After taking a light nap in my room, I spent some time walking through the town of Vale instead of heading back into the Labyrinth.
I had to face facts: earning enough money for Roxanne solely through dungeon crawling was impossible. On the first floor, a few hours of work only netted me two or three hundred Nahl. At best, I’d make a thousand Nahl a day.
Given the inn’s fees, it was enough to live on, but it would never be enough to buy Roxanne. Even if the higher floors paid better, I couldn't realistically expect my income to jump tenfold or twentyfold anytime soon. If I stumbled upon a treasure chest, I might hit the jackpot, but I hadn't seen a single one so far. I couldn't count on luck.
I needed to find another way to make money. I had to focus my efforts elsewhere.
That alternative had been on the table from the very beginning: bounty heads.
I walked through town, using Appraisal on every person I passed to check their jobs. Having that skill was a massive advantage. I could identify a Thief at a glance.
To be honest, I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of bounty hunting. However, there was no denying that it was a lucrative business for someone with my abilities.
Still, as I walked the main streets of Vale, I didn't see a single Thief. I suppose they weren't stupid enough to swagger through the center of town in broad daylight.
I decided to head north, toward the area the village merchant had described as dangerous.
While the southern and central districts were lined with clean, grand buildings, the houses became increasingly dilapidated as I moved north. The area definitely felt impoverished, though it didn't quite look like a slum yet.
Or so I thought.
The moment I stepped deeper in, I understood. It was a slum.
From a certain point, the transition into the Slum District was unmistakable. The smell was different. The people were different. Even the air felt heavy. The buildings were filthy, and a sense of stagnant decay dominated the surroundings. I even saw people living out on the streets.
Further down the road, a child stood alone. They weren't doing anything or looking at anything; they were just staring into space. I wondered if they were on drugs.
This place was bad news. It might have just been my first-time nerves, but my sixth sense was screaming at me. The atmosphere was predatory. Compared to this place, the punks who hung out in convenience store parking lots back home were practically adorable.
I immediately did an about-face and marched out of the slum, not stopping until I reached a place that felt safe.
Did I really have to go in there to find Thieves? It was dangerous, but that was to be expected. If I wanted to take down criminals, I couldn't expect to just watch comfortably from the sidelines.
I circled back and headed toward the east side of town.
I’d heard there were brothels in the east. Even if it was still part of the lower-income area, a man walking around the Brothel District wouldn't look out of place. On my way there, I ran into a crowd. A large group of people had gathered in the middle of the street.
Curious, I joined the circle while keeping my Appraisal active. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a reflex to join a line or a crowd whenever I see one.
People were gathered along the edge of a vacant lot where someone was lying on the ground. When I tried to Appraise them, the display didn't show a name or a job—only "Leather Armor."
Which meant they were dead. Appraisal apparently didn't work on corpses.
"That's a Thief over there," someone remarked.
"How can you tell?" another asked.
Deep in the crowd, an older Adventurer and a Merchant were conversing in Brahim.
"Look at the left hand. It's been cut off."
"Ah, you're right."
"He's been dead less than thirty minutes, then."
I didn't really want to look, but the man’s left hand was indeed missing. They were after his Intelligence Card. Those cards were naturally expelled from the body thirty minutes after death. It was also possible the killer took it to hide the victim's identity, but I kept that thought to myself.
"Make way, move aside!"
Someone must have called the authorities. A squad from the Knight Order arrived, including the beautiful knight I’d seen before. It seemed the knights doubled as the police in this town.
"A Thief, huh? You lot, dump the body in the morgue," she commanded.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The beautiful knight gave the order with a dismissive glance. Even though it was a murder, she treated it with total indifference. It was incredibly cold.
"It’s just a Thief. Everyone disperse!" she shouted to the onlookers, waving her hand. She scattered the crowd and walked away with long, confident strides. I wondered if she had recognized the dead man's face.
Once she was gone, the buzz of the crowd returned. I walked through the throng, eavesdropping on the snatches of Brahim I heard. No one seemed upset by the knights' lack of a proper investigation. Apparently, this was just how things were done here.
"I heard a Thief who got kicked out of town came back for revenge," I heard someone say behind me.
Revenge?
I whipped around, but I couldn't tell who had said it. It was just one voice among many in the crowd.
A Thief who was exiled from town had returned for vengeance.
