As the system prompt echoed—
A series of glowing screens unfolded before Chishiya Shuntaro.
[Labyrinth is upgrading…]
[A large number of B-grade Magic Crystals and a small number of A-grade Magic Crystals have spawned below the fifth underground floor.]
[All herbs upgraded in tier. Effects increased by an additional 30%.]
[With increased magical power, certain monsters in the depths have evolved.]
[Labyrinth Ants have evolved into a superior species: Armored Army Ants.]
[The Ant Queen has evolved into a quasi-Demon Lord-level monster. Entire colony now possesses mimicry abilities.]
[Remaining monsters have been enhanced…]
[Murlocs have evolved into advanced monsters: Murloc Priests, Murloc Chieftains, Murloc Warriors…]
[Undead have evolved into higher forms: Skeleton Mages, Skeletal Horses, Skeleton Warriors…]
Chishiya raised a brow.
One Labyrinth upgrade, and now even the Ant Queen was at quasi–Demon Lord level?
A monster at that level could flatten an entire city.
This was a major boost to the company's defensive assets.
[Labyrinth Level 2 Upgrade Complete. New feature unlocked: Voice Transmission Network.]
"Voice Transmission Network? What the hell is that?"
[Voice Transmission Network: The host may now communicate with core employees remotely at any time.]
Now that was useful.
No more running around just to micromanage. He could check in without lifting his butt off a chair.
Truly, the ultimate management tool for any black-hearted company CEO.
Time to try it out.
Chishiya cleared his throat and tapped Vanir's portrait on the panel.
"Vanir-san, can you hear me?"
—
Somewhere in a southern kingdom…
Vanir, who was casually chatting with a bartender, suddenly froze.
Chishiya's voice echoed in his mind.
"Vanir-san?"
Chishiya repeated.
Vanir: ???
This time, he heard it clearly. It really was him!
Vanir excused himself and stepped into a quiet corner.
"How the hell are you talking in my head?"
Chishiya blinked.
It actually worked?
His lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
"Vanir-san, how's the progress on securing new sales channels?"
"I've already opened up Axel's market. You need to pick up the pace on your end."
Vanir twitched.
"You're contacting me just to rush production?"
"Tsk, I'm just checking in."
Vanir sighed. "Don't bother lying. I can smell the desperation."
"I never thought I'd see the day when someone could boss me around…"
Chishiya cut in. "So? What's the status?"
The reason he was pressing—
Summer was ending in about two months.
More importantly, Axel's consumer market was clearly plateauing.
Last time, during the big product push—
Even though he had prepared an entire inventory of bestsellers, profits barely hit 30 million Eris.
Axel was still a starter city, after all.
There was only so much spending power available.
No matter how great the product, they had hit the ceiling.
Which meant branching out to new regions was essential.
But time was running out.
Once summer ended, air conditioners would stop being a hot item.
Vanir's laughter came through the line.
"I'm not that useless shopkeeper."
"I've already got sales handled."
Chishiya's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Vanir replied, "We're in a small southern kingdom right now."
"The king owed me a favor."
"After I showed him your products, he was very interested. The temperature here is scorching year-round."
"We reached a deal. He placed an initial order of 500 units."
"If they perform well, there'll be a larger follow-up order."
Chishiya was stunned.
500 units?!
That was huge!
He'd worn himself out for days to push under 200 units in Axel.
Vanir had casually secured five hundred with a single deal.
That was easily a 100 million Eris contract!
Chishiya suppressed the glee bubbling in his chest.
"When will you be back?"
"I left 40 million Eris with Wiz as an investment."
"You'll handle the mass production."
Vanir raised an eyebrow.
"You made up for the losses in just a few days... and even profited 40 million?"
"Not bad."
Vanir's curiosity toward Chishiya deepened.
Then he suddenly paused.
"Wait…"
"Who did you say you gave the money to?"
"Wiz? Why?"
Vanir's tone turned frantic.
"WHAT?!"
"You gave the money... to that hopeless shopkeeper?!"
"Are you insane?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"
"Give her money and you'll go bankrupt!"
"WAIT. I'M COMING BACK IMMEDIATELY!!!"
—
The voice cut off.
Back in the Labyrinth, Chishiya had already reached the entrance of the old wooden shack.
Just as he was about to enter.
He stopped dead.
"What… the hell?"
Before him stood a four-story classical villa.
Its manicured courtyard bloomed with flowers.
It looked like something a noble lord would live in.
Way bigger than the previous cabin.
"Welcome back, Master."
Chishiya turned.
The Ant Queen had appeared behind him.
Something about her felt... different.
Stronger. More refined.
Probably a side effect of the Labyrinth upgrade.
She had evolved too.
"Master, the mansion you requested has been completed."
"It's a bit crude. Please forgive us."
Crude?
Was her sense of simplicity broken?
Chishiya stared at the "modest home" before him.
How the hell was he supposed to live in a place this massive—alone?
He thought for a moment.
"Let's have Megumin, Rim, and the others move in too."
The Ant Queen nodded.
"Lady Megumin and Lady Rim have already moved in."
Chishiya: "Huh. They work fast."
"Then you should move in too."
The Ant Queen blinked.
"Me?"
"Yeah." Chishiya nodded. "It's more fun with more people around."
(And frankly, she was great for eye candy.)
The Ant Queen dropped to one knee.
"Thank you, Master!"
Chishiya waved it off and stepped inside.
"Finally, time to redeem that teleportation anchor."
[Teleportation Anchor: Price – 50,000 Reputation Points]
[Confirm purchase?]
[Note: Purchasing this item will cause the Labyrinth world to merge with the Konosuba world. Proceed with caution.]
Chishiya already understood what this meant.
The anchor would create a portal between the two worlds.
Merging them into one.
Like popping the membrane between two soap bubbles and fusing them.
"Confirm."
[Purchase complete.]
[World is merging...]
BOOM BOOM
The Labyrinth began to shake.
So did the Konosuba world.
From the sky, one could see a new landmass appearing next to the Suqing continent.
It slid into place like a puzzle piece.
The tremors lasted ten minutes before finally stopping.
[World Fusion Complete]
[Optimal merge location has been selected via big data.]
[Location: Crimson Demon Village, 10 km away]
Chishiya: "???"
Wait, what?
Crimson Demon Village?
You mean the one crawling with female orcs and high-level monsters?
Where even horse-drawn carriages can't reach?
Chishiya rubbed his temples in frustration.
Sure, he had start-up funds.
And the Labyrinth's core infrastructure was coming together.
But—
They were short on reception staff.
Short on facilities.
Short on everything.
And he couldn't just hire random nobodies.
He needed people on the same wavelength.
People he could trust.
Chishiya laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
Still, if it was near the Crimson Demon Village…
Maybe he should visit that girl's parents sometime.
(To be continued.)
***
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