episode_0070

‘Of course, the cooldown was over. So he came in, right? There’s no way he wouldn’t know I was trying to get rid of cards as much as possible.’

Swallowing words that almost came out, I sat in front of the campfire.

I looked at Kaman’s face, but still couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Clap!!

Kaman clapped his hands, and immediately untied the cloth wrapper.

First, I briefly checked what items there were, thinking about what words to say first and how to bring it up.

What I was most curious about first was that.

Why is a person from 500 years ago still alive now?

I had never heard that beastmen had long lifespans.

Moreover, in a world where even elves’ appearances change after 500 years.

Kaman’s face was exactly the same as it was in the statue.

What on earth happened to Kaman, and.

Why is he trapped in such a strange space?

There must be a reason for all of that.

At least, it must be deeply connected to me.

“I found a statue of Mr. Kaman in a beastmen village.”

“Is that so. I miss it. How long has it been since I was sealed?”

Sealed, huh.

I thought this place was strange from the beginning, but I never imagined he was sealed.

Then how did I get in here?

“Roughly about 500 years have passed.”

“I see.”

A brief silence.

While I was looking at the items in the cloth wrapper, Kaman, who had been staring at me, opened his mouth first.

“Here, I cannot see outside.”

“But you kept saying things like ‘He’ll come in around this time’ every time, didn’t you? It also felt like you knew everything.”

“Do you want to know the reason?”

“Yes.”

Kaman held out his right hand.

What is he trying to show me?

I was looking at his hand, feeling tense for a moment.

“10 coins.”

“……”

I was speechless.

The moment I was about to take out a coin and hand it over.

Kaman withdrew his hand, laughing heartily in his own way.

“It’s a joke!”

Was he originally this kind of person?

If I say his sense of humor is old, typical of a beastman from 500 years ago, he’d get angry, wouldn’t he?

“Thanks to that, some of my memories have returned.”

Kaman smiled brightly.

Kaman, who had seemed cold before due to being blunt and showing little emotion, was smiling.

“Whenever you learn a new fact and your perspective on the world broadens. My sealed memories return little by little.”

“But when I caught the witch and came out last time, didn’t you also give a warning?”

“Because fragmented pieces of what you’re thinking enter this place little by little, I deduce roughly what you’ve been doing from that.”

“So that’s why you told me it wasn’t time yet.”

“Exactly. My memories haven’t fully returned yet, so what could I tell you?”

“In that case, you can answer my questions now.”

“Ask me anything.”

Looking at Kaman, who spoke confidently, I asked the question among the many I had prepared that I was most curious about and couldn’t even grasp.

“What is a Card Mage?”

At that question, Kaman’s eyes narrowed.

Did he perhaps think I wouldn’t be able to ask such a question?

“Before that, you need to know one thing. About what cards are.”

What is a card?

Humans climb the labyrinth using abilities in the form of cards.

“You probably know that the Evil God created the labyrinth.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why the Evil God created the labyrinth?”

At Kaman’s question, I took out a book from my subspace bag.

It was one of the books I picked up when I raided the black magician’s house with the saint.

[Labyrinthology]

Here, it is written why the Evil God created the labyrinth.

Of course, only from the black magician’s perspective.

“That’s wrong. Unless you figure it out yourself. I cannot tell you about Card Mages.”

“Are there no hints?”

“You should already be able to deduce that information.”

Unless I knew something, Kaman’s memories wouldn’t surface.

But fortunately, I didn’t need to worry about something.

Because it was something I had talked about for a long time with Noah.

[I heard the Evil God is conquering the continent using the labyrinth?]

I relayed Noah’s words, who was a subordinate of the Evil God.

But it was the wrong answer.

“The cause and effect are reversed.”

“That means…”

“The labyrinth is the result. It’s where the Evil God, who failed to conquer the continent, was trapped.”

“Then all the adventurers entering the labyrinth now are going in to suppress the Evil God.”

“Perhaps they were at first.”

Kaman took out a card from his pocket and went Tap! Tap! fidgeting with it as he continued speaking.

“Not long after the labyrinth appeared. All the soldiers on the continent reached their limits. That’s natural. Because at that time, the labyrinth was truly the worst place where nothing came out.”

