episode_0037

I examine the choices again.

[White Storage Box] – Preserve 1 card at the end of your turn.

[Worn Bag] – Draw 1 extra card only on the first turn.

[Red Dice] – When it becomes the 6th turn, deal powerful damage to the surroundings.

For having done something big, the rewards are disappointing.

At least the [Worn Bag] seems good because it slightly reduces the penalty of the energy artifact [Small Necklace].

But I already have [Cat’s Hand] and [Automatic Defense Golem], so early game boosting is sufficient.

So, is there a need to give more power to the first turn?

I’m troubled.

First, let’s look at each one.

[White Storage Box] is a powerful and solid effect that lets you keep 1 card in your hand at the end of the turn.

Given the nature of card games, the ability to continuously hold onto one card in hand is incredible.

For example, with just the Elementalist deck, there’s the advantage of being able to use the important [Charge] where you want it.

Furthermore, even if you’re unlucky and get a hand full of 3-cost attack cards, it’s great because you can carry 1 card over to the next turn.

Thinking about it this way, my mind leans towards the [White Storage Box].

The last artifact, [Red Dice], says it deals a powerful attack after waiting 6 minutes.

No, when am I going to wait until the 6th turn? In that time, I could see a whopping 28 cards.

I don’t know exactly how powerful the attack it delivers is.

But 6 minutes is when most battles will end, so it’s meaningless.

Since the cycle only turns after ending the turn, it might even take longer than 6 minutes.

It’s truly a dilemma, neither good nor bad.

It’s the worst of the three choices.

In the end, I have to choose between the [White Storage Box] and the [Worn Bag].

Do I change the initial 3 cards to 4?

Or preserve 1 card to create the desired combo?

The 고민 wasn’t long.

Because the early boosting is already sufficient as it is.

I chose the [White Storage Box] which can raise the ceiling by helping with card combos.

*

The day after the fight with Mother and Father ended.

District 11 became chaotic.

The reason is simple.

Because nearly half of the slum was swept away.

Furthermore, order was broken, so the atmosphere is chaotic.

Amidst this, information about the giant battle slowly spread into the Labyrinth City.

Including who fought.

Initially, unlike the [Witch Hunter] incident, it didn’t have overwhelming ripple effects.

All sorts of things happen in the Labyrinth City.

And people don’t pay that much attention to stories about gangster organizations.

Still, it was quite noisy in District 11.

The number of people who recognized me also increased slightly.

So I expected at least a minimal investigation.

No matter how much they don’t touch the slums, this was too much; I made too big a mess.

Indeed, Kailak was dragged away by his barbarian kin who came to the guild.

Grace was also taken by the knights.

But no one came looking for me.

The strange thing wasn’t just that.

The rumor about that day, which was gradually being buried, grew bigger and bigger day by day.

At a certain point, it inflated to the same extent as the [Witch Hunter] incident from before.

For a brief time, a new nickname was attached. An embarrassing nickname, [Purifier of Evil].

Of course, the nickname [Witch Hunter] had such a huge ripple effect that it was soon buried.

Why did things turn out this way, I wondered.

The cause of all this was clear.

“We must purify District 11!!”

“The Ariel Church cannot ignore the suffering children…”

At some point, the Ariel Church, which was rarely seen in District 11, appeared.

They started proselytizing, speaking of my actions.

Eventually, they went into the slum and took control of the interior.

And the place where I fought soon became a holy site, and buildings were erected.

All the residents of the slum moved to other districts.

The streets became quiet.

All of this happened in just two weeks.

A very rapid development, as if everything had been designed from the start.

Clearly, driving out evil and establishing good might be the right thing.

But I didn’t feel good, as if I was moving in the palm of their hands.

“Ohhh! Master Wizard!!!”

While I was quietly eating at the guild as usual.

I turned my head at a familiar voice.

Hans, who had gone to the treatment center with fractured bones all over his body, had returned.

“You recovered faster than I thought?”

“Even if I’m weak, I’m quite sturdy!”

Weakness and sturdiness. It was strange how two opposing words could apply simultaneously.

I just figured warriors must have something I don’t know and let it pass.

“I heard you did something big this time! That you saved big sister Grace from the bad guys!!”

“Well, yeah.”

“That, and freeing the orphans last time, you really have a warm heart! Ivan, [Purifier of Evil]!”

As Hans smiled brightly and praised me.

The corners of my mouth turned up unconsciously.

It was definitely an unpleasant nickname, but hearing it from a colleague with no malice and such pure intention didn’t feel bad after all.

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat and struggled to lower the corners of my mouth.

“So how’s Luca? You were in the same treatment center, weren’t you?”

“Ah! That’s why I came right now! Big sister Luca has woken up!”

“Really?”

*

The treatment center in District 0.

“… You’re here?”

As I opened the door and entered, Luca said with a blank expression.

A haggard face.

She looked skinny, as if she had lost about 5kg.

