236. Must See It Through

It’s been a full three years since I started roaming the 7th floor.

Not one or two months-three years. For three years, I wandered the labyrinth, over and over again.

I scoured the entire 7th floor searching for Transfer Stones.

I waited endlessly for the World Tree to awaken. To climb higher, I struggled relentlessly without rest.

“Finally. Finally…”

And at last, I reached the roots of the World Tree.

The long-slumbering World Tree had finally awakened.

Immediately, I coiled my Soul Chains around the roots of the World Tree.

Over the past three years, I’ve honed my abilities to their limits. Now, the Soul Chains are like an extension of my hands. With a mere gesture, I can effortlessly control monsters that walk around unharmed, freely extracting and inserting their souls as I please.

Moreover, I’ve succeeded in killing most of the monsters on the 7th floor, continuously strengthening the Bracelet of Growth in the process.

My stats already surpass those of a Demon King. Even Erphin, who once dominated other Demon Kings by draining the World Tree’s power, would be no match for me now.

Literally, for three years on the 7th floor, I’ve crawled like a dog, growing endlessly stronger.

The monsters of the 7th floor are no longer my equals.

I’ve even beaten a One-Eyed Giant with just a single sword and gained a body impervious to dragonfire.

Additionally, I’ve consumed every elixir and core-worthy of being called an inner elixir-from the monsters I encountered while traversing the entire floor.

My mana reserves have reached levels comparable to Helena’s prime.

It’s hard to fathom just how much stronger I’ve become.

I’ve monopolized everything in Utopia.

Even spatial magic comes as naturally as breathing now.

Wielding swords, shields, spears, axes, and all manner of weapons is child’s play.

-Just how many years have you spent in here?

“Three years. I’ve wandered this world for about three years. Would you believe I’ve explored nearly 80% of Utopia? Hahaha. I even have my own base. I’ve revived my comrades in the bodies of monsters. I was living quite well, you could say.”

Mabel didn’t respond to my words.

She seemed to have sensed my lie.

I hadn’t been living well.

I still couldn’t bring myself to revive Leah and Logie in the bodies of monsters.

Yuria and Moira must have already given birth to my children.

I wanted to return before the birth, but I failed.

There wasn’t a single Transfer Stone on the 7th floor.

There was simply no way up.

“Mabel, there are no Transfer Stones, right? Are they hidden somewhere? Is there a reason I couldn’t find them?”

As expected, Mabel couldn’t answer.

My prediction was correct.

There are no Transfer Stones on the 7th floor.

Those who descend here cannot return above.

Did Erphin destroy all the Transfer Stones?

I don’t know. One thing’s for sure-this is another one of the labyrinth’s schemes to break me.

The labyrinth’s malice runs deep.

It’s trapped me here completely.

Was this meant to bind my soul to the labyrinth?

A ploy to shatter my spirit by cutting off all means of escape?

-There are no Transfer Stones. There’s no way to go back up.

Mabel’s words felt like a death sentence.

Having taken control of the World Tree and surveyed the entire 7th floor, Mabel confirmed that Utopia has no Transfer Stones.

All I can hope for is that time flows differently inside here.

I don’t know what the labyrinth has done, but if three years have already passed outside…

“That can’t be. It’s impossible that no one has descended here in three years. Time outside must flow differently, so don’t worry.”

“…You’re right, Helena.”

“Yes. That must be the case, so don’t worry.”

“Right. Stop being so pessimistic. You’ve been getting worse lately. Is it depression?”

“Fria, don’t be so harsh. He must be missing his wives.”

“Hmph.”

Fria seemed displeased with my pessimistic attitude.

I understand. I feel it too. Lately, life has been weighing on me more and more.

With no way to return, my peace of mind has completely vanished.

-Come to the World Tree first. We’ll figure something out.

“Understood.”

After recalling Helena and Fria into the bracelet, I traced a formula in the air.

No incantation, no need to weave a magic formula.

After three years of training with Helena in silent casting, instant activation, and memorize magic, even a simple formula is enough to teleport me wherever I wish.

Being able to master spatial magic is also why I’ve managed to explore nearly 80% of the vast 7th floor in just three years.

“Flowers have bloomed. Was the World Tree a cherry blossom tree?”

As Fria said, the World Tree was now covered in pink blossoms resembling cherry flowers.

Beautiful and lovely. Since the World Tree had never bloomed even once in the past three years, the new scenery lifted my spirits slightly.

The thought that change had finally come to this world, where the same night and day repeated endlessly without seasons, gave me hope that I might still ascend.

[Ah. Can you hear me?]

“Loud and clear.”

[Then let me share what I’ve learned through the World Tree’s body. First, there isn’t a single Transfer Stone left on the 7th floor. Even in places you haven’t explored yet, there are none.]

“As I thought… Then, Mabel. Could you try finding the Executor’s Stone Coffin for me?”

