Chapter 5: 5

Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth

Chapter 5: Boy Meets Girl, Kind Of

The Abnormal Condition ‘Poisoned‘ was draining my strength.

About fifteen minutes after I started using «Dimension», a fight with a rank 1 monster took place.

I had been trying to avoid monsters, but I happened to find a monster that wasn’t moving. The enemy was rank 1, and it appeared to be asleep.

There was a large frog lying, not moving even a smidge, under some rubble that I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t used «Dimension». The name of the frog was simply ‘Big Frog’, so I used my sword to smash it, thinking I could gain EXP without any danger. 

But then, when I smashed it, its bodily fluids splashed out…

The Big Frog itself was killed by the blow, but its bodily fluids got on my body.

The important detail was my body was a wreck with open wounds all over. Hence, the fluid that got into my wounds caused me to gain the ‘Poisoned’ Abnormal Condition.

When I saw the ‘Poisoned’ status, I paled and immediately used the ‘Antidote’ I had in my ‘Item List’.

But ‘Poisoned’ wasn’t lifted.

When I checked the specifics of the remaining ‘Antidote’ I had, I realized how grave of a situation I was in.

【Antidote】

A common antidote available commercially. It is formulated to counter a Poison Bee’s poisonous attacks.

There is a 5% chance of success against all other poisons. 

Suddenly, my breathing became ragged.

If the ‘Display’ was correct, that meant that there were different kinds of ‘Antidote’.

Which meant I only had a 5% chance of the ‘Antidote’ I had working at all. And—sure enough—I didn’t hit that 5%. After I’d used up all of my ‘Antidote’…

“C-crap. Crap, crap, crap.“

I lost composure.

I sweated profusely, and my strength dwindled.

I took a mouthful of ice I had made with the «Ice» for hydration, but there was no way to recover my HP with anything in my possession.

I couldn’t resist checking my ‘Status’.

【Status】

Name: Kanami Aikawa

HP: 17/51, MP: 61/72

Level: 1

STR: 1.12, VIT: 1.01, DEX: 1.03, AGI: 2.02, WIS: 4.00, MAG: 2.01, APT: 7.00

Constitution :

Confusion: 1.09

Bleeding: 0.21

Poisoned: 1.00 

HP: 17/51

My HP, which at some point had naturally recovered up to 30, was at 17.

The ‘Poisoned’ status shaved a point every few minutes, and not only did it sap my stamina, but it also chipped away at my spirit in the way of frustration. 

“Haa, haa, haa—!“

My breath felt heavy, and my consciousness blurred. 

At that rate, I’d kick the bucket soon.

I tried to devise a way out in my mind.

I did have a few ideas, but they all had a low probability of success.

I chose one and decided to sacrifice my extra MP to make the «Dimension» magic much more powerful. 

I had found that method when I was rehydrating myself with «Ice», but apparently, even the same magic would have different effects under different conditions, and the effect seemed to intensify depending on the strength I willed and the amount of MP consumed.

“—«D-Dimension»!!“

My perceptual range expanded many times over.

Amidst all the characteristic monsters I sensed, I focused my attention on finding anything that could lead to a solution.

And then, when my range of perception had increased at least fifty-fold, I found a corridor that greatly differed from the rest. 

The corridor was well maintained.

The floor was cared for to some extent and was coated with some kind of mineral.

There were light sources at regular intervals, making it look like a man-made path. 

I focused on this area and further expanded my senses. 

After which, I noticed that there were several groups of people walking along the well-maintained path. 

I immediately deactivated «Dimension».

My remaining MP was in the single digits.

【Status】

HP 16/51

MP 9/72

“Puhaah! Haa, haa haa…“

I had found people.

And those people seemed not to get into conflict when they passed another group of people.

This was just my logic speaking, but… I figured it was because that path was different from the one that I was on.

I recalled the conversation from when I was attacked. That man had said, “This is the Labyrinth, and we are in the ‘Unauthorized Territory‘“. That meant that the road I was on was outside the Authorized Territory; thus conflict could happen. The road I had sensed was inside the Authorized Territory, so conflict could not happen. Or, rather, I have no choice but to bet on that conclusion. 

“With minimum use of «Dimension», I’ll go all the way there in one shot…!!“

I walked as fast as I could towards the well-maintained road. 

I stopped checking on my dwindling HP and just continued walking, looking for any sign of people.

I had gotten the ‘Antidote’ from looting a corpse.

Whether I would be given a new ‘Antidote’ or whether I would have to steal it, I needed to meet someone first.

With my eyes bloodshot, I did my best to hold onto consciousness, dragging my legs to keep them moving.