I’d only overheard a fragment of a rumor, but I couldn't ignore it. The Thieves I’d slaughtered back at the village had supposedly been based in this town's slums. Was the "exiled" Thief one of their comrades? And if so, who was the target of their revenge?
A chill ran down my spine.
Taking a step back and thinking rationally, the odds of them coming for me were slim. First, being kicked out of town was the root cause of their grudge, so they’d likely target the people responsible for that first. Second, they were the ones who had attacked the village and gotten themselves killed; coming after me would be a massive, misplaced grudge. Third, in a world without photographs, my face shouldn't be easy to identify.
But I couldn't relax. Even if their primary target was the faction that exiled them, taking on the Knight Order was a tall order. And just because their grudge against me would be irrational didn't mean they wouldn't act on it. If they squeezed information out of the villagers or the knights, they might eventually find their way to me.
Whatever their goal was, I couldn't rule out the possibility of being targeted. I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly until I found these exiled Thieves and finished them off myself.
Whether I liked it or not, I was being pushed into the life of a bounty hunter.
Over the next two days, I explored the rest of Vale. I stayed out of the deep slums for now, and while I didn't find a single Thief, I did get a good handle on the town’s layout. Since I had the Warp skill, knowing the geography was vital.
I also figured out why the slums were in the north. Two rivers flowed through Vale, both entering from the south and exiting to the north. I’d seen wells behind the inn, so I wasn't sure how much river water was used for drinking, but the sewage was almost certainly dumped straight into the current.
The water coming into the south was pristine, but it grew murkier as it traveled downstream. By the time it reached the north, the river emitted a foul stench. No one wanted to live there. The wealthy and powerful built their homes in the south, and the leftovers in the north became the slums.
I assumed I wasn't seeing any Thieves because they were being cautious. I didn't think Appraisal was a common skill, but there was always the chance someone recognized my face. Or perhaps they only came out at night. Or maybe they stayed deep in the slums, or even outside the city walls if they’d truly been exiled.
I continued to enter the Labyrinth as well. Part of it was lingering hope—the idea that I might find some hidden treasure. It also wasn't a bad idea to keep leveling up, even if I planned to use Durandal for any real fights against Thieves.
As my levels rose, using Warp became easier. I could even use it in short succession now, likely because my MP capacity had increased. Currently, I was running with Explorer Level 8, Hero Level 5, and Warrior Level 6. I kept Explorer as my First Job, so that’s what would show up on my Intelligence Card.
I discovered that the Labyrinth's caves often ended in hidden doors. Beyond those doors were small rooms, which then led to more branching tunnels. It was a massive, repetitive maze. Once I realized the doors existed, I made sure to check every dead end.
My search for Thieves wasn't going anywhere, but my dungeon exploration was moving along nicely.
To finish off the day, I headed back into the Labyrinth. I hadn't found any Thieves during my daytime scouting, so I went to the dungeon to pass the time and wait for the situation to change.
When I reached the end of a tunnel, a wall slid open to reveal a small room. Another one, I thought as I stepped inside.
And then I saw them.
Brown bodies, green heads. I stepped in with my right foot and delivered a diagonal slash from the shoulder. The monster collapsed.
But it wasn't just one. The room was packed with them. It was a thicket—no, a forest—of Needle Woods.
I dodged a strike from the right by pulling back my arm and leg, then blocked an attack from the left with Durandal. I flipped the blade and split the monster's skull down the middle.
I tried to visualize Dungeon Walk, but the black wall didn't appear. I figured as much. The skill probably didn't work while I was in active combat. I should have tested that when I was only facing one enemy, but it was too late for regrets now.
There were dozens of them. A literal swarm. Fortunately, I was positioned at the entrance of the room, so they couldn't surround me yet.
Should I run? No, they’d just catch me from behind. I was better off fighting here.
I cut down a Needle Wood on my right, but a monster on my left caught me in the opening. Pain flared in my left shoulder. The entrance was too wide for me to block forever. If they got behind me, I’d be taking hits from 360 degrees.
I needed to get my back against a wall.
Ignoring the monsters on my left, I shoved my way to the right. I focused on the word: Overwhelming.
I suppressed the sudden wave of lethargy and stepped forward. I slammed Durandal into the Needle Wood in front of me, then stepped again to mow down the one behind it, but the time-slow effect ran out. I finished the swing, killing the monster, and took another step. I delivered a crushing blow to the Needle Wood on my right.
With that, I was inside the room. With my back to the wall, I only had to worry about 180 degrees. If I could reach a corner, I could narrow that to 90, but I couldn't move that far yet.
