episode_0016

“Can’t I throw the axe?”

As I mimicked throwing the axe, Kairek shouted in a tone of injustice.

“Kairek used to throw axes well! But now, I can’t even hold the axe. My hands are slipping.”

Saying that, Kairek touched the axe he was wearing.

Slip.

No matter how hard Kairek tried to hold the axe, it kept slipping.

“I can’t even pull it out!!!”

Kairek looked sad.

Is this the [Curse Card]?

I thought it was nothing, but it seems more inconvenient than I thought.

“…But I think it said arrows would get stronger.”

“That’s right!! The card appraiser told me just now! It was a card called [Archery Enthusiast]!”

“……”

[Archery Enthusiast], huh…

Could it be a curse card that increases the damage of arrows but prevents you from using other weapons at all?

Then, suddenly, Kairek shouted and put his hand on my shoulder.

“Magician!!!”

Slip.

Kairek’s hand slipped.

What, are humans considered melee weapons?!

“Do it!!!”

“Do what?”

“Put me in the party!!!”

Kairek was throwing a tantrum.

The eyes of those around us gathered.

“Just a moment. I need some time to think about it first…”

“Okay!! I’ll go get some food!!”

Watching Kairek coolly walk away after my words, I hurriedly headed towards Rain.

I quickly approached her as she was taking a short break and pressed her.

“Rain.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why did you recommend someone like that?”

Did my words touch her pride or something?

Suddenly, Rain’s eyebrows twitched.

Then, Rain quickly rattled off words.

“He’s a talent among talents who became a 4th-floor explorer in just three months. He’s a bit naive, but his senses aren’t bad for a barbarian. If he hadn’t gotten the [Curse Card] a few days ago, he would have been promoted and become a 5th-floor explorer this time.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Like this, there are many cases in the labyrinth city where rising superstars suddenly get curse cards and fall to the bottom.”

“Can’t you just remove the curse…”

“Ha, you really sound like a magician. The probability of a curse card appearing is 1 in 10 cards. It’s higher than you think. Do you think Kairek-ssi has only gotten one curse card so far?”

I shut my mouth at Rain’s sharp words.

It’s better to shut your mouth and listen when a woman gets angry.

“Of course, he could have just stopped imprinting cards and been satisfied with the 4th floor without doing anything. Of course. Explorers who are satisfied with a certain floor sell good gold and silver cards without imprinting them on their own bodies.”

Rain looked towards one side inside the guild.

There was a place to buy and sell cards.

The so-called [Card Sales Office].

Explorers with heavy bags could be seen going inside.

“People call them fools. Those who want to get stronger. Those who have the desire to rise. And those who want to climb the labyrinth.”

Then, a person comes out of the card sales office.

In his hand was a silver card.

Soon, the man put the silver card on his chest.

Flash!!

The card was absorbed with light.

Soon, the man’s height noticeably increased.

“Waaaaaaa!!!!”

Rain smiled as he watched the incredibly happy man.

In a much calmer tone, Rain continued to speak.

“Magicians wouldn’t know. They just study and train to get stronger. Explorers get stronger every day they walk on a thorny path.”

I couldn’t relate to that last part.

I also get stronger randomly like the other explorers…!

“Rather, think of it in a good way. He’s a person with great potential, but his current standing is low.”

“…I see.”

In conclusion, Kairek is at his lowest point right now, so I should take him, huh?

He doesn’t seem like a bad person. Like Rain said, he’s practically a 5th-floor explorer. He must have been stronger than that bear-man looter I met last time.

There’s no reason not to keep someone like that.

Maybe it’s because I’m a magician that such a good talent came to me.

I walked towards Kairek.

Kairek was heartily tearing off meat like a barbarian.

I reached out my hand to him for a handshake.

“Okay, Kairek. Please take care of me.”

“Oh!! Kairek!! I’ll work hard!! Just don’t abandon me!!”

Then, Kairek suddenly stood up and came close to me, putting his arm around my shoulder.

A move that showed his gratitude with his whole body.

Judging from what he was saying, he was kicked out of his previous party.

He was kicked out just because he got one bad card. It’s too much, but I also think that it’s that cold because their lives are on the line.

Ugh.

After somehow getting out of Kairek’s arms, I looked up at him.

“…Kairek. Do you have money to buy a sturdy bow or weapon?”

“I have money! But Kairek always gets scammed!! When I go to weapon shops or blacksmiths, they overcharge me!! So I’m too scared to go!!”

Kairek was terrified. How many times has he been scammed?

…Of course, if I were a merchant, I would want to rip off a gullible barbarian.

“Kairek. Can you come here early tomorrow morning? I know a blacksmith.”

“I will!!!”

After making plans with Kairek, I came out of the guild.

It was evening, and the sun was gradually setting.

Since the clan building was burned down and gone, I needed a place to stay for a while.

I had a little money, so I took a room at an inn a little far from the guild.

A small studio apartment.

It wasn’t bad.

It even had a simple shower facility made with magic tools.

After lying on the bed, I fell asleep quickly while thinking about various things.

The next day.

I went out a little earlier than the scheduled time.

