NoveLight ™
Chapter 46 – The Devil (Part 3)
Tarian Rien.
Of course, this is not his real name, but anyway.
I think it's best to feed him something before you speak.
Since the inn was not far away, I brought him to my room and bought him food from the 1st floor. The menu included a week-long set of dishes for 300 stones.
Although it was just chicken stew, a few slices of bread, and some fried vegetables, he was happy just that. However, there was one thing that bothered me.
"I will not forget about this service!"
What are these clumsy barbaric speeches?
I'm glad he's come to his senses, but if he's going to talk like a barbarian, he should at least do it better.
He lacks confidence, and his voice is too quiet. We barbarians were happiest when someone bought us food.
Watching him hurriedly devour his food, I smiled bitterly, because after the meal was over, I learned one thing.
To think that he is not a novice...
Surprisingly, this man was older than me, albeit not by much. He was summoned into this world a month before I opened my eyes in Bjorn's body.
There was one more surprising fact.
"A coming-of-age ceremony?" Oh, it was a real surprise. Who would have thought that there was an evil spirit among us?
Злой дух, да?
Coincidentally, this man and I had a similar beginning. At the ceremony of his coming of age, an evil spirit also appeared. In other words, there was an incident where the player was executed by the hand of the chief. At this point, one question arose.
How did he survive this?
At the coming-of-age ceremony, your name was called. However, the evil spirit had no information about his body when he opened his eyes, so I had to count to myself in suffocating tension every time the chief called out a name.
But even without that, perhaps there was nothing suspicious. Hmm, maybe that's true. Or perhaps he used a strategy similar to mine and was not suspected.
For some reason, I got curious and cautiously asked him about it, but the answer I got was a bit unhelpful.
– What was my number during the ceremony? I don't know why you're asking this, but... I was the last!
Got it. His name was mentioned last. Then he wouldn't need to know his name, because there were no other warriors left to name. All I could think was that he was lucky, but he didn't even seem to realize it, which annoyed me a little.
"So what happened after that?"
"What do you mean?" Why... You ask?
What does "why" mean? Because I am also an evil spirit. This is called data collection.
"If I feel bad about what I hear, I might even help you," I deliberately replied as vaguely as possible.
In his head, however, he had already registered my help as a fait accompli.
"S-I see!" Then I'll tell you!
Unconcealed by his anxiety, he began to slowly tell his story, from the day he awoke in the body of Tariqan Rien to the present day.
As I listened, I didn't feel sorry for him at all. He blamed everything on himself.
— ... Didn't you enter the labyrinth after the ceremony?
"I had no choice!" I got lost on the way...
First of all, he did not enter the labyrinth. He justified himself by saying that he was lost, but...
This should probably be filtered out on my end.
In fact, it was probably because fighting monsters was unthinkable for him. On the other hand, it would be very easy to break away from the horde of overexcited barbarians. The problem would be what happened next. Staying in the city, he lived for a week on stone bread, wandering in search of work, but no one wanted to take him, because he was a barbarian.
In fact, this is the biggest disadvantage of the barbarian.
Other races could have multiple occupations. For example, if you went to any tavern, there were beastmen who served you, and sometimes you could meet dwarves who worked as blacksmiths. They mined mana stones on the days when the maze opened, and worked the rest of the month in the city to earn money, unlike the barbarians, who had no choice but to fight.
"But you didn't know that?" You should have found out in the Holy Land, shouldn't you?
"This, this... For a while, I forgot! And oh, didn't I say? I got lost, so I had no choice...
I say this because I know you're lying.
I phrased it as if the barbarians found out in the Holy Land, but in reality, what I was saying to blo was in the setting of the game, which he should have known if he had played it before.
But is this his answer?
I gradually began to suspect. Could it be true that the evil spirits were the beings who opened the Abyss Gate on the top floor?
To be so skilled, they must know how barbarians work, right?
— ... Can I go on like this?
"Oh, yes. Go on.
In any case, let's return to the main essence of the story. After several days of starvation, he sold his starting weapon for 50,000 stones. I didn't know who the buyer was, but he really him up. The barbarian's starting weapon cost an average of 150,000 stones.
Well, that's not the most important thing.
He spent a month with this small amount of money, and then came the next discovery of the labyrinth. That day I woke up in this body and decided to enter the labyrinth.
"Ha!" And then you didn't enter the maze either? Are you crazy?
"But how can I fight monsters without weapons?!"
That's why you should have just entered it from the beginning. You also had to be a player to reach the Abyss Gate, didn't you? But you can't even make such a judgment?
"P-plus, I ate something bad that day and I got a stomachache!"
Now I was really speechless. My head swam. I can't openly ask if he ever played this game...
Now that I thought about it, I didn't even know if all the evil spirits, including this man, were from the same Earth as me. It is also possible that some evil spirits were summoned from another alien dimension.
"Anyway, go on.
It doesn't look like there was anything special, but I listened patiently to the end. Of course, it didn't deviate much from my expectations.
The money ran out, he was kicked out of the tavern, and the days of hunger, cold, and the fight against disease dragged on. Once, having learned about the existence of a dormitory in which the barbarians lived, he went to find out if he could get help, but for some reason he was refused.
