Chapter 4

I couldn’t organize my “Inventory” unless I stopped moving, but I could test other things while walking. For some reason, I felt strangely calm as I muttered various keywords that came to mind while trekking through the dark corridor.

“…Status, Help, Map, Save, Log, Chat, Logout, Login, Skill…”

I tried every basic word I could think of, hoping a new “Display” would appear.

Unfortunately, there was no reaction to “Help,” which was the one I wanted most. There was also zero response for things like “Log” or “Chat,” which you’d typically find in an online game. The only ones that triggered a response were “Map” and “Skill.”

The “Map” was a simple grid-based interface. However, it seemed to only display areas I had already passed through. It was good to know I wouldn’t get lost anymore, but it didn’t exactly help progress my current situation.

On the other hand, “Skill” looked like it was going to be quite a catch.

Two items were displayed as “???.”

At this point, it felt like the “Creator” of this system (I wasn’t sure if it was a person or a god, but I decided to tentatively refer to them as the “Creator”) was holding out on me. Or perhaps they had some other motive.

More importantly, “Magic” actually existed.

Apparently, I had become a mage without even realizing it. Naturally, I excitedly thought of words like “Magic” and “Mage” to bring up the “Display.”

I had been prepared for there to be nothing.

However, seeing three spells “Displayed” made me want to do a little victory dance.

I had no idea why I could use such magic, but I intended to use whatever was available. It wasn’t strange for a game to provide a few initial skills.

In a game, at least…

I decided to do a test fire and selected <>.

“Uh, come out! Freeze Magic, <>!”

I shouted and held out my hand.

I anticipated a scene where shards of ice would go flying from my palm. After declaring the spell, I felt a sensation of something draining out of me. My palm grew cold as that “something” began to gather. It was gathering, but… it was incredibly slow.

What formed were tiny grains of ice.

I assumed the moisture in the air was being collected, and as the molecular motion slowed down, it froze. However, after taking about ten seconds for the spell <> to manifest, all I got was a single, palm-sized chunk of ice.

By the way, it didn’t fly anywhere. No matter how I looked at it, this didn’t seem like a viable means of attack.

“…”

What even was magic…?

Grrr…

Was this just “Daily Life Magic”?

Based on how things had been going so far, I had been hoping for something flashy to use against monsters, so my disappointment was immeasurable.

Since I had gone to the trouble of making ice, I pulled the clothes from the corpse out of my “Inventory,” cut out a clean section, and made a makeshift ice pack. I tried applying it to my burn, but it caused a dull ache, so I threw it away immediately.

Next, I tried a test fire of <>.

“Magic, <>!”

But the result was similar.

The most I felt was the temperature around me dropping very slightly.

I hesitated regarding the final one, <>.

If I recalled correctly, the word “dimension” referred to measurements or spatial planes. Based on the previous examples with Freeze Magic, I predicted that an effect related to the meaning of the word would occur.

I thought a warp zone might appear to let me escape this Labyrinth, but it was hard to imagine I’d have a spell that could completely trivialize the situation right from the start. Since I couldn’t clearly visualize the effect, I refrained from using it. To be blunt, I was scared that a black hole or something might pop out if I messed up.

However, this didn’t mean I was done experimenting with magic.

Since I was at it, I tried imagining different types of spells.

“Let’s see… Healing Magic, White Magic, Skill Acquisition, New, New Magic, First Aid, Burn, Heal…”

Nothing hit at all.

I desperately wanted some kind of recovery magic… but it seemed nothing of the sort had been prepared for me. However, during that process, an interesting “Display” appeared.

Apparently, I had zero.

Presumably, points would accumulate as my level increased…

Level…?

I remembered that when the Status screen was “Displayed” earlier, the experience point column had a numerator higher than the denominator. Just as I suspected, a level up was possible.

However, the phrasing “Conditions met” gave me a bad feeling.

There was a high probability that this wasn’t an automatic level up, but a manual one. Furthermore, there was a high chance the method for doing so would be harsh.

For now, I decided to look for a way to manually level up.

“If possible, please let me level u—! Gah!?”

At that moment, a sudden heat shot through my right arm.

When I looked down, my upper arm had been slashed open and was bleeding.

“——!?”

I immediately scanned my surroundings.

I caught something moving in the corner of my vision.

It was a “Distortion.”

A “Distortion” about the size of a human head floated in the air, flickering along with a faint buzzing of wings. Observing it closely, the silhouette of the “Distortion” resembled an insect.

“A monster!?”

I instantly shifted my mindset.

It was a shift I could only make because my current reality was so abnormal—because I had already lost my sense of self. I switched from “daily life mode” to “gamer mode.” My brain, which had been on the verge of paralysis, began to specialize for game-like efficiency.

“You little—!”

Reflexively, I swung the sword in my hand upward.

However, the “Distortion” dodged it at the very last second.

After confirming it had dodged, I immediately broke into a sprint.

I distanced myself from the “Distortion,” backtracking the way I had come. I had decided beforehand that if my first strike was evaded—or if the enemy withstood it—I would absolutely not overextend.

I retreated along the path I’d already cleared rather than heading into the unknown.

I could hear the buzzing of wings pursuing me from behind, and I calmly measured the distance. Since it was chasing me, its direction was obviously dead astern. That meant all that mattered now was the timing.

I could counterattack with the materials I had on hand.

I solidified the plan in my head. People might tell me it was a bad idea because it was “gamer logic,” but I felt the method was worth trying.

As the enemy drew close, I snatched a leather water skin from my “Inventory” and splashed the entire contents behind me.

The buzzing grew erratic, followed by a high-pitched screech. I had wagered that if it was a winged creature, it would likely be weak to water. My theory that it wouldn’t work just because it was a “game bug” proved wrong. The silhouette of the “Distortion” began to manifest clearly, and its movements visibly slowed.

