Chapter 256: 256 First

Rin, who was heading back to the inn from the shopping district, paused for a moment to look around the street.

Workers carrying crates moved back and forth in lines, and the shops seemed busy, piling up goods in a frantic manner.

She hadn’t paid much attention to who passed by or how people worked until now, but…

Rin felt a strange, intuitive sense that the atmosphere of the street was different from usual.

As if something was about to happen.

“Halt!”

While walking with an uncertain doubt in her mind, someone blocked Rin’s path.

He stood in the middle of the intersection, stopping all pedestrians, but since he was in military uniform, everyone could only stop and step back in silence.

Soon, along with a procession of numerous soldiers, large carriages of a size Rin had never seen before passed by in a line.

It was the defense force of this city, Labyrinth.

These soldiers mostly worked near the city walls, so they were rarely seen inside the city, but now an immense number of them were marching through the streets.

After encountering the unfamiliar sights of the city several more times, Rin walked a bit further and arrived at the inn.

At a table on the first floor, the other members and Ian were gathered, waiting for her.

Rin set a paper bag she had been clutching down in front of Ian.

“I bought it.”

“Thanks. Good work.”

Handing over the ink bottle that was Ian’s errand, Rin sat down, placing a bag of bread she had bought along with it on the table.

Then, Rin suddenly recalled the strange atmosphere of the street she had seen on her way.

Thinking Ian might know something, she brought it up.

“By the way, the atmosphere today was a bit strange.”

“How so?”

“It feels like a war is about to break out.”

“Ah…”

Hearing that, Ian took a quick glance at the date.

That time was already approaching.

“It’s about that time, I suppose.”

“Pardon?”

Rin, who had asked the question, was surprised by Ian’s answer and asked back.

“Are we really having a war?”

“It is a war!”

Instead of Ian, the passing innkeeper laughed and answered for him.

Having done business in this city for over ten years and experiencing this every year, the innkeeper laughed with a look that said he was fed up with it.

“There’s no war zone like this one. It’s the first time for all of you at Ian’s place, right?”

The innkeeper, while saying so, was also stacking crates deep inside the kitchen.

Ian took a glance outside the inn.

Beyond the door, the restless atmosphere and the tense air of the city seemed to flow in.

Ian explained to the three people who were looking at him with tense faces.

“Soon, monsters will attack the city.”

“Monsters?”

The main quest of Labyrinth that comes once a year.

It was time for the Monster Wave to begin.

In the dungeon located to the north of this city, commonly known as ’The Labyrinth’, there were periods when the monster population spiked periodically.

Due to the magical power overflowing from the deep layers, the monsters, increased to the point of filling the Labyrinth, would pour out of the entrance and indiscriminately attack everything nearby.

And the first target of that attack was the fortress established in front of the Labyrinth—Labyrinth itself.

It wasn’t exactly wrong to call it a war against monsters.

“Was that… actually true?”

“You’ve all heard the stories, haven’t you?”

“I thought it was just a lie to scare the rookies…”

Since it was a story that could never be left out when talking about Labyrinth, they must have heard the rumors when coming here.

But experiencing it in person was, of course, a first. It hadn’t even been a year since they arrived here.

…In terms of actual experience, the same went for Ian.

While listening to the explanation, Rin suddenly recalled something she had heard on her first day as a mercenary.

“Captain. Then this is… that, right? The emergency summons?”

“Yeah. We have to go out too.”

Ian nodded.

All mercenaries belonging to the guild had an obligation to participate in this defensive battle.

Tanya, imagining a swarm of monsters attacking the city, asked with a nervous expression.

“Then are we going to fight monsters too?”

“No, we can’t go up on the walls.”

Ian shook his head this time.

Only C-rank mercenary groups and above could enter the Labyrinth.

Most of the monsters that appeared were C-rank or higher as well.

Since these were monsters that came out of such a labyrinth, the monsters appearing in the Monster Wave were naturally over C-rank.

Sending up E-rank or D-rank groups would only result in them getting in the way without being able to fight, so such mercenary groups weren’t even sent in front of the monsters in the first place.

The ones who had to go up on the walls and face the monsters directly were the C-rank or higher mercenary groups.

“A mercenary group like ours has to go out for military support.”

Repairing the walls before the invasion, or transporting supply materials.

Moving supplies through the city during the battle was the primary role of these lower-rank mercenary groups.

“Then we have to carry boxes?”

“Ugh…”

Rin looked disgusted at the mention of moving luggage.

Mika, in particular, was the one whose expression darkened the most.

Rin at least had the highest overall stats thanks to her level, and Tanya was basically specialized in carrying things.

Mika, who had the lowest stamina and strength, was in the worst situation.

She truly detested that kind of labor, but Rin, who had been inwardly tense at the mention of a monster invasion, let out a sigh.

If it was just carrying boxes inside the city, it would be much safer than the city walls.

“Well, then there won’t be anything dangerous. I was going to show off my skills.”

“That’s why I’ve prepared something else…”

“…Yes?”

Rin sensed something strange and looked up.

It was the same feeling as when Ian suddenly looked at her and said they had to catch the Knight Tail.

The Monster Wave was a period when one could earn a huge amount of contribution points and money.

From Ian’s perspective, who needed to grow as much as possible, it was an event that couldn’t be missed.

However, rising to C-rank in time for the first wave to participate in the defensive battle was normally no easy task.

