ã€ŠCoruscant Elaã€‹


 Prologue 1: Lying is bad, mmkay?

    Prologue 1: Lying is bad, mmkay?

    She picked me out of all the other village kids because I was strong.

    "Protect me, so none of them''s ever gonna bully me again!"

    I punched her straight to the face.

    She went home teary-eyed that day. Of course that was what came for her. She was an outsider after all. That girl, Erika Mei, was the daughter of a traveling alchemist who came to our village to study the nearby ruins. Our village hated outsiders, but nobody could push him away with the kingdom backing him up. Or that was what mom said.

    Because her dad was too busy studying the ruins, she was usually alone. The girls ignored her, and us boys bullied her. We stole her money, threw mud balls at her, and occasionally ganged together to beat her up.

    She was an easy target. She never fought back and the adults would turn their heads away. And she took it all without crying. It even became a game between us, to see who would make her cry first.

    This was our everyday life in this small and quiet village of Efflorescence.

    Until the day she asked to be protected.

    The next day, she tried again the next with a clumsily-made rice ball.

    "Here! Now protect me!"

    She went home all black and blue that day, with her blue hair sullied brown and her face smudged with rice.

    The next day, she came back once more with a slightly better rice ball.

    "Here''s a better one. Please protect me!"

    We laughed, mocked her, then went right straight to beating her. Outsiders weren''t supposed to be haughty. Fat Jon''s punch knocked her unconscious, so we left her there out in the cold as we went back to our houses to enjoy our family''s warm meals.

    The next day, she brought three rice balls.

    "A boy''s gotta eat lots. Will you please protect me?"

    It was almost fun seeing her desperately try.

    But no matter how much we beat her up, she would never give up. She did this every day, improving her rice ball, even adding some fancy designs to impress me. She took every beating without complaining, patiently waiting for my help.

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    I was never moved. Outsiders were absolute evils in our village, and everyone would turn on me if I did something so stupid like side with her.

    One day, I thought of a way to make her stop. I gathered all my friends and told them my plan, and they all agreed on it with smiles. They made their preparations, and I was left to meet her at the plaza alone.

    "Fine, I''ll protect you."

    I could never forget her shining expression filled with happiness and relief that day, and how it made my heart twitch a bit. But the moment she wrapped her arms around me and endlessly said her thanks, wiping her tears in my clothes, that small fragment of guilt was crushed. It became a funny scene. Why would she easily believe me after everything I''ve done to her? Outsiders were so stupid.

    "*hic*, finally... Finally! Thanks so much!"

    I asked her to join me in my secret base deep inside the Farwitch Forest, and she followed like a puppy, fully trusting my words. We passed through a path where monsters never passed, until we reached a clearing.

    "The base? Where''s the base? I hope it''s a treehou¡ª"

    I knocked the wind out of her lungs and pushed her to the center of the clearing, where the ground immediately collapsed and brought everything and that girl crashing down to the bottom of a deep hole.

    "*cough* *cough*... Eh? W¡ªwhat happened?"

    Everyone came out of their hiding places. We all looked down on her pathetic shaking figure all covered in scratches and bruises, and began to laugh at her.

    We mocked her for her stupidity. We shouted at her to get out of this village with her father. Some of us even spat at her. Tears were freely streaming down her face, but she never cried out loud. She really was stupid.

    Finally, when sunset arrived and we were all prepared to leave her, she shouted back at us.

    "You should all be careful going home at this time!"

    "Hey, she''s actually tryn''a scare us! Ha ha!"

    "Maybe... No! Not at all!"

    She began crazily telling us how some monsters in this forest weren''t acting how they were supposed to at night, and that we should all be extra careful. But we all saw through her. This forest has always stayed the same for a thousand years. Monsters would never pass the path thanks to the Hero''s Protection. There was no way it was going to change now.

    She thought she could fool us villagers. Outsiders were so stupid. We wished in our hearts that she would starve to her death alone in that hole, and talked about the games we would play the next day on our way home.

    My everyday life was back, was what I thought back then.

    I was wrong, and she was right.

    Like a nightmare, a huge dark figure leapt towards us and ripped Fat Jon''s throat with its sharp fangs, splashing his blood on our face as it messily chewed on my friend.

    It was a horrifying scene. The colors drained from our faces as we watched that towering abomination swallow what was laughing with us just moments ago. The gigantic wolf that stood on two legs, a wolfran, was done with Fat Jon down to the last bone, and eyed on its next meals. I quickly snapped out of it.

    "Everyone, run!"

    We ran and ran like headless chickens, away from that wolfran that was catching up at an incredible pace. My foot got caught on a root and my body slammed on the forest floor. I shouted for help. None of them even spared me a glance, hoping in their hearts that I would be enough to distract the monster.

    I knew, because I would do the same.

    I was crestfallen.

    Resentment grew in my hearts. Revenge was the only thing on my mind as I watched those razor-sharp fangs glistening with saliva and blood plunge towards my head.

    But that chomp never came. Instead, the wolfran missed me, and was now squirming on the ground scratching its face off with its sharp claws. I couldn''t understand what just happened. It kept scratching until it couldn''t scratch no more, and its body finally stopped moving.

    I heard footsteps approach from behind.

    "Whew, that was super close. Are you okay, Key? Did that monster scratch you anywhere?"

    It was a familiar voice. I looked above, and was showered with a soft smile, one that silently told me that everything was okay. Her battered figure was angelic under the full moon''s silver glow, and only now realized what a beauty she was, greater than even anyone on the village. But worst of all, her emerald pupils, filled with genuine worry, pierced through my soul.

    "No scratches, it seems. That''s good."

    A dam broke within me. Guilt came crashing down, and I shamelessly cried in front of her.

    "Oh no, your foot''s hurt... Don''t worry, I got something that should fix it up."

    She kneeled down, took a small bottle filled with a green liquid from a pouch behind her waist, and applied it on my foot with a cloth. But I didn''t care about that. She couldn''t understand my continued crying, so she kept rubbing until I calmed down.

    "*sniff* Are you stupid? Why would you save... a bastard like me?"

    She lightly knocked my head, as if admonishing me.

    "I''m not stupid. You are. How''re you gonna protect me if you''re dead, genius?"

    "You dumb idiot! I lied, okay? I tricked you so we could all see you suffer! Get that through your thick skull!"

    "... I don''t care if it''s a lie."

    I finally noticed it. She was all wobbly, and was exerting herself just to stay conscious. This idiot. She kept rubbing my foot, like it was her life''s purpose.

    "At the very least... let me believe on it... that beautiful lie..."

    "Erika?"

    She collapsed, her hand still gripping the cloth.

    That night, I felt like a newfound power awakened deep inside me. The pain that gripped my whole body was gone and was washed with a strange calmness. I stood up and effortlessly carried her fragile body with both arms. She was surprisingly light, even with the fact that she was much shorter than me.

    "I''ll protect you... You can''t even hear me say it properly. You''re the stupid one."

    On that night, I, Key Falen, descendant of the hero who slain the Demon Lord a thousand years ago, made a pact that would shape my entire life with a sleeping girl.

    I guess I was the stupid one.

 Chapter 1: Welcome to the Adventurers Guild

    Chapter 1: Welcome to the Adventurer''s Guild

    "Excuse me!"

    A shout snaps me out of my sleep.

    "He uh, what?"

    Two people, a girl and a guy, dressed like adventurers are standing in front of me. The scary expression of the girl that looks like she''s about to beat the life out of me shows how long they''ve been standing there trying to wake me up, but I can''t help it. I''m a deep sleeper, and sleeping''s my favorite hobby.

    ... I shouldn''t just outright ignore visitors, so I try to entertain them with a yawn and my best smile.

    "*Yawn* Welcome to the Efflorescence Library. How can I help you today? (Hope it''s nothing)"

    The girl adventurer slams her fists on the reception table.

    "You lazy¡ª¡ª! Ei, whatever. We need a map, the monster list, and locations of Safe Spots around the Farwitch Labyrinth. And lots and lots of stuff about... (unrecognizable rambling)"

    Looking more closely, they''re not your average adventurers. This erratic girl''s a Spellcaster, with the ominous-looking staff and witch robes. She''s even wearing a witch hat on top of her braided silver hair. How cute. The other adventurer was a warrior ¡ª a dual wielder to be exact ¡ª with a sword on both side of his hips. They''ve got fairly high-leveled equipments too. Are they here for that labyrinth?

    Ah, what a headache.

    "(More unrecognizable rambling)... for crying out loud! Hey, are you even listening?"

    "Yeah, got it. Some maps, yada yada. But crazy witch girl, this is a library, not the Adventurer''s Guild. Well technically, this is an adventurer''s guild, ''cause reading''s an adventure too. Heh."

    "Crazy witch girl!? I''ll show you a crazy witch girl!"

    "Hold on, Shine. Let''s not get too worked up."

    "But¡ª"

    "Calm down, I''ll take it from here."

    Oh, swordguy held her back before she could cast some dangerous magic. Good job. Books are fragile.

    "Sorry, she''s not used to talking with strangers. I''m Green Rivers. We''re adventurers from the capital, and we took on a request to investigate the Farwitch Labyrinth. So we tried asking for information in the Adventurer''s Guild, but they said we should come here if we''re going to seriously enter."

    "Tsk."

    That receptionist! This is HER job, not mine! I know the influx of adventurers coming here these past years were terrible, but she really is making it a point to send the troublesome ones to me.

    "So you want books about the labyrinth? I dunno. This library''s only got six shelves. Don''t be lazy pricks. I mean visitors, and check around ''til you eventually find what you need. (Please go away now)"

    "Like you''re one to talk! I''ll blast this whole place down to the ground!"

    That look. She''s serious. Swordguy, please do something about your pet. He''s giving me a sorry look? What the hell, swordguy? ''She''s not serious,'' you''re mouthing? She''s totally serious! Look, her staff is charging up some dangerous white magic! No choice, I''ll defuse this situation myself.

    "Shhh, no shouting in the sacred halls of knowledge."

    "KEEEEEEEEY!!"

    A childish shout echoes throughout the sacred halls of knowledge. Crap. Thundering footsteps come crashing down the stairs and what was supposed to be a punch pokes straight to my face! It doesn''t hurt a bit, but the pain is real in my heart.

    "No bully?ng our visitors! Hmmp!"

    "Geh."

    Bobbed red hair tied with an oversized ribbon and a dress that belongs more to the capital than this poor village, who wouldn''t fall for her.

    Crazy witch girl immediately ignores all definitions of personal space and bear hugs my cutie pie. What''s this? Her eternally pissed-off face is melting in front of this adorable piece of sunshine? Wow, duly noted.

    "Cute! You''re soooooo cute! What''s your name?"

    She takes up a proud stance. Not even fazed a bit by the witch''s hug, she''s too cool.

    "My name is Ela May, ten years old! My dream is to be the greatest adventurer! Just like my sis¡ª"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Come here you brat."

    I pry her from the clutches of the evil witch and pull her close to me. Whoa, that dagger-like stare''s surely visualizing my brutal death and repeating it a hundred times. Scary!

    "Hey squirt, were you never told NOT to talk to strangers?"

    "But I''m an assistant librarian!"

    "Before that, you''re ten."

    "I''m not a little kid anymore!"

    "Uh..."

    My sunshine, I don''t like the smell of these adventurers. They smell like /Serious/ trouble. With a capital S. Can''t you smell it too? You''ve always been with that sister of yours, so why can''t you?

    "Don''t worry, we''re not here for any trouble. We just want books about the Farwitch Labyrinth. Think you can help us?"

    So swordguy says. And that witch''s fervent nodding isn''t convincing anyone either, after that whole ''I''ll blast this whole place down to the ground'' thing.

    "I''ll help! I''m the assistant librarian, it''s my job to help visitors! Can I, Key, please? Please?"

    Those puppy dog eyes! Resist, resist the temptation! It''s for her sake! I ain''t letting no adventurers take my sunshine away! Resist!

    "Fine. Do what you want. Don''t go crying back to me when those pricks. I mean, visitors kidnap you."

    "Thanks Key! Erm, books about Farwitch Labyrinth? I know lots about that labyrinth! Cuz I''m gonna beat it too!"

    "That''s great. We''re counting on you, kid."

    Oi. Swordguy''s ruffling her hair. Good, he''s retracting it. He probably noticed the dangerous aura I''m releasing.

    Ah, they''re taking her away. Even that crazy witch girl''s trying to cozy up with Ela. But I can''t do anything, I''m just a lowly librarian who hates reading. I''m probably at fault for making Ela take the assistant job too seriously.

    I''ll be watching them CLOSELY to make sure that they don''t try anything funny.

    Ela professionally picks out books from shelf, eying them one by one with extra care. I''d watch that "I''m doing my best even if I''m actually just picking out random books I read" face all day.

    And, of course, crazy witch girl begins the discussion that would surely spiral into something troublesome.

    "I still think that legend''s a fake. I feel that travelling for months just to arrive at this backwater village was a waste, when we could be back at the capital to train for an all-out battle."

    "Well, that''s what we''re here for, to investigate. The event wasn''t supposed to go this way. Hmm... maybe an otherworlder as well? I guess it''s someone who knows the game. Tsk."

    "Ha?"

    "Nothing. But isn''t it better this way? We won''t have to fight the Demon Lord anymore."

    "But it doesn''t feel right! I mean, how can a fourteen-year old girl conquer an S-rank dungeon and defeat the Demon Lord alone? That sounds like a child''s fantasy!"

    "Still, it''s a fact that the Star of Revival''s gone, and the monsters aren''t going all berserk."

    "It''s weird!"

    "I may have a clue on how it''s possible, but nothing sure. Let''s just see what we can find here."

    Ela slams the books on their table, shocking the both of them. Oh boy, she heard it all. I wanna get something to munch on.

    "It''s real."

    ""Eh?""

    "My sister is the greatest adventurer in the world, braver than any hero! She beat up the demon lord all by herself! She really did! Of course it''s real!"

    "What?"

    "Your sister''s that mysterious person? Can you tell us more about her?"

    Those eyes are the eyes of someone getting their first solid lead. Hooray.

    "Yup! Erika is super strong! She can kill monsters with just standing! Cool, right? And, and she''s super smart! She taught me lots about ca... ce... cameistri!"

    "It''s chemistry, squirt."

    "Chemistry!"

    "... I knew it."

    Swordguy''s pretty shocked to hear those words. Does he know it? At least witch girl''s confused about it, like she should.

    "Chemis... try? What''s that?"

    "It''s super complex! It''s for smart people only!"

    "That sounds like an insult, but I''ll forgive you cuz you''re cute."

    She''s hugging her again. Ah, my little sunshine, you''ll be kidnapped at this rate.

    "Where is she now?"

    Swordguy, why would you ask that question to that little girl if you know about the legend? He''s surprisingly insensitive. Oh no, Ela''s tearing up. Curse you, swordguy...

    "S¡ªsorry. Let''s go, I got all the information I need."

    Finally, swordguy says the only reasonable thing any visitor of libraries should be saying. That''s right, go away. People who makes my sunshine cry should go away.

    "Eh, but we haven''t even read anything yet... and I wanna bring this child home..."

    I told you! I told you so!

    Swordguy brings the stack of books to my desk.

    "We''ll just borrow these books and read them at the inn with everyone. Can we?"

    "... You''ll need to register for a library card. 120Gs."

    To be honest, I''d rather just give those books away so they wouldn''t return here anymore, but Erika would kill me if I did that. He pays up, and I write up the information he tells me on the card.

    Name: Insensitive Prick

    Age: 6

    Job: Kidnapper

    Address: Back where you came from

    "Here you go sir. Return those books in two weeks, or the authorities shall be notified."

    "... Okay. Shine, let''s go."

    "But I still wanna play with Ela."

    "*Sigh* We''ll be back. We can, right, Ela?"

    "Hm. The library is for everyone."

    "I''ll be back for you, Elaaaaaaaaaa...."

    Swordguy drags the witch girl away with the books, and the library goes silent once more. Ah, look what they did, they sullied Ela''s mood. My sunshine is now covered in gray clouds. I walk towards where she sits and rub her sniffing and about-to-cry face with a cloth a kept dear within my pocket.

    "You okay?"

    "... Why hasn''t she returned?"

    She''s asked this question a thousand times ever since Erika left for that dungeon and never returned. I asked the same to myself as well. Why won''t you return? What''s keeping you busy? Are you having a long chat with the Demon Lord?

    Knowing her, she might very well be.

    Erika Mei, the mysterious girl who took on Farwitch Labyrinth said to have a hundred floors and the strongest monsters in this planet, and defeated the Demon Lord with nothing but a bunch of vials and her trusty sword Magistrate. What the hell are you doing, making your sister cry?

    "You know, your sister is the strangest person in this world. She''s unpredictable, dangerous and very much stupid. But did she ever lie to you?"

    "Never ever."

    "And what did she say back then?"

    "That she''ll return with a smile. And that I''ll just have to wait."

    "Don''t you trust Erika?"

    "I do! I really do! She never lies! She promised she would defeat the Demon Lord, and she did!"

    "That''s right."

    I ruffle her soft red hair. That''s right, my little sunshine. She''ll do what she says. One day, she''d return to this village with a smile, and she''ll say "Of course I''ll come back. Lying is bad, mmkay?" Because that''s the kind of girl she is.

    "... Thanks, Key. I''m all better now. Sorry for doubting my sister."

    "That''s the spirit, squirt. Now clean up the mess you made and don''t forget to dust the shelves."

    "Ehhhhh?"

    "Get to it, assistant librarian."

    I made her an assistant librarian because I don''t want to do housework. But she''s happy with it, so why not? As long as that little sunshine stays bright, I''ll be fine with being a librarian for the rest of my life...

    But I still hate books.

 Chapter 2: List Duty Day, 1

    Chapter 2: List Duty Day, 1

    Once every month, I close down the library without fail. Not that I''m lazy, of course, but because I''m a hardworking employee of the Efflorescence Library. Yup.

    Today is list duty day.

    Early morning, I cook breakfast for two. A hot steaming dish of fried vegetables and two cups of the finest coffee should do the trick. I make a point to never miss breakfast. Never. Like what my mom once said, a healthy breakfast won''t make you the breakfast.

    The next step is the hardest: waking Ela up. It''s like trying to wake up a rock. We''re total opposites. I''m good at mornings and bad at afternoons, while she''s bad at mornings and extremely great at afternoons. But it''s a cute trait, so big brother here''s gonna accept it.

    But not today. It''s list duty day.

    "Ey, Ela, wake up."

    "Mafuuuu~"

    What does that snore even mean?

    "Wake up, it''s list duty day. No lazing around now."

    "Noooo.... dun wanna..."

    "You''re pushing me, aren''t you, squirt? I''m going to use my greatest spell if you keep this up!"

    "Mafuuuu~"

    Brave little sunshine. I make a silly pose, and begin chanting.

    "Spirits of the Early Morn, heed my prayer! Grant me the Divine Justice, and bring forth calamity to the wretched! Magic Strike!"

    My finger flies high to the sky, and strikes her sides! Tickle tickle! Tickle tickle!

    "Hahaha! Ha! Hahaha! I''m awake! I''m awake!"

    "No, punishment for the wretched!"

    And just like that, I waste an unreasonable amount of time in a tickle fight with my little sunshine. We drink our coffees cold today. Well, we drink our coffees cold every list duty day. I hate this day.

    "Who''s on list duty today?"

    "... Me?"

    "Yep, it''s you, squirt."

    Ela gives a heavy sigh. None of us likes this day. But it''s our job, so it can''t be helped.

    "My sister is weird."

    "Yep, completely agree on that."

    "Why do we have to write every single book title and author on a list and hide it?"

    "She''s paranoid like that."

    "Stupid sister!"

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    "Yeah, stupid Erika!"

    We continue mocking her existence like that for hours, until we get bored and begin the day. This was list duty day ¡ª a day especially reserved to make a list of all the books in this library and hide it somewhere only we know. I know these are all her books, but what the hell was she thinking making us do this every month? At least make it every year.

    But that might be asking too much, given that we would have to do this every day if my poor little sunshine hadn''t begged her to tears.

    So while Ela does the listing and hiding, I do the shopping and general errands outside. We alternate jobs every month so it''s fair.

    "I''m going, Ela."

    "Take care, Key. Ah, can you bring me something?"

    "... Fine. But nothing sweet."

    "Ehh?"

    "Nothing. Sweet. I''ll try to find some dried squid for you."

    "Geh. Not again... list duty''s the worst."

    Our day begins.

    "Welcome to the Adventurer''s Guild!... Oh, it''s just Key."

    First stop: The Adventurer''s Guild.

    Ever since the Demon Lord was defeated and the Star of Revival (that red star that shines bright even during the day) disappeared, the guild released the restrictions on the Farwitch Labyrinth, and droves of adventurers began flocking in our once-isolated village to try their luck at the legendary "hardest S-class dungeon" Farwitch Labyrinth. And nobody could stop those hot-blooded adventurers, so we villagers had to accommodate them.

    And thus this Adventurer''s Guild branch was formed, by renovating our old meeting hall. There are cracks all over the walls, the furniture''s all cheap wood and the place smells weird overall, but it fits the atmosphere of a poor village branch perfectly.

    "Ey, Jina. How''s the receptionist life?"

    "Not enough pay."

    "I see..."

    The only receptionist, Jina, with long dark reddish hair combed to perfection, is a childhood friend of mine. Once a florist, she took the receptionist job in a flash for one thing and one thing only: money.

    "That guild master they sent here''s too stingy. Why won''t he give me a raise? Eee, I do some honest good work here every day. Every day! Appreciate my efforts, cheapskate!"

    "You''re complaining to the wrong guy. And besides, not only do you cheat these poor adventurers at times, you ask for a raise every day. I''d fire you if I was your boss."

    "Cheat? I''m not cheating nobody! False accusation!"

    "I don''t care. You have your scams, I have mine. I''m just here for the Most Requested Books Survey."

    "Eh, that silly survey? Not here to chat a bit?"

    "It''s list duty day today, and I''m handling the errands"

    "How boring. Here you go. I got thirty two people this month, so that''s 320Gs total."

    "I bet half of those are fake."

    "I do honest business here! Honest!"

    I asked Jina to give out a survey to the adventurers asking what book they''d like to read (for a price, of course) so I could order new books. Not my idea, but rather Ela''s, as an attempt to attract more visitors. Ah, I''m so lucky to watch my cute little sunshine taking the assistant librarian job too seriously. If it wasn''t for her, I''m sure the library would fall on its own weight.

    ... and as usual, the most requested book is porn. Why porn? The hell, is this an adventurer thing? I don''t understand.

    At least there are some normal ones. Let''s see,

    Plant Life of the World

    Magic Books

    Sword Arts and You

    Fishes of the World

    Taking Care of Kids

    Fight! Fight! Fight! Legendary Hero Falen!

    Easy Money for Beginners

    "... So you want an Easy Money for Beginners book? But you''re not a beginner at easy money anymore though."

    "Dat not me."

    Well, I''m done here. I still have a lot to do today, so I should leave quickly or I may be chatting with Jina all day. I give her the money and prepare to leave, but she stops me.

    "... Hey. I got some juicy news floating around. Wanna hear?"

    I smell trouble. It''s the same aura feeling when Erika plans something stupid.

    "And how much?"

    "100Gs."

    "The hell!? You''re making me pay? I''m leaving. And forget about the survey as well."

    "Wait! I''ll give you a special discount. 50% off!"

    "See you next time."

    "40%? 30%? Okay, 10%!"

    "Hm, I bet asking adventurers directly would save me a lot more."

    "Free! I''ll give it for free! Free... *hic*"

    "That''s more I like it."

    Ah, that violated look of doing something for free, I like it. I can get used to this. Her fault for charging so high for a survey. Anyways, if it''s that Jina, who''s got a nose for especially troublesome trouble, then it''s worth hearing.

    She looks around, making sure that no one''s listening and draws me closer.

    "I heard this from a traveling merchant, but it seems like the kingdom summoned a hero."

