Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World - Chapter 183

Capacity

“You seem to be the one who purchased the Sheep Monster Card this time. Thank you very much.”

When I arrive at the guild temple room, the Armor Merchant, who was waiting there, bows.
This Armor Merchant seems to be the one who sold the Sheep Monster Card.
From his greedy expression, he seems to be a vicious man.

“Not at all. It was for my own convenience.”
“But the Monster Card Fusion is immensely difficult.”

When I return an appropriate greeting, the Armor Merchant’s face distorts repulsively.
Because I won merely one, the Monster Card Fusion would surely fail; you think so, don’t you?
But it has succeeded already.
I can’t say that out loud, however.

This way, I won’t have to lie. I’ll let him believe that it has failed.
Sherry won’t complain either.
I shrug and look at Luke.

“This man here is an Armor Merchant like me. He acts as a broker at the auction. It would be foolish if the guild temple were used twice, so I have decided to use it today. This friend here is an Adventurer. He wishes to have the Sheep Monster Card.”

Luke introduces me and the Armor Merchant.
If Luke purchased the monster card from this Armor Merchant and I took it over from Luke, the guild temple would need to be used twice.
When I buy, I don’t need verification; however, it’s normally a necessity.
That I’m transacting directly, it’ll ‘supposedly’ save me some cost.

“I look forward to working with you, dear customer.”

“Likewise.”
“With this, I’m off.”

After Luke finishes introductions, he leaves the guild temple room.
Does he really have some business?
Or, is it not necessary for him to be present?

“To tell you the truth, I own two Sheep Monster Cards. What do you say about two?”

After Luke leaves, the face of the Armor Merchant distorts even more as he approaches me with an offer.

“I can give you the second one for 4,900 Nars.”

I see.
So, Luke left in consideration of what this man might have to say.
Transacting directly because it would be wasteful if the guild temple were used twice must be this Armor Merchant’s proposition, too.
His implicit objective must be to sell a second card.

I cannot imagine this Armor Merchant approaching me with a deal wherein he would incur a loss.
There must have been a kickback for Luke, no?
A 100 Nars kickback?
Nah, there’s no reason.

If he returned 100 Nars from 5,000 Nars of the first card to Luke, what additional benefit would he have in selling the second one for 4,900 Nars?
If Luke’s kickback were 200 Nars, the profit of this Armor Merchant would be divided.
How could it be?
How could this greedy Armor Merchant let his profit be divided so easily?

If it comes to Luke’s kickback being 300 Nars or more.
Is it possibly about same as the commission of 500 Nars?
For Luke, there doesn’t seem to be any profit in introducing me over bidding on it and transferring it to me.
Having said that, this Armor Merchant must have persuaded him.

“It won’t be bad to have two cards.”

I pretend to be lost in thought while observing the expression of the Armor Merchant.
If it includes a kickback, there may be more room for it to go down.

“Then, how about 4,800 Nars?”
“More.”
“I’ll give you the second one for 4,700 Nars.”
“Alright then, I’ll buy it.”

I might get an even better price if I acted some more; however, it’s good enough as is.
If I went too far and he pulled back from selling the second one, I would be troubled.
The reason being…

“Thank you very much. Then, since you’re buying the second card together with the first one, I’ll give you a special price of 6,790 Nars for two.”

Alrighty!
Because it was increased to two cards, 30% Discount was effective.
Taste your own medicine, doctor.

Before he could say anything, I pay him the amount and 2 silver coins to the staff member of the guild temple.
Urged by the staff member, the Armor Merchant hands over the two cards.

He confirms right away that the Sheep Monster Cards are genuine.
After verification, I put the monster cards inside my Item Box.

“Thank you for the business today!”

Amidst the Armor Merchant’s cry, I leave the guild temple room.
It might be problematic if I used 30% Discount too much; however, it’s fine for now.
I flee back home.

“Welcome back.”
“I have obtained a Sheep Monster Card. So, what should I do now?”

Upon returning home, I consult with Sherry who was the only one left in the living room.
Roxanne and the rest are doing cleaning and laundry.
As for Sherry, she’ll be performing the Monster Card Fusion now that I have returned.

