The Yellow Signal
I started the full scale exploration of the second floor.
Regenerating my MP with Durandal regularly, I took down the monsters primarily with spells.
Needlewood Lv.2
Green Caterpillar Lv.2
Conveniently Durandal was sheathed when a two man party of a needle wood and a green caterpillar appeared.
I cast firestorm the instant I spotted them.
Firestorm is a certain hit spell. There’s no need to pull in the monsters.
I had prepared the second shot before the fire had fully extinguished.
And followed on with a third shot.The green caterpillar was defeated by the third shot.
Only the needle wood is left.
Receiving the swung branch, I incinerated it with a fireball.Seems like there isn’t much difference in incinerating ability between firestorm and fireball for individual opponents.
Green caterpillar was downed in three hits but needle wood needed four.Fire storm’s MP consumption doesn’t seem to vary dramatically with the amount of monsters either.
If a lot of monsters are defeated with 4 hits of wide area attack magic, then it’s pretty efficient.
Is there no place around here like the first floors monster spawning small room?
Does the small room not appear until all conditions are fulfilled?
The trap by which demons spawn in large quantities seems to be rare.
While checking the ends of hallways for the small room. and drawing and retrieving Durandal (for MP Regen), I hunted monsters.
After exiting the labyrinth in between, I reentered after noon.
The green caterpillar was hit with a three hit combo of Water, Breeze and Sand Balls.
It doesn’t seem to have a particular elemental weakness.
A four hit combo of breeze and sand balls took down the needle wood too.
Fire Magic doesn’t seem to be their weak point either.
Since Water ball did not inflict any apparent damage (on the monster) earlier, I stopped using it.
Though I want to check it out, there are no apparent opportunities.
If you try to fire off four consecutive magics, you are inevitably exposed to enemy attacks in between.
Just in case I panic if it’s not defeated even after a four hit combo, it would be preferable to have Durandal equipped.
But, since I have to draw Durandal when MP is low, I do not want to cast water ball as much as four to five times.
If two monsters appear while Durandal is equipped, recovering MP while taking one down and then taking down the other with magic is a plausible strategy, but.
But well, they’re not something that appear so conveniently.
Needle wood Lv.2
Needle wood Lv.2
It finally appeared around the time I was thinking of wrapping up today’s exploration.
I fired a water ball at the needle wood on my left.
I got two more shots in on the needle wood which had stumbled by a half step.
Inside the dim labyrinth. It’s pretty hard to judge where to fire the next water ball unlike the fire spells which light up the surroundings.
Incidentally, all my delusions of being able to avoid detection when attacking from a distance were instantly dispelled.
The green caterpillars seem to instinctively know how to avoid breeze wall.
I stepped forward while readying Durandal. I cut down the right needle wood.
I avoided the branch swung by the left monster by a hair’s breadth.
I summoned three water balls.
The monster didn’t go down.
Thanks to the level up, it seems I can take down needle woods with a three hit fireball combo.
Since it can also be due to the effectiveness of the wand, let’s try firing a fourth shot.
The branch was energetically swung. Failing to counter, I took the hit head-on.
Seems like they are resistant to water magic after all.
In an instant, I mowed it down with Durandal.
The monster was cut in half from top to bottom.
Leaf.
The needle wood disappeared into smoke. Luckily, it also dropped a leaf.
The green caterpillar isn’t dropping anything besides thread anymore.
Looks like there are monsters who do not drop rare items. Or maybe the drop rate is different?
Since I got a rare item, I decided to call it a day.
I cast warp setting the adventurer guild’s wall as the target. I could transfer to some other place too, but I don’t know if that would be good.
It would be preferable to not go to some shady place.
Though people also utilize the Vale Restaurant’s lobby, I’d prefer not to.
Transferring to building’s is the utility of the adventurer’s field walk. I’ll be regarded suspiciously if I use field walk despite not being an adventurer.
While there’s the option of passing myself off as an adventurer, one look at the intelligence card will expose the lie.
I teleported to the inside of the adventurer’s guild.
