11. Save Them Before It’s Too Late

“First, we need to find someone willing to go in with us.”

“Sh-should we go to the guild…?”

“The guild is too chaotic right now. It’d be better to look for someone at the labyrinth entrance.”

The adventurer’s guild was currently more chaotic than a marketplace.

I had checked on the way to the relief station.

Trying to find adventurers willing to join us in a rescue operation there would be madness.

At this point, even the crowded labyrinth entrance, bustling with injured people and adventurers, would be a better option.

“At least I have a spatial pouch, and Rien has tracking-type special abilities. If we explain things well, we should be able to find an adventurer party willing to join us.”

“Ah… I see… I-I don’t know much about this… I’ll leave it all to the porter…”

Rien, who had been glaring at me when the young lady was around, now hunched over timidly the moment we were alone.

It seems she’s the type whose demeanor changes drastically depending on whether she has allies nearby.

When she has someone to rely on, she acts a bit more willful, but the moment she’s alone, she becomes noticeably weaker.

The more awkward she feels, the easier she is to handle.

“By the way, Rien.”

“Y-yes…?”

“You’ve been looking exhausted since earlier. Here, drink this.”

“This is…?”

“A stamina tonic. It’s good for emergencies. Though it does have some minor side effects…”

“Side effects…? What kind of- Oh.”

“Yes. That kind of side effect.”

It was the same tonic I had taken in the labyrinth that left me with an unrelenting erection.

By Earth standards, it’s like a certain blue pill-except this world’s version has a tiny side effect.

It causes erections.

For men, the side effect is an erection.

For women, it’s probably…

“Heightened tactile sensitivity,” I think?

“Enhanced sensitivity” would be a better way to describe it.

Though the side effects are mild, chugging a bottle when you’re on the verge of collapse gives you enough strength to stay conscious.

It’s good for emergencies.

Rien has been awake for over a day. She could collapse at any moment.

She escaped the labyrinth to save me and the young lady, only to dive right back in.

Now, to save the female knight and priestess, she’s burning through her lifespan again to re-enter the labyrinth.

She’s definitely pushing herself too hard right now.

So even with the side effects, borrowing the tonic’s strength is the better option.

“Despite how it looks, the effects are reliable. And it costs 10 silver per bottle. I’m offering it purely because you look like you’re about to collapse. If you pass out in the labyrinth, who’s going to carry you?”

“That’s… true… I can’t argue with that logic… Fine…”

Rien hesitantly accepted the stamina tonic I handed her.

Pushing through with the tonic’s help is far better than collapsing.

Besides, the side effects will wear off in a few hours anyway.

Gulp.

She downed the entire bottle in one go.

The effects of the labyrinth city’s special stamina tonic were immediate.

Rien’s half-lidded eyes shot wide open.

“Something… my body feels hot…”

“That’s the tonic taking effect. Any other strange sensations?”

“A… tingling feeling…? I’m not sure how to describe it.”

Her face flushed slightly.

She seemed to be struggling to put the sensation into words.

Not a bad reaction, though.

She actually looks more satisfied than I expected?

“By the way… where do you buy this? The Alchemy Guild…?”

“No. There’s a hole-in-the-wall shop I frequent. The owner is an alchemist. She makes these.”

“Wait. Don’t tell me… this is an unlicensed drug?!”

“Even if it’s made with unofficial methods, the effects are solid. And if you tried buying something similar from the Alchemy Guild, you’d have to shell out at least 30 silver. That’s enough to buy three of these.”

“…Hah… You’re betting your life on cost-effectiveness… Drinking unverified potions…”

“And thanks to that, I’m still alive.”

The hole-in-the-wall shop-officially named Rafnel’s Atelier-was a small general store in the eastern part of the labyrinth city.

Though it had few customers, its products were reliable.

After all, they were made by an elf of unknown age.

In terms of experience and seniority, she could probably overwhelm even the elders of the Magic Tower.

“C-can you… introduce me to her… next time…?”

“Huh? Oh. Sure.”