    "... What?"

    That''s odd. The Hero Summoning Ceremony is Alraz Kingdom''s ultimate weapon against the Demon Lord. From what I heard and read, with the Sun Goddess'' guidance, they summon a "hero" from another world, usually with strange and cheat-like powers, to battle against anyone who threatens our world. Why those heroes would do so much for us, I don''t know. Must be a hero thing.

    But the Demon Lord has been killed, so there''s no reason for summoning a hero now. This all sounds suspicious.

    "But that''s not the weird part."

    "Ha?"

    "Apparently, this hero went and kidnapped the princess!"

    What a twist!

    "What? Isn''t that a big deal? Why am I not hearing anything about this from the adventurers?"

    "The kingdom''s all hush hush about it. They''re trying to solve this with as little attention as possible, and adventurers aren''t really known as the silent type. Well, my merchant friend thinks that if news of this spreads out, Alraz Kingdom''s gonna be the laughingstock of the world. I mean, what kind of kingdom summons a kidnapping hero?"

    She''s got a point.

    "So how much are they offering?"

    "One Million Gs."

    The surveys fall on the ground. One million... one million... with that kind of money, I could destroy that stupid library and rebuild it, with lots to spare to play around! But... the enemy''s a summoned hero, so I guess the danger level''s high as well.

    "... What does this hero look like? The princess?"

    "Not much information about the hero. But the princess, she''s got golden blonde hair... not enough to go around, as well."

    "No sketches?"

    "Like I told you, they''re all hush hush."

    I pick the surveys up again. Ha... in the end, the only important information she gave was about the summoned hero, but I doubt that it''s going to affect this poor village at the borders of the kingdom. I shouldn''t get too worked up.

    "I''m running out of time, I still have some shopping to do. Thanks for the free info anyways."

    "Grrr... yeah, cheapskate, get outta here. And don''t forget, if you find her, we split the prize 60-40."

    "What the hell? It''s gonna be 100-0."

    "... 70-30?"

    "Just kidding, I''ll split it even. Least I can do for all your help."

    "Sign here please."

    "The hell!?"

    I slam her silly head with the surveys and leave for good. It''s always a bother to deal with her. Oh, I forgot to complain about her driving troublesome adventurers to my library! ... I''ll do it later.

 Chapter 3: List Duty Day, 2

    Chapter 3: List Duty Day, 2

    The open market has always been buzzing nowadays. Filled with booming adventurers hunting for the best deals and the villagers trying to squeeze every last coin out of their customer''s pockets, this place is said to be the true battlefield between the outsiders and the locals. How charming. This place is more suited to be called a town rather than a village. But traditions, I guess.

    Anyways, I''ll be picking up some food for the library, new curtains (pink is Ela''s requested color, but I''ll choose red as a compromise) and a new knife. Oh, and a candy apple for my warm little blob of sunshine.

    I slip through the crowd with ease.

    I see a familiar face, I make some small talk, grab a friendship discount, and leave. I repeat this routine over and over and over again, my sling bag''s weight getting heavier with every purchase, until my stomach rumbles.

    It''s high noon. Normally, I''d be finish at this time, but that talk with Jina took its toll. Ha... I still have to buy the knife and the candy apple. Eh, whatever, it''s time for some lunch.

    Of course, I got myself some fish sticks from Mr. Fish (True Name: Unknown). His fish sticks are good, and I mean it. Ela and I would unfailingly order one every time we go out, despite the heavy lines.

    "Ah... I wish I could keep eating fish sticks forever..."

    "Nyaa..."

    Nyaa? What kind of sound is nyaa? A cat?

    "Feed me, master... nyaa..."

    I''m getting the chills. Something''s clinging on my pants. Uwah. Crawling below me is a pathetic figure, shoulder-length orange hair all dirty from dust, and a face that looks like she hasn''t eaten for days. But that''s not the only thing. Her ears, they''re on top of her head. Cat ears...? And a tail?

    It''s a half-monster, a catgirl. Why is she clinging on me?

    "Master... feed this hungry cat nyaa..."

    What the hell? I''m not giving my fish sticks away.

    She''s perceptive. She must''ve felt my silent rejection and pushed harder to currying up my favor. Eh, she''s rubbing her hair on my legs like a cat. This feel so comfortable... not!

    She can''t fool me. Being constantly surrounded by scammers and con artists, I can tell her true intentions. She just wants free lunch. Under all those dirt, I can recognize some high-leveled stuff that can''t be bought by any random beggar, much less a half-monster, on the streets.

    Yep, she''s a full-fledged adventurer acting as a beggar.

    What a half-baked attempt for free food. I could do better. Even Ela can do better.

    "Master...?"

    What with that cute look? No. Get away. Take your scummy claws off my pants. Why the hell can''t I reject her completely? I have no problems being direct, so why? Stupid catgirl, your Ela-tier charms won''t work!

    Wait a minute. I can use this.

    "Ey, catgirl. I want to make a deal."

    "Nyaa?"

    "But first, drop the act. Follow me to the plaza."

    S¡ªshe''s fast! I bought four more bags of fish sticks, but catgirl''s already close to finishing her last bag while I still haven''t finished a stick. She''s chowing everything down so fast that I wonder if back then was really just an act.

    She''s done. Wow.

    "This moment I shall never forget, master! I shall repay this with my life, nya!"

    Perfect. That''s the devotion I''m looking for.

    "Hm. But can you stop it with the nya? It''s annoying."

    "Nya! ... Ya."

    I nod. Now that I see her face closer, she''s pretty cute. But not cuter than my cutie pie. Or Erika, for the matter. She''d fetch for a high price if she was sold. No, I''m not planning anything bad. Really. He he...

    "N¡ª Ya? I smell something scary from master."

    "Oh no, no. I''m just a humble villager with no such evil intentions. Believe me."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "If master says so... but first, more fish sticks!"

    "No."

    She''s sulking, but I don''t care. Gotta go straight to the point.

    "Hey, remember what you said? You''d repay me... with your life?"

    "Yaya? Master? I¡ªI may have exaggerated bit, but that''s because I know I can trust master!"

    He he, your "I''m an innocent sheep" tactic won''t work.

    "Hey catgirl, do me a favor."

    "Ya?"

    "... I want you to find news about a princess."

    "Hahiiii!"

    Whoa, her tail is standing straight from shock. If I remember that Reading Your Cat book correctly, a straight standing tail means that she''s... aroused? Huh? Am I remembering the right book? I think so. So catgirl here has a princess fetish, huh.

    "All I wan¡ª"

    "I don''t know anything about princesseseses nya! I''m just a stupid cat nya!"

    "Calm down, calm down, it''s nothing scary."

    Sheesh. I know talking about your fetish gets you in a bind, but at least act natural about it.

    "... Ya."

    "So, you got sharp ears?"

    "Ya."

    "So here''s the deal. You come to me for free fish sticks, no waiting in that tedious line, and you use that cat ears of yours to listen to any adventurers talking about princesses. You *wink* *wink* like *wink* *wink* princesses, right? So it''s a win-win for you."

    "I don''t know, ya. This cat here has to leave for the, uh, cat meeting. Ya."

    "Oh, what''s this? I actually had an extra bag of fish sticks?"

    "Nya!?"

    "Ah, what to do, I''m already full. Guess I''ll just have to... throw it away."

    "What a waste, nya!"

    "But there''s no one else to give this to."

    Timing it perfectly, I draw the bag of fishsticks close to the catgirl''s nose, and pull it away before she could grab it. I do this again and again, until I see a trail of saliva at the corner of her mouth. Now for the pitch.

    "Ah, if only there was some cat who''d appear and give me everything she hears about that has to do with princesses every time we meet, then this fish sticks wouldn''t go to waste."

    "I''ll do it! I''ll be your cat slave, nya! Gimme fish sticks, nya!"

    I release the bag, and she pounces on it like a hungry wolf. She''s still hungry? What kind of appetite does she have? S¡ªshe''s already done? Fast!

    "Ah, I shall worship master ''til the ends of the world. Lemme give you a hug, master!"

    "Whoops."

    I immediately grab both of her arms to stop the hug. What a freaky catgirl.

    "... If you''re planning on stealing my wallet, it''s in the left pocket."

    "Tsk. Master''s surprisingly sharp nya."

    Can''t she do anything about that nya-speak?

    "Yeah, yeah. What''s your name?"

    "I''d give a fake name, but master is special nya. I am Felia Mir, level 89 adventurer. Master?"

    She''s stinking rich! If I recall it correctly, the level cap is 100, right? What the hell is she doing as a beggar? I should be calling her master! Ah, master, give me back the money I wasted on you, nya.

    "... I''m Key. A humble librarian."

    "Shake hands, nya?"

    "Shake hands. And don''t forget our deal. I''m going to bump into you, in one way or another. You can''t run. You can''t hide. Give up and give in to Mr. Fish''s fish sticks."

    "Y¡ªya. A cat promise is a good promise, nya."

    I give her hands a good hard shake. This should be enough for that princess quest Jina gave me. To go out on my way for a million Gs is a fool''s errand. I get fools to do it.

    "Bye, master! I had lots of fun, but I hope we won''t ever meet again!"

    She scurries away like a cat trying to escape a dog. Heh. I''ll keep a look-out for that cat. She won''t resist the temptation. I know her kind. She''s a budding Jina, but with her innate skills, she might even surpass her.

    That was fun. It''s rare meeting non-humans in this mostly-human kingdom, especially half-monsters like that catgirl. They''re normally vilified as beings who have the blood of savage monsters, so they try to stay away from human eyes as much as possible. I guess she''s just too high-leveled to care.

    Well, break time''s over. Now it''s time to finish this blasted day once and for all.

    ... I was pretty sure that meeting non-humans are rare. Or is the adventurer job the latest fad with the other races? I did my last errands, bought a knife (and a candy apple expertly hidden under the groceries), and I was on my next stop, until I crossed paths with this elf.

    Yes, an elf. This is actually my first time seeing one. They''re normally clumped together hiding in forests, so my first thought was that she was a stray. I was wrong, she''s not a stray. She''s an adventurer, given that leafy healing staff on her back. These adventurers are getting crazier at every moment.

    I see that the legends were real. Golden blonde hair, mesmerizing green eyes, and we can''t possibly not mention those HUGE MELONS the size of BOOBS now, can we? Yup. The legends were real, Fat Jon, and I wish you were here to see it.

    But I can''t understand. Her face, which once sported such a gentle expression that soothed my very soul, is now a demon incarnate. Eh? Eh? Is she unreasonably angry? At me? I''m an innocent guy innocently standing here, why the hell is demon girl mad? Is this an elf thing?

    Hmm? She''s taking glances at my foot. I try peeking under, and it seems like I just stepped on a flower. Ohh! So that''s why she''s angry! Elves are nature lovers, so they hate people who destroy nature!

    ... Wait. I shouldn''t fall for the stereotype. She''s an elf, so we''d typically assume she''s into nature, right? I see. This is one of those "Just because I''m an ELF doesn''t mean that I like nature, you dummy! I''m not like the other elves" types of moments, right? I''ll show her. If I can handle a cat, I can handle an elf.

    I stomp the flower. It''s not working, she just got a lot worse. I stomp it more. Come on, are you angry that I''m not serious in my stomping? I''ll stomp it harder for you. More? Then I''ll¡ª

    "You, are the WORST kind of person!"

    ...

    She''s running away crying...

    Elves are surprisingly strong punchers, huh.

    It hurts, both my face and heart.

    Sorry, I knew she was a typical elf. Stereotypes exist for a reason, huh. Duly noted. I should get rid of this hobby making girls mad. Or Ela''d appear out of nowhere with her "no bullying" shout and punch combo.

    The last stop for today is rather mellow, compared to the other hectice events. A place where adventurers built their camps all around, this was the entrance to the Farwitch Labyrinth. Surrounded by a thick forest of the same name, this once inconspicuous cave entrance with stone flooring is now the shiniest trophy for all adventurers around the world. But not for us.

    I join the little girl sitting right in front of the entrance. She isn''t even fazed by the eerie atmosphere this dungeon gives. That''s my little sunshine.

    "Ah, Key, you''re here."

    "Yep. Here''re the groceries."

    Amidst the bustle of adventurers entering and leaving, bringing weapons and provisions of all kinds, we sit peacefully, never turning our heads away from the entrance.

    "This... is this a candy apple!?"

    "Eh? Candy apple? I''ve been those the whole day, there was still some left?"

    "Can I eat it, can I eat it?"

    "Fine, knock yourself out."

    She eats the candy apple silently.

    "So, how was list duty?"

    "It went perfectly. Oh, right, I met this super cool and kind woman who helped me around the village!"

    "Heh? Cool and kind? And what did I tell you about talking to strangers?"

    "But! She was so cool! She beat up the bud guys with just her fists!"

    What the hell? Who''s this haughty woman who dares to show off in front of my little sunshine without me?

    "And! And my cousin''s here in this village too!"

    "Cousin?"

    "You remember Aunt Fu? Her daughter''s here."

    "Eh, that shorty? What is she doing here? I bet she wants to try this labyrinth for herself as well. What an idiot, if she still can''t beat me in a swordfight, why''s she doing something dangerous like that?"

    "I remember! She told me to tell you that you can''t defeat her anymore until you learn how to use her mom''s swords."

    "Got it. Empty words from a loser."

    Her mom, Fu Mei, is the blacksmith who forged Erika''s Magistrate, the sword she brought along to defeat the Demon Lord. After Erika''s victory, the Magistrate became somewhat a legend among adventurers. Sadly, everyone who sees the weapons she makes loses hope to the future of weapon forging.

    Her daughter is probably the only person, next to Erika and me, who would use her swords willfully.

    "What about you, Key? How was your day?"

    "Nothing much. Ate candy apples, bought some stuff. Oh, and I met a cat girl and an elf."

    "Ehhhhh!? Tell me more, tell me more!"

    We make small talk, eat some of the groceries I bought, and sometimes go silent for long periods of time.

    The last part of list duty day, is waiting.

    It was Ela''s idea, thinking that she''d like us to be the first people Erika would meet at the outside world. That she''d realize her family has always been waiting, and will always be, until the end of times.

    We wait, until the sun comes down and the stars shine brightly above us.

    And as usual, Ela falls asleep while leaning on me, tired from all the hard work she''s done.

    I softly rub her head. Seriously, this girl works too hard. It kind of reminds me of Erika, and it puts me at ease. Doing my best not to wake her up, I lift her body up with two arms, executing a perfect princess carry. The grocery-filled sling bag is even heavier than she is. Sisters indeed.

    And this is how list duty day ends.

    I really hope this everyday life continues, until she returns.

    But deep in my heart, I know, that something dangerous is brewing far beyond my reach. It''s the same feeling before Erika did the impossible.

    Hurry up, Erika. Time is ticking.

 Chapter 4: Boredom

    Chapter 4: Boredom

    Life in the library is slow and boring.

    Sitting down all day surrounded by a bunch of stuffy books isn''t something I want to do all my life, but a man''s gotta do his job. I don''t even like reading, visitors rarely come (not that I blame them), and money''s always tight. Since selling library cards won''t keep us afloat, we depend on selling my little sunshine''s potions to the Adventurer''s Guild. Ela''s a great alchemist at her age, even better than those fancy decorated alchemist you can find in the capital. It would be a waste of talent. Yep. If only she could stop calling herself a chemist, which she is not. Chemistry''s a lot different from Alchemy. My job? To make sure we get full price for every vial. Jina''s too slimy with money to be trusted.

    Anyways. My point is, the librarian life is boring. So to take away some of the boredom, I entertain whatever Ela''s up to every day. Ah, my cutie pie never fails to cheer me up.

    "Key! You gotta learn to love books!"

    Ela''s pushing a book titled "The Little Princess'' Great Adventure" on my face. Her face is red with anger, and she''s puffing her cheeks.

    "Read this! Read this!"

    "But reading''s for nerds..."

    "No! It''s an embarrassment for our library! I won''t allow our librarian to be a book-hating blockhead! Hmmp!"

    "I¡ªI''m not a blockhead, you squirt!"

    I pinch her cheeky little cheeks, and she pinches mine back in retaliation. We do this for a while, until we tire ourselves and laugh like idiots alone in this empty library.

    A few moments pass, and she gets bored as well.

    She seats together with me, and we both place our heads on the desk, staring at the door. We sigh together.

    "Nobody''s visiting us, huh~"

    "Why don''t you go read a book, huh~"

    "I finished all the books long time ago, huh~"

    "Then there''s nothing to do but to stare at that door, huh~"

    We both sigh again.

    The library life is boring, for a guy who hates books and a girl who reads too fast.

    The bell on top of the entrance chimes.

    My mood instantly sours. Walking in with two new girls by his side is the swordguy from two days ago. Geh. Really, he doesn''t only want his swords plenty, but girls as well?

    Well, I recognize one of the girls he''s with. Blue hair in a ponytail, pathetic loser face looking all over the place anxiously, and that familiar sword with a blue edge hanging on her hips ¡ª yep, it''s the shorty, La Mei. Erika and Ela''s cousin. But she, isn''t she too close to that swordguy? Ela told me she was here, so that''s why she wasn''t visiting...

    The other girl''s the opposite of shorty. She''s tall and mature, she''s got fiery red hair and her eye''s all filled with intimidating strength. Reminds me of a royal knight. She''s wearing the garb of a sister from the Sun Goddess'' church though, so she''s definitely trouble.

    "Good morning again, Key. Ela."

    Ela only gives him a small nod. That''s more than he deserves. But she smiles brightly when she sees the two girls behind him. Geh.

    "Hey La, go get me water in the kitchen. And put some ice on it."

    "Ehh...? Okay..."

    Of course, I ignore the lecherous swordguy and go straight to ordering my lackey. But swordguy stops her, and shakes his head.

    "Don''t worry, Key. We won''t take long."

    I''d rather be bored than be with him.

    "So? Here to return the books?"

    He eyes Ela with concern.

    "It''s someth?ng I want to discuss with you. Alone."

    What? Alone? Then why''d you bring a harem with you? Are you blind? Or are you implying that Ela''s not smart enough to be here?

    But I can''t say that directly now, can I? Erika told me to be kind to visitors as much as possible. And I''m nearing my limit.

    "What? Alone? Then why''d you bring a harem with you? Are you blind? Or are you implying that Ela''s not smart enough to be here?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    They''re frozen in shock. The first one to recover is the sister, who''s shaking with anger. She slams the desk similar to a certain witch girl.

    "Green doesn''t have those intentions! Take that back, you heathen!"

    "And who are you?"

    "The likes of you do not deserve to know my name!"

    "Then get lost?"

    "R¡ªRina''s right! Green is a good guy!"

    "Shut up, shorty."

    "... *hic*"

    "You, you scum! Do you really believe I''ll let you off insulting my friends?"

    "And you think I''m letting you guys mock Ela and get away with it freely?"

    Dangerous sparks fly between us, and the atmosphere in the library grows cold. But I''m not backing down. Swordguy finally speaks after being silent for so long.

    "... Sorry, it''s my fault. Of course Ela can stay. But you shouldn''t be too rash at insulting my companions as well."

    "Do I look like I care?"

    "I guess not."

    Just because you''re a bit handsome doesn''t mean I''m gonna let you boss around.

    Swordguy sighs and releases the tension.

    "To be straight, I''m here for you ¡ª Key Falen."

    I wince, sister makes a disgusted face and shorty shows a bit of guilt at the mention of my last name. Tsk. They found out?

    "Descendant of the great hero, Var Falen, who slew the Demon Lord a thousand years ago. I knew there was some mysterious reason the Efflorescence Village was mostly isolated from Alraz, but I never thought it was to safeguard the identity of those who inherited the hero''s blood."

    "... Shorty, you''re in for the punishment of a lifetime."

    "Sorry..."

    "Don''t blame La. I forced her to tell me after learning that she knew you personally. But since I know your secret, I''ll tell you mine as well in good faith."

    Please don''t tell me he''s actually ga¡ª

    "I''m a summoned hero who came here a year ago."

    I step back a bit in shock.

    "... You''re worth a million Gs, you know."

    "As expected of a heathen, money is the first thing that comes to your head."

    I ignore sister''s comment like I should''ve done since the beginning and wait for swordguy to continue.

    "Time is not on our side, and I''ve heard of your exploits. You stormed the Farwitch Labyrinth yourself after the Star of Revival vanished, and how you reached the 50th floor through sheer will alone."

    Swordguy stares at me with such sincerity that it''s hard to believe he''s planning something bad. But it doesn''t move me, even a bit.

    "Just get to the point."

    "Key Falen, I''d like you to conquer the Farwitch Labyrinth with us."

    A heavy air permeates the library, and everyone goes silent. Ela grips my clothes so hard that it''s about to rip.

    He continues.

    "Right now, the lowest floor an adventurer has reached, with a perfect party and full supplies, is the 60th. But I believe that if it''s with you, reaching the last floor is possible!"

    "No! No! No!"

    Surprisingly, it''s little Ela who shouts her disapproval.

    "Key won''t ever go back there, ever! I won''t allow him!"

    Swordguy ignores her and tries to appeal directly to me.

    "Listen to me, Key! There''s something suspicious about the Demon Lord''s defeat. Don''t you think so too? I believe that she... Erika was hiding something dark and evil. And that if we''re too late, a threat greater than the Demon Lord might be unleashed to the world! Trust me, I know what''s going to happen!"

    What is this guy babbling about? Looks like the two girls behind him are convinced of this fact as well.

    "Erika defeating the Demon Lord... makes her dark and evil?"

    "I know this sounds strange, but yes. And I need your help, Key. To learn the truth behind her. To save the world. And to do that, we have to reach the last floor of the Farwitch Labyrinth. Please! I beg of you!"

    Swordguy''s bowing his head. But I don''t see any purpose to it. Maybe he''s hiding his head in shame?

    "Erika isn''t evil!"

    Ela shouts. Even if her face is full of tears, she still takes a stand to defend her big sister.

    "Erika... Erika is the best sister in the world! The best mom! The best teacher! I don''t understand what you''re saying! But I know Erika beat that Demon Lord to protect me, and this whole village! I won''t let you say Erika''s evil!"

    Swordguy makes the kindest face possible.

    "Little girl, I know how much you want to trust her, but this is something bigger than any of us."

    "I trust mom more than you!"

    "Ela!"

    She quickly runs away from the library crying. She''s truly upset. It''s been long since she last called Erika "mom". I''d like to catch up to her, but I don''t want to leave them in this library alone.

    Everyone is silent.

    I release a heavy sigh. I''m tired.

    "... And what do you think is my answer?"

    "I know what I''m doing is terribly harsh, but I don''t know any other way to make you understand. What I do know, is that everything I''m saying now is the truth."

    "Just get lost, swordguy. And don''t come back as well."

    He nods and silently goes for the door, but not without one last look at me.

    "... I''m sorry. But I can''t give up. Because I''m a hero."

    For some reason, I felt something from those words. But I ignore them, because I''m not a hero. The chime bells on the door signals his exit.

    ... But what the hell are these two girls still doing in my library?

    The sister girl finally regains her senses and follows suit. Like her hero, she leaves me with some words as well.

    "Heathens like you don''t deserve the Falen name. A true hero would''ve stood up to the call."

    "Who are you again?"

    "I¡ªI''m...! No! My pride and honor commands me to never reveal it! Hmm!"

    She leaves foot-stomping mad. I already know her name, though. What was it again? Sister girl? Something else? I don''t care.

    One girl left, the shorty.

    "You''re not going after Ela?"

    She asks me with concern. I don''t know much, but shorty here was pretty close to Ela back when we visited their place. Erika, not much, since they had some rivalry going on between them. But that''s all in the past.

    "That girl''s smart. Both mentally and emotionally. She''d rather be alone at times like these."

    "S¡ªstupid."

    "What did you say, shorty?"

    "Nothing!"

    Silence grows between us. She''s still not leaving, and is just fidjeting there wanting to say something. What else does she have to say?

