The knight who gave us this ring said that by showing it and calling its name, it could be a guarantee of our identity.

Yes, that was all he said.

"It's a Message Ring. And... it belongs to Sir Garfizel who went in search of a portal to the 2nd floor.

The knight recognized the ring before I could tell who had given it to me.

"The Message Ring...?"

Seeing my reaction, he smirked.

"It looks like you didn't even know what it was. Just wait. Whether your words are true or not, we will find out now.

As the knight turned the jewel in the ring, a blue light filtered out of him and entered his body.

—…

The knight closed his eyes silently, as if enjoying the radiance. It took about three minutes before he spoke.

"The Corpse Collector is next to the portal, isn't it?"

At this phrase, a whole chain of cause-and-effect relationships flashed through my head. Damn, so that's why it was a message ring. No wonder he gave it to me when I wasn't even asking for compensation.

A knight named Garfizel wanted to pass on information using me, despite the fact that we met by chance. Perhaps that is why he gave us information about this place as well.

"By dark zone, do you mean the place where the monument is?" Yes, go there. If you can get there, you'll be safe."

If the message gets through, good. If not, it's okay. Still, he could just be honest. Now I felt like a sucker.

Why are there so many bastards in this world who treat people like toys?

There was a bitter taste in my mouth, but fortunately, this ring guaranteed our identity.

"Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel.

I never told him my name, but the knight called me.

"Did that clear up your suspicions?"

"It looks like you're definitely not from Noark's side. Although I'm a little curious how you guys got here... Pass. We will go to the temporary Central Headquarters to discuss the details.

"I'm glad to hear that. Do you have a priest?

It is impossible that there is no priest here.

Fortunately, the knight seemed to understand what I meant.

"Yes, I suppose you need treatment first.

He saw our condition and nodded.

It was a little surprising. I thought he would be adamant and insist on an investigation.

"Your comrades will be taken to a temporary infirmary.

—... And me?

"First, the investigation.

Ha, what else can you expect from an aristocrat.

"I'll deal with that, so go and rest first."

"But...!"

Misha protested against my decision, but I silently looked in the direction where the patient was in a more critical situation than my missing arm.

"Is Daria all right?"

"I... I'm not sure. Raven cast a spell to break the curse, but she still hasn't woken up...

"You'd better show it to the priest." So go.

—... I'm sorry," Ervena said.

What is there to regret? I smiled and patted her on the shoulder. She behaved as if she was guilty. I walked over to Raven to talk.

"You're a leader when I'm not around. I know you're having a hard time with your mana depletion, but please do me a favor.

—... Don't worry about the team. I'll take care of it. I may be exhausted, but not as exhausted as you are.

Hmph, it seems that the one-armed bastard shouldn't have said that.

"If you are finished, follow me," said the knight. "My subordinate will take your comrades to the infirmary.

"Good.

After that, I separated from the group and followed the knight inside. It was an unusual sight. The dark area, which usually had no light, was all illuminated thanks to the torches that had been installed.

It looks like some kind of temporary shelter.

If the outer zone consisted of knights and explorers standing guard, then inside everything was somewhat different. The researchers crowded into the narrow passage, either sitting or lying down, to rest.

"By the way, is there no fog here?"

"There's a protective magic circle here.

"A protective magic circle...?"

"You've just arrived, so you don't know. Mist is a poisonous type of dark magic, although it is not very dangerous given its wide range.

Dark magic like fog, right? So this is [the Feast of Evil]?

Since I had no difficulty breathing and it covered the entire 1st floor, I assumed it was a fog imposed to block our vision.

But how many sorcerers did they gather for this?

A chill ran down my spine.

What would have happened if we had gone to the far outskirts and decided to hold out on our own?

... We would have come to the f*ck.

No matter how low the degree of exposure, symptoms would appear after a few days. Only then would I understand what kind of fog it was and come up with a counteraction. But the later I realized this, the fewer options we would have.

"Hey, you can catch your breath, but hold on to the wall.

"Oh, yes... Apologized.

For about twenty minutes we moved along this narrow passage.

Finally, the central cavity appeared. No, I should call it a square.

—... How did you do it?

"We used mages to tear down the adjacent outer walls and expand the area. We couldn't fit everyone into this small space.

Hmm. Was it civilian military construction?

I believed that with so many people, there was nothing that could not be done. The cavity, which used to have a radius of about 30 meters, has increased in size by more than a hundred times. The expanded terrain was dotted with barracks with the emblems of different clans.

