Chapter 109 – 106 the Labyrinth Where Light Cannot Reach
While Isilite wiped the messy phase stone clean with the bodily fluids of the monster centipede, Resim, who had moved to Hwanin’s side, exhaled through her mouth, she said…
=I already knew that Hwanin-nim’s defense skills were excellent, but when I saw it up close, I couldn’t even speak of its splendor and perfection.=
“Is that so.”
= I learned that the defense against people and the defense against heterogeneous species are the same, but they are different. However, to my still inexperienced eyes, Hwanin-nim’s defense technique seemed to bring two things into one stream. What I saw… Right?=
“Good to see you.”
He’s never done that, but he’s a Hwanin who gives short answers because he’ll only get tired of himself if he gives long explanations.
Leshim let out a sigh that caught her eye.
When asked why, Reshim replies with a clear face of envy and respect.
=The master who taught me martial arts is a 6th grade swordsman. He is practicing martial arts for the same reason, but as a disciple he has nothing to say, but it is because he felt that Master’s level could not even reach Hwanin’s toes. =
Until he saw Hwan-in chopping up a monster centipede, Lessim thought that his master might be the best in the field. However, the moment he saw Hwanin’s battle, he recognized it innocently.
Master’s skills are just commonplace. He said that he only took part of the defense technique he learned while dealing with people and dealt with heteromorphic species and monsters.
= If it was Master, I would have killed the monster centipede in the monster room at once. It’s because you have enough power and phase power. But if you tell me to deal with it without using phase power…….=
It is Leshim who blurs the end, as if he cannot bear to conclude a word because of his respect for his master.
Leshim plucked up the courage to ask Hwanin with a small smile without saying anything.
= Hwanin. I know it’s a rude request, but if you don’t mind, please teach me a little bit.=
Lesim’s request, with his wolf ears erect and bright eyes, was a request that felt the innocence of a boy in his late teens.
Hwanin looked back at Isilite. Coincidentally, Issilite was also looking at her Hwanin, and when her eyes met, she hurriedly turned her head.
“…….”
Hwanin, who was still looking at Resim, who had the head of a handsome gray wolf, shook his head. Then, Lessim’s pricked wolf ears lay back as if they were dead.
“I am not experienced enough to systematically teach anyone. Even if it’s a little, I can’t tell how much it is.”
= Uh…….=
“Let’s do this instead. Please tell Isilite the basics of swordsmanship Mr. Leshim is learning. Then I will sparr with you. How is it.”
If you have the ability, learn defensive skills in sparring with yourself. Instead, you teach Issilite her swordsmanship.
In fact, it is strange and rude to ask for a skill to be taught in a place like this. But he can’t say anything about such things, because Le Sim is still young and the youngest of a good family who doesn’t know the world.
Rather than scolding such a person, suggesting a suitable deal is a plausible and decent way to look at it.
Resim and Isilite looked at each other with slightly surprised faces at Hwanin’s proposal.
In fact, it didn’t matter even if I didn’t have to go through such a complicated procedure.
This is because Hwanin, while watching Leshim’s battles, read to some extent the movement, footwork, grasping, and swordsmanship he had learned, and could have passed them on to Isilite.
However, Resim is a direct escort of a noble family that can be said to be the nobility of this world.
If he had mastered it, it must have been a martial art with a family name or reputation.
=…… Okay. I will pass on all the basics I know to Ms. Issilite.=
“Good.”
Although one more item called Dalian and Map was added to the daily routine, the original goal of exploring the labyrinth remained largely unchanged.
Instead, he began to act faithfully to the original nature of exploration, removing the previous atmosphere that seemed to have come out on a trip.
It was because they realized that they could lose their lives even in this labyrinth if they made a mistake, even though they were 3rd class wizards and 4th class warriors thanks to meeting the monster room.
Their equipment is incomparably better than that of Hwanin.
Baekryeogang’s seemingly ordinary leather armor was coated with all sorts of resistance resistance and physical resistance techniques, and the staff was a staff made of a 6th-class phase stone, Puma Stone, which was processed and embedded.
If you normally charge your phase power, you can use wind magic even when your phase power runs out.
Resim’s armor was as expensive as her appearance and color, and was faithful to her role.
Thanks to the dense protection of her entire body and the focus on physical damage resistance and magic damage resistance options, she has better defense than Baekryeogang’s armor.
