Chapter 264: Sturdy People
If I were summoned as a Hero with a normal lifespan and told to save the world, I’d probably refuse and tell them to handle it themselves. However, since my sisters have been granted extended lifespans, I wish they could work like draft horses for the sake of this world.
As I distract myself with these thoughts, I can’t help but feel uneasy about the fingers of those being carried. Just imagining it makes me wince…! There are horror-like marks on the rock walls of the Labyrinth, right? Those fingers must be in a terrible state, no doubt about it.
It’s alright; my glasses should recover soon. I almost want to use 【Healing】 myself, but I’m holding back. I don’t want to waste the efforts we’ve made so far, after all.
Even while carrying two people, the sturdy individuals around me show no signs of faltering or slowing down. The influence of the Spirits is indeed strong; I can understand why Karn and Dean are so impressive in build. And what about Retze? He’s doing remarkably well without a Spirit, right?
Is this the norm for people here? Come to think of it, Japanese people in the past used to carry 60-kilogram rice bales.
“These people are lifted up in an Iron Cage, right?” It looks like an incredibly tough job.
“That’s right. For the Guild, the first step is to procure supplies and lower them in the Iron Cage—food and firewood, as well as that ridiculously expensive ointment to ward off Spirits, and chains to lower things further down,” Retze explains. So, he should stop reading my mind; I was only thinking about food and firewood.
“Further down?”
“To lower the Iron Cage, we hire Spirit Possessed individuals to lighten the load and provide support. Most of them are not Adventurers but rather work in unloading and transporting goods. We often hire Adventurers to guard these laborers, so it takes quite a bit of preparation. For the Guild, since there are fewer Demon Beasts now, it makes sense to spend money to find the entrance to the lower layers while we can and set up a base there.”
“Generally, the lower layers have stronger Demon Beasts, and the materials sell for higher prices, so even if we have to invest a lot now, we should be able to recover it quickly. Sometimes, we even pay a large sum to call a Priest,” Note adds, supplementing Retze’s explanation. It seems they both share the same expectations.
“Ah, that’s true. Such opportunities are rare, and they might conduct a large-scale search while there are fewer Demon Beasts.”
“First, finding a new shortcut to the lower layers; second, selecting a base and creating a map; and third, searching for mineral veins! Once a new shortcut is found, the number of Adventurers will increase, and it’ll turn into a festival!” Dean and Chris agree.
They’re sturdy, or rather, rational. Adventurers are willing to take risks if there’s a chance for profit. They’ll rush in for information or materials that could lead to riches.
The party, likely possessed by the Black Spirit, seems to have calculated that any major Demon Beasts would have been defeated by the Hero, so they’re eager to delve deeper without hesitation.
Retze had already pinpointed mining and gathering points as their destination, searching for traces of them. It’s true that if you don’t know where to look, finding anything with just the light of a lantern would be quite difficult.
We continue walking, heading towards my glasses.
“Have you already found it? I’m sorry, this way please.”
Following the slightly surprised glasses, I see a Magic Circle drawn on the floor illuminated by the lantern’s light.
Powder? Is there some kind of ink for Magic Circles that I don’t know about, or perhaps ink and pens meant for writing directly on the ground? If it’s just for marking the ground, that would be amusing. The ink doesn’t spread like lime when stepped on; it seems to seep into the ground, despite its powdery appearance.
“This Magic Circle is typically used to immobilize when fighting the Black Spirit. Before entering the Labyrinth, we’ve been secretly preparing supplies and making arrangements with the Temple, so the Iron Cage should arrive soon,” he explains. I thought it would take time to gather laborers and their meals, but it seems they’ve already made arrangements.
“If the Hero could move quickly, we could operate more openly.”
“Why not just ask the Hero for a rescue?” Dean says, carelessly laying down the Adventurer he had slung over his shoulder.
“If we exhaust the Wind Spirit like that, we might not be able to enter the Labyrinth for years,” the glasses say, looking troubled.
So, it seems there’s a lack of oxygen, leading to breathing difficulties? I get it. The Wind Spirit is curious and eager to lend its strength, but it also has a swift escape instinct. The moment it sees its kin being exhausted, it will flee. While Spirits can be particular about where they reside or may be unable to move, the Wind Spirit is not bound by such constraints.
“Honestly, I don’t want to get close to that Hero. It’s true that I’m concerned about Shulm’s movements, but when facing that Hero, it feels like being swallowed by something hollow—it’s just unsettling.”
Wait, hold on! That’s me, isn’t it? The False Hero’s reputation is pretty terrible, isn’t it?