Chapter 20: Second Floor – 2

The floors of the labyrinth—much about them remains unknown.

However, it has been confirmed that up to the 25th floor has been unlocked.

Information built upon the countless corpses of adventurers.

No one knows what kind of monsters appear beyond the 20th floor.

But conversely, that means every monster up until then is fully documented.

Though, the Adventurer’s Guild strictly controls that information.

Because the monsters are either too dangerous or too rare.

Even so…

A thousand years have passed since the labyrinth first appeared, and most of its secrets have been unraveled.

The second floor is the nest of Hobgoblins.

And they are not the only ones here.

Rustle. Rustle.

A subtle presence could be felt from all directions.

The distance was far—roughly 300 meters away.

‘Something feels… off.’

Hobgoblin Champion.

Something changed when I killed that thing.

Changed?

Rishiel reacted to my thoughts.

How did it change?

‘I can sense presences more clearly now.’

Presences?

‘Yeah, something strange lurking around here.’

Rather than strange, it was probably just something I wasn’t used to.

Most of the creatures on this floor were Hobgoblins.

However, sometimes monsters from lower floors would climb up and mix in.

And this presence…

‘A spider.’

Arachne.

A flesh-eating, man-eating spider.

It was heading this way.

‘If something is mounted on top…’

Hobgoblin Rider.

But there was something odd.

‘Why is it called a Hobgoblin Rider when it’s riding an Arachne?’

That curiosity could wait—I needed to warn the others about the incoming enemies.

“Three approaching.”

“Already…?”

“What are they?”

“Hobgoblin Riders.”

“Ugh.”

At my words, Glasses grimaced slightly.

Understandable.

Even for someone like me who could sense presences, this felt strange.

Arachne.

The English word for spider.

In the distance, Hobgoblins mounted on massive spiders began to come into view.

I drew my bow and took aim.

Screeech.

The bowstring stretched taut as I pulled it back.

Marcel and Theresa watched the front with tense expressions.

Erme silently unsheathed her sword.

Was she already getting used to wielding the Champion’s sword?

A crimson glow flickered coldly along the blade.

“Speed enhancement, strength enhancement.”

As Marcel spoke, my body instantly felt lighter.

We waited for a brief moment.

“They’re here.”

Thud.

An arrow shot forward at high speed.

After obtaining the Swordmaster’s abilities, my skill with the bow had dulled slightly.

But maybe my instincts had already adapted.

The arrow streaked through the air—straight toward the Arachne’s eye.

Thwack!

Kieeeek!

The arrow buried itself deep into the spider’s eye.

The Hobgoblin on its back tumbled off, crashing to the ground.

As I nocked another arrow, I carefully observed Theresa and Erme.

Perhaps because she had just leveled up, Theresa seemed eager to move.

“Hup!”

She casually struck the Arachne’s head.

But the result was anything but casual.

“Kiek?”

The Hobgoblin was sent flying—Arachne and all.

Erme raised the Champion’s sword. A vivid crimson heat shimmered along the blade.

Then—

Slash.

Both the Arachne and the Hobgoblin were cleaved apart simultaneously.

Meanwhile, I—

Thunk.

Shot an arrow, killing another Arachne.

“Kieeek…!”

Then, stepping forward, I slit a Hobgoblin’s throat with the Blood-Soaked Dagger.

‘This feels way too different.’

If I had to fight a Hobgoblin Champion alone, I wouldn’t even stand a chance.

‘But these guys are way too easy?’

—That’s only natural.

Rishiel’s voice rang out in my mind.

—A Champion is second only to a species’ Lord. They are entirely different from ordinary monsters.

‘Different how?’

—Well, they are… No, I can’t say. This is information you’re not permitted to know.

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

There are two things that can really piss someone off—
And Rishiel just used both at the same time.

I turned to look at her.

She had firmly shut her mouth.

“…Really?”

‘So even if I ask, she’s not going to tell me, huh.’

I stared at her with a hollow expression before sighing internally.

