Other Adventurers

The most dangerous thing in the labyrinth isn’t monsters, traps, or anomalies—it’s other adventurers.

Goblin caves with lots of people were fine. But as soon as you reach the Greenskin territory, the number of missing persons increases dramatically.

“We need to be careful of adventurer crimes, right?”

The reason was that criminals targeted adventurers’ equipment and supplies, and sometimes even women’s bodies.

“Yes. Stay vigilant. If anyone approaches, tell me. Tonight we’ll need to set up a watch while we sleep.”

“I thought we might finally get to sleep comfortably. What a pain.”

Isabella let out a deep sigh.

“Can’t be helped. Besides, I was planning to set up a watch anyway. We can’t be sure the oasis is safe, right?”

“That’s true. But having something specific to guard against feels different than just general caution.”

I shrugged my shoulders. This truly couldn’t be helped. We’d just have to deal with it like stepping in dog poop.

“Master. Dinner is ready.”

“Alright.”

We sat on the ground with the tent wide open. Inis placed the pot down and served the stew into bowls for everyone.

“Thank you.”

The contents were just jerky, grain powder, and spices. Even this meal was only possible because we’d acquired new bags. Normally, we would have just eaten jerky and water.

The stew tasted ordinary. Still, having something warm in the cold weather improved my mood significantly.

“Master. Please have some bread too.”

Inis took bread from her bag, cut it, and handed it to me. I dipped it in the stew before eating. Even the hard bread became quite edible this way.

While only the sounds of eating could be heard, Isabella perked up her ears and stood up.

“Master.”

“Is someone from that party approaching us?”

“Yes.”

I put my bowl down and stood up. I could see an adventurer crossing the oasis with a torch. Isabella picked up her bow, and Inis reattached the knife to her waist.

“Hard work out here, isn’t it?”

The man bowed his head slightly as he approached us. Perhaps to show he had no intention of attacking, he raised both hands.

“What brings you here? You should know that in the labyrinth, it’s proper etiquette to ignore other adventurers when you encounter them. Or are you unaware of that?”

“Any adventurer party that’s made it to the Sand Desert would obviously know that. Of course I know. Coming down here, we’ve experienced all sorts of things. Right?”

“I asked why you’re here.”

Instead of answering him, I asked again. The man’s eyebrow twitched, but he smiled and replied.

“I was wondering if we could get some food. We lost some of our supplies while crossing the Sand Desert, you see.”

As he spoke, he looked us all over. His eyes moved quickly, as if he was appraising us.

His gaze lingered especially long on Isabella. Probably because her appearance was rarely seen in the labyrinth.

Gulp—

As he licked his lips and swallowed, Inis drew her sword. Isabella covered herself with both hands and took a step back.

“Get lost.”

“What? No, no. We’re fellow adventurers, let’s not be like this. Wouldn’t it be better if we helped each other? Right?”

“Shut up. Get lost. If you mumble one more word from that mouth, I’ll cut your throat.”

At those words, the man sighed deeply and turned around. When he was at some distance, he shouted.

“You’ll regret this!”

“Master. Should I chase him and kill him?”

“No. Leave him be.”

What a third-rate villain. How could his words and actions be so predictable? Are all criminals like this?

“Master. I think other adventurers are approaching from the darkness.”

“…Are you sure?”

The desert was extremely dark with little moonlight. Moreover, the oasis was visually confusing due to trees and grass.

“Yes, I’m certain. I can’t see them, but I can hear them. What should we do?”

“Once that adventurer returns to his tent, we’ll deal with them. There’s no need to let them know we’re aware of them.”

“Yes.”

The torch in the darkness gradually moved away. As it reached where the others were waiting and was extinguished, Isabella drew her bowstring.

Creeak— Whoosh!

The arrow left the string, glowing slightly with red magical power before disappearing between the trees. A faint death cry could be heard.

“Let’s go check the body.”

Isabella took the lead. Soon, we found the corpse with the pungent smell of blood. An arrow lodged between the eyes. She had definitely killed him.

“The adventurer who approached us earlier was bait, it seems.”

“Indeed. They seem quite experienced at this. Their actions were methodical.”

I wondered why he had been so blatant about his desires. Perhaps it was all to plant this trap.

Being wary of adventurers in the labyrinth was only natural. Even if they hadn’t approached us or threatened us, we would have been cautious anyway.

They probably knew that too. That’s why they played this trick.

“Master. What should we do?”

