CHAPTER 2

Forming a Party

Part I: Trust Level

After leaving the labyrinth, I swung by the Mercenary Office on the way to the Guild to drop off Theresia. Leila, the assistant manager, came out to meet us.

“It’s only been a couple of hours, but you’ve come back after fighting together. That’s brave. Theresia, make sure to drop off your equipment with the craftsman. It’ll need cleaning and maintenance.”

Theresia nodded in response but didn’t move. She just stood there staring at me.

“…Hmm? Normally you go without me having to say anything. Theresia, is there something you want to say?” asked Leila.

“……”

“Not that we could understand anything since you can’t talk. Wish I had some sort of telepathy skill,” muttered Leila.

Today we worked together, helped each other fight, and defeated a strong enemy. Theresia protected me, and I definitely felt reluctant to part ways with her so easily. As long as I had tickets, though, I could hire her again. I only had two left right now, but there had to be a way to get more.

“Leila, I was hoping to hire Theresia tomorrow as well, but…I only have two more tickets, so I was wondering if I could purchase more somehow.”

“Well, you can’t reserve a mercenary. Every Seeker gets the same fair chance to hire one, so as a rule, you can only hire a mercenary when you come to the office. You can buy more tickets from the Guild, but only ten per month. It’s to prevent Seekers from relying too much on mercenaries and losing their own ambition, but even so there are those who become dependent.”

Which means…even though I’ve made a connection with Theresia, I can’t think of her as a permanent member of my party.

Theresia was staring at me the whole time, but partway through our conversation, she suddenly turned and went back into the Mercenary Office. Leila seemed amused; the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile.

“Hmph. It’s pretty rare, but for some reason that lizardman has taken a real liking to you,” said Leila.

“Uh… You think so?”

“Only jobs like Monster Tamers can naturally get demi-humans to like them. To be honest, even we don’t know much about the minds of the demi-humans. Every once in a while, one will take a particular liking to a person who doesn’t know telepathy or isn’t a Monster Tamer.”

I did have one clue that Theresia had started to take a liking to me: My license said her Trust Level increased. I wondered if that was because I’d supported her with Defense Support 1 and Attack Support 1, or maybe because we were in a party together. I decided to bring up Trust Levels to Louisa when I asked her about contribution levels.

“Even if you’re not a Monster Tamer, if a demi-human likes you enough, it is possible to make them a permanent member of your party. You’d have to pay to cover the cost, but you could have Theresia’s ownership transferred to you. The cost is set at a hundred Mercenary Ticket’s worth.”

A hundred tickets…enough money to hire Theresia a hundred times. I actually don’t think that’s too expensive if it means I can have her as a permanent companion.

But if I could only buy ten tickets per month, I’d have to wait at least ten months to do it, and I wouldn’t be able to hire her during that time. I decided to ask Louisa about that, too. Maybe there was some way I could get around it.

“Also, if you purchase a mercenary, then you’re responsible for their care, clothing, food, shelter, the whole lot. There’s no way to get that kind of money if you’re just starting out as a Seeker. You should get more experience under your belt and hire Theresia again if you want. There’s no need to rush things. In my experience, it’s almost unheard of for a mercenary to like someone else enough for them to purchase the mercenary before you could,” continued Leila.

Almost. If it’s difficult to raise this Trust Level or if it depends on how well you get along, then what Leila says is probably true. Even so, I wanted to gather one hundred bronze Mercenary Tickets as quickly as possible. Parties were made up of vanguards, midguards, and rearguards. I could ask Theresia to cover either vanguard or midguard, then I could probably even easily convince another rearguard to join. Over time, I could invite someone who could take over vanguard and eventually make the perfect party.

It was more than that, though. After a single outing together, we ended up cooperating so well that I couldn’t even consider forming a party without her.

“Okay. I’ll gather one hundred tickets as soon as possible,” I said.

“All right. The office opens at eight in the morning, so you should get here early tomorrow.”

Leila bowed her head, and I left the Mercenary Office. I saw the Monster Dissection Center, but since Redface had a bounty on it, I wanted to show it to Louisa first. It’d probably be fine to just take the materials as proof, but I didn’t want to risk it.

Ribault and his party were coming out of the Guild as I approached. They were probably going back to the labyrinth entrance after having taken Igarashi to a Healer.

“Hey, Arihito. We’ve left that lady Seeker in a Healer’s care. They’ll probably transfer her to a patient room, so you should check in with them,” said Ribault when he saw me.

“Thank you, Ribault. You’ve been a huge help.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it—we’re just doing our job. Sorry for not using a Return Scroll earlier. We could’ve teleported over, but they’re so expensive and end up reducing your contribution level. You lose a hundred points if you don’t go out on your own feet.”

“That seems like a lot… So then Baldwick and his party who used a scroll…”

“It’ll depend on what they did before they ran into the Named Monster, but they’ll probably be in the negative and fall in rank. They didn’t have much choice, though. At least this way they live to fight another day. Hopefully they’ll learn from this, stop pretending to be guides, and just do some good old-fashioned seeking.”

If Redface hadn’t shown up, there’d probably be a few beginners who’d benefit from the guidance, but if the guide wasn’t a particularly strong Seeker, the risks were too high. Looks like I learned something from their mistake as well.

“Arihito, you coming to the Field of Dawn tomorrow, too? Or are you going to one of the other one-star labyrinths?” asked Ribault.

“I hadn’t really decided yet, but I do think I should try out the same labyrinth again.”

“Yeah? Well, if you can, you should invite that lady Seeker to join your party. I dunno if it’s ’cause she’s not specialized in vanguard or rearguard, or if it’s her personality, but it seemed like she couldn’t find a party… It’s too dangerous to go it alone at level one.”

It was generally accepted as Seekers that it was better for novices to gather people with highly specialized jobs. Valkyries probably became really strong at higher levels, but it was like a Rogue in that, at low levels, they were seen as a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

Would Igarashi even come with me if I invited her? If I asked now, she’d probably just think I was doing it out of pity.

But at this point…what I feel about Igarashi is less that I can’t handle her and more that I’m grateful that she protected me.

She’d been forced into a terrible situation, but she stood her ground and took on Redface. If someone wasn’t watching her to make sure she didn’t do something else that reckless… Ribault was right, she couldn’t be left on her own.

“What’s the scowl for? Oh, did the two of you not get along in your previous life or somethin’? Lots of people open up after reincarnating. It can go surprisingly well; maybe you should give it a shot.”

“I sure hope so. I just don’t want to come off as hostile.”

“Ha-ha-ha… At least you’re self-aware. In any case, mull it over a bit, even if you think this is all just pointless chatter from an old man. But I doubt there’s a soul who could keep on hating someone who saved their life. Well, good luck. See you later.” You couldn’t really deny the fact that I’d protected Igarashi.

He wished me good luck, but…can I even convince her?

“Mr. Atobe! …Oh, thank goodness. You’re unharmed and not poisoned.”

While I was thinking, Louisa came running up to me looking like she was on the verge of tears. She must have worried after seeing Igarashi getting carried off unconscious.

“Yep, as you can see, I am perfectly fine. It’s all thanks to the tickets you gave me.”

“Oh, n-no, that’s not… I just pushed my responsibilities off on the Mercenary Office…,” said Louisa, her face flushed red as she spoke, but she had just been running.

I was about to shock her with some more news, but I wanted her to know what happened. There was a chance that I’d need her help to keep some secrets in the future, too.

“Louisa, could I speak with you for moment?”

“Y-yes… Is it something particularly secret?” she asked, leaning in so she could hear as I spoke in a low voice so that the others around us couldn’t hear.

“I defeated this monster called Redface. Would you mind looking these over for me?”

Louisa did seem incredibly surprised. She pulled away from me, her eyes wide, lower lip trembling. I showed her the leather sack containing the result of the hunt. She didn’t seem to quite understand for a moment but then became very conscious of who was around us.

“U-understood. Well then, why don’t we go into one of the rooms inside…?” she said, trying to hold on to her composure as best as possible, but her voice wavered slightly. I carried the sack as I followed behind, slightly curious what exactly I’d get for it.

Part II: The Adventure’s Reward

Louisa guided me past the large reception room to a private chamber. There seemed to be different rooms of various sizes depending on how large the corresponding party was. Louisa led me into a small one that had only a square table and four chairs. She suggested I take a seat and left the room for a moment, but I decided to look around and saw some scales and other pieces of equipment that looked like they were meant to be used for loot.

I probably shouldn’t just pull out Redface since I’ve already surprised her…but I just stuffed it in the bag without thinking much; I don’t know how well it’s kept.

I started to worry but had been told to carry my loot in this sack, and there wasn’t any point in thinking about it now. I finally decided to take a seat, and a short while later, Louisa knocked politely on the door before coming in with some drink glasses on a tray.

“Here, have some tea. Do you like herbal?”

“Yeah, I’m not too picky about what I drink, so this is fine. Thank you.”

My favorite drink of all was probably just sparkling water. It was better at waking me up when I was working overtime than a cup of coffee, and it didn’t destroy your liver if you drank a ton. But anyway, I should just forget about my days as a corporate slave.

The herbal tea had a refreshing aroma and was chilled to a perfect temperature. I was honestly pretty impressed because I’d assumed based on this society’s level of advancement that they’d only have lukewarm drinks.

“Right, I don’t want to rush you, but could I first check your Seeking Record on your license?”

“Of course. A lot happened. Here it is.” I was interested to see what her reaction would be but also a bit nervous. I’m pretty sure every human being gets nervous right before an evaluation.