In the monster room on the 9th floor, he dealt with 3 2nd grade monsters and 10 1st grade monsters, and the fact that he didn’t get a single wound proves that fact.
It was only natural that such two people would not be vigilant, listen to the surrounding sounds, grasp the environment delicately, and slowly increase the exploration rate, and the danger would drastically decrease.
Thanks to this, the progress was slower, but Isilite’s experience in the labyrinth, which stared intently at Resim, as well as stability, was gradually accumulated to the point where Hwanin could see it.
Three more days passed like that, and on the 6th day of entering the labyrinth, the party was exploring the 12th floor.
=In most underground labyrinths, the heterogeneous species or the nature of the labyrinth changes every 5 floors. From the 1st basement floor to the 5th floor, first-class heteromorphs appear, from the 6th to 10th floors, first-class and second-class heteromorphs appear, and from the 11th to 15th floors, second-class and third-class heteromorphs appear.
= The lower the number of floors, the lower the number of heterogeneous species. =
=Yes. On the floor just before the class splits, only heterogeneous species of the same class as that class will appear.=
Because of this, from the 11th floor, I had no choice but to throw away the feeling that Leshim and Baekryeogang had gone on a picnic.
Class 3 heteromorphs were strong enemies that even they could easily put themselves in danger.
The size of the 3rd grade gelatin cube was large enough to easily swallow a person, and the 3rd grade monster centipede was large and varied in length from 4m to 7m.
The screaming monster, Shrieker, grew to the size of an adult woman, and her heterogeneous nature was strongly revealed to the extent that she had five arms and two heads.
The third-class monster spider was literally the size of a person.
=And you must have seen Isilite too. In the labyrinth, there is a monster room, a so-called monster house.=
In the monster room, heterogeneous species that are up to one level higher than the floor can appear, creating a very dangerous situation if you encounter them.
There are also sizes, so it is divided into small, medium, and large, and it is known that it mainly comes from the second floor.
This was the reason why there were few other parties on the 8th floor and above. There’s no way the workers who make a living by catching and living in the labyrinth every day take risks.
=The size of the monster room is determined by the number of xenomorphs in the room. About 10 small ones. Medium size is about 30 to 40, and large size is more than 40, and other heterogeneous species are also mixed.=
However, the stereotyped monster room in the labyrinth is at least better. Among the labyrinths, there are mutations, and Lesim explained that these mutant labyrinths occur innately.
=Mutations are caused by labyrinths that have been breached many times and often by invaders higher than their rank in a short period of time. As for the characteristics, it is the extreme difference between classes, and the concept of heterogeneous species is also very dangerous because it is mixed up. There are examples of heteromorphic species of the third layer appearing in the weakest layer 1, and the fire layer suddenly changing to the cold layer.=
= Wow. If you encounter a large monster room in such a place…….=
= In the case of a 6th grade mutant labyrinth, a 7th grade heterogeneous species can also appear in the monster room on the lower floor. When we encounter such a room, we should think that the beast god needs us.=
=Ugh.=
But there are very few cases where it is dangerous.
The reason for entering the mutant labyrinth in the first place is to get rid of the labyrinth. After recruiting a party with the goal of breaking through, they enter with full preparation, so even if they encounter a monster room on the lower floor, there will be no problems.
During the lunch break, Hwanin stroked her left forearm while listening to Reshim imparting her knowledge of the labyrinth to Isilite.
Through her deal three days ago, Reshim taught Isilite the basics of her swordsmanship, while she also began to pass on her knowledge of the labyrinth she had learned.
– I think I get too much from Dalian with Hwanin. I don’t think it’s fair to teach only the basics of swordsmanship, so if you allow it, I’ll pass on the knowledge at my discretion.
The labyrinth education that started like that seemed to be of great help to Isilite.
From the first time I met him, he used to wield a greatsword recklessly with force, now he has started to catch on to some degree of posture, angle, and footwork.
Even so, Hwanin’s eyes were full of gaps that could blow his head off in a second, but it’s important that he’s growing up.
=Then we will start training for lunch.=
=Thank you very much!=
Isilite, who seems to have finished passing on her labyrinth knowledge, stands up holding her heavy iron greatsword. She then began swinging her greatsword like a longsword, following Reshim’s instructions.
=Miss Isilite’s strength is her strong power. She moves as if she overwhelms her opponent with the power of splitting rocks, rather than performing absurd feats.
