Chapter 18

Chapter 15 The Ghost of the Elstoran Labyrinth 1 The first one to open his eyes was the monk Gondona. It was just before dawn. A little bit later, Zara, Borante, and Himatra all woke up at around the same time. Surprisingly, Zara felt no pain. He felt refreshed and full of energy. When he checked his adventurer medal, he saw that his level had become 79. The level-up before the battle had raised him to level 72, but he’d gone up seven whole levels after that. He did kill an enormous number of enemies, but even then, there was no reason for him to have gained so many levels. This kind of thing had been happening a lot lately. “Gondona. I thought level-ups occurred after obtaining experience points from slain monsters. Is that wrong?” “Hmm. From the practical understanding of adventurers, that is a very clear and easy way to think about it. You’re not incorrect. But if we were to get more into the true nature of it, a level-up is a phenomenon that shows the gratitude of the gods toward living creatures.” “The gratitude of the gods? I don’t really understand.” “Let’s imagine a man who sells steamed buns for a living. He assigns a price to each bun and sells them. However, if his cute granddaughter were to come along, he might give her a steamed bun without taking any money.” “I can see that.” “If that cute granddaughter of his was drowning in a river and someone saved her, he would probably shower whoever saved her with heaps of free buns.” “The steamed-bun seller is the gods, and the buns are experience points?” “Very good. They decide how many experience points each monster is worth, and they decide how many experience points it takes to reach each level. That would be similar to deciding the price of a steamed bun. The price and the compensation always appear to be in balance, so people think of it as a law. However, there is no actual proof of that. There may even be cases where the steamed bun seller is angry with a customer’s attitude and refuses to sell them anything. He would probably close down the shop.” “If that’s true, then how did level-ups come to work like buying buns?” “That I don’t know. Maybe the gods bestowed them upon humans as blessings. Maybe humans asked for them, and the gods granted their wishes. However they came about, they in some way fulfill the wishes of the gods.” “Did I save a grandchild of the gods somewhere?” “You probably did. Sometimes there are matters the gods want settled but can’t accomplish with their power alone, so they implore humans to act for them. To the gods, those who carry out their will in these cases are like the person who saved the steamed-bun seller’s granddaughter. The gods are thankful to that individual, and that gratitude is realized as a blessing in the form of experience points. If activated from the gods’ side, a level-up can occur without the need for a petition.” “I see. Now that you say that, a number of things make sense.” It seemed Borante and Himatra had also received major level-ups, so they listened to the conversation with great interest. But their interest only went so far. “That’s enough about level-ups. Tell me what happened after I fainted,” Himatra asked Zara. She then caught sight of the white baby dragon. “N-no way… Was this in the…?” “This is thought to be the last dragon in the world.” Borante and Himatra circled around the floating dragon to observe it. The dragon stared back at them and, finding this fun, flew one quick lap around them. Borante and Himatra tried again to walk around it. They then began circling one another until Himatra tripped over herself and fell. The baby dragon squeaked happily and did a victory dance in the air above Himatra. The morning sun rose over the calm beach. 2 Zara communicated everything that had happened after they collapsed as accurately as he could. Afterward, the group made a grave for the White Princess. They offered a prayer in front of it and then divided the reward among themselves. “Gondona. Paksalimana asked me to name the dragon, but I can’t think of one.” “I see. I don’t think there is any set way to do this, but let’s imitate the naming ceremony of a king’s eldest child. Okay, everyone hold out an offering.” Gondona made a splendid altar using the materials he had on hand. “Let’s get started.” When Gondona produced a holy garment and put it on, everyone was shocked into silence. “A—a cardinal uniform?” “G-Gondy, you’ve gotta be…” That was how they found out Gondona was not a monk but a priest. Priests served a god or multiple gods by performing rituals, and monks served at temples by performing training and aid according to teachings. There were ranks among temples but none among monks themselves. Priests, on the other hand, were divided between the ranks of apprentice priest, parish priest, deacon, priest, bishop, and cardinal, from lowest to highest. Zara had thought Gondona’s skills resembled those of a priest, but because he didn’t use a book of prayer or a staff, Zara’d assumed