Outside, it was late afternoon.
The sky was painted with the hues of an approaching sunset. The air felt crisp, and the breeze carried a freshness that confirmed we were finally out of the Labyrinth.
The chaos following the Great Upheaval seemed to have settled. Most of the victims gathered at the entrance had been dealt with; the wounded had likely been moved to relief shelters, and the dead had been sent to the Church. Even the adventurers who had been slumped in despair at the gates were mostly gone, having either retreated to the Guild or steeled themselves to head back inside.
Judging by the lack of aching in my bones, I haven't triggered a Mana Adaptation yet.
Rohan and Hachi had done the heavy lifting against the monsters. Aside from the few kills I managed on the fourth floor, I hadn't gained enough experience to force an evolution.
"Ugh...!"
Beside me, Erika suddenly gasped, clutching her chest as she crumpled to the ground.
"Ah, it hurts! It hurts... My body... Ugh!"
"Erika, stay calm. It's just Mana Adaptation," I said, quickly grabbing her shoulder to steady her before she could spiral into a full-blown seizure. "It happens to everyone. Just breathe."
"Ah... Hah... Yes..."
I'd been expecting this, so I was able to settle her down quickly. Even if you know Mana Adaptation is coming, experiencing it is a different beast entirely. For those who have just escaped a brush with death, the sudden, inexplicable surge of power can feel like another attack, leading to panic. In moments like this, a calm voice telling you it's normal is the best medicine.
Come to think of it, even the Young Lady had been flustered when it happened to her. I looked over at Rien, curious.
"Rien, wasn't your first Adaptation disorienting?"
"Me? I... well, I was startled, but I didn't really have time to be confused..."
As expected of a mage-class who spent her days in meditation. Her mental fortitude was on par with a high-ranking monk.
Rien had woken up alone in the Cemetery, been hunted by the undead, and was only rescued at the last second. She'd even mentioned her arm being slashed by a skeleton. In that battered state, she'd undergone Adaptation, gained an Ability, and immediately dove back into the Labyrinth to save the Young Lady and me. Then, without a moment's rest, she went back in for Rika and Erika.
Her resilience was extraordinary. She had been on the verge of a breakdown, yet she'd forced herself into a semi-awakened state through sheer willpower and the desire to save her friends. Honestly, while Rien herself might be sick of the Labyrinth, her talent was undeniable. You could see it in the way she survived being thrown into death traps time and time again. She was built for this place.
"Hmm... I'm starting to feel it too..." Rien murmured.
It made sense. She'd gained a massive amount of experience by navigating the fourth floor as a Level 1.
Rohan, Hachi, and I, however, showed no change. Even after taking down the boss of the fourth floor, the two of them hadn't triggered an Adaptation. It meant that monsters from the upper floors no longer provided enough "pressure" to force their bodies to evolve.
"Ugh...!"
Erika suddenly clutched her head, groaning in pain. A headache—the telltale sign of gaining an Inung, an Awakened Ability.
"Congratulations, Erika," I said.
"S-something... something just entered my head."
"You've gained an Ability."
"I'm jealous," Hachi chimed in.
"An Ability on your very first expedition? Talk about luck," Rohan added with a grin.
They weren't wrong. Gaining an Ability right out of the gate was incredibly rare. The Young Lady was proof of that; she'd finished her first expedition without gaining a single trait. Even my own Adaptation had come quite late. Since I worked as a porter, I rarely engaged in the kind of life-or-death combat that triggered such growth. Rien and Erika were definitely among the lucky few.
"Over there! Survivors!"
Guards stationed at the entrance came rushing toward us.
"We have first aid available if you're injured."
"If you can't walk, we can call an escort team to take you to the relief shelter."
An older guard and a rookie scanned us for injuries. I was fine, but the others were a different story. Rien's arm was still bleeding through the makeshift bandages I'd applied; she needed a proper divine blessing. Erika wasn't physically wounded, but she was mentally exhausted and clearly needed rest.
"I think I need the shelter," I said.
"Me too," Rien added.
"Then let's all go."
Rohan and Hachi were in the worst shape physically. Both had pushed themselves far beyond their limits. Rohan, in particular, had been a whirlwind of violence at the front lines and looked like he was held together by sheer stubbornness.
"It looks like everyone can still move on their own. We'll return to our posts," the guard said, seeing we didn't need to be carried.
"Thank you."
As we began the trek toward the relief shelter, I started mentally checking off my to-do list.
First, get Rien and Erika treated. Second, find the Young Lady's lodgings and update her. Third, take Rika's body to the Cathedral with her.
Beyond that, I had to visit the Adventurer's Guild to report on the Great Upheaval and hand over the remains of the fallen adventurers we'd recovered. I also needed to coordinate with Rohan for tomorrow's dive into the Underground City and sell off the monster parts we'd harvested. And finally, I needed to collect my payment from the Young Lady.
Busy. So damn busy.
But it was better to handle everything at once than let it pile up.
"Let's head to the shelter first," I said, turning to Rohan. "About the Underground City—when are we heading in?"
I'd agreed to join them in exchange for their help with the rescue.
"I originally planned on tomorrow, but I've changed my mind," Rohan admitted. "It would be suicide for just Hachi and me to dive into the Underground City alone."
"Smart move."
I was relieved. I'd been worried he was crazy enough to try it with just the three of us. We needed a real team.
"We'll take tomorrow to regroup and recruit," Rohan continued. "We need to be better prepared."
"Sounds good. I'll post a recruitment notice at the Guild later."
"You're doing it yourself?"
