"Amon, are you still alive?"
I scrambled over the lycanthrope and approached Amon who was slumped at the foot of the wall.
"Mmm…"
Amon was lying on his stomach, rolling his eyes, unable to answer whether he had been paralyzed by his fall against the wall.
[He must have inhaled the powder. I thought paralysis could be treated with acupuncture?]
Sierra asks me from the side.
She was right, it was a simple matter of placing acupuncture needles on the paralyzed blood. But I turned my back on her, fiercely.
'I don't want to see the back of a grown man.'
The paralyzing point was on his back.
If I let go of the paralysis, he'd just waddle around, and even if I didn't, the paralysis would dissipate on its own after a while.
Turning away from Amon, I strode over to the lycanthrope's body, which had been neatly dismembered.
It was my first time using Chapter One, Space in a battle.
[Excellent, I wonder if your skill level has increased as you've gotten used to it…]
Sierra questions my progress, which she doesn't understand.
My skill level has increased, and my reverse grip moves are smoother than the ones I've shown before.
I've gained another level by capturing the creature so I have four skill points left. If I spend them all on Ghost Slayer Technique, I should be able to use the second chapter of the Reverse Heaven but of course, I'll save them.
I picked up the Lycanthrope's head from the ground. Even in the game, there wasn't much information about lycanthropes.
How it came to be in the Labyrinth, how it blended in, why it attacks everything in sight…I don't know.
So many questions, but there was no way to find out because he couldn't speak. However, I knew what I had to do now.
I ripped his eyeballs out of his head.
[Uh…what are you going to do with his eyeballs?]
Sierra swallowed her confusion but I couldn't answer Sierra now or Amon would hear me.
What I'm about to do, I'm sure, is something I don't want to do.
I had to eat his eyeballs. That was the reward I could get from the lycanthrope.
'In the game, it just says I ate his eyeball, so I don't really know…'
There were many dark places in the Labyrinth and eating a lycanthrope's eyeball has one benefit. It gives you night vision, a skill that makes dark places seem brighter.
Since it was the first boss and appeared in the Labyrinth, it was like a flashlight for players who would be frequenting the Labyrinth in the future. However, when it came time to put it into action, I was very hesitant.
'Maybe I should ask a chef I know how to cook eyeballs…'
By the way, I have an 'blindfold' covering my eyes, but I don't know if it will work.
'Let's save the eating for later.'
He had one more eyeball left, but I didn't bother to take it.
The night vision skill was maxed out at level 1 so eating another one wouldn't do any good.
I wrapped the plucked eyeball in a cloth and stuffed it into my backpack. Then, holding the lycanthrope's head in one hand, I reached for my pass.
I could see Amon's pupils fluttering in the distance, but I tried to ignore him since he'd crawl out on his own.
It was time to leave.
***
When I exited the Labyrinth, the sun had already set.
I thought I had descended to the fifth floor in one fell swoop, but the time had flown by so I picked up the lycanthrope's head, which was dripping with blood, and headed straight ahead.
The staff member who controlled access to the Labyrinth spotted me and came running in a panic.
"Cadet…! What is that…? What's that in your hand…?"
"It's the one from the fifth floor, but the body didn't disappear. I thought it was strange, so I picked it up."
"The fifth floor… I think I need to go see the instructors right away, but can you follow me?"
"Sure."
"Then this way…!"
Given the situation, the staff member offers to lead the way.
Naturally, the attention of the cadets around us is drawn at the lycanthrope's head.
"What is that?"
"Lycanthrope…? Did that guy on the fifth floor…?"
"Ah, it's not even a monster, how could it be in the Labyrinth?"
"He just came out of the Labyrinth."
The cadets who had just exited the Labyrinth could be heard chattering nearby.
"Was that Zetto?"
"Did you see his acupuncture yesterday?"
"Acupuncture?"
"He was so sweet…"
Some of the chatter was coming from female cadets, who chattered for slightly different reasons.
I didn't pay much attention to them and quickly walked out with the staff, leaving the chattering cadets behind.
No wonder my reputation was growing. This is when players start to get noticed by the other cadets.
I follow the staff into the academy's main building and find the instructors' conference room.
The room was empty. There was no way they were having a meeting at this hour.
"I'll call the instructors, you can have a seat and wait."
With those words, the employee stormed out of the room.
I sat down in the nearest chair, placed the lycanthrope's head on the desk, and waited for the instructors to arrive.
This was my first boss, although I saw this scene countless times in the game.