he must actually have been a monk. The christening ceremony proceeded under Gondona’s guidance, and Zara named the baby dragon Freya. That was a word that meant treasure in an old language from the southern part of the continent. Gondona said the dragon was a girl, so Zara wanted to pick a fitting name. The group raised their hands to the sky to declare witness to the naming and celebrated. They then held a banquet using the ingredients and alcohol they had used as offerings. They drank alcohol they hadn’t offered, too. Previously unaware that Gondona was a clergyman of the highest possible rank, Himatra began referring to him with an honorific title. “Pass me that meat, Father Gondy. Oh, and the wine, too. No, not like that! Give me the whole bottle. As expected of a cardinal. This wine is soooo good. Ten more of those please, Father!” She still didn’t speak respectfully, however. It seemed that Borante used to be a knight of decently high rank in a certain country, and he’d objected to a decision his superior had made while they were at war. After a great fuss that had ended with the injury of his superior, he’d fled. Himatra said she’d been an apprentice sorcerer at the imperial court of a certain country, but after a superior had tried to rape her, she’d burned him to ash and fled. Zara told them he had inherited a parent’s dying wish and was now traveling to broaden his horizons and become strong enough to defeat a powerful enemy. Gondona did not talk about his past, but it seemed like the design of his priest garb during the ceremony gave Borante and Himatra an idea of where he came from. After that, they talked about what they were going to do next. Gondona said he was going to the Ocean Temple. He would take the dragon child with him. Borante and Himatra planned to return to the town from which the four of them had departed with the White Princess. Borante said he had some people to whom he wanted to boast about his accomplishments so he could shut them up once and for all. Zara said he wanted to take a look at the homeland of Gil Linx and then head south. “Come on, man. Just because you have some money now doesn’t make it okay for you to smoke cigars.” “You’re the last person I want to hear that from.” Himatra cast a spell to increase her physical strength, picked up Gondona’s mace, and used it to knock Borante down. The mace hit Borante hard and threw him to the ground, but puzzlingly, he took almost no damage. No one pointed out the fact that Himatra had used support magic, despite saying earlier that she couldn’t. The baby dragon seemed to take a great liking to the smoked ettin meat. Gondona discovered the meat turned into a delicacy when the dragon warmed the thoroughly smoked, hardened edges with its breath. It turned out to be a very fun night. 3 The group split up the next morning. First, Borante and Himatra departed with the two horses. The horses had run into a forest not far from the beach and returned after Borante whistled. Once their figures disappeared over the mountain pass, Gondona spoke. “My level actually had increased as well when I woke up. And that wasn’t all. I surrendered half my life span when I used Conviction Hammer, but this morning, it seemed that rather than being halved, my life span had slightly increased. I must have received quite a large steamed bun.” By half his life span? Does he mean half his remaining life span? Or half his entire life span? Can you actually see your own life span in the first place? Zara was dubious of what he had just heard but decided not to question it. He was scared of what kind of ridiculous answer he might receive. At first, the baby dragon did not leave Zara’s side. Once Zara passed all the smoked meat he was holding to Gondona, however, the baby dragon stuck close to the cardinal. “I am going to spend some time praying in the temple. I will pray for you as well, Mr. Zara. Blessed be the gods. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, young adventurer.” Zara bowed his head to receive a blessing and then departed. He took a deeply moving trip to Yuto Island, then returned to the continent and headed south on the peninsula along the sea. After saving a caravan of merchants besieged by monsters, he agreed to become their escort. He tried to go his own way when they reached Aldana, but the head of the caravan asked him to stay until they reached the Holy Kingdom of Roahl. He said there were a lot of pirates in the area. Zara had not planned to go to Roahl. It was a religious state located within Aldana that was allowed to operate as a small independent country. It housed several temples that were exalted by many countries, so it was seen as a holy land throughout the continent. However, there were rumors of secularized priests instigating violence and also of power struggles between temples that worshipped different gods, so Zara didn’t particularly feel like entering the country. Another reason he didn’t want to go to Roahl was the