    "... But Key, I think Green''s right about Erika."

    "Hmm?"

    "I¡ªI mean, think about it! That Erika was super weak at sword fighting that even a bunny defeated her! Erika beating not only that underground dungeon, but the Demon Lord too? That''s super strange, right? And that as well! The Sun Goddess only summons a hero when there''s huge danger, you know? So that means there''s still something lurking in the shadows! I... I really think you should join our party. I¡ªI don''t wanna die yet..."

    It irritates me. It irritates me that she''s right. Why is there a summoned hero? What does that Sun Goddess know? I have a lot of questions to ask, when Erika returns.

    But for now, I''ll just do what I can to protect Ela.

    "Hey shorty, don''t you think I forgot how you told swordguy about me."

    Her face pales.

    "Hiiii! Sorry! I''m leaving, I''m leaving right now! Help me, Green~"

    She darts away from the library like a scared animal caught in the act.

    ...

    Ever since that summoned hero stepped into this library, trouble came crashing down my way. Why now? Why can''t I enjoy my peaceful life a bit longer?

    I miss being bored.

 Chapter 5: Lunch, 1

    Chapter 5: Lunch, 1

    I have to prove Erika''s innocence.

    How troublesome. That swordguy might be lying about his identity, but there''s Jina''s info as well. And Jina can be trusted, as long that you pay her enough. Or maybe I didn''t pay her enough, but let''s assume that I did.

    Yes, she did save the world, in one way or another. Proof of that is the disappearance of the Star of Revival five years ago. That was supposed to be the end of this story, until we get this new piece of the puzzle: the summoned hero.

    So the problem is, the last time the kingdom summoned a hero was when we had an actual Demon Lord problem ¡ª one thousand and four years ago. Before that, the Demon Lord revived every fifty years or so, and the kingdom immediately summoned heroes out to battle them. I don''t know what my ancestor did to knock the Demon Lord out for a thousand years, but it must have been a beauty.

    For short, the existence of a hero means the existence of a Demon Lord. They''re like a personified Star of Revival.

    Did Erika really defeat the Demon Lord, or was it all a ruse and the Star of Revival''s just hiding around the corner?

    I wanna comfort my little sunshine not with feel-good words, but with hard proofs. And me as well.

    So forgive me Erika, for going inside your room like this!

    I''m just here to investigate! That''s all! It''s not that I''m curious as to what your room looks like, yup.

    I open the door with a creak, and a surprise immediately unfolds: it''s nothing special.

    The sheets on her bed is properly folded, without a crease to be found. Her "chemistry" tools ¡ª glass vials of all shapes and sizes, stacks of a variety of plants, rocks and other strange materials, and a burner ¡ª are all properly placed inside a huge cabinet. No mess was to be found on her long study table, papers all neatly stacked and her favorite quill still preciously kept inside an expensive-looking glass case.

    Everything from the ceiling to the floorboards is all clean and dust-free. Ela''s doing a good job maintaining this place.

    ... But there''s nothing remotely girly in here. It''s just a plain old boring room, with a cabinet and a long table. I feel kind of disappointed, but I should''ve expected this. Erika''s a huge paranoid, she would never leave anything important (or embarrassing) just in plain sight.

    My search begins.

    I search every nook and cranny ¡ª under the bed, behind the cabinet, gaps on the wall and anything suspicious ¡ª but I find nothing. I''m not giving up. I''m sure she must''ve left some clue behind that her actions, like a diary or something.

    I walk around, trying to think the perfect hiding place she would''ve cooked up, and I notice that faint creaking sound. It was so faint that it could''ve been a mouse squeak, but I caught it nevertheless. Bingo.

    I find that one specific floorboard where the creak came from, and rip it open. I promise I''ll put it back again.

    What I find makes my eyes as wide as plates.

    "... What the hell, she still had this?"

    Erika never keeps extras of her potions. She got scared that they would burn this house down (she already did once) so she''d always safely dispose of them while saying that she already had the formulas stuck on her head.

    So seeing a lone vial with a familiar dull red liquid under the floor makes me realize just how sentimental she was.

    I take it and gingerly place it in my pocket. Sorry for stealing this, but I need this more than you. I return the floorboard back in place and leave the room exactly the same as when I entered.

    I found it, an evidence of Erika''s innocence. Greater than any star or hero.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I walk around this town-like village, looking for a certain little girl whose smile was bright as sunshine. She might be down and all frowny, but a growing girl mustn''t miss her lunch. Too bad that the library''s closed two days in a row, but it can''t be helped.

    "Welcome to the Adventurer''s Guil... Oh, it''s just Key."

    "Hey, did Ela come by here?"

    As always, the Adventurer''s Guild is empty save for one poor receptionist. None of the villagers put up requests and adventurers would rather chill around the Farwitch Labyrinth than stay at this crumbling building. And there doesn''t seem to be any foolish newcomers around.

    Jina''s counting some coins while looking bored.

    "So, what''s up?"

    "Nothing much, just trying to see if Ela passed by."

    "Hmm... I have a better idea. I can divine her location for the small price of¡ª hey wait!"

    I leave before she baits me into something stupid.

    I''ll try the open market. Not only can I ask many people there, I can also grab our lunch in the process. But... the afternoon sun sure is scorching hot. Going out twice in a row really is a bad idea.

    "La la la~ lala la~ Fish sticks, fish sticks, side of bread bricks~ Making them needs super hard tricks~"

    Oh? Walking merrily without a care under this heat is a familiar pony tailed shorty, carrying a bunch of bags of fish sticks while singing a weird song. Whoa, everyone, even tough-looking adventurers, is going their way to avoid her path. I''d avoid that weirdo too. But it''s hot, and her timing''s perfect.

    "Hey there, La. What a wonderful afternoon, don''t you agree?"

    "K¡ªK¡ªK¡ªKey!?"

    She gets so flustered by my surprise greeting that she almost drops her baggage. I flash her the nicest smile I could manage.

    "Calm down, La. Breathe in, breathe out."

    "Hiiii... haaaaa..."

    "Great, you''re doing great, La."

    "Yes! ... hmmm? La? T¡ªThat''s my name!"

    I nod.

    "That''s right. La. Is there any problem? La?"

    "That''s... that''s the first time! and the second, and the third, and the fourth and the fifth! Does this mean that you had a change of heart, and is now kind to La?"

    Why are you resorting to the third person?

    "Yes, my darling La! Today, my frozen heart has been melted by your undying passion, and I have turned over a new leaf!"

    What kind of crap am I saying? The hell, shorty''s making an exaggerated shocked face. She''s shaking. Ah, and now she''s got tears on her eyes.

    "T¡ªTo make that Fairy of the Water cry, what a madman." "She''s talking to someone outside her party, who the hell is that guy?" "Kill, kill, kill..."

    ... and these adventurers passing by us should keep their comments to themselves.

    "Ah, not only did Green trust me with lunch today, but Key has finally seen the light...! La, La doesn''t care if she dies right now!"

    "Now! Let us share a hug, to commemorate this joyous occasion forever in our hearts!"

    "Hug!"

    I wrap her in my arms, and she wraps me in hers, as we stand here in the middle of the market to share this moment of pure bliss. She smells like fish sticks...

    Click.

    I masterfully maneuver my hand to her belt ¡ª and detach her sword from it.

    "Eh? Key?"

    I immediately dismiss the hug and act like it never happened. What a nostalgic sword. Even without a scabbard, it''s still in pristine condition. As expected of the daughter of that eccentric blacksmith. With a thinner blade than a normal sword ¡ª a katana-type, if I''m remembering it right ¡ª this fragile-looking weapon is actually pretty deadly in the right hands. And the blue edge design is a huge plus in aesthetics.

    This is one of the three original Fu-Erika sword collaboration works: Precipitate (name by Erika) <<Sword of the Heavenly Waterfall>> (name by Fu). How nostalgic.

    "Ah! Precipi!"

    I reach an arm onto her head to stop her advance as she flails her arms around in a vain attempt to take back her sword.

    "Ah! Ahhh! Give Precipi back!"

    "Shut up, shorty. Let me borrow this for a bit."

    "Ehhh? What happened to kind Key?"

    "What''re you going on about? There''s only one me."

    "Awww... But! But you became kind, even for just a second! That''s a big step! Do your best, Key! Hooray~ Hooray~"

    "Uh, yeah. Hooray."

    Now she forgets about her sword and cheers me on. I can never understand her. Does everyone from the Mei family have something wrong in their heads? At least Ela''s normal. Relatively.

    Huh? Why would I stea¡ª borrow her sword? Just like Erika''s Magistrate, this sword has a special feature that makes this stand above any other sword. I turn the handle to trigger the mysterious mechanism inside, and from the blade''s tip springs... an umbrella.

    That''s right. It''s a deadly katana sword, and an umbrella at the same time! That is the genius behind Precipitate <<Sword of the Heavenly Waterfall>>.

    "Finally. It''s not that hot anymore. I really should think about buying an umbrella."

    "Ehhh? You opened it! T¡ªThat''s unfair! Mama''s sword isn''t for that! Give it back!"

    Ah. I''m supposed to be looking for Ela. She must be starving right now. As for lunch... hmmm, that could work.

    "Hm. Let''s go then, shorty. No time to waste. We still have to find Ela."

    "Ehh? Ehh? What''s happening?"

    I grab her collar and proceed to drag her across the market streets like a life-sized doll.

    "W¡ªWait! I''m in charge of lunch today! I gotta bring these fish sticks to them! Green finally trusted me after all this time, I can''t let them down!"

    She struggles, but I don''t let go of my grip, just like how she never lets go of those bags.

    "Give it up, shorty. Let that swordguy starve for all I care. And those fish sticks, consider them a donation to our library, for all the trouble you guys caused."

    "Noooo! This was my chance to prove I can be relied on, too! Help me, Greeeeeeeen!"

    Now that I grabbed lunch, all I have to do is find Ela. I may have an idea as to where she is. If she''s not in front of the dungeon (she never goes there if it isn''t list duty day), then she''s definitely in that place. They''re sisters, after all.

    With an umbrella in one hand and the lunch lady in another, I head towards the flower field outside of the village.

 Chapter 6: Lunch, 2

    Chapter 6: Lunch, 2

    Just outside of the village is a cliff, and on top of that cliff lies a beautiful flower field. The wind feels great, and the view of the whole village from up top makes all your worries feel so far away. It''s a little path of heaven on This was Erika''s favorite place, mostly because it''s a treasure trove of chemistry materials.

    It''s a thirty minute walk to the top. My legs hurt, but if there''s any consolation, at least the sun isn''t a problem anymore. And my other cargo already gave up struggling and is now sulking quietly.

    I finally reach the top. And just as I thought, she''s there, the greatest flower of them all. Ela''s overlooking the village with a listless stare, so out of it that she doesn''t even notice my arrival. I position the umbrella sword on top of her, to shade her from the heat of the sun.

    "....hmm?"

    She looks up to my sad attempt of a comforting smile.

    "Hey, it''s lunch."

    I hear grumbling sounds... from shorty.

    "I''m hungry....~ fooooood....~"

    I realize that bringing her along was a mistake.

    "I don''t want to eat."

    My little sunshine''s pouting. But we''ve been together ever since, so I easily see through those teary eyes that this morning''s orange risotto wasn''t enough to last her all day. She''s a ball of sunny energy, but energy doesn''t come out of nowhere.

    "I got fish sticks."

    "... I don''t wanna. I''m busy."

    Busy with what?

    "Me! Me! I like fish sticks!"

    The hell, strange thoughts about throwing her off this cliff comes to my mind. But the bags of fish sticks are still in her arms, so she''s safe. For now.

    I take only two bags of fish sticks from our resident idiot.

    "The rest is yours, shorty. A rent fee for the umbrella."

    Her eyes begin to shine like stars.

    "Really? All of this, for me? Hooray! You really did change, Key. You''re no bully anymore! But Precipi isn''t an umbrella, okay?"

    And she begins gobbling down on what was supposed to be her friend''s lunch. She... did she already forget? Or is this just the Mei family''s inherent optimism? Look, she''s already in her own world now. Who cares about her anyways.

    I place Ela''s share down in front of her and sit behind her, sticking the umbrella to the ground. I take my time fixing her disheveled ribbon and combing her hair. Seriously, this kid shouldn''t be running around. Oh, I know. I''ll try a new hairstyle for her.

    I go on in arranging her beautiful red hair without a single word exchanged between us. This silence is comfortable.

    "...Done. Tada, pigtails."

    After that, I sit beside her. I take a fish stick from my share, and she follows suit with hers like a baby duckling. How cute. Together, we take a bite.

    "...It''s cold. I like your home cooking better."

    "Yeah, I guess."

    We continue our cold lunch in silence. Crap, this cold half-hearted lunch isn''t making my little sunshine any happier. In fact, I think she''s getting even more depressed with every bite! Why can''t shorty do anything right?

    Ah, I know something that''ll liven up this place.

    "Hey, you wanna hear a story?"

    "Hooray! I wanna hear a story! Story time!"

    She already finished her share of fish sticks!? F¡ªFast!

    "Shut up, shorty. Go cover your ears somewhere far away."

    "W¡ªWhy...? Please let me hear it, please!"

    Whatever. I clear my throat, wait a few seconds for suspense.

    "Don''t get your hopes up. It''s not that great of a story. It''s a simple one, really. It''s just about why there aren''t any silver moonflowers anymore near the village."

    Oh, seems like I got my little sunshine''s attention.

    "... Silver moonflowers are one of the most common flowers in the Alraz Kingdom, boasting a high resilience and a long lifespan of 50 years, longer than any other flower known. But since its dull silver petals isn''t one to inspire beauty and it''s useless in any alchemic synthesis, this flower just sits quietly on the ground, waiting to be crushed by an unknowing adventurer''s foot. Colloquially referred to as... erikas."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    "That''s right, but did you really have to quote an alchemy book?"

    "S¡ªSorry, it''s a reflex, from my studying."

    What a diligent girl. But that''s enough suspense for now. Hmmm... how did that story go again?

    "This story takes place in a time when that Farwitch Labyrinth wasn''t as known to the world as it is now. Back then, this little village of ours rejected the outside world. We kept to ourselves, and we expected the outside world to keep to themselves as well. There were rare times when unknowing travelers would stumble upon our uncharted village, but we''d shoo them away like they were rabid wolves after our sheep.

    "So one stormy night, this hooded traveler came to the village and knocked on each and every door, asking for shelter and some food. Of course, us villagers hated these types, so nobody took the poor guy in. Or was it a girl? I forgot.

    "Anyways, the next day, hoodie appeared at the plaza, all wet from the rain. ''Curse upon this wretched village yada yada,'' it shouted, then promptly left.

    "If everything actually ended there, then this would''ve been a good story about kindness and stuff like that. But no. A few days after hoodie left, a terrible plague swept the whole village. Young or old, it showed no mercy to anyone. Just in a month, it killed almost half of our people. It was a depressing sight, seeing faces you''ve known your whole life stacked on the streets, since nobody had the heart to burn them to prevent the plague from spreading. Nobody was safe, even my family..."

    My two listeners go silent. W¡ªWhat the hell, did I really sound that pathetic? Ela''s looking at me like she doesn''t know what to say, and even shorty''s about to burst crying. I act like it doesn''t affect me.

    "Don''t worry, that was a long time ago. I''ve got a family of my own now."

    "*sniff*... Key!!! Dun give up on, *sniff*, life!"

    "Getting a shorty''s sympathy is probably the worst insult I ever had in my life."

    "Ehhhhh....? *sniff*"

    "Key..."

    I pat Ela''s hair.

    "We knew we were all dying, and it was only a matter of time. But even when everything was so desperate, nobody offered to go to the capital and ask for help. Maybe they were all thinking that it was better to die as a village, together.

    Then, she appeared. A little ten-year old girl who took a torch and burned all the dead bodies she could find. Guess who she was."

    "My sister..."

    "That''s right. It was that outsider who everyone shunned, Erika Mei. She looked like a devil burning those corpses without remorse. Everyone got mad and shouted at her, saying how outsiders didn''t have the right to burn those bodies, but for the first time ever, that pesky little outsider shouted back. It really was a surprise, and I''d never forget the words she said back then.

    "''Stop waiting for a hero and do what you gotta do!'' She shouted at them, scolded them for not even trying to do something. Later on I learned that her younger sister caught the disease as well."

    "Heh? I don''t remember that."

    "Of course not, you were only two back then. Anyways. Erika slaved away trying to unlock the mystery of the plague. Not only did it resist every form of medicine, but new cases were popping out each day. She tried new methods every day, never catching a break. Sleep wasn''t part of her dictionary. She had no choice. she was the only alchemist alive in the town. In her heart, she had no time to wait for a hero to save her sister. She had to be that hero herself. Every second past was another second wasted to save you. Then, like some miracle, she made a breakthrough."

    "She learned that the disease was airborne, and it was being carried by the winds from the Farwitch Forest. She also learned that the reason that medicines wouldn''t work was because they were modern medicines synthesized with alchemy, and their bodies rejected mana of all kinds.

    "Thus, Erika gave birth to chemistry."

    "Eh? That watered-down version of alchemy came from that?"

    La just can''t shut up now, can she?

    "Yeah, shorty. Chemistry was basically alchemy without integrating magic. It sounds impractical and highly tiresome, but it was the perfect weapon against the plague. She spent a whole day making the formula for the medicine, and once she finished it, she went to the villagers and shouted, ''To those who want to live, gather all the erikas you can find! If you treasure your family, your fellow villagers, then uproot that flower and leave not a single petal behind!''

    "I dunno, she was so awe-inspiring, like a battered hero coming from an epic battle. She needed a lot of those flowers, and the villagers were there to answer her call. We were filled with vigor. If a little girl like her can save the village, then what more them? That day, every single erika around disappeared, and went straight to Erika''s medicines."

    I take out that vial with the dull red liquid from my pocket.

    "This medicine saved the village, and your life as well, Ela. All because Erika couldn''t wait."

    My little sunshine''s eyes turns into saucers.

    "Whoa, is that, the first chemic potion? That''s so awesome..."

    "It''s not glowing... you sure it''s not juice? If it is, can I drink it?"

    I sigh. Well that''s that.

    "But Key, why did you tell us this story?"

    "Hm? Nothing much, just wanted to properly teach you the reason why that swordguy is wrong."

    "Eh? Green''s not wrong! E¡ªErika might''ve done a good deed or two, but that doesn''t excuse her of evil! She''s evil!"

    "No, you dumb shorty, I''m not talking about Erika''s morality. There''s no way I can prove that. Rather, it''s about the existence of heroes themselves."

    "Eh? Eh?"

    "I don''t understand the concept behind them. Why are we summoning people from other worlds to solve our own problems?"

    Ela looks like she''s getting it. La''s tilting her head in confusion.

    "No, think about it. Doesn''t it sound suspicious? It''s almost like the goddess thinks we''re too irresponsible..."

    "But what''s wrong with depending on heroes? Won''t that make our lives easier then?"

    "Then are you fine in always depending on others? Will they always be there for us? Will they choose to serve our world over theirs? I think not. This kind of dependency... it''s bad."

    La frowns

    "You''re right... but Green is a good guy, I know..."

    "I don''t care. I''d rather believe that Erika somehow managed to defeat the Demon Lord against all odds. Because that''s how it''s supposed to be."

    "Yeah!"

    Oh! Ela agrees with me!

    "Our world doesn''t need heroes from the outside! Erika''s the only hero we need!"

    She''s all cheered up now.

    Hehe. A good rule of proving your argument: discrediting the opposition. If I brand that swordguy''s existence as illegitimate, then the whole "why is there a hero then?" argument falls apart. The most important thing is that Ela remains that happy blob of sunshine that she is. I hope this talk gave her some peace of mind.

    "Then, shall we go back?"

    "Mm!"

    "...It''s like I''m forgetting something... Never mind~ I''ll remember it along the way~"

    The three of us walk down the cliff, back to our precious home, the local library.

    A commotion greets us in front of the library. Swordguy''s furiously knocking on the door. I wonder why he''s all worked up?

    He notices our presence, and he dashes straight to me.

    "Key! We need your help!"

    Stop shaking me so much!

    "W¡ªWhat the hell are you doing? What''s happening?"

    He looks at me straight in the eye, his face clearly looking desperate. I don''t like this. This sounds like trouble. His next words hammers that very fact.

    "It''s Shine! She''s trapped inside the labyrinth!"

 Chapter 7: Book

    Chapter 7: Book

    I''m not sure about the situation, but I let swordguy in the library for the meantime. I order shorty (who wanted to run straight to the dungeon but couldn''t escape my death grip) to get us all some water. We''re not close enough for me to give out coffee for free.

    Swordguy finally calms down after three swigs.This is the perfect time to ask.

    "So, why''d you come to the library again?"

    "Thanks, thanks for the water. Right, why I''m here. That''s right. Well, it''s like this..."

    He explains away. Apparently, while swordguy, shorty and... I forgot, came to the library to convince me in joining their merry band, witch girl and two other partymates went in the dungeon together to train. Somehow, the witch girl gets all uppity and pushes through their self-imposed limit of 60 floors down. And expectedly, she triggers a trap right on the 61st floor and falls on this trap hole that sends her straight down on the lower areas. Is she dumb?

    "...I still don''t get it. What does any of that have to do with me?"

    "The others immediately rushed outside and told the whole storyto me, so we could form a sear¡ª¡ª"

    "Wait, these ''others'' rushed 60 floors in just, add a few zeroes here and there, approximately four hours?"

    "It''s easy once you mapped an area, and Fel''s good at avoiding monsters."

    That name''s familiar, but I just can''t put my head on it.

    "Hmm, okay. Skip the boring stuff, just tell me why you''re here."

    "...This is what triggered the trap."

    Swordguy take an thick and tattered book from his bag and places it on the table. It takes me a moment to take it in. Ela sees it too, and she''s as shocked as I am.

    "This is...!"

    "Farwitch Labyrinth: A Complete Comprehensive Walkthrough..."

    What the hell, a complete comprehensive walkthrough? Is it implying that someone actually wrote a complete "guide" to the Farwitch Labyrinth? But that''s not possible, since nobody has conquered that dungeon before.

    Except for that girl.

    "You, you said they found this on the 61st floor?"

    "Yes. Shine managed to throw it to them before she fell."

    "That''s pretty admirable, in one way or another. Can I check what''s inside?"

    "Of course. Actually, that''s what I''m here for."

    "Hmm?"

    I wear my reading glasses and open the book, and I see what he means. It''s nothing but jumbled text, and weird random scribbles on where the illustrations are supposed to be. Or at least it would seem to the untrained eye.

    "Hey Ela, look, what do you think?"

    "¡ª¡ª!"

    "Cypher Code. And by the looks of it... Cypher 3."

    In an instant, a tense atmosphere surrounds me and Ela.

    Cypher Code. It''s a series of coded writing Erika made up jusbecause she thought the kingdom could read whatever she wrote on capital-made papers. I argued that she''d have an easier time if she just bought papers NOT from the capital rather than make a whole new system of writing, but she rejected it as she wouldn''t settle for some "second-rate piece of junk". I never understood her completely.

    But she did teach us the Cypher Code. The first ten characters would determine its cypher level, ranging from Cypher 1 (easy to write, easy to read if you memorize some few conversions) to Cypher 5 (takes a lot of time to write, near-impossible to decode unless you''re crazy). Ela can read up until Cypher 3, and I until Cypher 4.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ... Wait, reading it isn''t the problem here. It''s the existence of the code itself.

    The only people who knew this was Erika, Ela and me. And among those, there''s only one who presumably conquered that dungeon.

    "This is Erika''s book, there''s no doubt."

    Ela says the words I fear she would.

    "Can you read it?"

    Swordguy quickly cuts to the chase. I return my glasses to my pocket and give him a complicated look.

