A brief, sweet respite.
Rien, who had been pushing herself relentlessly for nearly two days, finally collapsed into a deep sleep. Erika, too, couldn't fight off the exhaustion; her head bobbed repeatedly before her eyes finally stayed shut.
'But why are they sleeping on my shoulders?'
For some reason, both of them had decided to use me as a pillow. Rien rested her head on my right shoulder, while Erika claimed the left. I couldn't quite explain it, but as drowsiness overcame them, they had naturally gravitated toward me, leaning on me without a word.
"Are those two your lovers?" Rohan asked.
"Huh? No. I just met them yesterday."
"...What?" Rohan's eyes widened in genuine shock.
It sounded absurd even to me. I hadn't even spent a full day with them. In fact, I'd spent significantly more time with the Young Lady than with these two. My connection to them spanned only a few harrowing hours in the Labyrinth.
Still, it seemed I had become someone they felt they could rely on—judging by how comfortably they had drifted off against me.
"Wait, wait, hold on a second," Rohan pressed.
"Yes?"
"I mean... if they aren't precious to you—if you just met them yesterday—why did you risk your life to save them? For what?"
"Ah, well, you see..."
It felt awkward to tell him the truth: that I was being paid handsomely in gold.
Adventurers are, by nature, individuals driven by their own desires. No matter how kind or trustworthy someone might seem, there's no reason to disclose your financial dealings. Money—gold—has a demonic allure. In this city, people will kill for a single coin.
Rohan and Hachi seemed like reliable men, but I had only met them today. I hadn't spent enough time with them to truly know their character. We shared a sense of camaraderie, but when it came to deep, human-to-human trust, I had nothing to offer.
More importantly, these two had six comrades whose bodies needed to be retrieved from the Underground City. I had no idea what their relationship with the deceased was. Resurrection required an astronomical amount of money. It was common for adventurers to fall into soul-crushing debt or watch their comrades be sold into slavery because they couldn't afford the fees.
That was why I decided to keep my mouth shut about the reward. There was nothing more foolish than flaunting wealth in Labyrinth City.
"A noble I have a connection with asked me," I said instead. "I owed them a favor and couldn't refuse, so I came in."
I wasn't lying. I had formed a connection with the Young Lady, so she was indeed "a noble I have a connection with." And since she had dragged my unconscious body from the fourth floor of the Breeding Ground up to the third, I was certainly "indebted" to her. Furthermore, the gold coins were far too substantial to turn down, so "I couldn't refuse" was also technically true.
"Ah. So that was it. You're a more loyal man than I thought."
"Haha. Not at all."
Rohan smiled faintly and nodded, likely filling in the blanks of my story with some heroic tale of noble obligation. If he wanted to think well of me, that was fine.
"Anyway, those two... even if they aren't your lovers, they seem to rely on you quite a bit."
"It seems so."
It was likely the 'suspension bridge effect.' When you face a life-or-death crisis together, feelings tend to blossom. It's a common occurrence in mixed-gender parties.
Of course, the golden rule is: never date a party member. To be precise, it's better not to date an active adventurer at all.
How should I put it? It's not just like dating a coworker. It's different.
'It's dangerous. Dating an adventurer is pure madness.'
If you date a colleague in your party, sure, you see them often. You grow close. It might seem ideal.
But.
'What happens if they die? What do you do then?'
Imagine dating a woman in your party. Entering the Labyrinth is, frankly, an act of insanity. Adventuring is the ultimate "3D" job: Dirty, Difficult, and Dangerous. If there were a way to earn money without fighting monsters, no one would be an adventurer.
Sure, there are people like me aiming for a jackpot, or those seeking to level up through Mana Adaptation to gain new traits. But why bother if you already have money?
When I first saw the Young Lady, I secretly scoffed at her. It grated on me that a noble's child, who had no need to suffer in this hellhole, would choose to enter it while others were risking their lives just to survive. I assumed nobles just treated the Labyrinth like a playground.
That cynical view was forged by months of experience. Of course, the Young Lady turned out to be different, but her dream of being an adventurer still made her seem out of her mind.
In this profession, you can never predict when, where, or how you'll die—or what state your body will be in. How could I possibly date someone in this field and have a moment's peace? Especially if we were in the same party.
What if she was torn apart by a monster right in front of my eyes? My mind would shatter. It would almost be better if the body was completely destroyed, leaving no hope for Resurrection. Then I could just give up on life or follow her into the grave.
But what if Resurrection was possible? I'd go mad trying to scrape together the gold. Blinded by desperation, I'd take suicidal risks and likely end up dead myself.
And those who died that way? They'd be hauled to the Church, arbitrarily resurrected, and then forced to repay the debt through backbreaking labor in the mines or by being sold into slavery. I'd seen it happen a thousand times. Labyrinth City was littered with the husks of adventurers who had fallen into that trap.
The Church was relentless. If they could squeeze a Resurrection fee out of someone, they would. They'd hold the resurrected person's identity hostage until the debt was paid. Those without connections were sold to the highest bidder. Those with connections were squeezed until they bled.
And you couldn't just buy a comrade back for cheap. To the Church, a resurrected person was premium merchandise. You needed at least 100 gold to reclaim a friend. For a high-level adventurer with multiple Mana Adaptations, the price was even higher. The cost multiplied with every death.
For most, 100 gold was an amount they couldn't save in a lifetime.