And then…

* * *

* * *

“—Let’s go all the way until the 10th floor today.“

“Sounds good. We’ve been on a roll lately. We should make a lot of money if we go that far.“

“I’m in.“

I eavesdropped on those three peoples’ conversation from the shadows. 

From the content of their talk, it seemed like they were making a living by going through the Labyrinth. 

However, appearance-wise, none of those three looked like ordinary people.

They looked like yakuza that would instill fear for respect back in my original world.

It was a good decision to use the remains of my meager MP and pick up their conversation first with fortified «Dimension».

That left me with four MP.

I continued pondering what to do in the shadows near the well-maintained road. 

I set my preferences on a few criteria. For one, I wanted a one-on-one talk. I also preferred someone younger than me, a female that seemed kind appearance-wise. However, I couldn’t be too picky. Even then, my HP was being reduced by the poison.

“—Magic, «Dimension».“

Using the last of my MP (though I was afraid of reducing it to zero, so I left 1 point left), I began to look for people who were close to my requirements. 

After searching the surrounding area for about 200 meters, I found four parties:

The first was the party of three men; the next was a mixed group of men and women dressed in different outfits; the third was a party of four men and women dressed in the same silvery armor. Lastly, there was a group composed of two women.

I made a quick decision and settled to go for the group of two women.

They seemed to be reserved and kind, so they might be able to help me—depending on how we talked it out. 

However, since I was sandwiched between the group of five and the group with silver armor, I decided to stay in the shadows.

I kept my breaths down and let time pass… or that’s what I had initially planned…

“—Oi. Whoever is hiding there, you better come out.“

The group of people in silver armor noticed that I was hiding.

The five-person group hadn’t spotted me, but the silver armor group seemed to be able to see me in my hiding spot for some reason. 

My heart started to beat faster.

In terms of priority, that group was second on my list. I regained my composure and formulated a conversation in my head.

Then, as I kept my one-handed sword hidden from view, I slowly made my way out and onto the well-maintained road.

“Hmph. Just a thief?“

One of the men in silver armor commented on me as if I was nothing.

The four people in silver armor seemed very well off, unlike the other people that I had seen.

However, just one of them was a young girl who stood out.

She looked like she was the same age as me and close to my height. That, and she was frighteningly—Yes, frighteningly is the correct word—beautiful. She had long, flowing hair that seemed as if it were glittering with gold dust and a well-defined face that even a doll wouldn’t be able to replicate. 

Immediately, I cast my eyes away from the girl.

The girl had a sense of unreality to her that made me feel like my own sense of reality was taken away. 

I had no choice but to turn my attention to the tallest and most sincere-looking man and talk to him.

“Umm, I’m not a thief… I wasn’t feeling well, so I was resting there.“

“If so, you should have rested on the ‘Main Road‘. Don’t tell an obvious lie.“

The man immediately denied my story.

I could feel a bit of anger from him.

Apparently, the well-maintained road was called the Main Road and was suitable for resting. Me being overcautious and not waiting on it had turned into my own undoing. 

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I had made a mistake in my approach, and I could feel my face getting paler.

“I-I have a reason I cannot rest here… I mean no harm. Please believe me.“

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Having decided that lying was counterproductive, I decided to make a sincere appeal.

The man in front of me looked annoyed that I had lied to him.

If he was a sincere person like my eyes judged him to be, then it was better to go along with it. 

“…Hm. True, it’s unlikely to stage an ambush with just you alone.“

The man’s face softened slightly.

The other men agreed with him.

“It’s just a single kid. Whatever he’s planning, he’s no threat.“

“He most likely wandered off into danger or recklessly challenged a monster above his own capacity. Or maybe the party he helped as a porter was wiped out, and now he’s all alone.“

Those men interpreted my situation on their own.

In the first place, with how battered and beaten I was, I was hardly considered a threat. 

I kept an eye on them so that their stories didn’t blow out of proportion.

“Don’t scare the kid too much, Heins. It’s against our chivalry.“

“…I know that. But there’s no danger in being meticulous.“

An atmosphere of playfulness arose in the group.

When I heard the word chivalry, an expectation that those people were of the good-natured variety swelled up. Their wealthy appearance suggested they had room for helping me. It might be a good time to take a gamble…

I made up my mind and voiced my plea for help with the poison—

“E-excu—“

“You are interesting.“

My words were interrupted by the girl.

The girl had arrived in front of me before I realized it.

Then, those fantastical golden eyes of hers captivated me.

They were too beautiful; they shaved away at my composure the more I looked.

The men were surprised by the girl’s sudden behavior and called out to her.

