episode_0031

Scritch, scratch.

The sound of white noise began to fill what appeared to be an office.

A pristine room. Inside, a woman was filling out documents.

—

“Abnormal phenomenon detected. Monsters from the 1st to the 5th floor are exhibiting irregularities.”

“Presumed cause: a hidden room on the 6th floor.”

“Discovered Floor 5.5. Monsters have begun emerging from there, and all monsters on the floors above the 5th have started changing.”

—

“……Hmm.”

The woman skimmed through the contents of the documents.

She had already been aware of the anomalies in the labyrinth. The survival rate of those who entered had plummeted drastically this time.

“Normally, the mortality rate is high during the first week when newcomers arrive, but…”

This time, it was unusually—almost eerily—high.

It was safe to assume something had gone wrong inside the labyrinth. The scavengers couldn’t possibly be responsible for something of this magnitude.

“Those insects can’t even handle goblins.”

Vagrants leeching off the guild.

The time to eliminate them was drawing near.

They should’ve been wiped out long ago.

“But some meddlesome pests interfered.”

At the time, she had no choice but to delay.

But now, it was time to collect taxes—and simultaneously, the perfect opportunity to expel those vagrants from this cradle.

Just as she was about to consider the matter regarding the vagrants—

BANG!

The door slammed open violently. Frowning, the woman turned her gaze toward the intruder.

“They’ve appeared.”

“Don’t disturb me. Get lost.”

“There’s a problem.”

“If you’ve got time to waste, go teach that bastard on the 1st floor.”

“The Rebellion. They’ve shown themselves.”

“Those rats? What petty stunt are they pulling this time?”

“‘Cutting the sprouts,’ they called it. They’re trying to kill rookie adventurers.”

“Hah, them? Since when do they bother with such things?”

“Anyway, there’s one more matter.”

“What is it?”

“This.”

Volkan pulled out the ominous nail he had received from Erme.

The woman’s eyes turned icy.

“What is that?”

“Not sure. Judging by its form, it seems meant to pin something down.”

“A Nail of Lingering Grudges. Once driven in, it binds the grudges of the dead near it, turning them into lingering spirits.”

“……That is?”

“Something the Demon King’s army used. Why is this here?”

The one referred to as the Guild Master stared at the Nail of Lingering Grudges.

“Who brought this? It couldn’t have been just any ordinary person.”

“……?”

“Why the puzzled look? Do you even realize how much of a headache this thing is? Once this nail is embedded, only a mage or archer with exceptional detection skills can find it.”

“You’re saying that bastard had detection skills too?”

Volkan was taken aback.

He had suspected the guy was hiding more than a few things, but—

‘……He said he was at least a Level 3 professional archer.’

That thought sent a chill down his spine.

The purple bow the guy had shown—

That was power no Level 3 could ever wield.

To unleash that kind of strength—

‘He’d have to be at least Level 4.’

Concealing one’s level in this cradle was taboo.

Even if he were just an archer, that level of strength was terrifying enough.

But the guy was fundamentally a swordsman.

That much, Volkan had confirmed with his own eyes. Yet, his stealth was absurdly good.

Even Volkan could barely sense him unless he focused intensely.

‘And on top of that, he’s also skilled in detection?’

Just what kind of monster was he?

As Volkan was lost in thought about Han Yuseong—

The Guild Master spoke.

“Did you reward the one who brought this? No, even if you did, you wouldn’t have known how serious this is.”

“I already compensated them, so leave it be.”

“What did you give?”

“A Level 3 restricted bow from the Arshal Workshop, a hundred arrows, and a sword.”

“……Hah?”

“You brushed it off with that?”

“They’re promising kids.”

“……By your judgment?”

The Guild Master quietly studied Volkan.

Volkan met her gaze with stubborn eyes. His standards were notoriously high.

He was infamous for refusing to take disciples, unsatisfied with most.

Even the princes of the empire had been turned away.

“They might seem like it, but it’s closer to an old man’s worry. I don’t want them relying too much on weapons.”

“You’ve gotten old too.”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone older than me.”

“……Fair enough.”

The Guild Master stopped writing mid-sentence.

Something about Volkan’s earlier words had struck her as odd.