A place without tumult and having a calm atmosphere is comforting.
Transferring in an instant from a lonely battlefield into this atmosphere further enhances it’s value.
“Is there anyone who wants to go to the capital?”
A person who teleported through the wall like me was recruiting customers when I exited the guild.
The capital, is it?
Should I give it a go?
The recruiter is quite the beauty too.
“How much will it cost?”
I tried asking after activating thirty percent discount.
She’s an adventurer in her fourties.
However, she’s an elf and to top it off, a female. (♀=female right?)
Appearance wise she looks around twenty years of age.
Let’s ignore the age.
“The prevailing rate is two silver coins. A one way trip will cost you a non-bargainable amount of 1 silver coin.”
“I see.”
The 30% discount probably didn’t work.
Taking out a pouch from my rucksack, I handed over a silver coin.
“If it’s something to the extent of that rucksack it should be fine.(to transfer, I presume.) Responding to the faith of companions, I have read the honesty of their hearts, Party Formation”
The elven adventurer chanted the party formation spell.
The party formation prompt materialized in my head.
The prompt disappeared on selecting yes.
So that’s how it is. This is how you form a party.
The party at the labyrinths entrance was formed in the same way.
Only the members of your own party can be transferred with teleport magic.
From her earlier words about a rucksack being fine, it seems not everything can be transported.
Is the rucksack treated as baggage?
Will the contents of my item box be fine?
Without giving me any time to placate my worries, the elf adventurer casts field walk.
The adventurer and the guild’s wall in front of me faded to black.
This isn’t the time to be perplexed.
Now that I think about it, the item box was fine when casting dungeon walk and warp. Field walk should be the same.
I follow along so as not to be late.
A large room expanded on the other side of the wall.
Since the basic structure is the same, this is probably the Capital’s adventurer guild. It’s dimensions were three times larger than it’s counterpart in Vale.
The counter also had up to 10 lines queued up.
Accompanying the invocation of the party formation spell, the disband party option materialized.
Another adventurer who came along with us nodded and left.
He formed a party with five other people, cast field walk and exited through the wall.
That must’ve been the his first time in Vale.
Thus, he came along with the Elven adventurer to Vale. Upon returning, he took along his party to Vale.
“Come to think of it, the other day, a magician was using field walk. How is that possible? ”
Since it’s a rare opportunity, might as well ask the elven female.
“Who knows. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Might you not have made a mistake?”
“Is that so? That might just be it.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
The elf woman also departed.
As expected a magician able to use warp or dungeon walk is unheard of.
Moreover, the reply had a meh feeling to it. People probably don’t have any particular interest in details of skills or jobs of other people.
If I were good-looking, would she have had sex with me?
Damn it. Is that the way it is?
I exited the adventurer’s guild for a while.
The capital was crowded with buildings.
The color of the building’s brick’s here was brown too.
Not being modern buildings enhances their oppressive feeling.
Kinda feels like getting lost in ancient Rome or Baghdad in it’s golden days.
Should be obvious that I’ve never seen them. But the setting should be somewhat like this.
The road in front of me, stretches far and wide straight out in the distance.
A history book I read in my free time described the construction of roads in the Middle Ages to be complicated so as to make them impervious to enemy attack.
The path to the capital is straight on the other hand. Is it peaceful to this extent?
The day is still young.
There seems to be a time difference between here and Vale.
Since I didn’t exactly come here for sightseeing, I swiftly returned to the adventurers guild.
There was a board to my left side on which posters were displayed.
I approached the board, but as expected, I couldn’t read it.
When I started looking around restlessly, a beautiful onee-san smilingly approached me.
“Should I read it for you?”
As expected of the capital’s guild.
The translators are of a different level entirely. They’re elegant and refined.
She’s a 21 year old villager. Though she isn’t as beautiful as Roxanne and is simply wearing loose deep blue clothes, she has a dazzling atmosphere around her.
“Yes.”
“It’s 10 Nars for six minutes.”
The price seems to the same as at Vale’s explorer’s guild.
