MTLNOVEL Chapter 3 - That's Not How You Read a Map
“…Huh.”
Rabbit Gondu let out a scoff.
“No, you said you’d guide me to the Hidden Street if I just saved you.”
“Yeah, I did say that.”
“But why….”
“Because it wasn’t you who saved me, but the healing potion.”
“…What nonsense is that? That healing potion you’re talking about, didn’t I give it to you?”
“That’s right. But you didn’t give it to me to save me, did you?”
“…!”
For a moment, Rabbit Gondu’s eyes widened as if surprised.
This foreigner seemed to already know that she had thrown the healing potion as mockery, not salvation.
“Why does that matter? Anyway, if I hadn’t thrown that healing potion, you would have died.”
“That’s true.”
“Then guide me, quickly.”
Despite Rabbit Gondu’s words, Siwon just stood still.
“What are you doing?”
“But… it doesn’t seem fair to consider just one healing potion as the price for a life.”
“…What did you say?”
“It’s because it was me that I survived, if it was someone else, they would have surely died.”
“….”
She couldn’t refute that.
Even she, a stagnant explorer, thought Siwon would have already died.
“So guiding is too much, how about I just tell you the location of the Hidden Street? What do you think?”
“….”
Siwon swallowed as Rabbit Gondu silently stared at him.
If killing intent exists, it would probably be like this.
‘If she turns to threats now, there’s no answer, but…’
He believes she probably won’t do that.
Stagnant explorers who have roamed the labyrinth for a long time each have their own beliefs.
At least the Rabbit Gondu that Siwon knew wasn’t an explorer who threatened others with force.
There’s no reason to break her beliefs over something like this.
“…That won’t do.”
As if responding to Siwon’s belief, Rabbit Gondu chose to resolve this through dialogue rather than force.
“Just knowing the location is meaningless. I need your guidance to get there.”
“Well then, you’ll have to pay the remaining price.”
“…Pay more? How?”
“Five healing potions, one long sword, an orc leather armor set, top and bottom….”
Rabbit Gondu furrowed her brow as she watched Siwon rattle off necessary items like he was rapping.
‘…What kind of guy is he?’
This foreigner, it seems like he had thought about what to say in advance.
“…Information about the labyrinth city, and… food that I can eat right now.”
“….”
“Uh, if that’s too much….”
“What, is that all?”
“…?”
As Siwon tilted his head, Rabbit Gondu continued speaking.
“No, I thought you were going to ask for something like an Onyx Dragon’s horn….”
“…Even if I made something with that, I wouldn’t be able to wear it.”
His current mana conduit would probably cause instant death if it touched his body.
‘…Come to think of it, I wonder if I can use magic too?’
Such a question suddenly occurred to Siwon, but given the situation, he quickly dismissed it.
“That’s true. But, is that really enough?”
“…Yeah. If there’s anything that’s not possible….”
“No, everything’s possible. I still have things I used before. But….”
“?”
“I can’t give them to you right now. How can I trust you?”
It was a response he had roughly expected.
“Then at least give me the healing potions and food in advance.”
“That’s not difficult.”
Rabbit Gondu’s hand disappeared and then reappeared.
In her hand were two pouches.
“Here, take them.”
“…?”
Opening the pouches, one was filled with healing potions like a mountain, and the other was packed full of jerky.
“No, I clearly only asked for five….”
“Just take them all. It’s annoying to count, and they’ll be left over anyway.”
“….”
A line that strongly smelled of a stagnant explorer.
He thought she was stingy because she made such a fuss over one healing potion.
But seeing her generosity, she really seems to be a stagnant explorer.
A moment later.
“…You’ve already eaten all that jerky?”
“…Yeah.”
Siwon had devoured in one go all the jerky that was in a pouch as big as his head.
‘Ah, now I feel like I might live.’
Siwon hadn’t had a proper meal for days in the midst of war.
In such a situation, how could he resist when jerky was right in front of him?
Thinking his stomach might not accept food after so long, he had drunk a healing potion in advance.
“But what are you going to use the healing potions for?”
“To fix it.”
“Huh?”
Siwon pointed with his finger to the hideous wound he had shown earlier.
“I can’t go there like this. I’d probably die on the way with all the wounds bursting open.”
As if imagining that scene, Rabbit Gondu grimaced.
“…You, what would you have done if I hadn’t given you the healing potions?”
“Who knows? I didn’t think about it. I just thought that as long as we could communicate, you’d definitely give at least five healing potions.”
“….”
Rabbit Gondu felt for some reason that she was being played in the palm of this foreigner’s hand.
A moment later.
“Are you done?”
As soon as Siwon’s faint groans that had been heard intermittently stopped, Rabbit Gondu immediately asked.
She had been turning her head away, feeling that even just watching the treatment process would make her learn how to create those hideous wounds.
“…Yeah.”
“Let’s see, your condition….”
Rabbit Gondu turned her gaze to examine various parts of Siwon’s body.
All those hideous wounds from earlier had disappeared, and through the holes in his tunic and pants, smooth skin could be seen.
“…How many healing potions did you use for the wounds to heal so cleanly?”
“…I did use quite a bit. About two?”
“…What?”
Rabbit Gondu doubted her ears for a moment.
Despite her ears being much larger than a human’s and having never misheard anything, fitting their size.
If something was wrong, it must surely be this man’s existence.
“Are you curious?”
Rabbit Gondu nodded.
“Sorry, but I can’t tell you this even if you ask. There’s too much potential for abuse.”
“…Forget it, just don’t tell me.”
Thinking he must have used some strange method, Rabbit Gondu gave up on her rising curiosity.
“Then if you’ve finished all the treatment, shall we get going?”
As Siwon was about to step forward, Rabbit Gondu behind him grabbed his arm.
