episode_0093

Thud!

Jeong Yu-sin came out of the red portal and set foot on the floor.

Immediately, the stuffy air came into the helmet.

He raised his head and looked up.

A hazy reddish-brown sky.

Red and yellow particles filled the air, as if a yellow dust storm had come.

Why does the labyrinth have a sky?

The book he read with Mion had no answer.

Questions about the origin were cut off, and only descriptions of the phenomenon were written.

It meant that most of the content was about experiences gained by directly confronting it, as the principles could not be grasped.

While listening to Mion’s class, he didn’t show it, but he smelled a strong scent of blood.

How many people had perished in the face of the unknown of the labyrinth?

Thanks to that, he succeeded in discovering the ‘rule’ that dominates the labyrinth’s forest area.

The so-called pain.

The ‘darkness,’ a rule that exists between the 1st and 5th floors, drives people crazy in places without fire.

‘Pain,’ the rule of the 6th floor forest area, drives people crazy who are injured, sick, or feel pain.

The higher the pain tolerance, the less likely they are to go crazy, but if the tolerance is low, they experience auditory and visual hallucinations and eventually go mad and die.

Madness and death come through poison and disease.

It’s truly vicious.

Jeong Yu-sin lowered his head and looked around.

All he could see were many tangled vines and coniferous and broad-leaved trees.

Various plants were densely packed, creating dark shadows.

It was strange. Even though it was a dense forest, not a single sound could be heard.

Thud!

While looking around and observing the forest area.

The party members came out from beyond the red portal.

“Scar.”

Iron Mask called Jeong Yu-sin.

“No problem.”

Jeong Yu-sin replied.

“We shouldn’t… turn off the torch.”

“That’s right. It’s too dark.”

“An open sky and a forest. It’s really a mysterious area, just like I heard.”

The dwarf priest, Kubo, looked around and clicked his tongue.

“…”

The rat person, Mars, frowned seriously and diligently looked at the new map without saying a word.

“Mars, is there a problem?”

Jeong Yu-sin asked.

“···It’s difficult to figure out where this is. It’s my first time in the forest area too.”

“Let’s go slowly for now.”

Under the instruction of Iron Mask, the party members went into the forest.

Fortunately, there was a path between the trees, so there was no need to wade through the grassy fields.

They walked slowly in silence.

The party members were nervous and didn’t even utter a word. There was also a part where they acted more carefully because the forest was quiet.

They quietly traversed the forest path for several hours.

“Oh! Over there.”

Mars, the rat person, who had been walking for a while, raised his hand and pointed to one place.

A small watchtower, like a lookout, was visible peeking out from the bushes.

The stone watchtower was collapsing, whether due to the long years or the unknown nature of the labyrinth.

“What should we do?”

The rat person came closer to the party members and whispered.

Iron Mask opened his mouth.

“We have to check it out. That’s beside the point. Mars, do you know where this is?”

“My guess is that it’s the Murk Wood area. It’s on the outskirts of the forest area. It seems like we’re out of luck this time.”

Iron Mask, upon hearing Mars’s words, took out a few pieces of parchment from his pocket.

Jeong Yu-sin, who became curious, approached Iron Mask.

“What are these papers?”

“Request list. I wrote them down just in case.”

“Did you receive them all, by any chance?”

“No. I just wrote them down. How would I know which area we’d fall into and receive all those requests?”

“That’s true.”

Mars poked his face next to Jeong Yu-sin, who was nodding.

“Iron Mask, I don’t think that’s what’s important right now? Are we going to that watchtower?”

“We have to go. We can’t leave potential risk factors behind and move forward.”

“Okay. Hooo.”

Mars took a deep breath, crouched down, and crawled into the bushes.

Rustle, rustle.

Jeong Yu-sin gripped his sword and shield, listening to the faint sound of grass. It was because he was thinking of jumping out immediately if anything happened.

How much time had passed?

The dark forest.

Only the small breaths of the party members could be heard intermittently.

Each minute and second felt long.

Rustle, rustle.

Mars poked his face out from the bushes.

“No one is there. It’s empty.”

“Is that so?”

“But…”

Mars scratched his head.

