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    Chapter 14: Preparation (3)

    ~The
    main street of the eastern sector of Valerus~

    The
    Explorers’ Union headquarters was located on the busiest street in
    the Explorers’ District.

    “That’s
    a lot of money.”

    Twenty
    silver coins for a pass is a lot of money to spend.

    I
    stare at the Union’s building, which stands alone amongst the low
    medieval buildings, rising to rival modern corporate skyscrapers, and
    head inside.

    My
    destination is the second floor. That’s where I’m told they register
    explorers.

    ‘I
    thought I was early.’

    I
    turned my gaze toward the stairs and saw a line of people. I wondered
    how long the line had to be to spill out onto the stairs.

    Apparently,
    being an explorer is a high-traffic job.

    Those
    with fantasies of the Labyrinth, and those with a bit of ambition,
    flock to the Labyrinth City from all over the continent.

    ‘Why
    would they want to go into that crazy place on their own?’

    Sadly,
    I was not in a position to say that.

    After
    all, I was standing in line to enter the labyrinth myself.

    I
    observed my surroundings and waited for my turn. The dozens of
    windows looked small in the crowd.

    “Haha.”

    Naturally,
    the tellers, who were dealing with dozens of people per hour, were
    being split up in real time.

    “Come
    on, come on, come on.”

    The
    teller, who was trying to mechanically ask about business, froze like
    a broken machine.

    He
    stopped moving, but his eyes rolled quickly, scanning me from helmet
    to toe.

    It’s
    probably not for nothing that his gaze lingered on my abs for an
    unusually long time.

    “I’m
    here to get my explorer’s license.”

    “⋯Ah,
    yes, you’re here to get your explorer’s license, 20 silver coins!”

    ‘Bye
    bye. My pretty silver coins.’

    I
    handed the clerk 20 silver coins, feeling like I was handing over my
    child to someone else.

    My
    hands were shaking. How did I earn this money?

    “Here,
    please fill in your personal details in the circles on this paper.”

    I
    felt like he was a bank teller. I wrote down my name and where I
    live, checked off a few boxes, and signed.

    ‘Come
    to think of it, how do I understand the text?’

    It’s
    a question I’ve had since I arrived in this world.

    Reading,
    writing, and even speaking came so naturally to me, like a filter in
    my brain, but I didn’t know how it worked.

    “Okay.
    Please look into the crystal ball here and tell me your name,
    affiliation, and age.”

    “Didn’t
    I just write that down on the paperwork?”

    “It’s
    mandatory.”

    “⋯Do
    I have to take off my helmet as well?”

    “The
    Explorers’ Union respects your privacy.”

    “My
    name is Balkan⋯no
    affiliation⋯and
    I’m twenty-two years old⋯”

    After
    a bit of extra work with a strangely excited staff member, I was
    handed a wooden identification plaque.

    “You
    are now registered as a junior explorer. If you lose the
    identification plaque, you will be charged 15 silver coins to replace
    it.”

    I
    could tell at this point how money-crazed the Explorers’ Union was.

    I
    hate to say it, but I was now an openly suspicious man in a helmet.

    I
    know there’s the whole privacy thing, but wouldn’t a criminal be able
    to register as an explorer and not know?

    “Don’t
    worry too much, the Explorers’ Alliance building has a special sign
    on it that prohibits the ‘branded’ from entering.”

    “Ah,
    yes.”

    I
    nodded at the employee’s words.

    The
    Branded. That was what the Labyrinth City called those who had
    committed felonies.

    In
    the Labyrinth City’s lax policing, where violence and rape were just
    part of the daily landscape, to be a felon was to be a madman who
    killed for a living.

    “If
    you’re looking for a party member, you can go to the third floor.”

    I
    followed the clerk’s instructions and headed to the third floor.

    Ding!

    The
    door swung open and the explorers inside stared.

    The
    scene on the third floor was similar to the second floor. There were
    windows and people.

    The
    only difference was that people were sitting at tables instead of
    standing.

    Feeling
    suspicious of the stares I received, I made my way to the window.

