SIDE STORY 3
A world reached through the elevator.
The Kalzenia Dimension—Rajiks's homeland.
So that's why the pope asked if we'd really never been here before.
He must have inferred it after seeing Rajiks.
"This feels strange. To think our dimensional errand-runner once lived here."
"This young lady is quite pleased. Our main pillar has met his fellows—how could that not be joyful?"
"Rather than fellows, they'd be his descendants."
"Either way, can our dimensional errand-runner get married here?"
"He might become a father before Summoner Bong does."
That's a bit—
I should go first.
What must Rajiks be feeling?
No doubt it's emotional.
He's returned to the world where he was born and raised.
He might even be drowning in nostalgia.
But—
Rajiks is acting strange.
Unfocused eyes, short legs trembling nonstop, even gnawing on his own nails.
What's wrong with him?
Is he in shock?
"I think I know."
"You do?"
"He must be extremely anxious."
"… Why would he be anxious?"
"Have you forgotten the electronic errand-runner incident?"
Huh?
Electronic errand-runner… the robot vacuum?
"Why did Rajiks get so angry at the electronic errand-runner back then?"
"Ah!"
Now it makes sense.
He's feeling a sense of crisis.
Afraid that all those beastfolk of his own kind might become his competitors.
Oh dear.
Worrying for nothing.
Juhyeok sat down in front of the anxious Rajiks, met his eyes calmly, and spoke.
"Rajiks."
"… Ho, hoeng?"
"In the entire universe, there's only one person qualified to be a dimensional errand-runner—and that's you."
"Hue."
"You know it yourself. The number one summoned being. An unshakable position no one can touch. A legendary worker who surpassed Ressal."
Then—
"Hooooeeeeee—"
Rajiks's expression melted away.
His face relaxed.
He looked relieved.
"But Rajiks, you didn't know this was your hometown?"
"Hue?… Hoe, ah, ah."
This conversation isn't going smoothly.
Of course, Rajiks can talk—
But only brief expressions; long conversations are difficult.
At that, Gyeondallae spoke.
"This young lady has a method."
"How?"
"We can use talismans."
"Ah…"
As expected of our fairy princess.
"I shall use a Heart-Transmission Talisman. It allows mutual exchange of thoughts through the talisman's energy."
A talisman that conveys the mind.
One was attached to Rajiks, and one to Juhyeok and each summoned being.
"Dimensional errand-runner."
"Hoeng?"
"Is this truly the place you once lived? If so, please explain what kind of place it was."
Would communication work?
"… Hoeee."
Suddenly, what Rajiks wanted to convey surfaced in Juhyeok's mind.
It works.
Rajiks's memories—
In the past, labyrinths existed here.
And the labyrinths were Rajiks's true homeland.
He was originally a beastfolk race that lived inside labyrinths.
Then one day—
Human adventurers discovered the labyrinth for the first time.
That led to full-scale labyrinth development.
But labyrinths were dangerous places.
In the early stages, countless people died.
Even so, development did not stop.
Because the precious resources obtainable there stirred human greed.
The labyrinths were overflowing with treasure.
Gold, jewels, magical metals, herbs, magic stones—everything imaginable.
Not only that.
The resources here never ran out.
For example, the easily accessible underground levels one through ten.
These floors were inhabited only by weak slime monsters and shoddy traps.
The resources obtained there were merely low-grade magic stones or slime cores.
Yet they appeared endlessly.
Slimes and magic stones regenerated infinitely.
Go deeper?
The quality of magic stones improved, rare resources appeared, and far stronger monsters emerged.
The labyrinths were treasure vaults.
And so countless people gathered here.
"It's similar in structure to the Black Tower."
"Indeed. The labyrinths also appear to be touched by the authority of creation."
This was when the beastfolk who lived in the labyrinths encountered humans.
At first, they were regarded as labyrinth monsters.
Targets for extermination.
But humans soon discovered their usefulness—
their subspace ability.
Beastfolk could freely store and retrieve all items obtained within the labyrinth using their subspace.
The limitation was that only items from the labyrinth could be stored.
As a race born of the labyrinth, objects from outside would not enter.
"This is similar too."
"Our errand-runner was like that at first as well."
"When did Rajiks's subspace restriction get lifted—after the Sssal rank-up?"
"That's correct."
The beastfolk formed cooperative relationships with humans.
In exchange for payment, they worked as laborers assisting adventurers in the labyrinths.
