Chapter 9

If I could just start an industrial revolution or something, I might be able to clear this Labyrinth in no time.

That was the kind of thing I’d been thinking about after mulling things over last night. It’s important to play to my strengths as an “otherworlder,” after all. By contributing to the cultural level of this world, maybe I could clear the Labyrinth using machinery instead of magic.

But the reality was that I had neither the time nor the connections for that. Besides, I wasn’t even sure if the laws of physics would hold up here. I planned to test it eventually, but that wouldn’t be possible without money.

And so, hitting the wall of finance once again, I reluctantly headed out to scout the town.

—In any world, money is king.

In town, I spent most of my time at public institutions, endlessly confirming cultural details. I also made rounds through shops unique to this world, like blacksmiths and item shops. I even found a place called a “Magic Shop”—essentially a store for mages—but everything was so expensive it was laughable given my current net worth.

It was tedious information-gathering, but if I looked at it as sightseeing, it wasn’t so bad. Time passed quickly, and soon my shift at the tavern began. Just like yesterday, I handled my chores amidst the usual clamor.

While the job description remained the same, I wasn’t doing the exact same thing as yesterday. I had a new way to use my [Display].

Since [Focusing] on monsters allowed their information to be displayed, I’d wondered if I could do the same to humans—and it worked. For example, if I [Focused] on a large man with a deep scar on his face:

Information on the giant man, Alvin Coleson, was displayed. Privacy didn’t exist in this world.

But surprisingly, this was fun. Getting carried away, I began checking the strength of every customer who walked through the door. Since observing different people deepened my understanding of how to use the [Display], I had no reason to stop.

I also discovered that I could set conditions for the [Display]. If I looked at someone while strongly thinking that I only wanted to see their name, level, and skills, it looked like this:

Apparently, this guy was good at sewing. I let out a small chuckle at the gap between that and his massive physique.

I continued observing various people throughout the day—and that’s when I spotted a familiar face.

It was the boy who looked like a girl, the one I’d met at closing time last night. His face was hidden by a hood, but since I’d been keeping my [Dimension] magic active whenever I had a spare moment, I recognized him instantly.

He was at the counter, ordering a light snack. It looked like Lynn had taken his order. Since I was working, I couldn’t exactly go over and chat, but I [Focused] on him to check his name and skills.

“Wait… what?”

My jaw practically hit the floor. I’d seen the statuses of dozens of people since this morning, but I’d never seen anything as ridiculous as this.

Normally, a person had maybe one or two skills. Even seasoned adventurers might only have three. Most values fell between 0.00 and 2.00; aside from myself, I hadn’t seen a single person with a skill over 3.00.

And yet, this boy had nine skills, every single one of them boasting incredibly high values.

What the hell is this…?

“Hey, Christ! Don’t just stand there! The owner says you need to wash dishes in the back!”

Lynn spotted me standing still and called out.

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

It seemed the kitchen was getting slammed. Despite being preoccupied, I retreated to the back of the shop. I worked through the tasks, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the mountain of dirty dishes piling up in the kitchen.

All the while, I couldn’t get that boy named Diablo out of my head. His talent was a joke. To put it another way, he was someone the world favored far too much. If I assumed this world worked on game logic, there was a high probability that the boy held some kind of important role.

Or, there was a chance he was in a similar situation to mine. I was dying to find an opportunity to introduce myself and talk to him.

As I worked silently on the dishes, simulating a conversation with Diablo in my head, a loud voice suddenly erupted from the seating area. The tavern was always noisy, but I’d caught the sound of Diablo’s voice—which I’d heard last night—so I went to see what was happening.

“—Hahaha! There’s nothing to be gained from teaming up with some Level 1 brat. I’m not looking to get killed because someone’s dragging me down.”

A man was laughing loudly, and a crowd had gathered around him.

“It’s true my level is low! But I’m confident with a sword, and I can use basic magic!”

In the center of the commotion, the boy was arguing back against the man in his soprano voice.

It was the boy with the golden hair.

