Chapter 174 - Choice (2)

There is an order between elders and juniors.

One of the Five Relationships in Confucianism's Three Bonds and Five Relationships, it means that adults and children have their respective places.

But as they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

'Age means nothing in this world.'

Raphdonia was a city of survival of the fittest, where an individual's strength determined their place.

In short, there was an order between the strong and the weak. Strength and weakness alone determined the hierarchy.

And by that rule, I had exactly zero reasons to put up with this.

"... A hatchling getting cocky without knowing his place."

"Want this hatchling to beat your ass?"

As I quietly rose, the atmosphere instantly turned menacing.

"What?"

The tanned blond looked flustered, as if no one had ever pushed back this hard.

Mister Bear discreetly laid a hand on my arm.

"Jandel."

A signal to leave it at that.

At this, the tanned blond, who had been scared stiff, regained his smug smile.

"Why don't you listen to your companion? I'll let you off if you kneel and apologize now."

What the fuck was this asshole on about now?

I simply challenged him to a fight.

"Enough. Let's duel."

The only means of settling private disputes permitted in the city.

A legitimate duel, agreed upon by both parties and witnessed by a notary, wasn't classified as violence.

Killing him would complicate things, of course, but I just had to hold back enough.

"... A duel? Do you even know what that means?"

"What's there to know? I just want to smash your skull."

"You lunatic..."

The tanned blond looked utterly lost, as if he'd never met an explorer this savage.

Well, he probably hadn't expected to be challenged to a fight at a gathering he'd come to just to show off.

"What's taking so much thought? Scared a hatchling will beat your ass?"

"... I have no need to indulge a madman."

The tanned blond snorted and rose from his seat.

Right, so that was his strategy. Claiming a moral victory by refusing to associate with a lunatic.

The counter was simple.

"You're scared."

Those two words made a vein bulge on his forehead.

But perhaps he didn't want to exchange words with me? He took his anger out on Derbes beside him instead.

"Pepe, you should be more selective about whom you admit. Associating with a savage like this will only lower your own standing."

Derbes said nothing.

No, more accurately, he didn't have time to answer.

Having said his piece, the tanned blond abruptly turned his back and strode toward the exit. His back was straight, his steps confident.

But I could tell he felt ashamed and humiliated.

"Avman, see that? His face is red."

"So it is. Seems he does know shame."

Mister Bear, who had initially tried to stop me, didn't hesitate to join me in verbally beating the guy down.

If you couldn't avoid it, enjoy it.

A very desirable attitude in a teammate.

But perhaps he couldn't just keep swallowing these insults.

One last step, and the tanned blond stopped in front of the exit.

"Oh, he stopped. Going to accept the duel?"

"Not a chance. He's clearly a brat who can't do anything without his clan's reputation behind him."

The tanned blond whipped his head around to look at me.

I glared back as if to say he should speak up if he had something to say, and he muttered through clenched teeth.

"Barbarian. You lucked into a paltry bit of fame, and now you think there's no limit to how high you can fly."

"Yeah, and?"

"Keep that up, and you'll never make it past the fifth floor."

A genuine laugh escaped me.

Did this guy think he was somebody?

"That's funny."

I spoke as I slowly walked toward him.

"I don't know how many years you've been at this, but you're a grown-ass idiot who's scared of me when I haven't even been an explorer for a year. You can't even hunt on the fifth floor without your clan, and you'll spend the rest of your life there, collecting scraps like a salary."

And then...

"Me? I reached the fifth floor in eight months. Unlike someone, I have an epithet, and I've put together my own team to climb higher. My tribe has already recognized my potential and is talking about me as a successor."

Standing before him now, I patted his shoulder.

"So, which of us will be on a higher floor a few years from now?"

The tanned blond couldn't say a word.

Like a typical human male, whose average height was 170 centimeters, he could only look up at me.

I kindly bent down, lowering my face, and spoke into his ear.

"Now get the fuck out. Go tell your clan or whatever. That's your business."

I opened the door for him, and he walked outside in a daze.

SLAM!

I shut the door at once.

When I turned around, everyone was watching me.

I returned to my seat and casually said,

"Right, I've solved the problem. Let's get back to drinking."

Strangely, not a single person answered.

"..."

Come on, this was embarrassing.

Never seen a barbarian settle things with words before?

* * *

The silence didn't last long.

Once the shock of the sudden incident subsided, we clinked glasses and chatted.

Naturally, the main topic was Jack Johnsonville. The guy who'd chickened out and run with his tail between his legs.

"Hahaha! Did you see his face when you challenged him to a duel? I'll never forget it!"

Surprisingly, no one gave me any grief.