    “We’re
    offering party matching to junior explorers who have just registered.
    Would you agree to be matched with a party?”

    It
    was necessary to get a party member. I knew from past experience that
    two was better than one and three was better than two in the
    Labyrinth.

    But
    only if she was with someone I trusted, or if I was holding the
    leash.

    Otherwise,
    it’s just uncomfortable cohabitation.

    ‘If
    only I’d held her leash properly, I wouldn’t have to come here⋯’

    It’s
    unavoidable. The dog threw off all the harnesses and shackles and
    left to find her own happiness.

    Life
    doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.

    Not
    every woman in this world has sex in her head.

    And
    the risk of being attacked by a monster due to lack of sleep was far
    greater than the risk of rape.

    ‘Take
    a little risk, prevent a lot more.’

    “Yeah.
    I agree.”

    I
    nodded, and shortly after signaled my intention to join a party.

    Thump!

    “Hey
    male, do you have any interest in joining our party?”

    “Nope.
    Come join our party. Our party will be more pleasant than that stupid
    cow’s.”

    “Shut
    up, non-humans, there’s no way a human male would join a non-human’s
    party, not even a weirdo. Look, how about our party? We’ll be good to
    you.”

    As
    if waiting for those words, they burst through the table and offered
    me countless requests.

    If
    the request to join them had been innocent, I would have been happy
    to accept it, but⋯.

    ‘I
    haven’t even announced my position yet.’

    I
    never revealed whether I used a sword, an axe, a shield, a spear, or
    even if I was a mage.

    They
    just looked at my appearance and offered me a party.

    It
    didn’t matter if I was a front or back, just that I was a man.

    ‘They’ve
    got their heads full of shit.’

    I
    could tell their attitudes would change as soon as they entered the
    labyrinth, packed as tight as giblets.

    At
    the same time, a thought flashed through my mind.

    ‘Ah.
    If I skip these guys, I’ll be halfway there.’

    I
    turned to the staff, not paying attention to the parties that had
    gathered around me.

    “These
    are the guys around me right now. Please weed them out and match me
    up.”

    ***

    “Nice
    helmet, nice to meet you. I am Adolph.”

    A
    dwarven priest with a dangerous name. Surprisingly, it’s a woman.

    “My
    name is Jermi.”

    “No.”

    Spearman
    Jeremy and archer Anya were fresh-faced boy and girl.

    “Nice
    to meet you, I’m Balkan.”

    A
    melee fighter, spearman, archer and a priest.

    It’s
    a pretty good mix, although they’re all low-level explorers.

    We
    made the appropriate introductions and got down to business.

    “Am
    I the only one here with labyrinth experience?”

    Everyone
    nodded at the dwarf’s words.

    I
    had a history of being trapped in the labyrinth, but I kept that fact
    hidden. It was before I had an identification badge, and I risked
    being interrogated about how I ended up in the labyrinth.

    If
    I got caught, I’d be in a lot of trouble.

    “This
    is our first time in the Labyrinth City.”

    “That’s
    right.”

    Anya
    and Jermi were blue-eyed newbies who had just gotten their junior
    explorer status, just like me.

    The
    only difference between them and me was that they were continent-born
    and bred and had come to Labyrinth City. I didn’t want to know much
    about them, but TMI (too much information).


    If I weed out all those people, you’ll only be left with complete
    beginners or people who are just trying to get by, are you okay with
    that?

    I
    was matched with newbies, just like they said. Well, it can’t be
    helped.

    I
    didn’t think it would be an easy bus ride to get there.

    “It’s
    my first time, too.”

    “Hmm.
    I’ve only been in the labyrinth three times myself, but there’s no
    need to be too nervous. We’re all aiming for the first floor, right?”

    Everyone
    nodded. In the Labyrinth, where unpredictability was a daily
    occurrence, it was always best to play it safe.

    ‘It’s
    a good thing they’re vaguely strong, or they’d have gotten cocky and
    gotten fucked.’

    We
    sat around the table and discussed the goals of the expedition.

    “We’ll
    stay for five days. Once in the Labyrinth, we’ll advance to the
    escape portal, then hunt goblins from the safety of the perimeter.
    Does everyone agree?”