‘If I’m not allowed to know…’

That means just knowing it could put me in danger.

Maybe it’s better not to find out.

Step. Step.

As I sorted through my thoughts, Erme approached me.

“How was the battle just now?”

“You did well.”

As I nocked another arrow, I carefully observed Theresa and Erme.

Perhaps because she had just leveled up, Theresa seemed eager to move.

“Hup!”

She casually struck the Arachne’s head.

But the result was anything but casual.

“Kiek?”

The Hobgoblin was sent flying—Arachne and all.

Erme raised the Champion’s sword.

A vivid crimson heat shimmered along the blade.

Then.

Slash.

Both the Arachne and the Hobgoblin were cleaved apart simultaneously.

Meanwhile, I.

Thunk.

Shot an arrow, killing another Arachne.

“Kieeek…!”

Then, stepping forward, I slit a Hobgoblin’s throat with the Blood-Soaked Dagger.

‘This feels way too different.’

If I had to fight a Hobgoblin Champion alone, I wouldn’t even stand a chance.

‘But these guys are way too easy?’

That’s only natural.

Rishiel’s voice rang out in my mind.

A Champion is second only to a species’ Lord.

They are entirely different from ordinary monsters.

‘Different how?’

Well, they are…

No, I can’t say.

This is information you’re not permitted to know.

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

There are two things that can really piss someone off.

And Rishiel just used both at the same time.

I turned to look at her.

She had firmly shut her mouth.

“…Really?”

‘So even if I ask, she’s not going to tell me, huh.’

I stared at her with a hollow expression before sighing internally.

‘If I’m not allowed to know…’

That means just knowing it could put me in danger.

Maybe it’s better not to find out.

Step. Step.

As I sorted through my thoughts, Erme approached me.

“How was the battle just now?”

“You did well.”

“You won’t be able to fight like that for long. The Champion’s sword… its mana consumption isn’t very efficient.”

That much was clear.

Even though Whisper of the Wind didn’t have a high activation rate, I could still use it to some extent.

But the Champion’s sword? Just wielding it for a short moment had drained all of Erme’s mana.

‘Even considering she used Dark Moon right before that…’

That was excessive.

“So, I was thinking—can we take things a bit slower from now on?”

“Yeah, I’ll control my strength too.”

Theresa, standing beside us, mumbled with a blank look.

“What’s wrong? Tired?”

“…I got a new skill after leveling up, but using it is exhausting.”

“Well… skills do consume mana. So in the end, the most efficient fighter here was probably Yuseong.”

All I did was shoot arrows from a distance and strike with my sword.

As I retrieved the arrow lodged in the Arachne’s eye, I thought to myself.

‘Still, the second floor isn’t too bad.’

Maybe we could start directly from the second floor next time.

With that thought, our party moved forward.

Kieeeeeek!

An Arachne screeched from a distance, spitting silk toward us.

‘At least it’s not venomous.’

I lowered my body and dodged effortlessly, locking eyes with the grotesque, multi-eyed spider.

These things were the dominant monsters of the next floor.

‘Yeah… I really don’t want to go there.’

But I had no choice.

Steeling myself, I swung my sword.

Slash!

Half of the Arachne’s right legs were severed.

Kieeeek!

The red-eyed Goblin riding on top targeted me.

From my Hidden Space, I drew the Blood-Soaked Dagger and struck, killing it instantly.

“Huff… Huff…”

I took a sip of water and glanced to the side.

Theresa and Erme were taking deep breaths, catching their breath.

‘There are way more of them now.’

This was nothing like when we had first arrived on the second floor.

Now, they were coming in groups of five or six at a time, giving us no chance to rest.

“This is nothing like what I heard.”

“There are probably two possible reasons for this. Either something happened to the floor, causing the monsters to act wildly—”

Or.

‘Someone is deliberately driving them toward us?’

I smirked slightly.

I think so too.

Rishiel appeared beside me, nodding.