    "It''s Cypher, some code Erika made up because... I don''t know, she''s scared of paper. And yes, it''s possible to read it. Let''s see¡ª¡ª"

    "Then there''s no time to waste. Shine is down there, alone in an uncharted floor without any proper provisions. The longer she stays there, the more dangerous that dungeon grow. But with the walkthrough, we can search through every floor in a flash! I just hope we''ll make it in time."

    He cuts me off.

    "Let''s go! Go! Go! We''ll save Shine!"

    Even La? Her usually pathetic face is now filled with bravery and determination. Heh? Is that even possible? It almost fills me with pity. Almost.

    But it feels like there''s some sort of misunderstanding here. I take a small glance at Ela, and I see she''s busy flipping through the book.

    "What the hell are you guys talking about? It''s going to take about a week to transcribe this whole book. Three days maybe if I start at floor 61."

    Silence.

    It''s like I just doused their energy.

    "Three days...?"

    Swordguy reacts first.

    "Look. I can work without sleeping if you pay enough, but it''s hard. The Cypher Code isn''t something you can just read instantly you know."

    Of course, I''m lying through my teeth here. Cypher 3 is easy to read, disregarding illustrations. It''ll take me a day and a half to transcribe both book and drawings without sleeping, but I''m not gonna do that. Swordguy has caused me enough trouble.

    "Can''t you just... go with us? Please Key, Shine needs your help."

    La''s getting uppity. I try to stare her down, but she doesn''t flinch a bit. She''s... kinda scary. But I don''t budge.

    "Dumb shorty. I don''t care enough to risk my life for this one witch girl. And you think trying to decode this super complicated code in a hazardous area will be much faster than doing it here, in the library?"

    "Uh..."

    "No. Of course not."

    "Key, is there any way you can decode that book faster?"

    Even swordguy''s trying to appeal.

    "Look, I know how you''re feeling. I know what it''s like to lose a friend and be powerless against it. I really do. Even Erika... never mind. Sadly, no matter how much I try ¡ª I just can''t do the impossible. I''m no hero after all. But I''ll do what I can. Even if it''s just because shorty''s an acquaintance."

    I look at swordguy straight to his eyes, my words flowing with sincerity and emotion.

    "...Thanks. Thanks for doing this¡ª¡ª"

    "For a small price of 5000Gs. I''m not doing this for free."

    He only wryly smiles at me. He wordlessly places five transparent G coins on my desk... worth 5000Gs each... Jackpot.

    "Once again, thanks. You know, I believe that everyone''s a hero in their own little way. Even you."

    With a pat on my shoulder, swordguy leaves the library like the cool guy he is. Ha. La comes to me and takes my hand. Whoa, there are tears in her eyes.

    "Thank you...! You the greatest friend I ever had! I know how sad you were when Erika left... La won''t forget this, ever!"

    ... Crap I''m feeling a bit guilty. Those pure and honest eyes are piercing through my soul. So this is the power of naive girls, huh? Should I actually work hard...? Nah, I already said three days. Too bothersome to change it now.

    "Yeah, go already. You''re just gonna disturb me if you''re here. Go train or something."

    "Mm!"

    She leaves with skips in her steps.

    The library is finally quiet once again. As for my little sunshine, she''s been oddly quiet all this time. I wonder what''s up. She''s just sitting there in front of the book, blankly staring at a particular page. I try to take a peek but she closes it immediately.

    "Was there something interesting there?"

    "The monsters down there... they''re interesting."

    A lie. But I don''t push further. I''ll know it when I read it.

    Seeing that it was already sundown, I start to prepare an early dinner. It''s been a long day, after all. And I want something filling, since I''ll be working on "decoding" Erika''s book. I settle on meat stew, cooking it slowly to get the best taste as possible. Once I took a whiff of that meaty aroma, I knew it was perfect.

    Dinnertime. We eat our dinner in silence. Ela''s a lot more dismissive than usual, especially when I try to ask her how she feels about Erika''s book. Normally she''d be all emotional about it. I shrug that small feeling away. It''s probably hard for a ten-year old to take everything in.

    Hmm.

    I send her to bed early. I volunteered to clean up the library for today (which is normally the assistant librarian''s job) with the reason that I''ll be staying up a bit late anyways. She accepted that so quickly that I''m a bit worried.

    I wonder how she feels right now? This day is a disaster for her, that I know. I''ll give her some time alone to think.

    For the meantime,I clear the mess on my desk, get my magic-crystal-powered lamp for the best illumination, prepare stacks of papers and extra pens, place the worn-out book on the middle, and lastly wear my reading glasses.

    Without further ado, I start on decoding the book. I find the page for the 61st floor.

    Ahh... this makes me tired. Only 230 pages left. I should''ve asked for more money.

    I go on, and on, and on. Writing page by page, while my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. My head''s aching... *Yawn* It''s late now...

    At this pace, I''ll hit the three-day deadline with some time to spare.

    I decide to hit the sack for tonight.

    The next day, Ela disappears.

 Chapter 8: Cheat

    Chapter 8: Cheat

    I head towards the decrepit Adventurer''s Guild in a hastened pace.

    "Welcome to the A... eh, just Key. You''ve been coming here everyday you know?"

    Jina smiles and gives me a friendly wave, and I wave back. Seems like she''s alone here again, counting coins and staring into nothingness just like everyday.

    I waste no time in doing some small talk with Jina. Now''s not the time. I casually toss four transparent G coins on the receptionist''s table, both our eyes following their tipsy spins until they all stop and drop down.

    Jina silently looks at me, waiting for my next words. She doesn''t react. For a woman whose life revolves around money, coins worth four months pay doesn''t faze her a bit. Like me, she knows how to smell trouble ¡ª maybe even better than me.

    But there is no time to waste.

    "I need you to make me an adventurer card, and set it to rank A."

    ...

    Jina''s jaw drops. She looks around to make sure no one was here, and she leans forward to whisper.

    "Oy Key, what are you saying? Tampering with the magic within an adventurer''s card, that''s a crime with /severe/ repercussions, you know? Punishable by death."

    "I know."

    "And it''s freaking hard to do, avoiding the trigger spells that detect intruding mana, a complex protection code thousands of years old, and this isn''t mentioning the many other possible tricks hidden beneath this single card... Can''t you at least tell me what''s going on?"

    She looks straight to my eyes. My heart stirs. Jina truly cares for me, I know, since we''ve known each other for so long. But...

    "I can''t. I''m being bounded by a promise I made... Sorry. But at the very least, I can say that my situation''s severe enough that I''ll have to go in that dungeon."

    Jina rubs her temples and falls into deep thought. Or maybe she''s pretending, and she already made up her mind? In the end, she nods to herself and smiles.

    "... I''ll do it. From a villager to another, I''ll commit any crime if it would help. But I don''t want money. I want you to owe me a favor. You okay with that rate?"

    "Thanks a lot, Jina."

    "Just give me a yes or no."

    "... Yes. I''m good with that deal."

    This is how it was with us here in the village of Efflorescence. It''s a strong bond, stronger than any outside force. We''ve got only ourselves to take care off in this big open world after all. Jina shuffles under her desk and takes out gold-plated card. But it seems to have already been filled out.

    "Huh?"

    "... I know of a loophole that can easily grant you rank A status. But you sure you really need this?"

    "I need it. No matter what it takes!"

    "I see, I see. Then, do you know how to use make up?"

    "Of co... excuse me?"

    "Thank you for your patronage, please come again!"

    I can still hear the echoes of her laughter, even as I exit the adventurer''s guild hanging my head in defeat. I''m officially an A rank adventurer. If people were to scan me, they''d see that so. But! But! I check the card again, hoping I was just bamboozled by Jina''s smooth talking.

    Name: Rosea Mar

    Age: 20

    Class: Warrior (Swordsman)

    Rank: A

    Race: Human

    Blessing: [Intelligence (B+)]

    It didn''t change. This is me, officially. I have easily obtained a rank A status in just mere minutes, something unheard of in the world of adventurers. It''s an impossible feat on par with defeating the Demon Lord as a weak fourteen-year girl. A chill runs down my spine from just thinking about it, and I can''t help but smirk.

    I''m a cheat as well now.

    How was it possible? A card records every transaction, and is linked to you until you die or you quit. That''s how the guild keeps track of every adventurer''s position and life status, preventing any lawbreakers or quest confusions from arising. How convenient. It''s a complex system that nobody at this age truly understands. If an adventurer wanted to quit, they have to revoke their card to an official Adventurer''s Guild, where the receptionist cuts off your connection to the card. Tada, they''re now free to take a better path in life, while the invalidated card is sent to the main branch in the capital for archiving purposes. Perhaps you find yourself missing the wild life of an adventurer, then you have two options: start from scratch, or regain your old status by making a case at the main branch.

    And that, my friends, is the loophole: Status Restoration. As Jina said, a good-enough spellcaster can fool the card into recognizing the wrong person during the restoration. I may be making this sound easy, but back in the guild Jina was sweating bullets and hacking blood while casting the spell. Jina''s probably the only spellcaster talented and mad enough to pull something so daring off. I''m not good with magic so I''m not sure, but since this method is unheard of, I assume so.

    Sadly, the only invalidated A ranked card available was a girl who quit after her friend died in the dungeon. I could have waited for someone else closer to my stats to quit, but I don''t have the time. I''m lucky enough that she''s both my age and race.

    My final stop is the church, the biggest and most awe-inspiring building here in the village. It doesn''t fit with the poor thatched-roofed houses surrounding it, like a diamond placed in a pile of rubbish rocks.

    I step inside the holy grounds with a bit of hesitation. The intimidating atmosphere compels me to take quieter steps and hold my breath, lest I break the hallowed silence.

    I find her kneeling in front of the huge sun statue, the symbol of the Sun Goddess. Short white hair and an over-the-top priestess garb I''m sure she modified, I couldn''t miss her.

    "Hey Frey, I''m back."

    "..."

    No reply. As expected of a staunch devotee... I think. Morgana Frey, the only priestess of the Efflorescence Sun Goddess Church, has an infamous reputation among the followers of the sun goddess. It''s been said that she got excommunicated from the church three times for some unknown reason, but she unfailingly comes crawling back every time like an undying cockroach.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    How do you even come back from being excommunicated? Nobody knows. All we know is that Frey rarely talks about herself. She really is one of Erika''s associates from the capital, which is weird because Erika hates the church more than anything.

    Frey finally stands up. Her razor-sharp eyes stare directly at my soul, and I don''t know if she''s mad or it''s just her normal face.

    "If it isn''t the young Falen. It is truly a blessing to meet twice in this glorious day given to us by the ever merciful Goddess. Have you seen the errors of your heathen ways?"

    "N¡ªNo."

    She''s smiling, but I don''t think her eyes are.

    "Perhaps another day then. What, pray tell, is your business with me and this church?"

    "I did what you told me and reached rank A as an adventurer."

    "Hmm, is that so?"

    She isn''t even fazed by my impossible-sounding words. Tsk, I hoped it would shake her up a bit. I just got a rank A in just a few hours, you know? Instead, she calmly takes a round glass from her pocket with her lily-white fingers and views my face through it.

    "Hmm..."

    Satisfied with what she saw, she pockets the glass and gives me an approving glare... She doesn''t even care about the anomaly in my name, does she? If I present the head of the pope at this very moment, I bet she''ll just lightly brush it off.

    "Very well. I shall honor our agreement in the name of our gracious Goddess. On behalf of the Holy Church and my dear friend Erika, I grant thee the ownership of the sword you have forsaken years ago."

    "... Hey, can''t you at least show concern on how shady this is? I''m losing my pride here."

    "I only asked that you become an A rank, and you have clearly done your part. As far as I''m concerned, I have rightfully fulfilled my duties to the higher ups."

    She lets out a knowing smirk as she disappears through the curtained backdoor.

    Duties to the higher ups, huh? I don''t like how the church is meddling with this. I''d like to ask Frey what she meant but knowing more about this is probably going to bring more unnecessary trouble. I''ll save it for later.

    Frey returns with an elegant silver sword on her palms.

    "Take it, Falen. And don''t forget¡ª"

    I take it without waiting for her to finish and run towards the exit. I don''t have time to waste. But before I could step outside, she shout for me to stop.

    "I am not finished here! I warn you, Falen, do not try and act as a hero. Only those truly blessed by the goddess can become one, and you are not."

    "The hell are you talking about? I just want to save Ela, nothing more and nothing less. I''m not the type to become a hero."

    She answers with an oppressive silence. Her mesmerizing glare freezes my legs I so desperately want to move. I gulp. She walks closer to my direction, every footstep reverberating throughout the whole church, until her face is close enough that I could feel her warm breath. I unconsciously take a step back. Tsk. A sign of fear.

    "There are no heroes in our world. Only martyrs. Remember these words, Falen, and you may survive the upcoming storm."

    Morgana Frey slams the heavy church doors to my face.

    I don''t like hanging around too much with her. Not only is she unreadable and unpredictable, but she can mysteriously break my mental defense. Dangerous, truly dangerous.

    I should stop thinking about her, it brings nothing but headache. I should be happy that I finally got the sword I loaned to her years ago ¡ª the Coruscant <<Sword of the Holy Light>>, said by both Erika and Fu to be their most convoluted creation. There''s even a 500-page manual just lying around the library.

    I was forced to loan this sword to Frey since Erika requested that I donate it to her if I didn''t want to use it. When I tried getting it back today, Frey gave me this unreasonable request to become an A ranking adventurer if I were to be worthy of the sword once again. I never understood why I needed to be one, but good thing she isn''t picky.

    I''m in a hurry, after all.

    I crush the piece of paper in my pocket. I found it on Ela''s bed this morning, just after realizing that Erika''s dungeon walkthrough book has gone missing. Why didn''t I realize it sooner?

    On the paper is written: I''m going to be a hero like Erika.

    It doesn''t take a genius to figure out that Ela has gone with that swordguy to save the crazy witch girl. She can read Cypher 3 after all, so I doubt a desperate guy like swordguy can resist the temptation of bringing a kid along to a dangerous environment. I''ve asked around the village to make sure, and indeed they saw swordguy and friends enter the dungeon together.

    Ela''s weakness is that she is quickly swayed by her emotions. I should''ve noticed her eerie silence yesterday.

    There''s no other way. I can''t trust swordguy to protect my sunshine. There is only me. Erika taught me to wait for no hero.

    I finish my preparations. My bulging rucksack filled with food and other utilities, check. The silver sword dangling on my hips that should be enough to deal with any monster inside, check.

    ... A girl''s wig borrowed from Jina, check.

    Jina insisted that I wear a disguise so I wouldn''t attract any attention from the nosy adventurers who loves a juicy story. I resisted until the end, saying that I''d rather make some excuse as to why I have a girl''s name, but Jina would budge replying that if the guild caught a whiff of his cheat, a death penalty will be the only thing waiting for the both of us.

    She said that I look like a girl enough with the wig, so I should be safe, right? But still, I never thought I''d crossdress in my entire life. Does my face really look girlish? Tsk, I hate this.

    I feel the stares of the adventurers around me as I walk towards the entrance of the dungeon. But I don''t show any signs of weakness. That would be suicidal. I bravely step into the darkness of the dungeon, ready to face anything that comes my way. I''ve done this before, I can do this again.

    Wait for me, Ela, and please don''t do anything rash.

 Chapter 9: Alone

    FARWITCH LABYRINTH ARC

    <hr>

    Chapter 9: Alone

    [Floor Minus 4]

    Tick tock tick tock...

    My footsteps echo loudly throughout the wide ruin caverns. The flickering flames of the torches lined up on the walls drive my shadow into a wild frenzied dance. It''s a frightening sight to behold. But thanks to these flames, there''s no need to waste precious torches in the early areas.

    I''m all alone. Nothing but the sound of my breathing and my footsteps, and the magic crystal-powered pocket watch to take note of the time. There is no night or day deep down in this dungeon, only the dull stone-cold walls to serve as my sky and all.

    I check the time ¡ª an hour has passed since I entered the Farwitch Labyrinth. I''ve encountered nothing but ratts (rats as large as a human baby) and batbats (four-winged bats) that I easily repel with a single swing of my sword. But mostly it''s just boring navigating.

    Tick tock tick tock...

    The magic crystal on this watch should last for four more days, which is exactly how long my food supplies last.

    I gulp. Only four days to bring Ela back home. If I follow my schedule right, it should be possible.

    Tick tock tick tock...

    The way splits into two: one going left and one going right. They don''t call this a labyrinth for nothing. I wear my glasses as I refer to the map on my hands ¡ª I should be careful not to make a wrong turn, or it''ll be a huge waste of time.

    The map says I should take left. Left it is then.

    Ah, lucky. Just around the corner is the stairway leading downwards. I waste no time in going down to the next floor.

    [Floor Minus 5]

    Tick tock tick tock...

    I encounter my first powerful monster that isn''t a freaking ratt or batbat. Two rattlerollers (huge snakes with a horn on their head) block my path, their sharp fangs dripping in violet poison as they hiss at me dangerously.

    Now I face the adventurer''s dilemma. Do I stay and fight this monster, earning experience and some drops, or should I run away and save stamina? I would normally choose the latter, but I realize that these snakes are the perfect practice targets. I haven''t used that technique in years after all.

    I grip the Coruscant''s handle with my two hands. How did it go again?

    "Uh... first is the first gear."

    Click

    I perfectly time swinging the sword and twisting the handle, causing the mechanisms inside the sword to shift. It starts to vibrate slightly and the sword now feels magically heavier. If the manual is right, its attack points should''ve increased.

    One of the rattlerollers runs out of patience and aims for my head!

    I jump far behind to avoid its fangs. This should be the perfect distance for my favorite move.

    "Second gear, spin shift."

    With the sword in my hands, I turn round and round and round, like a dancer gone mad, without softening my grip for a bit. The timing and direction has to be right. Now!

    Click

    I twist the handle and release the sword, sending it in a wild spin towards the two unfortunate snakes. The cyclone slashes through their bodies and ricochets off the walls to just slash through them again. And again. And again.

    This goes on for a while until their corpses turn into an unrecognizable mass of scale and flesh.

    Click

    The sword ricochets one last time and I catch it with one hand.

    Hah. Looks like I can still pull the "spin ricochet" move off.

    This brutal display is just one of the many wonders Erika and Fu stuffed inside. If I remember correctly, they called it a... Gear-type Sword Shift Prototype Utility System? Yep, that''s right. The Coruscant was designed to suit every style of fighting you have in mind ¡ª defensive, offensive, speed, you name it. Your will be done. Of course, that''s if you read the whole 500-paged manual back and forth. Which I have not.

    ... Geh. I pick up my wig that must''ve fallen off while I was spinning. This is so uncomfortable.

    Tick tock tick tock...

    The rattleroller corpses are surrounded with a faint green glow, just before they fade into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but a single fang. This is the difference between a monster and an animals. Monsters are made out of magic. Kill them and the magic disappears, rewarding you with a drop of some kind.

    But monsters can reproduce? Don''t look at me, I''m not an expert on monster biology. I just think their dead bodies disappearing is a very convenient thing. No clean-up required.

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    I should get going. I don''t have all the time in the world.

    Tick tock tick tock...

    [Floor Minus 9]

    It''s been three hours since I entered this dungeon. Ever since, I have continued the monotonous routine of navigating through this confusing labyrinth and running away from monsters. If they overwhelm me with numbers, I easily use the ricochet spin to take care of them.

    I don''t rush. I have to pace myself, or I''d collapse once I reached the lower floors. That''s a dangerous position to be in.

    "Here I take right."

    Tick tock tick tock...

    After a few more turns, I check the time on my pocket watch and decide to take a stop for now. It''s time for a quick lunch. I sit down on the cold stone floor and take two haphazardly-made rice balls from my lunch box and some water to wash it down.

    My mind flashes back to the times when Erika used this dish to bait me into becoming her friend. A smile slowly creeps on my face. Up to this day, I still don''t know why she specifically chose rice balls. I never asked, mainly because then I''d feel guilty all over again for punching her all the time back then.

    A warm feeling on my chest.

    I remember those precious days with Erika, together taking care of the little Ela. In a dark time where I watched my family die one by one and saw nothing but despair, she showed me love. Erika opened her arms and gave me a new family, one I can cherish and protect.

    I stare emptily at the flickering orange ceiling.

    ... These rice balls are salty. But I didn''t put any salt in it.

    Tick tock tick tock...

    Why the hell am I alone again?

    As if to answer me, the ground slightly rumbles.

    "Hmm?"

    The ground beneath me bursts open and throws me away face-down. Ah! My rice balls splatter down on the ground as well. Curses, that was my only lunch!

    I glare at the culprit. A small bird-like creature with a drill-shaped beak pokes its head from the newly-made hole where I was just seating. It''s a digerill. These freaking bird monsters live underground like moles for some reason. What is wrong with them?

    I grab my sword and prepare to whack its head, but the bird quickly disappears down below? I rush to the hole, but I catch nothing but the earth and stone floor being restored by itself. It''s a special property of this dungeon. Adventurers trying to dig their way down will find themselves being eaten alive by the ground. I know because I''ve experienced it.

    I feel that soft rumbling again. This time, the digerill pops out beside my fallen rice balls. With one quick motion, it swoops up my lunch with its scrawny little wings and drops down before my sword could squish its ugly head. AAHHHHHHHHHH!

    I smash the Coruscant on the healing hole repeatedly, releasing my anger for that cursed bird.

    "Mark! My! Words! I! Will! Personally! Kill! You! And! Your! Whole! Family! AAHHHH!"

    Tick tock tick tock...

    ... I''m tired. Why am I losing focus this early in the journey? This is bad, the stress is getting to me. I take a deep breath in, and release everything and my worries, slowly shifting my mind to a calm state. I still have to find Ela. No distractions allowed.

    Making sure that I had everything packed, I continue my lonely adventure in the Farwitch Labyrinth.

    <hr>

    MONSTER ENCYCLOPEDIA

    No.005

    Ratt [Rat-type Monster]

    These are rats as large as a human baby. If they''re silent they have this cute charm, but they pack a mean bite. They usually attack in swarms and will sometimes deal poison.

    < Drops: Low-quality fur, poisoned meat >

    No.008

    Batbat [Bat-type Monster]

    They''re called batbats since they look exactly like bats, but double the wings. Despite their intimidating appearance, they''re harmless and at most annoying.

    < Drops: Bat wings (small) >

    No.012

    Digerill [Bird-type monster]

    A small flightless bird with a drill-shaped beak. Their feathers are made of a hard bony tissue that allows them to swim through the ground with ease. They live deep underground and only surface to steal from unsuspecting adventurers.

    < Drops: Drill beak, bony feather >

    No.016

    Rattleroller [Snake-type Monster]

    These huge brown snakes are highly venomous and very fast on their bellies. One of their most defining feature is the horn on their heads. Said to be a distant cousin of unicorns.

    < Drops: Rattleroller horn, rattleroller meat, rattleroller skin >

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    [Floor Minus 10]

    Tick tock tick tock...

    Four hours has passed since I entered the Farwitch Labyrinth.

    My path is still lit by the flickering orange glow of the torches on the wall, but I know they won''t last for long. There''s a huge difficulty spike between the tenth and the eleventh floor. Floors minus one to ten may be ridiculously easy for an S+ dungeon ¡ª no traps or puzzles, an easy maze and laughable monsters ¡ª but in my opinion, that in itself is this dungeon''s trap, to lull any unsuspecting adventurer into a false sense of security.

    Novices who mistakes this place as some C rank dungeon will find their heads flying before they know it.

    Truly an S+ dungeon. Even the traps are unconventional.

    So I save energy while I''m at the easy floors. I''ll be needing it a lot later.

    Tick tock tick tock...

    Hmm?

    The sound of merry strumming reaches my ears. It''s an upbeat adventure-y tune, one you''d hear in taverns while everyone''s drowning in ale and tales of bravery. That''s a new one in this dungeon. My curiosity is piqued, and since it''s coming from the direction I''m heading, it shouldn''t be a waste of time.

    The closer I get, the louder the music grows, now mixed with the sounds of laughter and talking. Almost like a tavern in the middle of a dungeon.

    Heh? Am I hallucinating?

