The third floor of the Great Labyrinth.
A vast grassland stretched endlessly, and a group of humans advanced through it.
It was a party of six, each with a remarkably different appearance.
At the front, a well-groomed man with a sword and shield led the way; he looked like the party leader. Behind him, a hooded woman with blonde hair spilling out from under her hood was surveying the area; she was probably a scout.
A short and stocky man armed with a hand axe in each hand and wearing a Viking helmet trailed behind as if he was guarding the rear. At the center of the group was a young girl who appeared to be a priestess, another girl who looked like a mage, and a man carrying a huge backpack; this last seemed to be the porter.
Unlike the other four, the priestess and mage girls seemed unusually tense. The reason for this became clear soon enough.
“Hey, academy girls. Why are you so stiff?”
“W-We’re at the entrance of the labyrinth…”
It was their first time entering a labyrinth. When the stocky dwarf man named Krom asked the question, the mage girl responded hesitantly.
“Good grief. Even an ignorant fellow like me can move around just fine. And yet, here you are, young ladies who’ve learned everything there is to know at the academy, all stiff and frozen.”
“We’re freshmen! All we’ve learned is the basics!”
“Back in my day, there wasn’t anyone to teach us even the basics; we just dove straight in. Youngsters these days sure lack guts.”
“Do you know that’s a really old-fashioned thing to say?!”
The mage girl called Elly constantly argued back at the dwarf’s remarks. Of course, it wasn’t a real fight; it was more akin to grumbling.
At that point, the well-groomed man leading the group named Hugo interjected.
“Now, now, Mr. Krom, let’s not be too harsh. For those of us who fight on the front lines, courage is indeed important, but for a mage, cautious is a virtue, don’t you think?”
“Listen, Hugo. This isn’t caution; they’re just way too stiff. You know as well as I do that being like that only wastes energy. We’re only on the third floor, after all. They’re stressing themselves out unnecessarily.”
“You’re not wrong about that. Still, Miss Elly and Miss Shia, there’s no need to be so nervous. We’re still in the upper floors of the labyrinth, and we’re only here to help you gain some experience. Trust in your guides a little more, okay?”
“Y-Yes…”
“I-I understand…”
At Hugo’s gentle tone, the two girls blushed and replied meekly.
Like Hugo had pointed out, the two girls were here to gain experience. They were freshmen at Labyrinth Academy. This was an educational institution centered around labyrinth exploration. The two had come as part of a trial.
Their task was to join a designated escort party chosen by the academy, take part in their first labyrinth exploration as party members, and receive an evaluation based on their performance.
It was a long-standing tradition at the academy. If the students explored the labyrinth solely among themselves, the lack of experience often led to accidents. However, sending professors as escorts was also not very good. Professors at the academy were all highly skilled people, making it difficult to instill a proper sense of tension about the labyrinth in the students. Besides, sending professors would make it no different from a regular class.
That’s why the Academy chose parties with average labyrinth experience to guide the students and restricted them to the upper floors of the labyrinth.
Since there weren’t many variables like environmental changes or interference from Transcendents in the upper floors of the labyrinth, a party with a moderate amount of experience could quickly get through it.
It was in this system that the mage girl Elly and the priestess girl Shia were paired together and assigned to a party led by Hugo. The two girls were somewhat reassured by Hugo’s words and began to relax as they continued their exploration.
That’s right. It’s just the upper levels, near the entrance. What could go wrong?
It’s just a test, after all…
Believing there wouldn’t be any issues, the two pressed forward. It was then—
“…Wait, Hugo. There’s someone up ahead.”
“Hmm?”
Hugo turned around at the words of Mirien, the hooded woman serving as the party scout.
From his vantage point, he could only make out a small black dot. However, it appeared Mirien’s sharper eyes had identified it as a person.
Since her vision was far superior to his, Hugo trusted her judgment.
“Just one person?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“…Hmm.”
Hugo paused to consider. Was the person separated from their party? Such events sometimes happened during labyrinth entry. A group might enter together but find themselves scattered once inside.