"Come in."

The place where the knight brought me was a large barracks located in the very center. At the entrance hung the flag of the royal family of Rafdonia, and inside I saw people gathered around a round table.

It seems to be a meeting of leaders.

Although it was a palace barracks, it wasn't just the knights who gathered in it. There were also researchers wearing the insignia of famous clans, and they were discussing something animatedly. Among them was a familiar face.

"Oh, you...?!"

The woman was amazed, as if she had seen a ghost.

I smiled bitterly and greeted him.

"We're meeting again, Versil Gowland.

I didn't think we'd meet so soon.

***

"How did you manage to get here..." Have you found a mage capable of teleportation?

Of course not.

Instead of answering, I waved my hand, on which only my elbow remained.

Judging by the expression on her face, she seemed to understand what it meant.

"Did you really go down that path...?" Versil muttered in disbelief. We've just broken through a route that these guys have abandoned. It seems that she did not expect success from us.

"How did you do it?"

I'm not proud of it, but I used a method similar to hers.

I prioritized and threw away everything I could.

"Put the talk aside.

While I was talking to Versil, a man interrupted the conversation and there was silence.

This means that this person was the main one here.

"Sir Ergos, you must be on the front lines. What are you doing here? And who is this barbarian next to you?

"I had something to report to you, so I left my post temporarily.

"Report."

"I have received the Ring with Sir Garfizel's Message.

—... Sir Garfease?

— Yes. This man is a researcher named Bjorn Yandel, and he is the one who delivered this ring.

When the knight handed over the ring, the man activated it.

After a while, he looked at me intently and spoke.

"I'm Marco Alburn. I am the commander of the 3rd Royal Guard.

He seemed to be interested in me at last.

"I'll ask you a few questions. Can you answer them honestly?

—... Of course.

"First of all, if the content of this ring's message is correct, then it means that the Corpse Collector is in the north, on the border with the Goblin Forest.

One of the researchers exclaimed "Corpse Collector!", but not loud enough to interfere with the conversation. This was not something that should worry me now.

"So what do you want to know?"

— Is this reliable information?

— Reliable. Even though I ran away from him, I fought him for a while.

"Fought him?" May I know what your rank is?

—... 5th rank.

When I called my rank, the knight commander looked at me with a strange expression on his face and touched his chin.

"If that's true, then it's safe to say that this person has let you go.

"Most likely," I readily admitted.

In fact, the Corpse Collector only seemed to be interested in blocking the portal to the 2nd floor. If it weren't for that, it would be damn hard for us to leave.

"Are these all your questions?"

"No, another one." It seems that you have just entered through the path assigned to Sir Ergos. It's true?

— That's right.

— I want to hear about this in more detail. Was there a way to avoid passing through the enemy?

"If I was, do you think I would look like this now?"

—... It's true. Then tell me more about how you got here. This can be useful for strategy.

Although it had already been proven that I was not a researcher from Noark, there was no point in escalating the situation by refusing. I gave a brief account of the 20-minute battle. I think it was enough to imagine what a desperate path we had just traveled.

— An impressive story.

Marco's gaze became more benevolent. The clan explorers who were also listening to my story looked at me as if I was curious to them.

"I see the qualities of a commander in you.

"If I had been, more than half of us would not have perished.

"That's why I said 'qualities'. Your comrades are all alive.

—…

"A great commander is not someone who makes the perfect choice. This is the one who makes the necessary choice.

It doesn't sound like sarcasm, but it wasn't a topic I wanted to talk about. Even if it was a compliment, I was not very pleased with it. I changed the subject.

"If there are no more questions, I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

— In fact, I have another question for you. The person you met at the end. Did he have a scar on his chin?

Scar...

— Yes.

When I nodded, the knight laughed merrily.

"I was hesitant since you were talking about the Adamantite Sword, but it was indeed the Serpent Knight.

"Serpent Knight?"

"The bastard who stabbed his lord's child and escaped. It's quite famous, but I guess you don't know, because it happened a long time ago?

No wonder he used Aura. He was a knight. Judging by the murmurs of the surrounding researchers, I guessed that he had some reputation.

— In any case, congratulations. Once you killed that person, your reputation will increase.

"My reputation?"

"What, don't the barbarians like it?"