    Let''s see, according to the map... after a right turn is supposed to be the last stop for the stairs leading down to the next floor.

    "Welcome, welcome weary adventurer, to Rupert''s dungeon shop."

    In the last bend, I am welcomed by a sharp-looking bearded guy dressed like a merchant, strumming a now more peaceful melody that soothes my nerves. I''m guessing his name is Rupert. A mobile stall has been set up in the corner, selling a variety of weapons, armors and strange trinkets. What an ingenious way to do business.

    Not only that, I think they sell hot food and drinks too. There are even some tables set up around the place as well, filled with adventurers talking with their partymates while eating their fill. This doesn''t feel like a dungeon at all. Rupert shows me around his stocks, offering me rare items and tempting deals, but in the end, I just settle for some food. My lunch was kind of lacking, thanks to that wretched digerill.

    "A meat barbeque and a mug of ale for the young lady, then."

    Geh.

    I almost tell them to drop the ale, but I quickly stop myself. That was close. If I speak, I''ll be exposed as a guy. And I don''t want any attention to my borrowed identity. Good thing I prepared for this kind of situation.

    I grab the mini-chalkboard and chalk from my rucksack and draw a mug in a cancel sign on it.

    "So the miss is a lightweight. Will water be enough?"

    I nod. Looks like he got the message. But it''s not like I can''t handle my alcohol, it''s just that being even slightly tipsy in this dangerous dungeon is suicide.

    There are no empty tables left, but a friendly group waves at me to come join them. They all look like seasoned adventurers, and it''s especially true for their leader. He''s a bald muscular man in his forties with a rough face and a scar running down his cheeks, wearing heavy armor and a red battle ax on his back; I recognize this guy, but who wouldn''t? His face was plastered all over the newspapers adventurers brought with them, retelling his tales of battling a dread dragon by himself to save a poor village who didn''t have enough to pay the guild. But what was his name? Baldy. It was baldy, wasn''t it?

    I try to look for other seats, but it''s the only available one left. I reluctantly join their merry group as they welcome me with a cheer.

    While waiting for my meat barbeque, they introduce themselves with lots of boasting and grandstanding.

    The petite chocolate brown elf girl named Liri, and she''s a great archer who once served in the war. She escaped after being sick of seeing dead bodies too much and went to the adventurer business to satisfy her lust for battle without taking a life. Clever.

    Damian''s an earth spellcaster. He''s the short guy wearing thick round glasses who looks more like a kid than an adventurer. But he supposedly graduated third in his class back at the Capital University of Alraz. And even I know that it''s a place that attracts crazy powerful spellcasters from all around the world, so being among the top is a big deal.

    And there''s also Ron the lanky violet-haired dude, wearing a light armor that focuses on speed rather than defense. Born and raised in the circus, he was hand-picked by baldy himself to join his party after witnessing the heroics he displayed while saving a little girl from his own circus troupe. He now reads their maps, checks for traps and throws poisoned knives.

    And the baldy''s name is actually Gaul. Now I remember.

    They''re a colorful bunch, and they''ve stuck together for years. But I''m more interested with the silent burly guy carrying all their baggage, wearing cheap armor and a silver collar around his neck. His most defining feature is definitely the two curled horns on his head. I''ve never met anyone from the demon race before. They''re a bit interesting, in the sense that they''re the only race unable to use magic of any kind. It''s been that way ever since the Demon Lord died a thousand years ago, and I haven''t heard any of them regaining their once insane powers from his rather brief revival. Now they''ve been reduced to nothing but slaves. But I''ve been hearing about the demon country growing better lately. Who knows?

    The adventurers ask me to tell a bit about myself, but I ignore them and eat my meat barbeque. I don''t have time for fancy chit-chat like them. But it seems like they don''t have any plans to give up.

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    "Hey, er..."

    "Rosea. She''s Rosea Mar, an A Ranker from the port town of Lor. Isn''t that right, miss?"

    I give him a vague smile in return. Glasses kid adjusts his glasses as he says stuff about me I didn''t even know. This is bad. Those glasses must be some sort of modified stat checker like Frey''s. Good thing I don''t have to answer anything, since I can''t speak.

    "Hihihi, you''re cute, miss Rosea! Or can I call you Rose? Please lemme call you Rose!"

    Dark elf girl roughly shakes my shoulder. Dammit, if you shake me too much my wig will fall off! I gulp down the rest of my food without bothering to chew it and push it down with a single swig of water.

    Baldy''s shout stops me before I could escape.

    "Wait, Miss Rosea. Going alone in the lower levels is not a good idea, even if you an A ranker. I can''t sense any good armor under your robe, and that sword on your hips means that you''re planning to fight monsters head-on, right?. You''ll die."

    I''m jut wearing this spellcaster''s robe borrowed from Jina since it covers my whole body. Also, I don''t wear armor since it''ll probably be dead weight when I can just avoid the monsters'' attacks.

    Dark elf girl comes to my rescue and slams baldy''s head. Oh, I''ve gained some respect for her. Good job.

    "Oy, don''t bully Rose! She knows what she''s doing. You don''t get A rank by fumbling around, you know?"

    But I did. Sorry.

    "Gaul''s right. She''s all alone, and she''s got practically zero defense. The way she''s going at it, she''s gonna die before she even reaches a boss floor."

    Purplehead joins Gaul''s team and berates me for my lack of preparation. He does have a point... Now Liri slams his head next.

    "Like. I. Said! Rose is probably so powerful that she doesn''t need any armor! You''re just stupid, knife freak!"

    "My name''s Ron, get it right already. And how does an A ranker become more powerful than this S+ dungeon, huh? Think with your head for a bit."

    "Miss Rosea is a magic swordsman, guessing from her attire. You were probably planning on attacking the enemy from a distance with magic, right? That won''t work on some of the monsters here, especially the bosses, since many of them are impervious to magic."

    Gaul gives me his expert advice, but I shrug. I don''t really know, I survived storming this place years ago. I''ll survive again, I think.

    The three of them continue to argue with each other, especially Liri who doesn''t want to back down on her support of me. Gaul stops me every time I silently try to escape. I''m wasting a lot of time here. I draw a sad face in tears with a clock crossed out, but they all seem to ignore it.

    Finally, what ends this is glasses kid slamming his mug of ale to the table, after finishing it all in one gulp.

    "If you''re all so worried, why don''t we just go with her? That way, everybody wins."

    """Ah."""

    Oh no. Please no. They all throw him a thumbs up, and wrap their arms around my shoulders like some long-time buddy to stop me from running away. I show them a drawing of their hands getting cut, but they ignore it as usual.

    "Then, what''re we waiting for? You''re in a hurry, right Rose? Let''s get this show on the road, ye!"

    "Doing good stuff to girls once n a while can''t hurt. Just don''t fall for me, fair lady, for this wild guy''s already married to the spirit of adventure."

    "It''s for the best. We can''t just let a poor unprepared girl fight alone in that darkness now, can we? Our party has retrieved a new objective: accompany Miss Rosea to wherever she goes!"

    ""Yeah!""

    They pack their things and ready their weapons, never once letting me go. The hell? Why are they doing this for someone they just met? Are they stupid? There''s exactly zero reward in doing this, and they''re all risking their lives here. Well okay, I am as well. I mean, if any of them learns about my true identity, Jina and I are going to be double executed! I don''t want that!

    Before we descend the stairs, everyone except me and the demon slave pauses to recite a short prayer. Not this again.

    "Blessed be Thy warmth that purifies the harvest.

    Blessed be Thy light that shows us the path.

    And blessed be Thy justice upon my works and my heart.

    Thy will be done."

    The famous sun''s prayer. It''s as if a newfound strength blazed from their now open eyes. Given that magic comes from the sun goddess herself, it makes sense that they worship her like this. Everyone in Alraz almost do. Our village doesn''t though, since we don''t depend on magic a lot. And the prayer only reminds me of the words Erika etched at the pocket watch''s cover, which was her version of the prayer with the final words being: My will be done.

    And that''s the problem. My will isn''t being done here. Why are they following me??

    Liri hugs my waist from behind, squeezing her almost non-existent breasts on me.

    "I''m your jailer for the rest of the way, hihihi! Nice working with you, Rose!"

    Will I even be able to escape?

    Tick tock tick tock...

    <hr>

    Monster Encyclopedia

    No.104

    Dread Dragon [Lizard-Type Monster]

    A 50-foot tall land dragon with scales as black as night. They breath out fire from their nostrils and eat through the mountains that block their path. They normally shy away from human eyes, so don''t expect to meet one any soon.

    <Drops: Dragon Scale, Dragon Blood, Dragon Tooth>

 Chapter 11: My First Night

    Chapter 11: My First Night

    [Floor Minus 15]

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    The torches in our hands pierce through the unending darkness, as our slow but steady crawl deeper into the dungeon goes off without a hitch. From floors minus ten and onwards we were expected to provide our own light source, and now the danger feels much more real. I feel like some eldritch abomination could easily pop out beyond the darkness our lights won''t reach.

    No, really.

    Leading the pack was the clever purplehead who not only navigated us through the twist and turns of the labyrinth, but also disarmed most if not all the traps ahead. Gigantic blades would swing and poisoned arrow darts would whistle past us occasionally but we are most definitely still alive, so good job to him.

    And the monsters along the way? They were no match to their party''s superb coordination. They moved like a single organism when they mobilized to strike down any monster foolish enough to come our way. I "reluctantly" stand aside whenever they fight, since I''m a precious client and should leave the fighting with them they say, but I''m really thankful for that little blessing of an excuse. Any exaggerated movements and my wig will fall off. But it''s their fault that I have to even worry about it, so we''re even.

    "Look at these, Rose! Have you seen it before?" Liri asks as she gives light to the strange arcane writings on the wall. I wear my own glasses and squint hard to examine them and find out that indeed I''ve seen them before, from a book in the library that told stories of old. I never learned how to read the words, but Erika does, thanks to her training (on what, I don''t know) at the capital, and has taught Ela as well.

    The glasses kid steps forward, adjusts his glasses with confidence and explains them for us. "It''s ancient demonic language, a language widely spoken back then at the Era of Evil, when the Demon Lord ruled the entire continent. Now it''s nothing but a forgotten language and is only taught to the highest members of the Sun Goddess'' church. From what I''ve heard, these runes on the Farwitch Labyrinth''s walls tell stories of pagan gods and folklore from a long forgotten age. For short, it''s really nothing worth learning."

    Heh, that''s weird. Where would Erika learn such a language? Obviously not the church since she hates that place more than our village does.

    Liri proceeds on caressing the writings on the walls with her frail fingers. "So these writings are soooo old, older than any of us, older? That''s kinda cool, isn''t it? I wonder why I never heard of this labyrinth before?"

    "You just don''t pay attention to your surroundings and head straight to the adventure. Remember the Legend of the Fallen King''s Sanctuary? About the last resting place of the Demon Lord before he was slain by the Great Hero Falen? That sanctuary is said to contain the fortunes he amassed during the centuries of his reign, filled with heaps of gold and sparkling gems enough to buy yourself a small kingdom... Actually, we all thought it was nothing but some drunken tale, too good to be true, until this dungeon revealed itself and was confirmed to be indeed the infamous Fallen King''s Sanctuary."

    Liri raises her hand in excitement. "So you mean there''s lots of treasure at the last floor?"

    "Yes, riches beyond your wildest dreams. Think about all those restricted magical tomes I could buy with that money... *ahem*. Every adventurer knows this, Liri. That''s why we''re all desperate in conquering this labyrinth."

    "Hihihi, I''d like to think of the adventure as the prize. But money doesn''t sound too bad as well!"

    So there was that story? I thought that at the end of the labyrinth was nothing but the corpse of the Demon Lord? I''m getting confused with a lot of stuff here.

    "The three of you, stop dillydallying and press forward! It only takes the smallest of slips to kill a whole squad, here in the belly of the monster!" Baldy shouts at us as if recalling a previous experience.

    We all comply, albeit me reluctantly. But that doesn''t stop both glasses kid and Liri from talking to me along the way. They must be bored when when the monsters stop popping out, since purplehead has his map-reading and trap-disarming duties and baldy his monster detection spell to prevent surprise attacks from happening.

    Although there is nothing more I''d like than to escape from these meddlesome adventurers, I must admit that I enjoy glasses kid''s prompt lessons in magical theory and Liri''s gruesome war stories. It''s a fun distraction in these once silent halls filled with nothing but the ticks and tocks of my pocket watch. In exchange for their stories, I would occasionally draw picture stories taken from the books of the library, and I sometimes subtly smile when their eyes grow in wonder from the next scene I draw up. I''m scared, but not from the shadows that surrounds us. This place is getting to me...

    [Floor Minus 18]

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    I discreetly check my pocket watch. Sundown has just come to pass, and baldy has decided to make camp for the time. He says that we should take our rest for now, for tomorrow we fight the first boss in the 20th floor. Purplehead props up the tents and demon slave and Liri handles the bonfire, while baldy and Damian the glasses kid takes up the first watch of the night. I volunteer to cook our meal, but just because if I didn''t I''d look like a useless scumbag and they might kill me in my sleep.

    Oh, they actually like the smoking campfire mushrooms saut¨¦ed to perfection so much that they''re even begging for a second round. But before that I have to do something about the poor crying Liri clinging on my leg desperately begging me to permanently join their party as a chef and purplehead clinging on the other giving me a serious marriage proposal. Just what kind of food have they been eating before?

    Purplehead busts out the ale and six mugs to match the delicious food and everyone shouts in cheer.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I draw dizzied people surrounded by rabid monsters, but he brushes it off like nothing.

    "Don''t worry, don''t worry, let''s just let loose tonight, in celebration for the great food and an equally great lady! And we got Gaul''s healing spell to deal with the aftermath, so it''s no big deal!" he says with a smile as he pours me a mug of ale. Oh well. I give up my petty resistance and join in on the merry atmosphere.

    "As a welcoming gift for our newest member, I dance!" Liri shouts something outrageous. With a long strip of cloth to accompany her, she begins an alluring dance around the crackling bonfire, her beautiful silver hair dancing along with her. Everyone claps in accompaniment with her every sway. My eyes meet with her own, fiery red like the flames that dye her figure orange, and I sigh in defeat.

    I take out the guitar I packed with me (my only form of entertainment I planned for my supposedly lonely journey) and begin to play a merry tune of my own. Everyone cheers once more as Liri dances along to my song. She really is a professional.

    Baldy bursts out laughing. "Hahaha! Just what are you, miss? A swordsman, a spellcaster, or a bard? Make up your mind!"

    ... A spellcaster? Ah, must be because of this fancy spellcaster''s robe I was forced to wear by my dear friend Jina, as it makes me look more of a girl. I don''t understand why.

    The celebration continues. Some even couldn''t hold it in and joined the dance around the fire while making up silly words to my wordless song. I strum my guitar like I''ve never strummed before, and when I''d run out of tunes I''d make up my own that would either sound heavenly or total crap.

    Hours pass and their spirits die down, and I switch to a more mellow tune to fit the atmosphere. This is a song Erika taught me, and although she doesn''t know the words, she likes how it sounds. Baldy and purplehead boasts about their past adventures to me, laughing at their own jokes and playfully punching each other once their version of the story didn''t match. Liri''s knocked out from all her dancing and is snuggling her head on my lap like a kitten, and Damian leans on my back snoring, a book covering his face. Even demon slave calmly smiles on the corner, sipping his ale as he soaks himself on my guitar''s tune.

    I notice both purplehead and baldy''s eyelids grow heavier as the night grows deeper, so I draw as what my unsteady fingers allow me to ask baldy to heal me with magic schamgic. A quick chant from him makes my body glow white, and as the magic subsides so does the haze inside my skull. Just like that I''m healed. Magic is awesome, huh? I then offer to take the watch for the night, and baldy only accepts once he learns demon slave would be accompanying me.

    "Ah yeah, you be sleeping with Liri in her tent now, ''kay?" says purplehead with a slurred voice as he enters his tent with baldy.

    What!? Then I remember, I''m acting as a girl now, dammit. It''s reasonable to be sleeping together with a girl... It''ll be fine. I''ll wake Liri up when my shift is up, so I''ll be practically sleeping alone. Am I a genius or what?

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    I sit beside the demon slave and watch the impenetrable darkness of the labyrinth with a watchful glare. I see a vineroot creep closer to our camp, but demon slave snipes it with his crossbow before it could even be a problem.

    This silence between us is what you get when you put two silent guys together. But still, this is the perfect time to escape... not. I''m not stupid. If I disappear into the night just like that, it''s more than likely that these band of adventurers will try finding more about my identity, and that''s a one-way ticket for a double execution with Jina. Baldy''s a famous adventurer, so there''s no doubt that he''d easily find out the truth with a little asking around.

    I should disappear naturally, maybe at the 40th floor?

    "Thou, I thank," demon slave says with his broken tongue. I tilt my head in confusion, and he tries to shoddily string up more words. "Thy song, like song from mine fatherland."

    He tips an imaginary hat to me. I feel like it''s some kind of respectful gesture, so I reply in kind. But it''s unfair that he''s the only one pushing himself in this impossible conversation, so with what little demonian I know, I write up a single word on my chalkboard:

    [Name?]

    "Garmund," he answers in an equally curt manner. Silence falls once more between us, but this time it feels more natural. We are the silent guardians of the night, our watchful gaze the lullaby we softly sing to our wards... heh. But seriously, demons really are different from the scary legends told in our village. Hmm, it really is different discovering the knowledge yourself, rather than reading them on stuffy books that go round and round the subject.

    ...Is it fine like this? Four days to find Ela¡ª scratch that, I''m sharing resources, so I''ve got more, but each passing second is a second she may very well die. And I can''t allow that. But... nevermind. What would Erika do at these troubled moments?

    A heavy sigh.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    I stare at the four little sentences on the back of her golden pocket watch. Like a prayer, I whisper silently to myself:

    "Blessed be the fruits of my own labor."

    "Blessed be the magistrate of my acts."

    "And blessed be my steel that strikes the heavens above."

    "My will be done."

    My will be done. I clutch the pocket watch in my hands. This was the creed that ran her life. But there''s no use in saying these words now, for I am alone. Both Erika and Ela are gone. No, not yet.

    I set aside my troubles for tomorrow and return to watch the surroundings with my demon slave friend.

    The night rages on.

    <hr>

    No.020

    Vineroot [Plant-type Monster]

    A monster that looks like a chaotic tangle of vines mashed together as a sad excuse for a monster. Nobody likes these viny freaks; their drops are trash despite the annoying ability to attack adventurers with multiple whips.

    <Drops: Leaf>

 Chapter 12: Wonders

    Chapter 12: Wonders

    "Come, let''s go everyone!"

    She led me by hand towards the hill on the edge of the village, a field of flowers on its peak. On her other hand she tenderly led her precious younger sister ¡ª barely even three ¡ª walking clumsy steps like a little ducking following her older sister''s whims.

    "This is a good spot. Fresh air, lovely atmosphere ¡ª don''t you think so, Key?"

    She hands me Ela, giggling happily from the flowers'' tickles, and sets up the large blank canvas she had me carrying along up to the top.

    "Now, I just hope I catch the scenery right. Hmmm... maybe move a little to the left?"

    I followed her fussy orders with a heavy frown until she satisfied herself with the position I first began with.

    And with her trusty paintbrush, she paints. Beautiful shades of blue, green and pink dances on top of the snow white canvas like fairies in the forest night. My head would unconsciously follow her brush''s every sway, but she''d snap at me to stop moving. But she didn''t mind Ela rolling around. How unfair.

    I remember her angry (but cute) pout as she revealed how she once dared to dream of herself as a great painter, and how cold harsh reality smashed her on the face in the form of a rejection slip from the Capital University.

    "...Finally done! This is my next masterpiece, and I shall call it: The Boy and and Girl in the Field of Many Flowers! It''s perfect!"

    And indeed, her painting is what you can call good, especially for someone her age, but it sparked no emotion within me. It was a flat painting of me (smiling¡ªher only creative input) and the playful young Ela sitting in the flower field, paired with an equally flat title. Nothing else.

    But she brushed off my displeasure like nothing and instead carelessly threw something shiny to my direction. She then took the little Ela to her tender embrace and sang her a lullaby, with nothing but the soft winds to accompany her childish high-pitched voice.

    I asked what the shiny thing was (I didn''t know about pocket watches until I heard about them), and Erika smiled in return.

    "It''s a clock from some basta... friend. Yes, but she''s a friend I can''t trust, so it''s a useless piece of junk... you can have it. Jeez, I''m getting annoyed just from remembering!"

    At first I rejected, feeling guilty of accepting too many gifts from her, but I couldn''t help it once I saw her really toss it to the trash later on. I just didn''t want to see it go to waste, and if one day I tire of it, I''d sell.

    But I didn''t. Why didn''t I?

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    The scene transformed, the tranquil blue sky transitioned into the raging pitch black of a heavy thunderstorm.

    The door was slammed opened, inviting the chilling winds to shake the insides of our humble library. Pages flew everywhere and tableware broke, but amidst the chaos she stood there unflinchingly, like a bamboo stalk, her beautiful blue hair swaying along to the wind''s whims.

    "I''m going for a walk. Can you take care of Ela for me?"

    She had nothing but the dirty tunic she wore and a heavy broadsword¡ªthe Magistrate.

    The noise of the storm was drowned by the cries of the little child shivering in both cold and in fear.

    "Mom! Don''t leave me! Bring me with you! Mom!"

    A thunderclap shakes the very foundations of the library. But it wasn''t what frightened Ela. It didn''t scare her anymore.

    "Mom!"

    She reaches towards her sister''s direction, but I hold her tight within my embrace. The cold of her skin pierced through my soul, and I began to waver as well. A part of me thought that all along it was all an elaborate joke, another one of her harmless pranks. But those emerald eyes did not lie.

    "I''ll be back one day, Ela, so don''t cry. At least be happy your sister''s done so much for you. Sister. Not. Your. Mom. Get it right."

    "I''m sorry, mom! Please come back! Please!"

    "..."

    I gave up. I began to reason with her as well, pleading to her, saying that what she planned was nothing but a fool''s errand. Nothing but another one of her delusions. But she merely shook her head.

    "Don''t hesitate. Hesitation reveals your lack of conviction. And without conviction there is only death... I can''t hesitate, not now."

    Her next prophetic words were muted from my memories. I don''t remember why. But I remember her eyes, filled with both madness and love. I remember how I noticed her hands slightly shaking, just like that faithful day she asked me to protect her. I remember her full blood-red lips moving ever so slowly, mouthing the string of words that brings a shrill pain straight inside my skull.

    "**************************************"

    She turns her back and takes a step forward. A stray drop of rain manages to enter the library. Stop her. My mind was shouting to itself, but I didn''t move. Stop her.Stop her. Stop her. Stop her. I hesitated in grabbing her hands. I don''t know why until this day. There was nothing more to be said after that. Dragging her broadsword Magistrate along, she headed towards the dangerous ruins deep within the Farwitch Forest, disappearing into that dark and stormy night.

    And in between Ela''s deafening cries and the thunderstorm''s fiery howls, I found myself disliking reading books. How mysterious.

    And then, I wake up.

    <hr>

    [Floor Minus 20]

    Smoke rises from the ground hot from battle, and the smell of flames sears my nostrils. The fight against the Slime Master Reduxer was over before I even knew it. Rather, these adventurers were just too fast.

    The moment we entered the gate that lead to this boss room, no one (except me) wasted a single breath in bringing down the slimy giant transparent blob with almost impossible autohealing properties. Both Damian and Liri distracted the monster with their long-ranged attacks, while purplehead continuously trickled its life with poison. In the right time, baldy''s spell charges completely, and he strikes down the poor slime-y creature with one giant slash of his "Heaven-Rendering Flames of the Goddess" move, sending its HP down to zero. Scary. But their movements, not a single trace of surprise and hesitation, must mean they have fought the slime master reduxer before.

    "Let''s not waste time and carry on!"

