[Danger Sense]
A Constitution possessed by me—or more accurately, by 'Yuta'—that perceived negative events whose occurrence was locked in.
Having already felt that ominous sensation, like the veins standing up on my head, several times before, there was no brushing it off as my imagination.
[Danger Sense] had definitely gone off.
The saving grace was that unlike last time, it wasn't an incident about to blow up right this second.
I had time to think through this sudden turn of events.
First, I looked back and forth between the guard blocking our path and the merchant.
"What is it?"
"Mr. Zeke, is there some problem?"
Saying he didn't know what was going on either, the merchant passed the question along, and with all eyes on him, the guard finally answered with a dopey look on his face.
"No, uh... it's almost time for my shift change, and since you happen to be heading the same way, I figured it'd be nice to go together..."
"...Excuse me?"
"Uh... um... did I do something wrong?"
The guard even asked back instead.
While the merchant hesitated over where to even begin explaining, a man who looked to be the guard captain strode quickly over to me.
"Sorry for startling you. It's this guy's first time doing a job like this, so looks like he didn't know any better."
He spoke casually for an apology, but it wasn't something to nitpick.
Just looking at their mismatched outfits made it obvious these guys were mercenaries, not regular employees of the merchant guild.
And in the labyrinth, the weak didn't have many rights to begin with.
"Zeke, you apologize too. Blocking someone's path in the labyrinth is a serious breach of manners."
"Ah, yes... Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
When a guy who looked to be at least 2-Star—or as high as 3-Star—came out this politely toward obvious beginners like us, we had no choice but to accept the gesture.
"Well, if it was a mistake."
"Thanks. Ah, still, since we were in the wrong here, I'll make sure you're properly compensated."
"Compensated?"
"I'll assign you a temporary escort."
The guard captain shoved the guard named Zeke, who had just blocked our way, a step forward.
"Since you must've given them quite a scare, help them out for a day."
"My shift is almost over, though..."
"Tsk."
"...Yes, understood."
Pouting, the guard came over to stand beside us.
"He acted a bit dumb just now, sure, but he's still a 2-Star Explorer, so he'll be useful. Naturally, he'll leave all the spoils to you, so travel comfortably in the meantime."
If I could answer honestly, I'd refuse.
Letting a stranger into the party wasn't very welcome to begin with.
However—
'Seems like the type to take offense if I refuse.'
Having encountered all kinds of people in this world through [Dungeon Log], I could tell.
This guard captain bastard was a massive control freak.
I was certain he was the petty sort who would take someone turning down his 'goodwill' as a slight against his pride.
Therefore, my hand was forced once again.
"Thanks. That's a huge help compared to a minor mistake."
I picked out an answer this guy would like—
"Haha! Quick on the uptake, aren't you? You'll have a long career as an Explorer!"
—and the guard captain laughed in satisfaction.
'Can't be helped then...'
Originally, I had planned to just leave, but because of this bastard, things had changed a bit.
"Before we go, I'll buy just one item."
"Sure, take your time looking!"
The guard captain chimed in like he owned the place, even though he wasn't the shop manager.
Ignoring him appropriately, I browsed the counter and picked up a blue Runestone.
"Ah, [Helping Hand]. That will be 3,000 gold!"
True to a Runestone, it cost a pretty penny, but thankfully I had over 4,000 gold on me.
Granted, only a quarter of that was actually mine...
"I'd like to spend this here first and deduct it from my share later—are the rest of you okay with that?"
"I don't mind."
"Well, it's not like you'd stiff us."
"Counting money is hard! Do as you see fit!"
As always, there were no objections.
I bought the Runestone without issue and used it right on the spot.
A blue light rose as its power seeped in through my palm.
***
< Yuta Histinger >
Race: Human
Grade: 1-Star
Rune Slots: 3 / 5
—Surprise Lightning (1-Cost) / Proficiency 9.1%
—Grease (1-Cost) / Proficiency 2.9%
—Helping Hand (1-Cost) / Proficiency 0.0%
Special Record
Body (Stage 0)
Muscle: 10 / Frame: 10 / Senses: 10
Magic (Stage 0)
Sorcery: 11 / Mana: 11 / Regeneration: 10
Overcoming (Stage 0)
Resistance: 0 / Mind: 0 / Indomitability: 0
***
Time to rewind a bit and think back on why [Danger Sense] went off.
First of all, [Danger Sense] didn't trigger easily.
Because this ability only activated for 'locked-in' events, and the conditions for an event to be 'locked in' were extremely strict.
In terms of probability, it felt like 99.99%, so to speak.
Unless some 'downright absurd, extreme variable' cropped up, only an event that was guaranteed to happen could receive a 'locked-in' judgment.
Furthermore, the 'negative events' perceived by [Danger Sense] were limited to very direct threats.
Suppose someone in the city sent a hit squad to kill me right now.
Even then, [Danger Sense] wouldn't go off.
Because the actual occurrence of the threat wasn't locked in yet.
Since there was a meaningful chance that the hit squad chasing me could get wiped out by some incident inside the labyrinth along the way, it wouldn't qualify as a target for [Danger Sense].
Like that, [Danger Sense] was an ability with exceedingly strict activation conditions.
Therefore, if [Danger Sense] had gone off, the cause behind it was narrowed down considerably.
In other words, I had a pretty good idea which son of a bitch had triggered this ability.
"Ah... what a pain..."
