episode_0008

New adventurer training lasted for a week.

I was definitely able to learn a lot.

Of course, it was knowledge in my head, not knowledge embodied in my body.

Still, I could apply some of it immediately.

Things like how to pack a backpack or simple first aid.

How to form a formation, and the laws that must be observed on each floor.

Simple trap detection and types of hand signals.

There were things I saw after learning them.

You could say it’s the association’s keynote.

I could vaguely see the direction.

Crawling into the labyrinth, beheading monsters, and breaking through floors is not everything.

That alone is not enough.

Reducing risks through thorough preparation and moving forward one step at a time, even if it’s slow and stable.

The entire week-long training period kept emphasizing that point.

* * *

The next morning.

“Is it today?”

Darmong asked.

“Yes. I’ll be back.”

“Don’t expect too much.”

Darmong poured cold water on it, but I couldn’t help but be excited.

Finally, party matching.

Five people form a party. There were also cases where four people formed a party, but it was rare.

Most people look at job postings on the bulletin board and join a party.

The association also arranged parties for new explorers.

Darmong recommended the latter. It was up to the receptionist, but I heard that they helped people who took the association’s classes form parties together.

The explorer branch building was packed with people.

Jeong Yushin stood in the shortest line to save time.

And immediately regretted it.

It was that spiteful-looking receptionist I saw last time.

‘Ah, damn it. That look again.’

There was a reason why the line was short.

I didn’t want to stand in another line now.

In a short time, more people poured in and the line got longer.

I didn’t want to wait any longer.

‘I have to think I stepped in shit. It’s not like I’m going to die.’

It was Jeong Yushin’s turn.

“I’d like a party matching for a new explorer.”

“Confirmed. There is only one party looking for a frontline position right now. I’ll put you in that one. Go to table number 6.”

“Yes.”

I quickly left the counter and went to table number 6.

There were about 30 tables, and it was noisy because it was full of people talking.

I was barely able to find a table with the number 6 on it.

Familiar faces were sitting there.

It was the boy who shouted while slamming the reception desk.

Besides the boy, there was one man and two women sitting at the table.

One man was missing from the group I saw last week.

“Hello. I’m Sky. I came after being introduced by the association.”

“Hello. I’m Kaal. I’m the party leader.”

It was a confident voice full of spirit. Kaal introduced each of his party members.

The other man’s name was Dean. He was in charge of reconnaissance.

The red-haired woman’s name was Ann. She was one of the rearguards and her weapon was a bow.

The other rearguard was Marie, a brown-haired woman. She was an apprentice priestess who worshiped the Earth Mother of the Spirit Order.

Kaal briefly explained the party’s situation.

They entered the labyrinth for the first time last week and broke through the 1st floor without much difficulty. However, one of their companions injured his leg on the 2nd floor, so they were temporarily looking for a new person.

That person was Jeong Yushin.

The quests the party received were two:

Hobgoblin subjugation.

Mana stone collection.

The reward is divided fairly into 5 equal parts.

The range of activity was limited to the 1st floor of the labyrinth.

Jeong Yushin and Kaal’s party members finished all the discussions and left, agreeing to meet at the association branch tomorrow morning.

I returned to the inn, met Darmong, and told him about Kaal and his party members.

“Darmong, didn’t you say that they mostly connect people who have taken the new explorer training together?”

“That’s strange.”

Darmong stroked his chin.

“Well, anyway, I’m going tomorrow.”

“Sky, be careful.”

Jeong Yushin nodded at the serious warning.

Night passed and morning came.

The day I had been anticipating and longing for, the day to enter the labyrinth.

I woke up early and checked my equipment.

Whether the sword draws well, whether the shield strap is too loose.

Whether the joints of the hard leather armor are too stiff.

I checked all the parts that I could check, even if it was insufficient.

I packed all my equipment and slung my backpack. I took the class and packed only the supplies I needed for the 1st floor.

“Good.”

I went down to the dining room with my helmet on my waist, and Darmong brought out breakfast.

