I Became a Slave Collector in the Labyrinth City

“Hachi!!! Hachi!! Open your eyes!!”

“Damn it!!! Horaru! You idiot! Come to your senses!!”

Yata and Louis shouted.
Yata’s hands were covered in Hachi’s blood, and Louis was staggering from overusing magic.

However, Hachi still hadn’t woken up.
Horaru, who hadn’t regained his senses, continued to rampage, breaking through the earthen walls Louis had created.

With this, we should consider four people retired.
What’s left are Yuria, Rohan, and me.

“Kuaaaah!!! Just die!”

Yuria shouted a battle cry as she rushed towards the dark red Orc.
Yuria’s ability ‘Sword Segmentation’ activated, causing her sword to break into pieces.

An ability that can freely fragment a designated sword or blade and use it like a chain sword.
You can think of it as being able to wield the sword like a whip.

It’s an incredibly powerful ability.
Yuria employed a technique where she would swing the fragmented sword at the opponent’s body, wrapping it around their neck or arm, then pull to sever that part.

However, for some reason, that Orc warrior’s arm wasn’t being cut off.
Normally, the wrapped part should have been sliced off by the blades, but the High Orc warrior’s skin was too tough.

She couldn’t land a fatal blow.
We were in a crisis.

It’s a monster that can’t be taken down even with her ability.
More precisely, there was a separate culprit making that Orc warrior unkillable.

“Kashna, Skinteria. Ro-haia.”

The old Orc kept chanting curses in a vile language.
Those spells must be strengthening the Orc warrior’s power and toughening its skin.

That old Orc bastard was a shaman.
Or maybe an unpleasant dark mage.

Anyway, unless we deal with that one first, the dark red High Orc warrior will never fall.
Someone needed to step up and stop the Orc shaman.

Then create an opening for the Orc warrior, and Yuria needs to thrust her sword into that opening.

If not, our party will soon be annihilated, and we’ll die without even leaving corpses, surrounded by the Orcs and beast packs that will gather upon hearing the commotion of the battle.

But right now, there was no one who could stop that Orc shaman geezer.

Louis was barely managing to stop the rampaging Horaru.
Yata and Hachi were both incapacitated.
Rohan still couldn’t even stand up properly.

The only person who could fight was Yuria alone, but Yuria had to deal with that Orc warrior.

In the end, the conclusion was that I was the only one who could stop that shaman bastard right now.

Yeah, it’s only me.

“Shit!”

After quickly assessing the situation, I drew my sword and ran towards the shaman High Orc.

Do what needs to be done.
Do what you can do.

If you ask if I’m good at fighting… I can answer that I’ve at least rolled around enough in the upper levels.

No, wait a minute.
With skills from just 6 months of rolling around in the upper levels…
I have to fight a mutant Orc shaman from the underground city?

This is insane.
It’s a mindless charge with no sense.

Even if it’s a shaman, the opponent is still a High Orc.
Its physical abilities are naturally far higher than a porter like me.
My charge might end up being a meaningless dog’s death.

But right now, there’s no one else who can stop that Orc shaman over there.

Everyone is focused on their own roles.
It’s a situation where the porter has to step up.

So even if I’m scared to death, I have to run.
I had to run and throw an oil bottle, set it on fire somehow.

If I hesitate, Yuria will be crushed to death by that huge monster Orc.
If I don’t step up, Louis and Yata will be torn to pieces by Horaru.

If I don’t deal with that bastard…

“Foolish.”

Dark Swarm.

“Aaaaargh—!!!!!!!!”

A swarm of insects burst out from the Orc shaman’s fingertips.
Without time to dodge, the insects flew towards me.

I was enveloped by the swarm and rolled on the ground.
Pathetically dropping my sword.

“It hurts!!! It huuuurts!!!!!”

It stings.
It itches.

It’s unbearably disgusting.

Unknown insects crawl all over my body, biting, digging into wounds, and laying eggs.

Insects enter through my ears and nose.
They crawl into my mouth too.

I’m dying.
What came to me was death.

The grim reaper’s scythe was at my neck.
Soon insects filled my windpipe and I couldn’t breathe.

My vision darkens.
Consciousness gradually fades away.

I hear Yuria’s scream.
The Orc shaman’s laughter echoes in my ears.

Death.
It’s death.

I opened my eyes.
I was lying on the ground.

Why am I looking down at myself?
Is this an out-of-body experience? Or did I really die?

I don’t know.
But. Not being able to do anything and dying like this…

It was too pathetic.
And unfair.

Why. Why am I the only one so unfortunate?

If you’re going to dump someone who was minding their own business into this crazy world.
Shouldn’t you at least make it so they can live happily?

