Originally, a labyrinth is a place that can be profitable but is dangerous and requires much preparation.
However, Benny… or rather, the existence of the Shadow Monster made such a labyrinth feel like a picnic.
“Good job~ Good job~”
As I waved my hand in encouragement from afar, Benny shrugged her arms to hush me.
Yet, her lips curled up, seemingly not minding the praise.
The shadow extending from Benny stealthily creeps beneath the Kobold’s feet. And then—
Crack!
“Grrroook!”
“C-Cock…!”
The Kobold was swallowed whole as if it had fallen into a swamp. It never gets old, no matter how many times I see it.
Before long, a merciless crunching sound echoed through the air.
Quite grotesque, indeed. But—
Pop.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the shadow returning to Benny, with leftover bits popping out.
“Wow! Now I understand why we’ve been adventuring just the two of us without a porterer! It’s all because Benny is amazing!”
“Hmph! It’s only natural for someone as skilled as me.”
Benny puffed out her chest proudly, and I chuckled while stretching lightly.
“Hoo! Thanks to you, the final bit was a bit easier. Shall we slowly head back to the surface?”
“Su-surface?”
Benny hesitated, clearing her throat a bit. I nodded toward her.
“We agreed to stop here for today. You said you’d show me one last thing, too.”
Well, I said ‘last,’ but she’s shown me quite a bit already, so…
“I really hope Benny will dissect every monster I catch for life. Ah, and Lydia will protect me for life, right? Right?”
“…Haaa.”
“Ugh… Party breaker….”
I tried to give Lydia a compliment as well, but for some reason, she sighed deeply.
Benny, who seemed so happy just until a moment ago, now had a horrified expression.
Feeling a bit grumpy, she led the way.
“Hmph. It’s fine. I have Ellie, after all?!”
While pondering how to tease Ellie on our way, Benny shook her head and opened her mouth.
“You said you’d stop by my workshop after leaving the labyrinth. Did you forget?”
“Oh.”
Now that I think about it, today was mainly a preview on the second floor, to see how I fight and how well I handle magic.
I let my shoulders droop and turned to Lydia with the most pitiful expression I could muster.
“Lady Lydia. Lady Lydia. I’m about to be kidnapped by an evil witch. Are you not going to help me?”
“Right. I suppose I should go with you to make sure the friendless witch doesn’t get completely swindled by some cheeky brat.”
“C’mon! All I ask of Benny is the automating farming system, some money, magic, and the fun of teasing, right?”
“Weren’t we friends, Lydia?! And Jonah, anyone can tell you’re thinking of getting swindled!”
Benny squeaked. The monster that sprung from her shadow gleefully snapped its sharp teeth.
Does that mean it has enough intelligence to understand everything being said?
Then again, I remember someone saying the material for that Shadow Monster was human. Whatever happened, it’s only natural for it to have high intelligence.
Nodding, I focused my mind on my Pathfinding Skill. The Safe Zone wasn’t too far off.
*
“…The second floor’s quite nice.”
After emerging through the stone tablet in the Safe Zone, I sold today’s loot and, based on my contributions, found I made quite a sum.
32 silver.
For just a short loop, that’s a pretty hefty amount.
Of course, most of that is from the price of the pickaxe part that the Kobold was holding, not from its leftovers.
Even scrap iron is a material that can be taken into the labyrinth. Ideal for making equipment for adventurers on the first and second floors, certainly.
Though I’ve heard that raising the purity of labyrinth iron is also possible with a bit of effort…
It seems it’s more beneficial to spend a bit more to buy better materials than to put in all sorts of hard work to increase the concentration of labyrinth iron.
On the third floor, just one level up, there are alloys that are incomparably sturdier than iron pouring out.
Also, there are parts of monster bodies, remnants of the God War, artifacts imbued with powers, etc.
While iron is useful in the labyrinth, it’s not considered that amazing of a material.
Anyway, I decided to save today’s earnings for some gacha later…
After putting my money pouch away, I turned to Lydia and asked.
“By the way, Lady Lydia. It seems like you’ve been focusing on me lately, and your profits from the labyrinth are almost none. Are you okay with that? I bet you’ve run out of the commission from Ellie.”
Lydia is a gear enthusiast to the extreme. She’s always trying to maintain her weapons, enchanted artifacts, and consumables at the highest level possible.
Naturally, that means her expenses are considerable. Even being a High-Ranking Adventurer, she doesn’t really have a notable base in Labyrinth City because of that.
