Weak.
The Kobold went down with a single Fireball.
Pathologically weak. I mean, really? One hit from a spell and it was done for? Even a Level 2 Green Caterpillar could withstand two. I wondered if Kobolds simply had a massive vulnerability to fire, but even then, this was pathetic.
"Aren't Kobolds a bit on the frail side?" I asked.
"Yes. Kobolds are considered the quintessential monster for beginners. For someone of your caliber, Master, it is only to be expected," Roxanne replied.
"I suppose so."
They carried weapons, yet they were this weak? Or perhaps they only carried weapons because they were so physically lacking. Having a bipedal, armed monster as the very first hurdle for a novice was actually a decent way to build up a combatant's fighting spirit.
When the Kobold dissolved into smoke, it left behind a white fang. Appraisal identified it as Kobold Salt. "White fang" had a nice ring to it, but based on the name, it was probably just a lump of salt.
"We'll probably be killing a lot more of these, so I'll put it in the Item Box. If it really is salt, I don't want it melting or getting ruined."
I opened the Item Box. Roxanne picked up the drop and handed it to me. It really was just a white, crystalline clump.
"I've heard that merchants might refuse to trade for it if it gets wet," Roxanne noted. "Though I've also heard it's the cheapest item the Guild accepts."
"How much are we talking about?"
"If I recall correctly, about four Nahl per piece."
Cheap. Dirt cheap.
Roxanne offered a small smile as she saw me slump my shoulders. That smile, at least, was priceless.
"The innkeeper mentioned they buy ingredients. I wonder if they'd take this?"
"It would be difficult unless you were very close with them. Even as a food item, there aren't many places that would go out of their way to buy it outside of the Guild. Since Kobolds are so easy to defeat, the market is usually flooded."
Supply and demand, then. Being beginner-friendly meant they were easy to farm, which meant the items were common.
Next, we encountered a pair: a Green Caterpillar and a Kobold. On the Third Floor, groups were still limited to two. Trios wouldn't start appearing until the Fourth Floor.
The moment I spotted them, I mentally triggered Fire Storm. A flurry of sparks engulfed the duo. The Kobold died instantly, just as I’d expected. I followed up by peppering the remaining Green Caterpillar with Fireballs.
Kobolds were definitely bottom-tier—even weaker than the caterpillars. They truly were training wheels for adventurers. While there was always the slim possibility of one suddenly unleashing a high-level spell, that didn't seem likely for a beginner-level mob. I had a feeling that Kobolds on the Third Floor were generally regarded as a disappointment.
Logically, shouldn't a monster this weak appear on the First Floor? I didn't know if there was some fundamental law of the Labyrinth governing where monsters appeared, but since they weren't on the lower floors, there was clearly no such rule. Reality was often arbitrary like that.
Actually, for me specifically, I was glad the Kobolds were on the Third Floor. Despite their oversized, grotesque blue faces, they were humanoid. If I’d had to fight human-shaped enemies right from the start, I might not have kept my cool. Needle Woods were clearly plants, and Green Caterpillars were just bugs. By easing into it, I was now able to handle Kobolds without a second thought.
Furthermore, Kobolds carried blades. Facing an armed opponent naturally triggers a sense of dread. Because I’d had time to adjust to the Labyrinth and had raised my level through repeated combat, I could now suppress that fear. If the First Floor had been filled with armed humanoids, I’m not sure how I would have reacted. Well, I probably would have muddled through somehow.
The next time we ran into a Kobold and a Green Caterpillar, I tested Water Magic. The Kobold still died in one hit. It seemed fire wasn't its only weakness; it was just fragile.
However, when I tried Breeze Storm on a pair of a Needle Wood and a Kobold, the Kobold survived. Apparently, wind was a no-go. Even so, the second Breeze Storm finished it off. It was still weak, no matter how you sliced it.
Weakness meant less experience gain, which was a problem for efficiency.
After finishing off a Needle Wood, I walked over to where a Kobold had fallen. This time, instead of salt, a blade remained—a folding knife. It was a Kobold Knife.
"So they don't always drop salt," I remarked.
"That is a Kobold Knife. Yes, it seems many monsters have multiple items they can leave behind."
Roxanne picked it up and folded the blade. So some monsters had a varied drop table. Until now, Needle Woods had only given me Branches, and Green Caterpillars had only given me Thread.
"I see. Here, I'll take that for the Item Box too."
"Are you sure?"
"It's fine. Will a weapon shop buy this?" I asked, taking the knife from her.
It looked menacing in the hands of an enemy, but up close, it was just a common, small utility knife. It wasn't much of a threat; it could certainly cut skin, but it would have a hard time piercing armor.
"I believe only the Guild will take them. There are simply too many in circulation."
"If they're that overabundant, why does the Guild buy them?"
