‘Here’s his battle outfit and all the equipment he had on him.”

We're at the Alliance’s foyer where Slayers can collect a deceased teammate’s belongings at the concierge area if said teammate didn't have a family or anyone close to give to. These two people, whom I've just met at the park, proceed to sign some paperwork as proof of them receiving their teammate's belongings. I look around nonchalantly the foyer with both my hands in my hoodie’s pockets. Alas, they're ready to leave this building.

“We’re done, Ms Kang,” says the ponytailed woman who smiles at me while she relays more info about the raid I'm heading off to. “As for the labyrinth we're going to, it's properly measured as a D-rank.”

“I wish our overseer from the Alliance wasn't so strict in measuring every Labyrinth’s mana output TWICE,” her brawny male partner complains on my left side while we walk towards the building's sliding door entrance. “Just because some Distorted Labyrinth only showed up once this year.”

Distorted Labyrinths are a very rare phenomenon in which a Labyrinth’s mana output drastically increases and that it always forms a restrictive barrier around its own gate. The last one happened around three years ago, but the good news is that a Distorted Labyrinth is easily detectable with the special crystals that's magically connected to the Alliance's mana orb. I always saw my raid leaders stretching out their box-contained special crystal near a Labyrinth's gate as a mandatory precaution.

I remembered traitorous Jang doing so to the Painting Labyrinth's “outer” gate. And yet, there was no sign of its mana output spiking up and down in the crystal’s color appearance which is always the confirmed sign to call the Alliance to send at least one or two A-rank Slayers since these “unnatural Labyrinths” are always a B-rank. However, I don't believe the Painting Labyrinth is the distorted type unless its creator was able to conceal its mana output that becomes undetectable on the special crystals.

“Ah~~~ that police bastard is giving our truck a traffic ticket…”

“That would be a problem if we let him be.”

I snap out of my deep thinking and see our main transport, which is parked outside the glass entrance door, has a young policeman standing next to it, jotting down its license plate number in his notepad.

“Can you wait for us here, Ms Kang? I promise you we won't be long.”

“Sure.”

As the ponytailed woman and the brawny man head towards their parked vehicle, I awkwardly stand in the middle of the foyer since all the seats nearby have been taken already. I continue to do so until I hear the running of heels and whoever is wearing them accidentally bumps into me. I fall down backwards; my face being covered by one of the many papers that have been strewn across the foyer.

“Oh no! I'm sorry! I’m in a hurry that I didn't see you, miss!”

A familiar voice has me immediately take off the paper from my face. I see a familiar face with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes even though she's wearing dangling diamond earrings now.

“Sun…hee?” I cautiously call out her name as if she's a high-ranked Slayer when it's her older brother being the actual one.

“How do you…,” Sun-hee pauses as she stares at me with her eyes scanning from my head to toe. “Do I know you?,” she asks with a still confused look though it makes sense due to my changed physical appearance, especially my hairstyle.

“I know my hair has changed from the last time we met at that hospital.”

“Hospital?... No way! Is that you, Joo-yeon? You look better now. In fact, you look more charming!”

“I think you're the charming one, Sun-hee.”

“You're too modest, Joo-yeon. It's good to see you though I would've preferred if we didn't meet like this, and that I'm in a hurry to send these records to Slayer Lee.”

“Oh…then, I better help you get the other papers that flew over there.”

“Thanks and I'm sorry once again, Joo-yeon.”

“No worries, Sun-hee.”

I swiftly pick up every single paper I can find around me until one of them catches my eye. It's a male Slayer's profile record and below his profile photo is the description of his whereabouts until his disappearance this past spring. But it's not his face that has me looking a bit horrified. It's the weapon he's holding in a group photo of his raid team - a war hammer.

“Ms Chun, there you are! I'm sorry I'm late!”

A young woman's voice has snapped me out of my frozen daze in that group photo. I look up to see a neck-length black-haired woman with blackish-brown eyes running and stopping right next to Sun-hee. She looks surprised with the huge amount of papers scattered across the foyer’s spot we’re squatting at.