‘Wait…….’

She hadn’t slept in the past week, finishing up paperwork.

She had been living here for nearly a month.

The fatigue from such a grueling schedule had dulled her senses.

“A Level 3 weapon from the Arshal Workshop?”

“Tsk tsk, you have gotten old. Only noticing now.”

Volkan grinned.

The Guild Master stared at him with trembling eyes.

“How is that possible? Just detection skills… Wait, you didn’t even know about their detection skills until now?”

“Right. I only found out moments ago.”

“Then that means……”

Volkan had always valued strength above all.

If that was the case, the ones who discovered this nail weren’t just ordinary talents.

‘There are those kinds of freaks.’

Geniuses who appeared once in a century.

They were already entrenched in the empire, the kingdom, and the adventurer guilds, so she hadn’t paid them much mind—

‘And now there are two more?’

Moreover, the fact that Volkan was this invested meant they were highly likely to be recruited into the adventurer guilds.

“Names?”

“One’s Erme. The other’s Han Yuseong.”

The Guild Master committed both names to memory.

“Ah, be careful with one of them.”

“Which one?”

“The dark-haired one. He has violet eyes. You’ll recognize him immediately.”

“Name?”

“Han Yuseong. He’s hiding his true strength.”

“Hiding his strength? In front of you……?”

Volkan pondered.

The guy had always been an enigma. If that was the case, then surely—

‘He was concealing his abilities.’

To dare hide his strength in front of Volkan was audacious—

But he found that audacity refreshing.

Had they met on the battlefield, that guy might’ve been capable of wounding him.

If he couldn’t recognize such talent, that was on him.

“I genuinely can’t figure him out. Even I can’t see much.”

“So that’s why you came to me.”

“Something like that.”

“……I’ll look into it.”

“Ah, if you find anything, let Hilda know.”

“Don’t overwork her.”

“Hmph, none of your concern.”

The Guild Master dismissed Volkan and began sifting through documents.

Files on recently registered adventurers.

Among them were Han Yuseong and Erme, as Volkan had mentioned.

Their potential was rated B+.

A grade indicating they could grow into high-ranking adventurers in the future.

The Guild Master erased the B+ with magic and rewrote it.

S.

A thousand years had passed since the labyrinth’s emergence.

In that time, the adventurer guilds had established a ranking system.

Fewer than twenty had ever received this grade.

‘I trust Volkan’s judgment, but…’

She needed to see them with her own eyes to believe it.

But if even half of what Volkan said was true—

Thud.

After stamping the S-rank, the Guild Master set out.

—

“Munch, munch.”

Erme was busily chewing on bread in the inn. But something felt off.

‘Normally, she’d be the busiest one today.’

On labyrinth days, the party leader would be running around, handling preparations.

But today, she seemed oddly relaxed.

As if they were going late—or not at all.

Well, I could afford to eat slowly.

Dipping the bread into soup, I stuffed it into my mouth.

“Shall we head out soon?”

Erme spoke after packing a hefty bag.

I, on the other hand, traveled light. With subspace storage and my coat pockets, I didn’t need much.

‘I’d prefer to keep the subspace a secret, though.’

So I deliberately carried a bow.

And two swords.

Erme and I left the inn and headed for the adventurer guild.

The guild entrance was packed.

It was usually crowded, but today felt different.

‘Like people are waiting because they can’t get in.’

That seemed to be the case.

A crowd had gathered outside the guild entrance.

Among them were Glasses, Teresa, and Rozenta.

Glasses was scowling, Teresa was as expressionless as ever, and Rozenta—

‘Huh, she looks… normal?’

—was fidgeting nervously, hands clasped together.

“Morning.”

“Good morning. But what’s going on?”

“Something happened in the labyrinth. Exploration might be difficult today.”

“Oh no… There were already strange rumors circulating since yesterday. Many who entered the labyrinth have gone missing.”

“I thought as long as we were careful, we wouldn’t die… But with an incident this big, something must be up.”

“More importantly, what do we do?”

Teresa’s blue eyes fixed on me.

Glancing around, everyone was waiting for my input.

