A week passed in the blink of an eye.

As more and more merchant guilds partnered with Chishiya,

combined with the smooth trade routes and relentless promotion...

Everything unfolded exactly as he predicted.

Adventurers were pouring into Lapris by the day.

Now—

The entire street was bursting with excitement and noise.

Adventurers were chatting enthusiastically.

"I've been here two days already. It's way too comfortable! The food's good, the rooms are amazing, I don't wanna leave!"

"Right?! There's even a hot spring to soak in, and a weapon shop that'll clean and repair your gear!"

"Most importantly—there are Dryads in maid outfits!"

"Whoever said this Monster City was shady? It's actually heaven!"

It hadn't even been two weeks.

But the Labyrinth City had completely won over the hearts of countless adventurers.

None of them had ever received this level of hospitality anywhere else.

From top-tier equipment to everyday essentials like food and clothing, everything exceeded expectations.

There was even a strange illusion...

That spending money here felt worth it.

While everyone was chatting, a familiar voice echoed through the square from a floating communication orb.

It was the voice of the Dryad, Treyni.

"Welcome, adventurers, to the Labyrinth City—Lapris."

"The city's core structure, the Labyrinth Tower, will officially open today."

"All of you are cordially invited to join the grand opening ceremony."

"There will also be a lottery event, with chances to win rare equipment crafted by Dwarven artisans~."

With that—

At the press podium in front of the Labyrinth Tower, Treyni put down the small sound transmission bead and turned to Chishiya.

"Chishiya-sama, the announcement has been sent."

Chishiya nodded. "Mm. Good work."

This was the second function of the Central Sound Transmission Bead.

The first use was acting as a signal hub, connecting smaller communication beads.

The second was for broadcasting messages citywide.

"Labyrinth Tower, huh?"

Back in the plaza, everyone turned their gaze toward the massive building in the city's center.

"I saw it in the catalog. Apparently, it's even cooler inside than it looks outside."

"That tower's a serious goldmine."

"You can hunt monsters for rare drops, gather high-level magic crystals and rare herbs."

"Oh, and apparently there's a Succubus Café inside. Heh... I don't need to explain what that means."

"OHH?! Ohhh ohhhh!"

They all exchanged smirks, then surged toward the Labyrinth Tower like a stampede.

——————

Meanwhile—

On a side street, two men and one woman were looking around, wide-eyed.

They were the three otherworlders sent by Falmuth.

The guy in the middle had spiky hair. His name was Shogo. His ability was Berserker, which drastically increased his speed and strength in combat.

To his left stood a slim man with squinted eyes—Kyoya. His ability was All-Seeing Eye, which allowed him to perceive the world in slow motion, like bullet time.

And the short-haired girl on the right was named Kirara. Her ability was Bewilder, which let her manipulate the consciousness of others and sway public perception.

In the original novel, these three were the ones who directly caused Shion's death.

"Oi oi oi, this place is more advanced than Falmuth?!"

Shogo scowled, eyes filled with hostility.

"Why the hell are these monsters living better than we are?"

Kirara's voice was sharp and bitter. "This makes no sense! Why do they get to live in luxury?"

"Let it go, Kirara," Kyoya said with his usual fake smile. "We still have a job to do."

Still... this was seriously annoying.

Back when they first got summoned, they were treated like VIPs in Falmuth.

But this world was lacking.

No games. No entertainment. No luxury.

Even "the best treatment" was garbage compared to their original world.

They had already started planning to kill the old mage and take over the kingdom themselves.

Just then, Shogo growled.

"So this is the Monster City, huh?"

"Why don't we kill the leader and take over this place as our own base?"

Kyoya shrugged. "We could, but maybe don't jump the gun."

Shogo smirked. "We're not starting a war. We're just causing some chaos, right?"

Kirara added with a sneer, "Right. We still need to create a scene where the monsters are 'attacking' innocent humans."

Shogo's eyes gleamed.

"Let's go. Isn't the opening ceremony today? Perfect timing."

"If we ruin their event, their faces are gonna be priceless!"

"Hahaha!"

The three of them kept talking, getting more excited by the second.

——————

At the same time—

The venue for the Labyrinth Tower's grand opening was packed with adventurers.

Everywhere you looked, it was wall-to-wall people.

"Damn, this tower is huge!'"

"And the decorations? You sure this is a labyrinth? Looks more like some noble's mansion!"

The crowd murmured and buzzed in anticipation, eyes fixed on the elegant tower gate.

On the venue stage—

Chishiya stood front and center, with Shuna and Shion flanking him on the left and right.

In the VIP area behind them—

All core employees of Underground Labyrinth Enterprise were present, except Rimuru and Darkness.

Fern bowed politely to the crowd.

Beside him, Stark looked utterly worn out.

Hakurou's training was brutal.

Getting beaten to a pulp every day was basically the warm-up.

Still, it wasn't without benefits. His reflexes were definitely sharper now.

He had even started picking up Hakurou's breath-control technique.

Elsewhere in the VIP section—

Even Frieren had shown up, though only because Fern dragged her.

She was still holding her magic tome, barely paying attention to the crowd.

"Chishiya-san, are these all new recruits?"

Aqua tilted her head and eyed Frieren and the others curiously.

"Yeah," Chishiya replied with a nod.

"They'll be staying for a while."

"There are a lot of people today. I'll introduce everyone after the ceremony."

Gradually—

The number of adventurers in the plaza grew.

The entire audience was buzzing in anticipation.

Finally, it was time. Chishiya stepped forward.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Labyrinth City—Lapris."

"I'm the city's administrator, Chishiya Shuntaro."

The moment he finished speaking, chatter erupted in the audience.

"Huh? The leader of this place is human?"

"He looks young. And kinda hot?"

"Now it all makes sense. Of course humans know how to provide the best customer service!"

No one had expected it.

This prosperous, extravagant city was being run by someone who looked to be in his early 20s.

Most people their age hadn't even graduated from the "starter village."

Yet Chishiya had already become a "king."

The gap was wild.

At the back of the crowd—

Shogo's expression twisted. He clenched his teeth.

"You're kidding me. That guy's our age?!"

Then he glanced up at the stage.

Flanking Chishiya were women who were all top-tier beauties.

Why?!

Why does he get to be surrounded by this many playthings?!

He was stuck in Falmuth like a prisoner, and now this?

The jealousy inside him was ready to explode.

Of course—

What pissed him off most wasn't the maids or the status…

It was the fact that he, one of the "chosen ones" with special powers, was still being treated like a tool by Falmuth.

And this guy—Chishiya?

He got to live like a king without answering to anyone.

That kind of gap was simply…

Unforgivable.

(To be continued.)

***

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