"...It’s hard to put into words. It's just so... crude. A rather misshapen thing for a treasure chest."
In the world of the game, most treasure chests—even those found in D-Rank Labyrinths—were fairly well-made. They usually featured symmetrical shapes and sturdy metal fittings. While the materials varied based on the difficulty, they always looked the part of a "reward."
However, the object before me was less a chest and more—a wreck.
"Alright, I'm opening it!"
As I was lost in thought, I saw Rio, who had been crouching over the object, reach for it without a second thought. "Hey!?" I reflexively called out, but by the time my voice reached her, she had already flipped the lid open.
"—There could be traps, you know... You need to be a bit more... cautious..."
I spoke with a heavy sigh of exasperation.
Not just in CHOICE//MAZE, but in many games, the treasure chest—the Reward System—is a staple of adventure. They are placed to provide tools or Exchange Items, but on rare occasions, they are rigged with traps.
The moment you open one, you might be sprayed with Sleep Gas or Poison Mist.
Others might trigger explosions or forced teleportation. Sometimes, the chest itself is a Mimic—a monster in disguise. All of them are nasty surprises designed to pick off unwary adventurers.
I could still vividly remember the shock of finding a treasure chest after running out of Recovery Potions and having a broken Return Device, only for the chest to be a Mimic that tore the protagonist, Yuu, to pieces.
(In any case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.)
Whether she noticed my internal unease or not, Rio simply blinked a few times before looking down into the open chest.
After a moment, she let out a small "Ah," as if she had only just realized her mistake.
"Ehehe... sorry, sorry!"
Without looking the least bit repentant, she gave a light, bashful laugh.
I couldn't tell if she was actually reflecting on her recklessness or not. When I furrowed my brows at her questionable attitude, she quickly lowered her head and offered a more sincere, "I'm sorry."
As expected of a Genius. She was certainly quick to read the room.
"I’ll be careful from now on! So, please forgive me? Okay? Pretty please?"
Rio rubbed her hands together and tilted her head slightly.
Faced with such a calculated, adorable gesture, the wind was completely taken out of my sails. I couldn't help but sigh. She was certainly resourceful, in her own way.
Her looks only made it harder to stay angry. It was a cheap shot.
"...Haaa. Just make sure you check properly before you open anything next time, alright?"
"Understood!"
Her reply was energetic enough.
But her tone remained light, and I seriously doubted how long the lesson would actually stick.
(...It's no wonder Albert is worried about her.)
The excitement of a successful invention and the joy of being useful to others had made her overconfident and scatterbrained. It was a dangerous combination. It made sense why her grandfather was so concerned.
Still, that was a weakness I could cover.
If she was about to act recklessly, I would stop her. If she missed something, I would fill in the gap.
There was no reason for her to carry the entire burden alone.
"I wonder what's inside!"
Unaware of my internal resolve, Rio turned back to the chest.
With her eyes sparkling, she pushed the lid the rest of the way open, making no effort to hide her excitement as she peered inside—
"—Oh..."
That excitement rapidly deflated into disappointment.
As she stared into the chest, Rio’s shoulders slumped in a very obvious display of dejection.
"What a letdown... It's just a small Magic Stone and some gems."
She pulled out a single Magic Stone about the size of a thumb and a few dull, tiny pebbles that might have been gemstones. None of them were of particularly high quality; they were little more than stones that gave off a faint, pathetic glow, barely worthy of the name.
"Well, I guess that’s how it goes... It is a D-Rank Labyrinth, after all," Rio muttered with a small sigh.
She probably hadn't expected a jackpot from the start, but she still couldn't hide her disappointment. Lene and I shared a wry smile at the sight, but then—
"...Come to think of it," Lene began, as if something had just occurred to her.
She touched a finger to her lip and looked off into the distance.
"I wonder who prepares these treasure chests in the first place?"
Her quiet question echoed through the silent cavern.
Who prepares them, huh...
It was such a standard trope that I had never really stopped to think about it.
Treasure chests are a given in labyrinths, and it’s expected that they contain items useful for an adventure. In a game, you don’t question it, but now that this world was my reality, it was indeed quite bizarre.
