“Senior, the sea is truly beautiful.”

    “Well, beautiful my foot. You’re just hopeless. Why the hell aren’t you listening to me?”

    “The sound of the waves and the wind dominate my ears.”

    “Don’t naturally lower your arms.”

    “Sigh…”

    Pyiran is being punished for not listening to me.

    Despite the many glances exchanged on the shore of Shryte Beach, I couldn’t care less. Right now, my concern is how to deal with Pyiran.

    Well, I get it. With the loud sounds of the waves and wind, maybe he didn’t hear me.

    But damn, it’s annoying. You’ll raise your arms as punishment for being annoying for an hour.

    “It’s been 9 minutes now. Endure the remaining 51 minutes well.”

    “Senior, I came here to enjoy the sea…”

    “Let’s enjoy the punishment first.”

    “… ”

    Pyiran’s sulking face was truly cute, but right now, punishing this guy is a priority.

    So, you came to enjoy the sea? Then let’s enjoy the punishment first before enjoying anything else, you naughty child.

    “I can’t… enjoy the punishment…”

    “Shut up. Punishment is a kind of play. You can enjoy it.”

    “How forced…”

    “Go!”

    “… ”

    I responded with an incredulous answer to Pyiran’s words and sat down hesitantly on the beach.

    Hmm, sitting on the sandy ground made my buttocks warm. Indeed, the sun is quite strong.

    Oh, but I came here to find the labyrinth. Well, since Pyiran did something wrong, I thought I should make him reflect first and then take him away. First time by chance, second time by chance, third time by chance, so I have to pretend I found it by chance.

    Deciding that, while enjoying the warm sand, someone suddenly touched me from behind.

    “Hmm?”

    I turned my head to see who touched me, and to my surprise, there was someone unexpected.

    “Why are you making him stand punishment here…?”

    No, there was just someone I didn’t know.

    Who is this person? Clearly, a face I’ve never seen before. Not a professor I know like Professor Silin Foros, not a student either.

    Not Shuril or Spin Fein Chan, not Ayla and Lulu.

    Just a really unknown person. It was surprising because most people who suddenly touch me are at least somewhat familiar to me; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone completely new.

    Hmm, but they asked about my punishment. Yeah, punishment, right.

    “Since he did something wrong first, that’s why he’s here like this, right?”

    “What… What did I do wrong…?”

    “You almost tried to throw me into the sea. That’s the crime.”

    As I said seriously, the unfamiliar woman turned around and left, saying, “Ah, I see.”

    Hmm, the crime of almost throwing someone into the sea does have an effect. Yes, since the water is deep here, if you make a mistake, you could drown.

    “Senior… I didn’t almost throw you…”

    “Stand for your punishment.”

    “… ”

    After cutting off Pyiran’s complaints, I looked back at the sea.

    Hmm, today the sea seems even more beautiful. Yes, I admit that the sea is beautiful. If you came to see such a beautiful sea today, when else would you come? Maybe next weekend.

    So, how much time had passed while I was admiring the sea?

    “Senior…! It’s… It’s over!”

    Pyiran called out tremblingly, his arms shaking after an hour had passed.

    Hmm, if Pyiran’s arms are shaking to that extent, it must have been about an hour. He might be lying, but since his arms are shaking, I decided to stop here.

    “Alright. Put them down. Shall we properly enjoy the sea now?”

    “Phew…”

    Seeing how difficult it was for him, Pyiran let out a sigh as he slowly lowered his trembling arms.

    I saw Pyiran in that state and chuckled, then got up and strolled along the beach.

    No, more precisely, it was a maze search.

    There wasn’t much to do in this sea, and since I was dressed like this, I thought it would be better to just find the maze and hurry. I thought I’d look good in these clothes, but no. It’s embarrassingly dirty. I should have just worn clothes that show off my muscles a bit.

    Not that I think I have muscles. I might have had them when I possessed someone, but after possessing them and obsessing over the house, all my muscles shriveled up, and now it seems like my bare belly is welcoming me.

    I’ll check my belly later; for now, let’s find the maze.

    The maze at the center of the seabed, as mentioned in the novel, seems to be located near a cliff that you can find by walking a lot on Shurite Beach. If you look around there, you’ll find something cave-like.

    They say that’s the maze at the center of the seabed… Hm, how far do I have to walk to reach the cliff? No matter how much I walk, I can’t see the edge of the cliff.

    “Oh, found it.”

    Although I didn’t find the entrance to the maze, I started to see the cliffs of Shurite Beach where the maze was mentioned.

    There should be cliffs on the opposite side too, so if I’m here, I can search over there. Time is on my side, right?

    Thinking calmly, I quickly jumped towards the cliff, checking if there was a hole in it.

    “Not here.”

    Even though I searched around the cliff, I couldn’t find any holes. Maybe if I go further in, there might be a hole on the cliff side.

    So, I entered a shallow area where the depth wasn’t that great and observed the cliff, eventually finding a hole in it.

    “Here it is.”

    Putting my head into the hole to check, I could confirm that this was indeed the maze. The scent of magic was strong here.

    When inheriting the genes of the original human strongly, one can easily detect things like magic. Even if something emitting magic is far away, abilities related to mana slightly increase to the point where you can sense it.

    However, Sylaine’s talent lies in swordsmanship. She wasn’t born with a talent for magic; she used her ability to detect mana to determine whether there were enemies inside.

    It was written like that in the novel as well. Well, Ayla inherited the genes of the original human strongly and became a heroine, even reaching the level of a powerful character, so there weren’t many rivals for Sylaine.

    “Okay, let’s bring it.”

    Having found the entrance to the maze at the center of the seabed, I decided to bring Pyiran, who was lying on the warm sandy beach, gazing at the sky.