strict immigration check. Still, he had nothing to hide. He decided he would deliver the caravan as far as the checkpoint. The checkpoint was a giant stronghold. Enormous walls surrounded it, and it was said there was a town immediately on the opposite side. Zara thought about leaving once he saw the long line at immigration, but he felt that, after coming all this way, he may as well take a look at the town. In the end, he got in line. They waited for a long time before it was their turn for inspection. The official who performed his inspection cried out once he checked his adventurer medal. “Oooh, you’re an S-rank adventurer! Welcome to the Holy Kingdom of Roahl. In the name of the gods and of the hierarch, we are honored by your visit. Gods be praised.” Zara had attracted the stares of everyone around him. Even the head of the merchant caravan he escorted opened his eyes wide in astonishment. Things got rough for Zara from there. He tried to accept his reward and take his leave, but the head of the caravan was persistent in trying to get him to sign an exclusive contract to become their escort. After Zara refused, the merchant offered to pay for his lodging for the night, but the adventurer refused that as well and said he would look for a guide. It wasn’t just the head of the caravan. Zara was hounded by a great variety of people, every one of them trying to butter him up and form some kind of relationship. “I’m going to the Adventurers Guild, so if you have business with me, take it there.” After saying that, he somehow managed to make his escape. He shook off the crowds of people offering to show him around and arrived at the guild. Things got even worse for him there. Saying he was going to the Adventurers Guild had simply been an excuse to get rid of the people swarming him, but now that he was here, he decided to see what kind of labyrinth there was in Roahl. When he requested information, he was asked to present his adventurer medal. The employee was startled when he appraised Zara’s medal, leaving his seat for a while and returning with the president of the guild. The president asked Zara to list his achievements in detail. Zara said he’d spent time adventuring in the Sazardon Labyrinth of the Baldemost Kingdom before deciding to go on a journey. He told the president he had taken a number of requests after leaving on his trip but declined to give details, citing client privacy. It was perfectly understandable the guild president would show such strong interest in Zara. To an Adventurers Guild, an S-rank adventurer was the most valuable commodity they could have and a trump card that allowed them to reject any interference that threatened their high level of independence. As such, they knew the whereabouts of their S-rank adventurers, and in high-priority cases, it was practically the guild’s duty to act as mediator for S-rank adventurers and protect their rights even if it meant negotiating against a country. Whenever a new adventurer rose to rank S, that person was immediately bombarded by the guilds of that country and other influential people. Despite that, an S-rank adventurer had just wandered into this guild in Roahl by himself. His level was 79, and he was shockingly young; only sixteen years of age. To top it all off, rather than working for any kind of organization, he was on a trip to better himself. The guild president decided he would do whatever it took to tie this young man down. He prevented Zara from leaving under the pretense of having to check urgent matters, then behind the scenes ordered his quick-witted employees to prepare alcohol, lodging, women, tourist information, attractive jobs, positions of high social rank, highly potent weapons, and anything else they could think of to try to win over this golden goose. Zara turned him down and left the reception room, ignoring the president’s attempts to detain him. At that point, he once again found himself in a very uncomfortable situation. The lobby was filled to capacity, teeming with people who had all manner of requests for Zara. Adventurers, merchants, and government officials all surrounded him and tried to chat him up, wanting to get close to this young S-rank adventurer who had arrived in Roahl without warning, like a shooting star. People pulled on his hands and body. Others grabbed his hair. Before he knew it, he was robbed of his jacket, his hair was disheveled, and he was covered with numerous scratches and bruises. If I was surrounded by sahagins, I’d just be able to cut my way through them. How am I supposed to deal with people? Zara had only ever focused on training, so his interpersonal skills were unpolished. Also, having been born a high-ranking noble, he had no experience being swarmed by crowds of people and having requests and questions relentlessly shoved at him like this. Zara felt like he was being mobbed. The overwhelming hurricane of words and the close proximity of the crowd were beginning to make him feel like