I guess it’s natural since she couldn’t eat properly while she was collapsed.

Seeing her two fox ears, which usually stood stiffly upwards, drooping, she doesn’t seem to have fully recovered yet.

“You’re the last. Ivan.”

“Grace and Kailak already came and went?”

“Yeah. This is District 0.”

District 0 is in the center of the Labyrinth City.

It’s the hub of all transportation.

Grace must have stopped by on her way to be investigated at the Knights’ building in District 0.

Kailak must have also stopped by on his way to be dragged to the barbarian settlement in District 5.

Hans also said he stopped by after being discharged today, so I really was the last one.

Of course, that’s not what’s important.

“How are you feeling?”

“… Yeah. Though I’ll need to recover more to run like before.”

Her body trembled slightly, as if she hadn’t recovered yet.

I used a card I had prepared beforehand.

[Heal]

Holy light began to warm Luca’s body.

“You’re as good as the healer!”

“Wait.”

I cycled the Paladin’s deck to find and use the next Heal.

It doesn’t have a very big effect on a body that has already recovered a lot.

But it’s still better than nothing.

Sometimes when I had time, I would come by like this, use Heal a few times, and leave.

While I was cycling the deck and healing Luca.

Luca spoke.

“I heard. That Grace left the party and then came back.”

“You heard everything?”

“No, I don’t know what Kailak is talking about. Grace said I should hear it from you?”

“… Right.”

I told her about the things that had happened while Luca was unconscious.

She listened to the story matter-of-factly, indifferently.

Visiting hours ended and I returned to District 11.

I ate dinner with Hans and parted ways, then returned home.

In front of my house, there was a face I hadn’t seen in a long time.

It was Rain.

“You’re here.”

“Rain. It’s been a while.”

“They say the building was completed today.”

I immediately understood what Rain was talking about.

What else would be the reason she specifically came to find me?

The Blue Sun Clan building was completed.

It was built faster than I thought.

“Since you weren’t available, they contacted our guild.”

Then she could have just told me tomorrow. The reason Rain specifically stopped by on my way home is obvious.

She must have wanted to see the restored state of the clan herself.

I arrived at the newly built clan building with Rain.

A 2-story building that completely followed my request to make it similar to an inn.

I opened the door with the key I received from Rain and went inside.

Upon entering, the first floor lobby is visible. There are long staircases on both sides leading to the second floor.

The second floor has a total of 6 rooms where you can sleep anytime.

Rain looked around with an expression I couldn’t figure out.

“……”

I took out the Blue Sun Clan flag from my dimensional bag.

After placing them next to the staircases on both sides, it had quite a nice atmosphere.

Finally, I placed the Blue Sun Clan photo, which included Rain, on the desk in the first-floor lobby.

Seeing that photo, Rain stood blankly.

She looked around the surroundings and then, as if she had made up her mind, took a deep breath and began to walk outside.

Saying this is as far as she goes.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Looking at her back, I said to her unconsciously.

“Come visit anytime you want.”

“……”

Hearing my words, Rain stopped.

She glanced at me, then smiled and walked outside.

“Yes.”

*

About a month passed.

Many things happened.

We moved into the clan building and decorated and filled the interior.

We also trained with Kailak and Hans occasionally.

I also resolved a few personal requests.

There were also changes to the clan building.

First, Kailak, Grace, and Hans moved into the clan building.

They came right in when I said I’d do it for free.

A free room is that important.

The quiet clan building became noisy.

And we found peace after a long time.

I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore.

A life I couldn’t have imagined a few months ago when I was transmigrated.

Back then, I was worried about survival.

And time flowed by, finally to today.

Luca’s body was completely healed and she was discharged.

It’s not exactly a discharge celebration party…

We just decided to gather lightly at the clan building to celebrate.

There are only 5 of us in this spacious place.

But we ate the prepared food and drank alcohol.

“Oh, you decorated the inside quite well, didn’t you? Are you going to run it like an inn?”

“I can’t cook, how can I do that?”

“Isn’t this much enough?”

“This bread was bought from the bakery next door. The meat was also bought…”

“Is there anything you can do?”

“You eat only greens.”

Crunch, crunch.

Grace was plucking and eating the greens she had brought separately.

Unable to drink alcohol, she was picking at greens like a miser, watching Kailak’s drink.

It was a little pitiful.

“Mr. Ivan, when are you going into the labyrinth next?”

“Ah, there’s something I wanted to talk about regarding that.”

“Everyone!! Mr. Ivan has something to say!!”

As soon as Grace spoke, everyone’s eyes gathered on me.

It’s a little burdensome.

Still, I cleared my throat a few times and started talking.

“This time, I want to go to the 4th floor, or even higher, so I studied, and I heard the 4th floor is different somehow.”

“That’s right! I was a 4th-floor explorer, but I didn’t actually operate on the 4th floor!”

