"Sion, you're alive! That's a huge relief."
A red-haired woman with an eyepatch over her left eye gripped my shoulder and grinned. This was Guild Master Moira. It was probably our fifth private meeting.
She was a woman with a notably generous bust—and a former Platinum-rank adventurer covered in countless small scars.
"So, have you finally decided to join the Guild? How commendable!"
"No, that's not it."
"What? It's no fun if you keep playing hard to get. Why don't you just come work for me already?"
"Hmm. I'm not really inclined."
"Damn it."
This woman had been hitting on me ever since I acquired the Aether Pocket. She'd even subtly tried to seduce me into spending the night with her. Sorry, but a married woman is a bit much for me. I didn't know much about her husband, but she did have a daughter who looked exactly like her. Honestly, I'd rather have the daughter.
"So, you want to form an expedition to the Underground City?"
Once she realized her advances were going nowhere, Moira's expression returned to business as usual.
"Yes. I made a promise to a Silver-rank adventurer."
"Edwin gave me the gist of it. You want to retrieve your comrades' bodies from the Underground City, right?"
"Exactly. And while I'm down there, I figured I could help by transporting supplies."
"I was already planning to organize an expedition, so your timing is perfect."
So the Guild Master had her own plans. It made sense; the Underground City must be a literal monster's den right now. Though she didn't say it outright, sending in just a few adventurer parties wouldn't have been enough. There was a high probability that the area was swarming with monsters following the Great Upheaval. A large-scale expedition was necessary to clear them out.
"Of course, since I have almost no combat ability, I only plan to deliver the supplies and then pull out."
"That alone is more than enough."
My plan was simple: recruit an expedition, gather a bunch of Silver and Gold-rank adventurers, throw them into the Underground City, and then piggyback on their progress. I'd handle the logistics, and in exchange, they'd clear the path. The maps would be updated automatically, and the monsters would be thinned out, naturally increasing the safety of the zone. Once the area was stable, Rohan and I could retrieve his comrades.
"Good. About thirty people have already gathered. If word gets out that you're in charge of supplies, more will likely join. No one likes carrying their own heavy gear."
Rumors of a porter with an Aether Pocket had already spread among the adventurers. I'd even received offers from several Gold-ranks, so I expected plenty of volunteers once they heard I was participating.
"When can the expedition depart? I'd like to go as soon as possible."
"Since you can transport supplies so easily, we should be able to head out by tomorrow morning at the latest. The sooner the better, so I'll move the schedule up."
"Excellent. I have some separate preparations to make as well."
"Understood. I'll have the supplies ready for transport in advance."
Done. The expedition was coming together smoothly. Now, I just needed to go down, find Mr. Rohan's comrades, and get back out.
"By the way, Sion. Did you acquire something new?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean a Trait. It looks like you've gained a peculiar new Trait."
"Ah…"
The eye behind the Guild Master's eyepatch narrowed as she observed me. Moira was a Magic Eye wielder—a specific type of Trait. I didn't know the exact details of her power, but her left eye could discern an opponent's Trait to some extent.
"I acquired a Trait called 'Eye of the Soul.' Do you happen to know anything about it?"
"Eye of the Soul? An eye that sees souls, hmm... I don't know the specifics, but based on how my own eye reacted, it must be a high-tier Trait. Did you receive the Labyrinth's blessing or something, Sion? An Aether Pocket and a Magic Eye?"
The Guild Master looked at me with a hint of envy. If even she didn't know what the Eye of the Soul did, just how rare was it? Perhaps I should ask 'that person.'
"I'll keep that in mind. I'll be going now."
"Alright, see you later."
The Guild Master nodded and returned to her paperwork. I left quickly to avoid disturbing her further.
It wasn't surprising that the Guild was forming an expedition. They wouldn't just stand by and watch. They had already rescued those who could be reached quickly; now, they were planning to systematically explore the transformed Underground City.
"Mr. Rohan."
"Ah, Sion. You're back."
"Yes. I just finished the meeting. The Guild Master is forming an expedition, and we'll be joining them to descend."
"You've already settled it?"
"Yes. I was called in the moment I arrived."
"I see. Do you know when we depart?"
"Tomorrow morning. We should be able to finish our preparations by then."
We would go down with the main force, but we'd have to retrieve the bodies ourselves. While I planned to use the expedition for safety, I couldn't just follow them blindly. Even within a large group, everyone eventually splits into teams. The expedition was just a base camp; where each team went from there would differ. We needed to find people specifically willing to help us with the recovery.
The expedition was merely a mechanism to increase our survival rate.
"By the way, are you absolutely sure you remember where your comrades are?"
"I remember the location clearly. I hid them in a building near the Plaza District before coming up. We should be able to retrieve them once we find the Plaza."
The Underground City was divided into several districts based on the architecture. I hadn't heard all the details yet, but I knew of the Plaza District, the Temple District, and the Spire District. The monsters varied by district, so I needed to study up.
"Excuse me, but could you tell me how your comrades died?"
This was vital information. I needed to know what killed them so I could prepare.
"We were caught in the Great Upheaval and thrown into the Plaza... and a Chimera appeared, of all things."
"Ah."
A Chimera. A long-time resident of the Labyrinth City, and every bit as vicious as a Minotaur.
"Don't worry. We killed it before we escaped."
Rohan's group had consisted of eight people, including Hachi. More accurately, two parties led by Rohan and Hachi had cooperated to fight the beast. Six of them had died. Everyone except the two leaders had been slaughtered.
"Some of them were down there for the first time. We were acting as their guides."
If not for the Great Upheaval, they would have explored a bit and returned safely to the surface.
"Some of them completely snapped the moment the Upheaval hit. We had finished our exploration and were on our way up when we were thrown right back down into the depths."