Opening the rucksack, I handed over 10 copper coins to the woman.
When our finger tips touched during the exchange, I felt my heart skip a beat. Can’t be helped, I’m a man after all.
“Please proceed.”
“Then, you have until till this hourglass runs out.”
The hourglasses working seems identical.
A perfectly legal chance to ogle her butt GET!
Be that as it may, it’s not like I can ogle her forever.
Dammit. Since I’m being charged for this time.
“Is there a place which purchases branches?”
“Um , did you just become an adventurer? ”
That was probably a noob question just now.
Though I’m not really an adventurer.
“Why do you ask? ”
“Requests specify specific items. They’re either strong monster or rare item drops. The guild has tons of branches stocked. That being the case, there’s no need to put out a request for it”
When I countered with a question of my own, she kindly explained it to me.
So that’s how it is.
There’s no way anyone will put out a request to purchase branches. To search for it regardless would be the epitome of noobness.
“Then thread is also a no go?”
“Yep.”
“No places willing to purchase antidotes either? ”
Once over the border one may do anything (implying he can be as shameless in his questioning as he wants since nobody knows him anyways.)
Since I’ve been found out to be a newbie anyways, might as well ask about everything.
“Since you can buy them at guilds anyways.”
“Can you sell stuff like wands at guilds too? ”
“Items droppped by monsters, be they equipment or rotting ingredients, cannot be sold at the guild. Equipment can be sold to arms merchants while you can sell the ingredients to restaurants or use them for food yourself or sell them on the festival day. The ingredients won’t rot if you place the ingredients in the item box anyways so.”
They won’t rot when inside the item box?
This is good info.
“What about monster subjugation requests? ”
“Monster subjugation is carried out by the lord’s knight and warrior squadron. Though there are instances of adventurer’s are recruited in the Knight’s squadron. Should I read out the details for you?”
If it’s about the income earned by monster subjugation, the slave trader should have told me all there is to know.
It seems they don’t give much to people of doubtful origin.
“Nope. Are there any one-off jobs? ”
“There’s a job to guide people around with field walk”
That’s also impossible since I’m unfamiliar to towns other than the capital and Vale..
In the first place, my ability isn’t field walk, it’s warp. There’s also the question of how long I can keep fooling them (into thinking it’s field walk).
Since there was no other option, I had her teach me the items for which requests were put out.
Clear tortoise shell, reverse scales, shielding cement and silver thread.
Shark fins and sirloins are the rare ingredients. There are items like that too?
“Your time is up. Do you want to continue?”
“Nope. This is good enough. Thank you”
Rather than an extension, I want the after.(he’s prob referring to sex)
So far as selling of your items is concerned, I think Krater’s explorer’s guild put up a wide variety of requests. “Krater’s explorer’s guild, is it. I understand”
Not really.
More like, this is the first time I’m hearing that name.
I bid farewell to the onee-san who went out of her way to teach me.
After that I made a few transactions at the counter.
“How much is your cheapest fatigue recovery potion?”
Since this is a rare chance, I tried asking the onee-san manning the counter.
“Strengthening pill, right? It’s sixty Nars. ”
“What about the cheapest potion?”
“The nourishment pill. That too, is for 60 Nars.
Pretty expensive.
If I carelessly use them instead of Durandal(‘s recovery ability), my expenses will go into the red pretty quick.
In the end, I returned to Vale’s adventurers guild without purchasing anything.
Making sure of the absence of people in my surroundings, I sleepily muttered “Field Walk”.
Though I had heard the chant for Field walk before, I wasn’t able to memorize it.
And then I cast warp silently. I visualized Vale’s adventurer guilds wall.
I entered the black wall which had materialized.
Thus from an outsiders perspective, I seem to be using field walk to teleport myself.
After an instant of darkness, I came out into Vale’s adventurer’s guild.
It’s evening over here.
Seems like the capital is to the west of Vale.
Incidentally, the threads price was 10 Nars.
Even though the green caterpillar took the trouble to spit out all that thread, it didn’t raise as much money as the needlewood’s drops Wasn’t a rare item either.