Louisa looked at the page of my license I showed, and her hand flew to her mouth in shock. She almost said something, but she managed to hold it back.

“Oh… Cough, cough.”

“A-are you okay?”

“N-no need to worry… Two—two hundred eighty… How could you get these numbers…? Oh, you really did defeat a creature with a bounty on it!”

She had changed from an official Guild caseworker to her normal self. Her cheeks were burning red, and she looked at me like I was some sort of celebrity.

“That’s amazing… Absolutely incredible, Mr. Atobe! The highest contribution level I’d ever received when I worked as a Seeker was one hundred and five, and I didn’t get to level two until a month after I started!”

“R-really? So I guess defeating Redface was a good thing after all.”

“I believe it was. The amount of experience you gain from a monster with a bounty on it is far more than that from a non-bounty monster of the same type. By the way, it’s estimated that it takes hunting approximately fifty Cotton Balls to go from level one to two.”

Which meant the experience I got from Redface was about fifty times more than a normal Cotton Ball. That was probably right, since it was strong enough to defeat a level-3 party.

“…N-now then, could you please place the item you took from Redface as proof that you defeated it on the plate here?”

“Sure. Um, I just put the whole thing in my sack… Is it all right to just take it out here?”

“Y-yes, that’s quite fine. I’ve worked as a caseworker for five years now, so I’ve seen plenty of monsters… Ah!”

I pulled myself together and reached into the leather sack to remove Redface’s body and placed it on the plate. It was pretty unpleasant to touch, so I decided I wanted to invest in some gloves when I got my bounty.

“Here it is… Wh-whoa, Louisa, are you all right?”

“…You really did defeat it… Wow… To think someone with your potential came to me, and I completely misjudged you…” She had her hand over her mouth, her cheeks burning red. I’d never had a woman look at me like that. I was worried she might realize I didn’t really know how to interact with women.

“Uh, um, like it says on my license, I was with the mercenary Theresia, plus Kyouka, who was brought in earlier, so the three of us defeated it together.”

“No… I don’t mean to be blunt, but if you were fighting with your two companions normally against Redface, you wouldn’t have received such a high contribution level. I firmly believe that it was all you and the ability of your unknown job. Amazing…you really are amazing…”

“L-Louisa, look, I’m just a normal guy. You keep saying I’m amazing, but I’m not sure it’s true. I don’t think you give yourself enough credit, either.” I probably should’ve used the opportunity to sell myself instead of denying it, but alas, that just wasn’t my personality.

“…Oh. I—I do apologize for getting so worked up all of a sudden. It’s just, this is the first time I’ve ever been the caseworker for someone with such potential. Reaching two hundred eighty contribution points is, without a doubt, the best out of all your fellow reincarnates. Congratulations!”

The best. I hadn’t heard those words used to describe me in so long. It sounded pretty good. I couldn’t help getting a bit excited, but I needed to make sure I didn’t get too full of myself that people would get annoyed. Besides, it’d come back to bite me if this info got out. Better consult with Louisa about that, too.

“Th-thank you… Also, Louisa, I had something I was hoping you could help me with.”

“Of course, what can I do for you?”

“If possible, I’d like to keep other people from finding out it was me who defeated Redface. It was already targeting another party when we just happened to show up, so we were forced to stop and fight it. But normally, a party of our level wouldn’t have stood a chance against a monster like that.”

Louisa understood what I was getting at and why I didn’t want everyone to know. She stroked her green hair, which was up in a bun, an attentive expression on her face as she listened.

“Yes…you’re right. Many people out there would try to take advantage of you if they learned of your abilities. Of course, as your caseworker, I have no intention of letting that happen. I want to put you in a position where you’ll be able to continue seeking without any needless restrictions.”

“Thank you, Louisa. I really appreciate your understanding.”

“Very well. I won’t make it public that you were the one to defeat Redface. I will, however, have to put a notice on the bulletin board at a later date that Redface was in fact defeated.”

Good thing the Guild was so flexible. This took care of one of my concerns, and I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

“Redface has injured many a Seeker to a point where they will never recover, so the bounty reflects the risk of injury. However, since it was only a one-star bounty, the award is not very high. You will receive twenty gold coins.”

“Twenty gold coins…how much is that worth?”

“Currency comes in copper, silver, and gold coins, each worth ten times the one before it. That means that twenty gold coins is equal to two thousand copper coins. For reference, a lunch from a dining hall in District Eight costs three copper coins.”

So I managed to make enough to cover lunch for nearly two years with about an hour’s work. But would this amount of award be enough? If armor and whatnot was expensive, I wouldn’t have much left once I’d gotten all my necessary equipment.

“How would you like to receive the payment? I can deposit it directly into your bank account or I can give it to you in cash. Every Seeker is given a bank account when they register with the Guild.”

“Okay, could I have one hundred copper in cash and the rest placed in my account?”

“Yes. I will need to make a print of Redface’s foot as proof it was defeated, but you can then decide what to do with its materials after that. The Guild can purchase them, but it tends to be at a lower price than at a dissection center.”

“So I even receive the materials? Oh, I’ll have to take this to a dissection center right away then, since I only just put it in this sack.”

“That’s not necessary. Items placed in this sack won’t degrade after one day. You can purchase higher-quality bags, which hold more or have longer preservation periods. They also come in a variety of styles, such as a backpack.”

I was learning about more and more things that I wanted to buy, but I wanted to get them in a way that fit in with my plans. If Redface’s remains lasted for a day, then I should have no problems stopping by a dissection center before going into the labyrinth tomorrow morning.

There were still two more things I wanted to ask Louisa. First was about this Trust Level, and second was about my ranking after calculating my contribution points.

“Louisa, I had a question about this ‘Trust Level’ it mentions here…”

“The Guild also evaluates Seekers on whether or not they are building harmonious relationships. For example, if you go on an expedition together without any strife, your points may increase…”

She apparently hadn’t taken a good look at the numbers shown on my license, but suddenly her eyes were glued as she looked down at it. She slowly raised her head to look at me, and her face was again flushed red. Apparently, Louisa was the kind of person who wore her heart on her sleeve.

“F-fifty…? How exactly could you become so close in such a short period? And with a mercenary no less, whose Trust Level rarely increases…?”

“H-huh? So are those fifty points how much my Trust Level increased?”

“N-not quite… Trust is by nature not something you can reduce to numbers, but your license automatically makes rough estimates and turns it into numbers based on the situations between members of the party. Unless there’s something extreme, the contribution points from increased Trust Levels are usually five or below.”

So it wasn’t just my imagination that Theresia’s attitude had changed. Apparently, our relationship had improved beyond a normal degree just like Leila had said.

I have to improve my relationship with a vanguard and midguard so I can use my rearguard skills properly…which means, while I’m supporting them, they might start liking me far more than would be expected… Oh man.

I wanted to think that if men joined the party, we’d become closer friends. But trust isn’t the same as affection. Probably. Definitely. I might get suddenly closer to the women in the party, Theresia and now Igarashi, but…I wasn’t actually looking forward to that. I wanted to gain their trust a normal way.

“…I wonder what this means, I almost want to join your party for one day to see. The more I learn about you, Mr. Atobe, the more questions I have…,” said Louisa with a smile as she removed her monocle.

If she came along with me, I’d have to protect her from behind with Defense Support, and her Trust Level for me might go up…but that felt manipulative; I’d have to remember my place…

“Mr. Atobe? What happened? You look so cheerful all of a sudden.”

“Oh, uh, no. I mean, I don’t really understand the Trust Level much, either. I think it’s best if you just don’t worry too much about it. The last question I wanted to ask you was…did I manage to avoid having to sleep in the barn or jail?”

“Yes, of course. Your rank is now thirty-seven thousand five hundred and twenty-nine. Only looking at District Eight, you are ranked one thousand and twenty-four out of approximately three thousand, so you are in the upper half of District Eight. You will be provided a suite at an inn in District Eight. I’ll give you the room information in a moment.”

Suite…sounds like a large hotel room to me, but this is a different world, so I wonder what it’ll be like.

“Oh, speaking of which, you fought alongside Kyouka Igarashi, the Seeker who was taken to the Healer shortly before you arrived, correct?”

“Y-yes. We just ran into each other, though…”

“Ms. Igarashi was able to defeat one Cotton Ball, but her attacks were ineffective against Redface. She was defeated and required rescue. Her current contribution points are at zero, meaning she will have to stay in the barn after she’s been discharged from the Healer.”

Igarashi? In a barn?

“I should be the one to tell her, right?” I said. “We knew each other from our previous world.”

“If it’s not too much trouble. Her caseworker was quite new, and he took this as a reflection of his abilities…and decided he couldn’t continue in this line of work.”

It’d probably be hard to tell a prideful woman like Igarashi that she had to sleep in the barn. And to top it all off, I’d been given a suite. She might even demand we switch rooms, but I decided I’d be firm. I wanted to protect what would become my stronghold.

“You seem concerned for her, Mr. Atobe,” said Louisa, breaking off my train of thought. “I understand how you feel.”

“Oh, well, actually… I mean, I am worried, but that’s not—”

“Your suite does have two beds. If you’re worried she’s still weak, perhaps you could invite her to stay with you? I doubt there would be any issues given how you’re such a gentleman.”

Louisa had offered to provide me with accommodation if things got too difficult because of a low ranking. Why didn’t she think to do the same for Igarashi? But that wasn’t the point. Even if it meant she could avoid having to sleep in a barn, I didn’t have the courage to invite her into my suite.