I’m going to die without even fulfilling my dream of a slave harem?
If I knew I was going to die so meaninglessly like this….

I should have treated Yuria better.

Regret.
Frustration.
Anger and resentment.

Yes, this resentment made me feel like my body was twisting.

To think this is all there is to the ending.
To collapse here without being able to do anything.

What about all the preparations I made to survive?
What about the knowledge I acquired for survival?

Is this all?
Am I really going to die here?

Sion.
No, damn it, Yu-chan.

You need to open your eyes.

Yuria is screaming over there.
She looks like she’s about to be torn apart by that huge Orc bastard.

Yu-chan.
Kang Yu-chan, you idiot.
How long are you going to lie there?
Get up and fight.
Yuria is going to die.
You have to save her.

I opened my eyes again.

This time, the scene I saw was different from before.
Everything around me had turned black and white.

A desolate air.
Black shapes whose forms are hard to make out wander about.

It’s still the labyrinth.
But different from the labyrinth where I collapsed.

Ah. This must be the afterlife.
I guess I really did die after all.

Then are those the souls of adventurers who died in the labyrinth?

I guess I couldn’t survive through sheer willpower after all.
If so, I have to accept the ending, disappointing as it may be.

This world is too cruel for resurrection to be possible through wishes and passion alone.

In the end, everything dies.
My turn just came a little earlier.

There’s an order to the birth of life.
But there’s no order to its death.

As I realized this simple fact, everything I had been seeing crumbled and shattered.

Except for one thing.

-Hey. You there.

The only soul maintaining its own form called out to me.
It was the soul of a warrior with hollow eye sockets.

He pointed at me.
As if he wouldn’t let me go.

Thud. Thud.

He walks towards me.
Slowly, but surely.
Unsteadily, but persistently.

-You.. Can you see me?

He asked.
If I could see him.

I wanted to answer but no voice came out.
So I nodded towards him.

I can see you, I said.
I can sense you.

-Finally. I’ve finally found someone I can communicate with.

The nameless warrior shed tears of emotion.
Black pus flowed from his hollow eye sockets.

-Take me.. Take me to the surface. Won’t you get me out of this damn place?

He proposed.
To get him out of this damn labyrinth.

But how?
I’m already dead.

-No. You are not dead yet. I can sense a faint life force.

He asserted.
You are not dead yet, he said.

-But you are in danger. Good. For a moment, just a moment. Lend me your body.

He reached out his hand.

A gaunt body.
An arm like a mummy.
A hand twisted and dried like an old tree.

The warrior’s hand, nothing but skin and bone.
He held it out.

-It should be fine for just a very short moment. I’ll lend you my power. Take me. Take me up to that sun above. Please. Nameless adventurer.

Should I take his hand?
Can I trust the words of a dead person?

Maybe this is a ploy to steal my body?

Ha….. Hahaha!

A dying man is thinking all sorts of things.
You’re going to die anyway if you don’t take this hand.
Not trusting won’t make the situation any better.

This is a gamble.

The last chance to save myself and Yuria and my party members.

It’s fine even if my body gets stolen.
Because I’ll be able to save Yuria.

I’ll lend it to you.

I grasped the warrior’s hand.

Soon, his soul.
Into my body….

“Urgh… Aargh……”

Sion woke up.
He who had collapsed got up and surveyed the battlefield.

Yuria was sent flying after being hit by the Orc Slugger’s fist.
Horaru was charging towards Yata and Louis.

Hachi was still unconscious.
Rohan staggered as if concussed.

After confirming their state, Sion quickly checked his own body condition.

Insects were burrowing into his skin.
His airway was blocked, and parasites had hatched eggs.

Dark Swarm. You fell for a dirty trick.

“Haaah!!!”

He let out a battle cry and shook off the filth clinging to his body.
The black flesh-eating insects that had burrowed into Sion’s body were all crushed by the aura and died, turning belly-up.

Then the insects blocking his airway burst out and his breathing cleared.

Finally, air enters his lungs.
His fingers, arms, and legs move properly.
His two feet firmly support his body.

It’s a body.
A physical body.

“So this is life.”

The great warrior Shaka confirmed the enemy before him.

A pitch-black form.
A mutant of the High Orc, a Warlock.

One who wields black magic and toys with adventurers.

An enemy that must rightfully be killed.
An obstacle blocking the path forward.

An aura of fighting spirit frosted over in Sion’s eyes.

The ability, Warrior’s Intimidation, struck the Orc Warlock’s mind.

“Kuuugh..!!!!!”

It’s different from before.
Those are the eyes of a predator.

