Journey to the labyrinth was an adventure in itself.
After going out I had realized a tough truth.
Where the fuck was money?
I had taken my wallet before coming out, but after looking inside I only found 5 10 Sol notes inside.
If you compare it to dollars, it may be just 50$!
It wasn't a low amount, of course, but I doubted that it could let me buy any decent hunting equipment.
The guns and hi-tech weapons were hella costly and frankly useless, as they caused a severe lack in exp drop.
It wasn't even a worldly debuff that I could reverse, it was simply the norm.
Unless you hunt the monsters with your own effort, like cold weapons or bare fists, you will suffer a high difficulty in leveling up.
In addition, even if I wanted to play a long and safe game of hunting using advanced weaponry, I was too broke to afford it.
I didn't know my card or bank account's pin either, so that method was out of reach as well.
But well, since I was outside anyway, I might as well roam around and explore even if I had to delay my leveling plans.
So, I planted a smile on my face and stood on the side of the road, extending my right hand with a thumbs up.
Obviously, asking for a lift.
I was hoping my reverse Earthly logic would keep working, as I have rarely seen any pretty woman go helpless if she wanted help.
Now I wasn't calling myself a pretty woman, but a handsome man of this world was the same as being a pretty woman on Earth.
And soon enough, a woman stopped near me.
She was driving a sleek sedan car that looked classy enough to be considered above average.
She herself wasn't that bad looking either, just a little below my preference level.
But I wasn't here for looks, I was here for a free ride to the labyrinth.
"Hi…" I flashed her a smile, "I wanted to go to the labyrinth, can I hitch a ride if you're going anywhere nearby?"
"Of course!" the woman nodded excitedly, "I was going to the labyrinth too actually, I can take you there."
"Oh really? Thanks a lot!" I gave her another bright smile, which seemed to please her as she stepped on the gas.
The journey was quite smooth, as being quite an excited personality, the woman was naturally quite chatty in behaviour.
I asked her about why she was going to the labyrinth, and she made some excuses that she had a meeting with her friends in a cafe nearby.
I knew it was an excuse because I was also experienced with this kind of shit, so I could only sigh inwardly in pity for her.
She was just burning her time, and petrol or energy– whatever this car ran on– for no gain.
I had no interest in her, so I could only hope that I can serve as a good example for her to stop simping on men and putting them above herself.
But what she did wasn't my concern to be honest, selfish or not, this was how life worked.
And as a living, breathing human, I could only go with the flow.
Sometimes you need to be selfish, and sometimes you can be kind. It depended a lot on circumstances, and somewhat on the mindset too.
And regretfully for this girl, my mindset was a little selfish.
I kept my thoughts hidden as I replied politely to her every attempt at starting a conversation.
The labyrinth was quite a decent drive away, as it took us nearly 20-25 minutes to reach there, considering the fact that there was very low traffic on the way.
She offered to buy me a coffee on the way or if I wanted to eat something, but I just smiled and told her that I was running a little late.
She asked if we could have it some other time and I said sure.
"Thanks a lot Ida, take care!" I smiled as I got out of her car, near the labyrinth.
She was sure a sweetheart as she even paid a small toll of 10 Sol to take the car inside the labyrinth's parking area, despite me insisting that it wasn't necessary.
I felt a little guilty when I watched her car drive straight out of the parking area, as she had no business with the labyrinth, unlike what she claimed.
'I will just reply nicely to her when she texts, I guess.' I sigh, shrugging my shoulders as I walk towards the labyrinth.
Unlike my over-the-top expectations of it being straight out of fantasy, the labyrinth's entrance was… a subway station.
Naturally, it wasn't actually a subway station, but it sure looked like one.
It was a simple staircase down into a shade of darkness, which blocked every vision from peering whatever that was inside.
To know what was inside, one needed to enter it.
But I was too underprepared to tackle it, as after reading through some blogs about Snombi Labyrinth, I realized that I can actually die on the mere 1st floor.
There were only 3 routes open for me if I wanted to level up to 5.
1st - Sugar Mommy route.
I can beg Claire to hard carry my weak ass. Easiest option.
Though I was doubtful how long it would take.
2nd - Rambo route.
Go full rambo with the motto of YOLO, or in other words, basically going solo after buying what I can for 50 Sols.
3rd - Extrovert's route.
Talk my way into an existing party or something, and get carried that way.
Unlike my sugar mommy route that was much safer, this route was faster.
I can begin searching for the parties, as I can already see them.
And despite noticing 3 routes, there was only a single realistic one for me.
Even though I was acting cheap and douchy, I would still like to believe that I had some sort of self-respect left within myself.
Keeping that in mind, I had no intention of begging and requesting Claire for this task.
After all, she just scolded me for it half an hour ago.
Thus, the plan was set.
I needed to find a party, and I think I already have one in sight~