My sudden movement had briefly confused the monsters on the left. I used that opening to chop down the one nearest to me. The swarm immediately tried to close the distance.
I pulled back, pressed my spine against the wall, and readied Durandal. I blocked a branch swinging from the left, but another strike slammed into my exposed right shoulder.
Guh!
I snapped my wrist, catching the monster on the right with a horizontal cut. Immediately, a hit landed on my left shoulder.
Gwah!
I slashed the monster on the left diagonally. Another blow hit my right flank.
Damn, that hurts!
Taking hits was inevitable when outnumbered. But I had Durandal. Durandal had HP Absorption. As long as I was absorbing more health than I was losing, I’d be fine. I couldn't tell the exact numbers, but I had to trust my gut.
Durandal also had MP Absorption. I called out again: Overwhelming.
Fighting off the urge to spiral into depression, I slaughtered the two nearest monsters. When the effect ended, I hurried back to the safety of the wall.
I dodged a swinging branch and cut down a Needle Wood on the right. I kept trying to shuffle toward the corner of the room. I realized that killing one or two monsters wasn't enough for Durandal to replenish the MP I spent on Overwhelming. To keep my emotions stable, it was better to wait until my MP was full before using it again.
But if I held back too much, I’d be slowly whittled down. I had to find a rhythm. I hated the manic-depressive elevator of MP usage, but I didn't have the luxury of complaining.
I parried an attack from the left and mowed down the Needle Wood along with its branches, only to take a hit on my right shoulder again. The seesaw battle continued.
My gut told me that Durandal’s HP Absorption was keeping pace with my injuries. But one slip-up—a few consecutive hits—and I’d be at death's door. I was balancing on a razor's edge.
For the first time, I truly felt the weight of my own mortality. Even if this was another world, this was reality. If I fell here, I would die.
Death. It was so close. It was right there. It was terrifying, but I wasn't paralyzed by fear. I wasn't shaking, but I wasn't laughing, either. Maybe it was the adrenaline of combat, but I found myself looking at the concept of my own death with a strange, cold detachment.
I hacked through the Needle Woods. I took hits, and I gave them back. It was a brutal slog. But as the fight wore on, I realized I could do this. Even with death standing right next to me, I could fight.
Focusing on clearing the right side, I made a break for the corner. Suddenly, I saw my opening—only two monsters stood between me and the intersection of the walls.
Overwhelming!
I slaughtered the first one, then slashed the second away. The effect ended, but I brought Durandal up into a high guard and buried the blade in the skull of the remaining monster.
Dodging the others as they tried to catch up, I finally reached the corner. Now, I only had to defend a 90-degree arc. I leveled my sword and glared at the remaining swarm.
Their numbers were thinning. Now that I had a moment to breathe, I realized there were only about ten left. I’d thought I was being "coldly detached," but I clearly hadn't been calm at all. I probably hadn't even needed the corner; I should have been tracking their numbers more accurately from the start.
My palms were slick with sweat. I had to be careful—if Durandal slipped from my grip, I was finished. I took turns letting go of the hilt to wipe my hands on my pants, taking a few hits in the process, but it was a necessary risk.
With a firm grip, I lunged to the right. I caught the furthest Needle Wood with a midsection cut. With so few left, I could afford to move more.
I swung Durandal back, catching a monster behind me with a diagonal slash. I parried a branch from the left and brought the sword down on its shoulder, then pivoted to strike the next one. It tried to dodge, but I stepped in and finished it with an upward cut.
I traded blows with the one in front of me, parried, and dodged a strike from the left. I cut through its torso as I passed, then dropped Durandal from a high guard onto the head of the monster in front.
Three left. They didn't seem to have the instinct to flee.
Overwhelming!
I ended two of them instantly.
One left. I gave its branch a sharp parry and used the momentum to bring Durandal up. I took a deep step forward and buried the sword in its shoulder.
"Phew..." I let out a long, shaky breath.
That was the last of them. The final monster dissolved into smoke. I took a few deep breaths to steady my heart rate.
I looked around the room. It was unremarkable—the same size and shape as every other small room I’d found. There were no treasure chests, no legendary weapons. Just a room full of monsters. How dramatic.
If I hadn't had Durandal, I would have died. The Labyrinth was far more dangerous than I’d imagined. Still, I had survived. I could make it in this world.
