The Survivors’ First Failure Parties full of novice adventurers occupied the tables in the Newbies Adventurers Guild’s reception room, chatting and holding meetings despite the early hour. They were all excited at the prospect of a new adventure, giving the room a cheery atmosphere you wouldn’t expect from people who worked as adventurers for a living. There were also new adventurers studying the bulletin board with great interest, looking at the hunting quests for named monsters and collection requests for medicinal herbs and minerals, among other jobs. Despite their excitement, the jobs posted in the Newbies Adventurers Guild weren’t particularly profitable. There were multiple branches of the Adventurers Guild in Labyrinth City, and much more money could be made at branches intended for intermediate adventurers or branches that specialized in jobs from merchants rather than labyrinth exploration. This guild was nothing more than a place for beginners to find their legs before leaving the nest. “That’s why we need to explore labyrinths and gain experience,” Nick said. “Yeah,” Tiana responded. “Okay,” Karan said. “Naturally,” Zem agreed. The Survivors were sitting at a table in the reception room and holding a meeting like the rest of the adventurers. The other three were listening closely to Nick. “Do you know why monsters in labyrinths need to be killed in the first place?” Nick posed. “Huh?” Tiana said, looking surprised. “Hmm? Did I say something weird?” “That’s just a difficult question to start with. I thought you would start with practical knowledge like what adventurers do and how they earn money.” Tiana watched him cheerfully. “Sounds like you already know the answer,” Nick said. “Of course. Adventurers explore labyrinths to cleanse them of miasma,” Tiana answered. “Bingo. The term labyrinth refers to a place with a high concentration of miasma. That miasma naturally spawns monsters, and it turns plants and animals into monsters as well. I’ve even heard that if a person stays in a labyrinth for one or two months, their heart’ll get taken over by monsters.” “Huh…,” Karan said, looking like that was new information to her. “Monsters are basically a mass of miasma. Each one you kill decreases the labyrinth’s miasma slightly. But if you leave the labyrinth alone, on the other hand…” “That allows it to expand. The miasma builds up, and monsters that can emerge from the labyrinth begin to appear,” Tiana said, finishing Nick’s sentence. “Exactly,” Nick responded with a nod. “What compels monsters to attack people?” Zem asked casually. “Beats me,” Nick answered. “I don’t know,” Tiana said. “Neither one of you knows?” Karan asked innocently. Nick looked to Tiana, unable to bring himself to tell her he didn’t have a clue. Tiana shrugged and began to explain. “…That’s been a mystery for a long time. All monsters attack people, whether they’re types with intelligence like devils or ghosts—or types that resemble insects or small animals and can’t speak. Attempts at conversation always fail. That leaves no choice but to fight them… That’s the accepted opinion.” “You’re saying some people try to talk to monsters?” Nick said incredulously. “Occasionally. There are a lot of eccentrics at mage workshops and research facilities… But we’ve gotten off topic. That was my lecture! Class dismissed!” Tiana proclaimed, clapping her hands with displeasure. Nick continued with a strained smile. “We can’t split up yet. Let’s cut the complicated stuff there and move on to more practical matters, like what exactly we do as adventurers and how we make money.” The other three sat up straight and listened. “I’m sure you figured this out from what we just talked about, but we explore labyrinths.” “That much is clear,” Zem said. “Yep. That said, we can’t go in blind. We need a plan first. We’re starting at G rank… That’s the lowest rank for an adventurer’s party. We’re newly formed and have a couple people with no experience, so there was no avoiding that. The first thing we need to do is conquer labyrinths designated for beginners and rise up to F rank,” Nick explained. “Does something good happen if we raise our rank?” Tiana asked. “Not really… It’s more that it just sucks to be G rank. There are only three labyrinths we’re currently allowed to enter. We’ll be able to explore more if we up our rank. There are some higher-ranking labyrinths we’ll be able to handle easily with our party.” “So we need to raise our rank. How do we do that?” “We take on two of the three labyrinths G-rank adventurers can enter and defeat their bosses. That’s it.” “Sounds simple enough.” “It’s really not that hard. It’s meant as practice for people who don’t have experience