Even after Refreia disappeared, I remained dazed for a while.

　I had seen her.

　Someone who knew I used the Dark Spirit Arts.

　According to Grapeflew, there were no known users of the Dark Spirit Arts around here. If she, who had worked with various parties as a scout, said so, then it was likely true.

　This was such a fantastical world.

　Worst case, I might end up like a witch hunter.

（Damn it……what do I do……）

　No matter how I thought about it, there seemed to be nothing I could do.

　I could only trust that Refreia would keep my secret.

　Otherwise, I’d just have to live my life avoiding being seen.

　……Worst case, I could leave town, but I wanted to keep that as a last resort.

"Darkness Fog"

Once again, summoning the fog of darkness and hiding within it.

Sitting on the ground, I gazed at the spoils from this battle.

"A Chaos Spirit Stone...?"

This is the second time I've obtained one.

Unlike the single-colored spirit stones, this one is scattered with colorful glimmers, resembling glitter, much like an opal.

My "Create Undead" ability seems to require either a Chaos Spirit Stone or a Darkness Spirit Stone; thus, if I use this stone, I should be able to summon that mantis as an undead.

"Should I keep it in reserve..."

Knowing I have a trump card—something to break through a dire situation with a horde of dangerous monsters—gives me a sense of calm. I don't know if it'll work in the unknown third or fourth floors, but at least on the second floor, nothing stronger than that mantis exists.

It would probably fetch a high price if sold, but this time I've acquired a large quantity of Oak Spirit Stones. I should be able to get by for a while with these. I might even have enough left over to buy some equipment.

After spending some time idly, I crawled out of the labyrinth, nervously scanning for Refrea, afraid she might be hiding somewhere.

Since I hadn't stayed in the labyrinth too long today, it was still nighttime.

Returning to the inn, I pulled out the treasure I'd acquired before helping Refrea—the "Jewel-like( Orb)"—from my Shadow Bag.

According to Grapflue, it would materialize outside the labyrinth—

As I gazed at the gem placed on the table, thinking about this, the object began to twist and shift, transforming before my eyes, appearing at first like nothing more than a simple orange-colored glass ball.

After about ten or twenty seconds, it transformed into another shape, completing its metamorphosis.

(No way... This is exactly my type of thing...)

What emerged after the transformation was a pitch-black gauntlet.

The treasures obtained within the labyrinth seem to be gifts bestowed by the divine beast specifically toward individuals. In other words, whatever deity the beast might be, it had chosen this item as something "suited to me."

It's unbelievable, but now I understand why the divine beast would get furious if someone else tried to take it.

I wanted to keep as much of my skin hidden as possible, but gloves were too expensive, and gauntlets were absolutely beyond my budget—so I was genuinely happy.

Moreover, this pitch-black gauntlet was an exquisite piece, a fusion of multiple black metal plates and a leather glove; if I tried to buy one normally, I’d probably need a fortune in gold coins.

(Should I have it鉴定 too?)

It's a rare item, after all.

I spent one crystal to perform an item鉴定.

'Shadownight Gauntlets: A Gift from a Divine Beast. Crafted from special black metal and leather that does not reflect light. The metal produces no sound when clashing, making it ideal for stealth operations. Made from an extremely lightweight material, even someone weak can handle it like a regular leather glove.'

(So cool...!)

I quickly equipped them, and they fit perfectly, as if custom-made.

I see now why even a two-tier drop can yield something this good.

Probably, back in the day, treasure theft was rampant.

Whether the tales of the divine beast's wrath are superstition or truth, I can't say—but it's easy to imagine that anyone who finds treasure would attract envy.

I lay down on the bed still wearing my dark night gloves.

The only thing I worried about was whether Refreia would uncover my secret, but upon further thought, in a world with no photographs, it was unlikely she could easily trace me.

Even in the worst case, I could just leave town, which made me feel a bit lighter.

And it was a fact that I had saved her, the one who was supposed to be killed by the mantis.

Fighting and defeating monsters without hearing laughter or feeling stares also lifted my spirits.

And so, for the first time in a while, I was able to sleep peacefully.

◇◆◆◆◇

I woke up in the late morning, stretched my body, and opened the wooden window.

The room I'm renting is a cheap inn tucked away in an alley, and when I open the window, all I see across is a wall—definitely not a scenic view.

Still, it was enough to make me feel, every time, that I had arrived somewhere foreign, another world, somewhere not on Earth.

"Shadow Bag"

—as the name suggests, a pitch-black mouth opens within the shadows.

I reach inside and begin pulling out the items stored within, laying them out on the bed.

　

I'll eventually need to find out how shadow spirit magic is regarded in this world.

It might be treated as forbidden, and anyone caught using it could be sent straight to the guillotine—such a possibility isn't entirely out of the question.

After all, it's a medieval fantasy world. There's no guarantee something resembling a witch hunt won't happen.

If light is considered correct, then darkness must be incorrect—there's nothing surprising about people thinking that way.

"That said, leaving the city all at once is probably overly cautious."

From within the shadow bag emerged the silver moon sandgrass, the barrier stone, the chaotic spirit stone (Mantis), a short sword, a rope...

Nanami's album was left untouched inside.

As he laid out his belongings, he pondered his future strategy.

The fact that he had defeated the Mantis had boosted his confidence.

Judging from other exploration parties, whether or not a member could use spirit magic made a significant difference in difficulty.

Since dark spirit magic lacks offensive techniques, it would require careful tactics in battle—but depending on how it was used, it should be possible to fight monsters relatively safely.

　

"Only a short sword as a weapon. Maybe I can use a rope too... The chaotic spirit stone is my trump card... In the worst case, I still have one barrier stone."

My inventory itself originally had almost nothing, and weapons in particular were limited to just a few.

The glowing flower would definitely fetch a high price if sold, but it's probably an extremely rare item. I'd only sell it if I were truly ready to leave town. Honestly, I doubt I could get a fair price for it at that shady market—it doesn’t seem like they have much capital.

I’d already sold nearly all the gear I’d borrowed from the corpses of explorers.

I didn’t plan to fight myself, and I considered the possibility that I might repurpose the equipment later.

It would've been better to have a backup sword or two, but since weapons were the most valuable items to sell, I ended up keeping only the short sword I'd originally purchased.

The rope was something I'd exchanged for a crystal while sleeping on a tree during my walk through the forest. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, so it remained as fertilizer in my shadow bag.

"Creatures I can fight with a short sword... it'd be better to face them on the second floor than skeletons."

I had firmly decided to fight monsters.

After the battle with the mantis, I realized I hadn't felt any laughter or stares—perhaps I could manage just fine in the darkness? That hope had emerged.

I'd worried that viewership might drop again after the incident with Reflair, but surprisingly, there was no noticeable change.

At the very least, the situation where a billion people were watching me... had changed.

Perhaps my interest shifted toward other transmigrants living more enjoyable adventures or lives. Not everyone has the time to care about me, hidden away in the darkness.

(If viewers keep dwindling, I might just live as an ordinary person.)

The things I left behind on Earth—my parents, my two younger sisters—of course I thought about them, but I didn’t know what I could do about it.

Even now, opening my status board shows messages still piling up.

I can’t tell if they’re all insults.

Viewers are decreasing, after all—those who still watch might just be supporting me out of kindness.

But I lacked the courage to open it.

Unlike me, my two intelligent younger sisters—Serika and Karen—might have come up with a good idea.

But all I could think of was simply surviving.

A foreign country, an unfamiliar world.

No address, no identification documents—living like a rootless weed, using a cheap inn as a base.

At the very least, I must grow stronger.

That’s all I can do right now.