I thought to myself, 'The process is a little annoying when you're trying to do it in real life' and 'I wish I had a skip,' while I waited patiently for the instructors to arrive.
Within minutes, the instructors who hadn't been able to take a vacation and stayed at the academy arrived at the conference room and among them was Reina.
I began my explanation.
An impurity that entered the Labyrinth, that was something unusual in the history of the Academy.
Because of its uniqueness, the topic of conversation was not how it was defeated, but how it came to be in the Labyrinth.
The instructors discussed it vigorously, and finally settled on a conclusion.
…The conclusion was 'we don't know' so the case was closed as an anomaly in the Labyrinth.
There was some discussion about the need to pay closer attention to the management of the Labyrinth in the future, but this will not happen again, at least not in the Labyrinth.
In fact, the instructors and academy staff had nothing to do with it.
I was more curious as to why the Sage in the depths of the Labyrinth would allow this impurity to remain.
'Was the Sage and the Depths really "unimplemented" in the game?'
It's hard to predict the behavior of characters that have lived for hundreds of years. In that case, I can only proceed as I have in the game.
After the instructors' meeting, I catch sight of Reina, who is still in the room. She looks at the lycanthrope's head and then turns to me.
"By the way, Cadet Zetto, what happened to…one of his eyeballs?"
"Oh, that was my loot…"
"Loot… That's nice. Anyway, you did a good job this time and kept the casualties down. I'm glad I lent you the bracelet."
Reina glances at her bracelet on my wrist and smiles wryly. She seems to like this one quite a bit.
"Haha, I was just wandering around the Labyrinth."
The foul-mouthed Reina scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward giving praise.
"I heard you helped Priscilla this time, and she complimented you on your acupuncture skills."
"Oh, I hear you two are close."
"Well, since we went to the academy together, we've been running into each other at the bar a lot, so we're naturally close."
Reina loved to drink. Oddly enough, she liked it even though she was a terrible drinker.
On any given night, you could find her in a bar inside the academy, drunk.
'Priscilla has trouble sleeping because of her past memories, so she drinks a lot…'
After tapping her fingers on the desk, Reina stood up and continued.
"Anyway, the Academy is going to give you a decent reward, and since you took care of this issue and proven yourself…"
Meritocracy, it was the kind of reward that Innocence Academy was known for.
'Originally, I was going to take that reward and save the money to make the Spectral Sword.'
I'll have a lot of money so I have to think hard about what to spend it on later.
The more money I have, the more things I can do, especially outside the academy.
As she leaves the conference room, Reina has one last word for me.
"I guess I can delay getting my bracelet back a little longer. I'll just have to pick on Edward later for being the one who made me let you borrow it. Hahaha!"
I couldn't help but smile at the corners of my mouth as Reina's words were accompanied by a boisterous laugh.
'I was getting worried when she wouldn't leave the conference room.'
Even if she lent it to me, it was still an Epic-grade item. She must be uncomfortable without it.
The bracelet, a reward, fame and the eyeball, I made a lot from dealing with the lycanthrope.
The extra level I gained in the Labyrinth was a bonus.
[…It's not a bad feeling to see my student recognized by others.]
As I sit in the empty conference room, Sierra comes over and strokes my cheek.
'I didn't get to talk to Sierra much today…'
I can't wait to get back to my dorm and catch up with Sierra.
***
I was on my way back to my dorm after everything was done.
'The first boss was easy… I still have time for the next one…'
As it turns out, I still have a duel with Kaen.
I don't know when she'll ask for a duel, but it won't be anytime soon.
'Yuri should be wandering the labyrinth for a while…'
Priscilla, I need to keep my distance from her. It's troubling that she noticed the Spectral Sword and didn't say anything.
I don't know what her intentions are, but I'm not comfortable with her being interested in me.
'Aizel is…'
I stopped in my tracks as a familiar platinum-haired girl walked up ahead. I hadn't seen her in a few days, but her eyes were still the same.
She approached me and opened her mouth.
"…It seems like we haven't seen each other in a long time."
"Haha, that's right, we haven't seen each other since the Labyrinth training started… It's been a while."
It had only been a few days, but considering the slow pace of time in the Labyrinth, a long time might be a good way to describe it.
There was an unrecognizable aura about Aizel that was different than before, and she had already grown.
When she asked if we could talk for a while, I followed her to a roadside bench.
The gemstone street lamp shone brightly on her platinum hair as she sat on the bench and Aizel swung her legs across the bench and began to speak.