I gathered the monster drops—several branches—and did one last sweep of the room. Nothing. I focused on my Job Settings.
Explorer Lv 8, Hero Lv 5, Warrior Lv 6, Villager Lv 5, Merchant Lv 1, Swordsman Lv 1.
I hadn't unlocked any new jobs. I guess there wasn't a special job for "slaughtering a horde." My levels had jumped significantly, though. Perhaps that was why the depression from Overwhelming had felt milder at the end. My HP and MP didn't seem to have been restored by the level-up, though.
I decided to call it a day and headed back to the inn.
Still no sign of Thieves on the way. I really would have to go deeper into the slums.
"One night with dinner, plus hot water and a lantern afterward," I told the lodge keeper.
"Welcome back! For dinner, water, and a lantern, I’ll give you the special service rate: 245 Nahl."
Hot water was usually 20 Nahl and the lantern was 10. Yesterday and the day before, the 30% Discount hadn't applied to the water, but today it did. I guess it only worked if I bundled items together.
"Do I need to do the Intelligence Card check?"
"Nah, I just checked it recently. Your room is the same as before."
He handed me the key. If he wasn't going to check every time, I could just pay day-by-day. I had plenty of coins in my Item Box, so I was safe even if I lost my purse. Bundling the room and water seemed to be the trick for the discount.
After dinner, I went to my room, wiped myself down with hot water, and headed back out with the lantern.
The sun had set, and it was pitch black. The lantern wasn't exactly bright—it was nothing compared to a fluorescent light—but it was better than nothing. I truly understood now why gas lamps were considered the pinnacle of civilization in the old days.
I walked carefully, illuminating the ground at my feet. But walking around with a light in the dark made me a massive target. There were a few others out with lights, and with my Appraisal, I could identify them instantly. I had no idea how many people were moving in the shadows without lights, though. I tried Appraising the darkness, but I didn't hit anything.
I headed north toward the slums. It was risky, but it was the only way to find my targets. My experience in the Labyrinth had made me bolder. I had stared death in the face and realized it was a small, cheap thing. Whether it was my death or a Thief's, life was fragile in this world. If anyone stood in my path, I would simply cut them down. I had to be daring. If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the cub.
As I moved north, I reached a street that was incredibly bright. The first floors of several buildings were wide open to the street. It was the Brothel District. Women stood in the open storefronts, calling out to men, while potential customers looked them over.
The atmosphere was festive, fueled by the light and the raw energy of lust.
I had no intention of going in. I really didn't. But even so, my heart was hammering in my chest.
Wait. Calm down. Think.
There was the risk of disease, and the risk of being scammed. Staying away was the only logical choice. Besides, I doubted any of them were as beautiful as Roxanne. And even if they were, they wouldn't waste their time on a first-time customer.
Having made my decision, I watched the district from a distance. I could hear the laughter and the shouting. It looked... fun.
Wait, I couldn't understand them.
The language coming from the brothels wasn't Brahim. I’d been fine so far because the people at the inn and the guild spoke it, but it seemed many locals didn't. Just like the first village. These brothels were clearly for the locals. I supposed there might be prostitutes who spoke Brahim somewhere, but I didn't see any.
I loitered in the Pleasure District until my lantern began to flicker, then Warped back to the inn. I made sure to materialize at the outer wall so no one would see me appear out of thin air in the hallway.
After returning the lantern, I went to bed. I woke up again in the dead of night and Warped straight back to the Slum District. Success. It was too dark to see, but I recognized the location. The brothels had all settled down for the night. I tried to focus: Appraisal.
Information popped into my head. There was someone there. Appraisal didn't care about the light.
26 years old, female Villager. She was a bit further down the street. In this darkness, she wouldn't be able to see me. I wondered what she was doing out here.
Suddenly, a torch appeared around a corner. Three men. All three were Thieves.
Finally, I’d found some. Their levels were low—all single digits. Of the Thieves who had attacked the village, only the ones at Level 19 and 11 had bounties. It seemed you weren't even considered a proper criminal until you hit double digits.
The three men fanned out, searching the area with their torches. I considered Warping away when I heard a noise. The men converged on the sound.
In the torchlight, I saw the woman. She had tried to move and tripped over something. The Thieves surrounded her, shouting in a language I couldn't understand. One of them delivered a brutal kick to her stomach.
She went limp instantly. All three began to beat her. Eventually, one of them grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away.
"Making us work for it," one of them muttered in Brahim—a Level 9 Thief. The four of them disappeared around a corner.
