Published: February 1, 2026
Representing the nation of Partedar is the royal capital, Capital City Parteda, and to its south lies a large city named after the country itself. The Commerce Nation (Malcaid), where all kinds of goods from east and west gather, was bustling today with merchants calling out to attract customers.
Among the crowd, there was a middle-aged man walking without paying any attention to the many attractive items around him. His glossy dark hair and thoughtful red eyes gave an impression of deep contemplation. Though his eyes bore heavy dark circles and had a somewhat harsh look, his entire face was so perfectly formed that even that flaw seemed like a deliberate feature.
However, despite being surely eye-catching, no one cast a meaningful glance at him. Not entirely none—just indifferent looks that one might give to any passerby.
“...”
Taking this for granted, Shadow pushed up the glasses he wore.
This inspection was his only break from work pressure. Thanks to these glasses, he was able to move just like before even after appearing during the great invasion, something he never voiced but was grateful for.
As he occasionally scanned the townscape, it matched Shadow’s expectations; no illegal stalls seemed present. After a procedural check, he decided to return via Labyrinth Street and turned into an alley.
Labyrinth Street, in this commercial nation, was a street lined exclusively with shops dealing in dungeon items. Both sellers and buyers tended to be adventurers, which inevitably increased risks to public order, so caution was necessary.
“... ...!!”
Suddenly, Shadow thought he heard a shout and furrowed his brows slightly, stopping his steps.
Though he had no real need to get involved, it wouldn’t hurt to look if an incident occurred. Although shouting is not unusual here during bargaining, no onlookers gathered, so he had to at least pretend to browse the goods.
He pondered if increasing the military police patrols in Labyrinth Street was necessary, but that might cause pushback from the adventurers’ guild. He then proceeded toward the shop where the noise came from, and stood before a shelf displaying various paintings, focusing on the arguing adventurer and merchant.
“Is the Commerce Nation just full of such clueless merchants, huh?!”
Hearing that and seeing what was displayed, Shadow decided it was worth hearing these words, and casually dropped his gaze to the paintings.
Ain’s party was currently riding a wave of momentum. There was a reason for this.
Though young, their party was strong enough to garner some expectations for the future, but their reputation wasn’t particularly high compared to their capability. Other adventurers said, “Those guys are just idiots…”
They were trying to be the first to clear what is now called the ‘Tower of Wisdom’, a former new labyrinth. Their style was seen as relying on luck and guts rather than solving puzzles—just continuously moving their bodies seemed to get them through.
Yet, their momentum was undeniable, even grudgingly acknowledged by other adventurers.
Their previously brute-force tactics became effective thanks to high-grade equipment bought with a pile of gold coins earned from their initial labyrinth completion. Though they still lacked the strength for the deeper layers.
Moreover, they had started to think before acting. Sometimes they dashed off in unexpected directions after thinking, but often concluded that moving was faster.
Thus, they could take on somewhat reckless jobs and still succeed, making rank-ups possible. All members of Ain’s party had already reached rank C.
This surge in momentum was all sparked by one person. Looking back, it was clear: the person who gave them straightforward guidance, the wisdom key to labyrinth completion, and some mysterious dungeon items.
“Are you kidding me?! Ten gold coins for the painting with Miss Rizel on it? You think I’m some fool?!”
Ain was threatening the shop owner, holding that very painting.
To Ain, it wasn’t really a threat, but a rightful claim. However, to those watching, it certainly looked like a threat.