Chapter 182 - Jinx (2)

The identification tags we'd only received right before entering the Labyrinth.

They were called identification tags, but really, they were just steel pendants stamped with the royal family's crest. For reference, Raven, who held a general appraiser's license, estimated their production cost at less than 3,000 Stones.

["So it really is just an ordinary necklace."]

["Even the royal family couldn't have manufactured and distributed magic items on such short notice."]

The tags didn't even have names on them, so there was no way to tell if someone had stolen one.

But after examining them closely, we'd discovered a hidden trick. It wasn't anything particularly impressive...

Still, neither the official handing them out nor the knight we'd met on the first floor had let on about it.

["What exactly does this say?"]

["... It's the ancient language."]

A tiny numeral in the ancient language was tucked into the royal crest. The number on our tags was 2.

Raven and I had come up with several theories, then compared our tags with those of various explorers to reach a conclusion.

["The clan members we met earlier all had 3 on their tags."]

These ancient numerals indicated the explorers' level. They didn't give an exact rank; instead, 1 meant low-level, 2 meant seasoned, and 3 meant high-level.

["I wondered why they asked our ranks when they handed them out. So this was what they were hiding."]

["But why didn't they tell us when they gave them out?"]

["Because Noark could exploit that information."]

Of course, it was a flimsy safeguard. Anyone who could read the ancient language could figure it out just as we had.

Still, it wasn't bad in terms of cost-effectiveness. Adding one number while stamping the crest couldn't be that difficult. And it had actually come in handy just now.

'Whew. That goddamn Hans effect.'

Careful to keep my expression neutral, I tightened my grip on my shield. The number on the tags the dwarf's team had just shown us was 1.

That meant they were from Noark and had stolen those tags. Judging by their equipment and everything else, there was no way they were low-level explorers.

'Now, what do I do?'

Fuck them up right now?

It was the first option that came to mind, but considering everything involved, it was the worst possible move. Raven seemed to feel much the same.

["They don't know we've figured them out yet. Let's pretend we haven't noticed and feel them out first."]

Yes, that was the best course after all.

When I nodded in response to her Voice Transmission Magic, the dwarf shot me a meaningful glance.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, none. Let's introduce ourselves. I am Bjorn, son of Jandel. And you?"

"Jagurs Marthan."

It was a dwarven name, but obviously it had to be an alias.

"Ah! I'm H-Hans Krissen."

Hans G then gave his name as well, completing the introductions between the leaders.

"Your tags?"

"Oh, here they are. What are you all doing? Hurry up and show him yours."

Just in case, I checked Hans G's team's tags too. Except for the newcomer whose tag read 1, they were all 2s.

"Um... w-we'll have to travel together from here on. H-how about introducing everyone else as well?"

"Hmm, we have to travel together? Do you know something about this rupture?"

"Yes, a fair amount. I enjoy reading."

Hans G nodded confidently at the dwarf's question. Watching him, I found it oddly amusing.

He'd read it in a book? Wasn't that the very excuse I always used?

"Explain. What happens next?"

"Now that everyone's here, the path should open if we all touch it together. Follow it out, and we'll reach a forest."

"... You should be useful."

"Haha... I'm g-glad I can help. On that note, why don't we take some time to get to know one another and what we're each good at?"

At Hans G's suggestion, we briefly introduced our team compositions. In short, they were as follows:

[Hans G's Team]

Summoner, mage, blunt-weapon warrior, Guide, elf archer.

[Dwarf's Team]

Dwarf warrior, Therianthrope swordsman, spellcaster, archer, priest.

"Oh! You have a priest with you!"

Hans G's face brightened at the dwarf's team composition. With a raid ahead of us, he seemed delighted to have a priest along...

But it was obvious they were a priest of Carui anyway.

"Um, then how will we divide the loot...?"

Like proper explorers meeting in a rupture, we moved straight from introductions to discussing loot.

In the end, we agreed that each team would keep whatever dropped from the lesser monsters they killed, while loot earned from fighting together would be decided by dice rolls.

Not that the rolls would be fair.

"Shouldn't whoever contributes more get more? You said your name was Mr. Krissen, right? Just looking at you, your team seems likely to be the least useful of us."

"A-as I said earlier, we have information about this rupture—"

"I'm quite familiar with Doppelgänger Forest myself, you know?"

Raven was in negotiation mode, running circles around her opponent in a soft, measured voice.

"Hold on. Aren't you being awfully rude?"

The elf archer on Hans's team flared up midway through, but it changed nothing.

"Meirin, please stop. Sh-she isn't wrong."

"Yes, let's acknowledge the truth. Didn't just one doppelgänger of that barbarian fellow give us a great deal of trouble earlier? With such a disparity in our abilities, demanding equal treatment would be unfair to them."

"..."

With both her leader and the mage saying the same thing, the elf archer pressed her lips shut in frustration.

Then Hans G spoke bitterly.

"We'll subtract 1 from all our rolls."

"Make it 2. We'll use a ten-sided die instead."

"... Very well. But in return, please increase it if we m-make a contribution."