Part III: Valkyrie

I left the Guild and headed toward the Healer’s, which was nearby. Reception told me where Igarashi’s room was. Her vitality must’ve been restored by then, since she was apparently sleeping in the first-aid room. A nurse exiting the room saw me and asked how I knew Igarashi. I said she was an acquaintance. The nurse checked my license, then let me in to see her.

“She’s sleeping at the moment, but I expect she’ll wake soon. She is likely still in shock from the battle, so please be mindful when you speak with her.”

“Understood. Is it all right if I go inside now?”

“Yes, that’s fine. If you need anything, just call one of us Healers.”

She was a Healer, not a nurse. I was a bit curious since I hadn’t yet seen a healing job’s abilities in practice, but I decided to leave that for when I took damage and needed it myself. Although as rearguard, I was theoretically in a position that prevented me from taking damage.

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The Healer had said it was okay to go in, so I opened the door to the bright room, which had thin curtains drawn over the windows, and saw Igarashi sleeping in a bed with unbleached sheets.

“…Pardon me,” I said quietly and sat in a wooden chair next to the bed.

Igarashi’s face was somewhat pale, but she was sleeping peacefully.

What should I tell her first when she wakes up? Should I try not to injure her pride? Or should I tell her she shouldn’t go off and do reckless things without even making a party?

“…Mm…”

Before I could organize my thoughts, Igarashi stirred slightly and opened her eyes a little.

“Good, you’re awake. Everything’s going to be okay, boss.”

“……”

I was worried that she still wasn’t entirely conscious, but Igarashi looked in my direction and gave a pained smile when she saw me.

“…I know we’re in another world, but waking up to you at my bedside feels like a bad sign,” she replied.

“Sorry about that. But I really am glad you’re okay. I wasn’t sure what would happen…”

“I thought I was going to die, too, but I guess not. It looked like that monster slowed down a bit after I hit it with my Thunderbolt, so I don’t think I got the full force of the blow. Still, my arm hurt so much I thought it was broken.”

I couldn’t decide for a moment if I should tell her the Healer fixed her arm. She’d probably grill me about what I did while she was unconscious if she thought of when I used Recovery Support. While I was busy hemming and hawing, Igarashi looked down pensively and spoke.

“…You…you took care of me then, didn’t you?”

“Uh…um, well…,” I stammered.

“Yeah…that red thing must’ve already been defeated. It was gone. Monsters don’t just jump out then run away, which means you and your companion must have beaten it, but…”

The Igarashi I knew would never believe I’d beaten Redface. This was about where she’d laugh off the idea…but something seemed different about her now. At first, she’d been like she always was, acting like I just got on her nerves, but now her tone was gentle. It was almost like she was trying to be considerate.

“…Feel free to laugh if I’m totally off the mark, but if you hadn’t been there, I probably would have died. That’s a fact, isn’t it?”

“I…I guess that’s true. But I was just lucky. There’s no reason to think things will go as well the next time a strong enemy appears.”

“There you go again… Shouldn’t you be a little more confident in yourself when you’ve achieved something?”

“…I guess so.”

She’d gone back to her normal self. Maybe it would be too painful for me to be in a party with her. Even so, the normal Igarashi would’ve taken one look at my pained expression and gotten even more annoyed, but instead, her hostility suddenly disappeared, and she looked away.

“…Sorry. I’m the one who’s useless here,” she continued. “I picked a job just because it seemed cool but then couldn’t find a party… I thought I could do something on my own, but it turns out I can’t do anything.”

“Th-that’s not true. All jobs are strong at higher levels. I think you can make a solid party no matter what the members’ jobs are. So…don’t let it get you down. You’re just starting out anyway.”

“…Atobe…”

“Uh… S-sorry. It’s not my place, I just…”

I was suddenly embarrassed for getting so worked up. I’d never talked to Igarashi like this, so emotionally. Our company’s attitude was that employees who were easily flustered were harder to work with.

“…Wh-what I mean is…I think Valkyrie is a good job. It seems like something that’d get really powerful in the future, it gets good equipment, and it’s cool.”

“…Are you seriously that eager to please? I knew you were busy, but I just threw more work at you and said good luck, not taking any responsibility myself… You always helped me, but I just called you useful. I knew it, but I was just arrogant and using you. Why do you still worry about me…?”

I didn’t know if she realized now why I had such a hard time getting along with her. Maybe she realized since I didn’t want to be in a party with her even though we had been coworkers before.

“…It’s not that I worry about you. You didn’t run away back there. I hit that monster with my slingshot, and it went after us, but you still used your magic on it. I’m grateful for that…and I thought it was pretty cool.” Flustered, Igarashi fidgeted and averted her gaze.

“Wh-what about that was cool anyway? …I was reckless and made an even bigger mess for you to clean up…”

“Yeah, you were reckless. But what you did lit a fire in me. Luck did play a part in me defeating that thing, but now I have confidence that I could beat it if I ever ran into something like that again.”

“Is the job you chose really that powerful?”

“I’ll be able to harness its power if the conditions are right. That’s why I want to start gathering party members…” That alone appeared to convince Igarashi of my intentions.

“…With such an amazing job, you ought to be able to get some really strong people to join, right?” she asked.

“Probably. But I think it would be better to have members who are closer in level. It’d be great if they could consider what skills to take based on my skills.”

“So you would be the leader? You would be the one bringing in people?”

“W-well… I know you may think that I don’t have it in me. But I want to be able to do the things I feel like doing in this world, and I think me being the leader will set the groundwork for that.”

I felt like we were in a business meeting. I wondered how she would take my leadership proposal.

“And if…if you think I’m not an effective leader, that you can’t rely on me, you are free to leave. But, Igarashi, would you join my party?”

Igarashi lay there staring at me for a moment, her expression unchanged as she looked away once more. I guess her pride would keep her from working under a former subordinate. Not much use there. I thought it would just be easier to back down now, but what followed changed my mind.

Igarashi glanced up at the ceiling, then back at me. If things were normal, this would be where she would glare at me, but everything was different now.

“…You saved my life. You encouraged me. What the hell kind of person am I if I don’t listen to you now?”

“Uh, um… I assume I can take that as a yes?”

“I’ll sign something if I need to. I doubt you can trust my word.”

“N-no…that’s not it. Anyway, Miss—”

“Don’t call me miss. I’m not your boss anymore.”

“O-okay, then… Igarashi. Going forward, I’d like to clarify the benefits of joining my party—”

“Ha-ha… You don’t need to worry about that. It’s got plenty of benefits already. The fact that I’m still alive is the greatest benefit of all.”

I was struck again that she could smile like that and couldn’t help smiling myself, but that seemed to make Igarashi a little self-conscious. Thinking about it, she’d never had the opportunity at the company to just show me who she truly was. I think this was the first time I ever saw the real Kyouka Igarashi. I no longer viewed her as my demon boss; I just wanted our relationship as party members to go well. I’d finally managed to think that earnestly.

“Right…first, I want to do something about our clothes,” said Igarashi. “This stands out too much, and I’m afraid it’ll attract attention from the wrong sort of people.”

“Ha-ha-ha… You’re right about that. Afterward, we can go to a weapons shop,” I replied.

She had on a sweater, pencil skirt, and boots. It didn’t quite feel right to just hand her a spear and call her a Valkyrie.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure my rank went down since I was defeated…,” said Igarashi as she checked her license. Her hands began to shake when she saw her contribution points were bottomed out, so her rank must be quite low. It did seem possible, though, for contribution points to go in the negative, so surely she couldn’t be ranked last.

“I’m two thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven out of three thousand and thirty-nine… G-guess that means I’m sleeping in the barn tonight, eh?”

“…Igarashi, I do have one suggestion. Please hear me out without getting angry.”

“Um, okay… What exactly is it? You look so serious.”

“Uh, um… Would you mind staying in my lodging temporarily? I won’t do anything strange of course, it’ll just be an emergency measure until your rank increases.”

Igarashi didn’t say anything, not even a Huh?—she just stared up at me, studying my face before answering.

“…I can’t restore my vitality if I’m in the barn, so…i-if it’s not too much of an imposition…”

“R-right, it’s settled, then. Okay, so shall we hurry up and go?”

“Uh…g-go where?”

“My lodging. Apparently, it’s a suite, so I get the impression that it’ll be fairly large.”

“A suite? Is your rank really that high…?” said Igarashi as she looked at me enviously.

A short while ago, I could have never imagined her being envious of me. To be honest, it made me a little happy. I guess I’m easily pleased.

I looked at the map on my license, and we decided to briefly stop at the lodging to rest before heading out to dinner.

Part IV: The Necessities

Once we’d gone through the process to have Igarashi discharged from the hospital, we headed toward my lodging but stopped on the way in a clothing store at her request. She browsed the racks and put the items that matched what she was looking for in a basket. I thought I should look for something for myself as well, but she started talking to me before I could.

“They did say they’d provide us with a change of clothes if we wanted, but what they had available just wouldn’t have worked for a modern person like me.”

The Guild did offer new Seekers some cotton or hemp clothing in the way of T-shirts, pants, underwear, and whatnot, but they didn’t provide shoes. You needed to earn money to purchase them yourself. Also, apparently, the female Seekers couldn’t get bras if they didn’t earn money, which was pretty rough for them. However, you could trade in the body of one Cotton Ball for five copper coins, so you could get a full set of clothes after hunting just five Cotton Balls.

“I guess they need large amounts of that fluffy Cotton Ball fur to make clothing. I’m not sure how I feel about wearing things made with materials from monsters who attack us, but I guess I’ll get used to it,” said Igarashi.

