Chapter 7

As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, I stopped reading and approached a staff member for directions.

While buried in the books earlier, I’d noticed a few others asking the librarians for help. Following their lead, I managed to gather the information I needed without drawing any suspicion.

It had only been a few hours of reading, but the harvest was plentiful.

Through history books, I learned the basics of this world, while technical manuals and modern texts helped me grasp the people’s occupations and daily lives. Above all, since this was a library in a Labyrinth City, there was an abundance of information regarding adventurers and the Labyrinth itself.

Following the route provided by the librarian, I eventually reached a facility known as the Exchange.

Ensuring no one was watching, I pulled a leather pouch from my [Inventory] and hung it from my waist.

Based on what I’d gathered at the library, I couldn’t find any confirmation that systems like [Display] or [Inventory] existed for others. There was a high probability that this system was unique to me, so I intended to keep its existence a secret.

Stepping inside, the place reminded me of an antique shop from back home.

Old trinkets and literal junk were scattered about in a cluttered mess. Amidst the chaos, I spotted a stout man who appeared to be the proprietor and called out to him.

“Excuse me… I have a few things I’d like to trade for coin, if you’re interested.”

I initiated the negotiation with polite language.

Initially, I’d considered acting tough so he wouldn’t look down on me, but I reconsidered. While my primary goal was the exchange, I also wanted to gather more information if possible. My general policy was to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

“Sure, I don’t mind. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Here you go.”

The owner responded immediately. I didn’t detect anything strange in his demeanor.

First, I made a show of reaching into the leather pouch at my hip and pulled out all the Tenth-Rank Magic Stones from my [Inventory]—twelve in total—and spread them across the counter.

“Ah, magic stones from the shallow floors. Those are a flat rate of one copper coin each.”

“…I understand. That’s fine.”

It wasn’t just that I hadn’t planned on haggling; the way he said “flat rate” made me accept instantly.

“Right then, twelve copper coins. You got your identification papers?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“In that case, put your finger in this and press down here.”

The owner pointed toward a black, ink-pad-like object.

I was surprised by the mention of papers, but it seemed they weren’t strictly mandatory. I found myself wondering something trivial, like I wonder what year my world started using fingerprints? while pressing my thumb onto the designated paper as instructed.

“So, entering the Labyrinth without papers… are you from another country?”

Perhaps my awkward behavior had made him suspicious. The owner eyed me with doubt.

“Yes. Actually, this was my first time in a Labyrinth. I heard the rumors and traveled here from a distant land.”

“Hoh. This much for your first time? Not bad. Where are you from?”

He called it “not bad,” but it stung my conscience knowing most of it was looted from corpses. Still, the flow of the conversation wasn’t bad, so I decided to lean into it. I selected a plausible answer from the information I’d gathered at the library.

I’d set my birthplace as a distant land. A minor one, even among far-off countries… If I recalled correctly, it was “Fania.”

“It’s quite far. A place called Fania. Do you know it?”

“Fania, eh? Don’t know much about it, but I know where it sits. You’ve come a long way. What’s it like over there?”

He was being strangely talkative; maybe he was just bored. I decided to get to the point before I tripped over my own lies.

“Oh, there’s not much to say, really. More importantly, do you have any recommendations on a place to stay tonight?”

“Hmm, a place to stay. If it’s Huzya, there are public lodgings. But they’re expensive. Well, to be fair, there isn’t really a ‘cheap’ place in Huzya to begin with.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed Huzya was a high-priced nation, though I’d had a hunch about that ever since my talk with the guards at the Labyrinth entrance.

“By the looks of it, you just picked a gate and walked in. Huzya is the most prestigious-looking country, so folks who don’t know much about the Labyrinth usually end up here first. It’s got the best looks and the best security, but everything costs a premium because of it. They don’t call it a Knight’s Nation centered on the nobility for nothing.”

“I see…”

Ending up in Huzya had been pure coincidence. However, it seemed to be a country where the pros and cons were both extreme. A place by the rich, for the rich.

“To be honest, unless you’re rolling in coin, it’s hard to keep up a Labyrinth exploration habit while staying in Huzya. Scraping together a few coppers won’t even buy you a decent meal. That’s why only high-level, high-income explorers and adventurers stay here.”

“That much, huh… By the way, how much higher are the lodging fees compared to other countries?”

“It’s not just a ‘markup.’ Compared to the neighboring lands, it’s several times higher. Any stay in Huzya usually runs you several hundred copper coins.”

“S-Several hundred!?”

“It’s a country for people who carry gold coins like they’re pocket change. If you’re short on cash, I’m afraid you’ll have to camp outside the ‘Mana Lines’ (magic-conducting gemstone veins) tonight and head east to ‘Wald’ tomorrow. Security is a bit rough there, but it’s the perfect spot for Labyrinth explorers. There should be places where you can stay for just a few coppers.”