There’s no particular reason. I just like to leave a little earlier than the scheduled time.

It was dawn, and the guild’s doors weren’t even open yet.

Rain was standing still in front of the guild.

“Ah, Ivan-ssi.”

“Rain. What’s wrong…”

Koro ro ro ro rong!!!

A very, very, very loud snoring sound.

When I turned my head, I saw a barbarian sleeping in front of the guild.

That’s right, it was Kairek.

“Kairek, wake up.”

When I shook his shoulder, Kairek quickly woke up.

“Oh!! I was waiting! Magician!!”

“You didn’t sleep here all night, did you?”

“That’s right! Kairek is bad at keeping time! So I just slept here!!”

I don’t know if this is being diligent or just being a barbarian.

“Then let’s go.”

“Ooh!!”

I left with Kairek to catch a carriage.

*

Each district of the labyrinth city has important core facilities.

District 0 is the exit of the labyrinth, [Ariel Square].

District 1 has the [Sanctuary].

District 11, where I was, has the [Magic Tower].

District 7 has the [Workshop].

This is where all kinds of blacksmiths, alchemists, herbalists, etc. of the labyrinth city gather.

The sun was high in the sky and I was starting to get hungry, so we arrived at District 7.

Even a quick look showed that there were a lot more people than in District 11.

Of course, District 11 has fewer people during the day.

Our eyes were immediately fixed on one place as we slowly got off the carriage.

“……”

“It’s still so big even when I come again!!”

A huge dome-shaped building.

[Workshop]

Its size was even bigger than I had imagined.

If the Magic Tower felt like a slightly large apartment, this felt like a large shopping mall.

“All the blacksmiths are in there! I got scammed there!!”

Kairek stomped his feet and got a little angry.

But just that slightly cracked the floor.

I thought a guard would come at this rate, so I quickly took Kairek inside the workshop.

After asking the people inside, I found a workshop in a secluded place.

[Lyman’s Workshop]

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a lot of equipment and potions, as well as miscellaneous goods and magic tools.

I was surprised that they handled more than I thought.

“Welcome!!”

A fox-person female clerk who was sitting at the counter stood up and greeted us.

“Is Lyman-ssi here?”

“Ah! May I ask who you are?”

“Please tell him that it’s ‘Ivan’, whom he met on the 1st floor of the labyrinth.”

“Yes!!”

Tot tot tot.

The clerk went in with light footsteps.

Soon, Lyman walked out.

Lyman laughed heartily, spreading his arms wide.

“Oh, magician! My savior.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Do you have any plans to enter the labyrinth again?”

“……Yes?”

“If you go to the 3rd floor, please get me some materials. What I need is…”

Then, the female clerk blocked Lyman’s mouth.

“Haha, the owner talks a lot, right?”

I admit it. He doesn’t listen to other people’s words and just spits out his own. Are all dwarves like that?

Anyway, thanks to our fox-person clerk, I was able to explain why I came to Lyman.

“A sturdy bow or throwing weapon that a barbarian can use!”

“Don’t you have anything?”

“I have a lot! Take one of these. You won’t be disappointed.”

“You said you’d give me one piece of equipment before, right? I’ll take it with this.”

“Hmm, but all of these bows are enchanted, so they’re a little pricey. If you do me a favor, I’ll give them to you for free…”

What is he going to ask me to do again?

“Let’s hear it first.”

“There’s a [Great Cemetery] on the west side of the 3rd floor. Get me a stone with a lot of holes in it. The exact name is [Rune Iron]. I’d like it to be about this big. I’ll pay you more if you bring me more.”

“Did you go into the labyrinth because of this [Rune Iron] before?”

“That’s right. It’s not a rare material. But explorers only know how to farm cards, so they don’t bother to bring it out. Besides, it only comes out of the labyrinth, so I can’t go get it, and it’s frustrating!”

So he went into the labyrinth alone to get the material.

“Even if I put in a request at the guild, they only buy the request to buy it wholesale at the large workshop or so. The small business owners like me can’t afford it!”

“I understand. I’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you! Take one of these! I’ll give you plenty of arrows too.”

After finishing the conversation with Lyman, I looked at the place where the bows were.

Kairek had already chosen a bow and equipped it.

“I like this!!!”

Well, I guess that’s a good thing.

“I’m going to go practice!! Let’s go back to District 11! Magician!”

“Go back first…”

“Okay!!!”

Before I knew it, Kairek was gone.

I don’t even mind that level of tension anymore.

This is all the result of talking in the carriage for several hours.

I felt like blood was going to come out of my ears.

Well, thanks to that, I learned a lot of information, so it doesn’t matter.

With Kairek gone, I started shopping to buy the necessary items.

“Where are the potions and magic tools?”

“Come this way!!”

I was guided by the fox-person beastman, bought some potions, torches, and magic tools, and bought more of what I needed while walking around inside the workshop.

And luckily, I got back to District 11 before the last train was cut off.

It wasn’t night yet.

‘Since quite a bit of time has passed, I wonder if a lot of people have applied.’

I immediately stopped by the guild.

Then Rain, who was about to leave work, gave me a list, saying that party members had been found.