This is why dating in a party is madness. And dating someone from a different party? That's basically an open invitation for someone else to move in on your girl. As I've said, Labyrinth City is full of "golden-haired studs," and NTR incidents happen more often than anyone wants to admit. Just thinking about it makes me want to gag.
'Wait, so what's the conclusion?'
The conclusion is simple: I need a beautiful slave who will stay home, do the housework, and never set foot in the Labyrinth.
Being a slave in Labyrinth City didn't mean people would just mistreat you on the street. In fact, it was the opposite. You don't mess with someone else's property. Unless you were the owner, you couldn't touch them without being prepared to pay a heavy price. It was a direct challenge to the owner's authority.
So, after circling the drain of my own thoughts, I always came back to the same point.
Slaves are the best.
There's no risk of them dying in the Labyrinth. They'll manage the house while I earn the coin. And, by command, they literally cannot cheat.
A virgin would be even better. I hadn't cared much about that before, but what that slave merchant said last time stuck with me. If you're paying a fortune, you want something brand new, not used.
'Now that I think about it... the Young Lady was a virgin, too.'
Oops. What am I thinking? After everything we went through, her face just naturally popped into my head. I must be losing it. To even consider a noble lady as a partner... I need to know my place. I'm just a porter.
'Don't even imagine it. I don't want to die young at the hands of Marquis Lionel.'
I shook my head to clear the thoughts just as Rohan spoke again.
"By the way, are you in a party?"
"No. Not really."
"Then... would you consider joining ours? You'd always be welcome."
Rohan was offering a permanent spot. Hachi chimed in with a nod of agreement. It seemed they had taken a real liking to me.
"Haha. I don't really plan on committing to a specific group."
"Is that so? May I ask why?"
"Well... how should I put it..."
I had my reasons. I didn't want to be tied down. I didn't want to grow so fond of comrades that I couldn't handle their deaths. But mostly?
'I hate it because it feels too much like a real job.'
Like being an office worker. Joining a permanent party meant coordinating schedules and being obligated to enter the Labyrinth even when I didn't feel like it. That alone was stressful. I preferred the freelancer life—picking up a party when I wanted to work and sticking to the upper floors.
Being a formal member meant following a leader. It meant having a boss. Being an external hire was different. Even without a fixed party, people sought me out. And after this run, my value was only going to go up.
Why?
'Because now, I can operate in the Underground City.'
During the rescue, I had undergone my sixth Mana Adaptation. I was now Level 6—the minimum requirement for the Underground City. Below Level 6, the miasma causes 'Maso poisoning,' but now I could move through those depths without issue.
The "love calls" from parties would be pouring in soon. A porter with an Aether Pocket was just that rare.
"I see," Rohan said. "If you ever change your mind, let us know. The door is always open."
"Thank you. I appreciate the offer."
"Don't mention it. A porter of your caliber would be an asset anywhere."
They didn't push further, but I could tell they were reluctant to let the offer go.
"Well then, enough talk. Shall we head up?"
"Yes. Rien, Erika. Wake up. It's time to move."
I nudged the two sleeping girls.
"Ssssh... Mmm..." Rien woke up, wiping a trail of drool from the corner of her mouth. Great, there was a wet patch on my shoulder.
"Ugh... My legs... they hurt so much..." Erika groaned. She looked like she wanted a piggyback ride, but there was no one left to carry her. I was on the verge of collapse myself, and Rohan and Hachi needed to stay fresh for combat.
"Hurry up and get up. We don't have time for this."
"Ugh... Fine..."
The pink-haired priestess dragged herself to her feet. We began the trek toward the third-floor teleportation stone.
"Monsters ahead!"
"Erika, can you buff us?"
"Yes...! Just a moment!"
The floor was still crawling with enemies. The only silver lining was that we finally had a healer on the team.
"Look, there's the stone!"
"Damn bugs!"
A massive swarm of Killer Bugs shrieked as they chased us from behind. Even on the third floor, the Labyrinth was trying to kill us.
"It'll be easier once we hit the second floor! Run!" Rohan roared, his blade sweeping through the insects.
Rien ran through her tears, her legs screaming in pain. Erika eventually fell behind and had to be scooped up by Hachi.
"Haaah... Haaah... Dammit..."
I felt like my lungs were going to burst. I hated this place.
"Get in!"
Hachi leaped into the blue gate with Erika in his arms. Rien and I dove in right after them. Rohan, acting as the rearguard until the very last second, vanished into the light just as the bugs reached him.
"Ha... Hahahaha!" Rohan burst out laughing as we landed.
Killer Bugs didn't appear on the second floor. We were safe from the swarm.
"Damn Sewer. I'm never coming back here as long as I live," Rohan spat.
"Agreed," Hachi muttered.
Rien was doubled over, panting so hard she was drooling, but she nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Rien, you okay?"
"Mmm... I'm... fine..." She didn't look fine at all.
"Alright, let's keep moving. We're almost out."
"Over there. That way."
"Wait, I have a map of this area. I'll lead."
We had teleported to a mapped section of the second floor. We took the shortest route possible to the next stone.
"Haa... Thank God." Rien, clutching her head from the strain of using 'Search and Track' too much, let out a long sigh of relief.
Before long, we reached the final teleportation stone. We ascended to the first floor, navigated the familiar upper tunnels, and finally stepped out into the light.
We were free. We were finally out of that accursed Labyrinth.