MTLNOVEL Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Fifth Floor
After the merger between the Labyrinth and the town, Chishiya Shuntaro gave everyone a brief explanation.
The principle?
He had no idea either.
Apparently, after purchasing the teleportation anchor, the Labyrinth started appearing in two dimensions simultaneously.
Like space-folding?
Chishiya shook his head. Not worth the brainpower.
"In the future, the Labyrinth will be integrated into town operations."
As for the residents inside the Labyrinth, they didn't make a fuss about it.
They were all his people anyway, fully loyal to Chishiya.
"Geld."
Chishiya looked up at the honest-looking High Orc in front of him, who towered over three meters.
"From now on, you'll be in charge of construction in both towns."
"Yes, my King."
The orc dropped to one knee, and the pressure he gave off was no weaker than Shion or the others.
He had probably evolved into a Demon Lord.
"Chishiya-san, you're back! Kazuma's been talking about you non-stop lately."
"I heard he's got a surprise for you."
Aqua waddled over, swallowing the last bite of bread in her mouth.
There was an unusual gleam of intelligence in her eyes.
Chishiya nodded.
"I'll go check it out."
It had been over a month since he last returned. Time to see what had become of his empire.
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Chishiya! What's so fun over here?!"
Milim came running in, still in her sailor outfit.
She was about to say more when she suddenly stopped.
"…Huh?"
She stared blankly at the blue-haired girl in front of her.
Chishiya opened his mouth, ready to make introductions, and then froze.
Wait a second…
One's a Demon Lord. The other's a Goddess.
Are they going to start brawling the second I blink?
...No clue who'd even win that matchup...
Wait, Chishiya, what are you even thinking?!
Now is not the time for hypothetical battle simulations!
"Uh…"
Just as he was about to say something, Milim spoke first.
"That bread you're eating…"
She wiped the corner of her mouth.
"It looks tasty. Can I try some?"
Aqua's eyes sparkled as she stared at Milim.
"Wow! So cute~!"
"Here you go! Have as much as you want~!"
Aqua turned to Chishiya with sparkling eyes.
"Chishiya-san, where did you meet such an adorable girl?"
…What?
Weren't you two supposed to be natural enemies?!
Chishiya stood dumbfounded, trying to process the scene.
"A friend I just met," he replied.
"Where's Kazuma?"
"I'll go find him."
Aqua, without looking up from feeding Milim, said:
"He's probably still in the Labyrinth. Been super busy lately."
"Said he was working on a surprise for you and didn't want to let you down."
"I've never seen him work so hard."
Chishiya raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Guess the guy really went all in.
"Great Sage, Recreate a few comics from my memory."
[Notice:]
[Yes.]
He'll probably love this.
A decent reward for the hustle.
Chishiya tucked the freshly printed comic into his storage space and headed into the Labyrinth.
—
On the way in, Chishiya couldn't help but notice how much the upper floors had changed in just a month.
The previously marked yellow zones for commercial and residential use were now mostly complete.
He didn't have proper employees yet, but with 200,000 monsters under his command, he wasn't short on manpower.
As he looked at the surrounding buildings, he silently nodded.
Looks like the Queen Ant have been putting in serious work…
They deserve a reward.
—
Ten minutes later
Chishiya entered the Labyrinth, ready to inspect Kazuma's handiwork.
The first thing he noticed was the teleportation array installed at each floor's entrance.
A sign was posted next to it:
"Record Teleport Point to Temporary Rest Area (50,000 Eris per use)"
Chishiya raised a brow.
Save points… like in video games? Smart idea.
Was this Kazuma's doing?
—
Descending further
Chishiya arrived on the fifth underground floor.
The moment he stepped in, he was stunned by the scene before him.
"Move that over there!"
"The magic device shop's just past the intersection, don't misplace it!"
The ones shouting were the army ants busy at work.
No wonder he didn't see any above.
They were all here.
Chishiya looked around.
He'd thought the surface constructions were impressive.
He didn't expect the fifth floor to be even more advanced.
A 50-meter-wide bluestone road stretched ahead.
On either side were prop shops, leisure hotels, and even neon-lit shop signs.
Every intersection had a road sign marking nearby stores and directions.
Prop Shop – 100 meters ahead
(Identification services available)
Weapon Shop – 50 meters left
(Equipment maintenance, cleaning, sales, etc.)
And more…
All clearly labeled, neatly laid out.
But more than that, the shops weren't crammed together.
They were thoughtfully distributed across zones.
Everything was efficiently organized, revealing just how much effort had gone into this.
All of this was Kazuma's design.
Chishiya stood there in awe.
Hiring him wasn't a mistake.
This is even more professional than my own layout…
While he was still taking it all in, a voice called from behind.
"Chishiya-aniki, you're back?"
He turned around.
Kazuma was holding blueprints and about to begin inspections.
Dark circles hung under his eyes.
The man had clearly been burning the candle at both ends.
Chishiya frowned.
"Why do you look like a raccoon?"
Kazuma waved it off.
"It's fine. The company needs to function. I've gotta keep things on track."
Chishiya snatched the blueprint from his hands.
"Come on. You need a break."
"Running a company's important, but not more than your health."
"Go take a bath. I'll treat you to dinner."
Kazuma froze.
"But what about the rest of the work?"
"I've got people who can finish the clean-up."
"If you're gonna call me aniki, I'm not letting you suffer."
"Let's go."
Kazuma just stood there, dazed.
No one had ever treated him this well before.
Like a real older brother…
"Why are you standing there like a statue? We're getting food!"
—
Outside the Labyrinth
The two returned to town.
Chishiya smiled and took out the comic from his storage space.
"A gift. You earned it."
"Eh? This is… a manga?!!"
"Weekly Shonen Jump?!!"
Kazuma stared in disbelief.
He never imagined that one day…
In another world… he'd get to read manga again!!!
It was like a dream!
Oh. My. God.
Chishiya-aniki is a hexagonal warrior!!!
How the heck did this get recreated?!
(To be continued.)
***
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