It made me uneasy thinking Lydia, who earns a lot and spends even more, might be racking up debts since she’s been looking after me.
In response to my words, Lydia nodded her head with a faint smile.
“…It’s fine. Now that Benny is here, she’ll occasionally make some pocket money in the mid-levels.”
“What? You didn’t even ask for my opinion?”
“Then are you going to the deep levels?”
“…No. I have a few things to check out, so it won’t be easy for me to devote myself to the labyrinth like that. The mid-levels are just right.”
Benny glancing this way as she said that makes me think she’s likely researching why the Shadow Monster has taken a liking to me. Also the phenomenon of melting into shadows.
I nodded and stood beside Benny, or more specifically, next to the monster that had been peeking out from the shadows for a while now.
“Anyway, I’ll follow Benny as promised now. What about you, Lady Lydia? Are you coming with us?”
“No thanks. I have something to discuss with my senior Ellie, so I’ll go to Fairy and Silver Coin.”
Shaking her head, Lydia turned toward Benny.
“Benny. If you keep Jonah for too long, Ellie will get scary, so make sure to let him go.”
“I was going to do that from the start. Today’s not really about doing anything serious; just a light exploration.”
“Exactly. And don’t even think about touching Jonah.”
“I really have no intention of doing that?!”
“No matter how much Benny, you’ll get mad.”
“I truly have no intention!”
Benny squealed and glared this way. If I consider how she had been poking at the Shadow Monster’s eyes just moments ago, that was a surprisingly cute sight.
Waving goodbye to Lydia while receiving Benny’s misunderstood complaints.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Yep.”
“Don’t be surprised even if an unexplained video recording modification arrives.”
“…Huh?”
Is there no concept of video letters on the Pan Continent? Lydia tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.
Once I saw that look on her face, I giggled before parting ways.
While playing the balancing game on top of the Shadow Monster’s tendril, I asked Benny, who was sighing a lot.
“Shall we set off? Where’s Benny’s workshop?”
“Haa. If I take it out in the city, everyone will either get nervous or, in worse cases, report me, so let’s put it away first.”
So saying, Benny waved her hand toward the Shadow Monster.
“Get in.”
-…….
“Hey, wait a second, I told you to get in?!”
-…….
“You! What do you think you’ll do if I get caught again?”
-…Grrr!
The Shadow Monster spun away, seemingly unwilling to listen. I gently brushed its tendril and said.
“Thanks for your hard work. But could you hide in there until we get home?”
-…….
The Shadow Monster, which had been staring at me, dived back into the shadows as if it were disappearing.
Benny’s eyes widened, and she stammered.
“Y-You, how could you… how could you do that to me?! You didn’t listen to anything I said!”
Stamping her feet in frustration atop her shadow, Benny stomped off a fair distance before she collected herself.
“Follow me! It’s not that far from here, so it’ll be quick!”
“Sure. By the way, can I grab a sandwich on the way? I just got out of the labyrinth and would like to fill up a bit.”
“…I’ll make it for you, just come!”
“Oh. I’m curious about that. Let’s hurry!”
I stuck close to Benny’s back as we walked along the path. After quite a bit of movement, we arrived at a quiet street.
There’s nothing in the commercial district and it feels oddly different from the residential area.
“This is the workshop district, huh.”
“Yep. Most of it is occupied by artisans from the workshop alliance, but there are corners where independent adventurers like me have shops too.”
“Do other mages not use the workshops in this district much?”
“Most mages belong to a mage tower, right? They provide workshops within the tower, so there’s no reason to spend exorbitant money to buy a house.”
“…Is Benny’s workshop owned by her?”
“Of course! Who would lend a workshop if it’s not part of a tower… Oh, did you think I didn’t have a place because Lydia doesn’t?”
“Yes, sort of.”
“Please don’t compare me to Lydia! I manage mine properly!”
So saying, Benny strode confidently to a suitably sized building and stopped in front of it.
“Here it is!”
“It’s not a house made of candy?”
“…What kind of fantasy do you have about mages?”
It’s more of a prejudice against witches. It just suits her well with that pointed hat she wears.
“Ugh. Anyway, just come in. It might be a bit messy, but it’ll be tolerable.”
Creak.
As if some magic was at play, Benny opened the door with a glowing blue lock.
The moment I stepped into the inside, shadows filled my view.
“KYAAAHHH!”
Somebody save Jonah!
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