“This is the last meal you’ll eat in society.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

There was a mountain of well-done steak and garlic.

“Is it okay for you to give me this much?”

“I’m giving it to you because I can see that you’re going to be starving in the labyrinth for a few days.”

“I’ll enjoy the meal.”

I didn’t leave anything and scraped the plate clean.

“Hoo.”

As I was patting my full stomach, Darmong handed me something wrapped in paper.

“It’s jerky and biscuits. Save them and eat them.”

“I’ll gladly accept them.”

I didn’t refuse. I didn’t want to ignore the kindness of the cute, tsundere bear. Besides, I don’t have any money.

“I’ll be back.”

I said goodbye before packing my things and leaving.

“I’ll say it again, be careful.”

“Yes.”

I engraved Darmong’s advice in my heart and moved my steps to the explorer association branch.

* * *

I arrived at the branch and sat at an empty table, waiting for Kaal and his group.

About 30 minutes passed when they came in, talking loudly. One of their companions had suffered a minor injury, but perhaps because they had successfully broken through the 1st floor without much difficulty, they seemed full of confidence and composure.

“Ah! Sky, you’re here first.”

Kaal greeted me. His equipment looked light. He was wearing leather armor and a longsword on his waist. His backpack also looked light, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of his pocket situation or some other strategic reason.

All the party members were dressed similarly to Kaal.

“Let’s go right now. This time slot is crowded, so it’s better to go first.”

“Okay.”

Jeong Yushin got up from his seat and followed the party.

The Grand Labyrinth was located west of the city.

The closer we got to the labyrinth, the more the number of people gradually increased. I was caught in the crowd and walked mindlessly, and finally I could see it.

The Grand Labyrinth.

I thought it was a small tower when I saw it from outside the city.

When I saw it right in front of me, it was a sharply rising rocky hill.

In front of the rocky hill, a magic circle that could easily accommodate thousands of people was shining. In front of it, soldiers belonging to the labyrinth city were controlling entry and exit.

“Okay, one party at a time, please enter calmly!”

A person wearing full plate armor shouted.

One party at a time entered the magic circle and disappeared in a flash of light.

The explorers followed the soldiers’ control well.

The soldiers were stationed in various places and quickly passed the explorers through.

After waiting for a while, it was Kaal’s party’s turn.

My heart was pounding with tension and excitement.

As I stood on the magic circle, the light gradually became brighter and obscured my vision.

Flash!

At the same time as the intense light, I felt a floating sensation as if my body was floating.

Thump!

“Ugh!”

I lost my balance and fell on my butt. I felt the damp and cold stone floor.

I finally transferred to the 1st floor of the labyrinth.

Due to the nature of the labyrinth, everyone started from the 1st floor without exception. It didn’t matter if they reached the 50th floor or the 80th floor.

Once you leave the labyrinth, you have to start from the beginning.

That means there are a lot of people on the 1st floor right now.

And now is.

‘The safest time.’

I need to quickly figure out my current location and form a formation.

“Uh oh!”

A startled voice echoed in the dark cave.

It was Kaal’s voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“I dropped the flint. Can you light the fire instead?”

“Okay.”

I took out the flint from my pocket and lit the torch.

The surroundings became somewhat brighter.

The 1st to 5th floors of the labyrinth are called the surface floors, and there is one rule that must be observed.

Maintain the light at all costs.

There is a special reason for this.

It was because of the ‘darkness’ that is characteristic of the surface floors.

The ‘darkness’ of the surface floors drives people crazy.

Definitely and surely.

Absolute law that is useless for high-ranking explorers or legendary heroes.

However, even a small light like a firefly does not cause madness, so skilled explorers quickly pass through the surface floors with minimal light.

“It looks like we’ve landed completely on the outskirts?”

Dean, who was in charge of reconnaissance and was also the guide, said while looking at the map.

“Is that so? We’re not as lucky as last time.”

“Yeah, last time we transferred near the entrance to the 2nd floor.”