he might lose consciousness. Aah… I feel like…I was stung by…a poison bee… Adventurers who could easily defeat a level 50 monster would occasionally die after being swarmed by a hoard of level 5 or 6 insect or reptile monsters. Even if the poison of each individual monster wasn’t very strong, a person could be greatly hurt if swamped and stung in quick succession. “I’m going to the labyrinth; would you like to come with me?” Zara quickly grabbed the hand of the person who’d said that. “Yes, please! Let’s go to the labyrinth!” “Let’s get out of here first,” his savior yelled. Doing as he said, Zara pushed his way through the crowd and left the guild. With the plan of action decided, all that remained was the execution. One effective combat technique when surrounded by a maelstrom of advancing enemies was to push and pull in order to create a thin line, which you could then quickly slip through. The young man who’d invited him to enter the labyrinth had also emerged from the guild. “This way!” He was quick-witted and agile. He was probably a scout. The two of them ran down the street, slipped through alleyways, jumped up walls, and climbed onto roofs, eventually shaking off their pursuers. “Man, you really are good. You kept up with me easily.” Slightly out of breath and wiping away sweat, the man held out his hand. “I’m Poriapul. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands. 4 The scout named Poriapul led Zara to a cheap hotel where his companions were waiting. The two joined up with them and headed to the dining hall, and as soon as they all received drinks and made a toast, Poriapul introduced the group. Everyone grew extremely excited once they heard Zara was an S-rank swordsman. The labyrinth was called the Elstoran Labyrinth, and it was what was known as a multiplex labyrinth. A multiplex labyrinth sent all parties of adventurers who passed through its entrance into different phases. Coming across adventurers outside of your own party was an impossibility. For example, if Party A entered the boss room on the first floor and defeated the boss and Party B entered at precisely that moment, the boss would still be there. In other words, it’s as if the two parties were entering different labyrinths comprised of the same contents. Once you entered a multiplex labyrinth, you wouldn’t meet anyone other than the people with whom you entered. This was the labyrinth of Zara’s dreams. Poriapul and his companions were all from another town in Roahl, and they’d formed a party to delve into the labyrinth and take on quests. They had been spending some time gathering information in this town and had a stroke of luck when they found a valuable ancient text. In that text was written a method of conquest that fulfilled certain conditions for the Elstoran Labyrinth. “It doesn’t seem like you know the Elstoran Labyrinth. It’s famous in this country and is also known as the Ghost Labyrinth. There’s only one floor, and there are eight rooms. Skeletons are the only monsters. There are normal skeletons, red skeletons, and black skeletons. If you defeat the skeletons while fulfilling a certain condition, you are teleported to the boss room. The boss is a ghost, and it offers you prizes. The prizes are very rare and powerful weapons. No matter how many people are in the party, everyone receives a weapon that suits them. Apparently, if you reject the weapon, you’ll have to fight the ghost. But we’re not going to do that. The weapons are our goal.” He wet his throat with some ale and continued his explanation. “The hint for clearing the labyrinth is displayed on the rock by the entrance. There’s a long and thin protruding rock, the top of which is cut diagonally. There are twelve jewels inserted into it, and they shine in various colors. Every time someone clears the labyrinth, the gems change color. It’s said that they display how you should defeat the skeletons, but no one knows how to read them. In the end, everyone kills the skeletons at random and hopes they get lucky and get transported to the boss room.” He gulped down some more ale. “I can’t say that’s a particularly wise method, but once every two or three years, someone ends up being teleported to the boss room. And every time that happens, the color of the gems changes. Problem is, no one understood what those colors were displaying. Until now, that is.” Poriapul pulled the ancient text out of his Bag and showed Zara a certain page. “As you can see, this part right here is clearly depicting the colors of the twelve gems. The adventurer who drew this cleared the labyrinth when the gems were this color. He wrote down what he did to clear it that time, and…” Poriapul suddenly leaned toward Zara and continued with a whisper. “Don’t you see? The normal skeletons and the black skeletons have nothing to do with it. You can kill them or ignore them; they’re irrelevant either way. The ones that matter are the red skeletons. There’s a set number you need to kill in each room. You