What’s this? Just a moment ago, she was distrustful because it was unofficial.

Now she’s asking for an introduction.

Maybe I’ll take her there once things settle down.

Actually, I thought we’d never see each other again after this.

But we keep getting tangled up-it’s a strange feeling.

Did I try to cut things off too coldly?

“Let’s start looking for teammates.”

“Y-yeah… Got it.”

Before entering the labyrinth, Rien and I needed to find at least mid-tier adventurers willing to join us.

I’m just a porter with low combat ability, and in her current state, Rien shouldn’t be expected to do more than guide us.

The problem is, most mid-tier and above adventurers have already entered the labyrinth under guild orders for rescue operations.

So the people still at the entrance are either those who were just rescued or those who escaped on their own.

Anyone with a sound mind would’ve already gone to the guild or relief station, meaning those still lingering at the entrance must have unfinished business in the labyrinth.

If we can persuade someone suitable among them, we might be able to bring them along.

If we offer to help rescue the female knight and priestess in exchange for them helping us retrieve their lost teammates, it could work.

“Are you planning to go into the sewers?”

“No… We’re… done… It’s all over… Damn it… Damn it all… I just want to die…”

“Yikes.”

There were plenty of broken spirits here.

The labyrinth entrance was as crowded as the guild, but finding someone willing to venture into the sewers with us to search for missing teammates was nearly impossible.

Most rescue teams had already gone inside, so recruiting new members was like trying to pluck stars from the sky.

Worse, when mental resilience drops too low in the labyrinth, people break-and those who do act erratically until they regain their composure outside.

Going in with people behaving erratically is suicide.

Dead end. Another dead end. Damn it. We’re running out of time.

As expected, hastily assembling a team for a labyrinth run wasn’t easy.

Everyone was messed up in some way.

Should we wait for a rescue team to emerge?

Joining a rescue team as they escort survivors out is another option.

But there’s no telling when they’ll come back out.

We can’t afford to waste time idling at the entrance, waiting for them.

Every minute counts in the labyrinth.

We can’t afford to dawdle.

Just as I was considering posting a paid request instead-

Someone called out to us.

“Hold on, you said you have a spatial pouch?”

A slumped-over adventurer.

A golden-haired warrior whose spirit was half-broken.

But his eyes showed he wasn’t completely gone.

Just somewhat despairing-not to the point of erratic behavior.

“Yes. I have a spatial pouch, and she has a tracking-type special ability.”

“Can the spatial pouch… carry corpses too?”

“Of course.”

“And… with that tracking ability, can you locate the dead?”

“I-it might be possible…”

“Good. I’ll go with you to rescue the people you’re looking for. In exchange… help us retrieve our teammates’ bodies from the underground city. If you agree, we’ll head in right now.”

He was a silver-rank adventurer.

Naturally weaker than gold-rank adventurers who could venture below the underground city, but silver-rank still meant he was strong enough to navigate the underground city.

He’d have no trouble in the upper layers.

As long as we don’t get scammed, we should be able to rescue the female knight and priestess.

The problem was his condition.

Going down to the underground city? Insane.

Impossible right now.

Both Rien and I are in no condition for that.

“If you’re planning to go to the underground city today, we can’t do it. Both I and this witch here are at our physical limits. And while I might manage, she’s only undergone maso adaptation once. The underground city is too much.”

“I see…”

The man pondered for a moment before speaking again.

He seemed to have compromised.

“Fine. We don’t have to go today. Tomorrow is fine. What matters is recovering the bodies.”

If we can go tomorrow, it’s acceptable.

A simple task-escorting an experienced underground city explorer to retrieve corpses.

And tomorrow, the chaos should die down, making it easier to recruit more help.

That’s crucial. Gathering more people tomorrow for the retrieval operation would significantly boost our guild reputation.

“And we don’t strictly need that witch’s tracking ability. I have a rough idea where the bodies might be. The problem was carrying them out.”

He wiped his face once.

He seemed to be regretting something.