"That's a reasonable suggestion. While we're at it, we could make that a rule for everyone. If a team makes a mistake, we subtract 1 from their rolls, and if they do the opposite, we add 1. What do you think?"

Raven directed that question squarely at the dwarf, who readily nodded.

"Sounds fine."

We're going to stab you in the back anyway.

Was it my imagination that I could hear those unspoken words?

* * *

We all gathered around the altar in the center of the cavern and placed our hands on it. The vines blocking the passage slid aside, revealing an uphill path.

"We'll go first. But I'd prefer you didn't follow too closely."

"Naturally."

We advanced through the passage, keeping a safe distance between teams, and soon reached the forest.

The second chapter was now beginning.

「Your character has entered a special area.」

「Field Effect - Doppelgänger Forest is applied.」

「Status effect [Distrust] is applied.」

「Damage dealt when attacking expedition members is doubled.」

This chapter was very simple. Roam the forest, kill three minibosses, and find the altar somewhere within it. That was all.

"Which team will take the lead, then?"

"We should take turns."

As explorers with distrust practically built in as a passive, we moved in separate team formations rather than as one united group. Viewed from above, our arrangement would have resembled an isosceles triangle.

Each team handled monsters coming from its own direction, with the others providing backup if things got dangerous.

"Activate Voice Control first."

We were a fair distance from the other teams, but we activated our team voice-chat spell anyway. Then we continued exploring, killing the doppelgängers that appeared every few minutes.

How much time had passed?

"Nyaha! What's with that dwarf? He acted so imposing, but he wasn't much in a fight!"

Naturally, we gathered information as we hunted doppelgängers of the other teams' members. Hans G's team was as easy as expected, and the dwarf's team wasn't as strong as I'd imagined either.

'Around rank five, I'd say.'

That was excellent news, considering I'd privately allowed for the possibility of them being as strong as the Dragonslayer.

"Raven, activate Voice Control."

"Huh? I'm already using it."

Oh, I'd left that part out.

"For just you and me."

That was how sensitive the topic was.

"Huh? Why just you two...?"

"I'll explain everything later."

The three we were openly excluding questioned it, but nodded when they saw my expression.

"... It's ready. But you're not going to tell the other three?"

"I don't think any of them would be good at acting."

Neither of us meant to, but our gazes naturally converged on Aynar.

"... Let's leave that subject there."

"Yes. We'd better."

I got to the point.

"So, what do you think they'll do?"

"It's fifty-fifty. They might just want to finish exploring peacefully and leave... Or they might get greedy."

That was a slightly unexpected answer.

"Fifty-fifty?"

I'd thought she'd consider greed the much more likely option.

"For one thing, they're outnumbered. And now that we've fought them, they aren't stronger than us either."

Well, that was true.

"Still, one thing's certain. Even if they do get greedy, it won't be right now. They'll probably wait until after we've killed the Guardian."

That part matched my thinking. Doppelgänger Forest was a rupture with a capacity of fifteen. In other words, a single team would have a hard time clearing it unless they were exceptionally skilled.

"You understand, right? Conversely, that also means we can't strike first until we've killed the Guardian."

"Yes, I know."

That was the shittiest part of our current situation.

Cut down the pillar and dig out the roots.

You could only rest easy after uprooting the entire source of trouble in one go, yet we couldn't launch a preemptive attack!

My mace was itching so badly I could go mad.

"Then what about the others?"

"The team with that Hans fellow?"

"Yes. Have you noticed anything suspicious?"

"I'm not sure. He seems a little bumbling, but he doesn't seem like a bad person."

"Doesn't seem like a bad person..."

He certainly did give that impression. But I knew better.

When we'd been trapped in the [Crevice of Evil], Hans G was the bastard who'd led over a hundred explorers into mortal danger to save his own group.

I couldn't dismiss him as just some dumbass. For starters, he was a Player.

"Hah..."

A sigh escaped me. As if Hans G wasn't enough, now there was a team of Noark explorers too.

Why did hard mode activate every time I entered a rupture?

"Bjorn, a doppelgänger!"

"... Keep a close eye on them too, not just the dwarf's team. Tell me immediately if you notice anything odd."

"Understood."

I ended my conversation with Raven there and focused on exploring. Contrary to my expectations, not one person pressed us about what we'd discussed.

It wasn't as though they weren't curious... They were simply trusting that we had a good reason and waiting for us to tell them.

'... You're making me feel guilty here.'

"W-we could use some help!"

Anyway, aside from the occasional request for backup from Hans G's team, time passed without incident.

And when night finally came, we found one of the three minibosses.

"I-it's a Manticore!"

One of the few creatures in this rupture that wasn't a doppelgänger, and a monster famed for offering excellent value, whether in byproducts or Essences.

「You have defeated a Manticore. EXP +5」

Thanks to Raven's and Hans G's information, the fight itself wasn't difficult.

The only problem was...

Actually, could I really call it a problem?

"Nobody move!"

An Essence had dropped.

For the first time in ages, an Essence I could absorb had actually dropped.

"Raven, hurry up and get the die out!"

I had to win this.