This guy playing the part of a hopeless, deadbeat young mercenary.
His true identity was a Raider, without question.
And one who had already made up his mind to rob us, at that.
Otherwise, [Danger Sense] wouldn't have gone off.
The basis for pinpointing his identity was simple.
First off, since [Danger Sense] triggered, the only thing that had actually changed was that this bastard had joined us.
Besides, there was no way an actual 2-Star Explorer would not only block someone's path inside the labyrinth, but blurt out that he wanted to tag along on a whim.
Guys with their heads screwed on like that generally ended up dead back when they were 1-Stars.
"I want to go home..."
Perhaps thanks to his solid acting, the guard captain had just written him off as a 'deadbeat' and moved on, but he couldn't fool my eyes now that my perspective had been broadened through [Danger Sense].
This bastard is definitely a Raider.
'This is the annoying part about [Danger Sense], I swear.'
All this Constitution provided was a 'sensation.'
It had no physical proof I could show to anyone else.
Because of that, information deduced from this ability was practically impossible to share with others.
To anyone else, it would just look like I was stubbornly insisting on a 'hunch.'
That was why, even though I knew full well this bastard was a Raider, I couldn't turn back and ask for help.
Put bluntly, all he had to do was play innocent and deny it.
Clueless as he was, the guard captain would only get mad at me instead.
Ah, sure, doing that would let us shake this guy off for the moment.
The problem, however, was that we couldn't leave the labyrinth yet.
And once this guy, who had already made up his mind to kill us, had his cover blown as a Raider, he would track us down one way or another and come at us with a blade.
'Well, for now, this is probably for the best.'
Because [Danger Sense] was an unnoticeable ability, it actually worked in my favor here, too.
Unlike me, whose head was spinning at full speed, this bastard had to be completely relaxed.
What was going through his head was obvious.
A 1-Star Explorer team barely scraping by with 9-Grade gear.
He had to be brimming with confidence that he could wipe out pushovers like us all by himself.
Right now, he was probably only mulling over when to draw his blade.
'Looks like he plans to put some distance between us and the shop first.'
That was probably because of what the guard captain had said earlier.
He had been told to help us for a day, so if our corpses turned up too close by, things would get messy for him in more ways than one.
At the same time, disposing of four whole corpses by himself wouldn't be easy, either.
Above all, having a 'shop' nearby must have been bothering him, too.
Since plenty of people passed by near a 'shop,' after all.
'His level looks like he only just hit 2-Star.'
CRACK!
For a Raider, he sure followed orders well; just as the guard captain had told him, the guy dutifully provided his services for us, and watching him bash Goblins in the vanguard gave me a rough read on his level.
'...This might be doable, huh?'
In truth, with our current specs, our odds of winning a head-on fight against an ordinary 2-Star Explorer weren't very high.
Because you gained a massive chunk of stats when your grade went up.
Simply put, we were completely outclassed in sheer weight class.
And it wasn't as if the rest of my teammates were skilled enough to make up for that gap, either.
Right now, however, the situation was a bit different.
First off, that guy had no idea I'd figured out what he was, and because of that, his guard was completely down.
Which meant the first strike was mine, and I had all the time in the world to set the stage beforehand.
'I'll drain some of his stamina first.'
As it happened, there was a great spot nearby.
I pointed out a temporary destination to the Dwarf, and after passing through a few caves, we arrived at a Special Zone.
A symbol was drawn in front of the cave entrance.
This time, however, not just me, but all of my party members recognized what it meant.
"It's in a different spot from the one last time... Looks like there can be multiple of the same Special Zone."
"Ah... makes me feel like I'm aching again just looking at it."
"I promised never to act on my own again! I will not call out a strong monster!"
An emblem of two crossed swords.
"An Elite Room...?"
Naturally, the Raider bastard knew what this place was, too.
"Don't tell me you want me to hunt it for you?"
"Since we're 1-Star Explorers, it's tough for us to handle."
"..."
At my answer, the Raider's expression stiffened awkwardly.
Looks like he's debating whether to just bury these bastards right here.
Yet for a Raider, this bastard was as cautious and timid as could be, and in the end, he moved right as I expected.
"...Well, alright."
"By the way, would you say you have good luck?"
"Huh? Well... yeah. Not bad."
"Good."
Good luck, you son of a bitch?
Then hurry up and bring me my record.
Ah, and if you croak while fighting it, even better.
"Shall we head in, then?"
Meanwhile, look at this bastard failing to know his place and subtly trying to pull a power play.
Who does he think wouldn't notice he's planning to use the Goblin Elite to get us killed and pass it off as an accident?
"We'll wait right here."
Along with my party members, I stepped back into the passage where the Goblin Elite wouldn't roam.
"...Excuse me?"
"It's a dangerous monster for 1-Star Explorers, isn't it?"
"..."
The Raider's face stiffened again, but perhaps deciding he'd torture us before killing us later, he soon smoothed out his expression.
"...Suit yourselves."
"Thanks to you, we get to enjoy quite the luxury. Ah, while you're at it, I'd like you to summon it with the second lever. I heard that one drops the record I need."
"..."
Right up to the end, I played the part of a clueless beginner overwhelmed with gratitude at being carried by a mighty 2-Star Explorer.
The Raider soon headed into the center of the cavern, and right after—CLUNK—the sound of a lever turning was followed by a sharp roar: "Kiraaaagh!"
Now, kill each other.