“That’s right. Because you can only explore the 4th floor once you enter the labyrinth.”

“Could you explain it precisely?”

“You know the name of the 4th floor, right?”

Of course, I knew it.

I was surprised when I first heard it.

Because the name of the place that was the setting of the game was the name of the 4th floor of the labyrinth.

“Crimson Spire.”

“Yes. The structure of the 4th floor is a kind of dungeon connected in a straight line. The moment you reach the end, you go up to the 5th floor and cannot go down below.”

“Is that why they said the difference between the lower and middle layers is big? Because it’s a place you can only use once?”

“Yes. You can re-enter the 4th floor after coming out of the labyrinth. But since you have to climb floors 1 through 3 constantly, the efficiency drops significantly.”

At that moment, Kailak shouted loudly, as if it were knowledge he knew.

“Our party was also 4th-floor explorers, but our main hunting ground was the [Orc’s Sanctuary] on the 3rd floor!”

It’s not for nothing that the 3rd floor has the most explorers.

It’s the highest floor of the lower layer, but also.

Essentially, the 4th floor is a path to pass through, not a hunting ground.

This is where the difference between lower-layer and middle-layer explorers emerges.

Because middle-layer explorers are those who must consistently operate on the 5th floor and above.

“Then how’s the 5th floor?”

“The 5th floor, huh… I’ve studied the 5th floor and beyond for quite a while, but I have no practical experience. According to other middle-layer explorers I’ve heard from, the 5th floor is a different dimension.”

“… Meaning it might be dangerous.”

“Still, it wouldn’t be bad to just go and see, right?”

“Then this time, let’s aim for the 4th floor, take a quick look around the 5th floor, and return.”

“But then how do we earn money?”

“… You don’t have money?”

“I’m broke. And I still owe you a lot of money, Mr. Ivan.”

“Haa… Then shall we hunt on the 3rd floor and then go up to the 4th?”

Then Luca stepped forward.

“That’s not a bad idea. I need to loosen up my body a bit too.”

“Then let’s depart next week.”

“Great!!!!”

“Alright!!”

“… Okay.”

“Understood.”

Now that we had made a plan, the drinking party celebrating Luca’s return continued.

Kailak drank entire bottles and did all sorts of antics.

Grace, whose personality became brighter after this incident, laughed and chatted with Kailak.

Luca, who does things at her own pace, quietly sliced and ate meat.

Hans moved away from Kailak, who was trying to make him drink.

A small but bright and happy drinking party.

It was exactly the image of a medieval party I had imagined.

Just for today, I decided to forget everything and join in.

It was a fun day after a long time.

*

“Alright, put this in too.”

Grace stuffed various things into my dimensional bag.

We decided to hunt on the 3rd floor and then go up to the 4th.

But on the 4th floor, unless the labyrinth resets, there’s no way to get out, so we’ll eventually have to just touch the 5th floor.

So there’s a mountain of things to prepare.

From thick clothes to more firewood than usual, and ice crampons, etc.

“… Preparation complete.”

Luca appeared, bundled up in thick fur clothes.

Just looking at her made me feel hot.

“No, aren’t you hot?”

“… Hot.”

“Quick, take it off! We have the dimensional bag here.”

Grace quickly approached Luca and started helping her undress.

It looked a bit strange, so I turned my head away.

Luca also moved into the clan building a few days ago.

With this, all the current party members have moved into our clan building.

From now on, we don’t need to specifically get rooms at an inn or restaurant to meet and plan, making things much more convenient.

It feels like we’ve also become closer while being together.

There were also changes in equipment.

Hans spent all his money and equipped full plate armor.

He said it’s beneficial because Hans’s card applies to the entire armor, not just the shield.

Kailak got a few more special arrows besides the harpoon arrow.

His range of tactics has widened, which is much better.

Luca, perhaps a little scared after getting a hole punched in her stomach by the lich, got sturdy iron armor.

Armor with iron only on important parts, in a way that doesn’t impede mobility.

Perhaps because of the unfamiliar weight, she keeps touching it here and there.

However, Grace hasn’t changed.

That’s because she’s a poor beggar.

Well, I haven’t changed much either.

I spent quite a bit of money putting various things into the clan building.

Preparation is complete.

A chilly early morning, enough to see our breath.

We finished our preparations and headed to the guild.

Just as we finished the ritual and were about to slowly walk towards the portal.

“Just a moment.”

Suddenly, Grace stopped everyone.

She immediately took something out of her pocket.

Cloth with a blue sun drawn on it.

She started tying it to each person’s bag.

“When did you prepare something like this?”

“No, you need things like this to be a clan.”

“That’s true.”

Tight.

The cloth tied to my bag last.

Five blue suns appeared.

“……”

I felt Rain’s gaze from afar.

Turning away from her, I walk towards the portal again.

The first official activity of the (New) Blue Sun Clan.

This time, the target is the 4th floor.

No… it’s the 5th floor.