“Which equipment should it be fused with, is that what you mean?”
“That, too, but there’s another option. Keeping it unused, that is.”

When the Rapier of Hypnosis was used yesterday, it occurred to me.
Sleep can be cancelled by magic; therefore, its compatibility with our party, the main constituent of whose attack is my magic, is low.

Impudently speaking, it’ll only be a stopgap.
An immediate resort in an emergency situation.
Presently, however, I don’t think there’s any danger.

“That’s right. If there’s no absolute need to keep it, fusing it with an armor will be effective, too. After all, it’ll soon be the Beep Sheep floor.”

Beep Sheep, that uses the Sleep skill, is the boss of Quratar’s 4th floor.
Because the bosses start showing up (as normal monsters) after 33rd floor, the Beep Sheep should show up on Quratar’s 37th floor.
At the rate of 2 days per floor, it’ll be pretty soon.

However, I don’t think it’ll be that easy for us to advance.
We may hit the wall around 34-35th floor, don’t you think?
I won’t know until I’m there.
So, the idea of keeping it unused isn’t bad.

“Then, let’s leave it as is.”
“Yes, it’s a good idea.”

The Kobold Monster Cards are in balance, too.
So, I decide to keep the Sheep Monster Cards in hand.

For two days, I enter the labyrinth and partake in the 28th floor boss battle.
The boss battle is a good experience, too, isn’t it?
There won’t be any issue even if we proceed to the next floor.
Incidentally, at the dinner, I find out that the prudence policy didn’t go down well.

“Sherry, which is the boss of the 29th floor?”
“The Moloch Taurus boss is called Boss Taurus. Same as Moloch Taurus, a Boss Taurus is resistant to Fire magic and weak against Water.”
“Boss Taurus?”

The boss is called Boss? Isn’t it obvious?
However, it’ll show up as a normal monster on the 62nd floor.
Even though it’s called Boss.

“Because its blows are intense, Roxanne-san will have to dodge well.”
“Okay, it’s fine.”

Roxanne nods confidently.
Although it’ll be our first time encountering the Moloch Taurus boss, I don’t have to be worried for Roxanne will be keeping it company.

The next morning, we enter the 29th floor boss room.
In the first boss battle, two Cyclopes show up beside the Boss Taurus.
The Moloch Tauruses didn’t come out this time.

After applying Abnormal Status Resistance Down on the cyclops, which Miria was confronting, I cast two Thunderstorms.
The movements of the two Cyclopes cease.
Oops!
Even the cyclops that was applied with Abnormal Status Resistance Down seems to have been paralyzed.

“Roxanne-san, a little more to the front.”

Sherry makes Roxanne advance.

“Okay.”
“You, too, Vesta. Around there.”
“Understood.”

Since the Cyclopes have been paralyzed, there is no need to wait for the boss.
However, it is necessary for Sherry to take a position where her spear will be able to reach from once the paralysis wears off.
I leave this area to Sherry.
And cast Abnormal Status Resistance Down on the boss.

Roxanne stands in front of the Boss Taurus.
Roxanne lightly wrings her body and dodges the swinging low monster.
The Boss Taurus, too, is a bipedal cowkin just like a Moloch Taurus.
Its shoulders are stern.

Its whole body is covered in dark brown fur.
Regrettably, it doesn’t have black and white mottles.
It’s swinging its arms furiously; however, Roxanne is dodging it in its entirety.

“Did it, desu.”

While the boss was engaged with Roxanne, Miria petrifies it.
There seems to be some way to go before petrifaction passes for a boss.
I thought I would be able to notice if the boss were petrified, it being brown; however, I wasn’t able to tell at all.
It cannot be distinguished from paralysis by sight.

It’s Miria’s first time seeing it, too, so how can she notice petrifaction?
Actually, it becomes ‘white’ upon petrifaction.
However, its color is still brown. It hasn’t changed.
Even if a black and white Moloch Taurus were to be petrified, I wouldn’t be able notice at all.
It will turn white in some places. Probably.