    Fortunately, Pyiran was still lying on the warm sand, soothing her back. Normally, you shouldn’t disturb someone while they’re getting a back massage, but… Oh well, an exception?

    “Pyiran, please get up. I’ve found the maze.”

    At the mention of the maze, Pyiran suddenly rose from the sand floor.

    With eyes sparkling as if questioning the truth of my words, Pyiran stared at me intensely.

    Yes, for this guy, the maze must have been a fantasy itself. Imagine growing up only training and suddenly hearing that your academy senior found the maze. How ecstatic would you be?

    The maze is a place similar to dungeons with many items that are very helpful at the top. If the two of us can go there, or rather break through, how rich a reward awaits us? Pyiran must be having such delusions.

    Well… The reason Pyiran became a villain was also because of “that thing” found in the maze.

    But a villain is a villain. Someday, they will meet their fate of being stabbed by Kara’s sword, so there’s no need to accumulate feelings like affection.

    I will accumulate affection only for those like Yustetia or the targets of the Hupijip.

    But… it feels quite empty.

    Even though I’ve sent two people to the Hupijip, and now there’s only one left… Even if I send that one to the Hupijip, it still feels very empty…

    What if I send Rachel to the Hupijip? What then?

    Will I be satisfied with just those three?

    What is this feeling exactly? Something… something is missing.

    At that moment when a strange emotion was stirring inside me, I recalled the fact that I must break through the labyrinth and arrived at the entrance with Pieran, shaking off that strange emotion.

    “Pieran, we’re here.”

    Pieran made a doubtful expression as if wondering if this cave is the labyrinth and then peered into the entrance of the labyrinth with suspicion.

    “!!”

    And soon Pieran would realize that this place is indeed the labyrinth.

    Trembling in surprise, Pieran.

    I may not be very sensitive to magical energy due to my weakness, but Pieran, being strong, has a high mana detection ability. That’s why she was trembling from the immense amount of magical power.

    If I were to become that strong, I would probably tremble at that magical power too, but I am the ultimate of ultimates! If Pieran is prepared, she could survive even if she falls.

    But seeing Pieran tremble like this, it seems that the boss of this labyrinth is quite powerful. It’s just that Karla and Ayla were so overwhelming that the boss seemed relatively weak, but from our perspective, it must be very strong.

    However, we, no, I have to go.

    There are essential items for growth abundant here.

    The reason I brought Pieran along was also because I doubted whether I could break this labyrinth alone. I am someone who fights solely with regenerative abilities, skills, and combat sense. Agility, endurance, strength are all bottom-tier stats. Well, not exactly bottom-tier, but they fall below average.

    Having S in stamina and vitality doesn’t help much in breaking the labyrinth. Just surviving like a cockroach is all that matters.

    But Pieran is different. Our Pieran is a genius among geniuses! A monster! Not as much as Ayla, but a disposable monster with many mentions among the villains! With such a teammate, I feel secure.

    When she eventually becomes a villain, I’ll have to kill her someday, so I’m not planning to accumulate affection until then. Yustetia is enough for that.

    Thinking like that, I looked back at the labyrinth, only to find that Pieran had already entered through the entrance.

    She was so excited that she was bouncing as she went in. Hmm, is she really that serious about exploring the labyrinth? It’s a shame that such a kid will become a villain, but I have no intention of stopping her from becoming one.

    How much butterfly effect will there be from Pieran not becoming a villain? While she may bring several butterfly effects by introducing the concept of Hupijip to heroines like Ayla and Lulu, the butterfly effect of Pieran not turning into a villain will be more threatening.

    From a novel standpoint, Pieran is an existence equivalent to a boss in Part 1. She serves as a stepping stone for the protagonist’s growth and a catalyst for the protagonist to grow further.

    Ayla and Lulu simply underwent the Hupijip, without weakening, so they won’t have much impact on the story. If anything, it’s just that they won’t approach Karla. Even so, the flutter of butterflies will gradually increase like a typhoon, but if Pieran doesn’t become a villain, the butterfly effect might go beyond a typhoon and bring disaster to the entire kingdom.

    I can’t give up the Hupijip, so I’ll touch that extent. However, I have no intention of turning a villain into a hero.

    A villain is a villain. A hero is a hero. You have to draw a clear line. Why are you trying to balance between hero and villain roles? I’m against that.

    Well, one thing is certain: my actions might cause a butterfly’s wing flaps to turn into a typhoon, but it’s better than Pieran not becoming the villain. Therefore, I will not prevent Pieran from becoming the antagonist.

    Enough with the small talk. Let’s enter the labyrinth.

    “Pieran, hurry and don’t lag behind. This is a labyrinth. Don’t forget that it’s dangerous.”

    “I know!”

    Pieran’s tone was not as brusque as usual; it was higher, almost cheerful.

    Clearly, Pieran couldn’t contain his excitement and joy at exploring the labyrinth.

    No matter how much I try not to get close to Pieran, I have to ensure safety. Since I’m the dealer, I’ll be dealing from behind little by little. In other words, I’ll be taking the bus.

    Do it.

    Just how far did Pieran and I venture into the labyrinth? Even after going deep inside, we didn’t see a single monster in sight.

    Pieran must have found this odd too. Feeling the magic but not encountering any monsters—can a labyrinth be like this? That’s what he must be thinking.

    To be honest, I found it a bit strange myself. At this point, we should have encountered at least one lizardman…

    “Senpai!”

    “Huh?”

    As Pieran shouted, I sensed a presence behind me.

    [Skill: Instant Capture]

    As soon as I felt that presence, I used Instant Capture to deflect the sword coming towards me.

    -Clang!

    Seems like even tigers come when called.

    “Kiyaaaaa!!!!”

    “If even lizardmen come when called?”

    Do lizardmen come when called too?

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