Rajiks was no exception.
He was praised as a versatile, outstanding worker.
Then he died on the 93rd floor of the labyrinth.
That concluded Rajiks's heart-to-heart account.
"In any case, dimensional errand-runner."
"Hua?"
"You've returned in glory. A blue-collar laborer who once dug in the dark underground is now an errand-runner who commands dimensions."
"Hoeng!"
What had once been a mere labyrinth development village
had now grown into a massive metropolis.
Time passed, and the city changed greatly—
no wonder Rajiks couldn't recognize it.
Just like how Gangnam in Seoul, once mere rice fields in the 1960s,
is now a world-famous downtown district.
In any case, it was now certain—
this was Rajiks's homeland.
Let's just enjoy ourselves normally and leave.
Registering the White Tower System in Kalzenia had cost a fortune.
He had planned to loot as much as possible before leaving.
Dig the ground—top-grade magic stones.
Magical metals, rare herbs, gold—anything.
But his thinking changed.
This was the dimensional errand-runner's home.
Causing trouble here would smear Rajiks's name.
No incidents. Quietly—
But at that moment!
Degururururu!!!
A trembling furball came rolling ferociously toward Juhyeok's group.
"Oh!"
"Another friend has appeared."
"He's coming this way."
"Did he come to meet our dimensional errand-runner?"
"H-hue?"
Rajiks looked uncomfortable.
Why is he coming here?
Then—
Thud!
"… Hek?"
The furball slammed into Gobang's knee and stopped.
Gobang tilted his head slightly.
"Hm."
He grabbed the creature's body and lifted it up.
"Heeek? Hoheak?"
Meeting eyes at the same height, the beastfolk trembled like a leaf.
"He's the same race as Rajiks, but very skinny. Not chubby at all."
"His fur lacks luster—dry and coarse."
"He looks malnourished. Perhaps he lacks proper nutrition?"
"Hmm… there's a foul smell…"
Tsk tsk.
The beastfolk had suddenly become a spectacle.
Pity naturally arose.
"Please put him down. He looks startled."
Gobang nodded.
"My apologies, unnamed beastfolk. The warrior was rude."
He gently set him down.
Pop!
Degururu—
The beastfolk rolled away again, disappearing into a narrow alley.
"Does he have urgent business?"
"Could he be fleeing from someone…?"
"Maybe he needs to take a dump."
Meanwhile, Rajiks said nothing.
His expression looked complicated.
"All right, let's get started. What should we do first?"
"Our esteemed tour guide will tell us the schedule."
"Ah—um, sh-should we try entering a labyrinth?"
"That seems good. We can gather information as well."
"Let's not dig the ground for magic stones or anything like that."
"This young lady agrees. We should enjoy sightseeing at a leisurely pace."
Let's begin labyrinth tourism.
The schedule is set.
"Our simultaneous summon limit is now unlimited. Let's summon everyone and go."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"That would be very conspicuous."
"So what? It's only 355 people."
Just then—
Puhk!
With a loud impact—
Shoooot!
A furball flew through the air—
Bam!
Slamming into a building wall.
"Hokeeek!"
Oof.
That must have hurt.
It was the same beastfolk from before.
What's going on?
Did he crash on his own while rolling?
Or—
Suddenly!
"Kikikik!"
Three men emerged from the alley, laughing crudely.
One of them approached the staggering beastfolk pinned to the wall.
"You damn rat. With legs that short, where do you think you're running?"
Kick!
Degururu—thud!
"Nice pass!"
Like a soccer ball—
kicking him back and forth.
Puhk! Degururu! Puhk! Degururu! Puhk! Degururu!
"That was close. What if we'd lost him?"
"We're already short on workers as it is."
"You stupid rat, where do you think you can run in Mezpol?"
Puhk! Puhk!
Kicked, rolled, collapsed—trembling.
"Don't kick him too hard. He won't be able to work."
Juhyeok blinked.
He hadn't reacted in time.
It happened too suddenly.
The other summoned beings were the same.
Silent. Frozen.
Then—
"… Th-those bastards!"
"Despicable."
"The warrior will blow them apart."
"I'll bring back three heads before the liquor cools."
"Captain Veronica Caliber—target locked."
But the one who was most enraged was someone else.
"HUIIIIK!!!"
With a roar filled with rage—spot!
Taeng!Paenggeureureu!
