Chapter 16: Hidden – 1

“Hello, I am from the Moonlight Serenade clan.”

“I am from the Light’s Essence……”

To be honest, I was feeling a little regretful.

Considering Lucia and Volcan’s reactions, as well as the responses of those around me, I had expected some trouble.

I could already sense the hassle from the way they looked at me.

‘I didn’t think they’d swarm me this quickly, though.’

How many times has it been now?

Even though I had politely turned them away, some of them just wouldn’t give up.

‘It’s already getting annoying.’

I let out a deep sigh.

But this was something I had brought upon myself.

Lucia and Volcan didn’t react as I expected, so I had just tried it out as an experiment.

‘I only did it as a test.’

It was unfair.

But no one cared about my frustration.

Well, blaming others wouldn’t change anything anyway.

What’s done is done.

Now, I had to focus on damage control…

‘Is it even possible to clean up this mess?’

I had no idea.

Still, this place was spacious, so maybe I could find a way to hide.

At some point, I got tired of dealing with people, so I used Thief’s Pinnacle to vanish into stealth.

“Huh? W-where did you go?”

Rishiel sounded flustered.

Ignoring her, I continued on my way.

She would find me eventually.

‘Since Rishiel’s Soul is near me.’

Even if I got too far away, at some point, it would always return to my side.

That strange connection ensured there were no problems.

Breaking away from the crowd, I spotted a portal to the Labyrinth opening in the distance.

And from within, countless people began pouring out.

‘…The Labyrinth.’

A steady stream of people emerged one after another.

There were all sorts of people. While most were human, I occasionally spotted orcs and beastfolk.

However, I didn’t see any elves.

Maybe it was because they were seen as a kind of public enemy.

‘We’re supposed to leave tomorrow, right?’

Still hidden, I made my way to the open training ground provided by the inn.

Since it was a quiet place, I figured I might as well swing my sword a few times before heading out.

[Skill: Swordsmanship level has increased.]

Swinging my sword was really fun.

The next day.

Erme made quick preparations to depart for the Labyrinth.

Even though leaving early wouldn’t change our arrival time, she wanted to avoid getting caught in the crowd.

And the reason for that… was me.

When I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, Theresa and Glasses were already there.

“The star of the hour has arrived.”

“Hey.”

Glasses adjusted his glasses as he said something strange.

Meanwhile, Theresa greeted us with the same vacant expression as always.

“Sigh… Thanks for coming early, everyone.”

“So our party leader can make that kind of face, huh?”

“Well, some annoying things happened yesterday.”

Erme trailed off and took a seat.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you were looking for a new party member yesterday?”

“Yeah, we’re recruiting a Priest this time.”

“A Priest? Isn’t that difficult?”

“Priests… hard.”

Glasses and Theresa both shook their heads.

It didn’t seem like they were talking about recruitment being difficult—more like something else entirely.

‘Is it that hard to keep them happy?’

That made sense.

Priests were said to be extremely rare in this place.

“Well, Priests are considered a noble profession, so dealing with them can be a bit difficult.”

“Mages are easier to handle in comparison. They take great pride in their magic, so as long as you stroke their egos a little, they’ll perform well on their own.”

“Priests, on the other hand, are heavily influenced by their innate Gifts, so they’re often raised in an overly sheltered environment.”

As I listened to Glasses and Erme’s explanation, I pondered over it.

So basically…

‘In my previous life’s party system, it’s like the healers and buffers acting like nobles, huh?’

But since this was a matter of life and death, I figured it’d be different.

Or rather…

‘If someone can hold your literal life hostage, then I guess that makes sense.’

Still, if Erme was the one bringing in a Priest, things might be a little different.

She seemed quite competent—well, that was only natural.

‘She has the qualities to become the Sword Hero, after all.’

She’d make sure to bring someone useful.

“But there’s a big downside.”

“A downside? I already feel exhausted just hearing that.”

Theresa leaned on my shoulder, looking like she had a headache.

Beside her, Glasses wore a similar expression, as if he could already sense the trouble ahead.

“Well, since we’ll be in the lower floors, we should be able to manage somehow. Like, say, an Orc Shaman or something.”

“They may not look great, but they’re kind. Vitality Rituals, Healing Rituals— all good stuff.”

“It’s not that kind of problem… The one Erme found is a severe alcoholic and chain smoker.”

“…Oh.”

Theresa’s face showed an expression that basically said, Well, that’s not too bad.

Glasses, too, looked like he found it acceptable.

‘Aren’t those way more dangerous?’

Cigarettes could attract monsters because of the smell.

Alcohol could impair judgment, leading to fatal mistakes.

And yet, judging by their reactions, they seemed to think, That’s reasonable.

‘Just what kind of reputation do Priests have in this world?’

It was almost scary.

“Well, we still need to explore the Labyrinth, so should we try recruiting a Swordsman nearby? We arrived a bit early, and there seem to be plenty of diligent people around.”

“If they can pull their weight, I’m in.”

“Same. A reliable front-liner is always good. But wouldn’t a back-liner be useful too?”

“A back-liner?”

Erme turned to look at me, as if asking for my opinion.

‘Is it because I’m handling both the front and back lines?’

I didn’t mind doing both.

So, I nodded.

As soon as I did, Erme’s face brightened.

This was starting to make me feel like the leader here.

‘She’s the one doing all the work, but she’s not getting much out of it.’

Yeah, leadership suits someone like her better.

Just as I was about to sit down and wait, a shadow loomed over me.

Judging from its sheer size, whoever it was had an enormous frame.

I looked up.

And saw Volcan, grinning widely.

“Hey, kid. What are you doing here?”

“Waiting.”

“Hm? For who?”

I pointed to the side, and Volcan followed my gaze.