Compared to monsters that simply drop standard mana stones, humans carrying rare artifacts are a much more valuable target.

‘Makes sense.’

I glanced to the side with cold eyes.

Maybe Erme had the same thought.

“What should we do?”

“We could try attacking while staying hidden.”

“Not a great idea. Forcing monsters toward a target… That’s usually something high-level adventurers do. It’s a real hassle.”

Which meant that whoever was pulling this off had to be at least Level 3.

‘If that’s the case, then isn’t this still manageable?’

That was my thought. But my party didn’t seem to agree.

“My apologies.”

Glasses stepped back, adjusting his position.

Theresa tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? For what?”

“…It seems I’ve helped you all improve too much. My outstanding skills and magical tools must have made it clear—I’m an exceptional mage.”

This was impossible.

That was my first thought the moment I received the order.

On the very first day at The Cradle.

I had seen Han Yuseong’s Fatal Allure in action—felt the overwhelming pressure of his presence firsthand.

I had no desire to earn that monster’s wrath.

But defying the clan’s orders meant only one thing—death.

If Han Yuseong killed me, that would be the end of it.

But disobeying the clan?

That could put my comrades and even my family in danger.

Still, I had some faith in our plan.

[Goblin Lure.]

Useless against anything stronger than a Hobgoblin, only somewhat effective on the lower floors.

And yet, simply possessing this item was enough for the Adventurer’s Guild to throw you in prison—or make you disappear entirely.

That’s how dangerous it was.

Most didn’t even know how to make it.

Luckily, Damon did.

‘Those things… they’re monsters.’

Hobgoblins were being slaughtered.

Even the Hobgoblin Riders mounted on Arachne were taken down in an instant.

“…Aren’t we in danger?”

“They’ve probably already noticed us.”

Their movements weren’t aggressive.

Maybe they mistook us for high-level adventurers.

Fortunately, they hadn’t fully realized the truth—yet.

‘We need to retreat.’

We had to rethink our strategy.

Even if all of us attacked at once, we’d be lucky to take down just one of them.

“For now, we fall back.”

All eyes turned to Damon as he spoke.

“We miscalculated their strength. If those monsters are that strong, then our leader needs to step in.”

“Y-yeah, Damon’s right.”

“Then, let’s stop the pursuit and—”

The woman, who had been smiling brightly at the suggestion of retreat, never finished her sentence.

Thud.

An arrowhead pierced straight through her skull.

“…Huh?”

“W-what? An ambush—!”

Panic set in.

Everyone scattered, fleeing in different directions.

Damon was no exception.

But unlike the others, his reaction was different.

‘This is…’

It was the bow Han Yuseong had used.

That monster had set his sights on them.

The realization nearly sent his mind spiraling into chaos.

Desperately trying to hold himself together—

Thud.

Thud, thud.

“S-someone… save me…!”

One by one, his teammates collapsed.

With every arrow fired, another life was crushed.

And soon, he knew—he would be next.

“S-save me…!”

That was the last thing Damon heard.

Thud.

With that, he lost consciousness.

“What’s with this guy?”

I stared at the one who seemed to be their leader.

‘That was a paralysis arrow.’

I had aimed for his thigh, intending to take him alive.

I missed slightly, hitting his leg instead—but that shouldn’t have been enough to knock him out.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a blue notification appeared before my eyes.

[Sub Quest Completed.]

‘Huh?’

A sub quest?

As I was processing that, another blue screen popped up.

[Sub Quest]

Chapter 2: Ally of Darkness.

You have engaged in battle with a hidden faction, and your relationship with them is now beyond repair.

“…Ah.”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

Back when I first met Erme and killed Han Ul, the sub quest had given me a choice.

To walk the Path of Light or the Path of Darkness.

‘But now…’

These guys must have been connected to that faction.

And since I had just wiped them out…

It seemed I had officially made an enemy of them.

[Sub Quest Completed.]

[You have chosen the Path of Light.]

[Eliminate the Hidden Faction!]

‘…What a pain.’

Seriously.