can’t kill any more or any less than that number. Once you’ve gone through the entire labyrinth and killed the exact right amount, it will satisfy the clear condition. The number of red skeletons we need to kill is written in this ancient text. Also…” He smirked and struck the ancient document with his finger. “…these colors are exactly the same as the colors over the entrance right now.” At first, the strategy seemed rather straightforward, but the stipulation of dispatching a set number of enemies made things considerably more difficult. They had tried multiple times, but because the skeletons attacked in groups, it was easy to kill too many by accident. When fighting lots of enemies at once, it is difficult to keep track of exactly how many you have eliminated. For that reason, they had been looking for someone skilled in decision-making to join their party. 5 This sound is reminiscent of whacking an old tree. That was what Zara thought after striking down another red skeleton. The group’s kill count was now in the dozens. Zara was using the war hammer Logan had given him as a parting gift. It was very heavy but incredibly forceful, and the red skeletons stood no chance against it. Even the black skeletons were crushed in one blow. One of those black skeletons was approaching him from behind. Why is no one supporting me? We’re acting individually right now instead of as a party. They had a more-than-ideal party consisting of a scout, a swordsman, a warrior, a support sorceress, an offensive sorcerer, and a healing priest, but they weren’t taking advantage of that at all. The scout was doing nothing other than counting the red skeletons they defeated. The warrior said he would attract the regular skeletons, but because it took all he had to handle just three of them, that role was too dangerous to leave to him. The offensive sorcerer was afraid he would kill too many red skeletons, so he didn’t participate in the fighting at all. The sorceress was doing her best to support the party, but she couldn’t get near Zara while they were surrounded, so her spells always ended up fizzling out. The priest would heal Zara when it wasn’t necessary, and when Zara did need a healing, the priest was always distracted by something else. I should just pretend I’m doing this solo. That would be preferable to relying on them. 6 And so they advanced through the labyrinth. They had already killed the designated number of red skeletons in five out of the eight rooms. Zara had already given up on receiving any offensive help from the other members. At this point, he couldn’t imagine killing too many red skeletons and having to go back to the beginning. Let’s just get this over with. Despite his frustration, he decided to ask the sorceress for something. “When we go to the next chamber, can you cast restraint magic?” She said she would do her best, and seeing her smile calmed his nerves. They entered the room. There were several black skeletons inside, and Zara was proud of himself for having the foresight to ask for restraint magic. The sorceress then cast the spell… “Earthbind!” …on Zara. Zara continued defeating the skeletons while unable to move his legs. He learned two things in that room. The first was that Earthbind could be cast on party members. The second was that, once cast, the spell could not be removed until time ran out. He hoped to never again be in a situation where this information would prove helpful. 7 They were in the last room. Zara smashed the final red skeleton with his war hammer. They then heard a low humming sound, and their surroundings became hazy. Before they knew it, they were somewhere else entirely. The whole party was teleported together. In the middle of the room sat a table upon which weapons had been placed. There was a ghost on the other side smiling silently. “Yes! We finally did it!” “We actually did it!” “Yeah! Our hard work has finally paid off!” Everyone was celebrating together. Zara didn’t want to be the only one who wasn’t cheering, but he didn’t feel a shred of accomplishment. He couldn’t really feel anything other than relief—he would finally be freed from this nightmarish experience. He suddenly realized the party had been broken up. They must have been automatically separated when they were teleported to this room. That way, everyone could make the decision individually about whether they wanted to fight the boss. His comrades ran to the table and reached for the weapons that struck their fancy. Everyone who took one disappeared. They were probably sent back to the entrance of the labyrinth. He had forgotten to ask what happened after you grabbed a weapon. The party members vanished one after another until Zara was the only one left, but the young adventurer had no interest in the weaponry. His gaze was locked on the ghost on the opposite side of the table. 