At this, the Orc Warlock was shocked and swung his staff.
What he instinctively fired was the 4th circle black magic ‘Dark Spear’.

Sion took a breath as he saw the black spear flying towards him.
Because he needed to change the phase.

“Woooaah—!!!!”

The warrior’s roar echoed across the battlefield.
The black magic fired by the Warlock was torn apart in mid-air.

At the same time, the light returned to Horaru’s eyes, which had been possessed.
Strength entered Rohan’s legs, which had been staggering from concussion.

Also, the Orc Slugger pressuring Yuria stepped back.
Hachi, who had lost consciousness, twitched and opened his eyes again.

The tide of battle changes.
With just a single roar.

The roar let out by a great warrior is the ultimate crowd control.

Fear for the enemies.
Courage for allies.

“A weapon. Give me a weapon.”

Sion opened his spatial pocket for Shaka.
Shaka reached out and drew a single weapon.

What was pulled out was the ambitious work of Barrel, the owner of the clearance weapon shop.

“A double-bladed axe, huh.”

A double-bladed axe was gripped in the great warrior’s hand.

“This will suffice.”

In an instant, Sion’s body completely disappeared from the Orc Warlock’s sight.

Splat-!!!!!

The Orc Warlock’s body was split in half.

The double-bladed axe broke.
The weapon was destroyed, unable to withstand the overwhelming power.

“This far. Any more… is dangerous.”

Cough…!!

Control of the body returned.
Sion collapsed, coughing up black, dead blood.

‘It hurts.. It hurts like hell…’

The pain resistance ring Rika gave him allowed him to endure the extreme pain.
If not for that, he would have fainted right away.

-Ah.. Aah…

Soon, Shaka’s voice could be heard in the ear of the collapsed Sion.

-Please.. Make sure.. to take me.. up there…

The soul of the great warrior Shaka disappears to the other side of consciousness.
Shaka borrowed Sion’s body for about 30 seconds.

In that short time, Shaka consumed most of the life force Sion possessed.
Sion paid the price for accepting a spirit entity too powerful for his body to withstand.

“Kuaah!!! Die!!!”

Meanwhile, Rohan, who had recovered from his concussion, rushed in and thrust his sword towards the Orc Slugger’s leg, and Horaru, who had regained his senses, rammed into the Orc Slugger with his massive body.

Crash!

As the Orc Slugger’s body was thrown backwards, Hachi immediately jumped on its body and started crushing its face.

“Sion!! Sion!!!”

Yuria ran towards the collapsed Sion.
Hearing Yuria’s voice, Sion smiled blankly, unable to even lift his head.

“Ha.. Hahahaha.. Cough..”

I survived.
Just how tenacious is this thread of life?

“Yuria…”

“Sion! Blood, there’s blood..!!”

Yuria pulled up the collapsed Sion into a sitting position.
Only then did she see the pool of Sion’s blood spilled on the ground.

“S-Sion!!! What do we do. What do we do..!”

“Yuria.. Please.. feed me this…”

“What?”

“This… this…”

Sion took out a nutritional supplement from his spatial pocket.
However, he didn’t have the strength to hold it and drink it, so he asked Yuria to feed it to him.

“J-just a moment…”

Yuria hurriedly opened the cap of the nutritional supplement and fed it to Sion.

“Ugh..”

Strength returns to the body again.
This was like borrowing tomorrow’s strength to use today.

“Corpses.. We need to retrieve the corpses..”

Sion reached out and put the High Orc Warlock’s corpse into his inventory.

“Orcs are coming..! Cough..!”

“Damn it.. Sion! Are you alright!”

Meanwhile, the rest of the group ran towards Sion.
There was no time to ask about that impossible roar just now, or the power that split the Orc Warlock in half with a single blow.

A group of High Orcs was approaching in this direction.

“We need to hide for now!”

“Damn it..! We were so close! Horaru! Carry Sion! Run towards where we hid the corpses!”

“Woo woo..!!!”

“W-wait.. That bastard’s.. corpse…”

“Damn it! You’re collecting corpses in this situation? You crazy porter!! Louis! Raise an earthen wall to cover our sight!”

“Shit! I’m almost out of mana! Damn it all!!”

Louis raised an earthen wall to briefly hide the group’s appearance, and during that time, Horaru carried Sion on his back and approached the Orc Slugger’s corpse.

“Ugh..”

Sion reached out and retrieved the corpse.
Soon, the group fled to the building where they had hidden the corpses, avoiding the approaching Orc group.

Rohan: dizziness.
Hachi: anemia.
Yuria: joint injury.
Yata and Louis: mana depletion.
Sion: exhaustion.

Only Horaru was unharmed.
It was a dramatic survival.