Rajiks's body rebounded once in midair,
then flattened low to the ground and shot forward at high speed—
"R-rising fastball."
Rajiks's combat power ranked very low among veteran summoned beings.
Given his job, that was natural.
But that only applied inside the White Tower.
Outside?
How many people could possibly withstand Rajiks's Rolling Body Attack.
Ssswaaaaack!
Terrifying speed and momentum.
The punks who had been harassing the beastfolk froze in an instant.
They were watching with their own eyes, but there was absolutely no way to dodge it.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The punks struck by Rajiks's Rolling Body Attack were all launched skyward at once.
"Kkueeek!"
"Kek?"
"Aaaah!"
Three cushions.
Three people at once.
Then, as they fell—boom! boom! boom!
"Wow, that was instant."
"... Are they dead?"
"Nope. All three are twitching. Ain't dead yet."
"Seems our Rajiks eased up at the end."
"Tsk, too soft-hearted...."
"Compassion kicked in. Truly befitting a dimensional hired hand."
This was a bustling downtown street.
Drawn by the sudden spectacle, people stared at Rajiks with curious eyes.
Our Rajiks is strong, right?
Never seen a worker like that before, right?
He's a Hero who dominates dimensions.
And from Kalzenia, no less.
But it wasn't over yet.
With a sharp beep! sound—
"There!!!"
"Those guys did it!"
"Get them!"
A crowd surged forward.
All of them were holding swords or blunt weapons.
Even at a rough count, there were over twenty.
Are they all on the same side?
It looked like they had been chasing a beastfolk.
"Don't worry, sir. As your travel guide, I'll handle this."
Handling it wouldn't be difficult, but stirring up trouble would bring no benefit.
"Let's just leave the area.
However.
"Hoaahhhhhhat!"
Rajiks didn't retreat.
A declaration that he would never run.
"Looks like Rajiks wants to fight."
"Dimensional Great General mode activated."
"But we should help—"
"No. His momentum is unusual. No need to worry."
"X-rice idiots are swarming in. It's popcorn time."
Right.
A returned rogue hired hand never hides his strength.
And thus began Rajiks's one-man show.
Tang! Panggle!
A dazzling somersault.
Tang! Panggle! Tang! Panggle! Tang! Panggle!
"Hoek! Hoaahhat! Hurararatt!!!"
Pup-pup-thud! Pup-pup-pup-pup-thud! Pak! Thud!
It was unstoppable.
...
A white furball was dominating the battlefield.
Taaang!
One cushion, two cushion, three cushion, four cushion.
Every time Rajiks bounced in the air, someone went flying.
Applause burst out naturally.
Clapclapclapclapclapclapclapclap!
"So strong! The Dimensional Great General."
"If a hired hand fights this well, what are we supposed to live off?"
"He's at the level of the top ten masters of the martial world."
"That's right. They say a highly trained hired hand is no different from Old Man Gwangma."
"You bastard, dragging me in whenever you get the chance?"
"It's because you're easy. What happened to Kosak is largely your fault, old man."
"... Ghn."
Meanwhile, Rajiks's performance continued.
Is it getting wrapped up now?
'... But where did he go?'
The hamster beastfolk Rajiks had saved.
He was already gone.
Probably fled amid the chaos.
'Good, he escaped.'
I wonder if he was injured.
I should've given him a few healing potions.
Then!
Clackclackclackclack!
Someone else intervened.
Heavy infantry in full armor, advancing in formation.
They looked like an elite knight order.
"Mezpol Security Force, all units, form up!"
"Establish an encirclement and arrest everyone!"
"Don't let a single one escape!"
The military was mobilized.
Well, even sending Gobang alone could clean this up in under a minute.
But the security force is public authority.
Getting involved would just be a hassle.
"Let's withdraw."
"Yes, sir! You go ahead. I'll bring the dimensional hired hand along."
Spot! Spot! Spot!
Juhyeok and the summoned ones slipped out of the encirclement.
Glancing back, Rajiks and Kosak were following just fine.
Our Rajiks is admirable.
This kind of incident hardly even counts as an accident.
Rather, Rajiks jumping in was a stroke of luck for them.
If it had been Kosak—
The city would've bloomed with a garden of red ribboned heads.
'But how long do we have to keep running?'
Let's head somewhere with fewer people first.
Then look for a chance to reach the White Tower—
Suddenly!
"Hohe!"