8 Can a man be called beautiful? His silver hair was long and straight. He had a small, oval forehead and kind blue eyes. He was wearing simple silver cloth made of shining silk, which extended to the ground in many folds. A purple sash was loosely wrapped around his waist, holding the cloth in place. The sash was thin above his left hip and wide below his right, and an elegant knot hung from the right side. The color of his face and skin was white with a slight hint of yellow. His eyes were a deep blue, and he was smiling. His long, thin, and delicate hands looked like they belonged to a woman. His body was transparent enough to see the wall behind him, so it felt appropriate to call him a ghost. “I’m surprised that anyone would summon me after such a long time. But because you have done so, I will do my job. To which labyrinth are you moving?” “What do you mean by ‘which labyrinth’?” “Hmm? Did you not summon me to adjust a labyrinth?” “I do not know who you are. I came here after being asked to join a party to help conquer the Elstoran Labyrinth.” “Conquer? What do you mean by conquer?” “I completed the necessary objective to reach this room.” “Ah, I see. That doesn’t really sound like conquering to me. For what reason did you come to conquer this labyrinth?” “My party members wanted to obtain the weapons offered as prizes.” The silver-haired man’s face was blank for a moment, and then he burst into laughter. “That is delightful. Ah, it all makes sense now. I’m guessing a lot of time has passed. That was a little something I prepared as a reward for whoever made it to this room but lacked the qualifications to summon me. I never intended that to become anyone’s primary goal.” “From what I have heard, when one reaches this room, a ghost will appear with some weapons. If you take a weapon, it becomes yours, and if you do not, you fight the ghost.” “I can’t fight using that thing. The ‘me’ that usually appears is nothing more than a projection. Its appearance is the same as mine, but all it can do is tell people that it cannot fulfill their demand because they don’t meet the requirements. But you do meet the requirements necessary to be a client of mine. That is why I was summoned.” “Can I fight you?” “Hmm? You want to fight? I am capable of fighting, but I can’t be defeated. I have this ghostly body, after all. I am also a simple shadow that does not hold my original consciousness. The fact that I was able to appear, however, does mean that my real body is still alive.” “Where is your real body?” “Hmm. That is a difficult question to answer. All right, I’ll tell you if you swear you won’t visit me or tell anyone else where I am.” “Then I won’t ask.” “Ha-ha-ha. You’re a delightful person. My fighting ability is quite low, so I guarantee you’ll be disappointed if we actually dueled… Hmm?” The ghost’s countenance changed as if just noticing something. “No way, is that…?” The ghost held his right hand over Zara. The operation screen of Zara’s Treasury appeared, and an item search began. What the hell?! I’m not doing that! It was definitely impossible to forcefully display the operation screen of another person’s Treasury. Yet that was exactly what the ghost was doing. The display on the screen was changing constantly. Which meant someone other than the owner was actually operating it. Zara couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He froze in shock when a certain five items were displayed together. Those five items were sorted into different categories, stored in different sections, and shared no search parameters, so no search could display them simultaneously on the same screen. Yet the five blessed items bestowed upon House Mercurius were right there on the screen together. “Where did you obtain these five blessed items? Depending on how you answer, you could become the first human I’ve killed by my own hand.” 9 The ghost’s eyes had turned from blue to a brilliant yellow. The kindness in his gaze had vanished, replaced by a look as cold as ice. Zara took a deep breath and answered. “These five blessed items have been passed down for generations in House Mercurius of the Baldemost Kingdom. I have been told that the first head of House Mercurius was granted them by the dragon god Kaldan for his bravery and loyalty. The current head of House Mercurius has loaned them to me until I kill the minotaur in the Sazardon Labyrinth.” For one or two breaths, the ghost stared at Zara, searching him. After that, his expression suddenly softened. “I can tell from your demeanor that your words are straight from the heart. I apologize for threatening you. Please forgive me.” The bloodlust vanished from the ghost, and his eyes returned to blue. Zara became aware that he was sweating. The ghost was quite intimidating for an incorporeal being. “I am familiar with the Sazardon Labyrinth. But the minotaur? Why would a swordsman of your level have a goal of killing a monster like the minotaur? Those five blessed items would certainly be overkill.” “A little more than thirty years ago, a minotaur born on the tenth floor of the Sazardon Labyrinth defeated