119: Azur, do you want me to die?

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Luckily, the queue is moving quickly.

We'll soon be attended to, and I'll finally be back in a labyrinth.

Suddenly, even though I'm under the influence of alcohol, I get a message from Azur reminding me that without Deirdre I won't be able to use the experience booster and mocking me for not listening to him when he asked me to return to the city of Krag-an.

I was about to respond to my stupid companion, but at that moment, the possibility of using Kaelion to take advantage of the booster occurred to me.

I perceive that this irritates Azur more than any answer I could have thought of, so I ignore my companion and decide instead to try asking the orc.

"Hey, Kaelion. Once I get registered in..." I say, suddenly hesitating as to how I might convince him to come with me into the labyrinth.

It's true that with his weapon he could damage the monsters on the upper floors, but I don't think the elderly orc is very athletic, and in the labyrinth that quality is vital.

That's why I doubt very much that he will accept my proposal on the first try.

"... Could you accompany me when I go into the labyrinth? It would be good to have someone to watch my back."

"What do you mean?..." asks the old orc, scowling at me.

"...It's obvious that I'm going to accompany you. I've already told you that I want to write your story, if possible, so that it reaches as many people as possible. What kind of a chronicler would I be if I didn't accompany you for just a few monsters."

'That's nice. If I were alone, I could just ignore the monsters with the loot bonus and go for those with the experience bonus only...

But in the end, I'd end up being chased by a horde of monsters, and I don't think that's the most reasonable thing to do. No...

I need a companion, and for time being, the elderly orc will have to take the role. But if he's not up to it....

Well, I won't worry for the time being.'

"Wow, I thought I'd have to convince you, but it's better this way. I would like to get someone to take us straight to the top floors. To the 78th floor, more or less... Is there an easy way to find someone to take us?" I ask the orc, surprised at the bravery he is showing.

So far, I thought his attitude was just a facade.

But if he plans to accompany me into the labyrinth, clearly he must have some confidence in his abilities.

"Yes, there is, but don't you think it would be better for you to start climbing..." he says, staring at me as if calculating my strength.

"... Let's say from the 51st floor at the most? I think maybe you're being a little cocky by thinking about going to those floors on our first day here."

'Or maybe he's not so confident in his abilities....

Hmm… it's true that without Deirdre and Azur, it's probably going to be impossible for me to fight for a long time on those floors....

But, anyway, I should still look for someone to take me in this labyrinth to the last floor I explored with Deirdre in the labyrinth of our continent. Since that is definitely the best source of money and experience for me now. Besides...

Who knows… maybe the old orc will give me a surprise, despite his lack of trust in my decisions'

"Nah... You'll see when I check in that my decision is justified. But back to the topic of how to find someone of high level..." I say, letting the sentence hang in the air and trying to ignore the irritating buzz of protest that's ringing in my mind.

'I think I'm going to have to increase the amount of alcohol I drink during the day if I want to keep my stupid partner quiet....

But if I do that, I probably won't be able to fight in the labyrinth at the 100% of my capabilities....

Shit...

Now that I think about it, I shouldn't drink alcohol at all when I go to the labyrinth.'

It's true that during these days I haven't noticed that the amount of alcohol I usually drink affects me negatively, apart from having some difficulty walking straight.

But in the labyrinth, that will be a problem.

"Haa... It's a tough job being a chronicler.... There is an easy way to identify high-level fighters, and that way is, redundantly, by looking at the ranks they have in the association. The ranks are five and go in ascending order like this: porcelain, copper, silver, gold, and platinum…" says the elderly orc, gesturing with the fingers of his right hand.

".... People get their ranks based on their contribution to the association, their experience in the labyrinth, and their levels. But the latter is the most important. It's true that you can rank up if you have many years of experience and periodically contribute to the guild, but if you are at a high level, you can have a high rank from the start…"

Kaelion then puffs out his chest and proudly says, "... I'm in the silver rank, and I've hardly ever been to the labyrinth, but my levels allowed me to reach that rank."

'Azur, do you want me to die? How about a truce? At least when I go to the labyrinth. I understand that you don't want to help me, but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't stand in my way.'

"What classes do you have, and what level are they?" I ask the orc as I focus on holding two conversations at the same time.

In response to my question, Azur sends me feelings of irritation and frustration.

But he stops pestering me with his buzzing.

"You'll see in a few minutes, kid. I don't want to ruin the surprise you'll feel when you see how awesome I am," the orc says, looking at me with a smile that is surely intended to be mysterious.

"We'll see who is surprised by whom. But that's okay; I can wait a little more. But… Could you at least answer this now? If you've hardly ever been to the labyrinth, how do you have the levels needed for silver rank?" I ask, confused as to what method a person could use to level up so much on this continent if, with the exception of the Krag-an jungle, there are apparently no monsters in the empire.

It's true that you can level up simply by training.

After all, I saw it firsthand during my time with the vampires, but that depends a lot on how you're training and with whom.

"That... That's a subject from my past that I'd rather not talk about. I'll just say that I've done things I'm not proud of…" He says evasively as the smile fades from his face.

Then he quickly communicates what I had initially asked him, as if to change the subject. "...Anyway, if you want someone to take you to those floors, it would be best to find someone of gold or platinum rank. But their services are really expensive.... Haa, come to think of it... I'm going to have to pay for it, aren't I?"

"You know very well that I still don't have any money that I can use here, so I would be enormously grateful to you if you would. I promise to pay you back double what you spend on me as soon as I get some money." I say, hating the fact that I have to rely on someone so much but knowing that I can't help it being in the situation I'm in.

"Right... And obviously, the price of your registration will have to be paid by me too.... Haa… Look, kid, I'm just going to say that your confidence better be justified. Otherwise, I'm going to be really pissed off that you didn't want to take my advice…" says the orc, looking tired, and suddenly he starts talking irritably.

".... I could perfectly well take you up to the 51st floor. But no, the little bastard has his ego sky high and wants to start on the 78th floor. It seems a certain brat is eager to show his elder what he's capable of."

"I'll..." I start to say indignantly, ready to tell him something insulting.

But thinking that I don't want the old orc to get angry with me, I change my mind and finally say with a strained smile, "... I will prove to you that my confidence is justified."

To be honest, his reaction is quite logical since he still doesn't know that I can fight perfectly well on those floors of the labyrinth and that going to the lower floors would only be a waste of time for me.

It's true that this way is probably going to be hard for the elder orc and that the best thing for him would be to start from the bottom of the labyrinth, as I did with Deirdre so long ago.

But when I decided to go with her, the situation was different.

She was going to be my companion for a long time, but the orc at my side is just a tool.

'I can't see him in any other way if I intend to keep him safe'