Miria attacks the remaining monster next to the petrified cyclops that had been applied with Abnormal Status Resistance Down.
Before Miria could inflict abnormal status, it dies to my magic because I didn’t cast Abnormal Status Resistance Down on the remaining Cyclops.
As the boss had already been petrified, I slaughter it with Wind magic which is the weakness of a cyclops.
After the two Cyclopes, I shoot an Aquaball at the Boss Taurus.

“Sherry, does a Boss Taurus drop an ingredient?”
“Yes. A Boss Taurus drops three varieties of items. Apart from roast, it drops whey and, very rarely, chuck flap.”
“Really?”

So, it drops a rare ingredient, after all, huh?
And three varieties at that?
I remove Gambler, select Cook and finish the petrified boss off.
Since I have removed Gambler, Abnormal Status Resistance Down should lose its effect; however, it has no relation to petrifaction which has already been inflicted.

The cowkin turns into smoke.
When the smoke dissipates, a lump of meat was left.
It’s a roast.
Failed?

Nope, a roast is already enough.
It may be an extremely rare ingredient that hardly ever drops just like a chuck rib; a premium ingredient, that is.
The drop rate of which doesn’t increase even after using Cook’s Rare Ingredient Drop Rate Up.

If that’s how it is…
Then, will whey ever drop?
Oh well. I can’t judge the tendency from just one attempt anyway.

“It’s said that a roast cannot be differentiated from a chuck flap.”
“It’s unlikely for a chuck flap to drop at first attempt. It should be a roast.”

Although it’s merely a lump of meat, I can tell it’s a roast because Appraisal is displaying so.
If I keep telling them not to hold high hopes, they won’t hold high hopes.

“I guess.”

Sherry judges calmly.
I put the roast in my Item Box.

As a third party, I can judge whether it’s a roast or a chuck flap by putting it inside my Item Box.
However, my Item Box has limited capacity.
If it were any other drop than roast, it wouldn’t enter.
Actually, if it’s about entering, there’s the space where taken off equipment are put in.

Well, as far as taken off equipment are concerned, I can select Explorer after leaving the labyrinth.
And then, before entering the labyrinth, I can take out the equipment and remove Explorer.
It’s bothersome, though.
How should I go about it?

If I am to retake the 29th floor boss battle, there’s an option of selecting Cook.
With Cook, I can use its Item Box and take advantage of Rare Ingredient Drop Rate Up.
However, it’ll be too tight for me to add Seventh Job.

The number of items needed to be kept in the Item Box will continue to increase in the future.
It’s a pain that Adventurer’s Item Box has a fixed capacity of 50 types of items x 50 units.
At the moment, my Adventurer job is Lv42, so it’s profitable for me; however, it won’t be the case in the future.

Or, will it perhaps be 51 types of items x 51 units when Adventurer hits Lv51?
It’s impossible.
I haven’t heard such a thing.
If the capacity of Adventurer’s Item Box increased onward from Lv51, it would be widely known.

“Then, let’s move on?”
“The monster native to Quratar’s 30th floor is Half Herb. While it’s weak against Fire magic, it’s resistant to Wind, Earth and Water magic.”

Ah, we will face a new monster if we move up.
A new monster will drop a new item.
More space will be needed to put it in the Item Box.

Well, I can keep other items than cooking ingredients in the rucksack.
But that’ll lead to another topic.
So, I have to keep all the items in my Item Box.
Because the equipment are out of the Item Box, there’s capacity.

When I leave the labyrinth, should I select Explorer then?
Or, do I add Seventh Job and select Cook permanently?
Because the 29th floor boss drops rare ingredients, I have temporarily selected Cook; however, it’ll be better to select Explorer which I’m accustomed to.
So, should I incline toward Explorer?

But what would happen when the number of items needed to be kept in the Item Box increased? After all, Explorer is only an expedience outside the labyrinth.
The capacity of Adventurer’s Item Box is probably fixed and it’s about to reach its limit.
Oh well. Let’s think about it when the time comes.