"I heard a rumor once that they're processed into something else."
I stowed the Kobold Knife. Fortunately, my Explorer level had just increased. When I first decided to use the Item Box for monster drops, I hadn't expected to move to the Third Floor so quickly, nor that the monsters here would have multiple drop types. If I hadn't leveled up, I would have had to endure the embarrassment of going back on my word and asking Roxanne to carry the loot.
The Item Box only allowed one type of item per row, but the quantity it could hold in each row was determined by my level. As long as I could keep the rows organized, I had more than enough space to last until noon.
When noon arrived, I warped back to the Adventurer Guild to rest and sell our haul. As we emerged from the wall, another pair of adventurers—a man and a woman—stepped out from the opposite side.
"Is anyone looking for a one-way trip to the Imperial Capital?" the woman called out.
Adventurers had access to a movement spell called Field Walk, which allowed them to travel to any location they had visited before. They were using it like a commercial transport service—essentially a magical bus.
Unfortunately, my current destination was Quratar. I’d heard there were permanent weapon shops there. A trip to the capital wouldn't help me today, though I did want to see it eventually.
Now that we were on the Third Floor, my spells were no longer one-shotting the Needle Woods or Green Caterpillars. It took four casts now. Their Level 3 versions were clearly heartier, which made getting a proper cane a priority. That said, it wasn't a desperate emergency. If it only took three or four spells, I could usually kill them before they reached me. In a way, it was better to face them and get used to the rhythm of combat. Besides, a market would be held in Vale Town in a few days anyway. The timing of her offer was just slightly off.
"The capital, huh? If it were Quratar, I’d jump on it," I muttered.
"Quratar is quite close if you go via the Imperial Capital," Roxanne informed me.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. When I traveled to Quratar, I went through the capital. I do not know if one can warp from here to Quratar in a single jump, but it is a certainty from the capital."
"I see. Well, let's give it a shot then."
I was curious about the Imperial Capital. If it was the seat of the empire, it had to be a bustling metropolis.
"Very well. Please, go ahead. I shall wait for you here."
"Wait, you're not coming?"
If it was a shared transport, there would be a fare. I suppose I could just go alone. I’d have the adventurer take me to Quratar once, then I could use my own magic to come back and get Roxanne.
I wasn't an Adventurer, but I had the Bonus Spell: Warp. It allowed me to travel anywhere I’d been before, and since it worked inside the Labyrinth, it was actually superior to Field Walk—though the MP cost might be different.
"Alright, I'll be back. Keep an eye on things."
"I will."
I walked over to the other wall. A small part of me worried that Roxanne might vanish the moment I turned my back, but I shook it off. She wouldn't do that. I hoped our bond of trust was stronger than that. If she were the type to run at the first opportunity, she would have done it while I was asleep. It would be fine. It had to be fine.
Pushing the anxiety aside, I approached the adventurers.
"How much?" I asked the woman, making sure my 30% Discount was active.
She was quite the beauty—not on Roxanne's level, but striking nonetheless. I wondered if all the adventurers in the capital looked this good. She appeared to be in her early twenties, but Appraisal told a different story: she was an Elf in her forties. I decided to promptly forget I’d seen her age.
"Usually two silver coins, but for a one-way trip, it is a fixed fee of one silver coin," she said.
"I see."
It seemed my 30% Discount wasn't working. I suspected the skill targeted the Calc skill of the merchant job. Naturally, an adventurer wouldn't have that skill.
Since I was in front of another person, I chanted the incantation for the Item Box and produced a silver coin. Since she was an adventurer and presumably had an Item Box of her own, I couldn't just fake it with a half-hearted mutter. Besides, since I used the Guild's walls frequently, anyone watching probably assumed I was an adventurer too. It would be weirder to pull a coin out of thin air without the spell.
"Friendship that answers trust, sincerity that purifies the heart, Party Formation."
Once I handed over the coin, the Elf chanted her spell.
Oh, right. To travel via magic, we had to be in a party together. I hurriedly triggered my own Party Formation command and disbanded my party with Roxanne. Just in time, a confirmation message flickered in my mind, asking if I accepted the invitation. I mentally hit "Yes."
So that was how it felt from the other side. I’d invited Roxanne before, but this was the first time I’d been the one invited. I’d just stepped out of the wall with Roxanne, so anyone paying close attention might have found it odd that I’d disbanded our party so abruptly. I glanced around, but no one seemed to care. People generally didn't pay that much attention to strangers.
I didn't have time to worry about it, as the Elf immediately cast Field Walk. The Guild wall in front of us turned a deep, shimmering black. She stepped in first, followed by her male companion. I followed right on their heels.
