WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈
Chapter 24: Return
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“Were they active on the second floor or something? Their gear looks pretty good.”
They even had bags, so we could carry even more loot.
‘Since we didn’t wrestle with them and just electrocuted them before striking their vital points, their gear’s still in good condition.’
‘They even have Mana Stones.’
It was a haul big enough to call a jackpot.
After stripping the dead Marauders of their equipment, we returned to the Treasure Room with three bags hanging from each of us.
Creak?
Aside from a few skeletons that had caught the scent and wandered in, the room looked the same as before.
The corpses of Expedition Party members who had killed one another.
An old treasure chest resting on the altar, all the more elegant for its age.
“Get lost.”
After dealing with the monsters, we approached the chest.
Treasure chests like this often had traps, such as Polymorph, Fire Explosion, or Sleep spells, but the first floor was usually safe. Still, just in case...
Thud!
‘It’s not even a mimic.’
I threw a pile of bones at it from afar to check, then nodded.
“I can’t wait! What do you think’s inside?”
Elena rubbed her hands together, her eyes sparkling.
“What even is this...?”
Daisy looked gloomy, probably thinking about everything that had happened because of this chest. Dize overcame his unease and gloom with greed.
“I hope there’s something expensive...”
‘If you expect too much, you’ll only be disappointed.’
I was looking forward to it too, just not as much as they were. That judgment came from experience.
“One, two!”
Elena threw open the treasure chest, then narrowed her eyes.
Inside were a rusty nail, a leather strap, and a single 9th Rank Mana Stone.
“What?”
“Huh?”
The others were stunned that a treasure chest contained nothing but junk.
‘Sigh. Of course.’
I really had no luck. What, did I think I’d get some incredible item?
“Could this be some kind of huge nail with magic on it?”
“No. It’s just trash.”
I shook my head and answered Elena’s confused question.
“They killed each other over something like this?”
“You never know what’s inside until you open it.”
Most treasure chests were like that. You could strike it rich, or you could get nothing. Especially on the first floor.
“That tiny possibility. The desire to believe they’d be different. That’s why they killed each other.”
It left a bitter taste in my mouth. The Labyrinth’s malicious trap was how it stirred up people’s greed and selfishness. At the end of it waited not only sweet rewards, but emptiness as well.
“That’s how you end up with gear enhanced to +13 just for the style.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
“Damn, that was pointless.”
Elena took only the Mana Stone and tossed the junk away.
“When we get back, I’m going straight to sleep. No, wait. Food first.”
“You should get your injury looked at first.”
“Ugh, whatever. Everything’s such a pain. Ughhh.”
As expected, the room behind the Treasure Room held a hidden portal. It was pale blue, not the red glow of a portal leading to the second floor.
“This is really over now, right?”
“Yeah. Good work, everyone.”
We stepped into the portal.
* * *
Whoooosh!
Fine snowflakes drifted beneath the dull sunlight. Flames rose throughout the city, and mist formed where the snow melted.
Labyrinth, the Labyrinth City, was as damp and gloomy as ever, but the others and I stood there for a moment, blankly staring at the sky.
Sanram’s dark forest.
Even the air felt different from the stale, moldy air of the Ruined Prison.
“Sss.”
Countless people murmured around us.
People like us, not monsters.
The warmth of civilization.
We had survived.
We had escaped that place.
Relief and freedom surged through my entire body.
“Phew...”
“Waaaaah!”
“We lived! We made it!”
“Whew, let’s get our loot appraised and grab a drink already.”
The area was noisy.
“Honey!”
“Dad!”
“Hahaha! Dad made a lot of money! I’ll buy you that doll you like, Jenny!”
“Wow! Dad, you’re the best!”
A dirty-looking man laughed as he lifted his daughter high into the air. A short-haired woman embraced her lover and whispered that she had made it back alive. A middle-aged person stared blankly at the sky with a leaf cigarette between their lips, as if this were nothing new.
Expedition Party members.
Their families.
Even peddlers approaching them in hopes of making a sale.
The area near the Labyrinth entrance was packed with people.
One of them approached us.
“Oh my, sister. Your injuries look quite serious. Do you need help?”
She was a Priestess in spotless white robes. Judging by the symbol embroidered on them, she served Meia, the goddess of abundance and mercy.
The Church of Meia had the largest following in Labyrinth City.
“Yes! Help, please!”
Elena spoke to the Priestess as if this had worked out perfectly.
Then she tilted her head when the Priestess silently held out her hand.
“Huh?”
“Three silver coins.”
“Y-you charge money?”
“Of course. A goddess’s mercy is never bestowed for free.”
“What kind of highway robbery is that...?”
She had approached as if she were doing them a favor, only to demand money for treatment. She was no different from a merchant.
‘Wait, this woman?’
Before Elena could swear in disbelief, I recognized the woman with orange hair and narrow eyes and stepped forward.
“Do you accept Mana Stones as well?”
“Yes.”
One more thing.
“This friend of mine received Meia’s grace in the Labyrinth this time. Would you be willing to show a little mercy to someone who may walk the same path as you in the future?”
