episode_0036

What should I do?

My head was a mess. Unlike what I’d expected—thinking only about escaping the labyrinth.

‘Why did Marcel have this?’

I looked at Marcel.

He had been impressive from the very first meeting. The glasses he wore gave me an innate sense of familiarity, and he was a stable mage with a likable personality.

But.

If all of that was fabricated, and his goal was to get close to us—

‘If he’s a member of the terrorist group, Rebellion—’

What should I do?

The answer was already decided.

‘I have to kill him.’

The conclusion was extreme, but—

I’d experienced even a fraction of their danger. So far, I’d seen two of them.

Hanul.

And the bastard who tried to kidnap Selly, the magic warrior candidate under Rosenta’s protection.

Though I’d only met two—

Every one of them I’d encountered was trash that deserved to die.

Of course, there might be some who weren’t scum, or those forced to join.

But that didn’t mean they shouldn’t be killed.

‘But—’

There was one thing weighing on my mind.

That disgusting skull-faced monster.

The creature that single-handedly wiped out the Nation party.

When that monster charged at me—

‘Marcel tried to protect me.’

At the cost of his own life. Even if it was pointless—since I had the talisman to survive—he still did it.

‘……Could he be one of them?’

There were too many possibilities. But should I really believe Marcel just happened to have that item?

“……Yooseong?”

Erueme was looking at me with worried eyes.

Right, pull yourself together, Han Yooseong.

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

It is important, but—

What’s more urgent is—

‘The incident in the labyrinth.’

I need to figure out what that skull bastard really is.

‘……Too many things exploded at once.’

My head ached slightly.

Only then did I start noticing my surroundings.

There were many people around.

But the problem was—

‘……Most of them are people I saw inside?’

I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were unharmed. But most of them were injured.

Some seemed dead, their belongings clutched by weeping survivors.

“……What the hell is this situation?”

Volkan was staring at us with a grave expression.

He frowned, as if this shouldn’t have happened.

Of course.

The Adventurer’s Guild had deliberately deployed mid-tier adventurers in large numbers to minimize losses.

Yet the result was massive casualties among both high and mid-tier adventurers.

And some never made it back.

“……Han Yooseong, anything to report?”

“Confirmed the death of an adventurer named Nation on the 1st floor.”

“And?”

“Encountered a bizarre monster.”

“What did it look like?”

“A skull with antlers.”

“……A skull with antlers?”

Volkan’s eyes widened.

As if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have.

“……Was it wearing something like a coat?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the ‘Deerbone Demon.’ A monster with antlers. It’s the boss of the 15th floor.”

The boss of the 15th floor?

Why was something like that on the 1st floor?

A surge of unfairness rose in me.

But something was off. For a monster of that caliber—

‘It felt… weak.’

Its movements were exaggerated, but if it really wanted to kill me—

I swallowed my words.

Wasn’t this too strange? I’m only a newly promoted 2nd-grade adventurer.

Yet—

‘Judging its strength feels ridiculous.’

-That’s not true, you.

As I tried to dismiss my own thoughts, Rishiel intervened.

Her blue eyes locked onto mine.

-You possess an unusual sense. Even among the elven clans—especially the three great families—my senses, hailed as the hope of the Darkmoon family, pale in comparison to yours. Trust your instincts.

‘……My instincts?’

-Though rare, your lack of common sense is astonishing. It’s as if you’ve been plopped here from another world.

‘…….’

Surprisingly sharp.

Or maybe it’s just because we’ve spent so much time together.

I turned back to Volkan.

He studied my eyes briefly, then nodded.

“Something else to say?”

“This might just be my intuition, but… I didn’t feel like it was that strong.”

“Hm?”

“I knew fighting it would be deadly, but it didn’t feel overwhelmingly powerful.”

“Compared to me?”

I looked at Volkan.

Focusing all my senses, I scrutinized him.

‘Still.’

Not a single blue line on his body. Only ominous red ones.

But—

That thing was the same.

If I had to compare them at their absolute limits—

‘Volkan is slightly stronger.’

But the difference was razor-thin. If luck wasn’t on his side, even Volkan could lose.

I told him as much.

“……A negligible difference where I could lose?”

Volkan stared at me, baffled.

Did I say something strange?

‘Rishiel, that’s not what I meant.’

-No, you. Did you really feel that the Deerbone Demon was comparable to Volkan?

‘Yeah.’

-That’s impossible. Volkan is the ‘Reversal Berserker’—one of the monsters who’s breached the 20th floor.

‘……That old man?’

-You’re the only one who’d call him that… though not entirely.

Rishiel let out a faint sigh.

Clearly, the elves’ perception of Volkan differed from mine.

‘If I were from the Empire or the Kingdom, I’d probably see him differently too.’

Meaning he treats his own people well.

Back to the main point.

I watched Volkan.

He was deep in thought, his expression grave.

“……I’ll trust your instincts. Factoring in hidden cards and variables, the Deerbone Demon is slightly weaker than me.”

Volkan’s lips twisted into a grin.

As if he found this thrilling.

“I believe your senses. But others won’t buy that a Deerbone Demon is comparable to me.”

“Is that so?”

“……While the Deerbone Demon is called the Reaper of the 15th floor, it’s no match for Volkan, who’s conquered the 20th.”

There it is again.

What does breaching the 20th floor even mean for them to hype it up like this?

