Looks like Spirit attacks aren't working.
In that case...
Mana doesn't work either.
Not to mention, the entrance has disappeared.
This is a boss room.
In other words, I cannot get out unless the boss is defeated.
Dammit.
Me and my bad luck.
Even so...
...adventurers never give up and fight to the end!
I don't know if the sword can withstand it,
but Divinity should work against the undead.
Even if they don't match your ideals
Chase your ambitions in your own way
Even if they don't match your ideals
Chase your ambitions in your own way
As I was recklessly chasing
After the self I want to be
Before I know it I already turned into an adult
"Things will go your way"
"Dreams will be realised When you work hard"
No, this isn't such a nice, soft story
Even if you do your best To aim for the top
Knowing the result means everything
Means nothing
Keep on walking today Believing one day someone will witness it
The scenery from when you're disheartened And about to give up
What lies beyond despair and suffering
A thing that exist beyond the endless path
I will grasp it with my own hand No matter how far it is
The shape of the dream May not be ideal
But as I kept on Through the arduous chase
I will simply keep moving forward
I will take it to my hand now
We change the game from our own side
Live on freely in a world yet unseen
Even if they don't match your ideals
Chase your ambitions in your own way
Even if they don't match your ideals
Chase your ambitions in your own way
Are you awake?
Y-yeah...
Oh right, there's a huge skeleton.
I can only do emergency first aid with my powers.
T-thank you...
Did you beat that?
Yeah.
I-it's so big.
If it has a magic crystal this big,
then it must've been a really tough monster.
You're amazing.
I was just lucky.
I'll give it to you if you want it.
A-are you serious?
I'm not saying it's for free.
What do you want?
I don't think I could ever be of any use to an adventurer as strong as you.
My body is like this now.
I got attacked by a monster in the past.
Now I can't easily enter shops or the guild.
I want you to do it in my stead.
Okay, I can at least do that.
But are you really sure that's enough?
That sounds like too much of a good deal for me.
Then, one more thing.
Let me eat and drink at your restaurant at any time...
...for free.
What?
Are you stupid?
Eat as much as you want.
This time, I will work hard and make sure my restaurant won't go bankrupt.
Thank you, Boss.
Come on, we're going home.
R-right...
But how?
Head over there.
But I don't see anything there.
So he really can't see the rune.
We should be able to return to our previous location.
Gotcha. I believe in your word, Boss.
I'd like to see what's beyond here, but I guess I'll come back later.
Boss, this is my restaurant, the Red Dragon Pavilion.
Wait, this place looks way better than I expected.
Is the food here extremely bad or something?
Darling! You're all right!
Ow ow ow!
Wait, are you hurt? We must go see a doctor!
Calm down, Isabelle. I'm fine.
I got hurt a bit, but he healed me.
Goodness, pardon me.
He really saved me, you know?
And also...
Take a look at this.
T-that's...
Amazing, right? He gave it to me.
You can't!
Haven't you learned anything?
If we get scammed again, we don't have anything to pay anymore.
Isabelle, this isn't a scam.
Despite his looks, he is a very kind person.
I told him about our debt, and he wished to help us.
Of course, he's not doing it for free.
I will be helping him from now on.
Are you going to do more dangerous things?
Don't worry, it's just simple errands.
And I promised that he could eat at our restaurant for free.
But, is that really enough?
It is.
Then...
Yes.
Sorry, I've made you worry.
It's all right now.
Oh right, I haven't introduced myself.
My name is Loris. Loris Cariello.
And this is...
My name is Isabelle.
We're really grateful for what you did.
Don't worry about it. See you.
Boss, you're leaving already?
You're my saviour.
Can you at least tell me your name?
Can you promise not to tell anyone?
Yeah, I will keep it a secret, and I will keep calling you Boss.
It's Rentt.
Thank you, Boss.
Feel free to have a meal at our place any time.
We'll give you a warm welcome.
How unfortunate.
If only he was a liar...
If only he had no family and was just a regular crook...
That would've been better.
It would be better to try it out on bad people.
That's why, I didn't ask his name.
How unfortunate.
Lorraine...
Oh no. What am I thinking?
Lorraine...