    “Yes.”

    “Good!”

    “That’s
    a good answer, then we’ll meet again at noon on the day the portal to
    the Labyrinth opens.”

    “Why
    do we have to meet at noon to enter?”

    “Well,
    in the morning, mid- to high-level explorers are rushing down the
    Labyrinth, killing or avoiding all the monsters as they go, and if we
    go right after that, we can reach the escape portal relatively
    safely.”

    “Oh.
    That’s the way⋯”

    I
    could feel the difference in experience between the first and third
    time.

    I
    felt the vibe coming from the room and left the place.

    The
    labyrinth would open in two days.

    I
    had a lot to do before then.

    ***

    In
    the eastern section, just off the entrance to the Labyrinth, you’ll
    find a number of weapon shops.

    I
    looked at the huge double-edged ax displayed in the window of the
    most extravagant of them all, a weapons store that was almost as
    stylish as a high-end luxury store.

    I
    don’t know if it was my mood or the sharpness of the blade but it
    seemed to glow with blue light.

    My
    gaze lingered on the tassel attached to the end of the axe on
    display.

    Zernier
    Besil’s double-edged axe. Five hundred gold coins.

    “Five
    hundred gold coins.”

    I
    came to my senses. Crazy. 500 gold coins? Then what about silver
    coins…I don’t know. Anyway, there are so many.

    “It’s
    not something you can lift.”

    A
    man who appeared to be an employee of the blacksmith shop sneered at
    me as I stared at the axe, clinging to the glass window.

    His
    suit made him look less like a blacksmith and more like a salesman.

    “Is
    this something you can buy?”

    “No.
    I didn’t mean to mock you. Literally, it’s something a man destined
    to be a rug for barbaric
    women
    can’t even lift.”

    “Don’t
    say we. It’s offensive to be compared to men like you.”

    “⋯⋯?”

    I
    felt bad and left the luxury weapon shop. I was definitely not scared
    by 500 gold coins and ran away.

    I
    only had three silver coins left.

    That’s
    all I had left after I stocked up on five days’ worth of preserved
    food, extra potions and antidotes.

    It
    took me a month to earn it, but only half a day to spend it.

    Anyway,
    I thought I’d use the extra money to buy some armor.

    ‘The
    axe and dagger could use a good sharpening, and the helmet is a
    little unnerving.’

    My
    chinstrap was loose and my helmet had a lot of marks on it from the
    last battle with the goblins.

    If
    nothing else, a helmet is a must, and I’d like to get a breastplate
    to protect my hands.

    But
    there were only a few places that sold armor that I could afford.

    I
    descended from the luxury district, where people in full armor
    strolled by, to an area where I could see no one else in my
    situation.

    “You
    want me to repair this?”

    “Yes.
    Can I?”

    “Well,
    why not⋯
    it’ll be cheaper to buy a new one.”

    “Is
    that so, and how much will you charge me?”

    “Hmmm.
    At least four silver coins, maybe eight?”

    “Why
    are the prices soaring?”

    “That’s
    right.”

    Churrrrr.
    Churrrrr.

    The
    weapons shop owner flicked her tongue in an obscene manner and made a
    gesture of sucking on something.

    No
    wonder the smithy attracts dung flies.

    “If
    you won’t pay me, so be it. Find someplace else. Or rummage around in
    the crates over there.”

    A
    weapon that would be considered crap by a smithy that only swatted
    flies.

    I
    had a bad feeling about this, but it didn’t matter. Anything would be
    better than my current helm, and there was nowhere else to go but
    down.

    I’d
    already been rejected by six smithies.

    As
    I rummaged through the pile of flawed, cheap armor that hadn’t been
    displayed or cleaned in the store.

    “⋯?”

    From
    the depths of a box full of junk, a dazzling light began to emanate.

    It
    resembled an axe I’d seen in a luxury forge.

    As
    if possessed, I cleaned out the weapons in the box and searched for
    the weapon that emits light.

    Finally,
    I found it.

    It
    was a great helm with a rugged design, clad in a brilliant blue
    light.

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