“That Lee Hong-ran…she can't treat you like this just because your brother…”

“It's okay, Ye-rin. I'm sure she has a good reason for asking this many records. After all , it's my job as an admin assistant here.”

“But still…this is too much for you to handle all by yourself! Let me help, Ms Chun!”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Thanks, Ye-rin. I appreciate it.”

With the help of Sun-hee’s junior, the three of us manage to gather into two stacks within a minute. We all breathe a sigh of relief. Then, Sun-hee and her junior, Ye-rin each take the stack of papers. Sun-hee turns to me while still exuding a friendly smile at me.

“I hope we'll meet again, Joo-yeon. I want to get to know each other properly, and treat you to a nice meal.”

“I hope so too, Sun-hee.”

“Bye, Joo-yeon. Hope to see you soon.”

As I wave my goodbyes to both of them holding the huge stack of papers in their hands, I hear my raid members coming back to get me. Shortly after, I notice that behind them is the same policeman coming through the sliding door entrance. He looks beaten up badly and his right arm is bleeding. His battered condition has made some people nearby tend to him, including a healer-type Slayer who proceeds to heal his wounded arm.

As much as I'm shocked over seeing him like that, I keep a straight face, albeit my mouth is gaping a little, in the presence of my raid members. Something's off as the policeman looked unharmed before they went to talk to him. And yet, I can't back off because I really need the income of ten million from this temporary porter job by today. Alas, I get into the truck’s left seat with the man driving me and the ponytailed woman to their assigned Labyrinth.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Everyone, this is Kang Joo-yeon. She'll be taking over for a teammate who is unavailable at the moment.”

“Ma’am, I don't wanna be rude, but it would've been better if you chose another D-rank Slayer.”

“Hey! Knock it off, will you? Don't you feel pity for this girl here? I'm sure she needs the money like the rest of us here.”

“Oh! I forgot I'm saying it out loud! Sorry…”

I’m at the D-rank Labyrinth’s gate with three other male Slayers, whom all of them are unsurprisingly D-rank and of the fighter class. Judging by their battle outfits, two of them are of the archer subclass. The third one is dressed in a brown cloak and a grimoire, which is common for a wizard subclass to have.

I've heard grimoires are always made by a Slayer of the alchemist subclass, whom can comprehend foreign languages written in some Labyrinths while mixing mana-fused ingredients randomly found in Labyrinths. Of course cardboards and papers from our world are included that let mana-controlled images and words be formed on them.

“Can we go in now?”, one of the Slayers asks while he fidgets his crossbow.

“Our boss hasn't arrived yet,” the ponytailed woman explains with a smile on her face. “Same goes for another Slayer.”

“I get that she has personal business to take care of, but you can't be lenient to her, Noona,” her male partner replies with an upsetting tone. “I wonder if that girl ever really feels bad about being late. I mean being awakened as an inquisitor is no big deal, you know.”

Inquisitor? It can't be…

“Hey, sir! I'm here already, okay?”

Hearing another familiar voice has me turn around to see another familiar face today. It’s Slayer Ban. She's dressed almost similar to me; her outfit's color consists of a pink-and-white striped jacket, gray shirt, black skirt and blue leggings. She looks fashionable with her tomboyish good looks, especially her right eye’s beauty mark. I’m certain if she ever meets Ga-young, both of them will get along.

I don't know if it's me, but I feel more tension in meeting her again even though we barely interact with each other in some of the previous raids we were coincidentally chosen in. It's possible that she chose to look down at me indirectly after having been mocked for her inquisitor status. As proof, she's giving me a doubtful glare at me even though I never badmouth her and the subclass she's been bestowed upon. Alas, I sigh heavily and decide to let bygones be bygones, but without the need to reconcile with her as I've got no reason to do so.

“Why are you here, Healer Kang?”

Oh great…I just give short replies and be on my way.

“Just like you, Ban. For the money.”