You're not mistaken, but I'm not like ordinary barbarians, you see.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a good reputation. In any case, I had to get permission to enter the royal capital of Carnon.

"That is, if I return alive."

It will not be too late to think about it later. Not even a day has passed since the opening of the labyrinth.

***

"I've held the wounded man for too long. Go and rest. Sir Ergos will tell you about the rules here.

With these words I left the barracks and, led by the knight, went to the temporary infirmary to join my comrades.

"Uncle!"

"How is Daria?"

"The priest has cleansed her, and she is feeling better. Although now she is asleep, because she is tired... But it's all thanks to you!

Now that her sister was cured, Ervena came to her senses and revived again.

Misha came up and pushed Ervena aside.

"Hey!" Stop bothering him and move away from him.

"What?"

"What?" Don't you see that Bjorn is wounded?

"Ah...

"Let me see." Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere else? You're probably tired, and you've been called there at such a moment. Come, let's show your hand to the priest.

It seemed that everyone's injuries had already been treated, so I followed Misha to the priest. Oh, for reference, we didn't have to pay, because we were under martial law. All explorers had to follow the orders of the palace. Most likely, priests from other teams have gathered in this infirmary.

"You won't be able to fully recover for about another day, and the sensations will be someone else's. I need to treat other patients. May the radiance of the sun be with you.

The arm grew back in just a few minutes. Once again, I realized the importance of the priest. If I were to be healed by some advanced potion, it would take at least two or three flasks. Not only did it not grow a severed hand, but the higher the physical abilities, the weaker the effect of the potion.

If I create a clan, I'll need to find a priest somehow.

After treatment, I returned to my comrades.

"Raven, have you heard anything about the situation here?"

"We seem to have been allocated a zone.

"The zone?"

"Where we're going to sleep now." We all got the map and it looks like we're in the outer passage, I think because we came here late. I think the inner safe zone is already full.

I laughed softly when I heard Raven's words. The inner zone was full of the barracks of the major clans. Had they been appointed there because they had come earlier?

"Anyway, let's go there quickly." Apparently, from tomorrow we will have to take turns standing on guard.

God, as if he got into the army. Looking around the tense atmosphere around us, I suddenly wondered.

—... But where is Takelan?

Takelan Arbenon, a Rank 5 researcher, was the only survivor of this plan.

—…

As soon as I mentioned Takelan's name, everyone froze.

Raven tried to smile as she answered, "He left as soon as he got his assignment. Everyone who is here alone or in a team of two or fewer people is apparently used to fill vacancies in the teams.

"Really?"

Then couldn't he just join our team? The clans seemed to have walked together as well. In any case, there were many teams consisting of more than six people along the way.

When I said my question, Raven smiled awkwardly and said:

"He wanted it himself. So you don't have to worry about it.

"As you say."

I nodded dispassionately and thought: Something happened while I was gone.

An incident occurred. But I didn't know why they were hiding it from me. I could ask Einar or Misha about it later.

"Ervena, have you joined the Blue Wall Clan?" I asked.

"Yes... I didn't want to, but Daria said that we should... She said that this could lead to problems later on because of our contract.

Well, a contract was one thing, but she probably thought it would be much safer because there were six teams working in the Blue Wall. However, one of these teams disappeared on the way here.

"Then we'll go." Take care of your sister when she wakes up. And always be attentive to your surroundings.

"Good...!"

After separating from Ervena, we headed for the designated area.

It was a passage on the outskirts, and located less than two meters from the team next to us.

"It's been a long time since I slept on the 1st floor...

As befits researchers, we meekly laid out our sleeping bags on the floor and lay down next to each other. Everyone understood that we should be very grateful that we could sleep like this at all.

*Hraaaaap!*

Ainar snored as soon as she lay down. I don't know why, but as I listened, I remembered what I needed to do: check on today's loot, inspect the lava-covered gear, and wash my body soaked in blood and sweat. And we also need to find out what happened to Takelan. A mountain of things to do.

Come on. I'll do it tomorrow.

When I closed my eyes, my strength left my body. It was as if I was drowning.

At the moment when my consciousness was slowly sinking into the stream, I heard Misha's voice next to me.

"Bjorn, you've been through a lot.

Then I heard Raven's voice on the other side.

— Yes. You did a great job.

Abman also laughed shyly and added something:

"Rest, Yandel.

*Hraaaaap!*

Only then did I realize that this unusually long 1st day was finally over.