20. Underground City Assault Team Formation (3)

“Barel. It’s me.”

“Huh? Shion! You’re alive too?!”

A man with a hearty appearance.

Barel, the owner of the Tteori Weapons Shop.

True to its name, the shop sells weapons at rock-bottom prices in bulk.

There’s a reason why rookie adventurers flock there in droves.

It’s the kind of place that prioritizes quantity over quality.

It was a shop I frequented.

Not one of those fancy weapon stores run by dwarves.

Just a regular weapon shop run by humans.

Cheap prices meant the weapons broke easily, had poor-quality steel, or had minor defects, but they worked fine for me.

If one broke, I could just pull another from my inventory.

It wasn’t like I was a frontline warrior clashing with monsters.

A cheap, disposable weapon was more than enough.

“Sir, I’ll take whatever’s left in stock.”

“You broke them all again already?”

“Yes. All shattered. Lost a few too.”

“You sure have a knack for trouble. Well, take a look-there’s plenty over there.”

Swords haphazardly stuffed into wooden barrels.

Not a shred of respect for weaponry to be found anywhere.

That’s why I love this shop.

Dwarves take too much pride in their weapons and charge a fortune.

“You wanna buy the double-headed axe I made this time too?”

“Double-headed axe?”

“Here, this one. What do you think? Feels solid, right?”

The moment I picked up the double-headed axe, I could tell the weight distribution was excellent.

Seemed like a perfect weapon for cracking monster skulls.

It was heavy enough to drain stamina quickly if carried around, but I had a spatial pouch, so no problem.

“You made this well. I’ll take this too.”

“Hehe. Put it to good use.”

“Ah, I’ll take a helmet and armor too.”

“Want some leather armor?”

“Yes. Leather armor and a shield, please.”

“Hehe.”

Barel’s face lit up with a broad smile, probably because he hadn’t made a big sale in a while.

“I’ll come again next time.”

“Sure. Stay safe out there.”

Now I had all my gear ready.

‘Already spent 10 gold.’

After buying various items, about 10 gold out of the 30 I received from the lady was gone.

I replenished what I lost and bought extra supplies as needed, and just like that, 10 gold vanished in one go.

‘This is insane.’

Earning 10 gold is incredibly hard, but spending it takes less than a day.

If I had bought better equipment and supplies at full price, it would’ve cost nearly twice as much.

Thinking about it that way, I got a pretty good deal.

‘What’s left…’

Now, I just had to report back to the lady and head to the guild.

I made my way to the high-end inn I visited yesterday.

Just like before, I stuffed my inventory with free sugar cubes and cookies in the reception area when the lady and her party members came downstairs.

‘Everyone looks fine.’

The lady, who had been haggard from her comrades’ disappearance, was back to her lively self.

Rien, who had been covered in grime from not washing, now looked much cleaner.

Erika, the priestess whose mental state had half-collapsed as she sobbed and whined, was back to normal.

Even Rika, the knight who had died once in the labyrinth, was alive and well now.

“Feels like it’s been a while since we’ve all gathered like this.”

“Yeah, it’s the first time since the day we entered the labyrinth. I’m glad everyone’s safe!”

I thought we’d just briefly explore the labyrinth together on the first day and then go our separate ways.

But somehow, I ended up stuck babysitting them.

I usually avoid getting involved with nobles if I can.

How did I get tangled up this deep?

“Um, Porter-nim.”

“Yes?”

Lost in thought, I noticed the knight standing behind the lady bowing her head to me.

‘Why’s she acting like this all of a sudden?’

On the first day, she had been pretty high-handed.

Now she’s calling me Porter-nim.

Well, if she’s going to use honorifics, she could at least call me Shion-nim…

Porter-nim sounds weird, doesn’t it?

“I wanted to thank you properly. I owe you my life.”

“Uh. Yeah. Well. The lady promised payment. And you don’t need to use honorifics.”

“Right. I intend to serve the lady to the end. And I will grow stronger.”

“Huh? Oh. Okay.”

This person respects me but isn’t actually listening to what I’m saying.

Just spouting her own declarations-typical of a rigid, narrow-minded knight.

“In the labyrinth, I tasted my own weakness. Monsters are different from humans. I only realized this simple truth after dying. I want to overcome my own frailty.”

“Ah… Sure.”

Why is she making these vows in front of me all of a sudden?

Whether this knight serves the lady to the end or not doesn’t really concern me.

But she seems to feel some kind of sense of duty.

Maybe she sees a kindred spirit in me since I agreed to help the lady in the labyrinth.

But let’s get one thing straight-I’m not the lady’s retainer.

I’m just helping her clear the upper layers so she doesn’t die pathetically in there.

“Um… I-I also…”

“Yes?”

“I want to… go back into the labyrinth… I’ve become interested in mana adaptation and special abilities…”

After the knight declared her resolve, Rien spoke up in a timid voice, saying she wanted to enter the labyrinth too.

I thought Rien would never set foot in the labyrinth again, but it seems her thirst for power was stronger than I expected.

Well, once you’ve tasted mana adaptation and special abilities, it’s hard to resist.

Plenty of people enter the labyrinth just for power, with no other goal in mind.

“I, too, wish to return to the labyrinth. For in its deepest darkness, I believe I glimpsed the form of the Goddess.”

The priestess suddenly clasped her hands and offered a prayer to the Goddess.

She must think the Goddess helped her survive and escape death.

You occasionally find priests like that.