“E-err, Ojou-sama… Is there something you want…?“

“Aah, forgive me. It’s nothing of note.“

Even as she said so, the girl kept coming closer to me.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to yell at her to get away from me.

However, my throat was too parched, too tense to speak. 

“H-hold on…! Please refrain from making contact with other adventurers!“

One of the men seemed panicked.

“This much should be fine. You won’t let me touch virtually anyone else, so let me have a little chat.“

“Well, you’re right…“

The girl’s words convinced the men, and their objections were cut short.

And so, the girl came within my arm’s reach, then…

“You’re really interesting, aren’t you…?“

She whispered so that only I could hear her.

“So interesting, I’m envious. Really… really envious, jealous even…“

Those whispers, only I heard them.

I looked at the girl’s face.

It was distorted.

I could tell that was an expression face of true jealousy towards me.

Because of the angle, I was the only one who could see it

Therefore, the men could only watch her from behind. 

“I want it… I want it, I want it, I want it…“

The girl continued to whisper as if to curse me.

I could only just endure the curse being muttered from her finely shaped lips that rivaled even the Goddess’s.

“Wh-what’s the matter? Do those ‘eyes‘ of yours see something in him?“ the man asked.

Perhaps he grew impatient. 

With that, the girl’s face swiftly turned to a neutral expression.

She put on a smile and turned to face them. 

“Yes, I suppose so.“

Her voice was clear and radiant, as though she hadn’t just muttered a curse to my ear.

“Oh, is that so? So, did you find a Skill that might be interesting?“

“No, nothing of the sort. However, this one… he seems to be poisoned, and his strength is dwindling. I thought I’d cast some recovery magic on him.“

The word “What?“ escaped my lips.

Blood rushed through my near-frozen and cold body as though the sun was shining on it. 

“I see, so that’s why.“

“Then, I will go and help him out of my own benevolence, okay?“

With that, the girl turned to me again and began to chant her magic.

“—‘Sing to the caress of the sunshine. Untangled water is an illusion, while the blood shall never return, Shading the heaven and the earth—“

Pure, white light flowed over from the girl’s hand and enveloped my body.

As it did, the fatigue and the pain that had been clinging to my body began to ease.

My body felt light, as though my recent struggles had all been a lie.  

All I could do was stare at her.

As long as what she cast on me was ‘Recovery Magic’, I had no reason to resist. 

“—Magic, «Cure Full». There, it’s done.“

The girl stopped the gush of light and smiled at me.

There seemed to be no trace of the envy that she had previously shown me.

The girl then examined me again, saying, “let me see“.

“Hmm, heeh, hooh. ‘Confusion’ isn’t a ‘Negative Status’, huh. Interesting. Ah, it seems like the burns were treated too late, so they will leave a mark.“

The girl nodded admiringly.

She had said ‘Confusion’. If she was honest, that meant…

【Status】

Name: Kanami Aikawa

HP: 51/51, MP: 1/72

Level: 1

STR: 1.12, VIT: 1.03, DEX: 1.03, AGI: 2.01, WIS: 4.00, MAG: 2.01, APT: 7.00

Constitution:

Confusion: 1.00

The word ‘Confusion’ was still there.

Also, is this girl able to see this ‘Display’ too?

She might not be seeing the exact same thing, but she at least seemed able to perceive it in some way or another. 

Seeing me, the girl smiled thinly and spoke so softly that only I could hear her words. 

“Let us meet again, Aikawa Kanami. My name is Lastiara. “

“…Ojou-sama? What’s the matter?“

The knights, who had made sure that the ‘Recovery Magic’ was finished, jumped into the conversation. 

“No, it’s nothing. Ah, helping out people feels good, doesn’t it? Come, let’s go deeper. We don’t have much time.“

The girl who introduced herself as Lastiara pulled herself away from me as if she had no more business with me.

I quickly squeezed out a few words. 

“Th-thank you very much…“

“Don’t mind it. You will return the favor soon, anyway.“

Lastiara responded with a smile like a predator hunting its prey.

Of course, her face was angled in such a way that only I could see. 

“See you later, kid. Be careful.“

“Go straight home.“

“You heard him.“

The men also gave me a faint smile.

But I didn’t sense the same malice I had from Lastiara.

They were probably smiles of relief and accomplishment at having protected something so weak. 

I didn’t mind the knights…

But I should get away from that Lastiara person as soon as possible. 

“Yes, thank you for saving me. See you later…“

After saying that, I went the opposite direction of where they were going on the well-maintained road—the Main Road. 

I concluded that it should be the exit.

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The men saw me off and waved their hands at me.

I answered them with an amiable smile and parted ways with the group. 

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