=Four!=
=When the opponent wields a 1m long sword, Isilite wields a 2.5m long sword. A 1.5m reach difference is as much as a 15m difference in the world of close combat. Keeping that in mind, she watches the enemy’s attack through to the end…….=
Coo.
Hwanin, who was watching the training scene, turned his attention to the sound of emergency food being frustrated.
Baekryeogang was holding emergency rations in her bosom and making a lonely face as she stroked the smooth feathers on her back.
‘Is that the influence of the labyrinth? It’s something I’ve been waiting for, but…… That’s not good.’
Depression is an emotion that can be said to be the root of all mental illnesses. Hwanin had a hunch that if he left it as it was, 100% of the problems would arise due to the violation of the Labyrinth spirit.
When something goes wrong, the escort mission is doomed to failure. Hwanin, who moved to her side, spoke in a calm tone.
“Emergency rations are frustrating.”
= Yes? Oh, I’m sorry.=
I’m sorry~
As if she had finally been freed, the emergency rations that landed on her floor spread both wings wide and stretched all the way to her head, trembling as if she was stretching, then gave a short bang.
Then, he moves quickly and rubs his head against Hwanin’s leg. Like saying, ‘It was hard being caught by a strange woman!’.
This series of actions made Baek Ryogang look even more lonely.
Just looking at his expression, I can feel the melancholy as if there is no one on my side in the world.
“Are you lonely?”
=Loneliness, sadness, and envy are driving me like chaos…….=
“Nice.”
=…… Cool?=
Hwanin replied with a faint smile to Baek Ryeo-gang, who had an expression of incomprehension.
“It’s wonderful to be able to get a taste of those feelings, even if only on the surface.”
=…….=
“If you are feeling all the feelings of being so lonely that you can’t breathe, sad that you can’t even shed tears, and envy that makes your guts twitch, you can’t even show it outwardly. My head is twisted like a tangled ball of thread, and my heart cannot lift a finger, as if the soul sinks into bottomless darkness.”
Baek Ryeo-gang seemed to choke his breath at the heavy expression that exceeded the emotions he had felt until just now.
=Tuesday…… Hwanin-nim has experienced such feelings firsthand… Are you?=
Baek Ryeo-gang asked the question cautiously and hesitantly, but instead of answering, he received an emotionless laugh.
I’m smiling, but I’m not laughing, but I get goosebumps on my face. How can a person make such a face?
The book says that after going through a whirlwind of intense emotions, other emotions fade as if they have been bleached. Is this a phenomenon?
What a painful experience it was.
Of course not. Hwanin just didn’t answer because he was in a situation where he had to lie when he opened his mouth. He has never had such an experience.
“Are you upset because Mr. Lesim didn’t deal with the lady? Or are you jealous of Isilite’s freedom?”
=…… Lesim is just a childhood friend. She is like a brother and sister. And…… Yes. Right. I’m so jealous of Isilite.=
Baek Ryogang nodded his head slightly, pushing the questions and curiosity that occupied his mind into a corner.
As she descended the labyrinth, Isilite grew increasingly envious.
She herself now had no choice but to go down the cliff of melancholy, but she would be able to walk with the man who longs for that land full of light.
In the meantime, I will train myself and grow while doing what I want to do, learn what I want to learn, and see what I want to see.
But I’ll marry a man from a noble family I don’t know, and I’ll laugh like a doll, talk like a doll, and become the livestock that bears the family’s heir…….
“Isilite has been abandoned by her parents since she was born, and has made her living by stealing and wallowing with orphans in her slums without knowing her parents’ faces.”
=…… !=
She said, “I was told that on the road to death, she was fortunate enough to awaken as a careerist, but her life did not work out. After spending several years in a third-rate mercenary corps, she finally created a new mercenary corps and became independent. In the end, she was betrayed and kicked out even by those bandits.”
Her mouth opened slightly in her hundred words at the summary of her stupendous life, in which her own troubles were blown away in one blow.
“In Issilite’s eyes, the lady will look like the light itself. She is still doing everything in her power to survive.”
= Mo, I didn’t know……. She didn’t feel that way at all…….=
Baek Ryogang never thought that such a bright young lady would have such a gloomy past.
She just imagined that she would have committed herself to the thieves by chance and acted as a thief? She thought that she would meet a man like Hwanin and be rehabilitated and live happily ever after.
Feeling his face burning hot, Hwanin pretended not to see Baekryogang covering his face with both hands and continued.