the monsters on every single floor, eventually reaching the bottom and killing the metal dragon some unknown number of times. It took over as the King of the Labyrinth and has been reigning ever since.” “Huh? A minotaur? Don’t be stupid. Ah, that was rude of me. It’s not that I’m doubting you. But that labyrinth shouldn’t have the kind of unstable makeup that would allow such an irregularity. But of all things, a monster from floor ten. That can’t be a coincidence. Ah, wait a second. There are a number of things I want you to tell me. I also want to apologize. Let’s move to a different location. This isn’t exactly a fitting place for tea.” The ghost closed his eyes for a while, seeming to think about something. “What in the world? Everywhere I’m looking has fallen into ruin. What year is it, exactly?” “It is the year 1116 of the Royal Calendar.” “Royal Calendar? From what kingdom?” “The Baldemost Kingdom. The year the goddess Kaldan, um, passed away was used as the first year of the Royal Calendar.” “…My. This is surprising. An incredible amount of time has passed. Hmm. I wonder if that spot would be okay. Ah, it seems fine. Hold on, we’re moving.” Their surroundings changed in an instant. They must have teleported, but Zara didn’t experience the uncomfortable feeling associated with teleportation. It usually felt like you were being dragged in multiple directions or turned inside out. They were at a gazebo located in a garden full of blooming flowers. There was a marble table and two chairs made out of a material Zara didn’t recognize, but they were white and marked with luxurious carvings. “Go ahead, take a seat. I apologize, but I am unable to make tea. Feel free to drink anything you may have in your storage. I am not capable of eating or drinking, myself. I’m perfectly fine standing, too, for that matter, but I’ll sit down.” The ghost sat in the chair. His movement and seated posture were oddly elegant. “That’s right. I became the final boss of that labyrinth. As you’re the first official victor in over one thousand and two hundred years, I need to give you a reward. What would you like?” “Nothing comes to mind.” “No, no, that won’t do. You’re going to make me lose face as a final boss. Okay. How about this?” The ghost set a shortsword on the table. The blade seemed stunted even by “shortsword” standards, but it wasn’t as small as a dagger. It had a graceful color that suggested it was made of orichalc, but its red-painted tip gave it an ominous edge. “With a small swing, this will produce a magic circle about six meters in diameter, and with a large swing, it will produce a magic circle about three hundred meters in diameter, which will crush everything it envelops. You can summon the magic circle near or far depending on how you swing the blade, so it’s a very convenient weapon. In order to use it, all you have to do is sacrifice the lives of at least ten people every year by your own hand.” “I don’t need that kind of cursed item.” “No, there’s no curse. As long as you use it properly, that is. It’s only when you forget to kill ten people that you will be cursed.” “I don’t need it.” “That’s too bad. Then how about this?” Next, he placed a ring embedded with a gem on the table. The dark-red crystal looked high in quality, but something about it seemed odious. “This is a kind of resurrection ring. It’s an inferior version of the Ring of the Underworld. If this is equipped, then even the largest of injuries will heal instantly, and you will be brought back to life immediately after you die. But like the Ring of the Underworld, it does not halt aging, so it grants immortality but not eternal youth. It is also weakened slightly by holy element attacks. Additionally, if you use this, a low-rank demon will become your master and you will have to serve it for all eternity.” “I don’t need it.” “If it’s the demon you’re worried about, don’t be. It’ll be no problem if you seal it beforehand. If you wish, I can help you with that. Once you seal the demon either within your body or somewhere in your clothes, it becomes quite convenient. When the owner of the ring dies, the seal is broken, and it will slaughter whoever killed you or anyone foolish enough to run off with your belongings.” “I don’t need it.” “Hmm. You are quite picky.” After that, the ghost showed him a mirror that took over the mind of anyone who looked into it and also a helm that reflected any attack one day later with an attack one hundred times as powerful, but Zara didn’t want those, either. “I really don’t know what to offer you. Just tell me if you see something that you like. All right, there are a number of things I want to talk about. Do you mind if I ask some questions?” 