If they hadn’t touched us first, I wouldn’t have been inclined to do anything. After all, we had plenty of resources.

But when someone targets us first, it’s different. Doing nothing would be idiotic. Such people shouldn’t have entered the labyrinth in the first place.

“Let’s strike first. They won’t expect us to attack. Even if they did anticipate it, they wouldn’t be too worried.”

“Why not?”

I nudged the fallen body with my foot.

“They planted this guy on us. They probably thought if we were planning to attack, he would warn them.”

“Ah.”

“So we attack first. Any objections?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Then quickly loot the body and come back. We’ll finish our meal and then go attack.”

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. And death for death. It was time to implement this simple but powerful law.

2.

“Hey, how did it go?”

The companions questioned the man who had just entered the tent and sat down. He picked up a piece of bread from the floor, tore into it, and answered.

“Checked their equipment. It’s fucking good. If we sell it to a fence, it’ll fetch at least 20 gold.”

“Oh, shit! That’s amazing!”

The others burst into laughter.

“This is why I love the Sand Desert. People just hear rumors and bring expensive items loaded up like crazy.”

“The more suckers there are, the better for us. Right?”

“Those bastards were even cooking stew in a pot. They might even be nobles.”

“Pft. What does it matter if they’re nobles? Even if the emperor himself came to the labyrinth, he couldn’t do anything about what happens here. Humans cry like babies when you stick a knife in them. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. Exactly.”

They chuckled while tearing into jerky.

“Ah, shit. I really want a drink. Should we have one? What do you think?”

“Let’s drink after we rob those bastards. There was an incredibly beautiful woman there. It wasn’t the equipment—seeing that woman made me think they were nobles.”

“That pretty, huh?”

“Yeah. Just looking at her, you could tell she came from a prestigious family.”

“Hehe. To think I’d live to fuck a noblewoman. I’ve lived well. I’ve lived well indeed!”

One man licked his lips. The bulge between his thighs suggested he was already quite excited.

“And the other one next to her was a woman too. There’s only one man.”

“So you’re saying one man and two women made it down here?”

“Yeah.”

At those words, the adventurers frowned slightly.

“Maybe they’re much more skilled than we thought?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, you idiots. Why are you getting scared? When our guy gives the signal, the man will have a knife in his neck and die. The women will already be unconscious. What’s there to worry about?”

“Right. We just need to enjoy ourselves quietly.”

“Ha, shit. I’m so excited. A noble woman, huh.”

While everyone was snickering and talking, suddenly their tent caught fire.

Whoosh—

“Shit! What the hell!”

The adventurers jumped up and rushed outside to escape the sudden smoke.

Thwack—!

An arrow pierced the throat of the first adventurer who ran outside. He collapsed on the spot, spewing blood.

“Kuk, gurgle….”

“What are you doing, you idiot? Move—!”

The man kicked his suddenly stopped companion and went outside. What he saw when he exited the tent was a sword gleaming in the firelight.

“Huh?”

Slash—!

With a stupid sound, his vision began to spin. As his view lowered, he saw black hair fluttering.

“Fuck! What the hell! What’s going on here!”

The two men who had luckily survived aimed their weapons at the woman in front of them.

“You, you fucking bitch!”

The adventurer who had first approached them roared loudly.

“You bastards! Don’t you know adventurers shouldn’t kill each other in the labyrinth?! If you get caught, it’s the death penalty. Death penalty! Got it?!”

“I know.”

The woman answered and immediately stomped the ground. The man hurriedly raised his sword against her surprisingly fast movement.

Clang—!

Bright red sparks flew.

‘Shit. What strength…!’

She was clearly a woman, but how could she be so powerful? Consternation filled the man’s face.

“W-wait!”

Whoosh—

When he realized he couldn’t win against the woman, the man hastily opened his mouth. At the same time, his companion’s body suddenly burst into flames.

“Aaaaaargh—!”

The intense screaming made his body tremble.

“W-what the hell is…”

Whoosh—

At that moment, the wind blew and removed the robe the woman was wearing, revealing her black hair.

“T-Teufel—!”

He realized he’d made a terrible mistake. Of all people, the adventurer they’d encountered was a devil contractor.

All his companions were defeated, and the opponent was a crazy woman who had contracted with a devil. This was a battle they could never win.

“I-I’m sorry! Please spare me this once—”

—Slash!

Just as he fell to his knees to beg, his neck was severed. Red blood splattered on the ground.

It was the end of an adventurer party.