“What?”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you’ll be okay without a map. It’ll probably be difficult?”
“Well, I don’t really need… No, you’re right.”
“…?”
“Let me see it once. It might have changed due to the Stirring.”
Siwon immediately took the map Rabbit Gondu handed over and began to examine it closely.
“If you’re looking for our current location, it’s here….”
Rabbit Gondu poked a part of the map with her finger, but Siwon didn’t even glance at it and just kept staring at the map.
“…What are you doing?”
Only after Rabbit Gondu asked again after a moment of waiting did Siwon lift his head.
“Whew, it would have been a big problem if we just went.”
“What do you mean by a big problem….”
“Maybe because of the Stirring, but it seems like the placement of some traps has changed. Here, look.”
It was a lie.
What Siwon checked was just the current point in time.
‘It’s the trap placement from before the first Stirring after the tutorial.’
Siwon thought to himself as he handed the map back to Rabbit Gondu.
“…?”
Rabbit Gondu’s brow furrowed.
“…What? Why are you giving this back to me?”
“Because I’ve memorized it all.”
“…What?”
Rabbit Gondu frowned in disbelief.
Even Rabbit Gondu, who had roamed the labyrinth for a long time, only had the first floor ingrained in her body.
She didn’t always just look at the map, but even she would check the map in advance when passing through some dangerous areas.
“What about the dangerous areas?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I memorized everything.”
“…You memorized all the traps in the dangerous areas?”
It’s nonsense.
The traps in the dangerous areas easily number over thousands.
“Yeah, isn’t that basic? Aren’t you a stagnant explorer?”
“….”
If it was the Rabbit Gondu from a little while ago, she would have surely thought Siwon’s words and actions were bravado.
But now, in Rabbit Gondu’s eyes, this foreigner’s behavior didn’t seem like bravado at all.
“That’s not how you read a map. If you just walk while looking at the map, your neck will fly off.”
“….”
Although his tone was a bit irritating.
If he could prove his ability, this too should be accepted.
“Whew! We finally arrived.”
After arriving at the entrance of the Hidden Street with Rabbit Gondu.
Siwon wiped off the sweat on his face little by little with his blood-stained tunic.
“…You, what kind of guy are you exactly?”
He turned his head.
He saw Rabbit Gondu with a completely hardened expression.
“…Why, what’s the problem now? We passed through everything well without getting caught in anything.”
To get to the Hidden Street, deviating from the map is essential.
On the first floor where traps are thickly spread everywhere except the set paths, finding the Hidden Street is considered nearly impossible, but.
‘How could I not find it when I’ve done game resets almost ten thousand times?’
Siwon had already found the way to the Hidden Street using those ten thousand lives.
By repeatedly dying after stepping on one unmapped trap and then another, he had figured out the only path where traps were absent.
“That’s not what I’m asking about! Knowing the location is one thing, let’s say that’s fine. But there were traps around here that weren’t even on the map, traps I’ve never seen before, yet you avoided them all? Does that make any sense?”
“….”
‘First time? It’s a place I’ve been to countless times.’
Siwon thought this to himself but didn’t bother to say it out loud.
“Even the top pathfinder in our clan can’t pull off such a feat. You, what exactly did you do before?”
“…Do I have to tell you even that?”
Rabbit Gondu’s expression hardened for a moment.
Then, lowering her head, she began to carefully reconsider what she had said.
“…Come to think of it, there’s no need to confirm such things.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. It could happen.”
“…So, how do we enter this place?”
Rabbit Gondu’s gaze turned towards the stone door in the distance.
It was a stone door large enough for dozens of people to enter simultaneously at a rough estimate.
It was questionable why such a thing was in the labyrinth, but then again, it’s a labyrinth, so such bizarre doors can exist.
Rabbit Gondu’s gaze turned upwards.
“…Oh, there are blood letters up there.”
“….”
Siwon also raised his head to look at the letters engraved above the massive stone door.
[Dogs bark ‘woof woof’ and ducks quack ‘quack quack’.]
[Birds chirp ‘tweet tweet’ and mice squeak ‘squeak squeak’.]
[Cows moo ‘moo’ and cats meow ‘meow’.]
[…Then, how exactly do rabbits cry?]
“Ha, shit. Of all things, it had to be this kind of question…!”
“…Huh? What did you just say?”
As if she couldn’t hear Siwon’s small whisper clearly, Rabbit Gondu tilted her head.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Hah….”
This is a disaster.
If only it wasn’t this question.
“Anyway, it’s about time you tell me. How do we get inside there?”
“….”
Seeing Siwon’s hardened expression, Rabbit Gondu furrowed her brow.
“…Don’t tell me, you came all this way without knowing how to get in?”
“That’s not it, it’s not that….”
“…?”
“It’s just, I’m not sure if you can do it.”
Thinking she was being looked down upon, Rabbit Gondu let out a scoff.
“…Huh. What’s this, what do you take me for? I can do anything. Hurry up and tell me.”
He got her commitment.
Whether she can really do this, he’s not sure.
Siwon, while inwardly worrying about this, cleared his throat and composed himself.
“Boing boing! The answer is~ rabbit, boing!”
“…?”
At Siwon’s sudden bizarre action, Rabbit Gondu’s world momentarily stopped.
A cute voice that didn’t match his fierce face at all, somewhat awkward.
He even bent his hands above his head while making strange gestures.
A disgusting and bizarre behavior that even three-year-old kids wouldn’t do.
“You, I knew you were crazy… but what the hell is this dog act suddenly?”
“It’s not a dog act, it’s a rabbit act, but….”
“Whatever act it is, why are you suddenly doing this?”
“Ah, so….”
Siwon took a deep breath and put on a brazen face.
“The words and actions I just did, you need to go in front of that stone door and do exactly the same.”