodness. That’s why you struggled on the 1st floor.

It’s like Yernil saying she’ll tank with a sword and shield.

“Wait!”

The wizard seemed to have difficulty accepting this situation.

“I absolutely cannot tolerate this. As a paladin of Nataniel, in my view, this hiring result is contaminated! It’s not based on thorough calculation and rational judgment!”

It is based on thorough calculation and rational judgment.

But I understand why the wizard finds it hard to accept.

“Hiring someone who’s just ridiculously strong but so slow they can’t use any monk-like skills? Anyone can see he’s defective!”

The words were too harsh, but no one could refute them.

“Because you don’t have to pay him money? Because you know Backstab so you feel sorry? Don’t make me laugh! Don’t even dream of committing blasphemy in front of me! This hiring should have been a fair meritocracy battle!”

The wizard pointed his mace and shouted.

“Still, I’m the party leader. I’m the one choosing.”

“…That’s true, but…”

The wizard couldn’t calm his anger and fumed, then shouted again.

“If we’re going to move as one party anyway, we should check skill and magic compatibility. Show me your magic! If you can defeat me, I’ll think this result is Nataniel’s will and accept it! But this body will never fall! Because Nataniel’s wrath is with this body! Nataniel! Grant me strength!”

Really talkative wizard.

But I do need to show magic too.

The timing isn’t bad either. Should I show just one magic spell here?

It’s good for teamwork too, and Yernil hasn’t seen it yet.

“Of the tropical regions…”

I pointed my wand and chanted the incantation.

“Heat Wave.”

“Sentinel´s Shield!”

Bernard layered a shield barrier while blinking his eyes.

That can’t block it though.

Did he think it was a magic projectile like Fireball?

“Uh…?”

You must be dizzy. Your breathing will be blocked and your head will spin.

That’s heat stroke.

Cold-blooded species.

***

The gate opens in 8 days.

Then I will enter with three people: Aimus Lenik, Yernil, and Backstab.

This time, everything is fully prepared. It’s different from the slave team days when I was thrown into the labyrinth almost naked.

Of course, once I enter the labyrinth, who knows what will happen again.

The Soul’s Resting Place isn’t that easy a place.

Moreover, seeing that Backstab appeared as a bizarre boss on the 1st floor, this place’s labyrinth is a bit more irregular than what I encountered in the game.

But these kinds of worries aren’t problems that can be solved by thinking about them now.

There’s something else I need to resolve first.

“Lenik. You can go now. Please practice what I mentioned earlier. Yernil, you and Backstab go to the dormitory too.”

“What about Caleb?”

“I need to stop by the Magic University briefly.”

What is the biggest threat currently strangling my life?

That’s the Magic University itself.

If there’s some kind of possessor cartel inside the Magic University, then I’m essentially deep inside a tiger’s den right now.

And they probably almost 100% believe that I’m a possessor.

They must be monitoring my every move.

What options do I have?

First, coming out as a possessor to ‘possessor-friendly’ forces like Professor Dalstream or Isilof and entering under their protection.

Is this option viable?

No.

I should immediately reject it.

When I’m so weak that I can’t protect myself, entrusting my life to others? That’s insane.

Moreover, I haven’t even figured out the power dynamics and politics among the professors yet.

And the biggest problem is I don’t know which of them are possessors.

They won’t reveal their identities, but only I will reveal mine? That’s crazy enough to be called insane.

Then the second option.

‘Prove that I am not a possessor.’

So I remove the excessive surveillance focused on me and hide underwater.

Not as a possessor who’s like a time bomb, but just as an awesome genius wizard.

So that whether it’s Meldini, Isilof, or whatever possessor wizard cartel hiding behind them, everyone can be friendly toward me.

A genius newcomer with no risk of labyrinth eruption whatsoever, but with excellent abilities that can help everyone.

Let me make it look that way.

Is it possible?

It’s possible.

“Caleb.”

As I entered the university main building, Halfling professor Meldini was standing there with a frightening expression.

You took the bait, Meldini.

I’ve been running wild recklessly for the past few days to provoke you.

Right in front of Professor Dalstream, I blatantly selected unfamiliar magic spells and submitted them, actually succeeded in binding them, and even showcased the brand-new magic called Heat Wave at the Adventurer’s Guild.

And I cheerfully accepted Isilof’s difficult quest and brought the undead Backstab to the Adventurer’s Guild, making the entire city bustling.

Actually, on my way here, I could hear chatter from everywhere.

There were nearly twenty applicants but they all failed. Even Bernard failed. They picked some monk. A ridiculously strong but slow monk. Bernard got hit by magic and was knocked out in one shot. Even Hijikata, a 3rd floor adventurer, failed.