Seeing this, I quietly unleashed my magic.

“<>.”

It was a simple spell that lowered the temperature… but at this rate, there was a chance the enemy was also susceptible to thermal shock. I judged that using magic to finish it from a distance was the safest bet.

“I won’t tell you to freeze solid, but if you could just drop to the floor…”

The “Distortion” flew toward me in a final act of futile resistance. However, its movements were feeble, and it failed to reach me. I kept my “Gaze” fixed on it, making sure not to miss a thing.

At that moment, a “Display” appeared. It pointed at the “Distortion” and revealed its information.

…How cruel.

Honestly, this was just mean. This “Darkling Fly” probably relied on its invisibility as its primary weapon. Despite that, the “Display” showed no mercy, pointing at it as if to say, “The monster is right here.”

There was no longer any way for it to hit me.

I waited for the “Distortion” to grow sluggish enough, then swiped it out of the air with my sword. The fallen “Distortion” vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind a dull, transparent stone.

The stone was “Displayed” as a “Tenth-Rank Magic Stone.” I also confirmed a shift in my experience points and concluded that, overall, the Darkling Fly was a low-level monster.

“Hmm… was it a waste to use items and MP on a Rank 2 monster?”

My remaining MP stood at 68. I still had plenty, but there was no telling what would happen if I started squandering it.

I resumed my trek, heading back past the point of the encounter into the unexplored corridor. Along the way, I restarted my investigation into leveling up.

However, after several minutes of searching—I still couldn’t do it. It seemed some kind of special condition was required to level up. My experience points were overflowing, which left me feeling frustrated.

Once I finished my investigation, I reflected on the previous battle. It had been an ambush by a monster that was difficult to see. If it hadn’t been Rank 2, but something more malevolent, I might have lost my life.

It seemed best to test things regarding the “Display” only after securing my safety. Otherwise, my attention would be divided, and I’d be caught off guard.

As I walked with these thoughts in mind, I heard a sound from further up. Standing at the end of the path was a giant insect. It was the same kind of creature I had first encountered when I arrived here.

I fixed my “Gaze” on the giant insect, noting its characteristic pair of grotesque horns.

I could probably guess its attack method from the name, but it was better not to act on preconceptions. I dropped into a crouch, ready to react to anything.

The Ripper Beetle seemed to notice me as well, slowly closing the distance. It was Rank 3, but I didn’t know what kind of hidden dangers it possessed. However, having just seen how easily the Rank 2 went down, I figured that for Ranks 1 through 5, I could probably handle them with just a sword and raw strength.

Once the Ripper Beetle closed in to a certain distance, it suddenly charged. However, it was leagues slower than that giant wolf.

I swung my sword as we passed each other.

“Hah!”

A high-pitched metallic clang rang out, and my sword was deflected. I might have hit a bad spot. Still, I hadn’t expected such a heavy blade to be bounced back so easily. I’d tried to look cool by shouting “Hah!”, but in a literal sense, I couldn’t even make a dent.

However, its movements weren’t much of a problem. It was significantly slower than the giant wolf, and even slower than that somewhat pitiful Darkling Fly.

I pulled a tool from my “Inventory” to execute a backup plan I’d been keeping in the back of my mind. During that time, the Ripper Beetle did nothing but repeat its charges.

I dodged the rush. Of course, I didn’t just dodge. On the first pass, I doused the Ripper Beetle in oil; on the second, I used a lighter to set it ablaze. I thought it might take a few tries to get it to catch, but luckily, I succeeded on the first attempt.

The Ripper Beetle turned into a fireball and began to writhe in agony.

“Ugh… wow…”

I watched as the high temperature caused its joints to fail and its limbs to fall off. Being an invertebrate, it seemed weak to high heat. It stopped moving almost immediately, so I poked it in a few places with my sword until it vanished into light.

Simultaneously, a stone clattered to the floor. When I fixed my “Gaze” on the black stone the monster had dropped—

The… the details actually came up.

So this “Display” can even show detailed descriptions. This is way too convenient.

I immediately began checking the details of things I didn’t recognize. First, my equipment. Items with long names like the “Elfen Cloak” and the “Oulia Greatsword” apparently carried minor blessings. The Elfen Cloak protected the wearer from extreme heat and cold, while the Oulia Greatsword supposedly provided a bonus when facing opponents of a higher rank.

I didn’t know exactly how much of an impact the numbers had, but I realized that items had attack and defense stats assigned to them, making it vital to check the details.

Finally, I checked the details of the magic I was most curious about.

It was just a support spell. I had hoped for something like a warp to take me back to my original world, but things weren’t that convenient.

“Dimension Magic, <>!”

I gave it a try just to see what it was like—and the moment I spoke the name, my five senses were suddenly sharpened. Furthermore, “something that wasn’t one of the five senses,” which I could only call a sixth sense, began picking up information about my surroundings. I felt as though I could clearly perceive the space within roughly a five-meter radius.

“Th-this is great…!”

I had gained various advantages so far, but I understood that this magic was the most incredible of them all. Above all, it drastically improved my scouting abilities. I could feel the risk to my life plummeting.

I moved through the Labyrinth, timing the duration of <> while making full use of its extraordinary scouting capabilities. I walked on, occasionally picking up items or testing new systems.

As long as <> was active, I was never caught off guard. Within the area of effect, it was impossible for me to miss a living creature. By utilizing <>, I mapped out the area with increasing efficiency. My pace was several times faster than before.

However, that was more than enough to breed complacency.

I had grown giddy after obtaining such an overwhelmingly advantageous spell. I had become overconfident, believing I had figured out this game-like Labyrinth and was executing the best possible strategy.

Things took a turn for the worse about thirty minutes after I started walking.