“And it means there’s a constant demand for Cotton Balls. I was wondering why the price you could exchange one for was set,” I said.

This country had only the Seekers and the people necessary to support them. The labyrinth was one location from which the materials necessary to maintain their lives were produced. That didn’t mean that the only food available was the meat from monsters, though. There were some people in the town who ate a bread-like food.

“Anyway, thanks for helping me out with so much, even lending me money,” said Igarashi.

“It’s for necessities. I’m sorry I didn’t realize, I’m sure a lady wouldn’t be comfortable wearing the same clothes tomorrow,” I replied.

“Can’t really say anything once it comes down to it. We’ve only been here for about half a day…,” said Igarashi with a glance at me like there was something on her mind.

“Oh, no, you don’t smell sweaty or anything, don’t worry,” I stammered.

“Urk…um. Even if that’s the case, you shouldn’t say anything about it.”

“S-sorry, I’m not really good at interacting with women…,” I said, but she would probably argue that I saw her basically every day, so it wasn’t a good excuse. Unexpectedly, though, she just huffed, not necessarily because I upset her.

“Well then, you’ll start to get more experience once you’ve got a party put together. And I’ll try not to get too annoyed, like now.”

“Ha-ha…sorry,” I replied with a nervous laugh.

“You don’t need to apologize so much. I’m not really that angry… Heh-heh.”

Louisa had also mentioned I was quick to apologize. I guess it’s something I should be careful of.

Igarashi smiled happily even though she was gently chiding me.

“You know, we would’ve never had the chance to talk like this if we hadn’t been reincarnated,” she said.

“Ha-ha, you’re definitely right about that. I don’t think I’ve even spoken to you about anything other than work.”

“Because if you weren’t careful about what personal information you gave, it’d come back to bite you as rumors and gossip. You remember that one time I stayed late with you to work? I got a warning from a higher-up about that.”

I had no idea that kind of thing happened. Well, actually, I did know about one rumor in particular…the one that Igarashi had only been promoted so quickly because this “higher-up” she mentioned—the company’s CEO—had taken a personal liking to her. I didn’t really believe it, but I also didn’t think it was entirely impossible. I didn’t really know what the truth was. I was a little curious, but I figured asking would make her hate me.

“…You’re probably aware, Atobe, that the reason I was promoted was because it was arranged by the CEO,” she suddenly said.

“Uh… R-really…?” I stammered.

“Oh, you misunderstand me… We weren’t intimate or anything like that. He just had his eye on me and was trying to turn me into his pawn. After I was promoted, he’d constantly remind me of how he was the one who gave me the opportunity.”

“…I’m sure he had his eye on you because you’re so beautiful. Apparently, the CEO’s gotten himself into trouble for his relationships with women ever since he was young.”

Men in positions of authority, even married men, tended to get wrapped up in other women. It’s something you see fairly often once you’re out in the real world.

I suddenly realized I must have said something wrong. Igarashi’s face turned bright red, and she was staring at me.

“…Is that really what you think of me?” she asked.

“N-no, I never really knew anything about your relationship with the CEO—”

“Th-that’s not what I meant… Y-you called me beautiful… Well, whatever. Anyway, the point is that people were wrong when they assumed there was anything going on between me and him. Even I hated the fact that that’s the reason I was promoted, and all his e-mails to me were pushy. I probably would’ve quit before long if nothing changed.”

“…So maybe that’s part of why you couldn’t concentrate on work and pushed it all on me?”

“…Yeah, there’s that, and other things. My parents suddenly told me I had to marry this guy they knew. Actually, they were against me going to college in the first place.”

I was finding out that Igarashi’s mountain of issues was far larger than I had ever imagined… Does being a young woman really bring so many troubles?

“Sorry if I misunderstood, but when you say your parents were making you marry some guy, do you mean you would be inheriting something…?”

“My dad did run a company, but I wouldn’t say I was expected to inherit it,” she said as she looked off in the distance, probably remembering her family. “My dad’s company hadn’t been doing very well recently. A long time ago at a party or something, the son of one of my dad’s clients saw me and had a thing for me… It’s been going on ever since I was in high school. All despite the fact that we basically only met once.”

So her dad wanted her to marry some guy to improve his relationship with a client… She was going to be used as fodder for a political marriage.

“Well, that doesn’t mean it was okay for me to push so much work on you… I really am sorry. Whenever I thought about how I might have to quit, I couldn’t really find it in me to do any work…”

I couldn’t even say that she should have talked to me about what was happening. If we hadn’t been reincarnated, she probably would have been forced to marry this guy her parents had chosen for their own convenience.

“I did like my job, and I was glad that I was promoted. But if I hadn’t had you to rely on, I wouldn’t have been able to do my job as manager. I didn’t have enough real-world experience, so it made me feel safe to have you there since you had so much more. I leaned on you…but really, someone like you should’ve been the person to advance.”

“No, I’m…I’m actually more suited to work behind the scenes.”

“…People like you are suited to be leaders in this world. You rarely get angry, you listen to what other people have to say…and…”

“And…?” Igarashi had said something, but I didn’t hear it clearly. She looked me in the eyes, then tried to laugh it off like it was nothing.

“What was your family like, Atobe?”

“Both my parents died when I was young. When you say family, I think about the workers in child welfare and my friends.” A lot of people tended to pity me when this topic came up, so I tried not to talk about it. But now that we’d both been reincarnated, it wasn’t something I could hide any longer.

“…I am so sorry. You worked so hard to get where you were, and I had no idea and just used you because you were good at what you did.”

“Well, I’d just thought you were using me because I was convenient, but that’s behind us now. It’s water under the bridge. What’s important now is that you listen to my directions as a member of my party.”

“…As long as…as long as it’s only orders that have to do with the party…”

“N-no, I mean…I won’t, like, sexually harass you or anything. Do you really think I’m that terrible a person?” I asked, but Igarashi put her hand over her mouth and giggled at her joke, the first laugh I’d seen from her in a long time. It was a gentle ladylike gesture. She’d probably deny it, but I’d be willing to bet her refined behavior was another reason she’d been given a management position so young.

“All right, are you finished shopping? Your basket looks pretty full.”

“Oh, sorry. It might be too expensive…” It looked like she’d picked out too many things and couldn’t decide. I didn’t mind helping out if that was the case.

“If I don’t have enough now, I can always go to the bank and withdraw more,” I told her.

“Oh, you still have more? But you’ve already lent me fifty.”

“Yeah, I still have more. You can pay me back whenever you get a chance. Would you like to borrow another fifty?”

“…Um, I think thirty should be fine. I’m not sure when I can get it back to you if I take more.”

If we were going to be working together as a party to go into the labyrinth, we’d be earning together, so I could argue that we could both carry the cost of purchasing resources, but maybe it’d be easier for people to shop if we put 50 percent of all earnings into a party fund and the rest was divided among the party members based on their contribution points.

I got the remaining funds necessary and watched Igarashi go off to pay for the clothes when I realized I hadn’t bought anything for myself. Armor and things for the labyrinth were one thing, but I decided I should probably at least get a change of clothes to sleep in.

Part V: The Definition of Rearguard

After buying our clothes, we headed toward the lodging area of District Eight where all the Seekers were gathered. My lodging was a three-story building with eight rooms on each floor, located atop a hill. I was on the top floor—Nornil Heights, room 304. That’s where we’d be staying.

An older lady, one in fairly good shape, showed us the room. Apparently, she and a number of employees cleaned and managed the building, which always had someone staying in it. She offered to give us a wake-up call, so I asked her to wake us at six thirty in the morning so that we could get to the Mercenary Office by eight.

“Please be careful not to lose the room key as there is only one. We would need to change the lock if we remake the key, so you would have to cover the cost of eight silver pieces. If you like, you can leave the key with me when you’re out.”

“Okay, we’ll make sure it doesn’t go missing,” I said.

Eight silver pieces was eighty copper pieces. It wasn’t exactly cheap, so we’d have to be very careful.

“Sorry, Igarashi, it looks like we can’t have two keys.”

“Hmm, you would make a key for each person even if they’re living together?” she asked.

“Well, it makes sense for convenience’s sake. It’s possible that you and I won’t come home at the same time always,” I replied. I hadn’t actually ever given someone else the spare key to my apartment back in my past world. I assumed it would be more convenient to have two, but that wasn’t based on real experience.

“…Hmm. I don’t think it’ll be a problem right now. Sure, it’s possible we might come and go separately, but we also might not have any arguments about it,” she said.

“I suppose so…,” I said. I felt like I was saying we’d never fight, but I wondered if our relationship had actually improved that much. Igarashi seemed to read my thoughts and grinned as she replied.

“I’ll be up for the challenge if you ever want to fight,” she said.

“No, I’m not that crazy. How about we try to keep things calm.”

“Hmm, yeah…that’d be best. I want us to get along as well as we can.”

Seriously…she’s really gotten more relaxed in our interactions… I wonder if it’s because we had that heart-to-heart at the clothing store?

My license had said her Trust Level in me increased, but I only got ten contribution points from it. That didn’t actually indicate how much closer Igarashi and I had grown…supposedly.

“Should we go get something to eat after dropping off our things? The dining hall is open late, but I heard getting tangled up with the high-level Seekers who get drunk later in the night can be rough,” she said.

“I don’t think there’s all that much crime around here since it means your karma will go up. Still, it’s best to be careful.”

“This karma stuff’s pretty nifty, isn’t it? You don’t even need to call the cops or anything. The Guild guards just show up all on their own.”

