Ch.7777. The Final Exploration

All I could see ahead was a faded blue radiance.

‘I definitely killed the Corpse Collector, but…’

A dark space without any sound.

Why was I in this space?

My sense of time disappeared with the headache that made my consciousness feel distant.

‘I need to get back to Shiro…’

Before I could continue that thought, my consciousness cut off, and soon I opened my eyes again.

Whenever I open my eyes, my body always feels damp.

As humid air wraps around my entire body, I realize I’m still trapped in this nightmare.

…This is strange.

How many times have I repeated this situation?

I looked around.

‘It’s dark.’

For some reason, the brilliant radiance that originally illuminated this place seemed to have lost its natural color.

[Too much power all at once…]

Occasionally, I heard a familiar voice from somewhere.

[…]

When I closed my eyes, it became silent as if it had been a mirage.

Silence and darkness.

In this space where only those remained, something was slowly flowing in.

A sticky liquid that clung like humid air during the rainy season.

‘Disgusting.’

After removing it with an indescribable revulsion, my eyes begin to close again.

[We must wait for Adel to overcome this-]

Once again, I heard that familiar voice.

But this time it was a little different.

[Huh? Guild Leader! Adel’s hand moved!]

Instead of disappearing, the voice became increasingly clear.

The one speaking now was probably… Seirai.

Why could I hear her voice?

As my confusion grew.

-Crack, craaack.

The liquid that had been slowly flowing into this space began approaching me.

‘I need to escape.’

I instinctively felt it.

The moment that substance caught me would be the end.

I struggled to move my body.

But my body absolutely refused to listen.

‘Damn it.’

It didn’t feel like I was injured or restrained.

It just felt like I lacked the ‘strength’ to move my body.

-Whoosh.

I saw light.

It contained a brilliant radiance.

The light gradually expanded its domain and swallowed this space.

***

“Holy shit!”

My body sat up involuntarily.

What the hell was that situation just now-

“Adel’s awake! I’m not lying this time so come quickly! It’s real!”

“…Rei?”

As I came to my senses, I saw just one scene.

I was on a bed, and Seirai was sitting in a chair right beside me.

…This is confusing.

“Oh, Adel. Just calm down and wait. The Guild Leader will check your condition.”

“Alright, I understand for now.”

Not understanding what she meant, I looked around.

A room that looked like an ordinary house.

Through the window, I could see the cityscape. Judging by the height, maybe it was the second floor.

‘From the situation, it seems I collapsed.’

Probably from using too much power.

“Rei. How long was I out?”

“Oh, unlike what the Guild Leader said, you woke up quickly. About 20 hours?”

“That’s quite a long nap.”

-Creeeeak.

As I was making that observation, the Guild Leader opened the door and entered.

“…This time you really woke up.”

The Guild Leader showed a surprised expression, then directed a flash of killing intent toward Seirai.

I wonder how many times she had played pranks before I woke up.

What a peculiar person.

“Adel. This might be confusing, so I’ll explain the situation first. During battle, you used too much…”

The Guild Leader’s subsequent explanation was extremely conventional.

Using too much Constellation power at once causes collapse.

Even I couldn’t possibly output that much power, and my body couldn’t withstand it.

It’s a miracle I survived, and so on.

She expressed amazement while listing numerous details.

“…Adel. You don’t seem very surprised.”

“No, it is surprising… but it doesn’t really hit me yet.”

“Well, I guess everything has been too sudden for you.”

It doesn’t hit me?

That was a lie.

Because this is normal.

I’m a Possessor after all.

But for the past few years, I’ve been struggling in this world, experiencing all kinds of discrimination and pain.

I couldn’t even enjoy the minimum life that a human should.

It was truly a painful existence.

‘If you were going to possess me, you should have done this much earlier.’

Although I’ve experienced extremely rapid growth and advantages this year, that wasn’t special.

I’ve only now begun to live a life worthy of a true Possessor.

‘Now that I can handle Constellation power, once the Labyrinth portal opens and I secure the Source, it’s over.’

The battle with the Demon Lord is just a matter of time.

“Anyway… tell me when you feel a bit calmer. There’s something even more surprising.”

The Guild Leader brought a chair from somewhere and sat down.

“You can tell me now. I think I’m fine.”

“Then I won’t waste time and tell you directly. The portal to the Labyrinth opened 10 hours ago.”

“I see. The portal opened already, that’s somewhat good news…?”

Wait a minute.