"Yeah. If I write 'accompanied by a porter with an Aether Pocket,' people will flock to us. There are plenty of adventurers like you who want to go back in to retrieve their friends' bodies."
"True enough..."
The Great Upheaval had left the city in shock, but as the dust settled, adventurers would start looking back toward the Labyrinth. Some would go for closure, others to exploit the newly shifted floors for profit. While many would flee the city entirely, creating a vacuum of mid-tier talent, those who stayed would find plenty of opportunities to get rich.
"Rohan and Hachi are reliable vanguards," I mused, "but the Underground City is too dark and dangerous for just two front-liners."
I wasn't a combatant. I was pure support, and I didn't count toward our offensive strength. We needed at least two rear-guards and a priest to make the expedition viable.
"We should probably form a full expedition party," I suggested. "With my Aether Pocket, supplies won't be an issue. I can carry enough for a small army."
"A full party would definitely be more stable," Rohan agreed. "We'll talk to the Guild about it tomorrow. Forming a party of that scale isn't something we can just do on a whim."
He was right. An expedition party was essentially a private army—a group of superhumans that could easily overpower the city guards. If we tried to form one without Guild oversight, the city authorities would see it as a threat.
If we bypass the Guild, we'll face sanctions—or worse, be branded as rebels. I don't have the money or the desire to be tortured and beheaded.
At that scale, it was better to have the Guild's backing.
"Agreed. We'll handle the logistics and the White Crocodile carcass tomorrow."
"Deal."
We reached the relief shelter shortly after. Rohan and Hachi were ushered into intensive care, while Rien and Erika were taken to the examination rooms.
"I'm going to report to the Young Lady," I told them. "Get some rest."
"Okay... Thank you, Porter," Rien said softly.
"Thanks for saving us," Erika added.
Leaving them in good hands, I headed for the Young Lady's inn. She was likely pacing the floor, sick with worry. I needed to give her the news... and tell her about Rika.
*
"A high-class inn, of course."
As expected of a noble, she was staying in the wealthy district. It made sense; for a team of women, paying for top-tier security was a necessity, not a luxury.
"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked, his eyes sharp and wary.
I didn't blame him. I was covered in a layer of dried blood, monster guts, and Labyrinth dust. I looked like a vagrant who had just crawled out of a gutter.
"I'm here to see the Young Lady. I have this."
I showed him the Lionel family seal she had given me as proof of our contract. The man's expression flipped instantly.
"Ah! You're the Young Lady's porter?"
"That's me."
"I'll inform her immediately. Please, wait in the reception room."
I was led to a plush lounge. It was my first time in a place this fancy. Personally, I thought if you had this much money, you should spend it on better gear, but I suppose nobles had reputations to maintain. A porter like me was happy with a clean bed and a cheap meal.
"Wow, they even have free coffee."
And cookies. And sugar cubes. I quietly swept the free snacks into my inventory while I waited. A moment later, the Young Lady burst into the room.
"Porter! You're alive!"
"Barely. I'm exhausted, but I'm safe."
"Thank goodness... You didn't come up with us... I was so worried..."
She rushed forward and pulled me into a tight hug. I probably smelled like a corpse, but she didn't seem to care, clinging to me in relief. She was certainly expressive. I doubted there was any romantic subtext; she was just genuinely happy I hadn't died on her watch.
"But where are the others?" She pulled back, her eyes searching the room. "Surely... they didn't..."
"Rien and Erika are safe. They're at the relief shelter getting treated."
"Oh, thank God... Wait. Just Rien and Erika? What about Rika...?"
My silence was her answer. Her face paled.
"Rika... she died on the fourth floor. In the upper Sewer District."
"...Ah."
The Young Lady covered her face with her hands, her head dropping. A wave of guilt must have been crashing over her. Rika hadn't wanted to be there; she had only followed because of the Young Lady's stubbornness.
Technically, Rika could be brought back. The art of Resurrection existed. She could breathe again.
But from an aristocratic perspective, she was already dead.
In the Labyrinth City, Resurrection was a common service for those with deep pockets. But in the world outside, it was viewed as a corruption of the soul—a forced, humiliating tethering of the dead back to the living world. Conservative noble houses were especially rigid about this.
The stigma existed for a reason. In the cutthroat world of politics and succession, Resurrection was a nightmare. If you spent years orchestrating the "accidental" death of a rival, only for them to pop back up a week later, the system would collapse. The aristocratic code was cold: if you weren't strong enough to protect your own life, you lost your right to a seat at the table. The moment you were resurrected, you were socially dead. You could no longer hold a title, make political moves, or represent your house.
Furthermore, accepting Resurrection meant acknowledging the absolute power of the Church. Neither the Crown nor the nobility wanted the Church to have the power to decide who stayed dead and who came back. It was a check on their influence.
Of course, the Labyrinth City didn't care about any of that. It was a melting pot of interests where pragmatism outweighed tradition. But for Rika, a knight from a noble family, Resurrection meant she could never go home. She could never marry into her class or reclaim her status. Her identity would be tied to the Labyrinth City forever.
"Rika... is gone."
"Her body is in good condition," I said gently. "She can be brought back. What do you want to do, Young Lady?"
She went quiet for a long time. She wanted her friend back, but she knew the cost Rika would have to pay.
"I'll have her resurrected," she finally whispered. "I'll take responsibility for the consequences."
"Understood. Then we should head to the Cathedral immediately."
"Right... Wait, aren't you exhausted? Can you even walk?"
"I'd rather finish this now so I can sleep without worrying."
"Okay. Let's go."
I stood up, my joints popping. We headed for the Cathedral. I wanted to see Rika open her eyes before I finally allowed myself to collapse.