Chapter 15: Labyrinth
Silva headed to the adventurer's guild early in the morning. He was very close to reaching level 25, and he wanted to finally level up.
Though the quests he could receive were limited to C rank, if he wanted to get to B rank, he had to do something worthy of recognition by the lord of the town or a higher authority.
But Silva had dodged that recognition for years now. He didn't want to get involved in political issues at this stage of his life.
Though he might be able to get better quests and grow stronger faster, it wasn't worth the stress that came with politics.
Silva arrived at the guild and noticed a crowd of adventurers. This was something that wasn't seen often, so he became curious about what was happening.
The crowd was so large that no one even noticed him when he walked into the guild. The place was bustling, filled with so much noise that he couldn't make out what was happening.
He looked around and noticed Quin and Mike seated at a table, so he went to meet them.
"Hey guys," Silva greeted. He raised his hand in a slight wave, then drew out the empty seat and sat down.
"Good morning, Silva," Quin responded to Silva's greeting, but Mike outright ignored him.
Mike and Quin had not been home for a while. Quin was considered an adult now, and he had a small place in the main town, which allowed him to carry out his adventuring better. Mike decided to stay with Quin for a while.
"What's happening? This place is far more crowded than usual," Silva asked.
"A labyrinth was discovered in the forest yesterday. It has pulled all the adventurers because they want to get early permits to enter before the big city adventurers start heading this way," Quin explained.
A labyrinth was an enigmatic construct with laws that differed from those of the normal world.
It is a place that offers tons of resources, but in return for the resources, it gives equal dangers. Labyrinths were considered national treasures, and the place that finds one will surely get popular and grow faster.
"I see, a labyrinth should warrant such attention. I have never been to one before. Is there a way I can get a permit to enter?" Silva asked.
"With the number of adventurers here at the moment, it would take you all day to get one. You could use your connection to the guild master as his student to get a permit, but sadly, he was called out of town today concerning the labyrinth," Quin said.
"I have to find a solution; it would be bad if I missed the first entry," Silva said.
"Well, you can join my party. I know you move solo, but this time you have to compromise if you want to enter the labyrinth early. I managed to get a party permit, and it allows one more member," Quin offered.
"We don't need his help, Quin!" Mike said in anger, standing up from his seat.
"Mike, sit down. This is not the time or place for your feud with Silva. Don't let your hate cloud your senses; Silva is stronger than both of us combined.
Added to that, he is very reasonable. Even if he gets most of the kills, I'm pretty sure he will let us have a very decent share.
In my book, that is a good bargain, so put away all your issues and work with him, or you can sit out of the party.
You understand that I don't work based on relationships, but rather effectiveness, and on that note, Silva is far more effective than you," Quin said.
Every word that Quin said was like a dagger, penetrating the soul of Mike. They were all true, but it didn't make it any easier to stomach.
"You guys don't have to worry about the sharing; everything will be equal amongst all party members. I, for one, mostly want the experience that comes with the labyrinth raid," Silva said.
"Bullshit!" Mike said, but Silva and Quin ignored him.
They waited a bit for the rest of the party to arrive. The party was made up of two other men and one lady.
She was just about sixteen and used dual daggers. Silva used dragon eyes on all of them; their base stats ranged from fifty to seventy.
It had been a long time since he had stats around that amount; his current stats were double that.
**Name:** Silva
**Race:** Human (50%), Dark Dragon (50%)
**Legacy:** Dark Dragon Legacy (Awakened)
**Magical Affinities:** Summoning, Darkness, Abyss Magic
**Mana:** 300,000
**Exp:** 10,000/14,000
**SP:** 50,000
**Level:** 24
**Strength:** 160
**Defense:** 140
**Speed:** 180
**Agility:** 180
**Intelligence:** 200
**Free stat points:** 500
Currently, he stood as the strongest person in this town, though he had bought the conceal skill and hid his real stats.
The stats he let show were under those of Raze, the guild master, and a few other veteran B-rank adventurers.
Silva didn't want the tag "strongest," because it would attract unwanted issues. Finding a safe point was the way to go.
That didn't mean he would take it easy on anyone who crossed his path; his pride as a dark dragon would not allow that.
Quin told the party that Silva would be joining them. Their excitement when they heard that could not be hidden; after all, he was known throughout the town.
"My name is Rock; I act as the tanker of this party," the bigger guy spoke first.
The second guy spoke up and introduced himself as well.
"My name is Roy; I specialize in magic."
The girl refused to introduce herself. Silva didn't know why; he hadn't met her before, but she outright refused to look him in the eye.
Since she was not going to reveal her name, Quin decided to introduce her.
"She is Roxy; she specializes in sneak attacks and assassinations."
After introductions were done, it was time to head to the labyrinth to start their raid.