Certainly, it’s not a great combination of monsters.
Today’s earnings amount to 1144 Nars.
It doesn’t seem to be a miscalculation. It’s only one-fourth of yesterday’s earnings.
But I didn’t craft medicine today and four leaf’s are in my item box so.
With four leaves, I can make around 40 antidote pills. That’ll earn me around 1000 Nars so the actual deficit is half that of yesterday.
My spending the day learning how to use magic is to blame.
Exploring also took a lot more time since I wasn’t utilizing Durandal.
I returned to Vale’s restaurant.
“For three days, please.”
I tell the man as I’m taking out my purse.
The amount I had paid on the first day was enough for lodging till this morning.
“Got it.”
“Isn’t there a money changer somewhere? Copper coins have been piling up.”
“There is no such place. It’s not like you have particularly have to pay in silver. Paying with 100 copper coins is perfectly acceptable”
Apparently there are no money changers.
If there was a moneylender, with 30% discount I’d be able to buy a gold coin for 7000 Nars and selling the same with 30% sales boost would yield 13000 Nars. I’d make a killing.
If you take that into consideration, exchanging 1 gold for a hundred silver would become a pretty lucrative business.
But since the changer would charge a commission of the total, earning money by this means is impractical.
I placed five silver coins and 190 copper coins on the counter.
With this, the no of copper coins has been considerably reduced.
“Also, please prepare a hot bath after dinner.”
“Let’s see. Hotel charges with dinner included and hot water for three days, 686 Nars’ll be good enough. This is a special service just for you.”
For some reason, he returned six copper coins to me.
Since the hot water bath was twenty Nars, this means the thirty percent discount is effective?
I don’t get the working of this thing.
“Can I inspect my intelligence card?”
“You can do it once every ten days. Since you checked it two days ago, you’ll have to wait a while.”
“I already ordered food right?”
“Yep. You did.”
I utilize dinner time to study the numbers of this world’s language.
I learned 1 yesterday.
What should I choose today.
“Welcome. Since fresh sirloin arrived today, I’d recommend that.”
Upon entering the restaurant, a woman from the management recommended one of the four things on the menu.
Seems to be the same sirloins which I heard about in the capital.
It’s a bit on the small side for a meal of one, but a steak is also included. So this is a sirloin.
“……then, for one person.” “Thank you for your patronage.”
Seeing it has made me want to eat it.
I’ve lost.
“The third, please.”
Today I’ll learn number 3.
“Certainly. Would herbal tea suffice as a drink?”
All right. It’s the correct answer.
With this I’ve identified the numbers 1 and 3 of the key used to unlock my room. -review
Since there are four dinner menus,the remaining two are 2 and 4.
How can I confirm it?
I’ll work out a strategy while eating dinner.
Absentmindedly thinking about it is escapism.
I know that.
As a matter of fact, there is a bigger problem.
Considering that is actually more important.
Today’s total proceeds were 3302 Nars. That includes the price of yesterday’s share of leaves.
Upon considering today’s share of leaves was the same as yesterday. Since I was only wandering aimlessly around the second floor, it cant be helped that the result is not much different from yesterday.
Like it or not, I’m still far from earning a gold coin.
Out of 10 days, three have already passed.
Will I be able to raise the money by the due date?
To be honest, at this pace, it’s gonna be pretty tough.
The labyrinth doesn’t seem to have treasure chests and the like either.
Will there be any if I go to the lower floors? Or maybe they’re hidden so I don’t notice them. Or is it that they’re not there in the first place? I considered many possibilities.
In the first place, is a bonanza really possible in a labyrinth?
Even if possible, it’ll be worthless if not within 10 days.
It’ll be a race with time from here onwards.
Kaga Michio: Male, 17 years old
Explorer Lv.21, Hero Lv.17, Wizard Lv.19
Equipment: Scimitar, Hide Armour, Sandal Boots.
My level rising is the sole saving grace.
I heaved a sigh while looking at my arm.