Chapter 688
Labyrinth ‘Horizon’s Boundary’.
In the Tower of Trials, it was commonly known as the last point climbers could ever reach.
Because once you set foot inside, you could never leave again.
Even Great Hero-class explorers and some Divinities had discovered this place, but none were ever seen again.
‘I suffered through it too.’
Jinhyuk ran his tongue over his dry lips.
If you had to pick the most troublesome labyrinths below the 50th floor, this one would easily rank in the top three. It was a place overflowing with variables and gimmicks.
The entrance was manageable, but from the middle onward, a hellish difficulty awaited.
“Just looking at it, it feels ominous. So that book or whatever is in here?”
“That’s the most likely possibility.”
“So it’s not certain.”
“……Yeah.”
Pesis and 1Person2Chickens still hadn’t obtained the final clue.
To pinpoint the exact location, they had to wait for that moment to come—inside this place.
And there were a few things to resolve while they were here.
“Inside, stay alert and follow behind me. Touch anything carelessly and you’ll be in big trouble.”
Jinhyuk took the lead.
The others followed with uneasy faces.
[Entering the labyrinth.]
The view changed completely.
In an instant, everyone gasped.
……Dreamlike.
An alien yet beautiful landscape—unlike anything they had ever seen—was enough to loosen even the sharpest tension.
As they cautiously ventured deeper, living creatures began to appear one by one.
“Chirp?”
“Squeeeak.”
Colorful plants and animals they had never encountered before.
“Wow….”
“So cute.”
Alice and Teresa du Laurentia’s eyes sparkled.
Without thinking, they reached toward a fluffy rodent with soft fur.
“Wait—”
Before Jinhyuk could stop them, the rodent’s eyes turned purple.
CRAAACK!
A hook the size of a house burst out from its body.
Its cute appearance vanished. In the blink of an eye, it had become a hideous monster, drooling with countless teeth bared.
BOOOOM!
CLAAANG!
“Keuk!”
Chun Yoosung and Jinhyuk moved at once.
Their swords blocked the flying hook and knocked it aside.
“Kyaaaaak!”
“D-die!”
Teresa and Alice screamed and stumbled back.
They had fought all kinds of terrifying monsters, but it was the first time something cute had turned into a monster in an instant.
Fortunately, after its first attack was stopped, the rodent didn’t charge again. It scurried away.
“I told you to be careful.”
Jinhyuk let out a deep sigh.
It felt like he’d brought unruly children to the water’s edge.
“S-sorry, Jinhyuk.”
“Who would’ve thought that would happen? It shook my heart!”
Still, this might be better.
After tasting the bitter truth early, they’d be more careful from here on out.
Anyway….
‘If an intruder entered, there should be a reaction….’
Given the nature of labyrinths, there was usually a guardian watching over them. Yomaganto believed that too, which was why he wasn’t immediately destroying the layers.
Securing the Necronomicon was far more advantageous than destroying it.
Just then.
Hiss….
A faint presence brushed past nearby.
It was so subtle they would never have noticed if they hadn’t run into it several times before.
[Eye of Gluttony] activated.
Ding!
A status window for something hidden among the plants flashed before Jinhyuk’s eyes.
[Commonly known as Gardener]
Copy condition: An ancient Gardener who takes pride in his beautiful garden more than anyone else. If you ruin his perfect garden in an extraordinary way, you will be able to copy one of his Unique Holy Spears, Unique Abilities, and skills. (The type and proficiency of the abilities that can be copied will vary depending on the Gardener’s anger and despair.)
Since it hadn’t been fully identified yet, it didn’t show exactly what abilities it had.
‘But I know roughly what it is, so I can confirm the details later.’
Thump. Thump.
For the first time in a while, his heart raced with excitement.
A chance to obtain the ability of an ancient being.
Now that the ‘Gardener’ had appeared, the true value of this labyrinth would finally be revealed. At the same time, the time to proceed carefully was over.
To rattle the labyrinth’s gatekeeper, they needed to start a game full of provocation and deception.
⁕⁕⁕
At the same time, a fierce battle was unfolding where Pesis and 1Person2Chickens were.
CRASHCRASHCRASH!
Whoooosh… Skreeee!
“Shh!”
“Shhiek!”
Snakes and lizards made of fire flicked their tongues.
They were supposed to attack only after collecting the Necronomicon, but Oryx’s intervention had drastically changed the plan.
They were eliminating anything high-risk and ensuring the Necronomicon would never fall into the enemy’s hands.
“We’re almost there, but we’re stuck here…”
Pesis stamped his foot.
The altar was right in front of him.
Their goal was sealed inside.
They were one step away from getting their hands on the clue.
