Surviving in the Labyrinth City of the Reverse World

28 – Bandits #2

I caught the skeleton and picked up a magic stone.

[Obtained Magic Stone (E).]

The magic stone that the skeleton dropped was bigger than the goblin’s. It’s E-grade.

It was the size of a finger, so it was quite obvious that it was a magic stone.

“E-grade magic stones are definitely more expensive than F-grade, right?”

“About 30% more? Probably even more expensive.”

I compared the effort it took to catch a goblin with the effort it took to catch a skeleton.

“The hunting difficulty itself is about the same.”

Lauren and Sue easily dealt with the skeletons. They smashed them as easily as crushing a handful of sand.

But the income increased by 30%.

Lauren spoke to me, who was deep in thought.

“Even veteran explorers don’t stay on the 2nd floor for long. It’s mentally exhausting.”

“Is the 2nd floor the most difficult?”

“Some people say it’s better to be in pain.”

Among the Beastfolk, there is a tribe called the Canine Tribe. They say that due to their exceptionally keen sense of smell, they cannot surpass the 2nd floor.

“It’s practically an honorable death….”

“An honorable death? hahahaha!”

Lauren burst into laughter.

“An honorable death! That’s actually a fitting term. Very few boys can take a beast and descend below the 3rd floor!”

Understanding the meaning of my words, Lauren patted Sue’s back and laughed heartily. Sue frowned.

“They are a strong race, capable of excelling on the 3rd floor. Yet, they can barely descend to the 1st floor because there’s no boy strong enough to handle it. How ironic.”

Lauren offered a half-hearted comfort. It didn’t seem to reach Sue.

Sue swatted Lauren’s hand away with her chubby face.

“Anyway, the 2nd floor is not a place for prolonged hunting. It’s just a floor to pass through before going down to the 3rd floor. And even then, you should pass through it as quickly as possible.”

According to Lauren’s words,

After finding the portal to the 2nd floor from the 1st floor and spending a day in front of it, most parties break through the 2nd floor and quickly move on to the 3rd floor.

Staying here for too long is detrimental to one’s mental health.

“It’s a strategy that makes sense.”

“Indeed? That’s why we also have to make a choice. Whether to go back or go down.”

I turned around. Although the portal was not visible due to the darkness, it felt like it was calling me from not too far away.

Just to be sure, I asked.

“Is the portal to the first floor gone?”

“Yeah. Portals that go back to the city randomly generate every week, but the portals connecting each floor are always there. If you want to go up, you can.”

“….”

Lauren smiled back, her voice filled with an odd anticipation.

“The timing is strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“The timing of Lauren-noona telling us all this. It’s like she’s suggesting we go down to the third floor.”

It’s so subtle. It fits perfectly.

There was a sense that someone was intending something, stirring in the air.

Lauren smirked.

“hehehe, caught in the act.”

The members of the “Pioneers of Miracles” had that kind of expression. Sly and cunning.

I was startled and clung to Su beside me.

“…Su?”

But Su’s reaction was strange too. There was no sign that he was wary of Lauren.

“Could it be… an accomplice?!”

It was an unfounded suspicion.

“I don’t sense any malice. Lauren, stop playing around.”

“You catch on quickly, huh? The performance of my ‘Insight’ skill isn’t a joke, after all.”

“…I told you to take the exploration seriously, so what will happen if you play a nasty trick?”

Joke? Was it a joke?

I suppressed my emotions and looked into Lauren’s eyes. Her crescent-shaped eyes were filled with mischief.

“What is it?”

“While it’s true that you need to be tense, you don’t have to be completely rigid. You need to have some decorum.”

“So, you’re saying you played a joke?”

“Your reaction was cute, Ray. Surprisingly, you’re quite timid, aren’t you?”

Lauren patted my head. I didn’t want to accept her touch because of the joke earlier.

“Oh my.”

“Hmph.”

“Okay, I get it. I’m sorry. I didn’t know Ray would be so scared.”

I had to speak properly. I corrected Lauren’s words.

“It’s not because I’m scared. This is a maze, you know. We don’t know when or where a rogue might appear…”

“Right. You’re right.”

Lauren sincerely apologized.

“When Ray saw through my intentions, for some reason, I felt like playing a joke. That’s why I made that expression.”

It was a sincere apology that I couldn’t help but accept.

