Labyrinth Patrol Mission

Adventurer Guild (Lamir Regional Headquarters)

The hall was spacious and bright, far grander than the small-town branch Shane had seen before.

The layout, however, was much the same. The potion and equipment sections were packed with all kinds of goods, only more finely crafted and varied—and, of course, more expensive.

Wait, was that an ad?

Behind the service counter, a banner hung on the wall:

[A very powerful mage is seeking teammates for a hefty reward to conquer the "Inverted Land" dungeon. Those interested in joining the party, please contact...]

That obnoxious wording could only belong to the hotheaded blond young master.

Still not giving up, huh? Tsk, young people were so full of themselves.

Shane walked up to the service counter.

A group of adventurers had just arrived to sell their spoils.

They had completed a patrol mission in a labyrinth outside the city and gathered some ore and herbs along the way. Each of them carried a bulging sack, and they'd made quite a haul.

Shane watched their spoils with envy, practically drooling.

"Three portions of iron ore and two portions of bloodroot. That comes to 85 copper coins."

Well, he wasn't that envious, actually.

Shane sighed. Even scavenging had its own hierarchy. People like them, who picked up whatever they found and lugged it all back, were at the bottom.

He was different. He'd always advocated "recycling and reuse." Selling enchanted goods was the right way to make money.

The [Labyrinth Patrol Mission] was a regular daily task issued by the Adventurer Guild.

Adventurer parties were hired to inspect nearby labyrinths that had already been cleared, making sure no monsters had spawned there again or wild beasts had taken up residence, and checking whether anyone was in trouble inside.

The reward wasn't much, but the work was steady.

The mission was posted again every so often.

In the past, Shane would seek out parties taking this mission and ask to tag along, saying he didn't want a reward and just wanted to see the world. Then he'd sneak into the labyrinth and take the chance to scavenge.

Now that he had Frieren, he didn't need to mooch off other people's parties. He could take a mission himself.

After spending one copper coin on a special adventurer's map of Gostan City, Shane began picking out a target.

The map was very detailed. It showed not only labyrinths, special ores, and rare magical materials, but also marked danger levels and clearly highlighted the areas where certain monsters were likely to appear.

There were three labyrinths near Gostan City marked as "low risk": [Wailing Cave], [Mist Swamp], and [Ancient Dragon Temple]. All three had already been cleared.

Unfortunately, no rare magical materials or special ores had ever been found in the labyrinths or surrounding areas.

Labyrinths like these were good for little more than scavenging, looking for ordinary ore or herbs, and earning a bit of hard-won money, just like the party he'd seen earlier.

But that was just right for Shane at the moment.

The more junk there was in a labyrinth, the more he stood to gain.

Aside from those, one name caught Shane's attention: [Inverted Land].

A bright red skull symbol indicated its danger level.

High risk!

Not yet cleared!

There was also a special note: Since the advance survey team had failed to return safely, no usable information about this labyrinth dungeon was available.

What a terrifying note!

Even the advance survey team sent by city hall hadn't returned. That meant everything inside the labyrinth was unknown.

"So this is the chance to make a name for yourself that the blond young master was talking about?"

Remembering the warning from the beautiful receptionist at city hall, Shane shook his head.

Whether for fame or money, it was best not to go looking for trouble in such a dangerous place, especially since it had been sealed off and designated a forbidden zone.

After all, nothing mattered more than your life.

You had to be alive to have anything at all.

"Hello, I'd like to take the patrol mission for [Ancient Dragon Temple]."

"The patrol mission pays one silver coin and must be completed within three days. Would you like a map of the labyrinth?"

"I'll take one."

By the time Shane returned to the inn, it was already noon.

Frieren had only just started eating breakfast.

Watching her drink her porridge sleepily, Shane suddenly thought of something.

Elves were small. Could that be why they ate so little each day?

If she slept until noon, she'd eat two meals a day. If she slept until the afternoon, she might only eat one.

Hmm...

Thinking about it that way, she must have run on low power for years. No wonder she could stay in standby for so long and live for ages.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"Really...?"

"Oh, wait. There is something. Here, take a look. We've got a job tomorrow."

Shane handed her the work order for the [Labyrinth Patrol Mission].

Work?

Frieren unfolded the list in her hands—

1- Inspect the recovery of vegetation around the labyrinth

2- Explore the labyrinth for mineral resources and record their locations

3- Check whether any wild beasts have taken up residence inside the labyrinth

4- Check whether any low-level monsters have spawned

The list went on and on, filled with tasks like inspections and record-keeping.

"That's so much work. We'll be walking for ages." Her voice carried a hint of reluctance.

"I heard the [Ancient Dragon Temple] was where the Dwarf Race worshipped the Golden Great Dragon in ancient times. According to legend, the Golden Great Dragon loved collecting treasures, especially Magic Tools." Shane coaxed her patiently.

The words "Magic Tools" sparked Frieren's interest. She immediately changed her tune. "Since it's work, we should take it seriously."

Shane nodded.

Excellent.

When it came to winning over an elf, he was second to none.

The two of them went shopping together that afternoon to prepare for the mission.

They'd only be away for three days, but they'd still have to spend the nights outdoors, so they needed to bring the proper supplies.

Of course.

"We don't need to bring this, do we?!"

Shane trailed behind Frieren, arms full of a big bundle of things, panting from the effort.

Frieren had stopped at a shop selling ceramic jars. She was eyeing a round jar on the shelf, meant for holding wine, and seemed unable to decide.

The jar was painted in pastel colors and decorated with gold. It was a lovely household item.

But it clearly wasn't suitable for a labyrinth.

"When you visit a dragon's home, you have to bring a gift. That's common knowledge," Frieren said with conviction.

"Visit? A gift? Do you hear yourself..." Shane frowned.

"Or would you rather give them gold coins?"

"..."

"So let's get the jar."

He didn't understand, but whatever. It was only a jar.

Shane resigned himself to pulling out his coin purse.

The next morning.

Shane had to go to extraordinary lengths to drag Frieren out of the inn.

The white-haired elf walked through the dawn with her eyes closed, leaning on her staff and swaying with each slow, dragging step.

They walked one behind the other toward the [Ancient Dragon Temple], nestled among the mountains east of Gostan City.