NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
I opened my eyes.
Hoo.
I think I’ve finally adapted to the nausea of the escape portal.
“Wow, I’ve come! I can feel the traits manifesting all over my body! Yes, this is why I wander the labyrinth!”
“Damn it… I can’t believe those trashy clan idiots. How much did I waste on scrolls and potions just to escape them?”
“Shit… What a coincidence for a higher being to show up there. I almost died. Dumenus, how’s your arm that got pierced earlier? Since I used an item, I shouldn’t have any phantom pain, right?”
“Mu-Mutone. I’m sorry! It was just a simple mistake! Please don’t expel me!”
Still, numerous adventurers near the portal were laughing, crying, and making all sorts of commotion.
According to what I learned, today must be about five days before the labyrinth closes next month.
The flow of space-time and the dimensions is still not clearly understood, but a few rules have spread among many people.
One of them is the Law of Return.
[Law of Return]
The Goddess, or rather, Seres, said that the Great Labyrinth was created due to dimensional distortions.
As she said, the inside and outside of the labyrinth are different dimensions. So even though the first 30 days after entering the labyrinth feel the same as the outside…
Once those 30 days are over, and the entrance portal opens next month, the time axis distorts sharply.
Even if you spend many days inside the labyrinth beyond the 30 days, when you return to the city, you will always go back to the fifth day when the portal was closed.
In simpler terms, if you spend more than a month in the labyrinth, you will return exactly 35 days from the first day of entry.
By the way, where are the others?
‘Yeriell, where are you right now?’
—Ah! Finally connected! We waited so long, and you didn’t show up, we tried sending a preemptive message but got no response… Do you have any idea how much we worried?
‘Sorry. I hadn’t finished clearing the village, so I sent you all first for safety, but then a foolish goblin used stealth to attack me when I was alone.’
—Gasp. You’re not hurt, right? No, forget that, I’m coming! Aren is wearing a rare pair of white gloves, so raise your arms to make it easy for me to spot you!
If you just say you’re near the checkpoint, I’ll make my way there.
I raised my right arm high and waved.
“There they are!”
Through the chatter of adventurers, I heard Yeriell’s voice.
Pook.
Yeriell dashed over and dove into my arms.
“Aren… I couldn’t see you and got so scared!”
“Haha, can you please stand properly and speak? I can’t understand with your words all jumbled up.”
“Ugh!”
“Yeah. Don’t act like a kid, let’s talk from a bit of a distance.”
Following behind were Lumia and Jacob. Lumia grabbed Yeriell from behind and pulled her away.
“Hehe, sorry. I was being a bit silly, wasn’t I?”
Cute, so it’s fine.
“No, more importantly, did you wait long?”
“Actually, we didn’t wait that long, but with only the three of us and no sign of our party leader, Aren, we felt a bit uneasy. You’re not hurt, right?”
“Of course not! Dealing with some peculiar goblins is no trouble at all now.”
Yeriell and Lumia exchanged glances with Jacob, who was watching us from a bit of a distance.
“Alright then, shall we hit the guild to settle up and then rest?”
“Definitely! I feel like I’m suddenly hit by fatigue now that we’ve exited the labyrinth. I want to unpack and rest quickly.”
Lumia expressed her exhaustion, which was unusual for her.
Hearing that made me suddenly feel tired too.
“Let’s hurry up. Jacob, do you have anywhere urgent to go or someone to meet?”
“No. Just need to check into the inn until tomorrow and renew for a month. Why do you ask?”
“Since we safely returned, shouldn’t we have a meal together? When you come back from the Great Labyrinth, you drink some Return Brew! You know?”
“Hehe, I know!”
Jacob grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
As I smiled and we started moving, Yeriell exclaimed.
“Oh! I almost forgot. Aren, don’t be surprised. We all got traits! You know that trembling feeling we just had?”
What?
This is definitely something to be happy about, so why am I the odd one out again?
Suppressing my disappointment, I congratulated them.
“Wait, all three of you? Wow, this is a total jackpot!”
“Hehe, right? Could you maybe tell us what traits you got?”
Of course, I could.
────
[Yeriell]
[Strength: E] [Agility: E+] [Endurance: E+]
[Health: D-] [Magic: D-] [Luck: C-]
[Acquired Traits] (Fold)
– Basic Holy Magic
– Born Luck
– Faithfulness
– Overcome Weakness
– Touch of Light
– Silver Crusader’s Battle Art
– Enlarged Stomach
────
Ah…
It’s certainly good that my luck and health have each gone up a level, bringing me to a whopping C-grade status.
But the moment I looked at the name of the newly acquired trait, I couldn’t help but sigh.
────
[Enlarged Stomach (E)] [P]
– Your stomach has grown, allowing you to consume more food.
– If you don’t fill it sufficiently, you’ll become hungry, so beware.
– Slightly increases digestion.
– With an enlarged stomach, overeating will cause less bloating, making it easier to ingest food.
