CH 49

Labyrinth City

——————

Forest. Trees. Grass. I got excited just stepping into the forest. Nature is awesome.

“Yuta, calm down. There are monsters in this forest too,” Sylphy warns.

“Sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away,” Yuta apologizes.

“Well, if you’ve been in the Land of the Dead for a long time, I guess it can’t be helped,” Sylphy says.

“Ha ha, it’s okay now. Hey, Sylphy. Is that a spirit flying over there?”

Looking around calmly, Yuta notices a rabbit flying. It’s probably a spirit, but since it’s a different world, he can’t rule out the possibility of a flying rabbit.

“That’s a Floating Spirit. By the way, since spirits look normal to you, it might be a little difficult to tell if you’re in a place with spirits,” Sylphy explains.

If I assumed that the flying creature was a spirit, it would be easy to judge, but it would be difficult to tell if it landed on the ground.

“Hmm, I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to tell them apart,” Yuta admits.

“You’ll get used to it eventually, but should we explore the forest a bit to make sure?” Sylphy suggests.

… It’s a dilemma. But our current goal is the labyrinth city. We should explore that later.

“Bell and the others are waiting, so let’s go to the labyrinth city first. We’ll confirm it after we get some rest at the inn,” Yuta decides.

I can’t keep Bell and the others waiting for too long.

“Understood. Then shall we head to the labyrinth city? Should we avoid the monsters?” Sylphy asks.

Different monsters from the Land of the Dead… Hmm, it’s concerning, but the labyrinth city is their priority for now.

“Yeah. Let’s avoid them. How long does it take to get to the labyrinth city?” Yuta asks.

“Well…about an hour, I suppose?” Sylphy replies.

Knowing Sylphy, she’s probably factoring in my current stamina with her increased level. If I were still at my initial level when I first teleported, it would have taken two to three hours to get there. It’s quite far.

“Even after we arrive at the labyrinth city, we still need to go to the Adventurer’s Guild to exchange currency and such, so let’s hurry a bit,” Sylphy reminds me.

“Okay then. Let’s go,” I agree.

We proceed through the forest under Sylphy’s guidance, enjoying a forest walk while she avoids the monsters.

Unlike the dry and barren Land of the Dead, the forest air is slightly damp and calming, and I breathe it in deeply. The mix of various plant scents is incredibly soothing. It feels calming.

“Yuta, I’m glad you trust me, but don’t let your guard down too much. If you act too carefree in the labyrinth city, you’ll attract unwanted attention,” Sylphy warns.

“If a country bumpkin goes to the city, they’ll definitely be targeted, huh?” Yuta comments.

“It’s a city where strength is everything. You’ll undoubtedly catch the eye of thugs,” Sylphy explains.

…This isn’t good. It would be the best event ever to turn the tables on any thugs who try to start something, but Yuta’s weapon is too powerful, and he can’t hold back. He might end up turning any attackers into mincemeat… he’s not sure if self-defense would hold up in court.

“I’ll be careful. But if someone tries to mess with me, it’s hard for me to hold back, so could you inflict some damage, Sylphy?” Yuta asks.

“Understood,” Sylphy agrees.

Yuta senses Sylphy’s excitement for a fight. Is she okay?… Maybe it’s better to avoid any confrontations. He remembers that this is a world where showing any weakness could make him a target.

Led by Sylphy, who seems to be in a good mood, we leave the forest and walk through a slightly trampled grassland, eventually reaching a dirt road. Yuta feels excited by the earthy road beneath his feet.

As I walk down the street, I frequently notice spirits floating lightly and peacefully. It seems that when the balance of nature is maintained, there are plenty of spirits around.

“Sylphy, isn’t Sylphy important? Why don’t other spirits come to gather?”

“Except for the Spirit King, ranks are just a measure of power. Unless there’s business to attend to, they won’t come together.”

This is where I’m different from humans. I’m the type of person who gets excited when I see a celebrity, so I should learn from Sylphy’s attitude.

“Yuta, I can see the labyrinth city.”

Lost in thought, Sylphy informs me, so I look up and see what appears to be a castle wall in the distance.

“That’s the labyrinth city. Should we hurry?”

An otherworldly town, and a labyrinth city at that. I can’t contain my excitement.

“Hehe, running won’t do. It will make people think something’s wrong.”

“R-right.”

I was about to start running, but I restrained myself to a brisk walk. I can’t wait to see what kind of city it is.

In front of me is a large castle gate. The wall also looks high and sturdy, making it clear that this place is an important location for the country. Once we pass through that gate, it will be an otherworldly town.

There’s quite a long line in front of the gate, but it’s moving fairly quickly, so it shouldn’t take too long to get in. I line up at the back of the queue and observe the otherworldly people up close for the first time.

Hmm, are they just ordinary humans? I think the person who just went in had animal ears, but I couldn’t tell for sure from this distance. It’s frustrating.

I want to ask Sylphy some questions, but it’s difficult to talk with people around. With excitement and anxiety in my heart, I wait nervously for my turn.

———–

“Next. Show your ID.”