“We need the spatial pouch. There are six bodies to bring back. Just the two of us can’t do it. The rescue teams won’t help with corpse transport either.”

“Understood. If you help us today, we’ll assist with transporting your teammates’ bodies tomorrow.”

“Good. Good. Deal.”

Not a bad arrangement.

During the rescue operation, scavenging monster corpses or other adventurers’ remains in the 5th-floor underground city could be quite profitable.

Honestly, the reward the young lady promised was already more than enough to justify venturing into the underground city.

She’ll cover my fee, so all I have to do is retrieve the bodies.

“Only two of us survived. The rest are all down there. For the record, I’m a warrior, and this one’s a monk. The two of us are enough for the upper layers.”

A warrior whose spirit was broken after losing his comrades in the labyrinth.

And a bald, squinting monk who seemed to have his own story.

As he said, the two of them would have no trouble navigating the upper layers.

No healer, but we have medical supplies to compensate.

Since we’re not heading to the underground city today, we can find a healer tomorrow before descending.

“Let’s go. Before it’s too late.”

We’ve packed everything we need.

All that’s left is to rescue the two before time runs out.

The four of us stepped back into the labyrinth.

The deep darkness welcomed us.

---

“Rika. Rika, please answer me. Rika…?”

The priestess desperately called out to her companion, the female knight.

…

But no answer came.

Only silence lingered.

The stench of death was thick.

The smell of blood assaulted the priestess’s nostrils, yet she called the knight’s name again.

“Rika. Please, say something. Rika… Don’t leave me alone. Please.”

Still, the knight gave no reply.

How could she?

She was already a cold corpse.

“Ah… Aah…”

With no response, Erika despaired once more.

Her faith wavered. The pillar of her heart was on the verge of breaking.

Hope had long since vanished.

In its place, a clinging darkness began to spread.

The labyrinth’s malice enveloped Erika.

Maso gradually filled her lungs.

The postponed end crept up to her throat, whispering.

Give up now.

No one will answer your prayers.

[There is no goddess here.]

So surrender, and become one with the labyrinth.

The whispers echoed endlessly in Erika’s ears.

“No. No. No. That’s not true. No.”

The priestess buried her face in her hands.

She had failed to save the knight, who had been wounded and dying.

The guilt, self-loathing, and frustration of being powerless to prevent this death weighed on her.

Her mind cracked.

Her sanity teetered on the edge.

She asked herself-

Was her divine power lacking?

Or was her faith insufficient?

No-everything was lacking.

All she could do was beg the goddess for mercy and salvation.

She prayed and prayed, pleading for her life to a deity who would not answer.

Something was approaching, drawn by the scent.

If she delayed any longer, monsters drawn by the knight’s lingering death aura would swarm them.

This was the labyrinth’s upper layers-the 4th-floor sewer section.

A place teeming with corpse-eaters.

A place where, if a party was wiped out, revival was said to be impossible due to the low retrieval rate of bodies.

Rats, slimes, and sewer bugs-

They would come, drawn by the knight’s scent.

They would devour the corpse and trample any chance of revival.

This was a godless place.

The priestess wept silently.

Without proper preservation, even resurrection was impossible.

Revival was not absolute power.

It was a crude process-forcing a soul back into a relatively intact body.

For that, the corpse had to be preserved.

A body torn apart by monsters could never be restored.

“Please, O goddess. Grant us salvation.”

The weakened priestess could no longer even cast Holy Light.

In the labyrinth’s pitch-black darkness, she couldn’t even see the knight’s condition.

The porter had carried the torch.

There was nothing left to produce light.

No light. No hope.

Only suffocation from maso poisoning-

Or death at the hands of the approaching monsters.

Her breath grew ragged.

Clang! Clang!!

The door to the room where the dead knight and dying priestess hid began to rattle.

They were here.

Monsters, drawn by the scent of death, had come to feast.

“Ah-”

Terror filled the priestess’s eyes.

Mustering the last of her strength, she prayed.

Then-the door burst open.

The things outside flooded in.