Next day.
Underground Labyrinth, Second Floor.
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out.
A huge stretch of forest was flattened by a blast of explosion magic.
"Delicious~, delicious~."
In the rubble, Rim puffed out her cheeks, gnawing on a chunk of meat like a hamster.
If she weren't chewing on a monster corpse, Chishiya might've called it cute.
The contrast was unreal.
Who would've thought this little pink-haired girl was actually the gluttonous demon of the labyrinth?
The kind of nightmare that makes monsters flee on sight.
"Sensei, the ground is cold. Can you help me up?"
Megumin's voice came from behind.
Chishiya turned to see the crimson-eyed Arch Wizard sprawled motionless on the floor.
He sighed, rubbed his temple, then picked her up and carried her on his back.
After yesterday's brutal training, Megumin's next phase had officially begun.
Monster grinding for level-ups.
"How's it going? What level are you now?"
"Hehe... I'm level 10! I finally have enough skill points to upgrade Explosion Magic!"
Megumin beamed on Chishiya's back.
"Sensei, once I recover, let's go again! I feel great today! Next time, I'll definitely unleash a 120-point explosion!"
Chishiya cut her off.
"That's enough for today. I've got other things to take care of."
"Tch... fine."
To help her level up, Chishiya had Rim round up a cluster of monsters.
Then Megumin nuked them with explosion magic.
In exchange, Rim got another steak meal.
A system prompt sounded.
[New items are now available in the shop.]
Chishiya opened the merchandise shelf.
[Product Shelf: Magic Crystals, Healing Grass, Detox Grass, Paralysis Grass, ...]
A variety of new herbs had been added.
Likely gathered by the Labyrinth Ants.
[New items added. Trial market area expanded.]
[Big Data algorithm scanning for ideal customers...]
[Host, please continue adding products.]
[The more products listed, the broader your customer base.]
[Targeting potential customer...]
[Scan complete. Target locked: Darkness.]
Chishiya blinked.
Darkness?
That masochistic Crusader? What would she need these herbs for?
...Forget it.
If the system selected her, there had to be a reason.
Right now, his focus was still on growing Underground Labyrinth Enterprise.
Bit by bit, everything was falling into place.
With a proper mining and construction team in place, the commercial district was next on the list.
The next step: unlock a teleportation anchor ASAP.
Opening the labyrinth to adventurers was the key to real profit.
Chishiya pondered.
"But I still need to follow through on two earlier priorities."
Recruit core staff, and find product distributors.
"The core staff target's already set. Kazuma fits the bill."
As for distributors...
Chishiya rubbed his index finger.
He had a potential partner in mind.
Wiz's Magic Item Shop.
Wiz, the lich, once known as the Ice Witch during her adventuring days.
She was kind-hearted and ran a magic tool store. Unfortunately, she had zero business sense and constantly stocked bizarre items that tanked the shop's revenue.
Chishiya reviewed her profile in his mind.
As long as he could help her turn a profit, she'd definitely agree to work with him.
"But come to think of it... the system's been quiet for a while."
"Are the magic crystals not selling?"
That can't be it...
As long as Wiz handles the transactions normally, there shouldn't be a problem, right?
———
Meanwhile, at Wiz's Tool Shop.
"How did this happen..."
Wiz slumped over the counter, clutching the ledger.
The storeroom behind her was stacked with boxes of magic crystals.
These weren't just any crystals—S-rank grade, with over 90% mana concentration.
She rested her face on the counter, brows furrowed in confusion.
"C-rank magic crystals are selling like crazy. I figured S-rank would be even more popular."
"So I invested all the profits into S-rank crystals and now..."
"They're completely unsellable!"
"Now the shop's in deficit again. I don't even have the money to restock C-rank crystals."
"This time, we're really heading for bankruptcy."
"No!"
Wiz straightened up and pumped herself up.
"I'll keep going!"
"I don't know why the harder I work, the more I lose... but I'll still work hard every day!"
———
Elsewhere, at a hotel in Axel.
Splash, splash...
Warm spring water flowed from the mouth of a lion-shaped stone statue.
A beautiful blonde soaked in the bathtub.
"I got rejected again."
Darkness pressed her hands to her chest, a faint flush coloring her face.
"No one wants to party with me since I always attract monsters."
She clenched her fists, remembering the looks they gave her.
"As expected... no one wants a useless woman like me."
"Ah~ as a Crusader, I got swarmed by monsters and showed such a pathetic, disgraceful sight to my team..."
Her breathing grew heavier. Her fair cheeks flushed deeper with excitement.
Something about her aura was getting... concerning.
[Ding]
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in her ear.
A projection screen appeared in front of her.
[Welcome to Underground Labyrinth Enterprise.]
Darkness jumped and quickly covered herself with a towel.
"What?! Who's there?!"
[Ding! Please remain calm.]
[As a customer selected via Big Data, our company is here to provide excellent service.]
"Company...?"
Darkness blinked, taking a moment to process. Then she sat back down.
"So, what kind of service?"
[Our mission is to meet all of our customers' needs.]
[Dear Ms. Lalatina, please allow us to introduce our product lineup.]
"Wh-what?! How do you know my real name?!"
Darkness flinched and stared at the screen, wary.
"Since becoming an adventurer, I've only ever gone by Darkness... I never told anyone my real name."
"How was it exposed...?"
[It is our job to understand every user.]
[Now, if we may introduce some featured items...]
[We believe they'll meet your interests.]
Business tactics...?
Darkness narrowed her eyes.
He doesn't seem hostile.
After a moment, she nodded.
"Alright. Go ahead."
[Product Introduction...]
[Paralysis Grass: Electrifies the target, delivering a tingling sensation throughout the body for 5 minutes.]
[Price: 20,000 Eris]
[Suffocating Flower: Inhalation of pollen blocks cellular oxygen intake, inducing a strangling-like sensation for 30 seconds.]
[Price: 20,000 Eris]
[YY Grass: Creates a wish-based illusion upon the target for 1 minute.]
[Price: 20,000 Eris]
[Weakness Grass: Inflicts random debuffs like heightened pain or fatigue, leaving the target in a weakened state.]
[Price: 20,000 Eris]
[Would you like to place an order?]
"..."
Darkness said nothing.
[Excuse me, would you—]
"Uuh..."
A heavy breath escaped.
Darkness didn't seem to know what to say.
Her face turned bright red. Her eyes gleamed.
[Are you satisfied? Which one would you like?]
"All of them..."
She clenched her fists. A twisted smile tugged at her lips.
"I want them all!"
(To be continued.)