He was just standing there, stunned.
A mature female voice called out.
"My Lord, do you require our services?"
A young woman stepped forward. She had a sultry figure, wore a tight skirt, and exuded seductive charm with every movement.
She looked to be in her early thirties, with waist-length hair and a confident demeanor.
A system message popped up in front of Chishiya.
[Name: Labyrinth Ant Queen]
[Position: Core Employee of the Enterprise]
Recruitment Rewards:
1. Labyrinth Ant Colony – Increases collection and construction speed by 50%
2. Leadership – Grants host the ability to control insect-type monsters
[This employee was recruited using 10,000 reputation points]
[Recruitment rewards automatically granted]
As the system message ended, a spark of electricity flashed through Chishiya's mind.
Suddenly, he could understand what the ants around him were saying.
"My king! My king!…"
"Work! Work!…"
Chishiya stood frozen.
With the Leadership skill, he not only understood the Labyrinth Ants' speech, but could also sense their emotions.
Work!
The ants had one and only one thought.
Work for the king!
He'd never seen anything like this before.
Chishiya gave them a big thumbs-up.
Finally, someone in this world who actually likes working.
The Labyrinth Ant Queen stepped forward.
"Master, please give us your command."
Chishiya didn't waste any time and handed her the blueprints.
"Split the colony into two units."
"One handles resource collection."
"The other builds a commercial street on the surface and five floors underground."
"Yes."
The Queen accepted the plans and turned to issue her orders.
"Worker ants, move out!"
"Dedicate yourselves to our king!"
"Yes!!!"
Rustle.
The Labyrinth Ant swarm scurried back underground in droves.
The Ant Queen bowed politely to Chishiya.
"Master, please await our good news."
She turned and vanished into the earth.
Just then, the door to the cabin creaked open.
Megumin peeked out, eyes sparkling.
"Sensei, are you sure you're not the Demon King?"
The dense mana in the underground Labyrinth had helped her recover.
She hadn't expected to see this when she opened the door.
"You really aren't normal!"
"That's so cool! You can talk to ants?!"
"How did you do that? I wanna learn too!"
Chishiya rubbed his temples.
The Crimson Demons… They really aren't wired like normal people.
Any other 14-year-old would be screaming.
Megumin? She looked like she was about to catch one of the ants and start dissecting it.
"Go train after you rest. I've still got stuff to do."
"Pff…"
Megumin pouted and turned away dramatically.
"Dragging a young girl into a monster-infested labyrinth…"
"Then hiding out while playing absentee manager."
"Sensei, your personality's kind of trash."
Chishiya: "…"
Excuse me? Do you want me to go mine crystals with you?!
Megumin shook her head and muttered.
"Sigh… so unreliable."
"I really thought you were dependable…"
"I guess I was wrong about you, Sensei…"
Chishiya couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, okay! I'll go with you!"
"Hehe."
Megumin smirked smugly, put on her magic hat, and hoisted her pickaxe.
She jogged up beside him and patted his back.
"Come on, Sensei. Let's go mining."
"You're a mage too. You shouldn't slack off!"
Ding ding ding!!!
CLANG—OW!
Once again, the sound of metal crashing and Chishiya's pained screams echoed through the cave.
I will atone for my lies even if it kills me…
He didn't know how long they'd been mining when…
Clang!
Chishiya dropped his pickaxe to the ground.
"That's it… I'm done for today…"
"Eh?" Megumin turned to look at him.
She'd already taken off her robe, rolled up her sleeves, and was still swinging her pickaxe like a pro.
Chishiya stared at her, confused.
Where does this little demon get so much energy?!
Megumin glanced at the basket beside her and did a rough count.
"Master, we still need a few more. We're not at 200 pieces yet."
Not enough?! Do you want to kill me, you cursed prodigy?!
Chishiya forced a smile.
"No need. You've already passed the first level. You're gifted."
Megumin put her hands on her hips proudly.
"Really?"
"That's great! I told you I'm the Crimson Demons' genius girl!"
"Ahahaha~~!"
Chishiya stared blankly into space.
If it weren't for the Labyrinth Ants, I wouldn't survive another day of this…
Still, something occurred to him.
As the Labyrinth expanded, managing everything alone would be impossible.
He needed someone with business savvy, tact, a little morality—but not too much—and a firm grasp of modern commercial thinking...
Suddenly, Chishiya's eyes lit up.
One perfect candidate popped into his mind.
Sato Kazuma!
"Yes, he's perfect for a management role."
"And with his absurd Luck stat, recruiting him would be a huge win."
——
Meanwhile
Night had fallen, but the Adventurer's Guild was still buzzing.
The tavern echoed with laughter, clinking mugs, and celebration.
"Aaah~…"
Aqua, now scrubbed clean of frog slime, was chugging sparkling wine across from Kazuma.
"That's the stuff~ Miss Luna, another round!"
Opposite her, Kazuma slumped over the table like a defeated salaryman.
"I'm so exhausted… I worked my butt off all day and only made 10,000 eris…"
"This isn't sustainable…"
"..."
"No!"
Kazuma suddenly sat bolt upright.
"We need new party members!"
"If this keeps up, I'm going to die poor!"
Luna approached with Aqua's next drink and gave Kazuma a look.
"Kazuma-kun, you seem troubled about your teammates."
Kazuma smiled bitterly and glanced at Aqua.
She was already wasted.
Flailing around with two fans in her hands and splashing water at the crowd.
Apparently, she'd decided it was time for banquet magic.
Kazuma's eye twitched.
What sin have I committed…
That murderous look in his eye was getting harder to hide.
He clutched his head.
He really wanted to strangle this useless goddess.
Why did I choose her?!
Should've just picked a magic tool!
"Damn it, AAAAAAAHH!!!"
The little devil in Kazuma's heart shrieked in agony.
Luna noticed his misery and leaned in.
"Kazuma-kun, if you're looking to recruit someone, I do have a suggestion."
"Really?!"
Kazuma sat up immediately.
Luna was trustworthy. Her recommendations had to be good.
"Hmm…"
Luna tried to recall.
"This morning, a new adventurer posted a party recruitment request."
"He's got serious talent!"
"His magic power rivals Aqua-sama's. And his stats are well above average."
"He switched to the Arch Wizard class right away."
"He also accepted a mission to subdue a Giant Toad today. You might've already met him."
Kazuma froze.
Arch Wizard …
"Ms. Luna, wait… You're not talking about… the person I saw earlier, right?"
Please tell me this isn't a coincidence.
Kazuma swallowed.
"What did he look like?"
Luna thought for a moment.
"Well… He's a tall guy, maybe 20 years old."
"Looks a bit… disheveled."
"Wearing simple cloth clothes."
Kazuma sprang to his feet.
"That's it! That's the guy!"
"So he really is a new adventurer?!"
You've got to be kidding me!
How can a rookie use that kind of spell?!
Luna blinked.
"What's wrong?"
Kazuma didn't answer. A sly grin curled on his face.
"Heh… heh heh heh…"
"It's settled. No matter what it takes, I'm joining his team!"
"I'm locking down that golden goose!!!"
(To be continued.)