You're a bit late.
How's the labyrinth? Was the dragon there?
No.
Oh right, where do you keep the letters from the Capital?
If I don't reply to those old-timers soon, they might run all the way here.
Right...
What's wrong? Did something happen?
You don't seem well.
Not at all... I'm glad, in fact...
Oh, did anything good happe...
Rentt? What are you doing?
Are you drunk?
Wait, an undead shouldn't be able to get drunk.
Lorraine, I...
Y-yeah...?
What is it, Rentt?
R-Rentt... You...
So delicious.
Rentt...
Are you still there?
Rentt!
Good, seems like you are.
In that case...
You're still alive, right?
Get some sleep for now.
I'll listen to your apology once you're awake.
If you want to assault me, at least do it when you're sober.
I don't mind you eating me.
Uh... I...
Finally awake, Rentt?
Yeah. My head...
I was in the labyrinth...
Do you feel like you're being controlled by anything weird?
Any unnatural impulses?
That's good.
Lorraine, I'm sorry.
I accept your apology.
But you don't have to worry about it. It was just an unfortunate accident.
- Got it? - But that's...
More importantly, how much do you remember?
I attacked you.
No, I met a man at the labyrinth.
I started thinking that he could be a delicious meal,
and I kept losing my mind.
And then, you looked so appetising, I...
I expected this to a certain degree.
You did?
Yes. Ghouls like to consume human blood and flesh, after all.
More importantly, is your body all right?
I rarely hold back, you see.
I don't think there's any problem.
That's good, then.
But there must be some damage. You should get some rest.
I will be taking one as well today.
Lorraine!
Let me see for a bit.
Unfortunately, I just happened to sell all available potions to the magic shop.
Worry not, as long as I get the ingredients tomorrow,
I'll make more in a flash.
Let me heal it.
You can use this much Divinity?
Yeah, I can heal to a certain degree.
This is my first time being healed with Divinity, but it's quite pleasant.
So warm.
How is it?
It's working. I don't feel the pain anymore.
Incredible, it's healed.
That's not enough.
Oh?
I suppose I can no longer say that I'm damaged goods.
Don't worry about it.
You...
With that look, you can tell people that it's just old scars, right?
What about my face?
Whoa, the mask transformed!
What, you never realised that?
When did it happen?
It'll be bad if I don't hide this.
Looks like that mask is more than just a cursed item.
Is it reacting to your own will?
Let me try.
Well, this is rare.
I have heard of magical swords that have their own will, but this is...
If you can freely move it, shouldn't you be able to remove it now?
You're right.
Get off... Get off...
Can I try pulling it off?
Sure.
No good. This is a confusing conclusion.
Well, your face is still that of an undead,
so you will still need to hide it anyway.
You're right. I'll stay like this for now.
You're getting a lot better at talking as well.
Come to think of it, it is easier to speak now.
Did I go through an Existential Evolution?
That would most likely be the case.
I did defeat a strong monster,
but the last time, I evolved right after I slain the monster.
This is just a guess,
but perhaps it was caused by consuming my blood and flesh?
It's not that outrageous of an idea.
Right now, you're less of a ghoul and more of a thrall.
A thrall?
I've barely ever seen one before, but they're minions of a vampire, right?
Yes.
A monster ranking even lower than a lesser vampire,
but you're really close to it right now.
But why would I turn into a thrall?
To us scholars,
Existential Evolution is filled with mystery,
just like labyrinths themselves.
That being said...
Rentt, would you like to hear my hypothesis?
Yes, by all means.
Very well, I will explain to you.
Well, I would've told you regardless of your answer anyway.
Don't fall asleep.
Now then, where to begin?
I didn't see it myself, but you started as a skeleton, right?
Yeah, it was a pretty interesting look.
- From there, you turned into a ghoul. - Yeah.
Don't you think a skeleton turning into a ghoul is weird in the first place?
Existential Evolution is when
a monster turns into a higher rank version of itself.
The truth might be different,
but that is the currently accepted definition.
So I've heard.
Then, is a ghoul the only higher-ranking version of a skeleton?
Umm, there are many other variations, like skeleton soldier and skeleton knight.
