Chapter 8
The new explorer class lasted a week.
I certainly learned a lot.
Of course, it was knowledge in my head, not knowledge I had absorbed through physical practice.
Still, some of it could be applied immediately.
Things like how to pack a backpack and perform basic first aid.
How to form up, and the rules that had to be followed on every level.
Simple trap detection and various hand signals.
Once I knew about them, there were things I could see now.
You could call it the Guild’s guiding philosophy.
Its direction was beginning to come into view.
Entering the labyrinth, cutting down monsters, and pushing through the levels was not all there was to it.
That alone was insufficient.
Reducing risks through thorough preparation and steadily taking one step at a time, even if slowly.
That was what the entire week of classes had kept emphasizing.
* * *
The next morning.
“Today?”
Darmong asked.
“Yes. I’ll be going.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
Darmong poured cold water on my excitement, but there was nothing I could do about my pounding heart.
At last, I was going to be matched with a party.
A party usually consisted of five people. Sometimes four people formed a party, but that was rare.
Most people joined parties after seeing recruitment notices on the bulletin board.
The Guild also arranged parties for new explorers.
Darmong had recommended the latter. It depended on the receptionist’s discretion, but he had heard that the Guild helped people who had taken its classes form parties together.
The Explorer’s Guild branch building was overflowing with people.
To save time, Jeong Yushin joined the shortest line.
He immediately regretted it.
It was the receptionist with the vicious expression he had seen last time.
‘Ah, fuck. That expression again.’
There was a reason the line was short.
But he didn’t want to join another line now.
More people arrived in the brief span of time, and the line grew longer.
He didn’t want to wait any longer.
‘I’ll just think of it as stepping in shit. It won’t kill me.’
It was Jeong Yushin’s turn.
“I’d like to be matched with a party for new explorers.”
“I’ve confirmed that. There’s only one party currently looking for a frontliner. I’ll place you with them. Please go to Table 6.”
“Yes.”
He quickly left the counter and went to Table 6.
There were about thirty tables, and the place was noisy with people talking.
He barely managed to find the table marked with the number 6.
Some familiar faces were sitting there.
It was the boy who had shouted while pounding on the counter.
Besides the boy, one man and two women were sitting at the table.
One man was missing from the group he had seen last week.
“Hello. I’m Ska. The Guild sent me.”
“Hello. I’m Kaal. I’m the party leader.”
His voice was confident and full of spirit. Kaal introduced his party members one by one.
The other man was named Din. He was in charge of scouting.
The red-haired woman was named Anne. She was one of the rear guards, and her weapon was a bow.
The other rear guard was Marie, a brown-haired woman and an apprentice priestess who served the Earth Mother of the Spirit Church.
Kaal briefly explained the party’s situation.
They had entered the labyrinth for the first time the previous week and cleared the first level without much difficulty. However, one of their companions had injured his foot on the second level, so they were temporarily looking for a replacement.
That person was Jeong Yushin.
The party had received two quests.
Subjugating hobgoblins.
Collecting magic stones.
The reward would be divided equally five ways.
Their area of activity was limited to the first level of the labyrinth.
After settling all the details, Jeong Yushin and Kaal’s party left, agreeing to meet at the Guild branch the next morning.
He returned to the inn, met Darmong, and told him about Kaal’s party.
“Darmong, didn’t you say they usually matched people who had taken the new explorer class together?”
“That’s strange.”
Darmong stroked his chin.
“Well, whatever. I’m going tomorrow.”
“Ska, be careful.”
Jeong Yushin nodded at the serious warning.
The night passed, and morning came.
The long-awaited day he would enter the labyrinth had arrived.
He rose at dawn and inspected his equipment.
He checked whether his sword drew smoothly and whether the shield strap was too loose.
He checked whether the joints of his hard leather armor were too stiff.
Though his inspection was rudimentary, he checked everything he could.
He gathered all his equipment and slung his backpack over his shoulders. As he had learned in class, he had packed only the supplies essential for the first level.
“Good.”
With his helmet hanging from his waist, he went down to the dining area, where Darmong served him breakfast.