"You're unusual!" Everyone else looked at me strangely.
To be honest, he was weirder to me. How did he manage to hold out for 3 months, living so mediocrely?
Should I commend him for at least realizing that he needs to behave like a barbarian?
Although I couldn't understand every one of his decisions, on the one hand, I felt relieved. If I had made a different choice then, perhaps I would have ended up in the same place that day if I had run away from the fear of fighting.
— ... But how much does this place cost per day?
Then I would have found myself on the street, and not in a tavern with a window and a private bathroom. With no soup to eat and unable to eat stone bread, I would rummage through the garbage, and perhaps I would have to tell a stranger about my misfortunes and rely on his sympathy.
"Oh! So, what was my story? Are you feeling bad because of me?
I thought again before answering and made a decision.
"It was definitely a sad story.
"Then will you help me?" His face instantly turned colorful. "Of course I'll repay you." You may not believe it, but I know a lot about the labyrinth! If you will take me with you, I will be of great service to you!
Help? To me? Judging by these words, he really knows something about this world...
I even felt what a hopeful future he imagined in his head. Perhaps he imagined himself entering the labyrinth with me on the same team. Maybe he really said it to thank me, because he didn't know who I really was. But I drew the line right away.
"I won't go into the maze with you.
There is no such future. I have more important things to do. I can't take my luggage with me into the maze just because he's in the same situation as me.
"But you said you'd definitely help me!"
Hearing the voice with a slight tinge of anger, I swallowed the bitter smile again.
"I'll help you in a different way.
— Is it different?
"Here. This is 150,000 stones. Buy weapons with them and go to the labyrinth.
When I took out 3 coins of 50,000 stones and put them in his hand, his face brightened again.
"Are you really just giving it to me?" Thank you! I will definitely repay for this service!
I didn't really expect him to pay back. Even with that kind of money, with that kind of thinking, he wouldn't last long. The labyrinth I encountered personally was not a place where you could easily navigate with the help of game knowledge alone. But I gave him 150,000 stones. I handed him the money, knowing that it would not do me any good.
"I'm tired. Maybe you'll leave?
"Ah, p-I see! Ok! I'll come again...
"Don't come.
To make sure he fully understood this, I lowered my voice and repeated.
"Tarikan, son of Rien, will you lose this money, or will you survive the maze and earn much more, or even if everything turns out well, so that you can repay my favor..." I sensed his bewilderment through the touch, but continued. — ... The same goes for any other reason. You're going to leave this room today, and you'll never look for me again. Do you understand?
— ... I got it.
Hearing this, I half-forcibly led him out of the room. Then I stretched out on the bed and thought about what I had just done. I grinned.
Did it remind me of the past?
Perhaps it reminded me of a time when I desperately needed someone's help. But even if you take this into account...
I have done something disgusting even in my own eyes.
A prudent person will surely consider me a fool. An emotional person would consider me a schemer and wonder how this could help. They were not mistaken. I didn't have the composure to walk away from the line, nor the recklessness to cross it, so I stopped at the very top.
I am sure this is what is called hypocrisy.
I closed my eyes and thought again. Even if my actions today were nothing more than hypocrisy, it was my best act, something I could never have done if I didn't have money.
"Tarikan, live as long as you can.
***
The next morning, I visited the Explorers Guild branch again.
Unfortunately, the employee who helped me today was different.
— 5 stars...? The employee who checked my ID card instantly changed her facial expression, like yesterday's, and responded kindly.
What the hell was that? Did the head of the district do something with my ID?
I was curious, but I could not get a definite answer from the employee.
"Stars?" Y-yes, did I say that?
Come on, don't pretend you don't know.
I didn't dig deeper. It must have been some sort of code used only by the Guild, something tied to a VIP or trouble. I suddenly wondered, which one I belong to?!
In any case, it will be better for me.
What difference does it make if it's good or bad? As a result, the friendly service was the same.
— This is a list of teams that meet the criteria you mentioned. Would you like to see it, sir?"
Today I checked the vacancies of recruits with the same conditions as yesterday. Apart from the addition of a few new commands, the content was pretty much the same.
Will I be able to find the right team today?
Looking through the documents with an emphasis on the new commands, my eyes settled on one section. I noticed a familiar name.
[3rd floor – Hikurod Murad].
Preferred Study Areas: No, to be decided at a later meeting.
Average Rank: Undetermined.
Current Member: 1 Melee Warrior Dwarf (Rank 7)
Recruitment: 4 people (regardless of role, may vary depending on the composition of the team)
Is the team leader called Hikurod Murad? And he's a dwarf. It doesn't look like it's another dwarf with the same name... Did his previous team disband?
Whatever the reason, it wasn't a bad option. It was a bit strange that it didn't have a single member yet, but at least the team leader was trustworthy. I was also curious about what numbered item he got from the Blood Citadel.
I must at least meet him.
After that, I filled out a short application form and gave it to the receptionist, then left the building and headed straight to the commercial district. Maybe tomorrow, at the earliest, or the day after tomorrow, at the latest, there will be an appointment.
Then I'll spend some money for now.
I was sure that it would be the most enjoyable pastime I had in a while.
Uh... Ha, have you ever had a pleasant pastime at all?
I decided not to worry about minor issues.