“There’s something unsettling inside the watchtower. It looks like a sign, but it was too dark to see clearly.”

“I see. Let’s take a look and rest there for a while.”

Everyone nodded at Iron Mask’s words.

Mars took the lead, and Jeong Yu-sin followed.

When they pushed through the dense bushes, a weedy vacant lot and a rampart came into view.

The watchtower looked more old than he thought.

The cracked and collapsed stone walls were covered with green moss.

At the entrance, a wooden door, rotted and decayed, hung alone.

“…”

The party members carefully approached the wooden door. Even though Mars had said he had scouted it, everyone’s behavior changed cautiously at the sight of the scene they were seeing for the first time.

Jeong Yu-sin received the torch from Iron Mask, approached the entrance, and opened the wooden door.

Creak, creak, creak.

Whoosh.

He illuminated the dark inside of the rampart with a torch.

There was nothing, only thick dust piled up.

Except for one thing.

Except for a bizarre leather panel fixed with branches in the middle of the rampart…

“Everyone turn your heads!!! Don’t look!!!”

The dwarf priest shouted.

His voice was strangely filled with fear.

The party members quickly turned their heads and took their eyes off the leather panel.

“···Priest Kubo, what is that…”

Iron Mask asked.

“That… that’s a spell written in an unholy language. Just looking at it or reading it can make you go crazy or be possessed!”

“Wh…who are you supposed to be possessed by?”

At Jeong Yu-sin’s question, the dwarf priest’s lips trembled.

“I…I can’t say. It’s hard to even put it into words. Please understand.”

“Then what should we do? Should we burn it?”

“No… don’t! Just leave it alone. There must be a curse on such a hideous thing. Don’t touch it, and don’t read or look at those words!”

The dwarf priest, Kubo, exclaimed in alarm.

“I understand. Calm down.”

Jeong Yu-sin put his hand on Kubo’s shoulder. Kubo, who had been panting for a while, took a long breath.

“Then we can rest outside the rampart. We just shouldn’t look at the words written on that bizarre leather.”

“No!!!”

Kubo shouted frantically.

Iron Mask stepped forward.

“Calm down. Mars scouted the area. It’s a safe area as long as we avoid traps like that. Besides, haven’t we been walking for hours?”

The leader’s soft tone calmed Kubo down.

“Ugh… I understand. I was too excited. I’m sorry.”

Jeong Yu-sin and the party members sat around the torch and rested.

Jeong Yu-sin stared at the dense forest.

Coming out of a cave-like floor and coming to a place with an open sky was confusing.

Should he say that he couldn’t adapt well?

It was completely different from the labyrinth he had imagined.

Of course, he had read it in a book, but the feelings he felt while looking at it were different.

The other party members looked similar.

‘It might be uncomfortable not having a roof.’

He was also concerned about the changed ‘rule.’

Thinking about the ‘rule’ of the forest area, he could understand why Iron Mask had chosen the party members in this way.

A priest who is so well-defended that he is hardly ever injured. Of course, he had never seen him get hit.

A person with enhanced senses who moves well in the forest and has an excellent sense of smell.

Iron Mask with excellent character and leadership.

Himself, who has a high pain threshold, a strong mentality, combat skills, and a smart mind.

‘He has an eye for talent.’

Jeong Yu-sin nodded inwardly and looked at the party leader.

Iron Mask was taking out parchment from his pocket and looking at it. Was it a list of requests?

“Iron Mask, do we look like we’ll make money?”

“If it’s the Murk Wood area, there are some valuable herbs. If we do well, we might be able to achieve the promotion request.”

“Are you thinking of getting promoted too?”

“There’s no reason not to if I can. We have to go deeper into the labyrinth anyway. Even to get the engraving I need.”

Jeong Yu-sin nodded.

Engravings with ‘strong’ power, whether positive or negative, can only be obtained by going deep into the labyrinth.

He remembered the association leader subtly mentioning it during the beginner explorer class.

Jeong Yu-sin did not cross the line any further. He could guess why he was trying to obtain it.

‘Does he want to live?’

To crawl into the labyrinth full of death because he wants to live.

It was an absurd irony.