With the use of a special artifact, such separations could be prevented. In fact, the academy had provided their party with such an artifact, which was why they had managed to enter the labyrinth safely.
“What should we do?”
The person ahead didn’t appear to be part of a group. They seemed to have entered the labyrinth and been wandering alone.
“Hmm… If it were a party, we could ignore them and move on since our task is to escort the academy students. But seeing someone all alone like that is a bit concerning.”
The labyrinth was a harsh and rough place, but it was precisely because of this that certain unspoken rules existed. Those who broke these rules suffered various disadvantages inside the labyrinth.
Not only was it difficult for them to join a party, but in extreme cases, they were treated as criminals. In fact, many of them often ended up turning to a life of crime.
These were no grand rules. Do not make an enemy of priests, do not betray your comrades, and only killings done in self-defense were permitted.
There was no complex legal system in place…. just a few straightforward rules. Additionally, those who helped others when they could often reaped invisible benefits.
Given the harshness of the labyrinth, these unspoken rules were meant to emphasize the importance of avoiding unnecessary conflict and offering help when possible.
Surprisingly, these rules were quite well-kept. Since explorers received emergency escape blessings when entering the Labyrinth, deaths that were not related to the Labyrinth’s trials were almost unheard of
As such, those who committed crimes or acts of betrayal were often exposed by survivors protected by the blessings. Consequently, the labyrinth had a lower crime rate than the outside world.
Hugo thought about this briefly.
Besides, as the academy’s guide, leaving someone in trouble behind in front of the students wouldn’t leave a good impression.
The labyrinth was no place to venture alone. Unless someone was extraordinarily strong, even the relatively safe upper floors could prove dangerous.
He couldn’t determine whether leaving the person behind was the right choice. Of course, it might also reflect poorly if an unexpected individual joined them while he was guiding the academy students.
Still, if it’s just temporary and not as part of our core group, it should be fine.
If the individual in question didn’t actively participate as part of their party, having them accompany the group for a short time shouldn’t pose a problem. After all, the academy students were sent here to gain experience and learn. If this encounter was framed as part of that learning, it might not be a bad thing.
Of course, this was assuming the person turned out to be reasonable.
If they’re a criminal, we’ll have to deal with them decisively.
With this thought in mind, Hugo turned to look behind him.
“There’s someone ahead who seems to have been separated from their party and they’re alone. I’m thinking of approaching them and possibly having them join us temporarily. What do you think?”
“A person?”
At these words, the dwarf warrior Krom stepped forward slightly. His sharp eyes narrowed, and he too recognized the figure in the distance.
“Hmm… They’re not a criminal or anything, are they?”
“A-A criminal?!”
The young priestess Shia exclaimed nervously at those words. Hugo replied calmly.
“We won’t know until we speak to them. Let’s talk to them first and decide whether or not they’ll join us after that.”
“B-But, will it be alright? Having an unexpected person join might cause problems with the test…”
“‘Don’t worry. It seems we’ve come across someone in trouble, so we’ll only be accompanying them for a short while and have no plans to include them as part of our core group. There’s an unspoken rule in the Labyrinth. Similar to how crimes like murder, except in self-defense, are forbidden outside the labyrinth. On the other hand, helping someone in need can often bring unexpected benefits. That’s part of the learning experience, so let’s talk to them and see.”
“I-I understand.”
At those words, the academy students nodded their heads in understanding.
And so, the party moved forward.
***
Meanwhile, the situation for Yujin and Tiamat…
“…This place…”
Yujin who was standing in the middle of a vast grassland muttered to himself as he looked around.
“Where could this be? It doesn’t seem to be outside the Labyrinth, at the very least.”
[Judging by the energy I feel, this seems to be around the third floor of the Labyrinth. Did something go wrong?]
“Actually, I was planning to leave immediately, but it felt like I was bounced back as if I hit a wall.”
Yujin replied to Tiamat’s question. He had tried to escape the Labyrinth through spatial leap, only to be repelled as if he was blocked by a barrier.
“It seems the space inside and outside the Labyrinth is completely severed.”
[I see. Since we’re deep inside the Labyrinth, even I wasn’t aware of this. So, does this mean we’ll have to break or tear the space apart?]