We opened the door as we talked and were first surprised to see there was a living room. Continuing past the living room was the bedroom, where there really were two beds.

“Wow, look at those high ceilings. And the room is so big… Atobe, exactly how high did your rank go that you ended up staying in a room like this? Is it because you beat that red thing?”

“Yeah. You fought it, too, so you have a right to stay here as well. Don’t hesitate to make yourself comfortable.”

“Y-you say that, but…,” she said as she pulled back, still holding her bag with her shopping. I’d assumed she’d be happy since this was a pretty normal room and she’d sort of accepted staying with me as just a matter of fact, so I was surprised at her reaction.

…Oh, that’s right. Her parents were really strict, so she’s probably never been to a hotel like this.

“…Igarashi?”

“Eek?!”

“S-sorry to startle you. Um, there’s two baskets for storing things, so you can use this one. We’ll pick beds later.”

“O-okay, got it. Fine with me— Eek!” Igarashi was about to stumble over absolutely nothing. That and her cute little yelp of surprise drew me to the conclusion that this twenty-five-year-old woman didn’t have much experience with men. Not that I was in any position to talk, even if I could sympathize. For some reason I felt I could be more patient with a woman who was more nervous than I was—something that really rang in this situation.

…Hang on. I wonder if I’m headed for some big change in my new reincarnated life?

“…What are you grinning about? Y-you got a problem or something?” barked Igarashi.

“No, nothing, it’s nothing. You put your things down, right? Let’s head out. I’m paying, so you don’t have to bring your wallet.”

“…Always so tactful, even if it’s a bit annoying. Are you used to this kind of thing?”

“No, absolutely not, as much as I’d like to claim I am. I just wanted to try to be a gentleman.”

“Hmm, really? I always assumed you were popular with the ladies.”

I had never even once had a woman say something like that to me, though I’d read in a men’s magazine it was a sign she liked you if she did. Or was it on the Internet? Regardless, I couldn’t get carried away. She wouldn’t hesitate to give me a piece of her mind if she thought I was happy to be sharing a room with her, so I did my best to get control of my facial expressions so she wouldn’t think I was still smiling.

We could eat in the lodging building, but that was fairly expensive, so someone suggested we walk down the hill to a tavern for dinner. The sun was soon going to fall behind the horizon, and the tavern was filled with Seekers who’d come back from their day’s adventure.

“I have no idea what kind of meat this is, but it’s not terrible,” said Igarashi as she ate.

“Do you have any strong food preferences?”

“Not really, but I’m not a fan of fermented fish or blue cheese. Or stinky tofu.”

Sounded like she didn’t like anything with a really strong smell. She wouldn’t be into stuff like durian, either. Not like I’d ever had it myself.

“Are the people who come to this area around the same rank as you?” asked Igarashi.

“I think so. It seems the highest-ranking people in District Eight live in a different area.”

“The Labyrinth Country’s divided into eight districts, and everyone’s competing within each one. I bet District One is completely different from here, don’t you think?”

“If we keep rising in rank, we’ll find out someday. As long as we’re moving up, we’ll reach another district.”

That’s why I wanted to gather more party members, level up, and get strong equipment.

“Oh, by the way, who was that person in the lizard getup that was with you earlier?”

“That was Theresia, a lizardman. The Guild receptionist had some concerns since we didn’t know the nature of my job, so she gave me some Mercenary Tickets. I used one to hire Theresia. I’d eventually like to make her a permanent party member.”

“She seemed really strong, so I’d feel better if she was always around. I have to level up so that I don’t drag you guys down.”

“I’ll help out. Tomorrow when we go seeking, I’ll tell you how we defeated the red thing. Skills are a Seeker’s lifeline, though, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone else unless it’s necessary.”

“That sounds amazing… I can’t wait. You know, when that red thing appeared, I thought I’d never want to go into the labyrinth ever again.”

I’m sure anyone would be traumatized if Redface suddenly attacked them.

“Apparently, Redface’s real target was that party with Baldwick. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” I told her.

“Yeah…actually, they came up to me just after I’d killed that one Cotton Ball on my own. They said they would protect me and I’d earn money faster. I was turning them down when it appeared.”

They were going up to novices and trying to put them in a position where they owed them. Just thinking about what Baldwick and his party might have done after that made me sick.

“You were using a spear, right? I thought Cotton Balls moved so fast, but you were able to beat one by yourself,” I said.

“I was in the naginata club in school. I chose a weapon that’s a similar shape…but the red thing broke it. I’ll need to replace it…”

“We’ll buy something tomorrow at the stores in front of the labyrinth. We need armor to put over our clothes, too.”

“Oh, right. Armor. I hadn’t put that much thought into it, since the clothes were so expensive, and I’d broken my weapon.”

“We’ll work hard to make sure we earn a steady income. We’ll get busy starting tomorrow.”

Wrapping up that conversation meant the end of our after-dinner meeting. I started to think we should go home for the day and take it easy, but that’s when I overheard a voice from somewhere in the tavern.

“Hey, did you hear? The Death Sword’s come to District Eight.”

“You’re saying the Death Sword left the White Night Brigade and ran out here?”

“Yep. Guess she’s teamed up with a novice and is trying to raise them until they’re actually worth something.”

At first, I didn’t think anything of their conversation. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with us. But when they mentioned a novice, the only people I could think of were the two girls I’d met that morning.

If they’re talking about Elitia and Suzuna, then…Elitia is this Death Sword person?

“It’s a good opportunity, don’t you think? A high-level Seeker dragging around some deadweight, if things go well…,” continued one of the people.

“Hey, don’t go blabbing in public. We’ll discuss this later,” said a man with a scar across his cheek. Maybe he was the party leader.

“Atobe, what’s wrong? You look upset,” said Igarashi.

“It’s nothing major. It just sounded like those men were talking about a girl who was reincarnated at the same time as us… But it’s not a problem right now. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“All right…if you say so.”

The entire Nornil Heights building had shared baths separated by gender. The lower-ranking Seekers had to use public bathhouses, so it was convenient for us that the building had them inside. I went to take a bath after Igarashi had left, but I was back to the room before she was. I rolled into bed thinking about the conversation I’d overheard at the tavern. My eyelids started feeling heavier and heavier.

I’m dead tired and nice and sleepy…but I want to stay awake a little longer…

I closed my eyes and started to drift off. Right before I’d slipped into sleep, I heard the sound of the door opening.

“Atobe, the baths in this place are amazing! I didn’t think they’d have shampoo and conditioner since it’s a different world, but it turns out they do— Oh… A-are you asleep? Sorry, I’ll be quiet…”

…That’s great, Igarashi.

At least, the thought crossed my mind, but I was too tired to answer. I’d also been pleasantly surprised about the shampoo and conditioner and wanted to share that with her, but I was past my limit.

“…See you tomorrow, Atobe,” said Igarashi gently as I slid into a deep sleep. It’d been a long time since I’d slept in a room with anyone else.

I continued to sleep in the darkened room. At one point, I woke up a little but didn’t open my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

“H-hey… Um, Atobe…”

“…Mm… Oh, good morning, Igarashi.” I opened my eyes as she gently shook me, and I saw her standing over me in her pajamas. I was surprised to realize she didn’t look any less beautiful without makeup on.

She stood by my bedside staring at me in the dim light as if she was trying to say something. When she’d had on her sweater before, I had a hard time finding a safe place to look, but even in her pajamas, I couldn’t keep my eyes from stopping at her chest. My karma would go up, but I just didn’t have the energy to look away. I wanted to look…but I shouldn’t.

“…Are you not able to sleep? Is it because you’re not using your normal pillow or something?” I asked.

“N-no, that’s not it… How do I say this…? I don’t want to make you feel weird or anything, but could you sleep with your back to me…?”

“With my back to you… Oh. Did I roll over? I didn’t mean to face that way.”

“It’s not your fault, you can’t help it. It’s just, when you’re facing this way…I sort of…feel strange…”

I didn’t really understand, but if it bothered her when I slept facing her, then I should just face the other way. But I might roll over again.

…Wait. She feels weird when I’m facing her back… So even when we’re sleeping in different beds, we’re still in position like a vanguard and rearguard…?

There was no way—or so I thought, but there wasn’t any other plausible explanation for what she was saying and her embarrassment.

Does that mean my Recovery Support 1 is always active, even while I’m sleeping…?

I remembered my license showing me that Igarashi’s Trust Level in me had increased. Just by sleeping facing her, Recovery Support 1 was working every thirty seconds…

“R-right, I understand. I’ll be sure not to face that way, don’t worry.”

“…O-okay. Thank you, really. Sorry for waking you up for this,” she apologized timidly before returning to her own bed. I waited until her breathing slowed and she sounded like she was sleeping before I got up.

If I sleep normally, I’ll roll over at some point… But if I sleep on the couch, then I definitely can’t be considered a rearguard. I hope. I don’t even have any proof it’s because of Recovery Support, but just in case…

If we moved the bed into the other room the next day, then we’d both be able to sleep peacefully after that. The couch turned out to be not as uncomfortable as I’d expected, so I decided I could just sleep there.

Then morning came. My eyes opened before the old lady came to wake us.

“…Hmm?”

I hadn’t used a blanket at night since I wasn’t cold, and yet someone had put one on me while I slept. Did Igarashi wake up and cover me? I looked around and saw a note on the table: Don’t worry about me next time and sleep in your bed.

I guess just turning my back to her really did boost her Trust Level in me. I wondered what would happen if it went too high, but nothing was recorded on your license when you were outside of the labyrinth, so I had no way to confirm. I decided to try sleeping normally in bed tonight. If Igarashi woke up again, we’d move one of the beds to the other room.