“There were no rewards?”

“Magic stones did come out. But the worst part was that monster corpses would simply vanish, making it impossible to bring them out. Regular mercenaries wouldn’t bother entering the labyrinth just to hunt monsters.”

In other words, entering the labyrinth at that time was something you literally *had* to do because the input was high and the output was low.

“Furthermore, as the days passed, the monsters in the labyrinth grew stronger, and the number of humans and other races gradually decreased. It was a situation where the labyrinth could erupt at any time.”

“To overcome such a situation, did the Main God introduce cards?”

“Exactly. Originally, magic, which is the power of gods, could only be handled by a few humans, but by directly molding divine power and providing it divided in the form of cards. All humans gained the driving force to become stronger.”

“And at the point when cards appeared in the labyrinth and rewards improved, the continent’s mercenaries came into the labyrinth to earn money.”

“Precisely. You know two things even when I tell you one, truly worthy of being my successor.”

In that case, the appearance of beings called adventurers probably came after the emergence of cards.

“Cards must have been born along with labyrinth cities. Before that, it must have felt like a small dungeon.”

“Thanks to that, peace continued for quite a long time.”

Tap!!

Kaman put the card back into the deck.

“But even that is starting to get difficult now. Do you know the reason?”

“Before that, just a moment, you just said magic is the power of gods. Isn’t the Main God’s power related to the Ariel Church?”

“Unfortunately, my memory doesn’t reach that far. Perhaps it will surface if you learn what magic is.”

It seems like information not yet permitted to me.

But even with blanks in the logic, deduction is possible.

“Is the Main God’s power gradually reaching its end?”

The moment I spoke, Kaman’s brow furrowed, and as if in pain. He clutched his head.

Startled, I immediately spread out my senses and read everything around me.

Now I can feel it. Something unknown holding onto Kaman.

And one of them snapped! It broke and vanished.

“…It surfaced. Your words are right. In exchange for gaining peace for a long time, the Main God is gradually losing almost all of his power. Moreover, this time, the Evil God created his subordinate and made a new floor, so to counter that, he called you and created new cards again.”

“Do you know how much is left?”

“That is something you must find out. Perhaps you might know if you go to the Ariel Church. Perhaps this might be the last time.”

The deck is trembling.

It feels as if it’s claiming that Kaman’s words are right to me.

“Card Mage is a term used to call a subordinate of the Main God who can directly use the Main God’s power.”

It was roughly what I had guessed. But hearing it actually made it sink in a bit more.

“Then did you also come from another world like me, Mr. Kaman?”

“That is not the case. I, no, up until now, the subordinates of the two gods were all individuals chosen from the continent. This time must be the first.”

“I see.”

My head is getting complicated.

It was information I had already been able to deduce to some extent. But hearing this actually made me feel somewhat unsettled.

“Is there anything else you are curious about?”

“Yes.”

Since I’ve figured out enough about the labyrinth, the Main God, and the Evil God for now, next is this.

One card obtained from Kaman’s statue with the chieftain.

As soon as I took it out from my pocket, Kaman laughed lightly.

“Ah, you mean that. Unfortunately, it is not a card.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s something very good. You will know someday.”

Kaman wore a wide grin, a playful smile.

Seeing that look, I thought there must be a reason for it, and put Kaman’s card into my pocket.

“So, is there nothing to choose?”

“Ah, I’ll remove another card.”

One [Strike] card vanished again.

A knot in my heart unravelled, and my head felt refreshed.

Now, 2 [Strike] cards remain in the deck.

The fact that they will all disappear in about 2 weeks already makes me excited.

“Is it that good?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Then see you next time.”

“Huh?”

I had many more questions to ask. Kaman kicked me out.

“There’s a time limit, so next time, make sure to clearly think of only the necessary questions.”

My consciousness drifted away again.

*

The next day, I visited the guild with Grace.

There were a great many clan applicants.

Some people came after hearing about me, who had become widely known as the Witch Slayer.

There were also a few adventurers who were interested in Hans.