Well, I'd found him obnoxious on first sight. How much worse must it have been for them?

"Why did you keep letting him join, though?"

"He was pompous, but he blabbered about things you'd never learn without being in a clan."

Hmm, so his loose tongue had made him useful in its own way.

Now I felt a little bad.

"Don't worry about it. We haven't been very receptive lately anyway, so he's been coming less often. He'd probably have moved on somewhere else soon."

"If that's the case."

"Oh, one more thing. I don't think you need to worry about him at all. He's at the bottom of his clan's hierarchy. He couldn't dream of retaliating against you."

"Haha, Pepe. Is his rank really the issue? With his personality, he'd be too embarrassed to tell his superiors. He'll just stew over it on his own."

"Hmm, that may be true. After all, telling them would only make his clan think him an idiot."

A perfectly clean resolution.

Not holding back had been the right choice after all.

'Besides, even if the clan wanted revenge, what could they actually do?'

Ambush us in the Labyrinth?

If a major clan got caught doing that, the hammer would come down on them that very day. They'd never cross that line for a mere bottom-rung member.

'At most, they'd restrict my EXP gains.'

Throw their weight around to stop me from earning EXP in their territory.

One area might be manageable, but the fifth-floor clans were closely connected. Getting blacklisted would inevitably put severe restrictions on leveling.

Of course, that didn't apply to me.

I'd never had the slightest intention of paying for EXP in the first place.

Why pay when I could just hunt inside the mirror?

"All right, let's drink!"

As the drinking continued, talk of the tanned blond gradually faded.

The Noark punitive expedition replaced him as the main topic.

"Bjorn, your team isn't participating?"

"Right. I've got a bad feeling about it. What will you do, Derbes?"

"We've already decided to get involved. The Labyrinth is dangerous too, after all."

"I see."

"Most people here probably will. The rewards are quite appealing. Converted into money, they're worth more than a year of exploring."

"I hope you return safely."

"Haha, thank you."

I didn't offer any further commentary on his choice.

Not a single person here had less experience as an explorer than me. Unsolicited advice from someone they'd just met wouldn't change their minds, and it would be rude besides.

Even a barbarian had to observe some proprieties.

"Well, it's getting late. Let's call it a night. Avman, won't your wife scold you if you don't get going?"

"... It's fine. I told her I'd be with Jandel."

"Oh? Your wife must have quite a high opinion of him."

The gathering ended after two in the morning.

People had actually been slipping out one or two at a time with various excuses before then, but I stayed until the end.

"Will you come again next time?"

"If you invite me."

"Good. I'll send word through Avman."

I hadn't gained any immediately useful information. I'd gotten a glimpse of ordinary explorers' mindsets and common knowledge, but that was all.

Still, I intended to attend again.

Assuming they returned alive.

I wanted to hear how the expedition went.

"Ahh! Haven't enjoyed a good drink like that in ages. Thanks!"

Once we stepped outside, the chilly night air brushed my skin.

It had been early spring when I first arrived here. Now autumn was in full swing already.

"Let's get going."

"Hahaha! Right, let's go!"

Mister Bear was far more animated than usual, perhaps because he'd practically been pouring the liquor down his throat.

In fact, he'd drunk so much that it was a wonder he could still stand upright, but his mind seemed perfectly clear.

Not that that would help him find his way home.

'I feel like I've gotten a little closer to him, too.'

The carriages had stopped running, so I walked the long way to District 7 and escorted Mister Bear home.

"Thank you for bringing him home. Would you like to rest a little before you go? I have just the thing for a hangover."

Mrs. Bear was endlessly kind to me, perhaps because we'd earned so much on this expedition. After she treated me to some warm honey water, I headed home myself.

'Home, huh...'

That word came so naturally now.

CLICK.

As I unlocked and opened my door, a room door opened behind me at the same time.

Room 207. Misha's room.

"Mmm, you're back, nyah?"

"Oh, you were awake?"

"Why are you so late, nyah? And why do you reek of alcohol, nyah?"

Standing in the hallway, I briefly told her about attending the gathering with Mister Bear.

"I see, you went there... Good work, nyah. You're really like a team leader now, nyah."

This was a world where networking like this was part of an explorer's job.

Misha patted my shoulder in appreciation of my efforts.

"What's that paper bag in your hand, though, nyah?"

"There was a night market on the way, so I bought some apple skewers."

"Huh? You don't really like those, nyah."

"You two do, don't you?"

Misha chuckled at my answer.

"Nyahaha, you sound like a dad, nyah."

She took a skewer out of the bag, put it in her mouth, and went back into her room.

I'd give the rest to Aynar tomorrow.

