Chapter 198; I Am Not the Ancient Labyrinth
The moment I purchased the highest-grade invitation ticket,
a new assistant appeared on my broadcast.
【000】─(。O ⩊ O。)
It wasn’t one of the existing assistants playing a prank.
The assistant list still displayed all the original members.
"Excuse me. Who are you?"
【000】─|⩊･)ﾉ⁾⁾
【Mysticism】─🧐
"…They don’t seem to have any intention of answering."
【Rizenova】─It seems that way.
【Bubble Bubble】─Maybe they want to keep their identity a secret.
【Pururu】─Is it someone like Mysti? That’d be a concept clash.
【Yumi】─It’s like Somang No. 2 has appeared.
【Luna-chan】─Maybe they just don’t know how to write.
【Hwang Mir】─That’s impossible.
It was a situation I was quite familiar with.
Mysti had been exactly like this before.
Back then, she hid her identity and only used emoticons.
Since this was my second time experiencing it, I understood and accepted it much faster.
It didn’t even feel as frustrating as it had with Mysti.
"Since they became an assistant through the highest-grade invitation ticket, they probably aren’t just an ordinary person… But if they don’t want to reveal their identity, there’s nothing we can do about it."
【Pururu】─Eventually, they’ll reveal their identity naturally, just like Mysti did.
【Mysticism】─🤭
【000】─( •́ ▾ •̀ )
【Mysticism】─😠
【000】─ᕙ( ︡’︡益’︠)ง
【Bubble Bubble】─Why are these two suddenly mad at each other?
【Luna-chan】─Maybe because their concepts overlap.
This time, it could’ve been someone I had absolutely no connection to.
Usually, the invitation targeted people I knew.
But sometimes, even just a passing connection was enough for an invitation.
Especially since this was a highest-grade invitation ticket.
Instead of someone from Earth or Elemencia with even a slight connection to me, it was more likely that someone simply beneficial to me had been selected.
【Hwang Mir】─Then why is their rank Trinity?
"I'm not sure, but it’s probably because of the highest-grade invitation ticket."
【Rizenova】─So assistants who join through the highest-grade invitation ticket receive such privileges?
【Hwang Mir】─Wow. Some of us had to spend a fortune to reach that rank.
【Hwang Mir】─This is discrimination!
【000】─‹^› ‹(•_•)› ‹^›
【Hwang Mir】─?
【Hwang Mir】─Did you just flip me off? ㅡㅡ
【Pururu】─If you’re jealous, you should’ve gotten a highest-grade invitation ticket too. lol
【000】─ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)
【Hwang Mir】─Hmph.
Anyway, the new assistant’s number was 000.
Setting aside their identity, the number itself was odd.
Pururu, the first assistant, was 001.
Sage Lunaris, the most recent assistant, was 007.
So logically, this new assistant should’ve been assigned 008.
"More importantly, why is their number 000?"
【Pururu】─Yeah, that’s been bothering me too.
【Mysticism】─🤔
【Luna-chan】─Maybe they set their nickname in advance?
【Bubble Bubble】─Isn’t that impossible at first? You enter the broadcast immediately upon being invited.
【Rizenova】─That 000 doesn’t seem to be a nickname but an assistant number assigned from the start.
【Yumi】─Yeah, when they joined, it even displayed 'Unknown.'
【Hwang Mir】─Isn’t this another effect of the highest-grade invitation ticket?
【Hwang Mir】─If only one highest-grade invitation ticket can be used, then assigning them 000 isn’t that strange. Their rank was maxed out, so pulling their assistant number to the top isn’t a big deal either.
"Now that you mention it, that does make sense."
I decided to just think of it that way.
Assistant numbers weren’t all that important anyway, so there was no need to dwell on it.
【Pururu】─Hmm.
【Pururu】─It’s annoying that my first-place rank was stolen.
【000】─◑.◑
【Pururu】─You seem dumb, so I’ll let it slide just this once.
【000】─( φ_<)r︻╦╤─ - - -
【Pururu】─Don’t shoot, you little sh*t.
【000】─( φ_<)r︻╦╤─
【Pururu】─And don’t even aim at me, you little sh*t.
I wasn’t sure if this 000 assistant would be useful to me.
But regardless, I had gotten an assistant for just 1 coin, so there was no loss at all.
It was practically a free addition.
"Anyway. Lulu, I’ll leave the explanations to you."
【Pururu】─Explanations?
"There’s a lot to explain, like my current situation and the Ancient Labyrinth."
【Pururu】─Oh.
【Pururu】─Okay, okay, leave it to me.
【Yumi】─You accept the explanation role without complaining now.
【Pururu】─Ahem. I’ll explain just this once, so listen carefully. Everything I’m about to say is 100% true. There will be a lot of unbelievable things, but don’t question it. Just accept it. If you doubt me, I’ll break your skull.
【Pururu】─Okay?
【000】─Pururu, explanations are unnecessary.
【Pururu】─?
【Mysticism】─😮
【Bubble Bubble】─Huh?
【Hwang Mir】─Oh?
【Luna-chan】─They spoke?
【Yumi】─So they do know how to read and write.
【Rizenova】─That was sooner than expected.
【000】─Gauntlet, I am already aware of your situation.
【000】─I also know about the Ancient Labyrinth.
"How do you know that? And wait—how do you even know my name? Did I tell you?"
【Pururu】─Nope, you never mentioned it.
【Yumi】─Not only did you never say your first name, but you also never revealed your second name.
【Rizenova】─Since 000 joined, the name "Gauntlet" has never been mentioned even once.
