That Time I Got Reincarnated as an Underground Labyrinth Manager

"What are you referring to?"

Chishiya looked at Vanir with mild curiosity.

Vanir replied, "This matter actually has something to do with you."

He paused, watching Chishiya's reaction closely.

"What is it?" Chishiya asked.

Vanir spoke calmly:

"Chishiya Shuntaro, you've become famous."

Chishiya blinked.

"Famous? What do you mean?"

He already had a decent rep in Axel from defeating a Demon Lord's army officer.

Vanir narrowed his eyes.

"Your exploits have spread all the way to the capital. The entire kingdom is now calling you a new hero."

"…The entire kingdom?"

Chishiya: "I'm that popular already?"

It's only been a month. News moves fast around here...

Damn.

I should've made up some cool backstory ahead of time.

Like… I'm the long-lost prince of the kingdom or something.

Vanir continued:

"Anyway, several merchant guilds have started partnering with the store."

"Each bottle of Moonlight Potion brings in about 60 million Eris in profit."

Sixty million?!

All that just from one product in a month?

No wonder the shop had expanded so much while he was gone.

Wait a second...

Chishiya suddenly asked, "But... didn't you guys need my permission to make those potions?"

Vanir grinned and glanced toward Wiz.

"The useless shopkeeper and I stayed up all night cracking the formula.."

Wiz flailed in protest. "Vanir-san, stop calling me a useless shopkeeper!"

"Cracked it?" Chishiya raised an eyebrow.

Wiz nodded earnestly.

"After you left, I experimented a bit myself."

"I found that if I precisely control my magic output, I can recreate the same potion effect."

She said it casually.

As if she hadn't stayed up several nights in a row doing it.

Chishiya was mildly impressed.

The potion used ordinary ingredients, but the effects bypassed level restrictions.

He had originally assumed it was due to the system's support.

Turns out, the system's performance was linked to recruiting Wiz in the first place.

That's why it worked.

Wiz stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

A single phrase written all over her face: Please praise me.

Chishiya smiled and patted her on the head.

"Good job."

"You really helped me out this time."

Now he didn't have to brew the potions himself.

Saved him a ton of time and effort.

Wiz grinned, leaning into his hand like a content kitten.

She still remembered how Chishiya helped her clear her 50 million Eris debt.

Being able to return the favor made her genuinely happy.

But then—

All the girls, who had been quietly posturing in the background, turned their gazes on her.

Wiz… was praised?

Wiz… helped Chishiya-san?!

Staaaaaare…

The air was suddenly filled with silent hostility.

"E-Ehh?!"

Wiz froze, shrinking back under their murderous stares.

"W-what did I do wrong…"

Vanir chuckled wickedly, enjoying every second of the drama.

"Hahaha, what delicious negativity."

"Well then. Allow me to propose something fun."

"Let today's sales revenue decide it."

"Whoever generates the most income for this brat wins."

"They'll be the one who 'helps' him the most."

"Deal!!!"

All the girls shouted in unison.

Chishiya: ???

The corner of his mouth twitched.

He turned slowly toward Vanir.

"You… did this on purpose."

Vanir: "Hahaha. Naturally."

—

Meanwhile, at the Adventurer's Guild

A group of adventurers gathered in front of the bulletin board.

They were discussing a notice Chishiya had left before his last departure:

[Our store will hold a mysterious event next month.]

"It's been a month already. Think it's happening soon?"

"I missed the last pre-order. The C-rank magic crystal was only 70,000 Eris! Still kicking myself over it."

"No clue what's coming, but it's definitely worth the hype."

"Come on, Chishiya-san's basically a hero candidate. It's not like he'd scam us."

Off to the side, a girl with short hair and light armor—Fio—fiddled with her drink and muttered,

"Tch. What's everyone so worked up about?"

"Guy's just a glorified shopkeeper."

"He can't even compare to Mitsurugi-sama."

Next to her, a blonde-haired boy smiled.

"No need to compare. We're all heroes in our own way."

"I'm just here to get a good look at him."

And maybe dig up some intel while I'm at it…

Mitsurugi Kyouya sipped his drink.

After hearing that Chishiya had one-shotted Hans, he hadn't been able to sit still.

He wanted to see for himself what kind of person this "hero" really was.

Or maybe it was just the competitive spirit in him.

He hated being outshone.

"At the very least, I want to test his strength."

Mitsurugi set down his glass, his eyes sharpening with resolve.

—

Elsewhere

A small girl in a white dress hopped out of a noble carriage.

Golden hair shimmered in the sunlight.

"Your Highness Iris…"

"Please remember this is a secret outing. Your safety is paramount," Claire the knight reminded gently.

Iris looked around the busy streets with wide, sparkling eyes.

She hadn't been outside the capital in ages.

"It's fine, Claire! This is a covert trip. No one will recognize us."

"And besides, if there's any danger, I've got you, right?"

Iris grabbed Claire's hand and dashed forward eagerly.

She couldn't wait to meet the mysterious "hero."

Claire followed with a sigh.

Originally, they had planned to invite him to Iris's birthday party.

But this "hero candidate" wasn't what the royal court had expected.

He had invented all kinds of bizarre magic tools and was making a killing in the capital.

There was even talk of a pre-sale event in Axel.

A concept no one in the capital had ever heard of before.

Clearly, this was a man full of ideas.

Princess Iris had never encountered anything like that.

So she'd insisted on going incognito to see this "hero" herself.

As Claire watched the little princess skip through the streets like a normal girl…

She smiled softly.

"I just hope he doesn't disappoint her."

—

Back at the Item Shop

Wiz blinked, snapping out of thought.

"By the way, Chishiya-san, what brings you here today?"

Chishiya smirked.

"I was originally planning to hold a new product launch."

"But now…"

"I've got a better idea."

"Let's go full throttle on the hype."

Wiz tilted her head.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

(To be continued.)

***

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