Beyond the wall was a massive hall. The basic layout—a room with a central counter—was the same as the Vale Guild, which meant this was the Imperial Capital's Adventurer Guild. It was easily four or five times the size of the one in Vale, with at least ten rows of counters.
As the chant for a Party Formation spell echoed nearby, I felt my current party dissolve.
"Thank you. Now I can make it to Vale," the other adventurer said with a nod before hurrying off. He immediately began chanting his own Party Formation, followed by Field Walk, and led a group of five people into the black wall.
I realized what he’d done. He’d probably never been to Vale before. He’d paid the Elf to take him there once to "unlock" the location, and now he was taking his own party back. That was how adventurers expanded their travel network.
"Can you take me to Quratar? One-way is fine," I asked the Elf.
"Quratar? That will be two silver coins."
She could do it. Two silver coins probably covered the round trip for her; since she was based in the capital, she’d have to travel to Quratar and then come back here.
I handed over the coins, and she chanted Party Formation again.
"My apologies," I said. If I’d just said Quratar from the start, I wouldn't have had to go through the whole disbanding-rejoining dance.
We formed the party and stepped through the Field Walk.
The Quratar Adventurer Guild was somewhere between the size of Vale’s and the Capital’s. It had three counters—more than Vale’s lone station, but it didn't even come close to the majestic scale of the Imperial Capital. Based on Roxanne's descriptions, I’d expected something much larger.
"This is the Quratar Guild. Is anyone looking for a one-way trip to the Imperial Capital?" the Elf called out. When no one responded, she disbanded our party and presumably warped back to the capital.
I immediately used Warp to return to the Vale Guild.
"Welcome back," Roxanne said, greeting me. I breathed a sigh of relief. She was still there.
"Whoa—"
"Are you alright?"
As I stepped toward her, my legs buckled. I’d consumed significantly more MP than I’d anticipated. Usually, a trip to the Labyrinth didn't even register, but the jump to Quratar was different. It seemed Warp wasn't a flat fee; the cost scaled with distance.
If I bottomed out my MP, the depressive side effects would be catastrophic. I had to avoid that at all costs. I figured I could probably handle one more round trip, but the sudden weakness had caught me off guard.
"I'm fine. Just a bit surprised. Ready to see Quratar?"
"Yes. I am at your service."
After selling our drops, we stepped outside the building and found a secluded spot to form our party. I checked the sun. It was high in the sky—almost exactly noon. We returned to the Guild, and I warped us both to Quratar. Once we arrived, we headed straight for the exit.
Quratar's streets weren't fundamentally different from Vale's, but there were actual shops here. Several businesses operated on the ground floors of buildings along a fairly wide thoroughfare. It felt a bit like a rural shopping district. It was the first time I'd seen a normal-looking storefront since arriving in this world.
Despite the presence of shops, Quratar didn't actually feel more prosperous than Vale. Even the Adventurer Guild had been smaller than the one in the Capital. I really wondered how grand the capital must be.
"Hmm. I expected the Adventurer Guild to be bigger," I mused aloud.
"Quratar is a city built entirely around the Labyrinth and Explorers, so the Explorer Guild is much more substantial," Roxanne explained. She’d overheard my quiet mutter.
"Is that so? And you've been here before, right?"
"Yes. Once, to tour the Labyrinth. Most people who intend to challenge it visit this city at least once."
"Then shall we go take a look?"
"Certainly. It is this way." Roxanne pointed without a moment's hesitation.
"Do you know which way north is?"
"My apologies. I do not."
"Then how do you know where the Labyrinth is?" Was it the smell again?
"The city of Quratar is built in a radial pattern around the Labyrinth. It sits at the very center of the town, and all roads lead toward it."
So it wasn't the smell. Looking around, I saw the buildings to the right becoming sparser. That was the outskirts. The other way, where the buildings grew denser, was the center. We began walking inward.
The sun in Quratar was a bit lower than in Vale. Without knowing the cardinal directions, I couldn't tell if the difference was longitudinal or latitudinal, but it was still midday. There wasn't a major time difference.
Between the Adventurer Guild and the center, we passed a fishmonger and a bakery. Beyond those was a hardware store. Past that, we reached a large rotary. Several roads branched out from it, each lined with various shops. In the center of the rotary was a low, rounded hill. That was the entrance.
"So that's the Labyrinth."
"Yes. Directly across from the entrance is the Knight Order Station, and that massive building on the opposite side is the Explorer Guild."
I could see the black wall of the entrance to the right. Across from it, nestled between two branching roads, stood a massive five- or six-story building. That was the Explorer Guild. The reddish-brown brick structure was truly imposing. I could see why Roxanne said it was substantial. People were constantly flowing in and out of the main doors. A long line had also formed at the Knight Order Station.
"What are they all lining up for?"