It was understandable. To survive the hellish Underground City and reach the exit, only to be dragged back down by a literal earthquake of magic, would break anyone's spirit.
"Anyway, it was chaos. It was a miracle we killed the Chimera and survived at all. If not for that..."
If Rohan and Hachi hadn't been so skilled, they would have been wiped out and turned into monster feed.
"When we go down tomorrow, I'll drop the supplies at the temporary base camp, then I'll follow you and Mr. Hachi to retrieve the bodies."
"We'll need to find a few more adventurers to move with us."
"Yes. I'll leave that to you. I have somewhere else to go."
"Understood. I'll have them ready before sunset. See you later."
Rohan and Hachi would look for a rear guard and a healer. It would be great to have a priest from the Church of the Goddess, but they rarely entered the Labyrinth.
"Oh, I'll leave the White Crocodile's corpse with the Guild. I'll distribute the payment later."
"Understood."
After leaving the monster carcasses—including the Bunnyman—at the Guild's dismantling facility, I stepped outside. I'd collect the gold once the processing was done.
'Now then...'
I headed toward the general store. It was the place where I'd bought the tonic I used last time—a hidden shop in the eastern part of the city. It was an atelier run by an elf alchemist, tucked away in a narrow alleyway next to the Eastern Red-Light District.
"Hmm? Ah. Sion."
As I entered, I was greeted by thick smoke. It smelled like tobacco; the woman was always smoking that stuff.
"Long time no see, Ms. Lapnel."
The white-haired elf looked up. She had exquisite beauty, pointed ears, and an expression that was perpetually languid and bored.
"Long time? Ah. I suppose it has been."
Her sense of time was different from a human's. She looked like a young girl, but she was actually an ancient woman of unknown age. A child-like elder, truly. Her strength and abilities were a total mystery. In the first place, only those permitted could even find this shop. The alleyway was protected by a powerful ward. I hadn't even known it existed until the day I acquired the Aether Pocket.
"The Labyrinth was shaking. Did you survive the Great Upheaval?"
"Barely."
"So it seems. To acquire the Eye of the Soul at the crossroads of life and death... you've been busy."
"Oh? You recognize it?"
"Of course. You've gotten your hands on something rare."
Lapnel recognized it instantly. As expected of an ancient elf who seemed to know everything.
"Could you tell me about it? I want to use it, but I'm not sure how."
"Hmm. The Eye of the Soul." Lapnel pondered for a moment. "Ultimately, it is an ability that allows you to see what cannot be seen. The dead, the souls of others, or perhaps the hidden side of the invisible world."
"That sounds incredibly overpowered."
"It could be, or it might not be. As a Magic Eye, it will be heavily influenced by the wielder's nature."
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't even opened your eyes yet. You've only gained the qualification to open them. No one knows what you will see. You might see everything—or you might only witness the most insignificant things."
Lapnel stroked her chin and stared into my eyes. Her green pupils seemed to gaze directly into my soul. Even after her explanation, I didn't quite grasp how to trigger it. According to her, I hadn't even fully awakened the Trait yet.
"I don't even know when it will activate?"
"That's right. But you'll awaken it someday."
It wasn't precise, but it was a relief to know it wasn't a cursed Trait. Some Traits can be quite double-edged, after all.
"Anyway, coming here means you're going back into the Labyrinth, right?"
"Yes. I'm heading to the Underground City."
"The Upheaval just ended, so there's no telling what's changed. You should pack plenty of supplies. Speaking of which..."
"Don't tell me. Another experimental product?"
"Haha. Well, you see, I've made something quite interesting lately."
Lapnel placed a potion of a very peculiar color on the counter. This woman was always trying to use me as a guinea pig. She'd even tested that stamina tonic on me a few times before she started selling it.
"What is it this time?"
"If you drink it, you turn into a mouse."
"A mouse?"
A transformation potion? Transformation magic was rare enough, but she'd bottled it? This elf was a monster.
"Yes. The selling price is... well, I think 10 gold would be fair. No, wait. Given the ingredients... I should charge at least 20 gold."
"Twenty gold? No way."
I had to haggle. I couldn't just throw money away. She was a member of a long-lived race with unfathomable wealth; a little bargaining wouldn't hurt her. Lapnel was an eccentric who just wanted to be paid what she felt an item was worth; she didn't actually need the money.
"Who would buy that for twenty gold? It just turns you into a rat."
"Huh? B-but... it's a potion imbued with transformation magic!"
"It won't sell. Why would anyone pay twenty gold to turn into a rat? Do you want to get stepped on?"
"Oh... you're really not going to buy it?"
"Nope."
"Why?! Buy it!"
"It's still just an experimental product, isn't it? You're selling an unverified potion for twenty gold? Are you going senile?"
"You... you cheeky little whippersnapper... Fine! I'll give you one bottle for free. Try it and tell me how it works."
"Can't say no to free. I'll let you know how it goes."
I tucked the 'Rat Transformation Potion' away. This was actually amazing. If I could turn into a mouse, I could squeeze into small spaces and my presence would be almost undetectable. It would be perfect for infiltration or escape. As long as I kept my intelligence, the possibilities were endless.
"It won't make me as dumb as a rat, will it?"
"Hmm? Your intelligence will remain the same. However... your preferences might change for a while."
"Preferences?"
"Just try it. I don't know the details myself."
"Hmm."
Based on my experience with Lapnel's concoctions, there were never any fatal flaws. In fact, I'd often benefited from the weird side effects. I trusted her skill.
"Thank you. I'll be back."
"Alright. Try to stay alive."
After purchasing the rest of my necessities at a decent discount, I left the shop. I'd managed to get some great items, but the transformation potion was the real prize.
My preparations were complete. Now, I just had to hope nothing went sideways in the depths.
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