Part VI: Rare Materials

Igarashi was sure to wake up soon, so I decided to stay in the living room so she could get changed in the bedroom.

“Atobe, you’re not sore from sleeping there, are you?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, no, it’s fine. This couch’s like sleeping on a cloud compared to one of our office chairs,” I replied, a little shaken when she asked while she got changed. Since we’d be living together, I really needed to get used to it soon, but I’d only spent one evening with this new version of her. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should be about to head off to the office, which made me nervous. It all felt a bit unreal.

“S-sorry, Atobe… There’s still so much stuff I need to apologize for. Like saying such weird things in the middle of the night…”

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s hard to relax when you’re suddenly sleeping in the same room as someone else.”

“…You’re far too kind. It’s okay to be angry at me a bit, you know.”

“Ha-ha…it’s just not in my nature to get angry really.”

Igarashi finished changing as we talked and came out of the bedroom, clearly tense. I had been so used to seeing her in her other clothes that this seemed sort of fresh… She was fitting more and more into this fantasy world.

“…You could maybe say something, at least,” she said.

“Oh, uh, um. It really suits you. I was just impressed because it seems so natural.”

“If it really suited me, you wouldn’t exaggerate so much. I feel like a little farm girl. It’s nothing like a Seeker at all. I just don’t think I like it.”

“I think it’ll look the part once you put armor over it. I wanted to buy a breastplate or something for myself too if possible.”

“Well, I only have three copper pieces left. I don’t really have the money for armor…”

“That’s fine, I’ll pay. We’re a team, right? It’s not like a project at work. Our earnings belong to the whole team.”

I got the impression she had never really borrowed money since her parents were so strict, but that’s the kind of person you can trust with the money you lend to them.

“…I guess it’s fine for you to lend me money, but don’t coddle me. I want to work with you like a partner, as an independent Seeker in my own right… I don’t want to be handled with kid gloves.”

“I know. But part of being a leader is having your team rely on you.”

“W-well, that’s why you should get angry and tell me not to waste money. I’d feel more comfortable with that.”

She didn’t feel comfortable when people spoiled her and so wanted me to be strict and confrontational, but I just didn’t think I had it in me.

“A change of clothes isn’t a waste of money. I can’t be angry at that.”

“…Atobe, has anyone ever told you you’re a bit like a big brother?”

Back in the home, even the older kids treated me like I was their big brother, and now I was starting to realize why.

After having some breakfast, I dropped by the Guild to let Louisa know what our plans were for the day and then headed off to the Mercenary Office.

“Good morning, Leila.”

“Heh, you’re early. Keeping promises is a good skill for a Seeker to have,” said Leila when I greeted her. She was wearing the same leather armor and eyepatch as the day before. It made her seem really imposing, but she was actually quite friendly—the perfect example of the saying you can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Hello, I’m Kyouka. I’ll be seeking with Atobe starting today. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hmm, you’re the newbie I saw yesterday. I saw you head off to the labyrinth on your own, so I was a bit worried. Glad you were able to find a good companion.”

“Yes, I just want to do my best not to hold him back.” Igarashi finished off her businesslike introduction so smoothly I wouldn’t have been surprised if she exchanged business cards with Leila. Leila seemed to like her.

“By the looks of things, Kyouka isn’t exactly a vanguard, either… You want to go with a lizardman suited for vanguard instead of Theresia?” asked Leila.

“No, I’d like to hire Theresia today. She and I tried out a few different things yesterday, and we worked really well together.”

“All right. I’ll be back with Theresia in a minute.”

This would use another bronze Mercenary Ticket. I had just bought seven more, so I was at my ten-ticket-per-month limit already when you counted the three Louisa had given me. I’d also asked Louisa about how I could get more bronze Mercenary Tickets, and apparently the limit was lifted if you got over a certain amount of contribution points. You needed to get a total of a thousand contribution points, at which time you’d become a two-star Seeker. That’s when the purchase limit for bronze Mercenary Tickets would no longer be applied. Each ticket was three silver pieces, so I’d need three hundred gold to purchase a hundred.

“She’s way cuter than a lizardman… Oh… Um, her body is covered in…” Igarashi was unnerved by the scales on Theresia’s hands and feet, special characteristics that indicated she was actually a demi-human and not just someone in a lizard costume.

“She might come off strong, but she’s dependable and talented. Looking forward to working with you today, Theresia,” I said, and she responded with a nod, this time a little faster than the day before. Maybe she was less cautious since we’d already worked together once.

“Seems like Theresia was waiting for you to come and pick her up. I think you should go for a long seek today. It’d work out better for you anyway,” said Leila.

“Yeah, we’re planning on spending more time today,” I replied.

“Atobe, what’ll we do for lunch? We’ll be in the labyrinth around lunchtime, so we should probably take something to eat,” suggested Igarashi.

“You can buy food at the stalls by the labyrinth’s entrance. It’s a good idea to get something if you don’t have someone in your party with the skills necessary to cook in the wild.”

“Thank you for the information, Leila,” I said.

“No problem. Take care.” We took our leave and headed toward the Dissection Center. Theresia walked silently behind me, the same as yesterday, carrying her short sword and buckler, which had been repaired after she’d used it to defend against monsters.

When we arrived at the Dissection Center, there was a blond man in the process of tanning some leather from monster skins.

“Excuse me, we were hoping to have some monsters dissected…,” I started.

“Ah, welcome to Rikerton’s Monster Dissection Center. I am Rikerton, the owner of this establishment. Over there is my daughter, Melissa, who’s responsible for dissecting the big game,” said the blond man. The girl Melissa was wearing what looked a bit like overalls and seemed to be focused on dissecting the monster in front of her with her massive knife. Her eyes were sharp and clear as she worked, a telltale sign of a master craftsman.

“You’ve got a lot of monsters hanging here,” I said.

“Yep, there’re skins and things waiting to be moved after the monster’s been dissected. We aim to handle all monsters within seven days so that they don’t rot, and the neighbors don’t complain of the smell,” explained Rikerton.

So it sounded like the same technique as my leather sack had. Every once in a while, I was still encountering things that made me feel like this medieval city built from stone was more technologically advanced than our previous modern world. Although I suppose that shouldn’t be too surprising since this world had magic.

At first, Igarashi seemed uncomfortable in the strange store, but after a short while, she seemed to relax and started looking at the hung-up skins. There were some that looked similar to mink fur, which could make high-quality clothing if worked properly. There was also a large box stuffed full of Cotton Ball fur.

“Could I get your name, sir?” asked Rikerton.

“My name’s Arihito and this is Kyouka—”

“Ah, well, well, there’s nothing better for a relationship than to join a party with your wife. When my wife and I were younger, we’d travel into the labyrinth together. Covered in the blood and flesh of defeated monsters, we’d have the most passionate, carnal… Oops, shouldn’t say that in front of my daughter.”

“A-actually, she’s not my wife…,” I stammered.

“Y-you don’t need to deny it. He’s just being polite, it’s more embarrassing for you to overreact.” Igarashi probably had a more mature way of looking at it, but it’d be so much harder to explain things if rumors spread.

Then there was this Rikerton guy. Maybe it was because he spent all day chopping up monsters, but he didn’t seem quite normal, as rude as that was to think. It was like he was always smiling, but it never quite reached his eyes. Anyway, I suppose as a tradesman the most important thing was his skill, so if he was good, I’d like to keep working with him.

“…Dissection’s done,” Melissa suddenly piped up.

“Thank you, Melissa. Take care of these customers’ materials next. Once you’ve finished with that, you can take a break.”

“Okay,” replied Melissa. Unlike Rikerton, her hair was almost silver in color, though she appeared to be only in her late teens. She was covered in blood splatter, but her face was fairly attractive. Add on the fact that she was mostly expressionless, and she looked like some sort of porcelain doll.

“Forgive her, she’s a child of few words, but her dissection skills are even better than mine, so there’s no need to worry.”

“She’s very talented for someone her age. It’s impressive,” I said.

I was a bit interested in their story, but right now we needed to take care of our business. I pulled the one Cotton Ball out of my sack as well as Redface. Igarashi had one Cotton Ball in her sack, too. Rikerton adjusted his glasses in surprise the moment he saw Redface, and even Melissa opened her eyes wide at the sight.

“You can get rare materials from a Named Monster. We can modify your equipment with the materials here or you can take them to a weapons shop,” said Melissa.

“If possible, we would prefer to modify here, but we will allow you to make the final decision of course. If you allow us to work with Redface, we will offer a higher purchase rate, so we will exchange the Cotton Balls for two silver pieces. We can simply dissect Redface and give you the materials, or we can purchase Redface whole from you for eight gold. If you would like to only dissect Redface then return the materials, we will ask for a fee of ten copper,” said Rikerton.

Materials from a Named Monster could be traded at high rates, and if the Guild had a bounty on it, the prize was also large. If we ever ran into another one, we should try to defeat it even if it was a strong opponent.

“Atobe, what should we do?”

“Hmm…” I thought for a moment. Should we ask them to process the materials or sell the whole thing to them? I wanted to make the party as powerful as possible so that we could defeat strong enemies, so we should go for processing the materials.

“What kind of materials can be made from Redface?” I asked.

“When Redface is near death, it releases spouts of fire from its body and starts Blaze Diving wildly. If we process it, we will be able to harness that power,” answered Rikerton.

It uses such a dangerous skill when it’s about to die… Good thing we had the ten support damage so we were able to finish it off before it could use that skill.