"One must pay a fee to enter the Quratar Labyrinth. It is one hundred Nahl per person, per entry."
An entrance fee? It really was like a tourist attraction.
"If it costs money, we should focus on the weapon shop for now." If I had to pay, I’d rather do it when we had a full day to spend inside. Entering at dawn and staying until dusk would be the most efficient way to handle it.
My primary goal today wasn't the Labyrinth anyway; it was finding a cane. Since so many roads branched off the rotary, I wasn't sure which one to take.
"Master," Roxanne said, lightly tugging on my sleeve.
"Yes?"
"Could you not simply use your magic to enter?" she whispered.
I blinked. She was right. If I used Warp to go directly inside the Labyrinth, I could bypass the entrance entirely once I’d been there once. I’d never have to pay the fee again. It was a classic "You’re a naughty one, Echigoya" moment. I felt like spinning someone’s kimono sash right then and there.
For the time being, we stepped into the hardware store. They might have swords, even if it wasn't a dedicated weapon shop. Certainly more likely than a bakery. Inside, I saw pots, scissors, hoes, shovels, and various other metal trinkets. They even had padlocks. There were utility knives and scissors, but nothing like a combat blade. Hoes and shovels were clearly categorized as farm tools here.
"Welcome," a woman called out from the back.
She looked to be in her late thirties. Onesta. Age 37. Job: Merchant Lv 44. Her level seemed surprisingly high. Being human, she looked her age. The Elf adventurer from earlier, who looked twenty but was forty, was definitely an outlier of her race. It meant Roxanne would likely stay youthful for a long time too.
Wait—I’d been in a party with that Elf. I could have checked her job settings to see what she was. Missed opportunity. Oh well.
"Pardon the intrusion," Roxanne said, greeting her.
"Can I help you find something? Or perhaps you are looking for a place to stay?" Onesta asked.
"No, I was actually looking for a weapon shop. I thought you might carry some."
"A weapon shop? Those are further down..."
The woman actually stepped out of her shop to point the way. She was remarkably polite for someone who wasn't making a sale. If it had been me, I’d have been tempted to shoo us away. She told us the shop was just past the Knight Order Station.
"Thank you. I'll come back when I need something for the house."
"I look forward to it."
I thanked her and we left. Her name was Onesta—truly a woman of "Honesty."
"She asked if we were looking for a place to stay. Do you think she's a landlord or a real estate agent?"
"It is possible."
If we needed to rent a room, a place run by someone that kind and honest seemed like a good bet. I chatted with Roxanne as we headed toward the weapon shop.
"It would probably be cheaper to rent a room than to keep staying at inns, wouldn't it?"
"Indeed. I do not know the rates in Quratar, but usually, a room is a one-year contract for ten to thirty thousand Nahl. For fifty thousand, you could likely rent an entire house."
"That's all?"
I wasn't sure if that was a bargain, but it was certainly cheaper than an inn. An inn at three hundred Nahl a day would cost over a hundred thousand a year. If my party grew, that cost would skyrocket.
"I can handle the cleaning and chores," Roxanne offered.
"Ah, I see. I'll be putting a lot on your shoulders, then."
"Not at all. I am happy to do it."
In an inn, the staff handled everything. Since Roxanne was my slave-slash-maid, the domestic work would fall to her. I intended to help, of course, but in a world without vacuum cleaners, running water, or washing machines, the workload would be massive. No electricity, no gas, no dishwasher.
"Roxanne, do you know how to cook?"
"Yes. I believe I can manage most standard meals."
"Then I'll leave that to you when we get settled."
Slave, maid, and now cook. The positions were filling up.
"Yes, Master. I truly believe renting a house would be best for you."
"Can just anyone rent one, though?" I wondered. I’d be in trouble if I needed a local guarantor.
"In a city this large, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Right." In a small village, they’d probably be suspicious of outsiders, but a hub like this was different.
"I have heard that many Explorers reside in either Quratar or the Capital. In your case, Master, your magic means you could live anywhere."
She was referring to Warp. If I could warp to the Labyrinth, my physical location didn't strictly matter.
"True, but don't forget—I want to keep the magic a secret. We should live somewhere where it's normal for an Explorer to be."
"In that case, this city is perfect," she whispered. We passed between the Labyrinth entrance and the Knight Order Station, leaving the rotary behind.
More shops lined the streets here. One was clearly a weapon shop; even from the street, the sheer volume of lethal equipment on display made it obvious. This really was a different world. Then again, I suppose gun shops in America probably looked similar.
We stepped inside. There were a fair number of customers, despite the shop's size. People were scattered through the wide aisles, all of them intensely focused on the gear. They were choosing the items they would entrust their lives to, after all.
We headed toward the back. The staves and canes were located in the very last aisle—a sight truly unique to a fantasy world.