Since it was something that could only be done if considerable luck followed, Ian had planned a more certain second plan instead of relying on luck.

“There’s a way to fight monsters.”

“Wha… what is it?”

When Ian placed a document he had been holding on the table, everyone leaned in to read what was written there.

Underground Sewer Defense Plan.

“…The underground sewers again?”

It wasn’t the period for recruiting personnel yet, but since the content wasn’t classified, it was a document he had received in advance by asking the staff.

“We can apply in advance for which sector’s defense we want to participate in.”

Whether that would be approved depended on the result of the guild’s screening, but Ian thought they would pass without a doubt.

There likely wouldn’t be another mercenary group that had frequented the underground sewers as much as they had recently.

If all else failed, he would have to use coins to secure a spot, but that likely wouldn’t happen.

“We’re going to put in an application for the underground sewers.”

“Do monsters come through the underground sewers too?”

“There are slimes in the Labyrinth too. Slimes come in through the waterways.”

While only C-rank and above could go up on the walls and fight monsters directly, the exception was the underground sewers.

The sewers were structurally only passable by slimes, so even during an invasion, only slimes entered.

That’s why even D-rank groups could participate in the defense battle here.

However, there was one thing to consider…

The Monster Expansion Mod that Ian had installed.

This mod added various new monsters to the game and allowed special variants with multiple traits to appear among existing monsters.

It was one of the mods he had installed to increase the difficulty of this game.

…If given the chance, it was one of the mods he wanted to turn off immediately without hesitation, but in a situation like this, there was a way to use it.

Because of this mod, not only regular slimes but also various types of special slimes appeared during the monster invasion.

In other words, special high-level slimes that only appear in the Labyrinth were scheduled to be included in this invasion.

It meant that in a trivial D-rank sector where only slimes would usually appear, special slimes dropping very expensive loot would be roaming around.

“Slimes again?”

“Sigh…”

The members, including Rin, hung their heads and let out a small sigh at the mention of having to fight slimes in the underground sewers again.

***

Inside the mercenary guild, where many more people than usual were coming and going.

Since it was a mercenary guild that had to take charge of a pillar of the city’s defense, all staff were moving busily ahead of the monster invasion period.

Supplies began to pile up in the warehouse, and the staff moved through the building frantically.

On the third floor of that mercenary guild.

In that place where even regular staff, let alone mercenaries, were prohibited from entering without special business, a meeting of the mercenary guild’s leaders had been continuing for several days ahead of the invasion.

“They say they want to completely hand over the defense of the underground sewers to us.”

A staff member, picking up a newly delivered document to the guild today, spoke to the people gathered in the meeting room.

“Two guard companies were supposed to be attached as backup.”

“Is that all?”

The vice-guild leader, who was presiding over the meeting, frowned.

It was a common occurrence for defense sectors to change depending on the situation each year, but this request was particularly sudden.

“Where are they planning to divert the troops?”

“There was damage to the western street during the last invasion, so using that as an excuse, they’ve pulled more defense troops there.”

Camilla, examining a document, looked up and answered.

“The Mayor receives sponsorship from that side, doesn’t he? He’ll need a large amount of re-election funds soon, so he has to be mindful in advance.”

“Since he’s pushing a disarmament policy and reduced the number of standing troops… he must be pulling the most expendable underground sewer troops.”

“That bastard.”

While listening to the guild members’ conversation, the vice-guild leader complained as usual, but there wasn’t much he could do.

The guild leader, who was participating in the countermeasures meeting at the city hall, was a person on the side of the city council anyway.

The fact that the news had arrived here meant it was essentially a decided matter.

In any case, what the mercenary guild had to do in this situation was always the same. Squeeze gold out of the city.

“Make sure to squeeze out as much of the budget as possible.”

“That won’t be difficult. If damage occurs in the city center again before the election, his re-election will go down the drain. This time, even the Mayor won’t be able to skimp on money.”

The conversation concluded with Camilla and the vice-guild leader setting down the documents.

Assuming they have to accept this as inevitable.

Then there was a new problem to solve.

The vice-guild leader glanced sideways and spoke toward the mercenaries gathered on one side this time.

“Now then. We need to decide who will take charge of the underground sewers…”

The guild’s direct mercenaries gathered in the meeting room.

The vice-guild leader looked over the faces of those who would become defense force commanders and take command of the mercenaries once the invasion began.

“Anyone who wants to take charge of two places?”

“….”

“Fine. Honestly.”

He had said it without expecting anything to begin with.

Someone cautiously raised their hand and brought up the simplest solution.

“Should we just forcibly conscript C-ranks and spread them out?”

“If we force them into the underground sewers, they’ll throw a fit.”

Of course, they would have no choice but to follow if the guild forcibly deployed them.

But the invasion was the season when a mercenary group could earn the most money in a year.

If they were shoved into the underground sewers where only slimes appeared at such a time, anyone would be bound to cause an uproar.

“Don’t we have any C-ranks we’ve got dirt on? Rebecca, you go beat some up and drag them here.”

Upon receiving the vice-guild leader’s question, a face suddenly came to Rebecca’s mind.

Would he be at a level… to handle such a big case?

After a moment of thought, Rebecca opened her mouth.

“Why don’t you put the underground sewers out for commission?”

“Why? Did you get a boyfriend in C-rank?”

“He’s a D-rank.”

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