CLICK.

I set the bag on the table and gave myself a quick wash.

My buzz had mostly faded, and cool night air drifted gently through the window.

'Not bad.'

It was another of those days when that thought came to me more and more often.

* * *

After the gathering, life became somewhat busy.

Once you had money, you had to upgrade, right?

"Aynar, go to the sanctuary and get your engravings."

"I have no money."

"I'll lend you some."

"... N-no!!"

When Aynar first borrowed money, she'd acted like it was free cash. As the amount grew, however, she was coming to understand the weight of debt.

"How long until I can actually earn any money?!"

Well, probably about a year?

In fact, even after that, I intended to decide exactly where every large sum she earned would go.

Anyway, it took three days for her to reach stage three of her engravings.

"You look better than I expected. Didn't it hurt?"

"It hurt!"

"And?"

"Isn't pain a natural part of getting stronger?!"

Uh, right... So that's how it was.

Barbarians really did have a fundamentally different mindset from ordinary people.

For reference, the engravings Aynar received were Slayer.

Typical warrior engravings that boosted various combat stats.

For the stage-three engraving skill, she chose [Satiation], a solid passive skill that restored a set amount of Magic Power whenever she killed a monster.

'We'll stop at stage three for now, then go straight to stage six once we have the money.'

Oh, Misha made progress during that time too.

Perhaps Aynar's terrifying rate of growth had made her a little impatient? Misha blew most of her earnings this time on buying Beast Blood with cold, hard cash.

And as a result...

"Bjorn!! I finally did it, nyah!"

She finally achieved her Spirit beast's first awakening.

The new power she gained was [Glacier's Blessing].

An absolutely fucking broken power that halved the resource cost of using cold-related skills or items.

'I never imagined she'd get this power before that sword... '

Was this compensation for all our past hardships?

Ever since we'd reached the fifth floor, everything had been going smoothly.

"But are you going to keep using that equipment, nyah?"

"It's more than enough for the fifth floor."

That didn't mean I hadn't spent money myself.

I'd sold the Expanded Backpack I'd been using and spent almost all my available money on a subspace ring.

Human nature was fickle. Even the Expanded Backpack had started to feel inconvenient.

'I'd have replaced it eventually anyway. Better to buy it now.'

A personal backpack was essential in the Labyrinth. You never knew when you might get separated from your team.

Above all, subspace could even hold fresh food.

'There really is nothing money can't do in this world.'

Renewing my resolve to keep earning plenty of it, I prepared to go out.

I had an appointment with Rotmiller.

"Fortunately, you're on time today."

"I'm a navigator now, too."

"Hehe, that's exactly the attitude I like to see."

For the past few days, I'd been meeting Rotmiller daily for navigation lessons.

Not for free, of course.

Just as with medieval blacksmiths and other skilled professionals, asking him to teach me such skills for nothing would have been practically daylight robbery.

I was paying a substantial tuition fee every day.

"I can't speak from experience about the fifth floor, since I've never been there myself. But I've studied it extensively, so I should be able to offer some advice. Oh, learning cartography will be a great help, too."

The basic knowledge a Scout needed. A few tricks and practical know-how only a working professional could provide. Special exercises to improve my sense of direction, and more.

Little by little, I learned everything Rotmiller had spent years of effort developing.

"... Teaching you like this makes me think it might not be a bad idea to open a school."

"That's a good idea. With you teaching, people would definitely flock to learn."

"Haha, you flatter me..."

After my lesson with Rotmiller, I returned to our lodgings and had dinner with everyone.

Oh, Erwin joined us today, too.

"How do you always know I'll be here when you visit? I could be out."

"Hmm... Somehow, I can just tell. Elven intuition, perhaps?"

"Hmph, intuition, my foot. You just keep coming until you find him."

"Misha's right! You boastful pointy-ears!"

"... Enough, both of you."

Both of them grew curt whenever Erwin came over.

It wasn't incomprehensible. Barbarians naturally disliked elves, and Misha just disliked elves.

*'She might become a teammate. I wish they'd get along...'

*Was I expecting too much?

'Maybe I should reconsider adding Erwin to the team.'

Over dinner, I also heard what Erwin had been up to.

Apparently, she'd arranged to spend a few months working as a mercenary for a clan her older sister knew?

She said she'd be hunting on the fifth floor starting next expedition.

Ah, the life of someone born with a silver spoon.

"I'll be off, then! See you next week!"

After dinner, I went upstairs to my room, washed, and spent some time relaxing.

It was late, but I didn't bother going to sleep.

「The character's soul resonates and is drawn to a particular world.」

Today was the day, after all.