Chapter 007 - "Level Up"
After I exited the guild, I headed for the labyrinth.
The labyrinth that I’m heading to is the Lien’s Labyrinth, where people who graduated from being a novice go.
Well, that's where I got caught by the warp trap, but it’s pretty much the only place I can go to.
The other labyrinths are dangerous, and going to a beginner’s labyrinth would be embarrassing, as one would expect.
Therefore, even though it’s an unlucky place where I fell into a trap, it’s the only place I can go to.
I ignored James, who tried to stop me in surprise the same way Serena did, and entered the labyrinth.
Then, I advanced while being extra careful with traps.
A labyrinth, as a matter of fact, is like a mysterious cavern that no one fully understands.
No one knows where the monsters come from, and there are times when treasures suddenly appear out of nowhere as well.
And the most mysterious thing is that when you kill the monsters, they just vanish like smoke, leaving behind drops.
Since I have memories of my past life, I thought it was similar to some kind of game, but the people of this world treat it as something normal, so no one questions it.
Nevertheless, after doing this for 15 years, I also came to accept it as such.
“Now then…”
I searched for monsters while remaining vigilant for traps.
If I were to categorize myself as an explorer, I’d say I’m the type who avoids monsters and focuses on finding treasures.
Of course, one has to fight in order to grow, so if I judge that it’s more efficient to fight then I do. But, I basically avoid battles. It’s because I’m weak.
However, today was different. I said this to Serena too, I came here not to explore today but to test something.
As I searched for monsters, I sensed the presence of one up ahead.
“It’s definitely a skeleton…” I muttered, trying to act like a bit of a big shot, but actually, the shallow parts of Lien’s Labyrinth are mostly inhabited by skeletons.
Skeletons are comprised solely of bones, but they wield swords as their weapon.
They are neither fast nor strong, but I need to remain vigilant just in case.
As the skeleton came into view, I unsheathed my sword and assumed a stance.
Then, the skeleton spotted me and charged at me for an assault.
When I lowered my hips slightly to brace for its attack, I felt like something was off.
It’s slow…?
Skeletons aren’t known for their speed, but this one feels even slower than usual.
As I pondered what was going on, the skeleton drew near, and I swung my sword at the same time it raised its own over its head.
The skeleton was cut in half and collapsed to the ground on the spot.
Then, It turned into smoke and vanished, leaving a potion as a drop.
“Huh? One hit?”
Skeletons are weak, but so am I.
I’ve never taken down a skeleton in one hit before.
Despite that, all it took was one hit today.
When I looked down at the potion it dropped in blank surprise, I heard clapping sounds coming from behind.
I quickly turned around and pointed my sword in the direction from which the clapping was coming.
“Oh? What an awful way to greet me.”
It was a woman with long silver-colored hair who possessed unparalleled beauty.
There was only one woman who fit that description. It was my brethren, Maybelle.
“M-Maybelle?! What are you doing here?!”
“Calm down. First, lower your sword, my brethren.”
“Ah, sorry. It’s been a while since I was snuck up on from behind inside a labyrinth.”
Since I’m weak, I’m always on high alert.
“Well, I erased my presence, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t trying to play a prank on you, so don’t worry about it,” Maybelle smiled.
“I’m really sorry…Wait, so why are you here?”
“I was just a bit curious about how my fellow progenitor was doing. Since you looked so impatient, I was worried you might make mistakes.”
It seems like she was worried about me, despite being an existence far above me; she’s a good person.
“I haven’t made any mistakes yet, I think. Even just now, I took down a skeleton in a single strike.”
“Hm. I’m trying my best to choose my words, but something like a skeleton, even if you tell me that you took one down in a single strike…”
“To me, it was a first experience.”
“You sure had it tough…But it’s true that your mana has increased compared to yesterday. Did you manage to feed on some blood?”
She seems capable of discerning how much mana I possess.
“Yeahh, I did yesterday.”
“Glad to hear that. That was your first level-up.”
Level up…So the reason why the skeleton’s movement appeared slow and I could take it down in one hit was because I fed on Amy’s blood,
“I only took blood from one person, though.”
“Ahh...Right, to put it into words…A mere skeleton is like…”
“Oh, that’s right. I am a vampire progenitor.”
“Well, you get the idea. If you suck one person’s blood, this is what a mere skeleton would be like to you.”
“So if I feed on more blood, I’ll become even stronger…”
“That’s it. And there’s something I didn’t really get to explain to you in detail yesterday, given your haste.”
Now that I think of it, I was pretty far from being calm when I was at Maybelle’s home.
Wait, nor was I after I returned to the inn. Normally, I would do things with more caution. I probably wouldn’t have brought Amy to my room out of nowhere.
“And that is?”
“It’s about sucking blood. First, I think you already know this, but don’t suck people’s blood thoughtlessly. The more people you take blood from, the higher the risk of being found out will be.”
Well yeah, vampires are humanity’s enemy, targets for subjugation.
“I know.”
“Mmhm. That’s why you have to choose your targets. However, it looks like you already got your hands on someone. What did you do with that person? Did you kill them?”
“No, it would probably trace back to me if I did that.”
She’s the inn owner’s daughter, after all.
“Were they not some hoodlum?”
“It was the daughter of the inn owner at the inn where I stay.”
“Ahh, I see. Now that you mention it, I almost forgot you’re a man. Indeed, you would do that.”
Maybelle nodded with a grin as if she had come to understand something.