“This is your last meal in civilization.”
“Cut it out.”
A mountain of well-cooked steak and garlic was piled up before him.
“Is it really all right to give me this much?”
“I’m giving it to you because I can already picture you starving for several days in the labyrinth.”
“I’ll eat gratefully.”
He cleaned his plate without leaving a scrap behind.
“Phew.”
As he patted his full stomach, Darmong handed him something wrapped in paper.
“Jerky and biscuits. Eat them sparingly.”
“I’ll accept them gratefully.”
He did not refuse. He didn’t want to disregard the goodwill of that adorable tsundere bear. Besides, he had no money.
“I’m off.”
He said goodbye before setting out with his luggage.
“I’m telling you again, be careful.”
“Yes.”
Taking Darmong’s advice to heart, he walked to the Explorer’s Guild branch.
* * *
After arriving at the branch, he sat at an empty table and waited for Kaal’s party.
About thirty minutes later, they came in chatting. One of their members had suffered a minor injury, but they were filled with confidence and composure, perhaps because they had successfully cleared the first level without much difficulty.
“Ah! Mr. Ska, you arrived first.”
Kaal greeted him. Their equipment looked light. He was wearing leather armor and had a longsword at his waist. His backpack also looked light; whether that was due to their finances or some strategic reason, Jeong Yushin couldn’t tell.
All of them were dressed similarly to Kaal.
“Let’s go right away. This is a busy time, so it’s to our advantage to leave first.”
“Understood.”
Jeong Yushin rose from his seat and followed the party.
The Great Labyrinth was to the west of the city.
The closer they got to the labyrinth, the more people there were. Squeezed among the enormous crowds, they walked in a daze until Jeong Yushin finally saw it.
The Great Labyrinth.
From outside the city, he had thought it was a small tower.
From up close, it looked like a rocky hill jutting sharply into the sky.
A magic circle large enough to easily accommodate thousands of people was glowing in front of the rocky hill. Soldiers from Labyrinth City were controlling access in front of it.
“All right, one party at a time. Enter calmly!”
Someone wearing full plate armor shouted.
One party at a time, they entered the magic circle and vanished in a flash of light.
The explorers followed the soldiers’ instructions obediently.
The soldiers were stationed in several places and ushered the explorers through quickly.
Soon, it was Kaal’s party’s turn.
His heart pounded with tension and excitement.
When he stood on the magic circle, its light gradually brightened until it obscured his vision.
Flash!
Along with the intense light came the sensation of floating, as though his body were rising.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
He lost his balance and landed hard on his bottom. He felt the damp, cold stone floor beneath him.
At last, they had been transported to the first level of the labyrinth.
By the nature of the labyrinth, everyone started from the first level without exception. It made no difference whether they had reached the fiftieth level or the eightieth.
Once they left the labyrinth, they had to start from the beginning.
In other words, countless people were on the first level right now.
And right now was...
‘The safest time.’
They needed to get their bearings and form up as quickly as possible.
“Huh?!”
A startled voice echoed through the dark cave.
It was Kaal’s voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“I dropped my flint. Could you light the torch for me?”
“Understood.”
He took the flint from his pocket and used it to light the torch.
The surroundings brightened somewhat.
The first through fifth levels of the labyrinth were called the surface levels, and there was one rule that had to be followed without fail.
No matter what, keep a light burning.
There was a special reason for this.
It was because of the ‘darkness,’ the defining feature of the surface levels.
The ‘darkness’ of the surface levels drove people insane.
Without exception. Absolutely.
It was an absolute law that rendered even high-level explorers and legendary heroes powerless.
Yet even a tiny light, like that of a firefly, kept madness away, so experienced explorers crossed the surface levels quickly with the minimum amount of light.
“It looks like we were transported all the way to the outskirts.”
Din, their scout and guide, said as he studied the map.
“Really? We weren’t as lucky as last time.”
“Yeah. Last time, we were transported close to the entrance to the second level.”
Kaal shrugged at Din’s dejected muttering.
“Some days are like that. Let’s go.”