    Baldy orders everyone to move out as he pulls back his slimy axe buried deep into the stone floor.

    And that is how we deal with the first boss. It''s too easy, anticlimactic I would call it. At least give me some of the action.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    [Floor Minus 25]

    Our journey continues without much further incident.

    There''s something I noticed, something I wouldn''t normally notice since I don''t care enough, but somehow it bugs me a lot. Liri has been awfully quiet ever since the day began. She''d join in on my blackboard storytelling with Damian the glasses kid, and she''d laugh at the funny parts and cry at the touching ones, but she stopped giving her own input and instead just stare at me with that inquisitive glint in her eyes. Should I ask...?

    Of course not. As long as I act the same cool guy/girl I am, nothing''s gonna change. Or so I say, but I''m really just too sleepy to think of a reason. All thanks to that dream I had last night. It''s been years since my mind replayed that scene from the night Erika left. I wonder why, is this what happens when I don''t see Ela for more than a day? This crushing loneliness, this gap in my heart must be what makes me sleepy. Yeah, I wish.

    "Anything about yourself?"

    Liri suddenly asks me a question out of nowhere, stooping to peer straight into my hanging head. I reply with a yawn, because I''m a sleepy bastard. That''s why. Why did she suddenly speak to me now?

    Maybe because we''re both alone? A distance away from us the group is busy solving the riddle to unlock the heavy stone gate that leads to the next floor. The riddle randomly changes every time it''s opened, but I think we got something extra hard this time.

    "Got it! This riddle must be an allegory to some ancient text! I''ll check my books!"

    "No, it''s a monster... I''m sure I''ve seen one like that before..."

    "Well Gaul, if it''s a monster, it must be a damned cursed one."

    "Hmmmmmmmmmmm..."

    Damian, purplehead, baldy and even Galmund the demon slave works hard in searching for an answer. In the dumb corner is both Liri and me, Liri empty-headed as usual and me not wanting to do the thinking when others can do it for me. I mean, what''s a creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the night? What an twisted abomination.

    Liri doesn''t give up in her question.

    "I mean, I''ve heard¡ª or watched your wonderful stories play out in your blackboard-thingy, and I think you''re better than any decorated bard in the capital, and you don''t even use words! ...But you never talk about yourself. Hey, what were you doing before you came to this dungeon?"

    I tilt my head in confusion.

    "I''m bored, okay? Come on, entertain me!"

    ... This is dangerous. If she decides to investigate my past later on, she''ll notice the inconsistencies. I have two options: make a troubled face so it looks like my past is too painful to talk about, or lie through my teeth and make a story too absurd that she won''t believe it deep inside.

    I know. On the blackboard I draw a big and beautiful castle adorned with many gems, and a little princess trapped within one of its windows. One day, this little princess decided to don her white robe and abandon her perfect castle in a quest to find the legendary "friends" she always read about in her stories. So her grand adventure leads her to many breathtaking sights: waterfalls surrounded with many bright and colorful rainbows, the starry night skies that shined brighter than the gems in her castle, and her favorite, the field of flowers that stretched as far as the eye can see...

    But throughout her journey, she found nothing but melancholy. She didn''t know why. She was always alone. The big wide world filled with many wonders was choking her within its walls. It came to a point where she couldn''t last any longer, and her mind broke. Her smile vanished. She began to drop her care for anything in the whole world. She easily forgot the places she has been and the people she came by. Is the red stain on her robes the blood of that little kid that stood on her way? No idea, she just continued walking without a care. The voices began to torment her, so she would swing her sword to make them stop. But then the silence only brought forth emptiness, so she began to seek the voices. Then would she swing her sword once more. The world forced her to repeat this cruel cycle again and again and again, but she stopped caring about it.

    One day, she came across a mirror, and reflected in her hollow eyes was a princess garbed in a beautiful red robe, tired and burdened from her arduous journey. She wanted to rest. So she pointed the blade to herself, and finally filled the hole in her heart.

    "OOOOYY!! Isn''t this just the story of the Little Princess'' Big Adventure?? Yes it is! You''re just copying the illustrations, aren''t you? That''s cheating! And what''s with that second half!? The little princess'' big adventure was a lovely family-friendly story about a little princess going on adventures and meeting many friends along the way, not how she descended into madness!! How could you do that to a beloved book character! How could you! Hahaha!"

    I smile cheekily throughout Liri''s complains and playful punches. Actually, I never finished that story so I had to make up stuff along the way, but I could see that she actually enjoyed the dark twist. As expected of a dark elf.

    "That was maybe the best story I''ve heard in my life. But thanks to that, I''m kinda scared of knowing your past now... But! You should totally draw it on paper and give it to me! Okay?"

    Liri finally stops bugging me about my past, so I guess my plan worked. She joins the troubled group, still unable to answer the riddle, and surprisingly answers it for them.

    "The answer is obviously a person, isn''t it?"

    The ground shakes, and the heavy stone gate spreads open. But somehow, it makes no one happy. The hell, how was "a person" actually the answer!? People don''t do that, do they? Do they? But Liri leaves us all without an explanation, scolding everyone to read more books. We proceed to the next floor disappointed to both her and ourselves.

    Before I could descend to the stairs, Liri jumps behind my back and hangs her arms around my neck. She brings her mouth close to my ears, close enough to feel her warm breathing. And her whisper brings me to a jump.

    "Just wanted to tell you, you talk in your sleep."

    <hr>

    Monster Encyclopedia

    No.101

    Slime Master Reduxer [Liquid-type Monster]

    It''s a huge transparent blob of slime that''s as big as a house. It can change into any color and shape upon its will, but what more would you like to be than a transparent blob? This monster is not affected by physical attacks, and water damage is greatly reduced. Surprisingly, it''s elemental weakness is fire. Thanks to the "Reduxer" ability, it''s ability to autoheal is beyond normal. Defeat this monster with one strike!

    <Drops: Transparent Slime, Diamond>

 Chapter 13: Smile

    Chapter 13: Smile

    [Floor Minus 28]

    What is with this new development? I didn''t ask for this, not at all. The tension between me and Liri is getting to the whole team. The usual noises of Damian and Liri admiring my picture stories is replaced by this uncomfortable silence, and it''s all thanks Liri saying that I talk in my sleep. Dammit, is this a bluff? Why isn''t she telling anyone yet, what is she waiting for? Or is she going to use it for blackmail? I can''t tell with her, she''s too unpredictable.

    "Hey Rosea, are you and Liri having a fight...? Asking for a friend, by the way. Not me."

    Damian looks at both me and Liri with worry obvious on his face. I shake my head and coupled it with a reassuring smile. He then goes to Liri''s side and asks the same question.

    "Nah, we''re totally not fighting. Isn''t that right, Rose?"

    I nod with a thumb up. I''m kind of tired, so I''ll go with the best way in dealing with this situation: Ignore it. Liri''s not saying anything, so I won''t either. I''ll wait until her next move, then I act. That sounds about right, just like how I deal with my every problem. I think Liri noticed my expression easing up since she gives me a cute smile and her pointy ears perk up. What the hell, is that dark elf for "Smile all you want right now because it''s going to be the last smile you''ll ever be doing"?

    I can''t tell.

    "Hey everyone, why do you think that is? Ya know, humans don''t normally change their leg count during the day. How could we have four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night? Don''t that sound strange?"

    Purplehead still hasn''t moved on from that stupid riddle for some reason. Damian joins in on this discussion with a push of his falling glasses.

    "... It''s obvious, now that I think about it. The riddle was probably a deconstruction of humanity''s tendency to become the monsters they themselves fear so much."

    "Eh? What''s that? Deconstiructition? That''s deep, man."

    "Hm. But the rabbit hole goes deeper than that. The human goes into three stages of transformation throughout the day, namely, from four legs to two legs to ultimately, three legs. The first transformation ¡ª four legs ¡ª is the transformation into a beast. He is rabid and follows only his instincts. A man degraded to this level forgoes the greatest tool given to him by the goddess, his mind. The second transformation ¡ª two legs ¡ª is the transformation into a human that follows his base desires. We have to admit, humanity is selfish and maybe even more dangerous than the beast. His mind is sharpened for evil and without the goddess'' light, he works toward nothing but his own debauchery. And the last transformation ¡ª three legs ¡ª is that which is neither beast nor human ¡ª an abomination hell-bent on pure chaos and destruction... at least, that''s what I get from the riddle."

    "Whoa... that''s unfair, ain''t giving a question like that this early in the labyrinth cheating?"

    ... What the hell? I draw a crawling baby, a walking man and an old man with a cane going through the day and show it to Liri.

    "Yup, that''s the right answer. Damian''s nonsense was amusing, but nowhere near correct."

    "N¡ªnonsense!?"

    I breathe a sigh of relief. I almost thought for a second there that I was the stupid one. But it seems like purplehead isn''t done yet.

    "Liri''s right, Damy-boy. Besides, a three-legged man would just look like a dude with a huge di¡ª"

    "Focus, Ron!"

    Gaul pulls purplehead back just in time to miss an iron spike springing up from the ground.

    "What do I always say?"

    "... It only takes the smallest of slips to kill a whole squad in the belly of the monster. Got it, boss. But you can''t deny that I''m right. It really does look like that, right?"

    "Just get moving. And this goes to you guys at the back as well!"

    Baldy whips us all up to move along. But the heavy atmosphere has definitely lifted, and we''re back to the easy-going group we once where. I don''t know about Liri''s intentions at all, but I do know mine. Do I?

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    "Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Hihihi! You lose again, 3-0!"

    And so this is what I''ve been reduced to: playing rock paper scissors with Liri. My eyes busy themselves by following her pointy elf ears wagging up and down, up and down, to actually focus on the game. My stories can only go so long until they run out. The adventurer life somehow manages outdo a library in boredom. Our enemies ¡ª the many variety of monsters that occasionally come our way ¡ª could not stand against their high-leveled strength. All the traps, every turn in this labyrinth, fastidiously mapped out by the adventurers before them, so we walk without worry or care.

    These guys are strong, and are nearly reaching the level cap. Soon enough they''ll be strong enough to flick away even the strongest of monsters. Then what? After mapping out all the dungeons, exploring every ancient city there is, the adventure stops and turns into a chore. Like reading a book, again and again and again. Adventuring for the sake of adventuring is nothing but a fool''s errand. It''s ironic how their goal at the end is the destruction of their very selves.

    From what I get, adventures are just suicidal people without the courage to off themselves, so they distract themselves by going out... I''m really bored, aren''t I? Up, down, up, down... I notice something beyond her ear.

    Was that just an eye? I blink, but nothing''s really there. Just the darkness our torches won''t reach. Should I be worried...?

    "Rock, paper, scissors!... Ah, you win. Didn''t see that one coming."

    I have my hands open like a paper, while hers was clenched like a rock. I win? That makes me kind of happy.

    [Floor Minus 29]

    The moment we enter this floor, the strong stench of death hits our noses. I recognize this smell. Corpses in several stages of decay strew the dark-stained floor, and I could even see some maggots popping out from their eyes ¡ª of those who still have eyes. My stomach hurts, and I try my best to hold back that lumpy feeling rising from my throat. What is this...?

    Liri examines the bodies without even flinching.

    "... They weren''t killed by monsters."

    I try to look closely as well, but Gaul pulls me back.

    "Be careful, there might be traps on them."

    I shake him off. I know how to take care of myself, big guy. So instead, he warns everyone not to touch anything. Wearing my reading glasses, I try to determine the cause of their death up close, but it doesn''t make anything much clearer. No, it made things worse. What I mean is, their deaths make absolutely no sense. I look at Liri to get her opinion, but she''s just looking at the corpses while biting her fingernails in frustration. We''re in the same boat.

    Some were impaled by swords, others had arrows dug deep in their eyes and heads. There were some scorched by fire, their skins melted and their muscle tissues exposed for all to see. There''s no regularity in their deaths except for their naked brutality... and that eerily peaceful look on their faces. Gentle smiles that would earn a rosy chuckle from a baby is being shown to me now. I step back a bit and feel a soft squish under my foot. I raise it slowly and see that I have accidentally squished an eyeball... I wanna vomit.

    But that''s the least of it. It''s quite obvious how these adventurers died if you observe this gruesome scene a bit, but it doesn''t make any sense at all.

    A mass suicide in the middle of the dungeon does not make sense.

    Baldy points his axe at one of the corpses with a silver sword lodged in his head.

    "That man is a friend of mine, he was with me during my time at the Royal Knights... He resigned after his first daughter was born..."

    Then why is he an adventurer?, I was about to ask, but I hold myself. Baldy isn''t saying anything else. Damian... he''s on the ground hurling his guts on the floor. Purplehead is looking around for traps, but I can see his uneasy face while doing so. Garmund doesn''t even want to look at this gory scene. Then what about Liri? Heh, she''s surprisingly composed. As expected from a veteran of war.

    "... Rose, I don''t like this. Did these people really kill themselves?"

    She asks me like she wants me to refute her statement. But I don''t answer, not even a small gesture. I don''t know. Why the hell would I know? Why would people kill themselves and be happy all of a sudden?

    After investigating a few more minutes, none of us could take it anymore and baldy orders Damian to gather all the bodies and their belongings in one place and burn them all to ashes. This is supposedly a long-time tradition among these adventurers that began when those on the verge of their death would ask to their companions to burn both their bodies and belongings and to spread the ashes on the ground, since they understood that lugging a heavy dead body around a dungeon could very well kill their friends.

    ''Tis the life of an adventurer, even the greatest of them will one day be trod upon by everyone else. There truly is no honor in death.

    They gather around the crackling tower of fire and say a solemn prayer to the goddess of the sun for the safe travelling of their souls. After all was said and done, we carry on with our now-silent journey, albeit with shell-shocked faces and uneasy gaits. I''ve seen dead bodies before, but nowhere near that unsettling. I notice Liri draw closer to me. I don''t understand what''s going through her mind, but I don''t say anything.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    But the mysteries don''t just stop there.

    [Floor Minus 30]

    This is the second boss room, where there''s supposed to be a very strong monster guarding the entrance to the next set of floors. Boss floors are divided into two sections: the straight entrance passage and the spacious boss room itself.

    Although the party is emotionally tired, we still carry on with the adventure. I half-expected them to turn back and at least report this strange event, like any sane person would, but I guess insanity is part of the job. The huge stone door probably three times our sizes slowly creaks open with baldy''s push, and I ready my sword. I want to whack some monsters too. They say it''s good stress relief, and if I''m not careful I might suddenly wear out from stress.

    Our torches pierce through the blinding darkness... and we are greeted with an empty, lifeless room. There is no monster, no giant armored spideer like what everyone else expected to jump out of the dark and melt our skins with its acidic web strings.

    "Ron."

    "Got it."

    Purple searches the whole room with diligence, checking every nook and cranny for signs of our dear monster friend. Sadly (which is weird enough) he finds nothing, so we all go exploring the room. Liri''s still walking close to me, simply following where I go. Why is this? Can''t she follow to someone else? Whatever, she''s not in a talking mood, so I don''t bother her anyways. Instead, I examine the walls. I''m frustrated. If only I learned how to read these strange ancient demon runes, I may have a clue as to what''s happening here. I trace the runes with my fingers, hoping to catch a glimpse of history with it.

    I have no clue at all. It''s probably just some random scribbles anyways.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    Baldy calls us all to the center of the room to have a strategy meeting about our next plans. Ah, so NOW they have a strategy meeting.

    But as soon as I approach the group, they stare at me strangely, eyes wide, like a ghost just passed by. Is it Liri being so close to me? I look at her, and she''s staring at me... no, beyond me, at my other side. At my other side is another girl, with long black hair and an oversized tunic to cover her naked body. She stared dead straight at me with those charcoal-black eyes.

    I quickly pull away from her. What the hell, what the hell!? I stumble on my butt, but that doesn''t stop me from crawling far away from her as much as possible. What the hell is that? Her otherworldly presence makes my every hair stand up, and her gloomy face exuded such great chill that it could be felt throughout the whole room.

    "Who are you!!?"

    Baldy bravely shouts while aiming his axe at her. But she doesn''t pay him any heed, still staring at me with those dead hallow eyes. What does she want? Wait, no, in the first place, what is she even? Baldy continues to threaten her, but she doesn''t flinch a bit.

    An eternity passes. We wait for her to do something... but she''s just standing there creepily staring at me. She''s turning less of a ghost and more of a stalker.

    "M¡ªMaybe she''s lost? Or maybe she''s a surviving slave from that... party we just passed by?"

    "Makes sense. Garmund, can you try speaking to her to see if she understands?"

    Liri'' suggestion kind of makes sense. Although without a horn, she might be some kind of strange demon species we haven''t heard of yet. Garmund tries talking to her in demonian, but she doesn''t react. Well, at least we tried.

    I move around the place (but never closer to her) and she creaks her fragile neck in an effort to follow me with those eyes.

    "Rosea, you know who she is? ''Cause she looks she knows you."

    For the love of whatever holy being is willing to help me right now, I shake my head to baldy''s question. I''m no friends with this hell spawn that looks at me like food, and will never be.

    Liri waves her hand right in front of her face to catch her attention.

    "Hello there? Are you okay? What''s your name?"

    And of course, nothing happens. It''s purplehead''s turn, as he circles around the girl, eyeing every part of her body. He then drops down and tries to peak under the tunic, but he clicks his mouth in frustration.

    "Too dark."

    ... What the hell is he doing? He''s only checking for traps, right? Right? He moves on to her eyes... they''re really unnerving. And here he does his first mistake.

    He covers her eyes with his bare hand.

    He freezes on the spot and his irises shrink to the size of a pinhead. I can''t feel his breathing.

    "Ron? What happened?"

    "... Nothing."

    Baldy''s voice seems to wake him up from his stupor. His expression returns to normal ¡ª No, that''s not normal. It''s too calm, like the calm of an unmoving lake, and his eyes have this strange dancing glint in them. It looks abnormal, but familiar at the same time. A trickle of blood leaks from his nose.

    "Nothing is happening. Nothing at all."

    He reaches for his knife, rests it on his neck, and unhesitatingly slashes his artery, spilling a fountain of blood everywhere. It even stains my robes. It''s too sudden. Only when that rusty smell hits us is when our minds begin to process this dream-like situation.

    "R-ROOOOOOON!!"

    Baldy rushes towards him and desperately casts a healing spell, but that bright white light quickly fades. It''s too late, he''s lost too much blood. But baldy doesn''t stop his futile casting. Liri beside me falls down on her knees. I look straight at purplehead''s face. This is it. This is how those adventurers died. Even their smiles are similar.

    Smiles of the enlightened.

    "YOU''LL PAY FOR THIS!!"

    Baldy fills himself with rage and hurls his gigantic red-blood axe towards the innocent looking girl. But things don''t go as expected, as the axe mysteriously vanishes before it could touch her fair skin. But that doesn''t discourage him from punching her straight to the face. A big mistake, the silver armor covering his fist vanishes. The monstrous force from his punch vanishes as well, and his fist does nothing but softly pecks her soft cheek.

    This is too absurd.

    Baldy''s face becomes similarly enlightened. This is bad. But nobody else is reacting. Or maybe they just couldn''t believe the events unfolding right before their eyes.

    "Nothing is happening."

    Heh? He casually walks towards Damian like walking in a sunny meadow.

    "A¡ªA...Ah...Aa¡ª..."

    Damian doesn''t know what to do. His face is a crying mess, and he looks at baldy as if waiting for his next words. Instead, he thrusts his straightened hand deep inside his eye socket, and fresh blood trickles down the floor. Baldy retracts his hand effortlessly and the spellcaster''s body drop lifelessly like a puppet with its strings cut.

    Damian dies just like that.

    I don''t have time to laugh about this all as he''s walking towards me next.

    "Rose!"

    I block his suddenly accelerating hand with my sword and the force of his attack pushes me back a bit. I hear the bones in his hand crack, but his face shows no signs of pain, only enlightenment. He drives a kick straight to my abdomen, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I drop down to the ground, my face contorted in pain. I can''t breathe! Shit! I can''t die here! I see his straightened hand pulled back and ready to dig through my flesh. No!

    A shadow is cast upon me, and warm blood splashes to my face.

    "... Save, her..."

    Baldy''s bloodied hand punctured through Garmund''s abdomen. Did he...? What? No. No way. Please no. The weight of his body makes him slide down his arm and fall on me. The smell of fresh death makes me nauseous. I don''t want this. No. No.

    For some reason, he turns away from me and slowly walks towards Liri. The footsteps of death echoes throughout the spacious room. He''s close. Too close. Liri''s face is one who gave up long ago. She''s not even trying to run away. Peaceful. Too peaceful. I can''t accept this. What is wrong with this world? What''s wrong with baldy? What''s wrong with that strange girl? What''s wrong with Liri?

    What''s wrong with me?

    "DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!"

    I pick up my sword and run towards them at breakneck speeds. There''s no time for formalities. The Coruscant cleanly cuts through his arms and head like butter, and his severed head flies off to the other side of the room. It goes by like a flash. It''s too easy. His decapitated body drops down to the ground like the others before him.

    "Ha... ha... ha... ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

    I laugh like a madman at the absurdity of it all. But that laughter quickly spirals down to a broken cry from my soul. I drop down as well, and my head lands to Liri''s soft thighs stained by baldy''s blood. Haha... I have finally killed someone. No...

    I''m tired. I haven''t had my afternoon nap yet... and I have to find Ela. Where is she? Is she here? Ela...

    The shaking of my hands won''t stop. At the very least, let me go silently into the abyss, where I can rest for a bit.

    I fall asleep.

    <hr>

    Monster Encyclopedia

    No.106

    Giant Armored Spideer [Spider-Type Monster]

    You guessed it, it''s a giant spider with soot-black armor that blends in the darkness. This monster is quite fond of the darkness and can only be found in deep dungeons and never outside. They shoot sticky white web strings that can melt both armor and skin. Its name has commonly been misunderstood as a cross between spider and deer, when in fact it was shortened from the screams of adventurers unfortunate enough to encounter this monster: "SPIDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!"

    <Drops: Spideer armor, High-quality silk>

 Chapter 14: Fire

    Chapter 14: Fire

    What is fire?

    Fire is the process of burning down combustible materials, which in turn produces heat and light, and at times smoke. Historians say the discovery of fire is what led to the modern civilization we have today. Wow, isn''t fire just amazing? Something lighter than air being able to move empires.

    That''s right, fire, especially this fire, is an immaculate ruby brimming with warmth and intensity. It sings to us a lament with its every crackle. Its warmth is indiscriminate, embracing both the living and dead in this mock twilight. The nauseating stench of burning flesh is really the only thing ruining the experience.

    Liri and I sit on the cold stone floor, the dark elf clutching her caramel legs together, while her partymates'' corpses burn in a huge bonfire I made and their apparent killer just stands behind us staring at me like a creep. Isn''t this a surreal scenario?

    Our eyes glow red-orange watching the flames grow higher and their bodies break down into something horrific. I wonder how long until the fire reaches everything and burns it all to ashes?

    "How''d you make a fire this big without chanting? You must be a chantless magician."

    "Nope. It''s just good old blackpowder."

    "Blackpowder? What''s that?"

    "It''s basically, uh, a blackish powder taken from certain rocks that easily catches fire. Like magic sand, minus the magic."

    "Heh, that''s interesting."

    "Yup."

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    I am trapped in this moment, watching the flames slowly melt the skin off the bones of the people I had a fun drink with last night. Although I''ve seen this scene play out before once in my life, so this isn''t anything new. It''s just terribly sad.

    But despite the greath warmth right in front of me, my hands feel chillingly cold to the point of shaking.

    Surely there must have been a line I shouldn''t have crossed. Maybe there was another way, another route to take, that wouldn''t end me up facing this warm and twisted fire. Maybe if I did things right, if I stuck to my morality, if I chose the harder path in exchange for innocence, then I wouldn''t feel so violated by that melting bald head staring straight into my soul.

    But what can I do, time waits for no one. Not even me. Well, not like it''s going to get any worse. So for now, I hide my fear, coat it with cruel apathy.