“I understand that you are sad and distressed. She’s like that. She’ll have to marry someone who doesn’t even know her face and live with a child, so she must be very worried about her future.”
Whether the man is old, whether he has a good personality, whether he has strange hobbies, whether his in-laws are normal.
Everything from one to ten is worrying. Scary and scary
“So the future may feel bleak.”
Hearing Hwanin’s story, Baek Ryogang’s tears welled up.
Was there anyone who sympathized with his troubles like this?
My mother, older brothers, and even older sisters only scolded me, saying, “Don’t say anything unpleasant.” “It is a natural thing to do as a member of the family.”
But to think that a man she hadn’t met for a while perfectly sympathized with her.
But I got embarrassed. He was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even lift his face.
His own troubles were, as his older brother said, the complaints of a ‘child sick of happiness’. He seems to be ashamed of even running away.
“People tend to envy what they don’t have. That is a normal reaction for a normal person.”
=…….=
“But the lady is someone who has more than what she doesn’t have.”
I understand, but this person is also blaming me. Well, the country will be like that too. It was the childlike complaint of a woman who grew up not knowing the hardships of her life.
Baek Ryogang, who was thinking that way, felt the wind explode in his head at Hwanin’s story that continued.
“So there are probably more things you can do than things you can’t do.”
Of course, you can’t move directly. However, if you spend the given money and cross one bridge, there will be many things you can do.
“Just as the perspective changes when you change your eye level, the world changes when you change your thoughts. Knowledge is power and experience is a weapon.”
Hwanin meets his eyes. Somehow, a strong will was seen in those eyes that were blurred with emotion, and Baek Ryeo-gang felt a thrill rise up his spine.
“Rather than wasting time complaining about the world, wouldn’t it be more productive to find out what you can and want to do with that time and build up knowledge and experience? Even for your future.”
= Future…….=
Seeing the negative emotions slowly disappear from Baek Ryeo-gang’s expression as he murmured briefly, Hwanin let out a small sigh.
‘Even as an escort isn’t easy.’
Mental Violation.
It is well known to people that the labyrinth itself has a negative mental effect on people, and Hwanin has personally witnessed such a phenomenon.
The higher the level of the labyrinth, the stronger the mental invasion. The only way to prevent such a mental invasion is to strengthen one’s mind or raise one’s mental power.
There is a perception that each person is different in how well they can withstand the labyrinth because both are types that people can’t do anything about in an ordinary way.
However, even that is set to some extent, so it is known that 15 to 20 days is usually the limit time for a worker of the same level as the level of the labyrinth to stay in the labyrinth.
So, if a 3rd class worker enters a 3rd class labyrinth, it is said that it lasts for up to 20 days. Beyond that, the mental state deteriorates rapidly, whether hallucinating, delirious, or out of mind.
Of course, the maximum is 15 to 20 days, but the minimum is different for each person and depending on the condition of the day.
For example, if you are immersed in negative emotions like Baekryeogang from earlier, the labyrinth invasion rate increases rapidly.
‘I took care of my emotions, but I wasted my mental energy, so I can’t stay full-time for 15 days. I wonder if there are three or three days left.’
After 6 days, there are only 4 days left, considering the way up, there are only about 2 days left.
‘I need to talk to Leshim…… Yes?’
Coo, coo! Coo, coo! Eh, Quek!
Hwanin suddenly walked forward and looked at the emergency rations, which flinched as if they were dancing poppin’.
‘Why is this guy doing this again?’
Does Mental Invasion Happen to Animals? I haven’t heard of such a phenomenon happening to Que, the labyrinth cargo carrier.
While thinking about it, Hwanin, not noticing that Baekryeogang was looking at him with subtly changed eyes, frowned and approached the emergency food.
“Emergency food, why are you doing that all of a sudden?”
Whoops, whoops! Whoops!
It didn’t seem normal to move while flinching, so I checked the condition of the emergency rations with the spirit’s vision, but there was nothing wrong with the color system.
Isilite and Resimdo, who were training, and White Ryeo-gang, who changed their expressions, also gather.
= Master? Why is emergency food suddenly doing this?=
“I don’t know either.”
=Reshim, take out the antidote and disease cure. If you don’t know, I’ll try feeding it. =
= Yes? Yes. But it’s strange. I was fine until now…… Mmm!=
=Ah.=
“…….”
While everyone was worried, the body of the emergency food was wrapped in bright light, and Hwanin finally relaxed his worries and stared at the emergency food that became a lump of light.