“……If the labyrinth’s changes are the main issue, they’ll likely send high-ranking adventurers to investigate. We probably won’t be needed.”

Scrambling for an excuse, the others nodded as if it made sense.

It did sound plausible.

‘The goblins acting intelligently must’ve been part of the labyrinth’s changes.’

If so, how long until we could enter again?

I scanned the group.

Rozenta, as a priestess, could earn money somehow.

‘The problem is Glasses and Teresa.’

Teresa clearly needed money badly.

She always yielded her share of loot.

Glasses seemed financially stable, but after being robbed last time, she didn’t look too comfortable.

‘Ideally, we’d get back into the labyrinth soon.’

But today, that didn’t seem possible.

Just as I was about to turn away—

“Where do you think you’re going, brats?”

Volkan grinned, blocking our path.

“What is it, old man?”

“I’m here to collect you, of course.”

“Us?”

“Yeah. You’ve got quite the nerve, kid. You’ve had that ‘here we go’ look since I showed up.”

“……Hehe. Let’s talk inside first.”

“Bold, aren’t you? You should be careful—no, actually, you might be safe since you’ve already been bitten by that fox… no, that once-in-a-lifetime bastard.”

“Calling someone a bastard to their face?”

“Ask anyone about your antics, and they’d say the same. The way you act all innocent while pulling stunts like that.”

What the hell was he talking about?

I glanced at Erme. She blinked, then giggled and dragged me along.

“……They do have a weird vibe, but already at that stage…?”

“That’s just your imagination.”

I denied Glasses’ muttering and followed inside.

Using Volkan as a shield, we slipped past the crowd.

Inside, the guild was far more orderly than usual.

And—

‘Everyone here… is strong.’

The average combat power in the room was terrifying.

Many radiated an aura stronger than Riciel’s.

Among them, a blond man with a carefree demeanor approached, smiling.

“What’s this, old man? Bringing in some kids?”

“Kids, yes—but they’ll outshine you in under a year. Introduce yourself. They’re the ones who’ll surpass you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m… Huh, have we met before?”

“Ah, Yuseong and Erme. The adventurers we saw on their first day in the labyrinth.”

“That was their first day? The one who moved like Rohan’s Shadow Step?”

“Oh? What’s this about?”

Volkan, intrigued, cut into the conversation.

“Old man, you’ve already marked them? It’d be a problem if you poached someone we invited to join Dawn’s Light.”

“Hmm? You invited them?”

“We asked them on their first day. They’d be perfect as Rohan’s successor. Skilled detection archers aren’t common.”

The man—Alex—grinned and scanned our party.

“Name’s Alex. Pleasure.”

“Is this necessary?”

A low voice.

Turning, I saw a purple-eyed woman.

Her violet eyes gleamed. She wore a fur coat, a black tank top, and long black pants.

A mage, gripping a staff-like object in her right hand.

“……Viola.”

“Alex, this labyrinth incident is serious. How many times have we seen rookie parties barge in and ruin everything?”

“This time, Volkan brought them.”

“More importantly, I trust my own eyes. For example—”

Viola raised a small golden orb in her hand.

“—try taking this from me.”

“A test, then.”

Volkan chuckled in amusement.

“But you do realize this could be seen as challenging my authority?”

“Hardly. I just want reassurance. You did bring in a kid, after all. A party formed less than a week ago.”

How did she know we were new?

Well, this could be fun.

“Yuseong?”

“That thing looks pretty useful. Can I keep it if I take it?”

“……Amusing. Do you even know what this is? A relic that can save your life once. Go ahead, kid. I’ll play along. If you take it, it’s yours.”

Viola’s expression darkened.

As mana surged around her—

I calmly activated Swift Hand.

A strange sensation—as if my hand had vanished, then grasped something.

‘Appraisal.’

[Relic] Amulet of Protection. ◇Nullifies one fatal attack for the user. ◇Requires recharge time after use.

Indeed.

A genuinely useful relic.

I smirked at Viola—then, in the next instant, the golden orb was in my hand.

“Huh? Wha—? How?”

“Thanks. I’ll put it to good use.”

“Uh… Uhehehehe!”

Viola stared blankly.

Leaving behind the cackling Volkan, we stepped further inside.