Labyrinth: Chapter 33/34

Chapter 33: New Products
Chishiya walked up to the head seat and sat down.

"Silence. We're not here to listen to your bickering."

Seeing how serious Chishiya was, everyone around the table quieted down instantly.

The Queen Ant stepped forward, poured him a cup of tea, and gently placed it in front of him.

Chishiya gave a slight nod.

"Everyone, this meeting is about two things."

"First, appointing department managers."

"Right now, Underground Labyrinth Enterprise has five departments."

"Human Resources, Mining, Logistics, Sales, and Technical."

"For Mining Department Manager—Queen Ant."

"She'll be handling all construction inside and outside the labyrinth, plus resource excavation."

The Queen Ant stepped forward and gave a polite bow to the group.

Chishiya continued.

"Logistics Manager—Kazuma."

"In charge of managing and investing in surface and underground shops."

"Sales Manager—Vanir."

"Handles external product sales and customer acquisition."

Vanir stood up in a theatrical pose and gave a gentleman's bow.

Then he glanced sideways at Aqua and curled his lips into a smirk.

Aqua's eyelids twitched furiously.

She was about to explode when Kazuma quietly held her back.

Chishiya tapped the table with his finger and spoke again after a short pause.

"No suitable candidate yet for the Technical Department."

"As for Human Resources, I'll be handling it personally."

"Any objections?"

He glanced around the table.

Only Aqua's hand shot up into the air.

"Chishiya-san! Chishiya-san! What about me? Don't I have a job?!"

She looked fired up, eyes shining with anticipation.

You…? If you can manage yourself, I'd already consider that a win.

But Chishiya simply said with a straight face, "Yes. Not only that, your role is quite important."

Aqua: "Really?!"

Despite being a literal goddess, her personality was easy to understand.

She just loved being praised.

Chishiya gave her a small smile.

"That's right."

"From today onward, you're officially the Chief High Priest of Underground Labyrinth Enterprise."

"This position was made just for you."

"Hehehe~"

Aqua raised her chin and pointed at Vanir smugly.

"See that? I'm the chief~"

Vanir didn't even look at her.

What a stupid goddess. Can't even tell she was handed a meaningless vanity title.

"What's the second item on the agenda?"

Chishiya waved his hand.

The Queen Ant came from behind and passed out a document to each person.

"This is your benefits package."

"Each position has different perks."

"But I think everyone will be pretty satisfied."

Don't talk about feelings when it's time to talk money.

Even between brothers, accounts should be settled clearly.

As a boss, Chishiya was very self-aware.

Megumin held her form, arms shaking.

"Sensei… 500,000 Eris… Is this real?!"

The form included health insurance, discount perks, and other welfare benefits.

But Megumin's eyes were glued to the salary section alone.

Aqua glanced at hers.

Then at Kazuma.

"Hey, Kazuma, what's this about shares?"

"Why don't I have any?!"

Kazuma clutched the paper tightly, staring at Chishiya in disbelief.

Bro… Chishiya's too generous…

He actually gave me ten percent of the shares?!

Kazuma trembled with emotion.

"I have to show some results now."

'I can't betray this trust…!'

Vanir had shares too.

On top of that, he also got usage rights for part of the labyrinth's lower floor.

Once everyone finished reading their papers.

Chishiya said, "I'll be away for a bit next month."

"I'm leaving the labyrinth in your hands."

"That's all for today. Back to work."

Short and to the point.

He then turned to Megumin.

"Hey, girl. Go bring your friend here."

Megumin glanced at Yunyun. "Let's go. I'm calling you."

Yunyun nodded shyly. "Y-yes!"

The three of them returned to Chishiya's room.

Chishiya pulled a big box out of a cabinet.

Inside were the new products he'd had Vanir prepare.

New transmission devices.

Each one was a small square box, with a unique array code etched on its surface.

They were designed to transmit information to paired sound transmission beads via a central hub.

"What's this thing?"

Darkness picked up one of the "boxes," pulling out its antenna curiously.

It was her first time seeing this kind of magic device.

Chishiya frowned. "Why are you here? I didn't call you."

Darkness continued playing with the gadget without even glancing at him.

"I'm obligated to supervise you and make sure you don't stray into darkness."

Crazy woman. Chishiya rolled his eyes.

"This thing's called a magic telephone."

"It allows for instant long-distance communication."