Erme was over there, speaking with a party about something.

“Oh? Didn’t you guys just come out of the Labyrinth a few days ago?”

“We did.”

“And you’re already going back in? Looks like you’ve got potential.”

Volcan grinned in satisfaction.

…He seemed to have the wrong idea about us.

‘Not that it matters.’

No, maybe this was actually a good thing.

Theresa was staring at Volcan with a blank expression, while Glasses was trembling violently.

“V-Volcan, sir?”

“The Sword King Volcan… Is it really him?”

Glasses’ voice shook as he muttered Volcan’s name.

Meanwhile, Theresa pinched her own cheek, as if trying to confirm whether this was real.

“Kid, seems like I’m pretty famous.”

“…Just how infamous are you that Glasses is shaking like that?”

“Glasses? Oh, you mean that one? Hmm… My infamy, huh…”

Volcan started engraving something into the air with his large hands.

“There was that time a so-called prince from a neighboring country got cocky, so I punched him in the face… Oh, and when the Imperial Guards got uppity, I beat them down…”

He listed a few more incidents, each just as absurd.

…Okay.

Now I understood why Glasses was trembling in fear.

But still, was that even allowed? Adventurers were granted some level of recognition, sure, but…

‘Isn’t that a bit much?’

As if he could read my thoughts, Volcan smirked and said,

“Sorry, kid. You gotta be at my level to get away with this. If you build up muscles like mine, maybe you’ll get there one day.”

He gave me a knowing look.

…Was he suggesting we train together?

‘I really don’t want to end up looking like that.’

I was more suited for speed.

Maybe it was because my first real swordsmanship experience was with Darkmoon Blade, but agility suited me far better than brute strength.

As I chatted with Volcan, Glasses suddenly shook his head furiously.

“No, no… Yuseong, I respect him.”

Respect?

Volcan?

‘Well… I guess that makes sense.’

Objectively speaking, Volcan was an outstanding adventurer.

It’s just that his actions… weren’t exactly age-appropriate.

“Bwahaha! You hear that, kid? This old man’s got quite the reputation!”

“…Tsk.”

“You just clicked your tongue?”

Volcan looked at me in disbelief.

I hadn’t clicked my tongue.

It was just my inner thoughts leaking out a little too loudly.

As we continued our conversation, Erme approached us.

“I asked around, but everyone’s already grouped in pairs, so forming a party with our current numbers is a bit…”

Erme’s gaze shifted toward Volcan.

Volcan, in turn, looked at Erme.

Their eyes flickered for a moment before Volcan stroked his chin and turned to me.

“Man… There sure are a lot of talented people here. The balance between front-liners and back-liners isn’t perfect, but in a lower Labyrinth, it shouldn’t matter much.”

“It’s all thanks to good fortune.”

“They seem promising.”

Volcan glanced between me and Erme before shifting his attention to Glasses and Theresa.

The two visibly tensed up.

“They’re not bad either. If they keep working hard, they could become high-ranked adventurers.”

“!…!”

“Thank you!”

Beaming, both of them bowed their heads deeply in gratitude.

But Volcan stopped them and helped them back up.

“There’s no need to thank me for that. I just assessed your potential.”

Saying that, Volcan handed me a box.

“Take it.”

“…What is it?”

“You look way too suspicious. It’s a training tool for your development.”

“A training tool?”

Why was he giving me something like this?

“Because the more skilled adventurers there are, the better. Whether you like it or not, you lot are bound to become strong enough to represent us one day.”

So this was an investment for the distant future?

‘Investing in those with clear talent…’

And one day, they’d end up representing the Adventurer’s Guild itself.

If that was his strategy, it made sense.

Rather than strengthening a single clan, he was reinforcing the guild as a whole.

“So it’s just the four of us again this time?”

“It would be nice to have one more, but…”

Erme glanced at me for a moment before nodding.

“Let’s just depart. The crowds are starting to gather.”

And she was right—people’s gazes were slowly focusing on me.

“Is that the guy?”

“The Rank 1 Adventurer who broke the training dummy?”

“A Level 1 destroyed the dummy? What kind of nonsense—!”

I pulled my hood down low and used Thief’s Pinnacle to reduce my presence.

“…What kind of skill is that?”

“A basic technique for back-liners.”

“…Wait, you’re a back-liner?”

Volcan gave me a baffled look.

I tilted my head slightly before answering.

“I’m a Thief?”

“You? A Thief? Normally, Thieves are—… Oh.”

Volcan scanned our party members, then nodded in realization.

“Right. If this is the kind of team you’ve put together, then I guess having you in the back somehow works.”

“I can shoot a bow, too.”

“I can’t even imagine you being bad at something, but… you? With a bow?”

Volcan looked genuinely shocked.

Was it really that surprising that I was a Thief?

“Well, I’ll gratefully accept the gift.”

“Nah, it’s too heavy. Pick it up later. I’ll leave it with Hilda.”

“Hilda?”

“The woman who guided you at the training grounds yesterday.”

“Ah, her.”

“Alright, now get going. It’s almost time for the Labyrinth departure.”

“See you later.”

“Later? More like in a few days.”

“That’s Labyrinth time, isn’t it? Either way, see you.”

Since it wasn’t that important of a farewell, we set off toward the Labyrinth.

A space shrouded in endless darkness.

The air felt damp, and faint lights flickered around us.

“Everyone good? No discomfort?”

“No issues. I’m in perfect condition.”

“Same here.”

“No problem.”

After Glasses, Theresa, and I answered in turn, Erme gave me a light shove from behind.

“Let’s go.”

“…Aren’t you supposed to take the lead?”

“This is a Thief’s job.”

“Then let’s move.”

With that, we ventured deeper into the Labyrinth.