But that wasn’t the important part. What Lauren casually said entered my ears.

“…What do you mean by saying that you saw through my intentions? Did we understand each other?”

“Yes, your thoughts are accurate. You wanted to go down to the third floor… Well, that’s not my intention. But the context is similar.”

Lauren subtly placed her hand on my head again. I didn’t push it away and let her continue to pat me.

“I don’t know how far Ray wants to go, so I have to plan for a week.”

“Planning for a whole week?”

“Just the basic framework. For example, today we should go to the 1st or 3rd floor, something like that.”

Yesterday, we explored the 1st floor. We mined quite a bit of marble.

We could have gone down to the 2nd floor. We saw many portals leading to the 2nd floor, but we didn’t go.

Because it wasn’t part of Lauren’s plan.

When Lauren finished the daily schedule, she mentioned the 2nd floor. She hinted that it would be okay to go down.

It was a judgment made with the possibility that I, who was disgusted with the environmental conditions on the 2nd floor, might try to go down to the 3rd floor.

“You said it’s dangerous.”

“Hunting itself isn’t dangerous. With Swu, you can hunt safely even on the 3rd floor. Of course, that’s assuming Ray can handle it.”

“…I can handle it.”

“Well, then it won’t be dangerous.”

Returning to the 1st floor. Advancing to the 3rd floor.

Although it was a dilemma, the answer was already clear.

“Let’s go back.”

“And not go to the 3rd floor?”

“…I think it’s a bit early to go now.”

I hesitated a lot about going to the 3rd floor, even though I thought it would be fine to go to the 2nd floor.

If I can’t refute myself asking if I really need to go down today, then I can’t go down. The moment I hesitated, I lost my justification.

“If that’s Ray’s choice.”

Lauren willingly turned around and stood in front of the portal that led back to the first floor.

“By the way, the portals between floors aren’t connected.”

As if suddenly remembering, Lauren spoke.

“Even if we pass through this portal, it might not take us back to where we were before.”

“Oh…”

Without hesitation, she stepped on the portal, wanting to be freed quickly.

“Let go of this! Release it!”

“Heh heh. Such a small fry throwing a tantrum.”

And then she encountered adventurers. There were quite a few people in front of the first-floor portal. There were even two boys.

“….”

The two female adventurers were lying on the ground and couldn’t get up. They didn’t even flinch.

Are they dead?

Thud, thump-!

“What are you guys blabbering about? You’re upset about losing a brat? Then protect them properly.”

“Don’t say anything to the level 1 kids. They’re pitiful girls. Weakness isn’t a crime.”

The relatively clean female adventurers were surrounded by women thugs wearing leather jackets and were getting beaten up. Then, one of the adventurers hung onto the opponent’s leg and fought back.

“Ugh, ugh…! f*ck! Don’t take Kaen with you!”

“We’ll use Kaen properly. Just go away.”

It was a fight that couldn’t be won. But still, the adventurer didn’t give up.

Thud-!

But in the end, I kicked my chin and fainted.

“What’s going on?”

The thugs noticed our arrival and looked towards the portal.

“It’s not our team?”

“A party that came up from the 3rd floor?”

The situation took a serious turn. It was clear that the atmosphere was not good. We could sense it.

The same was true for Lauren and Swoo.

The thugs stared at me. Their scrutinizing gaze was not pleasant. I could feel the eerie intensity in their eyes.

“….”

Swoo paused for a moment. He was about to rush out but held back.

Why?

I quickly realized the reason.

Swoo was waiting for my command. He didn’t have the confidence to handle the possible consequences of his actions.

For Swoo to move, he needed a confident order from a boy who could take responsibility for those aftermaths.

“Swoo!”

I saw in real-time that they were being kidnapped by the thugs. I couldn’t just let the boys be unjustly taken away.

If possible, I had to rescue them.

“I’ll allow the activation of ‘Beast Soul’!”

“….”

Swoo, who received permission, glanced at Lauren. He seemed to be keeping in mind what Lauren had pointed out.

Lauren let out a scream.

“Are you mocking me too?! Are you telling me to control myself in this situation?!”

Lauren couldn’t contain her boiling anger and exploded.

“Just kill them first! Kill them and then think. Bastards, these damn scumbags. They’re caught nicely.”

She drew her dagger and charged ahead of Suwoo.