…Such rumors were heard from all directions. Though Hijikata feels different from failing the screening.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Meldini was trembling with resentment and tension.

‘How dare a possessor flaunt so openly in front of me.’

…That kind of look.

It’s just lunchtime. Graduate assistants and professors from each research lab were pouring out for meals.

The lobby is somewhat crowded.

“It seems you succeeded in magic binding. What magic was that?”

Meldini began interrogating me.

Sensing our atmosphere was unusual, other professors stopped and glanced over.

“Are you talking about what I used at the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a magic called Heat Wave. I bound Humidify and Heat Wind.”

“Caleb. Magic book binding isn’t something that can be done with simple speculation like ‘if I raise humidity and add heat, I can create extreme heat to subdue opponents’. There are far more cases of trying that and failing. You must be incredibly lucky?”

“…”

“Why did you include the magic called Dust besides that?”

“When a volcano erupts, volcanic ash acts as a condensation agent, riding updrafts to catch rising moisture, creating water droplets and forming clouds. I thought I could mimic that with magic.”

“So when you put those magic spells in your Memory Book, the god of wisdom granted you binding magic?”

“Yes.”

“What!”

The Halfling professor’s complexion turned pale.

His roughened voice began drawing other professors and senior wizards one by one.

“Then… Then you’re saying you bound three 1st-grade magic spells to create two 2nd-grade magic spells?”

The Halfling’s speech changed from formal to informal.

“No. I bound three of them.”

“Th… Three…”

Without any exaggeration, really.

Meldini gritted his teeth.

“You bound three…? Two pairs and a triple?”

“The first pair is the binding of Humidify and Heat Wind for Heat Wave. The second pair is the binding of Heat Wind and Dust for Dust Explosion. The triple binding is a magic called Cumulonimbus.”

“Yaaa-!“

Suddenly the Halfling burst out shouting.

“Are you making fools of us!”

This is getting a bit more intense than I thought.

That labyrinth eruption from 12 years ago must have been quite a big trauma for you, huh?

“Unless the god of wisdom directly blessed you, how could that be possible! Huh! Is that something that can be done with just logical reasoning?”

“…”

“Hmm.”

Dalstream, who had been quietly watching from the side, chuckled.

“Perhaps he really was blessed by the god of wisdom?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Professor!”

Meldini no longer showed courtesy even to the senior professor.

“Even succeeding in just one magic book binding is an achievement worthy of writing a paper! But you’re saying that choosing three 1st-grade magic spells resulted in three bindings!”

“Meldini!”

Isilof, who appeared a beat late, ran over in shock. His face hardened as he intuited that an accident had occurred.

“Professor Meldini! What is this behavior! Right now…”

“Stay back!”

He pushed away Isilof who was trying to restrain him and drew his wand.

“Caleb! I need to cast lie prevention magic on you.”

“…”

“Prove that you’re not a possessor!”

“Meldini!”

Isilof also shouted angrily.

“What kind of rude behavior is this, unbecoming of a wizard! Caleb is a free citizen!”

“Free citizen? Don’t make me laugh!”

Meldini shouted.

“According to the laws of Soren, the labyrinth city, otherworld possessors are not protected as free citizens!”

“…”

“Caleb!”

The Halfling approached with determined steps.

“If you’re truly innocent, prove it here. If you’re really not a possessor, I’ll apologize properly and compensate you accordingly. But!”

He pointed his wand at my forehead.

“If you’re a possessor, I’ll kill you right here. Of course, I’ll be punished. But it won’t be murder! Why? Because you’re not a resident of this world!”

“…”

“I’ll be punished for unauthorized misuse of lie prevention magic, but I don’t care about that! I’ll gladly accept it. If I can remove a bomb that will threaten this city in the future with that level of sacrifice!”

“Meldini!”

Isilof ran over and forcefully knocked away Meldini’s wand.

Now Isilof was also drawing his wand and pointing it at Meldini.

“He’s a student in my club. If you commit such rudeness one more time, I’ll settle things with you here…”

“Do it.”

I said as calmly as possible.

“What…?”

Both professors’ round eyes turned toward me.

“Lie prevention magic. Cast it on me!”

All the supporting characters have gathered, and all the professors are here too. If you’re going to put on a show like this, it’s better to do it big and embed it clearly in as many people’s minds as possible.

I should also observe their expressions.

“Cast the magic… On you?”

The Halfling ground his teeth.

“Yes. Professor Meldini. You did the same to me at the slave management department, didn’t you? While lie prevention magic remained on me, you took advantage of that gap to probe me by bringing up my personal affairs, didn’t you?”

“…”

“Suspecting and monitoring like that! Stop insulting people and just cast the magic now!”