    "Hey... what do you think comes after death?"

    "What does the sun goddess'' teachings say?"

    "If I remember... they said that the souls of those worthy enough for the sun goddess will be reincarnated to a new vessel."

    "Reincarnation, huh? That isn''t so bad at all. But if you lose all your memories from your previous life, then isn''t that the same as permanently dying?"

    "Really? I don''t think only memories make the soul, at least not alone... wait, are you trying to dodge the question?"

    "Hehehe, you caught on."

    "Hihihi, that''s ''cause I''m smart."

    I don''t know what to make of this situation. As for the ghost girl, what the hell could I make of her? I''m not stupid enough to lash out to her after what I saw. She''s like a storm that suddenly appears out of nowhere. When it passes, nobody blames the storm, but whatever sent it ¡ª whether it be a powerful magician or the goddess herself ¡ª something with a will ¡ª but we don''t definitely blame the stupid storm. Since the storm has no will on its own. Just like this girl.

    At least, that''s how I see it. She just stares at me. That grim, cold, uncaring stare.

    "...Why do you look like a girl? Or maybe you''re a girl with a manly voice?"

    "This is a wig."

    "Really? It looks too beautiful to be fake."

    "Nope, you got it backwards. It looks beautiful because it''s fake."

    "But fake things can''t be beautiful..."

    "What are you talking about? Didn''t you just compliment my wig before?"

    "Hihi, I guess there are rare exceptions."

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    But the ghost girl isn''t the only mystery.

    I steal a glance at Liri''s face, whose expression I can''t quite pin down. How do you explain an expression that''s both disturbed and disturbingly fine at the same time? I don''t know, strange? It''s like a face that isn''t taking this too well and instead is rejecting reality... although I can''t speak for myself.

    Liri is, funnily enough, the most enigmatic piece of the puzzle for me, not the ghost girl with the soulless black eyes. As soon as I woke up from my sudden sleep, I caught her trying to kill herself as well with purplehead''s bloodied knife. But I wasn''t fooled. I knew In an instant that she has never touched that ghost girl¡ª since her face wasn''t that of enlightenment, but of incredible confusion.

    What''s going on through her mind right now? Who knows, I''m not going to pry. Not sticking my head into other''s business is the greatest life lesson my dear friend Jina could ever teach me. It saved me a lot of unnecessary trouble ever since... until recently.

    "...I hate being a dark elf."

    "Hah? Where''d that come from?"

    "What do you know about dark elves, Rose?"

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site."Let''s see... I''m sure I''ve read that during the last Demon Lord war, the dark elf tribes were the only non-demon race that allied themselves with the Demon Lord''s army. That''s all I remember."

    "...Hihi, you really are a sheltered country bumpkin."

    "Oy."

    "But just as you said, my ancestors pledged their eternal allegiance to the Demon Lord back then, so even now our tribes normally shies away from human eyes, waiting for his eventual revival. That''s why we''re called a race of traitors. But I wanted to be different, you know. I wanted... to be like a human. Caring, compassionate, filled with love. I was jealous. That''s why I tried my best. Against the wishes of my tribe, I joined human society, tried to be part of them ¡ª I even fought their wars with them. And just when I thought I finally knew what it meant to be human, after meeting Gaul, and Ron, and Damian, and Garmund, and having so much fun, happiness and love I could never experienced before... this happens. Reminding me that whatever I do, I''ll never truly be human. That the blood running under my veins will always be tainted by this curse. It''s too cruel. Too cruel..."

    Her pointy ears droop.

    "Hmm... really? Why are dark elves so different from humans?"

    "That''s¡ª I don''t want to say it."

    "Okay then."

    ...

    "... You''re not going to sweet-talk me into answering?"

    "What the hell? Why would I?"

    "That''s sad, kinda."

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    I''ve been sitting here for hours, reduced to doing small talk with Liri. I wonder when the boss of this floor will respawn? And there seems to be no adventurer party coming here, it seems. I think we''ve been here for quite a while, and I''m sick and tired of smelling this terrible smell, so I have to end this. My original goal still stands, and nothing will stop me. Not even this.

    I stand up and begin packing my stuff, leaving Liri alone to stare at the fire.

    Hmm, I should at least do a little gesture of respect for Gaul and his merry band.

    I stand near the blazing flames. On my blackboard I write, [Until next time] with a drawing of that night we had so much fun. Sadly, the best I could do is this shaky drawing, but it''s enough. I throw it into the flames in a crackle. I''d like to think that it would reach them one day, even if it sounds impossible. A man can dream. I really shouldn''t let the smoke get into my eyes.

    Now, what becomes of Liri? All of her friends are dead... No, she''s free to do what she wants.

    "Where are you going?"

    Liri suddenly breaks the solemn silence. She''s still on the ground, clutching her legs, but those entranced eyes that never once looked away from the fire now looks into mine. Where am I going? There''s only one answer.

    "Deeper. Until I find the person that I''m looking for."

    "You''re looking for someone? So you''ll go, even if that person''s waiting on the last floor? You can''t do it alone."

    "I''ll still do it. It''s not a matter of if. I don''t have a choice anyways. This is my only path."

    "Then take me with you."

    I cough spastically from her words. What the hell? Her party all killed themselves and she wants to come with me deeper into the dungeon? What kind of thinking could be behind this? There is a lot of ways in dealing with this chaotic situation, but her decision is probably the worst. I wait for her next words before saying anything.

    "Ah, you know, I¡ª uh, want to finish this one final quest of our party. I think they''d like that too. And besides, there''s no one waiting for me outside..."

    Her elf ears droop once more, and she shows a depressed face like a puppy begging to be adopted. Heh? Sure, her extensive knowledge as an adventurer will probably be helpful in the long run, but I don''t think it''s right. I''m no monster to use her selfishly like that.

    ...But if what she said about dark elves are true, and nothing really is waiting for her outside, then isn''t taking her under my wing the best course of action here? No. Of course not. I''m sure that if she tries hard enough, she might be able to find new friends that would take care of her as much as baldy and friends did.

    The key word there is "if". I don''t know anything about Liri, or the dark elves. I can''t leave her like this. I''m... kind of worried about her, not as a friend, not even as an acquaintance, but as a... I don''t even know. Obligation?

    Obligation to what? To baldy? I don''t care enough to have any obligations to him... right?

    "Are you sure about following me? You have nothing to gain."

    "I might gain a family."

    ... What the hell, that''s unfair. That sad puppy-like look, and those words, are all it takes to make me finally give up.

    "You''re quite sly, you know that?"

    "Hihi, thanks. So, can I go with you? Even only until the end of the quest. Please?"

    "Well... since you said please, I''ll make an exception this time. Make yourself useful."

    "Heh, I''ll probably be a lot more useful than you, you know?"

    Ah, that cutesy smile I haven''t seen in a while. Somehow, I''m dazed by it. It''s a smile that reminds me of Ela, a smile I''d fight to protect... This dungeon is getting to me. If I was an elf, my pointy ears would be perky right now. Dark elves aren''t so bad, huh?

    Without any further delay, she packs her stuff as well. She throws a golden bangle on the flames, and does that short sun goddess prayer with her hands clasped together and eyes shut. And when she''s done, she stands by me, side to side, and we put that solemn crackling of the flames behind us. There''s nothing else to be said.

    ... Should I throw this wig to the fire as well? It''s getting itchy. Nah, I''ll keep it just to be safe.

    This party of two moves forward.

 Chapter 15: Nice Dream

    Chapter 15: Nice Dream

    [Floor Minus 33]

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    Our adventure continues. I sometimes catch Liri sneaking glances at me, but she would immediately deny doing so. But she''s not fooling anyone. Fatigue is clearly dripping from her face and she''s not doing as sharply as she was before. She''s doing stellar for someone in her situation though, I''m giving her that.

    Since Liri and I are the only two left in the party, we have no choice but to work hard to fill the gaps. I check for traps ahead while she patrols the area for monsters, and we switch roles from time just for the sake of it. Obviously we''ve been progressing at a much slower pace than before. Not only that, the untiring swarm of monsters we encounter along the way is a heavy burden to our stamina.

    So I decide to take a much-needed breather in one of the hidden rooms we found on the walls. Securing the room to make sure that no monster or traps was around, I unload the heavy bags on my back and sigh wearily. Back cramps immediately strike me. I''m going to be a crouching grandpa at this rate.

    "This place is empty... someone else must''ve taken out the loot before us."

    I give Liri half of my baked potato (it''s quite stale, but it''s better than nothing) and we eat it together.

    "Oh yeah, Liri, didn''t your party enter this dungeon before? Until what floor did you reach?"

    "Floor minus 40. We returned after running low on supplies."

    Supplies for us isn''t a problem, at least for now. We took all of the group''s supplies since technically they''re of the party. And I hope ghost girl STILL FOLLOWING US starves to death. Wait. How do you kill the dead? Is it even possible to go deader than dead? Ahhh, I''m tired just thinking about this. Ghost girl doesn''t have much of a presence if we don''t mind her (she doesn''t even have footsteps ¡ª it''s like she floats) so it''s safe to ignore her for now.

    Our problem is stamina.

    "Can you still keep going? You can return if you¡ª"

    "I''m fine! Don''t worry about me. What about you? I should be the one carrying those bags, but you keep insisting..."

    "You''re barely walking with that leather armor on, don''t complain. That reminds me, wear this."

    The defense of Liri''s armor might be top notch, but so is its weight. I''m sure I brought it with me. I rummage through my rucksack and immediately find it: a black magic-infused hood made by Ela that I was planning to wear myself in case of an emergency. But Liri can have it.

    "What''s this for?"

    "It''s a magical hood. Although its defense is probably low than your current armor, it''s as light as a feather. Wear it, you''ll need every weight you can save."

    "I can''t accept this! I''m accepting too much. I''ll do fine with this armor, I''ve been using it for years! I don''t want to part with it now..."

    "Just wear it."

    "Got it."

    Oh, now she looks like a proper dark-elf archer with that hood. But I see just how petite she is. What the hell has she been eating, nothing? She''s practically a stick. But her bellybutton is cute, though. Not that I''m paying any particular attention to it. Nope.

    "Does it fit me?"

    "Yeah, yeah... I mean, we should go. There''s no time to waste."

    We leave the stuff we don''t need and carry on with our adventure.

    [Floor Minus 34]

    The ancient dungeon halls resound with our two sets of footsteps. We walk alongside history itself. The walls and runes that surround us must be more than a thousand years old.

    But it''s eerie. It''s been dead silent ever since we entered this floor, and we haven''t encountered any monster on the way. I don''t like this.

    "Liri, do you know any wide-area scan spells?"

    "No, my specialty is wood spells. Sorry."

    I check the map. Currently, we have two maps available, Erika''s map that runs up to the 40th floor, and Liri''s standard map given to adventurers that runs up to the 60th. Why use two maps? I''m more comfortable following Erika''s map, but the standard map has a lot more details, so why not use both?

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ... The 34th floor isn''t any different from the others. Traps 38b and 22c ahead will be a lot trickier to avoid, but that''s all. Hmm?

    I catch Liri''s elf ears twitch. She hears it too?

    The approaching sound of iron scrapping stone.

    It''s coming from the darkness behind us. My heart becomes a rampaging drum trapped inside my ribcage. Ghost girl, for the first time ever since I met her, takes her hollow eyes off me, and peers into the darkness.

    There''s something there.

    Fight or flight? Fight or flight? Fight or flight? Fight or flight? Fight or flight?

    Flight.

    I drop everything on my back and scoop Liri up in a princess carry.

    "Ehhhhh!?"

    "We''re running, now!"

    I push the ground beneath my feet as hard as I can and dash away from that sound piercing through my eardrums. I''ve had enough freaks of nature trying to kill me for a day to last a lifetime. Even with my back behind the darkness I can still feel a prickly sensation on my nape. It''s watching me. Faster, faster!

    Trap 28b and 32c: Trap hole and spikes from the ceiling combo.

    "Hold on tight!"

    "AAHHHHHH!"

    I pull off some mad acrobatics to avoid all the traps. Our only torch falls to the trap hole and the endless darkness consumes us. This is bad. A sharp pain spreads on my shoulders. I wince. I grazed a spike, but it doesn''t stop me from pushing forward.

    "The torch! What do we do now?"

    I can hear that scrapping sound growing clearer. It''s speeding up. We can''t stop here.

    "Keep holding."

    "Eh?"

    I close my eyes. Remember. I''ve been staring at that map for hours that its image is burned in my retinas. Remember. Visualize the map, overlay it with the surrounding and move accordingly. If I close my eyes, I can create my own world. And in this world, I don''t need eyes to see. My legs feels like lead, but it doesn''t stop me from pushing forward and picking up the pace. Hooray for Liri being light as a feather.

    A thick haze steadily creeps into my mind. Shit. I feel so numb, but I still nimbly(?) avoid trap 12a, the huge axe swinging from above. What now? I can''t feel anything anymore. Ah, sweet anesthesia, it''s welcoming at this point. I don''t stop running.

    Where am I again? I remember, walk five meters, turn one o''clock direction, twenty meters, sharp right turn and then... the exit?

    No, deeper down the dungeon.

    Wait, there''s supposed to be a puzzle. Answer is... a3, e7, 2d, b4, a1... yup.

    The haze finally consumes my whole mind.... I feel so light... Everything is fading away... Why was I running again...?

    I go into the darkness.

    [Floor Minus 0]

    Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick.

    The haze clears in a snap.

    And almost immediately, my consciousness returns.

    I find myself alone with Liri nowhere to be found.

    These familiar wooden floorboards made from the finest wood in Efflorescence, those intricately-carved shelves containing books hand-picked by the greatest librarian in the kingdom ¡ª I know this place, and that''s what confuses me the most.

    This is the library I consider my home.

    [Human | You are here]

    The voice comes from everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. The immaculate chorus of a thousand angels trying to cram four little words directly into my brain. Silent yet booming words that just exists.

    But if the voice were produced by something, it must have been produced by that divine otherworldly being occupying the librarian''s desk, playing my chess set all by herself.

    Her garments are as white as snow, her long flowing hair shining bright like the sun and a golden aura shrouds her entire self.

    [Come and take a seat]

    This strange world abruptly distorts then returns to normal, but now there''s a seat in front of the table. And the chess pieces return to their starting position. Wait. Am I going to play chess with this celestial being? Fine. I take my seat and begin the game with an e2-e4.

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    "This is the weirdest dream I''ve ever had."

    [Is it?]

    "Shut up, your voice hurts and I can''t understand a word you say. It''s just plain distracting."

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [I ask | Do you believe in the Truth?]

    "No. Truths and lies, they''re just two sides of the same coin. They''re all subjective in nature. Actually, everything is subjective in nature, so there''s really no point in considering if a lie is a lie, or if the truth is the truth."

    The world around us distorts and breaks. A gust of wind ruffles my hair... what the hell. The library is gone, replaced by a vivid landscape of green pastures and a wide blue sky above with the occasional splotch of white. The only things we bring with us are our chairs, the table and the chess board. What a surreal dream. Is this thing trying to distract me with pretty sights? I''ll add pressure on the right side of the board.

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [Haughty human | You declare the Truth by your own designation and proclaim it to be what it is not]

    "But isn''t it so? What I see as truth may be different from another. What I see here as playing chess might be you seeing this as checkers, given how bad you''re gonna be doing. Check."

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [You are a human child who believes in his own fictitious world | You are a liar]

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [The one who lies to himself | Check]

    Tak.

    But so what if I lie to myself? Why does that matter to this being? Is she trying to psych me?

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [Behold this chess board | It reveals knowledge beyond your kind]

    The scene shifts once more. The temperature around us drops all of a sudden and I find myself playing chess on top of a freaking mountain, overlooking what seems to be the Capital City Linea. Wow, it looks so small that I could probably crush the whole city in a single step. The people look even smaller than ants.

    But does that ruin my game? Of course not. But it''s so cold that I''m shaking here... the divine being looks so comfy in comparison. Heh, take this.

    "Knight b5 to c7. Check."

    Tak.

    [The pieces found on this board operate under the laws we impose on them | To every piece a distinctive purpose | A different world | But all subject to consistent Truths]

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [Pieces move only to our pre-conceived decrees]

    Eh? What the hell, that bishop came out of nowhere.

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [Pieces do not go across the given boundary unless they are consumed | Check]

    My rook was eaten! M¡ªMe? Getting cornered like this!? This can''t be!

    Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

    [And this world will expire once a king falls | Check]

    Tak.

    The scenery around us distorts yet again and the temperature drops way, way down below.

    What the hell we''re flying.

    This is too much no matter how crazy this dream is. It''s nothing but clouds as far as the eye can see.

    [No matter how each piece views the world | No matter what it believes in | Its worries | Its fears | Its ambitions | They are irrelevant to the Truth]

    But you know what''s crazier? In just three moves, I''m going to be checkmated. Her distractions worked. There''s no way to turn this around, unless I literally flip the board. And I''d do so if I wasn''t FLOATING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING SKY!

    Tak. Tak.

    [A foolish piece that pretends the Truth does not exists and goes against it | Is a piece living out a lie | And has relinquished its purpose on this world]

    Tak. Tak.

    [Without a purpose to keep him in the board | The broken piece will find itself promptly removed | That means you die]

    Tak.

    It''s checkmate with her bishop and rook.

    The world restores back to the library where we once started. Nothing is unchanged but the pieces of the board. Huh. Now I realize it, the game she was playing by herself when I first came here was actually how our game just went. What the hell?

    I really lost... it''s been long since I lost this bad. When will this horrible nightmare end? Wake me up, Liri.

    "Fine, I lost! I lost! Happy now? So, what were you saying again? I think you were saying something during the intense match, but I couldn''t quite catch it."

    [I am giving you a purpose | Human | Be wise and heed my words]

    So she didn''t fall for my bluff. But what does she want? Maybe this is my subconsciousness speaking to me through a dream. I should listen.

    [Save the world.]

    ...Eh? Come again?

    [A liar cannot be a hero | For he will go against the Truth that gives him life | But I will make an exception]

    "What the hell, I don''t understand what you''re saying! And don''t go arbitrarily deciding stuff!"

    [In your possession is the greatest expression of my authority | Pray and receive its eternal blessing]

    "In my possession? Wait, the pocket watch!?"

    [Feel free to be a hero | Key Falen]

    "..."

    Out of all the crazy things that happened today, those words shake me up the most. They strike the very depths of my soul. I feel a terrible chill, and it''s not from the air alone. Feel free to be a hero. No. I can''t. I cannot be a hero. Just like she said, a liar can''t be a hero. I don''t accept this.

    "Who the hell are you anyways to decide what I do?"

    The world distorts for the final time. Everything except my existence crumbles before me. This dream is breaking down, which means that I must be waking up. Finally. I just want to forget this stupid defeat.

    Unfortunately, I catch her final words before I am pulled back into the waking world.

    [I shall grant you the honor of witnessing my name | I am one who you mortals revere as the Goddess of the Sun | Now go into the world and let my will be done]

    Tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...

 Chapter 16: Lying is Bad, No?

    Chapter 16: Lying is Bad, Okay?

    [Floor Minus **]

    I wake up lightheaded, my head lying on something soft but bony in the core. I like this pillow. It''s very comfortable, smells nice, like gardenias after the rain, and it eases my headache a little.

    Oh wait it''s Liri''s thighs. Even better¡ª I mean, where is this?

    A bunch of burning arrows on the ground lights up the place, but the flame is too weak to make anything specific in the room. Are those skeletons at the corner of the room? I don''t want to tell.

    I try to stand up but I find myself lacking the energy to do so. Instead, a massive headache assaults me for even trying.

    "Hey hey, don''t move so much. Try to stay still as much as possible."

    A numb pain spreads from my left shoulder. I can''t decide if this hurts or not. Peeking on it is probably the worst decision I have made so far, since under my ripped sleeve is an ugly purple splotch that covers the whole shoulder. It looks bad.

    "What happened....?"

    "You were poisoned by the spike back at the 34th floor, and it doesn''t react to my healing spells."

    "What the hell... isn''t that poison at least a thousand years old...? You''d think after *cough* all this time... it would expire..."

    "Please stop forcing yourself to speak, you''re just making your situation worse... though I don''t know how it''ll get any worse at this point."

    Eh? What is she talking about? My head feels too mushy to think straight.

    "Don''t... suddenly panic, okay? How do I say this. I, accidentally triggered a traphole during floor 34 while trying to drag your unconscious body around. So, we''re stuck in this closed room with no exit, We don''t have any supplies left them back there, and at the rate of the poison spreading in your body, I don''t think you''ll last long.... "

    What? We''re trapped? But it doesn''t matter since I''m dying? What time is it anyways...?

    "Get my... pocket watch... somewhere in my pockets..."

    "I told you to stop forcing yourself. A pocket watch, right? Got it."

    She searches my robe and indeed finds that golden pocket watch.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    It''s been three days since I entered this dungeon, and I''m already dying. Wow. But just seeing this watch brings back the memory of that goddess'' big stupid grin [imagination] as she beat me like a rag in chess. Fucking chess!

    If she''s so smart, why doesn''t she become the hero, instead of bothering innocent people like me? Erika was way ahead of her time by ingeniously putting this stupid watch where it belongs: to the trash.

    I''d rather die than be part of her mind games. Ahhhh, thank you wonderful poison.

    "Hihi, you''re strange. You''re on the verge of death, but you''re smiling."

    "What about you...*cough* How will you escape...?"

    Liri sighs, but her face is the same as usual. Cheerless eyes and a wavering smile. Like something so big yet so trivial at the same time is bothering her mind.

    "Like I said, there''s no escape. The walls resist magic, and the hole we fell from is gone. I already tried everything... but it''s fine. At least I''ll die with someone."

    Silence fills the air between us.

    I think we should look at the positives, right? Hmm... ah, I know.

    "At least.... we got away from the ghost girl...."

    Liri points to a corner of the room and WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ABOMINATION DOING HERE?? WHAT THE HELL!? I didn''t even notice her. It''s the ghost with the black eyes. She has literally zero presence unless I look directly at her, and now that crazy chilling atmosphere is back and is piercing through my every pore.

    Great, just what I need. This is loyalty in its worst form. But, her being here is quite convenient.

    "Ha... Ha.... Ha..."

    I''m dying.

    I don''t want to die.

    How can I protect Ela when I''m dead?

    Ela. My sunshine, my all. How is she doing now? She''s with the hero, if I remember... that guy from another world. Swordguy. It feels like ages ago.

    Heh, funny. It''s almost like Ela chose the life of an adventurer than of a boring librarian in the instant she was presented with a chance... Is that so? She''s smart. Nothing good comes out of surrounding yourself with stuffy books. That''s right.

    I guess I should thank swordguy from taking her away from me?

    If he''s a hero, then he must be strong. Stronger than me, at least. Heroes are strong, they don''t die on the ground just because of a little poison. I''m not a hero.

    But I don''t want to die. I won''t lie to myself about this. I don''t want to die. Who would want to die?

    Liri wraps my head in her gentle embrace, as her pleasing smell caresses my nose. What magic makes you this fragrant even after days in this dungeon?

    Sorry... this is all my fault. If I didn''t go with you, maybe you could have lived. In exchange, I''ll die here with you. I''ll wait, and be with you, until you die... then I''ll kill myself."

    Hmm?

    "Do you want to... die?"

    She hugs my head tighter for some reason.

    "Yes. I wanna die. Do you know why?"

    She hugs me even tighter. I feel her body shaking, but I don''t think it''s from fear, or sadness, or anger. It''s from laughter. She begins unloading everything hidden inside her heart.

    "I don''t care, I don''t care. Death is just another thing that comes and go. At a very young age, our tribe taught us not to be afraid of death... among many other things. So I don''t understand what it feels like to be sad about death. I can''t even shed a tear for my closest friends! Why? Why don''t I feel sad? I don''t feel anything. Not even cold. This is unnatural for you, isn''t it? I want to be sad. I want to cry. I don''t want to be a dark elf! I don''t want to... not feel anything. I hate this!"

