Why were the cat merchant’s wares so good?
Seong hadn’t expected much, given that it was a cat.
But almost everything was Unique-grade.
It was hard not to be surprised.
There were a total of five items displayed.
『Radiant Starlight Shield』
→《Unique》
『Advanced Spirit’s Dagger』
→《Unique》
『Orb of Life』
→《Unique》
→Consumable
『Labyrinth Serpent’s Scale Armor』
→《Unique》
『Flower of the Underground Labyrinth』
→《Unique》
→Material Item
He couldn’t buy everything, but two items stood out.
‘The Orb of Life and the Flower of the Underground Labyrinth.’
—Yeah, Seong, I think those two are the best choices.
They were essential materials for creating Helena’s body.
Extremely important materials.
The Orb of Life wasn’t just a crafting material—it was an item with incredible utility.
A consumable that could resurrect the user and fully heal all damage.
Even if it was just sitting in one’s inventory, it gave the option to activate upon death.
It was so valuable that players called it an "extra life."
And yet, it could also be used as a material.
With it, Helena’s new body would be even better.
‘I absolutely have to buy it.’
The question was—did he have enough?
He had spent 8,000 gold at the last auction.
His remaining balance was a little over 30,000 gold.
Would that be enough?
Might as well ask.
“How much do these cost?”
Seong asked politely.
The cat merchant tilted its head and looked at him.
Seong, in turn, gave the merchant a puzzled look.
Then, the cat suddenly flinched and jumped.
“Nyaaa?! I-is this your first time ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) using the Labyrinth Merchants, meow?”
“Yes, it’s my first time.”
Was that a problem?
Did they have a different purchasing system?
Just as Seong was considering this—
The cat merchant made an apologetic face (which, for a cat, meant looking pitifully droopy) and said—
“M-my apologies, meow. I-I’m a rookie, so I make a lot of mistakes, meow. U-um, our merchant guild doesn’t use gold for transactions. Instead, we trade based on the number of monsters you’ve defeated, meow.”
“The number of monsters I’ve defeated?”
“Yes, meow! And for anything above Unique-grade, we count bosses instead, meow!”
“Hm? Then how many do I have?”
“Please wait a moment, meow!”
Seong hadn’t actually hunted all that much in the labyrinth.
But he had wiped out plenty of chimeras and homunculi in Melisia’s lab.
Not to mention all the creatures he had taken down on the way there.
So, he should have a decent count.
As Seong waited, the cat merchant pulled out a strange-looking device and pointed it at him.
Then—
“Ooong!? Y-you’re loaded, meow! You’ve defeated 229 monsters, meow!”
“Oh.”
If the merchant was calling him rich—
Then that must be a lot.
But the important thing was still missing.
“And how much do the items cost?”
—That rookie sure makes a lot of mistakes. Cute, though.
Seong found it slightly frustrating.
Still, the cat was adorable.
If it were a human, though... maybe not.
Regardless, he repeated his question.
The cat jumped again.
“Ah! A-ahhh! I-I forgot again, meow! U-Unique-grade items cost 100 monsters each, meow!”
That was actually a reasonable price.
And with the discount from the Labyrinth Merchant’s Whistle—
He should be able to buy them for 70 monsters each.
“Oh? That means I can buy three of these items, right?”
Seong double-checked his calculations.
“Y-yes, meow!”
Hearing that, Seong immediately selected the Orb of Life and the Flower of the Underground Labyrinth.
Those were the only two he really needed.
The others?
They didn’t interest him much.
Then—
A white energy flowed from Seong’s hands, scattering into the cat merchant’s bundle.
“Aaah! T-thank you for your purchase, meow!”
“No problem. I should be thanking you.”
“P-please summon us again, meow!”
With that, a poof! sound echoed—
And both the cat merchant and the items disappeared.
Apparently, they vanished after every transaction.
Did the merchant leave immediately out of excitement?
Or was this just the rule?
Since it was a rookie, it was hard to tell.
Either way, an adorable cat had just sold some amazing items.
This was unexpectedly fun.
‘Didn’t they say these merchants sometimes appear randomly in the labyrinth?’
Would they always sell items this good?
There hadn’t been any further explanation.
So, no way to know.
Seong really didn’t have enough information.
He didn’t even get the merchant’s name.
Maybe he could look up details about the Labyrinth Merchants online later.
As he stared at the whistle’s description, he muttered—
“There’s no mention of how to establish a ‘close relationship’ or get quests.”
—There’s probably a condition for it.
Helena’s words made Seong nod.
He hadn’t even gotten the cat’s name.
There had to be some kind of requirement.
Maybe something like buying a certain number of items.
That was usually how these things worked.
He’d figure it out eventually, as he continued making purchases.
For now, though, his monster count was running low.
“I should farm the labyrinth for a bit.”
If he swept through it today, he might find even more good items.
As Seong was about to start moving—
—Yaaawn. Well, I’m going to disappear for a bit. Staying out too long drains my energy.
Helena suddenly yawned and spoke.
Was she going back inside again?
“You’re going in for a while this time too?”
—Mmm, no, just briefly. You can summon me anytime.
“Oh, I see.”
—Yep, just call me if you need me~
As Helena spoke, Fiora and Leonic looked disappointed.
—L-Lady Helena... see you next time.
—Please rest well.
They were reluctant, but they understood.
Even Helena’s former subordinates lowered their heads respectfully.