“We can remove the blaze stones inside Redface’s fur and body, which you can then apply to your weapons. If you do, you’ll be able to use a blaze-type skill without consuming any magic power,” continued Rikerton.

“I see, so we can change a weapon from having no attribute into having a blaze attribute,” I said.

“Exactly. If we’re lucky, one Redface body will produce the materials to make three or more weapons. If you wish to leave both the dissection and processing of materials to us, we will apply the cost of remaining materials to cover our fee for dissection and processing, and then give you any excess there may be.”

“Could we make defensive equipment with the remaining materials?”

“You can apply the fur to a shield, which will increase its fire resistance. You could also make some smaller items such as a scarf. You can expect a small item to also increase the wearer’s fire resistance, but that will use up all the materials other than the meat.”

We were lucky that Redface was bigger than a normal Cotton Ball because that meant we’d be able to make more equipment. We’d be able to strengthen some of the equipment of every party member. I decided we would improve the fire resistance of Theresia’s buckler and give Igarashi a scarf. Then we could improve my slingshot.

“Atobe, have you decided what we’ll do?” asked Igarashi.

“Yeah. Do you ever wear scarves?”

“Sometimes… Are you going to have one made for me?”

“A larger surface area would definitely provide more resistance, but we’re heading to buy armor after this. I’d like for the vanguard and midguard to have fire resistance,” I said. I didn’t know if we’d run into any monsters today that could use blaze skills, but there wasn’t any harm in taking the resistance. I wanted to be prepared so that our party could defend against attacks like that.

“All right, leave it to the Rikerton Dissection Center and Workshop. It will take some time, so you might like to attend to any other errands you may have,” said Rikerton as he drew up the paperwork and Melissa took Redface’s body into the back of the shop. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the rare materials, but her eyes seemed to have more life in them than before.

Next was the weapons shop. I wanted to try and find Madoka the Merchant. Hopefully, she was still by the labyrinth’s entrance.

Part VII: New Weapons

Ribault and his party were stationed in front of the stairs leading to the Field of Dawn like previous day. Nearby was a girl seeing off an all-male party. I recognized her as the girlie friend of Suzuna’s who’d been on the bus, even though she’d changed her clothes and was wearing a hooded sweater and a skirt today.

“Good luck, everybodyyy!” she called to the group.

“Yeah! We’re gonna earn a ton of money for you, Misaki!” replied one of the men.

Her hair was dyed a warm brown, cut to a medium length and permed into gentle waves. She was quite cute despite being so young; no one would really be surprised if you had told them she was a magazine model.

“It looks like she’s using them as her gofers… She must have them wrapped around her finger,” said Igarashi.

“If so, looks like she knows how to make it in life. But if a Seeker doesn’t go into the labyrinths, then neither their level nor their contribution points go up, so it’s high risk,” I replied as the girl named Misaki walked our way. She spotted us and smiled happily.

“Oh goodie! There’s Japanese people here! I feel sooo much better now. I’ve gotten mixed up with aaall sorts of people since coming to this new world. There’s even monsters!” This Misaki girl had a habit of drawing out some of her words. I always felt sleepy listening to people who talked like that. I didn’t exactly hate it, but it was kind of saccharine.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about thoose guys,” she added. “I just joined up with them since I’d been wondering what this whole party thing’s like in this world. They looked cool, but even if they’re high level, it’s juuust the two of them. I felt like they’d expect me to put in a lot of the work, so I’m gonna peace out.”

“Peace…? Oh, you mean you’re going to leave their party?” I asked.

“Yeah. I think an all-girl party would be waaay better,” she replied.

“So you should’ve gone along with your friend, then,” said Igarashi, her eyes as piercing as usual. Misaki looked a little thrown for a moment but then just laughed and brushed it off.

“Ah-ha-haaa, maaaybe. I just started following those guys around on a whim. They kept saying it’d be dangerous, though. Oh, there’s Suzu! Suzu, wait for meee!” Misaki noticed Suzuna and Elitia about to enter the Field of Dawn today as well. She had some sort of conversation with them, and then the three of them headed into the labyrinth together.

Geez… She’s going right to the same place as the party she just left. Guess this girl really does everything on a whim.

While I stood there thinking, Igarashi and Theresia were both staring at me for some reason.

“You’re not thinking it might be a good idea to invite her to join us depending on what her job is, are you?” asked Igarashi.

“No, that’s not it. She seems like a bit of a troublemaker, so I was just worried. I hope I’m just overthinking things.”

“Hmm…I thought all men loved a cute schoolgirl.”

“Uh, well I guess there probably are a lot of people like that, but I’m not one of them.” I actually hadn’t put much thought into it, so I just said what popped into my mind. Ever since I’d become an adult, seeing schoolgirls in uniform just made me feel nostalgic.

“Besides, I’ve been thinking that I don’t want to search for any particular person to join the party. I’d rather just naturally meet people and decide ‘yeah, I want this person with me’ and invite them from there.”

“…So…was that the same with me…?” started Igarashi.

“……” Theresia stared wordlessly at me.

“Oh, oops, sorry to keep you waiting. Igarashi, it looks like Theresia’s eager to get the ball rolling already, so let’s go buy some weapons.”

“Y-yeah, the ball. Gotta keep that ball rolling,” said Igarashi.

I headed toward Madoka’s stall to buy weapons. She waved at us when she saw us coming.

“Good morning, mister! Oh, and you’re the miss I sold the spear to yesterday… You look like you’re doing well now, but you seemed injured earlier…”

“Yes, I’m doing all right thanks to the spear you helped me pick out. Unfortunately…it broke.”

“Oh no… It didn’t even work on the first-floor monsters? I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I sold you such a poor-quality item.”

“No, it’s not the weapon’s fault. I ran into a Named Monster. The spear you sold me worked perfectly against normal Cotton Balls.”

“A Named Monster? I’ve heard running into one of those can be just awful for a level-one person… I’m so glad you two are all right!” She had good reason to be worried for us, but tears started welling up in her eyes, which made Igarashi tear up, too.

I waited a moment for the two to collect themselves. They smiled in embarrassment once they had, their eyes still red, but we were able to get back to business.

“Thank you for worrying about us. We’re planning to be very careful while we seek from here on out. I was hoping we could buy some new weapons to help us with that…,” I said.

“Of course. In District Eight, I have one main shop as well as two branches. At this one, I have equipment for beginners as well as for one step above,” said Madoka.

“You wouldn’t have anything a step above a slingshot, like a super slingshot, would you? …No, looks like you don’t. I guess it’s a good thing I asked to have it strengthened then.”

“I’m sorry. We don’t sell any strong slingshots in District Eight, though you could have one made for you if you bring the materials to a craftsman,” suggested Madoka.

I had left my slingshot at Rikerton’s so they could modify it. Seemed like that was the right decision. If they didn’t sell any stronger weapons, then our best choice was to improve the ones we had.

“Okay, Igarashi, would you like to choose a new weapon first?”

“Sure… I bought a wooden spear yesterday.”

“Madoka, do you have anything stronger than that? It doesn’t have to be a spear, probably any type of long weapon would work.”

“Let’s see… How about these? We have lances, spears, and javelins made of bronze. I also have a trident, though that’s a bit of a different style,” she replied.

Igarashi looked at each option individually and ended up selecting the lance, quite possibly because it was sold in a set with a shield.

“You can attack with a lance while still guarding yourself. Many people use it when they’re placed in the vanguard position,” continued Madoka.

“All right, sounds like the lance is a good choice for now. It’s handled a bit differently from a naginata, but I should be able to use it since I’m a Valkyrie… You think this would work, Atobe?”

“S-sure. It kind of bugs me that I, the man, will be stuck behind you the entire time…but that’s where a rearguard’s strength lies.”

“The lance it is then. I can always change to another position if we get other party members who are more suited for vanguard.”

“There are many people who use spears or javelins as both vanguards and midguards,” added Madoka. “Please feel free to come back if you’d like something like that.”

There wasn’t anything better than Theresia’s short sword available, but we had left her buckler to be modified, even though it was one of the Mercenary Office’s pieces of equipment, so we bought one to replace it.

Next up was to find some armor for Igarashi that wasn’t so heavy that she couldn’t use it, so we bought her a bronze breastplate. Madoka also had the right size in stock of some leather armor, so we bought some greaves that looked suitably Valkyrie-like. Igarashi’s new equipment came to a total of 250 copper pieces and Theresia’s buckler was 50. I wasn’t sure what I should buy for myself, but I ended up buying some banded armor with leather greaves and gauntlets.

“Heh… Atobe, you seem more heroic somehow. How do I look?”

“Actually, I think it suits you perfectly. Valkyrie is definitely the right job for you.”

“…You’re not even gonna try switching up your compliments? Oh well, as long as it doesn’t look bad.” She didn’t seem overly delighted, but she did look a little happy. The compliment was genuine, though—I wasn’t just trying to be polite.

The only thing was that the bronze breastplate emphasized the size of her chest…but I could tell that making women’s armor must be incredibly difficult just by looking at the artistically crafted curves.

“Theresia can’t change from her lizard equipment, right? …I wonder if it’s attached to her skin,” said Igarashi.

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to remove it yet.”

Theresia had once lost her life inside the labyrinth and been resurrected as a demi-human. According to Leila, it would be safe to assume that undoing that change into a demi-human wouldn’t be possible for a one-star Seeker like me.

“Miss, mister, your new equipment looks great on you! I will pray for your safety on your next expedition. I’ll do my best to get good equipment for you, too!” said Madoka.