– If you don’t fill your stomach to a certain amount, you’ll start feeling hungry, even if you don’t starve.
────
“…”
This is a trap.
[Chaos says he shouldn’t be laughing but can’t help it.]
Ah, this isn’t the time to be laughing.
No matter how much we have a spatial bag, the increased need for food and the added hunger penalty mean…
I think it’d be wise to visit the Cathedral before the next labyrinth journey to get rid of this.
‘This isn’t exactly a negative trait, but still… Ugh, they must be expecting something grand. What should I tell Yeriell about this?’
Phew. Let’s check out Lumia too.
────
[Lumia]
[Strength: E+] [Agility: E] [Endurance: E]
[Health: D-] [Magic: C-] [Luck: E-]
[Acquired Traits] (Fold)
– Punishment of Darkness
– Mastery in Dark Magic
– Facade of Deficiency
– Myriad Races’ Senses
– Burning Will
– Fear Contagion
────
────
[Fear Contagion (D)] [P]
– Unlike ordinary dark magicians, her attacks will instill fear that spreads to enemies.
– On attack hit, there’s a slight chance to inflict fear status.
– If a target is defeated while afflicted by fear, the fear status spreads around.
– If the user is in a state of fear, the effect disappears.
────
What a relief!
Thanks to the two-stage increase in magic from the Book of Avaricious Darkness, she now possesses C-grade status.
And just like Yeriell, she’s improved in health by a level, and I’m grateful to see a trait that’s clearly not negative.
────
[Jacob]
[Strength: E] [Agility: D-] [Endurance: E]
[Health: D-] [Magic: E] [Luck: D-]
[Acquired Traits] (Fold)
– Beginner Dagger Skills
– Beginner Disassembly Skills
– Presence Concealment
– Light Footsteps
– Sprint
────
────
[Sprint (D)] [A]
– Infuses power into your legs for quick movement.
– Useful for evading enemies or diving towards them with swift body motions.
– Can grow with consistent use.
– Able to use the skill ‘Sprint.’
– Increases agility by one level upon use. Not stackable and deactivates when attacking.
– Provides moderate speed correction for a short time upon use.
– Offers strong push resistance while moving.
────
“Ooh.”
Lucky Jacob got traits well suited for a rogue.
Honestly, I’m a bit envious. I would’ve put such traits to good use if I got them.
‘Oh well, whatever.’
Since Yeriell’s trait is something to be erased at the Cathedral anyway, I casually explained our individual traits with no hesitation.
“Kaah!”
Yeriell screamed as soon as she heard.
Then she started rubbing her soft belly with a pouting face.
“I-I don’t like this. I was already feeling a bit hungry. At this rate, I’ll turn into a pig!”
“Calm down! We’ll just go to the Cathedral tomorrow to get rid of it, so don’t worry too much.”
“Ugh. Fine.”
After soothing Yeriell, I looked at the other two; Lumia had her usual neutral expression but appeared slightly happy, while Jacob was trying to stifle a cheer by hitting his thigh.
“I’m so happy, I might die! Everyone, let’s calm down and start moving.”
And so, wrapped in a mix of cheers and screams, we moved past the checkpoint towards the guild.
*
We arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.
As always, it was buzzing with adventurers no matter when you came.
We went to the reception desk with the shortest line for settlement and waited.
“Next, please come forward!”
We waited quite a while. Is it finally my turn?
“Hello, adventurer! What can I help you with? Hehe, of course, it’s for settlement!”
The receptionist seemed quite chatty from the get-go.
“Yes. I’m here for settlement. Should I hand over the adventure badge?”
“Yes! Please lift the badge… Oh my, you’re the one everyone’s been buzzing about? I’ve been curious about you! You look even more dashing in person than what I heard!”
Sudden gossip? I was taken aback.
“What rumors? What have you heard about me?”
“Oh, you had a private meeting with the Guild Leader last month, right? So there was a brief buzz among the guild receptionists about you.”
The receptionist shrugged.
“They say a low-ranked adventurer made it all the way to the fifth floor, so you’ll surely become quite a notable adventurer in the future. There was talk about your looks as well. You’re really quite impressive!”
“Oh. Thank you?”
The receptionist quickly reassured me that it was nothing major; she just had a good memory.
‘Wow, surprised. So it really is no big deal.’
[Chaos almost worried something bad would happen inside the guild and was surprisingly relieved.]
I let out a small sigh of relief.
“Anyway, can I just put the byproducts here?”
“Yes. Just be careful, you have to go to the area over there for entire corpses, not specific parts.”
Nodding, I started pulling out the bags I had sorted.
“Is that all? Alright, I’ll begin the settlement.”
The receptionist took out a book-shaped magical item from under the counter and started quickly checking the bags.
“Mermaid fins… Acid slime cores… Cave goblin ears… Giant centipede’s poisoned legs… Huh?”
