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CHAPTER 222: THE LABYRINTH ESCAPE STONE

CHAPTER 222: THE LABYRINTH ESCAPE STONE

~ The Labyrinth City Wislo’s Orphanage ~

「I’m back, everyone!」

After his daily late-night dungeon exploration was finally complete, Curulario, a Lizardman, opened the door leading to the Orphanage. From the other side of the door, he could already hear the usual noise of children playing together and fighting amongst themselves, and the cries and shouts of the woman who was doing her best in order to calm them down.

Now that Curulario was finally back, everyone could finally have the slightly late breakfast that they could eat together. That was the daily routine of this particular Orphanage.

「Oh! It’s Curu-nii! Welcome back!!」

「Ahh!! Hey, look at that! Your tail’s cut off again! How pathetic of you!!」

「Hey now! Didn’t I mention that you are not allowed to say things that would intentionally hurt others!? Just like you did right now!?」

「But, I mean, I……!!!」

「Hey, hey! I am really hungry now, so let’s get this over with and eat quickly! Come on!」

「Hahaha, yeah, I’m really sorry for coming back so late. Now then, let’s have some proper breakfast right away.」

Most big towns in the region, not just Wislo alone, had a facility called an “Orphanage” on their premises. In most cases, it was a place run by the country itself or that was supported financially by the nobles of the local town, but in Wislo, the Adventurer’s Guild supported the operating costs of this particular facility. This was because most of the people living in this Orphanage were small children who lost their parents as a result of their forages into the town’s dungeon.

The four dungeons in Wislo were vastly different from any other dungeons in that they had a system where you could not challenge the dungeons that were above your appropriate level of difficulty. However, it was still a pretty perilous and dangerous place, and many accidents did happen in there quite often. Since there were many Adventurers out there who made a living by diving into dungeons every single day, there was inevitably a fair number of children who had become secondary victims of the Dungeon and its inhabitants.

However, the Adventurer’s Guild’s support was fairly limited, and only covered the financial aspect of it. In reality, the elderly people from the Orphanage itself or those who had already left the facility volunteered to live with the children and provide support for them, helping to stabilize their daily lives and needs. Curulario was one of such volunteers.

「Curu-nii is pretty weak to begin with, so why do you go to the dungeon every single day like that? Wouldn’t you be better off doing something else somewhere else instead?」

「Hmm, you know what? Maybe that’s true, but there is actually a deeper reason why I go to the dungeon every single day like that.」

「Even if you say that, it’s probably not a very good reason, anyways! Besides…… Well, you know…… It’s really dangerous inside of a dungeon……」

「Migeu is just saying all of those things because he is really worried about you, that’s all!」

「Tch, t-that’s not it! Not at all! Besides, Curu-nii is just going in there to collect some Escape Stones and that’s it…… And you do all that inside of that Beginner level place, right? The Snake Tower? That’s something that surely does not net you that much money to begin with!」

「Well, yeah, that’s true. But that being said, I am sure that once you get a little bit older, Migeu, you are going to understand my reasons.」

「That’s so unfair…… Curu-nii, you are always avoiding the questions and running away like that!」

Inside of the Wislo Dungeon, there was a particular item called the “Labyrinth Escape Stone”. It was a Drop Item that could be obtained on both the Beginner and Intermediate levels of the dungeon. It was the kind of item that was used to teleport from the inside of the dungeon right back to its entrance in a flash. As for its uses, it was not only a useful tool to have when returning from your dungeon raid for the day, but it was also an item used for emergency escapes should you ever need it.

While the widespread use of Labyrinth Escape Stones meant that the accidental deaths inside of the dungeon were much lower than in any other dungeons, it was also true that this led to many cases of complacency in people and the Adventurers continuing to explore its depths until the very last moment, usually pushing way past their limits.

The Adventurer’s Guild would always provide an extensive explanation of the Labyrinth Escape Stones and how to use them properly at the moment of applying for the permission to enter the dungeon, and there were also quests available to collect them inside of the dungeon and bring them back.

Of course, it was difficult to make a proper living from these Delivery Quests alone, but they also served as an economic relief for beginner dungeon explorers.

「When I grow up, I’m going to defeat monsters on the front lines of the highest level dungeon, just like my brothers Ciel and Heil do!」

「Well, I mean, those two are really special individuals…… After all, they are now the leaders of the second-rank Clan in the city, “Tekirana.”」

「Huh? And what’s that supposed to mean!? Are you trying to say that I can’t do it?」

「No, it’s not that…… But surely you have seen those two come close to death many times before and come back in tatters from there, right, Migeu? And personally, I don’t want either of you kids to have to go through that kind of danger……」

「You keep on saying that, but you are also diving into the dungeon every single day, Curu-nii! I’m done listening to you!」

As he chased after Migeu who was actively running away from him, Curulario mutterd quietly under his breath: “Oh well, I guess it cannot be helped”.

No matter what anyone would say, Curulario would not stop collecting and delivering the Labyrinth Escape Stones. That’s because it was an activity he was able to continue to do with a firm resolve.

Labyrinth Escape Stones. In Wislo, those were like a “lifeline” that could get Adventurers safely out of the dungeon and back home in one piece.

Currently, there was a fine balance between supply and demand for them, but Curulario thought that an excess of supply would be just right to have, just to be on the safe side.

If there was a shortage of Labyrinth Escape Stones, their price would naturally rise up, and the weaker and poorer Adventurers would surely suffer because of it. This would inevitably lead to fewer Adventurers entering the Beginner and Intermediate level towers where those items were dropping, and the supply would become even more scarce. If this negative chain was to continue, eventually people would enter the dungeon without any Labyrinth Escape Stones at all. Even if that was the same as working at high altitudes without a lifeline……

If that happened, more people would lose their lives from even the smallest of mistakes, and as a result, the number of orphans living within the city would only increase.

Curulario wanted to reduce such misfortune, even if just a little bit.

However, contrary to Curulario’s feelings, a major conflict would break out between the Clans of Wislo over the Labyrinth Escape Stones in the near future.

The seeds of this conflict were already small, but they were certainly budding.