“Thank you. Can you also make equipment if we bring you the materials?” I asked.

“Yep, our stores act as intermediaries with various craftsmen. Please feel free to bring me any ores you find in the labyrinth.”

Monster materials, ores…there were so many things I wanted to find in the labyrinth. I also wanted to buy a larger bag since the leather sack I had didn’t have much carrying capacity, but that problem was solved when we went back to Rikerton’s.

We picked up the modified slingshot—now a blazeshot—a red buckler, and red scarf. Meanwhile, Melissa brought out a large knapsack.

“Hey! Those were some incredible materials you brought to us. Even Melissa’s happy as a clam. This is just a small token of appreciation. May your hunts be fruitful, and should you run into another Named Monster, I hope you’ll consider visiting our store again,” said Rikerton.

“Oh, thank you so much! I was just thinking about how I wanted a new bag,” I said. Rikerton had probably noticed how small my leather sack was. This knapsack had more than double the capacity.

“…Not bad. Come again,” said Melissa, the corners of her mouth turned up in a tiny smile before she went into the back of the shop. I didn’t know if she just enjoyed dissecting or was excited to be able to handle a rare monster, but that was the first time I’d seen any sort of smile from her.

“It’s been so long since my daughter’s talked about wanting to go into the labyrinth. On top of that, there’s talk of a Named Monster that appeared on the second floor of the Field of Dawn and hasn’t been defeated yet, so it’s got a nice bounty. Melissa’s waiting excitedly for that to come in, too.”

I filed that information away, since it meant that if we managed to make it to the second floor today, we could potentially run into another Named Monster, and checked out my modified slingshot.

Part VIII: New Battle Formation

Once we’d prepared our equipment for seeking, we each picked out some portable provisions being sold in the square and were finally ready for our second adventure into the labyrinth.

“Ah, see you’ve been hard at work getting ready. Glad to see you’ve decided to team up with Arihito, miss,” said Ribault.

“Oh, please, don’t call me miss… I’m younger than Atobe.”

“Ha-ha-ha, sorry, sorry. Anyway, you take care now. I think you three might just be able to make it to the bottom of the Field of Dawn today. There’s only three floors.”

“Thank you. We want to go as far as we can,” I said, then we headed down into the labyrinth as Ribault saw us off.

The wide expanse before our eyes, the sudden brightness—it was the same as the day before. I guess time didn’t change in the labyrinth. At least the Field of Dawn seemed to be permanently stuck in the morning.

I could arrange the party’s battle formation using my license. I still didn’t think there was any need to make a distinction between vanguard and midguard, so I decided it’d be fine to make them both vanguards.

“Today I’ll have both of you be vanguards,” I told them.

“Okay. I want to hurry up and try out my new weapon,” said Igarashi.

“……”

If we ever found someone specialized in defensive equipment, like a heavy infantryman, I could have them act as our tank. Finding new party members was looking like it’d be an important issue to deal with.

“Let’s walk for a little bit, then try our new battle formation out on a Cotton Ball,” I suggested.

“All right. You know, I feel so much better having companions around…,” replied Igarashi.

We hadn’t even walked for three minutes when Theresia drew her short sword. I wasn’t sure if it was a Rogue skill or something, but she seemed to have a wider range in which she could detect enemies compared to me or Igarashi.

Hmm… What’s this? Is the actual body of a defeated Cotton Ball not considered loot? Is it carrying something else then…?

“—Here it comes!” called Igarashi.

I looked up and realized it was going for an attack, but I wouldn’t be able to take a shot with my slingshot if my vanguards didn’t leave open my line of fire. It’d probably be easiest to try to stop a monster with a long-ranged attack before it even closed in, but first, there was something I needed to test. That was whether my skills affected only the person I indicated or if they affected every party member in front of me.

“Igarashi, I’ll back you up!” I shouted the moment the Cotton Ball flew toward Igarashi.

“Ngh!”

First, I’d activate Defense Support targeting Igarashi.

The Cotton Ball’s violent tackle was completely prevented by the barrier, which protected Igarashi. She’d had her shield up ready to block but saw her enemy thrown backward and decided to take advantage of the opportunity by readying her lance and thrusting at the Cotton Ball.

“—Hyaaa!”

So the skill activates even if I don’t say I’m supporting them out loud. I guess being in the back really is all it needs.

Igarashi’s lance attack got through the Cotton Ball’s defenses, too, but the support damage struck the Cotton Ball with an invisible force and sent it flying. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to seeing the strange sight. I wondered how Igarashi would respond.

“Igarashi, that was a great attack. I suppose I should expect as much from someone who used to be in the naginata club… Uh, i-is something wrong?”

Igarashi turned slowly back around, her expression jubilant—or maybe ecstatic was more accurate.

“…Just now, when the monster’s attack got repelled, that was you supporting me and then helping with my attack, right?”

“Y-yes. My job lets me support the vanguard. It’s different from a Wizard or a Priest, though.”

Igarashi planted her lance in the ground, carried her shield under one arm, and patted her cheek with her free hand before sighing.

“…Did it feel good?” I asked.

“Yeah…it felt amazing…”

The way I phrased that could be open to misinterpretation…but I suppose it would feel nice to be supported. I mean, it would be exhilarating to feel invincible like that.

My skills were the type of support that could make a Valkyrie feel so ecstatic. I suppose that might be why Theresia thought of me as a good person, too.

“Seriously, yesterday I put everything I had into attacking that Cotton Ball, and it took five hits before I finally finished it off. But this time I just went pow! and it went bam! and, oh, it was so satisfying,” explained Igarashi.

“I think you’re saying you relieve stress with violence.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad. I could practically star in some Sunday-morning cartoon.”

That was the first time I’d ever seen her have so much fun. I hadn’t thought my skills would make her so happy, so it made me happy, too, that she told me. Maybe this Sunday-morning cartoon she was talking about was a magical-girl anime or had superheroes or cyborgs.

“Hey, Atobe. Let’s do another one. Each Cotton Ball is five copper pieces anyway.”

“All right, let’s find our next target. Theresia’s range for detecting enemies is larger, so you fall back from her a little, Igarashi. I’d also like to supply support fire, so could you leave a space open for me to shoot through?”

“Yep, understood. Don’t shoot me in the back, though. It looks like it’d hurt.”

I absolutely did not want to accidentally shoot them in the back. I wondered if my rearguard job had some skill that prevented me from hitting my allies in the back… I really wanted to get to level 3 as soon as possible.

Speaking of, I still had one skill point remaining. Perhaps I should double-check what skills I could get at level 2. I wanted to only take the necessary skills and save the remaining skill points, though. Three support skills should be plenty for now.

I noticed something as I bent down to pick up the Cotton Ball’s body and put it in my sack—there was some sort of stone stuck to its head.

“This looks like it might be that dropped loot,” I said.

“Did you find some treasure? Oh, that’s a pretty stone; it’s all sparkly,” said Igarashi.

Was this some sort of ore? It was a round green stone, and it did seem somewhat metallic. Individual Cotton Balls seemed to produce these stones from their head…but was it a part of their skeleton? Or something they secreted, which formed into a stone? I felt like I was looking at one of the mysteries of monsters.

After our encounter with the Cotton Ball, I checked the Dropped Loot part of my license and discovered what the green stone was. Apparently, it was called “wind agate.” Perhaps Cotton Balls were monsters with a wind attribute since they moved like gusts in a gale.

“…Hmm?”

The next thing we ran into was a Cotton Ball with some sort of fist-sized thing floating near it.

“Uh, Atobe… I-isn’t that a giant bee—? Aaahhh!”

“—Igarashi, I’ll back you up! Defend against its attack, then dodge to the side!”

The airborne monster went for Igarashi while the Cotton Ball attacked Theresia. I prayed my skill would work as I watched over what transpired.

Nice…I can apply support to everyone in the vanguard!

The bee-like thing and the Cotton Ball’s tackle were repelled with a ping by the Defense Support. Igarashi leaped to the side like I’d asked, her shield still up, and I fired a blazeshot.

C’mon, hit!

“—KIIIII!”

I didn’t know how much damage it took from it, but I was able to hit it after its movement seemed slower when it was repelled by the Defense Support.

“Hyaaa—!”

“—!”

Igarashi jabbed her spear at the burning bee; Theresia closed in on the Cotton Ball and swung her short sword down on it.

“Whew… What a shock. Bees are dangerous because of their venom. And one that big…” Igarashi hesitantly approached the fallen bee to examine it. “Atobe, the wings burned when you hit it with your slingshot. It moved more slowly then, so I was able to hit it with my lance. Did you do that on purpose?”

“Nope. It’d be pretty cool if I had, but it was just a regular coincidence.”

“Ah, I see. Well, good thing you’re using a blaze weapon.”

Since it was a weapon made with the resources gained from Redface, who had appeared in these very same fields, I wondered if it would be useful on other monsters in the same area. Anyway, it seemed like the start of today’s seeking was going according to plan.

“Should we head toward the second floor? We’ll need to be careful of monsters on the way obviously,” I said.

“Sure, I’m not at all tired yet. Plus, I want to level up soon, so I hope they keep coming.”

By the time we arrived at the entrance to the second floor, we were truly aware of the size of this labyrinth and had managed to defeat fifteen Cotton Balls and six Poison Spear Bees. We could only just fit all the Cotton Balls even if we tried to use each of our bags as efficiently as possible. Cotton Balls were light, but they took up a lot of space. Soon we’d have to think about taking only the most valuable monsters back with us. Either that or find a companion who could remove just the materials from them.