fighting monsters.” Nick produced a map from his pocket. It was a rough map with Labyrinth City at the center and the names of dangerous-sounding places surrounding it. It was a beginner’s map that showed the locations of labyrinths. “The three labyrinths are Goblin Forest, which has goblin nests, Gooey Waterworks, which is overrun with slimes, and Shadow Wolf Cave, which has shadow wolf dens. All three are less than half a day’s journey from the city. If all goes well, we can finish a labyrinth in less than a day. Although…” Nick trailed off suggestively. “Although what?” Tiana questioned. “Tiana, Zem. Do you have any experience exploring labyrinths and fighting monsters?” Tiana and Zem both frowned. “I’ve killed goblins during magic training, but this’ll be my first time in a labyrinth,” Tiana answered. “I, too, lack experience. The most I have done is help with monster exterminations on highways,” Zem responded. “Don’t worry. A G-rank party is always going to have beginners. That’s why they limit the labyrinths we can enter. You’ve got experience, right, Karan?” Nick turned to look at her. “Yes, but…” Karan hesitated. “Go on.” “I don’t really remember those three. I only went to them once. We mostly went to intermediate labyrinths.” “Ah…” People who had combat experience before becoming an adventurer didn’t bother too much with beginner labyrinths. That was especially true when capable fighters joined established parties. They would never waste their time in a labyrinth with little opportunity for profit. “I want us to take our time and explore these labyrinths instead of just killing the boss and leaving. What do you think of that, Karan?” Nick asked. “Why would we need to do that? I think it would be fine to reach F rank quickly and go to different labyrinths…,” she replied. Nick held up his index finger. “The first reason is for training. Each of these three labyrinths has something that sets them apart. Goblin Forest, as its name suggests, has a lot of goblins. They’re weak individually, but they always act in a pack. The slimes in Gooey Waterworks are even weaker, but they’re a pain if you don’t know much about them. The monsters in Shadow Wolf Cave are good at hiding, so you need to prepare for that.” “So they’ve all got some kind of obstacle to overcome,” Tiana said, and Nick gave a small nod. “Yeah. I want to see if you can handle a variety of labyrinths. I’ve got one more reason. There’s a very important skill you need for labyrinth exploration.” “What’s that?” “You need to know how to exchange the monsters you defeat for money.” The other three nodded knowingly at Nick’s words. The members of the Survivors all shared a problem—they needed to earn money as quickly as possible to pay for living expenses such as lodging charges. “Every monster has a body part that stores mana. A slime’s core is one example, or a wolf’s fangs. Goblins don’t have much mana, but they become a problem if their numbers increase, so the guild’ll pay you for submitting the severed ears of the ones you killed,” Nick explained. “That sounds disgusting, but we don’t have a choice, huh…?” “My experience collecting medicinal herbs does not sound like it will be particularly helpful…” Tiana and Zem both looked queasy at the prospect of cutting off goblin ears. “Do your best to get used to it. There are some tricks that make collecting from monsters easier, though they’re kinda boring. If you take collection lightly, you won’t make much money in any labyrinth. Right, Karan?” “S-sorry, I…never collected monster parts,” Karan confessed. “All right, then you can learn with them. Sound good?” “Yeah.” “The monsters in the labyrinths G-rank adventurers can enter are weak, but there are a lot of them. We’ll make a good amount of money if we stay and hunt for a while. Let’s build a good foundation before we aim to increase our rank,” Nick advised. “Yeah, I need to save up for rent first…,” Tiana mumbled, gripping her staff. “Your apartment’s in a nice location, too. I’ll bet the rent’s expensive,” Nick said. “It’s actually not. I’m just a…little short on money…” Nick refrained from saying that was because she blew it all gambling—though his reason for running out of money wasn’t any better. “All right, then! Let’s go venture into our first labyrinth!” And the other three braced themselves for their first day on the job. The Survivors went to Gooey Waterworks first. The labyrinth was a water supply facility from an ancient civilization. It was in ruins and had lost its original purpose entirely, but the building itself had somehow remained standing. The five-story brick building was overrun with slimes lying in wait for adventurers. This labyrinth was very