Chapter 40: There Are No People

“In exchange for this incident, there’s a request I’d like you to take on.”

“A request?”

“Yes. And I believe this request will be a clue to solving the problems the labyrinth city is currently facing.”

“Problems facing the labyrinth city…”

“There are roughly three.”

Moira informed me about the three problems currently facing the labyrinth city.

First, the massive loss of mid-level adventurers.

Too many mid-level adventurers died through the great change.

The resulting labor shortage and the void of silver badge holders who can explore the underground city is serious.

“Assuming the main source of income for the labyrinth city is in the underground city, if this void of silver badge rank continues, the labyrinth city will slowly wither and die.”

“Certainly… all the expensive things come from the underground city.”

If there are no silver badge holders to roam the underground city, not only will the economy be destroyed, but prices will rise and those who coexisted with adventurers will end up on the streets.

Even though there are gold and platinum badge holders, gold badges are far fewer in number compared to silver, and most platinum badges have either retired or become assimilated with the labyrinth and don’t come out.

In the end, the most important thing for the labyrinth city is the number of silver badges, which form the economic foundation as the middle class.

Due to the void of silver badge rank adventurers, the labyrinth city would clearly lose its self-sustaining power and become subordinate to or colonized by other countries.

“If this continues, the freedom of adventurers will completely disappear. We don’t know how outside forces will intervene.”

“That’s not good.”

While gold and platinum badge level powerhouses would continue to be treated well, everyone below them would find it difficult to enjoy the same freedom as before.

The second issue is also serious.

The second problem is that the influx of new adventurers is being cut off.

Coupled with the previous mass loss of adventurers, the number of novice adventurers entering the labyrinth city has drastically reduced.

The number of people trying to become adventurers has decreased to the point where it’s immediately noticeable.

It’s as if everyone has become scared of the labyrinth, and the influx of adventurers has dropped extremely low.

“This is as serious a problem as the loss of mid-level adventurers. If there are no new adventurers coming in, it means there’s no human resource to grow into the lost silver badge rank.”

For the labyrinth city, which needs to quickly receive an influx and raise them to silver badge level that can be used in the underground city, this was an extremely serious matter.

And finally, the third.

Increased labyrinth difficulty.

Due to the great change, mutant monsters have appeared, and even in the upper levels, the number of monsters has rapidly increased, making survival difficult.

Moreover, completely new areas have been added to the underground city, further increasing the danger level.

This is the most serious.

“The first two problems could be solved somehow by bringing in manpower, but if we can’t lower the fundamental problem of the labyrinth’s difficulty. The labyrinth city will eventually fall ill and die.”

Who would want to enter a labyrinth where you almost certainly come out dead if you go in alive?

This was the most fundamental problem.

Just lowering the labyrinth’s difficulty would be enough to make people willing to enter.

“And this is information that hasn’t been made public yet. The most serious problem with the difficulty increase due to the great change is that heretics have taken root in the underground city.”

“So the theory about heretics appearing was true?”

“A party belonging to a conquest team that came up recently encountered heretics. It seems they’ve completely settled in the underground city.”

“Not monsters.. but new enemies.”

“The ones we completely exterminated long ago are now pretending to be monsters while wearing human disguises. This can be seen as a very serious problem.”

Moira’s eyes grew infinitely cold.

She seemed to be suppressing her anger towards the heretics.

“Has the location where the heretics appear been identified?”

“We’re roughly identifying it. The place where they’re estimated to be hiding is below the layer division of the underground city. They say the bastards are hiding in the new layer divisions that haven’t been fully revealed yet.”

It’s already a headache that mutant monsters are using the continental common language.

Now, beings that were originally human have appeared as monsters.

The difficulty of the underground city has essentially risen to a level similar to the deep levels of the labyrinth.

“Above all, they were originally human. They’ve returned as indigenous species of the underground city after being devoured by the labyrinth. But they still use the abilities they had when they were human, they say.”

“Since they have human intelligence. It’ll be easier to deceive and eat people. They can probably use black magic and curses too…”

“I think they might even be capable of layer movement.”

Layer movement.

This is a kind of authority granted only to humans who enter the labyrinth.

Layer movement through transfer stones is only possible for humans.

That’s why monsters try to reverse migrate by possessing or parasitizing human bodies.

But the heretics devoured by the labyrinth were a bit different.

They’ve become able to freely roam the labyrinth by their own will.

They can not only come up but also go down.

Using the underground city as a base, they’ll try to spread out.

Above all, they could come up carrying monsters from the deep levels.

“This is crazy. This information is confidential, right?”

“Of course it’s confidential. It shouldn’t be revealed to the public yet. Until we solve the immediate problems of the labyrinth city. There’s nothing good about revealing the existence of the heretics. They seem to be half-hiding too. Haah…”

If we spread the news that heretics have appeared without having a solution prepared, it would only increase the chaos in the labyrinth city.

The influx would decrease further. Adventurers willing to go down to the underground city would disappear.

‘Why are these problems occurring in the era I transferred to?’

If I had transferred 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have been caught up in such shitty problems.