Kaal shrugged at Dean’s gloomy muttering.

“There are days like this. Let’s go.”

Kaal took the lead with the torch.

Jeong Yushin walked right behind Kaal, and behind Jeong Yushin, Dean, Marie, and Ann followed in order.

I walked for several hours. In the meantime, I encountered several parties, but they brushed past like the wind with the words “Get out of the way.”

“Hoo. Dean, where are we?”

“Just a moment.”

At Kaal’s question, Dean took out a map from his pocket and unfolded it.

“If you go left at the next fork, you can enter the central area of the 1st floor.”

“Good!”

Kaal shouted energetically and encouraged the tired-looking group.

“Let’s quickly enter the central area and then rest. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“I understand.”

Kaal looked at Jeong Yushin as if waiting for an answer.

“Yes, I understand.”

With the belief that we could rest if we quickly arrived in the central area, we walked without a break. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any monsters.

But.

Luck was not on their side.

“Dean, what is this? It’s a dead end!”

Kaal looked at Dean with a annoyed gaze.

“I’m…sorry.”

“Get a grip. This is a different place from the village we lived in. Keep thinking without…”

“Kaal, stop it. You’re too edgy. This is only our second time in the labyrinth.”

The red-haired Ann cut off Kaal’s words and intervened.

Kaal sighed and shook his head.

“Okay. Sorry, Dean.”

“No. I should have been more alert.”

“I want to rest.”

Apprentice priest Marie chimed in. She looked tired from the forced march that lasted for several hours.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

They leaned against the dead-end wall and sat down. Jeong Yushin sat a little away from them.

They chatted and bloomed with stories.

They were saying that they would be planting seeds in the village fields around this time.

That the girl Dean used to like was actually a boy.

As I listened silently to their memories, Kaal came and sat next to Jeong Yushin.

“All five of us are from the same village. Ah! The other one is probably resting at the inn right now.”

“I see.”

“We’ve done everything together since we were young. The village is barren and remote, so there are many dangerous things. I wasn’t afraid of any danger because we were together. And when I overcame the threat, I realized. That I get more from experience than from what I learn from books.”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know what Kaal wanted to say, so I silently agreed.

“I saw Sky go to the new explorer training last time. I think you’re older than me, but you don’t seem to know anything. You get more from experience. You’re better off getting it from a street explorer than from people who sit comfortably in the association building and talk.”

I realized.

‘He came to give me advice.’

Life advice from a teenager was definitely different from that of older people.

There was more certainty and it was more assertive.

It felt like he had mastered the truth of life.

“And you know what? When I see Sky…”

“Kaal, I’m tired. Can’t we just sleep here?”

Marie suddenly interrupted and whined.

“Marie, if we go a little further, there’s a shelter. We can rest there.”

Dean approached and coaxed Marie.

“Dean, are you sure this time?”

“Yeah. I looked at the map carefully. There’s a shelter in the central area.”

“Okay. Marie, let’s hang in there a little longer.”

“Hoo, I understand.”

Kaal got up, comforted Marie, and led the group.

I walked for about 2 hours. Just as Marie was about to collapse, saying she couldn’t go any further, I found a shelter.

There was a gap between the cave walls that I could enter, and there was a small cavity inside.

It was about the size of 10 people filling it up.

I went inside and unpacked my luggage.

I blocked the entrance where the light from the torch was leaking out with a blanket, and each of us sat with our backs against the wall.

I took out biscuits and jerky from my backpack, ate them, and immediately set the watch order.

It was evening outside around this time.

The first watch was Marie, then Kaal, Jeong Yushin, Dean, and finally Ann.

I spread a blanket on the cold cave floor.

‘Not bad.’

Perhaps because they were childhood friends, the atmosphere was good. There were times when they made mistakes because they were nervous, but it was nice to see them comforting and leading each other.

There were no attacks and no discord.

Jeong Yushin covered himself with a blanket and closed his eyes to sleep, hoping that tomorrow (?) would be smooth.

In the dark Grand Labyrinth.