How many hours until the Labyrinth portal closes?

‘I’m pretty sure it always closed before sunset.’

The portal opened 10 hours ago.

…Huh?

***

To cut to the conclusion, contrary to my concerns, the portal hadn’t closed.

“So, the portal hasn’t closed but it’s in a strange state?”

“Yes. You’ll understand what state it’s in when you see it.”

I crossed the shelter with the Guild Leader.

Though it’s called a shelter, it was essentially a forward base. Just shifting your gaze slightly revealed explorers and priests barely maintaining the front line.

She said they had barely put things in order while I was unconscious. At first, it was even more chaotic.

“Here.”

We arrived at the summoning plaza after passing through where some explorers were standing guard.

As the Guild Leader said, the portal wasn’t closed.

Given that Demonic Blood had infiltrated the city, I could understand that much change, but…

“…It’s red?”

The portal turning red was quite shocking.

It wasn’t just like someone accidentally spilled paint.

It really felt like buying an express ticket to hell the moment you stepped in.

“That state means the Demon Lord has already done something strange to the Constellations. That’s why I haven’t let other people enter the portal yet.”

If the Demon Lord has occupied the Labyrinth, we can’t secure the Source.

I had been feeling quite cheerful until just now, but the situation was still desperate.

“…So it’s confirmed we can’t get the Source. Do we have to wait for the Demon Lord to come in this state?”

Even if I’ve awakened my power, can we defeat the Demon Lord?

‘It was definitely overwhelming power.’

The strike that killed the Corpse Collector couldn’t be imitated with any Source combination.

But if the Constellation gave me such power, the Demon Lord must have corresponding strength.

‘I’d feel more at ease if we could secure the Source.’

One might think the Source is meaningless now that I’ve gained Constellation power, but it was actually the opposite.

My Source ability, Instantaneous Hardening, reduces damage by 80 percent.

I don’t know if this rule applies to the Demon Lord, but if it does, it would give us a huge advantage.

So I felt disappointed that we couldn’t obtain the Source…

“…?”

The Guild Leader tilted her head with an expression that said “what are you talking about?”

“There are monsters inside.”

“What? You just said no one could enter…”

“Of course. It’s a dangerous place. I’m the strongest among those who were awake, so should I send weaker people to sacrifice them?”

That seemed right somehow, but I still wanted to object.

“…By the way, was the inside okay? I’d expect it to be completely contaminated by Demonic Blood.”

“Well, it’s fine if you call it fine… I’ll give you a detailed explanation when the other party members gather.”

Dozens of minutes later, all members who would enter the Labyrinth gathered.

Me, Shiro, the Guild Leader, and Deneb.

Even though Kyle or Seirai were much stronger, the reason Shiro was included instead was simple.

The moment I set up the “Shiro-tailored Source setting” I’d been building up, Shiro would become stronger than them.

It was a bit disappointing to have only one priest, but high-ranking priests were practically nonexistent in this area.

So, these four were the optimal setup.

Anyway.

The four of us gathered at the plaza where the Labyrinth portal was summoned, and the Guild Leader began explaining the interior.

“Kyle, myself, Seirai, and Deneb entered the Labyrinth. I would have preferred to take Adel, but according to my prediction, we would have had to wait at least a few weeks for you to wake up.”

Hmm, was my condition that serious? I didn’t feel it.

“After entering the Labyrinth, we encountered a strange sight.”

The Guild Leader began drawing a strange picture on the ground.

…It was impossible to describe, but I’ll just remember it as skill comparable to the artistry of Deneb.

“The space was decomposed and everything was merged into one. Demonic Blood was laid like bridges connecting those spaces, and when I looked back, there was even a portal leading outside.”

According to her, there were dozens of “bridges” at the entrance.

“At the end of those bridges, all spaces from the 1st to 9th floors were connected. Of course, they couldn’t perfectly transplant the spaces, so monsters were killing each other in cramped areas with mixed territories.”

“…I see.”

Seeing my not-so-good expression, the Guild Leader comforted me.

“You don’t need to worry about meeting the Demon Lord. The Labyrinth must have broken down due to the Constellations resisting the Demon Lord. In fact, the Constellation’s energy felt stronger in the Labyrinth.”

It wasn’t reassuring at all, but whatever the case, we had to go inside.

“Still, there’s one good thing.”

I said with a faint smile.

“Thanks to this, we don’t need to wander around to get the Source, right? Let’s finish this in a few hours.”

Demon Lord speedrun begins.