—P-please return safely.
—Take care.
Valtar and Noctrynium, unaware of the context, simply followed Fiora and Leonic’s lead.
No one knelt, though—
Because their master was now Seong.
They only bowed to Helena.
Helena smiled seductively and said—
—Make sure to listen to Seong, alright? Okay, I’m off~
With that, she vanished into Seong’s body.
Now that she was gone—
Time to get back to work.
0.
The Most Important Element of the Labyrinth—
The Labyrinth Merchants.
They could be found everywhere in the fifth region.
No matter which labyrinth one ventured into, it was always connected to the Labyrinth Merchants’ Den, where they resided.
That meant they could appear in any labyrinth.
Among players, these cat-like merchants were extremely popular.
At that very moment, within the Labyrinth Merchants’ Den, numerous feline traders were bustling about, moving quickly between tasks.
Because their trade was based on the number of monsters defeated—
The more they collected, the higher their rank within the guild.
Those who had only sold a few dozen monsters were essentially at the bottom.
And the cat merchant who had just sold items to Seong?
Originally, they had been one of them.
It wasn’t by chance that this low-ranking merchant had been sent to Carmen’s labyrinth—
It was because they had been at the bottom of the seniority list.
But now, everything had changed.
“Oh? Becky? Your numbers went up a lot! What did that crazy woman buy this time?”
The feline merchant called Becky—
Was the very same one who had just traded with Seong.
Thanks to that trade, Becky had suddenly gained over 100 sales in one go!
When combined with past transactions, the total was close to 200!
However—
Their rank within the guild hadn’t changed much.
Sales figures had increased, but their experience had not.
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Becky flinched and nodded instinctively.
They hadn’t actually traded with that lunatic, Carmen.
But for some reason—
They blurted out a lie.
“Nya, nyaong. Y-yeah, that’s right, meow.”
“Puhaha! That crazy woman bought something other than food? That’s a surprise!”
“By the way, since you’ve passed the 100-mark now, shouldn’t you start speaking properly?”
“You still sound like a rookie.”
The seniors watching Becky had the classic grumpy cat expression.
But Becky—who still had the appearance of a young kitten—hissed back angrily.
“M-mind your own business, meow!”
“Pffft, we were like that once too.”
“Yeah, I remember those days~”
“Eating too much and growing chubby—that’s what makes a proper Labyrinth Merchant!”
“No doubt about it! Hahaha!”
Becky ignored the seniors' hearty laughter and discreetly started walking away.
If they stuck around any longer, they’d have to endure another round of "Back in my day" stories.
Slipping away, Becky made their way to the storage room and began selecting various items.
All of them were valuable goods.
Rare items found only in the labyrinth.
Among them—
‘He bought materials and consumables, meow. I should prioritize those.’
Becky deliberately picked out the same type of items Seong had purchased.
Then suddenly—
Something felt off.
“Nyaang!!? I-I forgot to introduce myself, meow!!”
The Labyrinth Merchant’s Whistle allowed customers to summon a specific merchant.
But without an introduction, Seong wouldn’t know who to call.
That was a huge mistake!
Becky felt like an idiot.
But then—
‘Wait, no, it doesn’t matter, meow. They’ll definitely send me again.’
The guild wouldn’t know that Carmen was dead.
So when Seong used the whistle, they’d assume Carmen was calling.
And Becky could just volunteer to go again.
That way, they could keep increasing their sales!
With a sly grin, Becky let out a mischievous nyahaha—
And eagerly waited for Seong to summon them again.
1.
The Viscounty of Pentagrid.
There, someone was currently agonizing over a decision—
“Uuugh, is this really going to be okay...?”
None other than Viscount Paragon.
“Haaaah.”
He let out a deep sigh.
He was overthinking everything.
Sending Seong to the labyrinth—had that really been the right call?
Carmen had been rampaging in the underground labyrinth for months.
The situation had to be dealt with.
That was why, for the first time in ages, he had requested help from an outsider who seemed strong enough to handle it.
But it had already been half a day since Seong entered—
And there was still no news.
That underground labyrinth had powerful monsters besides Carmen.
The lack of updates made Viscount Paragon feel increasingly uneasy.
Then—
“If you’re that worried, why not send some soldiers to check on the situation?”
“Soldiers?”
One of the viscount’s retainers spoke up from within the office.
Paragon frowned.
Given the lack of reports, verifying things firsthand did make sense.
Something could have happened.
If he sent elite soldiers, they could escape even if Carmen was still alive.
The more he thought about it, the more logical it seemed.
Paragon nodded, made his decision, and stood up.
“House Steward, send soldiers down to investigate.”
“Yes, my lord. I will dispatch our best men.”
“Haaah... Please, let him have won.”
Viscount Paragon issued the order, his anxiety evident.
He was so restless—
That he decided to go to the labyrinth entrance himself.
As he prepared to send the soldiers—
The doors to the labyrinth suddenly creaked open.
Was it Carmen?
No—
That was impossible.
Magical barriers had been placed to prevent Carmen from escaping.
Then, the only one who could have emerged from the labyrinth was—
There was only one possibility.
As the doors fully opened, the figure inside locked eyes with Paragon.
The viscount froze.
The person standing there scratched his head apologetically and said—
“Sorry, I was a little late. Took some extra time clearing out the leftover monsters.”
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It was none other than Seong—
Looking perfectly fine.