“But even I can tell your eyes and instincts are extraordinary. If you say so, it’s probably true. Hence the dilemma.”

“What dilemma?”

“……Personally, I’d love to fight it, but if it’s on the 1st floor while anomalies are happening up to the 5th… At worst, entities from the 20th floor could appear as deep as the 5th.”

“…….”

Erueme’s face darkened at Volkan’s words, lost in thought. But she soon closed her eyes, giving up.

‘……Is the Deerbone Demon the only anomaly from the 15th floor?’

Maybe it’s the only one.

“For now, rest. The guild will handle compensation.”

“……How much?”

“You unbelievable brat. Of all times to show your greed. You never seemed interested in money before.”

Volkan chuckled, pulling out a coin pouch.

“The intel you provided is top-tier. This pouch holds 200 gold coins. Take it.”

“200 gold coins…….”

Erueme’s voice trembled.

200 gold coins.

Nearly 2 billion won in our currency.

‘Is it normal to earn this much at my level?’

Thinking about it, our party had been making a lot lately.

Not billions per run, but we’d hit hundreds of millions.

‘We’ll split this five ways, excluding Viola.’

……No, considering we’ll owe Viola later, maybe we should include her.

‘……400 million becomes 330 million per person.’

For someone of Viola’s caliber, it’s worth investing…

Worth investing…

‘My commoner mindset’s still there.’

Losing 70 million stung. But since Viola lost most of her gear, maybe it’s fair.

‘We’ll discuss it as a party.’

One major issue remained.

I looked at Marcel.

‘Are you an enemy or not?’

Please don’t be an enemy.

I don’t want to kill someone I considered a friend.

After leaving the labyrinth—

My mind was a mess, but my body was honest.

Meaning, I rested. Deeply. Two full days fused with my bed.

Now, I realized I had to move.

‘Too much to do.’

We delivered Nation’s head, but I want Viola in our party.

No, more accurately—

‘I need to decide what to do about Marcel.’

Two days of pondering, and I still couldn’t decide.

Should I cut him off or not?

That was the question.

I needed advice, but—

There weren’t many I could ask.

‘If anyone…’

One suspicious yet reliable person in our party.

Erueme.

Vague, but trustworthy.

‘And Lucia, maybe.’

Her obsession with me is extreme.

Her epithets—Wicked Woman. Execution Princess.

Not flattering, but—

‘From what my friend said—’

At the very least, she treats her own people well.

A villain to others, but not to me.

After showering and changing, I stepped outside.

“You’re up?”

Erueme looked drowsy.

She’d had it rough too, holding the front line against goblin hordes.

“I’d love to rest longer… but your body’s itching to move, right?”

“……I’d happily laze for a month.”

“Pfft, liar.”

No, seriously.

I could merge with my bed for a full month without issue.

Ignoring my sincerity, Erueme turned serious.

“What do you think, Yooseong?”

“About who?”

“Glasses over there.”

“…….”

I studied Erueme. Sunset-like scarlet eyes and hair.

Her gaze was unwavering.

‘……What does she want?’

She’d know.

The anomalies in the labyrinth.

Whether Marcel is friend or foe.

……And likely glimpses of the future too.

‘……I’m working with too little.’

I closed my eyes briefly.

Time to test the waters.

“……Why Marcel?”

“I felt it during the fight. Marcel’s talented, but… he doesn’t quite fit with us.”

“…….”

True.

Marcel is skilled, but he can’t keep up with me or Erueme.

More importantly—

‘There’s Rosenta.’

She’s a buffer like Marcel but can fight on the front lines. Marcel has one more buff, but he’s no match for her in combat.

“For now, we’ll keep him. The real friction will start once we all hit 2nd grade.”

Erueme was hinting.

If Marcel doesn’t learn skills useful at 2nd grade, he might get cut.

‘……Is Marcel not part of Rebellion?’

I narrowed my eyes, but Erueme just tilted her head innocently.

“If we drop Marcel?”

“The best replacement is Viola. Selly’s too young—she still needs basic training.”

Meaning we’d raise Selly ourselves if needed.

I closed my eyes again.

Crossed my arms, deep in thought.

Time passed as I organized my thoughts.

“……Decided?”

“One question first.”

“What is it? For you, I’ll even share my secrets.”

She grinned, eyes crescent-shaped.

Playful as always, but her gaze was tense.

I pulled out the nail from Marcel’s clothes.

“……This?”

“It was in Marcel’s clothes.”

“…….”

I watched Erueme.

Her gentle expression vanished.

Her eyes turned icy as she stared at the nail.

“Ah, so that’s how they all died.”

Her voice was colder than ever.

She met my gaze, frosty.

“Do you know what these bastards are?”

“……Roughly. But one thing bothers me, so I’m asking.”

“What is it?”

“When the Deerbone Demon charged at me, Marcel threw himself in front of me.”

“Hmm. That’s what’s tripping you up.”

Erueme pondered briefly, then called over a nearby child.

She scribbled a note and handed it over with a silver coin.

“Take this to the Adventurer’s Guild. I’ll give you another coin if you do.”

Her bribery skills were impressively smooth.

“We’ll decide tomorrow. I’m curious too—whether Marcel’s with us or against us.”

She quietly equipped her sword.

“Shall we go find out?”

“Let’s.”

Better to act than to keep agonizing.