A whopping three documents.

There were about 100 applicants.

But if you were going to give me this anyway, shouldn’t you have put Kairek on the list too?

I had a question, so I asked Rain.

“Kairek is different. You’ll know what I mean when you look at the people on the documents.”

I listened to Rain’s words and read the documents one by one.

Compared to Kairek, who became a 4th-floor explorer in just three months, the people on the list had ordinary and mediocre specs.

The specs ranged from the 1st to the 3rd floor.

But there was not a single explorer above the 4th floor.

“There’s a big wall between the 3rd and 4th floors. Floors 1-3 are classified as low floors, 4-6 are medium floors, and 7-10 are high floors. Above that is classified as deep floors.”

There seemed to be a gap that accurately divided the pool of explorers.

It seemed that there was a reason why the 3rd-floor explorer Grace couldn’t do anything against the bear-man beastman.

“Then, unless it’s a special situation like Kairek, there’s no reason for a mid-level explorer to join a low-level explorer party.”

“That’s right. Of course, Ivan-ssi is a magician, so there may be applicants. If you wait for about a month or two?”

No, even if I waited, I wouldn’t want to wait that long.

My evaluation of Kairek increased in my heart.

Of course, his classes were reset, but a difficult-to-find mid-level explorer joined our party.

Since I had to choose from 1st-3rd floor explorers anyway, I put down my burden and checked the list.

While checking the list, I saw a familiar name.

[Hans]

[Guardian]

[Copper Explorer Line One]

Hans.

The 1st-floor explorer who blocked the attack of the 4th-floor explorer who was a looter.

I still remember that figure from behind.

‘He definitely had a card that made his shield or armor indestructible.’

His attack power was completely nerfed, but his tanking and tenacity are reliable.

‘Well, it’s not like we’re going to form a party and stay together for the rest of our lives.’

Should I just give him a chance?

I can control him as I please.

“First of all, this [Hans] here.”

“……He’s not much of an explorer. Are you sure? He’s an explorer who’s been active on the 1st floor for a whopping three years. His party always breaks up.”

“I know his face…”

“Yes. Then who will be the last party member?”

The last party member.

Now, four party members have been decided.

First of all, me. It’s unstable, but my attack power should be at the level of a 4th-floor explorer.

Then there’s Kairek. He’s a barbarian archer, a class I’ve never heard of, but Rain said he’s an excellent explorer, so probably he’ll do well.

With this, the attack power of the two rearguards is overwhelming.

Then there’s Grace, who’s a guide and a rogue, so there’s no need to find a rearguard.

The problem is the vanguard.

Hans alone will never be enough, so there must be a strong vanguard.

The best one is a paladin.

Unfortunately, there was no such person.

Then, one person caught my eye as I was reading the documents.

“I’ll take this person.”

*

The recruitment of party members is over.

Since then, we gathered together and worked together to plan what to do in the labyrinth.

We also took on a few related requests from the guild and trained from time to time.

I felt good because the breathing that didn’t match well at first was gradually matching.

That’s how the days go by.

Unfortunately, I haven’t heard from Karin during that time.

Well, she’ll contact me if she needs to.

Finally, the day I’ve been waiting for has come, the day of the labyrinth’s initialization.

My injured body has fully recovered and I can move smoothly, and I’m in the best condition.

This is my third time in the labyrinth, but considering that both times were situations where I couldn’t help it, I can say that this is my first time entering the labyrinth.

That’s why I’m a little nervous.

Buzzing.

In front of the guild, which was deserted until yesterday, a lot of people gathered.

The full moon was high in the sky.

Originally, the guild doesn’t work until night, but today is different.

On the first day of every month, when the labyrinth is initialized at midnight, many explorers head to the labyrinth.

Now is the best time to hunt because there are the most monsters, so that’s why they’re doing this open run.

Swaaaaaaaa!!!

Suddenly, a strong wind blew.

Before long, a blue portal appeared.

“Please enter in order!!!”

As soon as the guide finished speaking, the explorers rushed in without keeping order.

The rotten expression on the guide’s face, as if he knew it would happen, was a sight to behold.

“……Let’s go too.”

“Wait a minute!”

Grace checked the magic tool that was wrapped around our party’s wrists one last time.

Each of them was a magic tool connected with a line made of mana.

If you wear this, up to five people will be spawned in one place when entering the labyrinth.

That’s why one party has a maximum of five people.

Grace, who had finished checking the magic tool, nodded.

“Let’s go in!!”

Like the other explorers, we threw ourselves into the blue portal.

*

“The direction is roughly southwest of the 1st floor. So we should head to the west portal.”

Grace looked at the compass and went ahead.

Our party members followed behind her.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to fight as soon as we came to the labyrinth.

I was in the very back, fiddling with the deck.

『The deck has been changed.』

『Time until the next change: 0:59:59…』

My first deck was a deck that was made to survive somehow. I couldn’t match the concept and put a bunch of cards that looked strong.

But now it’s different.

I don’t know what the second deck will be like yet, but if it was motivated by the deck in the original work as I expected.

What I have to make is already decided.

Infinite Deck.