"It can replace even the advanced voice transmission magic of top-tier mages."

Darkness looked up, stunned.

"What?"

She stared at the little box in her hand.

This tiny thing could do that?

Advanced sound transmission magic wasn't something just anyone could use.

If it really worked.

It would revolutionize battlefield communication.

"Chishiya, sell these to me. I'm serious."

"Not for sale."

Chishiya swiped the magic phone from her hands and put it back in the box.

With Vanir's help, he had produced two hundred units in the first batch.

His plan was to sell them all in the Tensura world.

That world had a more advanced tech level.

They might already have stuff like air conditioners.

But phones? Not yet.

As far as he knew, no such item existed there.

For Chishiya, it was the perfect opportunity to establish a foothold—and make a fortune.

Darkness eyed the magical devices like a starving wolf staring at meat.

Chishiya's eyelid twitched. He shoved the whole batch into the system space.

Then turned to Yunyun.

"You want to join?"

"I…" Yunyun looked hesitant.

"You're so damn annoying. Just say what you want!"

Megumin smacked her on the back.

"Sensei, she wants to be your disciple."

"She's always been a loner. No friends."

Yunyun quickly waved her hands. "I-I have friends!"

Megumin: "Oh? Plants count?"

"..."

Yunyun went silent, puffed her cheeks, and her eyes began to well up.

Seeing this, Megumin sighed.

She looked at Chishiya seriously.

"So yeah, that's the situation. Sensei, take her in."

"Huh?"

Yunyun looked at Megumin in shock, as if she'd heard wrong.

Megumin continued, "Because this idiot's hopeless."

"If she were alone, she'd just keep spiraling."

"M-Megumin…"

Yunyun's voice trembled.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this for you."

Megumin turned her face away in embarrassment.

"You're my rival, after all. If you're too weak, my victories won't mean anything."

"Got it?"

Chishiya smiled faintly at the two of them.

Megumin, huh? Proud to a fault.

No friends? She's got one right here.

He turned to Yunyun.

"So, Yunyun. Do you want to be my disciple?"

Yunyun wiped her eyes and nodded rapidly.

"Yes!"

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host for successfully recruiting Yunyun]

[Recruitment reward granted:

1. Crimson Demon Bond: Labyrinth mana density increases by 10% (additional 10% bonus with two clan members)

2. Lone Wolf: +25% magic power when fighting alone]

Labyrinth mana density rose by 30%.

That would massively speed up resource production.

As for combat strength…

Honestly, Chishiya had no idea what his own combat ability really was.

But if we were just going by raw magic power, he was probably around Demon King level.

Anything below a pseudo-Demon King should be fair game.

Chishiya looked at Yunyun.

"What level are you now?"

"Level 13."

"Stay in the labyrinth and train up to level 20 first."

A portal opened in front of them.

"When you're ready, I'll take you on a mission."

He then turned to Megumin and Darkness.

"You two, come with me on this one."

Megumin looked smugly at Yunyun.

"Looks like I'm one step ahead again, Yunyun. Better pick up the pace, Kouhai~"

With that, the three stepped through the portal.

And disappeared from the room.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 34: Subduing

Jura Forest

The Ogre Village was in flames.

The thatched huts were riddled with fire arrows, burning furiously under the dark sky.

The army of the Pig-Head Tribe had ravaged the entire Ogre Clan. The village had been turned into a hellish wasteland.

Like a swarm of locusts, they left nothing but scorched earth behind.

"Damn it…"

A tall, red-haired ogre knelt on the ground, fists clenched, glaring at the inferno in front of him.

"Big brother…"

Behind him, a shrine maiden-dressed ogre girl trembled with teary eyes.

Next to her, four other surviving ogres stood silently.

Out of the three hundred villagers who once called this place home, only six remained.

The red-haired ogre gritted his teeth.

"Damn pigs. And that demon…"

"I will make them pay for this!"

"Young Master, now is the time to retreat and regroup."

A white-haired elder stepped forward, voice calm.

"The Pig-Head Emperor isn't just after us."

"He's aiming to dominate the entire Jura Forest. We need to warn the other monsters, get them to evacuate."

"Anyone devoured by the Pig-Head Emperor will only make him stronger."

"..."

The red-haired ogre boy fell silent.

Then slowly raised his head. "You're right. We're not in a position to fight right now."

"We'll fall back. Gather strength. One day, we'll take revenge."