10 The first thing the ghost asked was what countries there were in the world, currently. He then asked about the minotaur in the Sazardon Labyrinth. Zara answered his questions to the best of his ability. “Wait. What exactly is an adventurer? Huh. I didn’t realize that kind of holy occupation existed.” “Potions sound really amazing. If you have any now, may I see them? My, that’s a lot. Interesting.” “The rate of growth within labyrinths is quite high. I see. So that’s what filled the gap left behind by divine spirits. How clever. Given that the population of humans has increased and their countries are prospering, that must have been highly effective. But wouldn’t such a method only lead to stagnation? Ah, never mind that. That’s not a question for you. Hmm. I’ll have to look into that later.” “Can you show me this ‘adventurer medal’? I find this surprising. It produces a number to represent strength and ability. These things called levels are an incredible innovation. It must represent the divine protection you have from the gods. Hmm. Very good. I’m sure this tempts everyone to fight and raise their levels.” “So adventurer medals are issued in temples. I see, I see. This becomes your mark. If you delve into a labyrinth without carrying this, your level won’t increase, right? You don’t know? I assume that is the case.” “What are these ranks? Do you receive anything when your rank increases? My. That’s interesting. Very nice. Though I don’t really understand why it increases not just by your level but also through requests from some guild. I wonder if your rank would increase just as easily if you accumulated good deeds without any relation to the guild or what they have labeled as quests. Ah, that’s probably the case.” “Does that mean that if you kill people who haven’t committed any crimes, your rank will go down? Yeah, yeah. That sounds right. That’s good thinking. That way, people will be steered toward not abusing their strength. Without that mechanism, blood would rain from the skies.” After asking a variety of questions, the ghost paused, his facial expression shifted, and he asked one more. “By the way, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like no one has seen a dragon in the last thousand years. I mean outside of labyrinths, of course. Am I correct in assuming that?” Zara fretted for a little while over whether it was okay to answer that question. He then felt a strong inclination to tell his host about what had happened. “Yes. But just a few days ago a white dragon, the child of the goddess Kaldan and her husband, was born. Through a strange twist of fate, I was there to witness the birth and even received the honor of naming it.” The ghost stood up suddenly. He then pressed his hands against the table and bowed his head. “This is a very rude thing to ask of you, but can you please show me your memories? I’m begging you.” Zara braced himself and answered. “Go ahead.” “Thank you.” While giving his thanks, the ghost reached out his right hand and touched Zara’s forehead. He then closed his eyes and began to mutter something. Zara was dizzy for a moment. The next thing he knew, the ghost had already removed his hand from his forehead. The ghost’s eyes were still closed, and he appeared lost in thought. Tears were streaming from his eyes. The tears that dripped down from his chin vanished in midair before they reached the table or the floor. Zara wasn’t sure how long they spent like that. The ghost then straightened his back, placed his right hand over his heart, and bowed deeply to Zara. His long silver hair hung low. “Zara, I give you my thanks. You protected my child. I have no words to show my gratitude. You also chose a wonderful name and, most importantly, guided her to the appropriate place. I also won’t forget what you did for Paksalimana and Narillia. I will definitely return the favor someday.” Zara was taken aback by the ghost’s words but could see he was being sincere, so he did not take the show of gratitude lightly. He stood up and returned the bow. “I am happy I could be of help, but I had the guidance and the assistance of the gods. I am already receiving excessive favor as is.” The ghost grinned. “Yes… That was an answer straight from the heart. I want to speak to you for a little while longer, but as I have somewhere I want to go straight away, let’s say our farewells here. Ah…” Something had caused the ghost’s figure to begin to fade. “Shoot. I let myself get too emotional, and my spectral form has become unstable. Hmm. That’s too bad. I wanted to see my daughter at least once.” His body was quickly becoming more transparent. “Ah, don’t make such a worried face. My main body appears to be safe, so in time, this spirit form will recover. My main body is unconscious, though, so it will probably take a while. But it’s fine. I’m now looking forward to waking up again. I’ll need to give you a proper reward and return the favor for what you have done. For the time being, you can help yourself to anything on the table. Okay, Zara. Till next we meet.” After the ghost finished speaking, he disappeared. Now alone, Zara was at a loss for what to do. Where am I, and how do I get back? And what should I do with all these items that look too dangerous to touch?