I woke up feeling refreshed, my body clean from the morning wash.
No, I felt refreshed because I’d washed with soap. There was no other reason for it.
None at all.
Really, I mean it.
Though it was true I’d felt quite refreshed last night as well.
I had the feeling Roxanne’s skin had become even smoother, perhaps because she’d also enjoyed the soap. Not that she hadn't always felt wonderful before.
Regardless, she was sleek and soft to the touch—the absolute best to hold.
Roxanne leaned in and kissed me. Her lips and tongue were meltingly soft. They felt moist and present, yet incredibly supple. Of course, that had nothing to do with the soap.
"Good morning, Master."
"Good morning, Roxanne. Shall we head into the Quratar Labyrinth before sunrise again?"
"Yes. Understood."
Reluctantly, I let her go and climbed out of bed.
In this world, people generally eat dinner as the sun sets. Using candles or oil for light wasn't outrageously expensive, but it was still an added cost. It wasn't something people did without reason.
Once darkness fell, there wasn't much to do. Well, there was one thing, but we couldn't spend all our time on that. I couldn't keep putting that kind of burden on Roxanne.
Consequently, we went to bed early, which meant we woke up early too. It was still pitch black outside.
Guided by the feel of the carpet next to the bed, I fumbled for my clothes and gear and got dressed.
Once preparations were complete, I warped to the Quratar Labyrinth to hunt Slow Rabbits.
To sell Rabbit Pelts to the Imperial Capital Clothing Shop, I needed at least a hundred. Given how high-end that store was, a mere hundred felt a bit precarious. I should probably collect more.
I needed to spend some serious time thinng out the Slow Rabbit population in the labyrinth.
Since Roxanne led me straight to them, gathering the pelts was relatively easy. Quratar had maps available, so I could ignore exploration entirely and focus solely on the rabbits. With Roxanne tracking them by scent, our efficiency was at its peak. There was no way we wouldn't succeed.
We gathered a hundred in no time and quickly surpassed two hundred, so I decided to aim for three hundred. Given the capacity of my Item Box, that was probably the limit.
While on the Quratar 7th Floor, we also stumbled upon a treasure chest.
Following Roxanne’s lead, I passed through a hidden door into a small room. There, in the very center of the floor, was a slight protrusion. Other than that, it looked like any other small room.
"Master, a treasure chest."
Roxanne hurried toward the bump.
"A treasure chest? That?"
"Yes, that's right."
Instead of a chest, it just looked like a lump where the floor had buckled. This was a treasure chest?
According to Roxanne, treasure chests contained items once held by those who had perished in the labyrinth.
The reason we hadn't seen any in the Vale Labyrinth was likely because of the low foot traffic. Fewer people meant fewer deaths, which meant fewer chests.
As for why we hadn't seen them in Quratar until now, it was probably because we’d been sticking strictly to the mapped routes. Since Quratar was crowded, many people must have died there, so chests should be common. However, on the mapped routes, everyone was passing through and picking them clean.
It was only because we were wandering around off-path in search of rabbits that we’d managed to find one.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Roxanne plunged her scimitar into the lump. I wondered if she even considered the possibility of traps.
"Is that safe?"
"Even if it is a Mimic, there is no choice but to defeat it."
I appreciated the confident response.
So Mimics really did exist here.
I really wished she’d waited until I had Durandal out before she cracked the thing open.
The floor was sliced apart by the scimitar, peeling back like wet newspaper.
Leather Gloves: Arm Equipment
A single gauntlet emerged from within. It was a perfectly ordinary piece of equipment with no skills attached. It seemed the theory about chests containing the gear of fallen explorers was true.
Since it was just a pair of Leather Gloves, it probably didn't come from someone who died on a much higher floor at random. It likely belonged to someone who fell on the 7th floor or somewhere nearby. After all, if you were wearing top-tier gear, you wouldn't die so easily in a place like this.
I offered a brief silent prayer for the original owner’s soul and took the item.
Realistically, it was mediocre gear, so I had no choice but to sell it. It wouldn't fetch much, but I suppose it was better than nothing.
Once the sun was up, we had breakfast and headed into the Vale Labyrinth. There, our focus remained on exploration. Since we were splitting our time with Quratar, progress wasn't exactly rapid, but that couldn't be helped. Just keeping at it diligently without slacking off was an achievement in itself.
I limited our Quratar trips to the early morning hours when fewer people were around.
Over the next few days, I finally gathered three hundred Rabbit Pelts.
It was time to sell them at the Imperial Capital Clothing Shop. After breakfast, I warped to the Imperial Capital Adventurer Guild and walked to the store. I entered through the side service entrance.
Despite being called a service entrance, it didn't lead to a staff room or a back office. It was simply a door tucked into the side of the building. The interior of the shop wasn't partitioned; entering through the side door still gave you full access to the showroom.
However, there was a counter immediately to the side of the entrance. This was likely where they handled acquisitions.
"Welcome. Are you here to sell Rabbit Pelts?"
A male clerk immediately came over to greet me. His job was Merchant.
"I am. Can you take them?"
"Thank you very much. This way, please."
The clerk bowed and moved behind the counter with fluid, practiced motions.
With a quick signal of his eyes, three female clerks hurried over. Two took positions on either side of the man behind the counter, while the third stood subtly behind Roxanne and me.
They were all remarkably well-trained. I suppose that was the standard for a luxury establishment. The woman behind us even held a perfect model’s pose, feet staggered one in front of the other.
"Mumble, mumble... Item Box."
Since the clerks weren't Explorers or Adventurers, I pretended to chant a spell in a low voice before opening the Item Box.
I began pulling out the Rabbit Pelts, piling them onto the counter.
The three clerks behind the counter processed them with mechanical efficiency. They inspected each pelt with a quick glance before stacking them. In no time at all, thirty small mounds had been formed.
I see. They were stacking them ten to a pile.
"We have confirmed exactly three hundred Rabbit Pelts. Shall we proceed with the purchase?"
The male clerk double-checked the count of the stacks.
"Go ahead."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
The clerk bowed politely and disappeared into the back.