I definitely wanted to avoid camping out. That would be a one-way ticket to triggering my [???] skill’s berserk state. My mental state was already frayed enough; I had no idea what would happen if I accumulated any more stress. Even if that skill was helping me, I had a gut feeling that I shouldn’t rely on it too often.

Furthermore, I didn’t fully understand these “Mana Lines.” Based on the owner’s tone, it was something you had to avoid if you were sleeping outdoors. The library texts described them as “gemstone lines that transmit magic,” but I didn’t know anything beyond that.

In other words, I couldn’t afford to hold back on raising funds today.

I decided to bet on the conscience of the owner, who had been surprisingly helpful to a novice like me.

“U-Um, in that case, could you appraise everything I have? I want to know how much it all adds up to…”

“Hmm, you have more? Fine, let’s see the lot.”

“Alright…”

After that, I stepped outside the shop and pulled things like the greatsword out of my [Inventory]. I lied and said I’d left them with an acquaintance, and while he looked skeptical, he didn’t press the issue. It was possible that magic or tools similar to the [Inventory] system existed in this world.

Thus, after keeping only the bare minimum and exchanging everything that looked like it would fetch a price—

Currently, my [Inventory] held ten silver coins, each worth a hundred coppers. The named greatsword and the magic stone from the giant wolf alone had been worth nine silver coins.

With my lodging in Huzya secured, I followed the owner’s directions to a cheap inn he’d recommended.

Before long, I reached an unremarkable, aged inn. I walked into the lobby (or something like it), handled the check-in process, and rented a room. Since dinner and breakfast were included, I headed straight for the dining hall.

The meal was buffet-style, featuring many unique dishes. I swallowed my pride and asked a nearby staff member about the etiquette and unspoken rules of the dining room. Perhaps because it was a Huzya establishment, they were incredibly kind and thorough in their explanation.

…To be honest, the dinner tasted awful.

Compared to my world, the difference was staggering. There was no such luxury as rice; the main staples were mashed grains, tubers, and bread that was unnervingly hard. I forced it all down, telling myself that I wouldn’t find any food safer than this.

After finishing my meal, I entered my rented room.

It was a simple room. By my standards, I wouldn’t exactly call it clean. Yet, apparently, this room was considered “high-end” in this world. The reality of that made me feel a faint wave of dizziness, so I took a deep breath to steady my mind.

“Phew…”

I collapsed onto the stiff bed. Without thinking, I stretched out my arms.

It was my first moment of rest today. It had been so long—truly long—but I could finally rest.

“Ah…”

Because of that, my guard dropped. My thoughts slipped back into a “normal direction.”

And if I thought normally, every single thing about today was insane.

Countless questions existed. And questions were things that refused to let you rest until they were answered.

What on earth is happening…?

What am I even doing?

I wake up in a Labyrinth, get attacked by monsters, there’s magic, and it’s like some RPG world…?

Don’t give me that. I bled. I almost died. I even acted like a scavenger, stripping the dead. I stopped thinking about anything extra and just kept struggling to survive.

But it doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand. What is this world? Where is my world? Where is my family? I don’t have parents, but I have a sister. Did I disappear from that world? Is she all alone in that house?

Then I have to go back soon. I have to wake up early and make breakfast for the two of us in that room. I have to get out of this lie of a world as fast as possible. In the first place, having a [Display] pop up is disgusting. It makes me want to vomit. What kind of processing do you have to do to a retina to make that happen? Think about it scientifically. A game-like status and a system that reflects my own thoughts—how much do you have to mess with a brain to achieve that? It’s scary. It’s too scary. I can clearly understand people from another land. It’s like the discomfort of watching a Hollywood movie dubbed in Japanese. Things that shouldn’t be possible are there with an impossible level of convenience. God, it’s sickening. What do you want me to do? Don’t screw with me, don’t screw with me—I’m going to throw up. I can’t even take a hot shower. Why? Damn it, it makes me so angry. Ah, ahhh, AHHH—!!

A notification appeared on the [Display].

The roaring fire in my mind was extinguished in an instant.

“Ah…”

I’d done it again.

—But, there was no helping it.

I surrendered to the outcome, following the lead of that [???] skill. Leaving aside what had already happened, my only choice now was to grasp the current situation and figure out a countermeasure.

I had to do my best. Doing that over and over again was the only thing I could do right now.

In that case, resting my body was probably the most important task at hand.

I should sleep… Anyway, I just needed to sleep…

There’s no point in anything if I end up dead… No point… at all…

With that, I drifted into a mud-like slumber to rest my exhausted brain. I sank into the bottom of a pitch-black mire. There was no room for dreams. I was simply enveloped in a dark, anxious void.