close to the city—less than an hour’s walk away. It was also significantly less dangerous and the easiest among the three G-rank ones. “…Hey, Nick,” Tiana said. “What’s up?” he responded. “Are we going to kill that one?” Tiana pointed at a slime near the Gooey Waterworks entrance. It was about the size of a dog and didn’t seem cautious of the four of them in the least as it fed on grass. It was a monster, but its undeveloped sensory organs meant it wouldn’t notice people until it was attacked. “It’s kinda cute-looking, but…,” Nick began. “But what?” Tiana asked. “It’ll eat anything, from wheat to vegetables to medicinal herbs. Labyrinth City is protected ’cause it’s surrounded by walls, but slimes cause problems if they reach agricultural communities. They’ll even eat sheep or goats if they get big enough. These guys are real gluttons.” “Th-that is terrifying…,” Zem said, his face growing tight. “That said, killing them is easy. Magic’s the easiest way, but you can even do it empty-handed.” Nick put on a pair of leather gloves and plunged a hand into the slime’s body. “Got it.” He pulled his hand back out five seconds later, holding what looked like an unpolished blue gemstone. “You can kill the small ones with your hands just like that. This is what happens once you take out the core.” Unable to maintain its shape without its core, the slime turned to mucus and was absorbed by the ground. “Wow, it’s that easy?” Tiana said, sounding relieved. “Only here. The ones on the upper floors can hurt you if you’re careless. A slime isn’t gonna kill you, though,” Nick answered. “I’ll be fine. I’ve killed orcs and goblins before,” the mage boasted confidently. Karan and Zem appeared less tense as well. “Me too. I have been to labyrinths with stronger enemies,” Karan said. “I lack that level of experience, but I have killed monsters that wandered onto the road during my travels,” Zem added. “I know you have experience. That’s good. But… What exactly can you do? How did you kill the monsters?” Nick asked. “Can’t you tell? I fight with magic.” “I use this sword.” “I have a mace.” They each showed their weapons, each looking as if they thought he had asked a dumb question. “…All right, let’s go. You guys ready?” Nick asked, and the three of them signaled they were. “We shouldn’t waste time standing around here,” Tiana responded, clenching her fists tightly. Her demeanor gave Nick reservations, but he didn’t say anything. He did, however, realize that the party was still lacking in one important area. Just like at the entrance, killing the slimes on the first floor was closer to menial work than it was to combat. All they had to do was stick their hands in and take their cores. The slimes got a little quicker on the second floor, making it more difficult to grab them, but that wasn’t a big problem, either. On the third floor, the slimes began to behave at least a little like monsters. They sensed the party’s approach and fired mucus at them. “Be careful, guys,” Nick warned. “That hardly seems necessary…,” Tiana muttered. The slimes looked more like they were playing than attacking. “You could get a face full of mucus, or you could slip and fall.” “Bleck!” A nasty blob hit Tiana in the face as soon as she let her guard down. “Uh… Are you okay?” Tiana ignored the concern in his voice and used a hand to wipe away the muck. It wasn’t sticky, so it came off easily. Her face was a little red—she wasn’t hurt, but it looked like she had been slapped. “I see how it is. That’s the last time I mistake these guys for cute little mascots,” she said threateningly, readying her staff. “No, you idiot!” Nick shouted, “Icicle… Huh?!” Just as Tiana began her incantation, Karan rushed in front, sidestepping the blob attacks and reaching out for the slime’s core. Tiana’s half-complete spell shot forward. “Gyah?!” Karan used her giant sword as a shield and deflected the oncoming ice shard. It wasn’t very strong, but it would have scratched her had it made contact. “…” “Wh-what are you looking at me like that for?” Tiana snapped defensively. Karan looked at her with visible fear and anger as if afraid she would attack her again. “…It was my fault, too, for firing that without warning. But you need to be careful of your surroundings.” “I’m not mad,” Karan responded. “You sure look mad to me.” “Mistakes happen. I should’ve been paying attention. But…” “Go on.” “Don’t complain next time I mess up.” Tiana glared at the dragonian; a fight seemed imminent. “Um… Nick?” Zem glanced at Nick with an expression that said “Please do something.” “All right, let’s get moving,” Nick shouted, ignoring the tension between the two girls. “U-um…” “Karan! Tiana!”
Chapter 10
13 min read