A beastfolk suddenly appeared ahead, waving his hand.
'Huh?'
It was the same beastfolk from before.
"Hua, hua!"
Is he telling us to come this way?
'Let's go.'
Patpatpatpat!
Juhyeok moved to where the beastfolk had been.
But he was already gone.
All that was visible was a hole emitting a foul stench.
Probably a sewer.
And—
"Hoaahhh...."
An echo coming from inside the sewer.
'He wants us to go in there?'
Ugh, filthy.
Do we really need to go in there?
"Master Summoner."
"Yes?"
"As your travel guide, I'll offer one piece of advice."
"Go ahead."
"We must follow that beastfolk. Sewer entry is recommended."
Why?
"This is a cliché. It's a sign that the main scenario is about to begin."
There he goes again with clichés.
"Usually, continent-shaking quests start in big city sewers."
A quest, my ass.
"Please trust me. And rather than bland sightseeing, experiential tourism with rich storytelling is far more engaging."
That's tempting.
Alright.
Let's trust the guide.
At Kosak's signal, Gobang jumped into the hole first.
"It's safe. You can come down."
One by one, everyone followed into the sewer.
Everyone down?
Then—
"Huaahhh...."
That voice again, from ahead.
The group splashed forward in that direction.
They walked for quite a while.
There were forks here and there, but each time the beastfolk appeared and showed the way.
Before they knew it, they arrived at a wide cavern.
Torches burned brightly along the walls.
It felt like something was about to happen.
"No one's here? Hello?"
Before the words even finished—
Slish, slish, slish, slish.
Small figures emerged from all around the cavern.
"Hoaa....."
"Hut!"
"Huut!"
"Hea?"
They were beastfolk, aiming long wooden spears longer than their own bodies at the group.
There were quite a few of them.
'... Why are they holding spears?'
They're trembling like that.
It's pitiful to watch.
Severely emaciated beastfolk.
Some even showed signs of hair loss.
'Haah, have they been starving?'
Another peculiar thing.
Every beastfolk was wearing a red cloth headband.
There were words written on the red headbands.
In Kalzenia's common language.
I could read them.
Juhyeok and all the summoned ones could.
During negotiations for the White Tower system permit inside the elevator.
The god Kar granted us Kalzenia dimension language proficiency.
Additionally, the Summoner's unique trait.
The ability to share language with all summoned ones.
So I read the words on the headbands.
"... Mezpol Workers' Labor Liberation General Federation?"
"Workers? Liberation?"
"Is that Menochong?"
"Can you stop abbreviating everything? What the hell is Menochong?"
Meanwhile, one beastfolk slowly walked forward.
'Looks like the leader.'
We probably need to talk.
This time too, with full sincerity—
"Nice to meet you. I am Enix, chairman of the Mezpol Workers' Labor Liberation General Federation."
"...."
What?
This is scary.
Why is he so articulate?
Our Rajiks just goes hoe-hoe all the time.
"I apologize for gathering you in such a humble place after you saved our member. This is our home, so please understand."
He's eloquent, too.
"I knew it. This is a textbook main scenario quest, right?"
So it was true.
A secret organization operating in the sewers.
"But you said this is your home?"
"Ah, yes."
"In a filthy place like this?"
"Well, we have nowhere else to go, and we're being hunted."
"Why are you being hunted?"
"B-because we refused to be exploited without compensation."
"Exploited? Don't tell me you work for free? The workers?"
"... Yes."
Haah.
Who the hell dares—
Our workers.
Slish.
The dimensional hired hand Rajiks stepped forward.
His expression was solemn.
Silently, he turned his head, locking eyes with the sewer beastfolk one by one.
Then he puffed up his body and—
"Hoeeeeeeeeek!!!"
A roar that shook the entire sewer.
The beastfolk flinched.
Once more—
"Huaaaaaaaaaht!!!"
Eyes filled with firm resolve.
A powerful voice.
"Hoek!"
Then the beastfolk's expressions began to change.
As if they understood what Rajiks was trying to say.
They clenched their fists and thrust them powerfully into the air above their heads.
"Hoek!"
"Hoek!"
"Hoek!"
Even Enix, the well-spoken Menochong chairman, with bloodshot eyes—
"Hoek!"
What are they all saying?
"Isn't it a call to fight together?"
"Ah...."
"It's struggle. Our Rajiks has become a dimensional activist."
Thus began the liberation of the Mezpol workers.
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