The fortress city of McGaref is the third-largest city in the Quvarian Empire, where we’re currently registered. Within its walls lie five labyrinths, and due to its historical importance, it’s governed independently.
As the sun dips low, casting long shadows across the stone streets, adventurers return through the specialized gates—those who left at sunrise now checking their daily earnings. Some come back smiling, others with tired frowns, and the gatekeepers match their tone with practiced ease.
And me? I spend my days right here, never straying far from the gate.
”Nasselle-nee-san, can you handle this part today?” I asked, passing the order slip over.
”Of course, Takumi-chan,” she said with a warm smile. “It really helps when you organize the shopping like this. When your classmates came one by one, it was always chaos.”
I was at the largest drugstore in McGaref, the Merchant Guild Kinvale. Nassehel-nee-san was the store manager—no, more like the shop’s older sister. She had the air of a seasoned aunt, but honestly, her looks were way too elegant for that.
”See over there?” she said, pointing toward some stacked crates. “Those bundles come in packs of a hundred. Don’t pick anything you don’t need.”
”Got it. These, and… let’s add ten antidotes too,” I replied, scanning the list in my hand.
It was an order sheet compiled from requests across my class. I double-checked each item carefully, making sure not to miss anything.
”That should be everything. I already applied the five percent discount, just so you know,” I said with a wink.
”It’s fine. Honestly, that helps us a lot,” she said, nodding. “I still remember the mess when some of the others came here. Even when they were organized, they’d say things like, ‘I’ll pay you back later.’”
As I activated my 5% Discount skill during checkout, I made sure to pack everything properly into my magic bag. One cracked vial could mean the difference between life and death in the field.
”See you again tomorrow,” I said, adjusting the strap of the bag over my shoulder.
”Sure thing. Same routine, right? Shirori-chan’s in the back lab, so go ahead.”
”Right. Thanks.”
”You know,” she added, chuckling, “you two see each other every day, but you’re still not dating? Weird kids. I guess being from another world really makes people odd.”
After finishing up my usual help with Shirori-chan’s work, I stopped by a few more stores, then returned to our base. That marked the end of my morning.
Yawashi-kun had already prepared a simple lunch. After eating, I spent the afternoon cleaning, maintaining everyone’s gear, and managing the party finances. Numbers don’t lie—they were as brutal as ever.
As the sky began to glow orange with sunset, I went out to meet the returning groups. First to arrive was Kadokura Hikari’s unit—an all-girls party of four. They looked exhausted. Judging by their faces, today wasn’t a great day.
”Welcome back, Chinatsu-chan, everyone,” I greeted them as they trudged toward the base.
”Welcome home, Takumi-kun…” Chinatsu-chan muttered, her expression completely drained. “Seriously… we’re reaching our limit.”
She sighed the moment our eyes met, and her shoulders sagged.
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”All I got today was one measly magic stone,” she said bitterly. “And the rest was just mushrooms Honoka-chan picked out. We can have dinner, but… we’re in the red again. Deeply.”
Behind her, Hikari-chan wore a tired frown. Their equipment looked even more worn-out than yesterday. I’d been doing my best to keep it functioning, but they simply didn’t have the funds for real repairs.
”Takumi-kun’s party is doing okay ’cause you’re good with money,” Chinatsu-chan muttered, resting a hand on her longsword’s hilt. “But me? Maybe I should just switch jobs like Kahoru-chan did… If we die without enough for revival, that’s it. Game over.”
It had already been a few years since we were summoned here as a class. Some of us had started to drift apart, others walked different paths. But most were still stuck like this—struggling.
”If I just had the right sword… I’m sure I could take down monsters in the deep layers easily,” Chinatsu-chan continued. “But this longsword doesn’t suit me at all. Still, it’s not like I’ve found anything better.”
”Yeah… Back when you had your old iai blade, you looked amazing,” Hikari-chan said, gently patting her shoulder. “But those kinds of swords never show up anymore. I’ve looked everywhere…”
To lift the mood, we shared light chatter on the walk back to base.
The building we called home had once been military barracks, or so we were told. Old but solid. It was given to us, the class stuck in this world, to live and work as adventurers. That was pretty much the only job open to people like us. Many of our classmates had already vanished or died, but those who remained still clung to our bond.
”Yo, I’m back! Good job playing delivery boy again!”
The voice came from Gatsuzuka Yoshizuka. He strolled in wearing his usual carefree smile. As a defender in the second-tier squad, he carried a massive shield—old but still dependable.
”Hey! Don’t mock Takumi-kun’s discount power,” Chinatsu-chan snapped, stepping up in my defense.
Back in Japan, we never talked like this. But now? We were practically best friends.
”I know, I know. I was just messing around,” Gatsuzuka said, raising his hands.
He wasn’t a bad guy. The truly selfish ones among us hadn’t lasted long in this world. Soloing, even with skills, was a fast track to a grave.
”But still… Takumi-kun’s skill’s stuck at five percent. Remember when it was just one? That was hilarious,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, can’t it at least reach the sales tax level?”
”Probably already maxed out,” I replied with a shrug.
Truth was, my Discount Skill had reached 95% proficiency. But I kept it capped at 5%. If I used more, people remembered. Best-case scenario? They’d ban me. Worst case? A beating. So I kept my true ability hidden.
Eventually, all squads returned safely. As usual, I took charge of repairs and tallied up today’s goods and gear. Earnings weren’t high, but at least we balanced the books. Just barely.
”I’ll deliver the special orders to everyone’s rooms. See you at dinner,” I said before heading off.
After meeting with the first squad to prepare for tomorrow, I wrapped things up with the fifth squad. That’s when Hikari-chan chased me down.
”Um, Takumi-kun… Sorry, but…”
”I get it,” I said, nodding. “I’ll deliver extra healing potions. I’ll tweak the report to keep your numbers safe.”
”Thank you. Then, as usual, I’ll offer my thanks… Today, I’m on shift.”
Once my deliveries were done, I moved on to the side jobs. My cut was 20% of the 5% discount—just 1% in the end. Still, that tiny profit was my main allowance. I used it to support the struggling fourth and fifth squads. Well… I also got some quiet help from Shirori-chan.
Honestly, both squads were deep in the red. They only held together because of support from the first and second squads.
If I could, I’d leave this dangerous work behind and live quietly. But for those of us without citizenship, adventuring was the only option. Jobs outside the labyrinth were off-limits unless you became a courtesan or something similar. The only way to gain real freedom was by paying high taxes for citizenship.
This world was cold. Harsh. There was no easy way out.
Still, we’d survived for several years.
This is the story of me—and the classmates who were transported here with me.