Vol. 1 Chapter 1

The labyrinth is dimly lit, but there is a faint glow from the moss growing on the walls, and since having dark vision is a requirement for adventurers, it’s not like you can’t see at all.

 

Moreover, it seems that dark vision improves naturally through training in the labyrinth, so all I can do is wait patiently.

 

I realized that I was just wearing clothes made of cloth and carrying the bare essentials for adventuring in a backpack, and it struck me that I didn’t look much different from going for a walk in the neighborhood.

 

The three vanguards in front of me were vastly different from everyday life, wearing helmets, armor, and shields in their left hands, with weapons such as clubs and swords hanging from their waists.

 

The small boy following closely behind them didn’t carry any large weapons or shields, but wore leather armor, and the girl walking beside him carried a long staff.

 

Alone, I felt out of place, wondering if experience and growth would eventually negate this feeling.

 

“Enemy ahead!”

 

The suppressed voice of the vanguard brought me back to reality.

 

Immediately, the three vanguards spread out, forming a wall to prevent anything from passing through behind them, and readied their weapons.

 

The two rearguards besides me also tensed up.

 

I, in a fluster, didn’t know what to do as I looked at the identity of the enemy.

 

Probably three large rats.

 

And thus, our adventure began.

 

—

 

The fact that I was thrown into the wizarding institution doesn’t hold much significance.

 

It’s because investing in turning young slaves into adventurers to profit was in vogue.

 

Among them, due to my exceptional physical weakness, I was rejected from classes like gladiators or martial artists, which are frontline classes.

 

Also, due to my clumsiness, I didn’t have the aptitude for the thief profession, which specializes in detecting and disarming traps.

 

Apparently, I lacked the necessary faith to become a priest who receives healing through divine grace, and was turned away after being lectured by an old monk at the temple gate.

 

After reporting my dismal performance, my master was at a loss, but since I lacked the physical strength and dexterity to become a peasant or a craftsman, and it would be pointless to feed me without any use, I was thrown into the wizard training facility, which anyone could enter if they wished.

 

After about two months of intensive education, I somehow managed to cram the basics of magical theory into my head and became an impromptu wizard.

 

By the way, it seems that magic doesn’t grow without experience in the labyrinth no matter how much you study. So, both me and my classmates can only cast a fireball the size of a clenched fist called “Fireball” that can hit a target ten paces away at most, and those with talent can cast two shots at most. Of course, I can only cast one shot.

 

Anyway, relying on such unreliable fireballs, I have to venture into the dangerous and laborious strange labyrinth.

 

Now, as for what this labyrinth is, I don’t really know.

 

It’s been on the outskirts of this town for a long time, and it seems that some monsters have settled in it, but there seems to be no end to those who challenge it for reasons like honor, money, or growth.

 

First of all, I had never left the village where I was born until I was captured in a slave hunt six months ago, so I didn’t even know about this town until I was brought here.

 

On the day my basic wizard training ended, I was taken to the Adventurer’s Association and teamed up with rookie adventurers who had received education at various training institutions just like me.

 

The allocation by the association’s clerk was somewhat haphazard, but in any case, we headed for the labyrinth on foot.

 

Just before departure, the association clerk was giving an explanation.

 

“Since you are all rookies, if you die in the labyrinth, you will most likely be left behind. Resurrection is the duty of the temple, but it will incur high costs, so if you can prepare in advance, please set aside the funds.”

 

The documents handed over also included the cost of resurrection, and my master frowned at the high cost mentioned, starting from a thousand gold coins.

 

My master, who always complains about how my purchase cost twenty gold coins and my tuition thirty gold coins, didn’t seem to think he could come up with such a large sum of money.

 

Also, seeing the class-specific mortality rates posted on the association’s wall, with wizards standing out, my master sighed even more and muttered, “I should have just sold you to a brothel.”

 

It seems I narrowly avoided the path of a male prostitute by a hair’s breadth.

 

Instead, the road I walk is said to be filled with malicious intent, the underground labyrinth.

 

—

 

The brawl between the three large rats and the three vanguards was, to put it nicely, comical.

 

In any case, neither side could land a decisive blow.

 

The large rats, with a height about the size of a person’s thigh, were more like small boars in terms of perception than rats. As is common with wild animals, they dodged attacks swiftly and bit legs or charged.