    She rambles on, and on and on. What is she so troubled about? I can''t really understand her crazed shouting. Is she sad.. I don''t know, because she can''t be sad?

    "*cough*... Hey... can I get a short version... of that?"

    "Huh...? A short version? What don''t you understand?"

    "Everything...?"

    "Dark elves can''t feel any compassion at all. We''re all brutish savages who only think of ourselves! There. Is that short enough?"

    "Can you... limit that to... five words?"

    "... Why do I feel so silly? You''re acting more of a dark elf than me. The people who you were with just killed themselves in front of you moments ago, their killer just standing there freely, and you''re happily talking to the person who doomed you to die here. You haven''t even shed a tear all this time as well. A normal human would have been broken a long time ago. Are you... crazy?"

    Oh no, the ugly violet splotch has taken over my whole arm and probably half of my torso... wow. Fast. I guess I can entertain Liri a bit.

    "You see... Liri... humans and dark elves are very very different... from each other. Humans are selfish... they only do good things because... it clears their conscience... they only love... because being alone is not... profitable... they cry... because society demands them to... humans lie to themselves everyday... *cough*they lie too much that they start... to believe them... thinking them as true... but dark elves are different... they don''t lie to themselves... they do what their heart tells them... without thinking of anything else... isn''t that wonderful? Why are you trying to become a human... Liri? To lie to yourself...? Ha... ha... haaaa...."

    I hack a concerning amount of blood, as it soaks through my robes and warms my skin. Oh shit. My eyesight''s blurring... well, whatever. Not like I cared. Sun goddess is right. I should be more honest to myself. Start acting like a hero. Nah, nevermind.

    "Are you telling me that, humans were lying all this time? That none of their love was real?"

    "No... a lie can turn into truth... if you try hard enough... if you lie about wanting to live... you''ll find yourself... believing in it... more than anyone else..."

    "Ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That''s the funniest crackpot theory I''ve ever heard! So if I, lie that we''re gonna get out of here, and we''re going to be happy, then it''ll come true if I believe in it enough? That''s delusional!"

    I only weakly smile. I''m too tired to talk. Poor Liri.

    "... But okay. It''s not like there''s anything else I can do. Then, I want to live. I want you to live. If you die... and I won''t feel anything again... I don''t think I can live with myself. Of course that''s a lie, but it may come true. So please... don''t die. Let''s get out of here..."

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    I feel something wet and warm drop on my cheek. It falls like the rain. What is this? Is it raining? Deep underground?

    "... Don''t die... don''t die... don''t die..."

    Liri keeps repeating those words like a mantra. Her legs are shaking uncontrollably. She''s clutching my hand like her life depended on it. I still don''t understand Liri. Maybe I never will. But I should try to get her out of here. It''s the least that I can do.

    I try to push some last words out of my throat

    "Can you get me a piece... of the wall... scrape it with an arrow..."

    "What? But why? S¡ªsure."

    She carefully puts my head on the cold floor, disappears for a while and returns with a small piece of stone she places on my right hand. This is good enough. The wall has self-regenerative abilities, so I''m not stealing anything. Just copying.

    So with the last of my strength, I throw myself up to stand. Despite my wobbly legs and failing eyesight, I still stand. It''s not straight, but at least it''s something.

    "Eh...? What are you doing? You shouldn''t be wasting your strength like that!"

    I wanna fall. The ground is tempting me, singing me a wonderful lullaby. Haha, jokes on it, I already slept. I walk, with unsteady legs like a baby learning his first steps, towards the solution. The only solution.

    I already had three contingency plans drawn up in my mind as soon as Liri told me the situation, but only one will work thanks to this poison. Okay, maybe it won''t work, but at least I tried. I wanna feel smart.

    "Rose...?"

    I walk towards that convenient superweapon, our ever-loyal ghost girl, standing in the corner and watching us coldly with her gloomy eyes. Haha, it''s ironic how she''s the only thing that can save us now.

    I squint to get a clearer view of her, and I unceremoniously throw the piece of stone to her direction.

    It disappears.

    I smile. This is how I let Liri escape.

    "Why''d you do that? Did you decide you wanted to lash out to her before you die?"

    I think Liri said something, but I can''t hear it well. Oh well. Here goes nothing.

    I let out all the energy I have left in my body in a burst, and I push the freaking ghost girl towards the wall.

    Ting.

    The world distorts. Everything disappears. It''s nothing but white. Words begin to flow from the aether. Heavy black words fill the white canvas.

    NOTHING.

    NOTHING.

    NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING.

    The world distorts again. From white, to yellow, to orange, to blue, to violet, to indigo, to orange, to yellow and finally back to white.

    A thousand needles pierce my face. My whole body. Piercing every vein. Lighting courses through my every organs, frying everything without a thought. I don''t have a mouth to scream.

    But it hurts. It hurts It hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurtsIt hurts !

    The world distorts once again. Huh....? The pain disappears like a snap.

    I am floating freely in the middle of the night sky, surrounded by a thousand stars shining brightly like gems. There is no ground. It is only the pitch black sky, the stars, and me.

    I become aware of another existence.

    [Oh! Hello, Key Falen! I see you are hurt! I will help you!]

    What the hell. This is a similar sensation to the one with the sun goddess, only smoother. And more cheery. Floating in front of me is the ghost girl. But... what is this? she has this uncharacteristic smile plastered on her face. And she''s all happy-happy. What? Is this another dream? Delusion?

    [Delusion? No! I am Mezaluna, the one who holds authority over the concept of space!]

    Haaaa? Concept of space? Huh? What? Eh? What the hell, can I die now?

    [No. Before that, Guide me to the soul you call Erika. I know you have a connection with her.]

    Erika? So you''ve been following me all this time because you looking for Erika? Why''d you kill everyone who touches you then?

    [Touching? I do not understand. I am sorry, I do not know many things about your plane. Nobody understands the words of Mezaluna. You understand. I need to tell the Erika something. It is about the fate of the Truth.]

    ... Is this a scam? Erika doesn''t have anything to do with that.

    [But I have to meet her. Let us go!]

    No. You''re a freak. I don''t want you meeting her. If I even meet her here. I mean, I don''t know, maybe she''s in the last floor, sleeping like the idiot she is.

    [That is great! Lead me to Erika.]

    What? Wait, no! Don''t follow me! Why don''t you go by yourself? Shoo, evil spirit!

    [Let us go! Do not get yourself killed, okay? I do not know how to navigate through your plane by myself.]

    Ting.

    The real world flows back to existence, in this cold dark room illuminated by a bunch of burning arrows. I''m still alive. What else, my hands are firmly touching the breasts of the ghost girl, who was back to being gloomy and all around creepy. I knead those breasts a bit. Hmmm, I''m not having any thoughts of killing myself. But holy shit they''re big¡ªI mean I retract my hands immediately.

    What just happened?

    Liri stands there, mouth agape, frozen in shock.

    "Wha¡ªWha¡ªWha¡ªWha¡ªWhat are you doing!? Are you crazy!? Are you having any unquenchable suicidal or homicidal thoughts right now?"

    Hmm? I look at my shoulders, and that ugly purple splotch is gone. It''s like brand new. I feel brand new, and the pain is all gone. There isn''t even a trace of the wound from the spike. Wow, is it because of the ghost girl...? But she still killed Gaul and friends, there''s that, so this isn''t quite enough for a friendship cookie.

    But most importantly is the ghost girl-shaped gap on the wall. Ha. HAHAHA! I knew it! Just touching her body (and her tunic,) will make things disappear! And the walls of this room isn''t an exception, evident to how the piece of the wall I threw to her disappearing as well. As for the ground she''s stepping on... is she even stepping the ground? She doesn''t have any footsteps after all.

    "Rose! You could have killed yourself! Or me! Why aren''t you affected by her?"

    "I... don''t know."

    I look at the ghost girl. She''s all gloomy, and she''s still staring at me. Ever unchanging. Too convenient. Why am I not affected? Is it because of my meeting with the sun goddess that made me immune to divine freaks?

    No, that''s the least of my concern. Why is she looking for Erika? Erika was a normal girl from the capital. Slightly paranoid, weirdly mature at times, but at her core was a lonely child with crazy thoughts... like killing the reviving Demon Lord by herself. I pull out the golden pocket watch from my robe''s pocket.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    How did Erika come to this watch in the first place?

    I don''t like this feeling. I''ll push it all away for the moment. I won''t get anything from thinking in circles.

    Right now, I know what I should do. As long as I''m alive, I''ll protect Ela. Then maybe, just maybe, I''ll bring her on an adventure. We could visit other kingdoms if she likes. Ela should have just told me if she was getting bored of the library. Yup, I should be the one protecting her. I won''t shy away from this responsibility. Erika... she would be fuming mad if she heard my thoughts back then. I wonder why I even thought of it in the first place.

    Ela is Erika''s precious little flower. And she is mine as well.

    "Liri... should we continue our adventure?"

    Liri still can''t decide. Just moments ago we were on the verge of death. But everything that happened yesterday must''ve have numbed me.

    "...Is it okay?"

    "Yup. We don''t have any supplies at the moment, so we might die of starvation along the way. It''s better to die together with someone else, right?"

    "Hihi, right. I''ll think about the hard stuff later."

    "Yeah yeah. Let''s get out of here."

    So we escape from this room by pushing ghost girl''s body on the wall, and carry on with our merry adventure,

    with the little lie I planted on my heart.

 Chapter 17: Trust

    <div>

    Chapter 17: Trust

    [Floor Minus **]

    We push our drill ghost girl through the walls of that closed room until we uncover a cramped passageway that leads to who knows where. It''s still better than going around mindlessly. The light from the makeshift torch (from Liri''s wood magic) reveals the path before us, but I still assign drill girl in front to deter any surprise traps along the way. It''s also interesting to note how the walls she "erase" never recover like they should, but without any background in magic, I can''t come up with a proper explanation

    To pass the time, I tell Liri my adventures during my poisoned state. But it''s too surreal to pass as a true story.

    "...So not only did you meet the sun goddess while dreaming, but ghost girl is also a goddess? Just how potent was that poison?"

    "Not potent enough to do its job, it seems."

    "But real or not, you really might be meeting them again if we don''t find any supplies, especially water! There are no natural water sources in the dungeon, and eating monsters is a no ''cause they''ll turn to drops if you kill them."

    "What about magic? Can''t you magic us an apple?"

    "You never learned about basic Magic Law?"

    "I¡ªI''m bad with magic, anything wrong with that?"

    "Hihi, oh well, I''ll explain. The first rule is that you need mana to do magic. And that mana comes from the sun, which is then stored in our body''s mana pool. In adventurer''s term, we call that mana pool ''MP''. And do you know what that means?"

    "...Praise the sun goddess?"

    "That I can''t naturally recharge my MP down here unless I use a mana potion. We don''t have any now."

    "Okay, but what''s stopping you from using magic WITHOUT the sun?"

    "No no, I didn''t say anything like that at all. There''s this thing spellcasters call the Fifth Process."

    "The fifth process...?"

    "Breakdown of magic. Everything created through magic has a time limit until it disappears once again into nothingness. Well, there are exceptions to this rule, but they''re very very rare. Divine Artifact rare. What I''m saying is, if I make an apple with my nature magic, and you eat it, it''s just going to disappear inside your body. Even that torch you''re holding now will disappear in an hour, and I''ll have to make a new one. I''m not sure, but I probably have enough mana left to make around... two hundred more."

    "Huh, good to know. But is it true for the opposite as well?"

    "Opposite?"

    "What about things destroyed by magic? Do they return as well?"

    "Hmm... I''m not sure, but shouldn''t they? It''s the reverse of the Fifth Process. Oh! Before I forget, magic''s effects on objects don''t disappear. If you break a rock with magic, it''ll stay broken, okay? Lots of kids get confused about that, but you should be alright, right?"

    "...Somehow."

    "Hihi, I kinda like this teacher thing. Maybe I should keep it up once we''re out of here?"

    ... But how does that explain her?

    I''ll think of it later. This is bad. A human can live without air for three minutes. Water for three days. Food for three weeks. Air is thankfully not a problem (for now), but water is. Our limit is definitely three days. No, less since this dungeon and its monsters are going to drain our energy faster.

    At the end of this passageway is wide empty room, very similar to the boss rooms we''ve been through before. But just like the 30th floor, there''s no sign of a boss around, only emptiness and two other exits that lead to a vast darkness.

    "We should check everything out! Right, Rose?"

    "Fine, but no touching anything weird, strange, freaky, or generally anything."

    "Yessir."

    We split up to search the place for anything useful, like a secret passageway where we came from, but it was a fruitless effort. It''s just an empty air-filled room with two other exits ¡ª hallways I suppose leading to the stair going up or down.

    There really comes a point when not finding a boss monster is a lot more unnerving than finding one. It''s eerie and nerve-wracking. Are we doing something wrong? Are we even on the right path?

    I''m too worried, and my guts are telling me that something is terribly wrong. But we can''t waste time here when we don''t even have food and water to last us long. What should I do? Are we really going to survive like this?

    "Rose? You don''t look too good. Do you want to take a break...?"

    "We''ll rest once we find some water. For now, let''s decide which exit to take."

    There are two exits, left and right, and we don''t have a map.

    "What do you think, Liri?"

    "Did you know, there''s a method of solving every maze puzzle! So you place your right hand on the right wall, and if you keep following it you''ll eventually find an exit."

    "Doing that in a labyrinth as wide as a city will get you killed of thirst or hunger, whatever comes first before you''ll find an exit. Let''s go with luck instead."

    I grab one of the five transparent G coins I have in my pocket ¡ª the coins that started it all.

    "Heads, we go left. Tails, we go right."

    The transparent coin spins round and round the air, and as it falls I catch it and slap the coin on the back of my other hand.

    "Right."

    "Right."

    "You think it''s right?"

    "I think it''s alright."

    And thus we take the right exit, with our makeshift torch to scare away the darkness and the cold.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    Liri and I both hear my complaining stomach all over the labyrinth. It''s been a while since I last had something in my mouth that wasn''t blood.

    We''ve been walking these wide empty halls for hours, and we haven''t come across anything. No monster, no trap, no split in the way, no stairs, no nothing. Just an endless repetition of the unchanging walls, floor, and darkness. This is definitely weird, and I''ve been through lots of weird.

    "Hey Liri, what floor are we again?"

    "I don''t know, but I remember it was a long way down that traphole. Guu... I miss eating."

    Liri has her hands on her bare stomach. How long have we been walking? It''s almost like we''re going in circles. Haa, bored and hungry, the combination I hate the most. I guess now''s a good time as any to ask something that''s bothered me.

    "Hey Liri, you said you decided to leave the other dark elves because... you wanted to be like a human, right? Where''d you get that kind of idea anyways?"

    "Hmmm... It must have been from my old duty back at my tribe? I was in charge of maintaining our archives, so I got to read lots of books made by humans. Their refined culture, their imposing strength through ingenuity, their extensive knowledge of magic ¡ª¡ª who wouldn''t fall in love?"

    "Archive? What''s that, some kind of library? What for?"

    "We really like collecting stuff, especially books, so yeah, it''s more of a library. We''ve done it ever since our ancestors walked the lands. It''s a dark elf tradition, collecting anything and everything that imparts knowledge. We even have scrolls from thousands of years ago. I dunno why, though. I''ll show you once we get out of here! ...Although I don''t think they''ll let me in anymore."

    "That''s oddly interesting."

    "..."

    Well, that confirms it.

    We continue walking, occasionally talking about random stuff like what the weather could be like outside or if it''s possible to find underground lakes down here. We finally fall silent as, like a miracle, we reach the end of this blasted path.

    It''s a dead-end. Our high spirits immediately dampen. I don''t want to walk back again, and Liri seems to think so too. But it seems to affect her mind as she suggests something crazy.

    "We should go inside."

    "Hah? Are you out of your mind?"

    "You have your drill goddess, don''t you?"

    Oh. I''m with Liri in not wanting to walk back in that endless hall.

    Once again, we form a line ¡ª drill, me, Liri ¡ª and push our improvised train through the wall.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    On the other side of the wall is a dreary dungeon cell almost like the one where we''ve come from. The stale damp air, like a bog on a hot summer day, chokes us near to puking. Try hard enough, and you''d smell that faint yet distinct smell of dried blood. Everything in this room exudes a feeling of hopelessness. But to call this room empty would be a mistake.

    "Is that...?"

    Our torch cuts through the thick darkness, and on the end of this room is the lifeless body of a child in rags. It''s a sight so pitiful that Liri gasps in shock. On her neck, wrists and ankles are heavy iron cuffs linked to the wall, and those have been there for a while evident by the festering chafes on her once fair skin. Her dull yellow hair, longer that she probably is, scatter all over the floor. Dirty bandages wrap around her eyes ¡ª but the strangest detail about her are those heavily chained wings on her back.

    "It''s an angel... Rose, it''s the corpse of an angel!"

    Angel. What is an angel? That shady priestess Morgana Frey once warned me to never cross an angel''s path. All I know about angels are that they only listen to the orders of their "master" ¡ª a god or goddess, and that they are fiercely loyal to them. Or so I read in a book about mystical creatures a long time ago. I''m sure I''ve also read how just a bunch of them could annihilate an entire human city in one night, but it doesn''t sound right after seeing one bound to the wall like this. What else, she looks to young to even be a threat... although there''s also that shorty, La Mei. She''s a scary talented swordsman who can probably take on these guys by herself if only she tries to think with her head more than her sword.

    The dead body stirs.

    "AHH!"

    Liri lets out a cute shriek as she falls on her butt out of shock ¡ª but without loading an arrow into her bow and aiming at the angel. How does she do that? What a pro.

    "...............Is someone......there?"

    Her frail voice cracks the tense atmosphere. She really is alive, isn''t she? Liri tilts her head and looks at me with eyes asking me what to do now. I shrug back.

    A thought pops up in my head, but I quickly dismiss it. I don''t have to think about it. It won''t help me a bit.

    ".........A dream?"

    "Nope. We''re adventurers who just happen to pass by."

    ".......Is that so?"

    And our conversation ends with that. I don''t see any good reason to help her now ¡ª but somehow Liri has another idea in store.

    "Uh, I think it''s best if we help her?"

    "What?"

    "I mean, look! It''s the good thing to do, isn''t it? When someone is in trouble, you should help them with all your heart! And she''s... just a kid. Don''t you feel sad?"

    "The good thing? Nope. If she hasn''t died of starvation or loneliness after all those years, then she''s not going to die after we leave. So don''t worry. In fact, we''d be doing her a service if we left now, sparing her the shame of someone looking at her pathetic self. Isn''t that right, angel?"

    "................."

    The angel gracefully accepts my words by letting them pass through her like air, even cheekily smiling in defeat. Is she trying to frame me as the loser here? Who cares, no matter how smugly she smiles she''s the real loser here.

    As for Liri, I think she''s made up her mind.

    "Well, if Rose says so. It''s still kind of a weird feeling being for a human to be that brutally honest. Is it really fine?"

    "Being honest is good, don''t you think?"

    "It''s all very confusing, but okay!"

    A thumbs up from her. What little compassion she held in her eyes gradually fades away into chilling apathy. S¡ªShe looks freaking scary. Am I influencing her in a bad way? I hope not. I was a good example to Ela, after all. Look how good of a girl she grew up! She''s so good she... ran away from home? Why the hell am I trying to justify myself to myself? Isn''t that redundant?

    "Let''s go, Liri. We still have to find some food and water around here somewhere, if that''s even possible."

    "There''s nothing to do but take our chances, right?"

    We turn our backs on the poor angel bastard bound by heavy chains as our footsteps echo on this desolate room. But very briefly, the image of Ela in those chains flash on my head.

    Nope. There''s no time to think of probables. My heart isn''t stirred even a bit. That angel may almost look the same age as Ela, but I know looks can be deceiving. Just look at our drill goddess, who looks all innocent on the outside.

    I have completely stopped in my tracks, just before my last step out of the hole we made in this room. Liri looks at me with curiosity, wondering what''s on my mind.

    "Hey Liri, are there any benefits in saving that angel?"

    "...None. Zero."

    "That''s right."

    Unless I had an actual reason of saving that angel outside of "she''s the same age as Ela", then I''d be fine in saving her. Hell, I''d be all for it. But there''s no reward. Really?

    I turn around and go back to the dungeon cell, much to Liri''s surprise. She doesn''t say anything though and follows me without a question, which is very thankful right now.

    The chained angel with the long blonde hair is still here, silently waiting for her end. I don''t know if she''s sleeping or not, thanks to those bandages wrapped around her eyes, but I ask anyways.

    "Hey angel, what''s your name?"

    ".................what is it....to you?"

    "It''s a name to me. Now come on and spit it out."

    "........Sinclair Heaventide."

    "Good enough."

    I grab our drill girl, who was standing at the corner all this time watching everything unfold with her gloomy face, and single out her finger. With extreme precision, I make the tip of her finger touch those intimidating chains, making them vanish as expected. What a utility tool this ghost/drill/lock pick girl is. One by one, the weights burdening her disappear, until I vanish the final locks ¡ª the ones binding her wings.

    Her limp body falls to the ground.

    "Rose... what are you doing?"

    "There may be no benefits in saving her, but there aren''t any risks as well."

    "But why?"

    "Why...? You''ll see."

    Sinclair shakily feels around her whole body with her frail hands. The chains are gone. Her face winces in pain when she tries unfurling her wings. Her legs are too weak to even stand up after years of inactivity.

    "..............What is it, what are you planning, mortal?"

    "Sinclair, who is the master you serve?"

    ".......No one. My master has abandoned me. The angels have betrayed me. Even my enemies have left me to rot in the darkness."

    "And what is it your heart burns for now that you have tasted freedom? Is it... revenge?"

    Her lips transform into a wicked crescent smile.

    "......I am not that petty. I long to rule this world. To grab it from the bleeding hands of those foolish gods who have mocked me. I am the cleansing flame, Sinclair Heaventide, and I will purge this world of their lowly existence!"

    Pure hatred flows from her mouth as she clenches her fist up the heavens, but it doesn''t sound convincing enough from a blind crippled angel kid. I''m regretting this decision with every passing second.

    "Then let''s make a deal, Sinclair. I will help you conquer this world, in exchange for a wish."

    "..........A wish? And what is this wish?"

    "For what it really is, we''ll just have to wait, won''t we?"

    ".............................I don''t want to trust you. Your voice sounds shady and you do not have any obligations to me. But the path to world domination is laden with snakes. Very well, I''ll accept this contract for now."

    Sinclair offers a handshake into empty air. It''s like she''s testing me. I don''t hesitate to shake that fragile hand. Not too tight to break it, not too soft to feel insincere. The angel tries her best to return the same sincerity and even hides her wincing pain with a confident smile. It''s the same handshake Ela and I have when we make a deal about the library. It''s nostalgic in a way.

    I don''t trust her, and she doesn''t trust me. But somehow, that becomes some sort of trust between us.

    "Hmm. As a reward, I''ll even grant you the honor of carrying this precious body of mine. Ha!"

    Geh. This cheeky brat, offering her widespread arms waiting for me to carry her... dammit, I feel like I''ve made a huge mistake. It''s still my mistake, so I have to own up to it. I carefully place her on my back, and once she''s properly secured, I lift her off the ground.

    "Whoa!....Now, my trusty steed, onwards to the battlefield where my crown awaits!"

    Now she''s calling me a horse while patting my wig. Just great. I want to speak up, but I can''t shake off Liri''s stare. After all that I''ve said about "being honest is good," I go and save this brat. I hate this.

    "Uh... why did you help her again?"

    "Trust me, Liri. You just have to wait and see..."

    "Really?"

    "Just trust me on this one..."

    "Okay! I''m sure you have a super cool plan just waiting in store, right?"

    Her eyes overflowing with unwarranted trust really hurts.

    Tick, tock, tick, tock...

    Our journey continues with another member to our party.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.