“Huh?”
Daisy probably hadn’t expected her name to come up so suddenly. I pointed at the flustered Daisy and asked the Priestess.
“I see. I can certainly feel Meia’s light from you, sister. What is your name?”
“Um... I’m Daisy...”
“Please be sure to visit Meia’s temple later. My name is Agape.”
“U-um... okay.”
The Priestess’s favor had risen.
Agape spoke with Daisy while holding a hand over her chest, then turned to me.
“I’m grateful for this precious connection. For Sister Daisy’s sake, I’ll charge two silver coins.”
Okay, that saved us one silver coin. Regional ties, family ties, and school ties worked everywhere.
‘Knowing even small interactions like this is basic knowledge for an old-timer.’
“Gasp! You’re selling Daisy out like that?”
“You really know how to talk your way through anything.”
The others clicked their tongues as they looked at me.
Selling her out? What nonsense. This was good for Daisy too!
“Then let’s begin the treatment. This way.”
I handed over an 8th Rank Mana Stone we had gotten from killing the Human Breeding Tree, and Agape treated Elena.
At the clinic, she laid Elena on a bed, skillfully opened the wound, removed the quarrel lodged in her waist, and cast Heal. Fresh flesh quickly grew over the injury.
“Wow, it’s amazing every time I see it.”
Elena touched her cleanly healed waist, then looked at me.
“But didn’t you spend too much?”
She healed not only Elena, but Dize’s severed finger as well.
“It’s attached! It’s attached! Sob!”
Complete regeneration would have required at least a bishop-level Priest, but because we had kept the finger, it could be reattached by paying three additional 8th Rank Mana Stones, worth three silver coins.
That meant our total loss was worth five silver coins.
“It’s not like we could leave you and Dize injured.”
It was a lot of money, but it was necessary. Daisy had awakened a divine spell, but it would take a full day before she could use Heal again.
There weren’t any disability welfare laws in this primitive world, either.
‘If you lose an arm or leg and can’t work, you just starve to death!’
“Well, that’s true, but...”
“Besides, what’s the problem? We’re rich now.”
“Huh?”
“Bapeyo!”
As soon as Narita returned to the city, she left to search for her missing friend.
I took the others, who still couldn’t quite believe it was real, to the exchange office near the Labyrinth.
“9th and 8th Rank Expedition Party members, please come this way!”
Expedition Party members who had just returned from the Labyrinth were exchanging Mana Stones for cash at the exchange office counters.
Not that it was any different from the rest of this world with its strict class system. The exchange office was divided by rank as well.
The counters for 8th and 9th Rank Expedition Party members had long lines, while the higher-rank counters were less crowded and more comfortable.
A competition of shackles among slaves.
They wanted people to feel competitive over even trivial things.
“That comes to one silver coin.”
“What!? Hey, are you kidding me?! That’s all it’s worth!?”
Most 9th Rank Expedition Party members earned almost nothing. It wasn’t even enough to cover equipment repairs.
“Twenty-one 9th Rank Mana Stones. After fees, that comes to one silver coin.”
“Hans and Bedon died! You’re saying that’s all their blood was worth!?”
Some newcomers like us argued with the city officials, unable to believe it.
They had lost companions and friends, only to earn this pathetic amount of money.
“If you continue causing trouble, I’ll call the guards.”
The exhausted-looking employee responded mechanically.
“Hey, rookie. Stop being a pain and get out already. Who are you blaming because your skills are so pathetic?”
Expedition Party members active on the second floor spoke fiercely from behind them.
“Urgh!”
In the end, the hollow-eyed man trembled, took his one silver coin, and left the exchange office.
“Next.”
“9th Rank Expedition Party member Dasky’s party. Six copper coins in total.”
After waiting in line, it was finally our turn.
“Ian’s party. This was your first expedition.”
The exchange office was linked to the Expedition Party Guild and also served as a checkpoint.
It kept track of people and identified Marauders.
“All four of you have been confirmed to have returned safely.”
A faint look of surprise appeared in the employee’s eyes.
Less than thirty percent of newcomers returned alive, so this was remarkable.
Heh. You’re surprised by that alone?
“I’d like to exchange Mana Stones.”
Smiling, I poured the Mana Stones from my bag onto the counter.
“Is that all? The total is...”
“No, there’s more.”
Leaving the employee hurriedly appraising the Mana Stones, I dumped out three more bags one after another.
The employee’s hands moved even faster.
“The total comes to forty-six silver coins.”
“What!?”
“Weren’t those guys a rookie party!?”
The employee remained calm, but nobody else did.
The people lined up behind us, mostly 8th and 9th Rank Expedition Party members, gaped at our earnings in shock.
Of course they did.
“How is that even possible?!”
‘Most earn two or three silver coins, or even just copper coins.’
Our earnings far exceeded those of rookies and even seasoned 9th Rank Expedition Party members.
It was comparable to what a decent second-floor Expedition Party earned.
Of course...
‘This is only the tip of the iceberg.’
The truly valuable things we had gained on this expedition were something else entirely.
Hahahahahaha!
Footnotes:
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