"…From what I've heard, you've been doing a lot of work around here."
"Rumors?"
I asked, staring at Aizel who opened her mouth to answer the question.
"Well… That you captured a lycanthrope in the Labyrinth?"
"…It happened today, and word travels fast."
It was strange that the rumor didn't spread.
"They say you're good at acupuncture, and that you're so sweet and kind… You've become quite popular."
Aizel frowned, as if she felt uncomfortable.
"Haha, I was in a hurry, so I treated them as kindly as I could."
Aizel's expression relaxed a bit at my answer. Afterward, we talked about small things.
What she ate, how the labyrinth was, how stupid the goblins we met on the third floor were.
…We didn't have a deep conversation because she was a regressor and I was a possessor so we couldn't confide in anyone.
Neither of us said anything deep, as if we understood the other's position.
It was certainly a casual conversation. However, even in such a casual conversation, I felt like I was getting more and more comfortable.
Just as the conversation was coming to an end, Aizel made an uncomfortable face.
We've been talking for a while, and I'm thirsty."
Aizel's thirst reminds me of the water I packed in my backpack when I entered the Labyrinth.
I rummage through my backpack and find my water bottle, but it's empty.
I drank a lot of water while running from the third to the fifth floor.
"Oh, I'm out of water, is there a cafe nearby…?"
As I rummage through my backpack and pull out an empty water bottle, Aizel interrupts me and sticks her head in to look inside my backpack.
"What is this…?"
She reaches into my backpack and pulls out a flask of pink liquid.
'Oh, right.'
I bought this the other day when Sierra wanted to buy it at the general store, but I forgot to remove it from my backpack.
"An enchantment potion?"
Eisel, holding the flask, slowly reads the label.
If this continues I'll be labeled as the guy with the "enchantment potion" in his backpack.
"Oh, that's…"
"Isn't this just a normal drink that doesn't do anything?"
Aizel, who interrupted my attempt to defuse the situation, said with a slight tilt of her head.
A regressor was a regressor. She knew this was a potion, not just a drink.
"The owner gave it to me when I stopped by the general store, but I put it in my backpack and forgot about it. I had no idea it was a potion with a name like that…"
I casually excused myself.
[Was that just a normal drink…?]
Sierra's voice rings with regret as she realizes the truth about the Enchantment Potion.
I wonder why she's disappointed.
Aizel hears my answer and unscrews the lid of the flask.
"I'm thirsty, do you mind if I drink this?"
Aizel asks me in a bland tone and I nod.
With my permission, Aizel gulps down the enchantment potion. She must have been very thirsty to down it so quickly.
It was just a tasty drink anyway, nothing would happen.
[Bam!]
…Aizel suddenly drops the flask on the floor. The potion was finished and no drink flowed from the broken flask.
"Zetto… I… I don't feel right…"
Aizel mumbles in a weak voice and suddenly leans in close to me, her cheeks flushed.
Her eyes seem to be mesmerized by something and she stares at me with her mouth firmly closed.
I couldn't tell if she was acting, as she was an accomplished actress, or if I had actually bought a mesmerizing potion.
[I, apprentice… I thought you said it didn't work…?]
Sierra stammered, covering her eyes with her hands in a panic.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way it would work. But why would Aizel do this?
Suddenly, Aizel's hand reaches out and grabs mine.
She slowly brings my hand to her left breast. Through my fingertips, I can feel the fabric of her uniform shirt over her chest and her heartbeat.
"Uh…"
My mind goes blank at the suddenness of what has happened and the next thing I know, Aizel's face is close to mine and her moist lips glisten in the streetlight.
'What if the enchantment potion was real…? What would happen?'
I didn't know what to think but regardless, Aizel's face was getting closer and closer.
Now her breath was close enough to touch my mouth.
I had to push her away, but my body wouldn't budge.
I think I'm about to kiss her, but just before I do, her head snaps up. Then she presses her lips to my ear.
"...Just kidding, hehe."
I could hear her lecherous laughter in my ear, and then she pulled away from me again. The corners of her mouth turned up in amusement.
"It was just a normal, delicious drink. Your reaction is funny."
"Then why the hand…?"
I barely managed to get the question out to Aizel, who was still smiling despite the dizziness in my head.
"The sound of the heart. I thought it might be easier for you to remember if you could touch it and feel it, rather than hear it."
Aizel nudges me with a questioning glance.
Sierra, who has been watching this in silence, says something inaudible to Aizel.
[What does she want…?]