【Bubble Bubble】─What the? Then how do they know?
【Mysticism】─😨 Who is this person? They’re scary.
【Luna-chan】─They might not even be human…
【000】─Of course, I know this information.
【000】─It’s all thanks to the highest-grade invitation ticket.
【000】─I obtained the information first, then became an assistant.
"You showed up the moment I bought the highest-grade invitation ticket. There was no time for you to gather information."
【000】─I received the information quickly.
【Pururu】─That doesn’t make sense. You little sh*t.
【Luna-chan】─Your health must have taken a hit from memory implantation.
"……."
【Hwang Mir】─Very suspicious.
【Pururu】─Isn’t 000 actually the Ancient Labyrinth? The Ancient Labyrinth was said to be a living being, so it could technically become an assistant.
【Pururu】─Knowing about the Ancient Labyrinth, knowing Gaunty’s second name, having the number 000, being a Trinity rank—there are way too many suspicious points. It actually makes more sense for them to be the Ancient Labyrinth than an ordinary person.
【Pururu】─The fact that an unseen highest-grade invitation ticket just happened to be available in the vending machine is also suspicious. Plus, it only cost 1 coin. All of this could have been the Ancient Labyrinth’s intention—to integrate itself into the assistant system naturally.
【Mysticism】─😮
【Bubble Bubble】─You're not drawing, are you? You’re surprisingly smart.
【Hwang Mir】─But the setup is too sloppy. At this point, isn’t it like they *want* to be found out?
【Yumi】─Why would the Ancient Labyrinth want to be an assistant to just some explorer?
【Rizenova】─Perhaps it took a liking to Gauntlet and decided to support him.
【Yumi】─Ah, now that you mention it, the affinity did increase, didn’t it? Then I guess it’s not entirely impossible?
【000】─^^;;;
【Hwang Mir】─Why are you sweating?
【Luna-chan】─This is seriously, seriously, seriously suspicious.
【Hwang Mir】─Fish stew.
【Bubble Bubble】─Could they really be the Ancient Labyrinth?
000 stopped chatting for a moment.
They’re not going to disappear now, are they?
Just as I started to worry, 000 sent another message.
【000】─If you keep suspecting me of being the Ancient Labyrinth, I will resign from my position as an assistant and leave.
This was practically a threat.
No, it *was* a threat.
"…No, I won’t doubt you. There’s no way you’re the Ancient Labyrinth."
【000】─Gauntlet, thank you.
To be honest, I was still suspicious.
I had a strong feeling that 000 *was* the Ancient Labyrinth, and that doubt hadn’t disappeared.
But I deliberately pretended to let it go.
If they really *were* the Ancient Labyrinth…
Losing them would be too great a loss.
Even losing an ordinary assistant would be regrettable, let alone a colossal assistant suspected to be the Ancient Labyrinth.
I didn’t know why they were hiding their identity while becoming my assistant, but for now, I decided to pretend I didn’t know.
【Rizenova】─Reacting so sensitively just to being suspected… that only makes them even more suspicious.
【Pururu】─Judging by that reaction, it’s obvious.
【Hwang Mir】─No doubt about it.
【Luna-chan】─No doubt? Are you talking about something dirty? No dirty talk allowed.
【Pururu】─It means there’s no way to deny it, you crazy b*tch. Are you possessed by a perverted demon or something?
【Mysticism】─😮 So the Ancient Labyrinth *really* became an assistant?!
【Bubble Bubble】─Seems like it.
【Bubble Bubble】─We don’t have solid proof, but the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
【Bubble Bubble】─But if 000 *really* is the Ancient Labyrinth, why hide their identity?
【Luna-chan】─Maybe they’re worried that Gauntlet and we might feel pressured? Or maybe they just want to observe us secretly.
【Yumi】─Or they might simply enjoy being suspected of being the Ancient Labyrinth.
【Yumi】─Anyway, let’s all just pretend we don’t know.
【Yumi】─If we keep suspecting them, they’ll run away.
【000】─( ｡ •̀ ⤙ •́ ｡ )
【000】─Assistants, I am *not* the Ancient Labyrinth.
【000】─Assistants, if you suspect me one more time, I will leave.
【Pururu】─Nope, no more suspicion. lol
【Mysticism】─🤭 Me neither!
【Hwang Mir】─000 is 000. Definitely *not* the Ancient Labyrinth.
【Luna-chan】─What’s an Ancient Labyrinth? Can you eat it?
【Rizenova】─000 is taking our words far too seriously. We were merely joking. Hoho.
【Bubble Bubble】─That’s right. There’s no way the Ancient Labyrinth became an assistant.
【Pururu】─Your speech pattern is weird.
【Pururu】─You can’t even act properly in chat, you little sh*t.
【Yumi】─Mr. 000.
【Yumi】─No one is doubting you anymore, so please don’t run away.
It seemed like the assistants had all agreed to play along.
For the first time, they were showing great teamwork.
【000】─Thank you.
【000】─Assistants, I look forward to working with you.
【000】─Gauntlet, I look forward to working with you.
"Yeah, let’s work well together."
【000】─Gauntlet, I will always be watching you.
【000】─(◐ω◑)
Well, officially, 000 *wasn’t* the Ancient Labyrinth.
【Bubble Bubble】─But seriously, you’re not the Ancient Labyrinth?
【000】─( φ_<)r︻╦╤─ - - - 💥!!!
『Assistant "Bubble Bubble" has been temporarily muted.』
『Time remaining until mute is lifted: 00:15:00.』