Chapter 54

After warning Doyugeon not to mess with Yumina over alcohol and securing a sincere promise from her, they set off for the rift expedition.

Yumina led the way through an alley, claiming she knew a safe route. This side could sense the magic and indeed knew the safest path, but didn’t bother to intervene. She tends to have low self-esteem and needs subtle care like this.

Yumina peeked around the corner to check the street.

“Originally, I planned to stay at a villa. But since the system open beta began, even non-previous explorers can log in. You can log in, place beds and furniture in the preparation room, and live there so there’s no need to pay expensive rent. No dangerous people around.”

Yumina continued walking casually.

“The preparation room doesn’t have electricity so you need to buy a generator, which has noise issues, and there are other problems too. But it’s safer than regular housing so it’s very good. For one thing, you don’t have to worry about being bombed in your sleep. Plus, no bugs.”

Doyugeon was confused.

“Then why are you still staying at the villa?”

“Because of the advance rent. I tried negotiating a refund with the landlord but they said unless another tenant is found, no refund. Like anyone would want to move into this neighborhood?!”

Yumina turned around, spreading her arms to gesture at the surroundings – broken windows, a tilted gate, and an empty alley. Then she sighed.

“I’ve already spent the money so it feels wasteful to just abandon it, so I’m toughing it out.”

Weighing danger against attachment is absurd. If we’re going by that, the safest place for Yumina would be the main house where the judge’s family lives, but…

“I shouldn’t have paid the advance in the first place. No consideration of opportunity costs.”

“Our young lady is correct as always, but mistaken like always. Landlords here only accept advance payments. They say it’s because it’s a headache if tenants run off with the money, though there must be another reason.”

“What kind of reason?”

Yumina smiled faintly then kept walking silently. She had been talking nicely but now suddenly not giving an explanation just makes me curious.

The first thing that comes to mind is using the advance payment to compensate for vacancies and opportunity costs when tenants die. Though that’s not particularly special reasoning…

Other than that, receiving money and then finding excuses not to provide the room could be a possibility. However, with a signed contract, that comes with a high risk and landlords around here aren’t that bad… Hmm…

Let’s boldly expand the imagination. They’re leasing on the premise that tenants will die. When tenants die, they receive the money and have the vacancy available again, so they’re just waiting for tenants to die like dangling a fishing rod.

But would this work smoothly according to the contract? Wouldn’t the inheritance notification be sent to the heir? What happens to the leased property if the heir declares limited acceptance? I was poor in my previous life so I don’t know much about rental business…

Rather, wouldn’t it work better if they targeted unknown persons? That could be identified during the contract process. It seems plausible? If they’re unknown persons, there would be fewer people to rely on compared to regular targets, increasing death rates and speeding up room turnover.

It would be good if such a market existed, but does it? If I roughly estimate the population in the area and check the statistics of unclaimed persons proportionally, I could find the minimum, but I don’t want to expand my senses too wide in case I see something unpleasant. Probably won’t make money this way. It might be good for pocket money, but how many people would abandon their conscience for just that much?

However, is the basic assumption even wrong? What landlord would receive advance payments only? Operating a business without knowing demand and supply curves? If tenants leave for other regions, that’s fine, but perhaps Yumina doesn’t know something. She’s smart and diligent enough to maintain second in her class despite running away from home, but she’s still in second year of middle school.

Entering a dark narrow alley and walking around, a gunshot was heard from beyond the corner. Yumina stopped, stiffening, then gestured to turn around. Even though she said it’s a safe path, it’s not really safe.

“There’s definitely no one around.”

Yumina muttered while taking out her phone and taking a picture.

“Sorry, but we can’t allow photographs.”

The security chief tying up the criminal firmly stated.

“Ah, uncle, I’m not taking a picture of you. It’s this person. It overlaps with my work.”

The security chief looked at me, so I just shrugged. If she says it’s fine, what can you do? Yumina exchanged a few KakaoTalk messages, then took out a stubby crayon from her pocket.

“Why do you have a crayon in your pocket?”

“This isn’t a crayon. There’s no need to secure this person’s safety, right? Then I’ll take them over. Is that okay?”

The security chief looked at me again, and I just shrugged my shoulders again. I understand why he keeps confirming, but life is so troublesome.

When Yumina tightly gripped the crayon, blood beads formed on her fingers. What seemed to be a regular crayon clearly had needles inside. The crayon drew a magic circle on the floor. While practicing spatial magic, I figured out how to use magic without blood, but good for her for putting in the effort.

Since it took time to draw the complex shape, Do You-geon and I idly chatted about why we couldn’t call it a crayon, and by the time we finished, the magic circle was complete.

The magic circle shimmered and connected to another space. It must be for teleportation. Yumina struggled to drag the bound person into the magic circle. Since the person fiercely resisted, Do You-geon and I moved to help, but she firmly refused and managed to push them through alone. We heard a splash from beyond the circle. Hmm…

Do You-geon leaned in as if to look inside the magic circle, but before he could, Yumina grabbed his clothes.

“You don’t want to fall in.”

“There’s a lake or puddle right below.”

Do You-geon looked uneasy.

“There’s a dragon there.”

“Then what happens if you fall in?”

“Apparently, a certain magical girl accidentally fell in once and reported to Schrödinger, but was told it was her own responsibility.”

Do You-geon opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but sighed instead and asked about something else. Maybe it was what he originally meant to say.

“How do you know there’s a dragon? I didn’t see it.”

“There are plenty of magical girls like Laplace who don’t value their own lives.”

I guess I only got a queasy answer at the end.

By the way, dragons and lakes? Feels like I’ve been to that place before, like if I log in and look behind me I’ll see a door or something. The door whose existence Do You-geon, a fellow party member, hasn’t noticed, the one that gives me a headache.