In terms of actual time, it was only a few hours. To my senses, however, it felt like mere seconds.

I was falling into that deep sleep when—

“—Wake up!!”

In the middle of that sleep, I was jolted awake. All the air in my lungs was forcibly shoved out. My stomach felt crushed, and consciousness returned along with a sharp pang of pain.

“—?!”

“Come on! Hurry up and get up. Quickly, quickly!”

I heard a voice. High, clear, and youthful. If I recalled correctly, this was—

“Y-You’re…”

I pried my eyelids open to confirm the speaker’s identity. There she was: the very symbol of the unreality I was facing.

“I brought you something good, so get up!”

The owner of the voice was that eerie girl I’d met in the Labyrinth. I believed her name was Lastiara. Instead of the armor she’d worn inside the Labyrinth, she was dressed in loose-fitting white silk.

Apparently, while I was asleep, this girl had pressed down hard on my stomach. My mind couldn’t keep up with the sudden turn of events, but perhaps because my understanding had already failed to keep up with anything since I arrived, I managed to speak calmly.

“This is my room…”

I tried to rebuke her for trespassing. For the record, I had no idea if such laws even existed in this world.

“Ooh… Impressive. You aren’t even surprised, despite the situation.”

“I am surprised. My brain just hasn’t processed it yet.”

I spoke politely to the girl, who looked younger than me. It was partly because she was an unknown quantity, but mostly because I knew from the Labyrinth encounter that there was a high probability she was a lady of the upper class.

“Is that so? Well, I thought you might be in a bit of a bind. You were still Level 1 and hadn’t been able to level up yet.”

Lastiara spoke to me with a cheerful air. Those joyful eyes of hers were terrifying. Her eyeballs, about the size of ping-pong balls, radiated a strangeness akin to deep-sea fish. I couldn’t tell if her gaze was focused or not, and those eyes filled me with a profound sense of dread.

“…So you’re someone who can see Levels.”

I responded flatly. I had already gathered that the concept of “Levels” was common in this world. The books I’d read in the library contained numerous mentions of Levels and Status. They also stated that only chosen individuals could see the details of such things.

However, the part about them being “religiously” chosen by God left me feeling uneasy.

“Yes, ‘Kanami Aikawa.’ In this world, lucky people possess such skills. Others are devout people who obtain them through long years of training. The priests in charge of leveling up at public institutions or churches fall into the latter category. For the record, I’m the former.”

Lastiara rattled off the information I wanted as if it were nothing. She took it for granted that I was unfamiliar with this world. And then, she used the expression “In this world” quite casually.

I caught my breath in surprise. Carefully choosing my words, I did my best to navigate the situation.

“I didn’t know that… Thank you. However, I don’t understand your objective. Since you’re a stranger, I’d like to call someone and have you removed, but…”

“Eh?! Wait, wait! That’s no good. I came here to help you. I came out of the goodness of my heart to help you process all that Experience you’ve accumulated!”

Lastiara raised both hands in an over-the-top reaction, emphasizing her “good intentions.”

“No, thank you. I confirmed how Levels work at the library, and I know where the church is.”

I rejected her coldly. I wanted no part of such an event being handled by a suspicious person. To me, the “Level Up” event was incredibly important—both realistically and as someone who loved games.

“E-Ehhh…”

Lastiara’s shoulders slumped at my response.

“So, please leave.”

“Normally… you know… you’d have a bigger reaction than this. Oh, honestly…”

Lastiara muttered, looking sulky. Apparently, my reaction hadn’t gone according to her plan. Even so, I remained resolute and silently gestured for her to leave. In response, Lastiara looked up at me with a look of sudden determination.

“Fine. I guess I’ll just have to force it.”

She gave me the brightest smile of the day. I found myself staring into her eyes. My initial impression of her hadn’t changed one bit. I could only feel awe and dread toward those deep golden eyes.

She was terrifying. I couldn’t see her as anything other than a ‘monster wearing a human skin.’ No matter how much emotion she put into her beautiful face, I couldn’t feel a shred of human warmth from her eyes. They were cold, like a reptile stalking its prey.

Shrinking back in fear, I tried to scramble off the bed and move. In response, Lastiara began an incantation.

“—‘The Loathed Wooden Crate,’ ‘The Soundless Sky, the Silent Song,’ ‘The Combing Light’—”

She chanted the magic while waving her hands slightly like a conductor. Meanwhile, I bolted for the exit. There was nothing to be gained from confronting her, so I hoped for third-party intervention. Getting out of the room was my first priority.

I reached the exit, grabbed the knob-like protrusion on the door, and—it wouldn’t budge. It didn’t move an inch. The door was frozen shut by “magic,” and the doorknob was glowing a faint purple.