“Lie… Prevention magic.”

Magic spurted from the angry Halfling’s wand tip.

“Caleb!”

Isilof shouted.

“Resist it! Think that you’ll reject the magic! Lie prevention magic can be easily resisted! Push it away!”

As expected, Isilof was also convinced that I’m a possessor.

Now I’m going underwater.

“Professor Meldini!”

I shouted with all my might.

“Why are you doing this to me? Why are you asking when you’ve already decided the answer? You just want to hear this, don’t you? Should I say it for you?”

Loud enough for everyone to hear, raising my voice with all my strength.

“I am!”

I shouted.

“An otherworld possessor!”

Silence.

Everyone froze as if I had cast area-of-effect magic causing the status condition of fainting.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Professor Meldini’s angry hand and wand tip trembled.

Up and down.

And stopped.

[It is your turn. Remaining time: 60 seconds]

[Action Points: ■■■■]

Because I flipped the hourglass.

***

Now let’s examine their faces.

People who are going ‘Gasp!’ like Isilof right now are circles.

They’re people who want to protect me even if I’m a possessor.

Characters who are like ‘Damn, you’re dead now!’ like Meldini are triangles.

They’re people who won’t touch me if I prove I’m not a possessor.

If there’s a possessor cartel in the Magic University, what expression would they have right now?

Probably one of these two,

‘Ah, that bastard went haywire. I was watching to see if he’d be useful for recruitment, but what a waste!’

Or.

‘Our cartel is already full. Poor bastard. I was already wondering how to deal with him, but he self-destructed. Thank goodness.’

Let me see who made expressions like these.

Of course, I can’t be certain with just this, but I can make a rough sketch.

First, senior professor Dalstream.

Hmm.

‘I don’t know.’

That old man seems to have no expression at all. Are you a card shark?

And other professors.

Teaching assistants.

I check as many as possible.

Hasty judgments can become preconceptions and actually reduce my analytical ability, so I’ll be as conservative as possible.

‘Professor Enver.’

There’s not as much to glean as I expected, but that person is somewhat suspicious.

Because he has an ‘excited’ face right now.

Wow, this is really fun amid the boredom! I need to go back and tell the cartel bros about this!

…He’s giggling with that kind of feeling.

I need to keep an eye on that guy.

[It is your turn. Remaining time: 11 seconds]

Should I wrap this up now?

“Professor Meldini.”

It’s true that I lure-fished against you, but I have no personal feelings about catching you like this.

I think you’re just a citizen trying to protect this city and university in your own way.

“I’m sorry.”

7 seconds remaining.

Now I’ll add one cute little lie.

“Abyss of the Labyrinth is the greatest game of my life, a masterpiece so awesome it could win Game of the Year for 100 consecutive years. Playing that game was the greatest fortune of my life, damn it! Everyone! Play Abyss of the Labyrinth!”

[Turn ended.]

[The hourglass has been flipped again. Cooldown: 60 seconds]

***

Rashes appear on my skin. My whole body is hot like an allergic reaction.

“Kugh…”

My breathing became rapid. Tears, snot, and saliva flowed as.

Because I lied while under lie prevention magic.

“Uh… Uhhh…”

“Caleb!”

Amid everyone’s shock, Isilof caught and held me.

Should I look at Meldini? What expression is he making?

Hmm.

A malicious wizard professor who illegally cast lie prevention magic on an innocent genius wizard freshman, cornered him, and forced a frenzied hot-blooded student to make a false declarative statement like ‘This is what you want to hear, right? I am an otherworld possessor! Are you satisfied!’ causing him to have a seizure.

The wicked wizard professor Meldini was trembling with shock beyond imagination and staggering backward.

Kind of pitiful.

Sorry, professor.

But you started it first.

“Huk… Huk…”

And this damn magic. This seizure is more intense than I thought. My whole body is itchy and hot and chaotic.

But I got you all good, didn’t I?

“…!”

The person of interest I checked earlier, Professor Enver, also looks very surprised.

You were laughing excitedly before, you bastard. Serves you right.

You were convinced I was a possessor and had surveillance networks spread out watching me, right? But since I’m not, you panicked, right? Have you seen protagonists caught in a dragnet in martial arts novels?

I’m getting out, of course.

I can’t make false statements true, but with the King-God-Hourglass, I can make true statements appear false.

That’s how I made the statement ‘I am a possessor’ appear to be a lie.

I won’t be caught.

I will not be discovered.

I’m the one who will catch your backs first.

I will find you first.

Whether negotiation or combat, seizing advantageous positions is essential for clearing this damn game.

“What are you doing! Take him inside! Quickly!”

As I heard Isilof’s shout, I lost consciousness.