“Ah, I came from the countryside with the intention of becoming an adventurer, so I don’t have an ID. I don’t have any money on hand either, so I’d like to pay the entrance fee with a magic stone.”

Thanks to asking Sylphy beforehand, I reply smoothly. Preparation is important.

“Then, place your hand on this crystal.”

Apparently, criminals can be identified by this crystal. The mechanism uses the magic pattern registered when the ID was issued to reject criminals. It’s like fingerprint matching. Even if you commit a crime, if nobody finds out, this crystal won’t react.

“Hmm, no problem. The payment with a magic stone is two F-ranked stones or one E-ranked stone.”

I take out a skeleton magic stone from my magic bag and hand it to the gatekeeper. The skeleton magic stone is E-ranked, while soldiers are D-ranked, knights and mages are C-ranked, generals are B-ranked, and kings and liches are A-ranked.

By the way, the currency is copper coins worth 100 Elt, large copper coins worth 1,000 Elt, silver coins worth 10,000 Elt, gold coins worth 100,000 Elt, and platinum coins worth 1,000,000 Elt. The unit of currency is Elt, which is taken from the name of the continent, Eltrude.

It’s convenient that the yen is replaced by Elt, making it easy to understand. I want to have a lot of platinum coins and enjoy a night out in the city someday.

“Alright. I’ll issue you a temporary ID. Within three days, get a regular ID and return the temporary one. If you don’t return it, you’ll be considered a criminal, so be careful.”

Just not returning an ID makes you a criminal, which is too scary. Well, adventurers are said to welcome anyone, so as long as you’re not a criminal, it should be easy to get an ID. However, it’s surprisingly easy to enter despite the ongoing war.

“I understand,” I said.

“Good. You may enter,” the guard replied, allowing me through the city gate. As I entered the city, a large cobblestone street stretched straight ahead from the gate.

“Oh! Sil…” I caught myself before saying anything and looked around. Icouldn’t see Sylphy anywhere. I almost called out to her. Looking around, I noticed that I was being viewed as a country bumpkin.

I wanted to shout that Japan was much more metropolitan with lots of people, but I knew they would think that I was crazy, so I restrained myself.

“Hehe, that’s right. Don’t forget not to talk to me. Shall we head to the adventurer’s guild?” Sylphy said, breaking the silence.

I nodded silently and followed Sylphy. I didn’t want to accidentally speak to her until I got used to this situation.

As I walked, I saw a person with cat ears and someone who looked like Nomos. I also saw a dwarf, and I was curious about the shops along the central street. There were quite a few spirits in the city too.

While I was looking around, a man bumped into me and walked away, holding his hand while glaring at me. I didn’t understand what had happened.

“Yuta, I know you’re interested in everything, but try not to look around too much. That man earlier was a pickpocket,” Sylphy warned.

I had already attracted the attention of a criminal. I am grateful to Sylphy for warning me. I used eye contact to express my gratitude, and she responded with a gentle smile.

We entered a large square from the central street and turned right. We saw more tough-looking men and more shops that seemed necessary for adventurers, such as weapons, armor, and tool stores. The adventurer’s guild seemed to be nearby.

“This is the adventurer’s guild. If you continue down this road, you’ll find the entrance to the labyrinth,” Sylphy said.

The entrance to the labyrinth… I wanted to take a look, but I needed to get my identification first. Compared to other buildings in the city, the adventurer’s guild was much more impressive. I nodded to Sylphy and entered the adventurer’s guild.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of people inside. No one was at the counter, but there were many people in the adjacent bar. I had always wondered why there was a bar in the adventurer’s guild. It seemed like it would only lead to trouble.

Wait, I realized something. Perhaps the bar was created to deal with any issues among adventurers internally. If someone caused trouble while drunk in the city, it would tarnish the reputation of adventurers. However, if they caused trouble at the guild’s bar, there would be plenty of people to stop them. Maybe the guild had considered all of this. It was a wise decision to keep dangerous people within reach.

“What’s wrong?” Sylphy asked, noticing their expression of satisfaction.

Feeling like I had solved a great mystery, I grinned and replied, “It’s nothing,” before walking towards the empty counter.

“Excuse me. I’d like to become an adventurer,” I said.

There was an incredibly beautiful woman behind the counter, and I was so surprised that I stumbled over my words. Why was this counter empty? I wondered, looking at the other counters, where equally stunning women were seated.

Ah, I thought, in this world as in manga and anime, it seems that the receptionist at the adventurer’s guild is always beautiful. My own clumsiness made them feel foolish.

“What can I help you with?” the woman asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I want to become an adventurer. Could you help me with the procedure?” I tried to maintain my composure, not wanting to come across as weak. However, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the woman and ended up using honorific language. Sylphy gave them a piercing look.

“Of course. Please sit here, and I’ll help you with the process,” the woman said, indicating a chair.

I sat down and tried to calm my nerves. I thought that Sylphy and the others were so beautiful because they were spirits, but it seemed that even humans in this world were extraordinary. The other world was truly incredible. I was grateful for the woman’s assistance.