But if I had transferred 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have met Yuria or the young lady.

“Anyway, to solve these problems of the labyrinth city, I want to entrust you with a request.”

Lower the difficulty of the labyrinth.

Increase new adventurers.

A request to solve the problems scattered throughout the labyrinth city.

“The content of the request is simple. Go down to the underground city.”

Moira finally opened her mouth about the request.

As repayment for getting me out of the cell, Moira wants me to go down to the underground city.

“No, wait a moment. I’m very grateful for getting me out of the cell. But isn’t going down to the underground city a bit too much?”

I immediately raised an objection.

Of course, I’m grateful and thankful for getting me out of the cell.

Above all, I’m very grateful that she came running immediately when I called.

But I think it’s a bit too much to ask me to enter the underground city in return.

It hasn’t even been a week since I returned from the underground city, and now I’m being asked to go in again.

“Of course, I’m not asking you to go in right away. We’re planning to start a subjugation operation in the underground city in a month. I want you to go down as part of the supply team and corpse retrieval team at that time.”

So they’re holding a subjugation operation after all.

The prediction I made with Rohan in the labyrinth has come true.

Send down the conquest team as the vanguard to assess the state of the labyrinth.

And then hold a subjugation operation to start large-scale monster hunting.

‘An unlimited monster hunting period and unconditional purchase period.’

It means the guild, merchant alliance, and religious orders will join forces to unconditionally purchase monster corpses hunted by adventurers without considering market prices.

Therefore, starting a subjugation operation means they’ll buy unconditionally.

Currently, entry to the underground city is restricted except for the conquest team.

Adventurers below gold badge are blocked from entering the underground city.

But when the subjugation operation starts, everyone who wanted to enter the labyrinth will crawl in.

Since the merchant alliance and religious orders, famous for being rich, have stepped up.

No matter how dangerous it is, adventurers who stake their lives for money will crawl in even knowing they might die.

Because they’ll be given that much compensation.

If it’s an amount worth risking their lives for, adventurers will go in.

They’re probably trying to revitalize the temporarily stagnant economy of the labyrinth city like this.

Furthermore, they’re likely trying to sweep through the labyrinth once through subjugation and lower the difficulty.

Right now, the number of monsters has abnormally increased.

There was a need to sweep through once.

“Moreover, in this subjugation operation, we’ve decided to purchase mutant monster parts at high prices and give rewards simultaneously.”

“So I’ll be in charge of overall supplies while also retrieving corpses.”

“That’s right. During the subjugation operation, you’ll contract exclusively with the guild. And work temporarily as a guild-affiliated porter. I’m not trying to put a leash on you. I’m just asking you to do this during the subjugation period. How about it?”

“What about the compensation?”

This isn’t something to be settled just for getting me out of the cell once.

Being the middle bridge between the labyrinth city and underground city and becoming the center of transportation.

I need to secure the compensation properly.

As an adventurer, you need to earn a lot when you can.

“Compensation. Alright. You can marry me.”

What nonsense is this?

“Agh! I said I don’t like married women!”

This auntie is telling me to marry her again.

Is she crazy? In the first place, your daughter sitting next to you is my girlfriend.

“If you marry me now, Yuria is free.”

“M-Mom! What are you saying!”

“What!?”

What?

Yuria is free?

Wait a minute.

Yuria is already free though?

Right. As expected, Moira still doesn’t know about our relationship.

I thought Yuria would have told her, but apparently not.

What should I say about this?

If I say your daughter has already become my slave… I’ll get my head cut off.

“Uh, Guild Master. If you keep. Um? Flirting like this, it’s troublesome for me.”

“Listen, Sion. It’s been over 10 years since I lost my husband. After living alone for such a long time, aren’t I practically a virgin? I want to be happy now too. I want to meet a young man.”

“No! What on earth are you saying! Yuria! Your mom is weird!”

“Mom. No matter what, you’re not a virgin. Let’s not pretend to be a virgin, for conscience’s sake.”

“Bullshit. You two are making a fuss. Do you know how many men in this city want me?”

Well, I’m sure there are many.

A beautiful widow as pretty as Yuria.

She’s in her 40s but has the appearance of someone in their early to mid-20s regardless of age.

Her figure is amazing too.

Moreover, she’s one of the strongest in the labyrinth city.

I know there are men drooling and begging to meet her just once all over the place.

“Sion. This is an opportunity. Take me, the guild master, and become the hidden real power and mastermind of the labyrinth city.”

“Mom..!”

“You stay out of this! Yuria! You’re an adult too. If you’ve become independent, let’s go our separate ways now. How long are you going to block a new father?”

“Ah, that’s not it. Sigh… Really…”

Yuria, who sighed deeply at the guild master’s continued disgraceful behavior, stood up from her seat.

Thud.

Then she sat down next to me, almost clinging to me, and firmly grasped my hand.

“Mom. I’m really sorry, but he’s already mine… He can’t become a new father..”

“…Huh? Huh?”

Moira’s expression distorted.

At the same time, the magic eye hidden under her eyepatch flashed.

I shut my mouth tight.

I couldn’t even make a breath sound.