I was a bit taken aback, but there was no mistake—it was Diablo. Last night, his long hair had been flowing and smooth, but today it was trimmed neatly around his shoulders. Since he had tied the back of it up, he gave off a different impression than before, looking every bit the beautiful young man.

Sitting next to the man who was laughing at Diablo was an adult woman. She began to explain the situation in a soothing, composed voice.

“I’ll admit, being able to use magic is impressive. However, Level 1 is lower than the toddlers around here. Actually, it’s practically unheard of. If you’ve been helping your parents or living a normal life, someone your age should be at least Level 3. Since you’re still Level 1, can you blame us for assuming you’re either a pampered brat who’s never worked a day in his life or a child with some kind of serious problem?”

“Th-That’s…!!”

Faced with the woman’s logical response, Diablo could only fall silent, his words catching in his throat.

“She’s right! Level 1 is impossible. Hahaha! It’s harder to find a Level 1 than a needle in a haystack! Hahahahaha!”

The large man, presumably the woman’s acquaintance, continued to provoke him, seeing that Diablo had lost his momentum. It seemed this man just wanted to have fun at Diablo’s expense.

The collateral damage stung me, too—considering I had been Level 1 until just recently.

“S-Shut up! Don’t look down on me! I can fight, regardless of my level!!”

Driven by the provocation, Diablo lunged at the man. However, the man brushed him off with ease and piled on more insults. Blood rushing to his head, Diablo tried to lash out again, shouting childish retorts.

No one moved to stop them.

They likely saw this as just another everyday scuffle. For me, however, it was different. This boy, Diablo, was promising.

To someone like me who can peek at the talents of others, he was an asset with high expected returns.

From the look of things, Diablo stood no chance against the man. I figured this was the perfect timing to earn some gratitude from him and started to move—but before I could, Lynn stepped in, having seen enough.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough. If you’re just here to play around, please leave. It’s pathetic for an adult to pick on a kid.”

Lynn chided the man with an exasperated but practiced air.

“Whoa, easy. We were just looking for a party for a Labyrinth dive, okay? This kid didn’t meet the requirements and started snapping at us, so I was just giving him a few pointers as a senior.”

“Well, I think he’s learned enough. And you, stop being so short-tempered.”

With that, Lynn pulled Diablo and the man apart.

“Damn it.”

Diablo must have realized there was no point in staying. He handed Lynn the money for his food and moved to leave the tavern.

“No one’s gonna party up with you at that level. You’d better think of a different career path.”

The man threw one last jab at Diablo’s back. Lynn didn’t scold him for it; she, like almost everyone else here, shared the man’s opinion. Diablo clicked his tongue and walked out of the tavern.

“Di… [Dimension].”

I reflexively cast the spell in a whisper.

Pouring nearly all my MP into it, I expanded [Dimension] to its absolute limit. I focused entirely on tracking where Diablo was heading.

I had no intention of letting him get away.

He was a talent who could potentially cut my Labyrinth exploration timeline in half.

“Alright! Everyone get back to your seats. Christ, stop staring and get back to work.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Keeping a portion of my attention on Diablo, I returned to my chores. I spent the rest of the night working exactly as I had the day before until it was finally time to close.

After that, I used [Dimension] to confirm that Diablo had entered the Labyrinth. However, he came back out almost immediately in a tattered state; it was glaringly obvious he hadn’t made any progress.

Once the shop was closed, I went over some cooking basics with the owner and was allowed to whip up a few light dishes. I spread them out on a table as my staff meal. Then, as planned, I went out to find Diablo, who was likely moping somewhere warm.

Using the last of my MP, I located him huddling nearby.

“…I’m so hungry.”

He was dejectedly listening to his stomach growl. I approached him, feigning a chance encounter.

“…We meet again.”

“…!? Oh. You’re… the tavern clerk, right…?”

“Yeah. No money again today?”

“As you can see, I’m struggling to even find a bite to eat.”

Diablo shrugged his shoulders with a self-deprecating laugh.

“This worked out perfectly, then. I have some leftover food. Do you want some?”

“Leftover food…?”

He looked a bit suspicious. I immediately gave him the line I’d prepared.

