That Time I Got Reincarnated as an Underground Labyrinth Manager

Everything Eisen saw happening at the entrance of the Labyrinth could be traced back to Gobta—under Chishiya's instruction.

He was the first to start filming videos. Once one of them went viral, the trend exploded.

That's how the internet worked. The moment something became popular, the copycats arrived in droves.

Maybe that was bad news for content creators.

But for Chishiya—the man pulling strings behind the scenes—it was a gold mine.

Eisen turned and asked,

"Stark, what are they doing?"

"They're filming videos to upload to the forum," Stark explained.

"Forum? What's that?"

"Chishiya-san created a new use for projection magic."

As he spoke, Stark switched over to a projection panel.

He'd been dragged into filming by Gobta once before, so he more or less understood how it worked.

"Recently, Chishiya-san started a competition for high-quality bloggers."

"All these adventurers are filming content for that."

Eisen looked at the floating screen in front of him.

Video after video popped up.

The old man stared, eyes dazed.

He couldn't understand any of it.

After closing the projection, he followed Chishiya and the others into the reception hall.

Eisen glanced around.

The place was stunning—more extravagant than any royal palace he'd ever visited.

Then he froze.

His eyes landed on the reception desk.

There, a beautiful Oni receptionist was patiently explaining the rules to incoming adventurers and helping them register.

"Is this... for real?"

After a long pause, Eisen was in shock.

He'd heard about it from Frieren and the others, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

Here, monsters and humans really were coexisting peacefully.

Wasn't this the peace they had dreamed of?

After standing in a daze for a long time, Eisen slowly raised his head and looked at Chishiya's back.

Anyone capable of making this happen was not just some ordinary person.

Eisen knew very well—peace wasn't achieved through love.

It was achieved through power.

Absolute power.

Now he understood why Frieren had vouched for him.

To hold that kind of power and still stay true to yourself... that was rare.

People like Chishiya were indeed trustworthy.

Chishiya finished a quick conversation with the receptionist, then turned to the group.

"Stark, take your master around the Labyrinth."

"Take it easy for today. I'll prep your mana supply tomorrow."

Once Chishiya left, the group exchanged glances and scattered to explore.

---

Back in His Room

Chishiya opened his system panel.

[Notice!]

[Congratulations on recruiting core employee Eisen. Special room 'Gravity Training Room' unlocked.]

[Congratulations on recruiting core staff Heiter. Wonder 'Hagia Sophia' unlocked.]

[Congratulations on recruiting core employee Himmel. Wonder 'Valhalla' unlocked.]

Chishiya immediately clicked on Valhalla's details.

Could it really summon legendary human heroes from across time?

He was itching to see how it worked.

[Wonder: Hall of Valor]

[Faith empowers the spirits of heroes.]

[Spend Faith Points to summon Heroic Spirits.]

[Heroic Spirit Rarity: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary]

[Note: Level 1 Hall of Valor allows only one Heroic Spirit summon.]

So it used Faith Points to summon Heroic Spirits?

Chishiya paused.

This felt suspiciously like a gacha mechanic from World of Warcraft's hero base-building system.

And from the look of it, spirit strength depended on rarity.

But—he had the blessing of the Goddess of Luck.

Which meant, for him, this whole gacha mechanic was just for decoration.

He skimmed the rest and closed the panel.

Then pulled out two new Wonder blueprints.

Since summoning Heroic Spirits required Faith, he'd need to build Hagia Sophia first.

Start a religion. Grow followers. Accumulate belief.

"Lord of Wisdom, how long will construction take based on blueprint labor requirements?"

[Notice:]

[Calculating available idle workforce...]

[Notice:]

[Estimated construction time: 2 months]

The scale wasn't as massive as the Library of All Worlds.

And the Library provided even more absurd bonuses—learning efficiency, special skill growth, max magic capacity—just from completion.

Kaijin had said that one would take over a year to finish.

But now it was nearly done.

After thinking a bit more, Chishiya opened the system store and exchanged some of his Reputation Points for new Labyrinth ecosystems.

Glacier biomes. Snowy mountains. Deserts. Gobi regions. Rainforests. Floating islands…

He had plenty of Reputation Points for now, so he unlocked them all in one go.

Perfect for giving adventurers a more "immersive gameplay experience."

Finally, he looked at the special room unlocked from recruiting Eisen.

Gravity Training Room.

"Boosts explosive power and physical strength, huh?"

He'd thought the room would be filled with traps and mechanisms.

Didn't expect it to be an actual stat-boosting facility.

Adventurers would definitely be into that.

But…

This was practically made for Darkness.

Let her promote it.

She was probably the best fit.

…She also had the worst self-awareness among employees.

Yeah, it was time to give her a push.

---

Belzerg Kingdom – Royal Capital

Darkness wore a long noble dress, exuding dignified composure.

"Your Highness."

She bowed respectfully.

Iris nodded slightly.

She sat before a chessboard, chin resting on her palm, holding a piece in her hand.

"..."

Darkness paused.

It seemed Chishiya had really left a mental scar on Princess Iris...

From the side, Claire asked curiously.

"Lalatina, I heard you've started dating?"

"Is it with the Alderp family's adopted son?"

"Um…"

Darkness nodded, visibly troubled.

It was a blind date her father had arranged.

He had no respect for Alderp himself, but was fond of the adopted son for being a capable knight.

"Congratulations," Claire smiled.

She didn't know why Lalatina had acted so oddly in Axel before.

But in hindsight, maybe it had been a misunderstanding.

She was usually so reserved and proper. Now, on a blind date with a suitable partner, everything made sense.

"Sir Claire, was there something you needed from me?"

Darkness quickly changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about blind dates anymore.

"Right."

Claire glanced toward Iris, then pulled Darkness aside.

"You've seen it too. Her Highness has been like this since returning."

"She's been fixated on that chessboard day and night. It's like she's possessed."

"I wanted to ask… could you contact Chishiya and ask him to play another game with her? Just let her win one round."

Darkness looked at Iris.

"Didn't we plan to meet at her birthday party?"

Claire shook her head. "Her birthday isn't until September."

"But I'm seriously worried. She's clearly stuck in a spiral."

Darkness thought it over.

Let her win?

She couldn't imagine Chishiya going easy on anyone.

Still... looking at Iris now, maybe he was the only one who could snap her out of it.

Maybe it'd be best to have her visit Lapris instead.

Going out would be healthier than locking herself in all day.

She turned to Claire.

"I can contact Chishiya, but it'd be better if Her Highness visited him directly."

Darkness gave a short explanation about the Labyrinth's current status.

Claire froze.

"Lalatina... you mean that Labyrinth connects to another world?"

"And Chishiya manages that entire place?"

Darkness nodded. "I was shocked too."

"But honestly, it's hard to explain. You'll understand better when you see it."

There was too much for Claire to process.

The Labyrinth connected to other worlds?

Monsters and humans coexisting?

And Chishiya—of all people—was running the whole thing?

Just who was he?

A hero? A businessman? Something else entirely?

Claire was thoroughly baffled.

(To be continued.)