The receptionist opened her mouth wide in surprise.
“You caught a high-tier Pool Serpent? It’s a rare magical beast, and it must have been tough for a low-ranked adventurer! Amazing!”
“It certainly was a bit challenging.”
“This rare magical beast’s byproducts are in high demand, and they usually fetch a pretty penny. Just a moment!”
She pulled out another magical item and started gesturing and examining it. I wondered if there was some problem.
“Um, we don’t have any personal requests for Pool Serpent horns, so I’ll process it at the regular price. Next is… Ah, this is the core of a golem? It’s earth-based, but hmmm.”
“Why do you ask? Is there a problem?”
“The golem’s core gives you a choice between either selling it to us or completing a personal request and handing it to the requester for compensation. Which would you prefer?”
I remembered there being various requests on the guild’s request board.
‘Is there someone looking for a golem core?’
“Please tell me about the requester and the reward.”
“Yes. The disclosed information states that the requester is the earth magician Heins from the Magic Tower. The reward will be decided after a face-to-face negotiation.”
?
Heins’ name came up here?
This isn’t a coincidence. If the earth magician Heins has a name, it must be the Heins who dealt with Epusio!
“I’ll accept the request for now. Please process the rest as is.”
First, let’s meet Heins, and if I don’t like the conditions he offers, I can just sell it to the guild later.
I opted to accept the request to see a familiar face while visiting the Magic Tower.
“Now then, all together, gold 7 pieces, silver 23 pieces, copper 40 pieces.”
“Gold 7 pieces? How much does a pair of Pool Serpent horns fetch?”
“Considering they’re faded and have slightly changed properties, the normal price would be gold 3 pieces each, totaling gold 6 pieces.”
Seeing the receptionist smile made the reality finally sink in.
I, no, we hit the jackpot!
The hardship we went through felt worth it, and my lips couldn’t help but curve up.
“Ah, you’re adorable! Here’s your settlement money, and do you have any other business?”
“No. I don’t. I’ll be going now.”
“Be careful, and next, please!”
With overwhelming emotions, I headed to the designated area to dispose of the dissected corpses of the Grielops and golem.
But then…
“Excuse me? Could you repeat that?”
“Due to some external factors acting upon it, it seems there’s a peculiar variant, so for the moment, it’s somewhat ambiguous to handle.”
“Ah… I see.”
“In a few days, if you come back, we’ll handle it together with the golem then.”
Is it problematic that I barely survived after being forced into this?
After all, during our first encounter, that guy had a goblin’s body with the lower half of a spider. I can understand that.
I nodded in agreement, then headed to the table where the others were waiting.
‘Here we go again.’
In the bustling guild, only the table around us was empty, so it seemed they were gossiping again about Lumia’s curse.
“Hey! Did you finish settling up?”
‘Well, at least it seems nobody came over to stir up trouble, thank goodness.’
I sat down at the table and told them everything that had happened while settling up. Then I pulled out the bags I had received from the settlement.
Jacob opened his mouth after hearing my explanation.
“I’ll skip out on the sharing part now. To be honest, it feels a bit off claiming a stake in the monster’s corpse for just tossing a single bead.”
“Oh really? Then here, Jacob, this is your share. I put in a bit more.”
The settlement fund for this labyrinth journey is gold 7 pieces, silver 23 pieces, copper 40 pieces, excluding the previously mentioned corpses.
But since most of it came from monsters caught before Jacob joined, we couldn’t split it evenly.
Given that a pair of horns fetched gold 6 pieces, there’s no other way.
Taking out 40 silver pieces for Jacob’s share, I divided the rest into three bags, putting in gold 2 pieces, silver 27 pieces each.
“Um, brother. I think you put too much. I joined temporarily for less than two weeks.”
“That’s precisely it, so just be grateful and take it.”
“Oh, uh. Thank you.”
Dazed, Jacob accepted the bag from me. I handed each of them their pre-prepared bags.
“Whoa!”
Thud!
Yeriell gasped in surprise as she opened the bag.
She nearly dropped it when Lumia hurriedly grabbed it.
“Be careful! It would have been a disaster if you spilled it. Here.”
“Ugh… I got too surprised. Sorry. By the way, isn’t this a bit too much?”
In response to Yeriell’s surprise, I replied that it was due to the Pool Serpent’s horns, and right away, I opened my own bag to quell their curiosity.
“It definitely makes sense considering its stature back then.”
“Right? Now that we’ve wrapped up the settlement, it’s pointless to stay here any longer, so let’s start heading to the carriage.”
“Yeah! Actually, I’ve been hungry since a while ago.”
The effects of the Enlarged Stomach trait were already manifesting.
‘No matter what, I need to visit the Cathedral tomorrow.’
Having completed the long settlement process for exploring the labyrinth, we moved from the guild toward the carriage station.
*
Jacob let out a light sigh.
“To get straight to the point, I think I’ll have to decline the party invitation.”