“That's not…Ha…I mean…you do realize the Labyrinth we're about to enter is a…”

“D-rank. Yes, I know, so just worry about yourself instead of a porter who's an F-rank.”

“Porter…? You? I can see you're a bit more muscular than the last time I saw you but…”

“Hello, everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

All of us turn to see who's talking. It turns out to be a man who looks around fifty-five years old with several grays in his black hair. I conclude that he's the leader of this raid judging by the way he's dressed in an all-gray luxurious suit and four more people following behind me. Those four people look like his henchmen though the other Slayers believe they're his bodyguards.

“Welcome, Mr Seo Tae-ho,” the ponytailed woman bows down while she addresses the middle-aged man’s name.

“So, this is all the recruits that applied for us, right?” Mr Seo asks with his hands on his hips; his smile exudes a charismatic aura.

“Yes, Mr Seo. Oh…Except this young lady over here,” the male partner takes over the explanation of my presence here. “One of the applicants was unavailable at the last minute. Coincidentally, we met her at the park this morning.”

“I see,” Mr Seo replies while nodding his head. “But don't you think the bandwagon would be too heavy for her to pull…”

“I can assure you that I’m capable of pulling a bandwagon, Mr Seo,” I reply confidently.

Mr Seo laughs heartily at my instant reply that would've been seen as an offense when interrupting an elderly man’s sentence.

“That's quite bold for a low-ranking Slayer to be saying that! I like you, Ms…”

“Kang Joo-yeon, Mr Seo.”

“Then, Slayer Kang, let's work well together! The rest of you too~ let's clear this raid with success.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Mr Seo gives some more explanations to the rest of the Slayers, including Slayer Ban, I suddenly can hear someone's voice in my head. Just when I think the voice belongs to the unknown man from the Painting Labyrinth, I'm taken aback that the voice sounds like Old Man Amergin before I resign myself to a nonchalant attitude.

“Kang Joo-yeon, don't go inside that Labyrinth.”

“You’re…Ha…I didn't know you could use telepathy from such a distance. And may I know why?”

“You're gonna regret going inside…”

“Listen, old man. If I don't, then will you give me the money I need tomorrow?”

“That's…”

“See? I've to finish this one-time job that gives me the ten million I must have to pay my uncle’s debt. Even half of it would finally stop the loanshark bastard from seeing my family..”

“You don't understand. That Labyrinth isn't child's play. Plus, you mustn't rely on your luck forever.”

Right then, I hear the Guideline’s notification pop-up sound, showing up in front of my eyes. My eyes widen at its messages, but somehow a smirk forms on my face for I feel like making a comeback at the old man whose voice is still in my head.

“You're in luck to find out you're right.”

“Huh? What do you…”

“I'm not gonna use my luck today, old man.”

[You have earned the ‘Wisdom’ stat.]

[However, your current rank forbids you to have six stats in your profile.]

[If you need the ‘Wisdom’ stat now, please transfer one of your current stats to someone as a temporary storage.]

“Kang Joo-yeon, I really don't want you…ugh..”

“Hey…old man? Are you alright? Hello?”

The “telepathic phone call” has been abruptly hung up. I feel a bit worried hearing his grunt for it sounds like he's feeling some painful wound.

“Is everyone ready?”

My mind’s attention is shifted to the voice of Mr Seo and the sound of his clapped hands. I can see his assistants are all geared up despite them being actually Nons for I don't feel any mana output coming from their physiques. Regardless, every one of us here departs, walking through this D-rank Labyrinth’s gate. And I decide which stat I wanna put away and which person I wanna use as my temporary storage.

[Transfer ‘Luck’ stat to Slayer Ban Ha-na.]

[...]

[Your request to transfer is completed.]

[...]

[The renewed Guideline has implemented the ‘Wisdom’ stat into Participant Kang Joo-yeon.]

[Stats of Kang Joo-yeon]

[Agility: 60]

[Vitality: 60]

[Endurance: 60]

[Strength: 60]

[Wisdom: 0]

[Available points from completing the daily task: 32]