Excluding those who just came out of curiosity, I filtered and selected people who were a good fit in personality and seemed decent. I conducted interviews and sparred with them, trying to find the most suitable people, or those with potential for the future.

As I spent almost days holed up in the guild, the recruitment was completed before I knew it.

The original plan was to have Squad 1 and Squad 2.

In other words, I was planning to operate 2 parties.

But since there were more applicants and people I liked than expected, I decided to run up to Squad 3 for now.

That is, 11 new party members were added.

And I allowed a few of them who didn’t have a home to stay at our inn.

Fortunately, a party member who joined Squad 1 moved into the room next to mine, which was originally Hans’s place.

It was good to have a bustling atmosphere after a long time, bringing a sense of vitality.

It seemed like Rain also liked it.

Time gradually flowed by.

During that time, I also visited Kaman and had one card removed.

I removed [Strike].

Now only 1 is left.

Of course, none of the questions I asked while I was there were useful.

Because he couldn’t remember any of the important things.

I also stopped by the magic tower occasionally to study.

The tower master kept asking if I would become his disciple.

I said it was alright for now.

Furthermore, thanks to the Blue Faction which taught me even though I was an outsider, I was able to learn various things.

As I was frantically preparing to enter the labyrinth, the time had come before I knew it.

15 adventurers stood in front of the portal.

Each of them had a small piece of cloth with the Blue Sun Clan’s emblem drawn on it attached to their bodies.

“We’ll meet at the west safe zone on the 1st floor!!”

As soon as Grace shouted, the two parties from Squads 2 and 3 entered the portal.

Following them, our party also went inside.

I, who had been watching until the end, also slowly walked into the portal.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the labyrinth.

Fortunately, by the time I entered, the goblins that were around had already been cut down.

Following Grace, I immediately arrived at the west safe zone.

We were the first.

However, it didn’t take many hours for both Squads 2 and 3 to arrive.

We immediately went up to the 2nd floor together.

2nd Floor, Forgotten Forest.

We slowly ascend there.

However, our goal is not the 3rd floor.

Unlike the adventurers who go upwards, we explore horizontally.

Among the adventurers seen on the 2nd floor, if there are adventurers wandering around like us without going upwards.

Everyone knows what they are doing.

[Geraart’s Painting].

They are moving to enter the hidden dungeon.

And here, there is a person who can read the entrance to the hidden dungeon.

It’s already been 6 hours since I spread out my domain and read the mana.

Finally, I’ve got a clue.

I immediately waited at the location where the portal would open.

Shwaaaaa!!!!

At the same time the portal opened, all the clan members went inside.

The hidden dungeon on the 2nd floor.

Usually, a hidden dungeon requires skills equivalent to that floor’s number +2 floors.

It is the perfect place for us, who consist of 2 parties of 3rd-floor adventurers and 1 party of 5th-floor adventurers.

Moreover, unlike the 1st floor where only 5 people could enter.

On the 2nd floor, exactly 15 people can enter.

Of course, in normal cases, it’s a dungeon that three parties who don’t know each other well must combine forces to break through.

We were able to enter with all 15 members.

Operating as a clan has this advantage.

Because we can enter such dangerous places together, like hidden dungeons where you don’t know who you’ll meet and might encounter looters if you’re unlucky.

However, our synergy is currently almost nonexistent.

In fact, it’s probably right to go in thinking it’s no different from having three parties who don’t know each other well.

Where I am now is a solitary room.

A hidden dungeon with an atmosphere like a prison.

Everyone waits in their respective rooms until all 15 people have entered.

If, by bad luck, not all 15 people enter.

The door opens by itself after 1 hour.

But fortunately, the door to the solitary room opened quickly.

Cutting across the gently blowing breeze, I slowly advanced out of the solitary room.

As soon as I went outside, I saw 4 clan members.

Unfortunately, they weren’t all from Squad 1.

2 from Squad 2 and 2 from Squad 3.

Fortunately, it seems no other adventurers managed to enter here.

“Mage!”

The clan members who discovered me and were approaching.

Seeing that sight, it reminded me of the time I first formed a party.

That guy who used to call me Mage-nim, too.

Shaking off the memories filling my head, I move forward for a new beginning.

Because adventurers must always go upwards.