“Is there nothing we can do?”
“It’s not like I’m doing this because I enjoy it. Those snakes… are seriously annoying.”
1Person2Chickens clicked her tongue.
She was reversing fire attributes and individual characteristics with [System Manipulation], but there were too many of them, and they were too fast.
It wasn’t easy to deal with them one by one.
A blue light gathered in 1Person2Chickens’ hand.
“Kieeee!”
“Keee!”
Frost bloomed across the bodies of the flame-wreathed snakes.
A sudden temperature reversal.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The snakes within range couldn’t withstand it and exploded.
It took out about ten.
But dozens of times more still remained.
[Overload due to excessive use of abilities.]
Even for an Operator, manipulating the system carried massive backlash.
Throb! Throb!
Cold sweat slid down 1Person2Chickens’ cheek.
“What’s even more annoying is we’re not the top priority. Hah. Daring to do other things right in front of me.”
As she said, most of the snakes had gathered around the altar.
Fwoooosh!
Flames spewed from their mouths.
The heat engulfed the jar on the altar, yet not even a scorch mark appeared on its surface.
The only good thing was that they didn’t know how to break the seal on the altar.
Pesis bit his lip.
‘I have to hurry.’
Even now, his comrades were fighting, believing he would complete the mission.
They had entrusted him with the most important task.
He couldn’t be stopped here.
“I can draw their attention all at once. In that opening, break the seal on the altar and send the clue to Kang Jinhyuk.”
“……What? Alone? No matter what, that’s too dangerous.”
“There’s no choice. Someone has to do it, and if you’re struggling, 1Person2Chickens, then I have to move.”
Pesis pulled an old wooden flute and a pair of leaf shoes from his Subspace. A small dagger and various pieces of equipment appeared one by one.
“You’re serious.”
“Haha. I should be useful too.”
The risk was enormous.
He might even have to stake his life.
Even so, there were things that had to be done.
[Sacred Relic ‘Great Climber’s Exploration Set’ is activated.]
[Due to the set effect, all stats increase by 20%!]
[Sacred Relic ‘Pied Piper’ is activated!]
[Sacred Relic ‘Flame of Enchantment’ has been used!]
[Hypnosis and charm effects are applied to fire-attribute monsters.]
He only had one chance.
“Now!”
Pesis drew all the enemies’ attention to himself.
“Anyway, you and that guy… just don’t die!”
1Person2Chickens moved in the opposite direction from Pesis.
—
Tower of Trials, 50th floor.
The Gardener who managed the ‘Forest of Boundary’ was responsible for overseeing countless plants that lived on the 50th floor.
He had done so for endless years, and there had never been a single blemish on his proud record.
Of course, intruders had patterns. There was a corresponding response manual. Above all, he had the experience and know-how to handle every variable.
But—
‘……What are these guys doing?’
He couldn’t even predict the identities of the strangers who had entered his territory.
A party mixed with humans, residents, vampires, spirits, and ancient species.
He had seen countless combinations, but this was the first time he’d encountered enemies this chaotic.
That alone was enough to make his head throb, but it was only the beginning.
Is this edible?
Should we try eating it once?
Yeah. Will we die?
Mogiii!
Bleeegh! M-master, I’m dying. This isn’t edible. Seriously.
Ah, this doesn’t work. Failure, failure. Then next….
Plants that made people tremble in fear and lose their minds just by looking at them.
Most people had to avoid them. Even those with skill could only barely fight back.
But—
‘Th-they’re eating it.’
They were filling their stomachs, cooking them in all sorts of ways.
In the meantime, the True Ancestor—clearly a vampire—was even sparkling with both eyes, wondering if it tasted good.
He could say with certainty that not a single team had ever done anything this insane.
What in the world were these people?
He had no contact with anyone except Nyarlathotep, whom he spoke to once every thousand years, so his curiosity only doubled.
‘And the boundary gap happens to connect to… Yotleaam Canyon, too. That makes it even more confusing. What’s here? Why did they crawl in? There’s nothing especially eye-catching about their Sacred Relics or items.’
The labyrinths connected to the 50th floor were completely random in time and place.
So the only way to find out why the intruders had come was to ask them directly.
But it didn’t matter.
No matter what kind of enemies they were, he only had to quietly carry out his role.
‘I’ll make you regret it. Coming here. Stupid fools. Hehehe.’
The Gardener licked his lips, idly turning a rusty pair of scissors nearly two meters long in his hand.
Countless traps had been set throughout this place over countless years.
If they got complacent just because they hunted the plants at the entrance, they would regret it.
And the process of writhing in pain, abandoning comrades, and clawing for survival was the finest hobby the Gardener enjoyed while doing his work.