Episode 46: Leveling Up!

　There were many people around the temple.
　There are many who seem to be explorers, but there are also many who seem to be just sightseers. Or, it could be a meeting place. It seems to be a prime location in the city.

　As you get closer, you realize just how huge it is. In modern Japan, it is rare to see large stone buildings like this anymore. It might be different if you go overseas, but there are almost none in Japan.
　Fiona probably knows her way around, but I only know Japanese temples. Is it okay to come in?

"Oh, ohhhhh～. Amazing. That must have cost a fortune! "

　At the wall directly in front of the entrance. I'm not sure what scene is depicted at the top, but it looks like stained glass depicting villagers receiving alms from a saint.
　The light entering from there illuminates the center of the cathedral.

　Large religious paintings adorn the walls on both sides, and the room is surprisingly bright, perhaps due to magical lighting devices.
　The ceiling is also high, probably around 20 meters.

"Well, it's more like a proper religious place than I thought it would be. I thought it would be more like a hospital."
"A hospital……?　Oh, the treatment area has a separate entrance. Here, you learn about ranks and make contracts with gods and stuff like that."
"I see. It's not like they lay the dead on an altar and use resurrection magic or anything like that."
"Maho, doing that will make everything bloody. "
"That's true."

　I was being influenced by the ideas of games.
　I don't know how they revive a bloody corpse, but when you think about it, the bodies of people killed by monsters are probably nothing but a pile of bones.
　It's an amazing miracle that they can bring them back to life.
　……No, if you fail, you turn to ash, right?　Mm-hmm.

"Fiona, did you say that if the revival failed, they would turn to ash?　In that case, is it impossible to revive them?　You can't, can you? "
"You can, you know?　But if that fails, then it's really over."
"You can do it!? "

　If you can be revived from ashes, a little missing flesh doesn't matter.
　I wonder what the logic is. As long as the soul remains, it'll be okay―—something like that?
　While talking like that, we arrived in front of the altar.
　There is a statue of a saint or a god on the altar. Could this be Luknuwis, who is also the name of the church?　I don't know much about this religion yet, so I'm not sure. Actually, I'm not even interested.

"Maho, this way, this way!"

　Fiona beckoned me toward a wide corridor extending both sides of the altar, where several people who appeared to be explorers were gathered.
　There was a monk-like person ahead, and it seemed like he would tell us our levels.

"What a hassle to have to check your level every time. You need to make an offering too, right?　You can't just say something like 『Status open!』 can you?" 
"Maho, you sometimes say things that don’t make sense."
"I'm from another world, after all……"

　The offering was paid in silver coins.
　It's pretty expensive. It seems to be the normal price for one night's accommodation with meals at a regular inn. It's just a level check, yet they are charging so much. That is excessive.

"Please put your hands here."

　Fiona placed her hands on the black board in front of her as instructed by the middle-aged monk.
　The black board seems to be made of the same material as the transfer monument. It might be an item from the dungeon.
　After Fiona placed her hands on the black board for a moment, numbers appeared on it.
　As with the transfer monument, the characters are completely different from Arabic numerals and Chinese numerals, but for some reason, I can read what is written.

"Hmmm?　16?　Is that high? "
"N-No way…… Is this true? Priest-sama."
"That's correct. You worked hard."

　Fiona lets go of the board and stands there with her mouth and eyes wide open, unclear whether she is happy or surprised.
　I don't really know if this is amazing or not.
　So, without saying anything, she took my hand and walked on.

"H-Hey, what happened, Fiona?"

　She kept walking and went outside.
　What is it?

"So what's the matter, all of a sudden?"
"Maho!　I did it!　Amazing!　This is amazing! "
"Why is that? "
"Because, Maho!　It's 16⁉ U-Uwaaa～～～!　I can't believe it! "

　Fiona showed extraordinary joy.
　I have no idea what's going on.

"Maho. When I measured it before…… before I met you, Maho, I was at rank 7."
"Then it's more than double."

　Well, we defeated several low-layer bosses, so I feel like this is just right.

"In terms of rank, 10 is generally considered advanced. From there, it's really hard to raise it, and even veterans are said to be around 13 or 14. You have to dive into the lower layers for acclimatization to progress. But the lower you go, the higher the risk."
"Well, we spent quite a while in the lowest layer. Rather, I'm surprised it only ended at 16."

　It's probably not the same as a game, but if it involves defeating monsters and becoming stronger, then it's probably similar to a game.
　I'm not sure if you can call it ‘experience points’ but you should get quite a lot from the lowest layer bosses. What's more, there were only two of us to share it.
　According to Fiona, dungeon exploration usually requires a party of six, or at the very least four, so that means we gained three times the expected amount of experience points.
　If that's the case, then the level will naturally rise.
　If the experience points required increase in proportion to the level, then I should have reached almost the same rank (level) as Fiona. At least around 13.
　It doesn't feel like that at all though.

"Well, even if you get stronger, there isn’t much work to do in the labyrinth."
“Y-Yeah. But aren't I supposed to be the top explorer in the area?　Since I've made it this far, I want to maintain my position. At rank 16, I should be able to defeat a Gatekeeper."
"What's a gatekeeper? "

　That is a new word. Like a doorman?

"There is no gatekeeper at the transfer monument on the 5th floor, but there is one in front of the transfer monument room on the 10th floor. I haven't seen it yet, but it's a pretty strong monster."
"Huh. So like a mini-boss. Was there really someone like that?"

　Considering that the lowest layers were a boss rush, this was perfectly reasonable.
　I see, I see. It's also great as dungeon entertainment. Like, once you defeat the mini-boss, you're a real explorer! Congratulations! It might make you want to raise your explorer rank.
　In reality, the map is only complete up to the sixth layer, so I need to go and explore it myself. There's never enough time.

　After that, we continued to look around the city of Merry Jane.
　To be honest, running Labyrinth City is a huge undertaking that requires a great deal of know-how. Of course, there are areas for improvement, but there is no doubt that this is one of the correct approaches at this point in time.
　There are things that can be easily mimicked, and things that cannot.

"How is it?　Maho. Did you learn anything? "
"Yes, I did. There was so much!"
"What are our prospects? "
"There are plenty. We'll have to get our hands a little dirty, though."
"What do you mean, dirty our hands……?"
"Meaning: Cheating."

　Using materials from the hardware store is nothing less than cheating. Because you can use an unlimited amount of exceptionally high-quality materials.
　This city has a lot of people and facilities. Thery have the ability to accommodate this many people. I believe that's remarkable.

　However, the quality is a different matter. If you pay a lot of money, you can expect a certain level of quality, but if you don't, well, you can only guess.
　I went into the cafeteria with Fiona and ate a little, but everything was mediocre.
　Even if there are differences in taste, surely there is room for improvement.
　If you live in this world, you might think that's just the way it is.

"Let's go back for now. Tomorrow will be another busy day! "

　Now that the debt problem has been settled for the time being, I was able to see a real Labyrinth City.
　I'll do what I have to do.

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