The kind whose faith deepens after narrowly escaping death.

They keep diving into the labyrinth in search of religious enlightenment and divine light.

Imposing trials upon themselves-they become ascetics.

“So, everyone wants to go back into the labyrinth.”

They’re all insane.

No matter how good the power or mana adaptation is.

To willingly return to that maddening labyrinth…

“You explained all the conditions I mentioned, right?”

“Yes. They all agreed.”

“Understood. I don’t know how long this journey will last, but let’s do our best.”

I shook hands with the lady.

I’ll look after her until she can freely navigate the upper layers.

What happens after that can be discussed later.

“By the way, what time are you heading in tomorrow?”

“Probably in the morning.”

“I see… Make sure you come back alive. Even if you die, I’ll cover the resurrection cost, so don’t worry.”

“Haha. That’s reassuring to hear. Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Okay. Be careful. Oh, and take this.”

The lady handed me a scroll.

“This is…”

“It’s not as strong as Lightning Bolt, but it’ll help.”

“The spell inscribed is… Fireball.”

“Did Rien make this?”

“Yes… The lady paid for the materials… I-it was made in a hurry, so it’s not super powerful, but…”

“Thank you.”

Scrolls are great.

They’re disgustingly expensive, but they’re perfect for creating variables in critical moments.

“May the Goddess’s blessings be upon your path, Porter-nim.”

“Oh, a blessing.”

“Yes, a Stamina Enhancement Blessing. It should last about a day.”

The priestess bestowed a blessing upon me.

Energy surged through my tired body.

“I’ll lend you this. A ring my uncle gave me.”

“Isn’t this enchanted?”

It was a heavy ring, likely made of iron.

The mysterious characters engraved on it suggested it had a magic inscription.

“It’s imbued with Pain Resistance Magic. It’ll lessen your pain.”

“Wow, this is nice. Thanks.”

A scroll and a ring.

The blessing was already making my fatigue fade fast-this was great.

“Well, I’ll really be going now.”

“Alright. See you later. Make sure you come back alive.”

The lady suddenly hugged me.

It happened too fast to refuse, so I awkwardly accepted her embrace.

Rika looked utterly flustered watching us, while Rien glared at me again for some reason.

Why is Erika making such a sly face?

Anyway, buoyed by the lady’s enthusiastic send-off, I left the inn.

Now, I just had to stop by the guild to wrap up the final preparations.

“Shion-nim, here. The payment for the monster corpses.”

As soon as I entered the guild, Edwin handed me a pouch of silver coins.

My earnings from this labyrinth expedition.

Looks like I made about 1 gold and 80 silver.

Even though I only brought back a few corpses, the reward exceeded 1 gold-probably because the White Crocodile corpse sold for a high price.

I got 10% of the purchase price as a transport fee, so the White Crocodile must’ve been worth around 10 gold.

White Crocodiles are especially valuable for their hides.

“Ah, by the way, Shion-nim.”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow, the assault team might… include the guild leader’s daughter.”

“Ah.”

Things are a bit awkward between me and the guild leader’s daughter.

It’s nothing serious-she just thinks I tried to seduce her mother.

No idea how she got that idea.

She sees me as some kind of Casanova.

Best to avoid getting involved. It’ll just be a hassle.

“Shion! Over here!”

“Ah, yes.”

Heading to the guild’s tavern, Rohan called out to me.

Aside from Rohan and Hachi, three others were sitting at the table.

Looks like they gathered the team while I was out stocking up.

“Here. These are the people who’ll help us with corpse transport.”

A heavily bearded mage, a squinting healer, and a shaggy-haired druid?

“Earth Mage Louis.”

“Yata, specializing in healing magic.”

“Horaru, servant of the Ancestor God.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Shion.”

All three were silver-rank adventurers.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward, probably because the party was hastily assembled.

“If you have anything you’d like me to carry, just hand it over. I have a spatial pouch.”

“I’ll entrust my belongings tomorrow.”

“I prefer carrying my own stuff. Just handle the rations for me.”

“Don’t have anything to hand over.”

“Ah, got it.”

Everyone seemed fine for now.

Louis came off as a bit arrogant but didn’t say much.

Yata seemed slightly gloomy but just shy.

Horaru, the druid, was hard to read.

‘A bear?’

Horaru was a bear beastkin.

Brown fur and quite large.

Couldn’t tell the gender, though.

“This is my first time heading to the underground city. Is there anything I should know?”

“Nothing too special. According to the rescue team that returned yesterday…”

Rohan shared what he’d learned about the underground city after the cataclysm.

To summarize, the underground city’s map had completely changed, the number of monsters had surged, and previously unseen monsters had started appearing.

How should I put it?

Felt like the labyrinth had undergone an update.

“And traces of heretics have been found.”

“Heretics?”

“Yeah. The ones wiped out in the mass purge four years ago. Somehow, they’re back.”

The mass purge four years ago.

Probably referring to the massacre of heretics hiding in the underground city.

After that, the heretics vanished-until now, post-cataclysm.

“We need to be careful. The surge in monsters means they have more sacrifices to work with.”

Earth Mage Louis chimed in.

“Sacrifices?”

“Heretics gain power through sacrifices. Filthy lot.”

“Ah.”

Heretics are new to me.

Since they were eradicated before I was transported to this world, there wasn’t much info circulating about them.

‘I know too little about heretics. Need to do some research.’

Know your enemy to counter them.

I should gather more intel on the heretics and the underground city’s monsters.