“After the shop closes, I’m allowed to practice my cooking there. I ended up with some failed dishes today and didn’t know what to do with them.”

“Oh, I see. So you’re an apprentice there. But is it okay? I feel like you shouldn’t just be giving that stuff away.”

“You’re right, but… to be honest, I was there when you were involved in that commotion today. As a clerk, I should have stepped in to calm things down, but I was too useless to do anything… I felt bad for you, so…”

“Oh, you saw that? I don’t really mind. …But I’ll take the food. I’ll take whatever I can get.”

Once he understood the reason, Diablo stood up, appearing relieved. There might have been a few suspicious holes in my story, but the food was effective bait.

We returned to the tavern and shared the meal while chatting. He loved the taste and was surprised to learn I’d made it myself. Perhaps the culinary culture of this world isn’t very advanced.

“This is seriously delicious. …Come to think of it, I heard you’ve been in the Labyrinth before. The waitress told me.”

“Something like that.”

There are times during work when I have my sleeves rolled up. When that happens, the burn scar is visible, so curious customers often ask Lynn about it. It seemed Diablo was one of them.

“How far did you go?”

Diablo’s interest was centered on the Labyrinth. Naturally, the conversation flowed in that direction. I chose my words carefully, making sure not to seem too eager.

“I tried it solo and got badly hurt on the 1st floor. I haven’t gone back in since.”

“Heh, so you were a solo player, too.”

Diablo’s face brightened. He seemed happy to have found one of his own.

“I wasn’t blessed with any allies…”

“I see…”

I watched Diablo’s expression intently, predicting his thoughts and nudging him along. Afterward, we talked about our knowledge of the Labyrinth, levels, and stats. After a fair bit of back-and-forth, I finally succeeded in drawing out the words I’d been waiting for.

“Hey. If you’re okay with it… do you want to try going to the Labyrinth with me?”

Diablo invited me, sounding timid and anxious. If he’d taken any longer, I would have invited him myself. Without a moment’s hesitation, I accepted.

“Sure. That sounds good. Our abilities seem to be on the same level, so it’ll be good to help each other out.”

“R-Really?! Thank you…!!”

“But I work at the tavern at night. I can only help you for a short time in the mornings.”

“No, that’s fine! Not a problem at all! This is a huge help!”

Diablo beamed with gratitude. It seemed his long, difficult search for a partner made this moment all the more moving for him. I didn’t let it show on my face, but I was pumping my fist in my head.

Most importantly, I’d gained a collaborator while maintaining a natural front and putting him in my debt. Having an ally with knowledge of this world and the Labyrinth would make it much easier to handle unexpected problems.

“Then can we start tomorrow!?”

“Yeah, sounds good. My name is Christ Eurasia. Just call me Christ.”

“Got it. I’m Dia. I don’t have a last name. Just Dia, so no need for formalities.”

We finished our introductions—and there was zero reaction to my name. Given his ridiculous stats and skills, I’d held a tiny hope that he might be from my world, but it wasn’t going to be that simple.

Also, his name was different from what he’d told me. His [Display] definitely listed the surname “Sith.”

Depending on how surnames work in this world, Dia didn’t look like he was lying. It was possible the [Display] was showing a name he would take in the future.

This “game-like” [Display]… there’s probably a catch somewhere.

“Ehehe.”

Dia smiled bashfully, looking genuinely happy to have gained me as an ally. Combined with his androgynous beauty, he was several times cuter than most girls. My own face is somewhat unmanly and delicate, but it doesn’t compare to his. I tried using the [Display] to check his gender, but it didn’t show up. It shouldn’t be an issue, though. He said he wasn’t a girl, so it’s best to go along with that.

“Well, I look forward to working with you, Dia.”

“Yeah!”

And then, this sentence was [Displayed] instead.

After that, Dia thanked me for the meal again, and we parted ways. When I asked about his sleeping arrangements, he said he was just camping out; there was nothing I could do about that for now. Just letting him into the tavern after hours was already pushing it.

Back in my corner of the tavern, I let my thoughts drift toward tomorrow. I fell asleep while narrowing down our strategy for the dive.