I pounded on the door and screamed for help.

“S-Somebody—!!”

“The room is soundproof, so that won’t work. Why don’t you behave yourself?”

Before I knew it, Lastiara had closed the distance and was stroking my throat from behind. I immediately swatted her hand away, only to realize that the area from my throat to my mouth was starting to glow purple. A chill ran down my spine as I realized she’d placed the same magic on my throat as she had on the doorknob.

“—?!”

My throat wouldn’t vibrate. Lastiara saw this and reached out again with the hand she’d used to stroke my throat.

Resolved, I grabbed her wrist. I put all my strength into it, intending to twist it behind her back.

—In an instant, I was tossed into the air.

I saw the top of Lastiara’s head below me. Then, it clicked. She had countered my grip and thrown me. This wasn’t the physical strength of a girl who couldn’t have weighed even 50 kilograms.

As my head cooled rapidly, my brain went into overdrive as I focused on how to land. My mental preparation—my decision that nothing should surprise me anymore—aided my reflexes.

I grazed the ceiling and was slammed into the floor. Fortunately, I managed to land on both feet and my right hand—but the impact was immense. As my face contorted from the shock and pain, Lastiara closed in.

I pulled a knife from my [Inventory] and took a stance.

Lastiara looked a little surprised for a moment. However, she quickly gave a wry smile and reached out as if nothing had happened.

Conversely, I couldn’t move. My conscience put the brakes on the act of slashing at a girl with a knife. I was fully aware that I was being soft at a time like this, so I merely feinted with the knife while pulling a water pouch from [Inventory] with my free hand, hoping to create a distraction.

As if she’d predicted my counterattack, Lastiara slapped the water pouch out of my hand. Then, with terrifying speed, the knife was flicked from my grip and my legs were swept out from under me.

To finish it off, my head was pinned down, and she began a chant. The moment I felt a faint purple glow in the back of my mind, my body stopped moving entirely.

“Hmm. Your landing, your judgment… you’re amazing. It’s hard to believe you’re still Level 1.”

I hadn’t stood a chance, but to Lastiara, my efforts were apparently worthy of praise. She continued talking, looking genuinely impressed.

“I guess this is what they call ‘stats that don’t show up in numbers.’ Wow, incredible. Your strength and speed are barely a tenth of mine, yet how did you manage to break that fall earlier? My magic hardly sticks to you, either. You’re quite frightening.”

Likely due to the purple magic, I couldn’t respond. With my body paralyzed, I couldn’t even hurl an insult. I felt nothing but anxiety in this situation.

“You don’t have to worry so much. You might not believe me, but I really don’t have any ill intent. I’m just going to level you up. Really.”

Saying that, Lastiara climbed onto my back as I lay pinned to the floor and pulled an old-looking book from her person.

“Let’s see, the incantation for a level up is… ‘O Thou, observe and reflect—’”

Lastiara began the chant, and a white light began to leak from our bodies.

“—‘It dwells in me, it dwells in thee.’ …Okay, I think that’s it.”

The magic ended quickly. If Lastiara wasn’t lying, my Level had just increased.

“You’re an important ‘Candidate’ of mine, so it’s a problem if you’re wandering around at a ridiculous level like Level 1. If your Status is too low, you might just drop dead out of nowhere. I was worried sick. But with this, I can rest easy for now.”

Lastiara wiped her forehead—which didn’t have a single drop of sweat on it—as if she’d just finished a hard day’s work, and approached the window.

“Well then, some scary people are looking for me with blood in their eyes, so I’ll be taking my leave now. Oh, you’ll be able to move again soon, so don’t worry. See ya!”

With those final words, Lastiara leaped out the window and vanished. For the record, my body remained paralyzed.

As I watched the girl who had passed through like a storm depart, I checked my own Status.

[Status]
Name: Kanami Aikawa
HP: 119/121
MP: 71/141
Class: —
Level: 4
Strength: 3.03
Vitality: 3.15
Skill: 4.07
Speed: 5.05
Intelligence: 6.09
Magic: 8.08
Aptitude: 7.00
Condition: Confusion 4.29
Experience: 127/800
Equipment: Otherworldly Clothes

[Point Allocation]
Bonus Points: 3
Skill Points: 3 (New!)

I had indeed leveled up… But what on earth was that?

It was clear that the girl named Lastiara hadn’t intended to harm me. However, she was far too selfish. She was a person I absolutely could not lower my guard around. Next time we met, I’d escape without a second thought. If I put some sand for blinding in my [Inventory], next time—

Since I couldn’t move, I had no choice but to lie there and think.

In the end, despite paying a high price for a room, I ended up sleeping on the cold floor.