Jeong Yu-sin and the party members rested in front of the watchtower for a while.

He wanted to sit there longer, but the priest was so anxious that he packed his bags.

“Murk Wood is in the outer area. The distance to the transition stone is long, so we have to move carefully.”

Mars said without looking at the map.

The party members left the old watchtower and slowly moved forward.

Kubo trembled occasionally, probably because the sight he had seen at the watchtower was so shocking.

Mars stopped while walking through the dark forest and pointed to one place.

“Oh?! That’s a purple forget-me-not. This flower is quite valuable.”

“How much is it?”

Jeong Yu-sin asked.

“Wait a moment. ···10 silver coins. For one root.”

Iron Mask took out parchment from his pocket, read it quickly, and answered instead of Mars.

Jeong Yu-sin took a small shovel out of his backpack and ran towards the flower.

“Hoo. It’s so good.”

“Dig it up carefully. It says that the roots shouldn’t be damaged.”

Iron Mask lectured from the side.

“Trust me. Do you know how gently I handle white rats every night?!”

“···Scar, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Calm down for now.”

“I understand.”

Jeong Yu-sin squatted down and carefully dug up the soil around the forget-me-not.

Slowly. Gently.

After struggling for about 10 minutes, he was able to dig up the forget-me-not with its roots.

Jeong Yu-sin shook off the dirt from the roots once and carefully put it in a leather pouch and put it in his backpack.

“What’s next?”

“···Let’s go for now.”

While moving along with Mars, he collected various plants.

There were blue mushrooms used as catalysts for magical experiments.

He also picked red and yellow flowers used in hemostatic agents.

Even the grass that looked like weeds on the roadside was an essential herb used in potions.

Jeong Yu-sin’s mouth widened.

‘Only mid-level explorers have been enjoying this honey farming spot?’

He knew why people were desperate to get promoted. No matter how much he talked about it, it wouldn’t sink in. He had to hold the money in his hands to realize it.

Iron Mask’s voice also changed to a satisfied tone at some point.

“···This is a Tartar flower. To see a flower that I only saw in the garden here…”

Jeong Yu-sin poked his face out.

“Oh! How much is that worth?”

“It’s just for ornamental purposes. It’s not a very expensive flower.”

“Tsk.”

Jeong Yu-sin quickly pulled his head back and looked around.

He realized it now. It was darker than before.

It was because he was so obsessed with money that he was only looking at the ground.

“Mars, are we going the right way?”

Jeong Yu-sin asked.

“We’re going the right way.”

Mars said, looking ahead.

“…”

Jeong Yu-sin looked at Mars’s back.

Something’s wrong.

The dwarf priest Kubo had been trembling in fear for several hours,

Mars was now skillfully navigating the forest, unlike when he first arrived in the forest area.

Iron Mask also sensed that the atmosphere was strange and put the parchment with the request list in his pocket.

“Mars, turn around.”

Iron Mask urged.

“Why?”

“Let’s see your face.”

Mars turned around and looked at the party members.

“Why are you guys suddenly like this? It’s scary.”

Mars’s face was no different from when he first saw him.

It was a rat person who hadn’t changed or changed anything.

His voice was a little low, but that was it.

‘Is it not? Maybe it’s a misunderstanding.’

It could have been an overreaction in the process of suddenly realizing reality after being so obsessed with money.

Jeong Yu-sin relaxed his tense body.

At that moment.

“Yo…you. Who are you?!”

The dwarf priest Kubo stepped forward and shouted.

“Priest Kubo, what are you talking about? I’m Mars.”

“No. The ominous energy didn’t disappear even after leaving that rampart. It wasn’t a mistake!”

Mars shook his head.

“Haa… Iron Mask, Scar. Priest Kubo looks very tired, so shall we rest? There’s a shelter if we go a little further.”

Jeong Yu-sin stepped forward.

“No. Mars, let’s make it clear. It’s true that your condition looks strange right now.”

“…”

Silence fell in the quiet forest. No one spoke out loud and was just looking at Mars.

After a long silence, Mars’s mouth opened.

“···I’ve been found out?”

A grotesquely low voice spread widely in the dark forest.