Just as they were preparing to leave, a powerful wave of magical energy surged from behind them.

"?!"

Monsters are naturally sensitive to danger. All six immediately drew their weapons, turning toward the source of the magic.

A black portal opened in the air.

Megumin stepped out first.

"Wow… this is the place—huh?"

She froze at the sight of the burning village. "What the… what happened here?"

Darkness followed, her expression serious as she surveyed the scene. "Was this village attacked?"

The ogres didn't relax just because two girls appeared. Their instincts told them the real danger was still behind them.

Their hands gripped their weapons tighter.

Then, a black-haired boy walked calmly through the portal.

The magical pressure radiating from his body was suffocating.

The sheer weight of it made their knees weak.

One of the ogres couldn't even hold his sword properly.

"You…"

Chishiya was just about to speak when he noticed something odd.

The ogres were sweating bullets.

...Huh?

He suddenly realized.

Could it be the magic pressure I'm leaking?

Right, this isn't the Konosuba world. There's no custom of suppressing magic power here.

And these monsters are probably extra sensitive to mana.

I must look like some kind of final boss to them right now.

With a slight sigh, Chishiya dialed his magic power back.

The ogres finally breathed again.

That kid's presence was nearly suffocating a second ago.

Chishiya scanned the burned-down ruins, then turned back to the group of ogres.

If memory served, this clan had just been wiped out by the Pig-Head Emperor.

Out of 300, only these six survived.

These six would eventually go on to become Rimuru's right-hand team in the original timeline.

Chishiya stroked his chin.

He did plan to trade with Rimuru in the future…

But manpower was a more pressing issue right now.

If he intercepted them here and now… well, that wasn't technically his fault, was it?

It's not stealing if no one's claimed them yet.

The red-haired ogre sheathed his blade and stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

"Powerful human… may I ask what brings you here?"

"As you can see, our village has been destroyed."

"I'm afraid we're in no position to help you."

He knew better than to provoke this guy.

Just based on his aura alone, this boy could wipe them all out.

And they still had a mission to accomplish.

They couldn't afford to die here.

Chishiya turned his gaze to the scorched village behind them.

"Thinking of rebuilding this place?"

The red-haired ogre hesitated, then a trace of pain flashed through his eyes.

"What's the point in rebuilding, when all our people are gone?"

Chishiya replied flatly, "What if I said I could bring them back?"

"!!!"

Their mournful eyes instantly snapped toward him.

Resurrect…?

Was that even possible?

Could someone really pull off something like that?

The red-haired ogre couldn't believe it.

"Resurrection… for real?"

Chishiya clarified, "Let me be clear. Not everyone can be brought back."

"At minimum, I need a body. Even a part of one is enough."

The ogres didn't hesitate.

A few minutes later, over twenty bodies were laid out in the village square.

Only twenty-four corpses out of three hundred…

The rest had already been devoured by the Pig-Head Emperor.

Chishiya stared at the corpses.

Some intact, some not.

Just like the original story.

The Pig-Head Emperor's unique skill, Hunger, let him grow stronger by consuming other monsters.

Not a single body from the Pig-Head Tribe could be found either.

The red-haired ogres were lucky to recover even this many.

Megumin covered her mouth.

Then turned and vomited behind a tree.

Darkness's face was grim. "How cruel…"

Chishiya turned to the red-haired ogre.

"I get how you feel."

"But I'm a businessman. I don't do charity."

"I'll help you. But in return, the Ogre Tribe must become part of my company."

"Are you willing?"

The five others looked to the red-haired ogre.

As their young master, the decision was his.

"..."

He knelt down.

If there was even a chance to save his people—even just a handful of them.

Then pride wasn't worth clinging to.

"Please save my clan."

"In exchange, let us serve you."

Chishiya looked at him for a moment.

He respected the decision.

Admitting your weakness is the first step toward becoming strong.

"Raise your head."

Chishiya helped him up.

"Deal."

"From now on, we're family."

"Welcome to Underground Labyrinth Enterprise."

[Transmission Network is now open]

A familiar system notification rang in his mind.

"Aqua, it's your turn."

He opened a portal behind him.

A blue-robed girl stepped out proudly.

Chishiya looked at her. "Well? Confident?"

Aqua thumped her chest. "Leave it to me, Chishiya-san!"

"I'm the Chief High Priest! The chief~!"

(To be continued.)