“Won’t that catch the attention of the gods? Even if we try to lay low, if we start by destroying the Labyrinth’s space from the beginning…”
[Hmm… would that be too troublesome after all?]
“Then, how about we try looking for the exit first? There’s no need to rush, after all. And besides…”
As Yujin muttered this, he turned to look in one direction.
“It seems just the right people are coming our way.”
***
“Excuse me! Are you here alone?”
Meanwhile, the party had approached Yujin in no time. Their leader Hugo addressed the lone figure standing in front of them.
The man was dressed somewhat shabbily. Judging by his attire, he appeared to be a mage, but the frayed and faded clothing implied it was either quite old or hadn’t seen sunlight in a long while.
The man turned to look back at them.
“Ah, yes, I am.”
“!?”
The party froze for a moment as they took in his appearance.
In stark contrast to his ink-black hair and worn-out clothing, the young man’s pale skin stood out. He looked at them with half-closed eyes.
Except for the narrow slits in his eyes, the young man’s features were almost unnaturally flawless. His face was remarkably symmetrical and refined, like a work of art.
The gentle smile on his face as he greeted them had a mesmerizing quality, as if he could captivate someone in an instant….like a snake wrapping around its prey.
And yet… was it because of those half-closed eyes or the unreadable smile?
For some reason, despite his stunning appearance, their first impression of him was one of suspicion.
Even so, Hugo forced a smile and asked,
“In that case, may we help you? The Labyrinth is a dangerous place, after all.”
“Ah! Wouldn’t that be too much?”
“That’s perfectly fine. In a place like the Labyrinth, it’s better to help one another. You can join us until you’re reunited with your party.”
Hugo assumed the young man had been separated from his party and spoke accordingly.
However, the response he received was unexpected.
“Oh, I don’t have a party. I’m on my own.”
“Huh?”
Alone? Without a party? Hugo tilted his head in puzzlement at the revelation, and the young man bowed slightly as he explained.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Eugene (Yujin). I’ve come into the Labyrinth to gather magic materials.”
“Ah… I see.”
Gathering magic materials in the Labyrinth….Hugo nodded his head as if he understood.
There were people like this from time to time. Mages who, despite knowing the risks, ventured into the Labyrinth alone to seek knowledge or collect magic materials.
Those who couldn’t afford to buy materials or lacked the time and means to form a party often recklessly entered the Labyrinth on their own like this.
Given that mages could rely on blessings to make emergency escapes from the Labyrinth, it wasn’t entirely unusual for them to take such risks.
Hugo asked,
“In that case, may I ask how far into the Labyrinth you’re planning to go to gather materials?”
“I was thinking of descending to the fifth floor.”
“The fifth floor…”
At the mention of the fifth floor, Hugo’s expression turned slightly complicated. Coincidentally, the Academy’s test also required their group to reach the fifth floor. A curious coincidence indeed.
“In that case, why not accompany us? We have plenty of supplies, so traveling together for a while shouldn’t be a problem.”
“That would be a great help. Honestly, I didn’t have time to find a party and had to rush in on my own.”
“I see.”
It seemed Hugo’s assumption had been correct. At this, Hugo turned to look back at his other companions.
“Given the circumstances, I assume it’s fine if he joins us for a while?”
“……”
“I don’t mind.”
“Ah… Yes!”
“Understood…”
“Uh… um, do you need my opinion too?”
The scout Mirien remained silent, while the dwarf warrior Krom shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had no objections.
The mage and the priestess students also nodded their heads in agreement, while the porter scratched his head awkwardly.
With the majority in agreement, Hugo gave a nod and turned to Yujin.
“Then, I’ll be counting on you, Eugene. I’m Hugo, the leader of this party.”
“Haha, I’ll be in your care, Hugo.”
Yujin replied and shook Hugo’s outstretched hand.
And so, Yujin, the black-haired otherworlder, joined Hugo’s party.
***
(TN: They probably think he’s called Eugene or at least spelled it this way. This is an assumption on my part. I’ll correct everything as I go.)
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