Yumina tapped and flicked the crayon, then furrowed her brow.

“Uhm, I need to stop by the office.”

“Why?”

“The crayon’s almost out. To give a rift approval, I need to draw a magic circle.”

Not calling it a crayon but still referring to it as such.

“Can draw with blood.”

She rejected that as an emergency method.

I had a fleeting fantasy that magical girls worked in some fantasy palace beyond dimensions, but as expected, it wasn’t like that.

After entering an abandoned building and opening a surprisingly intact door, we saw a regular office divided by partitions. Tired-looking magical girls were running around. Few were typing at computers.

Yumina took a crayon from a cup right by the entrance. It took a long time to get here, but getting it without any special procedure was kind of anticlimactic.

Around the time Yumina giggled and suggested we go again, a magical girl holding a stack of papers entered.

“It’s from the center! There will be a brief employee satisfaction survey! Manager! Is now okay?”

“Sure!”

Laplace’s reply came from inside the office. Yumina approached the magical girl with an annoyed expression.

“Just mark all as average for me.”

“This isn’t an anonymous survey.”

“Then mark all as good.”

“Stop kidding around and take it.”

“Such a hassle.”

Yumina grumbled while accepting the questionnaire. It looked like multiple pages, not something to finish quickly, so we would need to wait.

The magical girl noticed me and flinched.

“Is there someone who…”

“My guest.”

“Ah.”

I thought about making small talk with Do You-geon, but he went to the restroom, making it impossible. While looking around the office whose work was interrupted by the questionnaire, I suddenly noticed a white cat lounging by the window, basking in the sunlight. It was peacefully flicking its tail while everyone else was busy.

On closer inspection, I saw something different from the usual Schrödinger. Part of its fur wasn’t white, but rather shaped like a number. It’s a ‘1’. What is it?

Could this not be the real Schrödinger? I can’t tell since I can’t distinguish cat faces, so I can’t be sure if it’s the same cat.

Whether it was Schrödinger or the white cat, it lifted its head while lying down and looked at me.

―What are you staring at?

I could feel its impudence in just one sentence, confirming it’s indeed Schrödinger.

“Everyone else is busy, but don’t you think it’s good for you to relax alone?”

―Common misunderstanding. The others are extremely busy working. They don’t even have time to rest.

“Others?”

―This is a clone. How could system management be handled with just one body?

“No other managers?”

―No. Isn’t that information already public?

Ah, my apologies. I’ve been slacking on collecting information lately.

―There’s always just one manager. Though the No.109 Inspector exists, they do nothing, making it quite convenient.

So this is why system operations are such a mess. This is the root of all evil.

“But you’re lying down now, even though you claim to be busy.”

―The No.1 clone handles the rest duty. Don’t you know that self-care is also part of the job?

I know that better than you, I think.

*

[Entering.]

Following Yumina’s instruction, it was pitch black inside the rift.

[Rift Quest – D Rank]

Complete the objective.

I was about to turn on the flashlight app on my phone when, in the brief moment I put my hand into my pocket, it felt like Doyugeon waved his hand in the air, and his hand appeared above my head.

“Is this you?”

“Yeah, it is…but…”

This height difference feels oddly unpleasant. While I grumbled and touched my hair, I turned on the flashlight app.

“The power of modern civilization, yay.”

The light illuminated a large, wide cave. I don’t understand why the monsters are giant spiders yet we’re in a cave.

Observing Doyugeon, he looked somewhat disappointed.

“Why the long face?”

“Huh? Oh. I expected you to light it up with magic, so it’s disappointing.”

“Magic? You’re chasing after unnecessary sentimentality.”

I actually agree though. Usually, at a time like this, we should use Light Magic, but I haven’t seen it before, nor do I know if it even exists.

I turned off the flashlight app, extended my palm, and created a fireball. The reddish light spread out. It lit up near my palm but failed to illuminate the entire cave.

“It’s not bright enough…”

A disappointed voice came from the side. That’s what I thought.

“Only now do I appreciate artificial light.”

“Romantic much?”

I removed the fire and turned the app back on. We seemed to be in the center of the cave, and ahead and behind, there were passageways. Using my perception, I roughly figured out the cave’s direction and moved inward. If the goal is to escape, looking for the exit would be the right choice, but our objective is to defeat the boss.

A giant spider appeared. It was several times taller than both our heights, its 8 big eyes gleaming.

So this kind of spider shoots webs out of its mouth? Isn’t it supposed to come out of its rear? Nature’s variety is the foundation, so perhaps somewhere out there, there’s a spider that makes webs from its mouth?

Looking at Doyugeon, he seemed terrified and was crouched down. I have the urge to tease him, but it probably is dangerous, so it’s better not to. However, one little tease couldn’t hurt, right? After we kill the boss, perhaps then I’ll tease him? But teasing someone for being scared of spiders feels a bit childish. Oh, wait, I’m still at an age where being childish is acceptable.

In the brief time I was thinking, Doyugeon seemed to resolve himself and dashed out. The moment of confrontation broken, the giant spider opened its mouth to shoot webs.

But Doyugeon, who arrived first, slashed off one of its legs. Experience points scattered as multiple legs swiped around. His sword quickly slashed the surroundings. The wounded spider’s body collapsed, and its main body fell down. A trail of golden experience points fluttered as Doyugeon drew a decisive strike.

There’s quite a level difference. It’s natural considering this isn’t the boss. I slightly moved magic to cover the hood of my torn maroon cloak. If your head gets injured, it might be too late for healing magic, but for some reason, the hood is always the first thing to come off during combat—it’s troubling.

As Doyugeon proudly turned around, perhaps the flash from the phone blinded him, and he tightly shut his eyes.

Oops.

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