There have indeed been reports of skeletons turning into ghouls,
but whether it happens just by coincidence or for a certain reason...
Well, nobody knows.
But I think we can theorise one thing.
You wanted to become a certain monster.
It possibly happened because you were thinking in that direction.
You wished to become something that looks human-like, did you?
Yeah, actually, I did.
But if that were the case, then instead of going from ghoul to thrall,
wouldn't I turn into a vampire that looks closer to a human?
It's probably similar to how the adventurer guild works.
You can't just jump from iron-rank to gold-rank.
You need to reach certain capabilities and conditions before that.
I see.
When we experimented on small monsters,
we confirmed that their Existential Evolution
is affected by their environment.
In a volcanic area, they evolved into something with a strong fire affinity.
In an aquatic area, they evolved into a water-element monster.
You could say they unconsciously evolved in reaction to their environment.
But what if that happened because of the will of the monster itself?
It might be a leap of logic, but I think you have that potential.
Which means, if I try hard enough, I could become a vampire?
And maybe one day...
...I could return to being human?
For the former, the possibility exists.
For the latter, I have no idea.
Right, of course.
To achieve your next Existential Evolution,
you might need to do more than just slay monsters.
I see.
Just like how I turned into a thrall after consuming your blood and flesh,
there is a certain condition that allows me to turn into a vampire.
Yes, that is most likely so.
There are so many things we don't know.
That's just how things are.
In fact, our discussion just now is nothing
more than a hypothesis, if not a delusion.
In any case, our only choice is to take things step by step.
I will do everything I can to support you.
Thank you, I mean it.
Don't worry about it.
Now then, let's study everything about you.
First of all, strip.
What?!
I will photograph and record your body using a magic tool.
Wait!
Then I want to scrape off a part of your body.
S-scrape?
Yes, do you have your sense of pain back?
I-I dunno...
I have some anaesthesia, but will it work on you?
Then might as well check if drugs work on you or not.
Oh, and we have to check if you can get sleepy or hungry as well.
Then we'll confirm if you can have a regular meal as well.
If you are something close to a vampire, then...
Well, we'll start experimenting tomorrow.
I'm sure you're already tired from today.
Hey, even I can show a bit of common sense sometimes, you know?
Sometimes...
Yeah, you do. Just sometimes.
There's no problem with my body.
If anything, I feel great.
That weird impulse from yesterday is also gone.
I can't go to a labyrinth with a sword like this.
Clope will definitely be upset.
Hey.
What the hell is this?
Your sword...
It's so battered.
The materials must've worn out.
This is beyond repair.
I'm sorry, I had to infuse it with Divinity.
What?
Yeah, no wonder it ends up like this.
But there shouldn't be any enemy in Moon's Reflection that requires Divinity.
I encountered a giant skeleton.
That's impo...
Nah, I know you're not the type to lie about that.
But where did you encounter it?
In an uncharted area.
What?!
Wait, you... But that's...
Are you serious?
An uncharted area...
So that's what happened.
I was wondering why you came here with that weird getup.
So, have you finished exploring that place?
Not yet.
I know I shouldn't ask this, but can you finish my sword as soon as possible?
I thought you'd say that.
Wouldn't want to have others get there before you, right?
That said, the sword you ordered is still nowhere near finished.
So I will lend you a replacement sword.
Are you sure?
Yeah. I'll give you something a bit better.
You're a special customer, after all.
Right, he definitely already figured out who I am.
Oh well, at least he lent me another sword.
I should hurry back to the labyrinth and aim for the next Existential...
Hey, I want all the vegetables over there.
All of them!
Say, can you lower the price for that meat a little more?
I can't win against you, Isabelle.
All right, you may take the orc meat as well!
Yay!
The Red Dragon Pavilion reopens today!
Feel free to come, everyone!
All right, I'll go!
Gotcha! We'll be waiting for you!
Even in days overflowing with emptiness
Goodnight, goodnight Goodnight, do not forget
Everything that has been Piled up will grow
Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight
Deep within you, always
Baby, keep your fire burning
The days built up will never disappear
They will be your strength
Even if it won't be as glorious As someone else's
You can definitely fly with that speed
Keep the fire burning