(...)
I looked down at the chest at our feet again.
It was made of a material that resembled cracked wood.
Overgrown with moss and half-buried in the dirt, it looked as if it had become part of the labyrinth itself.
If someone had intentionally "prepared" this as a reward, it was far too crude. If it were meant to be a trap, the craftsmanship was too poor.
The idea that human hands had placed it here felt completely wrong.
"Hmm..."
Rio crossed her arms and let out a hum, interrupting my thoughts.
Unlike her casual tone from before, she now seemed lost in deep reflection.
"You know, there actually isn't a definitive answer to that."
"There isn't?" Lene asked, blinking in surprise.
"Nope. There are a few different theories, though."
Rio held up a finger, looking like she was enjoying the academic detour.
"First, there's the 'Relics of Past Adventurers' theory."
"Relics...?"
"Yep! The idea is that these are the belongings of people who died in the labyrinth, or things they just left behind, which then remained here."
Lene nodded slowly, considering the possibility.
But Rio immediately shook her head.
"But that theory leaves a lot of things unexplained..."
"Like what?"
"Well, it's unnatural for things to be left in the perfect 'shape of a box' like this, and every labyrinth seems to have similar ones, right? Plus, why would there be relics in a labyrinth that was only born recently? That's why that theory doesn't have much support these days."
Rio shrugged as she dismissed the idea.
She had a point. This labyrinth was relatively new.
The timeline didn't add up for there to be "relics of past explorers" in a place like this. As I followed that train of thought, Rio held up another finger.
"So, the most popular theory is that the labyrinth creates them itself."
Lene’s eyes widened at the casual statement.
"The labyrinth... creates them?"
"Yeah. Think about it—labyrinths spawn monsters and change the shape of their halls, right? So it wouldn't be weird if they could generate 'objects' too. Both the box and the contents are just... part of the labyrinth's body, I guess?"
"...But why would it do that?"
When I asked the question, Rio furrowed her brows.
Then, she gave a simple, "I don't know."
"Some scholars hypothesize that 'the labyrinth is a living creature, like a massive Mimic.' They claim it uses 'rewards' as bait to lure in prey, then kills them with monsters—its digestive organs—to absorb them as nourishment."
"A-A massive... Mimic..."
At Rio's explanation, Lene began looking around frantically.
Her gaze jumped from the walls to the ceiling, then back down to the floor.
The rock walls that had looked normal a moment ago now probably seemed like the interior of some giant beast; the color drained from her face.
"W-We're safe, right...?"
Trembling with anxiety, Lene pressed herself against me. I pulled her close, offering a firm squeeze of reassurance. She let out a breath of relief as she slowly regained her composure.
(Still, the 'living creature' theory...)
It might not be far from the truth.
In reality, the Primal Labyrinth possessed a very clear consciousness. It made more sense to think of the chests, the monsters, and the winding paths as parts of a single, giant entity.
Though, the idea that we were currently standing inside a set of digestive organs was a bit too grim to joke about.
"But hey, it's just a theory. No one has ever been able to prove that a labyrinth actually absorbs nutrients from people."
In the first place, Rio pointed out, holding up her finger again.
"Labyrinths expand on their own even if no one enters them, and monsters keep spawning regardless. So, the idea that they 'feed on humans' feels a bit off to me. They grow just fine without us."
"...Now that you mention it, that makes sense."
Lene placed a hand over her heart, looking much more at ease.
Her earlier fear seemed to have dissipated.
(Well, it's all just speculation.)
While I couldn't rule it out, there wasn't enough evidence to confirm it. Even the game hadn't delved into those specifics. In the end—
"There's no point overthinking it," I muttered.
"We didn't come here to solve the mysteries of the universe. We should leave the difficult questions to the scholars."
"True!"
Rio gave a cheerful laugh and spun around to face forward.
"Then, let’s leave it at that—"
She gave a casual wave of her hand.
"And keep moving!"
"Yeah."
"Yes."
With that, we resumed our trek into the deeper reaches of the labyrinth.