Yeah, Yeah, Another World, Another World
As the exit drew nearer, it became clear that Luciti ‘s pace was slowing down.
Okuda was patting Luciti ‘s back enthusiastically to encourage him, but Luciti looked like he was in some pain. Could it be that physical strikes also affect vampires?
Everyone else had already made it outside the labyrinth and was waiting at the exit, cheering on Luciti who was hesitating to step out.
“You can do it!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright!!”
“Delicious food is waiting for you!”
“If you turn into ash, I’ll gather you up!”
“I’ll cook something and bring it to you!”
The last few comments seemed to assume that Luciti wouldn’t make it out.
Then, as Luciti continued to hesitate, staring at his feet, adventurers returning from their exploration approached from behind. Spotting Luciti standing awkwardly in the middle of the entrance, they pushed him out of the labyrinth.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Welcome to the surface.”
“…Hmm, thank you for having me.”
Thus, we completed our exploration down to the 10th basement level and returned to the surface with a new companion.
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“Hmm, this is quite good, but I would like to try the soup from earlier again, hmm.”
Luciti kept making approving noises in the guild’s cafeteria.
Upon returning to the guild, we submitted the requested items and handed over unrelated acquired items to the guild. While waiting for the completion report, we were having a feast in the cafeteria.
Everyone wanted Luciti to try various foods, so we ordered a wide variety of dishes and kept recommending them one after another.
Amidst this lively meal, Rio entered the cafeteria holding some documents.
“The request completion procedures are mostly done. The requested items have already been delivered to the Sekus Magic Shop. Please sign here.”
Rio handed over the document and I signed it.
“Alright, confirmed. By the way, who is that person dressed so nobly and exquisitely beautiful?”
“Oh, he’s Luciti , our new comrade. His attire might suggest otherwise, but I don’t think he’s a noble?”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t speak rudely and get executed for disrespect right away.”
I think it’s best to avoid speaking rudely to anyone.
“I think it’ll be fine. By the way, he wants to register with our party. I’ll go pick up the paperwork later.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll handle it here. Mr. Luciti , right? Are you single?”
“Was there a marital status section on the guild registration form?”
“N-No, it’s just personal interest…”
“In that case, ask him directly… But please take care of the registration. Also, not entirely unrelated, but we’re thinking of moving out of the inn soon and want to rent a house. Preferably one with easy access to the guild, individual rooms for all current members, and ideally with a bath. Do you have any recommendations through the guild?”
“If we have suitable properties available, I’ll let you know when I deliver your reward for this request tomorrow or later.”
“That would be a big help. Thank you.”
“Oh, by the way, your contribution points for the Water Dawn Bridge dungeon have exceeded 100 due to this request and miscellaneous item submissions.”
Rocco , who had been sitting at the next table, stood up and turned towards us.
“So this means we can freely explore the dungeon now, right? I didn’t expect to reach 100 so quickly.”
Rocco walked over to us.
“There’s no way you could!”
Why is Rocco angry?
“Rocco is just jealous because he hadn’t reached 100 while exploring solo,” Okuda explained.
“Listen up. At first, completing requests between the 1st and 2nd floors would only earn you about 1 or 2 contribution points. You’d work on these requests about three times a week and gradually increase your points.”
Rocco was getting passionate.
“But sometimes injuries or lost equipment would prevent you from entering the dungeon for a period. After spending a year like this, juniors who surpass you start appearing. What do you think happens then?”
“What happens?”
“You rot! Your motivation just disappears and you rot!”
“Well, I guess that makes sense…”
“And once that happens… You have no choice but to intimidate or hassle newer rookies!”
[“That’s not right.”]
Both Okuda and I chimed in with our retorts.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. We’ve surpassed 100 as fellow party members.”
“Yes, but…”
“Anyway, leave Rocco alone. Since you’ve all surpassed 100, you can explore freely. Occasionally, we may assign specific requests, so please cooperate.”
With that, Rio closed the conversation.
“Ah, by the way, for Luciti ‘s lodging tonight, I’ll arrange for him to stay at the same inn as Rocco .”
“Understood.”
And so, we successfully completed our second request.
◇◇◇◇◇
The next morning.
We took the day off today, but since we had various errands such as collecting our request rewards, we headed to the North Adventurer’s Guild early in the morning to take care of things as quickly as possible.
Upon leaving the inn, I quickly glanced behind me, and sure enough, Okuda was there, giving an embarrassed smile that was unintentionally cute.
“Are you coming with me to the guild?”
“Of course I’m coming along.”
So we decided to head to the guild together.
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Arriving at the North Adventurer’s Guild, we lined up at the reception counter handled by Rio and waited our turn while chatting casually with Okuda.
“What are the others doing today?”
“Ms. Matsushita, Aoi, Osart, and Luciti are going to explore some delicious restaurants. Hayato-kun is attending a reconnaissance training session. I don’t know about Rocco .”
“Is Hayato-kun okay without taking a break?”
“Kids in elementary and middle school seem to have infinite stamina.”
“Yeah, I remember that too.”
“Ah, and another thing. It wasn’t good that we let Hayato-kun act alone. We’ll be more careful in the future.”
“I think he can handle himself if he gets caught up in something, but he’s still in elementary school. From now on, we should ensure he’s always with at least two people.”
While we were talking, the line moved quickly, and it was soon our turn.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Junpei-san, Misaki-san. Is this about yesterday?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Please take care of it.”
Rio disappeared behind the counter and came back holding a bag.
“Thank you for waiting. This is your reward from yesterday. The breakdown is written on this paper, so if everything is fine, please sign here.”
Looking at the amount written on the paper, I was surprised.
“Eh? Are we really allowed to receive this much?”
“Well, actually, the request everyone accepted yesterday was classified as an emergency request, which explains the higher-than-normal reward. However, the main reason is that the magic shop Seks, the client, initially offered an absurdly high reward.”
“Ah, I see…”
“Do you have any idea why the reward is so high? Did you uncover some weakness of the magic shop?”
“No, we haven’t uncovered anything.”
“We haven’t? Ah, I see. I understand.”
Rio probably got the gist of the situation.
“Emergency requests that need to be completed the day after being issued occasionally come up. However, it’s unheard of to complete a request to the 10th basement on the same day it was issued. This time, the reward reflects the speed of completion, so the amount is reasonable.”
“I see, that makes sense. Then, I can accept this with peace of mind.”
After confirming the number of coins in the bag, I signed the document.
“Alright, confirmed. Now, regarding the rental property you inquired about yesterday, we have found a property that meets the conditions you specified, Junpei-san.”
“Really?”
“If it’s convenient for you, I can show you around afterward. How does that sound?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“I’ll go prepare, so please wait at the entrance of the guild.”
“See you later.”
With that, Rio left the reception counter and moved outside the guild.
◇◇◇◇◇
“Did you bring any ghost-busting tools?”
Stepping outside the guild, Okuda immediately asked.
“Why do you assume it’s haunted?”
“You placed the request just yesterday, right? And it’s supposed to be a large property that can accommodate more than eight people. If they can show us something the very next day, it must have been abandoned for a long time, meaning it’s haunted and no one wanted to rent it.”
“C-Come to think of it, that makes sense…”
There was something oddly convincing about Okuda’s explanation.
Could it really be a haunted property?
“I’ve kept you waiting.”
Just as I was pondering this, Rio emerged from the guild wearing a coat.
“What kind of ghosts haunt the property?”
Okuda went straight to the point with her question.
“Ghosts? No creatures of that sort have been confirmed there.”
Apparently, it wasn’t haunted.
“Let’s talk while we walk.”
With that, Rio started walking.
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