Silence returned. The Thieves were gone, so I didn't have to worry about being spotted. But I’d seen something I wish I hadn't. A woman in a place like this was likely a prostitute. Perhaps she’d tried to run, or maybe she hadn't made enough money. The Thieves were clearly the ones enforcing order with violence.
The following night, I went to the Brothel District even later.
The district seemed to close early. I guess customers usually stayed the night. Once the women found clients, they disappeared into the rooms, and once a shop was full, it closed up. Once the streets were empty, the Thieves emerged. They acted as the "security" for the area, patrolling the streets or drinking loudly in the taverns that remained open.
There were a lot of them. I couldn't just attack them all at once. As I watched, I realized they had territories. Different groups of Thieves avoided each other. Since I didn't have a lantern, I was invisible in the dark.
The Thieves moved in set groups. They maintained a calculated distance from other groups. I even spotted the Level 9 Thief from the night before. He was in the same spot. It was likely his group's territory.
If I was going to make a move, he was the best target since I knew he spoke Brahim. I crept closer in the dark. He didn't notice me. His group seemed small; their territory wasn't very large.
Suddenly, another Thief approached and spoke to the Level 9 man. It wasn't in Brahim. I couldn't follow the conversation, until one word jumped out at me.
"...Hugo..."
I froze. Hugo. That was the name of the leader of the Thieves I’d killed at the village. I’d seen it with Appraisal. There was no mistaking it.
If they were talking about him, then this Level 9 Thief was either a survivor or an associate of the group that had been exiled.
Before dawn the next morning, I returned to the deepest part of the Brothel District I’d seen. Warp worked perfectly. I appeared in the pitch-black shadow of a building. I waited for the sun to rise.
People began to trickle out of the brothels. I Appraised one—a male Villager. A customer heading home. He carried a lantern, which made him easy to spot even if I couldn't see his face. I stayed in the shadows.
As the sky grew pale, I stepped out and walked the street, blending in with the departing customers. I found the corner where the Thieves had dragged the woman. It led to a short alley with a plain, one-story house at the end. It didn't look like a brothel. It was likely their headquarters.
I didn't linger. I walked back toward the center of town. In the morning light, the Brothel District looked like any other part of town. It didn't feel like a slum at all—I suppose they had to keep it presentable to attract customers.
I returned to the inn and spent the day scouting the rest of the town, but I didn't see any more Thieves. Apparently, they were strictly nocturnal.
"One night with dinner and hot water," I told the lodge keeper that evening.
"Welcome back! That'll be 238 Nahl with the special service discount."
The discount worked even without the lantern. Good to know.
"I heard there was a murder a few days ago," I said, testing the waters.
"Oh, that? You're safe enough here. As long as you stay out of the slums and the brothels, you've got nothing to worry about."
"How do you know?"
He clearly had a source. An unexpected fountain of information.
"It was just a power struggle between the gangs in the slums," he said, lowering his voice.
"A power struggle? I heard it was revenge."
"You've got a sharp ear. But between us, that's just a rumor."
"Oh?"
"A little while back, one of the groups had a change in leadership. There was a succession struggle, and the losing faction got kicked out of town. I heard they tried to raid some village and got wiped out instead."
Those were definitely my Thieves.
"And the murder?" I asked.
"The man killed the other day belonged to the faction that won the struggle and stayed in town. People are saying it was revenge from the exiled ones, but I doubt it. The other gangs have been looking for an excuse to move in on their territory. They probably just used the 'revenge' story as a cover to start picking them off."
So the underworld was a mess of factional warfare. The situation in Europe is complex and bizarre, I thought, recalling a famous quote.
"Will it keep going?"
"Who knows? The slums might be a bit loud for a while, but the Knight Order is keeping an eye on things. They won't let it spill into the main streets. You’re safe here."
The lodge keeper's intel was mostly about the safety of his guests, but it was useful. He probably didn't know exactly where every Thief slept, though.
"I heard the knights are planning a crackdown," I added.
"The knights are always 'planning a crackdown,'" he scoffed. "Especially when the Thieves are doing the work of killing each other for them."
So the knights' incompetence was common knowledge. But if this wasn't about revenge, then I wasn't a target.
The next day, I went out in the early hours before dawn. The sun was about to rise on the final day of my deal with the slave trader. I had to finish this today.
I left the inn without a lantern, blending into the final shadows of the night to watch the town one last time.