[The Executor’s Stone Coffin?]

“Yes. The coffin connected to the 5th floor. If it exists, I might still be able to go up.”

It’s the coffin Frodo prepared. Over the past three years, while searching for Transfer Stones, I also looked for the Executor’s Stone Coffin but couldn’t find it.

‘If the Executor’s Stone Coffin exists…’

I could send those sealed in the Sealing Tool back up. Furthermore, if I kill myself and enter the Executor’s Stone Coffin, I could ascend.

Even if I die, as long as I can reach the surface, resurrection is possible.

[The Executor’s Stone Coffin… I did find something similar. It’s buried underground.]

“Really?! You actually found it?”

[Yes… But…]

“Is there a problem?”

[If you use this to ascend, you’ll likely never be able to descend again. There’s a letter inside the coffin. Read it.]

“Huh?”

Following Mabel’s guidance, I arrived at the location of the coffin and found the letter inside.

Judging by the handwriting, it was written by Moira.

The contents were quite shocking.

[The 6th and 7th floors are effectively severed. If you ascend using the Executor’s Stone Coffin, returning here via the 6th floor’s Transfer Stones is impossible.]

“…”

Not only is escape through spatial magic impossible, and Transfer Stones nonexistent, but now, ascending even once means never returning to the 7th floor.

Moreover, it seems nearly nine months have already passed outside. The letter mentioned that the children had been born, along with the desire to descend but the inability to do so. It also noted unusual movements from the Empire and the Kingdom.

There were three letters in total, likely written on different days.

“If I go up and can’t come back down… conquering the labyrinth becomes impossible.”

“Perhaps the labyrinth planned for this all along.”

“The labyrinth’s malice… fears you. That’s why it’s systematically eliminating your options.”

“…”

The labyrinth’s malice wants it to collapse outward.

Making me spend three years searching for Transfer Stones, ensuring that using the Executor’s Stone Coffin to escape means never returning-it’s all part of the same scheme.

It’s trying to break my will, to ensure I never descend again.

“Ha… Fuck.”

I laughed.

Is the labyrinth’s malice so powerless against a single human that it resorts to such dirty tricks?

Did it think I’d die here? Or give up and ascend?

“Helena. Fria. Let’s endure a little longer.”

“I vowed to help you, so I’ll follow you to the end. But are you sure? You might never ascend again.”

“That’s why we must go deeper. The child has been born.”

I desperately want to see my child.

But precisely because I want to, I must descend further.

If I ascend now, driven solely by that desire, I might never return to the 7th floor.

“I’ve almost finished preparing to explore the 8th floor over these three years. If I can’t go up anyway, I’ll just descend immediately and close the labyrinth’s gate. I’ll return after finishing everything.”

I’ve grown stronger over three years.

I’ve also built a ship using all the materials available on the 7th floor, just as described in Olivia’s strategy guide.

Furthermore, I’ve already dealt with the gatekeeper guarding the entrance to the 8th floor.

All that’s left is to descend. If I can’t go up, I’ll go all the way down, finish everything, and then return.

“We just need to reinforce the ship a bit more. Then, within a month, we can descend to the 8th floor.”

[Understood. I’ll help as much as I can.]

Now that Mabel has awakened with control over the World Tree, exploring the 8th floor shouldn’t pose much difficulty.

[Ah, right. Do you remember Alraune among the dead Demon Kings?]

“Huh? Ah, the one who dominated other Demon Kings, right?”

[Yes. That one is still alive inside me.]

I thought it had vanished without a trace, but it was alive within the World Tree.

[It’s parasitizing inside in the form of mistletoe. I could erase it now, but the items it possesses would likely disappear with it.]

“Items it possesses?”

[Yes, those hidden pieces or whatever you called them. It’s fused with them. In its mistletoe state, it merged with the hidden pieces inside the World Tree. Separating them is impossible, and killing it would destroy the hidden pieces too.]

“Hidden pieces…”

Do hidden pieces even matter now?

‘They do.’

Strength is always good. Over these three years, I’ve learned that the stronger you become, the more you can do.

“Bring it out. I’ll dominate its soul.”

[Very well. But before I do, there’s one more thing.]

“What is it?”

[Using the World Tree’s authority, I think I can create temporary bodies. Remember the ancient tree monster you saw before?]

“The ancient tree monster…”

Was its name Jeremy?

I think it was one of Erphin’s subordinates.

[Right. I can create beings like that ancient tree human, dryads, and alraunes. What if we place the souls of the conquest team’s adventurers into their bodies?]

It’s true that human souls don’t function well in bestial monster bodies. They struggle to control them properly.

So, finding humanoid monster bodies to house souls is essential, but that’s always been difficult.

With workers like these, we could descend to the 8th floor within a month.

There’s no retreating now.

All that’s left is to charge forward until the end.