Kaal took the lead with the torch.
Jeong Yushin walked directly behind Kaal, followed by Din, Marie, and Anne, in that order.
They walked for several hours. Along the way, they encountered several parties, but those groups swept past them like the wind, telling them to move aside.
“Phew. Din, where are we?”
“Wait a moment.”
At Kaal’s question, Din reached into his clothing and pulled out a map.
“At the next fork, we need to go left. Then we can enter the central area of the first level.”
“Great!”
Kaal shouted energetically, encouraging the party members, who looked exhausted.
“Let’s enter the central area quickly and rest there. Is that all right?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it.”
Kaal looked at Jeong Yushin as though waiting for his answer.
“Yes, understood.”
Believing they could rest once they reached the central area, they marched on without a break. Fortunately, they did not encounter any monsters.
However.
Luck was not on their side.
“Din, what is this? It’s a dead end!”
Kaal glared at Din irritably.
“S-sorry.”
“Get a grip. This isn’t the village we grew up in. You can’t keep wandering around without thinking...”
“Kaal, stop. You’re being too harsh. This is only our second trip to the labyrinth.”
The red-haired Anne cut Kaal off and interjected.
Kaal sighed and shook his head.
“All right. I’m sorry, Din.”
“No. I should have paid more attention.”
“I want to rest.”
The apprentice priestess, Marie, interrupted. She looked exhausted after their forced march of several hours.
“All right, let’s do that.”
They slumped down against the dead-end wall. Jeong Yushin sat a little apart from them.
They sat around chatting quietly.
They talked about how they would probably be sowing seeds in the village fields by now.
And how the girl Din had once liked had actually been a boy.
As Jeong Yushin quietly listened to their stories about the past, Kaal approached and sat beside him.
“All five of us are from the same village. Ah! The fifth one must be resting at the inn right now.”
“I see.”
“We’ve done everything together since we were children. Our village was barren and remote, so there were all kinds of dangerous situations. We weren’t afraid of any danger as long as we faced it together. And after overcoming those threats, I realized something. You learn more from experience than from books.”
“Yes.”
Not knowing what Kaal was trying to say, Jeong Yushin simply nodded.
“I saw you going to take the new explorer class last time, Mr. Ska. You seem older than me, but you also seemed like you didn’t know much. You learn more from experience. You’ll get more from an explorer out in the field than from people sitting comfortably inside the Guild building and talking.”
Jeong Yushin realized it.
‘He came to give me advice.’
The life advice of a boy in his late teens was certainly different from that of older men.
It was more confident and more definitive.
It felt as though he had mastered the truths of life.
“And another thing. From what I can see, Mr. Ska...”
“Kaal, I’m tired. Can’t we sleep here for a while before moving on?”
Marie suddenly interrupted and whined.
“Marie, there’s a shelter just a little farther ahead. We can rest there.”
Din approached and soothed Marie.
“Din, are you sure this time?”
“Yeah. I checked the map carefully. There’s a shelter in the central area.”
“All right. Marie, let’s hold on a little longer.”
“Phew, all right.”
Kaal stood up, encouraged Marie, and led the party onward.
They walked for about two hours. Just as Marie was about to collapse, they found the shelter.
There was a gap between the cave walls that led into a small chamber.
It was large enough to hold about ten people at a squeeze.
They went inside and unpacked their belongings.
They blocked the entrance with a blanket so the torchlight would not leak out, then sat with their backs against the walls.
They took biscuits and jerky from their backpacks, ate, and immediately decided the order of the night watch.
It was probably evening outside by then.
Marie would take the first watch, followed by Kaal, Jeong Yushin, and Din, with Anne going last.
They laid blankets on the cold cave floor.
‘Not bad.’
Perhaps because they were a party of childhood friends, the atmosphere was good. They had made mistakes out of nervousness, but it was nice to see them encouraging and guiding one another.
There had been no attacks or discord.
With the blanket over him, Jeong Yushin closed his eyes, hoping tomorrow(?) would go smoothly as well, and tried to sleep.
Inside the dark Great Labyrinth.